BAKING BUDDIES

What a Great Weekend...

2011-07-25T15:59:00.006-04:00

I have been wanting for at least the past 3 year to take a bread baking class at King Arthur Flour. This past weekend I am happy to say that my dream has come true. I was lucky enough to take the Beauty and the Baguette class. One that I need to take because every time I have made baguettes in the past they have always come out flat.

The back of the classroom where we learned all about how to make french baguettes.

My dough divided into 2 a waiting to be shaped into baguettes.

Some coming out of the oven all nicely baked...boy did it smell amazing in there!

My two baguettes cooling off after coming out of the oven.

I know I want to go back and take another class...is next week too soon. Just kidding I am sure they are all sold out and I know a bunch of people that will hurt me if I go back without them this time.

Grilled Pizza

2011-07-22T08:58:00.000-04:00

I have been hearing a lot about making pizza on the grill. I even put it on my summer to-do list because I wondered how it would work. I honestly always thought it wouldn't work out well but I was so wrong. Also with the way how hot is has been so far this summer I am just happy not to have to turn on the oven to make pizza.

Grilled Pizza
kingarthurflour.com

2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Pizza Dough Flavor (optional, but tasty)
1 tablespoon King Arthur Easy-Roll Dough Improver OR Baker's Special Dry Milk OR nonfat dry milk
3 cups (11 ounces) King Arthur Italian-Style Flour or All-Purpose Flour*
3/4 cup (6 ounces) lukewarm water
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) olive oil

*Substitute King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat flour for half of the Italian flour, if desired.

Mix all of the ingredients to make a soft, supple dough. Knead for 5 minutes, divide the dough in half, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let rest and relax for 15 minutes (or for up to an hour or so; work it into your schedule as you see fit).

Grease two 12" squares of parchment paper. Use your greased fingers to press each piece of dough on the parchment into an 11" to 12" circle about 1/8" thick. Brush or spray the crusts with olive oil, and let them rest for about 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 450°F (with a pizza stone inside, if you have one).

Place the crusts with their parchment directly on the stone, or onto a baking sheet. Bake till they're just starting to brown around the edges, about 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with your favorite toppings-we've used pesto, sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella here-and bake for an additional 6 minutes, till everything's warm and bubbly. Yield: two 12" thin-crust pizzas.

To make grilled pizza: Be prepared to grill your pizza within 15 minutes of shaping it; you don't want it to rise too much. So, make sure your barbecue grill is heated (or cooled) to medium-hot by the time the dough is ready to grill.

Set the rack 3" to 4" above the fire. Take one circle of dough, on its parchment, and swiftly but carefully turn it (dough down, parchment on top) onto the grill. Peel off the parchment.

After 1 minute, turn it over; it should be stiff enough to turn quite easily (if not, your grill isn't hot enough). Layer with toppings. This is not the time to pile on the meat, cheese, veggies, etc. Since the pizza will be cooking very briefly, it's better to top with just a minimal amount of stuff: thinly sliced veggies, a thin layer of cheese, etc.

Bake an additional 5 minutes or so, with the cover on (if your grill has a cover), or until the filling is hot and the cheese is melting. Adjust the temperature of the grill if the bottom is browning too quickly. And, move the pizza around on the grill if one side or the other starts to get too brown on the bottom. Repeat the grilling process with the other pizza.

Review: This one was a keeper even before I tasted it because just for the fact that it was easy to make. Like I said before Mike really loved this pizza and even makes me to make it during the winter. I made it for friends and they were all impressed with it which makes it a great appetizer for a party!

Jalapeno Popper Dip...Super Yum!

2011-01-29T23:14:00.005-05:00

You know me and always looking for new recipes online. I came across one that just sounds too good not to make. Also since we were having people over for Jacob's birthday it was the perfect time to test it out...and I knew they would love it.

I don't have a picture of the dip but click on the link below and the original blog has a great picture.

Jalapeno Popper Dip
Jamie from: My Baking Addiction

Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
4 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an oven safe serving dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Using an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.
3. Stir in green chilies, jalapeno peppers, and Mexican and mozzarella cheeses. Spoon this mixture into the prepared baking dish.
4. Mix together the Panko and parmesan cheese and sprinkle it over the cream cheese mixture.
5. Spray the Panko and parmesan with a quick spray of non-stick cooking spray.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is lightly browned.

Notes: If you are in a hurry, skip the Panko/Parmesan topping and simply microwave the cream cheese mixture until hot and bubbly.

Serve this dip with, French bread, fresh vegetables, tortilla chips, crackers…pretty much anything that pairs well with cheese!

Review: This one is a keeper for sure and has room for you to customize to your taste. I liked it because it has the popper taste but not super spicy. I know my brother-in-law makes his poppers with bacon so I think I might try to add some bacon bits to it the next time...maybe just on top first try and then if it is good mixed into it the dip. If you are looking for a crowd pleasing dip for next week this one is it!

Happy Birthday Jacob!

2011-01-28T08:16:00.010-05:00

Today is my baby's birthday and he is 5...where did the time go? WOW I just can't believe that he is 5 today. I am having a hard time with this because next thing I know he is going to off to college.

So today he is bringing cupcakes in to celebrate his birthday with his friends at school. I asked him what kind he wanted me to make and he said...chocolate cake...and he wanted it to be a Batman cupcake.

The cake recipe (Devil's Food) and frosting recipe (Easy Vanilla Frosting) was easy to figure out but the decorating now that is a little bit trickier. Mostly because I waited to the last minute to figure out how to do this. Also we don't have a good party store in the area so I couldn't find any Batman party supplies.

It got me thinking of how I could make a batman symbol and this was the best I could come up with. First I found a stencil online and shrunk it down to cupcake size.

Then I traced it a bunch of times onto wax paper so I could get enough for the whole class.

Flipped the paper over and filled it with melted dark chocolate and waited for it to cool and harden.

I then colored the frosting yellow and put one symbol on each cupcake....I sort of want to put a chocolate outline on it but I am going to resist the urge because sometimes less is more and I don't want to mess up a good thing.

I think they came out great and I hope all the kids enjoy them!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!!

Let's Welcome...

2011-01-13T21:43:00.005-05:00

The Newest Member of our Family:

Connor Michael
Born: 01-13-2011
Time: 4:04pm
Weight: 8lbs
Length: 20"

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

2010-12-24T08:56:00.007-05:00

It is that time of year again when I need to get the teachers a little something for all their hard work during the year. I like to give them something from the store and add a little something homemade as well. I found the perfect thing on another blog (Make & Takes) this year that went with the mug/hot chocolate set I bought...Hot Chocolate on a Stick.

First you need to make a recipe from King Arthur Flour that has been featured in their catalog for some time now...Cocoa Blocks.

The person at Make & Takes used Alton Brown's marshmallow recipe but I thought I would make the recipe I saw last year from King Arthur Flour instead.

Homemade Marshmallow
www.kingarthurflour.com

3 packages (1/4-ounce each) unflavored gelatin
1 cup (8 ounces) cool water, divided
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (11 ounces) light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) vanilla extract
crushed peppermint candies, peppermint oil, or espresso powder, all optional
confectioners' sugar, to sprinkle on top

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup cool water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup cool water in a small, deep saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase the speed to high, and whip until the mixture is very thick and fluffy, and has cooled to lukewarm, 8 to 10 minutes. (It should be cool enough that you can spread it into the pan without burning your fingers.)

Add vanilla towards the end of the mixing time. This is also the time to add a few drops of peppermint oil, if desired, instead of vanilla extract. Or try 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder for a coffee-flavored treat. To use the crushed peppermint candies, which will tint the marshmallow pink and add flavor, stir the candies into the marshmallow mixture, leaving some swirls of plain white.

Spread the marshmallow mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan (glass or ceramic is best). Use your wet hands to smooth and flatten the marshmallows. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar over the top, and let sit for several hours (or overnight) before cutting. Use a greased knife or cookie cutters to make squares or other shapes. Yield: about 100 1" squares.

Review: Both recipes where not hard to make at all. I found that cocoa blocks to be like making fudge which I guess you can say is fudge in a way. Making homemade marshmallow is something I have always wanted to do again and I think the recipe was much better then the last one I tried out a while ago. Next time I might try a different flavor then vanilla to make it interesting. I did make hot chocolate like suggested on the blog with heating up some milk (6oz) and swirling the stick into it. One of the best Hot Chocolates I have ever had...which makes this a keeper for sure!

Happy Holidays!

Reindeer Cookies

2010-12-21T18:02:00.004-05:00

Someone made these cookies for Jacob's holiday party last week and I just had to try and make them. There really isn't a recipe for them it is more of decorating cookie dough. The only thing I did different was use sugar cookie dough instead of peanut butter cookie dough. I used a heart shaped cookie cuter instead of trying to make triangles. I also put the M&Ms on before they went into the oven and stuck all the chocolate stuff on when they came out of the oven...super easy and super cute!

Pretzel Things...

2010-12-15T16:51:00.004-05:00

Today Jacob had a holiday celebration at school and I signed up to bring juice but couldn't pass up the opportunity to make something as well.

I have seen these all over the place lately and I know Heidi just made something similar so I had to give it a try.

Chocolate Pretzel Things

Waffle type pretzels
Hershey Kisses (I used the caramel ones)
M&Ms

1) Preheat over to 275

2) Put the kisses on the pretzels

3) Put in the oven for 2 - 3 minutes (I did 3 and it was too long probably because it was the caramel kind). Take out and put one M&M on top of each pretzel/chocolate.

4) Put in the refrigerator to cool for about 10 minutes. Then eat them!

Review: These are super easy to make and so addictive it isn't funny. I know Heidi made them using rolos and a pecan on top but since I was bringing them to school I didn't want to use nuts. This is a keeper for sure and a great treat to make as a gift for someone...

Dinner Week of 12/12 - 12/18

2010-12-15T16:49:00.002-05:00

I am starting to feel the holiday laziness for cooking dinner...

Sunday - Had take-out because we were out all day
Monday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Tuesday - Tuna Casserole
Wednesday - Picadillo and Rice
Thursday - Baked Chicken cutlets with pasta and veggies
Friday - Went out for dinner
Saturday - Pizza

Dinner Week of 12/5-12/11

2010-12-12T11:07:00.001-05:00

I forgot to keep track of what I made this week but I think I got most of it...

Sunday - Had a Hanukkah Dinner at Oma's
Monday- I can't Remember
Tuesday - Beef Stew in the slow cooker
Wednesday - Sausage Pasta - I changed things a little bit but this is where I got the idea
Thursday - Sweet & Sour Tofu Stir Fry - I prepared the tofu the same way from this recipe but I made a sweet & sour sauce and added it to some broccoli, scallions, mushrooms and red pepper.
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - At at Ma & Pa's

Randy

Butter-Pecan Kringle

2010-12-06T11:36:00.005-05:00

I am amazed on how much nuts cost every year. When I went to buy pecans for my Thanksgiving dessert I realized that I could get almost 3 times as much at my wholesale club then buying them at the supermarket. The only "problem" I was left with was I had a lot of nuts leftover.

Of course I started to search for more pecan dessert recipes to try out. I found this one and the very next day Heidi sent me the recipe as well...well then I just had to make it for the next gathering!

Easiest Butter-Pecan Kringle
www.kingarthurflour.com

Base

1/2 cup butter, cut into pats
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt*
1/4 cup cold water
*Reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon if you use salted butter.

Pastry topping

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt*
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon butter rum, eggnog, or vanilla butternut flavor, optional but delicious
*Reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon if you use salted butter.

Pecans and caramel

12 ounces caramel, cut from a block (about 1 cup, packed); or about 3 dozen individual caramel candies*, unwrapped
2 cups pecan halves, toasted in a 350°F oven till golden brown
*Use fresh, soft caramels. If using harder, supermarket-type caramels, add a couple of tablespoons milk or cream when melting, to keep them soft on the kringle; or substitute caramel sauce.

Glaze

1 cup confectioners' or glazing sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half, or milk, enough to make a thick but pourable glaze
1/8 teaspoon butter rum, eggnog, or vanilla butternut flavor, optional but good
pinch of salt

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) a baking sheet that's at least 18" x 13"; or a 14" round pizza pan.

2) To make the base: Combine the butter, flour, and salt, mixing till crumbly. Add the water, and stir to make a soft, sticky dough.

3) Wet your hands, pick up the dough, and shape it into a 12" x 8" oval ring on the sheet pan; or a 10" ring in the pizza pan. This will be messy going, but just keep wetting your fingers and pushing it into a ring.

4) Once you've made the ring, flatten the dough so it's about 1 1/2" wide; basically, it'll look like a train or NASCAR track.

5) To make the pastry topping: Place the water, butter, and salt in a saucepan, and heat over medium heat till the butter is melted and the mixture is boiling.

6) Transfer to a mixing bowl, and immediately add the flour, beating until the mixture is cohesive and starts to form a ball.

7) Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the flavor at the end, if you're using it.

8) Spread the pastry along the ring, covering it completely; you'll now have a much wider ring, though it won't be completely closed in the center; it should still look like a ring.

9) Bake the kringle for 50 to 60 minutes, till it's a deep golden brown. If you haven't yet toasted your pecans, this is a good opportunity to do so; they'll need about 9 to 11 minutes in the oven. When they're golden, remove them from the oven and cool. When the kringle is done, remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool completely on the pan.

10) To add the pecans and caramel: First, have the pecans all ready beside the pan of kringle; you'll be sprinkling them atop the caramel as soon as you pour it on.

11) Place the caramel in a microwave-safe spouted cup, if you have one; it's not necessary, but makes it easier to pour. Melt the caramel till it's bubbly, remove it from the microwave, stir a few times to smooth out the bubbles, and immediately drizzle it over the kringle. If it stiffens up, reheat briefly in the microwave.

12) Sprinkle pecans atop the caramel, pressing them in gently. Allow the kringle to cool completely.

13) To make the glaze: Stir together the confectioners' sugar, salt, flavor (if you're using it), and enough milk or cream to make a pourable glaze. Drizzle it over the kringle.

14) To serve, cut the kringle in 2" slices. Yield: one large (12" x 16" oval, or 14" round) kringle, about 2 dozen servings.

Review: I am not sure how you make a regular kringle but I did find this one pretty easy and straight forward. There are a few parts to make but really worth the effort. I always love it when a recipe from KAF website is featured on their blog (Bakers Banter) with step by step photos because it always gives me an idea of if I am doing it correct. I used parchment paper on the bottom so it was easier to transfer it to a platter to bring to my Mom's house. I also used the caramel sauce instead of making my own caramel or using store bought caramel. The only problem with this is that the caramel doesn't set and stays in a liquid type form. I did put it in a really cool place which got it to set a little bit but once it got to room temp it was liquid again. The only thing I was worried about with this that it was going to make my Kringle soggy which it did not but next time I will try to use real caramel instead. All in all this was a real crowd pleaser and would be perfect for a brunch. It is a keeper for sure!

Pecan Tassies

2010-11-29T14:17:00.003-05:00

I was asked to bring a dessert to my cousin's house for Thanksgiving this year. I wanted to do something that was a twist (sort of) on Pecan Pie but wasn't as big as a whole pie. My family loves dessert so I knew that there would be a ton and this recipe would give a little taste...

Pecan Tassie
allrecipes.com

(not my picture I got it from allrecipes.com)

2 cups margarine

4 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese

4 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the margarine and cream cheese until well blended. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth dough. Roll into small balls, and press into the bottoms and sides of tart pans or mini muffin pans.

3. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the pecans. Use a spoon to fill each of the crusts 2/3 full with the filling mixture.

4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, until shell is light brown, and the filling has puffed up. Cool, and carefully remove from pans.

Review: I decided to cut the recipe in half because it yields 5 dozen and I really didn't need to bring that many with me and I also only had one mini muffin tin. I highly suggest If you make this recipe having more then one because it takes forever otherwise. I thought they came out great and looked to me like mini pecan pies which is what I was going for....so I am happy :)

Dinner Week of 11/28 - 12/4

2010-11-29T08:51:00.002-05:00

This week might be light on meals since we are all under the weather...

Sunday - Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches
Monday - Wanton Soup
Tuesday - nothing (sick)
Wednesday - Chicken Noodle Soup
Thursday - Mike made pasta (I was sick again)
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Tacos

Dinner Week of 11/21 - 11/27

2010-11-28T11:00:00.002-05:00

This is going to be a light week on cooking with the Thanksgiving...not that I am complaining.

Sunday - Baked Ziti with a salad
Monday - Steak and potatoes
Tuesday - Chili and rice
Wednesday - Pizza
Turkey Day - Turkey and all the extra stuff with my side of the family
Friday - Hamburgers and chips
Saturday - Second turkey dinner with my in-laws

Dinner Week of 11/14 - 11/20

2010-11-20T08:56:00.000-05:00

This is what we had for dinner this past week:

Sunday - Ate at Ma & Pa's house
Monday - Tacos
Tuesday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Wednesday - Leftovers (Split Peas Cuban style)
Thursday - Went out for Dinner
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Went out for dinner

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake

2010-11-17T08:15:00.003-05:00

So I was catching up on some of the blogs I follow and came across the recipe for Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake. I was missing our campfire nights and thought that this might fill the void in a way. Also Jacob came home from school that day and they made milk shake that day. So he was all excited about making some at home.

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake
joythebaker.com
adapted just slightly from Spike Mendelsohn’s recipe
makes two small or one large milkshake

8-10 large marshmallows
3 large scoops vanilla ice cream or a heaping 1-cup of vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place marshmallows on skewer and toast until slightly charred over a gas flame. If you don’t have skewers or a gas range, you can toast the marshmallows on a sheet tray in the broiler for 2 or 3 minutes. Keep an eye on the marshmallows as they’re in the oven. They’re liable to burst into marshmallow flames pretty quick. Place on a plate to cool slightly.

In a blender mix together ice cream, milk, vanilla extract and toasted marshmallows. Save one or two toasted marshmallows to top the milkshake(s). Blend well. For a thinner milkshake add more milk. If you’d like it a bit thicker… add more ice cream. Pour into glasses and top with toasted marshmallows. Enjoy on the quick.

Review: I did not use her method for toasting the marshmallows because Mike feared I would burn the house down. I put the marshmallows on a cookie sheet and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. I think this does a lot faster then doing 8-10 over a gas flame and the flavor came out the same...toasted. I liked the way the milkshake tasted but it was SUPER sweet and just a little goes a long way. I am not sure I would make this again just because it was so sweet but maybe next time try making it with chocolate ice cream...sort of like a s'more milkshake...just put a graham cracker garnish and there you go...

Blue M&M face

Dinner

2010-11-11T01:50:00.000-05:00

BJs Chicken with white rice and steamed veggies.

Keeping Track of Meals....

2010-11-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

I have a problem with meal planning...I do it for a couple of weeks and then I stop doing it. I get upset that I stopped and try to start again. I sometimes just have a hard time thinking ahead. What if I am not in the mood to eat what I planned...or what if I get lazy (or busy). So I think I am going to try and just keep track of what I make this month for dinner and maybe see if that helps me with future planning....

Last night I made: Sloppy Joes

Margarita Cookies

2010-11-08T07:54:00.004-05:00

We just celebrated my husband's grandparents 90th birthday this past weekend. Of course I took this opportunity to try out a recipe I have had on my list forever. I was also missing our Friday Night Fun nights a little bit and this recipe reminded me of it.

I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen which you should stop over and look at the step by step pictures. I have to say mine looked just like the pictures (for once) and since my camera is still on it's way out and I packaged up the cookie right away for the party I didn't get any.

Margarita Cookies
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Sablés au Citron

Makes about 50 cookies

2 sticks (8 ounces; 230 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (70 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons tequila
Grated zest of 2 limes
Grate zest of half an orange
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

Coating:
Approximately 1/2 cup clear sanding or other coarse sugar
2 teaspoons flaky Maldon sea salt*

1. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky. Beat in 1 of the egg yolks, followed by the salt, tequila, grated lime and orange zest. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to underbeat than overbeat at this point; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, that’s ok–just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

2. Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. (Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine.) Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

3. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. While the oven is preheating, work on the sugar coating: Whisk the remaining egg yolk in a small bowl until it is smooth and liquid enough to use as a glaze. Mix the coarse sugar and flaky salt well and spread the mixture out on a piece of wax paper. Remove the logs of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap them, and brush them lightly with a little egg yolk. Roll the logs in the sugar, pressing the sugar/salt mixture gently to get it to stick if necessary, then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/4 inch (7 mm) thick. [Deb note: To get the sugar/salt mixture to stick better, I moved the log over to a piece of plastic wrap, and in the sort of technique you'd see a sushi chef use to shape a roll, use the plastic to press the sugar in by wrapping it tightly.] (You can make the cookies thicker if you’d like; just bake them longer.) Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) space between them.

5. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. (It’s fine if the yolk-brushed edges brown a smidgen.) Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

Keeping: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature. Because the sugar coating will melt, these cookies are not suitable for freezing.

* Updated to add that if you should choose to use regular table salt and not Maldon, use less! Much less. Probably half or less. Because Maldon has such volume, the equivalent amount of a finer salt would be much more pungent. Better on the safe side than sorry, right?

Review: Like I said in the post above I really have been missing our Friday night fun nights...and I was hoping this would cure that. I also have had this recipe on my list of things I want to make for a long time. Making the recipe was not bad at all...I did steps one and two one day and continued with the rest the next day. I used kosher salt on the outside and I think that added that real margarita feel to it to have the salty/sweet combo. Everyone at the party seemed to really enjoy the cookies and I think this one might be a keeper...

Holiday Bread

2010-09-20T15:50:00.003-04:00

I have to confess that my list of things I want to make is getting longer and longer by the minute. I just keep finding things out there that I want to try and make. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone...make something from my list and make something that goes well with the Jewish holidays...Raisin Challah.

I actually wanted to make a different recipe at first but I only had two eggs left and most called for at least 3 in the recipes. This one did call for 3 but the third one was sort of optional.

Raisin Challah
King Arthur Flour

Dough:
1/2 cup lukewarm water
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 cups golden raisins, packed

Topping:
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar, optional

Directions

1) To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients except the raisins, and mix and knead them, by hand, mixer, or bread machine, until you have a soft, fairly smooth dough.

2) Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 2 hours, or until it's puffy though probably not doubled in bulk.

3) Gently deflate the dough, and knead in the raisins.

4) Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan.

5) Roll the dough into a 30" to 36" rope. If it shrinks back, walk away and leave it alone for 10 minutes, then resume rolling. The longer the rope the more distinct the spiral, but if it isn't exactly 36" long, don't stress; just get as close as you can.

6) Coil the rope into the prepared pan, starting in the center.

7) Cover the challah gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for about 60 to 90 minutes, until it's puffy and pretty much fills the pan.

8) Near the end of the bread's rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.

9) Whisk together the egg and water. Brush the risen dough with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with coarse white sugar, if desired.

10) Bake the bread for 20 minutes, tent it with foil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F.

11) Remove the bread from the oven, and after a minute or so carefully transfer it to a rack. Cool the bread to lukewarm before cutting it.

The suggested glaze, made with a whole egg and water, makes the bread's crust deep-brown and shiny. for a lighter brown (but still shiny) crust, use a glaze made of egg white and water. For a lighter-brown, matte crust, dispense with the glaze altogether.

Review: I used my bread machine and left it in there for the two hour first rise. It was almost too big for that but I didn't have a problem in the end. I felt like I didn't knead the raisins in right but I got them into the dough. It was also really hard to roll into the 30" - 36" rope and you needed to let it sit for 10 minutes so it was easier to work with. I liked the taste of this bread and I think I would make it again. To me it seemed like it would be the perfect bread to make french toast with if there were any leftovers....

Easy Appetizer - Olive Puffs

2010-09-06T08:13:00.005-04:00

I have to say our Friday night fun nights have generated a lot of experimenting for me with appetizer type recipes. This one came about because I was trying to make Samosas and bought the wrong dough. The recipe calls for phyllo dough and I bought puff pastry.

I had to find something to do with the puff pastry dough because even though I had it in the freezer and it would have kept for a while it was calling my name. The other thing I couldn't get off my mind was that olive appetizer from our anniversary dinner at Amici's. So my search was on for something to make with olives.

This is the one I found which hopefully would have satisfy my olive craving and a bonus it also would use up my puff pastry dough.

Olive Puffs
allrecipe.com

24 pimento stuffed green olives
1 package puff pastry dough, defrosted

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2) Cut pastry into strips about 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Wrap a belt of pastry around each olive. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

3) Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Review: It can't get any easier then 2 ingredients if you ask me. Also I made then a little bit ahead of time, put them in the refrigerator and baked closer to serving time. I recommend you letting them cool off a little bit before serving them. The olives in the were supper hot just out of the oven and once cooled down it was easier to eat. Next time I make these I make splurge and buy the Gorgonzola stuff olives I saw at the supermarket olive bar and use those which might make them more like the olive appetizer I was craving. This one is a keeper!

Orange You Glad You Came...

2010-08-31T15:05:00.004-04:00

I saw this on a post about a month ago and it has been in my mind ever since...Campfire Orange Cakes! I just thought this would be something fun to do while we sit around the fire pit with the neighbors. If anything it would be a conversation piece and a bonus of eating yummy cake at the end. I did not take any pictures of my process because if you go over to ljcfyi's blog she has detailed pictures. Also I prepared them ahead of time and was in a rush to get other stuff done.

I did find a little trick (of course at the end) on how to scoop out the insides. It is sort of hard to explain but you basically try to get your finger in between the skin and the "meat"....I will have to take pictures the next time I do this.

Review: I found this to be a fun idea and I think everyone enjoyed it as well. I think the hardest and most time consuming part of this recipe is taking the "meat" out of the oranges. I only bought 4 oranges and had probably enough cake batter left for at least 4 more oranges. I think the reason for that is I couldn't find those huge oranges that you sometimes find out there. I now find myself thinking about what else I could use in place but so far the only thing I thought of is a grapefruit. I think my next campfire cooking adventure might be the banana boats.

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

2010-08-23T07:30:00.000-04:00

This always happens to me...I am searching for a recipe (this time it was for an Oreo type cookie) and come across at least a few others I want to try. I file them into my folder of recipes I want to try and usually don't get to them. This time I was determined not to let that happen again because I found a recipe that made my heart jump a couple of beats....

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake.

You have to check out the page on where I found it because it has really nice pictures and the full recipe there. I took a couple of pictures of my cheesecake just out of the oven and once I put the ganache onto it.

Just out of the oven

With the ganache onto....yummy!

Review: For the most part this was an easy recipe to make but it is just time consuming because of all the part. I made the brownie part of it Thursday night and put it in the refrigerator. Friday I made the rest of the cheesecake parts. No part was really that complicated in fact my neighbor told me the brownies were the best brownies she ever had (Baker's One Bowl Brownie)...I brought over the extras for our Friday night get together. I don't think there is anything I would do different because it tasted really good as is and I think everyone at the party liked it. The ganache part was perfect because as you can see from my out of the oven picture I got a few cracks that those were covered right up by the ganache. The ganache recipe also makes just the perfect amount to go on top. Heidi wants me to make it bring to my Mom's house for the holidays coming up...so I think this one is a keeper!

The Next Day

2010-08-20T13:57:00.002-04:00

I just found a better picture of the Zeppole dessert on my camera that I took while eating them for breakfast with a nice cup of coffee....

Restaurant Review: Amici's in Poughkeepsie

2010-08-16T18:07:00.007-04:00

Mike and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary last week. We were lucky enough to have my in-laws watch the kids so we can go out for a nice dinner. We live in the Hudson Valley area which has a lot wonderful restaurants to try out. It is really hard to top last years celebration of lunch at the CIA and a winery visit.

So I asked my neighbor for suggestions. She first asked me if I liked olives (YES) and then told me about an appetizer the restaurants has...to be honest I was already sold on going there for dinner. Then she told me about a dessert they have...cannoli creamed filled zeppoles...OK if I wasn't sold before I was definitely sold now.

Amici's Restaurant

For appetizer we had:

Fried Gorgonzola Stuffed Olives with Vermouth Aioli* Queen olives stuffed with creamy gorgonzola, rolled in fresh bread crumbs and lightly fried

Flash Fried Calamari with Two Sauces Fresh squid, dusted and fried, served with spicy marinara and creamy garlic horseradish dip

For Entrees we had:

Pork Shank “Osso Bucco” Slow cooked and matched with Ricotta Polenta and seasonal vegetables with red wine braising sauce.

I had a special called Unwrapped scallops with bacon that was served with pencil thin asparagus.

For Dessert we shared a plate full of Cannoli Cream stuffed Zeppoles. They were NOT on the menu but I had to ask about them since they were one of the reason we picked this place. The waitress talked to the chef and he said he would make them.

(The best picture I could get)

Review: I am in love with this place now because the food was SO good and the location is awesome. It is just about two blocks from the Hudson River which was nice for a pre-meal walk. We tried a new bottle of wine (totally forget the name) which was super yummy! The olive appetizer was hands down one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life...then came dessert and Mike said that was THE best dessert he has ever had in his life. It was really to die for and I can't get it out of my mind. I need to lose about 15 lbs before I can go back there and have it again!

Friday Night Cocktails and Fire Pit!

2010-08-10T05:31:00.001-04:00

So this summer we have started a little thing called Friday Night Cocktail night with our neighbors. We get the fire pit going and start pouring the drinks.

This last Friday Nights featured drink were Pomegranate Margaritas using the POM Wonderful juice I received.

Pomegranate Margaritas

1 3/4 cups chilled Pomegranate juice
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups silver Tequila
1 cup Triple Sec
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
Ice cubes
8 lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

Pour 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice in a saucer and dip rims of glasses. Then dip moistened rims of glasses in kosher salt. Stir the remaining 1 ½ cups of pomegranate juice, the tequila, triple sec and lime juice. Working in batches, shake the mixture in a large ice-filled shaker, then strain into the glasses. Garnish each margarita with a lime.

Review: OH MY wow this drink really knocks you on your butt...in a good way of course. It was super yummy and something I would make again. I did not use the salt because we drink out of plastic cups and there was no need to be fancy. I also used Cointreau instead of the triple sec because that is what I had in the house. It is a strong drink but I don't think I used enough ice and just realized that 3 of us drank it when it serves 8. Lets just say that we all had a really good time...

Pine! Pine! Pine!

POM Wonderful

2010-08-05T08:40:00.005-04:00

I was contacted by someone at POM Wonderful to see if I was interested in trying out some of their product. So of course my answer was YES!!! I mean who wouldn't want something for free and who wouldn't want something yummy like pomegranate juice. Let me tell you the ideas have just been flowing...

So I waited patiently (only about a week) for my case to arrive.

Since I received a case of 8 x 8oz bottles I am going to try and do at least a few different things with it. So of course that night with dinner we all shared a bottle of just straight up POM juice. I have always seen the bottle in the supermarket but never really thought about buying it before. For some odd reason I thought it would taste different from what you taste when you eat a fresh pomegranate but it did not.

Mike was making fun of me because he wanted to know why it was called POM Wonderful. Thank you to the internet and company websites I was able to just look it on and let him know:

The "Wonderful" actually refers to the variety of pomegranates we grow in our California orchards. All of the fresh pomegranates we sell are of the Wonderful variety as is the juice we press at our own facility.

Taken from POM Wonderful … More Than Just a Name article.

My Review: The juice it super yummy and taste really fresh to me. It is on the tart side and reminds me of cranberry juice. I have to say I love the shape of the bottles which I know has nothing to do with the taste but makes me happy.

Check back soon for some recipe I try out using POM Wonderful juice!

Empty Jars...Pet Peeve!

2010-08-04T15:22:00.000-04:00

One of my pet peeves is when I go into the refrigerator and I found an empty jar. This picture make it look like there is more peanut butter in there then there really was...

Tres Leches Cake

2010-07-29T07:55:00.002-04:00

We had our 2nd annual family bbq/baseball game a couple of weeks ago which was a lot of fun. It was just after my sister-in-law's birthday...so of course I had to make her a birthday cake. She really isn't the traditional type and I had to come up with something special for her.

Then it hit me in the car driving some where...Tres Leches Cake. In May we went to see her graduate from Grad school and she took us to a place that served Tres Leches cake which she said she really loved. I know there is a bakery near me that supposedly makes a really good one but I wanted to try making it myself.

I did not get a picture of what I made because my camera and because it was gone in minutes. I am always looking for an excuse to make something from The Pioneer Woman's website...there you can see step by step pictures with instructions on how to make this super yummy cake!

(This is not my picture)

Tres Leches Cake
The Pioneer Woman

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
¼ cups Heavy Cream

FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Review: THIS IS A KEEPER for sure. There was a small amount leftover and everyone was fighting for it the next day. I think this cake was super easy to make because I made it the morning before everyone came and didn't feel stressed about it at all. Instead of the cherries I used some fresh strawberries and blueberries which added a nice fresh taste to it.

May The Force Be With You...

2010-07-28T07:09:00.001-04:00

I am one of those people when I get a gift card it either takes me a minute to spend it all or forever to spend it all. Ok the taking forever to spend really doesn't happen to me that often but every once in a while it does. I got one from Williams-Sonoma two years ago and I just finished this week. I guess I was just waiting to see if there was anything I really wanted before I spent it on another spatula. Then I saw the Star Wars cookie cutters that are exclusively William - Sonoma...just what I was waiting for.

My 4 year old is all about Star Wars...the movies, the games, the toys and even the clothes. So when I showed this to him that was it...his eyes got huge and I know I had to get it. The next morning he was already asking for Darth Vader cookies.

I made the recipe that came with the cookie cutters because I figured it would give me a good idea of the dough that would work best with the cutters.

Star Wars Cookies
Williams-Sonoma

2 1/2 cups (390 g)All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbs (1 1/2 sticks/185g) Unsalted Butter
1 cup (250 g) Sugar
1 Egg
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Over a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on hight speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, slowly add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping the mixter occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the remaining flour and continue beating until all the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal balls. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 3/16 to 1/4 inch ( 4.5 to 6mm) thick.

Preheat an oven to 350. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using the cookie cutters, cut out the desired shapes. If the dough sticks to the cutter, dip the cutter into flour before cutting out more shapes. Using a small offset spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. If baking more than one sheet at a time, rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and 180 degrees halfway through baking.

Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the racks and let cool completely. Decorate as desired. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes about 8 of each cookie.

Review: I have another recipe for rolled cookies which I haven't made in really long time but this one I think is a keeper as well. It was nice to work with and has a great taste. Next time I might try to use some almond extract instead of or a combo of both vanilla and almond.

I have been following another blog called University of Cookie because it is one of my goals to make cookies like the ones on that blog. Well there is a post on there called Rolling Cookie Dough: a video tutorial. I watched it a couple of times and did what she said...and it worked for me!! The one thing I hated most about making cut out cookies was the rolling out of the dough because mine always cracked and just didn't work well for me. Well no more because of that post and I am actually excited to make more.

One idea I am throwing around is making sandwiches with the Star Wars cookie cutters...chocolate/vanilla middle for Darth (my husband thinks that is fitting since he was good on the instead which is what the vanilla would represent), I think a minty green flavor combo for Yoda and not sure about the other two but I am sure I can come up with something.

I Am Back

2010-07-27T11:50:00.004-04:00

I know it has been a very long time since my last post and that is for a couple of reasons. One as I mentioned before my camera is on it's way out so I haven't been taking many pictures. The other reason I have been sort of out of the kitchen. It has been so hot around here lately that the thought of cooking makes me sweat. I have come to terms with both and decided it is time to get back into the kitchen and create some wonderful stuff.

A preview to what is coming up next:

Need a Change

2010-06-11T08:44:00.002-04:00

I am thinking about doing a little updating on the way this blog looks. I new banner picture maybe or even using a new template. Just wondering if you have any suggestions out there?

Lemon Cookies

2010-06-06T08:42:00.006-04:00

I volunteered to make a dessert for Karen's bridal shower and decided on making some cookies. My first choice was going to be the chocolate mint chip cookies I made a while back but since Kath was making her super yummy brownies I wanted something that wasn't chocolate.

I decided on making two different things...my biscotti and Lemon Cake Cookies. Someone I worked with gave me a REALLY good recipe for the lemon cake cookies but I didn't have the time to make that version. The reason why I did not have the time is because I need to bake after the kids go to sleep. I am not sure if any of you have this problem but I can't really bake with my kids around. The reason being is because Jacob will ask me every 5 minutes...is it ready...can I have some...what are you making...can I have some...is it ready and this will go on the whole entire time.

Easy Lemon Cookies
allrecipes.com

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2) Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioners' sugar. Roll them around until they're lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3)Bake for 6 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be light brown, and the insides chewy.

Review: I really did not know what the expect from these cookies but I was pleasantly surprised. They came out great and really something that is easy to make...5 ingredients and you don't have to break out your mixer! If you go on allrecipe.com and look at their pictures the cookies have more sugar on them. I am not really sure why my sugar disappeared. I might try rolling them in coarse or granulated sugar the next time I make these cookies. This one is a keeper for sure!

DIY Frozen Coffee Drink

2010-06-04T10:27:00.004-04:00

Not sure if I have mentioned this before but one of the things I want to do this summer is figure out how to make really good iced coffee at home. I know it isn't really that much money to go out and get some but after a while it does add up. So in my search of ideas on how to achieve my ice coffee I came across a frozen type recipe as well...so of course I had to try it out.

Frozen Coffee Drink
Savory Sweet Life

1.5 cups of crushed iced

2-1 ounce shots of espresso *read below using coffee as a substitute

3/4 cup of milk

3 tbl. of sugar (more or less depending on preference)

*If you don’t have an espresso machine, use 3/4 cup of double strength (strong) coffee mixed with 1/2 cup of milk and increased crushed iced amount by 1/4 cup.

Blend all the ingredients except the whipped cream in a blender for 30-45 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and top off with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate syrup. Best served with a straw. Enjoy!

Review: OH MY GOODNESS!!! I have been making some double strength coffee in the morning so I can have iced coffee in the afternoons (one thing I have learned from reading all the recipes for iced coffee). I decided that yesterday I would try this recipe out instead of just having iced coffee. It came out perfect the first time I made it which was a relief since I tried a different one a couple of weeks ago and it was horrible. I really think the success was due to having the ice crushed before you put it in the blender or before you add the rest of the stuff. I can't wait to try it flavored next time.

I Picked Chocolate Cake...

2010-05-22T08:33:00.005-04:00

It is no secret that I LOVE chocolate cake very much. Last week in Jacob's school they read the book A Very Hungry Caterpillar and so that was the theme for the week. The teachers asked the parents to volunteer and bring in one of the foods that the hungry caterpillar ate...so of course I picked the chocolate cake.

I know I was putting way to much thought into this because a 4 year old doesn't care what the cake looks like...you have them at cake. I just wanted to put a little extra effort into this "project" and make it look similar to the one in the book. Lucky for me we actually own the book so I looked at the picture...

Picture from the book (I can't get it to rotate)

When I saw the picture I thought it was more complicated then I remembered it to be I thought it was more like a regular chocolate layer cake. This looked like something with moose and fudge and something fluffy...too much for little kids.

I knew simple was better for the kids and decided to make chocolate cake (KAF Devil's Food) with a 7 minute frosting on top. I bought chocolate sprinkles but didn't end up using them because I had to cut off some of the cake to put it into a disposable pan. I created the crumbs from that on top and them put a cherry on each slice...

I thought it came out great and even the teachers commented to me that it looks like the one from the book...Mission accomplished!

Pasta with Lentils, Sausage and Tomatoes

2010-04-27T10:48:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I had it with grocery shopping in the sense that I felt like I was buying food to just buy food. I would get home and not even know if I had bought stuff to make dinner for that week. So I decided like so many of you out there to do meal plans for the week.

I have to say so far so good because now when I go to the market I know what I need to get because I put it all on my shopping list. It also takes the question "what do I make for dinner tonight..." away which is nice. I am trying to make at least one new recipe a week which is cutting my list of recipes I want to try down a little bit.

Here is one recipe that is a keeper and one that is a great week night dinner.

Pasta with Lentils, Sausage and Tomatoes
eatingwell.com

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 19-ounce can lentil soup
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, or parsley
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 ounces fusilli

1) Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

2) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up clumps with a fork, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add lentil soup and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil (or parsley) and season with salt and pepper.

3) Cook pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with sauce and serve.

Review: I had this recipe on my list for a while now and decided to make it last week because it seemed easy and fast. That was the name of the game last week because I had a lot of prep work to do for the party. I did a couple of thinks different because it was what I had to work with...I used sweet Italian sausages because I couldn't find the hot ones and just added a pinch of red pepper flakes to the meat, I also used parsley instead of the basil because I already had that in the house, and I also used a different pasta again because that is what I had in the house. This is a keeper because the taste was good and it was fast to make. Mike thinks I should add more sausage to it next time but I think then it isn't as "healthy" as it was intended to be.

Party Favors

2010-04-25T13:36:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we had William's birthday party which was so much fun and everything went according to plan. The food was great and the service we got was excellent...what more could you ask for.

I continued with my animal cracker/circus theme from the invitation into the favors I made for the party. I wanted to give everyone something homemade and yummy to eat. I knew immediately what I to make because it is circus type food and something I have made before...caramel popcorn.

I found the classic red and white strip popcorn bags at a party store which got me totally excited. Then I decided to make it more like cracker jacks with a prize inside and found fish whistles at the dollar store. It wasn't until we got to the restaurant that I realized it sort of went together (the party was at this great local seafood place) because I was thinking what do fish whistle have to do with the circus.

All packaged and ready to go.

Set up in front of each place setting

Homemade Granola

2010-04-19T08:17:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a weak moment at my local BJ's and bought something I normally don't buy...granola. It looked so tasty and I was thinking it probably is a some what healthy treat. Well little did I know that the baby would be in LOVE with it. He just inhaled it like he would never get it again...and it even stopped him from crying a couple of times.

I made my own granola a long time ago and thought it was about time to make some again. I was pretty sure I used the Alton Brown recipe that is on the food network's website. Of course after I made I remembered where I have the recipe that I made the last night but not big deal.

Homemade Granola

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins

Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Review: I have been wondering why sometimes granola is so expensive in the stores to buy. The recipe I made I tweaked with the ingredients I had in the house...the original one called for cashews as well and for maple syrup but I decided to use honey instead. One reason for the honey is because every time William eats some with maple syrup he smells like that for days. I can understand if you put everything under the sun and use really good ingredients why the cost is so high. I really like this recipe because it can be customized to your taste and what you have in the house...like most of them. I think once we are done with this batch I will have to try a different combination out.

Black Bean Burgers

2010-04-12T07:22:00.000-04:00

This has been on my list of Recipes I Want to Try for a while now. I have been trying to make some healthier meals and thought this one was a good one to try. I used to buy veggie burgers all the time in the past but I like the idea of making one myself. The other best part about this recipe is 99% of the time I have all the ingredients in the house.

Black Bean Burgers
allrecipes.com

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Review: Like I said above this is a great recipe because I have all the ingredients in my house already. A great last minute meal if i can't think of anything else to make that night. The flavors of this "burger" are really great and totally addicting to me. We used the leftover avocado cilantro mayo as a condiment which was a great accompaniment. This recipe is a keeper!

If you go on allrecipes.com and read the reviews some people had the problem of them falling apart which I sort of did as well. Not sure if it needs more bread crumbs or maybe another egg to bind it together a little bit better. I did end up making them about 2 hours before I was going to bake them in the oven and had them in the refrigerator which probably helped a little bit. Honestly I would never think of cooking these on the grill because I can just see a mess happening. I would love to make these into like "meatballs" and bake them in the oven...serve them up falafel style.

Apple & Sage Pork Chops

2010-04-08T10:03:00.003-04:00

I have been eying this McCormick Recipe Inspiration spice packets for a few weeks now. The idea of pre-measured spices just seems easy and fun to me. I acutally was going to the make something with pork chops and saw they had one for that. They were also on sale this week so it was just meant to be.

Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the final result because I did not eat it right away and before I knew it it was all gone.

Apple & Sage Pork Chops
McCormick

1 tbsp Flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried Rubbed Sage
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp paprika
4 boneless pork chops, 1" thick (about 1 1/4 lbs)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 red apples, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tbsp brown sugar

Directions:
1. Mix flour, all of the spices and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with 1 tablespoon of the seasoned flour.

2. Cook pork chops in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Remove from skillet. Add onions; cook and stir 3 minutes or until tender. Add apples; cook and stir 2 minutes.

3. Stir in juice, sugar and remaining seasoned flour until well mixed. Return pork chops to skillet. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until desired doneness.

Review: I really enjoyed this dish and thought it was super yummy! It really did not take much time to make it which is always nice. I made a couple of little mistakes but nothing that really changed the recipe or results. I used bone in pork chops because that is what I had in the house already. I also used all the flour mixture on the pork chops instead of only 1 tablespoon because I misread the directions. I plan on making this again...it is a keeper.

Avocado-Cilantro Mayonnaise

2010-04-06T17:03:00.004-04:00

I am on this quest to make my own Mexican style food lately. Not sure why but it could have something to do with the nice weather we have been having lately. I have made it one of my summer goals to find and perfect a recipe to make my own salsa. I came across Rick Bayless website (who is well known for his Mexican food) which has a bunch of different types of salsas to try.

I did try to make his recipe for Salsa Mexicana which was good but I think I need to try it again with really fresh ripe tomatoes from my garden. With the leftover cilantro I had I made this recipe I also find out his website for Avocado-Cilantro Mayonnaise.

Avocado-Cilantro Mayonnaise
Rick Bayless

1/2 cup top-quality mayonnaise
1 avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin
1/4 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro

In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, avocado and cilantro. Pulse until mayo and avocado are thoroughly combined. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/4 teaspoon.

Review: I am so in love with this mayo it isn't funny. It is another one of those easy to make recipes since it only has 3 ingredients on the list and you throw it all in the blender together. The taste reminded me little bit of guacamole and the color is just so pretty. It will be awesome on a sandwich...I have to go out and get some cold cuts now to try it out with. I also wonder if I could use plain yogurt instead of the mayo to make it a little bit healthier. This one is a keeper!

How a 1 Year Old Eats A Cupcake

2010-04-01T08:36:00.005-04:00

I thought I would share with you the pictures I took of William eating his birthday cupcake. I knew he would love it but I had no idea how funny it would be to watch him eat it. I just picked out his cake for the family party...white cake with cannoli filling!

The beginning

The middle (and my favorite picture)

The End!

He did seem to have a little sugar high after he ate it but I am really not sure how much he actually ate. Since most if it was on his hands and face...oh and in his lap.

Bye Bye Grease

2010-03-29T05:17:00.001-04:00

I know this probably isn't the biggest discovery in the world but it totally made my day last week...I really need to get out more...when I got the grease stains out of a shirt.

Mike has a nice forest green polo shirt that he liked to wear to work. He was very upset when he got grease stains all over it...if I had to guess it was a trip to the Chinese buffet that did it. He had me buy some kind of detergent that he heard might get it out. That did not work and so I was off on another internet search for a solution.

I found two things that was suppose to work on grease stains. One was to use a bar of Ivory soap that you get a little wet and rub on the stain. The other (which was the one I did) was to take some dish soap and rub that on the stain...let it sit for a couple of minutes and then wash as normal.

I was SHOCKED that it actually got all the stains out and those stains where set in...from a few wash and dry cycles of trying other stuff out. I am not looking for other grease stain shirts to try this out on because I know I have a few of those in the draw.

Happy Birthday William!

2010-03-23T08:15:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it has already been 1 year with my little guy. Well I guess he isn't so little anymore but he will always be my baby!

1st Birthday Party

2010-03-22T07:44:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow is my babies 1st birthday...I can't believe it has been a year already. I truly can't imagine my life without my 2 boys....I should say 3 boys. What would a moment be like this without some kind of celebration!

My house is not big enough to have everyone over for a good old fashion family party. If this was the summer I would have done something outside in the back yard but March/April is too unpredictable with the weather and it is still a little cold.

I picked a nice seafood restaurant to have everyone at for a few of reasons. One it is a really nice place very close to the house and the food is always good. Two we have a bunch of people who are on diets and restrictions where the fish doesn't make them feel like they are left out. Last but not least they serve hot popovers with strawberry butter...a family favorite!

Now that was done I needed to send out the invitations and pick a theme. I don't have to do much decorating at this place because they have a nice theme already going. Also I didn't want to pick any random old thing because the birthday boy can't really tell me what he wants. So Heidi and I thought about it for a minute...he LOVES animal crackers. I mean LOVES them...they are like a drug to him. It is the thing that keeps him happy and quiet in stores...doctors visit..car...you name it.

This is what we came up with for the invitations that I sent out to our family and friends:

The other side has all the party information with the top line saying: I can't believe it has been a year, William's first birthday is already here!

What I did was bought the boxes of animal cracker and cut the two sides off of them. Print the wording on card stock and used double sided tape to put it onto the box sides. I also included the string from the box on half of them and another type of string on the other half...to make it look like the animal cracker box.

Next thing to figure out is the favors...I have an idea I just need to see if I can find all the supplies.

Guinness Corned Beef

2010-03-16T08:44:00.002-04:00

I was smarter this year then last year and bought my corned beef earlier then a couple of days before St Patrick's Day. Also with the way Mike has been working lately I decided to make our corned beef dinner on Sunday so we can all enjoy it together.

I usually make the recipe that is in the cookbook How to Cook Everything on page 439 for Corn Beef. It always comes out great and really the way I always have thought corn beef should come out. This year I found another recipe while I was searching for other Irish recipes and decided to give it a try.

Guinness Corned Beef
allrecipes.com

Ingredients
4 pounds corned beef brisket
1 cup brown sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Irish stout beer (e.g. Guinness®)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Rinse the beef completely and pat dry.

Place the brisket on rack in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat entire beef, including the bottom. Pour the bottle of stout beer around, and gently over the beef to wet the sugar.

Cover, and place in preheated oven. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Note: During the last hour, you may put vegetables in the roasting pan as well. Try a wedge of cabbage, new potatoes, onion, carrots, etc. You may need to add a little more beer with your vegetables

Review: Oh my goodness this was THE best corned beef I have ever had or ever made! Like Mike said what gets more Irish then cooking meat in beer. I don't know why I never thought of it before but it makes perfect sense in a way. I did what a lot of people said in their reviews and cooked it in my crock pot. Most people seemed to have cooked it on low for 8-10 hours. I didn't have the time to do that so I cooked it on High for 4 hours and then added an extra 1/2 hour because I tossed in some carrots and potatoes. I also used larger cans of Guinness because I always buy the 4 pack that they sell at the supermarket. Another thing that most people stated in their recipes is that they used at least 2 cans when they put it in the crock pot (you need enough to cover the beef). I think I might have been able to get away with one but using two gives you a lot of leftover liquid which is better if you want to cook the veggies at the end. This is definitely a keeper and I sort of want to make it again but I will be good and keep it for that once a year treat.

Matzo Balls

2010-03-12T22:13:00.021-05:00

Everyone has one of those family recipes that you want to make yourself but when you do it just never comes out the way your Mom or Grandmother makes it. Well today I was going to put an end to that problem I have with my Mom's matzo ball recipe.

This recipe isn't like the matzo balls you find at the diners or how most people make them. This is made using the whole matzo and not from a mix or from using just matzo meal.

Matzo Balls
makes about 20 balls

3 matzos
2 eggs
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons Schmaltz (chicken fat, see note below) or vegetable oil, more as needed
dash of nutmeg
dash of ginger
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
matzo meal

1) Break the matzo up into pieces and then add enough hot water to cover them. Let them soak in the water for about 2-3 minutes. You just want to get to soften up a little bit but not to the point where they are water logged.

2) Drain the water and set aside.

3) Heat a frying pan over medium high heat and add the schmaltz/chicken fat. Wait until it is all liquid and then add the onions. You might need to add more fat to the pan if there isn't enough for the amount of onions you used.

4) You want to cook the onions until they brown but not burnt.

5) Once the onions are brown add the drained matzo to the frying pain. This is to dry them out a little bit. Stir and cook for about 4 minutes.

6) Transfer this mixture to a bowl add the dash of nutmeg, a dash of ginger, some salt and some pepper to taste. Stir to combine and also to break up the matzo a little bit more. Add the eggs and stir to combine (before you add the eggs make sure the mixture has cooled down a little bit so you don't cook them).

7) Now add enough matzo meal to the mixture so when you roll the balls they keep their shape. (It is just like adding bread crumbs when you make meatballs).

8) Once you have everything combined you are ready to roll your balls.

You can make them whatever size you like but remember they expand a lot when you cook them. My mom likes to make 1" balls.

9) Have your soup at a boil and drop the balls in...once they float to the top they are done cooking.

My mom has been making them ahead of time and freezing them. She cooks them in water with some chicken bouillon, drains them really well and then puts the cooked balls into a container in the freezer. She takes them out that morning lets them defrost a little bit and add them to the boiling soup just before serving.

Cooked balls that have been drained and getting ready for the freezer

Note: The schmaltz in this recipe isn't require but it does add a nice flavor. The way my mom gets her schmaltz is from the chicken soup she makes. It is the stuff that hardens on the top of homemade chicken soup after you put it in the refrigerator for a while. She just takes it off and saves it in a container in the freezer for later use.

Helpful Tip: Before you roll all your balls out and cook them...make a small one and taste it to make sure they are seasoned well and have enough salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning if needed...once that is done then roll them all out.
Also this recipe is great for that one box of matzo you have leftover from last year.

Review: To me this is what a REAL matzo ball looks like and the taste doesn't compare to the other stuff. The onions add a nice flavor and texture to them. When made right they are not dense but light and sometime I would even say fluffy. This is comfort food for me because it doesn't get any better then a nice hot bowl of matzo ball soup!

Another Use for Black Beans

2010-03-10T16:04:00.004-05:00

I felt like experimenting this week and Heidi sent me the perfect recipe for that desire. She participated in Bake 350 Flavor of the Month and this was a recipe from that event. I wanted to make it and see if Mike could guess the secret ingredient but he saw the recipe on the refrigerator.

Black Bean Brownies (Makes an 8" square pan or 12 muffin size)

From SnoWhite of Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1 can (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 eggs
3 Tbl. olive oil
¼ cup cocoa powder
pinch of salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ cup white sugar
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8" baking pan with non-stick spray, or line 12 wells of a muffin tin with foil liners.

Place the well-rinsed and drained black beans into a blender. Add eggs and olive oil to blender, then puree until smooth. You may need to stop the blender and scrape a few times. There will be some fragments of black bean skins still in the puree, but they won't be noticeable once the brownies are baked. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT chocolate chips to blender. Pulse a few times to get things started, then continue to blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of blender as needed.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan or divide among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake 8" pan for about 30 minutes, or the brownie muffins for about 20-22 minutes. Brownies will start to pull away from the edge of the pan when they are done. Brownies will be quite tender and moist, so refrigerate or freeze after a day or so--they won't keep long on the counter.

Review: You really can't tell that there are black beans in the batter for the most part. I think since I knew they were in there I was looking for that taste. They sort of reminded me of passover brownies in a way but defiantly a great substitute for regular brownies if you need to go gluten free. This would not replace real brownies but I think I would make them again in the future.

White Bread 101

2010-03-06T09:00:00.003-05:00

It is no secret that I love cookbooks and looking for new recipes. One ingredient that I keep seeing in my searches of KAF recipes is potato flour. The only place I have seen it for sale is in the KAF baker's catalog. Then I thought that maybe this was something that comes out once a year in the Kosher section with the rest of the Kosher for Passover stuff. I know that potato stuff is ok to use in passover baking but what I was seeing is potato starch.

I was wondering if Potato Starch and Potato Flour were the same thing but called something different. A bunch of internet searches I did said pretty much that but I still wasn't 100% sure. I contacted the King Arthur Flour's baker's hotline via their online chat to see what they could tell me about starch vs flour.

I asked if potato starch was the same thing as potato flour and this is the answer I got: no, they are a bit different. Potato flour is processed including the peels of the potatoes, potato starch doesn't include peels, just potato flesh.

I then asked if I used starch instead of flour would this effect the recipe: they behave slightly differently in recipes as well...partly it depends on the amount, but if you use starch instead of flour, your texture will be different, not as tender, a bit stiffer.

White Bread 101
King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion

3 cups (12 3/4 oz) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 oz) sugar
4 tablespoons (2 oz) butter
1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz) nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz) potato flour, or 1/3 cup (3/4 oz) potato flakes
1 1/8 cups (9 oz) lukewarm water

Combine all the ingredients and mix and knead them together - by hand, mixer or bread machine - until you've made soft, smooth dough. Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water as needed; but remember, the more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be. Cover and let the dough rise for 1 hour,until it's puffy (though not necessarily double in bulk).

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and shape it into an 8-inch log. Transfer the log to a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan, cover the pan (a proof cover works well here), and let the bread rise until the outer edge has risen about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Uncover the pan and bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 10 to 15 minutes if it appears to be browning too quickly. Remove the bread from the oven, take it out of the pan, and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. A fter 15 minutes, brush it with butter, if desired, this will give it a soft crust.

Review: I have to confess that I used the potato starch because I thought it was the same as flour. I contacted KAF after I made the bread because the answers i got online just did not seem right to me. I thought the bread came out great but I did not use a lot of it in the starch in the recipe so maybe it didn't change the texture that much.

This recipe is super easy to make especially if you use the bread machine to do all the kneading. I really love recipes where you just throw all the stuff into the mixer/machine and let it do the work. One reason I made this bread so I can make the next recipe in the book which is for Herbed Monkey Bread...I think that would be perfect for any Italian dinner coming up.

My crumb shot...

Let's Just Call It...Cuban Sheperd's Pie for Now

2010-03-04T12:28:00.005-05:00

One thing I have been making a lot of lately is a Cuban dish called Picadillo which is super easy and sort of fast to make. It is one of those things you make when you need a no-brainer meal because you don't feel well or realize it is almost dinner time and have no clue what to make.

I have been thinking about Irish type recipes lately because of the St. Patrick's Day coming up this month. I don't think Shepard's Pie is an Irish dish but it is close enough. Which got me thinking about another Cuban dish that sort of reminds me of Shepard's Pie just in a different format...Papas Rellenas. They are fried stuffed potatoes balls which I have only had once but for some odd reason crave them.

So here is the beginning of my quest to make something that resembles Shepard's Pie using the ingredients for Papas Rellanas. For now I will give you the recipe for the Picadillo part because that I know is good. I have to still work out the kinks because as you can see in the picture below there was A LOT more potato then meat...

Picadillo

1lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 green pepper
1 medium onion
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup white wine
salt, to taste
olive oil
Spanish olives, chopped

1) Put the green pepper and onion in the food processor and pulse a few times. You want it to be small pieces but not pureed.

2) Heat some olive oil in a medium sauce pot over medium high heat. Put in the pepper/onion mixture and cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add the garlic powder, oregano, bay leaf, salt and tomato sauce. Stir to combine.

3) Add the meat to the pot and stir to combine with the sauce. Then stir in the white wine into the meat mixture.

4) Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

5) Remove cover and cook until majority of the liquid has evaporated.

6) Stir in the chopped olives and serve hot over rice.

Review: I would say this was my first trial run of what I was trying to make. Each part was good and tasted yummy but the proportions weren't right at all. I put some cornflake crumbs on the top to give it a little bit of a crunch which was nice but i think the potato part needs a little more flavor. That is the part I am going to work on to perfect...I will let you know when I have it all just right.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate

2010-03-01T19:20:00.012-05:00

This month's Flavor of the Month over at Bake at 350 was Chocolate!!! Now everyone that knows me, knows that I love to make candy. So when we went this past weekend down to Virginia for our nephews Christening and I made some chocolate covered peeps for the kids. My sister-in-law even called me the chocolate covered queen.

Chocolate Covered Bunny Peeps

Chocolate Covered Chick Peep

Since we were traveling I had package the peeps up. Here's a picture of them all wrapped up and ready to go.

Now where I make anything chocolate covered if it's cherries, Oreos, pretzels or peeps, I always have chocolate left over. So this time I decided to make some mini M&M/Oreo bark to leave as a thank gift for my parents since they were feeding the cats for us. I had to try some and it was soooo good!!

I forgot to post my holiday candy I made this year. So here's a picture of a little of everything I made.

From the top left going clockwise, we have chocolate cherry cordials, fudge, chocolate covered mini nutter butter, chocolate covered mini oreos (with the sprinkles), butter crunch and peanut clusters. Oh and here's a picture of some candy I made for a holiday fair. I had a bunch of it left over that I was able to save for Christmas.

Some chocolate covered marshmallows. I made the snowmen last year

and some chocolate covered pretzels.

Valentine's Day Dinner

2010-02-26T17:54:00.008-05:00

Sorry for posting my Valentine's Day dinner so late. Mike doesn't really believe in V-day, but I always like to make it special. So I decided to make a few recipes I've been saving for a special occasion. The first one was Baked Shrimp Scampi. I found the recipe in Barefoot Contessa's cookbook Back to Basics, but it can also be found on the Food Network's website as well.

The second and third recipe came from the cook book Mike got me for Christmas. It's a cook book that has over 2,000 authentic Italian recipes. There are a lot of yummy sounding recipes, but I choice the two following recipes to try: One was for Stuffed Mussels

and the second was Lobster with Linguine.

And a special dinner is not complete unless there is dessert. I had made some brownies to bring to work and had some left over. So I decided to make brownie sundaes. SO GOOD!! Just heat up the brownie in the microwave and your favorite scoop of ice cream and top it off with your favorite ice cream topping.

My Choice - Edy's Thin Mint ice cream with chocolate syrup

Mike's Choice - Edy's Samoas ice cream with caramel syrup

Everything came out great. The problem I had was in the recipe for the stuffed mussels it seemed a little incomplete. It had you make a tomato sauce but didn't tell you what to do with it. I think i was suppose to add it to the stuffing, but it still tasted good. Not sure if I would make it again. But I would definitely make the scampi again, even I forgot an ingredient, it still came out really good.

Snow Day...What to Make?

2010-02-24T10:53:00.004-05:00

It wasn't a total surprise that we are sort of snowed in today. We knew something was coming but did not expect this much snow. Plus what is makes matters worse is that it is very heavy and very wet snow...total yuck! Thank goodness for a neighbor down the street with a snow blower to do the stuff the plow likes to drop off at the top of our driveway. Which by this time is so dense and heavy that I would just call it a day and not go any where for a few days.

We lost a tree branch in our backyard and I am sure we are not the only ones. We even lost power last night for a little bit.

I am thinking of making something today since it is a snow day and it gives me something to do. Not sure yet what it is going to be but some yeast is probably going to be involved...check back tomorrow or in a couple of days to see if I was able to make it off the couch.

Pumpkin Cookies

2010-02-11T07:34:00.011-05:00

Yesterday we had a blizzard warning type snow storm. So I decided to make sure I had supplies in the house to be able to bake something...that is of course after I made sure I had the regular supplies in the house.

A friend of mine gave me this recipe last week and I thought it was the perfect one to make. One it only has 6 ingredients and two it seemed to be a non time consuming one as well.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies
Pillsbury.com

1 (14-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Pumpkin Quick Bread Muffin Mix
1/2 cup dried Cranberries or cinnamon covered raisins
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1.Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine quick bread mix, raisins and ginger; mix well. Add butter and egg; stir until dry particles are moistened. (Mixture may be crumbly.)

2.In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; mix well. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3.Bake at 350°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from cookie sheets.

Review: I can't stop eating these cookies...they are so addicting. Super easy to make since most of the work is just opening a package and adding the rest of the ingredients. A perfect fall flavor cookie and something I would make for Thanksgiving in a heart beat. I wonder if you could make other cookies like this one with a different mix. Definitely a keeper!

Beautiful Burger Buns...Say That Three Times Fast!

2010-02-08T07:38:00.007-05:00

Since I knew we weren't going any where for the Superbowl I took the opportunity to make some kind of bread. When else am I going to get a guaranteed not getting off the couch day from Mike. So of course I went to my favorite bread cookbook for this task.

What could I make to go with cold cuts and something that I did not need an overnight starter for...that actually narrows it down a lot. Then I found the perfect thing to try out and if they were good this would be something I could make in the future.

Beautiful Burger Buns
KingArthurFlour.com

3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast

1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—to make a soft, smooth dough.

2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk.

3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round 1" thick (more or less); flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.

4) If desired, brush buns with melted butter. Or brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water), and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

5) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden. Cool on a rack.

My favorite crumb shot...

Review: If I can help it I will try to make these every time we have burgers or cold cuts in the future. They were so easy to make and the end result is just fantastic. They have the right taste and the right texture for burger or a sandwich. I tried to keep track of the time when I started (about 8:30ish am) and the time I finished (just before Noon) to see how long they really take me to make. This way I know if I can squeeze in making them before our next bbq. Check out the link above to the recipe because on that page they give you some tips on making these. Also they give you a great way of how to shape them which I am going to try next time to see if I can get them to be more even in shape. This one is a keeper for sure!

Cupcakes from Scratch...

2010-02-03T13:15:00.000-05:00

Last week for the birthday boy I made cupcakes from scratch to bring in for his class. I was actually going to make the cake from a box mix and the frosting from scratch. With preparing for the family party I just wanted it make it easier on myself. Well the baking gods had another plan because I did not have enough oil to make the box mix so I had to make it from scratch.

So I used my well tested and trusted KAF Devil's Food Cake recipe which came out I think the best I have ever made it. It is the same one I used for Jacob's birthday cake last year which I now wish I did this year. This time I topped the cupcakes with KAF Easy Vanilla Frosting recipe which I have never made before.

Easy Vanilla Frosting
KingArthurFlour.com

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or cream

1) In a large bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, and salt till fluffy.
2) Add about half the confectioners' sugar, and beat slowly until well blended.
3) Add the vanilla and half the milk or cream, and beat until fluffy.
4) Continue mixing in sugar and milk alternately until they've been completely incorporated.
5) Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Note: If you want some frosting left over to use in decorating, increase the ingredient amounts to: 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, approximately 6 cups confectioners' sugar, and up to 1/2 cup milk or cream.

All done and ready to be taken to school...

Review: I am going to review the frosting since this isn't the first time I have made this very yummy cake. I was a little worried about making my own frosting because I haven't really found one that I like very much. All other buttercreams that I have made came out tasting well like butter. This one does not have that taste at all and goes perfectly with the chocolate cake. I made the larger amount because I wanted to do some fancy decorating but time and cranky kids got in the way of those plans. So I did the next best thing put a bunch of sprinkles on them...Jacob LOVES sprinkles so he was happy with it. He is my child after all...loves sprinkles, loves frosting and LOVES chocolate cake! I would definitely make this frosting again and I want to try the chocolate version next time maybe.

Birthday Cake & Shrimp Fajitas

2010-02-01T09:01:00.004-05:00

Saturday we had Jacob's birthday party with the family which was a lot of fun. I decided to make him one of those checker board cakes this year. I actually bought it last year but didn't make it. To be honest I don't think I am going to make it again. I used the recipe on the box which was ok (a box mix would have been better) but my checkerboard did not come out right. The best part of the cake was the sprinkles that Jacob put on the cake himself.

The one thing that was a success and will be added to my list of thing to make is the shrimp recipe I used. I wanted to provide a few option for everyone so I made chicken, taco meat and shrimp for my fajita bar. I left half the shrimp plain (just salt and pepper) and marinated the other half. I did not know how the marinade would taste since I never made it before that night and was worried about having something inedible on my hands. I thought most people would like it but I was worried it might not be what I thought it would be. Well the that was the first thing to go completely...it was a success.

Marinated Shrimp

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup lime juice

1. Stir together shrimp, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2.Add shrimp mixture to pan, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring often, until shrimp are opaque in center; cut to test (about 3 minutes).

Review: Who does not love a recipe that is only 3-4 ingredients and ingredients I had on hand anyway because it was all the stuff I was using for fajitas to begin with. The shrimp had a really great refreshing taste to it and was perfect for the fajitas. This would make a great summer recipe and probably good on any type of fish. It is a keeper!

Need Your Help!

2010-01-23T10:26:00.004-05:00

This coming week is Jacob's (my oldest son) 4th birthday. I need your help with a couple of things I need to make. One being cupcakes I want to bring into school for his class and the second being how to pull of my idea for the family gathering.

1) The only requirement for the cupcakes is that they have to be chocolate because as Heidi can tell you that is all he ask for when you ask him. My first idea was to make the ice cream cone cupcakes but my only problem is how to bring them into school without a total mess in a box. My next idea is to make chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting and load the frosting with a ton of sprinkles (he LOVES sprinkles as much as he loves chocolate).

2) For the small family gathering this year we are going bowling! This is because Jacob loves to play Wii bowling and I figured it would be a nice thing to take him to a real bowling alley. My idea is to make a sort of fajita/taco bar for dinner afterward. I have a bunch of people who are trying to watch their weight and figured this gave you the best option to have a much or as little as you want. I am going to make chicken, shrimp, maybe ground taco turkey, green salad, cut up veggies, a black bean salad, salsa, guacamole, and get some wraps...am I missing something. I just wonder how much of this I can do ahead of time...

Chicken and Dumplings the Semi-Homemade Way

2010-01-18T08:32:00.005-05:00

We are big soup eater to begin with but once the temperature drops well we eat a lot more soup for dinner. Something just so comforting about a nice bowl of yummy goodness to make you warm and fuzzy inside. I realized I had a problem last week when I think most of the meals I planned or had in mind was soup/stew type recipes. So this week I have to try and not do that again...

The reason I decided to make this recipe below was because Mike came home from work one day and told me that the guys said this was a pretty good recipe. I just think it is kind of funny that a bunch of engineer/tech guys were talking about a soup like that...and well I had to see what they were talking about for myself.

Chicken & Dumblings
Sandra Lee, Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
1 whole store-bought roast chicken (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 container (7 ounces) chopped onions
6 cans (14 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 container (14 ounces) pre-cut carrot sticks, chopped
1 container (14 ounces) pre-cut celery sticks, chopped
1 roll (16.3 ounces) golden buttermilk biscuit
1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed chicken gravy

Directions

Remove skin from chicken and shred meat into large pieces. Set aside.

In a small frying pan, add vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. When oil is hot, add chopped onions and saute until soft.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, add broth, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, carrots, celery, and sauteed onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes to soften vegetables, and then add shredded chicken. Continue to simmer while making dumplings.

While stew is simmering, prepare dumplings. Open can and remove biscuits. On a lightly floured surface, roll each biscuit to 1/4-inch thick. With a knife, cut each biscuit into 4 pie-pieces. Set aside.

Skim surface for any scum that has risen to top. Stir in chicken gravy.

With the stew still simmering over low heat, stir in dumplings a few at a time. Once all dumplings are in to pot, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and serve piping hot.

Review: Overall this is a good recipe and I actually felt like I was eating some homemade chicken soup with all the stuff that was in it. I don't know why this bothers me but when a recipe calls for you to buy already cut up stuff. Just from a budget standpoint it just cost more then me buying a whole bag of carrots and doing it myself. It does save you a little bit of time and I will buy the already cut up mushrooms because those are a pain to cut up. When I cut up the biscuit dough at first I thought I did not have enough of them but as you can see in the pictures above the puff up a lot. Not sure I will make it again but Mike did take it to work the next day for lunch...so I know he liked it.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

2010-01-15T08:21:00.000-05:00

When I made the Easy Cinnamon Bread I got the recipe out of my KAF All-Purpose Baking Cookbook which is an awesome cookbook. On the very next page is the recipe for their 100% Whole Wheat bread recipe. Mike requested that the next bread I try making was that one.

100% Whole Wheat Bread
King Arthur Flour

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) lukewarm water
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons honey, molasses or maple syrup
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon King Arthur Whole-Grain Bread Improver, optional
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, chopped*
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped*
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

*A quick whirl in the food processor does the job nicely.

To prepare the dough: Combine all of the ingredients, and mix them till you have a shaggy dough. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes, then knead till fairly smooth. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough, shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch bread pan. Cover the pan with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, till it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 20 minutes of baking. Yield: 1 loaf.

Review: In the book's recipe it mentions something about using a bread machine...the one above which is from the website does not. I asked the baker's hot-line about it and they said it was ok to use the bread machine which is what I did. So from that sense it is a very easy bread to make because you just put all the ingredients into the machine and let it do it's work on the dough cycle. I used molasses this time because I knew out of the three choices that is what Mike would want but next time I might use honey instead. It was a great tasting bread and very yummy when I made a tuna sandwich with it but I felt it needs a tiny bit of sweetness which I think the honey might give it. I think this one is a keeper and I would love to see if I could make it into mini loafs because it reminds me of something you can get at restaurant that brings mini loafs to the table.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

2010-01-13T08:17:00.004-05:00

Soon at Mike's office they will be having their annual Souper Bowl which is the Friday before the actually Super Bowl. What they do is have people bring in soups/stews and then the office votes on the best one. Every since Mike has told me about this I am in search of a recipe that would do well if I ever made something for it.

Another one of my goals for this year is to try some of those recipes I have put aside that I want to try. So I have a bunch of soup/stew recipes on the list that I thought could be Souper Bowl worthy...this was the first one I decided to try out this year.

Zuppa Toscana
allerecipes.com

1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
6 potato, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 bunch fresh spinach, tough stems

1.Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2.Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3.Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

Review: I figured this would do well for an office full of men since it had sausage and bacon in it. Also another thing that i have heard that does well in this contest is something spicy which this recipe had with the red pepper flakes. I bought regular sweet Italian sausage and took them out of their casings because I could not find bulk sausage. I also only added about 1 tsp of red pepper flakes which was hot enough...so hot that Mike who adds red pepper flakes to everything did not add any to this soup. I also used regular milk instead of heavy cream because I did not have the cream in the house. All in all this was a tasty soup but did not get the nod for the contest...Mike said he needs to have it again. It really isn't something I would make often because for health reasons but I liked the taste of it and with a little bit of tweaking I can make it better...

Baby Food!

2010-01-10T13:50:00.012-05:00

Haha, so I totally different kind of food that we haven't posted about on the blog before. Drew, who I don't think I properly introduced on this website before (blogging has fallen down the priority list since becoming a mommy! :). My baby boy, Drew, was born on August 18th and is the absolute sunshine in my day (I didn't used to think it could get any brighter!).

He is now 4.5 months and started solids on his 4 month birthday (after we had our pediatrician appointment :). We have moved on from rice cereal (although he has that for breakfast every day after his bottle) and have started to try single veggies and fruits.

At first I really wanted to make my own baby foods I thought baby food would have too many additives. I am happy to say (at least per the packaging) that baby food is straight veggies or fruit with water or acidic acid and no additional unnecessary sugars, etc. At any rate, I still wanted to make my own baby food and had a box of sweet potatoes that I wanted to start with.

It really isn't all that difficult. I started my peeling and dicing the sweet potatoes. I then steamed them for 15-20 minutes over boiling water. Once soft, I put in the food processor and thinned with formula (you can also use some of the cooking water). Simple!

I think I made 2.5 lbs. of potatoes, so there was wayyyyy more than Drew would eat (at least in a sitting ;). So, I decided to freeze some. In this day and age, it is not typical to have ice cube trays anymore, which is the recommended way to freeze and then you store the cubes in a freezer bag. Recently I had read an article on KAF's website on freezing cookie dough. I thought this would be a great way to freeze Drew's sweet potatoes! They are perfect portions for him as well. I love this idea and thought I would share!

Butter Braid

2010-01-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

Every family has that one or couple of things that just make the holiday meal. That if they weren't on the table it would not be a completed holiday meal. One of those things for my husband's family is his Mom's bread (the other I have learned it my sugar cookies). She makes it for Thanksgiving and for Christmas dinners and that is it. So for me at least I look forward to those meals just for this bread.

In my quest to put together a family cookbook of recipes we can't live without or really don't want to think about living without...I was able to get this recipe. In the process of transferring my documents from the old computer to the new one I came across it and just felt like making it. It was one of those days that I knew I wasn't going any where so it was perfect. A couple of other reason was I have also been itching to make things and so that scratched that itch as well (for now at least) and I had a lot of leftover butter from holiday baking.

After the first rise and formed into it's 3 levels of braids.

Ready for the oven and covered in Sesame seeds

My baked fallen braid :(

Crumb shot

Butter Braid

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup water (105-115 degrees)
3 egg, beaten
6 cups flour, might need as much as cups
poppy or sesame seeds
1 egg white

Scald milk and pour it over butter, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle yeast into the water. Let stand for a few minutes, then stir until dissolved. Stir into the cooled milk mixture. Add beaten eggs and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in rest of the flour to make a stiff dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead well. Put in a greased bowl cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch down and turn out onto board. Divide in half. Cut one half dough into 3 equal parts and roll out into strips 18 inches long. Braid. Place on greased cookie sheet. Divide two thirds of the remaining dough into 3 equal pieces and braid. Place over first braid. Form remaining dough into braid and lay over first 2 braids.

Brush all with melted butter and sprinkle with seeds. Let rise until doubled. Brush with a mixture of 1 egg and 1 tbsp water. Bake in a preheated oven (375) for 30 to 35 minutes. Brush twice with egg mixture while baking.

Review: Mike said it was perfect but i thought it was good for my first try. As you can see in the pictures above my braid fell and the worst part it did it in the oven. My mother-in-law usually has the problem during the finally rising part and can fix it a little bit. I think I needed to let it rise a little bit longer before I put it in the oven. I did use instant yeast instead of active dry because I only had one packet of active dry yeast. So maybe that had something to do with it and I will have to try it next time with active dry yeast. Well I don't have to say it but this is a keeper and for now I am going to let my mother-in-law keep making it for the holidays and only make it on request from Mike.

This has also made me want to try and make brioche even more now and I am going to really try and make it this year!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

2010-01-07T17:20:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I just don't know what to make for dinner. I feel like I make the same stuff all the time which isn't a bad thing. It is just sometimes I like to make something different or something I haven't made in a long time. If I ask Mike what he would like to eat it has lately been beef stew every time I ask him. Most of the time he tells me this when I really don't have the time to make it.

He also wants me to make Heidi's Guinness beef stew...which is excellent but I did not feel like buying the beer to make it this time. I found another slow cooker recipe on all recipes that came out great!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew
allrecipes.com

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.

Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Review: Just the type of slow cooker recipe I like...super easy and not much extra work to it. It really is a pet peeve of mine when a slow cooker recipe calls for about an hour of work which I feel I can cook a whole meal in to begin with. I can talk about this pet peeve for a while so I won't start. The only thing I did different was to add some frozen peas to the pot about 45 minutes before it was done just because that was when I remembered to do it. I also cooked it on high for about 4 hours and then cooked it on low for about 2 hours. I know this is a keeper when Mike takes it for lunch the next day.

I have to say beef stew does not take the best looking pictures...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T08:47:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy new year and I hope it is a good one! I think I am going with the trend of not making a new year resolution because I always break them. One of my goals of this year is to just finish what I have started...to many things unfinished and I am sort of sick of it.

First thing on the list is to finish the hat I am making for Mike because I did not realize how big of a head he has. Right now (hehehe) it looks more like a swimmers cap then a regular hat on his head. Once I am done I will try and get a picture of him...

On a completely different subject we are getting our new computer today! I am excited because it should help me out with everything and I am not stuck in the basement on a slow computer anymore.

Oops - Turtle Mess

2009-12-31T14:03:00.006-05:00

One day Mike asked me to make him a dessert for him to take to work for a luncheon. I asked him what other people were bringing to figure what to make. He came back with... You know the usual. Men...always great with giving you the details. I told him about this Turtle Cheesecake recipe I came a cross and thought it sounded good. So I went to the store and bought all the ingredients and got to work. I was making the cheesecake and tasting along the way I was really excited. It was easy to make and tasted very yummy. And than....all went to the hell.... You know when you read a recipe and something doesn't sound right about it....against my better judgement I decided to follow the recipe and here's what happened.

How did this happened you might ask? The recipe called for the cheesecake to bake for a certain amount of time until the center is set. Then take it out of the oven, let cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes than take the rim of the spring form pan off. That was the part of the recipe that didn't seem right to me. I've made a cheesecake a few times and didn't think that you would take the rim off that fast. But I was following the recipe. About two minutes after I took off the rim off is when the screaming started....OH @#$%, OH@#$%, is all my husband heard from the kitchen, so he came to find out what all the screaming was about. That's when he found me trying to put the rim back on and informed me that it was probably too late. I was like you think!!! Not really in the mood to hear the what were you thinking comments, especially from the non-baker in the family. I was so mad and upset. Since it was to late to make him something else to bring to work he ended up having to go to the store a buy something. I was able to save the cake, but he still didn't want to take it.

I told him I could cover it with whipped cream and caramel and no one would know. He said he we would just buy something. Which he did and when people asked why, he told them he dropped the cake I made. I told him he didn't have to do that, but that it was sweet of him.

Easy Cinnamon Bread

2009-12-31T12:39:00.003-05:00

I am not actually the first person on this blog to make the bread...Heidi made it a while back. She was in search of the Hershey Cinnamon chips that used to be easily available. When she found them she made this recipe and said it was super yummy.

I actually found the chips recently and decided to try making this bread for New Year's Day breakfast. I am thinking of just eating it toasted with some butter or maybe even turning into french toast. I will let you know what we did in a couple of days...

Easy Cinnamon Bread
King Arthur Flour

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour OR Mellow Pastry Blend
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cinnamon chips
cinnamon-sugar, for topping

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating till smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour, covered, then stir in the baking powder and cinnamon chips.

Spoon the batter into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon-sugar.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until it tests done; a cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Note: Don't slice the bread while it's hot! It'll slice much better when it's completely cool. Yield: 1 loaf.

Review: I have not tasted a real piece yet...just crumbs so far which have tasted great. To me this a very fast and simple recipe to make. I think I started around 10:30am and was done by Noon. So far it is something I would make again the only issue I might have is finding the cinnamon chips but I could always break down and order them from KAF. I think this one is probably a keeper...

Update: The bread was super yummy and they whole family loved it. Not a piece was leftover after breakfast. Not really the right texture in my mind to make french toast with but yummy just plain!

A Yummy Disaster...

2009-12-30T10:16:00.003-05:00

I don't know why it matters but I think it is amazing that this is my 10th year celebrating Christmas with my husband's family. The celebrations style has evolved and so has the size of the family (there are now 5 little boys added) but really it is still the same.

Also I reminded Mike that he has had my sugar cookies at the table for the past 10 years...what did he do before them. He did not remember me bringing them the first year but I remember it so well. First time meeting my in-laws (at the time I did not know they would be my in-laws) and his WHOLE entire family. I needed to bring something that would impress and boy did they ever. I think I would be put out in the cold if I did not bring them with me.

The other thing I brought with me then were rum balls. Me being the silent dork that I am wanted to make them again. The first time they came out well but when I tried to make them now I failed miserably...Mike is now enjoying them as what I like to call Rum Crumbs.

I had a lot of leftover pecans and wanted to make something with them. So I searched a new cookie cookbook I got from Karen and found ones called Pecan Meltaways...

Pecan Meltaways
Taste of Home

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Additional confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, cream the butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate until chilled.
Roll into 1-in. balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Roll warm cookies in additional confectioners' sugar; cool completely on wire racks. Roll cooled cookies again in confectioners' sugar. Yield: 4 dozen.

Review: This is a perfect cookie to add to your holiday baking list. Super easy to make and super yummy! The one problem I had with the recipe is that it does not tell you how long to chill the dough for...I think 30 minutes to 1 hour would be OK. I think they just need to firm up a bit do they don't spread so much in the oven. I actually had them in the refrigerator for a lot longer because I was trying to do more then I had time to do. I am not sure if I am sold on adding it to my annual list but the family is enjoying eating them.

Christmas Dinner Recipe: Roast Prime Rib of Beef with Horseradish Crust

2009-12-20T15:25:00.002-05:00

This is the only way I make prime rib! It has been my go-to recipe for prime rib. I saw it on an episode of How To Boil Water (Tyler Florence) and it was on an episode called "Christmas Made Easy."

Ingredients:
Prime Rib:
1 bone in prime rib beef roast, 3 ribs, about 6 pounds
5 garlic cloves, smashed
¼ cup grated fresh or prepared horseradish
Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs (or use dried rosemary)
Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs (or use dried thyme)
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Sauce (optional):
½ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups canned chicken or beef broth

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prime Rib:
Lay the beef in a large foiled roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.) In a small bowl mash together the garlic, horseradish, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast. Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef until the internal temperature of the meat registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer (medium-rare), 1½ hours. Remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Sauce:
Pour off some of the pan drippings and place pan on stovetop over medium-high heat.
Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by half. Whisk in the flour, then add the broth and continue to cook, whisking until sauce thickens into a gravy, about 10 minutes.

Jenn's Notes:
1. Save yourself time and energy by buying and preparing a package mix of McCormick’s beef with mushroom sauce/gravy.
2. The paste (aka crust) on the outside of the meat doesn't look pretty, but it doesn't matter, because the flavor is exceptional!
3. The crust almost always burns. Scrape it off before serving, because of the high amount of salt, the flavoring has already seeped into the meat.
4. If you mistakenly add the wine (from the sauce) to the paste, it will come out fine, but does not adhere well to the meat. Let it marinate overnight.

Review: absolutely delicious! I can't wait to make this for Christmas dinner this year. I'll be buying a big roast, especially so we have leftovers for the next day. To reheat prime rib, I suggest using beef broth and letting the piece(s) of meat reheat in the broth in a frying pan. Sooo good!

December Cookie Recipe #2: Graham Cracker Yummies

2009-12-20T15:11:00.003-05:00

Another cookie making memory was making these yummy "cookies" with my mom. They almost are more of a toffee crunch type cookie. Similar to the Dog Turds recipe, sometimes these cookies come out perfect and other times, like this year, not as great. Don't know why, but here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1.5 sleeves graham crackers (left whole)
2 c. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees
- Line cookie sheet with foil and place graham crackers side-by-side on top of the foil
- In a saucepan, heat butter and brown sugar and let boil 3 minutes
- Pour liquid mixture over graham crackers (make sure to cover all crackers)
- Put in oven for 10 minutes
- Take out and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top
- Let the chips melt and spread the chocolate to cover over all crackers
- Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top
- Let chocolate harden
- Break up cookies and store in a container or Ziplock bag

Review: these happen to be one of my favorite Christmas cookies. I like the caramel/toffee crunch. The mixture has to be made just right or it alters the flavor of the cookie. You can vary the chopped nut on top, but I have found that walnuts are just the right compliment.

December Cookie Recipe: Christmas Logs (aka Dog Turds)

2009-12-20T14:54:00.006-05:00

Every year there are a couple of cookies that I make from my childhood cookie making with my mom. This recipe was given to my mom by Karen's mom and was affectionately called Dog Turds (forgive me, if I have already posted this before :). My mom hates to call them that, so I "re-named" them Christmas Logs or Chocolate-covered Logs. I think they came out the best that I have ever made them this year, so wanted to post them on our blog!

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
1 1/4 c. confectionary sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 c. (Quick) oats
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:
- Cream butter and sugar together
- Add vanila and combine thoroughly
- Mix flour, oats, and salt together
- Pour dry ingredients into mixer (while on)
- Make sure the bottom of the mixing bowl is clean (meaning everything is mixed together)
- Dough will be crumbly
- Take small or medium size balls of dough and roll into 1.5-2" logs
- Bake at 325 degrees for 27 minutes (on an ungreased cookie sheet or Silpat)
- Remove from oven and let cool
- Dip in melted chocolate chips (or spoon and spread on top of the cookie log) and then dip in chopped walnuts
- Let harden and eat!

Review: Some years these come out dry, and this year, they were perfect! They are great with a cup of coffee, or my preference, a glass of milk. Enjoy!

Making a List...and Checking It Twice

2009-12-08T14:22:00.001-05:00

I don't' know why but I am feeling a little out of control right now. I feel like I am unprepared and going to slam into a wall or something. This is one way you know the holidays are fast approaching. I am trying not to go totally crazy and bake a lot of stuff this year.

Here is my list so far on what I think I am going to make:

At least 2 batches of Sugar Cookies (maybe 3 batches)
Cuban Bread
Monkey Bread
Chocolate covered cherries (which I already made with Heidi this past weekend)

What I might make:
Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Biscotti
Italian Bread of some kind...

I Can't Decide...So I Made Both.

2009-12-03T08:36:00.001-05:00

Last week Mike asked me to make something for him to bring to work. They are having their annual charity bake sale and FINALLY Mike asked me to make something. I always got a little annoyed at him for not bringing something in...hello you have a wife at home that loves to bake...I would tell him. At first I was going to make individual monkey breads (I was going to make them in a muffin tin) just to have something different there. Since I was making cookies for my neighbor's birthday he said to just give him some of those.

There is a restaurant near me that gives cookies like these for dessert with the kid's meals. It was funny because I was wondering how they made them the other day and then I found a recipe. So of course I had to try it out. The dough was suppose to make A LOT of cookies.

Double Delights
Taste of Home

CHOCOLATE DOUGH:
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
5 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped
VANILLA DOUGH:
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

For chocolate dough, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans and white chocolate.
For vanilla dough, in another large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans and German chocolate. Cover and refrigerate both doughs for 2 hours.
Divide both doughs in half. Shape each portion into a 12-in. roll; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm.
Unwrap and cut each roll in half lengthwise. Place a chocolate half and vanilla half together, pressing to form a log; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the dough holds together when cut.
Using a serrated knife, cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool

Review: I made these cookies for a couple of reason one which I stated above because they were like the ones from the restaurant. The other reason was it stated it makes 15 dozen cookies...SO not the case. Maybe I can get 7 dozen out of this but I am not even sure of that. It makes two logs which I baked one and froze the other to bake for Christmas. The one log I think I might have gotten 3 dozen. I don't think I could have cut the cookies any thinner then I did...the were pretty thin to begin with. That being said the dough was easy to make and did not take that much time. I think you need to let the sit in the refrigerator a little longer then stated in the recipe to get them firm enough. Also I think if you put the in the freezer before you slice them it would make that process easier. The overall taste is super yummy and addictive. Not sure if i would make these again or try to find another recipe for the dough and just use the same technique. I have to wait and see how the guys at Mike's office liked them.

Dark Chocolate & Mint Chips

2009-12-01T10:08:00.008-05:00

I love mint stuff and when I saw the package of dark chocolate and mint morsels that Nestle has out now I had to buy it. I did not know what or when I was going to use them...minor details.

Then I was asked to make my sugar cookies for Thanksgiving which everyone loves. I took out the butter to soften and the day just got away from me. The butter was way too soft to make the sugar cookies and so I decided to use the butter to make the cookie recipe that is on the back of the package.

Mint Chocolate Delights
VeryBestBaking.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels

PREHEAT oven to 325° F.

COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by well-rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

FOR MINI MINT CHOCOLATE DELIGHT COOKIES: Prepare dough as above. Drop by well-rounded measuring teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set. Makes about 7 dozen mini cookies.

This is the picture from Nestle's website of the cookie...I forgot to take a picture.

Review: When I opened the bag of chips I was already in love with this cookies. It was just the perfect mint smell to me. Making the cookies was just as easy as making any chocolate chip cookie. I used the small cookie scoop I had for a couple of reason...one my larger scoop broke and two I figured smaller cookies would be better after eating a lot of turkey. It does make a ton using the smaller scoop and I was able to set some aside for our second Turkey dinner with my in-laws. These cookies to me taste just like the girl scout Thin Mint cookies. Which is awesome because if you ever have a craving for them you don't have to wait to order a package from your local girl scout. This is a keeper and I just hope I can find another bag before they disappear...

Wishes Everyone...

2009-11-26T13:08:00.000-05:00

Bread Matters...well of course it does!

2009-11-18T07:51:00.005-05:00

You will never believe what has happened to me...little old me. It was a normal day in my house and everything was going the way it usually does. Boys being boys...me being me...Mike being Mike and then I checked my email. Someone from Andrews McMeel Publishing contacted me to review a cookbook they have out. I thought this was some kind of joke because let me be honest I am not a writer. So the first thing I did was of course check out their website to see if the book existed...yes it did...ok so maybe this isn't a joke. I actually recognized some of the other books they have on there which was exciting. (I mean I usually look at amazon for book stuff and really never on the publisher's website.)

I am sorry this has taken me so long to write up my review because I have had it for about a month. All of us in this house got hit with a cold...yup every one of us got this cold and was sort of out of commission for about a week. Then the normal busy days came and went which made it hard to have time to sit down and write this up. So get ready here comes the review:

My Review: I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover (or photos) but I do sometimes. When it comes to cookbooks I think it is a must in some ways. As much as I love food I love looking at food. I also think that when a cookbook has pictures of the finish product it just makes it that much easier to want to make that recipe. A pet peeve of mine is when a cookbook as NO pictures in it. That being said this cookbook has some really nice photos in it and I get a warm and fuzzy feeling from them...if only I could take pictures like them!

The next thing I enjoyed in this book was that the author put some example time tables in it. It just gives you an idea on how long it will take you to complete a recipe. I have tried to make some recipes to only realize that I actually don't have enough time to do them in. I know I probably could do that on my own and figure out how much time it takes to complete but it is just so much easier when it is done for you.

You all know I am a big fan of King Arthur Flour (who are actually on the supply list in the back of this book) they always say it is better to use a scale when baking. It is just more accurate then volume measuring. I have a scale and I prefer that method now. The awesome thing in this book is that you are given 3 different measuring methods...cups, pounds/ounces (Imperial) and grams (Metric) for each recipe. Another thing you can figure out on your own but just easier when someone does it for you.

Another nice thing about this book it has a chapter on gluten-free baking. From some of the blogs I have looked at it seems that can be a hard thing to find for the average person. I have not tried this section out and probably won't just because of the ingredients needed.

If you like sour dough bread making this book has at least one chapter on it and seems to be a theme in the book. I do want to try making a sour dough starter but not right now. I just don't feel comfortable with one in my refrigerator (or counter top) especially with an almost 4 year old who seems to live in it. Also to me right now it is just another thing I would have to take care of when I already have too much of that.

That all being said is this a book I would have purchased on my own...maybe. Don't get me wrong it is a very nice book and a great reference book. To me it is just not a cookbook in the what I think a traditional cookbook is...it does have recipes but about half of the book does not. It is perfect for someone who wants to get started baking bread at home or just wants to know more about baking bread. You don't get a look at your first real recipe until after about 140+ pages. I am glad I have this book to look back at when I have questions about the bread I am making.

Monkeying Around Bread

2009-11-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

I really never need an excuse to bake some bread. So when one of the at home suggested activities for Jacob this week was bake some bread with your child...how can I say no to that! I am willing to do whatever it takes to help Jacob learn. Since I bake bread at home a lot I wanted to make something that would be fun to do with Jacob.

First I looked at my list of things I want to make and did not really see anything on it that would be "fun" to make with Jacob. It did not take me long to figure out what would be both fun and easy enough to make with Jacob...Monkey Bread. I could not believe that this was not on my list I have been wanting to do that for a while now.

So I went to the website I trust most with bread recipes when I don't have one in mind (King Arthur Flour) and found one right away.

Monkeying Around Bread
King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

Topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Dough
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Directions
1) Make the topping: Blend the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, or shake them together in a small lidded container. Set aside.
2) Place water, vegetable oil, egg, salt, sugar, and yeast in a medium bowl and stir well.
3) Add 1 cup of the flour, stirring to blend.
4) Add the second cup of flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead.
5) Knead the dough — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — till it's soft and smooth.
6) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let the dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes, till it's doubled in size.
7) Gently deflate the dough, and place it on a clean, lightly greased work surface; a silicone mat works well here. Divide it into pieces about 1 1/2" in diameter; you'll make 16 to 18 pieces.
8) Lightly grease an 8" round cake pan. Dip each piece in water, then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat.
9) Place the pieces in a single layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon-sugar over the top.
10) Cover the pan, and let the bread rise for 30 to 60 minutes, till it's visibly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
11) Uncover the pan, and bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, till it's golden brown and feels set.
12) Remove from the oven, and immediately turn the pan over onto a cooling rack. Lift the pan off the bread, and scrape any leftover topping in the pan onto the bread.13) Pull the bread apart to serve.
Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Review: I remember making monkey bread when I was in middle school and even though this was a different recipe the taste was just like I remembered (well even better then I remember). Making the dough was really simple and did not take much time. I was busy doing stuff so the waiting in between each step seemed to go by fast. The only thing I might do different is make the individual pieces smaller...so instead of 16-18 I might try 20-22 and see how that size is for each piece. This is a keeper and I really want to try a savory type next because the dough isn't sweet and would work well. I think everyone would be amazed when you put that on the table at the next family meal.

My New Tea Toy.

2009-11-16T08:29:00.004-05:00

It is official I have a child in school (well pre-school) and with that comes the obligation of fundraisers. I know I have to pace myself because this was only the first one and I am sure there will be many more. I approached this as I do my souvenir shopping when I am on vacation. (Those who know me know I love my gift shops!) Find something that you haven't seen before or you can't get around home.

Since this was the old wrapping paper/chocolate one I didn't really see much that fit this criteria. Then I turned the page to the handful of gifts they had and saw what I wanted. A silicon strawberry tea infuser which in the catalog was RED and the one I got is YELLOW (anyone ever seen a yellow strawberry?). I love drinking tea and with the winter weather coming I am going to be doing that a lot more often. Also it fit my criteria of I have never seen this before in any store around my house...SOLD!

Strawberry tea infuser with lid.

Action shot

Another action shot

Review: I now need to go and buy more loose tea so I can use my new tea infuser more. The tea I made was...wait for it...strawberry sencha tea. I just realized that I made a strawberry tea in my strawberry infuser which was totally not on purpose...it was the first loose tea I found in the cabinet. I have used those metal infusers before which always seem to leave a lot of tea leaves at the bottom of the cup. This one really did not leave much behind but I will hold my final approval in that department for when I have tried a few more teas. Overall I am happy with this purchase and I think I did good.

Happy Birthday to Me...oh and Heidi.

2009-11-09T07:49:00.003-05:00

Today is my birthday and I plan to eat chocolate cake all day long...and look like Jacob after he eats a donut!

Lady and Sons' Chicken in Wine Sauce

2009-10-30T12:52:00.000-04:00

I am always looking for new recipes to make for dinner. I like variety and get bored of making the same thing over and over again. One day a couple of weeks ago I found a recipe on the food networks website. Of course every time I thought I had all the ingredients I realized I was missing one. So finally this week I had all the stuff I needed to make it.

Lady and Sons' Chicken in Wine Sauce
Paula Deen (Food Network)

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for casserole
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces (about 8 slices) Swiss cheese
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup herb-flavored stuffing mix, crushed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the chicken to a shallow buttered casserole and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Layer the cheese slices on top.

In a medium bowl, add the soup and the wine, season with salt and pepper and pour over the cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter.* Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Review: I knew making a Paula Deen recipe wasn't going to be healthy for you but it tasted SO good. This is a great recipe to make during the week because the prep to table time goes really fast. You just layer everything in the pan put it in the oven and you are done. I just heated up some veggies and had leftover rice. Mike liked it a lot and thought it was a lot more work then it really was to make it. I think the Swiss cheese really does add a nice flavor to the dish. This recipe is defiantly a keeper...we ate it so fast that I did not have time to take a picture of the finished dish.

Monster Toast

2009-10-29T10:52:00.000-04:00

The other day Jacob came home from school with a "recipe" for Monster Toast. I thought it was a cute idea so we made some to go with our lunch. I was able to find the print out he got online. I have to get a paint brush that we can use with food. Then I will post some pictures of our creations. I was thinking of doing something with this for Halloween dinner but not sure what yet.

This recipe is taken from the book Kinder-Krunchies, Healthy Snack Recipes for Children by Karen S. Jenkins. This book is distributed exclusively by Discovery Toys.

Print Out and Have Fun!

Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce

2009-10-28T20:37:00.009-04:00

This month's theme for Bridget at 350's Flavor of the Month challenge was Pumpkin. I have a great pumpkin bread recipe, but decided to search for something different. For some reason I had raviolis on my brain. I think it's because while we were making wine (we decided to make Pinot Noir) the group at California Wine Works let us read a review regarding a Pinot Noir that was made at CWW. The person went on saying how great it was and that he was enjoying it while eating some mushroom raviolis. My mouth started watering, what could be better than wine and raviolis. So I started looking and came across a recipe for pumpkin raviolis. Perfect!! The funny thing was when I told Mike that I was going to make raviolis, he was like you remember what happened the last time. (He's referring to the time I tried making raviolis from scratch, dough and filling. To make a long and painful story short, we ended up going out for dinner that night). But I told him this recipe calls for wonton wrappers...so no dough making for me.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
30 round wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cooking Spray
1 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Spoon pumpkin onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels, and spread to 1/2 inch thickness. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand 5 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl, stir in breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, minced sage, pepper and nutmeg.

Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel), spoon 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin mixture into the center of wrapper. Brush edges with water and fold in half, pressing edges firmly. Place on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch. Repeat procedure with remaining wonton wrappers and pumpkin mixture.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a simmer. Add half of ravioli to pan and cook 4 minutes or until done. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon, lightly coat with cooking spray and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining ravioli.

Combine milk and flour in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter, stirring until butter melts. Gently stir in Gorgonzola.

Place ravioli on a plate or in a bowl and pour some sauce on top; sprinkle with walnuts.

Enjoy!

My Review: This recipe was really easy to make and I'm definitely going to make it again. Mike even asked for seconds. Too bad I didn't have any left to give him. Oh and we did have wine with them...not a Pinot Noir, but a wine called 7 Deadly Zins. So Good!!!

I have a problem...and it involves bread

2009-10-27T15:18:00.002-04:00

My local supermarket sells their day old bread for at least half price. I think you know you have a problem when you bring home a bag full of this bread. I just go over there every time to see if they have anything good. Well this past time they had a lot of good stuff. Also they had this big round loaf of pumpernickel that just look too good to pass up...my name is Michelle and I love day old bread.

The picture has nothing to do with day old bread but the other day it was so warm here that a ton of lady bugs came out. This was a great shot I got of one of them...

Ham & Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl: Part 2

2009-10-21T06:31:00.000-04:00

OK so I completed the bread bowl for this mean it was time to figure out what soup I was going to make to fill them. I just knew it has to be thick and creamy like clam chowder but I did not want to make clam chowder. So I did what I always do when I am looking for a recipe...I searched the Internet to see what I could find. The Ham & Potato soup is the number 1 soup on allrecipes.com with over 2500+ review. How can you go wrong making a recipe that has been reviewed that many times.

Ham & Potato Soup
allrecipes.com

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Review: I now know why this had some many reviews because it is a very easy and very good soup. The best part is that it doesn't take that much time to make and will be great to make with leftover holiday ham. Mike really liked this soup and I think enjoyed eating out of a bread bowl. When I mentioned to him I was making the bread bowls this was the kind of soup he hoped I would make. The one is defiantly a keeper and since I used the milk I had I don't think it is as bad if you used whole milk or heavy cream. One thing I liked about the soup is that it really stayed hot and warmed your insides right up. A perfect soup for those cold winter nights that are coming our way!

Ham & Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl: Part 1

2009-10-19T17:51:00.011-04:00

Yesterday was just one of those gross...cold...wet days where you just want to crawl back into bed and wake up when it is nice and sunny. Well since I have two young kids that is not an option for me. I also knew that we were going to be staying home all day. I wanted a little project to break up the day because who looks forward to doing loads of laundry.

I had this one recipe on my list for a while now Artisan Bread Bowls from King Arthur Flour. It just brings back memories of our trips to San Fransisco and Fisherman's Wharf. Having some clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl...what is better than that!

I actually remembered to get started early enough that I wasn't finishing the bread bowls at midnight. If my calculations are correct there is a minimum of 7 hours before you can bake the bread bowls. I used my bread machine again for the mixing/kneading and first rise part (about 1 hours). Then I took out my scale so I can divide the dough into 5 equal portions, made them into balls and put them on a silpat on a baking sheet. After that you put them in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours let them rise again...you can leave them in there up to 24 hours. Then 2 hours for you are ready to bake them you take them out of the refrigerator to continue rising.

Artisan Bread Bowls
King Arthur Flour

3 3/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, enough to make a smooth, soft dough

Directions
1) Mix and knead together all of the ingredients—by hand, mixer or bread machine—till you've created a smooth dough.
2) Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes; it should become puffy.
3) Divide the dough into 5 pieces.
4) Roll each piece into a ball.
5) Place on a lightly greased or parchment covered baking sheet.
6) Cover the bread bowls with greased plastic wrap.
7) Refrigerate for 4 hours (or up to 24 hours); this step will give the bread bowls extra flavor, and a delightfully crisp-chewy texture.
8) Two or more hours before serving, remove the bread bowls from the refrigerator. Uncover, and let them sit for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425°F.
9) Just before baking, slash the top surface of the bowls several times to allow them to expand.
10) Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the bowls are deep brown, and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
11) Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Step #3

Baked bread bowl.
My favorite bowl...

My Review: If you are not a patient person then this recipe is not for you. There is a lot of waiting for the yeast to do it's job. At first I was worried that it would not be worth the wait but it was totally worth it. I planned on just doing the minimum rising times so we can eat it that night for dinner. Next time I think I will try to allow for more time in the refrigerator. The taste was perfect just what I expected out of this recipe. I think the whole wheat flour adds a nice flavor and texture to the finished product. Overall a very nice recipe and I can't wait to do this again!
I don't know why I had it in my head that I needed to eat these hot out of the oven. I didn't realize it calls for them to cool down...lucky for me it is cold here and I just stuck them outside for a little bit. So I think the next time I will start them the night before I want to eat them...let them have a good rest in the refrigerator and bake the the next day.

Biscotti the King Arthur Flour way...

2009-10-15T08:52:00.006-04:00

It is no secret that I checkout the Bakers' Banter everyday...sometimes more then once a day just in case they added something new. Their post on October 12th just spoke to me...just called to me and said "Michelle...you must bake right now and you won't be sorry." Who am I to argue with myself when I just make perfect sense. I had to run to the supermarket for something any way and picked up a package of the mini chips which was the only thing I was missing. I took out the butter to soften and then the night go away with me and I had to wait. Lucky for my I just had to wait one day and I was able to make them.

Black and White Biscotti King Arthur Flour

Ingredient
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, Dutch-process preferred
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips, mini chips preferred
2 tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping (optional)

Glaze (optional)
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon water

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one large (about 18" x 13") baking sheet.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy

3) Beat in the eggs; the batter may look slightly curdled.

4) At low speed of your mixer, add the flour, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky.

5) Divide the dough in half, leaving half in the bowl, and placing half on the prepared pan. If you have a scale, half the dough is about 10 1/4 ounces (290g). Volume-wise, half the dough is a generous 1 cup.

6) Shape the dough on the pan into a log that's about 14" long x 2 ½" wide. Straighten the log, and smooth its top and sides; a wet spatula or wet bowl scraper (or wet fingers) works well here. Place the pan in the freezer while you make the chocolate dough.

7) To prepare the chocolate dough, add the cocoa powder and espresso to the vanilla dough in the bowl, stirring to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips.

8) Remove the pan from the freezer. Using your wet fingers, spread the chocolate dough atop the vanilla dough, pressing it down the sides to entirely enclose the vanilla dough, if desired. You can also just leave the sides bare. Sprinkle the coarse sugar atop the dough, pressing it into the surface gently with your fingers.

9) Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool on the pan anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes; just work it into the schedule of whatever else you're doing in the kitchen. While the biscotti are cooling slightly, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

10) If you've used parchment on your baking sheet, use it to lift the biscotti off the sheet onto a flat surface. If you haven't used parchment, carefully lift the biscotti off the sheet onto a flat surface. Using a serrated knife or sharp chef's knife, cut the biscotti crosswise into 3/4" slices. Or cut the biscotti on the diagonal — for fewer, longer biscotti. As you're slicing, be sure to cut straight up and down, perpendicular to the pan; if you cut unevenly, biscotti may be thicker at the top than the bottom, and they'll topple over during their second bake.

11) Set the biscotti, on edge, back on the baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 30 to 40 minutes, till they feel very dry and are beginning to turn golden. They'll still feel a tiny bit moist in the very center, if you break off a piece; but they'll continue to dry out as they cool.

12) Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.

13) If you haven't topped the biscotti with coarse sugar, glaze them once they're cool. Mix the confectioners' sugar and water, and drizzle it atop the biscotti.

Yield: 21 biscotti, about 4" to 5" long.

Review: I was excited to make these more for the way they looked because they just look so cool. I was really happy with the end result in both...they looked amazing and tasted great. To me it is nice to have both flavors in each bite. I also do not think they are super sweet and the chocolate actually helps with that part. It calls for a glaze or coarse sugar on top...I did not do either. I actually meant to put the sugar on them but totally spaced on that one. So I figured I would just glaze them then...I think I ate too many and my 3 year old just wanted them ASAP that I did not get the chance. I was half joking when I commented on their blog that I now want to make . Neapolitan version...maybe cut the batter into thirds and just color one pink...or increase the recipe to 1 1/2 times and then do that. I have to say this batter was super sticking and wetting your hands totally helps. I think this one is a keeper and I might add it to my holiday baking list.

Sesame Noodle

2009-10-05T07:09:00.000-04:00

I am in love...no maybe I should say I am addicted to a blog I have recently found out there called Pioneer Woman. She has a really great blog that covers cooking, photography, home/garden stuff and home schooling. It is really awesome you should check it out...it will change your life.

I have to confess that I had a mommy brain moment because I bought sesame oil for something else and totally forgot what recipe I bought it for. So the other day when I was doing my daily check of what is new on the blog I came across a recipe her recipe for sesame noodles. It looked interesting to me so I saved it in my recipes to try folder.

Simple Sesame Noodles
Pioneer Woman

12 ounces thin noodles, cooked and drained (angel hair, thin spaghetti, or Asian style)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons pure sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon hot chile oil (more to taste)
4 to 5 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons hot water
3 to 4 green onions, sliced thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

Review: LOVE IT!!! I know it is a good recipe when Mike takes it to work with him the next day. I did not have any thin type pasta so I had to use fettuccine which was good. I also left out the chili oil because I don't think my 3 year old would have liked it but I might add a little next time. I had some fresh broccoli that I added to the mix and a cooked up the one chicken cutlet I had leftover. Overall this is a very easy and yummy recipe to make. Defiantly adding this one to my list...

Beer Pizza Crust

2009-10-03T11:22:00.000-04:00

My family are big pizza eaters and I make it at home frequently. I just find it an easy thing to make when I have no clue what to do for dinner. I have my standard dough recipe that I don't even need to look in the book anymore. I make it all the time but I am always looking for something new and different.

It is no secret that I love King Arthur flour and order stuff from their catalog all the time. I have noticed a recipe in there catalog for Quick Beer Pizza Dough. Just the different type of pizza dough recipe I was looking for. I was hoping that the beer would give it a nice flavor the recipe said it would give.

Review: I think this one is a keeper because it has a great taste and the crust was crunchy. I though that the bottom crust was a little tough but I think I know why. I made the dough in the bread machine and I think it was kneaded to much...well that is my theory. I will try it again but this time maybe in the food processor like I usually do with my other crust and see how it comes out that way.