Lulu the Baker

Top 5 Desserts for your Valentine

2012-02-10T00:20:00.000-08:00

Here's what we're craving this Valentine's Day:

1. Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Torte--The deep chocolate flavor and silky texture of this torte will make you swoon. And the eye-popping and taste bud-bursting raspberries don't hurt either.

2. White Chocolate Cherry Biscotti--These heart-shaped cookies--studded with pecans and dried cherries and drizzled with white chocolate--taste like a cross between sugar cookies and shortbread.

3. Strawberry Cupcakes--Nothing could be more perfect for Valentine's Day than sweet, pink cupcakes. Except maybe sweet, pink ice cream...

4. Raspberry Ice Cream--Sweet and tart for your sweetheart. (too corny??)

5. Red Velvet Cupcakes--Heavenly flavor but such a naughty color!

And a bonus because we couldn't narrow it down!

6. Sweetie Pies--Because they're just so darn cute.

And the winner is...

2012-02-08T17:28:00.000-08:00

69, dude! Congrats to DB--commenter 69. And a big thanks to everyone for visiting and for all the sweet birthday wishes!

Handmade Valentines

2012-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

**~~Don't forget to enter the Happy Birthday Give-Away. I'll choose the winner at about 5pm Pacific Time tonight!~~**

I enjoy making things, and that includes Valentines. I think it is big-time fun to sit around with my kids and come up with ideas for little notes of friendship they can make and give to their classmates every February 14th. Two years ago we made heart-shaped crayons attached to these cute little printables from The Long Thread. Last year we bought a box of fortune cookies, dipped them in almond bark and candy melts, covered them with festive sprinkles, and put them in cellophane bags with a sweet message saying, "I'm so FORTUNE-ate to have you as my Valentine".

This year, our little tomboy needed something special and not at all girly to give to her fellow kindergartners. She adores Superman, so we came up with a fun idea for a candy-free card for her classmates. We made little Superman logo badges out of felt, hot-glued a bar pin to the back, and attached them to cards we printed that said, "You're SUPER Valentine."

This is the kind of project where exactly how you go about it depends a lot on what materials you have/what you can borrow from friends. So, instead of a tutorial, here's a quick run-down of what we did.

We used three colors of wool-blend felt: red, blue, and yellow. I buy my felt online either from Prairie Point Junction or from Benzie Bazaar on Etsy. I didn't want to have to glue all of the little layers of felt together, so before I started cutting anything out, I ironed some Heat-n-Bond Lite to the back of the red and yellow felt sheets; after everything was cut out, all I had to do was layer the felt and iron it together! I knew 30 diamond shapes would be easy to cut out, but I'll be danged if I was going to cut out 30 little red felt S's, so I borrowed a die-cutter from my friend. It only took about 5 minutes to cut out all those little guys! For the yellow layer, I started by cutting long strips, then cut the strips into triangles, then snipped two corners off the triangles to make diamonds. Then I put the yellow layer on top of the blue and eyeballed where to cut. Again, once everything was cut out, we just peeled the backing off the yellow and red layers, stacked them up on top of the blue, and ironed them; so much easier than gluing! After everything was cool, we hot-glued a bar pin to the back.

The cards are simple and you could easily make them yourself, but if you're short on time, click HERE to get a printable version of the cards we used. We printed them on white cardstock, quartered each sheet, and punched two holes about 1" apart so we could attach the pins.

Tortilla Soup

2012-02-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

One of the nice things about writing this blog is that it makes it easy for me to find my go-to recipes without having to sift through piles of recipe cards or magazine pages. A lot of times, after writing a post, I'll throw away my hard copy of the recipe, especially if it was hastily scratched out on a scrap of paper, most likely the back of a piece of junk mail or an old receipt. But there are a few recipes that, no matter how many times I've made it or how easy it is to look up on this blog, I will always make the extra effort to find in print. This recipe is a perfect example. My copy of it is written out on an old piece of plain paper, not one that came out of a cheap ream of white printer paper, but out of a small box of nice paper for writing letters. It is written very carefully in my mom's beautiful cursive with a felt-tip pen (with a tiny correction in Nana's distinct handwriting in black ball-point). It is a recipe that I treasure, not because it is so delicious (it is!), but because it was written with love and care many decades ago. And I assure you that after I publish this post, I will still make the effort to find it every time I make Tortilla Soup.

Tortilla Soup

I'm typing this exactly as written by my mom with any clarification in parentheses.

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 4-oz can green chilies
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 3/4 cups water*
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
1 small can tomato sauce (the smallest size)
1 medium tomato, peeled and chopped (I never peel it!)
1 teaspoon beef bullion granules
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-4 drops tobasco
10-12 corn tortillas, fried and cut into strips (I just use the little tortilla strips that you garnish salads with)
1 cup shredded monterey jack
peeled and sliced avocado
sour cream
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I probably use at least 1 extra cup of chicken)

In a little oil in a dutch oven, saute onion, chiles, garlic. Add water, tomato juice, tomato sauce, tomato, bullion, cumin, chili powder, worcestershire sauce, pepper, and tobasco. Stir and cover. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add chicken. Serve in bowls with avocado, sour cream, and tortilla strips (and cheese).

*may need up to 2 extra cups water (I have never added any extra water)

Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread

2012-02-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

I've been trying like crazy to think of what to say about this quick bread. Here's what I have so far: I really love zucchini bread, and I really love baked goods containing apples, and I really love carrot cake. This fantastic recipe combines all three of my great loves into one delicious treat. And that. is. it. That's all I can think of, and that makes me sad, because I think this bread is my new favorite; I ate almost half of a loaf yesterday while trying to photograph it. It tastes like regular zucchini bread--which is to say it's super yummy--but then it has these tart little pockets of appley goodness, and plump, juicy golden raisins that are mellow and sweet. And on top of all of that, it has 2 full cups of delicious shredded carrots that make it extra pretty and extra good-for-you. And just like that, I have a blog post.

Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread

adapted from the Costco Connection--I know, right?!

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 cup boiling water

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

3 eggs

1/4 cup orange juice

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cloves

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup finely diced, peeled apple

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place raisins in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, orange juice, and vanilla, and beat until combined. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. With the mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients. Beat until just combined, or until your mixer starts to struggle. Stir in carrots, zucchini, apples, and drained raisins by hand. Divide batter evenly between two greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before turning out of pans. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

February Favorites + a Happy Birthday Give-Away!

2012-02-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Happy February Everyone! Here are some of my favorite things this month:

1. favorite TV guilty pleasure: The Vampire Diaries/Pretty Little Liars
It's a real toss-up. I love them both and I'm only a little ashamed to admit it! {photos from cwtv.com and abcfamily.com}

2. favorite lip gloss: Charlotte Ronson A Perfect Kiss Lip Gloss in Annabelle from Sephora
I'm a sucker for lip gloss, especially lip gloss that makes your lips look like you've been eating cherry popsicles. And the tube is heart-shaped. So cute!

3. favorite place to buy vanilla beans: Vanilla Products USA on eBay
That's right, eBay. Those little bottles from the spice aisle at the grocery store that contain 2 crusty beans and cost $8? That's a racket! Vanilla Products USA has a huge selection at great prices. I use them to make my own extract. Big, nerdy kitchen fun! {photo from igourmet.com}

4. favorite childhood memory spotted at Costco: Ducktales, Talespin, and Rescue Rangers on DVD
I practically screamed out loud when I saw some of my favorite childhood cartoons on DVD at Costco. I couldn't decide which box set to get, so for less than $10 each I went ahead and bought all of them! {photo from amazon.com}

5. favorite cute kitchen thing from Anthropologie: Chalkboard Spice Jars
I fill mine with salt and keep it next to the stove, but I know for a fact that it can also be filled with Swedish Fish (idea via [dandee]). {photo from anthropologie.com}

Now for the even-more-fun part: because I just had a birthday, I've decided to give some of this month's favorite things away to one lucky reader! If you win, you'll get

1 tube of Annabelle lip gloss by Charlotte Ronson,

a little sample of Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans from Vanilla Products USA,

1 red-lidded Chalkboard Spice Jar from Anthropologie, filled with a little surprise

The give-away is now closed; thanks for stopping by!

To enter to win, please leave a comment on this post. Please make sure I can get in touch with you if you are the winner (ie, leave your email if it isn't in your profile). The give-away will be open for 1 week; I'll choose a winner next Wednesday, February 8th. Good luck readers!

Happy Birthday Strawberry Cupcakes

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday. Happy Birthday to Me! Probably my all-time #1 favorite birthday cake is strawberry cake. It is pink, yummy, and fabulous. And like lots of other flavors of cake, it is hard to replicate from scratch. I've tried a few different homemade strawberry cake recipes, and most of them are a little dry, a little dense, or a little heavy. But I think I've finally found a winner with this yummy recipe from Smitten Kitchen via Recipe Girl! The strawberry puree mixed into the batter gives it a sweet and tangy strawberry flavor, and just a few drops of red food coloring make it a lovely shade of pink. Best of all, these cupcakes bake up light, springy, and moist, just like good cupcakes should.

You can find the recipe for the original 3-layer Smitten Kitchen Pink Lady Cake HERE, and the cupcake version on Recipe Girl HERE.

Tune in Wednesday for something fun involving *prizes*!!

Pop's Pancakes

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm about to tell you something that will firmly cement my reputation as a picky eater (which I deny, by the way): I don't like pancakes that much. In my defense, I have nothing against pancakes. I just wouldn't ever choose them for breakfast. Ever. I would choose scrambled eggs or french toast or pretty much anything else before I'd choose pancakes. Once, at the Original Pancake House, I actually ordered a big bowl of yogurt and granola instead of pancakes. Did you notice the subtle irony there?

That being said, my father in law makes really delicious pancakes. I mentioned last week that my husband's family almost always has biscuits and gravy at family gatherings, but what we have even more often is Pop's Pancakes. They are a true family favorite, whole-heartedly loved by both young and old.

Pop's Pancakes

from my sweet father-in-law

2 cups flour
1 rounded Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 quart buttermilk

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Place eggs and oil in a blender, and add enough buttermilk to equal 1 quart. Blend together, then whisk mixture into dry ingredients. Cook on a hot griddle and serve with butter and maple syrup.

Orange You Glad...

2012-01-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, I took a little New Year's treat to a few friends. It was a simple gift to throw together--just a bag of clementines--and was well-appreciated after all the sugary, heavy holiday baking. And you can use the same idea for absolutely any occasion. Orange you glad it's Monday? Orange you glad we're friends? Orange you glad you passed that big test yesterday?

For the tags, I cut rectangles out of kraft cardstock and trimmed the corners to make them tag-shaped, punched a hole, and added those so-handy hole reinforcers. Then I stamped an "Orange You Glad" message with one of my little alphabet stamp sets. The messages looked a little lonely, so I added some black and white polkadot deco tape for flair. I added some white kitchen twine, put about 8 clementines in a clear bag, and tied them shut. Voila!

**Any resemblance to a Halloween treat is purely coincidental and should be ignored immediately!

Blood Orange Yogurt Cake

2012-01-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you come across a recipe that, with the first bite, becomes an instant classic. A few years ago, I discovered a recipe for yogurt cake on Molly Wizenberg's blog, Orangette, and it has become one of our family's favorite desserts. The crazy thing about yogurt cake is that, unlike most favorite desserts, it is completely unassuming. I can count the number of ingredients on two hands, it takes less than 10 minutes to put together, it doesn't dirty a ton of dishes, and it doesn't have a zillion components (or even three, for that matter). It is simple in every way, and tastes good and wholesome and satisfying.

I've tried a few variations with the flavor of the cake, always keeping the base recipe the same, and have been thrilled every time. Lemon, grapefruit, orange--all delicious. This morning I finally tried a variation I've been thinking about for months: blood orange. This was actually my first time using blood oranges (although I do have a lot of experience drinking blood orange soda, which is crazy-good in its own right), and I was really gobsmacked by how lovely they are. Their deep, rusty zest gave a beautiful speckle to the cake batter, and the dark coral-colored juice made the most lovely pink glaze. I was planning on putting the piece I photographed back so it could be saved for dessert tonight, but I had to eat it. I just had to!

Blood Orange Yogurt Cake

based on a recipe for French-Style Yogurt Cake posted on Orangette

for the cake:
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I don't use fat free, but you can if you want to)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
the zest of 2 blood oranges
1/2 cup oil (I use extra light olive oil)

for the glaze:
1/4 cup blood orange juice
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9" round cake pan or a springform bundt pan. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, and eggs. Add flour, baking powder, and zest, and whisk until just combined. Add oil and whisk until batter is completely smooth. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack. While cake is cooling, combine blood orange juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. When cake is completely cool, place it on a serving platter and drizzle with glaze. You might not use all of the glaze, but that's up to you! Serves 6-8

**Featured on Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Homestyle Biscuits and Gravy

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

A) This may surprise you, but up until a few weeks ago I had never eaten biscuits and gravy! See, I used to think that I didn't like breakfast sausage, and even though it has been many years since I discovered that I do like breakfast sausage, I think the idea that I don't like it has been lingering in my subconcious. Anyway, biscuits and sausage gravy just never sounded good to me. In fact, it sounded gross! But my husband loves biscuits and gravy. He grew up eating it every Christmas morning, and whenever we get together with his family, it is invariably on the breakfast menu. I honestly don't know how I dodged it for so long!

B) Despite the fact that we live in the suburbs and have a tiny backyard, we manage to raise a lot of our own meat. Again, this is thanks to my in-laws. They have almost 16 acres about 30 minutes from us and graciously let us store our farm animals on their property since our HOA won't let us keep a cow in our backyard. In December we said good-bye to Pork Chop and hello to pork chops, so now we have a freezer full of frozen pork products begging to be used.

A+B=A few weekends ago, I came downstairs to find my husband busily making breakfast, and what was on the menu? Biscuits and gravy, of course. Since I ~~don't~~ do like sausage (I'm seriously always forgetting), I took a teeny, tiny bite. And guess what? It was delicious! All those people who have been eating biscuits and gravy all this time were actually on to something! We've had it three more times since and it has been just as good every time, and in fact, I actually crave it. There, I said it!

Homestyle Biscuits

from Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of Baking

We pretty much always use Pillsbury frozen biscuits BUT I'm including a recipe for really good homemade biscuits just cuz.

2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add the milk and pulse until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured counter, and knead until dough sticks together. Pat into a 3/4"-thick rectangle. Use a knife or pizza wheel to cut the rectangle into 10 equal portions (I would do two rows of 5, but that's just me). You can alternately cut out circles or whatever other shape you want, but this way you don't have leftover chunks of dough that have to be re-rolled. Place biscuits on prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden. Serve split, smothered with sausage gravy.

Sausage Gravy

adapted from The Cook's Country Cookbook

1 lb bulk pork sausage
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/4-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, depending on how much you like black pepper!
3 cups milk (anything but skim)
salt

Cook sausage in a large skillet, breaking it up with a spatula or spoon, until no longer pink inside and nicely browned outside. Sprinkle flour, sage, and pepper on the meat and stir until flour is absorbed. Add milk and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Salt to taste. Serve over warm biscuits.

Breakfast Cake

2012-01-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

I would say that breakfast cake is the perfect thing to eat on a cold, snowy morning with a steaming mug of hot cocoa, but it is just as delicious on a bright, summer morning with a tall glass of milk. And I had a big piece for my post-dessert midnight snack last night, and it was pretty darn good then too!

Breakfast Cake

You can actually double the amount of sauce to swirl into the cake without negatively affecting anything but your waistline.

for cake:

2 cups milk

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

for sauce:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add vinegar to milk and let stand 5 minutes. Combine soured milk, butter, eggs, and baking soda in a large bowl and mix well. Add baking powder, salt, flour, and sugar, and stir until combined. Pour batter into a greased 9x13" pan and set aside. In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Pour sauce evenly over the surface of the cake. Using a butter knife, swirl the sauce into the cake. Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Sugar Doughnuts

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty much a fan of any kind of doughnut (except baked doughnuts, which are really just muffins baked into doughnut shapes people!), but my absolute favorite kind is a sugar doughnut. Give me a big, yeasty doughnut fried and dredged in granulated sugar and I'm a happy girl.

They probably seem like they'd be really complicated, but they're not actually that hard to make at home, especially if you follow this recipe from expert-at-everything Alton Brown. We've made several batches, and have had stellar results every time. Do yourself a huge favor and try them this weekend! And sorry they're aren't any pictures of a huge pile of sugary doughnuts; they never seem to stick around long enough to be photographed!

Click HERE for the recipe, which we always follow exactly except for the part about cutting out the doughnuts; we never have the right sizes of round cutters, so we just wing it!

A Give-Away and a Party

2012-01-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

As you might expect, our house is awash in aprons. I have lots of aprons, my husband has an apron or two (manly aprons, of course), and the kids have aprons. It took a few months for me to find the perfect pattern for an apron for little ones, but we hit gold a few years ago with a sweet and simple pattern from Sew Liberated. I've used it to make dozens of aprons since, and am still 100% in love with these tiny, adorable accessories for little chefs. We have a few available for purchase in our Etsy shop, but you can win one this month on the blog Ev Reaches! Lucky you! Click HERE to enter.

Elsewhere on the internet, we had our Body Birthday Party from November spotlighted on Ohdeedoh (now Apartment Therapy Family) earlier this week. It was a fun party; the kids loved it and parents found it amusing. Check it out HERE.

Tune in Friday for another yummy recipe. I want to say chocolate cake, but I haven't made it yet, and you never know when something's going to bomb!

Dr. B's Bean Soup

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

When I was in college, I had the extreme good fortune to spend part of a summer studying marine biology in Monterey, CA. It was one of the best things I ever did. My teacher, Dr. Braithwaite, made us pancakes in the morning after pre-dawn field trips to tide pools, and this easy, comforting soup at the end of long days in the lab.

Dr. B's Bean Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil
12 oz canadian bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz petite diced tomatoes
2 15-oz cans black beans
2 15-oz cans kidney beans
2 15-oz cans pinto beans
2 cups salsa
16 oz tomato sauce
1 small can sliced olives
1 cup finely diced green bell pepper
2 teaspoons beef bullion granules
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
shredded cheddar and chopped cilantro for topping

Saute canadian bacon and garlic in olive oil until golden. Add all remaining ingredients except cheddar and cilantro. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until completely heated through. Serve topped with cheddar and cilantro. Serves 4-6.

Recipe from the Archives: Caramel Brownies

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

We're still trying to recover from the holidays in our household. We've done tons of cooking, but not a lot of blogging. So here's a classic recipe from a few years ago with a brand new--and much improved--photo: Caramel Brownies. A gooey layer of buttery caramel sandwiched between two delicious layers of chocolate brownie. These are just about as good--not to mention as easy--as it gets!

Caramel Brownies

from my friend Des

50 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
1 can evaporated milk
1 box german chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tablespoons flour
12 oz chocolate chips

Combine caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a small saucepan and heat over low until melted. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, combine cake mix, butter, flour, and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Spread half of the cake mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. As soon as the bottom layer comes out of the oven, sprinkle with chocolate chips and spread on caramel. Top with remaining cake mixture, and bake for another 15-18 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

January Favorites

2012-01-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

As promised (er, threatened)...a non-recipe post! I know January is still in its infancy, but here are a few of my favorite things this month:

1. favorite nail polish: Poppyfield by CND, available from Amazon
My sister Holly and I got each other this for Christmas. Totally unplanned. I love when that happens! The color is lovely, and it falls right in step with Pantone's color of the year, Tangerine Tango! {photo from amazon.com}

2. favorite daily blog read: Reading (and Chickens)
I laugh out loud every time I read Shalini's hilarious blog. If you have chickens or children or a sense of humor, you'll enjoy it too. {graphic from Reading (and Chickens)}

3. favorite book: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Ok, so technically this is the only book I've read so far this month, but I'm pretty sure it would be my favorite even if I'd read a dozen. It's about a girl, and a boy, and a horse, and some other horses that come out of the ocean and eat people, and a tiny island somewhere near Ireland (maybe), and lots of life and death situations. Really good! {photo from goodreads.com}

4. favorite recipe I discovered on Pinterest: Lemon Garlic Spaghetti from i nom things
My whole family loved this--husband, small child, smaller child. It was absolutely amazing and super easy to boot! It is on The List of things to have for dinner now. {photo used with permission from inomthings.com}

5. favorite goal for 2012: Handling the laundry situation better
Up until now, I've always tried to do all of the laundry in one giant laundry-fest each week. Basically the entire day is spent doing laundry, and it blows! I just cannot do it anymore! I'm trying to do a load each night now, and I've ordered two of these rather attractive laundry sorters to help me out. Underwear, towels, lights, and darks. Baby gets his own laundry night. We'll see how it goes. I'm actually ridiculously excited about it; isn't that sad?! {photo from amazon.com}

6. favorite perfume: I Want Candy by Tokyo Milk
For a really long time now, my mom has given all of us girls the perfume of our choice for Christmas each year. I have a ridiculously hard time with this gift. I end up taking most years' perfumes back and exchanging them, even though I chose the fragrance. It's not that I'm picky, it's that most perfumes don't smell good on me after 5 minutes! One notable exception: I Want Candy. I would never actually drink it, but sometimes I feel like I want to. It smells like raspberries and deliciousness. {photo from tokyo-milk.com}

New Year's Changes

2012-01-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everybody! I love the start of a brand new year. It reminds me of Anne of Green Gables, where Miss Stacy says, "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." And here on Lulu the Baker, we're going to have a fresh, new start as well!

For the past three years, I've been blogging here (recipes) and on Max and Ellie (crafts, projects, etc). Trying to maintain two blogs has been pretty overwhelming, and most of the time I'm so torn trying to think of what to post where that I post nothing anywhere. So, from now on, I'm just going to be posting here, on Lulu the Baker, where my heart is. What that means is that you'll get more posts (hopefully) and more than just recipes. I hope that's OK. Wish me luck!!

On the 12th Day of Christmas: Molasses Crinkles

2011-12-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

We are a family of tradition. One of our longest-running traditions is that of getting violently ill at Christmas. For as long as I can remember, somebody in our family has always been pretty darn sick come Christmas morning. This year, surprise! It's my turn. So I'm kind of phoning in the big ending to my 12 Days of Christmas with a cookie I've posted every year. But it's really good, which is why I keep posting it!

Molasses crinkles are one of the other long-running traditions in our family. We make them every year, and not just for Christmas. They pop up pretty much whenever someone has a hankering for them, whether it is a blustery fall day, a snowy Christmas baking day, or a bright spring morning. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Click HERE for the recipe. I'm even too sick and lazy to retype it! :(

On the 11th Day of Christmas: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Gifts

2011-12-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

I usually start brainstorming Christmas gifts for our friends and neighbors during the summer. I'm aware that it's crazy, but I just can't help myself! This year, I decided that we'd give pints of cookie dough. As with most projects, I started to have major doubts before starting. What if we end up having to make batch upon batch upon batch of dough? What if it takes longer than plates full of baked cookies (I know that one makes no sense)? What if it's just a lame-o gift? After spending exactly 1 hour last night making cookie dough and exactly 1 hour this morning making the packages cute, I realize it's pretty much the best present ever. For 2 hours of work and about $25 in packaging, chocolate chips, and butter, we have 24 adorable handmade gifts for our loved ones.

I wanted to make sure the cookies were as easy as possible for the people receiving them--who wants a gift that requires a bunch of work on their part? So we went with America's favorite scoop-and-bake cookie, the good ol' chocolate chip.

--The recipe for the cookie dough can be found HERE.
--I bought my cute cardboard pint containers at Cash-and-Carry (same as Smart-and-Final) for less than $.50 per container. You can also find them online for a little more HERE.
--I printed the labels myself onto natural kraft cardstock and cut them with a circle cutter.
--The super-thick red and white twine came from Anthropologie a long time ago, but red baker's twine is easy to find.

On the 10th Day of Christmas: Peppermint Crunch Cake

2011-12-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

My little sister's birthday is 8 days before Christmas. My mom has always tried very hard to make it a completely non-Christmassy celebration (I've heard that most December babies appreciate that). We never wrap her presents in Christmas paper or give her Christmas birthday cards. But we do always make a Christmassy birthday cake. Go figure.

I don't remember every single holiday birthday cake I've gotten to help decorate, but there are a few notables that stand out in my memory. Several years saw a cake decorated with green gummy holly leaves (the kind that are covered in sugar and taste like spearmint) and red hots to make little holly clusters. One year had blobs of white frosting piped all over with a star tip, and then a beautiful little gum drop stuck in the middle of each frosting star. The gum drops were all different colors. It was a stunner. At least one year there was a Happy Holidays Barbie cake.

This year, I had a cake all picked out that I'd spotted on Pinterest several months ago. But then I saw something called "Peppermint Crunch Cake" in the Williams-Sonoma catalog, and all plans went out the window! Layers of chocolatey devils food cake covered in a minty candy cane frosting. It was sensational. My kindergartner ate 3 pieces! I would make it again in a heartbeat, but I would wait to sprinkle the candy canes on top until right before serving. Nobody wants candy canes bleeding all over their pretty white frosting. You can alternately stir the crushed candy canes into the frosting, which will make it cute and pink, in which case I'd call this Pink Peppermint Cake. Potato, potahto.

Peppermint Crunch Cake

The devils food recipe comes from Baked Explorations and is a family favorite!

for the cake:
1 oz dark chocolate (I used Ghiradelli 60% chips)
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
2/3 cup hot coffee (we don't drink coffee, so I always use Pero--1 teaspoon per 8 oz hot water)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the frosting:
1 1/2 sticks salted butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
6 Tablespoons cream
crushed candy canes for filling and topping

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter two 8" round pans, line with parchment circles, and butter again. Then dust with flour. If that's too much work, you could try using Pam with flour. I love that stuff! Combine chocolate, cocoa, and hot coffee in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add milk and whisk again. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla, scrape down sides, and beat again for 30 seconds. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before running a knife around the edges and flipping out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

While cake is cooling, make frosting. Combine butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract in the bowl of a stand mixer. Slowly add cream until the frosting is spreadable. You might not need all of it.

When cake is completely cool, place one 8" cake on a serving plate, top with frosting, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Place the other cake layer on top, flat side up. Completely cover top and sides with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with remaining candy cane pieces just before serving.

On the 9th Day of Christmas: Hanukkah Apple Cake

2011-12-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker for anything with a lot of cultural heritage behind it. So, while I have absolutely no ties to Hanukkah, I still love the idea of it. It seems like a sweet holiday, steeped in thousands of years of religious lore and symbolism, safely shielded from the commercialism that surrounds Christmas. And you know I'm an even bigger sucker for Holidays that incorporate delicious foods like this yummy apple cake! Hanukkah starts tonight at sunset; get in the spirit with this dense, sweet cake studded with bits of tart apple and covered in a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.

PS--I don't know why it's called "Hanukkah Apple Cake." Most jewish apple cakes are parve, which means they're made without dairy products. This cake is full of butter and cream cheese, so the name is a mystery to me. I do know that the cake is delicious!

Hanukkah Apple Cake

based on a recipe from a very old edition of Cooking Light

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 oz cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups chopped, peeled apple (anything tart-ish will do)

Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating on low until just blended. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon sugar over chopped apples and toss to coat. Gently fold apples into cake batter, and pour batter into a greased 8" spring-form pan*. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon-sugar on top. Bake cake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool completely before removing from pan and serving.

*Can also be made in an 8" square pan.

On the 8th Day of Christmas: Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

2011-12-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

Need one more quick treat to put on those cute holiday plates you're taking to your friends and neighbors? Try these easy, delicious chocolate mint chip cookies. The chocolate cookie base tastes like brownies, and the creamy, green mint chips taste just like Andes Mints. Mmmm! So good.

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

from Guittard

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 oz green mint chips from Guittard

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine semisweet chocolate chips and butter. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until smooth; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Add chocolate mixture and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Fold in mint chips, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When cookie dough is stiff, scoop by Tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 8-9 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before eating.

On the 7th Day of Christmas: Chocolate Mint Thumbprints

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

These little gems are perfect for the holiday season. With their sparkling sugar coating, they are dressed up in their best party finery, and their chocolate-mint flavor is the very essence of Christmas.

Click HERE for the recipe.

On the 6th Day of Christmas: Peppermint Oreo Pops

2011-12-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

Oreos on a stick might not seem that special; they certainly aren't that different from Oreos that aren't on a stick! But there's just something about them that is really cute. And really tasty in that I-know-this-is-not-the-least-bit-healthy kind of way. And food on a stick is always more fun to eat, right?!

Instead of doing a regular ol' recipe, I figured I'd do a little tutorial. It just seems to call for it.

Peppermint Oreo Pops

1 package double-stuffed Oreos (the regular ones aren't thick enough)

2 bags white candy melts (you really only need about 1 1/2 bags, but oh well)

paper lollipop sticks (I like the 6-inch ones)

4 candy canes, crushed

1. Get out 2 or 3 cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper or waxed paper. Very carefully twist the tops off of all the Oreos and set all of your little Oreo bits and pieces on the prepared cookie sheets. Don't crowd them. I'd do about 12 per sheet.

See how I crowded them? Don't do that!

2. Using the end of a chopstick or a skewer (I actually used the end of a beater last time), dig a little channel in the cream filling on each Oreo. If you start at the edge and gently work toward the middle (instead of starting in the center and moving outward), you won't randomly lose big chunks of filling.

3. Put your candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl. In this case, tall and narrow is better than short and wide. Think measuring cup, not pie plate. Melt them according to package directions.

4. Dip the end of a lollipop stick in candy and set it in one of the Oreo cream filling channels you dug in step 2. Gently push it all the way in and all the way down. Gently! If you push too hard, the Oreo will break. If you do break an Oreo, see the "Tips" below for some...tips.

5. Take an Oreo top, spoon a tiny bit of candy onto the blank side (dime-sized at the most), flip it over, and put it back onto its mate.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the rest of the Oreos and sticks, and let them sit until completely set.

7. If the candy melts need a quick reheat before moving on, feel free to microwave them again briefly.

8. Take an Oreo Pop and dip it in candy until it is completely covered. You might need to tilt your bowl and kind of roll or swish the Oreo Pop around to get it covered. Once it is completely covered, hold it parallel to the table and gently tap the stick against the side of the bowl so that the excess candy coating drips back into the bowl. If you make sure to hold the Oreo Pop flat while doing this, any unevenness on the front will smooth itself out. And the back might look like a mess, but no one will see it.

9. Set the dipped Oreo Pop on it's back on one of the prepared cookie sheets and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Allow to set.

Er, it should actually be completely covered

10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 with remaining Oreo Pops.

11. When they're all dry, wrap them up however you like! Or just eat them yourself; that works too!

Tips:

Depending on how successfully you split the Oreos and how many broken ones you find in your package, you can get up to 30 Oreo Pops from this recipe. If you need exactly 30, I would definitely buy two packs of Oreos just to be safe.
You can obviously make them with any color candy melts you want, and you can substitute sprinkles for the crushed candy canes. So far, I like the light blue candy melts the best. They melt well and cover well, and they're a pretty Tiffany blue.
I used white candy melts this time, but I've also used white almond bark. The almond bark is slightly more difficult to work with, but it covers extremely well, so you can't see any Oreo through the candy coating.
If at any point you break an Oreo, never fear! If you break it pretty cleanly into two large pieces (which, based on my scientific research, is generally the way Oreos break), just piece them back together and glue them with melted candy. Allow to dry completely, then proceed. You do end up dunking the entire set-up in candy, so no one will ever know it was broken.
For the wrapping above, I used 3x4-inch clear cellophane treat bags by "Celebrate It" from Michaels. I thought they'd be too small, but they are the perfect size. I'll definitely use them from now on. I also used Maraschino baker's twine from The Twinery.
You might think you'll need more than one per person, because who doesn't love to chow down on Oreos, but these are really, really rich. You're probably safe with one per person. Plus it's always good to leave 'em wanting more!

On the 5th Day of Christmas: Fresh Cranberry Cake with Hot Butter Sauce

2011-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

For some odd reason, this cranberry cake is one of those recipes that I imagine cranberry farmers eating on special occasions back in the olden days, or the Ingalls family anxiously awaiting every holiday season. The cake itself is moist and dense, almost like a shortcake. The cranberries in the batter practically melt while the cake bakes, giving each bite little bits of ruby-red color and a bright, tart flavor that nicely contrasts the simple flavors of the cake. But the real star of the show is the hot butter sauce. Made with melted butter, sugar, and cream, and finished off with a little vanilla, it is so delightfully sinful! No matter how much I put on my cake at the beginning, I always go back for more before my piece is gone.

Fresh Cranberry Cake with Hot Butter Sauce

from my Aunt Shelly

for the cake:

4-5 cups fresh cranberries

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1 can (12-oz) evaporated milk

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons baking powder

for the sauce:

2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

1 cup cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a standard bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, preferably the kind with flour in it, especially for baking. Wash the cranberries and set them aside to dry. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar until fluffy. Add milk and beat until combined. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to mixer and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the cranberries, spread batter in prepared pan, and bake for 40-50 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in sugar and cream, and heat until sugar is melted and sauce is hot. Do not boil! Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve hot sauce over cake. The cake can be served warm or at room temperature.

On the 4th Day of Christmas: Meyer Lemon Bars

2011-12-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, my husband bought me a meyer lemon tree for Mother's Day. Since we live in the dark, cloudy Pacific Northwest, my meyer lemon harvests are few and far between, so I only let myself use them for very special purposes. I avoided using my seven little lemons from this year's round-up for months, paralyzed by fears that I would waste them on a recipe that wasn't deserving of their deliciousness. After making these tart, creamy lemon bars, I'm glad I waited for the perfect recipe. I can't imagine my meyer lemons lending their unique half lemon/half mandarin orange zing to a more amazing recipe. The shortbread crust has a perfect not-too-crumbly texture and salty-sweet flavor, and the lemon curd, filled with zest and lemon juice and sugar and butter and cream and eggs and all things delicious, is silky and luxurious. My only regret is that I won't have another meyer lemon harvest until next year. I guess I'll just have to go buy a giant bag of meyer lemons from Costco like a normal person.

Meyer Lemon Bars

based on a recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which is always one of the first places I look when trying to find a recipe for something

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

salt

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 equal pieces and softened

7 large egg yolks (Part of the reason my bars have such a deep, lovely golden color is that I use farm fresh eggs. They're just better, plain and simple.)

2 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup fresh meyer lemon juice

1/4 cup meyer lemon zest (Zest your lemons before you try to juice them.)

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, leaving enough hanging over the sides that you'll be able to lift the lemon bars out using it. Spray the foil with nonstick spray, and set aside. In a food processor or stand mixer, combine flour, powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then add 8 Tablespoons of softened butter. Blend just until mixture gets sandy. Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan, and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and whole eggs in a nonreactive saucepan. Whisk in sugar, then lemon juice, zest, and a pinch of salt. Add remaining 4 Tablespoon butter and cook over medium-low heat until mixture thickens and heat to a temperature of 170 degrees F. Strain mixture into a nonreactive bowl and stir in cream. Pour warm lemon curd over hot crust. Bake until curd is set and jiggles only slightly, 10 to 15 minutes (I baked mine in an 8-inch pan and went for the full 15 minutes, and they were dreamy.) Let cool completely on a wire rack before removing from pan and cutting. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas: Carmelitas

2011-12-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, I've posted these before. Yes, they are still some of the best cookies I've ever had. If you give someone these for Christmas, they will forever be indebted to you.

Carmelitas

32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
*A stint in the fridge will help them cool off if you're pinched for time. They shouldn't be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.
**To make a 9x13" version, simply double the amounts.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas: Christmas Cheeseball

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you're a long-time reader of this blog, you'll recognize this recipe; I first posted it two years ago during the insanity I call my 25 Day of Holiday Delights series. It is so good that it warrants re-posting. It's actually the recipe my mom made the whole time I was growing up and the recipe my sister-in-law's family made the whole time she was growing up. It is a time-tested winner, and one that gets numerous requests every Christmas. Make it for that Holiday party you're going to this weekend and I bet you'll get asked to make it every year from now on!

Christmas Cheeseball

2 8-oz packages cream cheese, slightly softened
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
2 Tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 cups chopped pecans, divided

Combine cream cheese, pineapple, green onion, bell pepper, seasoning salt, and 1 cup of pecans in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cover and chill. When the cheese mixture is firm, form the entire mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the remaining 1 cup of chopped pecans. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap until ready to serve. Serve with your favorite crackers.

On the 1st Day of Christmas: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I've ever admitted it on this blog, but I have a huge addiction to themes. I have to have things coordinate, from important things like family Easter outfits to mundane things like weeknight dinners. A few months ago, on a random taco night, I decided we needed something vaguely mexican, not-at-all-authentic for dessert to match our vaguely mexican, not-at-all-authentic shredded chicken crockpot tacos (which are amazing, and I'll post someday, if I can ever take a picture before we eat them all up!). I thought mexican hot chocolate cookies sounded like just the thing, and immediately started searching the internet. It took about 3 seconds to find this delicious recipe from Martha Stewart. And it took me just a little longer than that to eat them all by myself. I think my husband and kids only got a few each, and I ate the rest. I actually couldn't stop eating them. I kept saying, "Oh, just one more," but when you say that every 5 minutes, you end up eating a lot of cookies! No regrets!

These would be so good added to a plate of Holiday cookies for the neighbors, or Santa, or as a special treat for you. Treat yo' self!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon for rolling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs, scraping down sides as necessary. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Scoop dough by the heaping Tablespoon, roll into balls, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place 2" apart on parchment lined baking sheets, and bake for about 8 minutes, until just set. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Double Chocolate Cake

2011-12-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

I feel like since it's December, every recipe I post should be a holiday one. But my mom called the other night to ask me if I had ever posted this recipe (she wanted to make it for dessert and couldn't find the recipe), and I realized that while I'd written up a post and had pictures ready to go, I'd never posted anything about Double Chocolate Cake. Yikes! The wrong is now righted!

I find as I try to quickly edit this post that I have so much to say about Double Chocolate Cake, and all of the thoughts are completely random and have almost nothing to do with each other, so I'm going to be crazy and go with the bullet point layout for a sec:

This recipe originally came from a neighbor who brought this cake to us when we first moved to San Antonio when I was in Kindergarten.
San Antonio has amazing food. We only lived there for 3 years, but I remember the food very fondly.
Double Chocolate Cake is ridiculously easy to make. It is the kind of dessert that you can prepare in about 10 minutes--that includes getting out a pan and collecting ingredients!
It it deliciously chocolatey without being too rich, which some might see as a down-side, but which I see has a huge bonus because you can eat massive quantities of it without feeling full/guilty. OK, maybe you'll feel guilty, but you'll be able to keep eating it ;)
For some reason, my cousins call this Better than Brownies (I'm talking 'bout you Allreds), but the real name is Double Chocolate Cake.
Like many chocolate desserts, I think Double Chocolate Cake tastes better if it is completely cool, and actually best if it has had a chance to rest for a while. So make it early in the day and then try to resist it until after dinner. Yes, it might be hard to do!
You can add grated zucchini to it in the summer when your garden is overflowing with zucchini and you'll never even know it is there. More on that in a few months.
What is up with the chocolate chips in my pictures? They look like they're a million years old!

Double Chocolate Cake

2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13" baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk oil, eggs, water, and vanilla. Add all remaining ingredients except chocolate chips, and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.

***

Starting Thursday, I'm going to be posting 12 Days of Christmas Treats, so be sure to tune in!

Apron Giveaway!!

2011-12-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

Comments are now closed! Congratulations to comment #20, Dave and Teresa! I'll be emailing you shortly. Thanks for participating everybody.

Something kind of exciting has been going on here on Lulu the Baker lately. You regular readers--all 2 of you ;)--might not know this, but the Cheesy Vegetable Chowder recipe I posted a few weeks ago has been taking Pinterest by storm for a little while now! The recipe has been getting a few thousand page views a day, and I got a comment this afternoon from someone who saw it on the Today Show's pin board! Just before Thanksgiving, my all-time page views hit the 100,000 mark (which might seem like small potatoes to some, but makes me smile from ear to ear!), and to celebrate, I'm giving away a cute little apron from my Etsy shop. If you win, you'll have your choice of a sassy half apron or a flirty full apron, all in fun designer fabrics. Click HERE to see all of the available aprons.

To enter the give-away, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Make sure you include your email address so that I can contact you if you win. The give-away will be open for a week, so I'll post a winner Friday, December 9th.

Thanks everybody, and Pin On!

Thanksgiving Pie Round-Up!

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Just in case you're still adding things to your menu for tomorrow, here's a collection of some of our family's favorite pie recipes. Some are easy, some are a little more time-consuming; all of them are delicious!

{coconut custard pie}

{sawdust pie}

{caramel apple cheesecake pie}

{pumpkin chiffon pie}

{apple slab pie}

{sour cherry pie with pistachio crumble}

{lemon blueberry buttermilk pie}

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

2011-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

I come from a family of pumpkin pie tolerators. If nobody bothered to make a pumpkin pie this year for Thanksgiving, I'm pretty sure most of us would be perfectly happy without it, because we have something far better than pumpkin pie: pumpkin chiffon pie. The recipe comes from my Aunt Suzi, and I've loved it for as long as I can remember. Where pumpkin pie fails to impress me, pumpkin chiffon pie shines. Pumpkin pie is dense and gluey; pumpkin chiffon pie is light and creamy. Pumpkin pie has a heavy, overwhelming flavor; pumpkin chiffon pie has just the right amount of pumpkin flavor and just a hint of spice. Pumpkin pie needs to be smothered with whipped cream; pumpkin chiffon pie is already smothered in whipped cream. You'd better make two; they go quickly!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

dedicated to all of the pumpkin pie haters out there

1 pie crust, baked according to directions for a filled pie

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

2/3 cup milk

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 9-oz container cool whip, plus more for topping

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon ginger

Combine vanilla pudding and 2/3 cup milk and whisk until pudding is thickened. Fold in pumpkin, cool whip, and spices. Spoon mixture into cooled pie crust. Spread more cool whip on top and sprinkle with extra nutmeg. Chill until ready to serve.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

2011-11-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

At times like Thanksgiving I am especially torn: I am a lover of both tradition and experimentation when it comes to food. I love having the same foods on the same days year after year, but I also like to try new recipes and discover new favorites. Our friends Dave and Marcelle hosted a dinner party last week and offered the perfect solution: Fantasy Thanksgiving. We were all encouraged to bring the mouth-watering foods we'd seen online and in holiday magazines that conflict with the foods we already love on Thanksgiving. We got to try new recipes for turkey and stuffing, nontraditional pies and potatoes, and exciting soups and salads.

I was in charge of dessert, and of course I couldn't just make one new dessert. So I tried 3. The first was pretty nasty. It was bad enough that I didn't serve it; I actually washed it all down the sink. The second was mostly tasty, but had a very strange, rubbery crust. Maybe I'll post it someday when I figure out how to fix the bad parts. The third was fantastic and more than made up for the other two failures! To quote one diner directly, it "strummed a chord on my heartstrings." Really not much of a surprise considering it had a cinnamon-scented graham cracker crust topped with homemade caramel sauce and pecans, a layer of tart apples slow-cooked in brown sugar, butter, and spices, and a decadent cheesecake topping covered with whipped cream and more caramel sauce.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

from Mimi Hodge, the winner of the Pie of Emeril's Eye Contest on Good Morning America

for the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup caramel sauce
1 cup chopped pecans

for the apple filling:
5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
5 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

for the cheesecake topping:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

to finish:
lightly sweetened whipped cream
caramel sauce
chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter, and stir to combine. Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch pie plate. Bake for 6-8 minutes until crust is golden. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. When crust is completely cool, pour caramel sauce evenly over the bottom and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 5 Tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in cinnamon and brown sugar until combined. Add apples and cook until apples are tender and liquid has reduced, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before pouring into prepared crust.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then add vanilla, egg, and lemon juice and beat again. Pour cheesecake topping over apple filling and bake pie for 30 minutes, until cheesecake is completely set. Remove from oven and let cool, then refrigerate until chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Serve topped with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and chopped pecans.

Chocolate Pudding

2011-11-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a fan of chocolate pudding. That sounds a little ridiculous to say, because honestly who isn't a fan of chocolate pudding, right? But I love it in all of its many forms: instant store-bought, cook-n-serve store-bought, already made store-bought, the kind that's refrigerated, the kind that doesn't need to be refrigerated (I'm still not sure how that one works), homemade; I love 'em all. I think my love affair with chocolate pudding started when I was in elementary school in San Antonio. They served Jell-O Pudding Pops sometimes at lunch. God Bless You, Crestview Elementary. God Bless You!

I've said before that I think custard scares people. It sounds tricky and complicated and temperamental, and you think bad things of epic proportions will happen if you mess it up. But this chocolate pudding recipe is basically foolproof. It doesn't require a thermometer or whipping egg whites (something I loathe), and the results are silky smooth and deliciously chocolatey. I almost ate two huge servings the first time I made it. Like I said, I'm a fan!

Chocolate Pudding

from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

If you read the recipe before starting--which I highly recommend!--you'll notice two things: 1) the recipe takes time, but it's all inactive waiting time after the puddings have cooked. If you're going to make this, you just need to plan ahead. And 2) it seems to dirty several different pans, bowls, and containers. Again, if you plan ahead and reuse bowls you've already used in a previous step, you'll end up with way fewer dirty dishes. Always a plus!

3 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar

2 1/4 oz sweetened chocolate (I used a mixture of dark and milk), chopped or just broken into pieces (why complicate things with a knife and a cutting board??)

5 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a heavy saucepan, combine the cream and half of the sugar. Heat until tiny bubbles form on the edges of the pan and it is steaming. Do not boil it! Put the chocolate pieces in a bowl, pour enough hot cream mixture over the top to cover the chocolate, and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth, add the remaining cream, and whisk again. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, remaining sugar, salt, and vanilla. Slowly and steadily pour the hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the pudding through a strainer and into a clean container that has a spout for pouring. Place six 6-oz oven-proof baking dishes in a big roasting pan. Put the roasting pan into the oven, divide the pudding among the baking dishes, and fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the baking dishes. Cover the whole thing with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes. The puddings are done when they look firm and move as one big, slightly jiggly mass when shaken. Just like a cheesecake. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, take off the foil, and let the puddings cool to room temperature. Remove the individual puddings from the water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool and ready to serve.

Caramel Apple Cake for club: BAKED

2011-10-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

If there's anything I love more than baked goods full of apples and spices, it's baked goods that incorporate caramel sauce in some way. And since this cake combines apples, spices, and caramel sauce, I knew it would be amazing. Three layers of moist, delicious spice cake full of homemade applesauce, topped with fluffy buttercream frosting, and drizzled with a sinful homemade caramel sauce. For a big, tall cake it disappeared surprisingly quickly!

**You can see the other club: BAKED members' results HERE.

Caramel Apple Cake

from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

for the caramel sauce:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

for the cake:
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
4 cups homemade applesauce (or store-bought)

for the caramel buttercream:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons caramel sauce

Combine sugar and corn syrup with 1/2 cup water in a tall saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Turn heat up, stop stirring, and bring mixture to a boil; cook until it reaches a "rich caramel color." I usually go for the color of honey. Remove from heat, and butter and cream, and stir until combined. If the mixture siezes up and gets clumpy, keep stirring and, if necessary, heat it on low until everything smoothes out.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter 3 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment, and butter and flour the parchment. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves; set aside. With an electric mixture, cream the butter and sugar until lights and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the applesauce, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again. Divide the batter among the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes before turning the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together sugar and flour. Add milk and cream and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Transfer to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until completely cool. Reduce mixer speed to low, add butter and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. If it looks curdled, just keep beating it. I'm told it will come together eventually, although I got impatient and quit!! Add 1/2 cup of caramel sauce and mix until combined.

To put the cake together, put down the first cake layer and cover the top with a thin layer of frosting. Repeat for the second and third layers, then cover the sides with a thin layer of frosting as well. Refrigerate until frosting is firm. Then frost the whole cake--top and sides--with the remaining frosting. Drizzle extra caramel sauce on top!!

Sawdust Pie for club: BAKED

2011-10-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

I've been sitting and sitting, wondering what to write about this pie. And nothing is coming to me, mostly because I keep getting distracted by this thought: I wish I had more pie! In short, Sawdust Pie is over-the-top delicious. Coconut, pecans, graham cracker crumbs, and white and semi-sweet chocolate pieces, all nestled in a buttery pie crust, and topped with sweet whipped cream and fresh banana slices. It tasted like a chocolate chip cookie and a banana split all rolled into one!

Thanks to Tessa of Cookin' Chemist for hosting this week's recipe from Baked Explorations. You can find the recipe on her blog by clicking HERE. And be sure to visit the club: BAKED website to see more delicious pies!

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

2011-09-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

This recipe has a long history with my little family. I got the original version from my sister-in-law when my husband and I were newlyweds. We had just moved into our condo with the bright red kitchen. I have such fond memories of that kitchen! Anyway, the only veggies in the recipe back in those days were potatoes, and it called for turkey bacon. I remember thinking "heck no!" to turkey bacon and using regular bacon instead. It made the soup soooooo salty; it's a wonder I kept making it after that, although I never again used bacon of any kind! And it originally only served 2, which was fine at the time but not really enough for a growing family. Fast forward seven years and it has morphed into a cheesy, comforting vegetable chowder packed with veggies that are good for you, and give the soup some much-needed color! It is one of our family favorites--even the kids love it--and now that the weather has cooled off a little, will resume its weekly appearance on our dinner menu.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1 stalk celery, finely chopped (feel free to add more celery if you like celery; I don't, so I don't add much)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth (I usually use a mixture of low-sodium chicken broth and broth made with chicken soup base because it gives it such nice flavor)

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender. Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened. Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through. Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

Sweet Melissa Sunday Favorites

2011-09-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

Almost two and a half years ago, I stumbled across a brand new baking group getting ready to bake its way through The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy. I had just gotten that very cookbook for Christmas and thought, "Why not?!" And while I haven't baked every recipe, I've enjoyed every minute of my time with Sweet Melissa Sundays, and found some amazing recipes along the way. Here are my Sweet Melissa Sundays Top 10...plus a few extras because I couldn't make up my mind!

1. Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Pie

2. Cherry Almond Granola

3. Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Torte

4. Coconut Custard Pie

5. Black Bottom Brownies

6. Cinnamon Buns

7. Apple Orchard Pecan Crumble

8. Mom's Banana Apple Bread

9. Devil's Food Cake

10. Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with Cornmeal Crumble Crust

11. Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream

12. Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds

13. Sour Cherry Pie with Pistachio Crumble

14. Lemon Icebox Cake with Fresh Strawberry Sauce

15. Caramel Apple Turnovers with Sweet Ricotta Filling

What we've been working on...

2011-09-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

I've--as usual--been bad at posting. But I have possibly the best excuse ever: a sweet new baby. Welcome little one!

Now...despite having a newborn with two VERY loving and active big sisters, I have found lots of time to cook lately. As you might have guessed, I really enjoy cooking and baking, so when I do have a little free time, that is what I choose to spend it doing. But taking pictures and writing posts are another story. So we've been eating all sorts of delicious things this summer, even since welcoming Baby, but we'll have to catch up on them another time.

One thing I did find time to snap a few pictures of--mostly because it met the two requirements of being done while the light was still good and having to set up before being eaten--was this yummy Boston Cream Pie for club: BAKED. I wasn't a huge fan of the cake layers (they were just a little tough/rubbery), but the chocolate sauce on top and the pastry cream filling were both outstanding. In fact, I licked the bowl that the chocolate sauce was in before it went on the cake, and I scraped every last bit of it off the serving plate after the cake was gone. I want to make it again and eat it with a spoon. That would be heaven!! If you'd like the recipe for this tasty and surprisingly easy classic American dessert, you can find it on Brooke's Bountiful Kitchen.

Homemade Doughnuts and Thumbprints: A {club: BAKED} Two-For-One

2011-08-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

As usual, I have been great at baking and lousy at posting recipes. So here are the past two bake-alongs from my newest group, club: BAKED. First up are the Farmstand Buttermilk Doughnuts. I've actually had a fair amount of experience with homemade doughnuts, so I wasn't intimidated by these at all. They were fun to make, they just ended up being too dry. I followed the directions, but probably should have either lowered the temperature of the oil or taken them out sooner. Anyway, I don't think there is such a thing as a bad doughnut!

Up next are the Chocolate Mint Thumbprints, which I will admit I wasn't super excited about making. I generally like soft, chewy cookies, and these were described as being more of a crumbly texture. BUT they were absolutely amazing in every way, the kind of cookie that you just cannot stop eating! I agree with Matt Lewis, co-author of the cookbook, that they seem like a holiday cookie, but that didn't stop us from polishing off the entire batch (3 dozen) in less than 24 hours. A couple of quick tips for WHEN you make these:

The recipe says to chill the dough, but don't let it get firm. Chill it for the prescribed 30 minutes and then get back to work.
My local grocery store has the world's worst selection of everything imaginable. You are supposed to roll the balls of cookie dough in coarse sugar, and all I could find was raw turbinado sugar, which is like coarse sugar x100. But it made the cookies look sparkly and gorgeous--a boon for holiday cookies--and gave them a super satisfying crunch. It might have been my favorite part of the cookie.
They suggest using the end of a wooden spoon to make your indentations. Excellent idea. It worked like a charm. And repoking the holes midway through the baking time was another gem of a suggestion. The thumbprint-making technique alone makes this recipe fantastic, before you even get to how yummy the finished product is!

If you'd like the recipe for Farmstand Buttermilk Doughnuts, you can find it HERE on Gloria's blog, The Ginger Snap Girl. Just make sure you don't fry them for too long!

And if you'd like the recipe for Chocolate Mint Thumbprints, and I know you do, you can find it HERE on Jamie's blog, Random Acts of Food.

One-Pan Caprese Chicken Panini

2011-07-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

There's really no story behind this sandwich. I made it up the other night. It was delicious. The end.

Ok, so I can't really let it go with just that paltry explanation. It's completely true that there's no story behind this sandwich. We needed something for dinner. Unlike most weeks, I had not made a menu or shopping list at the beginning of the week, which usually means we eat weird stuff all week because I have no ingredients. This time, I happened to have grabbed a bag of frozen chicken breasts (when I meant to buy chicken tenders), and my husband had requested caprese salad the week before, so we had fresh mozzarella and a tomato hanging around. It all just kind of came together by magic. And it really was magical. Seriously, I was sort of oohing and aahing my way through the whole sandwich and ate the leftovers on my husband's plate (he has braces, and they don't work so well with hearty sandwiches, which ending up being fortunate for me)!

One-Pan Caprese Chicken Panini

olive oil
1 chicken breast
salt
pepper
garlic powder
italian seasoning
enough bread for two people--I used whole wheat french bread because we had some that needed using, but anything fairly substantial should work; remember that it'll be loaded up and panini-fied, so don't choose something whimpy
fresh mozzarella
1 tomato
basil pesto
balsamic vinegar

Heat a nonstick grill pan (or just a regular nonstick skillet) over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil and add the chicken breast. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasoning, and saute until completely cooked through (turning as needed). The time will completely depend on how big your chicken breast is; mine was enormous and took at least 10 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and place it on a plate or cutting board. While the chicken is resting, cut your bread in half and place both halves cut-side-down on the grill pan (if you're using already-sliced bread, you can skip the cutting part and just stick it in the pan). Allow the bread to grill while you slice the mozzarella, tomato, and chicken. Slice all three into 1/4"-1/2"slices. Remove the bread from the pan. Spread the grilled side of the bottom of your sandwich with a generous spoonful of pesto. Remember that you are going to be squishing this, so don't glop on too much. On top of the pesto, add slices of chicken breast, then mozzarella, and end with tomato. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the tomato slices and drizzle balsamic vinegar on top. Add the top piece of bread (grilled-side-down). Place the whole sandwich in the pan, put something heavy and heat-proof on top (like the lid to a pot), and gently and steadily apply pressure. Allow the sandwich to grill on one side for 3-5 minutes, then flip the sandwich over and repeat the pressing process. You'll know you're done when the cheese starts to get melty and the bread is golden. Remove from pan, cut in half, and share with a friend. Or share with someone you want to become friends with; it'll totally win them over! Serves 2

New York-Style Crumb Cake (Club: BAKED)

2011-07-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

I started this blog over 3 years ago so that I could join the Daring Bakers, a world-wide online baking group with literally thousands of members. And then I joined another online baking group, the Cake Slice Bakers. And then another, Sweet Melissa Sundays. I just can't seem to get enough, can I? Sadly, Sweet Melissa Sundays is soon coming to an end; we've baked every recipe in the Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy (I use the royal we there; I've been terrible at participating of late). So of course I needed something to fill the giant hole in my baking heart. Enter Club: BAKED! Spear-headed by fellow Sweet Melissa Baker Karen of Karen's Cookies, Cakes, and More, we are baking our way through Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. I was a bit hesitant to buy another new cookbook because I already have so very many that I ignore, but after looking through the beautiful photos and amazing recipes, I can't wait to tackle all of the deliciousness this book promises.

Our first recipe is for New York-Style Crumb Cake. I made it for my family when we were all together at my parents' house at the beginning of June, and it was beyond amazing! The delicious cake base and tasty crumb topping ensured that every last piece was eaten before the morning was over. Paired with fresh fruit, it made a perfect extra-special breakfast. If you'd like to make it, you can find the recipe HERE on Karen's blog.

Tune in next week for Farm Stand Buttermilk Donuts. Yum!

Raspberry Ice Cream

2011-07-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month?! This sweet and tangy raspberry ice cream is the perfect way to start your celebration of frozen treats. And then you can follow it with vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, rocky road, peanut butter cup, butter pecan...I'm thinking we might eat a different flavor every day!

Raspberry Ice Cream

from my little sister's Mother-in-Law, Stephanie

The sour cream in this ice cream makes it deliciously tangy and nicely balances the super-sweetness of the berries.

1 lb frozen raspberries
8 oz sour cream

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 quart half-and-half
juice of 1 1/2 lemons

Combine raspberries, sour cream, and sugar in a food processor or blender and puree. Add pureed ingredients to half-and-half and lemon juice in a large bowl or pitcher and stir until completely combined. Pour mixture into the canister of an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Makes about 3 quarts.

Cinnamon Swirl Blondies

2011-06-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, I have been the Sunday School teacher for the 8-year-olds at church. On the first Sunday of the new year, when I have all of my new little ones in front of me, the first thing I do is ask them what treat they want me to bring to class for their birthday. The requests have been all over the place, everything from chocolate chip cookies and rice krispie treats to homemade lollipops and monkey bread. The monkey bread was a bit of a logistical nightmare last month since everyone likes warm monkey bread but Sunday School is at least an hour into church, and it's super messy, and then the birthday boy wasn't even there. I felt bad that we ate his birthday treat without him, but I was darned if I was going to make monkey bread twice, so I came up with these cinnamon swirl blondies to bring the next week to make up for it (I figured they'd be an OK substitute because they have vaguely the same flavor profile: butter, cinnamon, and sugar!) They were delicious! I admit that I ate 3 of them. Out of a batch of 12. And I would have eaten more if there had been more!

Cinnamon Swirl Blondies

adapted from Williams-Sonoma's recipe for Brown Butter Blondies

for the blondies:
2/3 cup unsalted butter (although if you prefer your blondies a little salty, use salted butter)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

for the cinnamon swirl:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x8" baking pan. In a small saucepan, melt the 2/3 cup butter, and let it cook until it is golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, and stir until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. In the same saucepan you used to melt the butter for the blondie batter, melt the 1/4 cup butter for the cinnamon swirl. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Drizzle the cinnamon sauce over the blondie batter and use a butter knife to swirl it in. Don't bother trying to do a fancy pattern; it just all melts together! Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Cool completely before serving.

Stella Blue's Pasta

2011-06-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, my family was vacationing in Hawaii. We spent the day sight-seeing around Maui and ate lunch at a tasty little cafe called Stella Blue's, where somebody ordered a yummy pasta dish with tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Later in the afternoon, when it was time to head back to the hotel for a little siesta, we discovered that there was a huge fire right in the middle of the sideways-figure 8-shaped island, and that the only road that could get us from Kihei to Kaanapali Beach was shut down until further notice. What a predicament! So we got ice cream, went to the movies (Mulan, which shows you how long ago this was), ate at Stella Blue's again (it was that good), and parked our rental car in the long line of cars waiting on the side of the road for the highway to reopen. At some point in the night, the fire was put out, the road was reopened, and we went back to our hotel and went to sleep. But my family has been eating Stella Blue's Pasta ever since! It is a true family favorite, and probably the best memento we've ever brought home from a vacation.

Stella Blue's Pasta

We like this best with linguini, but the rest of my family prefers angel hair pasta. Delicious either way!

olive oil
12 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tablespoons)
10-12 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped and loosely packed
salt
pepper
garlic powder
dried basil
1 pound pasta, cooked and drained
shredded parmesan cheese

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-low. Add the garlic and saute for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, turn the heat up to medium, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down and formed a nice sauce, about 20 minutes. Add fresh basil and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over cooked, drained pasta and toss to coat. If needed, correct the seasoning with more salt and pepper, and garlic powder and dried basil as necessary. Serve with lots of shredded parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Serves 6-8

Toasted Couscous Salad with Feta, Chives, and Tomatoes

2011-05-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

With summer on the horizon, I've been craving salads of all sorts. In the past few weeks, we've had caesar salads, spinach salads, grilled corn salads, pasta salads, broccoli salads, and more. I've been waiting since our bookclub Christmas party last December to make this light and delicious couscous salad. Full of nutty, toasted couscous, fruity olive oil, salty feta cheese, and fresh chives and tomatoes, it is the perfect addition to any summer meal.

Toasted Couscous Salad with Feta, Chives, and Tomatoes

from my friend Tannya, who moved to San Diego a few weeks ago :(

The directions below are for regular couscous, but you can also use pearled couscous, which is how I first had this dish. In that case, after toasting the couscous, follow the directions on the package to make about 3 cups of couscous.

1 cup couscous
olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
2 large roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 Tablespoon snipped fresh chives
salt

In a small saucepan, heat water plus about 2 teaspoons of olive oil to boiling. Meanwhile, heat another teaspoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat, add couscous, and saute, stirring frequently, until couscous it nicely toasted. Remove couscous from heat and immediately add to boiling water. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove lid, toss couscous with a fork, and set aside to cool completely. When cooled, pour couscous into a medium-sized bowl. Add tomatoes, feta, and chives. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and toss. Salt to taste. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4

Recipe from the Archives: Spanish Meatballs

2011-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another delicious family-favorite that has been posted before, but with a blah picture that didn't do the tasty dish justice. I first made these amazing spanish meatballs for a baby shower a few years ago, and then took the opportunity to take new pictures of them a few months ago when we had a tapas theme for dinner club. The made-from-scratch meatballs full of fresh breadcrumbs, scallions, and spices are simmered in a red wine and rosemary tomato sauce to create basically the most fantastic meatballs on the planet. And now they have a good picture to show them off!

Spanish Meatballs

Meatballs:
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup (about 2 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, finely chopped, white and light green parts only
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:
1 14.5-oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons red wine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except olive oil. Divide mixture into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned on all sides. Add all sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot with baguette slices.

Recipe from the Archives: Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

I first posted this recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies--our family favorite, by the way--back in September of 2008. The recipe hasn't changed, but I thought it was time to get a better picture in there! We have replaced our kitchen table, our camera, and our computer in the past 2.5 years, and I have to say I think my photography skills have improved more than a little! So here it is again, an oldy but a goody: Chocolate Chip Cookies (with new and improved picture).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Use an ice cream scoop to shape dough into balls, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet (the standard 12 cookies per sheet method). Bake for 10-12 minutes until just beginning to turn golden on the edges. Remove from oven, cool on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

For Chaz: How We Stir-Fry

2011-04-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

My brother called a few weeks ago to get ideas on new ways to cook vegetables. He wants to incorporate more veggies in his diet and is tired of just steaming them. So I've had vegetable cooking on my mind a lot lately. One of our favorite meals that is heavy on the veggies and light on the meat is stir-fry. I am by no means an expert; I doubt I employ proper or authentic stir-fry techniques when I make it. But we sure do love the results! Even the kids gobble it up. Here's how we do it--this will be more of a method than a recipe, but I made sure to write down what I threw in this time so that tonight's delicious stir-fry can be replicated. By me. Because I always think I'll remember what I did. And I never do.

PS--A great thing about stir-fry is that you can make fried rice with the leftovers plus a little oil, soy sauce, and scrambled eggs. A whole new meal in under 10 minutes!

Stir-Fry For Chaz (with Chicken and Vegetables, although that's up to you!)

1 generous lb chicken breast, chopped (I used 5 chicken breast tenders)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (on the fancy diagonal if you like)
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced like the carrots
2 crowns of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
1 generous cup chinese pea pods
1 small to medium zucchini, julienned (cut into matchsticks)
3 green onions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
soy sauce
bottled teriyaki sauce (we use Kikkoman Teriyaki marinade and sauce; it is not at all thick or gloopy)
2 Tablespoons apricot preserves
other things you can throw in: sweet and sour sauce, toasted sesame oil (I had some, got it out, and completely forgot to use it), plum sauce, any additional veggies or meats you like; I basically look through my fridge and pull out anything I think would work in stir-fry

1. It is important to do things in the right order with stir-fry because it cooks hot and fast. If you are having other dishes with it and they can be made first, make them first. We like fruit salad because chances are, if you're making stir-fry, you're attempting to eat healthy, so why ruin it with fried wontons. Also, if you're serving your stir-fry over rice, get it started before you begin cooking the stir-fry. I would get as far as covering the rice and turning down the heat before starting the stir-fry; the rice will have to cook for about 15 minutes, which is just enough time to do your stir-frying business.
2. Get all of your meat and veggies completely ready to go before you start cooking. Everything needs to be washed, peeled, chopped, etc. Also get out any other, non-chopping ingredients like soy sauce. Like I said, it all moves very quickly and you don't want your stir-fry to burn while you're fishing the jam out of the cupboard!

3. Remember that veggies cook at different speeds and taste their best at different levels of doneness. I divide our veggies up into groups and add them at different times. Vegetables that take a long time to cook or don't taste good hot and crispy--like carrots, celery, and chinese pea pods--go in the first group. Vegetables that take less time or taste good not completely tender--like zucchini, green onions, and broccoli--go in the second group.

Ok! Heat a nonstick skillet (not at all proper, but very effective) over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the chopped chicken. Salt and pepper lightly. Stirring the chicken frequently, cook until white on all sides; don't worry at this point about cooking it through. That'll happen eventually. Spoon the chicken into a bowl or plate, cover, and set aside.

Next add your group 1 veggies (long-time cookers). Stir frequently to prevent sticking or burning. Cook for about 5 minutes until just beginning to get tender; if the veggies start to stick or brown too much, add a splash of soy sauce to loosen things up.

Next add your group 2 veggies (quick cookers). Continue stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

When your group 2 veggies are almost perfect, add the chicken, garlic, apricot jam, and a generous splash of teriyaki sauce and soy sauce; the goal with adding the sauces is to coat the meat and veggies so they aren't dry, not to make soup. Stir until chicken is cooked through, veggies are tender, and all saucy components are well-mixed.

Turn off heat and serve immediately over hot rice. Serves 4.

Cake Slice Bakers: Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2011-04-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

When I read the name of this cake, it conjured up images of a dense, heavy, tangy cake--which I didn't think sounded very good. But it was amazing in every way! The cream cheese in the batter didn't impart a cheesecakey flavor, but rather an incredible moistness. The fresh lemon zest and freshly-grated ginger gave it a wonderful, refreshing Spring flavor. And unlike a lot of pound cakes, this one was not only easy to make AND baked evenly, but it also had a tight, light crumb. We loved it with the season's fresh strawberries and whipped cream, but I also snuck a few slices plain and they were equally delicious. It is by far my favorite plain pound cake recipe ever. If you've been intimidated by pound cakes in the past, give this one a try; it is a breeze!

Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman

3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs, at room temp
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 Tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla, ginger, and lemon zest. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour. When all of the flour has been added, mix for 30 seconds on medium. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in cold oven. Turn oven to 325 and bake until cake is golden, 65 to 80 minutes. Check for doneness with long wooden skewer. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

Easy Goat Cheese and Pear Salad

2011-04-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Aside from restaurant food and a few specific friends and family members' cooking, I pretty much prefer my own cooking to mystery food made by other people. It isn't a pride thing at all; it's a comfort thing. For example, let's say they're having a chili cook-off at church, and my pot of chili is one of 2 or 3 dozen entries. I can guarantee that my chili is the only one I'm going to try, mostly because I know exactly what went into it and that I already think it tastes good, and I'm not exactly adventurous when it comes to food.

The one glaring exception to this made-by-me food preference is salad. I love salad--as long as I didn't make it. I usually find salads that I've made gross. I can set out all of the ingredients for salad and have my husband put it together and it tastes delicious. If I make it, it's no good. Crazy how that works! Last Fall, my friend Tannya, who is an amazing cook, brought the most delicious salad to a baby shower for our mutual friend Annie. I have no clue how she made it, but it was on my mind the other day while I was grocery shopping, so I bought the cheater's version of what I think went into the salad. It took about 1 minute to throw together and tasted fantastic, and yes, I made it! And you can too!

Easy Goat Cheese and Pear Salad

mixed greens
1 ripe pear, sliced very thin (I prefer Anjou pears because they are sweet and soft)
chopped, honey roasted pecans from the produce section (I would have gotten the glazed pecans that were in the produce section, but they were halves, and when you're already cheating, why not buy the pecans that are already chopped, ya know?)
goat cheese crumbles
white balsamic vinaigrette (we like Litehouse because it tastes good and only has one strange ingredient)

Combine the ingredients to make a salad. It's not rocket science!!

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Irish Soda Bread

2011-03-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to jump back into Sweet Melissa Sundays this week with such a delicious and holiday-appropriate recipe! I love St. Patty's Day. I know it is one of the more casual holidays in America, but I think that's what makes it so fun. Other than wearing green and eating Irish food (or green food!), you can pretty much make up your own traditions. Anyway, I especially love the food associated with St. Patty's Day, and Melissa Murphy's recipe for Irish Soda Bread is going to be making an appearance at our St. Patrick's Day table for many years to come!

The Irish Soda Bread from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is basically a giant, tender scone or biscuit filled with plump, juicy raisins and savory carraway seeds. We ate ours warm and slathered in salty butter, and it was amazing! It was the perfect accompaniment to the delicious corned beef and cabbage we were enjoying, and will definitely become part of our St. Patty's Day traditions!

Many, many thanks to Julie of A Little Bit of Everything for choosing this fantastic and timely recipe! If you'd like to see how the other Sweet Melissa Bakers fared with their Irish Soda Bread, click HERE, and if you'd like the recipe, you can find it HERE on Julie's blog!

Dulce de Leche Brownies

2011-03-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

I am a huge collector of recipes. In college, I started keeping a binder with labeled dividers for the recipes I tore out of magazines, found on the internet, or got from family and friends. That oh-so-organized system has since devolved to gallon-sized ziplocks full of scraps of paper with recipes jotted down or torn from newspapers and magazines (on a good day) and random stacks of recipes shoved on top of the cookbooks on my kitchen bookshelf (all of the other days). One of the problems with this system--for there are many--is that often, once the recipe is out of sight, it is out of mind. It sits in its baggie or pile until...pretty much forever. Occasionally, a lucky recipe will make its way out of the stacks and bags and actually be used. This recipe for Dulce de Leche Brownies is one of those lucky few. It was printed on the inside of a box of butter that I must have used for something at my parents' house over the holidays. From there, it made its way into the back pocket of a pair of jeans, then onto my nightstand one laundry day in January, then finally, last week, into the kitchen on the day I hosted our annual bookclub planning meeting.

I'm really glad this recipe stuck with me through our long journey together. The brownie layers are perfectly moist and chocolatey without being the consistency of straight-up fudge (if I want fudge, I'll make fudge, not brownies) and the Dulce de Leche layer lends each delicious bite a rich, caramel flavor. Where is this recipe now, you ask? Well, it's back in a pile on top of the cookbooks. But it's also written below, for you and all future generations to enjoy. And so I don't have to dig through the recipe pile next time I want to make them. :)

Dulce de Leche Brownies

from the inside of a box of Challenge Butter

for the Dulce de Leche layer:

14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

2 Tablespoons butter

Combine the sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup in a large microwave-safe bowl (at least 2 1/2 quarts, no cheating!). Microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes, then remove from microwave and stir. Repeat, microwaving and stirring, until mixture has thickened and turned a lovely golden color. This took me 12 minutes of total microwaving. Whisk in butter and set aside.

for the brownies:

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9x13" baking dish. Cream butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture; mix until well blended. Spread half of the brownie mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Drop spoonfuls of Dulce de Leche onto the bottom brownie layer and spread evenly (as best you can). Top with remaining brownie mixture and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until brownies no longer look wet in the middle. Cool completely and cut into squares (because they are rich, I cut the pan into about 36 servings).

Easy Blueberry Muffins

2011-03-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason, my children decided they really, really wanted blueberry muffins this week. While I actually like the store-bought blueberry muffin mix, complete with artificial blueberry flavoring and teeny, tiny canned blueberries, I also like making things from scratch. And luckily, I had one last bag of blueberries in my freezer from our summer picking excursion and a delicious base recipe to work with.

The base recipe for the muffins comes from an old Pillsbury cookbook that either I or one of my siblings got for Christmas several decades ago. It has been a family favorite for many, many years now! My favorite part of these muffins is the golden, crispy top, followed closely by the just-sweet-enough wholesome flavor. They are the perfect accompaniment to soups, salads, and the ever-popular breakfast for dinner. And they can easily be jazzed up any number of ways. This time, I stirred frozen blueberries into the dry ingredients, but any fruit would be delicious, as would a cinnamon streusel topping or citrus zest stirred into the batter. Go crazy!

Easy Blueberry Muffins

adapted from a really, really old Pillsbury recipe

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 milk
1/3 cup oil
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line 12 muffin cups. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add blueberries and gently toss. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine milk, oil, and egg. Whisk well. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 18-22 minutes.

Daring Bakers February 2011 Challenge: Panna Cotta and Florentines

2011-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Did you forget that I'm in the Daring Bakers? Yeah? Me too. Luckily, I remembered in time to participate in this month's easy, delicious challenge. Our challenge this month was to make Panna Cotta, a super-simple, creamy italian custard, and Florentine Cookies, buttery, lacy oatmeal cookie sandwiches surrounding a yummy chocolate filling.

I think most people, even those of us who like to cook, cringe just a little when we hear the word "custard." Between making sure you don't scramble the eggs when adding them to the hot milk mixture and making sure you cook the mixture long enough that it will set up correctly, custard can be a very temperamental dessert. Well, Panna Cotta isn't like that at all; Panna Cotta is downright easy going! The recipe we were given to base our finished products on comes from Giada De Laurentiis, and it couldn't be simpler or more fool-proof. You sprinkle unflavored gelatin on some milk and let it sit for a few minutes, after which you heat it without letting it come to a boil. Add some heavy cream, and sugar and honey for sweetness, heat again...and that's it! Then you just pour it into your serving dishes and refrigerate it. There's no measuring the temperature with a candy thermometer or straining through a fine mesh sieve or anything!

I chose to make individual two-layer Black and White Panna Cottas for dinner club. With vanilla custard on the bottom and chocolate custard on top, they were a fantastic ending to our meal.

We were also challenged to make Florentine Cookies. I wasn't crazy about the finished product, but my husband, kids, and everyone at dinner club thought they were delicious and gobbled them all up. I have a bad habit of using more batter than I should when I make things, so my cookies turned out twice as big as they were supposed to, but I didn't hear any complaints!

I'm very, very glad I remembered the I was a Daring Baker this month. Panna Cotta is an easy, impressive, delicious dessert that I will definitely make again and again. I've posted both the vanilla and chocolate panna cotta recipes below, and the recipe for the Florentine Cookies can be found HERE on the Nestle website.

**The February 2011 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Vanilla Panna Cotta

from Giada De Laurentiis

If want to make double layer panna cottas, allow the bottom layer to set up completely before adding the top layer. I let my vanilla layer set up overnight, but 6 hours should be plenty.

1 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon (1 packet) unflavored gelatin powder
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon sugar
a pinch of salt

Pour the milk into a cold saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin powder evenly over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk milk mixture gently and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until hot but not boiling. Add cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Continue cooking until sugar and honey have dissolved, about 5-7 minutes. Again, do not let the mixture boil. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and pour into glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate until set, 6 hours to overnight. Serve cold.

Chocolate Panna Cotta

adapted from Bon Appetit

1 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon (1 packet) unflavored gelatin powder
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (I used semisweet and loved it)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour milk into a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin evenly over the top, and set aside for 2-5 minutes. Combine cream, sugar, and vanilla in a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until combined. Add milk mixture and whisk until gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour into glasses or ramekins and refrigerate until set, 8 hours to overnight. Serve cold.

Vanilla Buttermilk Birthday Cake

2011-02-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

For my birthday a few weeks ago, I thought it would be fun to make a birthday cake and deliver slices to a few of my friends. Most of them were amused and made comments about how backwards it was, but no one turned me away, so I think it was a success!

I made little cake slice-shaped boxes to house each piece. They are sized to fit an 8" cake cut into at least 12 pieces. You can download the template and find directions on how to put them together HERE.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake

Makes a 3-layer 8" cake, but since I only wanted 2 layers, I used the extra batter to make 12 cupcakes.

From Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne

4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or grease the bottoms of three 8" cake pans, line with circles of parchment paper trimmed to fit, and grease the paper. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and 1/4 cup buttermilk and whisk to combine. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and stir to blend. Add butter and remaining buttermilk and mix on low speed until combined. Turn mixer speed up to medium and beat 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add egg mixture in three additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition and beating only until incorporated. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Remove parchment circles and allow to cool completely before frosting. I made vanilla frosting using the recipe on the back of the 1-lb box of C&H powdered sugar. It is always a winner. You'll need to double it to make enough frosting for a 3-layer cake.

Template Help!

2011-01-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

A quick request: I'm tinkering with my blog design and can't figure out how to get my background pattern to repeat all the way up to the top of the page. As you can see, it stops a little ways up the header. Any ideas? I'm using one of the new Simple templates from Blogger, just in case you were wondering.

Golden Cornbread

2011-01-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

I have been a big cornbread fan for my entire life. Until a few years ago, I always just made the recipe on the side of the cornmeal box, and I was pretty happy with it. I occasionally tried something new, like a recipe from the Little House on the Prairie Cookbook or something with cheese, corn, and green chilies in it, but in general, I just floated along with my box recipe, blissfully unaware.

When we were dating and my husband first made this cornbread for me, I had a very snobby attitude toward it. Instead of being coarse, slightly on the dry side, and hearty like "real" cornbread, it was fluffy, tender, and sweet. I was used to choking down leftovers with a huge glass of milk so that I didn't asphyxiate on the dry, sandy crumbs, and I didn't think this moist, cakey cornbread was legit enough. But after a few months of eating it, I was hooked. Now I shudder at the thought of the cornbread I used to eat: dry, crumbly, corny.

Without further ado, my favorite cornbread recipe: sweet, tender, and lighter-than-air.

Golden Cornbread

makes one 9x13 pan

3 eggs, at room temperature
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 cups Bisquick (*if you are of the strictly-from-scratch camp, scroll down to the bottom of the post)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl, and mix until well blended. Pour batter into a greased 9x13" pan and bake at 350 degrees. I swear the baking time always varies a lot. Start with 30 minutes and work your way up from there.

*If you don't want to use Bisquick, you can make a copycat version from scratch. This makes more than you will need for the cornbread, but the extras can be stored at room temperature:
4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup nonfat powdered milk

Combine all ingredients, cutting shortening in with a fork or pastry cutter, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Hazelnut Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

2011-01-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

I hadn't intended on being absent from this blog for a whole month, but you know how life goes, especially around the holidays! Family and fun trump blogging anyday.

I'm a few days late in posting my Sweet Melissa Sundays blurb for the week, but I think the picture is pretty enough to make up for it. This week's recipe from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy was chosen by Candy of Candy Girl: Hazelnut Raspberry Layer Cake, or in my case, Hazelnut Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream. Hazelnuts are one of those things I like without loving, so I wasn't jumping at this recipe, but I have a friend who happens to be crazy for hazelnuts and had a birthday last week, so I made cupcakes for her.

The cake batter threw me for a loop; it was basically the consistency of paste until having lots and lots of whipped eggs whites folded into it. I had my doubts that the cupcakes would turn out, but they were moist and flavorful. The fresh raspberries in the buttercream made it the most lovely shade of pink. My only complaint on the frosting is that the buttercream tasted way too buttery; the butter flavor made the delicious raspberry flavor hard to detect. I think the idea is a sound one, however, and I plan on trying fruit buttercreams in the future with a different base recipe.

Thank you Candy for choosing this truly lovely recipe; it was a big hit with the birthday girl! If you'd like to try this delicious combination, you can find the recipe HERE. And to see how the other Sweet Melissa Bakers fared, click HERE.

Christmas Cookie Plate

2010-12-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas cookies bring back memories of my childhood more than any other holiday food does. Every year after school got out for the holidays, we'd make a list of the cookies we were going to make for our Christmas cookie plate. One sister always made peanut blossoms, another always made molasses crinkles. The rest of us chose among the other perennial favorites: snickerdoodles, russian tea cakes, sugar cookies, chocolate crackles, and chocolate chip (of course). Sometimes, someone would feel especially spunky and try a new treat, like mini pretzels with hershey kisses and m&m's melted on top, or chex muddy buddies!

Here are some of our favorites, old and new:

Chocolate Chip

Full of brown sugar and vanilla, these are the best.

Chocolate Orange Shortbread

Any kind of shortbread is good, but the flavors of dark chocolate and orange make this especially bright and festive.

Peanut Blossoms (aka Kiss Cookies)

We've been eating these for as long as I can remember. They are probably the #1 favorite cookie in my family.

Orange Juice Cookies

With a consistency between cookies and breakfast pastries, these citrus-spiked lovelies are addicting!

Snickerdoodles

A favorite for all ages

Manger Cookies

A sweet, nutty treat that is so easy even the littlest cookie bakers can help

Molasses Crinkles

These might tie with the peanut blossoms for my family's top Christmas cookie. With their soft, chewy texture and warm, spicy flavor, they capture the holiday season in every bite.

Cherry Thumbprints

Another version of shortbread, this time filled with tart cherry preserves that bake to a candy-like consistency

Candy Cane Cookies

This is a new favorite--as in, I just had them for the first time two weeks ago! They are so delicious. Buttery, minty, sugary. A big thank you to Kristan for bringing them to our church Christmas party, where I think I downed a full dozen in about 2 minutes, and for sharing the recipe with me.

for the cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling hot cookies

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour

Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and salt, and mix well. Gradually add flour and mix just until dough comes together. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pinch off a small amount of dough and roll into a 1" ball, then roll out into a long, skinny cylinder. Bend one end over to make a candy cane shape. You can also just roll out the dough to 1/4" thick and use small cookie cutters. Bake on parchment-lined sheets for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately roll in more powdered sugar. Place on a rack to cool.

for the glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

6 regular sized candy canes, crushed

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, and extract, and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cookies, then sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Holiday Treats to Share

2010-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Giving gifts to friends and neighbors is such a fun part of the Holiday season. Growing up, we always delivered plates of cookies, and I still plan on doing that this year when we spend Christmas with my parents. Since becoming a mom and having children of my own, I've tried to branch out from the standard cookie plate and give unique, homemade treats. It isn't because I don't like cookies; I do, and we still make all of the old favorites. I just like any excuse to make something new and delicious! Plus, if you don't give away all of your cookies, you get to eat them all yourself. I find it is a winning strategy!

Here are some of our favorite treats to share:

Caramel Corn

Not at all like Cracker Jacks (and the better for it), this sticky, salty, chewy, delicious caramel corn disappears in the blink of an eye.

Honey Wheat Bread

If you're tired of all the sweets, try giving loaves of warm, homemade bread!

Carmelitas

OK, so they still haven't won any contests (ask me about last week's church potluck sometime), but they remain some of the most tasty bars we've ever had!

Homemade Berry Syrup and Pancake Mix

Who doesn't love hot-off-the-griddle pancakes or waffles smothered in a heavenly berry concoction?

Sweet and Chewy Coconut Chex Mix

We actually received this as a present from a neighbor one Christmas when I was growing up. It has been a family favorite ever since!

Chocolate-Caramel Pretzel Sticks

Do they even need explaining?!

Cranberry Pecan Granola

This is what we're giving our friends and neighbors for Christmas this year. And we're not the only ones! This recipe can fairly easily be doubled (it all depends on how many big bowls and cookie sheets you have laying around), and can also be halved if you want smaller batches. Although the recipe technically makes 4 quarts of delicious, addicting granola, I found that by leaving a little head-space in each jar, I could fill 5-6 wide mouth quart jars with each batch.

Cranberry Pecan Granola

a true Frankenstein's monster of a recipe, with bits and pieces borrowed from here, here, and here

8 cups rolled oats

1 cup raw, shelled sunflower seeds

1 cup raw, shelled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup powdered milk

3/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 cups dried, sweetened cranberries

Arrange the baking racks in your oven so that they are in the top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and set aside. In a very, very large bowl, combine oats, sunflower seeds, pepitas, pecans, and powdered milk. In a small bowl or 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine all remaining ingredients except cranberries. Stir to combine, then pour over oat mixture. Using a big wooden spoon, gently stir the oat mixture until it is all thoroughly and uniformly coated with the maple syrup-honey mixture. Divide oat mixture evenly between the two prepared baking sheets, and evenly distribute the mixture on each sheet. Place both pans in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Gently stir the mixture on each sheets, being careful not to burn yourself or spill any granola into the oven, rotate the sheets, and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove both pans from the oven and allow to cool completely. Break up the granola, place in a big bowl, add the cranberries, and mix well. Pack into jars, bags, or any air-tight container.

Happy December 1st! and Savory Holiday Snacks

2010-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Last year, I took on the completely overwhelming (but festive) task of posting a holiday recipe every day for the 25 days of December leading up to Christmas. This year, I've decided to tackle a different holiday food theme each week and just do one big post. This week's theme is...

It is December 1st and I can already count 6 holiday parties on our calendar in the next two weeks alone, each requiring us to bring a little something to nosh on. The holiday season is ruled by sweets, but potlucks and parties are great places to showcase savory treats too. Here are some of our favorites--ones that actually get requested year after year:

Christmas Cheeseball

I could eat the whole thing by myself. It'd hurt, but I'm pretty sure it would be worth it.

Crisped-Prosciutto and Avocado Crostini

Salty, creamy, and smoky--all rolled into one delicious bite!

Mini-mini Quiche

So much better than those frozen ones, and so easy too.

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

All from scratch, super delicious, and served with a nice, crusty baguette to sop up all of that extra, yummy sauce.

Fresh Veggie Pizza

A cool and refreshing alternative to all of that hot, heavy holiday food.

Roasted Garlic Twice-Baked Potatoes

You might wince when you read the ingredients, but just trust me: these babies taste fantastic. I've tried monkeying with the recipe, but the original version just works better, so you might as well follow it. I actually get assigned to make these for our friends' potluck every Christmas because people liked them so much the first time!

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Double-Crusted Cranberry Blueberry Pie

2010-11-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! In honor of tomorrow's day of gratitude, I wanted to share this wonderful pie recipe. It will be making it's debut at our Thanksgiving table tomorrow, but I did sneak bites of both the filling and the crust today, and they are sensational. The combination of cranberries and blueberries in the filling is deliciously tart and the most beautiful shade of purple. And the crust is flaky, tender, and golden. Can you ask for anything more from a pie?

Double-Crusted Cranberry Blueberry Pie

from The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan

for the crust:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup shortening, very cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/3 cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons ice water

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add cold butter and shortening, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add sour cream and ice water, and process just until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide dough into two equal parts, shape each into a 1-inch thick round, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

for the filling:

1/2 of a small orange, peel and all, quartered

1 12-oz bag cranberries, fresh or frozen

4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 2/3 cups sugar

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

Grind the orange in a food processor. Combine orange with all other ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue stirring until a jam-like consistency is reached, about 4 minutes. Cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove one of the dough rounds from the fridge, unwrap it, and place it on a very clean, floured surface. Roll it out into a 12" circle. Carefully place the dough in a pie plate, making sure it is centered, and press it into place. Pour the cooled filling into the pie plate. Use a pastry brush to brush the top edges of the bottom crust with milk. Remove the second dough round from the fridge roll it out using the same method as the first. Place it on top of the pie and, using a paring knife, trim off any crust that hangs over the edge of the pie plate. Use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges of the two crusts together. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Brush the top of the pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 50 minutes, until the crust is golden.

*****

Pie Tips:

If you bungle the top crust beyond repair--as I did--use scraps of dough and a decorative cookie cutter to patch the hole.
Cut the extra crust into cookie-sized pieces, brush with milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes and voila! Pie Crust Cookies, a childhood favorite, and my youngest sister's only contribution to Thanksgiving dinner.
Put foil around the edges of the crust after they've reached the perfect color, otherwise they will burn.

Shame on Me: Playing Catch-Up

2010-11-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

So you might remember that I participate in a few online baking groups, but looking around this blog, you'd never know it! The sad thing is I very often participate in the monthly/weekly/bi-weekly challenges. I even take pictures of my results. I just get busy and forget to post them. Such was the case in October for not one, but two of my favorite groups: The Cake Slice Bakers and the Daring Bakers. So here is a quick summary of both results, along with a half-hearted pledge to do better (what can I say, I know my own limits).

The Cake Slice Bakers, October 2010 challenge brought us a new cookbook and a delightful recipe. Our new book, Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman, is really cute and truly stuffed to the gills with cake recipes. I have already made a couple of cakes from it in the month I've had it, and have plans to make many more, hopefully one particularly delightful-looking cake tomorrow. This month's recipe was Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, and it was delicious. It was rich and smooth, as a good pound cake should be. I had a problem with the baking time not being quite enough, but as far as my experience goes, that's nothing new when it comes to pound cake. Scroll down for the recipe.

The Daring Bakers Challenge for October was a fun, easy one that I wasn't about to skip, despite a busy month. We were challenged to make donuts. That's it! Just donuts. However we wanted, whatever flavor, completely up to us. I chose to try a recipe I remembered my mom making over 20 years ago when I was little, applesauce donuts. They were every bit as good as I remembered. I made half a batch, which made 2 dozen donut holes, and we ate all but one of them. Really, I don't know why we stopped at that point! They were subtly sweet and slightly spicy, and then we covered them in cinnamon sugar and made them very sweet and very spicy! I think they would be equally good dredged in powdered sugar, and I was actually sad when it occurred to me that I hadn't saved any to test that theory on. Their strange, flying saucer shape can be explained by the fact that we had almost no oil in the house and had to fry them in about an inch of extra virgin olive oil. Scroll down for the recipe.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman

1 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

pinch nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts, which I left out

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, mixing between each addition. Stir in pumpkin, vanilla, and milk; mix until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture; stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until firm to the touch and until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cook completely before slicing.

Applesauce Donuts

from the May 1984 issue of Family Circle

makes 4 dozen donut-hole-sized donuts

oil for frying

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulates sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons oil

1/4 cup milk

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Fill a large heavy saucepan with 3 inches of vegetable oil. Heat to 360 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a large bowl, beat sugars and eggs until fluffy. Beat in 2 Tablespoons oil. Stir in half of the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Stir in milk. Add the remaining flour mixture. Stir in applesauce and vanilla; mix until well-combined. Carefully drop batter by the Tablespoon into the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time. Fry for about 3 minutes, turning once with tongs half-way through. Remove to a paper towel to drain and cool. Toss with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.

The Tale of the Carmelitas

2010-10-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

We live in a big-but-not-huge town. We have a P.F. Chang's and a Pottery Barn and two malls and two full-price movie theaters. But we don't have a Williams-Sonoma. Instead, we have a few delightful, locally-owned kitchen stores. One of them holds a monthly baking contest, and these Carmelitas were supposed to be my ticket to local baking contest greatness.

See, a Carmelita is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill treat. Rather, it is like a buttery oatmeal cookie that swallowed a caramel-filled chocolate bar and then got bibitty-bobitty-booed by the dessert fairy godmother and received an extra dose of deliciousness. Everyone I have ever talked to who has tasted one has proclaimed it to be the most wonderful thing ever. I'm not exaggerating! I tasted my first Carmelita last year while I was visiting my sister. I liked it so much that I helped her eat the whole pan in two days. Just the two of us. A 9x13" pan. Two days. And we liked it...obviously.

When I got my kitchen store newsletter in January, I started planning out my strategy. Some months I knew I'd be gone, some months I couldn't think of a good cookie to make, but September--Oatmeal Cookie Month--I knew would be mine because I was going to make Carmelitas, and no one can resist them. They were like my fail-safe. If my coconut macaroons didn't win in April (they didn't), and if my bar cookies didn't win in June (nope), and if my thumbprints didn't win in August (er, not them either), then I'd knock everyone's socks off in September with the best oatmeal cookie any of them had ever tasted!

The email naming the winner took a few extra weeks to be sent--no lie--and I was on pins and needles the whole time. When I saw it sitting there in my in-box, I had one of those strange prickling sensation on the back of my neck that you always hear about in stories--not a good feeling. The thought popped into my head that if I had won, they probably would have called or emailed me or something before just sending it out in an email newsletter. But I still didn't think any cookie could beat my sweet Carmelitas, it just wasn't possible! But it was true: a recipe for oatmeal cookies studded with white chocolate and dried cranberries had been crowned the champ. I just could not--and a part of me still doesn't--imagine any oatmeal cookie tasting better than the best cookie I'd ever had.

Epilogue:
If I sound just a wee bit crazy, get a load of this! Last week, I had to go into the kitchen store to buy 20 tiny salt spoons (more on that another time), and I actually brought up the oatmeal cookie contest to the cashier! Even though it had occurred to me to ask about the results, I don't think I had really planned on doing it, because I sort of ummed and uhhed and stumbled all over my words. It ended up being, "Umm, well, I sort of was wondering, um, do you guys, you know, like.....keep the results from past contests? 'Cause I was just, you know, um, maybe if you, you know, remembered the Carmelitas, uh," **very blank look from the cashier at this point**, "how close it was, uh, you know, like," and I just sort of trailed off! These baking contests have turned me into a raving lunatic!!

Carmelitas
All of the crazy obsessiveness boils down to this: Carmelitas are to-die-for. Make them. Now.

Daring Bakers September 2010: Sugar Cookies

2010-09-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

I have always loved sugar cookies because I grew up with such superior ones. I'm sure everyone thinks the same thing, but I really do think my mom's sugar cookie recipe is the best one out there. They are tender, pillowy, sweet...but they don't hold their shape very well. I've always been under the impression that as far as sugar cookies go, you can't have it both ways. You either get delicious cookies, or cookies that hold their shape. Never both. And the frosting is the same way: you can have delicious frosting that is a bit on the free-form side, or really attractive, detailed frosting that doesn't taste very good. So imagine my amazement when I ate one of my beautifully (sort of) decorated Daring Bakers sugar cookies and found that it was (gasp!) quite delicious!

Our school district held a huge talent show/bake sale fundraiser last week, and I donated cupcakes and fancy-pants sugar cookies decorated with the school district logo. I've always been hesitant to use royal icing because I've heard it doesn't taste that great. But it was darn OK, if you ask me, and it really did make for lovely cookies. And people actually called to tell me how fantastic they thought the cookies were. A friend even told me she kept going back for more sugar cookies!

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

Basic Sugar Cookies
makes approximately 3 dozen 4" cookies

½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1 cup Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavorings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture. Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms. Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces. Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 1/5 inch. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife. Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour. Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies. Leave to cool on cooling racks. Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.

Royal Icing

2½ - 3 cups powdered sugar, unsifted
2 large egg whites
2 tsp lemon juice

Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined. Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites. Beat on low until combined and smooth. Use immediately or keep in an airtight container. **The smaller amount of powdered sugar makes an icing that is good for flooding (filling in), while the larger amount makes an icing that is good for outlining. Use even more powdered sugar for writing.**

Cake Slice Bakers, September 2010: Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

2010-09-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Autumn is by far my favorite season. So, even though it's coming a little earlier than I'd like this year, I still welcome it and all of the warm spiciness that it brings. Our final choice from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott, Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze, was the perfect way to say hello to Fall and good-bye to another wonderful cookbook. That's right. We're done with the controversial Southern Cakes, and will welcome a new cookbook in October (for the record, I loved Southern Cakes and will continue to bake from it regularly). We're also accepting new bakers, so if you're interested, email Katie at appleandspice{at}hotmail{dot}co{dot}uk and put "Cake Slice Member" as the subject. You have until October 20th to sign up. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what the new cookbook is, but if you sign up, Katie will let you know. I think I am safe in telling you, however, that we're all excited about it, that it won our vote by a fairly wide margin, and that it contains lots of different kinds of cake recipes. So if you're wary of baking a year's worth of triple layer cakes, don't be! The cakes in the new cookbook aren't scary or overwhelming--just delicious-looking!

Back to the apple cake. I made it for my dad's birthday and was very worried that it wouldn't turn out. Before you stir in the apples and nuts, the batter is basically the consistency of modeling clay. Very thick is actually an understatement. But is all works out! The cake has a wonderful, tender interior and a fantastic crust on top. Everyone loved the cake, ate second helpings, and snuck extra forkfuls throughout the remainder of the evening. There is an option to add spices to the batter, but I left it plain so that the apple flavor could really shine. And don't get me started on the brown sugar glaze. It looked beautiful and tasted amazing. Don't tell anyone, but when we got back home from the birthday dinner, I scraped every last bit of hardened glaze from the pot and ate it with a spoon. It was absolutely delicious. There was only one problem with the cake: it called for way too much oil. I didn't really notice it when the cake was fresh, but the few pieces that made it to day 2 seemed to get greasier by the minute. Since I will be making this cake again (and soon!), I plan to decrease the oil to 1 cup and add 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce to the batter. I might even decrease the oil to 3/4 cup and add 3/4 cup applesauce; we'll see.

This simple, rustic cake is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of Autumn. And the brown sugar glaze doesn't exactly hurt.

Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

for the cake:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (or substitute unsweetened applesauce for some of the oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups finely chopped peeled apples
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (I used pecans and they were much loved)
cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs until pale and foamy. Add the oil (and applesauce, if using) and vanilla, and beat well. Add flour mixture and stir until flour just disappears. Add apples and nuts, and fold in. Scrape batter into a greased 9x13" pan, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool. Glaze while warm, or right out of the oven, as I did.

for the glaze:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons evaporated milk, cream, or half-and-half

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook for 3 to 5 more minutes. Spoon hot glaze over hot cake. Allow cake to cool completely before serving.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Pie

2010-09-19T00:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of blueberries, so I find it extremely odd that last year, I almost chose a lemon cheesecake with blueberry topping for my first SMS pick, and this year, I did, in fact, choose a lemon pie with blueberry topping for my second SMS pick! And both recipes were delicious! Melissa Murphy states in the foreward to this recipe that, "Blueberries really need to be offset by something tart to taste their best." I think that is the key to the success of the lemon-blueberry partnership: the brightness of the lemon balances the sweetness of the blueberry to create a truly satisfying flavor that isn't too sour or too cloyingly sugary.

My whole family loved this pie. The consistency and flavor of the pie filling reminded us all of lemon bars. It was firm enough to hold its lovely wedge shape when cut, but creamy and tender at the same time. I chose to use a different blueberry topping than the one called for in the recipe, but didn't stray too far: I used the recipe for blueberry topping from the cheesecake appearing later in the book. When I mentioned that I'm not a huge fan of blueberries, I should put a little asterisk by that and clarify. I'm not a huge fan of raw blueberries, but I do like them cooked. I just think it makes them taste better, plain and simple. The only thing I didn't absolutely adore about this delicious pie was the crust. I went ahead and followed the recipe, which called for all-butter pie crust, even though it has twice failed me. And the third time was not the charm, unfortunately. Every time I make this crust, it shrinks significantly while baking, even with the use of pie weights, AND it slumps. Shrinkage and slumpage are a bad combo! The bottom comes up, the sides come down, and there's only about an inch of crust left to hold all of that sweet, custardy filling. Luckily, the crust conundrum is an easy problem to solve; next time, I'll simply use a regular butter/shortening recipe. Another mouth-watering and easy winner from Melissa Murphy!

Thanks for baking with me this week everybody! And check out the Sweet Melissa Sundays blogroll to see who else participated.

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Pie
from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

for the pie:
1 prebaked 10-inch piecrust made from All-Butter Pie Dough (click HERE for a recipe for Flaky Pie Dough instead)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, sifted
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, butter, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the prebaked pie shell. Place the pie plate on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake pie for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the custard is set. Think lemon bars. Cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled, topped with blueberry topping.

for the blueberries:
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 Tablespoon water
1 1/2 dry pints fresh blueberries

In a small, heavy saucepan, whisk together preserves and water, and cook over medium heat until melted. Strain through a sieve, add blueberries, and stir to coat. Or, if you prefer cooked blueberries like I do, you can use this recipe for blueberry topping instead.

Baguette Appetizer, 2 Ways

2010-09-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a bread girl. I know that bread makes you fat, and I could still eat is all day long. *Contented sigh.* For book club last week, I decided to venture away from the sweets (gasp!) and try something savory. I had two recipes I'd been wanting to try, both of which called for a baguette, both of which completely disappeared by the end of book club. I'm already thinking of when I can make them again.

Cucumber Munchers
from my cousin-in-law, April
It is important to use a cucumber with a tender, unwaxed skin, like a hothouse cucumber wrapped in plastic.

1 baguette
1-2 cucumbers
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonaisse
1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
dry dill weed

Cut the baguette into 1/2" slices. Wash the cucumbers, trim the ends, and cut into the same number of slices as the baguette. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add mayo and italian dressing mix and beat to combine. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of baguette slices, top with a cucumber slice, and sprinkle with dill. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.

Crisped-Prosciutto and Avocado Crostini
from Martha Stewart
I knew when I saw these in a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living that I needed to make them. The combination of fresh, creamy avocado, salty prosciutto, and sharp cheese sounded just dreamy. And it was! These require some work, but are actually pretty easy to prepare. They look beautiful and disappear almost immediately! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find Manchego cheese, but it was in the specialty cheese section of my local Albertson's.

Click HERE for the recipe.

Tart Cherry Crumb Cakes

2010-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I had the honor of helping to throw a 30th birthday party for my good friend . We set up long tables in the middle of a big field and ate fruit, cheeses, sweet potato fries, seafood, corn on the cob...it was a beautiful--and filling!--end to a lovely summer season. We ended the evening with these sweet little crumb cakes. Filled with spicy streusel and tart pie cherries, and topped with delicious vanilla bean ice cream, they were the perfect dessert for a rustic birthday celebration. To read more about the party, click HERE.

Tart Cherry Crumb Cakes
adapted from a recipe from Sophistimom
I had to triple the recipe to make enough cakes for the party, and ran out of sour cream before I had made all of the batter. In a pinch, you can use plain yogurt. And in a really, really big pinch, you can use vanilla or honey yogurt; just decrease the sugar to 3/4 cup.

for the cakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup + 3 Tablespoons sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups tart pie cherries, pitted

for the streusel:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
4 Tablespoons butter, softened

for the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons cream (may need more)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut six 4" circles out of parchment paper. Spray six mini springform pans (4") with nonstick spray. Lay a parchment circle in the bottom of each pan, and set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl with each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and beat until smooth. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until just combined. In a small bowl, combine all streusel ingredients. Mix with a fork or your hands until well-mixed and crumbly. Spread about 1/2 cup of batter in the bottom of each pan. Divide the cherries evenly among the six pans. Sprinkle a heaping Tablespoon of streusel over the cherries in each pan. Divide remaining batter among the six pans, and top with the remaining streusel. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and let cool 5 minutes before removing from pans. In a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients. The glaze should be just thin enough to drizzle, so if needed, add more cream. Drizzle glaze over cakes and serve warm.

Sweet Melissa Rewind: Cherry Almond Granola

2010-09-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed yogurt with granola on top, but for the past few months, it has almost become an addiction! Every morning, almost without fail, I make myself a little yogurt parfait for breakfast. I've always just used store-bought granola, but making the Cherry Almond Granola from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book was so easy--and the results were so delicious--that I think I might have to start making granola from scratch all the time! The almonds and dried cherries are the stars of the show, with the former contributing a warm, nutty crunch and the latter, a bright, fresh pop of flavor. But the thing I like best about this from-scratch granola is that I know exactly what's in it, and I can easily change it to suit any whim. Different fruits, different nuts, different spices. I can't wait to try more combinations!

Thanks to Wendy of Pink Stripes for choosing this recipe way back when. You can find the complete recipe on her blog by clicking HERE.

End of Summer Salads

2010-08-31T15:28:00.001-07:00

With school starting again and the days getting noticeably shorter, summer is definitely coming to an end. But we have a few weeks of sunshine and warm weather left before fall officially begins. Here are three of our family's favorite picnic salads from our short summer season. Use the last of your garden bounty to make these delicious recipes, and savor that last little bit of summer!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

2 teaspoons seasoned pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 16-oz bag frozen corn, thawed and drained
2-3 small tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion, diced
fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine seasoned pepper and salt, lemon juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined. In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Pour dressing over and toss to coat.

Marinated Green Bean and Potato Salad

1 lb green beans, trimmed
2 lbs baby red potatoes, quartered
2 Tablespoons white wine
2 Tablespoons chicken stock
3 Tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1/4 cup minced scallions
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh italian parsley
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until just tender. While potatoes are cooking, bring a medium-sized pot of water to boil and add green beans. Let green beans cook for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beans to a bowl filled with ice water. Set aside. When potatoes are done, pour them into a colander and cover with a clean dish towel. Let steam for 10 minutes. Put potatoes in a large bowl, add wine and chicken stock, and toss. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic. Pour dressing over potatoes. Add scallions, tarragon, parsley, bacon, and cooled green beans. Toss well. Serve warm.

Italian-Style Pasta Salad

Click HERE for the recipe.

Cake Slice Bakers, August 2010: Tres Leches Cake

2010-08-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

I completely forgot to post this on the 20th! Luckily that was just yesterday, so I'm not too far off. I made this cake a few weeks ago when we had company in town, and it was very well-received. For anyone unfamiliar with Tres Leches Cake--although that's hard to imagine--you start with a white cake, poke holes all over the top, and pour a sweet, three-milk sauce over the top and let it soak in. I'm not a fan of soggy cakes, so I only used about half of the sauce, but it still turned out wonderfully moist and flavorful. I loved the addition of lime zest to the top of the cake; it gave it a zippy, tropical punch of flavor. This cake was another easy winner from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott, and one that I will definitely be making again!

Johnny C's Tres Leches Cake
from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

for the cake:
3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at high speed until well-mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat at low speed until the flour just disappears. Do the same for 1/2 of the milk. Repeat with flour, milk, and more flour. Pour batter into a greased 9x13" pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is golden and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

for the three-milk sauce:
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon fresh lime zest

While the cake is baking, combine the three milks in a saucepan. Heat gently over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture is smooth and steaming.

When the cake comes out of the oven, allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with lime zest. Using a toothpick, poke holes in the top of the cake every inch or so. Working in batches, pour the hot sauce over the warm cake. Allow one batch of sauce to soak in before adding the next batch. Add as much or as little as you like. As I said, I only used half of the sauce. Let stand at room temperature for one hour, then cover and refrigerate. Allow cake to come to room temperature before serving. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Daring Bakers Catch-Up: The Best Chocolate Ice Cream Ever

2010-08-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

As I've stated before, being out of town all summer has seriously cut into my cooking group participation. But when I saw the recipe for July's Daring Bakers Challenge, Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake, I figured it would be easy and my family would love it. So I gathered my ingredients one day between trips and got started. I made delicious vanilla and chocolate ice creams from scratch without my trusty ice cream freezer (I had forgotten to put the bowls in the freezer), and really, really delicious hot fudge sauce that I ate quite a bit of with a spoon. Things hit a rough patch when I realized I had no parchment paper with which to line my cake pan. No big deal; you can use waxed paper in a pinch. Ruh-roh, as Scooby would say. No waxed paper either. What to do? The ice cream is in the freezer, the hot fudge is cooling, the cake batter is made. Surely you can cut up a brown paper grocery bag, grease the heck out of it, and use that, right? Doesn't that seem like it would work? Sadly, it was a hot cake mess. So I scrapped the Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake idea and we had spectacular ice cream sundaes, complete with fresh whipped cream, homemade hot fudge sauce, and sliced bananas. The chocolate ice cream, in particular, was amazing. Somehow, 3 simple ingredients combined to form a smooth, rich, fudgy chocolate ice cream. I was sad that I didn't make more of it. Luckily, we still have a few weeks of ice cream season left!

Chocolate Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Whisk all ingredients in a small sauce pan until well-combined. Heat until bubbles form along edges. Remove from heat and allow to cool before freezing. Freeze according to ice cream freezer manufacturer's instructions. Or, put the mixture in a freezer safe bowl and freeze. Stir every 30 minutes or so for the first 2 hours, then allow to freeze completely.

Hot Fudge Sauce
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and water in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Smart Spice Winner!

2010-08-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Katie from Tulsa! She won 16 organic herbs and spices from Smart Spice! Thanks to everyone who participated in this give-away, and make sure to check out the Smart Spice website.

Skillet Cake featuring Smart Spice Nutmeg and Cinnamon...and Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Torte

2010-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

To enter the Smart Spice Give-Away, click HERE!

Several years ago, my husband and I spent a month in Bellingham, WA for a summer internship. We lived in someone's spare room, slept on a futon, I was 5 months pregnant, he was gone all day with the car....it was weird. BUT we fell in love with the Pacific Northwest AND got this delicious recipe, so all's well that ends well!

Skillet Cake

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon Smart Spice Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Smart Spice Cinnamon or True Cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pint blackberries

Place the butter in the bottom of a 10" cast-iron skillet or dutch oven and put it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and allow the butter to melt while the oven is heating. Meanwhile, combine all of the remaining ingredients except the berries. When the butter has melted and the oven is hot, pour the butter into the batter, whisk it until well-combined, and pour it back into the hot pan. Sprinkle the berries over the center of the cake. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and baked through. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

*****

I love going on vacation in the summer. Graduations...family reunions...beaches...camping...so much fun! But being gone basically every other week does take a toll on my baking club participation. I was thrilled to be back to baking from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book this week, and thrilled to make such a fantastic dessert: Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Torte! I can usually go either way on flourless chocolate cakes; sometimes they're great, sometimes they're not. With its creamy, truffle-ish texture and tart bits of fresh raspberry, this was hands-down my favorite flourless chocolate cake ever. Everyone who tried it loved it, and it looked beautiful and elegant while being really simple to prepare.

Thanks to Jennifer of The Rookie Baker for choosing this winner. You can find the recipe by clicking HERE!

Grilled Chicken Kabobs featuring Smart Spice Ginger

2010-08-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

To enter the Smart Spice Give-Away, click HERE!
Grilling is so perfect for summer: it gets you out of your house and into the fresh, balmy evening air while simultaneously decreasing the amount of dirty-dish-washing you have to do at the end of the night. Heavenly!

Grilled Chicken Kabobs
from my friend Tannya, a truly amazing cook

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 lb chicken tenders
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Smart Spice Ginger

If using chicken breasts, cut each into about 4 long, skinny strips. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl or gallon-sized ziplock bag. Add chicken, toss to coat, and refrigerate for at least one hour. Meanwhile, soak bamboo skewers in water. When chicken is ready, thread chicken strips onto skewers; discard marinade. Grill on medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, flipping skewers over half-way through the grilling time. Serve hot!

Italian-Style Pasta Salad Featuring Smart Spice Oregano and Basil

2010-08-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

To enter the Smart Spice Give-Away, click HERE.

This makes three zucchini recipes in a row; I do believe someone has a bumper crop of zucchini in her garden this summer! This is my favorite pasta salad. Its unique flavors and bright colors make it delicious and beautiful. What more could you ask for?

Italian-Style Pasta Salad
adapted from "Cooking from the Coast to the Cascades", a cookbook from the Junior League of Eugene, OR

6 oz pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled--The recipe calls for spaghetti or vermicelli, but I always use mini bowties
1 6-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 small zucchini, halved or quartered and sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
4 ounces salami, diced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Smart Spice Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Smart Spice Basil
1 garlic clove, minced

Drain artichokes, reserving marinade. Chop artichokes, and combine with pasta, zucchini, carrot, salami, and cheeses. In a small bowl, whisk reserved marinade with remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over pasta and toss to coat. Cover and chill before serving.

Zucchini Bread featuring Smart Spice True Cinnamon

2010-08-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

To enter the Smart Spice Give-Away, click HERE.

So apparently, the stuff we call cinnamon isn't real cinnamon! Who knew?! What we Americans call cinnamon is actually cassia, or Chinese cinnamon, a relative of True Cinnamon. They come from different plants and have slightly different flavors and appearances. You learn new things every day! I used both types of cinnamon in this bread so that I could compare the appearance and aroma of the two. True cinnamon looks quite a bit lighter in color than cassia...and smells like Red Hots. I believe that's the scientific term for that particular aroma. ;)

Zucchini Bread
from my friend and neighbor, Kristy

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon Smart Spice Cinnamon or True Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray two standard loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Combine eggs, oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix well. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and stir. Add dry ingredients to zucchini mixture and stir until combined. Divide batter between pans and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing zucchini bread from the pans.

Ratatouille featuring Smart Spice Seasoning Blends

2010-08-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

To enter the Smart Spice Give-Away, click HERE.

Last summer, some friends of ours hosted a "Summer Favorites" evening for dinner club. We ate corn on the cob, BLT's, shrimp salad, peach cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream, and the most delicious vegetable casserole I've ever had--Ratatouille. With it's delectable layers of summer garden fare--tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and zucchini--it captures these long, warm days in every bite.

Ratatouille

1/2 lb waxy, thin-skinned potatoes such as reds or yukon golds
1 yellow onion, sliced into 1/4"-thick rings
2-3 small zucchini (or summer squash, or a mix of both), sliced into 1/4"-thick rounds
2 big tomatoes, sliced into 1/4"-thick rounds
olive oil
1 teaspoon Smart Spice Herbes de Provence or Italian Seasoning
salt
pepper
2 cups shredded cheese (I usually use whatever we have on hand, which is always cheddar and mozzarella)

Place the potatoes in a large pot, fill with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes until they are just tender. Drain and let cool. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice into 1/4"-thick rounds, removing the peels as you go. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Scatter the onion rings evenly over the bottom of the pan. Top with potatoes; lightly season with salt and pepper. Next, add a layer of zucchini. Drizzle the zucchini layer with olive oil, and sprinkle with the Smart Spice seasoning blend of your choice. Top the zucchini with a layer of tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top of the tomatoes. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, until all vegetables are tender. If the cheese begins to brown, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top for the remainder of the baking time.

Carrot Cake featuring Smart Spice Cinnamon

2010-08-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

To enter the Smart Spice Give-Away, click HERE.
I mentioned yesterday how much I love the Cinnamon from Smart Spice. It has such a beautiful texture. It was perfect in this chunky carrot cake studded with bits of carrot and pineapple.

Carrot Cake

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Smart Spice Cinnamon
2 cups sugar
a pinch of salt
1 cup oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrot
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add oil and blend. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add carrots and pineapple and mix well. Spread batter in a greased 9x13" baking pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 brick cream cheese, softened
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth and fluffy.

Smart Spice Review and Give-Away!!

2010-08-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

The give-away is now closed, and the winner will be announced soon! Thanks for participating!

My funny, thoughtful brother is always sending me links to kitchen things he thinks are cool. Sometimes it is a recipe or a picture (like the cookie monster cupcakes he sent last month or the hamburger cookies he sent last year) and some are products (like the one-size-fits-all bowl covers he sent me a few weeks ago). Back in May, he heard about some spices that sounded interesting and shot me a quick email about them. After clicking on the link he provided and reading the product description, I knew he'd found a real winner. Smart Spice by The Seasoned Palate, Inc. produces revolutionary, organic herbs and spices packaged in pre-measured, 1-teaspoon packets that are sealed and foil-lined to keep in freshness and flavor.

Most of us have probably never taken a moment to do a quick spice-rack inspection, but if you have, you've undoubtedly noticed that your spices have an expiration date printed on the container. If you're anything like me, those dates are long passed, especially when it comes to spices that don't get used often. The scary thing is, those spices probably lost their freshness and potency even before the expiration date! The clear plastic bottles spices are usually housed in let in light, air, and moisture, the three enemies of freshness. Smart Spice combats these enemies by individually packaging 1-teaspoon portions. So you can use that 1 teaspoon of oregano your recipe calls for, and the rest of your oregano stays safely packed away in tightly sealed packets.

I've been nothing but impressed with my Smart Spice products from the moment I opened my shipping box. The packaging is cute, the colors are earthy, the spices are organic and look and smell amazing. And I love their texture. Take the cinnamon (cassia), for example: unlike the completely pulverized-to-dust version I'm used to, my Smart Spice cinnamon looked as though someone had ground it with a mortar and pestle! It added the most wonderful, flecked appearance to the carrot cake in which it was used, and made me feel like I was using something special, instead of just something a big machine in a big factory cranked out.

Katie and Sara, the minds behind Smart Spice, are GENEROUSLY offering one lucky person an entire 16-spice set of Smart Spice products--that's a value of almost $50! If you're the winner, you prize will include
Basil
Cardamom
Chile Pepper
Cinnamon
Coriander
Cumin
Curry Powder
Ginger
Herbes de Provence
Italian Seasoning
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika
Rosemary
Thyme
& True Cinnamon

To enter, simpy leave a comment telling me what your favorite thing about Smart Spice is. Is it the convenient, pre-measured pouches? The freshness factor? The organic-ness? Visit Smart Spice on Facebook, "Like" them, and you can get 5 extra entries!! Just leave me one additional comment letting me know you've done it. Please include your email address in all comments so I can contact you if you win. This give-away will be open for one solid week. On Monday, August 9th, I'll put all of the comments in a bowl and draw a winner!

For the rest of the week, I'll be posting a recipe each day featuring at least one Smart Spice product. There will be everything from cakes to casseroles. See you tomorrow!!

SMS Rewind: Chestnut Honey Madeleines

2010-08-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

A quick, exciting announcement...Starting tomorrow (Monday, August 2nd), I'll be having an amazing give-away for everyone: I'll be giving away one entire, 16-box set of pre-measured, vacuum-sealed organic spices from Smart Spice! These spices are fresh and flavorful, and come in the cutest 1-teaspoon pouches for super easy use. Check back tomorrow for my product review and the chance to enter. And I'll be posting recipes all week that use the spices you'll receive if you're the lucky winner. See you tomorrow!!

I feel like we've been out of town for the entire summer, but we are finally back for good. Since I did not have the chance to make this week's recipe from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, I decided to post a past recipe that I was a little behind on and then completely forgot to post: Chestnut Honey Madeleines. This was my first experience with madeleines ever. I've never made or eaten them, but they've always sounded tasty; I'm not a tea drinker, but for some reason any food associated with tea time--finger sandwiches, strawberries and cream, tiny cookies--sounds delicious. And despite their dark edges (it was the pans fault I tell you!) they did not let me down. They had a light, cakey texture and pleasant sweetness. They reminded me of homemade donuts for some bizarre reason. I'm encouraged now to foray into other madeleine recipes and can't wait to enjoy the results!!

Thanks to Debbie of Cafe Chibita for choosing this recipe way back when. You can find the recipe on her blog HERE.