LaDue & Crew

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip and Walnut Breakfast Cookies, and Southern NY Tier Flood Relief

2011-09-12T12:16:00.008-07:00

This past Wednesday I received a text from my brother in New York. It read, "Evacuations all over. 10,000 people in Broome County. Jen will lose her house. I couldn't get back because they evacuated my town."

On Thursday, another text from my brother, "R u watching the weather channel? This is bad."

From Jen, another text, "I was able to get all my animals and a few things. Few clothes. Not much. Dogs swam to the road behind me to the car. Water to my waist carrying the cats in carriers and the bird. I saved the things that mattered, I would die if I wasn't able to get them out."

And today from my brother, "Got 80% of jens stuff to the curb. House is a loss. 14 feet of water was in there. Foundation is cracked in 5 places. Trying to salvage only clothing and kitchen stuff. The deck i helped build is 200 yards down road leaning on someone's house. Basically every one from home depot in jc to dunkin donuts in endicott within 3 blocks of river got same damage."

Jen is my brothers best friend of 3+ years that feels like 20 ;) . In these hard economic times, my brother has been staying with her. They help each other, a lot. Now, because of the flood, he's staying with his dear friends of 27 years, Carla and Arnie. Amazing, loving friends, who are also having to pump water out of their own basement.

I love Jen.

I love Carla and Arnie.

I don't love how little this tragedy has been on the news, and how little people know what is presently going on.

So I am asking all of you to donate to the American Red Cross, Southern Tier Chapter, in an effort to help not only my family and friends, but also the thousands of people that have had to evacuate from the homes that they've loved for generations.

One thing that Jen had text me was that local news stations were stating how they had no loss of life. But there was loss... Over 100 animals perished inside of Petco, as well as family pets throughout the area. Jen is angry, and rightfully so. In her words, "Just because they are animals and don't have jobs, didn't make them less valuable to the people that Cherish them."

I'm sorry, Jen... I wish I was there to give you a hug.

I made these breakfast cookies today because they are hearty, filling, and quick to fix. If you are in a flood relief area, maybe you could make these, and distribute them to those in need of a meal. I plan on selling some and donating the funds to the Red Cross chapter in my family's area.

To Bob, Jen, Carla and Arnie, this cookie is for you...

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip and Walnut Breakfast Cookies

1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 c flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large banana (I keep mine in freezer when they become over ripe,
using for recipes)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash the banana well with a fork or whisk. Add the
peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and buttermilk. Mix well.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just
combined. Stir in cinnamon chips and walnuts.

With an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop out 12 equal portions
and place 2" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or
sprayed with non-stick spray if you do not have parchment paper.

Lightly flatten tops of dough. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes, or
until lightly browned.

Makes approximately 12 breakfast cookies.

Mango Macadamia Bread, and old friends

2011-06-16T22:38:00.007-07:00

"Ribbit... Frogggggy!!" Those were the first words spoken in almost 30 years when my high school "brother" and dear friend Victor, with his sweet wife Vicki, landed on my doorstep a few months back. Through the wonders of facebook, my "bro" and I were able to reconnect, and finally catch up on life again.

Victor and I met in high school, instantly clicking, able to talk about anything and everything. Having had similar, dysfunctional family backgrounds, we knew we had to be brother and sister somehow. He gave me the nick name, "Froggy", and honestly, I can't remember why. Could be that I always drew pictures of frogs :-) A sight we were, too... me at 5' and he 6'. After high school, we simply lost touch. Back in 1981, you had to rely on the written word and a home phone to keep in touch. We both moved around so much, each of us just sort of disappeared.

Victor teaching Kidlet how to play the ukelele

Victor and his wife, Vicki, now live in paradise- Hawaii- and with an amazing green thumb they grow mango's, orchids, love to smoke meats, and make lots of mango bread! They are about the neatest couple on the planet, and I love and miss them to pieces...

So when I was in the grocery store the other day and saw mango's on sale, I knew that I had to make the mango bread that Victor is always talking about. He said that he got the recipe from someone else, who said that it was actually an adapted Sam Choy recipe. All I know is that it is fabulous! My husband took almost an entire loaf to work to share with his co-workers, declaring it the best he has ever eaten!

While mine didn't rise as much as Victors does (due to testing with a knife too soon while baking, and deflating a tad), it didn't affect the flavor one bit. I could truly, and dangerously so, eat both loaves on my own- they're that good!

Here's to dear friends, and "brothers"...

Mango Macadamia Bread

2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup oil
1 1/2 c sugar
2 cups peeled, diced fresh mango's
1/2 c golden raisins
1/2 c chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 c shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two 9 x 5 loaf pans with non stick cooking spray, and flour the bottom only.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

With a whisk, combine eggs, oil, and sugar. Add dry ingredients and mix. The mixture will be very thick. Fold in the mango, raisins, nuts and coconut.

Bake 45 to 60 minutes until golden brown, and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave in pans 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks. Makes 2 loaves.

Recap: Taste of the Nation 2011 and Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale

2011-05-18T22:17:00.018-07:00

What a whirlwind weekend I had last week! Team LaDue and Crew Food Blogger Bake Sale raised nearly $1200 for Share Our Strength- that's $600 more than last year! That was in 5 hours, with just a few items sold from home the following day.

We are blessed to have an amazing location at 5th and Wine, in Old Town Scottsdale. Scott Yanni, the establishments General Manager, graciously lets us utilize part of the restaurant, as well as promoting the bake sale from within. He is not only a fabulous host, but an accomplished Sommelier as well. Why not visit and let him suggest a pairing while you enjoy unique flavor combination's? His team of employees are a stellar group, willing to help (and partake in sweets!) in any way they can.

I am so very thankful to have had an amazing team of bakers, that created such amazing and sinful treats. My glucose levels have yet to recover!

One of whom I was blessed to meet, and now call a friend, is Camber of Food Snots. Camber is a new food blogger, whose confectionery creations not only look fabulous, but taste far superior to many a restaurant dessert. One of the many she contributed to the bake sale was this Bavarian Apple Torte, pictured below. She stepped into this bake sale with an open kitchen and a larger than life heart, rocking the socks off any recipe in her path. Camber, I can't thank you enough...

My dear friend, Janet Jorgensen, owner of the fabulous Dog Hotel and Obedience Center known as Starbarks, baked over 100 quick breads... blueberry, banana, lemon poppy seed and cinnamon nut. They were simply fabulous, and a much sought after item.

Janet and I met, and go way back, in a unique manner. While I didn't understand the significance of that meeting at the time, she has come to be one of my closest friends whom I just adore. She and her husband even landscaped and donated their fabulous back yard for my little Tuscan themed wedding. Janet has a big heart and it is evident in everything she touches.

My sister in law Lesley, and my niece Lexi, created the most adorable little pies and tarts! Cherry, apple, and blueberry, they were works of art that no one wanted to eat because of how perfect they looked. In addition, they baked the most delicious array of cookies that disappeared off the sale tables quickly.

I've heard from many people that they just don't understand Twitter, a social media site of which I am a confirmed junkie. All I have to say is, "hop on"! Twitter is where I've met one of my bestie foodie friends, Renee, of the rockin' food blog, Flamingo Musings. Renee graciously donated some of her handcrafted micro batch jams, from her fabulous jam company, the Freakin' Flamingo, to our bake sale. Quite a few lucky people left our bake sale with a bit of Miami in their bags!

My friend Sharon is quite the experimental baker, and for this years sale came up with green chili tomato cookies- an unusual combination that intrigued many people. I look forward to her unusual treats every year, knowing that as soon as one sale is over, ideas come pouring into her head for the next! Sharon also worked hard, finding fabulous raffle donations as well.

As we were setting up and getting ready to open, we had a surprise guest and first buyer of the day- April Warneke, Meteorologist, mom, and all around sweet gal from 3TV. I do have to confess that I did stalk her a bit on Twitter, and bribed her with the English Toffee that I had made for the sale. Hey, a food bloggers gotta do whatever it takes for her chosen charity!

I'd also like to thank gals named Marcia, and Yuna, who was referred via Share Our Strength, who baked an incredible array of cookies and cakes- a flavor for every craving, and a blessing to our team.. Thank you ladies!

I had wonderful help in my mom and my son. Mom cashiered while my son re-stocked and recommended treats to our wonderful guests.

We had wonderful raffles provided by Harris Dental, 5th and Wine Restaurant, Rock Star Boot Camp, Starbarks Dog Hotel and Obedience Center, Freakin' Flamingo Jams, and Baker Wee. Thank you all for your generosity!

Our weekend would not have been complete without Camber and I attending Share Our Strengths Taste Of The Nation 2011 Event at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Every year, the nation’s hottest celebrity chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind: to raise the critical funds needed to end childhood hunger. The event, co-chaired by Julie Zagars and Susie Timm, was an amazing evening filled with people passionate about ending what has become a nationwide epidemic. I was honored to be able to bake and provide cookies that were attached to every guests gift bag this year, and thank Julie Zagars for the opportunity to do so.

But now that the excitement and festivities are over, let us not forget that hunger never takes a break. It isn't seasonal. It's not restricted to Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday. It is a real problem affecting many children 365 days a year, 24/7.

Part of the reason I love to cook and bake is being able to share my creations and to please others. Knowing that I can actually help to feed hungry children here in Arizona (and across America), through my passions, makes the floury cloud of dust in my kitchen worth the while. But I realize not all of you enjoy it as much as I do. There are many ways you can help. Please, go to Share Our Strength and find a way you can become involved today.

English Toffee and the 2nd Annual Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale

2011-05-01T21:37:00.010-07:00

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a single mom. At that point in time, I had two children (I now have 4). Life. Was. Hard. It was the late 80's, beginning 90's, and while the nation spoke of abundant living, I was trying to figure out how to stretch a $6 an hour full time wage into the next month. Rent was $450 and daycare was $100 per week. Naturally, there were other bills. Yet surprisingly, my income "exceeded the maximum allowable income for assistance."

Yeah. That's what I said.

Life has changed. I have a pantry that seems to go on forever, with the ability and passion to create a meal out of ingredients, others seem confused by. I have a dislike of fast food, and an even greater, intense, dislike of food waste. I love the creation of gourmet tastes that come from simple, wholesome, homemade ingredients. My passion is sharing food from my kitchen with others, who don't have that ability.

The Share Our Strength Organization is dedicated to children who struggle to eat day to day. They provide reliable access to healthy food for families across the nation, in your neighborhoods, via support from everyday people like you and me. They teach low income families how to select and prepare nutritious, low cost, ingredients in ways that will encourage healthy eating habits and stretch their food dollars.

One of the ways I am able to help, is by forming a team of bakers and hosting a Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale. Food Bloggers are an amazing community of passionate people, who always seem to use their talents in the kitchen, banding together to help those in need. My team is partnering with Taste of The Nation Scottsdale 2011, an extraordinary evening of delicious dining to also benefit Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger, providing baked goods and encouraging guests to visit our bake sale the following day.

English Toffee has always been a favorite, indulgent treat of mine. It reminds me of abundant, happy, and hopeful times. It is a recipe I have made for over 20 years, given to me by a dental lab known as "Sweet Tooth", back when I was in dentistry. This will be only one of the many treats I contribute to my bake sale... will you please, save the date- Saturday, May 14th, and find one in your neighborhood? Let us all end childhood hunger in America by 2015.

English Toffee

2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp good vanilla- I use my own, homemade Bourbon Vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz dark chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Place a large sheet of aluminum foil onto a large cookie sheet. Lightly coat foil with butter. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan add butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a bubbly boil, stirring VIGOROUSLY with a flat bottom whisk. Constantly stir until a hard crack stage is reached, approximately 295F on a candy thermometer (Sugar can burn easily and rapidly, so constant stirring is essential!). Mixture will start out a pale yellow, and will be at the right temperature once a deep, golden caramel color is achieved.

Immediately pour mixture out onto prepared cookie sheet. Carefully tip pan to spread the mixture, keeping about an 1/8" to 1/4" thickness. Let mixture set about 10 minutes, then evenly sprinkle dark chocolate chips over the top. Be careful as mixture is still very hot.

Wait about 10 minutes, and then with an offset spatula, evenly spread chocolate over the top of the toffee. Immediately, evenly sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the chocolate.

Let Toffee set for about an hour, or until chocolate has hardened (or if you are desperate, such as myself, stick in the freezer for 5 minutes for an immediate craving). Once hardened, break toffee in to bite sized pieces. What are you waiting for..? Eat it already!!

Thin Mint and Irish Cream Tiramisu

2011-03-08T16:34:00.015-07:00

Soooo... how many Girl Scouts have you mowed down just to get your box of Thin Mints? Or did you steal them off your co-workers desk? Yeah, you. You know who you are. I know how it works. I was once a Girl Scout, long ago. I won't give too much detail, but it was way back when gas was under .75 cents a gallon and the Girl Scout cookies cost about the same. I've witnessed Thin Mint induced violence.

These cookies bring back a ton of memories from simpler times. The Baileys- well- memories from more, uh, interesting times. With St. Patrick's day just around the corner, I thought I'd combine two of my favorite things into one of my favorite desserts, Tiramisu. I decided to adapt a recipe for a Chocolate Tiramisu Cake from one of my favorite cookbooks, Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard . What resulted was a rich and silky, yet undeniably "Thin Mint" Tiramisu.

While my adaptations may seem lengthy, they really take not much time at all to prepare. The components can easily be made a day ahead, and assembled just prior to serving. Depending upon your serving glass sizes, your amount of servings may vary.

I've submitted this post to "The Daily Spud" for their Paddy’s Day Food Parade! Go take an Irish peek on March 17th to see all the scrumptious Irish eats that have been rounded up!

Thin Mint and Irish Cream Tiramisu
adapted from Francois Payard

Mascarpone Mousse (recipe below)
Mint Chocolate Mascarpone Ganache (recipe below)
24 Thin Mint Cookies- divided (grated of their chocolate-use half for ganache recipe and half as a sprinkled topping)
1/4 c very strong coffee
1 TBS Irish cream (I used Baileys)
4 parfait glasses

Mix coffee and Irish cream in a small bowl. Set aside. In bottom of parfait glasses place an even layer of mascarpone mousse in each- about an inch or so (depending on glass size). Then for each glass, soak 3 cookies (which have been previously grated of their chocolate coating) in the coffee mixture until cookie is slightly soft, and place on top of the mascarpone mousse. Then place a thin layer of Mint chocolate ganache, 3 more cookies soaked in coffee, and another layer of mascarpone mousse. Top with a small dollop of chocolate ganache. Garnish each parfait with reserved grated mint chocolate. Serves 4 (depending on glass sizes, servings may vary)

Mint Chocolate Mascarpone Ganache

12 of the 24 Thin mint cookies, grated of their chocolate (to equal approximately 1/2 cup) Reserve cookies
1/2 c heavy cream
3 TBS Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 tsp Irish Cream (I used Baileys)

Heat heavy cream In a double boiler (or a bowl placed over simmering water) until hot, about 3 minutes. Add Irish cream and grated chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted. Add mascarpone, stirring till melted and well combined. Remove from heat and set aside until to cool enough to place in refrigerator,chilling until very cold. Once ganache is well chilled, beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, and resembles whipped cream.

Mascarpone Mousse

2 egg yolks (reserve whites)
1/3 c sugar, divided
2 egg whites (from previous reserve)
1 c Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 TBS Irish cream (I used Baileys)
green food coloring (if desired)

In a double boiler (or a bowl placed over simmering water) add egg yolks and half of sugar. Keep whisking until yolks change from dark yellow to a lemon yellow, and become nice and thick- approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk another 5 minutes, until mixture is cool enough to touch bowl. Once cool, blend in mascarpone cheese.

In another bowl, whisk egg whites with remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Whisk in Irish Cream. Then fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture until just combine. Place in refrigerator until well chilled. After mixture is well chilled, add green food coloring, if desired.

Crispy Chorizo Bites

2011-02-04T22:05:00.008-07:00

If you're like me, you think of all these fantastic little appetizers long before the big celebrated day, Superbowl Sunday, arrives. I know, its all about the game. But if you fail to have a fantastic repertoire of football food on the big day, you may as well kiss your win goodbye.

My hubby loves having a spicy Sunday breakfast of fresh tortilla's, chorizo & eggs, so I always try to have a stash in the freezer. It's a Southwestern staple here, and it seems to keep us satisfied all the way until dinner. Many know it in it's Spanish, sausage like form, however, you can find it in its ground, Mexican form at your local grocers. If it's not available in your corner of the country, you can always by ground meat and add chorizo seasoning from the ethnic foods section of your local market yourself.

I was trying to think of something different that I could make for Superbowl Sunday, with ingredients I already had on hand, when I came up with this spicy little appetizer. I'm one of "those people", that always has cream cheese, fresh garlic, and puff pastry lying around. Seems as long as you have those, drop in guests and a 4 ingredient appy are only minutes away.

Crispy Chorizo Bites

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator
1- 8 oz package room temperature cream cheese
1 head fresh garlic, roasted , cooled
1 lb ground chorizo, mild, medium, or hot (your choice), fully pre- cooked and drained

Remove thawed puff pastry from refrigerator and on a lightly floured surface, roll out each with rolling pin to enlarge about an inch, and remove folded seams.

Squeeze cooled garlic out of skins into softened cream cheese. Blend well, but don't worry about completely smashing chunks of garlic. Divide and spread evenly between the 2 sheets of puff pastry.

Divide and spread cooked chorizo over the garlic- cream cheese mixture. From the widest end, roll up each of the sheets of puff pastry into a long log. Slice into 1/2" pinwheels.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (easier clean up, but not necessary), and bake in a pre-heated 400F oven for 15 minutes, or until golden and flaky.

Approximately 40 Chorizo bites.

Hearty Half Time Chili

2011-01-30T14:30:00.007-07:00

In September of 1999, my dear friend, Cindy, emailed me a chili recipe that sat in my inbox forever before I finally tried it. I absolutely love chili- the chunkier, the better, in my opinion. But this one was, uh, weird.

It had Keilbasa in it.

I live in Arizona.

That is wrong.

Well, I finally got around to making it about New Years day 2000, and I have to say, much like in her email, it is my favorite ALL TIME recipe for chili. I did add some spices that weren't in her original recipe- cinnamon, dark cocoa powder, and Pasilla Ancho Chili powder- they gave it the unique depth of flavor I love.

The seasonings are approximate for my tastes, but you can always add or subtract according to yours. And the Keilbasa- I couldn't imagine it without it- it's fabulous!

Hearty Half Time Chili
recipe adapted from Cindy Geery

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork (or Italian sausage with casings removed)
1 lb Keilbasa cut into chunks
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs Pasilla Ancho Chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs dark cocoa powder
Cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
2- 28oz cans cut tomatoes (do not drain)
1- 14.5oz can plain tomato sauce
1- 28oz can kidney beans (drained)
1- 28 oz can black beans

Optional toppings:

Grated Cheddar
Chopped green onions
Sour Cream

In a large dutch oven, brown ground beef with sausage, onion, Pasilla Ancho chili, cumin and garlic.

Then add keilbasa, remaining seasonings, and tomatoes. Simmer about 10 minutes and then add beans.

Evaluate and adjust seasonings to your taste, let simmer and allow flavors to meld for about 30 minutes.

Serve topped with grated cheddar, green onion, and sour cream.

Apricot-Peach Cobbler

2011-01-14T15:48:00.009-07:00

There's a lot of excitement going on over here- any day now will be the birth of my first granddaughter! Yup, we know it's a girl. She will be my oldest daughters first baby, and my first grandchild... I still haven't gotten used to it! As you know, cravings abound during pregnancy, and my daughter has had her share. One of these was for my apricot-peach cobbler. A long time since I've made it, I had forgotten just how incredible the house smells while it's baking!

I had come across the recipe about 20 years ago, in one of those solicitations sent in the mail to get you to purchase recipe cards. Well, I never ordered the cards, but I did save the little freebie they sent, which happened to be for this cobbler.

My sister sent me a desperate email about 10 years ago, asking for the recipe. So I emailed her back right away, sending her my adaptation of the recipe. Well, over the last 10 years or so, my written recipe card with all of it's handwritten changes, has disappeared. So I ended up having to email my sister one desperate day for her to email it back to me... I'm so glad she saved it! However, now I haven't any idea where the recipe originated from. In any case, it's one cobbler recipe you'll be sure to hang on to. Warm, sweet, bubbly, and over the top pregnancy craving delicious!

Apricot-Peach Cobbler

Filling

1 can sliced Apricots, 28 oz, in lite syrup- reserve syrup
1 can sliced Peaches, 28 oz, in lite syrup- reserve syrup
4 Tbs cornstarch
1 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 c of reserved syrup
2 Tbs butter, melted

Cobbler Crust

1 c flour
1-1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs melted butter
2 eggs, beaten

Spray a 13x9 baking pan with non-stick spray. Add Apricots and peaches. Set aside.

In a 2 qt saucepan blend together all of the dry ingredients for the filling- cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then add the reserved syrup and butter, then blend well with a small whisk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce to a simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes thickened and somewhat clear, about 15 minutes. Pour thickened mixture over fruit.

In a medium bowl blend together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add beaten egg and melted butter. Mix until just combined.

With a spoon, drop or drizzle the thick batter over the top of the fruit. Don't worry about how it looks because it will spread out evenly on its own.

Bake at 350 for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is completely cooked through and not runny underneath. Serve while warm and bubbly with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves approximately 8-10 people.

Chickpea Salad

2011-01-06T09:39:00.005-07:00

Well Happy New Year Y'all! It just occurred to me that I haven't hung out over here since November. I've made lots of fattening things since then. I'm also fairly certain that during this time, I've gone through 50 lbs of flour, an equal amount of sugar, and at least 30 lbs of butter. It was a tasty month or so.

I love butter.

But for those who are starting afresh and new in 2011, here's a tasty little salad I adapted from one over at allrecipes.com . It called for canned garbanzo beans, red onion, and just a tablespoon of lemon juice. I only had green onions, dried chickpeas (I soaked overnight), and used the juice of a whole lemon instead.

In any case, it was a pretty tasty & healthy salad. A nice directional shift after climbing my slippery mountain of butter.

Chickpea Salad
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 c dried chickpeas (soaked overnight in 2 c water)
2 green onions, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 large tomato, chopped
1 c flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1-3 Tbs olive oil, or to taste
Juice of 1 medium lemon
kosher salt- to taste
fresh cracked pepper- to taste

After soaking the chickpeas overnight, place in a 2 qt saucepan with soaking water, and add enough additional water to cover about an inch more. Bring to a boil and then let simmer about 45 minutes, but don't allow to get mushy. Drain when done and let cool. Add remaining ingredients, and stir. Let chill before serving. Serves about 4.

Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Marshmallow Pops

2010-11-29T16:12:00.007-07:00

I love this time of year. The scents are amazing. The treats that have been hiding all year long have finally come out to play!

I think just everyone loves marshmallows and chocolate. I mean, who doesn't love a s'more? But this time of year it's time for a little twist- a peppermint twist! These creamy marshmallows are dipped in dark chocolate, then topped in crunchy peppermint. They are crazy good on their own, but when you dunk them in a hot cup of coffee, amazing things happen... They are so easy, you gotta give them a try!

Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Marshmallow Pops

6 marshmallows
1 c dark chocolate candy melts
1/2 c crushed peppermints or candy canes
6 candy sticks (wood or paper)
6 red gummy candies for garnish
Foam platform, to hold pops

Place peppermint candies in a small bag. Crush with a rolling pin or a mallet until pieces are small. Set aside.

Melt candy melts in microwave. Place sticks into marshmallows, and one at a time, dip into chocolate coating evenly. Lightly tap stick on edge of bowl to remove excess chocolate. This may take a few seconds- you do not want the chocolate to drip down sides while cooling. Once excess is removed, place the sticks standing up in the foam board. You can then place in the fridge or the freezer to set quicker.

After chocolate is set, dip just the top end and edges once again into the melted chocolate, and then immediately into the crushed peppermints. Place onto the foam board once again. On the very top center of the marshmallow/ peppermint, place a small dot of chocolate. Then place a gummy candy on top.

No need to refrigerate... Just enjoy!

Creamy Appletini

2010-11-23T10:17:00.006-07:00

Ahhh, the holidays are upon us... just a few short days and all of your favorite people will be at your door, dishes in hand, ready to share in the abundance that will grace your table. Your house is immaculate, all of the Autumn decor perfectly appointed; praises, love, and adoration of your culinary abilities is on it's way...

Bull. Don't lie. Aunt Gertrude has already pissed you off, insulting your turkey brining technique. Your brother can't seem to make an executive decision about whether he's coming or not. Your uncle wants to bring 10 of his buddies that can't even boil water, and the batteries just went out on your smoke detectors. All 8 of them. 12 feet up. Your ladder is only 4 feet tall.

It's time for your trusty one fingered wave to the world. It's time for a Creamy Appletini.

Creamy Appletini

1/4 oz chopped Hersheys cinnamon chips
1/4 oz graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbs Karo syrup, for rimming glass
1 oz spiced rum
1/4 oz whiskey
4 oz Martinelli's sparkling cider
2 oz heavy cream
crushed ice

Combine chopped cinnamon chips and graham cracker crumbs. Dip rim of a 4 oz glass into Karo syrup, coating completely. Set aside.

In an 8 oz glass, combine the rum, whiskey, sparkling cider, and heavy cream. Add some crushed ice. Stir until blended and frothy. Pour into your prepared glass. Makes 2, 4oz servings.

Ignore everybody.

Enjoy!

Roasted Pumpkin Whole Wheat Pizza

2010-11-17T21:40:00.015-07:00

I adore pizza. Not just your run of the mill, "Five for $5" deals, but rather, "real" pizza. Fresh, quality ingredients, that adorn a fabulous crust, are a must. Oh, and not the crust that you can find in the cardboard tubes at the market... I'm talking fresh, flavorful, crispy rounds of goodness that can only be had by using a tried and true recipe.

The best recipe I've ever found comes from my friend Peter, who writes the Greek Food Blog, Kalofagas. I've been a fan of Peter's blog for a few years now, and consider him the authority on all things Greek. I look no further. Every recipe I've ever tried from his repertoire has been stellar. People who know me well know that I always adapt recipes from the get go. Well, not with Peters. I know they are tried. They are true. I respect his dishes and know that no changes are necessary.

When I got the hankering for a pizza last week, and went to prepare Peters recipe for pizza dough, I found myself completely out of all purpose flour. Shock. I know... Me without flour is unheard of. It's wrong. It just doesn't happen. Hot diggity lizards though, it did! All of my recipe components already prepped, with 2 little ones I was babysitting and my own Kidlet underfoot, I was unable to jet to the store and went into a pizza panic!

It was then that I remembered my frozen stash of King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour. While it is quite pricey, I refuse to use any other brand, knowing it produces consistent, quality results every time (no, I was not paid to say that).

For the first time, I was going to adapt a recipe of Peters... Shhhhh... don't say anything...

So, with additional ingredients inspired by my own runaway imagination, and a desperate craving for a unique, taste of Fall inspired pizza, I created this whole wheat pizza, uncertain of the end result.

All I can say is, I'm glad I ran out of all purpose flour! I loved the flavor and chew that the whole wheat gave to this crust. It married perfectly with the pumpkin, and complimented the taste and aroma of the fresh sage. When drizzled generously just before serving with the best olive oil you can find, and served with a smoky glass of Chardonnay, you'll have a distinctive pizza perfect for a meal, or wonderful as an appetizer.

Roasted Pumpkin Whole Wheat Pizza
with adapted Pizza dough recipe from Peter of Kalofagas

1 recipe Pizza Dough- Use this recipe & substitute King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
1 small Sugar Pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and sliced
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
1 whole head of Garlic, roasted
2 fresh Sage Leaves, minced, and additional for topping
1/4 tsp fresh ground Nutmeg
Salt & fresh ground Pepper, to taste
12 slices of Smoked Provolone Cheese
Olive Oil, for brushing and drizzling

Preheat oven to 450F. Sprinkle pizza stone with cornmeal and place in oven.

Combine ricotta cheese, roasted garlic, minced sage, fresh nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Divide whole wheat pizza dough in half. Spread out each half, and carefully transfer to a pizza peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush dough well with olive oil. Spread 1/2 ricotta mixture onto dough. Cover with 6 slices of smoked provolone. Top with as many slices of pumpkin as you like. Lightly drizzle again with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. If desired, sprinkle with a chiffonade of fresh sage leaves. Transfer pizza from the pizza peel to your well heated pizza stone, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven.

Just before serving, drizzle again with olive oil. Makes 2 medium size pizza's.

Pumpkin Biscotti with Toasted Pine Nuts and Cinnamon Chips

2010-11-14T21:06:00.009-07:00

Of course y'all know I bake. A lot. An obscene amount of cakes, really. Last week I had both my sons birthday cake and a Crack Pie sitting on my counter. Well, make that 2 crack pies- but I was a good girl and gave one away.

Because I have so much sweet stuff lying around here all the time, my cravings have a tendency to lean towards the not so sweet variety. Just something with a touch of sweetness, to compliment a nice, hot, cup of coffee.

I was doing a little hanging out over at My Baking Addiction last week, and came across Jaime's post for Pumpkin Pie Biscotti. I absolutely adore biscotti. There is not a more perfect pairing with coffee than to dunk in a perfectly crisp biscotti, in my opinion.

Taking note of the changes Jaime felt she would make the next time she made this recipe, I heeded her advice, as well as adapting the recipe to ingredients I had on hand. I used a mixture of dark brown and vanilla sugar's, then added toasted pine nuts and cinnamon chips. I also baked the biscotti a bit longer to achieve the crunch and "dunkability" I absolutely love. These are fabulous to make and give away for the holidays... if you don't eat them all yourself ;-)

Pumpkin Biscotti with Toasted Pine Nuts and Cinnamon Chips
adapted from My Baking Addiction (via Cooking in an Apron)

3-1/2 c flour
3/4 c dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 c vanilla sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tsp Bourbon Vanilla
2 Tbs unsalted butter
3/4 c pine nuts
1/2 c cinnamon chips
1 egg
1 Tbs water
Sugar Glitter Crystals (if desired, for garnish)
Melted white chocolate (if desired, for garnish)

Pre heat oven to 350F.

Combine flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, and vanilla. Add the wet pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients. The mixture will be a little hard to combine at first, but will gradually come together to form a thick dough.

Toast the pine nuts in a small pan with the butter until lightly golden- just a few minutes. Cool, then gently add the pine nuts and cinnamon chips to the biscotti dough. Place dough on a floured surface and divide into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a log shape, about 8" long, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, 3" apart. Very slightly flatten the logs.

In a small bowl beat the remaining egg with water and lightly brush the surface of each with the egg wash. At this time you can sprinkle with decorative sugar, if you desire. I used Gold Glitter Crystals.

Bake for 27 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F.

On a cutting board, carefully cut each log on the diagonal into 1/2" slices with a very sharp bread knife.

Return the cut biscotti to a parchment lined baking sheet, with the cut sides facing down. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and turn over each biscotti. Return to oven and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, until nice and golden. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Once cool, drizzle with melted white chocolate, if desired. Approximately 32-40 biscotti.

Note: Oven types and temperatures may vary. Some cooking times may take less or longer than others.

Cakes, and more cakes...

2010-11-10T21:41:00.014-07:00

I am so thankful that I have had more opportunities of late to create custom cakes. If you hadn't noticed, my "regular posting" has been a bit scarce these days. Oh, I'm still cooking and baking up a storm, but with kids under foot and cake orders to fulfill, sometimes the step by step photo's have to go by the wayside and the family is lucky to get a fork, let alone a fab little garnish of parsley, to grace their plates. Decorating cakes, though, is what I love to do most. Sure, it can be quite stressful, and I've had my share of mishaps, but I try and learn from those, and move on.

I made this John Deere themed cake last week, complete with farm animals, to grace the little carrot cake cuppies. The tractor was made from Rice Krispy treats covered in fondant. The animals, corn and carrots were all fondant.

This was a red velvet bridal shower cake with an Italian meringue buttercream, complete with fondant bow and real red roses.

My little one turned 4 this summer and all she can think of day and night is Tinkerbell. So naturally, kidlet got what she wanted...

For a surprise birthday party I created a 2 foot long carved Miller Lite bottle out of chocolate cake, covered in buttercream and fondant. I hand painted the logo onto the fondant with food coloring.

A sweet little girl turned 2 and her very favorite little guy in the world is Elmo. This was also red velvet.

I made some little Elmo's to go with the cake, as well as her name out of fondant to top cupcakes that surrounded the cake.

Another wanted a bustier cake for his wife's surprise birthday party. This, too, was about 2 ft long. Covered in buttercream and the bustier fashioned out of fondant.

How I loved to make this vanilla bean cake with Italian meringue buttercream for a Marine Boot Camp graduate! All the stars and rope are fondant painted in an edible gold glaze.

There are many, many more. I don't always have time to snap a good photo, but I at least try to get something before it leaves my kitchen!

Thanks everyone, for following my too few posts... I appreciate all of you! I have some wonderful recipes coming up, so stay tuned!

Poached Pears- Eat Your Heart Out This Halloween!

2010-10-29T16:17:00.011-07:00

Call me sick, call me weird, you can even call me gross, but don't call me heartless... I have a heart, really, I do. It just happens to be on my plate right now. Yes, another disgusting dish for the #GreatHallowTweet , the fabulous Halloween Bloghop originated and hosted by my friend Renee of Flamingo Musings.

I've always wanted to try poached pears. It seemed like a fabulous way to create inexpensive elegance for guests, with minimal effort. When thinking of ideas for the #GreatHallowTweet, this recipe came to mind when I noticed that ones of the pairs I had resembled a heart shape. I adjusted the recipe to the ingredients I had on hand, resulting in a bloody delicious treat I must say!

Poached "Heart" Pears
adapted from joy of cooking

1 c Merlot wine
1/2 c Grenadine
1 c sugar
2 peeled long strips of fresh lemon peel
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs red food coloring
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves, whole
3 medium pears

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a 2 qt saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the stems of the pears and peel, slightly slicing off both the top and bottom of pears. I rounded the top a bit, giving it more of a "heart" shape look.

Add the pears to the saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes. Keep turning the pears in the pan to distribute the flavor and color evenly, until they have reached a rich, deep, red. Remove pears gently from saucepan and let cool.

Remove the remaining cloves, lemon peel, and cinnamon stick. Let the remaining sauce simmer in saucepan until reduced by about 1/3rd (5-10 minutes), watching carefully so as not to burn.

Arrange cooled pears on a serving plate and "splatter" with "bloody" sauce. Serves 3.

Cobweb Meringues and the #GreatHallowTweet Halloween BlogHop

2010-10-25T18:40:00.014-07:00

I need a maid. Try as I might, I can't seem to keep up. Everywhere I look in this house, cobwebs seem to be invading every little nook and cranny.

It seems like, just when you get the whole house all spiffed up for the fall festivities, the invasion begins. Subtle at first- a wispy flurry or two- a phenomenon of epic proportions that flocks to my home in herds...

Heee heeee.... herds of edible Cobweb Meringues that is. My fabulous friend Renee over at Flamingo Musings is the creator and Ghostess with the Mostest in charge of the #GreatHallowTweet Bloghop. Just click on any of the links in my right sidebar area that says Halloween Bloghop, and you will be able to hop on over to all of the ghoulishly delicious 18 participating blogs (link visible only if viewing my direct blog link here)!

My little cobwebs are a fabulous treat to make with your little goblins. They don't require much- just 3 egg whites beaten (in a grease free metal bowl) with 1/2 a cup of granulated sugar until stiff.

Fill a medium size pastry bag with the finished meringue, and then snip off the very tip of the bag. Pipe a small circle, followed by a sloppy scalloped circular pattern, and then another larger, scalloped circular pattern, trying to match up the points on each. Then, from the inner circle to just beyond the outer point, make a line. No need to be perfect... remember, our little goblins are never perfect, just ridiculously cute ;) Bake at 250F on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 40 minutes until dry and delicate. Remember, these are freakishly diet friendly, too!

Bread of the Dead

2010-10-05T15:41:00.013-07:00

Here in the Southwest, the spooky spirit of Halloween lingers around for a spell as the macabre Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos is observed from October 31st through November 2nd. It is believed that during this time, the spirit of the dead return to visit their families who consider it a joyous time. They choose to hide their fears of death and beyond with a mocking, yet respectful, celebration that includes the building of altars and thoughtful preparation of special breads known as Pan de Muerto, or "Bread of the Dead".

I had saved this particular Bread of the Dead recipe from an article I had read in Sunset Magazine about 13 years ago (post without recipe is available in link). While some variations call for anise seed, this one is delicately spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, of which I always keep fresh and grate myself, with the mellow flavor of my own homemade bourbon vanilla. The result is a mildly sweet, subtly spiced, warm, fluffy, loaf of bread that is lovely with a cup of warm cocoa.

Bread of the Dead
adapted from Sunset Magazine

1 pkg yeast
1/4 c warm water
1/3 c milk
1/3 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, beaten, with 1 Tbs reserved for wash
1 Tbs Bourbon vanilla
3-3/4 c flour
1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 tsp fresh ground cinnamon
2 Tbs sesame seed

In large bowl add warm water and yeast. Set aside. Cut butter into small cubes and place in small saucepan with milk until just barely melted, but yet you are able to touch without burning. Set aside.

Beat eggs well and add vanilla, milk mixture, sugar and salt. Then add that mixture to the large bowl with yeast mixture. Mix well.

Using 2-1/2 c of the flour, add the nutmeg and cinnamon and combine well. Add the dry flour mixture to the wet yeast mixture and stir well. Add another cup of flour and mix until dough starts to pull away from bowl a bit. Take the remaining flour and sprinkle on a flat surface. Scrape dough onto surface and knead with remaining flour until smooth and no longer sticky. NOTE: The amount of flour you need to add may depend on your method of measurement, and the preciseness of your measuring utensils.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise until doubled, up to 1-1/2 h ours. At that time, uncover bowl and lightly push down dough, letting rest 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough to remove any air bubbles that may have formed. Form dough into a circle approximately 8" and place on a well buttered sheet pan. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise again about 30 minutes.

Uncover dough and brush with reserved 1 Tbs of beaten egg. Sprinkle loaf with sesame seeds. Then with a very sharp knife that has been dipped in flour, make a cut into the middle of the dough from one side to the other, about 1/2" deep.

Bake in a 350F oven until crust is caramel in color, about 30-35 minutes, depending on your oven.

The bread is fabulous served warm on its own, or with a touch of whipped cinnamon butter. Enjoy!

Espresso Coffee Cake, and A Way to Help Erika of The Ivory Hut

2010-09-01T22:01:00.010-07:00

About 15 years ago my sister gave me a recipe for a coffee cake that was like no other I had ever tasted. It had been given to her by a client that had never written her name on the recipe card. Over time, clients come and go and her name was long forgotten. A unique coffee cake; it tastes exactly like that- coffee. Not the sugary, crumbly type that many of us have become accustomed to. It is a dense, moist, mildly sweet cake, that will make you appreciate the time you took to make it. It's also an opportunity to pull out the Espresso Machine and savor life, while around the table with friends.

Just yesterday I had the opportunity to be spotlighted by Elle on her newsletter Elle's New England Kitchen. Elle is a fabulous food blogger with insanely good food and a fabulous life I envy in New England- Check out her site. It's worth every peek you may sneak!

One of the questions posed to me by Elle was, "What do I find most enjoyable about blogging?" I responded, in part, with, "I've found that food bloggers, especially, have tender, giving hearts and will go to "grass-fire" lengths to help their fellow bloggers in need." Friends, that couldn't be more true than today, when our fellow food and photography blogger, Erika, of The Ivory Hut (also known as @ivoryhut on Twitter), lost her home in it's entirety last night due to fire. The food blogging community and Twitter friends have rallied together in the last 12 hours to put together a website with a paypal link to help Erika and her family in her time of need. While her family was not hurt, her family has lost everything, including her husbands prosthetic leg.

So I ask of you today, friends, family, follower's and first time visitors, to please take a moment to head over to this link to donate anything you can to help Erika and her family. Even if it is only $5, times that by the power of the internet, and you can help soften the blow that this devastating event has caused.

Despite the negativity that some say about the "online world", I'm so thankful, grateful, and blessed, to be a part of an international family of friends that social media has brought me. It's more than food. We're family, through thick and thin.

Espresso Coffee Cake

3 sticks UN-salted butter
1 c sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 c sour cream
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbs instant espresso (or instant coffee)
1 Tbs hot water
2 Tbs cocoa powder
1 Tbs sour cream

Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. You will see the batter go from a dark yellow to a light, lemony color (a well creamed butter and sugar are critical to a tender cake). Then add vanilla, eggs (one at a time, mixing well after each), and sour cream until well combined and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In thirds, gradually add to butter mixture until well combined.

In a small cup combine the instant espresso (or instant coffee) with hot water.

Divide the batter into 3 separate bowls. In one bowl add the espresso mixture. In another bowl add the cocoa powder and 1 Tbs sour cream.

In a well sprayed non-stick bundt pan place the cocoa mixture evenly at the bottom. Follow with an even layer of the espresso mixture. Lastly, the layer of plain batter.

Bake at 350F for approximately 1 hour (depending on your oven) or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool. Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

Fresh Fruit Tart with Dark Chocolate and Pastry Cream

2010-07-12T13:29:00.012-07:00

I have been known, a time or two, to give into a severe craving and make a beeline to the closest bakery available. It's usually late at night when, as much as I love to bake, can't quite convince myself that an hour of creating and a sink full of dishes is going to satisfy, and reward, my efforts.

One market I frequent always seems to have desserts on the higher end- you know, not just cream pies and spray painted confections. Quite honestly, here in the Arizona summers, a creme pie sounds less than appealing. If anything, nauseating.

One of the items I have tried and liked at that market was a fruit tart made with a pastry crust brushed in chocolate, a vanilla cream, and fresh fruit. While it was refreshing, some off the things I didn't care for was the heavy dose of sugar on the pastry- a huge crunch in every bite- and the glaze of unknown origin on the fruit itself. Oh, and the the $16.99 price tag was just a tad on the "don't you dare tell hubby you spent this much" side... Who, me..?

Thank goodness last week when the craving for this fruit tart hit, it was early enough in the day for me to think of how to recreate it more to my liking. While the recipe was inspired by my local Safeway baker y, the recipe I created on my own. A flaky puff pastry, spread with a premium dark chocolate, a thin layer of decadent pastry cream, with the best of the seasons fruit crowning the top.

Fresh Fruit Tart with Dark Chocolate and Pastry Cream

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator
1 recipe Pastry cream (recipe to follow main recipe)
3 oz dark (bittersweet) chocolate, melted- I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao
2 c strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 whole kiwi's, peeled, sliced down center and sliced into 1/2 circles
1/2 c blackberries
1/2 c blueberries
1/2 cup seedless blackberry preserves, heated in microwave for 15-20 seconds with 1 tsp of water

Place a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom onto a baking sheet. Carefully drape puff pastry into pan, cutting off excess at top. Dock the bottom of pastry. Bake for approximately 15 minutes at 400F, until pastry has risen slightly and is flaky. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

With an offset spatula, spread melted dark chocolate to within an inch of edge of pastry. Let cool.

Again with offset spatula, cover cooled chocolate with cooled pastry cream (recipe below).

In a decorative pattern, place sliced fruit on top of pastry. Brush fruit with blackberry preserves. Chill completely in refrigerator before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Pastry Cream

1 c whole milk
1/4 c sugar
1/2 of a vanilla bean, split down center
3 egg yolks
2 Tbs flour
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/8 tsp salt

In a small bowl combine the egg yolks and half of the sugar and whisk until the mixture turns a light yellow. Then add the flour and salt, mixing well. Set aside.

In a 2 qt saucepan place other half of the sugar, milk and vanilla bean on medium heat. When mixture begins to simmer well, take off of heat and carefully remove vanilla bean (dry and save for another use, such as vanilla sugar).

Very carefully and slowly add a small amount, about a cup, of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, constantly stirring, to temper the eggs making sure not to scramble. Once combined, add egg and milk mixture back to the pan over medium heat. Whisk the mixture constantly, making sure nothing sticks to bottom of pan. Bring mixture to the boil for about one minute, until mixture thickens. Turn off heat and add butter.

Place into a shallow pan to cool and cover with saran wrap so that a skin does not form.

Spiedies and summer memories

2010-07-03T17:32:00.007-07:00

I have some fabulous memories of summertime growing up in New York. As a kid, our first hint of summer was when the Good Humor Ice Cream truck would start canvasing the neighborhoods, and the lot of us would scream at the top of ours lungs for him to stop. My favorite ice cream bar of all time was the Good Humor Candy Center Crunch. Somehow, I felt as if I had struck gold. Not only was I allowed to get an ice cream, but with the addition of this solid chocolate candy bar in the center, I felt extra special!

Summer also meant home grown tomatoes. My parent's loved to garden, and back there it seemed so much easier than here in Arizona. The soil was nutrient rich and dark. A huge turn from cement like red clay we have here.

My parents also loved to compete with the neighbors when it came to their tomato plants, especially who could grow the biggest. I remember one summer, about 1972, when the folks had my brother and I blow up red balloons and attach them to our plants. They had me pretend to water them while they took a Polaroid instant picture with one of those bright flash bulbs. Dad & Mom then had us run on down to the neighbors, boasting of our huge faux- 'mater plants, while they sat back laughing their tail ends off... We still crack up over it to this day!

But I have to say that for our family, in summertime, especially the 4th of July, meant one thing- Spiedies! Cubes of lamb, venison, beef or chicken are soaked in a vinegar, citrus and herb based marinade for a few days to a few weeks, then skewered and grilled over an open flame, and served on soft Italian rolls. They are a regional New York favorite, and about 26 years ago the Annual Binghamton Spiedie Fest was born.

While some may think it strange to marinade meats for a week or two at a time, it worked perfectly when using lamb or venison, removing any gamey traces, producing a tender, juicy end result. This here is my recipe, based upon family input and my childhood memories.

Spiedies

4 large bay leaves, coarsley crumbled
4 tsp oregano
5 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c fresh lemon juice
1/8 c fresh lime juice
1/2 c good quality olive oil
3/4 c either red or white wine vinegar
1 tsp pepper
3 tsp kosher salt
3 lbs of either lamb, venison, beef or chicken- cubed
skewers
Soft Italian rolls

Combine all ingredients except meat in a large, sturdy Ziploc bag or bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add meat. Let marinate at least 2 days, up to a week, in coldest part of fridge. Periodically stir ingredients. You will notice olive oil will slightly solidify. When ready to cook, remove from fridge and let come to room temperature before skewering. Grill to desired doneness, using caution not to overcook! If desired, bring remaining marinade to a boil for at least 7 minutes, and drizzle over spiedies. Enjoy!

Deep Fried Ice Cream

2010-05-04T15:55:00.009-07:00

Hard to believe that May is already here and that Cinco De Mayo is tomorrow. There are always many celebrations out here with amazing food, fabulous margarita's, and deep fried ice cream for dessert!

Yup, ice cream- deep fried! Vanilla ice cream, rolled in cinnamon and sugar, then a crunchy coating of crushed cinnamon cereal, and deep fried a few brief moments until golden brown.

The first time I heard of it was when I moved to Phoenix 32 years ago. I was a bit confused by the idea- how could you fry something that was supposed to be eaten frozen? Actually it's rather easy with a bit of prep and organization.

Something deliciously sinful happens in your mouth when you bite into this warm, honey drizzled, crispy, cinnamon- crunch coated vanilla bean ice cream. I can't quite explain... you'll just have to take a bite for yourself and see...

Deep Fried Ice Cream

2 large scoops Vanilla Bean ice cream
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c cinnamon crunch cereal, crushed
Honey, to drizzle
Whipped Cream, to top
Vegetable oil, about 3" deep

Scoop out ice cream and place each scoop onto a cookie sheet, sides not touching, freezing again until nice and solidly frozen.

Mix together cinnamon and sugar. Roll each scoop of ice cream into cinnamon-sugar mixture until well coated. Immediately roll and coat ice cream in cereal, gently packing cereal crumbs into the ice cream. Re-freeze for about 30 minutes.

Remove from freezer and place one coated ice cream onto a slotted spoon. Gently place ice cream into hot, 375 degree oil for approximately 10 seconds (or less) until golden brown on all sides. Remove and drain quickly on a paper towel.

Place ice cream in a serving dish. Drizzle with honey, and top with whipped cream if desired. Serves 2.

These can be easily prepped in advance, freezing immediately. Deep fry as wanted!

More Than Whole Wheat Pancakes

2010-04-25T22:09:00.012-07:00

My sister Lindsey and I have a huge distaste for store bought pancake mixes. We've always made buttermilk pancakes from scratch for our kids. They taste amazing. We know exactly what goes in them, and can pronounce every ingredient in them without a college degree.

Last year I had come across a whole wheat buttermilk pancake that was actually quite good. It was around the time of my Get Fit Challenge, and even though whole wheat is quite healthy, I felt I needed to adapt the recipe to make it fit in with the nutritional direction I was going in.

So I swapped out some ingredients with a few delicious ones I have fallen in love with. Agave Nectar has become my go to sweetener in place of honey for almost everything. It doesn't give a spike to your blood sugar like honey does, making it a great substitute if you are a diabetic.

Greek Yogurt has got to be just about the best thing ever created, and is an amazing swap for buttermilk in these pancakes. If you've never tried it before, you must. Rich and creamy, even the non-fat version will make you do a double take, making you wonder if you accidentally picked up a full fat version.

Now, I've never been one much to drown my pancakes in maple syrup. I prefer a simple dusting of powdered sugar and some orange marmalade...sometimes peanut butter. I just prefer the fresh taste of a fluffy home made pancake with a touch of sweetness- and fluffy these are, which can be difficult to come by in a whole wheat pancake.

It's unusual to find a whole wheat pancake that is not only nutritious, but delicious and kid friendly as well. This recipe may just find your kiddos waiting impatiently for theirs...

More Than Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbs Agave Nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c non fat Greek yogurt
2 eggs

In a small bowl blend together the whole wheat, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the agave nectar, vanilla extract, olive oil, skim milk, Greek yogurt, and eggs.

Stir in the whole wheat mixture until just combined. Do not over mix.

Pour approximately 1/4 c batter onto medium hot non stick griddle, slightly buttered. When batter bubbles slightly and looks a little dry around the edges, flip and cook on other side until pancake has risen and is nicely browned.

Makes approximately 7 pancakes (4").

Nation Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale Success!

2010-04-19T09:31:00.014-07:00

I can't think of any other time that I planned an event that wasn't stressful- they usually are. But this one was different. All the "cards" just sorta fell into place, and this past Saturday we had our long awaited National Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale! We had a great time and a great turn out!

I can't begin to say enough good things about the great folks that hosted us, 5th and Wine, in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. Not only did they let us use all of the tables and chairs we needed, but let us have an entire room in the restaurant with it's own entrance off a main touristy intersection. Restaurant patrons were encouraged by the amazing staff to stop by our display after dining to purchase some goodies to take home. They even went so far to include the details of the event in a mass email to their customers, as well as promoting it on Facebook to their fans. Scott Yanni, the establishments General Manager, continuously made sure we were well taken care of at all times, and even had his own (huge!) family come to the event. Scott, I thank you from the bottom of my heart...

We had a fantastic raffle with donations of One hour Zoom teeth whitening and Sonicare Electric toothbrush from Harris Dental, two $25 Gift certificates from 5th and Wine, a $50 online gift certificate from DeMarco's Italian Specialties, a King Arthur Flour gift basket and a beautiful glass Apothecary jar filled with chocolates.

We met so many happy, joyful people excited to help and splurge on sweets for the cause. We also heard so many comments on not only the variety of the goodies we had, but their uniqueness as well. Lemon Basil Shortbread was one fabulous donation from a friend, Sharon, excited to bake for the cause. She said she lie awake at night trying to come up with something different, and let me tell you, they were fabulous!

For a couple years now I've been a huge fan of Arizona's own Food Hunters Guide to Cuisine, a fab blog for all things Tuscan and tasty. She helped tremendously behind the scenes, promoting and baking delicious Frosted Orange Bars, Lemon Ricotta Muffins (to die for!), amazing Mosaic Biscotti and more. It was a joy to meet her for the very first time at our bake sale!

My friend Kim made her signature Coconut, chocolate chip, and almond drop cookies, which are absolutely fantastic... I considered buying half even before the bake sale!

Through the Share Our Strength website a gal named Meg, here in Arizona, got a hold of me to find out how she could help. After making 125 brownies decorated with cute little bows, she drove them to my house, almost 40 miles one way, a couple days before the event!

Thanks to Andrea of All Caked Up, a local bakery within Dominics Bistro Italiano for providing some fabulous cupcakes and frosted Toll House treats as well. I still havent met Andrea yet, but if she is half as sweet as her mom, who raved about her baked goods, then I can't wait to meet her!

My friend Gail made dozens of Pizelles to my utter joy, and my mother in law, Lynda, made so many wonderful treats I considered keeping them for myself ;)

After reconnecting with a dear friend, Victor, from high school who is now located in Hawaii, I received an email from his wife, Vicki. They had a friend who had recently moved to Arizona who didn't know anyone, "is a prolific baker", and would I mind some help for the bake sale..?! We made a new friend that day in Sara, who has to have made the best Scharfenberger brownies I have ever tasted, and stayed to help all day with the sale.

Some months ago at the signing for the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook (that's me and my kidlet in the second photo down with Ree!), I happened to be Tweeting about the event while I was there, and met a sweet gal named Stephanie, a tweet addict as well, that just warmed my heart and entertained my little one with bubble gum. When she heard me tweet about the bake sale she volunteered to bake immediately. She stayed to help as well on Saturday, bringing Donut Pops, Neopolitan Mini Cupcakes, and the truly coveted French Macaron's in toffee and s'mores flavors....Mmmmmmm!

With the help of my mom, Marian, who handled taking care of the sale of goodies and raffles while us gals grabbed passer's by with some hoots and hollers, our team was able to earn just over $500 for Share Our Strength!

Thanks to all that came out to visit us on Saturday- purchasing, donating, encouraging, and keeping us laughing. We had a blast, and couldn't have had a sale without all of you!

National Food Bloggers Bake Sale

2010-04-01T19:05:00.008-07:00

Did you know that even today, in the year 2010, that almost 17 million— almost one in four—children in America go hungry every day? It's hard for me to fully comprehend that number. Even in my worst of times, when things seemed impossibly lean, I can't say that I have ever known hunger. But millions of children do, right here in our own back yards.

I have joined hands with Food Bloggers everywhere who have partnered with Share Our Strength to help end childhood hunger in America by 2015. Together, on April 17th, Food Bloggers across the country will be having a bake sale to benefit Americas hungry children. All the funds raised here in our community stay here to benefit "our" children.

With our location generously donated by the fantastic folks at 5th and Wine, a fabulous restaurant and wine bar, Team LaDue and Crew will be hosting an amazing bake sale on Saturday, April 17th from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. that will tantalize your taste buds! With exceptional Italian desserts provided by Andrea of All Caked Up, Theresa of Food Hunters Guide to Cuisine, Jennifer of Jennifer's Cooking Spot, myself, and many others, we know we have something to satisfy everyone's craving!

If sweets don't catch your fancy, no worries! Come out to visit us anyway for a fantastic dining experience and raffle prizes from the fab folks at 5th and Wine, Harris Dental, a King Arthur Flour gift basket and more! What..? You say you can't make it that day..?! Well how about joining our team behind the scenes! Leave me a comment with your contact info and I'll tell you how you can help!

I can't wait to see all of you on Saturday April 17th from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.- Let's help Americas children!!

5th and Wine
7051 E 5th Avenue
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
(480) 699-8001

(located west of the Horse Fountain at the corner of 5th Avenue and Marshall Way, right in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale)

Edna's Cafe Biscuits

2010-02-23T09:58:00.012-07:00

There is something just so comforting about a fresh homemade biscuit. Just out of the oven, steam rising off the top, bathed in butter. It can send you down memory lane in a few blinks of an eye.

In this day and age of everything from a can, and freezer to oven convenience, the art of making biscuits for dinner has largely gone by the wayside.

There was a time when making a stellar biscuit got a gal a husband, and heck, in the movie "McLintock" it even got Yvonne DeCarlo a job when Chill Wills handed John Wayne a biscuit she had made.

Over the last 30 years I have been obsessed with making the perfect biscuit. I've made some good, but many bad. I'd get the flavor right but then they would be too hard. Some were supremely tall, but tasted like aluminum because I had added too much baking powder.

Over time I'd make little notes in my cookbooks as to what I had liked and disliked about a certain recipe. The flakiness. The flavor. The crunch of that first bite. I found that two things stood out the most. Many recipes called for shortening. Maybe it's just me, but I've found that shortening leaves a coating and somewhat of an unpleasant taste in my mouth after I eat one containing it.

The other was the liquid ingredient. So many people love a buttermilk addition to many recipes, and generally I am one of those people. But I found that most often, like most people, I would have to use a substitute for it. Buttermilk is not something I usually keep on hand, and I really don't care for the powdered variety. I found though, that I actually preferred the flavor of lemon juice and whole milk combined, as a substitute for the buttermilk.

Thirty years is a long time to figure out how to make a biscuit. I'm happy to say now though that I am done. I don't care to peruse recipes for another, or jump when someone else says they have a great recipe. These are delicious. They are satisfying. They keep my hubby happy. Need say more?

Edna's Cafe Biscuits

3 c flour
1- 1/2 tsp sugar
2- 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt, slightly heaping
1/2 c unsalted butter, cubed small and very cold
Scant 1- 1/4 cups whole milk
1 Tbs lemon juice

In a large measuring cup, add 1 Tbs lemon juice. Then add whole milk up to the 1-1/4 c mark. Mixture will start to curdle. Stir and set aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add unsalted butter and using pastry blender, blend until butter is the size of large peas. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir only until just combined. Place dough onto a well floured surface and pat out to a large square or rectangle, of about 1/2" thick. You can cut biscuits into squares with a knife, or use a round biscuit cutter to make approximately 9 to 12 biscuits. Pat together any remaining scraps and form into biscuits as well.

Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray and place biscuits on pan about 1" apart. Bake in a pre heated 425F oven for about 10 to15 minutes, depending on your oven, until light golden brown. Serve hot with butter, jam, honey, or whatever your heart desires. Me, I just like 'em plain. Enjoy!

Blue Corn Macarons with Prickly Pear Requeson Cream

2010-02-13T20:02:00.010-07:00

Love is in the air, and it's time for Mac Attack 4- my contribution to my latest addiction, the French Macaron. Wanting to give my macs a bit of Southwestern flair, I thought long and hard about which ingredients I wanted to make them of, knowing that I wanted to steer very clear of the traditionally anticipated Valentines chocolates.

I really wanted to showcase ingredients abundantly available here in Arizona, yet used in a non traditional way. My first thought was to use mesquite flour, which I seem to find everywhere I go from mid summer to fall. That is when most local people harvest them from their own trees and and have them locally ground. Mesquite has a sweet, nutty flavor, which I felt would be a perfect mac companion. But none was available this time of year, and I really didn't feel like driving 30 miles to pay $12 for a pound at Whole Foods. If any local readers know of another place, please, do tell...

When I went into my pantry to gather ingredients one day for cornbread, as I was reaching for the bag of cornmeal, it struck me- blue cornmeal would be a fantastic addition to my macs, still keeping within my quest for the Southwest, and adding an interesting speckled color as well. I decided in addition to that, to flavor the macs with a cinnamon- vanilla flavored Mexican toasted barley drink, that is similar to Horchata, made most often from rice.

Everywhere I go in the Valley I see prickly pear cacti. Sadly, I don't even think of them as a food or ingredient much anymore, rather, an ornament for ones yard. But the fruit harvested here, when its little spines are removed, have a deliciously sweet, berry- melon like flavor, with almost a hint of spice. Flavor can also change, depending on where you live. I just thought it would be the perfect companion to my Blue corn macs. Blended with a fresh Mexican Requeson cheese (similar to ricotta), would make a rich filling even cupid would love.

Macarons are absolutely French, subtly elegant, and worthy of the finest establishment. No doubt about it. But here in the great Southwest, well, we just pull up a cactus, pour ourselves a margarita, and eat 'em on our patio ;-)

Blue Corn Macarons

3 Tbs Cebada con vainilla y canela (Barley with cinnamon and vanilla) mix
1/4 c ground almonds
1/4 c Blue Cornmeal
1-1/2 c powdered sugar
3 large egg whites- room temperature
5 Tbs granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Prickly Pear Cream

3/4 c requeson (or ricotta, fully drained)
1/4 c prickly pear jelly
1 tsp unflavored gelatin

Place the almonds, blue cornmeal, cebada (barley), and powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse until mixture is well blended and like a fine powder. You will still have some larger pieces of blue cornmeal throughout; that's okay. Sift once into a medium bowl and then set aside.

Place room temperature egg whites into bowl of stand mixture, and beat until foamy. At that point add vanilla, and slowly add granulated sugar, beating until shiny, but not stiff.

Add the cornmeal mixture to the egg whites, folding gently, yet mixing thoroughly, to be sure there aren't any lumps.

With a pastry bag, pipe 1" circles on a parchment lined baking pan, about 1" apart. Lightly tap pan on the counter to let any air bubbles surface and pop. Let piped macarons sit for about 15 minutes before placing in a pre heated 350F oven. Bake for 10 minutes, watching carefully, until you notice "feet" and the shells are hard. Let cool on parchment before removing.

For the filling:

In a food processor or blender, combine the requeson and the prickly pear jelly. Pulse until smooth, and well blended. Pour mixture (will be runny) into a small bowl. Then add 1 tsp unflavored gelatin to mixture, stirring well. Chill for 30 minutes.

Pipe or spoon filling mixture onto a single mac, sandwiching with another. Best when chilled for about 30 minutes.

Blood Orange and Jicama Salad

2010-01-24T21:10:00.010-07:00

I adore the crunch and flavor of jicama. It's sweet, starchy, crunch is a nice change of pace from blah carrots and celery. It has zero fat and cholesterol, and fits in perfect with my commitment to #10in10: Ten Weeks to Healthy in 2010. Thanks to Lori over at Recipe Girl for putting together this challenge, there are now 336 participants from 41 states and 15 countries!

I first made this salad ten years ago, after seeing an episode on foodtv.com featuring Curtis Aikens. I loved it's freshness and simplicity. The crisp, pear-like jicama combined with the sweetness of orange, and the spicy edge of the jalapeno... a winning combination. If you're worried about jalapeno in this salad, don't. For the most part, once the seeds and membranes are removed, it retains the flavor but loses most, if not all, of its heat.

Originally this salad called for everyday oranges- and made that way is absolutely fabulous. However, when I was at my local market the other day, I came across these amazing blood oranges for $.19 cents each. They were so sweet and so pretty, and a gorgeous alternative to the original recipe.

With blood oranges at pennies, and the combined remaining ingredients coming in at just under $3.00, not only was this a very healthy salad, but an inexpensive one as well. Perfect for the #10in10 challenge!

Blood Orange and Jicama Salad
adapted from Curtis Aikens

1 jicama, peeled and julienned
3 blood oranges, supremed
1 small red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed, minced (wear gloves!)
1 Tbs honey (I prefer orange blossom honey)
2 Tbs cilantro, chopped- I love cilantro, so I used more
Salt and pepper to taste- I only used a touch of salt

Combine all ingredients and chill. Best served when cold. Serves approximately 4 .

Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Chili Cream Cheese Filling

2010-01-17T22:21:00.007-07:00

Having taken an unannounced hiatus of sorts, I knew I had to come back from the holidays with a bang. What not a better way than to participate in MacAttack3, a virtual mac kitchen that was the brainstorm of Deeba and Jaime.

Having gotten to know Deeba via Twitter over the last year, I kept hearing her and many of my other Twitter friends getting ecstatic over these things called "feet"- the ruffley bottom, a sign of a perfectly "born" French Macaron. Monthly, the cries of joy, literally, from around the world, were like a wave through the Twitterverse, all full of happiness and parental pride. Supposedly, this little thing called a mac, simple in its ingredients, was a stubborn little mule.

So I decided to try my hand at the infamous mac a few weeks ago, using cardamom as my signature flavor. You know, Moi, the maker of custom cakes and all things fondantly difficult..? How difficult could a mac possibly be...pffft!

I ground the almonds. Try as I might they took forever to come to the consistency needed for a smooth batter. I whisked my egg whites and, for the very first time in my life, they refused to stiffen properly. I folded in my almonds and spice, battling the lumps with each fold. Finally, piping the mac batter onto a dark, non-stick liner, I placed them into the oven, certain that my macs would listen to their momma.

Not.

They baked all too quickly, and, while they had something resembling "feet", they were only a couple millimeters tall, too dark, and harder than the pan they rested on. Just like a difficult child.

After more encouragement from my Twitter friends, Deeba, Barbara, Paula, Renee, and Barbara, I decided to give it another go, this time using Paulas Chocolate Macaron recipe. The reason I chose her recipe, besides the fact that her macs are simply gorgeous, was simply because her recipe had all the conversions from grams to cups, which had been part of my prior difficulty, already done.

So today, on my second mac attempt, I gave birth to 20 pretty and perfect Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Chili Cream Cheese frosting... complete with all their chubbby little "feet".

One prepared recipe of Paula's Chocolate Macarons
Chocolate Chili Cream Cheese Filling

4 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1.5 oz StoneGround Guajillo Chili Chocolate (or your favorite chocolate)

In medium bowl whip cream cheese with vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar until well blended. Set aside.

In a small microwave safe bowl, grate chocolate, preferrably with a microplane grater. Place bowl into microwave and heat, in 15-20 second increments until melted.

Add to bowl with cream cheese and beat until well incorporated. Slowly add remaining powdered sugar, mixing well, until a nice smooth (but not runny) consistency, adding more if necessary.

Spread mixture on the flat side of one mac, making a sandwich with another.

Makes approximately 20 Macarons.

Cranberry Ginger Bars

2009-12-14T16:31:00.011-07:00

"OMG I just went to Starbucks and I bought a Cranberry Bliss Bar. They are so good but they are so expensive can you make them for me?!"

That was a frantic text that I received early one morning from my friend, Jennifer.

"LOL, of course... when?", I replied.

"Really?! You'll make them?! Oh man, now you're talkin' dirty to me!!"

That's Jennifer. When I talk food, it's "dirty" to her. She's a devoted follower of anything I make that remotely involves buttercream. That's why her and I work out together.

I was actually craving those bars myself that week, having seen a copy cat version of them on my local news station, which is why I found it pretty funny that Jennifer had text me that request early that morning.

While I didn't have the exact ingredients specified in this copy cat version, I knew I could make do with what I had on hand. Fresh ginger root on hand..? Yup. Did you know that a thin slice, slightly simmered in a cup of milk (with a touch of sugar), will calm a nauseous tummy? Now you know...

The recipe called for crystallized ginger, actually. But since I didn't have it, and to keep the texture in the recipe the same, I added some chopped citron (sprinkled with sugar to help with abrasiveness while chopping)

While these aren't exactly like the bars you may have had, I have to say they are pretty close. I love the addition of lemon in the cream cheese frosting, and the fresh ginger is a welcome change of pace from everything previously pumpkin.

Cranberry Ginger Bars
adapted from Todd Wilbur as submitted to azfamily.com

Bar

3/4 c unsalted butter
1 c dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbs fresh grated ginger root
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I used homemade)
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 c AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs citron, mixed and chopped with 1 tsp sugar
1/2 c white chocolate chips
3/4 c chopped Craisins

Frosting

1/2 c soft cream cheese
3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp lemon juice

Topping

1/4 c chopped dried Craisins
4 Tbs white chocolate chips, melted

In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the unsalted butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, fresh grated ginger, vanilla, and salt, beating well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Gradually add into the butter mixture until creamy.

Mixing with wooden spoon, add the dried Craisins and citron. Pour batter evenly into a greased 13x9 inch pan (or larger if you prefer a thinner bar). Bake at 350 F for approximately 30 minutes until top is golden brown. Let cool.

For the frosting combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Spread frosting evenly over cooled baked bars.

Melt white chocolate chips and place in a pastry bag with fine tip, or use a small sandwich bag with corner cut off. Pipe white chocolate onto cream cheese frosting in a diamond shape pattern. Sprinkle with chopped Craisins. Bars are best eaten when slightly chilled, and can be frozen.

Irish Cream

2009-12-01T22:41:00.008-07:00

Well throw me a pair of curly toed shoe's and call me an elf~ it's actually been cold here in good 'ol Phoenix, AZ! For us desert dwellers, we start doing a little jig when the cool weather hits, only because we know that all too soon, our AC will be back on and our utility bills will rise. Here, cold weather is a welcome reprieve.

We actually enjoy sitting outside on a cold winters night with a fire pit blazing, a blanket to snuggle in, and a wee bit of the Irish to keep us warm.

Years ago, my sister gave me a recipe for Irish Cream, and it was amazing. But the one thing I wasn't too crazy about was that it contained raw egg. Arizona + raw egg = potential problem. So deep in the throes of an Irish cream crave when our temps dipped to a frigid 45 F the other night, I found this recipe for an egg- less, deliciously rich Irish Cream. With ingredients I already had on hand, my little elf toes are not only curly, but nice and snugly warm tonight.

Irish Cream
adapted from Kathy Fredricksen, as submitted to the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel

1 c half and half
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 c Irish whiskey (I used what I had- Jim Beam)
2 tsp instant coffee
3 Tbs chocolate syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I used my homemade Bourbon Vanilla)
1 tsp almond extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until well blended. Pour into a covered glass bottle and store in refrigerator. Shake before serving. Serve over crushed ice or in a steaming cup of coffee. Recipe makes exactly 4 cups and keeps approximately 2 months refrigerated.

Surf's up!

2009-11-22T20:59:00.012-07:00

Hi, I'm Crabby! Well, no, not really...but I could be. It's been cake city around here, and that's why I've been a tad MIA these days here at the 'ol blog. I posted on Facebook and Twitter recently that I make cakes and wouldn't ya know, people came a callin'!

This cake was for little Kade who recently turned one. His mom said they were having a surfboard themed party, drawing inspiration from his party invitations. So, using the invitation as a guide, I molded and slightly carved the surfboard out of Rice Krispy treats. Later I covered it in fondant to match the invitation.

Mr Crabs here I molded out of white fondant and rested him on my coffee scoop to harden a bit. Later I painted him with various food colorings until he got that mottled look.

I formed starfish and sand dollars out of fondant, letting them rest on various sized measuring spoons. That gave them more of a realistic shape. I painted, then sprinkled them with a bit of edible glitter to give them that slightly wet, shiny look.

Of course, every little surf boarder has to have some surfwax so he doesn't fall off the board.

A bit of golden sugar crystals on top of tons of real buttercream give us that sandy beach effect.

From crab, to surfboard, to cake, all completly edible...

I know 'ol Ace of Cakes and the Cake Boss can whip their cakes out at a moments notice with a team of plenty. Not me though. I'm just a team of one. Think I can get a show..? I'll even do my own dishes...

Black Bean and Beef Empanadas

2009-11-06T14:21:00.009-07:00

It used to be every few days or so, I take a walk to the mailbox, excited to get a treasured piece of snail mail. Now, I have a tendency to wait a week, or more, due to the sheer volume of junk mail. I feel like all I am doing is emptying a junk drawer, right into the trash. Or, more often than not, I fling it on my counter until I have time to sort through it and make sure I didn't miss the occasional, yet rare bit of important news.

I had some company coming over, and so I was forced into cleaning up the counters a bit and actually looking at the papers that decorated that side of the kitchen. In doing so, I came across a small circular from my local grocery store, Fry's, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. On the cover was a delicious looking chorizo and black bean empanada.

Already wondering what I was going to make for dinner that night, this seemed to hit the right flavor button. I had to make a few adjustments to the ingredients, but I think the changes turned out really well. I substituted some ground beef for the chorizo, and added some chorizo seasoning instead. I added some frozen corn I had on hand, and instead of using the recommended ready made pie crust, I made my own. If I can encourage you in any way, please, make your own crust! Homemade crust is so much flakier and flavorful. That said, I won't fault any of you that haven't mastered that task, or aren't connoisseur's of crust. However, I really feel it contributes greatly to the overall flavor of the empanada. My husband and Mother-in-law both thought these were fantastic!

It was when I was baking these though, that I realized my oven had a serious temperature problem- about 80 F cooler than the temperature I had set it at. You'll notice that in my last photo- the dough looks a little undercooked. Well, over a few weeks the burners on the stove top stopped working, too. But a few desperate phone calls and I discovered that my Home Warranty would cover the potential pre-Thanksgiving disaster, not to mention my sorely neglected blog~ whew!

Black Bean and Beef Empanadas
adapted from Frys Food Stores

1/2 lb ground beef
2 Tbs Chorizo seasoning
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 c corn
3/4 c chicken stock
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
4 uncooked chilled pie crusts- home made preferably but ready made acceptable
Preferred toppings: sour cream, salsa, and guacamole

In a large pan combine ground beef with chorizo seasoning, onion, garlic, cumin, cilantro and salt. When beef is no longer pink, add black beans, corn and chicken stock, simmering about 5 minutes or until not too runny. Remove from heat and add 1 c of the shredded cheddar and mix well. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, roll out dough on a well floured surface. With a cookie cutter or bowl, make 6" circles. Place a generous Tablespoon of filling just off center in circle of dough. Sprinkle lightly with some of remaining cup of shredded cheddar. Fold the dough over the filling, forming a half circle, and crimp the edges with a floured fork to seal. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. If desired, brush tops of empanadas with an egg wash.

Bake at 375 F for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. Makes approximately 25 empanadas. Sometimes you may have a bit of leftover filling. Served with some warm tortilla's, it is just as delicious! Enjoy!

Spicy Cilantro- Lime Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Roasted Shredded Chicken

2009-10-21T22:14:00.009-07:00

Last February my sister brought me an entire case of acorn squash. Now, I absolutely love it but, it was February. It was a whole case. The holidays were over and, to be quite honest, I was sick of anything that required the addition of cinnamon, sugar, and whatever spice blazed a trail through Thanksgiving and Christmas. Faced with an entire case that was close to seeing better days, I gave as many away as I could, then hopped online to find something, anything, that wasn't sweet and "Holiday-ish". I came across a recipe over at The Traveler's Lunchbox, which had been adapted from Gourmet's October 2006 issue. Happy, happy, joy, joy! It was spicy!

So I made the recipe and was in Heaven. With it's spicy tart combination, I knew I wouldn't get sick of this anytime soon. I made, and ate quite a few.

My oldest daughter ended up coming over later in the day, and in her usual fashion, scoured the pantry and then proceeded to pour through the refrigerator. She pulled out the squash, heated some up, and while she was talking on her cell phone ( always, I tell you...) managed to utter a, "Wow, these are good", in between bites. When she finally removed the phone from her ear, she said, "You know, those were really good, but I think it would taste even better if you made it into a soup... and throw some chicken in it too!" Okay then.

The following day I played with acorn squash, using my daughters suggestions, and by adding the additional flavors of smoky paprika, cumin, a touch of Pinot Grigio, and half and half. The Tepin chiles are spicy, but if you use only the 3 whole ones that I have specified, you will find a spicy, pleasant flavor rather than heat. You can usually find the Tepin Chiles in the Hispanic food section of your local market, within the celophane bagged spices area, for around a dollar.

Topping off this soup with some additional cilantro, and a nice handful of crumbled cojita cheese, made this a fantastic addition to my line up of favorite fall soups!

Spicy Cilantro- Lime Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Roasted Shredded Chicken

3 large Acorn Squash, halved and seeds removed (approximately 6 c mashed)
Olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt, to taste
Crushed black pepper, to taste
7 c chicken stock
2 Tbs Honey
1/3 c chopped fresh Cilantro
3 whole Tepin chiles, crushed
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Smoky Paprika
Juice of 1 large lime
3/4 c Half and Half
1/2 c Pinot Grigio (optional)
2 c shredded roast chicken
Cojita cheese, crumbled for garnish
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Brush a baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray. Set aside. Brush halved acorn squash with olive oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Lightly sprinkle with smoky paprika. Place upside down on baking sheet and roast in oven at 375 F for approximately 35 to 40 minutes, until tender and can fluff with fork. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. After cooling, remove all squash from shell and place in a large stock pot. Mash with potato masher until somewhat smooth, leaving a few small chunks (I prefer a bit of texture). Add chicken broth, and combine. Place over medium heat, and add chopped cilantro, crushed tepin, cumin, paprika, and lime juice. Bring to a slight boil, stirring well, then reduce to a simmer. Blend in half and half. Add shredded roast chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with Cojita cheese and chopped cilantro. Makes approximately 8 servings.

Apple Coffee Cake

2009-10-13T21:50:00.011-07:00

Don't you just love this time of year?! Changing colors... falling leaves... falling temperatures- well, in some parts of the country that is. Here, in the Valley of the Sun, we were told triple digits are still in our future- ugh! But at least our evenings are cooling down enough to open our windows, and allow some fresh air back in again.

What I do love about this time of year is the over abundance of apples . More than any other, they are my absolute favorite fresh fruit. Gala apples to be specific. Always crisp, with the perfect touch of sweetness, they are my favorite snack as well as my favorite baking apple.

Some years ago, I was given this recipe by a man that had done some repairs on my car. We had gotten on the subject of holiday baking, and he said that this cake was his favorite fall treat. His mom had baked it every year for as long as he could remember, calling it "Raw Apple Cake". I don't know about you, but that struck me as odd. I mean, don't most ingredients start out as "raw"? Of course, once baked, the apple no longer would be. To me, the name had to go. I figured since there was a significant amount of coffee in the recipe, Apple Coffee Cake had a much better tune.

I love the subtle flavors of Fall in this cake. Not overly spiced, the flavor of the apple shines through. Combined with the textures of the nuts and the raisins, and a light sprinkle of coconut, it's a really great breakfast treat... or a really late night time snack- with a lot of butter. Yeah, it's butter season, too ;-)

Apple Coffee Cake

1 c unsalted butter
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 c cold coffee
3 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c raisins, soaked 15 minutes in very hot water, then drained
3 c peeled, sliced apples
1 c walnuts
1/2 c shredded coconut

Combine baking soda and coffee; set aside. Combine flour and spices; set aside.

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl, creaming well. Add eggs, one at a time until well blended. Alternately add the flour mixture with the coffee mixture to the butter, making sure it is completely blended. Then fold in raisins, apples, and walnuts.

Pour batter into a large loaf or cake pan that has been lightly greased and floured. Sprinkle top with coconut. Bake at 350 F for approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Let cool completely before serving.

Giveaway Winner!

2009-10-02T12:40:00.005-07:00

We have a winner! Lisa of Chocolate and, you are the lucky winner of Peet's French Roast Whole Bean Coffee and the book Dinner Parties, inspired recipes and party ideas for entertaining, by Williams- Sonoma. Drop me an email with your mailing address, and I'll get that out asap! Thanks for stopping in everyone! With the holidays coming there will be more giveaways soon!

Fig, Pecan and Rosemary Crusted Goat Cheese- and Giveaway to follow!

2009-09-28T20:36:00.015-07:00

When I think of Fall and all the holidays that will be here so fast, fresh herbs, specifically rosemary, come to mind. It has such a fragrant, woodsy aroma, I can't help but think of holiday parties and good times with good friends.

I purchased some the other day, and when I opened the package, immediately remembered this fig, pecan, and rosemary crusted goat cheese. Combined, these flavors just beg to be served by a warm fire with your favorite glass of wine.

I first saw this recipe a few years ago in my local market, attached to a jar of fig spread. After placing the jar in my cart, I realized that it came with a pretty hefty price tag for such a small amount. So after thinking about it for a bit, and realizing that I had a package of dried figs in my pantry, I opted to put the jar back, go home and make my own. In my opinion, the taste of homemade is far superior anyway.

Goat cheese is one of my absolute favorites. It's tartness, combined with the sweetness of the figs, aromatic rosemary, and crunch of the toasted pecans just seem to be a match made in Heaven. I also know that anything fig sends my friend Stacey into a state of "figgy bliss", so it is with her in mind that I post this today...

This recipe will be more than enough for 8 ounce log of goat cheese, or two 4 ounce rolls. I like to make one for now and save one for unexpected guests. The remaining spread is fantastic on toast.

Fig Spread

3/4 lb dried figs
1/3 c sugar
1-1/2 c water
1 Tbs lemon juice

Remove stems from figs and chop very coarsely. place into a 2 quart saucepan and cover with water. Add sugar. Bring figs to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pan with lid and then simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Liquid should reduce by about 2/3rds.

Place figs into a food processor and puree until smooth. Add lemon juice, and process to a smooth, sticky, jam like consistency. Set aside to cool. Store in a covered container in refrigerator until ready to use.

Fig, Pecan and Rosemary Crusted Goat Cheese
adapted from Dalmatia Fig Spread

1 cup pecan halves, toasted
4 Tbs fig spread, divided
2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1- 8 ounce or 2- 4 ounce logs goat cheese, chilled

In food processor place pecans, 2 Tbs fig spread, rosemary, and kosher salt. Pulse until mixture is the size of small peas. Set aside.

Remove goat cheese from refrigerator and spread with remaining 2 Tbs of fig spread, except for the ends. If it does not seem to coat evenly or enough, feel free to add a bit more until nicely coated.

Place nut mixture on a plate and flatten. Place log of goat cheese on top, and roll to coat, packing and smoothing as necessary.

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Best served with a non-salty cracker such as Table Water or whole grain .

Now for the giveaway! If you are like me, many of you have started thinking of your holiday menu's and table scapes. Some of us are up late into the night or beginning early in the morning. In any case, we usually need a jolt to keep us thinking, and a few ideas to inspire us. So for one lucky person, I have a bag of Peet's French Roast Whole Bean Coffee, and the book Dinner Parties, inspired recipes and party ideas for entertaining, by Williams- Sonoma.

All you have to do is leave me a comment on my blog (if you are reading this via Facebook, please use the link to my blog and leave a comment there) telling me your favorite holiday tip- from wrapping gifts to creating recipes. Entries must be received no later than Thursday October 1st, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PST, with the winner to be announced sometime Friday morning, October 2nd. Good luck everyone!

Zebra Birthday Cake for Alex

2009-09-12T20:16:00.008-07:00

Remember turning 13? I sure do. Way back when shorts were short, socks were longer than knee high, and "Earth shoes" were all the rage. I had a pair, and I thought I was so cool. Unfortunately, the only real cool thing about me was that my birthday was in December- and it was cool. Well, actually it was freezing. That was the extent of my coolness.

Birthdays back then meant a cake from the local Waldbaums bakery department. A 2 layer round white cake, dry as a bone, with an abundance of shortening based frosting- fluffy pink frosting. Oh, and a big fat pink rose that for some reason everyone would fight over. Ewwwww....

Pink is soooo yesterday these days. Teenage girls of today want a much more modern, hip, and stylish approach to their birthdays. Seems as though the days of pretty in pink are gone and Zebra patterns are in.

My friend Jennifer's daughter, Alex, turned 13 today. Alex is all about zebra patterns and the color red, and really wanted a tiered cake that she could share with 25 of her closest BFF's. So from the inside out, Zebra it was. I alternated white and chocolate cake batter in 1/4 cup increments (beginning with the white batter) directly on top of each other. Working quickly, the batter naturally spreads into a zebra like pattern- no need to shake or tap. Once baked and sliced into, you get a beautiful zebra patterned design.

I wasn't at the soiree that was held this evening so I don't have a photo of the sliced cake. But I think you 'll get the idea from the batter above.

Topped off with homemade vanilla- orange butter cream, embellished with vanilla flavored fondant stripes, piped polka dots, and a shiny red ribbon, this birthday cake made one 13 year old girl pretty happy, according to the text I received from her mom:

"The cake is a HUGE hit- Alex didn't even want me to cut it because she loved it SO much! All her friends and their moms wanted to know what bakery I got it from!"

Happy 13th Birthday, Alex! Thank you for letting me make a very special part of your day!

Cardamom Meringues

2009-09-02T22:39:00.011-07:00

I have always loved meringue cookies. Oh so sweet, melt in your mouth, fat free meringues... a dieters dream for this gal. Until now though, always a store bought indulgence. Light and crisp, they have always satisfied my need for a sweet treat. Available in either vanilla or chocolate star tipped shapes, they've been a perfect size treat for a not so perfectly sized person.

Lately, in an effort to create from availability in my pantry, and to avoid splurging on yet another food magazine in an ever growing stack, I returned to my supply of cookbooks for sweet inspiration.

One that I had purchased awhile ago, yet really never looked through was Swedish Cakes and Cookies , published by Skyhorse Publishing. I've had it for years, and for the life of me can't figure out why I haven't looked through it sooner. It has so many mouth watering cookie, cake, torte, and pastry recipes that I will absolutely be turning to it this holiday season for many of my baked goods.

One that I absolutely loved were the Cardamom Meringues. As I said earlier, I have only had meringues in vanilla and chocolate flavors, so when I saw the cardamom listed as an ingredient, I knew I had to give them a try. I had a great time piping them out with my 3 year old, turning it into somewhat of an "educational" experience as well by creating an alphabet of cookies! However, if you want something with a touch of class, and on a humble budget, create some elegant designs and these may be the sweet you are looking for.

Cardamom Meringues
adapted from Swedish Cakes and Cookies

3 egg whites
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/2 c confectioners sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
3/4 tsp cardamom

Beat egg whites with half of the granulated sugar until slightly stiff peaks form.

Add the other half of the granulated sugar and beat until shiny and smooth.

In a separate bowl mix together the confectioners sugar, cornstarch, and cardamom, and then carefully fold into the beaten egg whites.

Place mixture into a pastry bag with a size 199 star tip and pipe out desired shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake between 50 and 60 minutes at 220 F, or until light in color and dry to the touch.

Princess Cake

2009-08-10T21:56:00.003-07:00

My little baby girl turned 3 on Sunday. Hard to believe that much time has gone by! For weeks we have been getting ready for her party. This is the first she has been able to really have a say in what she has wanted for her big day- and believe me, she has spoken daily about it for over 2 months!

The biggest thing she wanted was a "Princess cake". She picked out the colors and designs herself, and told me to make "The best Princess cake everrrrrrr!!" Now, I don't know about the "everrrrrrr" part, but I do know my cake made her one happy little Princess- and in my house, if you have a happy Princess, then all her subjects are happy, too...

Roasted Halibut with Red Potatoes, Lemon and Tomatoes

2009-07-27T17:03:00.012-07:00

The last few weeks I've been working on a lot of painting and home decor projects. One thing I'm pretty excited about is that I've finally been able to work on my family photo wall. You know, all the old pics you keep in boxes and swear you'll show off one day. I have dozens that I have pulled out and finally put into frames, giving them the sentimental place of honor they deserve.

When I came across this one of yours truly, age 4, I couldn't help but laugh and start thinking of some good times with my Dad. Around the time this picture was taken, my Dad took me on my first fishing trip. This was back in the late 60's, before every video game and high dollar toy was ever imagined, so the idea of going fishing was real exciting to me. We went to a little lake and Dad baited my hook for me- I wasn't quite ready to touch those worms yet. Dad helped me cast out my line, and then I waited. It wasn't more than a minute that my Dad told me to start reeling it in. I had caught a fish!! All of about 4" long, I was so excited, so proud, and so snotty to my older brother who hadn't caught one. Yup, I was cool...

For years I teased my brother with that. Then, somewhere around my teenage years when I was being bratty, my brother spilled the beans and totally burst my perfect fishy bubble. Dad, it seems, had placed that little fishy on my hook just before he helped me cast out my line. I never saw it. I never knew. I had never really caught a fish after all. I was crushed... Of course I survived and it's just one of those stories that gets brought up from time to time.

Remembering that story got me thinking of fish and how it would be perfect for dinner that night (and you thought I was going no where with this, huh?!). So I pulled out my copy of Roasting-A Simple Art, by Barbara Kafka, and adapted a dish that I've been wanting to try for some time, Roasted Monkfish Felix. Phoenix is not the place to find the best selection in seafood, so I had to rely on what was available at my market. Nothing there came close to Monkfish, so I settled on Halibut, and was quite pleased.

I loved the lemon in this dish, the rind being tender and completely edible. Roasted with the tomatoes and onions, it created a fantastic sauce that is deserving of a nice home baked crusty bread.

Roasted Halibut with Red Potatoes, Lemon and Tomatoes
adapted from Barbara Kafka

1/4 c olive oil
2 lemons sliced thin and seeds removed
1 medium (or 1/2 large) onion thinly sliced
6 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
1 Tbs dried thyme
5 Roma tomatoes, sliced and seeded
3/4 c canned crushed tomatoes with basil
1-1/2 lbs Halibut fillet
Kosher salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F. Pour oil into a 13 x 9 roasting or baking dish. Layer one of the sliced lemons down the center of the pan. Layer onions around lemon slices. Layer sliced potatoes over top. Sprinkle with 1/2 of dried Thyme and a little kosher salt and black pepper. Layer tomatoes on top of potatoes. Top with remaining lemon slices, kosher salt, and pepper. Pour crushed tomato and basil evenly over top of vegetables and lemon. Place in oven for about 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are almost tender.

Salt and pepper Halibut, and sprikle with remaining thyme. When potatoes are almost tender, remove pan from oven and place halibut fillets on top of vegetables, and baste fish lightly with some of sauce in pan. Continue roasting an additional 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish, until fish flakes. Serves 2.

Vanilla Bean Cake with Vanilla Bean Lime Buttercream

2009-07-20T23:12:00.011-07:00

In between painting and organizing my youngest daughters room this past few weeks, I have been craving something, anything, with a vanilla bean and lime combination. I have seen so many recipes using either of those ingredients from the grill to the dessert table, on various different blogs over the last few weeks, and those two flavors spoke strongly to me. I absolutely adore most anything lime. Isn't it funny, though, that I have never enjoyed any recipe for a key Lime Pie..? But if you feel you have one that is simply outstanding, please, let me know. I want to like it!

Another flavor that I am simply crazy over is vanilla. Specifically anything with fresh vanilla beans. The aroma is just so amazingly intoxicating, and I have always been so intrigued with how something that starts out as a simple green looking bean, has the ability to become such a complex, heavenly scent and flavor. Ever since I read last year about how amazing homemade bourbon vanilla is, over at A Yankee In A Southern Kitchen, I have always made my own, never to look back. The longer it sits, the more amazing it smells and tastes.

So while craving something rich and vanilla, I stumbled across this blog, Confections of a Foodie Bride, and her adaptation of Tahitian Vanilla Bean Cake. I had to adapt that recipe, somewhat, for what I had on hand, which resulted in a slightly dense, yet moist cake. I thought that would be a perfect combination with a lime buttercream. Now, I've made basic Italian Buttercream frosting for many years, but never thought to play with it and make a lime buttercream. Until now. Replacing the water in the recipe with fresh lime juice, zest, and vanilla bean resulted in a refreshing summertime buttercream. Not overly rich, not overly sweet. Just refreshingly "right".

Vanilla Bean Cake

3 c cake flour
1Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c sugar
5 eggs
1- 1/4 cups whole milk combined with 1-1/2 Tbs vinegar (or use buttermilk instead)
1 Tbs liquid vanilla

In medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and vanilla scraped from pod. (You can use the remaining pod to make vanilla sugar by placing in a container with a cup of sugar and letting sit a few weeks). Beat butter and vanilla until very light and creamy.

Scrape bowl and add the sugar, about a 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add eggs one at a time, until well combined.

Stir the liquid vanilla into the whole milk/ vinegar mixture. Then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternatively with the milk mixture. Mix until combined well.

Pour the batter in 2 greased and floured 8" pans, and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack for continued cooling.

Vanilla Bean- Lime Italian Buttercream

1/2 c fresh lime juice
2 -1/4 c sugar
5 large egg whites
2 sticks salted butter, cubed and very cold
2 -1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cubed, and very cold
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
Zest of 3 limes
Few drops of green food coloring, if desired

Candy thermometer necessary!

Pour the lime juice, scraped vanilla beans, and sugar into a 1 quart saucepan and place over medium heat. When you see bubbles starting to form, clip a candy thermometer onto edge of pan.

Meanwhile, place egg whites into large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, and whip on medium high until whites hold soft peaks. (A stand mixer works best).

When the lime-sugar mixture reaches 250 degrees (soft ball stage), remove from heat, and very slowly, at the edge of mixing bowl, drizzle hot mixture into the continually beating egg mixture. Add lime zest. Beat the mixture until it resembles a glossy meringue, and gets warm but not hot, about 15 minutes.

When the outer part of bowl feels warm, stop mixer and add very cold cubed butter all at once (doing so will allow the mixture to cool immediately, and incorporated well, without melting. Mix on medium high until well blended and cool, about 15 minutes. Stop mixer, add food coloring (if desired), scrape bowl, and mix about a minute till all is blended well.

Place the buttercream in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, level top of cake by slicing off (eyeballing it) crowned portion of cake (Makes a fantastic "cooks treat"!). I then took each layer and torted, or sliced in half.

Once buttercream is nice and cool, place layer on cake platter and spread buttercream 1/8" to 1/4" thick, depending on preference. Once all 4 layers are stacked, frost cake completely, and decorate with remaining buttercream and garnish with lime zest, if desired.

Perfect with a tall glass of ice tea, or milk. Not too sweet. Summer citrus and vanilla bean at its best!

German Apple Pancake

2009-07-13T22:10:00.010-07:00

This is the time of year that I try to convince myself that winter is only a stones throw away. People, it's HOT out here! Today, in the shade, it was 115 F. Just a tad warm, wouldn't ya say..? When I first moved here 32 years ago, I remember stepping off the plane and having the heat hit me like an oven door dropping open. Back then it truly was a "dry heat". Over time though, it seems like more and more humidity has crept in, and it's not as dry as it used to be.

This weekend, I was trying to think of something for breakfast that would make me feel like Fall was here. How can you think of Fall and not have crisp apples come to mind..?

My favorite variety are Gala apples. They have the perfect amount of sweetness, are nice and crisp, and hold up perfectly when baked, especially in a baked German apple pancake. Now I know many of you might think that turning on the oven here in the summertime is crazy. But my choice was to set my thermostat at 78 F and bake breakfast, or to stand in 115 F and grill it... not a difficult decision. With the addition of fresh grated nutmeg, and a bit of cinnamon to my apples, my delusion that Fall had arrived was complete.

Actually, I have been thinking about an apple pancake ever since we were on vacation in San Diego a few weeks ago, and had dined at Richard Walkers Pancake House. I had seen a waiter walking by with one ordered by another guest, and wished I had ordered it myself. I wasn't able to find their recipe, but remembered I had seen this recipe prepared by Emeril Lagasse on Good Morning America, so I gave it a try. I always love an excuse to use my cast iron pans.

What I really liked about it was that it had just the right amount of sweetness. Just a bit of brown sugar to carmelize and compliment the apples, and enough eggs to give a nice, custard- like texture. I liked it best dusted with a teeny bit of confectioners sugar.

Brrrrrrrrr baby, I'm feelin' a chill coming on....

Emeril's German Apple Pancake

4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whole milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 apples (large), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
pinch salt
powdered sugar, for serving
maple syrup, for serving

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, flour, and vanilla extract and whisk until just blended, being careful to not overmix. Set the batter aside to rest while you prepare the apples, at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

In a heavy, ovenproof (preferably nonstick)12-inch skillet (I used a cast iron pan), melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat. Add the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are soft and lightly golden around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the sugar and cook, stirring, until the apples are caramelized and very soft, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir to melt.

Working very quickly, pour the batter evenly over the top of the apples. Using oven mitts or potholders, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the pancake is golden brown and puffed, about 15 minutes. Don't be alarmed when you see the edges of the pancake puff up and extend above the top of the inner edge of the pan – this is supposed to happen!

Using oven mitts or potholders, remove the skillet from the oven and serve the pancake, sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup, if desired.

Yield: One super-large pancake.

Grilled Poblano Chicken with Melted Monterey Jack

2009-06-30T21:33:00.009-07:00

~*Sigh*~... Last week we had a relaxing, too short week at "The Sandy Beach", as my 2 year old excitedly called it. We took a much needed family vacation to San Diego, and had an amazing time! The weather was perfect, we had many fun things to do, and amazing places to dine. My thanks to The Recipe Girl for some really great recommendations, one of which was to visit and dine in Old Town San Diego. You know when your 12 year old son enjoys it, it has to be good- we spent 2 days there! I have to say though, the best breakfast I've truly ever had was in downtown San Diego, at Richard Walker's Pancake House. So good, my family can't stop talking about it! If you ever get a chance to go, it is worth the wait in line.

After a week of dining out though, it was nice to get back into my own kitchen. One of my favorite dishes is grilled poblano chicken with melted Monterey Jack cheese. It's a great idea for company because you can prepare the marinade and roast the chili's the day before, and serve with an easy Spanish rice and salad to complete the meal. Great for the 4th of July!

Personally, I enjoy the flavor of fresh roasted poblano's. They are so easy to prepare. Just grill on all sides till charred, enclose in a paper bag or wrap in a heavy kitchen towel while hot.

After about 30 minutes or so, remove chili's from bag and peel off the outer waxy skin. Remove the seeds and stem. Then you have the most delicious, silky textured chili's.

Grilled Poblano Chicken with Melted Monterey Jack

1/2 c olive oil
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
4 Tbs lime juice
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, grated
1- 1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp pasilla chili powder
Approx 8 medium size chicken breasts
4 roasted poblano chili's (if you can't roast, you can use canned whole green chili's instead)
8 slices monterey jack cheese

Combine everything except chili's and cheese in a large ziploc bag or covered bowl and let marinate 4 to 6 hours.

Grill chicken on medium heat, and just before done, depending on the thickness of chicken you have, place a strip of roasted green chili on top of chicken. Let sit for about a minute, then add slices of monterey jack cheese on top, and let cook until melted and bubbly.

I love the melted cheese on top of the roasted chili... Mmmmmmm.... Enjoy!

Provolone Pesto Terrine

2009-06-18T23:52:00.010-07:00

Like every girl, I love beautiful bouquets of flowers. I love the scent, the colors, and the surprise of waking up to a vase full on my counter, from my hubby, for absolutely no reason at all. He has learned though, over time, that it doesn't take a rose to bring a smile to my face. Actually, I've never really been a rose girl. Bring me a bouquet of wildflowers, or a bucket full of dandelions though, and I am a very happy gal... however, bring me a bunch of basil and I'll cook, clean, do your laundry... the scent of basil in my kitchen is pure, absolute heaven.

About 10 years ago my sister gave me this recipe for a Provolone Pesto Terrine, and I absolutely fell in love. A client of hers had given her the recipe, and it's been an appetizer staple at family gatherings ever since. While it has a few steps, and multiple ingredients, it isn't difficult to make at all...

While you could certainly save some steps by purchasing some ready made pesto, I wouldn't recommend it. Fresh, in this case, is best.

With a glass of wine, some crusty bread, and some good friends, this is a fabulous summertime treat.

Provolone Pesto Terrine

1 c fresh lightly packed Basil
1 c fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c olive oil
2 small cloves garlic, minced fine
1/4 c pine nuts

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/4 c unsalted butter
1 small clove minced garlic
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/4 c roasted salted pistachios, coarsely chopped

1/2 c sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained, blotted, and coarsely chopped
1 lb thin sliced provolone

Italian bread and/ or Table water crackers

Cheesecloth or flour sack towel, to line loaf pan

In a food processor combine until smooth, basil, parmesan, olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts. Place in bowl and refrigerate until needed.

In food processor combine cream cheese, butter, garlic, and white pepper. When smooth and creamy, place in small bowl and fold in pistachios.

Wet cheesecloth and ring dry. Completely line loaf pan, letting excess hang over edges.

Cut provolone slices in half. Slightly overlapping slices, line bottom and sides of loaf pan, extending halfway up. Divide remaining cheese into 3 equal stacks, and set aside.

Spread 1/2 of the pesto mixture over the provolone in bottom of loaf pan. Cover pesto with 1 of the stacks of provolone, overlapping as you go.

Sprinkle cheese with 1/2 of the sun dried tomatoes. On top of that evenly spread all of the cream cheese mixture, then sprinkle on remaining 1/2 of the tomatoes. Cover that with another stack of provolone cheese.

Cover with the remaining pesto, and then cover that with remaining stack of cheese. Fold the cloth over top of cheese, compact slightly, and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours.

To serve, invert onto a serving dish, remove cheesecloth, and garnish with basil and pistachios. Serve with slices of crusty bread or Table water crackers.

**This can be made up to a week in advance. To store, wrap in wax paper and keep in a gallon sized Ziploc bag.

Peach Blueberry Galette

2009-06-12T22:29:00.009-07:00

So, how many of you, besides me, have run into the store "just to get a gallon of milk" and walked out instead with the complete opposite and then some..? It's not my fault...really.

I was minding my own business, when some little cartoon wisp of peach scented smoke latched onto my nostrils as I walked in the door, and dragged me clear over to the produce section. Next thing you know, I was in my car with all the ingredients for this Peach Blueberry Galette, and not one drop of milk! Don't you love the scents of summer..?!

I think what I love best about summer is making things simpler, less complicated. Which is why I love the rustic ease of a galette. All of us know people that shy away from anything having to do with a crust, all because they are afraid they can't make it pretty enough. With a galette, the more rustic, the better, for me. In its own messy way, it becomes simple elegance.

The peaches I found smelled like heaven, and were so delicious, that I felt little sugar was needed. Combined with a handful of blueberries, and a sprinkle of almond slivers, it was the best of summer on a plate.

Peach Blueberry Galette

1 single unbaked pie crust recipe, cold- I use Pate Brisee
6 or 7 large peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 c fresh blueberries
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 tsp Vanilla (I used my homemade Bourbon vanilla, and increased to 2 tsp)
1/8 c slivered almonds

Combine peaches and blueberries in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and nutmeg. Then add cornstarch, and combine well. Pour into bowl with fruit and mix. Add vanilla, and mix. Set aside.

Roll out cold pastry dough between 1/8" and 1/4" thick on a floured surface, depending on size baking sheet or pan you have. No need for a perfect circle... rough edges are best. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you do not have parchment paper, spray pan lightly with non-stick spray.

Place all filling in center of dough. Fold over edges of dough around filling, tucking and crimping where necessary to avoid fruit spilling out, leaving center open. Sprinkle fruit with slivered almonds. If desired, brush pastry with a bit of beaten egg white, then sprinkle with a bit of sugar.

Bake galette at 400 F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 F, and bake an additional 35 to40 minutes, depending on your oven.

You can serve warm or cold, with or without ice cream. I prefer mine cold... as is. Enjoy!

Spicy Grilled Cilantro Lime Coconut Shrimp with Orange and Coconut Milk Rice

2009-06-05T15:46:00.009-07:00

Yesterday I was having some seriously bizarre food cravings... and no, I am not expecting. All I know is, that after my exercise class, there were a million different food items blabbing in my head, and they were all speaking at once... I felt like it was a blender of "pick me's" going on in there.

Shrimp seemed to have the most pull, but I was not in the mood for plain shrimp cocktail, or the usual restaurant fare of orange shrimp, or scampi. With this weather we're having, grilling it would be the way to go. So I starting looking for some different kind of dipping sauces, and once I found one on Low Fat Lifestyle that sounded good- Cilantro Lime Sauce- starting prepping all of my ingredients.

I swear, I feel like my mind gets hijacked... I can never stick to an original plan! In this case, however, the hijacking was a good thing. I decided to tweak the recipe some and change the dipping sauce to a marinade, and then coat the shrimp in coconut. Now, I'm not a big fan of coconut shrimp... see, that's where those weird cravings were coming in again... but this just seemed to call for coconut, and I'm really glad I went with it.

Needing a side dish to go with, I did a quick pantry check and found can of unsweetened coconut milk sitting next to a bag of rice. Now I've had that can of coconut milk for awhile- I don't even remember buying it. But I grabbed it, the rice, and started out just adding the rice and coconut milk in a pot. But I realized that ratio wise I didn't have enough liquid. So I ended up adding some fresh squeezed juice from oranges I had in my fruit bowl, a little water so that it wouldn't become too thick, and it turned out perfect.

Everything was really very quick easy to put together. I served it with an additional side of Plantain chips (which I'll post next time). Even my husband, who is not a big fan of coconut shrimp at all, actually loved this dish- So I know I'll be making this one again!

Spicy Grilled Cilantro Lime Coconut Shrimp
marinade adapted from Low Fat Lifestyle

1/2 c stone ground mustard with horseradish
1/2 c fresh squeezed lime juice
zest of 1 lime
2 Tbs finely chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 lbs uncooked fresh or frozen shrimp
8 oz sweetened flaked coconut
skewers

In large Ziploc bag combine the first 5 ingredients. Add shrimp. Let marinate in refrigerator about 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator and place shrimp on skewers. Then, on a flat plate or baking sheet, place coconut. Dip the skewered shrimp in coconut, patting on both sides to make sure a fair amount adheres.

Before lighting grill, make sure to spray grill racks with a non-stick spray. Once heated, place skewers on grill, flipping once, for about a minute to minute and a half at most- just long enough to turn pink- nothing worse than tough shrimp! The coconut will still be slightly soft, and a little toasted.

Orange & Coconut Milk Rice

1 1/2 c white long grain rice
1- 14 oz can of Coconut Milk
3/4 c fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 c water
zest of 1 orange

Place all ingredients into a large pot. stir, and let come to a boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer, and cover, cooking an additional 20 -25 minutes. Remove from heat, and serve.

Lemon Meringue Pie with homemade crust

2009-05-31T20:11:00.011-07:00

Ever since I was a teenager, I've had this obsession with making lemon meringue pie, and making flaky pie crust. My "other mother", affectionately known as "Momma 2", was instrumental in my obsession. I think a lot of teenagers have "other mothers"... you know, the kind you can go talk to when you feel like your own mom is speaking a foreign language. "Momma 2", also known as Cheryl (Serago) Barclay, interpreted that language for me, and helped me to understand why routine, responsibility, and continued education were so important. She was also my introduction to the wonderful world of Greek cuisine.

Cheryl would pay me to clean her home, as well as to babysit her 3 kids now and then. What I loved most though is her letting me use her kitchen to experiment in. She'd pull out all her cookie recipes at Christmas time and let me make them all for her- I was in heaven! My favorites were the Birds Nest cookies with the red or green cream cheese filling...

But during a summer back about 1981, she asked me to make her a lemon meringue pie. I was excited to make a pie, but I I had never made a lemon one before. So I poured over recipe books... back then of course there was no such thing as the internet to quickly pop up a recipe. After all the searching, I paired 2 recipes together, in part because of available ingredients in the cupboard, and my love for a lot of lemon.

I still keep in touch with my "Momma 2", Cheryl, to this day. She was a guiding force that always encouraged me to "think down the road" before I made any rash decisions in my life. I haven't seen her in awhile, but when I do, I think I'll have to make her this pie. I think everyone needs a Momma 2 to make a pie for...

In my opinion, a flaky pie crust is key to an amazing pie. I haven't found one as simple, and as flavorful, as Pate Brisee. You can try all sorts of tricks and a million ingredients to get a flaky crust, but for me nothing does it better than good ol' unsalted pure butter. Although the recipe shown below uses a food processor, I love to make it by hand. I use a an old fashioned pastry blender, sturdy bowl, and my hands. I absolutely love the feel of pie dough!

Another thing that I prefer, is to add a small amount of HOT simple syrup to my meringue. While I will not guarantee that it will pasteurize your egg whites, it does give me a little comfort knowing that between that and the oven browning of the meringue, more of it is cooked than not.

Pie Crust
(as found on MarthaStewart.com)

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add cubed butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Using 1/2 of the dough, roll out on floured surface and place in pie pan, fluting edges as you desire. Dock dough (prick with fork on bottom portion) Place a sheet of foil in pan over dough, and place pie weights or smaller pan on top. Place in 375 degree oven and blind bake for about 25 minutes, until crust is light golden brown and cooked thoroughly. Let cool.

Lemon Filling

1/3 c cornstarch
1-1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 c cold water
4 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
1/2 c lemon juice (approx 3-4 lemons)
Zest of all juiced lemons
3 Tbs unsalted butter

In small saucepan combine cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cold water. Over medium heat, while stirring constantly, bring to a slight boil. Turn down heat to low and cook until mixture is slightly clear and thick. Add lemon juice, cooking for another minute. Remove from heat.

Remove one cup of the cooked mixture, and add to egg yolks while whisking quickly, to temper the eggs so they do not 'cook'. Return yolk mixture to the saucepan, and continue cooking on low for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon zest and butter. Set aside and let cool.

Meringue

4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 c HOT simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water heated until sugar dissolves)
3 tablespoons sugar

Beat the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add the cream of tartar and sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until firm peaks form but are not dry. Then gradually add the hot simple syrup until peaks stand on own and do not fall.

To assemble: Pour lemon filling in cooked crust. Take 1/3 of meringue and completely cover lemon filling, completely covering, sealing filling to edges of crust. With remaining meringue, using a pastry bag (or spoon) make decorative peaks over entire surface of pie.

Place in 400 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, watching carefully, until meringue is nicely and evenly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Pie is best served when cold.

Homemade pasta- nothing better!

2009-05-27T22:16:00.017-07:00

Ever since I saw Pastor Ryan's "recipe" for homemade pasta over on The Pioneer Woman's site, I have been looking for any opportunity to make it. Well, opportunity presented itself at a farewell dinner for my oldest daughter, when she felt that a change of scenery was in order, and decided that the windy city of Chicago was in her future- 1700 miles away. As I write this, she is still on the road. Gone less than 24 hours, I truly do miss her already...

{Insert joyful smile here}

I can't believe how easy this pasta is to make! Any other time I have made pasta, it had numerous ingredients, and the end result never seemed to justify the effort. But this only requires 2 ingredients- 1 cup of flour and 2 eggs- and I always have those on hand, don't you? All you do is mix the two together, let the dough rest about 20 minutes (rest is critical to the end result), roll with a floured rolling pin super thin, and then cut with a pizza cutter into your desired shape (or use your pasta roller, however, I love the rustic look of hand cut), and boil for 2-3 minutes. It couldn't be any simpler. Just remember that the thinner the dough, the nicer the end result, and if you have a wood surface to roll your dough out on, that performs much better than a smooth surface.

Originally, I had intended on making a Bolognese sauce that Pastor Ryan had also made to partner with this recipe. But it seems that no one else in my family was feelin' it... they wanted something a bit lighter. So, I sliced up about 3 cloves of garlic, and added them to about a 1/2 c of olive oil, and warmed the oil on low heat for about twenty minutes, so as not to burn and turn bitter. I turned off the heat and set it aside. It smelled amazing...

Then, I remembered that Patsy over at Family, Friends, and Food, had made some amazing roasted tomatoes, and thought how wonderful they'd be with fresh pasta. So I roasted a pint of cherry tomatoes I had on hand...

I grabbed a large handful of fresh basil and sliced into a chiffonade...

And then combined the garlic oil, basil, and roasted tomatoes (with all the roasted juices) in a bowl with some kosher salt and pepper to taste...

Then enjoyed an absolutely delicious dish...

I love finding a recipe here and a recipe there, and combining them to make a simple, yet fabulous dish. This was an easy, yet fun recipe to make... a great one to involve your children in! I absolutely loved the chewiness of the pasta, and the fresh flavors of the garlic, basil, and tomatoes.

You know, making this pasta was so easy, it will definitely be a staple in my kitchen from now on. Seriously- 2 ingredients for the pasta..? Sweet...

Dark Chocolate Texas sheet cake: sin on a plate...

2009-05-21T23:41:00.009-07:00

This has been yet another crazy week, filled with graduations, parties, illnesses, and a proliferating laundry pile. I attacked it today, wrestled it to the ground, and tried to beat it into submission. A whole lotta good that'll do, though- it only laughs in my face and starts multiplying again. It's pure evil in a basket...

Why laundry makes me crave chocolate though, I'll never know. But crave it did, and that's when the ingredients started flying on the counter. It had to be quick and easy. A rich chocolate Texas sheet cake. The recipe I based it off of was given to me by a gal I had worked with years ago, and even though it was a very good one, I wanted an even richer, more moist, cake. So over time I have adapted this recipe to cure my cravings, and send me into a blissful chocolate coma... be very careful though. One slice can lead to another, and you could end up with thighs like my great aunt...

Dark Chocolate Texas Sheet cake

2 c sugar
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 heaping c sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 c water
4 Tbs Dark cocoa powder

Dark chocolate glaze

1 stick unsalted butter
5 Tbs heavy cream
4 Tbs Dark cocoa powder
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 tsp Bourbon Vanilla (tastes best but regular ok)
1 lb box powdered sugar, sifted

In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the sour cream, eggs, and baking soda. Set aside. In a 2 qt saucepan add 2 sticks unsalted butter, water, and 4 Tbs dark cocoa powder. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add to flour mixture, blending well, then add the sour cream mixture, making sure all is combined. Spray a large jelly roll or large rimmed baking sheet pan with non-stick spray, and pour all batter into pan. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and keep cake in pan.

While cooling, add remaining stick of butter, heavy cream, and dark cocoa powder into a 2 qt saucepan. Bring to a slight boil and remove from heat. Add in cream cheese, whisking well until melted, then add bourbon vanilla, and lastly, powdered sugar in small increments until well blended and smooth. Pour all on top of cake (if cake is still warm that's ok) , spread and smooth with an offset spatula. Let cake cool until glaze is set.

Cake should serve many... but depending on your mood, could be a large serving for one :-)

Ice Cream topped with Raspberry Mango Salsa in Cinnamon Sugar Bowls

2009-05-15T22:09:00.016-07:00

Sometimes I think the naming part of recipes is the hardest part of all. I mean, what else can you possibly call this..? Compote, maybe, except that it wasn't cooked... whatever. This is yummy stuff so who cares about the name?

So for the the ending of our Get Fit Challenge BBQ bash tomorrow, I signed up to bring a dessert. And while the old me really wanted to bring a chocolate something in it's most sinful form, I thought it best to exercise some restraint, and bring something that only tasted sinful.

A few years ago I went to a Pampered Chef party, and a recipe, similar to this, was made to demonstrate how to use the catalog products. I've seen different variations of this all over the place, each one claiming it as their own. I really don't know who or where it originated from. All I can tell you is that it is delicious... refreshing... and not too unhealthy!

While I added my favorite fruits, I'm sure you could adapt it to whatever is available in your area. What I have done differently (from what I remember at the demonstration) is to add my homemade bourbon vanilla to the fruit, as well as some brown sugar, and to create flowered cinnamon sugar bowls rather than chips for the fruit. To make a little healthier, I also coated my tortilla's in PAM Baking Spray rather than butter, prior to dredging in cinnamon and sugar.

This is a really simple recipe that can be adapted to what is available, and casual or elegant, it's perfect for any summer occasion.

Ice Cream topped with Raspberry Mango Salsa in Cinnamon Sugar Bowls

1 small container raspberries
2 mango's, peeled and diced
2 kiwi's, peeled and diced
2 peaches, peeled and diced (canned ok if fresh not available)
Juice of 2 limes
2 tsp Bourbon Vanilla (regular ok)
2 Tbs packed brown sugar
1 dozen flour tortilla's
1 cup cinnamon sugar mixture to taste
PAM Baking spray
Vanilla ice cream

Fruit Salsa

In small bowl, mix together fruits, lime juice, vanilla, and brown sugar. Stir and set aside.

Cinnamon Sugar Bowls

Using a cookie cutter, cut desired shapes out of flour tortillas that are large enough to hold a scoop of ice cream later.

Once all tortillas are cut, spray each cut out shape on both sides with Pam Baking Spray. Pour 1 cup cinnamon sugar onto a dinner plate, and dredge both sides of cut tortilla into mixture.

Once all are coated they can be baked, in batches, on the bottom side of a PAM sprayed cupcake pan. I preferred this method rather than putting inside the cupcake tin, to get the shape that I preferred. Shape is entirely up to you though...

I baked them 7 minutes covered with a small pyrex bowl to shape, and 5 minutes uncovered to crisp, at 375 F degrees.

Once all are baked, cool completely. If not serving till later, bowls can be kept in a covered container or sealed Ziploc bag to keep crispy.

To serve, place one scoop of vanilla ice cream in center of tortilla bowl, add desired amount of fruit salsa on top, and enjoy!

It's that time again!

2009-05-10T21:57:00.011-07:00

Yup, 3 months have passed already- it was weigh in time again for my Get Fit Challenge this Saturday! I was actually excited about this, because I knew that the scale was going to go down, rather than up, for a change.

Having the flu bug going through this house the past 2 weeks, though, derailed me just a bit. I actually did not work out for a whole week- that felt SO bizarre. Once you incorporate something into your daily life (that doesn't have a pastry bag attached) and make it part of your life... well, I felt aimless... lost... a wee bit schleppy... I know I had the flu (no, I didn't oink), but I still felt like a bad girl not getting out there and wheezing through a workout.

So once again, I donned my little black tank and sexy black shorts (a new a teeny swimsuit to be my prize once all my goal weight is lost)...

Blew out all the air bubbles I could possibly blow...

thought of all the goodies that brought me here to begin with...

then found more air bubbles in there to blow up to the surface...

So that this chiseled stud, who is perfecting his "I do not notice your scantily clad body" look...

could tell me that I've just lost a total of 21.7 lbs!! And even though I've been sick, and knew that I had lost 22, I was happy to see that I had only gained back about 8 oz while fighting this flu. Not bad!

Next Saturday is the big "Reveal" party ... the winner of our Get Fit Challenge will be announced. So I can't post here what my fat percentage lost is, as that is what truly determines who wins in our group, and we have to keep that part a secret. But it really doesn't matter to me whether I "win" the challenge or not. I feel so good at having accomplished what I have, working out with the most amazing group of gals, I feel like I've won so much already.

Spinach, Gorgonzola and Lemon Rice

2009-05-05T22:41:00.004-07:00

With my youngest and I both being sick this past week and a half, I haven't been able to get out and about, buying the scores of food magazines that I usually do. That really is a good thing. I've had plenty of time, while not running around, to open up my many cookbooks and give them a good read. What a novel idea... to actually read the cookbooks I have!

One that I found so many delicious sounding recipes in was Red, White, and Blue Ribbon, 2004 by Melissa Craven, published by 3D Press. It has 230 prize winning recipes from recipe contests and cook-offs from the previous year. I love cookbooks like this- people like you and I doing what they love most!

One in particular that appealed to me was the Spinach, Gorgonzola and Lemon Rice, by Kelly Mapes, the runner up in the USA Rice Federation's Rice to the Rescue Recipe Contest. I had such a huge bag of fresh spinach already in the fridge, and was just really tired of spinach salads. The combination of flavors sounded interesting. I wasn't overly convinced, but figured I'd give it a try- not like I was really going anywhere this week, so why not..?

I absolutely loved this! I am crazy for Gorgonzola, but yet never thought to partner it up with lemon, let alone spinach! Each flavor distinctively stood out, yet married well with each other. The rice was creamy, rich in flavor, and with the addition of lemon, a nice bright ending.

Spinach, Gorgonzola and Lemon Rice

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
1 (4-ounce) package Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups cooked rice
2 cups lightly-packed torn fresh spinach leaves
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in cheese and continue to stir frequently until cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir in rice and heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Toss in spinach just before serving. Garnish with lemon zest.

Adopt a Blogger #3

2009-05-03T17:39:00.003-07:00

I love hanging out over at Dine & Dish. Kristen has some of the tastiest recipes I've seen, always complete with a story or two. Definitely a great morning read for me over a cup of coffee!

In addition to the anticipation of baby #4 (!) due any day now, she is once again hosting Adopt a Blogger. How I wish I had known about this when I first started blogging about food! It gives the opportunity for a more seasoned food blogger to mentor to a new kid on the block. What a great idea!

So I am thrilled to introduce all of you to Sophia from over at Burp and Slurp! Honestly, I think she should be mentoring me... she has wonderful recipes, incredible wit, is well traveled, and seems to have this blogging thing already "down". What I am admiring most about her though, is her honesty in creating her blog in the first place... to conquer her battle with an eating disorder, one bite at a time. She has made me realize that food bloggers inspire in many, many ways. So go over and visit, say hi, let her know what a true family of foodies we are!

C'mon in. Sit. Have some coffee...

2009-04-27T21:07:00.016-07:00

In an effort to stay in the kitchen, yet back away from the food this week, I borrowed an idea from Stacey over at Stacey Snacks (with her blessing, of course). And if you haven't been over to her place yet- go! You will always learn much, leave inspired, and never be disappointed.

While we bought our home 10 months ago, there are still a few boxes left to unpack, window treatments to make, and decorating to be done. This will be our home till we're old and gray, so I guess I don't have to be in too big a hurry.

With the exception of the range, we did purchase all new LG appliances. We love them, especially our three door LG refrigerator, except for the "silent" series LG dishwasher. It isn't very silent, and it's on it's second sump replacement (thank God for warranties), and it doesn't dry worth a darn. Our next purchase will be a new range, and we are looking at the Maytag Gemini. Without rearranging the kitchen, it's the closest I will get to a double oven for awhile. While our house has gas heat and water, for some reason the gas line was not run to the kitchen, so we are stuck with electric, unless we want to foot the bill to run the gas line to the kitchen. We are seriously considering it, but the tree in the backyard is just running out of bills...

Definitely, one of the reasons we decided to buy our home was the size of the kitchen, and the open feel it had relating to our family room. I love being able to have people over, relaxing in our family room, and still being able to speak to them from the kitchen, or, having them in the kitchen and not feeling like I have to ask anyone to get out of my way.

There was an awful, little gold light fixture above the table, that my hubby replaced with this one instead...

Our home is about 7 years old, and we knew when we bought it, despite it's newness, that some day, cabinets would need to be replaced. I definitely love the amount we have, but I guess the previous owners used this home solely for income property, and the cabinets were not "loved" as ones own. So, someday... maybe some a bit darker, with a bunch of nice, deep drawers and slide out shelving. In the meantime, I am absolutely in love with having a pantry...

An entire room to store a million things I don't need (I swear, I do not eat 90% of the things in there while I've been on this diet).

And all the cookbooks I have to have

With enough dishes and silverware to feed 40, because I hate paper plates for company.

I love having a counter at my every turn.

With even more to set up a buffet now and then.

I finally have a great kitchen "triangle"

And places to decorate with "all that clutter" as my hubby likes to call it.

The only thing I'm probably a bit weird about is how things are put into my kitchen drawers. I hate digging for things. Especially when baking, I want to open a drawer and find what I need right away. So when you open mine, you see this...

But I swear, my bedroom closets are trashed, and the laundry pile huge, I promise. No pics there though. I ain't that crazy to post pics of my dirty laundry. I did seven loads today- and there is still more.

And at the end of the day, when I want to unwind, have a glass of wine, and share my treats with you, this is where I am perched.

It's my formal dining "slash" living room. But having a couch right next to my table looked odd, so I opted for a nice desk instead.

So this is it... my "crib".

I feel very, very, blessed. ..

Pomegranate Sangria

2009-04-26T22:01:00.015-07:00

Well I'd like to make a toast- to the ending of a week that belongs in parts waaaaay south of here, and definitely hotter than where I'm at right now. Yup, straight out of the pages of Craptasticville, Mayored, I'm sure, by that Murphy guy, every recipe my hands touched this week took a dive. I decided though, that with the good recipes I share, must come the bad, and I will fess up to my failures. Besides, it was the only lead in I could think of for tonight's post...

A few weeks ago the folks at POM Wonderful sent me a case of pomegranate juice. I was like a kid in a candy store- I LOVE pomegranate juice and POM Wonderful has the best. So I immediately started thinking of all the mouthwatering things I could create. My mind wouldn't stop. Still hasn't.

I love spicy foods, and I especially love the combination of spicy and fruity. So when I saw these gorgeous looking Pasilla Peppers at my local farmer's market, I knew right away they'd be perfect with pomegranate. Thinking I had everything else I needed at home, I hurried back there so I could quickly make the dish I had in mind- Chicken stuffed roasted pasilla peppers, deep fried with seasoned Panko bread crumbs, with a pomegranate Jalapeno sauce. I was so excited! But when I got home, the roasted chicken I already had in the fridge was nothing more than a carcass... I guess someone else had plans for my chicken.

So I went to "plan B". I had 3 cans of canned chicken in my pantry, and that was going to keep my meal excitement going... ok, really, I said a few things I shouldn't have said once I saw the roasted chicken gone, and then when I found the canned chicken, my excitement returned.

Meal made... and as always, photo's first. I was trying to hurry so I could dig in, I was so hungry. While the flavors were really good, I really should have waited, or run back up to the store and just bought an already roasted chicken. The texture from the canned chicken was awful. All the preparation, all the excitement, totally down the tubes. So while I was able to get a pic to post, I thought I'd wait until I have all the ingredients I need, and make it again, before I share with everyone.

This past week I had also been thinking quite a bit about my aunt. As a child I remember her making this incredible strawberry cake with the most delicious strawberry icing. She also had the best pound cake recipe ever. The more I thought, the more I craved, and I knew I had to make this cake. I got even more excited when I thought that if I replaced the strawberry juice with pomegranate juice, and maybe combined the two recipes, that I would truly have an amazing cake. But as I went to pull the recipes out of my box, they were no where to be found. Trying to find something similar, I looked in all of my cookbooks, and found two recipes I thought would merge well... but they didn't. I really should have researched a bit, and realized that there is a reason cake is cake, and a reason pound cake is, well, pound cake. The cake, while big on flavor, was like eating a dense pomegranate sponge. So, like my meal experiment above, I think I'll wait till I figure this one out before I post a cake recipe destined for disaster.

I was bent, though, on ending this week with a Pomegranate recipe to share. But I was sick of cooking, and baking, so a drink it is- Pomegranate Sangria for all!

Pomegranate Sangria

1 bottle Chianti
1 bottle semi sparkling wine
1/3 c brandy
1/2 c simple syrup
2 c POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
1 lemon, cut into thin rounds
1 orange, cut into thin rounds
1 pear, cut into thin wedges
ice, if desired

Mix all ingredients and chill. Makes 1 large pitcher.

Serve. Drink. Repeat.

Lemon Souffle

2009-04-20T21:41:00.009-07:00

I always laugh a bit when I hear the weather men talk about the "Official beginning of summer". Here, in the Phoenix area, our weather knows no stinking dates. It gets hot when it wants to, and hot is what it was today- mid 90's. I caved. My air conditioner is officially on. I, am a wimp. I grew up on Long Island, and while I moved here in high school, I have yet to get used to the heat. Last week I was wearing sweats and a coat, this week, stick a fork in me, I'm done.

While I love a great stack of pancakes now and then, the heat definitely gets me looking for lighter breakfast fare. I was looking through a cookbook I have, From a French Country Kitchen~ The Culinary Tradition of la Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe, by Monique Esquerre and Patrick Esquerre, when I came across this recipe for Lemon Souffle. Surrounded by a neighborhood full of citrus tree's, I thought it an easy and perfect brunch idea. Start to finish was 30 minutes, and that was with a 2 year old "helping".

Lemon Souffle or Souffle au Citron

4 large lemons
4 eggs, separated
4 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
Juice of one orange
1 tsp Grand Marnier (optional- I only had, and used, Caravella Limoncello)
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Slice off the top of each lemon. Also cut a small sliver off the bottom of each so that they will stand easily in baking dish. If desired, cut a small decorative pattern around each top portion. Remove pulp from lemons, reserving 1 Tbs for recipe, and reserve remaining for another use. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place lemons in baking dish. They will serve as souffle molds.

In a medium bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar, using a wooden spoon, till creamy. Add lemon juice, orange juice, Grand Marnier, and lemon zest. In another bowl, with a mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks, and fold gently into yolk mixture. Fill each lemon with mixture. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve immediately.

*** You will have more filling than lemons. I took the remaining filling and added to a buttered, sugared, small souffle dish, and baked alongside the lemons. You could also use small ramekins, or additional lemons.

Marian Antoinette DeCicco's cheesecake

2009-04-16T22:05:00.009-07:00

Guess what?! I lost 20 lbs!! So let's celebrate, and make a cheesecake, y'all! I know, my last post was my Easter pie, but I had some left over ricotta and Lord knows, you never let good ricotta go to waste. So, I figured I'd get the cheesecake thing out of my system, and then move on to losing my next, and final, 20 lbs before my weight loss challenge ends.

Funny name for a cheesecake, huh? I just couldn't think of any other name for it, so, since the recipe came from mom, moms name (maiden) to it I gave. She's going to kill me. She hates her middle name. I think it was her baptismal name, or something like that... she never uses it. She won't be reading this probably for a few weeks or so, so I'm safe for the time being. I love picking on my mom...

Marian Antoinette DeCicco's cheesecake

Pasta Frolla (Pastry Crust)

2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
pinch salt
1/4 c unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 Tbs (or more, if too thick) milk

Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork, until the mixture resembles small peas or crumbs. Stir in the yolks, one at a time, until well blended. Add milk, and mix with spoon (or hands) until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, adding more milk if necessary. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough till smooth. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, thin and large enough to fit the bottom and sides of a 12" spring form pan.

Cheesecake filling

2 lbs ricotta (I used Polly-O), WELL DRAINED
2 -8 oz pkgs cream cheese

2 c sugar
1/2 c sifted flour
8 egg yolks
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c heavy cream, whipped
8 egg whites

Beat ricotta and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups of the sugar, and egg yolks, beating after each addition. Beat in the sifted flour, lemon zest, and vanilla.

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with the remaining 1/2 c of sugar, until slightly stiff peaks form. Fold the beaten heavy cream into the egg whites, and then fold into the ricotta mixture.

Pour the batter into the pastry crust- lined spring form pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, and then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for 1 hour. Turn off heat, and let cheesecake cool, in oven, undisturbed, for at least 2 hours.

Prior to serving, lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar.

***The whole idea of letting it cool in the oven is so that the top of your cheesecake doesn't collapse, like mine did, by cooling down gradually in the oven. I only have one oven, as do most, and needed to bake other things that evening. So I sacrificed a pretty and smooth cheesecake top by letting it cool outside the oven- but it does not affect the taste. I still think it looks kind of pretty, cracks and all...

Oh, and mom, you know I love you, right..?

Easter Pie, or Pastiera Di Grano

2009-04-09T22:18:00.007-07:00

I had thoughts of elegant pictures, and a post rich in history to accompany my recipe today. But as the evening progressed, I find myself giving in to the aches and pains of today's double workout.

Our daily work out is at 9:30 a.m., and then one at 3:00 p.m. for those in our Get Fit Challenge, where we go above and beyond what our morning class does. OMG... I am a hurtin' girl. It hurts to type. It hurts to sit. It hurts to walk. It hurt to stir the batter in my pan today! I seriously think my friend, and instructor, Kelly, giggles like crazy when she plans these routines, because she loves hearing us moan as we do them. And we do. But I really wanted to share this with you before the weekend, so if you'll pardon my lack of holiday history, I think you'll enjoy this recipe none the less. I'd also normally post the prettiest of lattice crusts, but I was seriously, so sore, that I couldn't get the strips to cooperate with me, so that will explain the "slapped together" look.

To have an Easter without and Easter Pie, or Pastiera Di Grano as it is also known, in an Italian family, is a rare one. When I was younger, I had it with rice rather than wheat, as it was much quicker to assemble that way. What I hear from other's is that the wheat grain wasn't available in many areas, necessitating the use of rice or barley. It's delicious though, whichever grain is used. I prefer to buy the hulled grain myself, soak, and cook, a few days before I make the pie. The pie also calls for the use of Orange Blossom Water, which if you can't find, can use Orange Extract, or Orange Oil in a pinch.

Easter Pie, or Pastiera Di Grano

Pasta Frolla (crust)

2 c AP flour
1/2 c sugar
zest of 1 lemon
12 Tbs unsalted butter
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbs milk

Ricotta filling

1/2 c hulled wheat (or prepared jarred or canned wheat grain from an Italian specialty store),
with enough water to cover wheat in pan
1 c whole milk
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 c sugar
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
2 c whole milk ricotta cheese
5 egg yolks
1- 1/2 Tbs Orange Blossom Water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c candied Citron, chopped
4 egg whites
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Sift together the flour and sugar. Add in the lemon zest. With pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in the butter until it is like the size of peas. Make a well in the center and add the egg yolks and milk. Gradually mix the flour into the egg and milk, just until combined. Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in fridge for at least an hour, or overnight.

In 2 qt saucepan add wheat with enough water to cover top. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, uncovered, until grains are tender, and water is mostly gone. Then add milk, salt, 2 Tbs sugar (of the 2/3 c), and the zest of both the lemon and the orange. Bring to almost a boil, then let simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Let cool.

Mix the ricotta with the rest of the sugar. Beat in the egg yolks, cooled grain mixture, Orange Blossom Water, and cinnamon. Add in the chopped Citron. In another bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff. Fold into the ricotta mixture.

Butter and flour a 9" springform pan. Take 2/3 of the crust and roll out big enough to cover the bottom and sides of pan. Pour in the filling, and smooth. With the remaining dough, roll out and cut into 3/4" strips, and weave into a lattice top crust. Bake at 350 for about 50- 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and then gently run knife around edge of pan. Un-latch springform pan and remove outer pan. Let cool completely on wire rack before serving. Dust with confectioners sugar just prior to serving.

Bourdain Declares Three Little Pigs Sandwich ‘Greatest Sandwich in America’

2009-04-08T23:48:00.002-07:00

All I can say is, after this Get Fit Challenge is over, I'm on this...

more about "Bourdain Declares Three Little Pigs S...", posted with vodpod

Strawberry Bread

2009-04-06T22:11:00.008-07:00

We love Strawberries in our house. I love them all the more when I can buy 4 lbs for $4.77. My 2 year old eats them like an apple. My hubby loves Strawberry shortcake in his lunch. I put them on my salads. But even after all that we still had a lot to eat. So out of what was left, I flash froze half, and then with the other half decided to make some Strawberry bread. I've had this recipe in my files for awhile... you know, the "someday" file. As I was looking it over though, I knew I had to make some adjustments to cut out some fat and cholesterol, add some fiber, and make up for some missing ingredients.

I wish I had a better camera (or maybe if I'd read the instruction manual once in a while) to take some nicer pics. There is something, well, very internal looking in them there slices... Makes ya really want to make this something bad now, huh?

This bread really did taste pretty good. My hubby said it tasted even better with what looked like a pound of butter on his slice... ok, yes, I admit, I was envious of the butter! When I do make this again, I think that I may change out the cinnamon for cardamom. I'm one of those weird people, that after December 31st passes, just feels a little OD'd on cinnamon. I'm thinking the cardamom may pair well, or better, with the strawberries. If any one of you does this, please, let me know how it tastes. By the time I thought of it though, I had already added the cinnamon. (For those who just want to try the original version, just click on the pic above and it should enlarge enough to see the original recipe)

As I was making this, I thought it funny that creating one loaf of bread took up this much space.

Strawberry Bread

2 c sliced strawberries
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
3/4 c AP flour
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 large egg whites
1/4 c melted margarine
1/3 c non-fat plain Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray and flour pan.

Place strawberries in small bowl and mix with brown sugar.

In a large bowl, blend together the remaining sugar, both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, with a whisk, beat the egg whites until foamy, then beat in melted margarine, and Greek yogurt. Add to dry ingredients, blending until moist. Stir in the strawberries.

Scrape batter into loaf pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack about 10 minutes before removing from pan. Makes 1 loaf.

Check this out- I've been cooking and baking like crazy, and have still managed (with exercise) to finally wear me a pair of baggy pants- 18 lbs down and only 22 more to go!

I know, I need a manicure, bad...

Gâteau de Crêpes with Green Tea Cream

2009-03-29T20:35:00.007-07:00

The day I opened my copy of Chocolate Epiphany , by Francois Payard, I knew I had to make this cake. While there are so many amazing recipes inside, this one just spoke to me. I love layers- and this one had 20 mouth watering layers of chocolate crepes, infused with orange zest, filled with a luscious green tea (Matcha) pastry cream. Not something this dieting gal could just make and leave lying around though ~*sigh*~ . A perfect opportunity presented itself though, with the celebration of both my Mother-in-law and Sister-in-laws birthday yesterday.

I enjoyed this so much better than a traditional birthday cake. Despite its use of chocolate and pastry cream, this cake was light in texture, the green tea and orange zest a perfect pairing.

I was a very good girl, you'd all be proud- I only had a sliver. Even with all of the baking I've been doing this past week, I've still managed to lose 16 lbs so far since this get fit challenge began. But I have to admit, I battle thoughts daily of immersing myself in pastry cream, painting myself with chocolate and sprinkling myself with bacon bits... an odd combination, I know, but when you go without for so long, the combination just sounds so irresistibly sexy.

Gâteau de Crêpes with Green Tea Cream
by Francois Payard

Chocolate Crêpes
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (220g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (30g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
Pinch of salt
8 large eggs
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (500g) whole milk
Grated zest of 2 oranges
10 tablespoons (5 oz. or 150g) unsalted butter, browned
1 cup (250g) heavy cream
Vegetable oil, for the pan

Green Tea Pastry Cream
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (500 g) whole milk
2 teaspoons (10g) powdered green tea
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (120g) sugar
5 tablespoons (40g) cornstarch
6 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons (2oz.; 60g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup (250g) heavy cream

Make the crêpes: Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and orange zest. Incorporate them gradually into the dry ingredients, whisking constantly with one hand as you pour them with the other. Doing this slowly will prevent lumps from forming. Whisk in the butter, then the cream. Strain the batter over a bowl to make sure that it is smooth, then whisk it again so that it is thoroughly combined. Cover the batter, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Whisk the batter well. Place a small crêpe pan or nonstick skillet (about 8 inches in diameter) over medium heat. Pour about 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in the pan to grease it. Once it is hot, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup or a small ladle to pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter in the pan. There should be just enough batter in the pan to coat the bottom in a thin layer. Tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter is evenly spread in the pan.

After about 2 minutes, the edges of the crêpe should start firming up. Use a spatula to lift a side of the crêpe and flip it over. Cook on the other side for about 1 minute, then remove the crêpe to a plate. Repeat the process until all of the batter is used, piling the crêpes one on top of the other as they are cooked. If the crêpes start to stick to the pan, add a little more oil. Cover the stack of crêpes with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool, up to 1 day.

Make the Pastry Cream: Line a shallow pan, such as a 9-inch square cake pan or a small rimmed baking sheet, with plastic wrap. Bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the green tea powder.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl, and whisk in the yolks. Continue whisking until the yolks turn a very pale yellow. Slowly pour a fourth of the milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from curdling. Once the milk is well incorporated, return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat, and cook, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot with the whisk to prevent lumps from forming, until it becomes very thick and bubbles start popping from the center of the pan for at least 20 seconds. You need to bring it to a boil so that the cornstarch gets activated.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Pour the pastry cream in the prepared pan and cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate it until it is completely cool, up to 1 day ahead.

Whip the heavy cream at medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until it holds soft peaks. Whisk the pastry cream to a creamy texture, then gently fold in the whipped cream with spatula.

Assemble the Cake: Place one of the cooled crepes on a serving platter. With a small offset spatula, spread a very thin layer (about 1/16 inch) of the green tea pastry cream over the crepe, going all the way to the edges. Place another crepe on top and repeat the process until the cake is 2 to 3 inches tall. Refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving, up to 6 hours ahead, so that the cake has time to set.

Makes one 8-inch cake; serves 8

18, already..?!

2009-03-27T22:58:00.008-07:00

A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter turned 24. That, for some reason, was easier to swallow than my oldest son turning 18 this past weekend. Wow. Come August, he'll be getting settled into his dorm room, loving his new found freedom, and starting the next chapter in his life... excuse me while I cry...

For reasons we haven't quite figured out, he requested MC Hammer's Greatest Hit's emblem to adorn his cake. He doesn't listen to him. He doesn't even like him. He just thought it would be a cool thing to have on a cake. If any of you out there have any clue's, please, fill me in, because I am seriously lost... Still, I started coloring fondant and tried my best at recreating the emblem he so desired. He was happy, and that's all that mattered.

One thing we are clear on, though, is his love of Architecture. He has a natural, God given gift- amazing artistic talent, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him.
This kid's gonna be big... he's gonna go far... everyone's gonna know his name.

For now, though, his baby sister is going to finish off his cake, hoping no one will notice...

On another note, I was over at Patsy's blog- Family, Friends, and Food. She had a post with THE most scrumptious looking brownie, titled "Brownies to Rock Your World". How can you possibly ignore something like that?! Now, I trust Patsy's judgment completely, and felt that our family needed some good "world rocking" this weekend, as we have a potluck party to attend tomorrow, so I followed the recipe link included in her post, and spent the day baking away. I'm glad I did. These are OMG good! As I plated them up for tomorrows party, I shared some with my hubby (and I stole a bite!), while he just rolled his eyes in his head and gave a contented ~*sigh*~. Yup, Patsy, worth every dirty dish!

If you don't want to follow the link above, here is the recipe I followed, from Nosh With Me.

Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars

Brownie Ingredients
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients
7 ounces mini marshmallows
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup Jif peanut butter
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 ½ cups Rice Krispies

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate, butter, and ¾ cup of the semisweet chocolate chips on medium heat. Stir occasionally while melting. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, place the eggs and whisk thoroughly. Add in the sugar and vanilla. Stir the melted ingredients into the egg mixture, mixing well. Stir in the dry sifted ingredients and mix well. Fold in the remaining ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and even with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the corner of the pan comes out with moist crumbs.

Remove the brownies from the oven, and immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over them. Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes.

While the brownies are baking, place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat, add the cereal,and mix well. Allow this to cool for 3 minutes or so.

Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled before cutting.

Makes 12 3×3-inch bars.

Four years today

2009-03-26T21:37:00.009-07:00

Yup, four years today! Sorry guys, no food pics or recipes today- been kinda busy having fun throughout the day. Yummy stuff to post of in the next couple days though- stay tuned!