Sweet Baker Babes

Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cones

2011-06-18T17:42:00.000-05:00

What a fun and simple way to spruce up some plain sugar cones! Just like the ice cream shop! The girls enjoyed helping me dip and it was a nice way to use up some random sprinkles. My hubby is not a fan of white chocolate and I am not a fan of eating sprinkles so we made some dark chocolate dipped ones for us and we will leave the colorful, sprinkled ones to the girls!

There is no real technique to this. I melted some leftover candy melts, they come in numerous colors. But chocolate chips would work just as well, or maybe peanut butter chips, yum! First I spooned a bit down into the bottom of the cone, as you can see in the picture above (with a stray sprinkle in it). Then I dipped the tops into the chocolate, let it drip off a bit then dipped it into a dish of sprinkles. I let mine dry propped in bowls. The girls can't wait to eat their pink ice cream in their purple, sprinkle ice cream cones tonight!

Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins

2011-06-02T19:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wish I had some sort of bread on hand to serve with dinner. But because I either ran out of time, or more likely, was just too lazy, I usually don't get any made unless I really plan for it. That's why this recipe intrigued me. I am a huge procrastinator so this recipe suits me well since it needs very little forethought!
I was a little skeptical that they would taste good. I thought they were going to be dense and dry, but I was pleasantly surprised! They were light, moist and quite delicious! Thanks in huge part I imagine to the buttermilk, aiding in the tenderness, and the beaten egg whites, keeping things light and fluffy. The little bit of cornmeal offered a bit of crunch and made the muffins taste a bit like whole wheat corn muffins. I will be filing this one away for those "oh man what am I going to serve with dinner!?" moments.

Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins (from Mels Kitchen Cafe)
makes 16

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 T. cornmeal
6 T. brown sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs, seperated
6 T. butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
4 T. sour cream

*In a large bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

*In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, buttermilk and sour cream. Pour into the flour mixture and stir just until combined being careful not to over mix, its okay if its a little lumpy.

*Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the muffin mixture, once again being careful not to over mix.

*Fill the muffin cups (either greased pans or liners) nearly full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18-20 min.

My additional notes:
-I used white whole wheat flour
-I halved the recipe, filled the liners nearly full and still got 11 muffins!
-they were good with butter, but also good without, warm or at room temp

Cakes

2011-05-21T20:31:00.001-05:00

Wow, its been a reeeaally long time since I have posted anything on here! Is anybody even reading this still? Sheesh. I just havent been into the whole baking thing lately. Maybe its the warming weather, maybe its just a funk, maybe its because I have been more interested in crafting than baking lately. Dont get me wrong, I'm still baking, but I do it more because I have to not because I want to necessarily, plus I haven't been taking pictures. Oops.

Here's a couple of pictures of cakes I have made lately. This one was for my hubbys cousin for her birthday. I really wish I had added a purple border around the top edge. Dont you think that would have just finished it off better? Oh well!

And this next one is actually my little bugs creation. She had her last day of preschool this week and to celebrate her finishing her first year of school (and not even sleeping there!- her words :), we made a cake at her request and her directions. She chose the flavors- chocolate cake with cream filling and chocolate frosting. She chose to make the frosting "fluffy" (as opposed to me smoothing it with a knife) and to put ruffles around the bottom edge (I thought I did a terrible job of making ruffles, but she thought it was great and thats all that matters). Because we know from past experience that she can't yet manage a piping bag we decided that she could decorate the cake by drawing pictures (of herself, her school, her fish, a colossal squid), attaching them to toothpicks and sticking them in the cake (all clustered together of course). It needed a little more color though so we pulled out those icing decorating tubes and she squiggled them around a bit. She had a blast and was so proud of herself. I think her favorite part was cracking the eggs, although it was more like 'popping the eggs open'! :)

Lazy Daisy Cake

2011-03-30T16:13:00.000-05:00

There are times when I want or need to make a dessert, but I struggle with what to make because I just get tired of the same old recipes, or nothing sounds good, or I just want to make a simple cake that doesnt require the making of frosting. So sometimes I will make a recipe just to test it out for next time I need to bring dessert somewhere. This cake is definitely going on my list of easy, quick and yummy desserts that are worthy of sharing with others.

It starts with a simple yellow cake. While it cools a smidge you whip up the topping.

The topping is spread on and ready to go. Look how pale and blah it looks.

But after a couple minutes under the broiler it transforms into golden, toasty, caramelly goodness. Hmm...well it looks much more golden in real life. Although next time I think I will leave it in a bit longer because the coconut that got a little crunchy was my favorite part.

Lazy Daisy Cake

cake

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 T. butter

topping

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup plus 2 T brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 cup coconut

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9 inch square baking pan.

*Beat eggs in a large bowl until frothy then add the sugar and beat on high until thickened and lemon colored.

*Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

*Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until boiling then pour into the mix and beat to combine.

*Pour into prepared pan and bake about 30 min.

*Allow to cool on a rack about 10 min.

*Prepare the topping by melting the butter in a small saucepan then stir in the brown sugar, milk and coconut.

*Spread over the warm cake and place under the broiler for 2-3 min until it is golden and bubbling.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-03-22T20:50:00.000-05:00

I made these muffins as a last minute coffee time treat for church and I didnt get a chance to try them out before serving them. I NEVER do that. Im way too paranoid about making sure food tastes good if Im serving it to anyone but my family. I was especially nervous about these guys because half the flour is whole wheat and I was worried they were going to be dry. I worried for nothing. They were delicious! Moist and light and sweet. Yum! Plus with the added whole wheat, fruit, and less sugar than most muffins, I can pretend they are healthy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

(source- king arthur flour)

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium ones)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)

3/4 cup chocolate chips

-Beat the butter and sugar until smooth in a large mixing bowl

-Beat in the mashed banana, then the egg, vanilla and milk

-Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flours and mixing until combined

-Stir in the chocolate chips

-Fill muffin liners about 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees about 20 min or until a tester comes out clean

-Remove muffins from pan as soon as you can handle them and allow them to cool on a rack

Rye Bread Recipe?

2011-03-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

My hubby loves rye bread. It is pretty common for him to order a rueben when we go out for lunch. This past week I bought some corned beef when it was on sale. I plan on making rueben sandwiches with the leftover and was wondering if anyone had a great Rye Bread Recipe. I've tried a couple lately and they are all fine, but not fantastic. Hoping one of you can help!! Thanks!

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

2011-02-26T14:25:00.000-06:00

This mix may not look too impressive, but it sure bakes into a yummy pancake that you can feel good about eating. And the convenience of having a big tub of it in your fridge waiting to aid you on a busy morning is wonderful. It is filled with whole grain goodness and very little sugar. It has a unique texture and almost nutty taste from the whole grain. It is not as fluffy and light as the buttermilk pancakes I posted earlier, but they have their own delicious qualities definitely worth eating.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

3 1/2 c. rolled (quick) oats

3 c. whole wheat flour

2 c. all purpose flour

3 T. sugar

3 T. baking powder

1 T. salt

1 T. baking soda

1 c. vegetable oil

(I also add a few spoonfuls of wheat germ and flax seed, just to be extra healthy!)

*Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

*With your mixer running on low, or gently stirring by hand, slowly drizzle the vegetable oil in.

*After all the oil is mixed in squeeze a little bit together and if it clumps, it is just right, but if it falls apart add more oil, a Tablespoon at a time until you achieve the desired consitency.

*Store in an airtight container up to two weeks at room temp or indefinitely in the fridge or freezer.

*To make pancakes:

Stir together one cup of mix with 1c. of buttermilk and 1 egg. Allow to sit while the griddle heats, it will thicken as it sits, but adjust the milk and mix ratio to your liking.

Makes about 6-7 4 inch pancakes

-We have made these with regular milk when we didnt have buttermilk on hand and it works just fine. Also, buttermilk does freeze so if you have leftover you can save it for another time.

Buttermilk Pancakes

2011-02-16T07:43:00.000-06:00

Including buttermilk in your pancakes takes your average pancake to the next level. Like restaurant quality- incredibly flavorful, ridiculously fluffy and tender. Yum!! These are the best pancakes I have ever made! If you havent tried buttermilk in your pancakes yet, you really should get on that! These are super delicious and I make them way more often than I probably should because they are not exactly healthy, more of a special occasion breakfast. Stay tuned for a healthy everyday pancake mix that you can feel good about giving to our family. But in the meantime, go ahead, indulge and enjoy!

(I have tried a few times to get a good picture of these. Yeah, apparently that's not gonna happen, so instead you get an "action" shot of them baking! I was tired of waiting for a good picture and just wanted to share the recipe.)

Buttermilk Pancakes (slightly adapted from SmittenKitchen)

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3 T. sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (the original recipe calls for 3 cups, but I like my pancakes thick, so adjust to your taste)

4 T. butter, melted and slightly cooled

*In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.

*Combine the buttermilk, eggs and butter.

*Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated, there will be a few lumps.

*Allow to sit while your griddle heats

*The batter spreads and grows surprisingly a lot as it cooks, so be careful not to make them too large, (using maybe a 1/4 cup of batter?)

*Cook until top bubbles and sides dry out a bit, flip and cook on other side til golden brown.

French Bread

2011-01-25T19:05:00.001-06:00

I love french bread! Apparently so do the babes. Together the three of us polished off half this loaf at dinner tonight. Yeah, that's right, us three girls, hubby wasn't home yet, he's lucky we saved him any! In my own personal defense, the girls ate just as many slices as I did, makes me look better that way, right?! :)

This recipe has such a unique technique- no hand kneading involved. If you are nervous about yeast dough, I think this would be a pretty good one to start with. Its really very easy and unbelievably delicious! I always use my dough hook, but the original recipe says it can be done by hand. Also, I always halve the recipe, but the original recipe says that it freezes beautifully.

French Bread from The Sister's Cafe

2 1/4 c warm water (about 110 degrees)

2 T. sugar

1 T. yeast

1 T. salt

2 T. oil

5 1/2-6 c. flour- stirred before measured

*Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water until it proofs (bubbles), about 5-10 min.

*Measure 3 cups of the flour and put in your mixing bowl along with the salt.

*Add the water mixture and oil to the flour and mix well.

*Add another 2 1/2- 3 c. flour. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl and not be too sticky.

*Switch to your dough hook, (or put it on a floured surface) and knead a few min.

*Leave the dough to rest 10 min.

*Turn your mixer on for about 10 seconds to stir it down (or knead for 10 seconds) then let it rest for 10 min. Repeat for a total of 5 times.

*Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide in two. Shape one piece into a 9x13 rectangle. Roll up from the long side and place seam side down onto a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with corn meal. Repeat with second piece of dough.

*Slash each loaf 3 times with a very sharp knife using quick sure movements. Cover lightly and allow to rise 30 min.

*Gently brush each loaf entirely, with an egg wash of one egg slightly beaten with 1 T. of water

*Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool on a rack.

Soft Pretzels

2011-01-17T11:42:00.001-06:00

I have been wanting to make soft pretzels for quite some time now. I love trying new recipes and techniques but it takes me a while to hype myself up to give it a go. And the funny thing is that the majority of the time it ends up being so easy and makes me wish I had tried it out a long time ago. This was one of those recipes. The twising part scared me away! Ha! Wow, was it easy. Don't be a chicken like me and give these a go soon. I'm not going to bother re-writing the recipe since I followed the one on king arthur flour to a T and will instead link you up: Soft Pretzels

The dough was soft and very easy to work with. I even let the little babes help roll them out to very long snakes and twist them. Although they really couldn't do, but they thought they did a great job!

Ooh, fuzzy! Sorry! Bring the ends up and cross them over eachother:

Give 'em a twist and pinch the ends down. After they are shaped you need to dip them in a water/baking soda mixture before placing thme on the baking sheet. They will most likely come apart or at least lose their shape, no biggy, just shape them again after you put them on the baking sheet.

We sprinkled a couple of them with cinnamon and sugar after brushing them with butter.

I didnt have any coarse or kosher salt to sprinkle on the other ones, so I just used a little table salt, it seemed to work ok. We dipped those in some cheese sauce.
I thought they were pretty good, even though the bottoms were crunchier than I would have liked. I might give a different recipe and technique a try next time, but the girls inhaled them like there was not tommorrow, so I guess they were a hit!

Cookie Pizza

2011-01-12T11:53:00.000-06:00

The girls and I have been in the house, with the exception of going to church on Sunday morning, for almost a week straight. Ha! Yes, I am not a big outdoorsy person! Plus we had a snow storm blow through the other night and preschool was cancelled. So needless to say we are all starting to feel a little antsy and a bit cranky. Time for a project. I wanted to make some crayons by melting some of our old ones, but, huh, can't find them. Wierd. So we made a cookie pizza instead.

The girls really enjoyed the whole process- from mixing the dough to eating the cookie slice- and it was a great morning activity.
*I think this would make a great valentine by shaping the dough into a heart and writing a love message (great for older kids to practice piping or just use those gel writers) on it or decorating it in pink and red.

I really liked that the dough was so easy to work with and the girls were able to press it into a circle without any sticking at all! What I didn't love was that the "crust" , the outer one inch of the pizza cookie, was really crunchy. But the majority of the pizza stayed nice and soft, so I guess its only a minor complaint.

Cookie Pizza

*We used the recipe for Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies that you can find HERE. We left out the chocolate chips and pressed it into a circle on our pizza stone. We baked it for about 25 min.

*After it cooled the girls spread on a chocolate peanut butte mixture: 3/4 c. chocolate chips and 1/4 cup peanut butter, melted together.

*While the chocolate layer was still warm the girls sprinkled on M&Ms, peanut butter chips and sprinkles.

*Finally, we drizzled some melted pink candy melts over the top.

-The options here are only limited by your imagination. You can put anything in the cookie part, like chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

The "sauce" layer can be plain chocolate, frosting, etc.

Go crazy with the toppings- marshmallows, coconut, chopped candy bars, raisins, etc.

Overnight Waffles

2011-01-10T08:05:00.000-06:00

On Sunday mornings my husband would love it if I made him pancakes or french toast of waffles or some other yummy breakfast. Yeah, I love all those things too. The problem? On Sundays my morning feels rather rushed between trying to sleep in :), and getting myself and our two little girls ready for a fairly early church service. And all I truly want to to do on Sunday morning is enjoy a cup of coffee with my hubby. So to combat this dilemma I have been working on making "make ahead" breakfast. I've been dabbling with making "brown and serve" cinnamon rolls, or at the very least getting as many ingredients ready the night before as I can. But then I discovered these overnight yeast waffles. They are the perfect solution. So, so simple, yummy and practically zero work on Sunday morning. I love them!
We have one of those hotel type waffle makers that flip over. With our iron this recipe makes 6 waffles. You can customize this recipe to your liking. I always use at least 1/2 whole wheat in ours and add in some flax.

Overnight Waffles

2 1/4 cups flour
2 T. sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup veg oil

*In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients.
*Add the milk, eggs and oil, stirring to combine well.
*Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight.
*In the morning, stir up the batter and pour into your waffle iron according to your irons instructions.

New Blogs for your Appetites Pleasure

2010-12-29T17:26:00.000-06:00

I updated the list of other sweet blogs I follow over to the right. I took away a couple that I never look at anymore. And added a few new great ones that I really enjoy. Two of them, The Sister's Cafe and Coleen's Recipes have great no frills recipes that are completely doable.
The Pioneer Woman is very popular in the baking blogging world and some of you probably already discovered her. I really enjoy reading her posts and her food looks amazing. Although in the year that I have been reading her I've only tried a few of her recipes. Hmm...not sure why. I think that it may be that her 'everyday' recipes are just different than my style of 'everyday' recipes. But the ones I did try were yummy.
The last one I added is Our Best Bites. I consider this one a belated Christmas present to you all. I love them! Along with Mel's Kitchen, this one is one of my favorites to check for new and terrific recipes. They never disappoint. I'v tried so many of their recipes, from dinners to desserts and have loved them all.
I hope you enjoy all the wonderful new sites and recipes! Get Baking!

Caramel and Fudge

2010-12-20T17:30:00.000-06:00

Need a couple more ideas for sweet and chocolatey Christmas treats?
Caramel is definitely a perfect choice for Christmas candy. You can find the recipe HERE

And don't forget Grandma's creamy delicious fudge. The recipe is over HERE.

Pretzel Candy

2010-12-18T16:22:00.000-06:00

Im guessing that most of you have either made these yourself or at least eaten them, so this is no revolutionary idea. But, I found that I LOVE this candy! And although it is delicious, the real reason I love them is because my little babes can make them COMPLETELY by themselves (except for putting them in and taking them out of the oven.) They LOVE that they can bake all by themselves, and I love that they CAN'T mess them up! Yes, Im a little controlling in the kitchen!

A great recipe to either do with your kids or have them do if you need them out of your hair for a few minutes!

Heres how it went down:
*First the babes unwrapped all the kisses (or rolos, or any number of flavored kisses, we did the caramel kisses last time)
*Then they had to sort out the green and red m&ms because I forgot to buy the holiday ones
*Next came placing a round "wreath" pretzel on a cookie sheet, we put them on parchment paper, but Im not totally sure that was necessary.
*Then they placed a kiss in the middle of each pretzel.
*This went in the oven for a couple min. (recipes vary- I think the first time we did it I had the oven at maybe 200 degrees and it took 3-4 min. The next time I had the oven at 250 degrees and it only took about a min.) Basically you just want the chocolate soft and shiny, but you dont want it to lose its shape. You can take it out of the oven and push an m&m in to test how soft it is.
*Push an m&m into the middle of each kiss and press down gently so that the chocolate smooshes to touch the pretzel all around.
*Allow to cool completely

Peanut Butter Creams

2010-12-17T11:20:00.000-06:00

We are only a week away from Christmas and I havent even posted one Christmas treat yet! High time to change that! And what better one to offer up than this one, Peanut Butter Creams. My family has been eating these delicious little squares for years! They are a favorite of my sister and I and are a Christmas must for us! They are basically chocolate dipped peanut butter balls, but with half the hassle. In fact my little bug did half the work this year and loved it.

Peanut Butter Creams

4 c. (1 lb.) powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. chocolate chips

*Combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Mix by hand or with a mixer until combined. Remove from the bowl and knead until smooth. (Optional, but little Bug thought it was great fun!). Press into a 9 inch square pan.
*Melt chocolate chips and spread over top of peanut butter base. Let cool and cut into small squares.

Ariel Birthday Cake

2010-11-14T21:12:00.000-06:00

My Little Bug turned 4 yesterday and her birthday request was for an Ariel Cake. I had a lot of fun making this one. The cake and frosting itself were simple enough, but the characters are another story. I made them all out of chocolate, including the fish and sea stars. It took me hours, plus I had to make them twice since I broke Sebastian while drawing on his face and my Little Monkey splashed goldfish water all over Ariel and Flounder while they were drying! Hey, she was probably just trying to make them taste authentic, fishy and all! :)

Normally I pipe the chocolate and its really quite easy, but this chocolate was wierd and gloppy and there was no way it was going to pipe. I didnt have time to run to the store for more chocolate since its about an 1 1/2 drive, so I dipped a toothpick in it and away I went! Crazy, maybe, but hey, it worked! And actually wasnt so bad. And I had one happy birthday girl!

Oreo Jack-o-Lanterns

2010-10-30T20:53:00.000-05:00

(Sorry in advance for the horrible pictures, they were all done in haste, especially the last ones as I was trying to snap one before any more disappeared)

My brother brought his 4 kids over for dinner, fun and trick or treating. We had a jack-o-lantern pizza, monster juice (kool-aid with pop rocks poured into each individual cup- it was fun and really noisy!), dessert with bugs in it (an applesauce dessert with raisin in it- my youngest niece, she's 3, didnt want any because she thought the "bugs" were real:) And these jack-o-lantern oreos that the kids decorated.

I had dipped the oreos (I used double stuf) in orange chocolate candy melts the night before and put the chocolate dipped pretzel stem on. So they were all ready to be turned into super cute jack-o-lanterns. I thought the kids did a great job and they really seemed to have a lot of fun. They were a hit!

Monster Cupcakes

2010-10-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

The little babes and I attempted some monster cupcakes this week. They definitly didn't turn out nearly as cute, or well done, as the ones in the magazine, but we had fun making them. I was surprised and pleased with how much the girls were able to help with the whole process. Although my Monkey was was more interested in eating all the "monster parts" than assembling them!

You can find the instructions on the taste of home website, here.

This cute little purple guy was our favorite.

Caramel Chex Mix

2010-10-14T19:26:00.000-05:00

Of course apples are the star of fall, but I think that caramel and fall make a pretty good match as well. I make this mix all times of the year, but it wasnt until this fall that I realized how appropriate it seemed. This mix would make a great addition to any party. You could even "match" the holiday or your party by using particular m&m colors. It has been likened to cracker jacks (which btw you could sub the chex for popcorn) and is pretty delicious.

Caramel Chex Mix

9 c. chex cereal (or popcorn)

1 c. peanuts (optional)

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 c. of mix in's, such as chocolate chips, m&ms, raisins, etc (I just eyeball it and throw some in until it looks good, I doubt its ever 3 cups)

*In a large baking pan, I usually use one of those big foil roaster pans, combine the chex and peanuts

*In a medium saucepan bring the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil over medium heat, without stirring, for 5 min.

*Remove from heat and add the vanilla and then the baking soda (from frustrating experience, it seems to be important to add the vanilla before adding the baking soda. Wierd things happened and made it unusuable!)

*Pour the caramel mixture over the chex and stir to coat, but dont stress about getting it even, it will even out as it spends time in the oven.

*Bake in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 min.

*Pour it out onto a large piece of wax paper and break it apart as it cools.

*When it has cooled completely add your mix ins

Butter and Rye Bread

2010-10-05T14:41:00.000-05:00

The babes and I made butter yesterday. It was a lot of fun. We had gotten a "theme" box from the library, our theme being - The Farm- and we have been having so much fun with it. It came with many supplies, but also an idea sheet for all the different subjects in school, like math, art, music, etc. Of course my girls are pretty young, so we have kept it basic, doing a lot of counting, color sorting, singing (with an old Mac Donald puppet) and crafts. One idea was to make butter. The paper under the butter is one of the crafts we did. They practiced their cutting and glueing skills by cutting out cow spots. Besides the butter, I think my favorite craft so far was making a pink pig and then smearing brown finger paint "mud" all over him- the girls loved that!

Of course the bulk of the butter making shaking was left to me, but the girls had fun taking their turns at shaking up some butter. We made some rye bread to smear our butter on. Yum!!

Butter

Find a plastic jar with a screw top lid (I used a peanut butter container). Wash a marble and put that in the jar. Fill the jar about half way full of whipping cream. (I threw a couple pinches of salt in since we usually buy salted butter) Start shaking. Keep shaking until the cream separates into grains of butter and buttermilk. Continue shaking until the butter solidifies. Pour off the buttermilk.

German Dark Rye Bread (from the Hodgson Mill rye flour bag)

This bread was fine, but we thought it didnt have as much flavor as another rye bread I had made a couple weeks ago. I had made that one in the bread machine since I felt a migraine coming on, so when I try it by hand I will post it.

3 1/2 cups rye flour

2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour

2 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten (I didnt use)

2 pkgs active dry yeast (1 pkg= 2 1/4 tsp)

2 cups warm water, 110*

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, melted

*Put the warm water in a large bowl and add the brown sugar and yeast. Allow it to sit and proof 5-10 min.

*Add the molasses, rye flour, vital wheat gluten and cocoa. Mix well and allow to sit for 10 min.

*Mix in the melted butter and salt, then 1 cup of the all purpose flour.

*Knead in enough of the rest of the flour to make a soft dough. Knead for about 8-10 min. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat, cover and allow to rise about an hour, until doubled.

*Divide your dough into two pieces, gently press out any air bubbles then shape into loaves and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Allow to rise about an hour, until doubled.

*Bake at 400* 25-28 min. Remove from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Birthday Cakes

2010-09-25T21:12:00.003-05:00

Remember the baby shower cakes I posted a couple weeks ago? Well, the lady who hosted that shower called and asked if I would make a couple of cakes for her daughters 16th birthday, per her daughters request. I took that as a huge compliment and was excited for another chance to practice my budding skills. It did feel a little like de ja vu though. She wanted the exact same cakes (a white one with cream filling and a lemon one). Except that she wanted the lemon one to be a 9x13 instead of a round one. And she wanted butterflies, but nothing too girly, and no pink or purple.

I made a turning point with these cakes. Up until now I would draw out the letters with a toothpick because writing on a cake scares me, but I decided to do without that step today and I dont think I will go back! It makes decorating them a little faster and it feels good to have a little more confidence.

You can find the recipe for the lemon cake here.

Kitty Cat Cupcakes

2010-09-07T15:07:00.001-05:00

One of the other contributors to this blog is posting today- my little Bug. It was her very first day of preschool today, so I asked her what special treat she would like in celebration. She picked white cupcakes with white frosting and settled on wanting them decorated like kitties. No big surprise since she is slightly obbsessed with cats right now since we have 10 of them (6 of them only a month old).

She did all the decorating, except fo the two she asked me to do with her. She even plated and photographed them herself. If you look closely at this picture you will see her tongue sticking out while she concentrates on putting on that ear- just like her mama and grandma do! :)

Umm, her favorite cat was her messiest one! Go figure! She said it was silly. Im afraid she is going to be the class clown, thanks to her daddy!

Then she complained that her "arms are too tired" and couldnt possibly make another cat, so she opted to finish the rest with leftover floweres and butterflies from the baby shower cakes.

FYI- the cats decorations are as follows:

the eyes and nose are m&m's

the ears are wafer cookies cut into triangles with a serrated knife

the whiskers are pull and peel twizzlers

the mouth are chocolate jimmies

Girl baby shower cakes

2010-09-05T14:30:00.001-05:00

I was excited when I was asked to make a cake for my hubby's cousin's baby shower. Especially since they had never even tasted or seen any of my cakes before! Now that's going out on a limb! :) I hope I didnt disappoint! But it was going to be a big crowd and I dont have big bakery size pans so I made two.

The round one is a four layer white cake with a lemon truffle filling, lemon curd topping and whipped cream frosting. I thinks its about my favorite cake. I posted the recipe in an earlier post- here

This rectangle one is a white cake with a pastry cream filling and creamy white frosting. I was going for a somewhat traditional look that was soft and pretty and girly (since it was their first girl after two boys). Of course it never turns out quite as gorgeous on the cake as it does in my head! I made two trays of flowers, and about 16 butterflies. Yeah, a little overkill! But hey I need the practice and you just never know what might happen to some of them.

Blueberry Muffins

2010-09-03T21:49:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I made about 100 muffins for an event my husbands aunt was in charge of. I did a combo of banana, carrot/raisin, pumpkin (I made these, minus the cream cheese) and these blueberry ones. These were by far the most popular. I wonder if its because its a populare flavor or because they were such pretty ones, with the sparkling sugar dressing each one up. Either way, they were a hit! (In case you were curious, there was very little banana love that morning, they were the least popular :(

Blueberry Muffins (from king arthur flour)

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
coarse sparkling sugar for garnish, optional

*In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
*In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
*Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix until incorporated.
*Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated (it is a thick batter)
*Fold in the berries by hand (if using frozen, put the berries in frozen and expect a little blue streaking. I used frozen and you can see the streaking isnt all that bad)
*Put the batter into muffin pans with papers (makes 12- they will be full) and sprinkle generously with the sparkling sugar. Bake for 18-24 min. at 375 degrees. (Remove from pans after about 5 mins or as soon as you are able to handle them. The longer they sit in the pans the more chance they have of becoming tough. Who knew? Obviously the super smart bakers at king arthur did! :)

Fun with Food

2010-08-12T10:25:00.001-05:00

We have been playing with food lately. I recently discovered bento box lunches. Anyone heard of them? It is a Japanese technique of packing lunches on the go. Of course traditionally they use all Japanese food and although I love exposing my babes to world foods, realistically I know they wont eat all of it and I dont know how to cook, well, any of it! But then I discovered this website- bentolunch. She makes bento lunches for her kids using 'American' kid food. And Im really excited to start trying it out. Of course the girls arent in school yet, but we bring lunch out to hubby quite often, so it will be the perfect time to pack up some cute lunches.

Yesterday I asked the girls to decorate clothespins and this morning I surprised them with snack mix butterflies. Not bento, but cute anyway.

We found these cute containers at the Dollar Tree. They come 2 for $1 including a little spoon and come in maybe 6 different animals. Once again, not traditional bento, but I thought they would contribute nicely to a cute lunch. We filled them with jello. I also think they will make cute little carriers for Bugs snacks when she goes to preschool in a couple weeks. The babes love them!!

I've been working on my carrot flowers. Little Bug started giggling when she figured out what I was creating. I guess she liked it. :)

Birthday Cake

2010-07-23T08:23:00.001-05:00

It was my little monkey's 2nd birthday on Wednesday. This is her cake. She isn't really into anything, like Dora, or kitties or anything, so I just went with the colorful celebratory look. I think she liked it! It was a four layer chocolate cake with truffle filling and chocolate frosting. (FYI- dont put M&Ms on a cake until the day you eat it. If you look closely you may see that they started to lose their color because I had put them on the day before.)

Grand Prize Coconut and Caramel Bars

2010-07-19T17:59:00.002-05:00

Chewy, chocolatey, caramely, yummy! These are a bar version of the girl scout samoa cookie and they are delicious. They got two big thumbs up from my hubby and he NEVER gets excited about anything. These are definitely going on my 'make again' list and they should definitely go on your 'to make' list.

Grand Prize Coconut and Caramel Bars (from king arthur flour)

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups coconut, toasted (instructions below)
1 cup caramel (or about 36 of the individually wrapped, or 10 oz. of caramel sauce), divided
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 T. milk

Toast the coconut:
Spread teh coconut in a 9x13 pan and bake at 300 degrees for 18-22 min., stirring halfway through the cooking time. Bake until light golden brown, watching carefully towards the end.

*Beat together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and egg. Then mix in the flour, salt, baking powder and 1 1/2 cups of the coconut. Spread into an ungreased 9x13 pan. (I lined my pan with parchment paper. It was tricky to spread the batter around initially, but it made it so easy to get them out of the pan and cut them neatly with a butcher knife.)
*Bake for 15 min at 350 degrees

*Just before the 15 min. are up melt half of the caramel (1/2 cup) briefly in the microwave. Drizzle it over the hot bottom layer of bars and pop the pan back into the oven for another 10-12 min. until the caramel is bubbly.

**If you did not use the parchement paper- Immediately cut the bars while still hot and drag a knife around the whole edge, then sprinkle the chocolate chips over the bars and after letting them sit for about 5 min. spread them evenly over the top (If you used parchment paper there is no need to cut the bars until after they have cooled)

*After they have cooled, melt the rest of the caramel mixed with the milk. Drizzle over the top and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

"Twix" Bars

2010-06-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

This bar was yummy. Im not gonna say it tasted just like a Twix candy bar, but it was surprisingly close and delicious just the same. I really liked the cookie base and you can't go wrong with chocolate. The caramel was actually a lot like the caramel in a twix, but I can't say that I loved it 100%. Im wondering if I should have cooked it longer...? But even so, I would definitely make these again. They were more like candy than a bar, so it was nice for a change of pace, since we very rarily buy candy. I almost wonder if I like them better chilled, I will have to put one back in the fridge and test that. Twix is one of my favorite candybars and I thought this was a pretty delicious knock off! :)

"Twix" Bars from coleens recipes

Crust:
1 cup cold butter
2 cups plus 2 T. flour
heaping 1/2 cup brown sugar

*Combine the flour and brown sugar. Cut in the butter until combined and crumbly. Press into a 9x13 pan that has been lined with parchment paper (or tin foil?) with edges hanging over, for easy removal and cutting.

Filling:
3/4 cup butter
heaping 1/2 cup brown sugar
3 T. corn syrup
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

*Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 min.
*Pour over the baked crust. Place in the fridge until the caramel is firm to the touch.

*Melt 12 oz of chocolate with 1 tsp. of butter and spread over the caramel layer. Allow to set (can speed the process by placing in the fridge or freezer.)

Birthday Cake

2010-05-18T18:44:00.001-05:00

I made this cake for my hubby's cousin. It is a white cake with a lemon filling and vanilla frosting. The wording and detail actually looked like a brighter yellow than what is showing up in these pictures. The top is edged in chocolate curls. I've tried making them before and I just cant seem to get the hang of them. These turned out out okay and even look kinda pretty with the ruffled edges, like I meant to do it! :) But, uh, I was going for the smooth look, oh well! If anyone has experience in making them and could offer up a few tips, I would totally appreciate that! Definitely not the most well done cake, but hey, not bad for a beginner, huh? Thanks for being my guinea pig Tami! :)

Baby Shower Cupcakes

2010-05-13T11:18:00.000-05:00

7 dozen cupcakes! That's 84 cupcakes!! Whew! I'm tired! I made these for an aunt's co-worker's baby shower. I've never made cupcakes for anybody but my family and I've surely never made 7 dozen cupcakes in one day! It was a challenge for sure, but it was fun and it feels great to know that I can do it!

A cupcake "cake". I've never made one of these either, but it turned out pretty good.

I made outlines of onesies with melted chocolate.

Simple Oatmeal Cookies

2010-05-03T10:22:00.002-05:00

My mom has made these cookies for years, and if I remember right, I believe that she got the recipe from my grandma. I always liked them, but at one point I got it in my head that these cookies were crunchy and Im more of a soft cookie person, so I just stopped eating them. About a year ago I decided to make them for little bug. And I am so glad I did. What was I thinking?!! They definitely do have a bit of a crunch to them, but the inside is soft and chewy and they and have a wonderful oatmeal and brown sugar flavor that just feels like comfort. I have made them several times since and I think they are such a great little kid cookie (simple flavor with no strange add-ins and no messy chocolate chips!), especially when you make them tiny for tiny hands like I typically do. Of course they are also good normal cookie size too, you get more of the soft center that way! Little Bug enjoyed helping me roll the little balls and making the check pattern with a fork.

Simple Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1/2 c shortening

1/2 c butter

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup oatmeal

2 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

*Cream the butter, shortening and both sugars until light and fluffy

*Beat in the egg

*Mix in the rest of the ingredients (seperately or you can mix the dry ingredients together first)

*Roll the dough into a rough ball and smash down with a fork dipped in water to prevent sticking then turn the fork and press again to create a checker board pattern.

*Bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 min.

(If you want to make them tiny, you will need less dough than you might think for each cookie because they do spread a bit. I usually use a tiny 1/2 tsp size of dough. But surpisingly they seem to need the same bake time. And then you will have a TON of tiny cookies, but they freeze very well.)

Lemon Truffle Cake

2010-04-08T21:10:00.001-05:00

This cake is SO GOOD! Im so sad I didnt get better pictures to do it justice. Because not only does this cake taste delicious, but it's really pretty too. I didnt think to pull out the camera until it was half eaten and even then I struggled to get a good picture. Oh well, just trust me when I say that if you like lemon, you will love this cake and the presentation is impressive. Im drooling looking at these pictures and I just got done eating a piece! HaHa :)

Every spring I get this ridiculous craving for lemon desserts and I have been craving lemon for a couple weeks now, so I was glad to have an excuse to finally make one! (My hubby's parents came over for dinner). After I assembled the cake I had two dirty bowls (read- "lick bowls"), one with lemon curd in it and the other with the lemon truffle filling. I thought for sure my little buggers would prefer to lick out the truffle one since it was a little less tart, but they both kept asking for the curd! They must take after their mama- it didnt even phase them! :)

Lemon Truffle Cake (adapted from recipe girl)

Your favorite white cake recipe or

1 box of white cake mix

*Bake as directed in your recipe or on the package in 2 nine inch cake pans and cool completely. Slice each cake in half horizontally by pulling a thread through it.

Make the lemon curd and truffle filling:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

6 T. unsalted butter (I used salted this time and it seemed just fine), cut into bits

6 oz. white chocolate chips

8 oz. cream cheese softened

*Whisk together theh juice, zest sugar and eggs in a 2 quart saucepan. Stir in the butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until the curd has thickened enough to hold the mark of the whisk and the first bubble appears on the surface.

*I usually get some curdeling in mine so I push it through a strainer into a bowl. Put half of the curd in another bowl and set aside.

*With the other half of warm curd, stir in the white chocolate until it is completely melted .

*In another bowl beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Then add the lemon/chocolate mixture and beat until light and smooth.

*Immediately top one third of this mixture onto one of the cake layers. Repeat two more times and end with a layer of cake. (So you will have 4 layers of cake and 3 layers of filling)

*Spread the reserved lemon curd on top of the last layer of cake.

Make the whipped cream:

*Whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 3 T. of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Frost the side of the cake with half of the whipped cream. Pipe a decorative edege around the top and bottom of the cake with the other half of whipped cream. (Next time I do this I will probably whip 1 1/2 cups of cream with 4 or so T. or sugar because I ran a little low and the piping suffered for it)

Chill the cake for 2 or 3 hours before serving so the filling can set.

Bunny and Flower Cupcakes

2010-03-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

These are the cupcakes we made last year for Easter. I didnt have a baking blog then, although some of you probably remember them from my other blog. They were a lot of fun to make and Bug, who was two then, was even able to help dip the marshmallows in the sparkling pink sugar and make the faces. You could use a number of different candies and decorations to create the face, but when we went to raid our cupboards all we found were chocolate chips and marshmallows. It totally worked though!

First you need to bake up your favorite cake mix or recipe. We did white cake, divided the batter in half and colored one half yellow and the other half pink. Put a little of one color in the cupcake liner and then top with the other color. Bake as per instructions.

Then you need to frost it, once again with your favorite. We used buttercream- you can find the recipe I use here.

To make the bunnies:
-Take a large marshmallow, hold it horizontally and cut it into 5 pieces with a kitchen scissors, wiping it off between each cut to remove the sticky.
-Take two of the pieces of marshmallow and dip one side into a dish of colored sugar. Place on top of a cupcake for the bunnies ears.
-Place chocolate chips on for eyes.
-Put two mini marshmallows underneath the eyes for cheeks. If you have something on hand for a nose, like a pink jelly bean, that would be perfect.
-Cut a miniature marshmallow in half vertically and place under the cheeks for buck teeth.

To make the flowers:
-Cut large marshmallows in 5 pieces as instructed above for the ears. Dip each piece in colored sugar and place in a circle on a cupcake.
-Cut a mini marshmallow in half horizontally and dip the sticky side in colored sugar. Place it in the middle of the flower.

Spring Cupcakes

2010-03-20T17:13:00.000-05:00

Magic in the Middle Cookies

2010-03-15T08:06:00.000-05:00

There were a lot of steps in making this cookie. While I was working on them I thought, there is no way Im making these again! But when I tasted them, I wavered and I think there is a chance I will make them again. Although I may wait until the girls are old enough to help so we can get an assembly line going! :) They taste like a cookie version of a reeses peanut butter cup. They were really good. Except the chocolate cookie part was a bit dry, so next time I will either put an extra Tablespoon of milk in the dough, or use another dough, like a chocolate crinkle dough. So if you have some time on your hands, give them a try, Im sure you will like them.

Magic in the Middle Cookies (from king arthur flour)

Chocolate dough:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c sugar (plus more for dipping)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c softened butter
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Peanut butter filling:
3/4 c peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
3/4 c powdered sugar

*Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
*In a large bowl beat together the sugars, butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg.
*Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

*Make the filling by combining the peanut butter and powdered sugar and mixing well. Shape into 26 1-inch balls and place on a wax paper covered cookie sheet.

*Shape the cookies by taking a Tablespoon size of the chocolate dough, rolling it in a ball and making an indention. Place a filling ball in the indention and and bring the dough around the filling to completely cover and seal, rolling it to smooth it out.
*Roll the filled dough ball in sugar to completely cover.
*Place on a cookie sheet and press with the bottom of a glass to flatten the ball a bit.
*Bake at 375 degrees for about 7-9 min.

Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns

2010-03-08T21:15:00.003-06:00

My favorite thing about these rolls is that they are so easy to whip up. You literally toss all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. No scalding milk, no adding flour a little at a time, nothing fussy at all. Yay!! And of course, they were delicious!! These rolls are very similar in ingredients to the soft white dinner rolls I shared with you earlier. But somehow they turn out more different from each other than I had expected. These seem a little more like the "classic" dinner roll than the others. They are both delicious and worth making.

This is what they look like after they have proofed for the second time, all snug and puffy!:

Right out of the oven and brushed with melted butter (my rolls don't seem to brown like they should, but they taste good, so I guess looks aren't everything):

Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns (from king arthur flour)

3 1/2 cups flour (14 3/4 oz.)
2 tsp instant yeast (I didnt have instant so I just proofed the same amount of active dry in a T of water and a sprinkle of sugar)
2 T instant potato flakes
3 T nonfat dry milk
2 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 T soft butter
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk (I warm the milk up in a hurry by mixing hot from the faucet water, the 2/3 c you need for this recipe, with the cold milk. They balance eachother out and make both lukewarm.)
2 T melted butter (for topping)

*Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix and knead to make a soft, smooth dough (can be done with a stand mixer, by hand or in a bread machine)
*Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover and allow to rise until almost double, 60-90 min.
*Gently deflate dough and turn out onto a lightly greased work surface.
*Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place in lightly greased 8 inch cake pans, or other baking dish (can be done in 9 inch pans or put all 16 of them in a 9x13, but they wont be snuggled as closely together so their sides wont turn out quite as soft)
*Cover the pans and allow them to rise until they touch and are rather puffy, about 60-90 min.
*Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for about 22-24 min. until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and brush them with the melted butter. Give them a couple min and then turn them out onto a cooling rack, pull apart and enjoy.

Sugar Cookie Pops and Glace' Icing

2010-03-04T06:51:00.041-06:00

There are two components to this post, the cookie and the icing. Let's tackle the cookie first. I told you before that my husbands favorite cake is angel food. Whenever I make it for him I am faced with 11 leftover egg yolks. What to do with all those yolks! Sure there are several options, but what I did last time was make some spritz dough. My mom's recipe, the one I've been eating my whole life, and the only one worth eating in my opinion, uses only egg yolks, no whites. Perfect. So I whipped up a couple batches and threw them in the freezer. Now using them with a cookie press is always a great idea, but I was curious if you could roll the dough out and use cookie cutters on it. It worked!! I think I just found my new favorite sugar cookie, which is actually a spritz! :) But of course I had to take it a step further and see how they would hold up on a stick- pretty good I think, unless of course you are like my little bug and spin the cookie between your fingers, then it falls off rather easily! Oops!

Now onto the icing. I am always so impressed with how gorgeous and perfect other bloggers cookies look. Their trick? Royal icing. Simple, I thought, I can do that. Yeah, it didnt go so well. It worked, sort of, but it wasnt exactly smooth and it never really dried hard, it stayed tacky and it didn't taste good at all! I was disappointed and resigned myself to never having smooth, dry to the touch, gorgeous cookies. Until I came across Our Best Bites post on Glace' Icing. Check out their site for step by step pictures that are really helpful. I tried it, a little apprehensively, worried that it was going to be a royal icing disaster all over again, but a little hopeful that maybe gorgeous cookies were within my reach afterall. The piping around the edges went beautifully! The flooding in the middle was a little more of a trial, but still the end result turned out pretty good I think. I'm definitely going to try this again as I'm thinking a lot of it is just a matter of practicing and getting a feel for the right consistency of the icing. The girls loved eating a cookie on a stick and little bug really enjoyed "painting" the cookies. In the picture below you can see some of her "tie-dye" ones. I thought they turned out really cute!

Spritz Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

*Cream the butter and sugar.

*Beat in the yolks and vanilla.

*Add the flour and mix just until combined.

*Put in a cookie press or shape into a disk and refridgerate to chill (or freeze to use later). Roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper sprinkled with powdered sugar. If the dough warms too much and becomes difficult to pull up the shapes after cutting, just slide the whole wax paper onto a baking sheet and pop it into the fridge to chill a few minutes and try again.Place each cookie shape over a stick and press gently to secure. Try dipping the stick in egg white first to really help it stick to the cookie, then maybe it will stand up to some swirling. :)

*Bake at 400 degrees for about 7 min. or until the bottoms just begin to brown.

Glace' Icing

1 lb of powdered sugar (about 3 3/4 c)

6 T milk (whole is preferred, but others will work too)

6 T corn syrup (1/4 c plus 2T)

1 tsp extract (vanilla, almond, lemon, etc)

*Whisk together the sugar and milk until it is lump-free.

*Stir in the corn syrup and extract.

*It is now the right consistency to glaze. To pipe, add more powdered sugar until it is thickened and runs off the whisk in a slow thick drizzle. You will just have to eyeball it and experiment. Please check out our best bites site here, it will really help you out a lot since I didnt take a lot of pictures and didn't go into detail in my explanation.

Apple-filled Puff Pastry

2010-03-03T07:02:00.005-06:00

(click on this picture to see up close the wonderfulness of this pastry)

Do you love puff pastry, but are scared to try it because it just seems plain difficult and time consuming? Then give this recipe a try. It is beyond easy and quite delicious! I'm not sure if I've ever had the store bought puff pastry, so it was a bit difficult to know what I was going for and hard to compare taste and texture. I think this one may be a little less flaky than real puff pastry, but hey, when you're cheating, what do you expect? :) And after trying and succeeding with this recipe, I think I have the confidence to try the real deal now!

The apple filling was gooey and fabulous and would be so good on top of pancakes or the dutch baby I posted earlier or icecream, etc. The streusel and icing just topped it off perfectly. It tasted like a pastry straight out of a fantastic bakery! And the best part about this recipe is that all the components can be made ahead of time and then just assemble the morning you want them and bake. I love it!

Fast and Easy Puff Pastry (from king arthur flour)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup cold butter, cut into pats
1/2 cup sour cream
*Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
*Add the butter and cut in to make coarse mixture, leaving the butter pea-sized or even a little larger.
*Stir in the sour cream the best you can without overworking it. It will NOT come together completely. There will be a lot of dry crumbly spots. Turn the whole half clumpy, half dry mixture out onto a floured surface and bring it together with a few quick kneads. (just keep pressing more of the dry parts into the "ball" of dough you are forming, while turning to knead a bit. It will feel like it is a complete disaster and will never come together, but I promise it will if you just keep pressing it together. But work quickly- you dont want the butter to warm up!)
*Pat the dough into a rough log and then roll it out to an 8x10 rectangle. Dust both sides with a bit of flour and then, starting with a shorter side, fold it in three like a business letter (fold one side over about a third of the way onto the dough and then bring the other side over top the one you just folded in).
*Turn the dough 90 degrees and re-roll it into an 8x10 rectangle and fold in thirds again.
*Wrap and chill for at least 30 min. To use, just roll it out to your desired thickness and shape. (can be stored in the fridge for a couple days or the freezer for a couple months- just thaw in fridge overnight before you use it.)
Apple Filling (adapted from http://www.goodeatsblog.com/ make about 12 pastries)
4 apples, cored, peeled and diced into about 1 inch pieces
small 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp or so of flour
4 T. butter
*Toss all ingredients except butter together.
*Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat and heat until the butter turns a nutty color, being careful not to burn it. (Im not sure I cooked it that long, but didnt seem to matter at all)
*Add the apple mixture and cook until apples are soft and caramelized.
*Turn apples out onto a platter or cookie sheet and allow to cool completely before using. (Can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days)
Streusel Topping (from http://www.goodeatsblog.com/)
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional, I would leave it out if you plan on using it with anything other than apples)
1/4 c. plus 2T. flour
2 1/2 T. butter
*Mix the dry ingredients together and then cut in the butter until mixture becomes crumbly
Assembly
*While the dough is chilling, make the apple filling and streusel topping.
*Roll out the dough to roughly 12x24 (I divided the dough in half and worked with two smaller pieces- then roll it to roughly 8x10. I did this between floured wax paper.)
*Cut the dough into rough squares (mine were roughly 4 inch squares) and place on baking sheet (if at any time the dough starts to stick, pop it in the fridge for a bit to harden the butter. Rolling it out on wax paper makes this really easy.)
*Place a T. or so of filling diagonally on each square. Bring two opposite corners to the middle, putting a little water in between to help seal it.
*Sprinkle each pastry with the streusel topping.
*Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 min. (I wasnt paying attention to time, I was distracted by mixing up some dough for rolls for dinner- I just pulled them out when they puffed and browned a bit. Start checking at 12 min, just to play it safe)
*Put them on a cooling rack and drizzle with icing (powdered sugar and milk) while still a little warm.

Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

2010-02-20T15:36:00.002-06:00

I've never been a big fan of chocolate chip bar cookies. In my opinion they are usually dry, crumbly and boring. So I was a little hesitant to try this recipe but the delicious looking pictures, great reviews , and simplicity convinced me to try it. And I am so glad I did! These bars are a simple chocolate chip cookie dough and they bake up so soft and delicious, even better than most regular chocolate chip cookies! Yum! I'm thinking it would make a good base for a pizza cookie. I think I will try it next time I want the girls to help with the baking.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (from www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com, orginally adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

2 1/8 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 sticks (12 T) melted butter, cooled slightly

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

*Line a 9x13 with foil, letting the edges hang over and lightly grease it.

*Combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

*In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugars together.

*Add the eggs and vanilla and combine well.

*Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix.

*Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

*Spread and press into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 24-28 mins.

*Allow the bars to cool to room temp. and then lift them out of the pan and cut.

Cheese Ball

2010-02-16T10:00:00.003-06:00

I love me some cheeseball!! How about you? Are you a lover or a hater? Or maybe a lover who doesnt want to admit it? Because sadly cheeseballs have gotten the bad rap of being, well..."cheesy". Unlike me of course! :) Well, apparently Little Bug loves her some cheeseball too because that was her Valentine request! So in place of dinner we had a few appetizers- cocktail meatballs, fruit (that Bug skewered onto party toothpicks herself), this cheeseball (it was a whole ball when we started! :) and some delicious ganache covered fudgy heart brownies that will probably make an appearance here next year (sorry they didn't make it up this year- sound tempting enough to keep you loyal readers for another year?).

This cheeseball had a fairly mild taste, but can be adjusted in so many different ways to accomodate your personal preference. Try different spices or cheeses or cover it in different nuts, or leave nuts off altogether. I think it tastes best to make it a day ahead to give the flavors a chance to meld. Make one for your next party and have a "ball"! (sorry, had to throw another one in there! :)

Cheese Ball (adapted from my kitchen aide recipe book)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups (roughly) shredded cheese, I used sharp cheddar
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
sprinkling of paprika
1/4 c (roughly) finely chopped pecans
(I usually add a dash or two of hot sauce, but forgot with this one)

*Combine all the ingredients except for the pecans and mix well, either by hand or with a mixer.
*Shape the mixture into a ball (sometimes I just use my hands, sometimes I use wax paper or seran wrap, its a little messy, just do the best you can and dont worry, the pecans do a great job of smoothing it all out)
*Roll and scoop the chopped pecans all around the cheese ball.
*Wrap in seran wrap and finish shaping if necessary. Place in fridge until ready to serve.
*Let it come to room temp. before serving so it is easier to spread or dip (about 30 min).

Homemade Oreos

2010-02-11T13:45:00.002-06:00

Giving these cookies the name of "oreo" seemed a bit of a stretch. Don't get me wrong, these were very good, just not quite oreo. They were the same in the chocolatey, creamy, deliciousness factor. They were different in that the cream filling tasted different to me and the chocolate cookie was much softer (which could probably be remedied by baking them longer).
If you are a die hard oreo fan, you may not like these because they may not stack up. But if you are looking for a cookie similar to an oreo and aren't too particular, these were very tasty, fun to make and look great. I would recommend making them, just don't judge them too harshly against the real deal!

Homemade Oreos (from www.smittenkitchen.com)

For the cookie:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 T. softened butter

1 egg

For the filling:

1/4 cup softened butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

*In a mixer thouroughly combine all the dry ingredients for the cookie.

*With the mixer running on low add the butter then the egg and mix until it comes together in a lump.

*Take small pieces of the dough form a rough teaspoon sized ball of dough and flatten slightly.

*Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 min. Allow to cool before filling.

To make the cream filling:

*Place the butter and shortening in a mixer bowl and combine.

*On low speed gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 min until light and fluffy.

*Spoon or pipe about a teaspoon size of cream on one cookie and top with another, smooshing the cream evenly to the edges.

Chewy Caramels

2010-02-08T07:03:00.003-06:00

Valentine's Day is less than a week away. Instead of the classic heart boxed chocolates why don't you really knock the socks off your sweetheart and MAKE 'em something sweet. These caramels would be the perfect treat!

Now I'm not a candy maker and so attempting these was a bit scary, especially when I poured them into the pan and the top had this crater-like look that pooled with the melted butter. I thought I had cooked it too long and it was going to shatter when I tried to cut it. But to my surprise and delight they were fabulous!! Perfectly chewy and creamy and down right delicious!

This is what it looks like while it is boiling:

Chewy Caramels (from http://www.lafujimama.com/- check out her website for more process pictures)

2 cups sugar
8 oz. butter
1 3/4 cup light corn syrup (or dark if you want darker, richer caramels)
14.5 oz. evaporated milk
1 1/2 T. vanilla

*Butter a 9x13 pan and set aside.
*Place the sugar, butter, corn syrup and evaporated milk in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan (no smaller than 3 qrts) and cook over high heat, constantly stirring until it reaches 210 degrees on a candy thermometer.
*Reduce the temperature to medium heat and continue to cook and stir until it reaches 245 degrees. (This will take awhile, just be patient and dont turn up the heat)
*Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla, stirring quickly.
*Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow to cool several hours or better, overnight.
*Work the whole slab of caramel out of the pan when cooled completely and cut into small squares.
*Wrap in pieces of wax paper.

Or take it up a notch and dip them in melted chocolate. Mmm...Bliss!:

Soft White Dinner Rolls

2010-02-05T15:53:00.003-06:00

This past fall I told y'all that I was going to be working on improving my yeast bread skills. From a major lack of yeast bread posts lately, you probably thought that I had given up on that idea. Actually I have been making a lot of things, many different types of dinner rolls, a pudding-based cinnamon roll, and others. The problem wasn't in a lack of breads, but in a lack of pictures! I just couldn't seem to get pictures taken before everything was eaten! I know, pathetic excuse, but sadly true! But it's a different story with these soft white dinner rolls. I finally got to the camera before my family got the goods!!

And I am so glad I did because these babies are fantastic and really quite easy! They are extremely soft with a wonderful chewiness to them a delicious buttery taste! Yum! Try them, I dont think you will be disappointed! I've actually made them twice now and I'm sure I will make them again. I think the potato flakes, although a seemingly unusual ingredient, is a key factor in making them soft. All of the recipes I have tried this winter that called for potato flakes have turned out terrifically soft.

This is another fantastic recipe from King Arthur Flour.

Soft White Dinner Rolls

1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) dry active yeast
7/8- 1 1/8 cup lukewarm water (7-9 ounces)
3 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 T sugar
6 T softened butter
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

*Sprinkle a pinch of sugar into 2 T. of warm water, add the yeast and allow to proof until dissolved and bubbly, about 15 min.
*Combine the yeast mixture with all the other ingredients in your mixer bowl. Knead for about 5-7 min. in your mixer, with a dough hook, or a little longer if kneading by hand.
*Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, allow to double, about 1 hr.
*Punch down and turn dough out onto a very lightly greased surface. Divide into 16 equal parts.
*Take each piece and roll in a cupped hand on top of an ungreased and unfloured surface, keeping your pinky always in contact with the counter until you have a smooth ball.
*Place 8 rolls each in two lightly greased 9 or 8 inch round cake pans. (or make 15 rolls and place in a 9x13)
*Cover and allow to rise until they puff and touch eachother, about an hour (Im sorry Betsy!!)
*Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. Brush with melted butter immediately when after taking them out to create a soft top.

Sugar molds

2010-02-01T16:24:00.002-06:00

I know some of you have seen these before on my personal blog, but they are just too cute not to post again around Valentine's Day. These shaped sugars take serving coffee and tea to a whole new level. Making your guests feel pampered couldnt be easier. Or package them up cute and surprise the coffee-lover in your life.

The how to:

*Add 2 tsp. of water to 1 cup of sugar and mix together until you get the consistency of wet sand.

*Pack the wet sugar into plastic candy molds, pressing firmly. Scrape of excess for a smooth finish.

*Immediately and gently pop the sugar molds out onto a tray lined with wax paper.

*Let it sit and harden overnight. Then store in an airtight container.

-Look for a mold that is 1-1 1/2 inches across

-I usually press and unmold them one at a time because otherwise I have trouble with them "crumbling" if I try to do the whole tray at one time.

-Try tinting the water with food coloring before mixing for colored sugar molds.

Aggression Cookies

2010-01-16T08:45:00.005-06:00

When I started this blog, it was my hope that my girls would join me in all these baking adventures. Even at their young ages they love to help me in the kitchen, sometimes that is a great thing, other times it is more of a trial for me, like when they stir the flour in the bowl right out onto the floor! But the older they get, the more helpful they become. Little Bug especially. (Side note: Up until now I was referring to the girls as M-ster and T-ster, to protect their identity since this is a public site. But I just wasnt feeling it, those are my husbands nicknames for them. My nicknames for them usually involve parts of their name, but then I realized that I sometimes call them "bug and monkey", because of what they reminded me of when they were born. Nice, huh? :) So from here on out they will be referred to as Bug and Monkey, for those of you who care. :)

A sign that Bug is getting better in the kitchen- she made these aggression cookies almost all by herself with the "smashing" help of Monkey! Of course I helped with some of the measuring and oven and other tough jobs. If you like the "crisp" part better than the "fruit" part of a fruit crisp, you will definitely like these crunchy cookies.

Styling and photography by little Bug herself!:

Aggression Cookies (from my fabulous sister-in-law)

1 cup brown sugar

2 cup oatmeal

1 cup flour

2/3 cup butter, softened

2 tsp. baking soda

*Mix everthing together and smash, smash, smash!- with your hands of course, thats what makes this such a great recipe for kids!

*add a little water if the dough doesnt seem to be coming together well, like ours.

*When you are done playing, err...smashing, form the dough into balls and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 min.

Let your kids enjoy these cookies and the satisfaction of making a delicious cookie ALL BY MYSELF! Sound familiar? :)

Swedish Kringle

2010-01-08T09:59:00.006-06:00

This is another of those recipes that Im not sure is completely authentic, in fact I think this is the simplified version of the real thing. But real or not, it's tasty and really easy! I first found this recipe a few weeks ago on kingarthurflour.com - their blog- bakers banter. Its a great site. They offer so many step by step photos and they really try hard to make it simple for us novice bakers! Their link is off to the right of my blog under "other sweet blogs".
For some reason I had gotten it in my head that this was going to be more like a danish, more cakey. It wasn't- it was much more light and cream puff like. In fact the first layer is basically a pie crust:

Buried underneath a pate a choux, cream puff:

And this one is topped with an almond glaze and toasted almond slivers:

I definitely want to try this again with either raspberry preserves under the glaze or a cream cheese and crumb topping. Yum!

Swedish Kringle

1st layer:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

2 T. water

*Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter (or fork or your fingers) until coarse crumbs appear.

*Add the water and combine with a fork until it begins to stick together.

*Divide the dough in half and press each piece into an 11x3 rectangle on a cookie sheet leaving several inches in between each one, (use two sheets if you have to). To press, use wet fingers, or what I thought was easy, a fork occasionally dipped in water to prevent sticking.

*Set aside

2nd layer:

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

3 eggs

1 tsp. almond flavoring

*Heat the water and butter in a 2 qt. saucepan and bring to a boil.

*All at once, add the flour and begin to beat vigorously, with a wooden spoon, remove from heat and continue to beat until it dries out a bit.

*Allow it to cool a bit and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one, to incorporate plenty of air so it puffs well.

*Stir in the almond flavoring.

*Spoon over the 1st layers, and bury them completely.

*Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 mins (erring on the side of too dark)

*Top with your choice of topping while still slightly warm.

Topping ideas:

Almond Glaze- 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 T. melted butter, 1/2 tsp. almond flavoring, milk (as needed)

Toasted slivered Almonds- spread almonds evenly on baking sheet and toast in 350 degree oven for around 8 min. (watch for them to just begin to brown)

Preserves- raspberry or apricot

Cream Cheese filling- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened, 1 large egg yolk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 T. flour- combine until smooth, refridgerate up to 2 days

Sauteed Apples- slice apples and sautee in butter, cinnamon and (brown sugar optional) until apples are soft and a thick syrup has formed

Food Blog Search

2009-12-31T14:59:00.003-06:00

I added a new link to this blog. Its in the right margin underneath my list of "other sweet blogs". Its called Food Blog Search. Thousands of recipes are just a click away- click on the picture and see. I have been using this food search for quite a while now. I love that when I search for a recipe or ingredient on here I am gauranteed to get pictures with my results. A recipe has to sound pretty amazing for me to try it without a picture! Food Blog Search has lead me to some pretty delicious recipes and some really great food blogs. Give it a try next time you're looking for a great recipe!

Dutch Baby

2009-12-17T19:32:00.005-06:00

Looks cool, right? You will definitely impress any holiday guests coming your way with this one! Don't worry, dutch babies look difficult, but there couldn't be an easier recipe out there! The heat of the oven does all the work. A dutch baby, otherwise known as a german pancake, is an "eggy" giant, oven baked pancake. Such a fun breakfast, kid-friendly and yummy too! Traditionally it is served with a sprinkling of lemon juice and powdered sugar, but we usually eat it with maple syrup or raspberry sauce and whipped cream.
Make sure your guests or family see it come out of the oven, if they aren't already gathered round the oven watching it puff, it deflates rather quickly when taken out of the oven.

Dutch Baby

4 eggs

1 T. sugar (optional- I usually skip it)

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cups flour

2/3 cup milk

3 T. butter

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the butter in an oven safe skillet or cast iron skillet (or 2 9 inch cake pans, although it wont puff as well) and place in preheating oven.

*While the butter is melting, blend the eggs until light yellow. (I usually do this by hand, but can be done with a mixer. The more you beat it, the more air you put in the eggs, the more puff you will get).

*Add all the other ingredients and blend well until smooth (err on the side of too much beating)

*Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and immediately pour the mixture into the skillet and quickly get it back in the oven.

*Bake for 20 min. (dont open the door during this time, until it has begun to brown, otherwise it may deflate)

*Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 10 or so minutes until deep golden brown.
*Cut and serve hot

What a pathetic drizzle of raspberry sauce, huh? :) We were using up some leftover from the freezer!

*Your goal is to have the sides puff more than the middle, although that often doesnt happen. A dutch baby is like a snowflake- no two look the same!

*They are actually rather "light" and I could eat 1/2 of one myself, so if you plan on feeding more than a few people, make sure you have other stuff to go with it like bacon or sausage and fruit.

*Step up the impressive and decadent factor by piling it high with seasonal fruit and whipped cream or sauteed cinnamon and sugar apples (it makes a natural and delicious bowl!)

Santa Cookies

2009-12-15T09:11:00.005-06:00

I have been making these santa cookies every Christmas for as long as I can remember. It wouldn't be Christmas without them! We usually make them with a couple of rolls of pillsbury sugar cookie dough, but this year I decided to make my own dough. I used my sister's sugar cookie recipe, divided it in half and rolled them into logs. It worked beautifully and this dough didnt spread at all!

The M-ster sprinkling the hats. She wasnt too interested in helping yesterday- good thing we only did one roll- maybe she will want to help another day:

"Ooohhh..." The T-ster thinks they look pretty good even before they are baked:

Santa Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

red sprinkles

chocolate chips

red hot

piece of nut

white frosting

*Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

*Cream the butter and sugar

*Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy

*Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix well.

*Divide dough in 2 and roll each piece into a log. Wrap in seran wrap and chill overnight- rotating occasionally to help keep a round shape.

*Slice chilled dough into about 1/4 inch slices (I got about 24 slices out of one roll- equals 12 cookies)

Assembly:

*Place one slice on a greased baking sheet. Take another slice and cut a triangle into it. Place the triangle on top of the head and place the other two pieces on the face as a mustache.

*Place two chocolate chips on each face for the eyes. The red hot for the mouth, under the mustache and the nut for the nose. Sprinkle the hat with red sugar sprinkles.

*Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 min.

*When cooled, frost the moustache and decorate the bottom edge of the hat and tip of the hat with a star decorators tip.

See's Fudge

2009-12-14T13:41:00.003-06:00

This fudge and I go way back!! I mean as far back as my memory allows me. Every year my grandma would work hard to fill a big box full of Christmas goodies for my family and one for my cousins. It was full of peanut cookies, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, poor man's bread, a giant windmill cookie, and my two favorites- cinnamon rolls and this fudge! Yum!!

My grandma gave me the recipe when I got married and the first year that I didn't get to enjoy her fudge, I decided to tackle it myself. Fudge is a little intimidating, all that heating and bubbling and stirring. It felt like there were just too many things that could go wrong, but after a phone call to my grandma to learn a few of her secrets, I discovered that it wasnt so hard afterall. And look, even I can create a creamy delicious fudge that tastes just like grandma's!- well, almost anyway, can you ever really match grandma? :)

See's Fudge (from Grandma Vanderbilt)

4 1/2 cups sugar

12 oz. can of evaporated milk

1/2 lb. (2 sticks, 1 cup) butter, chopped into chunks

18 oz. chocolate chips (I used dark choc., but in the past have used milk choc., both work fine)

7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme (the recipe says 8 oz, but I can never find that size and it seems to work just fine missing that one ounce)

2 tsp. vanilla

*Put the sugar and evaporated milk in a 6 quart pan and bring it to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring nearly constantly. When it begins to boil rapidly, begin timing, and allow it to boil rapidly for about 8 min, stirring constantly. (grandma says it will NOT burn! :)

*Take it off the heat and add the butter, chocolate chips and marshmallow creme. Transfer to a big bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.

*Add the vanilla (and nuts if you choose) and continue to beat until it thickens (usually takes around 7-10 mins)

*Immediately pour into a well buttered 9x13 pan and allow to cool in the fridge at least overnight, if not longer. (I usually store mine in the fridge)
Makes 5 lbs.

Sticky Biscuits

2009-12-09T16:03:00.002-06:00

When we woke up this morning to a blizzard and I knew my husband would be home I knew I wanted to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Only problem? We didnt want to wait 3 hours to eat, while the yeast took its time to do its thing!! So I improvised and made some out of biscuits. Not as good as the real deal, but definitely not bad for a quick fix!

Sticky Biscuits

For the biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup milk

For the topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 T. butter
3 T. honey
1 T. corn syrup
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans (I left off since the T-ster was going to be eating them too)

For the filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
4 T. butter, softened

The method:

*Combine all the filling ingredients and set aside.
*Combine all the topping ingredients, except the pecans, and begin to heat in a small saucepan until melted together.
*While the topping is melting together make the biscuits:
*Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
*Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks until butter is roughly pea sized.
*Create a well in the dough and all at once, add the milk. With a fork gently toss until moistened and starts to hold together.
*Transfer to a lightly floured surface and quickly knead 4 or 5 times to bring the dough into a rough disk.
*Roll out into a rectangle (maybe 6 x 12 ??)
*Sprinkle the filling over the rectangle and then from one long side, roll up the dough and pinch to seal.
*Pour the topping into a lightly greased 9 inch round cake pan. (I didnt quite use all of it) And top with pecans.
*Cut the dough into 8 slices and place on top of the topping in the pan.
*Bake at 400 degrees for about 18 min? (I didnt really time it!- start watching after maybe 12 min)
*Cool slightly and then invert onto a plate or pan and allow the topping to drip down a bit before removing the pan.
*Serve warm

Reindeer Sammies

2009-12-08T12:40:00.002-06:00

Need a cute idea to please the kids in your life this Christmas season? Try these Rudolph the Reindeer treats. Take your basic Ritz sammie, peanut butter smashed between two Ritz crackers, dipped in chocolate, add a few other ingredients and you have a reindeer. I dont have a real recipe for this one, but here's the basic idea:

*Smear peanut butter between two ritz crackers and sandwhich together.
*Melt some candy melts in a double boiler, or in a small bowl placed over a bit of simmering water in a saucepan.
*Dip the crackers in the chocolate and set on a piece of wax paper to dry. While the "head" is still wet, dip two small twist pretzels and place next to the head so the chocolates touch and allow to harden together.
*Also while the "head" is still wet, place chocolate chips on the face for eyes and a red hot for the nose. (It helps to have a three year old help with this step! :)
*I used roughly two sleeves of ritz and one pkg of candy melts. I had leftover chocolate, which was perfect because I love chocolate covered pretzels:

Speculaas (windmill cookies)

2009-12-05T16:50:00.005-06:00

Dec. 5 is celebrated in Holland as Sinterklaas Day. Of course, being a Dutch family, it only made sense to take this opportunity for a good excuse to bake and have a party. Speculaas cookies (windmill cookies) are the traditional treat of Sinterklaas day. It is usually made in windmill or dutch boy and girl shapes, baked into a wooden press, but we just made due with christmas cookie cutters, along with a wooden shoe shape and a windmill shape, although as you can see in the picture below, the windmill looks a little more like a bunny, at least that's what the M-ster says!
Speculaas are a crunchy, spice cookie, studded with almond slices and usually topped with almond slices (we left them off this time). We also made half the dough without almonds for the little ones at the party! It's a very easy dough to whip up and work with. You do need to let it chill in the fridge overnight, so plan ahead!

Speculaas (windmill cookies)

1 cup butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground anise seed (I left out b/c I didnt have any)

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cups sliced almonds, plus more for topping, if desired

*Combine the flour, baking soda, all the spices and the salt. Set aside.

*Cream the butter, vanilla, and both sugars, until light and fluffy.

*Add the beaten eggs and blend well.

*Add the dry ingredients.

*Stir in the almonds, by hand, so you dont crush them.

*Divide the dough into four and form each one into a disk. Wrap each section in plastic wrap and chill overnight.

* When ready to bake, allow the dough to warm up a bit so you can roll it out. Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness, cut.

*Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 min.

Peanut Blossoms

2009-12-02T10:25:00.004-06:00

Its Christmas baking season! Time to pull out all those holiday favorites. I would love to hear what some of your favorites are, leave a comment, maybe you will help me discover a few new ones!! I thought I would start the season off with a classic, but can you believe I've never made peanut blossoms before! So simple, so delicious, so classic! Good thing I had some leftover kisses I needed to use up! The M-ster was very helpful in unwrapping all the kisses and in pressing them into the cookies. Here's the recipe I used, just in case, like me, you've never made them either. :)

Peanut Blossoms

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp milk

sugar for rolling

bag of Hershey kisses

*In a small bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

*Cream the butter and peanut butter.

*Add both the sugars and beat well.

*Add the egg, vanilla and milk and beat to combine.

*Mix in the flour mixture.

*Roll a small amount of dough into a ball (about 1 inch) and roll in sugar to coat.

*Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 min.

*Remove from oven and immediately gently press a kiss into each cookie.

Cheese Topped Pumpkin Muffins

2009-11-20T12:54:00.005-06:00

If you haven't yet made a pumpkin flavored treat this November, its time- Thanksgiving is almost here! And these muffins are just the ones to try. They are delicious! The first time I tasted them I let out an audible "mmm...", that doesnt happen very often! The recipe says it makes 12 muffins, but I guess I didnt fill mine as full as I should have because I had some leftover batter. I just put them in my mini muffin tin and made them without the cheese on top, they were also very good!

Cheese-Topped Pumpkin Muffins (adapted from muffintop.com and a Machine Shed recipe book)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup of canned pumpkin(as suggested by the muffintop blogger, I used the whole 15 oz can for added moistness)
1/3 cup veg oil
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cloves
1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

*Whisk together the flour and baking powder; set aside.

*In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, sugar, baking soda and salt, until smooth.

*Gently stir the flour into the pumpkin mixture just until combined.

*Place in muffin tin fitted with papers and top each one with a piece of cream cheese and sprinkle with a topping of the sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.

*Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 min.

Angel Food Cake

2009-11-13T15:39:00.005-06:00

It was my husband's birthday on Wednesday. His one and only request every year is for an angel food cake. Until I met him I had never made one, now I make one twice a year, for his birthday and fathers day. I dont think I will ever make one as well as his grandma did :), who made his every year for his birthday, but still, Im happy with the results!
When making an angel food cake start mixing the whites in a very large bowl. I use a 6 quart mixer and it is full to the top by time its done whipping! Its very sticky batter and requires a gentle touch. When decorating a cake, one tip on making sure you end with a fairly clean platter is to put wax paper pieces around the edge under the cake and then just pull them away after the frosting sets a bit.

Angel Food Cake (Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

1 1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 large)

1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 cup sifted flour

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup granulated sugar

*Sift the powdered sugar and flour together 3 times, set aside.

*In an extra large mixing bowl begin whipping the egg whites (they seperate easier when cold, but then let them come to room temp, takes about 30 min, because they whip better at room temp)

*Once they are foamy add the cream of tartar and vanilla. Beat on med-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar about 2 Tbsp. at a time, continue speeding until stiff peaks form.

*Add 1/4 of the flour/sugar mixture. Gently fold in. Continue adding the mixture about 1/4 at a time, gently folding.

*Pour into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Gently cut through with a knife to remove air pockets.

*Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 min. until dry and top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake to cool completely.

Apple Custard Kuchen

2009-11-10T06:50:00.003-06:00

Here is another apple recipe for your fall enjoyment. This recipe starts by making a chunky applesauce that you sweeten with honey. The girls and I really liked it. So even if you dont try the whole recipe you may want to keep this recipe in mind next time you make applesauce.
Kuchen (pr. kook-en), is a german sweet yeast coffee cake. It can be used and topped in many different ways. I made an apple custard, which turned out creamy and delicious. If you know you dont like custard, try topping it with a different form of fruit. If you are unsure whether you like custard, this may be a good one to try because it has the added layer of applesauce to "mellow" the custard texture and flavor.
The dough was very sticky to work with, even after adding more flour, and after dumping it in a bowl to refridgerate I thought for sure this was going to end in disaster. But several hours later when I pulled it out I was so suprised at how the dough had hardened. It broke easily after rolling it and trying to lift it and place it in the pan, but I just pressed it back together and it turned out pretty good. I almost wonder if you could skip the rolling step and just press it all in the pan.

I have never had or even seen an authentic kuchen so Im not really sure how this one stacks up. Has anyone had one? Do you know if this looks authentic?

Apple Custard Kuchen (from Prairie Home Breads by Judith M. Fertig)

The filling:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup honeyed applesauce (recipe below) or any chunky applesauce

*Whisk all ingredients but the applesauce together and set aside.

The dough:
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp.) yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water (90 degrees)
1 egg, beaten
2 cups flour (I used more)

*In a small saucepan combine the milk, sugar, salt and butter and scald the milk (heat until small bubble form around the edges). Remove from heat and stir until butter melts. Cool to lukewarm.
*In a large bowl sprinkl the yeast over the warm water and allow to proof about 5 minutes until foamy.
*Stir the milk mixture into the yeast, then stir in the flour, one cup at a time until you have a soft dough. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hrs or up to 3 days.

Assembly:
*Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide in two. Roll out each section into a circle and place each one in a 9 inch cake pan or springform pan, bringing the sides up a bit.
*Spoon half the applesauce onto each dough and then top with half the filling mixture on each one.
*Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 min. until the dough puffs a bit and has browned and the filling has browned, but will still look soft. Serve warm or at room temp.

Honeyed Applesauce
8 cups cored, peeled, quartered apples (about 3 lbs)
1 cup mild honey
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste

*In a large saucepan combine the apples and 1/2 cup of the honey. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until the apples are tender, about 20 min.
*Mash the apples with a masher, leaving it chunky. Stir in the rest of the ingredients
(I just made roughly a quater of this recipe for the kuchen)

Shaker Daily Bread

2009-11-06T20:05:00.005-06:00

I went hunting for some bread books from the library this week and came home with two. One had great pictures and a wide variety of world breads. The other one, from where I got this recipe, focused on breads found in the midwest. This one was made by "kitchen sisters" in a Shaker community in Ohio, who would make about about 60 loaves a day! My two was more than enough!!

What I liked most about this bread was that it had a really crispy crust, but unlike so many crispy crusted breads, this ones was very thin. It wasnt tough to bite through at all. It was a little "crumbly". As you can see in the slice in the top picture, the crumb gets looser at the top of the slice than it is at the bottom. That shouldnt be, but I have yet to figure that one out! All in all, a very good basic white bread and an easy to handle dough.

Shaker Daily Bread (from Prairie Home Breads)

2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (about 90-100 degrees)

1 3/4 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

5-5 1/2 cups flour

melted butter, for brushing

*Scald the milk (heat until small bubbles appear around the edges) and then add the butter and sugar. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm (80-90 degrees)

*Meanwhile in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and allow to proof at least 5 min.

*Add the milk mixture to to the yeast mixture. With a wooden spoon, or your mixer, if you have a dough hook, beat in 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time, until you have a smooth dough, adding more flour if needed.

*Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead about 10 min until smooth and elastic.

*Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and brush top with melted butter. Cover and allow to rise until double, roughly 1 1/2 hrs.

*Gently punch the dough down and transfer to a floured surface. Cut in half and form into two loaves. Place in two greased loaf pans and brush with melted butter. Cover and allow to rise until doubled about 1 1/2 hrs.

*Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 min.

Oops, see the loaf to the right. For some reason it didnt rise as well as the other one. Oh well, I did two loaves because I wanted to let one of them "stale" a bit to try making a Charlotte. Guess I know wich loaf I will be using! And hey, even bad homemade bread is still good!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2009-11-02T20:26:00.006-06:00

My goal this winter is to broaden my repetoire of yeast breads. I can confidently produce a good oatmeal molasses bread, cinnamon rolls and pizza dough/ breadsticks, but that leaves a whole lot of untried yeast creations. This cinnamon raisin bread is my first new one.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread (from my kitchen aid recipe book)

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. butter

2 pkgs yeast (one pkg equals 2 1/4 tsp)

1 1/2 cup warm water

5-6 cups flour

*Heat the milk, sugar, salt and butter over low heat in a saucepan until melted. Cool to lukewarm.

*Dissolve yeast in the warm water in a warmed mixer bowl.

*Add the lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups of flour. Attach dough hook or beater and mix until combined. Continue mixing while you add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time.

*Take out of the bowl and continue kneading on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, several minutes (dough will be slightly sticky)

*Put the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double (about 1 hr)
*Punch dough down, divide in half and roll each section into approx 9x14 rectangle.

*Spread 1 Tbsp of softened butter onto each rectangle and sprinkle half of a sugar mixture over the whole surface of each one (1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon)

*Shape into loaves by rolling tightly, pinching to seal and tucking ends under. Place in greased loaf pans, cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in size

*Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 min. (loosely cover with tin foil if top browns excessively)

Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza

2009-10-30T19:47:00.003-05:00

I love deep dish pizza. Why didn't I think to make it at home a long time ago? Definitely not perfect, but definitely delicious!! And so fun to make!
The Crust
The crust is more thin crust, cracker-like than most doughs. But very stable- I was impressed at how well it held up. I may have liked it more if I didnt mess it up! While I was waiting out the 2 hour rise I decided to make some brownies. I turned on the oven to preheat...and then realized I still had my dough in the oven rising. Oops!! Apparently I didnt kill the yeast altogether because while it was resting on the counter it did puff up a little. But I do wonder if it would have turned out differently had I not started to bake it before it's rising time was up!!

Heres what you need for 2 pizza pies:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup yellow corn meal
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/8 tsp. yeast
2 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water

*Place the yeast in the warm water and let if sit for a few minutes to proof.
*Meanwhile combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt in your mixer.
*Pour the oil and water/yeast mixture into the flour mixture and knead until smooth a few minutes, or when it starts to come together finish kneading it by hand until smooth.
*Place the smooth dough ball in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise about 2 hours, or until doubled.

The Sauce
I really liked the flavor of the sauce. It was very similar to my usual sauce but with the added red wine vinegar. And it was so simple to whip up.

28 oz. crushed tomatoes (I used italian style)
3 garlic cloves, minced
a sprinkling of oregano, basil, pepper and salt
1 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar

*Mix all ingredients in a bowl

The Assembly

My pizza needed more filling and more cheese, but really quite an easy process. (Just be careful with ingredients that are "wet"- I almost thought mine was going to be soggy.)

*Generously butter two 8 or 9 inch cake pans.
*Divide your dough in half and roll each one out quite thin, about an inch bigger around than the pans. Place in pans and gently press into place. I blind baked my crust for 4 min. min. at 400 degrees, but not sure if that was necessary.
*Put a very generous amount of mozzarella cheese on top of the crust.
*Place all your toppings on next. (I then sprinkled some more mozzarella and some parmesan, but not enough)
*Pour half your sauce onto each pizza.
*Bake for about 35 min. Watch the crust and cover it loosely with foil if it starts to brown too fast.
*Let it sit for about 5 min. before gently taking them out of the pans and placing them on a cutting board to cut and serve.

Scalloped Potatoes

2009-10-28T19:09:00.004-05:00

Tonights dinner was as simple as they get- a pork roast in the crockpot and acorn squash in the microwave. Simple, but one of my favorites. But because of its simplicity I figured I could go all out on the potato dish- scalloped potatoes. Which actually turned out to be quite simple in and of itself.
I've only made scalloped potatoes once in my life and they weren't too great. Pretty boring really. So I'm not sure why I thought I wanted to try them tonight, but I'm so glad I did!! They were delicious! I couldn't stop eating them!! This recipe originally comes from Cook's Illustrated, but I found it on seriouseats.com. They were the opposite of everything that I don't like about scalloped potatoes. The potatoes were not mushy at all, neither were they undercooked and the flavor was pretty amazing. They claim the trick is to parboil the potatoes before putting them in the oven- I'm convinced!! And please don't let the terrible picture keep you from trying this recipe. You will be missing out on one great recipe!- well, in my opinion anyway :)

Scalloped Potatoes

1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced (I used 1/4 tsp. dried thyme)
1 1/4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c heavy cream (I used 2% milk and didnt miss any of the creaminess!)
1 bay leaf
shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
(I sprinkled the top with dried bread crumbs for added crunch)

*Melt the butter in a large oven proof saucepan on med-high heat.
*Add the onions and saute until tender, a few minutes
*Add the garlic and thyme and saute for about 30 seconds more
*Dump in the potatoes, broth, cream and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat, cover and let cook for 10 min. (I stirred mine a couple times, b/c Im a bit of a fanatic about stirring :)
*Remove lid and bay leaf.
*Top potatoes with the cheese and if you choose, the dried bread crumbs.
*Put the skillet in a 425 degree oven for 15 min or until bubbly and cheese is all melted.
*Let it rest for about 5 min. before serving

-If you dont have an oven proof skillet, just transfer the potatoes to a casserole dish after you cook them on the stove.

Apple Cake

2009-10-26T12:58:00.005-05:00

It's apple season!! I love fall with all the color, crisp air, wonderful apple and spice smells. In my opinion, it doesnt get more "comfort" food than apple dishes.
Okay, so this recipe doesn't actually use fresh apples, but rather canned apple pie filling. But it is so moist, delicious and extremely easy to make. This is yet another of my moms recipes. For a woman who can't eat sugar, she sure knows how to find scrumptious recipes. Best of all her recipes are simple, unfussy and use ingredients that you often have sitting in your cupboard.
This cake is delicious enough to serve for a dinner party with a dab of cool whip or served plain and used as a morning coffee cake.

Apple Cake

3 eggs

1 can (20 oz) apple pie filling

1 pkg yellow cake mix

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. butter

*Stir together, by hand, the eggs, pie filling and dry cake mix.

*Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan

*Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Cut in the butter.

*Sprinkle on top of the unbaked cake.

*Bake for about 30-35 min. at 350 degrees

PB Oatmeal Cookies

2009-10-18T12:46:00.004-05:00

In apology for the long lapse in posting,(we moved to an old farmhouse out in the country and had to wait 3 weeks for the internet!) I'm offering a no-fail, delicious cookie recipe. I love cookies, but at the same time I find it difficult to find one that actually meets my standards. This one does.

And even more surprisingly it meets my husbands as well! These are his favorite and he is actually the one who introduced me to them. They are the cookie by which all other cookies are judged by- nothing ever even comes close according to him. He made them a few times for me while we were dating. His trick to making them great is undercooking them and he would pile them into a tupperware and put them in the fridge and they would clump together like one giant cookie that we would tear chunks off of. YUM!! If you ever wondered why I married the guy, this is why- he wouldnt give me the recipe until I said YES!! :)
-Im still working on making them as great as he can, according to him I will never get it quite right!! PB Oatmeal Cookies (otherwise known as "goodness" in this household)

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
chocolate chips

*Cream together the butter and peanut butter
*Add the sugars baking powder and baking soda, mix well
*Beat in the eggs and vanilla
*Mix in the flour and then the oatmeal just until combined
*Stir in some chocolate chips
*Bake for 8 min. or so at 375 degrees

Chewy Granola Bars

2009-09-24T07:01:00.006-05:00

Does anyone else struggle with snack ideas for your kids? My girls usually get tired of eating something about half way through the box, so I have learned to only buy things for them that I am willing to finish off. Along with that issue, I much prefer to make them snacks-they are more healthy, not full of processed junk, and a little cheaper.
These granola bars were perfect! They are so versatile- you can completely cater to your own taste preference. And they are beyond easy to make, and really tasty too. They are made just like rice krisy bars, just with different ingredients. Not including cooling and cutting time, it took me less than 10 minutes to whip these babies up! And the cost difference compared to store bought is pretty big. My rough estimate indicated that store bought bars cost about $.27 per bar (for the cheaper brand!) and these much healthier, tastier, basic version cost only about $.09 per bar! Chewy Granola Bars

2 cups oatmeal (I havent done this yet, but try toasting it first)
2 cups cheerios (or rice krispys, puff cereal, etc.)
1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/3 cup ground flax seed (or wheat germ)
-any other mix in ingredient (nuts, seeds, more fruit, etc)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup corn syrup (or honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc)
1/2 cup brown sugar

*Mix the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
*Combine the peanut butter, corn syrup and brown sugar in a large pot and heat over medium until the mixture just boils.
*Toss the dry ingredients into the gooey mixture in the pot and quickly stir to coat.
*Dump into a greased 9x13 pan and press down with fingers or a fork dipped in water to prevent sticking
*Allow to cool completely (about an hour, or put it in the fridge to speed the process)
*Cut into bars (I found it easiest to pop the whole thing out of the pan, put it on a cutting board and chop through it with a big butcher knife)
*Makes 18 bars

I haven't tried it yet, but I read that they freeze well. Wrap individually in seran wrap, place in a freezer bag and you will always have ready some easy, fairly healthy, really good grab and go snacks. (or like in our house, breakfast, with some yogurt and a banana)

Double Chocolate Torte

2009-09-16T10:51:00.005-05:00

This past Friday I celebrated 5 years of being married to the most terrific husband ever, but I will spare you the mushy gushy and get straight to the food. That is, afterall, why you are here, right?
The occassion completely warrented itself to a very decadent dessert, so I went all out with this one! Double Chocolate Torte- chocolate on top of chocolate- doesn't get much better than that. It is a rich and fudgy chocolate torte base topped with a creamy, fluffy chocolate mousse. I have never made a torte or mousse, so it was an adventure! The torte is basically a very rich brownie- same method, just different amounts of the same ingredients. So that was simple. The mousse was a little more intimidating- trying to heat eggs without curdling them and then folding the whites into the warm chocolate. It turned out surprisingly well, just maybe a little more grainy than I would have liked. But oh so rich and decadent and perfectly paired with a glass of sweet red wine- the perfect end to a perfect day of celebrating!

Double Chocolate Torte (from smittenkitchen.com)

For the torte (the cake):

8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

5 eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1/4 cup flour

For the mousse:

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

4 egss, seperated

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp. vanilla

8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

For the whipped cream topping:

3/4 whipping cream

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

For the cake:

*Butter and sugar a springform pan.

*Melt chocolate and butter in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm.

*Whisk in the sugar.

*Whisk in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.

*Mix in the vanilla and salt and then the flour.

*Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees for about 35 min. (until the center just rises- a toothpick inserted in center will not come out clean)

*Cool completely and then chill while making the mousse.

For the mousse:

*Melt the butter in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (dont allow bowl to touch water).

*In a small bowl whisk the yolks, cream and vanilla.

*Gradually add yolk mixture to the butter and whisk constantly over simmering water until thermometer reaches 150 degrees (about 6 min)- Dont worry if mixture appears curdled

*Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate to melt, then set aside.

*Beat the egg whites and sugar medium stiff peaks form.

*Whisk 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

*Pour the mousse over the cake and chill for at least 6 hrs until set.

*Release the torte from the pan and transfer it to a serving platter.

*Whip the 3/4 cup of cream with the 1 1/2 tsp of sugar and top the torte.

*Garnish how you like, with chocolate shavings, raspberries, etc.

**Note: The batter of the cake oozed out of the springform pan and onto the bottom of my oven when I made this. Ugh! Thankfully I realized it before too much mess and placed a pan on the bottom rack to catch it and it didnt seem to effect the outcome of the cake, but not real sure how to keep that from happening again- maybe wrap the pan in tin foil?

Raspberry Sauce

2009-09-12T13:26:00.008-05:00

Phew! I thought there for a little while that summer was over early in Iowa. Im so glad to have a few more warm days before the fall chill sets in. And Im taking advantage of these warmer days by enjoying some summer favorites like ice cream cones, a fish fry, eating outside, bbqs and raspberry lemonade.
This raspberry sauce is as delicious as it is gorgeous!! And extremely simple!

Just take 6 oz. of fresh or frozen raspberries (both work equally well) and run it through a food processor (Im sure a blender would work too) with 1 Tablespoon of sugar until it is pureed.
Then mash it through a fine mesh sieve:
Keep mashing until all that is left are the seeds. (Thats my favorite part of this recipe- I hate seeds!):

And you are left with some very tasty raspberry sauce. It freezes very well, so dont worry if you can't use it all up. You can use it as a garnish for a fancy dessert, or as a layer in a cake (although you may want to thicken it up a bit by heating it with some cornstarch), or pour it over some pancakes, a dutch baby or some popovers like the girls and I did for lunch the other day, or as an ice cream topping. As you can see the possiblities are many! But my favorite way to use this sauce is to mix it into some lemonade to make raspberry lemonade- the best you will ever have, especially if you make the lemonade from scratch as well. Use anywhere from 1 Tbs.- 1/4 cup of sauce for a pitcher of lemonade, according to your preference.

Enjoy the taste of summer before its just a distant memory!!

Zucchini Bread

2009-09-09T12:24:00.002-05:00

I feel like I'm a little late in the season for offering up another zucchini recipe, but if you are like me, you still have several zucchini's sitting in your fridge patiently waiting to be used in some delectable way. Ive been making breads and cakes and storing them away in the freezer for this winter when zucchini is no where to be seen. This recipe comes from my mom. I have no clue where she got it, but it's a pretty good one. I found that I liked this one better the next day rather than fresh, go figure.

Zucchini Bread

1 2/3 cup flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup melted butter (I substituted 2 T. of this with oil- I like the flavor of butter, but I like the moistness that oil offers)
1/3 cup water
1 cup shredded zucchini (or other squash)
1/2 cup nuts or raisins (optional)

*Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside
*Combine the rest of the ingredients in another bowl
*Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until moistened
*Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-09-04T15:03:00.003-05:00

Ive been a bad blogger havent I? Sheesh! Time has been flying by way too fast! But believe me, this frosting is worth the wait! Its actually a layer in a peanut butter pie I make, but I thought it might taste really good on top of brownies- I was right! Its pretty delicious!!
In this picture I made some brownie bites using a mini muffin tin, piped a big star of frosting on and topped it off with half of a mini reeces pb cup. They were yummy!

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. pkg of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

* In your mixer, mix the all the ingredients until combined and lump free.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

2009-08-16T15:53:00.002-05:00

I made these cupcakes for our church potluck today. I thought they looked so classic and festive. These guys are masquerading as your average chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. But the cake is actually made with 2 cups of shredded zucchini (What?! We have a lot of zucchini to use up! :) The addition of zucchini made it really moist.
And the frosting was not made with butter, but sour cream! I know, odd right?! It was a little tart, but I actually thought it paired quite well with the rich chocolate cake. Although next time I think I will add a smidge more sweetner to offset a little more of the sour factor. The consistency of the frosting was really nice and thick and easy to spread.

Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting (from smittenkitchen.com)

15 oz. semi sweet chocolate
2 1/4 c. sour cream, room temperature
1/4 - 1/2 c. corn syrup

*Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Set aside and let cool to lukewarm.
*Combine the sour cream and 1/4 c. corn syrup in a large bowl.
*Slowly pour the cooled chocolate into the sour cream mixture while stirring vigorously.
*Add more corn syrup 1 T. at a time until you reach desired sweetness.
*Chill in the fridge until it is spreading consistency (should take no more than 30 min.)

Tortilla Pinwheels

2009-08-16T15:48:00.004-05:00

Our church was going to have service this morning at the park followed by a picnic potluck, but...it rained! So we moved indoors. But thinking we were going to be outside, I didnt want to hassle with trying to keep a dish warm, so I opted for some gussied up tortilla pinwheels- so stress free (seriously, you dont understand how I stress about what to bring to potlucks!)
These pinwheels have a cream cheese spread that came from a great friend of mine from college. It has ranch flavor and veggies in it. Usually we just make them with just the cream cheese mixture rolled up in a tortilla, its SO DELICIOUS! I thought it really tasted great with all the other fillings and made the pinwheel more hardy.

Tortilla Pinwheels (cream cheese spread adapted from Greta)

Tortillas (I used spinach, but any would work), at least burrito size, unless you can find bigger ones (about 8 burrito size ones)
2 pkgs 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 pkg. dry ranch dressing
1/2 c. finely chopped green pepper
1/2 c. finely chopped carrot
3 green onions
about 1 lbs of turkey slices
cheddar cheese slices
red leaf lettuce
sliced tomato

*Combine the cream cheese, dressing packet, green pepper, carrots and onion.
*Lay out the tortillas on your counter and spread them with the cream cheese mixture (you can go lighter if you plan on making them with all the fillings but spread it a little thicker if you dont plan on adding any other fillings)
*Place a layer of turkey over each tortilla then top with some cheese over the tortilla
*Place a line of tomatos down the middle of the tortilla and top with a line of lettuce
*Roll up tightly starting from a tomato free end
*Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hrs or overnight
*Slice in 1 inch pieces (reserving the ends for snacking :)

Empanadas

2009-08-14T16:18:00.005-05:00

It was happy hour Friday at our house this afternoon. What a great way to usher in the weekend. Besides, I needed a good excuse to try out these empanadas. I think we may have to make happy hour a regular occurance around here, it gives me a chance to try out all sorts of delicious appetizers I normally never have a reason to make.
Empanadas are a Latin American food that is often consumed as a street food. It is basically a filled pastry pocket. Each country in Latin America seems to have their own version of filling. My version is completely NOT authentic! I just threw in a bunch of random things I had available in the kitchen. I did use the crust that is common in Argentina- it uses milk instead of water. I was going to try the filling too, but I didnt feel like cooking meat. It is seasoned hamburger with a slice of hard boiled egg and a green olive.

I filled mine with pinto beans, corn, tomato, and a few other things:

All wrapped up, crimped and ready to go:

Dont forget the egg wash if you want a nice golden brown color:
Mmmm...

Ok, ok maybe the filling was a little dry, but I love crust, which turned out great, so it really didnt bother me. The hubster is not a crust guy, so they were too dry for him. We combatted the dryness by dipping it in a salsa and sour cream mixture. Yummy! Next time I will work on making the filling more moist for our own personal taste, but actually the authentic Latin American ones all seem on the dry side also, so ...

Empanadas (dough from http://www.laylita.com)

3 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg yolk

1/2 c. butter

3/4 to 1 c. milk

*Combine flour and salt in your mixer

*Mix in butter until butter is about pea size

*Add egg yolk and slowly add milk until mixture begins to hold together

*Divide dough into two and press into discs. Wrap them and chill for about 30 min.

*Roll out dough thinly and cut into circles using a biscuit cutter or bowl (depending on what size you want)

*Put a scoop of filling (recipe below) in the middle of each circle of dough

*Rub egg white around the whole edge of the disc to act as a glue. Fold the disc over to make a semi-circle and press edges together. Crimp by pressing with a fork.

*Brush each empanada with egg yolk.

*Place in the fridge for about 30 min. or until you are ready to bake (can be in fridge overnight)

*Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 min.

Filling (I measured nothing, just eyeballed, do what looks good to you):

Mix together the following:

1 can of pinto beans

half can of corn

chopped tomato

chopped green onion

two mushrooms, chopped

chili powder

oregano

paprika

(cumin would be a good spice to include, but I am out!, also, I wanted to use black beans, but out of those too! Time to go shopping!)

Like I said, I would make the filling juicier next time. Im thinking taco meat with a little cheese and sourcream and a black olive. Really, the possiblities are endless, use your imagination!

Zucchini Chip Snack Cake

2009-08-12T10:10:00.004-05:00

We have two zucchini plants in our garden this year, so we arent hugely overrun with zucchini, but we surely have plenty. One of my favorite things to make with all our zucchini is this cake. Its mildly chocolately and very moist. Yum!
It makes a nice big 9x13 and freezes very well, but the recipe can be halved very easily and made in a 9x9 also. I have never made it without the chocolate chips, but I imagine it would be delicious that way also. I have a couple of hugely over grown zucchini's (I used only half of one for these 2 cups in this recipe!!) I plan on testing out whether this would make a good bread without the chocolate chips and maybe even without the cocoa.

Zucchini Chip Snack Cake (from the R.C. cookbook, submitted by Norma Dole)

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c veg. oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 c. buttermilk or 1/2 c. milk with 2 tsp. vinegar
2 c. shredded zucchini
roughly 2 c. chocolate chips

*Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
*In your mixer, cream the butter and sugar.
*Beat in the oil, eggs and vanilla.
*Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl alternately with the buttermilk, just until combined.
*Stir in the zucchini.
*Pour into a greased 9x13
*Top with chocolate chips
*Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 min.

Banana Bread... uh muffins... uh cupcakes...

2009-07-27T13:07:00.007-05:00

The M-ster was helping me grocery shop a while back and, oops, dropped the bag of bananas. I couldnt exactly put them back and get new ones... so I thought, perfect! Banana bread! I love Banana Bread. Every time I make it I wonder I why I dont make it more often. The recipe I use is from my mom. I think she actually cut it out of a magazine years ago. Its the absolute best recipe ever. I promise, you will never even want to try another recipe after you try this one! Ooh, thats a big claim...
This time around I thought I would switch things up a bit and try making muffins out of this batter. But then when I piped a huge dollop of cream cheese frosting on top, Im pretty sure these went from breakfast food to dessert! They were definitely more like cupcakes than a quick bread.

Heres the M-ster mashing her bruised bananas (look at that furrowed brow, she is working so hard):

If you dont feel like this more decadent version of banana bread, try it the classic way in a loaf pan, you won't be disappointed!

Bay Street Inn Banana Bread

2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 medium bananas, mashed
1/2 c. milk

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan, or place paper liners in a muffin pan.
*Combine the flour, baking powder and soda and the salt in a small mixing bowl and set aside
*Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl
*Beat in the eggs one at a time. And then stir in the vanilla
*Stir in the flour mixture, alternately with the banana and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture
*Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 10-12 min. for mini muffins, 18-20 min. for standard muffins, or 1 hr and 10 min. for a loaf. Cool the bread for 10 min. before removing from the pan.
-You can loosely cover the bread with foil if you feel it is browning too quickly

First Birthday Cupcakes

2009-07-22T07:56:00.007-05:00

It was little T-ster's first birthday yesterday. I had a lot of fun decorating cupcakes for her. I thought about going the fun, colorful little kid route, but attempting these chocolate butterflies was just too alluring. I was happy with the results of my "flowers". I used the recipe for the buttercream frosting that I posted earlier. I am still looking for some great by scratch cake recipes, but have not yet found one that I love, so for these I just used a box yellow cake mix.
I piped chocalte candy melts into butterfly shaped wings. After they dried I carefully peeled them up (I lost a few of them- I should have made them thicker) Then I piped a thick line for the body of the butterfly and propped the wings up into the body and let it dry.

The yellow cupcakes were made by piping with the star tip (wilton #32) all over and then placing mini chocolate chips in the middle.

The purple ones were done with the grass tip (wilton #233). And then dotted with pink.

The green ones were also done with the grass tip. Then I placed flowers on them. The yellow flowers were made by rotating the star tip as I pressed to give it a swirled look. The purple flowers were made by piping "layers" of the grass tip on top of each other. I piped them both onto a tray and put them in the freezer so they were simple to move around. And then I placed a butterfly on some of the green ones.

Happy Birthday little T!

Yogurt Cake

2009-07-16T13:24:00.008-05:00

Here's the intriguing cake I promised you in my last post. Okay, so the ingredients are more intriguing than the taste of the cake itself. Yes, I was slightly dissapointed. The cake is a lot like a pound cake, just maybe "spongier"- almost wetter, if that makes sense. If you like pound cake, but arent too crazy about using so much butter, this may just be the cake for you.

People seem to fall into two categories when it comes to cakes. Those that like them made with butter and those that like them made with oil. I should have known that this one wouldnt be a favorite with me since I am definitely a butter girl! I am my dad's daughter afterall! :) Hi Dad!

I may not make this cake again because of the oil/butter preference, I think I will stick with my lemon pound cake. But it was fun to try with some different ingredients. And hey, if Im ever craving pound cake, but dont have those ingredients, this one would sure do the trick of satisfying me. And Deb, over at smittenkitchen, where I got this recipe, had some great variaton ideas. Like the simple idea of putting blueberries or other fruit in it or more interestingly, using lime instead of lemon and coconut oil instead of the olive oil. Hmm... I may have to try some of her ideas with my pound cake recipe.

Yogurt Cake (adapted from smittenkitchen)

1 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. plain yogurt

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. olive oil

1/3 c. lemon juice

*Combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.

*In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, zest, vanilla and oil.

*Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix.

*Place in a 9x5 loaf pan that has a piece of wax paper on the bottom and then greased and floured.

*Bake at 35o degrees for 50-60 min.

*Meanwhile in a saucepan, cook the lemon juice along with 1 T. of sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

*Cool in the pan for 10 min.

*Take the cake out of the pan and poke the top all over with a toothpick and then drizzle the lemon syrup all over the top and allow to soak in.

*Dust the top with powdered sugar or follow it up with a lemon glaze made of lemon juice and powdered sugar.

**So if anyone has an idea on why my blog posts hardly ever let me double space I'd love to hear your idea since I realize its probably annoying to read this as one whole paragraph!!

Meringue Bites

2009-07-14T20:14:00.004-05:00

I was all geared up to bake tonight. I even had my recipe picked out and everything. But you know, its 8:00pm, I just got the girls in bed, and Im just plain tired! But here's a teaser to keep you coming back- it was a cake that included lemon, olive oil and plain yogurt. Intrigued? Stop by later, Im bound to get to it eventually as I need to use up this yogurt sitting in my fridge. Tommorrow maybe?
But until then, I will share with you a recipe that I tried about 2 months ago. Occasionally I make a recipe that uses egg yolks, leaving me with leftover whites. What to do with them? Sadly, after saving them in the fridge for several days with high anticipation of using them in some wonderful way, I usually end up throwing them away. What a waste! I know! But look, I used them this time!
Hard Meringue is little more than egg whites and sugar. How can I not make them with such a simple ingredient list? I know, its a little intimidating- that's why it took me so long to attempt them myself. And then thinking about piping them made it even more daunting. But it ended up being a surprisingly simple task. And super cute and impressive-looking, right?
I must say that at my first taste of them, I was really unimpressed. And the hub-ster flat out didnt like them. But not wanting to waste them, I continued to eat them, because although not my favorite, there was something about their airy, crunchy, chewy unusual texture that kept me coming back from more. And before I knew it, I was actually enjoying them! Their chocolate-dipped bottoms added a nice flavor and look too.

For some helpful tips on making meringue, check out this site:

http://www.funandfoodcafe.com/2008/08/recipe-meringue-baking-perfect-tips.html

Meringue Bites

3 egg whites

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla (or other flavoring- almond, rum, peppermint, etc.)

pinch of cream of tartar

*Start with very clean and very dry mixing bowl and beaters.

*Bring your egg whites to room temp. (if you need to seperate your eggs, do that while they are still cold, then let the whites sit for about 1/2 hr to warm up)

*Place egg whites in the mixer bowl and slowly bring your speed up to high and beat until soft peaks form.

*Turn down the speed a little, but NOT off and add the cream of tartar and gradually add the sugar. Give it a second and then add the vanilla.

*Return to high speed and beat until stiff peaks form (the meringue should hold its shape when you pull the beaters out)

*Pipe the meringue onto baking sheets (or just plop them using spoons- looks cute and rustic too)

*Bake at 200 degrees, on parchment paper or aluminum foil, for about 1 hr (or until they dry out) you can test them by poking a toothpick into the side of one of them. Turn off the oven, but leave them in for about an hour more to insure they are dried out.

*Serve them as is, or dress them up a bit by dipping them in chocolate. Or really make them fancy and dip them in coconut, nuts or sprinkles after dipping them in the chocolate.

In a Nutshell: Im glad I made them since Ive always wanted to try, and realize that I can in fact do it. Since they werent our favorite I may not be too quick to make them again, unless I make them for some one who does like them, or a party, although they did grow on me. They are good in other desserts- e.g. shaping them into a "cup" and filling with lemon curd. But give them a try, even if for nothing more than practicing a technique and using up whites. You may discover that eventually you like them too.

Grilled Pizza

2009-07-10T08:16:00.018-05:00

In my opinion, Friday night and pizza belong together. I dont know about you, but I still get that same feeling I did as a kid when Friday rolls around- that butterfly of excitement and anticipation of a whole weekend of having fun. What better way to start off the weekend than with a childhood favorite, and hey, an adult favorite for that matter. Through the winter months I make my pizza the traditional way, in the oven, but once the weather warms up, we start grilling it. Have you tried it? You should. Its a lot of fun!

I've included the pizza dough recipe I use, but feel free to use your favorite, or easier yet buy some from your favorite pizza joint already made.

Mixing up the pizza dough:

When the dough starts to cling and form a ball and clean the sides, I like to take it out of the mixing bowl and finish kneading it by hand on a lightly floured surface.
Keep kneading it until it becomes a smooth elastic ball. Then let it rest.

The finished product- Yum! It tastes more like gourmet pizza than your local pizza joint kind of pizza. Grill marks taste delicious, but be careful because burnt pizza doesnt taste so delicious- yes, it happened!

Next time I make grilled pizza I will try to get more pictures (and hopefully better ones!) of the grilling and assembling process and we can revisit this.

Grilled Pizza

Dough (from the pampered chef pizza stone)

1 1/2 c. flour

1 pkg. of yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. very warm water

1 T. veg. oil

*Mix together the dry ingredients in your mixer bowl.

*Then add the water and oil. Mix until the dough clings to itself and forms a ball.

*Then take it out of the bowl and knead it by hand a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until it becomes smooth and elastic.

*Let it rest at least 10 min (or if you like, until it doubles in size)

*Divide the dough in two and roll each half out on a baking sheet (for easy transportation from inside to outside) sprinkled with cornmeal. Let it rest while you get all your other ingredients outside.

Pizza sauce (homemade or store bought)

Your favorite toppings (precooked if needed- such as mushrooms, onions and sausage)

*Prepare the pizza dough and while it is resting you can prepare all your other ingredients.

*Turn half of your grill on high and let it heat for for 5-10 min. to insure it is good and hot. The other half of your grill should be on low.

*Gather all your ingredients and all your tools you will need before you head outside to get started- you wont have much time to run in and out of the house for ingredients and such once you put the dough on the grill.

*Right before you put the dough on the grill, turn the hot side down to low. Carefully place the dough on the grill and close the lid. Let it sit for about 2 min. If you move it too soon, it will rip, but watch it to make sure it doesnt burn.

*When you have grill marks and it starts to brown, remove it with a large spatula and put them on the baking sheet, cooked side down.

*Fill your pizzas up with your favorite toppings, but be careful not to overload it, otherwise it wont cook right and will remain soggy. My pizza, the pepperoni (in the front) had a little too much cheese, I just cant hold back! And the hub-ster ALWAYS overloads his! :)

*Put your pizzas back on the grill, this time on the cooler side, close the lid. Let it cook for about 10 min., until the dough is cooked through and the cheese is melted- adjusting the temp if its not cooking fast enough or turn it off and just leave the other side of the grill on if the dough is cooking too fast.

*Put them back on the baking sheet,

*Bring to your outdoor table and enjoy with a fresh garden salad and a bottle of wine!

If you have questions, as Im sure I was unclear on some points, leave a comment and I will answer back in the comments. Or just head over here and we can make it together!

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

2009-07-07T17:10:00.000-05:00

I've never been one to deviate from a recipe. I would follow it to the T- being as precise as I could about my measurements. Well over the past few years I have learned to relax a little bit and am even willing to "change up" a recipe! And, hey, usually it works out just fine!

The hub-ster had the day off today so I thought it would be nice to make something special for breakfast. I kind of wanted to make cinnamon rolls, but I had just made them a couple weeks ago and really didnt have the energy to make them yesterday. So I thought maybe I could take my go-to coffee cake recipe (one from my mom's aunt) and use my cinnamon roll filling instead of the usual topping. I also made a few other tweaks to the recipe. I think it turned out pretty good.

Ready to go in the oven:

Look at those crevices!:
Frosted:

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. shortening

1 egg

2 T. sour cream

1/2 c. milk

1 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 T. softened butter

*Mix together the sugar, shortening and egg. Stir in the sourcream and milk. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and then stir into the wet mixture.

*Mix together the topping ingredients.

*Grease and flour a tart pan, pie pan or 9x9. Spread 3/4 of the batter into the bottom of pan. Sprinkle 1/2 the topping mixture over the batter.

*Place the rest of the batter in dollops on top of the topping mixture. Top with the rest of the topping.

*Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 min. or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

*Let cool and drizzle with icing.

In a nutshell: Easy, quick and a never fail recipe. It tasted a lot like cinnamon rolls and is a nice alternative when you have the craving but not the time. I look forward to experimenting with other fillings and toppings. Let me know if you try any good variations.

Buttercream Frosting

2009-07-05T21:16:00.000-05:00

We made cupcakes this weekend. I wanted to try out a new decorating tip. Its a multi opening one that is usually used for grass and hair- Wilton #233.
But the M-ster wanted to do pink frosting. So we made 'carnations' instead. They make me smile every time I look at them and the M-ster calls them "silly cupcakes".

It looks like a field of flowers:

I really like this buttercream frosting. Its not too sweet and pipes well. It can be stored in the fridge until ready to be used, just bring it back to room temp before using.

Buttercream Frosting (adapted from my kitchen aid recipe booklet)

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

3 1/4 c. powdered sugar, divided

Place the butter in your mixer and beat until creamy. Add the whipping cream, vanilla, salt and 1 c. of the powdered sugar. Mix on low until combined. Scrape sides of bowl. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar until combined. Then turn your mixer to med-high for about a minute until blended, creamy and thick.

*Milk can be substituted for the whipping cream if you are in a pinch, but I prefer the consistency and stability that the whipping cream offers. Mess around with the amounts of butter and sugar until you find the consistency and flavor you like.

In a Nutshell: I like this recipe. I make it A LOT!! But I look forward to experimenting with other recipes.

Patriotic Marshmallows

2009-07-04T07:32:00.000-05:00

I found the idea for these cute little guys here: http://themomblog.freedomblogging.com/2009/06/30/win-cupcakes-from-guest-blogger-the-meringue-bake-shop/25837/
She did hers with big marshmallows and used them on her cupcake kabobs. So clever. I had grand ideas on how to use these as a garnish for our 4th of July dessert, but unfortunately I had none of the ingredients for any of my ideas and living 30 min. from the grocery store- you learn to either improvise or wait! I opted to wait since the lake and boat were calling my name. Oh well- I left them out on a plate and eventually they disappeared. Maybe you will have a good idea on how to use these little cuties for your independence day celebration. Let me know what you came up with.

The how to:
Dip one end of the marshmallow in a dish of water then pat dry on a napkin before dipping into red sprinkles. Repeat with other side, dipping in blue sprinkles.

In a nutshell: Very cute and very easy. I will make these again, maybe for other occasions using different color sprinkles.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-07-02T08:52:00.000-05:00

We might as well start this adventure off with one of my favorite cookie recipes- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies. They are soft , chewy and oh so yummy! The hub-ster doesnt like these as much because, get this- "they taste like bakery cookies"! Come on what kind of complaint is that?! In my opinion thats what makes them so good. He really only has one cookie that he truly loves. I will post that some day. This recipe is, so far, the most requested of mine. Hope y'all enjoy it.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
chocolate chips

*Cream the butter, sugars, peanut butter and salt.
*Add the egg, flour and soda and mix until just combined.
*Stir in some chocolate chips.
*Drop by tablespoonfuls on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 min. at 350 degrees.

Tip: Make a double batch and freeze dough balls for later so you always have fresh cookies on hand.

In a Nutshell: Easy recipe. Definitely will continue to make again and again!

Welcome to our baking blog!

2009-07-01T21:55:00.000-05:00

I am happily addicted to food blogs and I have several that I follow on a regular basis. The creativity and skill that many of these people have astounds me. Their creations are so fun to look at and inspire me to give their recipes a try. I love to bake and I think that making special treats for people is one way I show my love for them. Thats where this blog comes in. As I do a little creating of my own, I will share my successes, tips and yeah, even my failures (Im sure there will be plenty of those as I am a rather novice baker.) I love reading food blogs so much that I thought I might enjoy writing one of my own. My girls dont know it yet, but they are going to love helping me bake up yummy masterpieces! The M-ster already does a little dabbling in the kitchen with me, and it wont be long before the T-ster starts to get her hands in the batter. So lets get baking...