beurrista

skinny chocolate chip buttermilk scone

2012-03-02T07:38:00.001-05:00

The one perishable ingredient I never seem to use up is that quart of buttermilk. I blame my weakness for making red velvet cupcakes, after which I can only take so many pancakes, and perhaps I could venture into fried chicken territory, but that half-used quart inevitably goes bad and gets thrown out.

As an aside, I'm always on the lookout for some good recipes using buttermilk. If you have any, please leave me a recommendation in the comments section— I'm all ears!

This recipe caught my eye not only for the buttermilk ingredient, but also for the skinny factor. I was curious about how it would taste. Skinny sounds so much more appealing than reduced-fat scone dontcha think?

I needed to do a better job cutting in the butter. Let's see how it melts into the dough.

The unbaked dough is rather soft, but I still could cut them into pieces.

I wish there could have been more separation.

The crust came out well-browned and crunchy.

Fresh out of the oven, the chocolate chips were all melty and soft,

which is the best time to eat it. This baked good needs to be eaten day-of.

Ultimately, I like this cranberry ginger scone better, but this isn't a bad way to use up some buttermilk. Just know that the consistency is more bread-like, denser and a bit chewier. Not your typical scone texture. The Son said, "The chocolate chips are the best part," as he happily devoured the whole serving.

The recipe can be found at skinnytaste.com

This post is linked to the following: show and share, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

gooey butter cookies

2012-02-25T04:51:00.001-05:00

The Geneva Gourmand, (friend/founder of Moveable Feast) alerted me to this amazing cookie recipe. It's a riff on Gooey Butter Cake (hello St. Louis Friends!) which I'd read about it in my wanderings on the internet. Gooey, chewy, buttery, tangy and tasty. The goo and chew comes from not browning the cookie. The tang is from the cream cheese.

You also use vanilla beans, which never fail to make me smile—

the scent, the scrape, the flecks- all things of beauty.

After a 30-minute chill time and a quick roll in powdered sugar, they're ready for the oven.

Gooey Butter Cookies

recipe by Mathew Rice of Nightwood Restaurant

Printable recipe

4½ cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons salt

1 pound cream cheese

2 sticks unsalted butter

½ vanilla bean, scraped

3 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Confectioner’s sugar for rolling and dusting

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, butter, vanilla bean seeds, and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Incorporate the flour mixture. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Scoop roughly 1-ounce balls and toss in the confectioner’s sugar. Place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment, a couple of inches apart. Bake they spread and puff slightly, about 12-16 minutes. They will be really soft in the center. If they start to brown, they’ve gone too far. Cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate them on the tray because as the cream cheese and butter get cold, they’re easier to pick up. Dust with more confectioner’s sugar before serving. Mathew always serves these cookies straight out of the fridge. He thinks they don’t taste as good warm.

These will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

I halved the recipe and ended up with over 40 cookies, using a small cookie scoop (approximately 1½-inch diameter.)

raspberry marble cheesecake {msc}

2012-02-15T09:34:00.002-05:00

There are no excuses. Carnation sales (5th grade fundraiser) and Gershwin Preludes (two-piano performance) notwithstanding, one would have thought that one who professes to love baking would have found some time to do a little baking for February 14.

Okay, so I profess to love sleep (and truth be told, watching Jeremy Lin highlights on ESPN) more than baking. The kids sadly didn't get anything in the baked good department yesterday.

These cheesecake cupcakes were made last week, before the insanity of the past few days.
I'm part of the Martha Stewart Cupcakes Club, which is baking through her Cupcakes book.

I'm so glad I tried out the recipe. It's a great one— everyone loved them. The cheesecake is not too dense. The crust was a bit crumbly; I think I'll try a little more butter in it next time. You can find the recipe here, on Martha's website.

crack toffee

2012-02-08T07:29:00.003-05:00

Crack Toffee. I couldn't help calling them that. Most recipes call it Cracker Toffee. Or Saltine Cracker Toffee. But for me, it's too darn addictive! I've been wanting to make these ever since The BFF's Husband whipped up a batch for his company's Christmas party. Impressed by the combination of crunch, chocolate, and buttery toffee, I'm just a few years late trying out this treat.

FOUR ingredients, only four! ingredients. Five, if you like nuts.

You'll find many recipes call for saltines, but I decided

to use "light, flaky, buttery" Keebler Club crackers.

(Those little elves are irresistible.) One sleeve perfectly fills up the sheet pan.

Melt and boil the butter and brown sugar for three minutes,
and pour over the crackers. Then into the oven they go.

The residual heat of the confection melts the chocolate chips in just five minutes.

With a spread and sprinkle, you're almost home. Very simple to put together,

in fact the hardest part is waiting for the chocolate to harden.

Crack Toffee

Printable recipe

1 sleeve of Keebler Club Crackers

1 cup (8 ounces) butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

¾ cups toasted, chopped pecans or toffee chips

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Line a 10x15-inch pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper. In a single layer, line the pan with the crackers.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the butter and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil, without stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, then pour the mixture over the crackers and spread to cover the crackers completely.

Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes, or until brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with the chocolate chips.

Let sit for 5 minutes, then using an offset spatula, smooth the melted chocolate over the entire pan.

Sprinkle the nuts or chips on top of the chocolate. Freeze or refrigerate for a few hours, until the chocolate hardens.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

chocolate caramel sandwich cookies

2012-02-01T14:41:00.009-05:00

Have you ever had a treat which upon eating, you

promptly ate the rest of the bag, OR
(showing restraint) ate and savored one, then swore you would hoard and hide the rest from anyone and everyone else

Such was the scenario last week, after The Marathoner-PTA Prez-Superwoman Neighbor shared these cookies with me. I ate them all, save for one little bite. Supposedly for The Daughter.

The crisp cookie, cloaked in chocolate, contrasts brilliantly with the creamy caramel. It is beyond delicious and definitely on my top five cookie list.

To be honest, it is not a fast cookie to make.

You must roll out chilled dough and use cookie cutters.

There was the sticky issue of caramel and under-greased wax paper.

This fiasco was a good thirty minutes of surgery with boning knife.

More cookie cutter action.

But let me not dissuade you with minor drawbacks. Those are just the realities. The greater reality is that the cookie is worth every minute spent on it. And whether you care to share or hide and hoard, you'll love every bite.

Chocolate-Caramel Sandwich Cookie
slightly adapted from foodandwine.com/Rachel Thebault

Printable recipe

Cookie Dough
1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Caramel filling
2¼ cups sugar
1¾ cups heavy cream
⅓ cup honey
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ teaspoon salt

Chocolate glaze
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
fleur de sel, for sprinkling or festive sprinkles

Make the dough
In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the egg. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into the bowl and beat at low speed until the dough comes together, 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times. Flatten into 2 disks, wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Roll out each disk of dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to a scant ¼-inch thickness. Using a floured 1 ¾-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out as many rounds as possible; transfer to the bakings hseets. Gather the scraps, reroll and stamp out as many cookies as possible. Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until puffed and set, shifting the baking sheets for even baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.

Oil the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square cake pan and line the bottom with a sheet of wax paper, long enough to reach 2 inches up 2 sides of the pan. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, cream, honey, corn syrup and vanilla seeds, and bring to a boil. (Reserve the vanilla pod for another use.) Set a candy thermometer in the saucepan and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 250ºF. Remove from the heat. Remove the thermometer and stir in the butter. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and let cool for 45 minutes.

Lift the caramel out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using the same round cookie cutter, stamp out rounds of caramel and sandwich them between the cookies, pressing gently to flatten slightly. Wrap any remaining caramel bits individually in wax paper and save for another use.

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate glaze, allowing any excess to drip back into the pot. The Neighbor added this bit- sprinkle with a little fleur de sel. Set the cookies on the wax paper and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, until just set. Transfer the cookies to a plate and serve.

n.b. I made mine thinner and baked them for 10-12 minutes. In order for the caramel to be thinner, I used a 9x13 pan.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

ultimate chocolate chip cookie

2012-01-24T12:45:00.004-05:00

Do superlatives such as "best" and "ultimate" pique your curiosity? Or do you roll your eyes? What comes to my mind is one of two things: You're really cocky and are prone to exaggeration. Or, you've got quite the item on hand and can't wait for everyone else to try it.

This chocolate chip cookie falls in the latter category. Fabulous, decadent, delicious. The texture is perfectly crispy on the outer edge, chewy as you move towards the middle, and then just a little soft in the center.

For a NY Times article, David Leite researched this cookie and adapted it from Mr. Chocolate, Jacques Torres' recipe. It differs from most other chocolate chip cookie recipes in a few ways. The dough calls for two different kinds of flours (cake and bread) and the dough needs to rest for a 36-hour period (which allows it to fully soak up the eggs and develop deeper flavor.)

The recipe also calls for chocolate disks, or fèves. I got Valrhona fèves at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's sells them as callets. If you can't find them, chocolate chips are fine.

The last little extra is Fleur de sel, which is lightly sprinkled on top. Fleur de sel, with irregularly shaped crystals, is a moist, mild tasting finishing salt. Don't use any sea salt, it really needs to be Fleur de sel.

(You can see that I forgot the salt on these! Still delish.)

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 c. minus 2 Tbsp. (8 1/2 oz.) cake flour

1 2/3 c. (8 1/2 oz.) bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 c. + 2 Tbsp. (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
20 oz. bittersweet chocolate disks or feves, at least 60% cacao content
Fleur de sel (for sprinkling)
Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 3.5-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

n.b. I made them slightly smaller at 2.5-ounces and baked for about 16 minutes. They still are huge.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got, saturday 7 party, it's party time

felt fortune cookie

2012-01-20T10:58:00.008-05:00

Chinese New Year is next Monday. I thought The Son could bring in these cute little felt fortune cookies. The irony of the fortune cookie is that it originated in America, not China, but why quibble over that piece of trivia.

These would work well for Valentine's Day too, with sweet little sentiments tucked inside.

On felt, trace 4½-inch circles. My mug had a 4-inch diameter, which worked.

Cut out the circles.

Cut pipe cleaners slightly shorter than the width of the felt circle.

Using glue, adhere the pipe cleaner to the felt. Wait 30 minutes.

Fold the circle in half along the pipe cleaner.

Bend the two ends of pipe cleaner towards each other,

then insert finger to poof out the sides.

Hershey Kisses fit, as well as individually wrapped Lifesavers.

The pithy fortunes were found on the internet, printed and cut out.

To insure that nothing falls out, you might want to dab
a spot or two of glue to close up the cookie.

Happy New Year!
新年快乐
xīn nián kuài lè

Materials
from marthastewart.com

Felt

Pipe Cleaners

Scissors

Glue

Small, individually wrapped candies

Fortune inserts

This post is linked to the following: show and share, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

triple chocolate cream cheese brownie

2012-01-14T18:31:00.004-05:00

The whole tray disappeared before I could grab one. That's how good these are. Or maybe, The Piano Students were ravenous and these were the first treats upon entering the reception. Regardless, it's a great brownie, with lethal combination of chopped bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips, topped with a creamy layer of cheesecake.

The hungry hordes and I thank David Lebovitz for this great recipe.

Cheesecake Brownie
from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz

Printable Recipe

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
⅔ cup (130g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup (70g) flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (80g) chocolate chips

8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch or 8-inch square pan with foil, as shown here. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180C).

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the ⅔ cup sugar, then the eggs.

Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, yolk, 5 tablespoons sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set.

Let cool, then lift out the foil and peel it away. Cut into squares. Store in airtight container for a couple of days. They also freeze well.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got, saturday 7 party, it's party time

hot and sour soup

2012-01-07T19:22:00.006-05:00

If you're feeling sugared out from the past ~~few~~ ~~weeks~~ three months, (let's face it, for some of us, it starts in the weeks leading up to Halloween— nibbling on that candy I swore I was keeping for the trick-or-treaters,) this soup is a perfect start to cleansing your system a bit. I saw it on the kitchn site and knew I had to give it a try. Healthy, low-fat, sugar-free, spicy, tasty AND simple to throw together.

The hot comes from spicy peppers- I used crushed red pepper flakes.

The sour comes from limes- zest and juice.

The original recipe called for turkey broth, jalapenos and cremini or shiitake mushrooms. I used chicken stock, crushed red pepper flakes and white buttons. Add in ½ cup of jasmine or brown rice, garlic, ginger and lime into the stock, and you're good to go. It's minimal effort for maximum effect. My kind of recipe!

Hot and Sour Soup
from thekitchn.com

Printable recipe

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 ounces white button, cremini or shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
1 to 3 jalapeno peppers, finely diced (I used a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes)
6 cloves garlic, minced
one 3-inch lump ginger, grated
1 to 3 limes, zested and juiced
8 cups broth (chicken, turkey or vegetable)
½ cup jasmine rice
2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more to serve
½ small head napa cabbage, cut in half and thinly sliced
chili garlic sauce or kimchi, to serve

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes without stirring. Toss the mushrooms after 5 minutes and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until well-browned. Add the diced peppers, garlic, and ginger, and cook for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and slightly softened.

Add the lime zest and broth and bring to a simmer. Add the rice, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is just barely soft. Add the shaved cabbage, lime juice, and soy sauce to taste and simmer for another few minutes or until cabbage is hot.

Serve with extra soy sauce, lime wedges, and kimchi or chili garlic sauce.

This is linked to Friday Flair, saturdays 7 party, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it

cranberry ginger scones

2012-01-05T20:02:00.009-05:00

Yes, cranberries have been the lead actor in my kitchen this past month. What can I say. I love them. They're red, cheerful, tart, and SO festive. I know it's post-Christmas/New Year's now, but I say, let the festivity continue. Why not?!

And I'm sure, you, like me, love not just a good party, but also a good scone. {Party at breakfast!} I saw a recipe that called for all cream, and though I was tempted, I opted for this one, which included both cream and BUTTER.

Minced ginger adds a spicy counterpoint to the tart cranberry. I forgot the egg wash and sugar sprinkle, which would have added just a bit more crunch on top, but it still bakes up with a nice little crispy exterior, which is a must in any scone.

Cranberry Ginger Scones
from eatboutique.com

Printable recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces Irish butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
¼ cup candied ginger, minced
½ cup heavy cream
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine all of the dry ingredients, and give a whirl to mix. With the food processor running, add the pieces of butter a couple at a time, and pulse until pea-sized. Continue adding the butter until you use all of it. Add the heavy cream. Pulse until the dough comes together. Add the ginger and cranberries, and give a quick pulse. Remove the dough from the food processor, and knead on a lightly floured counter top. Pat into a circle, about ¾-inch thick. Cut into triangles, (8, if you like them larger, or 12 if you like smaller ones.) Place onto a baking sheet, with space between each one. Make an egg wash with the egg and a tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, and sprinkle a little sugar on each top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the scones are golden brown on the tops. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got, saturday 7 party, sweet as sugar cookies saturdays, it's party time

bacon-wrapped cheese-stuffed dates

2012-01-04T18:52:00.005-05:00

The Illinois BFF has been telling about these little bites for many, many years. I've been a dolt and completely ignored her raving accolades. And boy, have I missed out! This gem covers all the bases—

salty and crispy (bacon), crunchy (almonds),

sweet (Medjool dates) and creamy (cream cheese).

What more could you want, besides another bite?

Bacon-wrapped Dates

18 Medjool dates

18 pieces cream cheese, but into 1x¼-inch rectangles

18 almonds, toasted

9 slices bacon, cut into halves, crosswise
18 toothpicks (soaked in water, if you're serving them at a party and want to avoid the burnt look)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

With a paring knife, make a small slit in the dates and remove the pits. Insert the cream cheese and almond into the slit. Wrap the bacon around the date (leaving the date ends exposed) and secure with a toothpick.

Place the bacon-wrapped date on a shallow baking pan. (I like lining the pan with foil, for easy clean up.) Bake for 10 minutes, then turn each date over. Bake for another 8 or 10 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, c.r.a.f.t., saturday 7 party, how me what you got

happy new year!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by

the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

My Illinois BFF and I frequently lament that we didn't travel more when we were in our twenties. Two decades ago, I was thinking Kilimanjaro. (Never mind that I've got flat feet and get winded on the second flights of stairs.) Maybe I could have handled a safari... that was an unrealized big dream.

The great thing is that dreaming and discovering doesn't have to be huge and grandiose. It can be on a small scale. For me right now, trying new recipes is my exploration, and blogging about it takes it to new heights. For you, it might be taking a class at the local college. It could be learning a new language on tape, perhaps volunteering at the local shelter, or figuring how to hug your porcupine/tween daughter.

Whether your aspirations are large or small, I hope that the New Year brings with it a chance for you to expand your world. And thank you, readers and fellow food lovers, for sharing in my adventures here and making it fun for me. I love getting your comments and appreciate your support!

Happy New Year!

xo,

Rebecca

an easy schmeasy yummy decadent dip...

2011-12-30T18:28:00.004-05:00

Are you looking for something to make for New Year's Eve that is delicious, fast and easy? For all you guys that want a dip you literally can throw together in less than 5 minutes (plus the 30 minutes bake time)- this one's for you. I'd forgotten all about it for years, until The Husband requested it for Christmas Eve luncheon. It was gobbled up. Then we made it Christmas Day for another crowd- still good and still decadent.

Four Ingredients

The halogens don't make for the best photo lighting,

but the jumbo lump crab made it tasting extra special.

Hot Crab Artichoke Dip

1 can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
6 ounces crab meat, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375º F. Chop the artichoke hearts into bite size pieces. In a medium bowl, combine the artichoke hearts, crab meat, mayonnaise and parmesan cheese. Put the mixture into a 10x7 oval gratin dish (an 8x8 square is fine too) and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and is the top is golden.

peace • love • joy

2011-12-25T05:00:00.006-05:00

photo courtesy of The Son

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas,
a Happy Hannukah,

and a wonderful, buttery New Year!

Rebecca

cranberry cobbler

2011-12-15T05:49:00.003-05:00

I bet when you saw the title, you were envisioning some type of fruity baked dessert with a biscuit/dough/streusel topping. I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but there are cranberries, yes. Flour, no. Gin, yes. Butter, no.

You start with some cranberries cooked slightly in a simple syrup,

cooled and muddled with citrus fruits, steeped with gin and sherry,

strained, poured over crushed ice

and then topped with a sprig of mint.

This year, my cookie exchange morphed into a Cookies and Cocktail Party, since not all my friends are bakers. That way, they could bring savory instead of sweet. The cocktail part was a bit of an adventure, as I'd never ever mixed a cocktail before. Until last week, I didn't even own a cocktail shaker!

I planned for two cocktails, but being The World's Slowest Mixologist, I scrapped the plans for the Whiskey Sour. (Note to self — should practice new recipe several times before doing it at a party.) Fortunately, the women weren't big drinkers, and only a few wanted the cranberry cobbler, so pinot noir, pinot grigio and apple cider filled in the rest of the drinks menu.

Gin is a spirit with a pronounced herbal flavor, mostly derived from juniper berries. I found the gin to be a bit strong and ended up topping it off with (sacrilege here!) cranberry juice, having run out of the fresh syrup. Definitely taste the final product before serving and adjust if necessary. If you would like a mocktail, substitute tonic soda or spicy ginger ale for the gin and sherry.

Cranberry Cobbler
from Bon Appetit, December 2011

Printable Recipe

¾ cup sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 lemon, cut into wedges
½ orange, sliced into thin rounds
1½ cups London dry gin
½ cup off-dry Sherry
6 mint sprigs
cranberry juice, if needed

Bring sugar and ¾ cup water to a boil in a medium sauce pan; stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour off all but 1 cup simple syrup; refrigerate remaining syrup for another use.

Heat syrup in pan almost to a boil' reduce heat to medium. Add cranberries and simmer until they just begin to burst, 2-3 minutes. Let cool in syrup.

Place 2 Tbsp. drained cranberries and 6 Tbsp. cranberry syrup in a large pitcher. Add lemon wedges and orange slices. Using a muddler or wooden spoon, vigorously mash fruit. Stir in gin and Sherry. Let steep for 5 minutes.

Strain into a medium pitcher. Fill 3 glasses with crushed ice. Pour half of mixture into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice; shake vigorously for 10 seconds. This is where I tasted and added more cranberry juice. Strain into prepared glasses, then mound with more crushed ice. Garnish each with a mint sprig and 3 cranberries. Repeat to make 3 more cocktails.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, inspiration friday c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

butterscotch snowball cookies

2011-12-12T06:32:00.004-05:00

White and powdery. Fun and tasty. Round mounds of snowy perfection. Doesn't this cookie epitomize the season we're in? I make these every winter and rarely at any other time- don't ask me why. Probably too busy making other cookies. But the recipe comes out every December, no fail.

Snowballs, aka Mexican Wedding Cookies/Russian Tea Cakes, are typically made with some kind of chopped or ground nut; in this iteration, I've included butterscotch morsels with the chopped pecans. Make sure the dough is chilled, otherwise the balls become disks- still tasty, but flat.

Butterscotch Snowball Cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
½ cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup butterscotch morsels, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

With a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and confectioner's sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour and and mix on medium-low speed until fully incorporated. Add the pecans and butterscotch morsels until blended. Chill dough in the refrigerator until firm, at least an hour.

Shape into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 15-18 minutes until bottoms are slightly brown. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool slightly on a wire rack.

Roll the still-warm cookie in powdered sugar; cool fully on wire rack. Roll in sugar again.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, inspiration friday c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

the best cranberry nut bread

2011-12-01T14:04:00.003-05:00

Though I did not personally name it the best, (Cook's Illustrated did,) I would whole-heartedly agree that this is a hard recipe to beat. The bread has much to offer:

it is spongy and tangy from buttermilk,

citrusy with orange zest and juice,

and tart from the cranberries.

The nuts can be omitted, which I usually do, though I snuck some into one of the mini-loaves.

The recipe doubles easily—I made one regular loaf and then six mini-loaves.

The Best Cranberry Nut Bread

from Cook's Illustrated

⅓ cup orange juice

1 T. grated orange zest form 1 large orange

⅔ cup buttermilk

6 T. unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pans

1 large egg, beaten lightly

2 cups unbleached flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1½ cups cranberries, chopped coarse

½ cup toasted pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Stir the orange juice, orange zest, buttermilk, melted butter, and egg in a small bowl.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir the orange liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Stir in the cranberries and nuts.

Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350ºF and bake for another 30-35 minutes.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, inspiration friday c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

turkey, roasted red pepper, pepper jack panini

2011-11-28T07:13:00.001-05:00

Have you enjoyed a gut-busting weekend of non-stop eating? I'm trying not to regret that piece of pecan pie I just ate for dinner, but it was calling my name. As was the vanilla ice cream. In my house, the sweet leftovers are always the first to disappear.

Tomorrow, I might tackle the turkey, and while a turkey/stuffing/cranberry sauce sandwich will be The Hubs' lunch of choice, I'll veer away from from the previous day's flavors and add a little heat and cheese.

The Daughter threw together the combo last month and I loved it. The pepper jack lends just enough chili heat, the roasted red peppers add a slight sweetness and char, and turkey, well, turkey is what's available, right?

Turkey, roasted red pepper, pepper jack panini

turkey, sliced thinly
roasted red pepper slices
pepper jack cheese
good-quality artisan bread (ShopRite sells La Brea breads, your local Whole Foods would have something good)
olive oil
panini press

Using a pastry brush, oil the outside of each slice of bread. Layer the meat, cheese and red pepper in between the bread. Place in panini press and press for about a minute or two, or until golden brown.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays , tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, inspiration friday c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

boozy cranberry sauce

2011-11-22T09:11:00.003-05:00

How far in advance do you start cooking for your Thanksgiving dinner? Have you started yet? I'm sure you've made some sort of list, if you haven't already gotten all the shopping done.

So far, I've made one thing. And it's taken about 7 minutes. Ok, maybe 12. I love the ease, simplicity and do-it-ahead-check-it-off-your-list quality of recipe. If you haven't ever made cranberry sauce from scratch, you should give it a try- just boil cranberries with some sugar and water, hear it snap! crackle! and pop! and then turn super thick. Cranberries have natural pectin, which cause them to thicken beautifully while cooling down after being cooked.

We are serving two cranberry sauces this year— a kiddie version: The Cranberry Pillar, aka Straight from the Can, and an adult one: Cranberry Sauce with a Kick, aka Boozy Cranberry Sauce. The kick comes from a few splashes of liquor...

Cranberry Sauce with a Kick
from Bartlett's Ocean View Farm Cookbook

1 12-ounce package of fresh or frozen cranberries
⅓ cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon gin
1 tablespoon Cointreau
⅓ cup orange juice

In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, water and sugar over medium high heat. Mix with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes, mashing berries against the side to help them pop. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients. Process until all ingredients are mixed together (about 1 minute.) Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate. It will keep indefinitely.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, inspiration friday c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

turkey leg placecard

2011-11-20T07:43:00.003-05:00

Kids love surprises. Put anything into a brown paper bag, tell them it's a goody bag, and watch their eyes get big with anticipation. Use it as a place card... or should I call it a place bag?... and you get double the pleasure.

Last year, we made an amazing popcorn turkey centerpiece fashioned out of a paper bag and The Daughter was inspired to make individual drumsticks for the kids for extra fun. Unfortunately, the post never made it into final copy and is wasting away in draftland. This year, I was determined at the very least to get these legs finished.

Materials needed:

white copy paper

brown paper bags

stencils

assorted snacks

markers, scissors, stapler, glue gun

First, the frill:

1. Fold a piece of paper width-wise and cut.

2. Fold again in half, length-wise.

3. Cut slits about ⅓ the width of the paper.
Trim the paper to about 6-inches long and set aside.

For personalization:

I downloaded stencils from here

and took a trip back to kindergarten with my washable magic markers.

Form the turkey leg:

Open the bag, fold corners in (in the interior) for a rounded look and staple them down.

Stuff the turkey leg:

You could include an assortment of goodies and use up all those leftover Halloween treats,

or settle on a snack bag of chips, which fit perfectly into the bag.

Staple the bag shut.

To finish, glue or tape the frill together and glue gun it onto the leg.

ginger and molasses cupcake {msc}

2011-11-15T13:36:00.002-05:00

"What was I thinking?" is what I asked myself as I looked at this recipe last week. A few months ago, I chose this cupcake for the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club (to which you can belong, too- just check it out here.) I suppose that ginger could be an autumnal sort of flavor, particularly paired with pumpkin or pear, (try saying that five times fast!) but when you add molasses with it, it starts heading into the direction of gingerbread. I must have been in some sort of fog, or I was being extremely forward thinking in having an option for wintertime. Let's just choose the latter reason.

So, bookmark this recipe to tackle after Thanksgiving festivities are over, because these cupcakes definitely put you into the holiday mood.

There's the thick, syrupy molasses.

Fresh ginger, or if you're a little afraid of ginger pieces,

you can substitute ground ginger.

It's a two bowl, no mixer recipe.

One bowl has the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.

The other bowl contains the sugar and the other ingredients.

The fun began when I rotated the cupcakes midway through baking. They appear to be donut-like. I had read that the cupcakes would not be domed, but concave? This was a first for me, and frankly, very curious! I am not Harold McGee, so I have no idea why this occurred. All I know is the cupcakes taste GREAT, they're moist and flavorful. There is a slightly chewy texture to the part of the cake that spilled over the top that I particularly like. And those indentations? They give you extra room for more whipped cream, which must be a good thing.

For a fancier dessert, whip up some cream and top it with some minced crystallized ginger.

For an afternoon snack, dust it with some confectioner's sugar and down it with a glass of milk.

It's delicious either way!

Ginger and Molasses Cupcakes

adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups sugar
⅔ cup unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup hot water
9 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and minced (1 cup) or substitute 2 teaspoons ground ginger
whipped cream
ground ginger, for dusting, or minced crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves (and ground ginger, if using). In another bowl, whisk sugar, molasses, and eggs until smooth; whisk in melted butter and the hot water. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated, then stir in minced ginger.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes (cupcakes will not be domed.)

Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers

To finish, dollop whipped cream onto cupcakes. Dust lightly with ground ginger or sprinkle with minced crystallized ginger. Serve immediately.

thanksgiving oreo turkeys

2011-11-14T04:17:00.012-05:00

Aren't these the most adorable Thanksgiving treats? Don't they bring a smile when you see it? Turkey on the right is checking out turkey on the left's cold feet. (We ran out of yellow...)

They make a wonderful addition to the Thanksgiving place setting, or as The Daughter plans, a goodie to hand out to her team's last practice. This is our first year to try it them, and I'm pretty sure they're going to become a tradition.

The turkeys involve just a few ingredients, and possibly stuff you already have around from

the kids' post-Halloween stash.

Insert candy corn into oreo cream center. You can use frosting to help keep the candy corn secure, but I found the oreos that had the cream almost spilling out on one side, so they snuggled in nicely.

Use 5 candy corn for the feathers.

I used chocolate bark for my "glue". One square is plenty. You can also use frosting.

First, dip the feathered oreos into the chocolate, then set atop another oreo.

It helps to lean them up against the wall while the chocolate hardens.

Prep the Rolo by slicing off a sliver (or Reese's Peanut butter cup,

but there are nut allergies in my extended family) to create a flat surface.

First, gently flip the Oreos over so that the feathers are at the base.

Then dip the cut end of the Rolo into the melted chocolate and place them on the Oreos.

For the head, dip the Whopper into the melted chocolate and set it next to the Rolo.

Try to have enough chocolate to adhere the Whopper to both the Rolo and the Oreo.
Let the chocolate/frosting harden.

For the beaks, gently cut off the white tips of candy corn.

Dip the cut end into chocolate, and set on top the Whopper.

Let harden.

For the eyes, use the icing writer and dot the eyes on. Add the black sprinkles as you go.

I felt like I was perform micro-surgery, you're dealing with such a tiny thing!

But they all eventually landed where they needed to. Having a toothpick nearby helps.

I like playing around with pupil placement— this guy is checking out his neighbor.

Use the icing writer for the feet.

Use red icing writing to make the snood.

Again, the toothpick came in handy here to cut the icing off from icing tip.

Sit back and enjoy the brood of turkeys before they get gobbled up!

Thanksgiving Oreo Turkeys

from Our Best Bites

Oreo Cookies- I used Halloween ones with orange creme, if not available, go for the double stuff, as it holds the candy corn feathers better.
Candy Corn
Whoppers
Peanut Butter Cups or Rolos
Chocolate frosting
Yellow icing writer
Optional: red icing for snood, black sprinkles for eyes

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, inspiration friday c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

all-in-one holiday bundt cake {bwd}

2011-11-10T12:19:00.011-05:00

What are your favorite flavors of autumn? Is it pumpkin? Cinnamon? Apple? Cranberries? Pecans? How about all of the above, wrapped up into one delectable bundt cake?

That is exactly what the bakers at Baking With Dorie Greenspan baked this past week. I was very excited to tackle the recipe —then the storm came and potatoes and cookies upended my baking schedule, but here the cake is, a little late, but in all its seasonal glory.

It's wonderful for breakfast or with a mid-afternoon snack. The cake is moist and lightly spiced, the cranberries are tart, the pecans add a nice crunch to it. I didn't have the time, but I would suggest toasting the pecans before adding them to the batter.

I often have problems with removing the bundt cake from its pan, but after many miserable, disastrous attempts, I've learned my lesson: butter every nook and cranny thoroughly!

Thanks to Chaya for choosing such a tasty cake. You can get the recipe from her site Bizzy B. Bakes.

This post is linked to the following: holiday haven, Sundae Scoop, made by you monday, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, something swanky, show and share, momnivores dilemma, this chick cooks, kurtz corner,

thankful cookies

2011-11-07T17:44:00.010-05:00

Thanksgiving came early for me, and not in the usual form of turkey dinner, family gathering, and celebration.

I gave thanks and had an incredibly grateful heart because...

We got our power back! (You know how they say that you don't really appreciate what you have until you don't have it...)

The last weekend of October brought an unusual early snowstorm to NJ. Wet, heavy snow snapped off leaf-laden limbs, which fell onto power lines all over northern Jersey. 2 million of us were without power. By Tuesday evening, the number was down to 69,000, (and you-know-who was one of the last 3% to get restored...) and, then, finally, on Wednesday, we had heat.

So I am grateful for electricity ~ for a warm home ~ for appliances that work. And most of all, for wonderful, hospitable, generous friends that housed and fed us for 4 days/3 nights. We had lots of fun and were more than comfortable.

As a small token of appreciation, I'm baking a batch of cookies and bringing it over—these are, from the bottom of my heart, Thankful Cookies.

Ingredients include mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows,

and cornflake crunch!? Are you intrigued? The stuff, truth be told, doesn't sound that appealing on paper, but upon eating... it's addicting. I had to shoo away The Kids, who couldn't resist nibbling away at the buttery, crispy concoction. To make the crunch, The Boy used his hands to crush the cereal. Add some milk powder, sugar, salt, and lots o' butter, then bake it a bit to create the delectable mix-in.

They come out quite flat, yet they have a comination chewy and crispy texture. When was the last time you had flat and CHEWY? Crispy around the edges, chewy as you hit the caramelized marshmallows and cornflake crunch centers.

Beware of overbaking. I didn't keep a close eye on the first sheet , and they browned up quite quickly.

The cookie is fantastic— if you're looking for something a little different than your usual chocolate chip cookie, you've got to try this one out. I'm baking another batch tomorrow...

Cornflake, Chocolate Chip, Marshmallow Cookies
adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi
makes approximately 30 cookies

12 T. butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups Cornflake Crunch (see recipe below)
⅔ cup mini chocolate chips
1¼ cups mini marshmallows

FOR THE COOKIE

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugars; cream together on medium-high 2-3 minutes. With a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg and vanilla and beat 7-8 minutes.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Still on low speed, mix in cornflakes and chips until just incorporated, about 30-45 seconds. Stir in marshmallows.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or silpat. Using a medium cookie scoop, portion ¼ cup dough at a time onto pan. Pat tops of dough domes flat. (Cookies are about 2-inches wide.) Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week. (DO NOT BAKE room-temperature disks — they will not hold their shape.)

Heat oven to 350ºF. On a parchment or Silpat-lined sheet pan, arrange chilled disks a minimum of 4 inches apart. (I put 8 to a sheet, but two baked into each other.) Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until cookies are browned on edges and just beginning to brown toward the center. Cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. Leave them in oven for another minute or so if they still seem pale and doughy on the surface.

Cool cookies completely on pan before moving them to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, cookies will keep fresh for 4 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Cornflake Crunch
makes about 3½ cups

4½ cups cornflakes
½ cup milk powder
3 T. sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 T. butter, melted

Heat oven to 275º.

In a medium bowl, with your hands, crush cornflakes to ¼ of their original size. Add milk powder, sugar and salt; toss to mix. Add butter; toss to coat. (As you toss, the butter will act as glue, binding the dry ingredients to the cereal, creating small clusters.)

On a parchment or Silpat lined sheet pan, spread clusters and bake for 20 minutes, at which point they should look toasted, smell butter, and crunch gently when cooled slightly and chewed.

Cool completely before storing or using in a recipe. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for one week; in the fridge or freezer, it will keep for one month.

This post is linked to the following: Sundae Scoop, made by you monday, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, something swanky, show and share, momnivores dilemma, kurtz corner,

baked mashed potatoes with parmesan and bread crumbs

2011-11-07T12:00:00.016-05:00

It's Mashed Potato Time, and over a hundred food bloggers are participating in the Crazy Cooking Challenge, which exists to find the Ultimate Mashed Potato Recipe. I had recently bookmarked this recipe from Bookcase Foodie, so this challenge was a perfect fit.

I enjoyed these potatoes, particularly with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The Daughter wished the potatoes could have been creamier (use heavy cream then,) saltier (I've got high blood pressure and have salt issues- she can add what she wants) and more buttery (ditto to adding a pat of butter.) She managed to down three servings, so they couldn't have been that bad.

What is also great about this recipe is that you can prepare the dish ahead of time, and then bake it in the oven when you need to. If you do so, add the bread crumbs right before the potatoes go into the oven.

I didn't check Giada's recipe until typing up this post, and that's when I saw that Giada suggests 1 stick butter and whole milk. Bookcase Foodie did a lighter, waist-friendly version. Which version would you choose?

Lastly, as you can see when you scroll down, each recipe has a *like* button you can click. Crazy Cooking Challenge has a little contest going on- so please vote for my recipe by clicking *like* on #66.

Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan and Bread Crumbs
adapted from Giada de Laurentiis at foodnetwork.com
Serves 6-8

Printable Recipe

4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup whole milk (or skim, if you're watching your cholesterol)
¼ cup butter, melted (Giada suggest ½ cup)
1½ cups grated mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with oil.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the potatoes in the boiling water until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the same pot. Mash well and mix in the milk and butter. Mix in the mozzarella and ¾ cup parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish. The dish can be refrigerated at this point for up to six hours. (That's the official time. I don't see why you can't do it overnight.) Stir together the bread crumbs and remaining parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes. Bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

halloween cookies 'n cream cheesecakes

2011-10-20T22:18:00.007-04:00

♫♪♫ Do you know exactly how to eat an Oreo? ♬ Well, to do it, you unscrew it ♪♫...

OR, you slap chop it (very fast),

fold it into a cream cheese mixture,

and make individual cheesecakes,

complete with an Oreo cookie crust!

When The Daughter made it the first go around, these cheesecakes were a huge hit, so I knew these would be great for a Halloween party. This is a great bang for the buck kind of dessert— premade crust, quick to combine (as long as everything is room temp!) batter, and 22 minutes later plus some cooling time, lots of oohs and aahs!

Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

makes 30 cupcakes

Printable Recipe

42 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies such as Oreos

- 30 left whole

- 12 coarsely chopped

2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly among cookie-filled cups, filling each to the top. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

n.b. These taste best when eaten day of, purely because the Oreo cookie base still has some crunch to it. They are still good a few days later, albeit with no crunch.

This post is linked to the following: tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, inspiration friday c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

halloween whoopie pies

2011-10-17T22:04:00.008-04:00

"WHOOPIE!" Don't you just want to holler it when you see that word?

The Amish have a thing for the whoopie pie, as do New Englanders. Maine legend states that a baker had extra cake batter, poured it into molds, slapped some frosting in between, and there was born the whoopie pie. I like the Amish version of the beginnings, where the Amish women placed these cake treats into school children's lunch pails. Upon opening up their meal, the kids would yell, "Whoopie!"

You should bake up a batch (or maybe pumpkin ones!) and see if kids will exclaim the same.

This recipe calls for coffee two ways: liquid and powder forms.

The chocolate disks baked up nicely,

though I was a little concerned that the batter was on the runny side.

I chose cream cheese frosting rather than the usual vanilla filling,

because that's what The ~~Picky~~ Discerning Kids prefer.

Yes, you're seeing a non-orange center.

I made two batches...

Here's the second one!

Halloween Whoopie Pie

adapted from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Polifitano

Printable Recipe

3½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

½ cup hot coffee

½ cup hot milk

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

¾ cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk

Cream Cheese Filling

3 cups confectioners' sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Red and yellow food coloring

Make the Cookie-Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and espresso powder. Add the hot coffee and ½ cup hot milk and whisk until both powders are completely dissolved.

In a medium bowl, stir the brown sugar and oil together. Add this to the cocoa mixture and whisk until combined. Add the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk until sooth.

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you fold.

Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan while you make the frosting.

Make the Filling

Sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with now visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the yellow and red food coloring a few drops at a time to create the desired shade of orange. Be careful not to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure. (The filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before using.)

Assemble the Whoopie Pies

Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down (flat side facing up).

Use a spoon to drop a large dollop of filling onto the flat side of the cookie. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving.

The whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days, on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. Bring the whoopies to room temperature before serving.

This post is linked to the following: Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, something swanky, momnivores dilemma

pumpkin brown butter cupcakes

2011-10-13T23:42:00.014-04:00

If you're a baker, you've probably already tried a pumpkin recipe this fall. Maybe a loaf or two of bread? Whoopie pies with cream cheese filling? Perhaps a pie?

May I suggest to you another baked good to add to your arsenal of autumn sweets? These cupcakes, I admit, have the texture more akin to bread or a muffin, but there is an ingredient that makes this oh-so-special and worth a try.

Browned butter. You use it not just in the cake, but also in the icing. Lick the bowl, good to the last drop, positively, delectably delicious. And oh, the aroma! The nutty, rich smell of the butter...

The flecks of milk solids are turning golden at the bottom of the skillet.

You can see some of the flecks in the batter.

Vanilla is used in the frosting, along with browned butter,

confectioner's sugar, and a smidgen of milk.

Even without the icing, the cupcake/muffin is pretty darn good.

With the icing, however, the cupcake is divine.

Thanks to Monica of My Cupcake Journey for choosing the wonderful recipe. I baked this with a bunch of bloggers who are baking through Martha Stewart's Cupcakes- you can join in on the fun too if you'd like!

Tastewise, I felt it was little flat. I would add at least a quarter teaspoon each of ground ginger and cardamom to the spices. Also, I didn't use sage in the recipe. I didn't want that herbal note with my pumpkin cake.

Pumpkin-Brown Butter Cupcakes

adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Printable Recipe

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins

1⅔ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for tins

¼ cup fresh sage leaves, cut into chiffonade (optional)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs
Brown-Butter Icing (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sage, if desired, and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter turns golden brown. Skim foam from top, and remove from heat. Pour into a bowl to stop the cooking, leaving any burned sediment behind; let cool.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, both sugars, eggs and brown-butter mixture. Add flour mixture, and whisk until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

To finish, dip top of each cupcake in icing, then turn over quickly and let set. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Brown Butter Icing

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed

Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until nut brown in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind.

Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk to brown butter; stir until smooth. If necessary, add more milk (up to 2 tablespoons) a little at a time, just until icing is spreadable. Use immediately.

This post is linked to Chic and Crafty

brioche au chocolat

2011-10-12T10:06:00.003-04:00

This is The Little Girl's latest project:

Hello people of the Earth and beyond! The Daughter has returned (trumpets play victoriously in the background).

Today, I've made Brioche Au Chocolat. While labor intensive and difficult to make (well, at least for me), this little pastry is absolutely, positively delicious. The rich pastry cream and smooth chocolate filling make me feel as if I have gone to Heaven and come back down. As it says in Flour, "...you've got an out-of-this-world indulgence."

This uses only ½ of the dough, and you wonder what to do with other half? You can bake it up into a loaf, freeze it for later use, or make the coming-soon-to-blog chocolate marzipan coffeecake. YUM!

Spreading pastry cream and sprinkling chocolate

Devouring the deliciousness

Basic Brioche

from flour by Joanne Chang

(Do not halve the recipe for the brioche, or the dough hook will not have anything to grab onto.)

2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2¼ cups bread flour

3¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp kosher salt

½ cup cold water

6 eggs

1 cup plus 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 10 to 12 pieces

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and 5 of the eggs. Beat on low speed for 3 to 4 minuted, or until all of the ingredients have come together. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients. Once the dough has come together, beat on low speed for another 3 to 4 minutes. The dough will be very stiff and seem quite dry.

On low speed, add the butter one piece at a time, mixing after each addition until it disappears into the dough. Then, continue mixing on low speed for about 10 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. It is important for all of the butter to be mixed thoroughly into the dough. If necessary, stop the mixer occasionally and break up the dough with your hands to help mix in the butter.

Once the butter is completely incorporated, turn up the speed to medium and beat for another 15 minutes, or until the dough becomes sticky, soft, and somewhat shiny. It will take some time to come together. It will look shaggy and questionable at the start and then eventually it will turn smooth and silky. Then turn the speed to medium-high and beat for about 1 minute. You should hear the dough make a slap-slap-slap sound as it hits the sides of the bowl.

Test the dough by pulling at it: it should stretch a bit and have a little give. If it seems wet and loose and more like a better than a dough, add a few tablespoons of flour and mix until it comes together. If it breaks off into pieces when you pull at it, continue to mix on medium speed for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until it develops more strength and stretches when you grab it. It is ready when you can gather it all together and pick it up in one piece.

Place the dough in a large bowl or plastic container and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the dough Let the dough proof in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. At this point, you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup sugar

¼ vanilla bean, split, or ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp cold unsalted butter

Fill a medium saucepan with 3 inches of water and bring to a simmer. Set a bowl over the top, but make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not tough the water. (Remove the bowl and use it for the egg yolk mixture.)

In a sperate saucepan, stir together the milk, half of the sugar, and the vanilla seeds and pod and heat to scalding, or until the milk is steaming and tiny bubbles are forming on the edges. Do not boil. If using vanilla extract, add it at the end of the recipe after the butter.

In the reserved bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining half of the sugar until pale yellow. Whisk in the cornstarch. Little by little, whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture.

Place the bowl in the top of the double boiler, over simmering not boiling, water. Cook, constantly whisking, until thick, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract, if using. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard (to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Whisk until smooth before using.

Brioche Au Chocolat

from flour by Joanne Chang

½ recipe Basic Brioche dough

1 recipe Pastry Cream

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped, or bittersweet chocolate chips (just under ⅔ cup)

1 egg

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 20 by 10 inches and ¼ inch thick. It will have the consistency of cold, damp Play-Doh and should be fairly easy to roll. Position the rectangle so a long side is facing you. Spread the pastry cream evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle the chocolate evenly over the bottom half (a 20-by-5-inch section) of the rectangle. Fold the top half of the rectangle completely of the the bottom half, then press down gently so the halves are smooshed together.

Use a bench scraper or a chef's knife to cut the filled dough into 10 pieces, each about 2 inches wide; each piece will be about 2 by 5 inches. (At this point, the unbaked pastries can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 week. When ready to bake, thaw them still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, then proceed as directed.)

Carefully transfer the brioche to the prepared baking sheet. Cover the pastries lightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to proof for about 2 hours, or until the dough is puffy, pillowy, and soft.

Position a rack in the center of the over, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg until blended. Gently brush the tops of the pastries with the beaten egg.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes. The pastries tend to bake into one another in the oven, so break apart into 10 pieces.

The pastries are best served warm or within 4 hours of baking. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, and then warmed in a 300-degree-F oven for 5 minutes before serving.

pumpkin streusel coffee cake

2011-10-06T13:06:00.016-04:00

Today is THE PERFECT fall day. Loads of sun. Breezy cool air. Auburn leaves. Invigorating and refreshing, all the day needs now is a little cinnamon and spice.

Enter this pumpkin cake. I mixed it up in about 20 minutes, and it baked for about 40, just enough time for me to de-clutter the kitchen and get the bathroom cleaned. All in time for my music meeting.

The Committee Members enjoyed it, with two of them saying that they're not huge pumpkin fans and that this was the perfect amount of pumpkin. (They don't like pumpkin pie, so if you do, you might want a recipe with more pumpkin in it.) I personally like pumpkin any which way, a little more, a little less, it's all good.

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake
by Rebecca @ Beurrista

Printable Recipe

Cake batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon cardamom
½ cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup sour cream

n.b. This is a lightly spiced cake. If you like fuller, spicy flavor, I recommend doubling the spice amounts.

Topping:
½ cup flour

½ cup dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

6 tablespoons butter, slightly softened, cut into ½-inch pieces

½ cup chopped pecans, optional

For the cake batter:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 9x9 square baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix thoroughly. Add the pumpkin and sour cream and mix. Add the flour mixture and slowly combine until no traces of flour are left.

Pour in to the prepared baking pan.

For the topping:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter pieces and combine with fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the topping to the cake and bake for 40-45 minutes.

this post is linked to show and tell, somewhat simple, sugar and dots, show your stuff, friday flair, tatertots and jello, sundae scoop, think pink sundays, strut your stuff, made by you monday, tuesday tutorial, crazy sweet tuesday

"k" cream puff

2011-10-03T19:12:00.000-04:00

The Baking With Dorie baking assignment was Peppermint Cream Puff Ring. I wasn't quite in the peppermint cream mood (come back in December and I'll be singing a different tune,) so I went with plain whipped cream. I piped the dough into a "k" rather than a round for a celebratory cream puff birthday dessert for The Daughter.

Ideally, I would have made some chocolate to top it off, but I ran out of time and drizzled some Fat Toad Caramel Sauce.

Their caramel sauce is made from goat's milk and is extremely creamy, silky, and delicious! Everyone liked this choice of topping, I think, even better than the would-be chocolate. (Apparently, I'm the only chocoholic in the family.)

Thanks to Tina at My Inner Domestic Bliss for picking this fab recipe. I love any excuse to make cream puffs! She's got the recipe on her site, and you'll want to check out her pretty creation. All the other bakers have their results posted here.

chocolate dipped pretzels

2011-09-30T13:17:00.003-04:00

Can you believe that we're already saying good-bye to September and hello to October? Time seems to move faster in the fall. I thought it'd be fun to usher in the month with some chocolate dipped pretzels.

The Chatty Student (his mom often yells from the other room, "... Stop telling your teacher about the day and start playing!") brings sprinkled, chocolate-covered pretzels every Christmas. They've become his handmade tradition that I always look forward to receiving, hiding (who says I need to share?) and sneak-eating.

I was dipping some cookies in chocolate the other day and had a bit left over. Not wanting to waste, I recalled those rods and rolled out a batch.

I found some chocolate squares at Target. You can also use Wilton candy melts (available at Michael's.)

Heat it up in a pyrex glass measuring cup and dip straight into the cup.

Why not try a few kettle chips while you're at it?

I've got pumpkins and bats here, but you can go crazy and customize for any holiday or celebration.

Fun and easy to make, even more fun to eat!

Chocolate-covered Pretzels

Chocolate melts
Pretzel rods
Sprinkles, jimmies

Line a cookie sheet with Silpat or waxed paper.

Using a microwave-safe measuring cup, melt the chocolate for a minute. Stir the chocolate thoroughly. If not all melted, continue to melt in 10 second increments, stirring after each interval.

Roll a pretzel rod in the chocolate and place it on the prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with decorative sugars.

linked with sweets for a saturday,

chili topped baked potato

2011-09-28T06:51:00.004-04:00

Inspiration comes in many forms. An incredible picture. A few poignant words. An impeccably dressed person.

For The Kids, it was the Food Network magazine's insert, 50 Stuffed Potatoes. The cover photo of the pamphlet garnered an immediate "Let's Make THIS!" reaction. The photo of the overstuffed potato, brimming with chili, sour cream and grated cheese made us drool.

I baked the potatoes and they topped to their hearts' content.

There are a few time-saving techniques you can use. Instead of baking the potato in the oven, you can microwave the potato. Using a fork, poke holes a few times to allow steam to escape. For four potatoes, start with 8 minutes, and then check for doneness. Canned chili and grated, packaged cheese also help. Do what suits your time constraint and preference. Then dig in and enjoy!

Chili Topped Baked Potato

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed
vegetable oil
simple beef chili
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Using a pastry brush, lightly oil each potato and place them on a baking sheet. Bake approximately an hour, or until tender. (If using microwave, first poke holes in the potato. Allow approximately 4 minutes for each potato, checking after the first 10 minutes. Cook times vary widely, as microwave wattages differ.)

Top with chili, cheese and sour cream.

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Party, Tell Me Tuesday, Crazy Sweet Tuesdays, Take A Look Tuesday, Whisking Wednesdays, Idea Sharing Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesdays, What I Whipped Up Wednesday,

summer {iheartfaces}

2011-09-26T09:38:00.004-04:00

I interrupt the usual baking and cooking to participate in a fun photo challenge sponsored by i heart faces.

The Nephew made an appearance on this blog last year with some potato latkes. He spends a month with us every summer (well, two so far), which means we get in some quality pool time. He is a bit ambivalent about water, but doesn't mind playing, as long as his head doesn't get soaked. You can see the look of consternation in his face; his expressive eyebrows ~ like tildes ~ make me smile.

apple crisp

2011-09-23T10:03:00.005-04:00

"Life starts all over again

when it gets crisp in the fall."

Jordan Baker, The Great Gatsby

Happy First Day of Fall! I absolutely LOVE this season: brisk air and cool evenings, pumpkin patches and apple picking, crunchy, crinkling leaves, changing colors. I agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Baker. Fall bring renewal and refreshment.

What better way to welcome autumn than with an apple crisp? I went to the stalwarts- Betty, Martha, Ina, Dorie- and took a little of this and a smidgen of that to come up with this homey, satisfying, heart-warming dessert.

You throw the topping together in the food processor. So quick! Peeling apples is the most time-consuming part of the prep. Some recipes call for apple chunks, but I like my apples to lie flat a bit more, so I slice mine.

Apple Crisp
by Rebecca @ beurrista

Printable Recipe

For the topping:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt

For the filling:

5 cups (5-6 medium) tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into thick 1-inch slices

2 tablespoons sugar

juice of ½ lemon

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly butter a 9-inch square dish.

Put all the topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms big curds, about 1 minute. (You can make the topping up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight bag.)

Toss all the filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared dish. Layer the topping evenly over the apples. Bake the crisp for 55 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling up around it. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings

This post is linked to Weekend Show Off, This Chick Cooks, Friday Flair

s'mores cupcakes

2011-09-18T20:46:00.018-04:00

Toasted marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker ~ an amazing combination forever associated with campfires, summertime and fun. The Daughter and I present it to you in cupcake form!

We baked it for her 13th birthday. I cannot believe she's a teenager, and indeed, the years fly by. She has grown to be a wonderful little lady and sous chef; I love having a baking buddy in the kitchen. Now, if only I could convince her that washing dishes is just as fun as creating the mess...

Graham flour for batter

Slightly nubby texture

Hand chopped bittersweet chocolate

Adding a little something extra in the cupcake

Marshmallow frosting

Arguably the best part— torching the marshmallow.

What happens when the marshmallow frosting starts hardening—

no more piping, only dolloping.

S'mores Cupcakes

from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Printable Recipe

1⅓ cups graham flour

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups packed light-brown sugar

¼ cup honey

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Marshmallow Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together both flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter, brown sugar, and honey until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium; beat in eggs and vanilla, scarping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature, or frozen up to 1 month, in airtight containers.

To Finish:

Using a small knife, create a well in each cupcake. Fill each well with a ½ teaspoon of the chocolate ganache. Spoon 2 teaspoons glaze onto each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (Ateco #806 or Wilton #2A) with frosting; pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until frosting is lightly browned all over. Serve within 6 hours.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

⅔ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.

Using a flexible spatula, gently stir chocolate and cream until totally combined; begin near the center of the bowl and gradually work your way toward the edge, pulling in as much chocolate as possible, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. (If any chocolate pieces remain, strain mixture through a fine sieve and discard solids.) If not using immediately, glaze can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently before using.

Marshmallow Frosting

makes enough for 24 cupcakes

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (1 scant tablespoon)

⅓ cup plus ¼ cup cold water

1 cup sugar

In a mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin over ⅓ cup cold water. Allow gelatin to soften,about 5 minutes.

Heat remaining ¼ cup water and the sugar in a saucepan over medium-high, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; clip a candy thermometer onto side of pan. Boil syrup until temperature reaches the soft-ball stage (238º F), brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Remove from heat; add syrup to softened gelatin. Whisk mixture by hand to cool, about 1 minute, then use an electric mixer to whisk on medium-high speed until soft, glossy (but not dry) peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes. Use immediately, as frosting will harden quite quickly.

This post is linked to Skip to My Lou, Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Just Something I Whipped Up, Sweet Indulgences, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Homemade Mondays, c.r.a.f.t, Make Something Monday, Made from Scratch,
Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Party, Tell Me Tuesday, Crazy Sweet Tuesdays, Take A Look Tuesday, Whisking Wednesdays, Idea Sharing Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesdays, What I Whipped Up Wednesday, Something Swanky, Show Your Stuff

peanut butter and jelly cupcakes {msc}

2011-09-15T14:40:00.006-04:00

I know a girl who would eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every school day, day in, day out. I wish My Kids were that easy. Said girl would love this baking club assignment, though I wonder if she'd want one after her sandwich lunch. Maybe for breakfast?

While I'm not a fan of Crumbs Bake Shop, their cupcake is the first one I'd ever eaten which had some frosting/filling on the inside. I loved that idea and used it on this one— scoop out a bit of the cake and add a dollop of the jam.

The cupcake came out a bit dense, though that could be my fault, as I halved the recipe and eyeballed 1/2 of 3/4 cups and other such measurements. I might have ended up with a bit more flour than required. (Tangentially, The NY Times just published an article about using a food scale, and I'm beginning to see the light.) Nevertheless, I like the concept, the flavor (sour cream adds a bit of richness to batter), and the nostalgia of bygone school days that eating this treat brings.

Thanks to Karen at Karen's Cookies Cakes & More for picking this back-to-school-appropriate recipe.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart

Printable Recipe

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

6 ounces unsalted butter, softened

1⅓ cups sugar

⅔ cup natural, creamy peanut butter

3 large eggs, room temperature

½ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Frosting

Strawberry jam, for topping

makes 22 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

With the paddle attachment of electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar thoroughly, about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the peanut butter and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix, or the cupcakes will become tough.

Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Once cupcakes are cool, create a teaspoon-sized hole in the center of each cupcake. Fill the hole with jam. Frost tops with peanut butter frosting. Place a dollop of jam in the center of each cupcake. The cupcakes are best eaten day-of, but will keep in the refrigerator for two days.

This post is linked up to I'm Lovin' It Fridays, tatertots and jello, creative juice, cast party wednesday, sweet treats thursday, show and share

monkey bubble bread

2011-09-12T22:05:00.006-04:00

Our first encounter with Monkey Bread was 10 years ago, in Ocean City. There's a cute kiosk dedicated to this baked delight. If you've never had the pleasure of encountering one, imagine this: yeasty, puffy balls of dough, enrobed in caramelized, sticky, buttery, cinnamon sugar. It's a finger-lickin', tongue-ticklin' treat, most suitable for a gathering of sugarholics. This snack is meant to be eaten fresh out of the oven or definitely day-of, if it lasts that long.

The Daughter took it upon herself to make it for us. She particularly liked dredging the puff balls in butter, then rolling them in sugar.

Ooey, gooey goodness

Monkey Bubble Bread
from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Polifitano

for the monkey bubble bread
1¼ cups whole milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the cinnamon sugar coating
1¼ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup (1stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, warm your milk to slightly above room temperature then remove it from the heat, add the yeast, and whisk to dissolve. (Do not warm it beyond 110 degrees F or you will kill the yeast.) In the bowl of the standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, and salt until combined.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined. Keeping the mixer on low, slowly stream in the milk until combined. Add the melted butter and mix until the dough comes together. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook attachment. Continue to mix on medium speed until the dough becomes silky and tacky, but not sticky, 8 to 10 minutes.The dough should mound together and easily come off the bottom of the mixing bowl. (If the dough is too wet, add some flour. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit of water.)

Spray the bottom and sides of a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to make sure it is completely covered in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let it rest in a warm area until the dough had doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Use your clean hands to push down and deflate the dough. Remove it from the bowl and pat it into a rough circle approximately 8 inches in diameter. Use a bench knife or serrated knife to cut dough into 1- to 1½- inch pieces (about ½ ounce each)—alternatively, use your hands to pinch apart the dough. Roll the pieces into balls (they don't have to be perfectly round). Place the balls on the sheet pan (you will get about 60 pieces in all). Cover the balls lightly with plastic wrap.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in a separate bowl.

Remove the plastic wrap from the dough balls and dip one ball in the melted butter. Let the excess butter drip back into the bowl, roll the ball in the brown sugar mixture, and place it in the Bundt pan. Continue this process with each ball, until you have several layers, arranging them as if you are building a brick wall. Wrap the Bundt pan tightly in plastic wrap. Set it in a warm area of the house for about 1 hour, or until the dough balls have doubled in size and appear puffy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic and bake the Bundt until the top layer is deep brown and the caramel coating begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cool the bread for 5 minutes, the turn it out directly onto a platter and serve warm. Should you have any leftovers (this is rare, I promise you), simply reheat them in a 300-degree oven until warm to the touch.

This post is linked to Savvy HomeMade Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Made by You Monday, Tasty Tuesdays, Made from Scratch Tuesday, This Chick Cooks

ocean city, new jersey

2011-09-04T12:18:00.002-04:00

Our annual pilgrimage down to the Jersey Shore (south of Snooki's haunts) was delayed by Hurricane Irene this year, but when we finally got down to Ocean City, the air was crisp, sky was clear and the water, a bit murky. No worries, as The Kids aren't huge beach fans —don't ask— and are more interested in the variety of amusements and boardwalk fare.

The offerings are innumerable. These are a few of our favorites.

Pizza at Mack & Manco

Mack and Manco is indisputably king of pizzas on this stretch of boardwalk. Their slice has a thin, almost cracker like crust, salty cheese and a seasoned (oregano, red pepper flakes) tomato sauce. Delicious.

Apple Cider Donuts at Oves

Cinnamon sugar and vanilla frosted

Goofy Son

Look at that fried outer layer- YUM!

Ice cream treats

Kohr Bros. frozen custard

(my apologies for the garish, greenish fluorescent glare)

Dairy Queen- vanilla cherry-dipped

Polish Water Ice- cotton candy and mango

I was particularly intrigued with this bake shop—

Crazy Susan's Cookies

I spotted a kiosk on the boardwalk, which said that Crazy Susan's Cookies were featured on Rachael Ray's Snack of the Day. The offerings were few, so I went to their bakery in town. There, I got to see the workers, the kitchen, which was directly behind the counters, and trays and trays of freshly baked cookies.

There was no sign of Crazy Susan, except on some merchandise and promotional items...

I did not know she had a food network show too. She's the cookie's answer to Cake Boss.

The Crazy Turtle, in the forefront, is the most popular cookie.

We sampled the cookies when we got home. This cross section of the Crazy Turtle shows the chocolate chips and cashew cookie, covered with caramel and chocolate. The cookie texture was rather thick and a bit crumbly, sort of like a pecan sandie. Tasty, but not buttery. I loved the caramel chocolate topping.

The S'mores Cookie, with a graham cookie base, marshmallow fluff, and hershey bar, was delicious. The Kids loved this one.

We rounded out the choices with Almond Joy (coconut cookie with almonds and chocolate drizzle) and The Mayor (chocolate cookie with Rolos and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.)

I love the imaginative offerings and will try to recreate all four of them, with the most important substitution of, yes, you guessed, BUTTER!

cauliflower with anchovies

2011-08-30T04:40:00.001-04:00

Hurricane Irene came barreling up the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast this past weekend. I live in the New York metropolitan area, and we braced ourselves for the heavy rains, storm surges, flooding and power outages.

For the latter, that meant freezer diving. I wanted to rid ourselves of what we were stockpiling, just in case the power was out for days. The Kids were laughing that I was force feeding them ice cream. "Do I HAVE to eat more Mango Sorbet?" We ate through frozen pizzas, mini crab cakes, tacos, fish sticks... you get the idea.

What I did manage to cook from scratch were some vegetables, and not just any veggies, but one of the Top Three on The Kids' Fave Veggie Dish List. It may be hard to imagine that

plus

disintegrating into this

would yield a satisfying vegetable side dish. You'll have to try it to believe me. The anchovies cook down to a salty paste, and when combined with garlic, olive oil and red pepper, create a wonderful sauce. You toss in the cauliflower and some water and eight minutes later, tasty veggies!

Cauliflower with Anchovies and Garlic

adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Printable Recipe

½ tin anchovies (The Kids love the flavor and insist on a whole tin.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

¼ cup water

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the anchovies with olive oil until reduced to a paste. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for one minute. Add the cauliflower and water, continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt to taste. (When I use the whole tin, I add no salt.)

cinnamon raisin quinoa

2011-08-29T06:45:00.004-04:00

You're probably looking at this picture and thinking, where's the butter? You know I'm all for rich and creamy, but man, the effects of butter on my body in the past year... I'm starting to think that "moderation and healthful" need to enter into my vocabulary.

My beloved breakfast bagel (cinnamon raisin with a shmear of cream cheese) has always left me shaky, with a huge blood sugar drop around 10 AM. Though I still indulge just once in awhile, I'm trying to change and balance carbs with a bit of protein. I've been looking for something beyond the predictable egg and breakfast bacon.

Enter QUINOA, pronounced keen-wah. Although it looks and acts like a grain, it's a relative of spinach and swiss chard and is the seed of the quinoa plant. Quinoa is an excellent source of complete protein; it contains all nine essential amino-acids. It also is high in magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and iron. The grain-like seed is nutty, fluffy and slightly crunchy. It cooks up like rice does, taking about 15 minutes per 1 cup.

One essential step to making quinoa is RINSE. And re-rinse, rubbing the seed between your fingers. The seed is coated with a bitter compound, saponin, which might still remain even though in its cultivation process, much of it is taken off. The Sister and I had the misfortune of cooking a batch without the necessary prewash... you know where that ended up.

Missing my morning bagel, I added cinnamon and raisin to this batch. Berries and dried fruits work well as mix-ins, as do toasted nuts.

Cinnamon and Raisin Quinoa
by Rebecca of Beurrista

Printable Recipe

1 cup milk
¾ cup water
1 cup quinoa, RINSED!
¼ cup raisins
1 stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Combine the milk, water, quinoa, raisins and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan and bring to boil. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff it up with a fork. Mix in the nutmeg and brown sugar.

braised chicken thighs with castelvetrano olives & toasted almonds

2011-08-27T06:04:00.001-04:00

I love having yearly Sister Visits. She is a teacher in Northern California, which means when she flies to NJ in the summertime, it's for an extended period of time. We share a love of food and trying out new dishes. This summer, she brought along this recipe, created by the owner of Barbacco, a trattoria in San Francisco.

Lots of garlic, to be simmered in olive oil

Bright green Castelvetrano olives

Toasted Marcona almonds

Savory elements of the braising liquid

Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives and Almonds
by Staffan Terje of Barbacco

20 garlic cloves peeled
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
8 large chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
olive oil as needed
1 yellow onion cut into medium dice
1 lemon, cut in quarters
2 medium-size rosemary sprigs
4 cups low-salt chicken broth, reduced to 2 cups (or 2 cups double strength broth)
1 cup dry white wine
1 large bunch swiss chard, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pits removed and halved*
½ cup Marcona almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely
1 tablespoon unslated butter

Place garlic cloves in a small saucepan along with the extra virgin olive oil. Cook over low heat until soft, stirring occasionally, about 15-20 minutes. Remove cloves and set aside, reserve the oil.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place skillet large enough to hold all 8 thighs over medium heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place chicken thighs in skillet, skin side down and cook over medium until skin is golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Turn thighs and cook for another 2 minutes. Reserve oil and chicken drippings in the skillet as you move the thighs to a deep baking dish large enough to hold them in a singled layer; set aside.

Add onion, lemon and rosemary to the now empty skillet. Brown gently over medium-low heat, using a wooden spoon to scrape up and incorporate the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until onions are golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Add chicken broth and white wine, and bring to a simmer. Pour over chicken thighs and place in oven. Braise until juices run clear and chicken is done, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour reserved garlicky olive oil into the skillet. Turn heat to medium. Add swiss chard with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender- about 2-3 minutes.

Place chard on a warm serving platter. Remove thighs from braising liquid and place on the chard. Lightly tent with foil to keep warm. Remove rosemary and lemon wedges from braising liquid, and discard. Pour braising liquid into a sauce pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until 1½ cups remain. Add the reserved garlic cloves, olives and almonds. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the butter, then spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve hot.

*To pit whole olives, place them in a heavy plastic bag. Use a heavy skillet to gently crush the olives, which makes it easier to pit them.

arnold palmer sangria

2011-08-24T21:27:00.001-04:00

I love a good sangria, even with my allergies to red wine (We're talking itchy palms and coughing! Yes, I suffer for a bit of boozy refreshment.) So when finding this recipe while browsing FoodNetwork.com, I was very excited. I love the combination of iced tea and lemonade (hello, Arnold Palmer!) and then, with a bit of citrusy pinot grigio thrown in, this becomes a lovely grownup bbq drink.

Arnold Palmer Sangria

slightly adapted from Food Network.com

2 cups sweetened iced tea

2 cups lemonade

2 cups pinot grigio

1 lime, thinly sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Combine the iced tea, lemonade, and pinot grigio in a large pitcher. Add the lemon and lime slices and chill for two hours. Serve chilled over ice.

This post is linked up with Savvy Homemade, Mouthwatering Monday, Made By You Monday, Creative Bloggers' Party, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Delectable Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Made from Scratch Tuesday, What's Cooking Wednesdays, Living Well Wednesdays, Cast Party Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, Friday Favorites, Foodie Fridays, Show and Tell, and It's Party Time

rosemary olive oil focaccia

2011-08-17T05:24:00.005-04:00

photos courtesy of The Son

The Daughter has baked this bread twice for us, and it always disappears within 24 hours. Freshly baked bread is a luxury unto itself. Nothing quite beats the experience of cutting a slice of hot bread, slathering it with butter, and biting into a crisp-chewy fragrant bit of heaven.

It's amazing that so few ingredients yield such wonderful, tasty results. You need a bit of time to let the dough rest and rise; otherwise, the actual hands-on time is minimal. You can prepare the dough a day or two in advance, as it keeps well in the fridge for 2 days or so. Just be sure to deflate it by punching it down if you don't use it the next day. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

A mound of yeasty dough with fresh rosemary leaves

Puddles of olive oil pool in the dimpled dough.

Golden brown perfection

Rosemary and Olive Oil Focaccia

from Flour, by Joanna Chang

1¾ cups (420 grams) water, at body temperature (when you put your finger in it, it should feel neither warm nor hot)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast or 0.2 ounce (5 grams) fresh cake yeast

3½ cups (490) grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1¼ cups (190 grams) bread flour

3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

2 tablespoons sugar

¾ cup (150 grams) olive oil

big handful of medium-coarse yellow cornmeal for the baking sheet

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the water and yeast and let sit for 20 to 30 seconds to allow the yeast to dissolve and activate. Dump the all-purpose flour, bread flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the sugar onto the water and carefully turn the mixer on low speed. Let the dough mix for about 30 seconds. (To prevent the flour from flying out of the bowl, turn the mixer on and off several times until the flour is mixed into the liquid, and then keep it on low speed.) When the dough is still shaggy looking, drizzle in ½ cup (100 grams) of the oil, aiming it along the side of the bowl to keep it from splashing.

With the mixer still on low speed, knead the dough for 4 to 5minutes, or until it is smooth and supple. The dough should be somewhat sticky but still smooth and have an elastic, stretchy consistency. If it is much stiffer than this, mix in a few tablespoons water; if is much looser than this, mix in a few tablespoons all-purpose flour.

(Alternatively — my kids prefer this way !—combine the water and yeast in a large bowl, and then add the other ingredients as directed and mix with a wooden spoon. Once the oil is incorporated, dump out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or until smooth and supple.)

Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, and turn the dough to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with an oiled piece of plastic wrap or a lint-free damp cloth. Place the bowl in a draft-free, warm place (78 to 82 degrees F is ideal) for 2 to 3 hours. The dough should rise until it is about double in bulk.

Once the dough has risen, flour your hands and your work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl. Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle about 10 by 15 inches. Sprinkle the cornmeal onto a baking sheet to keep the dough from sticking (we used flour) and place the dough rectangle on the sheet. Generously flour the top of the dough, and then cover it loosely but completely with a piece of plastic wrap or a lint-free damp cloth. Place in a warm area for another hour or so, or until the dough rises a bit and gets puffy and pillowy.

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 425º F.

When the dough is ready, remove the plastic wrap—call the kids over- they love this too—and dimple the dough all over, using all ten(+) fingers and firmly poking straight down into the dough all the way to the bottom. Sprinkle the rosemary evenly over the top, drizzle evenly with the remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) oil, and then sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until completely golden brown on the top and bottom. Lift the dough and make sure the underside is browned before pulling it out of the oven, or you will end up with soggy focaccia. Let cool on the pan on a wire rack form about 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle, then cut into serving pieces.

The bread will keep in a closed paper bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or tightly wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. If frozen, thaw at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours and refresh in a 300º F oven for 5 minutes, or refresh directly from the freezer in a 300º F oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

a "me" day- part II

2011-08-12T05:00:00.005-04:00

... this is a continuation from the previous post...

Third stop: Billy's Bakery

Billy's is a happy place. The yellow and green colors are reminiscent of another era.

Freshly laundered t-shirts for sale

Who can resist these cupcakes? Not I...

Chocolate chip cookies

Icebox cake with whipped cream and Famous chocolate wafers

(My picture was blurry, I was so giddy with excitement.

This photo is courtesy of Billy's Bakery website.)

Fourth stop: Cupcake Café

These have always been my absolutely favorite cupcakes in NYC. The cake is dense and moist. (In my experience, the small ones are sometimes dry, so I buy the large cupcakes.) The buttercream frosting is not only tasty and buttery, but also beautiful to behold.

The proverbial icing on the cake of my "me" day was a celebrity sighting at dinnertime. I thought it only fitting that on this day of sumptuous baked goodies, I spotted Dorie Greenspan, eating at the same restaurant as I! (If you're curious, the restaurant was Pure Thai Shophouse.)

Dorie's short, cropped hair and eyeglasses are distinctive.

photo courtesy of Google images

Dorie is a food writer, baker extraodinaire, and cookbook author; with my baking group, I am baking through her tome, Baking: From My Home to Yours. She was tucked into a corner of the restaurant, so I didn't want to bother her to get a photo of the two of us... I later sent her an email through facebook, to which she graciously responded how lovely it would have been to meet me...

It was the perfect ending to a perfect, sweet and delicious day.

a "me" day

2011-08-10T22:37:00.001-04:00

Everyone needs a "me" day, a day when you get to do whatever you want, unencumbered by the usual responsibilities of life.

What would your day look like? Would it be a day spent jumping the waves at the beach? Reading fireside? Hiking in the forest? Relaxing in a spa?

My "me" day was this past Monday, which found me walking the streets of Manhattan on a mini bakery tour. (Mini here means "not full-fledged", as I was limited in both time and, more unfortunately, stomach space.)

First stop: Lulu Cake Boutique— a shop filled with beautifully decorated cakes, precious cookies, tempting cupcakes, and best of all— retro confections, their modern interpretations of the Twinkie, Snowball and Yodel.

The red velvet cupcake was delicious, though slightly dry.

Cupcakes, if overbaked even two minutes, are unforgiving.

Pink Snowballs and Yodels

Lulus

Passion fruit filling

and, of course, the ubiquitous red velvet

We ate the lulus two days after purchase. The cake was surprisingly still moist, the white chocolate exterior (I know there are many non-fans out there!) was thankfully not too sweet and the passion fruit creme was particularly delicious.

Second stop: Three Tarts Bakery + Boutique

I love their framed blackboard signage.

Jewels- gelées atop panna cotta

Mounds of marshmallows

Orange-infused brownies

Assorted mini tarts

Dainty mini parfaits

Everything looked enticing, but I only bought the passion fruit marshmallows and petit fours. Both are absolutely wonderful.

The marshmallows are powdery, puffy and pillowy — positively perfect!

The petits fours are miniature cakes, perfectly sweetened, moistened with apricot jam,

and rich with almond flavor.

to be continued...

risotto with asparagus and pancetta

2011-08-08T11:46:00.007-04:00

It's been well over a decade since I tried my hand at risotto. Perhaps I've been intimidated with the "stir constantly" instructions. (Too impatient.) Perhaps I'm not a big fan of rice. (Not connected with my cultural heritage.) Perhaps I didn't appreciate the oatmeal consistency... well, whatever the reasons were, they no longer exist. Thanks to Dear Sister, who found the cookbook, Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking, I surely will make this dish again and again.

Chef Tourondel used fresh spring peas, which unfortunately aren't available in any suburban supermarkets, so I substituted some asparagus. Pancetta is pork belly which is dry cured with salt, pepper and some spices. Try to use the real thing, as there is no real substitute for it, but if you have to, you could use slab bacon. Chef also instructs to add a splash of wine at the last minute, as it adds just a bit of acidity to the dish.

As for the texture, oatmeal-like is NOT desirable. The consistency of the rice should be creamy and firm- al dente, or firm to the tooth. The rice should still be in individual grains and should easily spread out, but not have excess liquid around the perimeter.

Risotto with Asparagus and Pancetta

adapted from Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking by Laurent Tourondel and Michele Scicolone

About 6 cups chicken stock

2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 ounces pancetta, diced

½ cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 cups Arborio or other medium-grain rice

1⅓ cups dry white wine

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 large piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove asparagus to a colander and set aside. Keep chicken stock on a simmer.

In a large, wide saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta, onion, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat it with the oil. Add the wine and simmer until most of the wine has evaporated.

Add 1 cup of the broth to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the broth is absorbed. Add the remaining broth in 3 more additions, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. If the rice seems dry, add a little more broth and stir until creamy and loose.

When the risotto is tender, yet still firm to the bite, stir in the mascarpone and drained asparagus.

Spoon the risotto into warm shallow bowls. With a swivel-blade vegetable peeler, shave some of the Parmigiano-Reggiano over each portion.

n.b. In his recipe, Chef Tourondel also included 3 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese and 1 tablespoon truffle oil, stirred in right before plating. I usually don't have either on hand, so I simplified the recipe.

This post is linked up with Savvy Homemade, Mouthwatering Monday, Motivate Me Monday, Made By You Monday, Creative Bloggers' Party, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Delectable Tuesday, Friday Favorites, Foodie Fridays, and It's Party Time