Stress Baking

Royal Icing

2012-02-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

4 Tbsp. meringue powder
1/2 scant cup water
1/2-1 tsp. corn syrup
few drops of clear extract (I use almond)
1 lb. sifted powdered sugar.

With your paddle attachment mix the meringue powder and water, then add in the powdered sugar. Once those are incorporated add the extract and corn syrup. Mix on med-high for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

The icing can now be thinned 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

2012-01-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

3 large apples (peeled, cored, and thinly sliced)
2 cups whole cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup oats
1/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
5-6 tbsp. melted butter

In a large bowl combine sliced apples, cranberries, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix well and then pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish. In a another bowl mix the oats, flour, brown sugar and butter and then sprinkle over the apple cranberry mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, it is done when the apples are tender.

*I used Granny Smith apples (I like tart), but feel free to use a sweeter apple such as Gala if you prefer. This is a tart dish, but it's great war with some vanilla ice cream. I suggest this ice cream recipe.

Summer Spinach Salad

2011-12-31T19:51:00.000-08:00

Baby Spinach

Mixed Greens

Mandarin Oranges

Sliced Almonds

Sliced Strawberries

Dried Cranberries

Diced Apples - Green or Gala (Optional)

Soft Cheese of Your Choice (Optional)

I like this salad because you can tweak it to your company. My Mom isn't a fan of the soft cheese so I skip it. My sister doesn't love the apples, so if she's going to eat it I leave them out of add them after I get her a bowl. It's a light and fresh salad with some flavor and color. I like to use a poppyseed dressing or a raspberry/strawberry vinegrette.

Orange Scented Cake Balls

2011-12-30T19:45:00.000-08:00

Make a batch of vanilla cake ball. Basic cake ball instructions found here.

Once the balls have been rolled out and chilled in the freezer, it's time to dip them.

Melt down some white chocolate or white chocolate bark and add 2-3 drops of Wild Orange essential oil. Mix well. After dipping I added some orange zest to the top of each cake ball.

For a more pronounced orange flavor I would add a couple drops of the oil to the cake batter while preparing and some orange zest. This can also be done with a chocolate cake, but I would make sure to add extra orange since the chocolate is a stronger flavor.

What to do with leftovers

2011-12-29T13:18:00.000-08:00

For obvious reasons I often find myself with left over cupcakes, cake or cake tops/scraps and frosting. Hazards of the hobby. I have a really hard time wasting food, so I like to "repurpose it." I'm not really sure if it counts taking food and tweaking it as repurposing it, but you catch my drift.

I really like to do this after I make a cake for someone. You see I spend all this time making our house smell great and building this yummy looking creation, just to cart it out the door and give it to someone else. This can be super disappointing to my kids, so here's my solution. I take the cake scraps from carving/leveling the cakes, gring them up add some spoonfuls of leftover frosting and turn them into cake balls. These can be made in no time and really with no extra ingredients other than the chocolate I dip them in and the sprinkles I let the kids dump on top.

Leftovers are used up, kids get a goodie and we can spend time decorating them together. This is a definite Win-Win in our house.

Cake balls are great in a cute baggie or container to give as a quick gift and they are easily dressed up in any color combination for any event or holiday.

Modified Classic Stuffing

2011-11-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is the Classic stuffing I make for my family.

Following the Guidelines here for the Classic stuffing, but with the following twists:

I do a combination of potato bread and white bread. Some times I even use french bread, I just like adding more than one bread for variation.

I do NOT use the eggs. I've done it with and without the eggs and I don't think they are necessary, but feel free - to each his/her own.

I add 1-2 granny smith apples to the onion/celery mixture.

Also, more often than not I will make the fruit/vegetable broth mixture the day before and let it sit over night with all the herbs to let the flavors blend more and then I throw the bread in and cook it the day of.

Stuffing/Dressing 101

2011-11-17T08:38:00.001-08:00

How to make stuffing:

1. Cook vegetables, fruits, herbs and/or meat in butter, then add broth.

2. Toss with beaten eggs and cubed bread.

3. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter or drippings. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees F, 30 minutes; uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes (or cook the cooled stuffing in the turkey).

Each recipe serves 8 and is enough to fill a 12-14 pound turkey.

Classic Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes. (Or stuff in your turkey and bake.)

Orange Cranberry Make a directed above, but add the zest of one orange and it's juice to the stuffing mix before baking, as well as 1/2-1 cup dried cranberries.

You can make any variation of stuffing, do what suits your family. Change up the fruits/vegetables as you like and add cooked sausage if you'd like, add more or less herbs. Just follow the basic equation and add the flavors your family likes best.

For my family I ususally do two flavors - the Orange Cranberry and a Modified Classic.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-11-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

1 pound (about 3 breasts) frozen chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 can black beans
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
Garnish:
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Dollop of sour cream
Shredded Cheese
Directions

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

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

Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Garlic Knots

2011-11-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

This yummy little recipe was a suggestion from my friend Aubrey. I added them to our dinner of Ya-Ya Noodles (recipe coming soon) and they were a hit! Anything that dresses up a meal and starts with store bought rolls works for this busy Momma. Try them, I'm sure you'll love them.
- 1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits ( I used Pillsbury Golden Layers Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

PREPARATION:

Roll each biscuit into a 12-in. rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; brush the warm knots with the mixture. Yield:10 knots.

Thick Pumpkin Pie Filling (For Pie Pops)

2011-10-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Pie Pops
1.5 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 cup toasted pecans (optional)

In a bowl, mix everything. Mix well until incorporated. Pumpkin pie pops need to cook about 5 minutes longer than fruit filled pie pops.

Pie Pops - How to

2011-10-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

• Pie Dough

• Filling
• Craft sticks or Lollipop Sticks
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar, if desired for drizzle
• 2 to 3 teaspoons milk, if desired for drizzle
• 3 inch round cutter**

Step 1: The dough
For premade dough dust counter with flour and unroll, for homemade dough make sure you roll it out thin.
Step 2: The filling
Make or buy your favorite pie filling.

Step 3: Roll, cut and fill

Using a 3 inch round cutter**, cut out 16 rounds (8 rounds per crust). Place 8 rounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Spoon a 1-2 teaspoons filling evenly onto each round to within 1/2 inch of edge. Place 1 craft stick or lollipop stick in filling of each.

Step 4: Top off the Pops

Flatten remaining rounds to 4 inches in diameter. Brush underside of each round with egg white; place over filling. Press edges together; seal with fork. Cut small slit on top of each. Brush tops with egg white; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, dividing evenly among pops.

Step 5: Bake

Bake at 400°F for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool 10 minutes before serving. Do not handle by the stick until completely cool and the filling has had time to set.

Step 6: Drizzle (Optional)

Mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth, adding milk until thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over pops and let stand until set, about 30 minutes.

**Instead of 3 inch circles you can cut them into heart shapes or smaller circles, etc.

Pumpkin Oreos

2011-10-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

This is an easy and cute idea for parties or as a small gift or thank-you.

You will need:

Lollipop Sticks

Orange Candy Melts

Oreo Cookies

Black Candy Melts (Optional)

Green Fondant (Optional)

Pretzels (Optional)

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then open up the oreos and using a little of the melted orange attach the stick to the inside of the Oreo and close back up. I put these in the freezer to set for about 5 minutes - I found it was easiest to work in batches. While some were in the freezer I was adding sticks to others in preparation of sticking them in the freezer. If you want to have "stems" on your pumpkins you will need to break apart a few pretzels and have them ready to go in a bowl.

2. Melt the orange wafers in a small deep bowl or a cup. Take the set-up Oreo on a stick and dip it in the orange, all the way up to the stick, make sure to cover it all and then tap off any excess. Place the Oreo on the parchment paper cookie sheet - if you are adding stems do it now while the chocolate is still wet. Repeat. Set aside to firm up/dry - you can put in the freezer to speed up this process.

3. If adding leaves, roll out prepared green fondant and cut out a leaf shape/ tear drop shape and then squeeze it around the stem to attach.

4. Once set feel free to add scary faces, words or any other design you fancy with black melted wafers of black royal icing.

All wrapped up and ready to go.

Happy Halloween.

Raspberry Muffins/ Peach Muffins

2011-10-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

These were great! Super moist and with great flavor. I made these with raspberries and with peaches since I had both on hand. I also added streusel topping to some of them. I prefer the streusel on the peach and raspberry plain, but all of the options were yummy.

Raspberry Muffins

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (you can use plain or lemon)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Juice from one lemon

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh raspberries (can use frozen)

2 tablespoons white sugar for decoration (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, eggs, and, lemon juice. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended. Gently stir in the raspberries. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the tops for decoration, if desired. Or spoon over strussel topping.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool muffins in the tin on a wire rack.

Peach Muffins

I followed the same recipe as above, but I omitted the lemon juice, zest and of course the raspberries and added in 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and a little milk for some added moisture and then 2 cups pealed and diced peaches.

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 cups pealed and diced peaches

1/4 cup milk

strussel topping (optional)

Strussel Topping

1 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons softened butter

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Chopped walnuts nuts (optional)

Mix ingredients with fork until clumpy spoon over muffins before baking.

Canned Pears

2011-09-27T21:02:00.001-07:00

I love this time of year!

I have so many memories of standing at the kitchen sink helping my Mom bottle fruit.

This is how we do pears at our house...

In clean and sterile quart jars add about 3 inches of HOT water at 1/3 cup sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved.

Add some cold water to your sink with the stopper in place. Blanch pears for 20-25 seconds in a pot of boiling water. After blanching place pears in the cold water. The skin of the pears should now slide off with your hands. Cut the pear in half lengthwise and use a spoon to clean out the seeds, stem and strings. You can either place the halves in the prepared quarts or cut again lengthwise for quarters. Fill the jar with pears making sure to not have any pears or liquid in the neck of the jar. If more liquid is needed to cover the pears add additional water. Once all of your jars are filled, use a wet cloth to clean the tops of the jars - anything on the rim can prevent the jars from sealing correctly. Next place your lids in a small saucepan of boiling water for 60 seconds and then using tongs pull out a lid, place it in a ring and screw it onto the jar. Repeat for all of your jars. Now on to processing. It can be different based on if you are using a steamer or a waterbath and your elevation. But, I process mine for 30 minutes.

Scotcheroos

2011-09-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

Scotcheroos

1 cup Karo Syrup
1 cup Sugar
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 cup Butterscotch Chips

You will need 6 cups of rice krispies measured into a large bowl.

1 cup white sugar...

and 1 cup Karo syrup in a sauce pan.

Cook syrup and sugar in the sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, remove from heat. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and mix well. Pour mixture over rice krispies and fully incorporate, then press mixture into a greased 9x13 cake pan.

Using the same saucepan melt 1or1 and 1/2 cup chocolate chips and butterscotch chips over low heat - be careful to stir and not burn the chocolate. Once melted immediately pour over cereal mixture and smooth with a spatula. Let cool for 45 minutes, or until firm. Cut and enjoy!

Jeni's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

2011-07-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

This is not one of those throw it all in and 30 minutes later you have ice cream recipes... this is not a hard recipe but it does require you to let it freeze for 4 hours (4 of the most impatient hours ever!)

Jeni is a legend in Ohio and soon to be everywhere. Her ice cream is amazing! Honestly - the BEST vanilla ice cream I've had in my life... the lick the bowl and the spoon and maybe your neighbors bowl kinda good.

We had this for dessert the other night with some fresh strawberries and chocolate sauce and it made my son sing and dance and run around the frontroom exclaiming how good it was and how I was the best cook EVER... See? This is some serious ice cream.

It's smooth - you don't end up with butter fat on the roof of your mouth and there is no weird aftertaste. Just trust me and give this recipe a try.

Jeni's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

• 2 Cups Milk
• 1 and one fourth cup cream
• Two thirds (2/3) cup sugar
• scant 1/8 cup corn syrup
• 1 TBS + 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 and one half ounce cream cheese, softened
• one eighth tsp kosher salt
• One vanilla bean
Use one eighth cup of the milk to blend with the cornstarch and make a slurry. Set aside.In a medium bowl (2 qt.), whisk the very soft cream cheese until smooth.Combine remaining milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup in a four quart saucepan (three quart works, but you have to watch carefully because it can boil over).
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and open, scrape out seeds and add the seeds and the pod the pan with the cream. Stir to break up. Heat over medium until boiling. Let cream mixture boil for 4 minutes (set a timer). Remove from heat.
SLOWLY add cornstarch slurry in a steady stream while whisking constantly to prevent the slurry from sinking to the bottom of the pan. Once incorporated, return pan to medium heat and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat.
Pour about two tablespoons of the hot mixture into the cream cheese. Whisk vigorously until completely smooth. Add a little more cream mixture and whisk. Add the rest of the cream mixture and stir until incorporated. Add salt and mix until well blended (about a minute).Pour entire mixture into a heatproof plastic bag (Ziplock) and get all the air out (to prevent a film forming). Close tightly and submerge in an ice bath until completely chilled, about 30 minutes.
Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.Quickly remove ice cream from machine to a bowl with tight fitting lid. Get it into your freezer asap and freeze for at least four hours.If it becomes too hard to scoop, temper the ice cream for a few minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator before serving.

Orange Cream Cookies

2011-07-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

2 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 white sugar

1/2 firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

2 tbsp orange zest and the juice of one orange

2 cups white chocolate chips

(to half the batch I added dried carnberries)

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt - set aside. In mixer cream butter and sugars together, beet in eggs and then vanilla until smooth. Gradually add half of flour mixture add orange juice and mix and then add the rest of the flour. Stir in orange zest, chocolate chips and cranberries.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets - do not flatten the cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes. Do not overcook. Cookies will be thick. Store in an airtight container.

Note: These cookies have a short bread type texture. If your dough still seems too dry add a tbsp of milk.

*Adapted from the Girl Who Ate Everything.

Chicken Pot Pie with Chive Pepper Biscuits

2011-06-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Joy the Baker and is fabulous!

If you want to feel like a really good wife make this and follow it up with some fresh out of the oven cookies and you will have a happy man...

Guaranteed!

You maybe thinking about taking a short cut and not making the biscuits from scratch... don't do it! It wasn't too tough. You can do this - I promise!

*I did less squash and I added celery too.

Quick and Easy Fruit Dip

2011-06-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is a summer staple at our house. Definately not swimsuit friendly, but totally worth it!
1 (8 oz.) jar of marshmallow cream
1 (8 oz.) brick of cream cheese, softened
1 small container of cool whip

Mix the marshmallow cream and cream cheese with hand mixer until smooth. Then mix in the cool whip. Serve with your favorite fruit.

*My families favorites are canteloupe, strawberries and watermelon.

Thank You Treats

2011-06-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

I need to be better about making treats during daylight hours, then maybe my pictures wouldn't be so yellow - Sorry!

So this is not a fantastic angle but the squares are on top of rounds to look like graduation caps.

I made these for Jaxon's kindergarten teacher. She is fantastic! His school colors is green, they are dragons. These are oreo truffles, dipped in green candy melts and the square is a graham cracker dipped in candy melts.

Super Easy Cornbread

2011-05-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

1 stick butter (melted)
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal

Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Add baking soda to buttermilk and mix, then add to sugar mixture. Mix in salt, flour and cornmeal. Bake in a greased 8x8 pan at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Can be doubled and put in a 9x13.
Serve warm with honeybutter.

Baking Basics

2011-04-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Unless otherwise noted, when baking (this does NOT count for yeast breads)...
1. Cream together butter (fat) and sugar
2. Mix in eggs
3. Add in wet ingredients
4. Finally sift together dry ingredients and add them to the wet mixture.

*For cakes from scratch alternate the wet and dry... for example a chocolate cake will have the sifted dry ingredients and will likely call for a cup of boiling water - start by adding a little of the dry mixture then add about half the water, then the dry mixture, the rest of the water and then end with the dry mixture - mixing between each addition.

Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cookies

2011-04-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
3 eggs
2 c. applesauce
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
4 c. flour

Cream together sugar and shortening, mix in eggs, then mix in applesauce. Sift together dry ingredients and add to wet mixture.

Drop with two spoons onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, depending on cookie sheet and oven.

Texas Beans

2011-04-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

4 sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. chopped onions
2 cans pork & beans
2 cans chili con carne (with beans)
2 cans kidney beans (rinsed)
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chili sauce (whole bottle)
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken (optional)

Bake covered 350 for 30 min.

Quick version
On stove top combine everything... skip bacon, onions, and chicken. Warm through.

Banana Bread

2011-04-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed bananas (3)
1 1/2 tsp. sour milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Milk together shortening and sugar, add in eggs and mix. Add bananas, mix, add milk and lemon juice. Sift together all the dry ingredients and then add to wet mixture. Bake in greased bread pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

California Salad

2011-04-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

2 cans mandarin oranges (drained)
2 c. coconut
2 c. (1 large can) pineapple tidbits (drained)
2 c. marshmallows
2 c. (1 pint) sour cream

Mix together all ingredients. Refrigerate over night.

Grandma's Pound Cake

2011-04-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. almond extract
4 eggs

With hand mixer, beat together sugar and oil, beat in eggs until light yellow. Mix in extracts and buttermilk. Finally add dry ingredients. Pour into a greased tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Pancakes

2011-04-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

1 egg
1 c. flour
3/4 c. milk
2 Tbl. oil
1 Tbl. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients well, for thinner batter add more milk. Perfect batch for 2 people.

Variations
Apple Cinnammon
decrease milk to 1/2c.
1/2 c. applesauce
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Banana Nut
1 medium banana mashed
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
dash of cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 c. chopped nuts

Blueberry
1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

2011-04-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Meatballs
1 lb. raw hamburger
1/2 c. oatmeal
1 egg
1 Tbl. minced onion
3/4 tsp. salt & pepper
1 tsp. worcheshire sauce
1/3 c. milk
Mix and roll into balls, place in a 9x13 baking dish.

Sauce
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1 tsp. mustard pwd
1/2 c. BBQ sauce
1 tsp. worcheshire sauce
Mix ingredients well and pour over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Earthquake Cake

2011-04-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

2/3 c. nuts
2/3 c. chocolate chips
2/3 c. coconut
layer in bottom of 9x13 pan
prepare german cake mix as directed on box
(1/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1 1/3 c. water)
Mix and pour on top of nuts, chips & coconut
8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
Melt over low heat, whisk in 1 lb. powdered sugar, pour in ribbon design over cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

** Ingredients in Blue

Cranberry Apple Pie

2011-01-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to try this pie for a long time and finally got it done. It did not disappoint. Super yummy. It will be on the yearly rotation for sure. I love the tartness of the cranberries, it's such a nice balance to the sweet.

Cranberry Apple Pie
Recipe from A Bountiful Kitchen

Filling:
6-7 apples any type, peeled, cored and sliced (I used large granny smith apples and it only took 4 or 5 to fill my pie plate)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, washed
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract (I also added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
dash salt

I used my crust recipe found Here.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Flour a surface and rolling pin. Mold half of the dough into a ball. Roll out from center to about 1/8 inch thickness. Fold dough in half. Lift onto a 9" pie plate. Open and shape to pan. Roll out the other half of dough, and set aside.

Place apples in large bowl and mix with cranberries. Add rest of filling ingredients and mix well. Fill bottom crust with apple cranberry mixture. Place other half of rolled out dough on top of filling in pie plate. Crimp edges. Make slits on top of pie for steam to escape. (I used a mini cookie cutter for the heart shapes) Brush with egg wash if desired (**I brush my crusts with milk, see picture below), sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Place pie onto cookie sheet (important, this usually bubbles over a bit. Bake for about 60 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if pie is getting too brown. Continue baking for about 10-15 minutes or until pie is bubbly and golden. Total baking time is usually 1 hour and 10 minutes.

I added a maple cream sauce as a garnish.

Chinese Cabbage Salad

2010-09-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles, crushed (Can toast with Cashews - optional)

10 ounces cashew pieces (Can toast with ramen - optional)

1 (16 ounce) package shredded coleslaw mix

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Toss the first four ingredients in a large bowl. In a blender or even in a quart jar, combine the sugar, oil, vinegar and soy sauce and mix well. Pour over salad and mix.

If I am making this as dinner as opposed to a side, I add some grilled chicken, chopped or shredded.

Chocolate Ganache

2010-09-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
6 - 8 oz. of chocolate, chopped (bittersweet, semi-sweet, milk - use your favorite or mix them)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place chocolate in a blow. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot and steamy. Once the cream is hot pour it over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.

Stir the mixture until completely incorporated, gently stir in the vanilla. Let the ganache cool and thicken.

*For Ganache Frosting, refrigerate overnight or freeze until set, and then whip with your whisk attachment until fluffy.

Peanut Butter Roll Outs

2010-09-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Peanut Butter Roll-Out Cookies

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1/4 c. sour cream

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 c. flour

Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the egg, mix, then add half the sour cream, all of the cornstarch and half of the flour, beat well. Add the remaining sour cream and flour. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll the dough onto a floured surface and cut out shapes. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

I topped my cookies with Chocolate Ganache... feel free to use a peanut butter frosting instead.

*This recipe came from Bake at 350.

Peach Cobbler

2010-07-26T23:04:00.000-07:00

Peach Cobbler

1 cube butter

4-5 fresh peaches covered with 1 cup sugar OR

1 quart bottled peaches drained

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 9X13 pan. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a bowl, add the milk and mix well. More the batter over the butter in the 9X13, DO NOT MIX. Then spoon the peaches over the batter, again DO NOT MIX. The cake will rise up over the peaches while baking. Bake for 50-55 minutes. If you want a thicker, more cakey cobbler use a smaller pan, like an 8x8 and adjust the baking time. Serve warm our of the oven with homemade vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Yum!

(This is also a great "store room" recipe. By using bottled peaches and if necessary powdered milk.)

Iron Man Cake

2010-06-22T15:50:00.001-07:00

Cookies and Cream

2010-05-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

Cake Balls/Pops/Truffles

2010-05-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

1 cake mix (flavor of your choice)

1 can frosting (or home-made)

melting chocolate

I will give you the abbreviated version, but for the lengthy process please check out Bakerella.

Here is the short version - Make the cake mix as directed. Let the cake cool overnight, then the next day dump the cooled cake in a bowl and mash it all up. Mix in almost an entire (I leave about a half inch in the bottom) canister of frosting. Make sure the frosting is completely incorporated, then take a spoonful of the cake/frosting mixture and roll into a ball with your hands. Place the balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Once you have rolled all the cake into balls, place the cookie sheet in the freezer until slightly firm. While the balls are chilling, melt the chocolate. Drop the chilled cake balls into the melted chocolate, coat using a spoon and place on a second parchment lined cookie sheet. Decorate and embellish as desired.

Cakes, Cakes and Cakes

2010-04-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is what I've made this week...

My feet hurt....

Confession: I made almost 20 chocolate cakes this week - I don't even really like chocolate cake.

This, this is only for the straight up HARD CORE chocolate lovers, Chocolate cake, frosting and ganache.

German Chocolate - Super yummy homemade frosting!

I'm trying a new cookie recipe tonight, so check back later in the week for a new recipe.

Oatmeal Toffee Bars

2010-03-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what pulled me to this recipe, maybe it was the oatmeal, the versatility of the recipe, I'm not sure, but I am so glad I tried it. Can I just tell you how super simple this was? SUPER SIMPLE! Not only were they easy to whip together, took less than 20 minutes to bake, but they tasted great and were a huge hit. That is my kind of recipe. It was so easy, that I decided as soon as I pulled them out of the oven to make another batch and switch things up. Both the original and altered recipes follow.

Oatmeal Toffee Bars
Recipe from 3B's.. Baseball, Baking & Books.

1/2 cup canola oil (I used vegetable)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 to 1 1/2 cup toffee pieces

Mix together the oil, sugars, eggs, milk, vanilla and salt. Mix for 2-3 minutes or until sugars dissolve. Add in baking soda and flour. Mix in oats and then chocolate chips. The mixture will be THICK, like cookie dough. Transfer to a greased 9x13 cake pan. It was easiest to spread this batter with my dampened fingers.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Variation:
Make the above recipe, but omit the chocolate chips and toffee pieces. Add 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, 1 cup dried cranberries and 1/2 cup coconut.

Lemon Blueberry Cake

2010-03-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

I really liked this recipe, warm out of the oven with the tangy glaze - a perfect snack at 11 o'clock at night. This is when I do most of my baking - please don't judge. My only complaint is that between the glaze and the fresh blueberries it got soggy quick. So, my suggestion would be, MAKE IT and then eat it the same day or as close thereto as possible.

Recipe from Butter Sugar Flour, who adapted it from Smitten Kitchen.

1 1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 cup blueberries, dried and tossed in 1 tbsp flour

Icing:
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt, extract and zest. Mix on high for 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and mix. Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into prepared 8x8 square pan (or loaf pan) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Once tester comes out clean allow to cool before adding the icing.

Ice-Cream Cupcakes

2010-03-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

I am only adding this because I think sometimes we/I get caught up in the fancy, super hard, new recipe and forget about the easy but still yummy things we can make. So, here is your reminder ...

1 cake mix any flavor (or from scratch)
1 can frosting (or from scratch, this is a recipe I use minus the mint)
ice-cream cones
cupcake liners
decorations

Make cake as directed. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and place an ice-cream cone on top of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes, remove liners, frost and decorate.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-03-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Easy Version:

1 chocolate/devils food cake mix

1 tsp. peppermint extract

Home-made Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

3/4 cup warm water

1 tsp peppermint extract

Whisk together/sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Mix in eggs, oil, water, buttermilk and peppermint extract. Beat with a mixer on low.

Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill liners 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Mint Buttercream

1 cup butter

1 cup shortening

1 tsp peppermint (for light flavor - can add more for a stronger mint)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

6-8 cups powdered sugar

4-5 oz. heavy cream/milk or water (your preference)

Cream butter and shortening until smooth and combined. Mix in salt and extracts. Add in powdered sugar a little at a time until all combined. Add cream until you have your desired consistency. (For piping you want it stiffer than for frosting a cake.)

For the Mint Shamrocks:

Take a piece of parchment paper and draw several shamrocks.

Melt down regular chocolate or Andes Mints. Pour the warm chocolate into a disposable piping bag. Flip the parchment over (writing side down) on a cookie sheet and trace or fill in the shapes. Make sure the chocolate is a little thick - if you pipe the chocolate too thin, the shapes will break easily. Once you've finished piping, place the cookie sheet in the fridge for the chocolate to harden. Once set the shapes should come off the parchment easily. Don't worry if the first few look bad - just keep trying and they will get better.

Frosted Banana Bars

2010-03-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
cream cheese frosting

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, once mixed add sour cream and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and then add to butter mixture. Finally, mix in the mashed bananas. Spread evenly in a greased 10x15 jelly roll pan (I used a 9x13 and baked them longer, more of a cake than a bar).

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow bars to cool completely then top with cream cheese frosting or some fresh whip cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Key Lime Bars

2010-03-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

These are a mix between lemon bars and a key lime pie. Super yummy, but a little messy.

Key Lime Bars

*adapted from Bake at 350

Crust:

2/3 c. brown sugar

1 3/4 c. flour

3 c. sweetened coconut (toasted - next time I will substitute 1 cup of crushed graham crackers with one of the cups of coconut)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter (I added more butter)

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1 3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

3 Tbsp. flour

4 eggs

1/2 c. fresh squeezed key lime juice

green food coloring

How to toast coconut: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle coconut on top. Bake at 300 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Combine the sugar and butter. Mix in toasted coconut, flour and salt. I thought this was a little dry so I added more butter and will add less flour next time. Remove 1 cup of mixture and set aside. Press remaining mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. Let cool.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth and well blended. Mix in the flour and then incorporate the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the lime juice and a couple drops of green food coloring. Mix until smooth. Poor onto cooled crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the 1 cup of reserved crust on top. Bake for 10 more minutes until sides are set and center is slightly wobbly. Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour. Chill in refrigerator.

Cut and serve.

Coming Soon...

2010-03-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

Key Lime Bars

Mrs. Fields CC Cookies

and

60 Minute Rolls

Apple Cranberry Galette

2010-02-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

Dough:

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled butter + 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons ice water (or more)

1 egg

1/2 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)

sanding sugar

Filling:

4 large granny smith apples

2/3 cups fresh cranberries

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Mix, flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Add butter; pulse until course and crumbly. Add water pulse until moist clumps form, add more water if needed. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours.

While the dough is chilling make the filling. Peel and cut the apples into very thin about 1/4 inch think, set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter at medium heat. Once the butter is melted add lemon juice, sugar and spices. Cook the cranberries first without the apples. Wait until they start "popping" and then remove from pan leaving the juices. Next cook apples until they are easily sliced with little pressure from your wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add cranberries. (I thought the filling needed to be a little thicker so next time I would add a little cornstarch.)

Roll out the dough on a floured surface. The dough should be about 1/2 thick, cut into 8 inch diameter circles (should make 4 circles, I tried making 2 bigger galettes instead of the 4 smaller, the smaller worked better) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place about 1/3 cup filling in the center of the circle and fold up edges of the dough in one direction. Place a 1/2 tablespoon butter on the filling. Beat the egg and cream, using a pastry brush, paint the sides of the galette with an eggwash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

*Recipe adapted from CakeSpy

High Altitude Baking

2010-02-12T12:24:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me about baking at high altitudes and I thought it might be worth sharing some tips here as well.

1. Cut the leavening

Are your cakes falling?

Are your cookies spreading too far?

Are your breakfast breads overdone on the outside and raw in the middle?

High altitude baking will almost always be improved by cutting the leavening in baked goods. Three quarters of the original amount may be plenty of baking powder or soda if you are at 3,000 to 4,000 feet of elevation. If you are baking even higher than that, you can almost always automatically half the leavening called for in a recipe. Sometimes, you may even have to quarter the called-for amount to achieve ideal results.

2. Add flour

Can’t cut the leavening?

Sometimes, cutting the leavening is not an option. When you are using mixes that have pre-measured dry ingredients, your best bet is to add a little bit of flour. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour to a pre-measured mix, depending on your elevation. The additional flour will disperse the leavening in order to create a more uniform product at high altitudes.

3. Add liquid

Are your cakes crumbly and dry?

Whether or not you are adding flour to your recipes, some baked goods can tend to be over-dry at high altitude due to drier climates. The simple solution is to add more liquid. An additional egg or a quarter cup of additional liquid will work wonders in a dry cake or quick bread.

4. Cut rising time

Is your bread yeasty?

Are your cinnamon rolls too crusty and light?

Yeasted products can also suffer the ill effects of altitude. Because of the significantly reduced pressure above 3,000 feet, yeasted breads expand and rise much more quickly than at sea level. At very high altitudes, above 6,000 feet, breads may actually rise in half the prescribed time. To combat low quality breads at high altitude, monitor your dough carefully. Do not allow it to rise past double its original size. If you find that your bread’s flavor does not develop sufficiently in the reduced amount of time, you may punch it down and let it rise twice before shaping it. It is possible to have wonderful yeasted breads at high altitude!

I found these great tips online. Epicurious also had some great thoughts on the subject.

Apple Cake

2010-02-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

This is for all of you who have asked and asked for this recipe. It is a crowd pleaser, especially warm out of the oven. It also makes your house smell AMAZING!

1 1/3 c. oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3-4 granny smith/gala apples (I prefer granny smith)

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the oil, sugar and eggs until a light yellow. Sift together in a separate bowl flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda, then mix into the yellow mixture. Mix until just combined. Peel, core and cut apples into roughly 1 inch pieces. Add in apples, nuts and vanilla, mix. Scoop batter into greased bundt pan (you can use other pans, bread, muffin, etc. - I prefer the bundt for this.) Bake at 350 degrees for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for at least 10 minutes and turn out onto a serving dish. This is great plain, with ice cream, carmel sauce, whipping cream, etc.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2010-02-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

1 pound (16 oz) rotini or cavatappi pasta
2 cups whole milk
8 oz cream cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups (about 6-7 oz) grated smoked gouda

While the pasta is cooking. Combine the milk, cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally until, melted and well combined. In a large bowl or pan, mix the drained pasta, milk mixture and the cheese and stir. Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish and bake until the macaroni is set and the top is golden brown. About 25 minutes.

Mine is not so "golden brown" because the kids just couldn't wait.

Simple, but yummy!

Super Easy Home-made OREOs

2010-01-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

2 boxes Devil's Food cake mix

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup butter crisco

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together, either use a Kitchen-Aid or a tough spoon and mix it by hand (it is really thick, it is not hand mixer friendly). Once mixed roll dough into small balls, just bigger than a bouncy ball, you can make them smaller if you'd like - it's really up to you. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Once the cookies are cool add cream cheese frosting to the underside of one cookie and sandwich together. Cream cheese frosting can be bought or home-made.

For Valentine's Day I added some colored sugar to the edges of some, dyed some frosting red and cut hearts out of others. Let your creativity have some fun.

PW's Apple Dumplings

2010-01-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

This is a slighly modified version of Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings, you can find the original recipe here.

The first time I made them, I felt they were a little too sweet for my taste, so I tweaked it ever so slightly.

2-3 Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
1 1/4 sticks Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda (I use about 3/4 of the can)

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 5-6 slices each (PW say's 8, I like bigger pieces of apple). Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

All-in-One Cake

2010-01-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

All-In-One Cake

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon ginger

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 (packed) brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree

1 large (2 small) apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 cup pecans, chopped

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.

In a stand mixer, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat for 1 minute. Add pumpkin and apples (the mixture will look curdled). Add in dry ingredients, mixing only until incorporated. Stir in (by hand) pecans and cranberries.

Pour batter into a greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes.

This cake does not cut smoothly due to all of the "chunky" ingredients.

Optional:

Maple Sugar Icing

6 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

add more syrup to make right consistency

Lemon Souffle

2010-01-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

*From Martha Stewart.com

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more, room temperature, for dishes

1/2 c. sugar, plus more for dishes

8 large eggs yolks, plus 10 large egg whites, room temperature

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus 2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 c. whole milk

Powdered Sugar (Garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter six 12-ounce souffle dishes (I used eight 8-ounce dishes), with the room temperature butter, use a pastry brush and brush up the sides of the dish and then dump in a little sugar and coat the butter, dump out remaining sugar.

2. Whisk together yolks, flour, zest and 2 tablespoons sugar.

3. Bring milk to a boil in a small sauce pan. Slowly pour milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the yolks from cooking. Return mixture to saucepan and whisk until thick (like a pudding). Strain through a sieve, and whisk in butter and lemon juice. Set aside.

4. Beat whites until foamy and gradually add in 1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons sugar, beat until stiff peaks form. Stir a third of the whites into the yolk mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites using a rubber spatula.

5. Fill each souffle dish to the top, and smooth. Run your thumb around the edge to remove batter from rims.

6. Bake on a rimmed cookie sheet until souffles rise and are golden, about 16-17 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately, before souffles lose their height.

Warm Honey Sauce (optional, but good)

Heat 1/4 c. honey with a pinch of nutmeg over low heat until warm and loosened. Whisk in 2 tablespoons heavy cream and bring to a boil. Make a small hole in each souffle (after they are cooked) and pour in sauce.

This had a very light lemon flavor, I am going to up the amount of lemon zest and juice next time I make them, as well as add some lemon zest to the honey sauce. Don't let the eggs intimidate you - this was my first souffle EVER and it work.

Party ideas...

2009-12-28T11:26:00.001-08:00

This is a great snack for parties or road trips. Very much a family favorite. If stored in an airtight container/ziplock bag it is good for up to one week. Feel free to change up the "cereal mixture" if you are not a fan of coconut substitute in some dried cranberries or something else of your liking.

Chex Treats
1/2 box rice chex cereal
1/2 box golden grahams cereal
2 c. coconut
1 c. sliced almonds
1 c. karol syrup
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter

Mix first four ingredients in a bowl. Bring karol syrup, sugar and better to a boil in a small saucepan. Once the mixture boils, pour over the cereal mixture and stir. Spread on a piece of wax paper to cool.

Sugar Cookies

2009-12-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

(the photo is my kids Santa Cookies)

1 c. butter flavor crisco

2 c. sugar

1 c. sour cream

5 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla (you can do 1 tsp. vanilla if you don't like lemon)

1/2 tsp. lemon juice (optional, if you add more vanilla)

5 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 1/2 - 5 1/2 c. flour (add just enough to make batter stiff, don't add to much or the cookies will be dry)

Cream together sugar and shortening, once mixed add sour cream and then the eggs. Once incorporated add vanilla and lemon. Mix in baking powder and salt. Then add flour 1 cup at a time, the key is to get the dough to the "not too sticky" stage. I stop adding flour when I can touch the dough and have very little/no dough stick to my finger. The amount of flour is adjustable, I add more/less flour depending on altitude and temperature.

If you have time to chill this dough you can add less flour. Chilling is optional - you can mix these up and immediately roll them out.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes depending on pan color and oven.

Sweet Cheese Ball

2009-12-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

2 packages of cream cheese, softened
1 package of vanilla instant pudding
1 cup powdered sugar
1 can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup finely crushed pecans
1/2 package of mini chocolate chips
Graham cracker stix

In a medium bowl, mix together the first four ingredients. Freeze overnight.
After removing from freezer, mold mixture into a ball shape.
Mix the pecans and chocolate chips together. Roll ball in mixture. Serve cheese ball with grahams.

Cranberry Crumble Bars

2009-12-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

from: goodLife {eats}, SGCC, Smitten Kitchen and My Baking Addiction
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal/flour*
1 cup soft butter (2 sticks)
1 egg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1/2 of an orange
4 cups fresh cranberries** (I threw about 1/3 of them in the food pro for a couple spins and left the rest whole)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs cornstarch

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9×13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup sugar, flour, almond meal, salt and baking powder. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. The dough will be crumbly. Alternatively, you can pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor with the butter until pebbly, and then mix in the egg until it all comes together. Pat half of the dough into the buttered pan.
3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and orange juice. Mix in the cranberries. Sprinkle the cranberry mixture evenly over the dough in the pan.
4. Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon to the remaining dough, then crumble dough over the berries. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until top is a light golden brown. Cool completely and chill in the refrigerator before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Here are a few helpful hints from Katy's post...
*If you don't have almond meal, just toss some almonds in a food processor until finely ground to make almond meal. (If you are going to do this add some cornstarch to avoid getting almond butter.)
**Stock up while cranberries are abundant in stores. Just toss them in the freezer and use as you need. They'll be good for about a year. If you're using frozen fresh cranberries for this recipe there is no need to thaw them first.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

2009-11-20T12:11:00.000-08:00

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares. (I've never tried the foil trick until now - it worked great!)

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. The recipe does not call for frosting, but I added the below Cream Cheese Frosting to half the pan and I loved them with the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3-4 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

Momma Mia!

2009-11-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

Pizza anyone? This is ridiculous to admit, but this was the first pizza I have made for my family. I've made them at my mother's house - my mom makes pizza almost once a week. We make pizza from scratch - no problem. Me at home, in my own little house - never happened, until now.

Be proud - I was. I have two pizza crust recipes to share. The one I used I borrowed from here. (Recipe Below - shared by Jamie).

Pizza Dough
1 C. Warm Water
2 1/4 tsp. Yeast
1 tsp. Sugar
2 T. Oil
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
Corn Meal

Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Let rise for 5 or so minutes. I use a Kitchen Aid. Add Oil to mixer. Add flour and salt. It should be a little sticky but not a gooey ball of yuck. If it is, add more flour. Let rise, covered, for at least 20 minutes. I cover it with plastic wrap.Put corn meal on your baking sheet, pizza stone or whatever you are using. Just a light coverage will do-- you can spread it out with your hands. Roll out your dough on the cornmeal cookie sheet/pizza stone with a rolling pin. If you want you can put sting cheese in it for a stuffed crust. Poke the bottom of the crust with a fork then add your toppings at bake at 400 for 15-25 minutes.

The pizza dough my Mom uses is below. The reason I didn't use Mom's dough was because of the italian seasoning mix in the dough. I was making a more "Mexican" inspired pizza and wanted a plain, non-italian dough.

Mom's Pizza Dough
1 c. warm water
1 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons Good Seasons, powder mix (Italian dressing)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 c. flour

Mix the first three (I use my dough hook and my Kitchen Aid) let sit long enough to set oven at 400 degrees and pull out pans. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. You can let it rise, but it is not necessary (my Mom never does) and roll out.

Costa Vida Pizza
Shredded Barbeque Pork (recipe to follow in another post)
2-4 c. Mozzerella Cheese
1 can Green Enchilada Sauce
1 can Black Beans, washed
1/2 small Red Onion, diced (can add more if you like)

Roll out your dough, spread green sauce on dough (in place of marinara sauce) sprinkle with black beans, add pieces of bbq pork (I liked lots of meat to balance out the beans), cover with cheese and top with red onions. Next time I would add some Mango Salsa.

Easy as ... Pie

2009-11-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Pie Dough/Crust
1 c. Butter Crisco
2 c. Flour
2/3 c. water

Add crisco and flour in a bowl, use a fork or a pastry cutter and cut in the crisco with the flour. When it is mostly combined add the water. Use you hands and give it a couple kneads. This recipe makes 3 pie shells (bottoms only) or 2 bottoms and 1 top. If baking an empty shell (for banana or other cream pie) don't forget to take a fork and stab a few holes around dough (to avoid bubbles).

If you are first time pie maker, try this recipe:

Easy Banana Cream Pie

Make the crust recipe, bake 1 empty pie crust.
Mix 1 large box vanilla pudding (you can also use banana, but I think it tastes very artificial) using the instructions on the box for pie.
Layer the bottom of the cooked pie crust with sliced bananas, cover the bananas with pudding, do another layer of sliced bananas and cover with a thin layer of whipping cream.

You can dress this up as desired. Example: bananas, pudding, bananas, 1/2 pudding + 1/2 whipping cream (mixed), bananas, whipping cream, a few bananas around edges for garnish.

See you did it and now you know why it's Easy As Pie!

Don't Knock it Till you Try it...

2009-11-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

Creamy Corn
2 packages (about 20 oz.) Frozen Corn (preferably sweet)
8 oz. (1/2 pint) Heavy Whipping Cream
8 oz. (1/2 pint) Milk
1 teaspoon Salt
6 teaspoons Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (can be varied depending on taste)
2 tablespoons Melter Butter
2 tablespoons Flour

Combine all ingredients, except, butter and flour in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Blend melted butter with flour and then combine with corn mixture, mix well and remove from heat.

Now you have 2 options:
1- You can put it in a casserole dish, sprinkle it with shredded parmesan cheese and put it under the broiler until cheese melts/browns, OR
2- If you are impatient like me, you can add the parmesan cheese on top, in the pan and start eating.

Take your pick, both options are great. Enjoy!

Lemon-Poppy Seed Mini Cakes

2009-11-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

1/2 c. butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk
3/4 tsp. poppy seeds
3/4 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. lemon zest, divided
1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt

Glaze
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

Beat butter and cream cheese until well blended, add sugar, beat until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Beat in milk, poppy seeds, almond extract, lemon juice and 1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt - add to liquid mixture. Beat until well blended. Spoon batter into prepared (greased and floured) 12-cup mini bundt pan or cupcake pan. (You can use any kind of pan, I get about 18 with this recipe if using a 12-cup pan.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 24-26 minutes (check with a toothpick if necessary). Turn out mini cakes and let cool 10 minutes.

While cakes are cooling whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and remaining lemon zest. (I like to do this in a small sauce pan over low/medium heat.) Drizzle over cooled cakes. (I really like the added zip that the glaze gives the cake so I make extra.)

*Adapted from recipe found in Southern Living

Rachael's Brownies

2009-11-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

Everyone's heard of the "Freshman Fifteen" - I don't think I owned a scale, so I couldn't tell you if it applied to me or not (at least that's what I'm sticking too.) But, hypothetically speaking if I did gain any weight my Freshman year it is solely because of my roomate Rachael. She was super cute and was sincerely sweet. Her one fault was she was always making these brownies that I couldn't help but eat. They were quick and she had the recipe memorized, so she would whip them up all the time. After my college days were over, and after I did or did not lose the Freshman Fifteen - those brownies would still haunt my memories. So, I did what any slightly crazy person would do - I located my old roomate and begged for the recipe.

Thanks Rach!!

1 c. butter (2 cubes)
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 bag chocolate chips

In medium saucepan melt butter and mix with sugar and cocoa, remove from heat mix in eggs and vanilla, finally add flour, mix. Pour batter into a prepared (greased and floured) 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle bag of chocolate chips on top of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. If you want a less gooey brownie add more flour.

Variations:
Add any of the following:
White chips, toffee, nuts, caramel, chocolate sauce

Caramel Brownies

2009-11-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

This is a quick and easy family recipe

1/2 c. butter (1 cube)
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

In a saucepan at medium heat, melt butter add sugar, mix, add eggs, mix (be careful not to cook the egg - scrambled eggs in dessert are not good). Remove from heat add sifted dry ingredients, mix, add vanilla.

Pour into a prepared (greased and floured) 9x13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Mini Cheesecakes and Black Forest Cupcakes

2009-10-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Mini Cheesecakes

(2) 8 oz cream cheese (soft)

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Nilla Wafers

Add cupcake liners to cupcake pan. Place 1 Nilla wafer in each cupcake liner. Mix cream cheese until smooth, add sugar and vanilla, mix until incorporated. Add eggs and mix. Spoon mixture into each cupcake liner about 1/2 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. Top with any type of berry pie filling, chocolate, carmel the possibilities are endless.

Black Forest Cupcakes

Devil's Food Cake (homemade or from a box)

Cherry Pie Filling

Cream Cheese or Whip Cream Icing

Chocolate Pudding (optional)

Prepare cupcakes with devil's food cake. Once cupcakes have cooled cut a circle in the top angling the point of the knife toward the center of the cupcake. Pull out the "cone" of cake you just cut and cut the point of the "cone" leaving only a "lid" of cupcake. Fill the center of the cupcake with cherry pie filling and chocolate pudding (a small portion of each) and put the "lid" of the cupcake back on. Frost the top of the cupcake with icing.

Pumpkin Roll

2009-10-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet (I line it with parchment paper).

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Lay a damp linen towel on the counter, sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar, and turn the cake onto the towel. Carefully roll the towel up (lengthwise) with the cake in it. Place the cake-in-towel on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes. (It is important to do this as soon as the cake comes out of the oven, if you wait too long it will cool and crack when you try to roll it.)

Make the icing: In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer.

When the cake has cooled 20 minutes, unroll it and spread icing onto it (Be careful, you do not need to roll it tightly - you do not want to squeeze out all of the filing as you roll). Immediately re-roll (not in the towel this time), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep the cake refrigerated or freeze it for up to 2 weeks in aluminum foil. Cut the cake in slices just before serving.

This is a family favorite! It stores great in the fridge.

Cherry Bars

2009-10-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

These are pretty and oh so yummy!
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 (21 ounce) cans cherry pie filling (I use 1 can)
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the extracts. Combine flour and salt; add to the creamed mixture. Mix just until combined. Spread 3 cups batter into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan (I use two 8x8 pans). Spread with pie filling. Drop the remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over filling. (Be careful, this is a sticky dough.)

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over bars.

P.S. My Mom doesn't like Cherry Pie or cherry pie filling and she really likes these, so give the cherry a try, but you can always swap out other canned pie filling if you so choose.