Anne Strawberry

Valentine's Cupcakes, Brownies, and Sugar Cookies

2012-01-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

My blog and I have missed the schedule (albeit, a loose one) that TWD provided. It's busy around here (Baby Strawberry is potty training!) and while I haven't posted much my kitchen has been bustling! I had a baby shower for my girlfriend who is having her first girl (after three boys!) any day now. Pink was a priority and a valentine's theme made it easy (considering all of my serving dishes are red!) These treats are all pretty simple and have a big wow factor with the amazing flavors and little details. I've posted the red velvet cupcakes and mint brownies before- though I've never made the mint brownies pink, that was a new one!

Mint Brownies

Red Velvet Cupcakes (they're from a mix, but I promise no one will know)

The cookies (L's in honor of the baby) are Natalie's signature recipe. I'm no decorator but I've improved with her tips. Natalie uses a Wilton Squeeze bottle to pipe the outsides of the cookies (like drawing, nothing to stressful) and then uses another with thinned icing to 'flood' or fill the middle. In-a-hurry-not-so-steady-hands-Anne doesn't do them justice but they were yummy and cute (especially with the edible glitter, I love that stuff!) The best part about the cookies is you can bake off extras and freeze them to decorate and serve another time, all the end product without the stress. Natalie's recipe is pretty full proof- if I can do it- and you don't have fuss much with the dough. She doesn't chill hers, though I do normally, and they come out great every time. Sugar cookies take a lot more practice than cupcakes but the practice is enjoyable and delicious, worth the effort I think!

Note- I used Martha Stewart Alphabet Cookies Cutters I found at Macy's (similar to these here) that have been surprisingly practical- even adult are vain about their names! Smaller, thinner shapes will take less cooking time- watch them carefully!)

Natalie’s Sugar Cookies
from Anne Strawberry

1 cup butter or Crisco (Natalie uses the butter flavored kind, I usually use about 2/3 butter and 1/3 regular shortening)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
5-6 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream and beat. Add dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Reserve some flour for the counter and dump the almost mixed dough out and shape it as you would pie dough. Divide into two disks, chill for 15 minutes, then roll to ½ inch thickness and cut as desired. Bake at 400 for 8-12 minutes (depending on size of cookies).

Natalie’s Signature Almond Frosting

*note- Natalie uses almond extract and her frosting is so good but I usually sub in vanilla since my tall man is not so adventurous!)
⅓ cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
1-2 tablespoons milk

Blend butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla and milk- beat until smooth. Flavor and color as desired. Use plastic condiment bottles to pipe icing onto cookies (thin with milk or warm in microwave to flood centers).

Hello 2012! & 2011's Best

2012-01-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

If you read blogs, you've seen all the roundups that happen this time of year. It's fun to see old favorites and find new inspiration from some of my favorite bloggers so I thought I would post my far and away most popular recipes of the year (late, of course, in typical Anne fashion).

Dark Chocolate Sweet Rolls (an updated Brioche Raisin Snails, my favorite Dorie recipe ever). If there was such a thing as a TWD Final Project, I would present these. Pastry Cream, something I couldn't ever get quite right before Dorie, is now my best friend. Brioche dough- rich, delicious, and suprisingly simple. Chopped, high quality chocolate (a Dorie must) and a beautiful glaze for presentation. I learned a lot from Dorie and it was fun to take the new skills and tricks and recreate/reinvent my favorite thing I ate in France using them.

Marshmallow Fondant Pirate Cupcakes- it's like playdoh for grownups. If you can use a mixer, a rolling pin, and a cookie cutter- you can do this!

Rainbow Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies (like the ones at the store... but fresh and delicious! Also, no cooling, rolling, and cutting like traditional sugar cookies, that's a win for me.)

Texas Sheet Cake (this is simple baking at it's finest- but I am not responsible for your New Year's Resolutions if you bake this cake!)

Dorie's Classic Brownies

And my most viewed recipe, Peppermint Bark Cheesecake. This was my first Tuesdays with Dorie recipe pick and I made it for a baby shower that I was so busy hosting- I forgot to bring my camera! The pictures are meh but the cheesecake is divine. I should go see if there's still any peppermint bark to be had and make it again, it's worth it!

Big thanks to my top refers Tracey and Aggie. They have lovely sites you should go check out! And are you on Pinterest? You can see me here or email me if you'd like an invite (my email's on the side bar). Be warned, it's super addicting (just like the sheet cake, but less calories!)

TWD's last- Thumprint Cookies (and Christmas)

2011-12-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

Oh my how the time has flown. This week is the LAST Tuesdays with Dorie recipe and the end of the year! I remember the shock I felt at how heavy the book felt when I first opened it and the end has come. Since I joined TWD I have gained the confidence to try new recipes, make substitutions and adaptations, burned through a million boxes of butter, and made a lot of new friends. I'm so grateful to Laurie and Dorie and all the other helpers along the way for such a wonderful experience (and a million favorite recipes).

Dorie chose this weeks recipe. These cookies came together in less than five minutes- butter, peanut butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a little flour. Scoop and roll in egg whites and then chopped nuts (I used cashews since I had those on had), make a little 'thumbprint' and bake. Dorie suggests filling them with jam but I piped in some melted white chocolate. The end product is peanut buttery, crunchy and delicious (albeit rich!) My kids LOVED these and I am glad to have some extra dough in the freezer for another day. See the rest of the bunch here.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did. Baby Strawberry and I love her new play kitchen Nana built. It's shiny and red and came complete with her own KitchenAid (what more could a girl ask for?) Well, I do hope Santa drops off Baking with Julia a little late for me. I think my kitchen wouldn't be complete without a Dorie recipe each week- though there are certainly plenty of Baking recipes in permanent rotation around here!

TWD- Apple Pie and Classic Brownies

2011-12-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

Oh I can't believe Tuesdays with Dorie is coming to an end! I've loved this event so much, meeting new people, trying new recipes, learning new skills and gaining the confidence to tackle any random recipe. This week's assignment was a rewind- trying out an old favorite or something you didn't get to previously. Like so many of you we are busy busy this time of year, with lots of opportunities to bake and limited time to photo and blog! This week my tall man needed a treat to take to work so I made Dorie's classic brownies. I frosted them with a simple chocolate frosting and sprinkled on silver sanding sugar. I cut them into individual portions and put them in cupcake liners- they looked festive and were easy to serve out (a win win!) Of course I don't have a picture so here is a previous version as well as a link to the recipe.

Sunday I made Dorie's All American All Delicious Apple Pie for a family birthday party. I didn't want to serve anything particularly Christmas-y since it seems like December birthdays get ripped off pretty often! I used some new pie crust cutters a friend gave me for my birthday to quick and easily decorate the pie top with flowers. They were simple to use and super cute (and the ones I found on Amazon have a strawberry, I might need those eventually!) The recipe itself is perfection. I've made this pie a million times and while I think there are a few Dorie inspired recipes that are more so my favorite, this pie must be one of the true favs from the sheer number of times it's been baked. Don't miss Dorie's buttery, delicious pie crust (my husband's favorite!) I always double the recipe and freeze a couple of disks of pie crust so I can pull them out and have a delicious, homemade dessert without the time or mess.

See more of this week's Dorie recipe's here and have a very Merry Christmas. We'll be eating ham, rolls, potatoes, green beans, and all of our favorite fixing on Christmas day. I haven't decided on a dessert yet but if you have a family favorite or traditional Christmas dessert please do share- I'd love some ideas!

Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough
adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
3/8 cup very cold (frozen is even better) Crisco (plain, not butter flavored), cut into 4 pieces
About 1/2 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don't overdo the mixing—what you're aiming for is to have pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley.

Pulsing the machine on and off, add 3 tablespoons of the water—add a little water and pulse once; add some more water and pulse again; and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. If you've got big pieces of butter, that's fine. The dough is ready and should be scraped out of the work bowl and on to a smooth work surface. (be careful not too add too much water- if the dough looks dry after adding most of the water, pinch it with your hands to check if it's coming together, and finish combining it by hand)

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it. Refrigerate the dough at least 1 hour before rolling. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Gingerbread Houses (& a winner)

2011-12-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

Our 2010 Gingerbread Houses

I'd like to thank everyone who entered the Chex Mix Party Giveaway from MyBlogSpark! I loved hearing about everyone favorite neighbor gifts to give and receive (check out some of the awesome suggestions in the comments here!) The winner of the giveaway (thanks to Random.org) is Laraine Eddington! Get me your address and we'll have it shipped out to you! She has the funniest blog, check it out!

This is my little man's gingerbread house from last year- a small milk carton + graham crackers + royal icing (don't forget all the candy you can pile on!) My family makes these every year and it's a ton of fun for all ages! Definitely a favorite Christmas tradition. We are staying busy around here and enjoy the excitement and fun little kids bring to the holidays. They're already pretty hyped and the big day is still a bit away. It's going to be sporadic around here as usual but we're enjoying this special season with our families and that's the best part of all.

PS Need Cookie ideas? Millions here!

Chex Mix Neighbor Gifts

2011-12-07T13:06:00.001-08:00

Have you made your neighbor gifts yet? Growing up my mom always gave out boxes of white chocolate covered oreos but I haven't gotten into a groove of my own yet. We usually make cookies or something easy to do with the kids. I was really excited when MyBlogSpark contacted me about doing a Check Party Mix-Change as a fresh take on a cookie exchange. Our group made three kinds of Chex Mix from the recipes provided in the party kit and Chex.com (they have a crazy huge list!)

Chex Caramel Chocolate Drizzles- I added Chocolate Cheerios and Dried Cherries (yummy!)

Then we drizzled on a bunch of chocolate for added deliciousness (can you tell this one was my favorite?)

My Tall Man's favorite- half of the Chex is covered in white chocolate, the other in peanut butter chips, tossed together with Reese's Pieces and Cashews (that I should have toasted- but remember, it doesn't have to be perfect to be ~~beautiful~~ delicious and this went fast anyways!)

Last but now least- Muddy Buddies. I've never made this before but after I read the recipe I had a little Joey from Friends moment (remember with Rachel's Shepherd's Pie Trifle?) Chocolate? Good. Peanut butter? Good. Powdered Sugar? Good. No wonder I've always liked this stuff.

We loved making these different varieties of Chex Mix together and it was a fast, fun, and delicious activity- no stress, hardly any mess, and something for everyone. I have a gift pack to giveaway to one reader courtesy of MyBlogSpark. The winner will recieve a $20 giftcard to buy ingredients and decorations to go with the 2 boxes of Chex Mix cereal, recipes, and takeout containers to share your treats in. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment letting me know your favorite Christmas neighbor gift to give (or receive!) US Residents only and giveaway will be open until Saturday night.

"Disclosure: The Chex Party Mix-Change product, information, and giveaway have been provided by Chex through MyBlogSpark."Opinions are my own.

TWD- Bittersweet Brownies

2011-12-06T07:57:00.001-08:00

Brownies are my favorite treat to bake. The batter (delicious!), the ease, the endless variations- they're a bakers dream. Plus, who doesn't love a brownie (besides my non-chocolate eating husband, but he still loves the smell!) A few weeks ago I made Dorie's Bittersweet Brownies- using semi-sweet chocolate of course. This recipe, chosen by one of my favorite bloggers, Leslie, is the last brownie recipe in the book for Tuesdays with Dorie. I can't believe it! See the recipe on her blog here. Brownies make the perfect neighbor gift and there are a million types to choose from. Here are a few of my other favorites from Dorie and you can see a bunch more in my brownie category.

Come back tomorrow for another great neighbor gift idea (Chex Mix three ways) and a special giveaway from MyBlogSpark!

Classic Brownies (four ways)

Brownie Buttons

York Peppermint Brownies

Katharine Hepburn Brownies

French Chocolate Brownies

Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T07:34:00.001-08:00

Dorie's Amazing Apple Pie

Happy Thanksgiving! It's really snuck up on me again (I think I say that every year) but we are so excited to have time with family, enjoy the beautiful weather and some of our favorite traditions. This year I'm in charge of bringing the rolls and pie. I'm going to make our favorite easy dinner rolls and try a new-sure-to-be-favorite, Homemade Raspberry Honey Butter. Janet's blog is beyond lovely and you can see her similar roll recipe with careful and gorgeous photos to walk you through the cresent-roll making process if you are a little nervous.

A nice buttery homemade apple pie is my favorite Thanksgiving dessert and you can see my favorite (shown above) here as well as a lot of other pie recipes in my archives. As I told the women at Church at our pie class last month, when it comes to pie, all those great ingredients thrown together with ice cream on top- how bad can that be? I'm going to make our pies today and throw them in the freezer so Turkey Day is as stress free as possible.

Don't miss David Lebovitz's great stress-free baking tips here- there's something for everyone. Have a very happy Thanksgiving- I am so thankful for each of you that stops to say hi or lets me know that one of my recipes made someone feel special! Hugs!

Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough
adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
3/8 cup very cold (frozen is even better) Crisco (plain, not butter flavored), cut into 4 pieces
About 1/2 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don't overdo the mixing—what you're aiming for is to have pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley.

Pulsing the machine on and off, add 3 tablespoons of the water—add a little water and pulse once; add some more water and pulse again; and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. If you've got big pieces of butter, that's fine. The dough is ready and should be scraped out of the work bowl and on to a smooth work surface. (be careful not too add too much water- if the dough looks dry after adding most of the water, pinch it with your hands to check if it's coming together, and finish combining it by hand)

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it. Refrigerate the dough at least 1 hour before rolling. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Food Rules- an eater's manual

2011-11-21T07:23:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of Michael Pollan before? I first read his book In Defense of Food a few years ago and was blown away by the common sense. It's easy to feel like the 'rules' change every five minutes- butter, margarine, back to butter, no-carbs, whole grains only, gluten free, where ever you look there is a different message- it's down right stressful! Pollan's book In Defense of Food gets down to the straightforward truths of what is actually good for our bodies and presents it in a way that you can understand and absorb. When TLC Book Tours let me know about his new book, Food Rules- an eater's manual, I couldn't wait to read it. The timing couldn't be better with the onset of the holiday season. Every time I open up a magazine or read a blog I think about the holiday and the traditions- the parties, the food, it is the most wonderful time of the year. It's also an easy time to overindulge and forget the common sense that we should really hold on to.

This book is full of the common sense that we all need! Food Rules is a slim and beautiful book, thanks to the lovely illustrations by Maira Kalman. It's nicely organized and easy to delve right into. I read it a little at a time and walked away with a smart, simple new idea to process each time. Some of my favorites? "If You're Not Hungry Enough to Eat an Apple, Then You're Probably Not Hungry." I've found myself repeating that without realized it when the mid-afternoon munchies set it. And hooray- it's apple season! Not surprisingly, I do feel better after snacking on an apple than after grabbing some chocolate from the pantry.

Another I loved- "Don't Eat Anything Your Great Grandmother Wouldn't Recognize as Food." Foods that come to mind- spray margarine and go-gurt. I can't imagine that our ancestors ate either of those. I love chocolate Cheerios, I really do, but can there be any doubt which breakfast is going to make our bodies happier, that or a bowl of oatmeal and berries? And food that doesn't ever go rotten, is that actually food? If the bugs don't want to eat it, why would we, is there any actual food left in it? I think deep down we can tell what our bodies really need without the input of advertisers and other people looking to make a profit despite the costs to ourselves. Reading Pollan's wise words accompanied with Kalman's gorgeous illustrations has inspired me to do better and not in the unobtainable, crazy lifestyle and budget way that can overwhelm. I walked away from this book feeling I could choose better for myself and my family, that we can make simple changes and turn these fresh and helpful ideas into habits.

Thanks to TLC for providing me a copy of the book to review. Stop by the tour list here to see the book tour schedule. You can see the book here on Amazon. It's lovely and one I will read over and over again.

Wednesday Want- Immersion Blender

2011-11-16T12:17:00.001-08:00

There's nothing like a good immersion blender. I thought this was a not-so-needful kitchen accessory until my mom got one and I realized I'd been missing out. Soups, homemade refried beans, sauces, and more become instantly silky smooth. The whole blender- transfer process is totally viable but pretty messy, at least for me. With all the fun colors and a great sale at Amazon right now, this is the perfect quick gift for the foodie in your life! Check them out here!

TWD- Honey Cherry Scones

2011-11-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we were dying of heat and feeling bad that the AC would still kick on. Suddenly, it's cold- really cold! My mommy brain doesn't do so great on dates lately and last night I realized I hadn't made my Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. Sure enough, I didn't have the ingredients or the equipment for this weeks recipes so I hopped back to last week's Honey Nut Scones. The kitchen was cold and everyone was snacky (someone needs to go to the grocery store already...) so we happily turned on the oven and whipped these scones up. Using honey, whole wheat flour, and nuts (or in my case, dried cherries) they felt like a pretty decent treat.

I didn't used to like scones but now I know better! You don't need any special equipment or ingredients and the recipes are flexible. They are simple to make with butter straight out of the fridge cut into a couple dry ingredients. Pour over some wet ingredients, stir in your favorite mix ins and press into a cake pan. Normally I shape my scones with a biscuit cutter but after I read the tips from the rest of the TWD Bakers, I decided to try pressing them into the pan, cutting them like a pizza (only half way though!) and freezing them while the oven got hot. After they baked, I cut the wedges the rest of the way and the final product was fluffy and light, even with all the whole wheat flour. Obviously they were gobbled up quickly (no time for fancy pictures or good lighting at our house!) While these are still technically a pretty sweet treat (especially when topped with butter and jam), the simple, wholeness of it all felt pretty good on a cold night. You can see the recipe at Jeannette's or buy Dorie's wonderful book already. Mine is tattered and stained and I love it more every day.

Happy Halloween from Will and Kate

2011-10-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from our own Prince William and Kate Middleton! Halloween kind of creeps me out to be honest (sure you couldn't tell from the lack of Halloween posts) but I love the dressing up and they do too, not to mention the candy, skipped naps, and parties.

Our own little royalty loved their costumes their Nana lovingly made after tons of research (William's is a perfect replica, buttons, medals, and all!) We kind of had to go with this theme this year and were grateful Nana made it work. You can see my 'Royal Cupcakes' for the Wedding earlier this year here.

Check out those cute buns! Seriously, his costume is amazing (and I love how he looks more like his daddy everyday, so cute!)

Kate's tiny little waste and fluffy bustle are so cute- you can't help but smile when she skips. She rocked her veil for hours Saturday (and kept her princess dress clean, though I'll admit I didn't let her eat any chili at the trunk or treat!)

We made Lemon Velvet Cupcakes (dyed Orange, of course) for the preschool Halloween Party today. Prince William was very proud to share cupcakes he helped make. I was very proud when he successfully washed my silpats and cookie sheets- my least favorite part of making cookies and cupcakes!) Hope you have a very happy and safe Halloween!

TWD- Peach Cobbler

2011-10-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

As I write, the window is open, the kids are running in and out of the house, and we've eaten pumpkin cookies all morning. It started on the blogosphere ages ago but Fall has finally come to Arizona. This is my favorite time of year and I look forward to baking and cooking without worrying about heating up my already hot kitchen! When I opened up my Baking book for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, my little man immediately said "This looks pretty Mommy!" It was gorgeous but I didn't have figs or cornmeal or the will to take both of my little monkies to the grocery store during the witching hour. So instead, I'm sharing (a little late, don't mind me) a previous TWD recipe I didn't post because it screams fall to me and is one truly worth sharing.

The recipe is called the "Upside Down Plum Cake" and after I baked it, I realized it tasted exactly like a perfect homemade peach cobbler. Before I became a crazy baker, I used to dump fruit in a baking dish, top it with a yellow cake mix, and dot the top with butter. The end result was delicious and our typical peach cobbler. This recipe is a little different. You melt the butter in the pan (while the oven is preheating, genius!), pour in the batter, and top it with the fruit. The fruit ends up on the bottom and the tender cake on top. It's simple and delicious, totally flexible and a keeper. I know peaches are about done but I'm going to try this again with apples and berries and whatever else I can get my hands on (and I think you should too!) You can see the recipe here at Becky's blog as well as the rest of the TWD crew here. Please forgive my quick pictures but the entire family was dying to eat this.

Do you have any favorite fall desserts? This one is bound to become a tradition for us!

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Sweet Rolls

2011-10-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ghirardelli Chocolate sent me some of their new Intense Dark chocolate to try and ever since my carefully wrapped package arrived I've been dreaming about the perfect recipe to use them for. The bars themselves are beautiful and gold wrapped- seriously tempting. They've got sexy names like "Evening Dream" and "Twilight Delight" to go along with the perfect packaging and high cacoa content. This was a big decision! I finally settled on my favorite ever Tuesdays with Dorie recipe- the Brioche Raisin Snails. Brioche is rich dough made with eggs and butter, rolled up with a homemade vanilla pudding and fancy raisins (or in my case, chocolate). I used my Bosch mixer but a KitchenAid or even a big bowl with a wooden spoon will work just fine.

I love that the recipe is made of several components- it's kind of therapeutic to assemble basic things into something extra special and each piece isn't too much work. The bread dough improves with a little stay in the fridge, so I made it the other night. Last night I made the pastry cream and let it chill until this morning. Each step only takes 15 minutes or so but this morning I whipped up a fabulous French pastry that takes me right back to Paris with each bite. The assembly is just like a regular cinnamon roll but uses different components- roll out the dough, spread the cream, sprinkle with chopped Ghirardelli chocolate (I used the Midnight Reverie 86% Cacao bar) and a little sugar. Roll it up, slice, and try to be patient while they rise. It's not that different than cinnamon rolls, really, but SO much better.

You could easily fake this recipe with a regular dough (or even thawed Rhodes rolls if your that terrified of yeast) and chocolate chips, but the Intense dark chocolate with it's luxurious texture and flavor and the silky pastry cream baked together with the rich brioche makes a treat that's extra special. You can even roll up the logs before you slice them and freeze them for a perfectly decadent treat anytime.

I absolutely loved this recipe before but now that I've had it all fancied up, I'm pretty sure a delicious cinnamon roll is going to pale in comparison. I'm going try my favorite brownies next with some more of the Ghirardelli Intense Dark and I'll be back later in the week to let you know how they turn out. Stop by their website and check out their line-up. Ghiradelli will donate $1 from each package up to $100000 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation when you enter the code found inside your bar. You can even print out a coupon here. Deliciousness and an important cause- this is a win win for me!

PS Don't tell but when my mom had a bite of these she totally moaned. They're that good. There are two left on my counter. Let's see if they make it until dinner time (with Baby Strawberry, sporting her dad's super metabolism and roving the house yelling "Chockit! Chockit!" it doesn't seem likely!)

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Sweet Rolls
from Anne Strawberry

6 squares Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate (I used the 86% Cacao Midnight Revelrie), or 3/4 of a package, chopped finely
2 tablespoons Sugar
1/2 recipe for Golden Brioche Loaves (see below), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating overnight)

1/2 recipe Pastry Cream (see below)
Shiny Sugar Coating (see below)
Powdered Sugar Glaze (see below)

Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches wide and 16 inches long, with a short end toward you. Spread the pastry cream across the dough, leaving 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Scatter the chopped chocolate over the pastry cream and sprinkle the cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Starting wit the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it up to 2 months.)

Cut the log into rounds a 1 inch thick using a chef's knife, bench cutter, or dental floss. Put the snails on the lined baking sheet(s), leaving some puff space between them (half of the brioche yielded 12 rolls for me so I put them in a 3 x 4 pattern on my baking sheet).

Lightly cover the snails with wax paper and set the baking sheet(s) in a warm place until the snails have doubles in volume--they'll be puffy and soft--about an hour or two depending on the temperature of the kitchen.

When the snails have almost fully risen, preheat the oven: depending on the number of baking sheets you have, either center a rack in the oven or position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the wax paper, and bake the snails for about 25 minutes (rotate the sheets if you're using two, from top to bottom and front to back after 15 minutes), or until they are puffed and richly browned. After they've been out of the oven for a minute or two, brush them with the shiny sugar coating. Allow to cool for a couple minutes then drizzle with the optional glaze (recipe below).

Shiny Sugar Coating

Note- This is optional but only takes a minute or two and helps keep your rolls shiny and moist. Ever since I read about it on this wonderful blog I use it for all my cinnamon rolls. I don't think these would last long enough to need it but I wouldn't skip it! Check out her cinnamon twist post for gorgeous pictures on shaping and glazing sweet rolls.

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, take off heat and set aside to brush the bread when it comes out of the oven.

Powdered Sugar Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
About 1 teaspoon water
Drop of pure vanilla extract

Put the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and stir in a teaspoon of water. Keep adding water drop by drop until you have an icing that falls from the tip of a spoon. Add the vanilla extract, then drizzle the icing over the hot snails.

Golden Brioche Loaves
2 packets active dry yeast (or 5 teaspoons yeast)
2/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch 2% milk
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt (or 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm (cut into 1 Tablespoon pieces while cold and let sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften)

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces.

Anne Strawerry's Favorite "Slightly Lighted" Pastry Cream
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

2 1/2 cups 2% milk
4 large egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan (I usually multitask this step and warm it in my Pyrex liquid measuring cup in the microwave).

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks and eggtogether with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking to be sure the bottom doesn't burn, for 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly, put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

TWD- Basic Biscuits

2011-10-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched Alton Brown's Good Eats Biscuit episode? It's a total crack up and features Alton and his grandma in a biscuit bake off, his science and technique against her traditions. The end result is that both made delicious biscuits. In the southwest, I think it's more likely that you have a special homemade salsa recipe than family biscuit style. Maybe that's just our family. I remember my mom making Bisquick biscuits and cutting them out with a glass. For her, a biscuit (along with most carbs) is "a vehicle" to gravy, butter, jam, whatever. We aren't picky about them around here and after a week of sick kids, I looked forward to a simple Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.

I let my little man do the measuring, mixing, and rolling of these biscuits. He loves using any cookie cutter and while I tried to follow Alton's advice to push straight down and not maul the biscuits, I'm not sure that was quite the case. My biscuits were a little short but they were a lot delicious nonetheless. We ate them all right off the pan with a little butter and homemade raspberry jam my mom and I made a few weeks ago. Baby Strawberry had the biggest jammy smile, my little man was proud of 'his' biscuits, and Mr. Carbohydrate polished several off before I even took a picture. You can see the recipe here or in Dorie Greenspan's awesome Baking from My Home to Yours. This recipe might be basic but it's a winner at our house.

Speaking of winners, I'd like to thank everyone who entered the Sam's Club and General Mill's giveaway from MyBlogSpark. I was touched by the comments and all the things people do to fight cancer. Together I really think we can make a big difference- thank you guys for the inspiration! The winner of the $25 Sam's Club giftcard is number 6- Holly! Get me your address asap and I'll have your prize sent out!

Come back tomorrow for a special recipe featuring Ghiradelli Intense Dark Chocolate (also benefiting breast cancer research, check it out!)

Sam's Club & General Mill's Pink Giveaway

2011-10-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's October already? There are clues everywhere around here, from the 'nice-ish' morning weather, the ripe Utah peaches, and professional football players wearing hot pink. Even if it's still hot here, it's officially October and breast cancer awareness month already. Last night my mom said, "I know it's October when my Yoplait's have pink lids!" MyBlogSpark recently contacted me and let me know that Sam´s Club stores are featuring pink packaging on participating General Mills products for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This cause is close to my heart as my mom and grandma both fought and beat breast cancer. I don't know anyone who hasn't somehow been touched by this disease and appreciate all the efforts made to finding a cure.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Golden Grahams Crust

This month if you purchase specially-marked General Mills products like Cheerios at your local Sam´s Club you can help decide how half of that contribution will be donated by voting at PinkTogether.com. General Mills´ donations will be divided between two important Komen programs: the Treatment and Assistance Program, which assists women in securing care they otherwise may not be able to afford, and Prevention Research, which helps unlock the keys to preventing breast cancer. Voting results will be announced on Mother´s Day 2012. You can see more about PinkTogether on their Facebook page.

My Favorite Cupcakes (from a doctored Betty Crocker Cake Mix)

It's no secret that we love General Mills products around here. For 5 years, General Mills has partnered with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Foundation and this year they are making their annual donation of $2 million to the foundation to advance breast cancer research and support education and community outreach projects.

Pomegranate Swirl Cheesecake with Chocolate Cheerio Crust

And now for the giveaway! MyBlogSpark provided me with a $25 Sam's Club Giftcard to share with one of you (US Residents Only Please!) To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment letting me know how you give back to help the fight against breast cancer or your favorite General Mills products you would love to see featured in the Pink Promotion at Sam´s Club (I'm going to be getting a giant box of Chocolate Cheerios, along with the usual big bag of flour, sugar, and butter- my bulk staples!) This giveaway will close on 10/10/11 at midnight. Leave a comment before then to be entered (good luck!)

"Disclosure: The information and gift card(s) have been provided by Sam´s Club and General Mills through MyBlogSpark."

Chocolate Cheerio Crust
by Anne Strawberry

Crust:
2 1/2 Cups Chocolate Cheerios, crushed (in a baggie with a mallet or in the food processor)
1/4 Cup Melted Butter
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder (I like Hershey's special dark)

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and press into four mini springform pans or one regular springform. A pie pan will also work if that's all you have. Make sure the layer is even and not too thick. Bake for 8 minutes and set aside to cool completely.

Soft Rainbow Sugar Cookies

2011-09-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
You know those soft, brightly frosted sugar cookies at the grocery store? My kids can't resist the bright colors and ask for them every time at the store but lucky/not so lucky for them, their mom likes to make cookies from scratch. I hear they have a pretty strong following but I've never been a huge fan because of the frosting (Bleh!) When I saw this knock off recipe at University of Cookie I knew these were going to be a hit. These sugar cookies are made just like chocolate chip cookie dough- cream, add the eggs, add the dry team, and scoop/roll. Cut out cookies are a lot of fun but a lot of work too. This recipe is quick enough to do with the kids and have a yummy treat right away. The cookies are soft, buttery, and delicious. It's a win win.

I love the rainbow colored frosting Shelly used and mixed up a few colors of my own using Americolor Gel Food Coloring and the regular liquid coloring you can get at the grocery store. I just made one batch of my favorite frosting, divided it into six kids bowls, and colored them until we liked it (making about 1/2 cup of each color). I used a table knife to frost them and hoped that the messy would look intentional enough. I just have to keep telling myself 'It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.' (or taste good!) I added some edible glitter to make them feel a little extra special. I hope that stuff is really not too bad for you because it's kind of addicting- what doesn't feel a little fancier with some glitter on top?

I bake all my cookies on a regular half sheet pan lined with a Silpat. You can read more about those here. I used to have a lot of different sizes and shapes of pans but consolidating to one type saves a lot of space and has made me so much happier. It's really worth it if you bake a lot (especially since I use them to roast veggies, cook chicken, and a million other things!)

Soft Sugar Cookies
{printable recipe here}
adapted from Shelly

Makes about 5 dozen cookies (depending on their size). I scooped up a few dozen and froze the balls of dough to take out and bake another time without any work.

1 Cup Butter (Salted is fine), Softened
1 Cup Plain Shortening (I like the blue Crisco, none of that icky 'butter flavor')
2 1/4 Cups Sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
4 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt (I used Kosher)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Cream butter, shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy (one or two minutes). Add one egg at a time and beat for one minute afterwards. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer to low speed and carefully add the dry team (flour, powder, salt). I usually turn it off first, pour them all in, cover the mixer with a dish towel and turn it on low. Mix gently- only until the flour is barely incorporated. Give it one last stir with a rubber/silicone spatula to get everything off the bottom.

Roll into balls, placing about 2 inches apart on Silpat/parchment lined/greased cookie sheet. I used a regular cookie scoop to get each cookie uniform (about 2 Tablespoons of dough in each). It will be a little sticky, don't be surprised! If it's too tacky to work with, add a little more flour or chill the dough in the fridge for a few minutes.

Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes, or until they start to brown slightly on the edges. I wanted mine extra soft and nice so I err on the side of under done. Take them out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack after a couple of minutes. Frost with your favorite frosting (mine is below).

Anne Strawberry's Favorite Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened (one stick)
1 package of cream cheese, softened (I like to use Neufchatel, less fat and I don't notice much difference)

2 Tablespoons milk
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla pod, scraped
dash of salt
6 cups of powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency, this is a baseline)
1 Tablespoon meringue powder (optional but very helpful! you can find this in the cake decorating section at walmart, michaels, or joann's)

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the milk, vanilla, and salt, and blend.

Next, add the powdered sugar and meringue powder, cover the bowl of the mixer with a dish towel, and turn it on low until everything is combined. Then increase the speed for a minute or so until the frosting is light, fluffy, and delicious. The meringue powder will help set the frosting after it dries so it holds its shape.

Variation:
Add 1 T. Lemon or orange zest and substitute juice for the milk to make a tangy citrus frosting. Alternately, you can flavor with mint extract or almond extract.

Homemade Salad Dressing & Croutons

2011-09-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

I read a post toda y on one of my favorite craft blogs, Infarrantly Creative, where she shared a few of her great ideas. I love getting tips from people on how to simplify and improve our lives in easy ways. She's also giving away two of my favorite things to go along with her linky party- a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and a Metal Cookie Scoop. I've gushed about both of those before and can't imagine my kitchen without my drawer full of scoops.

Since I loved her post so much I thought I would join in and got me thinking about something I do on a regular basis that we love. Sure I make crazy treats occasionally, but it's not all brownies and cupcakes for dinner (though I'm sure Baby Strawberry wouldn't object!) I always need more healthy, quick, and economical meal options. Making croutons and salad dressing go right in with that. I heard a quote once about how the French think Americans are bad cooks because we actually BUY our croutons. Making them is quick and tastes SO much better. I usually use the heels or unwanted end of the loaf of French bread from last nights dinner. Toss with salt and pepper, olive oil, and some seasoning and you are pretty much done. A few minutes in the oven or tossed on the stove and the house smells good, you have a nice bag of delicious croutons, and it was pretty much free (that's fuzzy Anne math for you there!) You can even use left over rolls, hamburger buns, whatever bread you have around. They taste incredible in Panzanella too.

You can see the crouton recipe here.

Making salad dressing is just as easy. I use my blender bottle (a lidded jar works too) and just dump everything in. I will include the recipe below but when I make it, it usually goes something like this, "one inch of vinegar, two inches of olive oil, a scoop of brown sugar, a pinch of garlic, salt and pepper." Shake and serve. It tastes 100 times better than store bought dressing and I love knowing exactly what went into it. Swap out spices and vinegar for a completely different flavor, too! I think people see 'Balsamic Vinaigrette' and think that's something you could only buy. I hope you'll try making your own dressing and see how it goes, it's really easy and delicious (a winner in my book!)

Do you have any simple, great ideas that make life easier for you? I'd love to hear em!

Anne Strawberry's Simple Balsamic Dressing
(adapted from Emeril)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (regular, sea salt, whatever will do)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (it's cheap at Costco!)

Combine all ingredients in a blender bottle (or jar) and shake to combine. Toss salad and serve immediately. This makes a lot of dressing so I usually half it and store my extra dressing in the fridge for couple of weeks- but it always gets eaten before it goes bad.

Serve with my Cheesecake Factory Knock Off French Country Salad (with goat cheese!), panzanella, or your favorite green salad. You can't go wrong here.

You can see the crouton recipe here.

Wednesday Want- KitchenAid Art?!

2011-09-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to get this print out of my head since I saw it blog hopping the other day. I have the perfect place for it to- right above the sink, next to the window. Lucky for me I seem to find myself washing dishes enough that I would get a lot of use out of this eye candy. I think it would make the perfect birthday present for myself and hope that it comes back into stock soon. You can even personalize the color to match your own beloved KitchenAid (though why anyone would buy any color besides red escapes me. I kid! Variety is the spice of life, but I'll stick with red everything thank you!)

The real empire red is even on sale on Amazon this week- coming in under $200 after rebate for the amazing 5 quart Artisan Mixer. That's cheaper than Craigslist around here (though people seem a little crazy on CL Phoenix, $300 for a crazy particle board dresser? My hunt for a French Provincial dresser is futile and slightly frustrating when I see so many bloggers finding gems for next to nothing!) Ahem. There's a huge selection of colors and no better Christmas/Birthday/Whatever present. Check out the 'Yellow Pepper' and 'Green Apple'.

Source: Oh Dear Molly on Etsy

TWD- Classic Brownies

2011-09-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}

Tuesdays with Dorie is one of my favorite parts of the blogosphere. I anticipate the monthly recipe selection and love pulling out my butter splattered copy of Baking, knowing that whatever I end up making will be delicious, as well as seeing everyone's creative take on these great recipes. I was thrilled to get a chance to host another week and happy to discover that there was still a brownie recipe available to choose. Brownies are one of my favorite treats to bake and eat (you can see lots more here) so I figured the 'Classic Brownies' were a perfect choice.

Since I can't leave well enough alone, I tripled the batch and after mixing it up, divided the batter into four smaller pans. Each recieved a different flavoring- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Swirl, Pecan, White Chocolate, and Oreo (I actually used Vanilla Bean Joe Joe's from Trader Joe's). The four dishes lined up perfectly on my cookie sheet.

After cooling, the brownies popped right out of the pan and my favorite knife made quick work of dividing them up. I plated them up on a huge platter and let people pick their favorites (oreo went fastest). Next time I'll give these the BYU Brownies treatment and put some mint frosting and chocolate ganache on top. I know the last thing these delicious little brownies need is more sugar, butter, and chocolate, but like Ina says, 'How bad can that be?'

Sometimes it's hard being a food blogger's daughter! Poor baby strawberry was NOT happy to wait for these brownies but even after she downed one she was crying again, this time for more! Thanks for baking along with me (you can see the rest of the brownies here)- I hope you enjoyed this recipe and can't wait to see how everyone made these their own. And for friends close by- I have a nice little pile in the freezer. Stop by anytime (though I think my little man took the last peanut butter swirl!)

PS Did you know you can get $20 worth of groceries at Whole Foods for $10 today only from Living Social? Think of the baked goods you could make... yum!

Classic Brownies
from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan, page 88
{printable recipe here}

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (note- I used Semisweet but I think even milk would be good, whatever you have on hand!)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional, but really good)- note- I left this out and doubled the vanilla
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (according to taste- I used the full amount to bring out the chocolate flavor)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans- yum!)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chopped chocolates and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted - you don't want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

With a whisk, stir in the sugar. Don't be concerned when your smooth mixture turns grainy. One by one, whisk in the eggs. Add the vanilla and give the ingredients a vigorous whisking before gently stirring the espresso, if you are using it, salt and flour; stir only until incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chopped walnuts.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

Bake the brownies for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the top is dull and a thin knife inserted into the center come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the brownies to room temperature.
When the brownies are completely cool, turn out onto a rack, peel away the foil and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares, each a scant 2 inches on a side.

Serving: Like all great brownies, these are good eaten out of hang without a bit of embellishment or topped off with whipped or ice cream (coffee ice cream is really good with these), offered either way at room temperature or a bit chilled.

Storing recommendations: These are best served within 2 days of baking. If you're going to keep them at room temperature, just cut what you need and keep the remainder wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. To freeze for up to 2 months, wrap the brownies airtight.

Wednesday Want- Chocolate Cheerios

2011-09-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Today's Wednesday Want is an admittedly casual one. I loved this picture of Baby Strawberry rocking her first bowl and cereal and milk all on her own and felt, as it is her birthday coming up, I should let you in on a secret. Nestled between a million brightly colored boxes at our grocery store is one demure little stack of our favorite cereal. It seldom has a toy in the box, a sale, or any flashy characters grazing it- but Chocolate Cheerios are the real deal. My son has discovered their magical powers ('Try these sister, they turn the milk chocolate!') and I've started storing my limited supply in the farthest reaches of the pantry to avoid detection by the children. Oh sure I share, but I want to make sure these babies aren't subjected to any children's kitchen experiments. You know, the ones that end with cheerios all over the floor (that the dog won't eat any more from over-exposure!) And I fill most of their bowl with plain cheerios first- trust me, it still tastes great, these babies are magical!

Have you had Chocolate Cheerios before? Is there another cereal I'm missing out on? If only I could get oatmeal to taste as good as a nice bowl of cheerios and sliced strawberries...

PS I checked my favorite store and sure enough our favorite cereal is a suprisingly great deal on Amazon (especially with the subscribe and save option and free shipping right to your door). Who knew?

TWD- Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

2011-09-06T00:34:00.000-07:00

Is there a better combination than chocolate and peanut butter? Just looking at these pictures has me drooling and wishing I had saved more of these cookies for our own cookie jar, although I know giving them away was the wiser choice. This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is really late but when I looked through my folder and realized I'd missed posting these in the crazy of summer, I knew it was time!

Dorie describes these as 'thin and plain' but they turned out much different for me- fluffy, flavorful, and almost cute. I used a small-ish metal cookie scoop to portion out the dough nicely and will use and even smaller one next time to make tiny little whoopie pies. I think you could really use any flavor filling to compliment the chocolate (mint, raspberry, orange, caramel?) but the second I tried one out of the oven of these I had Barefoot Contessa's peanut butter frosting on the brain. It was a delicious combo as long as you didn't think too much about how much rich, delicious stuff heads into that icing! Thanks Spike for getting me out of my comfort zone so I could discover another new favorite.

See this weeks real recipe here. I've included my recipe with the changes below as I omitted the spices, fruit, and worked with what I had. I'm sure any way you make them they would come out great (once again, butter, sugar, flour, chocolate, how bad can that be?)

Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Filling
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's wonderful Baking

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled (or bittersweet was fine for me- work with what you have!)
1 cup sour cream

Getting Ready: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until it is creamy and smooth. Add the sugars and beat for two minutes or so, then add the eggs one by one. Beat for another minute-the mixture should be smooth and satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate. With the mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the sour cream alternatively, adding the dry ingredients in 3 batches and the sour cream in 2 (begin and end with the dry team). Do not overmix and be gentle!

Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets, making certain to leave at least an inch between the spoonfuls. Note- if this is difficult, try chilling the dough for a few minute in the fridge! Bake for 12-15 minutes- the cookies will puff, spread and round themselves out in baking. They’re done when they are set on top but still springy to the touch. Pull the sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest for 1 minute, then, using a wide metal spatula, carefully transfer them to a rack. Cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Storing: Because these are soft, they are best stored loosely stacked in a tin with wax paper between the layers. They can be kept at room temperature for about 4 days or packed airtight and frozen for about 2 months.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing
adapted from the lovely Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa)

1 cup powdered sugar (I added an additional 1/2 cup for a total 1 1/2)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Spread frosting between cooled cookies and enjoy (guess what- they are even better the next day, yay!)

TWD- Brioche

2011-08-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

This TWD recipe is particularly nostalgic as it's one of the first I made from the book. I remember being a little nervous making it myself and especially nervous once I saw how hot my beloved KitchenAid was getting! I carefully held frozen veggies to the mixer and prayed she would be alright. I'm sure that wasn't remotely effectively but she's lived to mix many more batches of deliciousness and the brioche raisin snails (a favorite recipe to this day) were amazing. My husbands favorite Dorie remains the pecan honey sticky buns. You can't go wrong with brioche it appears.

I've posted the recipe before so I'll include it again. It's so easy to be intimidated by 'fancy' treats that end up being not nearly as difficult as I'd thought before. You can also see the recipe over at Tea and Scones (thanks for the awesome choice!)

By the way- a sweet friend helped me switch over to my own domain last night (I've only owned it for two years and done nothing... lame). If there's any hiccups please excuse them, but you should be able to get straight to AnneStrawberry.com now from my old blogspot address. Yay!

Golden Brioche Loaves (see the brioche raisin snails and pecan honey sticky buns here)
2 packets active dry yeast (or about 2 1/2 teaspoons per packet)
1/3 C. just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 C. just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 2/3 C. all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 C. sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

For complete directions for the Brioche Raisin (or in my case Chocolate) Snails or the Brioche loaves, check out these previous posts.

TWD- Carrot {Cake} Muffins

2011-08-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Does anyone really know the difference between a muffin and a cupcakes? My favorite part of either is the frosting so... when I read this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe (Carrot Muffins) I knew I would have to include the cream cheese frosting. I was out of coconut (bleh!) so I added a little oatmeal instead.

With the spices, pecans, Craisins, and frosting- these were the best carrot ~~cupcakes~~ muffins I've ever made. They came out with the perfect rise (flat muffins kind of bother me!) and took only a couple minutes to whip together. Don't forget to use paper liners to remove the muffins easily and to set the muffin tin on top of a cookie sheet to keep bottoms from burning (no one likes that!) You could easily sub in half whole wheat flour and no one would be the wiser- then you might not feel as guilty topping your muffins with cream cheese frosting! See the recipe at Nancy's awesome blog here or buy the book on Amazon.

Anne's Favorite Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (here)

Wednesday Want- The Perfect Scoop

2011-08-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't featured a cook book for the Wednesday Want before but with temperatures continuing to rise around here, I have to give this amazing book a little shout out. The Perfect Scoop is tried and true and I've never heard a bad thing said about it (except maybe for it's skinny-jean consequences!) A nice ice cream maker (like my Cuisinart) is surprisingly affordable and compact. I scored mine of Craigslist but they are all over Amazon, garage sales, and even thrift stores.

David Lebovitz also explains some techniques for making ice cream without an ice cream maker. See some ice cream inspiration here and pick up a copy of The Perfect Scoop already- once you start making ice cream, I think you'll be surprised how fun and delicious it can be. If you're intimidated, I'd recommend starting with a sorbet (Pineapple is my favorite and strawberry of course!) With the heat and amazing summer produce, there's no time to start like now (well, as soon as I clear a spot in the freezer for the bowl again- am I the only one with that problem?)

PS See some more great ice cream from these lovely ladies, but consider yourself warned- it's going to make you hungry!

Tracey

Annie

Di (with homemade Magic Shell- I can't wait to try this!)

TWD- Cocoa Almond Meringues

2011-08-02T04:22:00.000-07:00

Are you having a lovely summer? We've been relaxing and doing all sorts of super important things like hanging out with our friends, going to swimming lessons, eating popsicles, going to the movies, and folding laundry (never a vacation from that!) It's ridiculously hot right now. So hot, I can count on one hand the number of times I've turned on the oven in the last month- that's a new record for me. I did a couple marathon Tuesdays with Dorie baking sessions at my mom's and, you know, with our busy schedule didn't even post them. Maybe later. Ahem.

These meringues take just a minute or two to whip up- nothing time intensive, no weird ingredients, no slaving over the stove. I ground the almonds in the food processor with some of the powdered sugar, pulsed in the cocoa powder, whipped the egg whites, folded in the dry team and the chocolate, and we were good to go. A little time on 300 then an hour on super low heat and we were eating these babies right out of the oven.

Before I fancied these guys up with some melted chocolate and chopped almonds, I tried to snap a quick picture. Two adorable blondies emerged from the sandbox and quickly attacked these 'chocolate cookies'. With their crunchy outside, sweet soft inside, and great flavor combo I couldn't blame them- Dorie wins again! These are even gluten free for my wheat-free friends (pretty awesome!)

Please come back tomorrow for the Wednesday Want and check out Mike's awesome and funny blog to see the recipe and the rest of the TWD crew here.

Bastille Day

2011-07-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

last years Bastille Day invite and a few of the menu items below

Did you know that tomorrow is Bastille Day? We celebrate every year and people always ask why and what is it- I usually reply it's kind of like the French 4th of July. When I needed to take a foreign language class in school, instead of opting for the useful and practical Spanish, my mom encouraged me to try French, as it was taught by the most amazing teacher, Monsieur Duhon. He taught with such enthusiasm and precision- learning French was a joy. My French teacher in High School, Madame Hull, was so fun and put up with so much from us crazy girls. She would make the most wonderful crepes with Nutella and fruit. I still covet a crepe maker like hers, or even maybe the higher end model? I'm sure she had the nice one.

Since today is Wednesday this is certainly Wednesday Want appropriate- I'll tell you that if you love crepes and can operate a blender (or whisk well), you should get one of these and make your own! They're easy and delicious. Maybe I'll finally get a crepe maker by Bastille Day 2012 (but let's be honest, where would I put it even if I did?) For now I just use a nonstick pan and this wonderful recipe and it works just fine. I love France, their food, culture, learning about their history, and look forward to our French dinner party all year.

Every year we get a few more traditions and a few more items on the menu, too. It's a 'Frenchies' only dinner and last year we implemented the 'sans enfants' (no babies) rule. We don't do very many of those and it's wonderful to sit around and enjoy the food and the company without any sippy cups!

Last year I made boeuf bourguignon for the first time for dinner. Making something new for a dinner party is about the quickest way to raise my stress level, what was I thinking? Fortunately, dinner turned out yummy thanks to the lovely Barefoot Contessa and her fool proof recipes!

This year we are celebrating late and I'm still uncertain of the menu thanks to a whole new set of French recipes from the lovely Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I've always used Barefoot in Paris for the food and Baking for the desserts but I'm going to have way too many options this year! Do you have a French favorite? Help me decide please!

I hope you make something French in honor of Bastille Day this week! I know it's a silly tradition but it's so fun to try something new, to gather with friends and enjoy each others company. See more French food here. It's not at all as difficult as you might think, I promise!

Bastille Day 2010 Recipes (shown above) found here

Bastille Day 2009

Bastille Day 2008 (and here)

TWD- Chocolate Chip Scones

2011-07-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I actually made this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe on time? I had a marathon baking session at my mom's last week and got a lot accomplished after my mom kindly pointed out that I was a total slacker and asked if anyone was still reading my blog. Thanks for reading, by the way. Anyways, these scones were a cinch to throw together and to satisfy my best customers I added mini chocolate chips. I halved the recipe and these were eaten up in no time. Even my mom, who doesn't like scones, said, "These are actually good, well, for scones." Another simple and delicious success thanks to Dorie. See the recipe at Lynne's beautiful site. Thanks for the great choice!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-07-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between a cupcake and a muffin? I'm sure it's something to do with the mixing method and the ratio of ingredients, but when I ate one of these this morning I felt like I was eating chocolate cake without the frosting for breakfast. In fairness, I did up the chocolatey flavor by included extra chocolate chips throughout the batter and on top and by using half Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder along with the regular stuff.This week's Tuesdays with Dorie choice worked out perfectly. The only problem I had with the recipe was photographing these little guys (every time I left them alone I ended up with at least one less muffin!) I'm sure my kids didn't mind the chocolate for breakfast dilemma.

Since today is a Wednesday Want day, I thought I would show some of my favorite tools for making muffins and what I actually used to make these last night. It didn't take many dishes or any out of the ordinary ingredients (for me, that means sour cream... I'm always borrowing it from the neighbors!) You don't even need a beloved KitchenAid for muffins!

1}. Medium Mixing Bowl (mine is similar to this set from Trudeau, via Sam's Club a few years ago)

2}. Microwave Safe Bowl (to melt the chocolate and butter together- I used my basic Corelle)

3}. Liquid Measuring Cup- I have a 1, 2, and 4 cup and at least one is always in the dishwasher. For this recipe, I skipped the buttermilk and just soured some milk with a teaspoon or so of vinegar in my measuring cup. Then I mixed in the rest of the liquid ingredients and poured it right over the dry to save a separate dish.

4}. Measuring Spoons (mine are from Target but I prefer the long skinny ones from Williams Sonoma- they would fit in any spice jar)

5}. Measuring Cups

6}. Large Silicone Spatula to gently mix it all together- I used to be in love with the KitchenAid ones (they're really affordable at Target, Ross, or TJ Maxx and come in a million colors to match your mixer) but prefer this Le Creuset Super Spatula I got from CSN Stores.

7}. Cookie Scoop- perfectly portioned batter every time. And I never use these for ice cream, though I know they are intended for that...

8}. In classic "do as I say, not as I do" fashion, I'd recommend sifting any time a recipe calls for cocoas powder. The final product will be smoother and the cocoa will be much better distributed.

I guess it turns out to a decent list, but I think most of you have a lot of this stuff already. With these tools and a light hand, quick and delicious muffins are in anyone's grasp. See the recipe for Dorie's Chocolate Muffins on Bridget's Blog here- they look gorgeous with the white chocolate chunks and colored muffin liners!

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Palmiers and a TriColore Tart

Fresh Berry Pie (add Blueberry this time around)

Dorie Greenspan's Apple Pie (with a to die for crust)

Barefoot Contessa's Apple Turnovers

Berry Shortcake

Red Velvet Cupcakes in a Jar

I hope you're having a great start to the holiday weekend! We are going to have a little 'staycation' ourselves and I'm super excited. Strawberries are $0.77/pound again at Sprouts and the Fourth of the July is the perfect excuse to make any of these bright and festive desserts. We don't have any big traditions besides seeing a movie and going swimming, but I'm thinking I should get working on that (and strawberries should really be involved, or peaches, or maybe watermelon? I love that part of summer!) Do you have any awesome Fourth of July traditions? Speak up!

No Bake Graham Cracker Cake

2011-06-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
I know it's Tuesday and I should have made Dorie's sour cream cake cookies (they look a little like whoopie pies to me) but it's just SO hot. I've only had my oven on once in the last week- I think that's some sort of record for me. I did make this graham cracker 'cake' of sorts for a family party. Strawberries were on sale at Sprouts for 77 cents a pound and a bought a whole flat for making jam. We ended up eating them instead (thank goodness my mom was responsible enough to make some jam and share!) and when it was time to make dessert for the party I instantly thought of strawberry shortcake. I pulled out a few cook books, looking for a recipe to match my ingredients and found the inspiration for this dessert instead from the Lion House Bakery.

The original recipe calls for instant pudding mixed with Cool Whip, layered up with graham crackers, and topped with pie filling. I'll be honest- Cool Whip totally creeps me out. Since I was going pretty semihomemade anyways, I made my own vanilla pudding (my slightly-lightened version of Dorie's pastry cream) and whipped cream. I combined those and layered it with the graham crackers and served it with strawberries. It was cool, smooth, and delicious and the next day it was even better- the crackers had softened and the final product was almost cake like, tasting of vanilla, cream, and strawberries (how bad can that be, right?) The best part is that the oven didn't have to heat my little house at all and this recipe is perfectly adaptable. You could use boxed pudding, try out chocolate, top it with whatever fruit's in season, and even use Cool Whip, you know, if you wanted. I'm sorry the cake is hard to see in the picture, but sometimes (you know, as often as I can), I put too many strawberries on top of things. And Baby Strawberry was yelling "More more more!" while I tried to snap a quick picture!

PS Amazon is offered $2 in free MP3 credit through the 30th- just enter CLOUDMP3 on this page and then check out their selection of $0.69 MP3's- this was a good excuse to get few chick songs myself!

Anne Strawberry's No Bake Graham Cracker 'Cake'
inspired by The Lion House Bakery
{printable recipe here}

1 pounds of strawberries
1/3- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, to taste
2 cups slightly-lightened vanilla pastry cream (or 1 small box instant pudding, prepared)- see recipe below
2 cups whipped cream (or Cool Whip, if you don't have weird food hang ups like I do)
1 box (three sleeves) HoneyMaid Graham Crackers (14.4 ounces)

Wash the strawberries and cut the tops off. Select the prettiest of the berries (about half) and slice from top to bottom (you could use this great tool here). Mash the rest of the strawberries with powdered sugar to desired sweetness and gently stir in strawberry slices. Refridgerate and save for garnish.

Gently fold together the pastry cream and whipped cream in a medium bowl. In a baking dish (I used a medium Pyrex, about 7 x 11, but this is flexible) lay out a layer of graham crackers. The amount will vary with the size of the dish you use, but I needed almost a whole sleeve per layer. Don't worry if some are broken- just patch them together to make the neatest layer you can and it will all meld together later.

Top graham crackers with 1/2 of the cream and spread it evenly using an off-set spatula. Add another layer of graham crackers. Top with the rest of the cream, spread it out, and top with the last of the graham crackers.

Refrigerate for 3-12 hours (I think the best timing would be to assemble in the morning if you want to serve with dinner, but you can make the cream and everything ahead of time to go with your schedule since layering everything will only take a couple minutes). Slice and serve topped with generous portions of fruit topping and enjoy your cool dessert (and cool kitchen!)

"Slightly Lighted" Pastry Cream
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

2 1/2 cups 2% milk
4 large egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature
Seeds from one vanilla bean (optional)

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream through a mesh sieve into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly, carefully set the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water and refrigerate, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

Whipped Cream Recipe
See Martha's for a detailed description how to make your own whipped cream using heavy cream if you haven't done it before (I would just tell you to dump it in the mixer, add a few shakes of powdered sugar and a little vanilla, and mix on high till it's pretty and delicious!)

TWD- Chocolate Biscotti

2011-06-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays with Dorie is such a great excuse to try new things. I'd never tried biscotti before but needed to catch up so I made this recipe anyways: I figured the coffee drinkers at my tall man's work would appreciate these crunchy cookies so I went ahead. As usual, I was pleasantly surpised and LOVED these cookies. I don't know about you, but I don't really need to expand my unhealthy-treats-I-love repoiretoire but what can you do? Baby Strawberry and I loved dunking these in a cold glass of milk.

See the recipe here from Jacque- and check out her beautiful process pictures if you need a little help visualizing the cookie shaping procedure like I did or on you can find the recipe on Peabody's. You can also see all the biscotti from the rest of the group or this week's Date Nut loaf. And as always, I recommend buying Dorie's awesome book. It never ceases to amaze me how many things I've learned to like by trying so many of her recipes (what's next, coconut? Running? I wouldn't put it past Dorie!)

Notes on the recipe: I omitted the espresso powder and added some Hershey's Special Dark cocoa in the same amount. I also used cashews and mini chocolate chips for the add ins. Last, I sprinkled a little bit of salt on top with the sugar and the salty kick was subtle and wonderful!

To shape the biscotti, I just divided the dough into two and made two logs on either side of the silpat lined cookie sheet (if this were art class I would say to divide the paper 'hot dog style') then when it's time to cut them, just lay them out the same way again but each cookie on their side. Much easier than I imagined!

Wednesday Want- Blender Bottle

2011-06-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'm in late with today's Wednesday Want but had to share one of my simplest and best kitchen tools- my Blender Bottle. I've used a lot of shaker bottles before- a Tupperware, a Zyliss, and even one from the dollar store- but this one beats them all and never leaks with a nice screw-on lid. It has a stainless steel coiled ball in the center that makes quick work of homemade salad dressing, pancake batter, even instant pudding (don't judge- I love the vanilla! And the butterscotch. Blame my mom.) It's even available in tons of great colors- red, happy yellow, lime green, magenta, even a pretty plum for you purple peeps. I bought my first one at Sprout's but you can get them from Amazon for less. I love the smaller size for homemade salad dressing and I've included my favorite recipe below. It lasts for a few weeks in the fridge and even stays almost totally emulsified in the beloved Blender Bottle.

Do you use one of these things? Any great uses I'm missing out on?

PS Check out the official, awesome Wednesday Want from the talented Kayla here.

Anne Strawberry's Simple Balsamic Dressing
(adapted from Emeril)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons brown sugar 1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender bottle (or jar) and shake to combine. Toss salad and serve immediately. This makes a lot of dressing so I usually half it and store my extra dressing in the fridge for couple of weeks- but it always gets eaten before it goes bad.

Serve with my Cheesecake Factory Knock Off French Country Salad (with goat cheese!), panzanella, or your favorite green salad. You can't go wrong here.

Diamond Engagement Ring Sugar Cookies & the Wednesday Want

2011-06-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's usually the little things that let me know I'm really going to hit it off with someone. One of my best friends and I have hardly anything in common and that became glaringly obvious the first time we met. Later in the conversation she mentioned she had a red KitchenAid (I'd just gotten mine at the time, and my mixer and I were, and are, I guess, still in the honeymoon stage). I knew right then things would work out- and we are best friend still, even if we're separated by miles and miles, nothing will change that. It's kind of the same with my friend Natalie. She has the same sheet pans as I do, happily lined with silpats, stacked with lids, and ready for all the baking they are meant to do. Yes, they're just objects- but they're also indicitive of a shared interest.

Natalie makes me the most beautiful cookies (this spring she made 400 butterfly sugar cookies, marbled and swirled and bigger than your hand) and so we commisioned her to make engagement ring sugar cookies for my brother's wedding luncheon. It was so fun coming over and seeing her process (I think everyone makes them differently). Her recipe is not very fussy and has fabulous results- without chilling the dough, leaving tons of space on the pan, or anything like that that I regularly do with still only mediocre results. She also has the steadiest hand and frosted perfectly smooth wedding bands (while I could only trust myself with the diamond!) I'll post the recipe soon.

It's hard to tell from the pictures but the cookies were incredibley sparkley and shiny, thanks to silver and iridescent edible glitter from ABC cake decorating.To get the white royal icing nice and white, we used Americolor White Gel food coloring (it was $5 for a huge bottle at the cake store) and added iridescent glitter for the diamond. The grey to mimic the white gold bands was made with the white coloring with a little Americolor black- silver glitter on top. We tried the Wilton black first and ended up with lavender frosting. They came out beautifully and I'm so grateful to Natalie for sharing her time and talents to help make the day a little more special. I'm also grateful she had four sheet pans so we can get them done because mine were all busy making brownies...

I think I've sharing this picture before but it perfectly demonstrates why I love love love the Nordicware lidded half sheet pans (also called jelly roll pans or cookie sheets around these parts). I had a few of these from wedding gifts, my mom had a different style, and last year we finally bit the bullet and bought a huge matching set. Now we each have four lidded pans that make projects so much easier. I think the secret is to have the same so they stack so perfectly. I have seen these at Ross and TJ Maxx occasionally but the best deal I found, when I wanted a whole bunch, was at Amazon- the four piece set- one lidded half sheet pan and one lidded quarter sheet pan (perfect for a regular batch of brownies) for a few dollars more than the big pan and lid by themselves. Pretty regularly they go on as part of Amazon's buy three get one free promotion. Now our pans can bounce back and forth and all hang out happily together.

I know matching cookie sheets, lined with silpats, isn't the most important thing in the world (or best indicator of friendship) but I love these pans- especially with a big project going on. Last week I made four large pans- that's two batches each- of cheesecake brownies (shown above) and four large pans of chocolate mint 'BYU brownies' for the reception and loved seeing them all stacked up and pretty- safely covered, protected from little wandering hands, and absolutely delicious. Do you have a ridiculous obsession with pans like I do? Please someone say yes...

TWD- Caramel Pots de Creme

2011-06-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me? Remember how I said I was back and would queue up some posts? We'll, you know what they say about good intentions. I am happy to report that my brother's wedding was wonderful and I got all the things baked in time that I needed to (come back for the Wednesday Want to see the engagement ring sugar cookies and one of the most important tool I needed to get everything done, besides my wonderful, helpful friends!)

So back to Tuesdays with Dorie. I made these Caramel Pots de Creme in hearts in John's honor last week but had a little date mix up so here I am on this Tuesday with them (see their blueberry brown sugar cakes here). Next time I make these I will try the chocolate flavor (yum!) and add salt again. I will also strain the custard before chilling since you never know and the texture is really important in these delicious little French custards. The ingredients are simple and you don't really need any extra equipment. I'd encourage you to give them a try- and watch the caramel carefully, I think mine was just over the edge, but we still enjoyed these. See the recipe from the wonderful Peggy or buy Dorie's amazing book already and give them a try yourself. They have a fancy Frenchie name but it's really worth trying something new and with a little patience anyone can do it!

Wednesday Want- Microplane

2011-05-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

I'm back with the Wednesday Want finally (and provided my kids keep playing nicely, I'll even queue up a few more posts like I've been meaning to do!) My blogging break was inadvertent but with blogger going crazy and messing up my Google Reader to boot, I kind of stepped away for a while. It's good timing really with my brother's wedding coming in a couple weeks and all the craziness that comes with that, but it's time to crack the whip here. After all, no matter how busy we get, my family still insists on being fed!

Today's favorite tool is the Microplane. I can't remember how I was introduced to this baby but it was love at first sight. If you've ever tried to remove the zest (peel) from a piece of citrus you know how tricky it can be. The pith, the white layer under the colored peel, is bitter and should be left on the fruit. The Microplane is sharp enough to effectively remove the zest so you get all the great citrus flavor. It's also the best way to grate hard cheeses like Parmesan or to make chocolate shavings. Sometimes I use it for garlic (whatever you do, watch your knuckles- this baby is sharp!)

Most often, I use my Microplane when I'm making a citrus flavored frosting (usually lemon or orange). A little bit of fresh lemon zest brightens so many dishes- green beans, asparagus, simple cakes, even cinnamon roll dough. The flavor is often so subtle that you don't notice the citrus but the food just tastes brighter and better. Do you have a favorite use for a rasp grater? They come in a lot of sizes and I'm dying to add a few more to my collection...

Homemade York Peppermint Patties

2011-05-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
The minute I saw this recipe I knew they would be way to tempting, so I shut the window and tried to do something else. I thought about those babies all day and then mentally checked out my pantry to make sure I had the ingredients- then I woke up and made them the next day. If you like mint or chocolate or York Peppermint patties you really shouldn't make these, that is, unless you have more self control than I do. Really, they are SO good and easy to make. I felt like I was playing with Playdoh- a delicious, fragrant art project. I lied- you should make these, now. Just hide the extras in the back of the freezer behind the frozen veggies. And I wish you better luck than I had in actually taking decent pictures- these were hardly set before they started flying off the sheet. Stop by Savory Sweet Life to see some gorgeous photos and the original recipe.

I'm sure some of you are thinking, why would I MAKE peppermint patties when I can BUY peppermint patties? They taste even better than the originals, are actually really fun to make, are totally customizable (next up- white chocolate covered peppermint patties for my Tall Man! and orange chocolate patties! then maybe raspberry chocolate patties!) The best part? This is a fun treat to make that doesn't require turning on the oven. It's hot here suddenly and I really appreciate this refreshing, no bake treat. Plus, everyone will think you're Martha Stewart making your own peppermint patties when they're actually ridiculously easy. After they set, package them up in cellophane bags and you're good to go!

Just a tip- using a small cookie scoop to portion out the dough will make for pretty and uniform patties. I also kneaded my dough with a little powdered sugar on a silpat (so it wouldn't stick) and let them set on top of a silpat lined sheet as well. They came right off and clean up was a breeze (parchment would work great, too, but I never remember to buy it!)

Homemade York Peppermint Patties
from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}
recipe adapted from Sweet Savory Life

Makes 32 patties (note- I would make these half size next time, to yield about 60- use a tiny cookie scoop to get quick and uniform results)

Ingredients:

1 can of condensed milk
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (yes, I skipped that step)
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (milk or white chocolate would be great, too, but I liked the depth of the semisweet contrasting with the sweet filling inside)
3 tablespoons shortening
3-5 drops green food coloring (optional- but I added this for St. Patrick's Day)

Directions:

Add condensed milk, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and peppermint extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix everything on medium speed using the paddle attachment until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Add more powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, until the dough is pliable like firm modeling clay.

Note- at this point, I kneaded the dough by hand for a couple minutes to get it extra nice and well mixed.

Roll 3/4″ balls of dough between the palms of the hands (I used a small cookie scoop for this step with less than a tablespoon of dough- the smaller patties look neater and are better portions I think). Press each ball down slowly and set the flattened disk on a flat cutting board or plate. Transfer peppermint disks to the freezer for no longer than 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, temper the chocolate coating.

Place chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl. Melt the chocolate in 30 second increments, making sure to stir after each time until chocolate is smooth. Stir in shortening to thin the chocolate. Remove patties from the freezer.

Place a patty on the tongs of the fork and dip in the chocolate until completely covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off the patty before setting each one on top of wax or parchment paper. Allow the chocolate coated peppermint patties to completely set up. This can be done quicker by placing the patties in the refrigerator. The peppermint patties are ready when they are dry to the touch. Enjoy!

Note- I melted some candy melts and drizzled them over the top for the finishing touch. After they set, package them up in cellophane bags, tie with a ribbon, and enjoy your easy, delicious, homemade treat!

TWD- Apple Cherry Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

2011-05-10T00:04:00.000-07:00

My husband always asks, "what's the Dorie treat?" and kind of tunes out, expecting chocolate. When I started with the words "brown sugar" he perked up instantly and was patient and helpful while I worked. The batter comes together quickly and is as simple as a batch of cookies. As for variations, I used half freshly ground white whole wheat flour (no one noticed) and omitted the nuts, adding apples, dried cherries, and a little cinnamon instead. The house smelled wonderful while I waited for it to bake and I had vision of beautiful bundts on lovely platters (a la Food Librarian) but when I finally unmolded it, it stuck in all the fruity places (despite all my careful Pam with Flour application!) Nonetheless, the cake lived up to the smell and was wonderful. I can't wait to make it again and will see if I can't get away with a little less butter and a little more whole wheat flour. See the recipe at Peggy's or buy the book already, it's worth every penny (and calorie!)

Wednesday Want- Strawberry Slicer

2011-05-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

It's time for another Wednesday Want already, just in time for Mother's Day. There are plenty of lovely, expensive kitchen tools around that would be perfect for any mother but this one is cheap and especially wonderful for spring time. Can I tell you how excited I am about strawberry season? They're finally plentiful and inexpensive around here and I can't get enough. Typically, I was my berries (a pound or two at a time) in the colander then slice the top off with a paring knife. Then I line them up and slice them vertically with my beloved French chef (if one of my kitchen tools was my boyfriend, this knife would be it.) I am in love with my Cutco knives- especially since every time I send them in for complimentary sharpening, they replace one or two (free of charge!) They are sharper than you'd believe, though, as the scars on my hands will happily testify. I've drilled and drilled that fact into my little man and will have to tell him, and you, my "Pride comes before the Cutco knife" story when he's old enough to appreciate it. For now, he knows to stay away.

But since he's an eager and willing helper in the kitchen most of the time, I wanted a solution that would let him get involved. I've used an egg slicer to slice strawberries before but the flimsy wires break and stop working far too soon for a household that eats up strawberries like mine. This slicer, advertised to cut things like eggs and mushrooms, does a lovely job. I picked one up at Shar's for my mom the other day and will have to get another for my house. You can even use a little stem removing tool like this one from Chef'n or this traditional one (3 bucks at Shar's) and my four year old can go from fresh washed to beautifully sliced berries in no time. For under ten bucks, you really can't be that.

Don't forget to check out my Amazon store for more great Mother's Day recommendations. With Amazon Prime, you can have you order shipped for free just in time (did you know they have a free student and mom version too?)

TWD- Chocolate and Peppermint Marbled Loaf Cake

2011-05-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie treat was a real winner at our house. I used a smaller loaf pan so I made a mini loaf as well and left one with my parents and took the other home. By the time I had it cut and took a couple of pictures, my kids had each swiped a piece or two. It never made it from cutting board to plate but everyone loved it. After naps, my little man walked out and asked for a piece of "chocolate bread" and was very upset to hear we'd given the last piece away. That was my biggest problem with this recipe- it was eaten far too fast and was deceptively guiltless (hence the "chocolate bread" nickname). There's way too much butter to count this as decent breakfast fare but I'll admit it was a lovely breakfast. We loved the peppermint version (made by dividing the batter and adding melted white chocolate to one portion and melted chocolate and peppermint extract to the other). Dorie suggests several wonderful variations and I can't wait to try a raspberry key lime cake next time. See the recipe here and try the batter (it might have been even better than the amazing cake!)

Royal Cupcakes for my Prince and Princess

2011-05-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}

I'm sure you've seen way too much about the royal wedding already (but all my efforts to post these on Friday came to naught!) I DVR'd the event at my mom's and haven't been over to watch it yet, though I've loved seeing all the dress and crazy hat pictures. I've had to laugh at the copious facebook statuses exclaiming total excitement or annoyance at the whole thing, but I couldn't let the weekend go by without making a treat in honor of the wedding (it has something to do with my kids' super 'top secret' names, since, well, I don't actually call my own little princess Baby Strawberry around the house, though my little man does answer to that).

In 2008 my family took a trip to Greece to pick my brother up from his mission, and we stopped in London on the way home for about 8 hours overnight. Our parents stayed in their hotel like sane people and my brother and I work up at 3 to take the tube (that's what they call it, right? I always want to say metro, but I'm a frenchie at heart!) downtown and see what we could see in three or four hours.

When we walked up the stairs from the 'metro' we were right next door to Big Ben, it was so fun! It was still totally dark but we wandered across the bridge and back, through the park, over to Buckingham Palace, through what must have been the business district, judging from all the people heading to work, and eventually back to Big Ben and to the airport. We made it barely on time and were totally exhausted but it was wonderful to have been there, if only for a couple hours! Now I want to go again and see all the places from my favorite British historical fiction books.

As for the cupcakes themselves, little additions really put them over the top. Adding vanilla bean to the batter, filling them with pastry cream or pudding after they cool (I fill a pastry bag and use Ateco tip #230, but any substantial round frosting tip could work), and frosting them extra high- with homemade frosting of course- are some of my favorite tricks. Of course the king of the castle over here doesn't like frosting, so I usually help him with his and he graciously finishes off my cake. We're good like that.

I've posted about making candy melt decorations for cupcakes before and will have a nice explanatory post up in a week or so with some college graduation cupcakes I made last year with ASU's logo. The short of it is, I print out the design or monogram I'm looking for, cover the sheet with wax paper, and trace using a parchment bag (or clipped baggie) filled with melted candy melts (you can buy a huge assortment of colors at Michael's or Joann's). Then I freeze the sheet and after a few minutes, you can pop the design right off the paper and stick on top of the cupcake. I really wanted to come up with a sapphire blue to match Kate's ring but the best I had was a pretty light blue my friend loaned me (plus some food coloring). I had to thin the candy with Crisco and it was still a little clumpy due to the coloring. All would have been well, though, had I remembered the piping tip- somehow I ended up with half of my supplies and half at my mom's (who was also out of wax paper). So my grand plans for individually labeled Kate and Will cupcakes didn't pan out, but my own little royalty loved them just the same. You can see a picture of the process here if you are interested.

Update- I just found the prettiest Will and Kate printables and hope to find a good use for them soon, check them out here!

Royal Cupcakes for Will and Kate
from Anne Strawberry

{printable recipe here}

1 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
seeds scraped from one vanilla bean
1 box betty crocker french vanilla cake mix

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Place atop a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine all ingredients in stand mixer and beat for two minutes until well combined. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, scoop into muffin tins.

Bake for 21-24 minutes or until cupcakes spring back slightly when touched and a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on racks and frost once completely cooled.

Anne Strawberry's Favorite Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened (one stick)
1 package of cream cheese, softened (I like to use Neufchatel, less fat and I don't notice much difference)

2 Tablespoons milk
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla pod, scraped
dash of salt
6 cups of powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency, this is a baseline)
1 Tablespoon meringue powder

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the milk, vanilla, and salt, and blend.

Next, add the powdered sugar and meringue powder, cover the bowl of the mixer with a dish towel, and turn it on low until everything is combined. Then increase the speed for a minute or so until the frosting is light, fluffy, and delicious. The meringue powder will help set the frosting after it dries so it holds its shape.

Variation:
Add 1 T. Lemon or orange zest and substitute juice for the milk to make a tangy citrus frosting

For the filling:
Anne Strawberry's Slightly Lightened Pastry Cream
After the cupcakes have cooled, fit a pastry bag with a long, medium tip. Fill with cooled pastry cream and squeeze one or two tablespoons into the center of each cupcake, filling until the top of the cupcake starts to bulge slightly. Frost and decorate the cupcakes and serve.

P.S. Sorry about the world's longest post, but did you spot my favorite car ever in the pictures? So many beautiful things in Europe! Come back tomorrow for TWD- Chocolate Peppermint Pound Cake!

Wednesday Want- The Saucinator Whisk

2011-04-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today's (super late) Wednesday Want features something that I really want for my own kitchen, and have yet to get my hands on! I went to a great cooking class at Shar's in Gilbert over the weekend. It was fun to see her demonstrate all the great pressure cookers, fun gadgets, and new recipes. It was not so fun walking away lusting after $300 pans. I did check out this new whisk, though, and can't wait to get my hands on one. It's called "The Saucinator" (silly but true) and it features coils on the bottom as well as a coil up the handle for extra efficiency. The bottom is also covered in silicone to prevent scratching of my pretty pan that I usually use for sauces. I was anxious to try this whisk after Shar effortlessly made a huge batch of gravy (no lumps!) but they were sold out. Amazon Prime to the rescue, it can be here by the weekend, ready to whip up a batch of pastry cream or maybe some strawberry pie filling. Around 7 bucks, it won't break the bank either. If only it came in red...

Have you used the saucinator before? Have a favorite amazing whisk? Please let me know in the comments!

TWD- Apple Tart Handpies

2011-04-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
Yesterday I went to make the cornmeal shortbread cookies for TWD and realized I had no cornmeal! I still needed to make the tourtley apple tart so I decided that would have to do, so I set about making the pastry (nut free for Baby Strawberry). I pulled out one of my prized jars of homemade applesauce, since Dorie's description of the apple filling sounded so similar. My friend's grandma always made the best applesauce, spiced with cinnamon, mashed only a little to yield a thick, chunky, fragrant treat. I just can't eat any other kind now (though I'll admit I do buy the huge jars of Treetop at Costco for the kids!)

Last summer my thoughtful best friend Kara gave me several bushels of tart apples from her parents' tree. My mom and I made batch after batch of applesauce and apple pie filling to last all year with her steam canner. It's the only thing I've really canned before but it's not that intimidating and so rewarding. I only have a few jars left and can't wait for apple season to come again. If you haven't made applesauce before, I'd encourage you to try it soon. It's really not that time consuming with the apple peeler tool and the end product is so rewarding. Next time you have several apples languishing in the bottom of the fridge give it a try and let me know that I'm not the only person that's high maintenance about something as trivial as applesauce!

When it came time to shape the tart dough, I realized my mini tart pans were at my mom's, so I used my little dumpling press to make these hand pies. I bought a set at Ross several years ago (similar to this one) and they don't take up much room in the pantry and work really well for handpies. My husband loves the crust to filling ratio, too. While I certainly heavily deviated from the intended recipe, the flavors are the same and they are absolutely wonderful. Even better, it all came together in just a few minutes. Thanks Dorie for the inspiration and Jeannette for the recipe choice!

Gram McGrath's Apple Sauce (the only kind Anne Strawberry will eat)
from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}

8 Apples (I prefer the tart/firm varieties, but whatever you have on hand will work)
1 Cup Water
1/2 - 2/3 Cup Sugar, depending on the sweetness of the apples
2/3 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Peel, core, and slice the apples (I use my handy apple peeler/slicer to make quick work of this job, even my little man can do it).

In a large saucepan (or a big stockpot if you're doubling the recipe, I usually do) combine the apples, water, and sugar. Simmer until soft (about 15-20 minutes) and mash with a potato mashed- don't drain! Add cinnamon, stir, and eat warm.

Deviled Eggs

2011-04-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}

Hope you had a nice Easter weekend! We had great company, awesome food, even perfect weather! I colored eggs with the kids and my light tile miraculously made it out alright, even if Baby Strawberry sported a bright blue hand for a few days. Only after we finished did someone tell me they always do their eggs outside, why didn't I think of that? They turned out pretty well even though I couldn't find the actual dye kit anywhere (some hot water, a little vinegar, and a squirt of my gel food coloring worked awesome- except the fuchsia came out a little crazy). My little man was so proud of the beautiful eggs and a not too happy that I wanted to mess with them, but deviled eggs were calling. I've never made them before so I scoped out a basic recipe from Rachael Ray. They turned out great (and looked pretty cute cut with my crinkle cutter, thanks for the tip Paula!)

Anne Strawberry Made Deviled Eggs For the First Time
{printable recipe here}
recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

12 large eggs
Ice water
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper
Paprika, for dusting

In a large pot, arrange the eggs in a single layer and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and remove from the heat; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain, then cover the eggs with ice water. Let stand until cool to the touch.

Peel the eggs, halve lengthwise and scoop the yolks into a medium bowl, reserving the egg whites. Mash the yolks with the mayonnaise, mustard and cayenne; season with salt and black pepper. Spoon the yolk mixture into the egg white halves and dust with paprika.

By the Book Friday- Parmesan Asparagus for Easter

2011-04-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
Can you believe Easter weekend is here? It's snuck up on me again. We are going to have our standard menu- ham (Costco style), potatoes, homemade rolls, and Parmesan asparagus or green beans (whichever is on sale, is that awful?) I usually make something fruity for dessert, like Lemon Curd Cheesecake. This week I tried out a Cherry Pineapple Cobbler thanks to Lucky Leaf Pie Filling. I will post that delicious recipe later today (crossing my fingers!)

The recipe that inspired today's By the Book Friday Post comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style. It's no secret that I have a big crush on Ina and she really can't do any wrong in my eyes. I'll admit that I didn't follow the recipe exactly, as she roasts the asparagus and my oven was full at the time (oh, to have a double oven!) So instead, I blanched the asparagus by cooking them for two or three minutes in boiling water, then stopping the cooking by covering them with ice water. Then I crisped them up in a hot skillet with a little butter and olive oil and added the rest of the flavors in Ina's recipe- kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, generous Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. It just takes a couple minutes and the final product is really fragrant and delicious (even my little man ate these up). And like I said, you can use fresh green beans instead- either makes a delicious spring dinner side dish.

Do you have any Easter favorites that you make every year? I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Parmesan Asparagus with Lemon from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}
adapted from Ina Garten

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 large)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 lemons cut in wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (note- I blanked them instead, so I boiled a large pan of water to begin).

If the stalks of the asparagus are thick, peel the bottom 1/2 of each. Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Variation: Instead of roasting in the oven, I blanched the asparagus for three minutes in salted boiling water. Next, submerge the asparagus in ice water to 'shock' it. Transfer to a skillet warmed over medium high with a couple tablespoons of olive oil or butter and brown for just one or two minutes. Then season and garnish as above, with salt, pepper, sliced Parmesan cheese, and the juice of half a lemon. Serve immediately.

Wednesday Want- Cookie Scoops

2011-04-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

Anyone know what's wrong with Photobucket? My pictures are all in hiding and it's making me crazy! Anyways, if you're new here, please come again. I'm trying to get it sorted out and today for my Wednesday Want I have one of my very favorite tools- the humble metal scoop. It's technically an ice cream scoop but I don't use mine for that, ever. I love this scoop for making the most typical cookies into something special. You could use store bought dough and scoop them out and they would come out perfectly shaped, bake evenly, and look like a million bucks (but making the dough is my favorite part, so I never do that!)

Magenta Cupcakes

The same goes for cupcakes- I use a scoop this size for the perfect cupcake. Not only does a scoop make the job of dishing out the dough or batter (that used to be my least favorite part) much quicker, it's also much more effective. That's the best. I also use a cookie scoop to make gorgeous pancakes and be a hero to all the carb lovers in my house.

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

There's a ton of different sizes available- I have three or four. This one is a pretty good baseline- as well as the one tablespoon scoop. My mom also has a hard to find, tiny teaspoon scoop that makes the most adorable tiny cookies. They're easy to find at Target, TJ Maxx, or Pampered Chef. Just make sure to get one with all metal parts- the plastic ones aren't worth anything! Do you have a favorite use for cookie scoops (besides ice cream?) Come back for cake on By The Book Friday- I owe a friend a German Chocolate Cake, so if you have a great recommendation please let me know!

TWD- Strawberry Apple Double Crisp

2011-04-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
My husband, Mr. Carbohydrate himself, loves fruit crisp in any variety so I knew this week's Tuesdays with Dorie treat, Strawberry Rhubarb Double Crisp would be a hit. Of course I've never made anything with Rhubarb (am I the only one?) and there's none at the store- so I subbed in an easy favorite- apples. They're cheap, delicious, and easy to prepare using my favorite apple slicer and peeler. Strawberries are barely in season and still way too much money so I used some that I had sliced and frozen last summer instead of fresh.

Then I catered to the needs of the group- no nuts, no ginger (fine, that was my doing), and extra cinnamon. A little less sugar in the filling, a little extra citrus, and this crisp was the real deal- even if it was nothing at all like Dorie intended.You could easily sub in different fruit (maybe cran apple next time?) and spices and the end product will be great- you know, butter, sugar, fruit, how bad can that be? Just don't forget the ice cream and come back tomorrow for the Wednesday Want! You can see my loosely based version of the recipe below or the real deal from Sarah here.

Anne Strawberry Apple Double Crisp
{printable recipe here}
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

For the Filling:
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
3 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 1 pound)- frozen is fine too
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 medium apples (pink lady, granny smith, something crisp)
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
zest of half an orange (about a quarter cup)

For the Crisp:
1 cup flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup oats
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350. Set a baking dish (I used a medium rectangular pyrex, something around 9 x 9 or 7 x 11) on top of a baking sheet.

Stir together the water and cornstarch and set aside to dissolve. In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries and sugar. Using a fork, wooden spoon, or potato masher, cook the strawberries over medium heat, while stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring it back to a boil. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the filling is thick and turns clear. Stir in the vanilla and set aside while you prepare the apples.

Peel and slice the apples into halved, 1/2 inch thick wedges. Toss with orange zest and juice and set aside.

To prepare the crisp- combine the flour, sugar, oats, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and blend with your fingers. Pour over the melted butter and gently combine ingredients with a fork.

Put half the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and pat down to make a crust. Pour in the apples and pour over the strawberry filling. Smooth the jam and evenly sprinkle over the rest of the crumb mixture. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until slightly browned, bubbly, and fragrant. Allow to cool for five or ten minutes and serve warm with ice cream.

By the Book Friday- Sheet Cakes

2011-04-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

I kind of hate sheet cake. Not really, I mean, it's easy to make, transport, and serve- but there's no way to try a bit just to make sure things are okay before you send them off! Or to snitch a bit of the tempting mint brownies! I've been hoping to get some great new recipe tried this week for today's post but when it came down to it, I needed to make dessert for 80 guys tonight I didn't really want to make something new and fancy when I needed quantity and dependability, so I stuck with trusty old favorites. They don't technically meet my own 'by the book Friday' parameters but if there was an Anne Strawberry Cookbook (At Home with Anne Strawberry? See Anne Strawberry Burn through a Ton of Butter and Flour? All the Stuff Anne Strawberry Tries to Fatten Her Friends and Family with?) these would each be in there. Well, minus the Rice Krispie treats. Those are just not my style but my tall man will jump through hoops for them so I included a batch. I bet they will get eaten quickly even if I don't like them! And the chocolate, well, I couldn't decide between the mint brownies and the Texas sheet cake as I mentally tried a piece. Fortunately for me, I thought the sheet cake looked a little full before I baked it (ahem, that's a lie) so I reserved a tiny bit of batter for two mini cakes for the ladies tonight. They look so great in their tiny little pans, covered with pretty chocolate icing and pecans. Yum. I hope the men appreciate the chocolate (do they really?)

I read this poem today on Clover Lane and had to share. It's very sweet and I think I need to print it up for my house. Loving BMWs, pretty furniture, and expensive chocolate is easy enough. I need to focus on finding the beautiful in the everyday (even Rice Krispie treats?)

Learn to like what doesn't cost much.
Learn to like reading, conversation, music.
Learn to like plain food, plain service, plain cooking.
Learn to like fields, trees, brooks, hiking, rowing, climbing hills.
Learn to like people,
even though some of them may be different...
different from you.
Learn to like to work and enjoy the satisfaction of doing your job as well as it can be done.
Learn to like the songs of birds, the companionship of dogs.
Learn to like gardening, puttering around
the house and fixing things.
Learn to like the sunrise and sunset, the beating of the rain
on the roof and windows,
and the gentle fall of snow on a winter's day.
Learn to keep your wants simple and
refuse to be controlled by the likes and dislikes of others.
Lowell Bennion

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to enjoy some girl time with Baby Strawberry. We're going to try painting her toe nails again (and hopefully we'll have better results this time!) And cross your fingers that all my well loved, carefully labeled (if not shined) sheet pans and lids make it home. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous...

Top to bottom:
Mint Brownies (aka BYU Brownies)
Lemon Cake (this time I used a lemon cream cheese icing instead of the citrus glaze since I was out of juice)
Texas Sheet Cake
Rice Krispie Treats (from the box, plus some sprinkles to jazz them up!)

Wednesday Want- French Rolling Pin

2011-04-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

As I'm starting this new Wednesday Want tradition, I don't want you all to think, "sure, that would be great, but ____ costs a ton so oh well." I get enough of that feeling reading design blogs! Some of my favorite kitchen tools (like my beloved Empire Red) are pricey- but lots of them are not, thanks to awesome places like TJ Maxx, Ross, Target, and Amazon. So it is with today's item. I used to have a great marble rolling pin. It was pretty, heavy, too much money, and I was always afraid I would drop it on my foot. I can't remember why I ended up with one of these amazing French rolling pins but I haven't stopped buying them since (I needed a back up at mom's for when I'm making pie over there!) Unlike a traditional rolling pin, the French rolling pin is lightweight, nice and long, and doesn't have any handles to snap off when you are fighting to roll out a batch of dough. It's pretty and you can buy them with tapered ends or not. And even if you don't like to make pie or sugar cookies, there's so many great things to use it for. Here's some of my favorite-

Apple Pie

Chicken Piccata- I put the chicken in a baggie, cover it with a dish towel, and use the rolling pin to flatten it so it cooks nice and evenly. Don't use your wooden rolling pin to beat raw chicken, bleh!

Cinnamon Rolls

Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry

Orange Rolls

They're about ten bucks on Amazon but mine came from TJ Maxx (about 6 bucks). The more you use it the prettier it will get- mine is a rich, golden color now and feels smooth and useful in my hand. After I've used it, I wipe it down with a clean, damp cloth and stash it away for next time. I'm still finding more uses and hope you will give it a try. Do you have a favorite kind of rolling pin? Am I the only one who loves hers enough to post about it?! :)

By the Book Friday- Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese Tarts

2011-04-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
Ina Garten is my favorite so I figured I should start with one of her recipes for my first "By the Book Friday". I really want to focus on trying new things and actually getting through my cookbooks instead of just using them as decorations. I planned to take a nice picture of my cookbooks to show the material I would be working with for this new challenge but my hutch is just too crammed full of books (so next week, maybe?) We had Church recipe group this week and I happened to have a jar of roasted peppers, several boxes of puff pastry I scored at half off, and goat cheese, cheap from Trader Joe's. Everything else required was already in the pantry so I figured this was perfect. These tarts are so great- flavorful, crunchy, creamy, sweet, savory. It takes some time with the caramelized onions but every step is simple and the final product is stunning (even if the older women at recipe night told me the cheese smelled like goats! I think they liked it though!)

A few people asked to join up with By the Book Friday and so I signed up with Mr. Linky to get a widget, but I haven't gotten my sign up info yet so (hopefully) next week we will be good to go! Feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments if you've joined in! And please if you have a better name idea let me know!

Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Tarts
from Anne Strawberry
recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Back to Basics
{printable recipe here}

1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted {I thaw it overnight in the fridge}
Good olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine {I used a 1/4 cup white grape juice}
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1/2 freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese {I used regular goat cheese}
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices {note- I used 3/4 cup roasted red peppers or sliced bell peppers in the past}
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 12 by 12-inch square. Cut sheet into thirds each way, to yield 9, 3 x 3 squares per sheet (18 total). Place the pastry squares on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each square (being careful to go through only part of the pastry, just use gentle pressure). Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each tart, staying inside the scored border.

Place a teaspoon of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato (or bell peppers or roasted bell peppers) in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil (not necessary with the roasted peppers) and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 2 or 3 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Wednesday Want- Silpats

2011-03-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Today I took two sheet cakes to Church and couldn't believe how clean and perfect the extra sheet pans in the kitchen were, compared to mine (that are only about six months old, and diligently scrubbed). Whenever someone sees my pans, though, they instantly comment on the liners and ask what they are and why I have them. I'm crazy for Silpats and usually start an overly long conversation about how awesome they are, how much they cost, where to buy them, why you need one, two, four, whatever, and how I couldn't live without them. So I figured that sharing Silpat's with you for my first Wednesday Want was appropriate!

Here's the scoop from the source- "Silpat nonstick baking sheets are made of woven glass coated with food-standard silicone. Used daily by professionals, the sheets offer multipurpose uses for preparing, cooking, and heating up food. They're also easy to clean--simply wipe them off using hot water and dish soap. Store them by either rolling them up or keeping them flat. Do not cut Silpat baking sheets with metal, but with DeMarle's Exoglass cutters or knives. Silpat baking sheets replace parchment paper, and are heat-resistant up to 480 degrees F. The Silpat makes any baking sheet nonstick- no greasing necessary. The baking sheets are made in France."

When I made Dorie's Carrot Cake Cookies, I didn't have enough Silpats for all of my baking sheets. I used an airbake sheet for one batch and they came out totally flat and malformed, instead of perfectly shaped (and pleasantly plump) like those baked on the Silpats.

With certain recipes, I really prefer flat cookies- but this is more irregular and accidental than perfectly thin.

Silpats aren't just good for cookies, though- I like to roast veggies or meat on them, bake my rolls on top (no greasing necessary, remember?) Sometimes I roll out pie crust on my sheets. They also help keep the mess down when I'm baking pies, muffins, or cupcakes (I put the lined pan right under the pie or muffin tin and there's no mess, overspill, or "brown bottoms" on the muffins!) They're easy to clean and don't require you to scrub the whole sheet pan or to throw away endless parchment. No, Silpat doesn't know anything about me or my little blog but I really think you should get to know them. I've tried the Wilton and Cuisinart knock offs and assure you that the Silpats, the real deal, are worth every penny. Please leave a comment and let me know your favorite thing use for Silpats!

PS- One more thing- these babies will last forever (I think 3000 uses is even enough for me) but make sure you never cut on them!

TWD- Mexican Wedding Cookies

2011-03-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little busy and stressful lately. When that happens I love to tackle a good project- clean the pantry, paint a piece of furniture, do some over the top recipe, try to paint Baby Strawberry's toenails (that one ended with 'Redipus Oedipus' all over my bath tub and my new top coat bottle shattered on the bathroom floor, remind me to cross baby pedicures off the "relaxing a little Anne" list!) When I make a huge mess and dedicate a lot of time to a project, it makes me feel better (especially after it's all cleaned up). So last week for Greek Independence Day, on top of the regular dishes, I decided to make homemade pitas and herb feta stuffed rolls. And then some key lime pie. There was a lot of mess and a lot of distraction (thanks for the help and the company, Lauren!) That said, I love a quick and easy recipe- and some days that's exactly what I need. These "Pecan Powder Puffs" as Dorie calls them come together in the food processor, with regular pantry ingredients. I'm not normally a huge fan of these cookies but Dorie did it again and changed my mind. They're sandy and light, flavorful and bite size (my little man loves that). Pretty awesome. I've liked "not liking" certain desserts and knowing I wouldn't be tempted, but Dorie keeps expanding my horizons (that didn't necessarily need expanding!)

Give this recipe a try- you can see it over at Buttercream Barbie or in the fabulous Baking by Dorie Greenspan. You never know what you might end up liking!

PS Come back tomorrow for the first "Wednesday Want"!

Banana Birthday Cake

2011-03-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
This month marks the third year for my cooking blog. The first two recipes I posted were Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu and Cafe Rio Pork Salads (that's still one of my top recipes). From there I was on to a whole lot of baked goods- tons of Dorie Greenspan and Barefoot Contessa recipes. Clearly, not much has changed! I've met so many great people and learned a lot in this crazy process and I really appreciate everyone that stops by, comments, and let's me know how the recipes turn out!

I wanted to make something fun to celebrate and had a bunch of bananas ready to go, so I pulled up all the good sounding banana recipes from my cookbooks and let my facebook peeps guide me. Ina's Banana Cake was the clear winner so I got to work making that. It's simple and delicious, pretty much fool proof and pretty, too. That's why we love the Barefoot Contessa! I also lightened the recipe up a tiny bit with plain yogurt in place of the sour cream. I then un-lightened it by smothering it in cream cheese frosting, what can you do?

I have a lot of great changes coming to my little virtual kitchen here. I still struggle with balance (and not leaving my little blog behind too frequently). I'm going to bring a little structure in, though, and even try to get ahead. Maybe I'm learning? :) I'll participate in TWD (hopefully more frequently), share my favorite baked goods as usual, and then I'll have two new "days" to help keep me on track. First, I'm borrowing inspiration from the fabulous Freckles in April for the "Wednesday Want", where I'll post my favorite kitchen products and great recipes to use them (first up? Probably Silpats, I can't stop telling people how awesome they are!) Next, I'm dedicating Fridays to a new recipe from one of my cookbooks. Not revolutionary, but helpful to me! I know I'm not the only one that has too many gorgeous cookbooks sitting unused, so I'm going to promise myself to try one totally new recipe a week from one of my books and let you know how it turns out. I'm still working on a name (the best I've come up with is "By the Book Friday", yeah, this is not my forte and I would certainly love some help there!)

I also have my Yoplait delights giveaway from Yoplait via myBlogSpark winner to post, finally. The random winner is "Cassidy's Cakes". Please get me your info as soon as possible so I can pass it along and have it sent out! I'm sorry about the delay on the giveaway and lack of posting but we've had one crazy week. A seven year old little boy from Church passed away unexpectedly this week and we've all found ourselves hugging our kids, dropping off cookies, and hoping our hugs and prayers are helping a little. If you have an extra prayers do send them off for the Ellsworth family. You can also donate here to help with the incurred expenses. And give your family an extra squeeze, because there's nothing more important!

Old Fashioned Banana Cake
{printable recipe here}
Adapted by Anne Strawberry from Ina Garten's "How Easy Is That"

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (I prefer dark but whatever you have on hand is fine)
grated zest of one orange
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (I make my little man help me with this)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain, nonfat yogurt (Ina called for sour cream but yogurt worked great here, either is great)
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (I always use kosher but it's up to you)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (option- I omitted these for baby Strawberry's sake, but I would recommend pecans here)
cream cheese frosting (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9 x 2 inch round cake pan (note- a small casserole pan would work great too, or cupcakes- I'd guess you'd get about 18-20- just lower the cooking time to about 20-25 minutes).

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine both sugars and the orange zest. Rub together until fragrant. Put on the paddle attachment and mix in the bananas until combined. Still on low, add the oil, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla and mix until smooth.

If you're feeling patient (not likely over here) sift together the dry team- flour, soda salt. Carefully add to the mixer on low speed, until just combined (you don't want to over do this and cause the cake to be tough). Stir in the nuts if desired (or chocolate chips!) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then turn out onto a rack, flip it over again, and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting, garnish with nuts, and enjoy!

Anne's Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces neufchatel (reduced fat cream cheese), very soft- that's one box
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, also softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar (half a standard bag- about 4 cups)

Cream the cream cheese can butter until smooth and perfectly incorporated on low speed, being careful not to go too long or too fast to avoid excess air in the frosting. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth and delicious. We use the extra to make coveted "graham cracker sandwiches", just spread a few tablespoons between graham crackers and freeze. Yum.

St. Patrick's Mint Brownies

2011-03-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

{printable recipe here}
My favorite frozen yogurt place has St. Patrick's Mint yogurt once a year. It's minty and delicious and tastes as great as 31 Flavors Mint Chocolate Chip, almost. The rest of the time, I remember it and order the peanut butter instead. These classic mint brownies, now dubbed St. Patrick's Mint Brownies in the froyo's honor, blow the delicious, hard to find frozen yogurt out of the water. I start with my favorite brownie mix (or recipe, whatever, but I usually use Betty Crocker Supreme, the kind with the extra chocolate chunks). While they bake, make a simple frosting with mint extract and green food coloring to your liking. Spread melted chocolate and butter on top, chill, and serve. They taste even better cold (is that possible?) Or warm? Either way, I think they are perfect for any holiday. I haven't made a fresh batch yet for tomorrow (Baby Strawberry has a double ear infection so survival is pretty much all that's cooking here!)

A quick note- these would taste amazing right out of the pan, but they look prettiest if you lift the whole thing out, slice the edges, and cut into pieces. I use my big chef's knife. If the brownies are nice and cold and the knife is a little wet they'll turn out a lot prettier than mine did (but we all know patience isn't my forte!)

There's a lot more mint deliciousness around here if you need more ideas for St. Patrick's Day:

Thin Mint Mini Cheesecake

Mint Chocolate Chippers (like at Paradise Bakery)

Mint Filled Vanilla Sandwich Cookies

Mint Oreo Cheesecake Brownies with Mint Ganache

St Patrick's Mint Brownies (aka BYU Brownies)
{printable recipe here}
from Anne Strawberry
adapted from Linda Buchanan

One 9 x 13 pan of Brownies, cooked and cooled (I like to line the pan with foil or parchment before I grease it, then I can lift them right out after they cool. Peel off the foil for a nice, neat sheet of chocolate deliciousness).

Mint Frosting:
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 Teaspoon Pure Peppermint Extract
Green Food Coloring

Cream butter with 1/2 the powdered sugar until well incorporated. Add the remaining sugar and milk until desired consistency is reached (it should be light and nice and spread-able). Add extract and coloring to taste. Spread over cooled brownies and refrigerate.

Chocolate Topping:
1 Cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
6 Tablespoons Butter

Make a double boiler but setting a heat proof bowl over an inch or so of simmering water. Slowly melt the butter and chocolate, making sure to remove from heat just before the chocolate is completely melted. Stir until smooth and pour over cooled, frosted brownies. Place in freeze until firm and cut into small pieces.

TWD- Cherry Sunshine Muffins

2011-03-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

I have a love hate relationship with muffins. They're so easy and quick to make, so flexible on ingredients. They're also usually so full of butter- and they taste so good. So yeah, we try to limit our muffin making but of course we loved these! Next time I'll sub in some whole wheat flour to make up for the butter. With some extra tart dried cherries and lots of citrus zest and juice (orange and lemon both), I don't think you'd really notice. The trick to muffins is just to handle the batter delicately and to make sure that you don't try to work out every single lump. And the actual hardest part? Don't eat too many- don't let the dried fruit fool you, they're chock full of butter (and SO good!) And since I can't leave well enough alone, I brushed them with butter right out of the oven and sprinkled them with sugar so they were a little sparkly.

I'm super excited to have the chance to do another review for CSN Stores. I seem to always have furniture on my mind and love these gorgeous modern bar stools. Around here though it seems like baby step stools are more practical even if they aren't as pretty as that apple green cross-backed beauty above! As always though, kitchen stuff is on my mind. I've been trying to nicely steal my mom's immersion blender for ages and she's not budging (not fair considering I made her buy and fall in love with it in the first place!) My real hope is to finally get a grain mill. I've been mooching *I mean borrowing* my friends' Nutrimill when I make bread and I think it's about time, but I'm having a hard time committing to the cost! Suggestions anyone? Anyone of you have an love a Nutrimill? Fortunately they're all available on CSN Stores and I think it's going to be a win win, if I can ever decide!

PS Come back tomorrow for a nice, minty St. Patty's day treat!

Pear Blueberry Pi(e) & a Giveaway

2011-03-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Pi Day! When I was in high school there was this great teacher who always went all out with his students and everyone was jealous that they got extra credit for bringing in pie and having fun (especially those of us with the evil math teacher, Mr. P). They even had a chant to help rattle off the numbers. I guess you could say I'm living out some sort of childhood fantasy by celebrating Pi day but really I'm trying to blog more consistently and figured it was a good excuse to make a pie- one of my favorite things to do. I know a lot of people stress over crust and filling but it's important to remember what the Barefoot Contessa would say- butter, sugar, flour, how bad can that be? Most pies turn out delicious even if they aren't beautiful.

This pie, inspired by the Pear Lattice Pie from a cookbook I picked up at Goodwill recently- the Best of Gourmet- a Year of Celebrations. It's a beautiful book and super cheap on Amazon. I had to buy it since I couldn't stop looking at all the gorgeous photos! This is the first recipe I've tried so far and it was easy and delicious... minus one hiccup. I forgot to mention that I decided last minute to make a pie yesterday- after a long day of Church meetings, Church, and a screaming Baby Strawberry. Making pie is therapeutic though and I figured it would add a lot to dinner so I made up the pastry quickly in the food processor and stashed it in the freezer to cool as quickly as possible (you can make the crust by hand but it's quick and easy to use the FP, I recommend a Cuisinart like one of these).

Then I set about making the filling- I peeled four nice pears, added a little basket of blueberries for color, the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A squeeze of lemon juice and it still seemed awfully dry to me. So I added some more juice (and zest while I was at it). Still dry. I usually work with apples instead of pears so I figured something just must be different there, so I set it aside and went to work rolling out the crust.

After I baked the pie, everyone was clamoring for a slice so we didn't even let it cool properly. My tall man happily tasted it for me and suddenly I realized what was wrong with the filling- I'd left out the sugar! Oh man, I was so mad that my crazy day had compromised my beautiful pie! Like I said, though, you can't go too wrong (despite my sugarless pie with loads of extra tart lemon juice!) I served the pie with generous dollops of *heavily sugared* whipped cream and it was enjoyed by all. Of course in all the flurry trying to fix my pie I didn't get a picture of a slice with all the pretty fruit filling. Nonetheless, I hope you'll consider making a pie. You can see some of my favorites here. Even if you use store bought crust and just press it together with the tines of a fork, I really feel like pie is the kind of dessert that brings people together and makes them feel loved- even if you forget the sugar. And that's what it's all about!

Today I also have a great giveaway from Yoplait via MyBlogSpark. We aren't big milk drinkers over here so in order to get enough calcium we serve a lot of Yoplait (my favorite is the key lime pie, wow). These parfaits come in all sorts of great dessert flavors like chocolate raspberry and lemon torte. MyBlogSpark sent us a prize pack and my little man LOVED this stuff. I loved that I didn't feel guilty giving it to him! The prize pack includes a coupon to try Yoplait Delights, a Chocolate scented votive candle, insulated tote and aromatherapy eye pillow- all together a nice package to help you relax and enjoy yourself (much needed after a long day and a sugar less pie, right?) You can even print out a coupon here.

I have one prize pack to giveaway- to enter just leave a comment and if you'd like to indulge me, do tell the craziest things you've done in the kitchen so I'll feel better about the pie! You can have an extra entry by becoming a follower and leaving me a separate comment to let me know. I'll leave the giveaway open until Friday at midnight (AZ time). Hopefully I'm not the only one to make silly mistakes in the kitchen!

Pear Blueberry Pi(e)
from Anne Strawberry
adapted from Gourmet

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I also added the same amount of cinnamon)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 lb firm-ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears, peeled, each cut into 8 wedges, and cored (about four)
1/2 pint Blueberries, washed and dried
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pastry dough (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon milk

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Whisk together flour, nutmeg, salt, and 2/3 cup sugar. Gently toss with pears and lemon juice.

Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round, then fit into a 9 1/2-inch glass or metal pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out dough for top crust. Roll out remaining piece of dough on lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin into a roughly 16- by 11-inch rectangle. Cut crosswise into 12 (1-inch-wide) strips with a pastry wheel or a sharp knife. Spoon filling into shell. Weave a lattice pattern over pie with pastry strips. Trim edges of all strips close to edge of pie plate. Fold bottom crust up over edges of lattice and crimp edge. Brush lattice (but not edge) with milk and sprinkle lattice with remaining tablespoon sugar. (Note- I just rolled the second half of the dough out and made a regular crust for the sake of time)

Bake pie on a baking sheet 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375°F and cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil. Continue to bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes more. Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature, at least 2 hours.

Gourmet's Pastry Dough
via Epicurious

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water

Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 5 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)

Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and press into 2 balls, then flatten each into a 5-inch disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Marshmallow Fondant Pirate Cupcakes

2011-03-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

My little man turned four a few weeks ago. We had a big pirate party and since I like to try to make myself crazy I thought I would try out fondant for the first time. I skipped to marshmallow fondant since it's supposed to taste better.

First, I made orange creamsicle cupcakes again (still his favorite color) with my standard doctored mix recipe.

Then I dabbed a little frosting on top of each (I just whipped up some softened butter and powdered sugar, you could even use canned frosting, bleh!)

Next I made fondant. I followed Clara's awesome directions and made it in the microwave using C&H Powdered sugar, Jet Puff Marshmallows, and water. She's awesome and took pictures of the fondant process. You can see the recipe below. After you knead it and let it rest, you portion it out into the different colors you need. Get out the rolling pin, powdered sugar, and shortening. Look past the excessive mess. To color the fondant, you just knead in the gel food coloring until you reach the desired color. Make sure your hands are generously greased with Crisco (my tall man helped me knead my rich red, it took forever, and that really grossed him out!) Then rewrap and set aside each color.

To make the pirates, generously dust your surface with powdered sugar. Roll out the skin tone and use a cutter to cut circles the same size as the cupcakes to make the faces. I used my cooking spray lid. Now I totally faked how to make these pirates off of a picture I found online (like this one but I can't find the original now). I forgot that I would also need to make pirate ears and noses with the flesh tone- so make sure you save a little extra. This color is the one you need the most of by far. Smooth the circle over the cupcake and then shape little ears and nose. Mine are far from perfect but that's okay. I used a new cheap paintbrush from Michael's and dipped it in water then brushed the back of the pieces and pushed them onto the fondant. Then I used the other end of the brush to make the ear indentations. I've never taken a fondant class and just read a couple things online and they were perfectly cute and fine, even if they were far from perfect! So don't stress it too much!

Next I rolled out the color for the scarves (pink and red). I cut strips about an inch wide and then used the same cutter to make the faces to cut matching circles for the hats. Paint brush, press on, etc. The I rolled little snakes out of the same color and criss crossed them to make the tie and put them on the right side. Then I did the same for little eyes- one for the boys and two for the girls. Then I pushed on big round blue sprinkles to be the irises (I marked them an edible food marker to be the pupils).

I used my big cake decorating tip, the fat end, to make their smiles. You could use a paring knife instead. Then made little smiley marks by pushing in the tine of a fork carefully. To make the patches, roll a little circle and squish it (or use another big round bullet frosting tip to cut a circle). Glue it on with the wet paintbrush. Roll a little of the black fondant into a long strip and attach it to make the straps for the patch. There you have it! Just use the marker to add facial hair and scars. You can draw little lips on the ladies or use a big heart sprinkle like I did. Don't forget their eyelashes and earrings (also a big sprinkle- I used edible pearls but regular dragees would be perfect). Check out Michael's or the cake decorating store. This was my favorite part of the whole process, it was really fun to do all the scars and different faces!

And they were a hit! Don't be afraid to try something new. This was pretty fun, a lot like working with Playdoh, even if I was stressing the whole time about the party (seriously, a bunch of four year olds?!) And now I'm not too worried about trying fondant again! Give it a try and let me know how it goes. It doesn't really take any special equipment- basic ingredients and a rolling pin are all you really need. You can do it!

Marshmallow Fondant
{printable recipe here}
from Fondant 101 via Cuppycakes

Makes about 3 lbs of marshmallow fondant

16 ounces Jet Puff White Mini-Marshmallows
2-5 tbsp water
2 lbs C&H Powdered Sugar
about 1/2 cup Crisco shortening, to grease hands and work surface

Melt marshmallows and 2 tbsp of water in a microwave safe bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 second intervals (stir between intervals) for about 2-1/2 minutes until marshmallows are melted. Place 1 to 1-1/2 lbs of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.

Grease your entire hands and surface generously and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle.

Start kneading like you would bread dough. It will be VERY sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and surface when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily or it is to dry, add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time). Continue to knead and add water until there are no bits of powder sugar visible. It usually takes about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing.

Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, double wrap with saran wrap and then put in ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Let rest overnight for best results.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes for my Little Man
by Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}

1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Oil
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
Zest from two Oranges, finely grated
1 Yellow Cake Mix (I like Betty Crocker's)
Orange food coloring (or red and yellow)- I like Americolor Gel dyes but the basics will work just fine

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients except food coloring in stand mixer and mix on low to combine, about one minute. Then increase speed to medium high for two more minutes until well blended. Add drops of food coloring to achieve desired color and mix lightly until incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop, portion batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back which touched with a finger tip and they look done.

Jello Popcorn

2011-02-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}
My friend Lonica's family used to make jello popcorn almost every time we had movie night at her house. I hadn't had it in years but decided on a whim to make it for my little man one weekend. I used strawberry because, well, it's the only flavor of jello I had. Probably because it's the best, really! You can use any color and next time I remember to buy an orange box I'm pretty sure my son will flip out. After I made it I thought, why don't I make this all the time? Well, probably because it's SO healthy- but it's also SO good and definitely worth the splurge. As for the popcorn you start with, be sure to follow Lonica's tip- "The microwave kind doesn't really work, it needs to be plain corn without any butter." If you don't have a popper, though, you can do it on the stove in a big pan.

Lonica's Jello Popcorn
from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}
*notes- I didn't have enough Karo so I took some tips from this recipe from the Kraft website and used a little less and added a bit of butter. You can also bake the popcorn at 350 for 10 minutes after you mix it up if you like it crunchy (but yeah, not so around here!)

2/3 cup popcorn, popped (in an air popper or in a heavy pan on the stove top- see AB's instructions here)- one huge bowl popped
1/2 cup light Karo syrup (Lonica called for twice as much but that's what I had on hand)
1 cup Sugar
1 small box of Jello (any flavor, of course I prefer strawberry)
2 tablespoons Butter (optional- that's my addition but it worked out great)

In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine corn syrup, sugar, and jello. Stir until everything is dissolved and bubbly (a couple of minutes). Stir in the butter, if desired. Pour over the popped corn and stir quickly to combine. Enjoy! Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350 if you'd like it crunchy.

Yogurt Waffles

2011-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}
My husband loves breakfast. It makes sense since his nickname is Mr. Carbohydrate and most breakfast foods seem to be carb layered on carb. When I saw these gorgeous waffles on the lovely Whisk and a Spoon I knew they would make a great, easy weekend dinner. Please tell me you do breakfast for dinner too, right? Right? Well anyways, I like serving breakfast and calling it a decent meal because I don't love going to the grocery store, so occasionally I run out of regular "meat and potatoes" kind of meals. And for some reason my husband persists in being hungry every single night when he gets home from work. I omitted the spices hoping that he wouldn't miss the usual Bisquick. Nonetheless, he still prefers the boxed variety. But as for me and the little mouths I feed, we are going to stick with these waffles. Easy, yummy, and full of creamy, healthy plain yogurt. I served them with peanut butter and syrup (and fruit if you have it). Don't knock it till you try it. The peanut butter is all melty and delicious. Besides the inevitable sugar coma, it's a great dinner!

Yogurt Waffles
from Anne Strawberry
adapted from Fine Cooking via a Whisk and a Spoon
{printable recipe here}

9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I omitted this but will add it next time)
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (same as above)
1/8 tsp. ground cloves (same as above)
1-1/2 cups plain full-fat or low-fat yogurt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, separated
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 200°F and heat a waffle iron, preferably a Belgian waffle iron. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, milk, egg yolks, vegetable oil, and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, with a wire whisk or electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
With a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture until just combined (the batter should be a little lumpy). Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until just incorporated.

Brush the waffle iron with a little vegetable oil. Working in batches, cook the batter in the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions until crisp and golden. Set the waffles directly on the oven rack to keep warm. Do not stack them.

Serve the waffles with syrup and peanut butter (I freeze the extras and toast them later for an easy breakfast).

Irene's Maple Syrup
from Anne Strawberry
2 cups Sugar
2 cups Water
1/2 cup Dark Karo Syrup
1 teaspoon Maple extract
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes and serve over pancakes. Store leftovers in a screw-top glass jar for a few weeks (reheat in the microwave or on the stove).

Toasted Almond Pecan Scones

2011-02-22T00:06:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}
We've had a busy weekend and I wasn't sure I woul get to making this recipe but I knew I should. So this morning I opened up the fridge, armed myself with a stick of butter and my container of eggs. I opened up the cookbook and realized I did not have enough nuts, didn't have any heavy cream, didn't have any nerve to head to the grocery store with my kids after we'd spent all weekend in the car with Baby Strawberry screaming her head off.

Thankfully, Little Miss is a whole milk addict and we always have plenty of that on hand, so I just subbed out the cream for the delicious whole milk, added some pecans to my toasted almonds, and figured the butter would make up any difference. This is the first batch of scones I've made that were actually light and fluffy and delicious. To say I'm a perfectionist is, well, kind of like saying it's hot in Arizona. I have a hard time not mixing in every bit of flour and making sure every piece of butter is evenly incorporated. But I tried my OCD best not to overdo it and they turned out great (finally!) Thanks Mike for the fun recipe choice (see the real recipe on his blog and see the rest of the scones from the TWD group here!)

Toasted Almond Pecan Scones
from Anne Strawberry
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan
{printable recipe here}

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (5/8 cup)
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cube of butter (1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons), cut into small pieces
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional- for garnish)

In a medium saute pan, toast the nuts for five or ten minutes over medium heat, until fragrant (watch them closely!) Take half the nuts and roughly chop. Take the rest and combine with the sugar in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Blend egg, milk, and extracts (I like to use a glass measuring cup and a fork). In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, powder, salt, and pureed nuts. Add the chopped butter and, using your fingertips, cut and blend the butter into the dry ingredients, until it's all pebbly and well mixed (but the pieces will be different sizes, oatmeal to peas, and that's just fine). Pour over the wet ingredients and lightly mix together with a fork or spatula, being careful to be gentle. Turn the dough onto a floured board, pat out with your hands until about 3/4 inch thick and slice up or cut out with a biscuit cutter. I got twenty five using my 2 inch circle cutter. Place on a baking sheet with about 1/2 inch between each. Garnish with sliced almonds if desired.

Bake for 20- 22 minutes until slightly golden brown. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven and allow to slightly cool before serving with jam and butter.

Thin Mint Cheesecake

2011-02-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}
Some things, you just know they're going to be delicious. My mom and I always laugh at my beloved Barefoot Contessa when she says, "Butter, chocolate, sugar, how bad can that be?" but we really tend to say the same thing. When I pulled out the cream cheese, thin mints, butter, and sugar, I knew this recipe would end well. Crush up the cookies, add a little butter, press it into the pan. Blend the softened cream cheese for a minute or two in the mixer. Pour it in and you're good to go.

I originally adapted this recipe from Picky Palate. Jenny is so creative and never ceases to amaze me with the things she comes up with. Thin mint cheesecake is brilliant and delicious. I've lightened up the original recipe a little bit with plain yogurt instead of sour cream (I used Stonyfield) and upped the flavor with some vanilla. I also took out a little bit of the butter from the crust. To further lighten up, you can replace the cream in the ganache with "cashew cream", a blend of raw cashews (I get mine at Trader Joe's) and cold water. A few whirls in the blender and you have cashew cream that can subbed in for the regular, heavy cream in the ganache to top the cheesecake (and tastes the same!) Whether you make this cheesecake full size, in a tart pan, in a pie pan, in muffin tins- whatever- how bad can that be? You know it's going to be great!

This recipe yields 24 mini muffin size mini cheesecakes or 12 muffin size cheesecakes. I doubled the recipe and ended up with 16 muffin size cheesecakes and two 4" cheesecakes using my mini springforms. The whole thing start to finish was about an hour (including baking). This is the kind of dessert that makes a huge impact for minimal effort. Besides the thin mints (or mint oreos if the girl scouts aren't around), the rest of the ingredients are "staples"- at my house anyways. Cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cream/sour cream/or yogurt, and butter. Easy. Now go get some cream cheese out to soften and track down a girl scout, you're going to want this...

Anne Strawberry's Thin Mint Mini Cheesecakes
{printable recipe here}
1 sleeve Thin Mint Cookies, ground in food processor or blender (or Mint Oreos)
2 Tablespoons melted butter
8 oz softened cream cheese (Neufchatel reduced fat works great)
1/2 Cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons Fat Free Yogurt (or Sour Cream, Buttermilk, or Heavy Cream- I like the yogurt for more tang, but if you like it sweet and smoother go with the cream)
5 Thin mint cookies coarsely crumbled

Ganache Topping
1/4 Cup Chocolate, chopped
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
6 Thin mint cookies, crumbled (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine ground cookies and butter in a medium bowl. Drop about 1 Tablespoon of cookie mixture into 24 mini cupcake tins prepared with liners. Press crust into cups with back of a spoon.

In an electric or stand mixer cream the cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Add egg, yogurt, and vanilla until well combined as well. Fold in crumbled cookies. Pour cheesecake mixture into cupcake tins filled almost to the very top. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cooked through. Carefully remove cups from tin and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bring cream to a simmer and pour over chocolate. Set aside for one minute then stir until smooth and shiny. Spoon over each cheesecake cup and sprinkle with additional crumbled cookies.

Cashew Cream Ganache
(adapted from Enlightened Cooking)
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup cold water
7 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Place the nuts and cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for 2 minutes. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides. Blend at least 1-2 minutes longer until the mixture is smooth (mixture will be very thick; add 1-2 additional tablespoons water, if needed, to blend until smooth).

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a metal or glass bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and cool slightly. Stir in cashew cream, vanilla and salt until well-blended. Top torte with your "healthy" ganache, and enjoy!

Caramelized Onion BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2011-02-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

We've had some crazy weather around here. A week or two ago there were icicles hanging from our swingset, which has never happened before. Today we have a forecast of 70 and lots of time spent in the backyard. This morning we've been busy making Girl Scout Thin Mint Mini Cheesecakes and that's probably all the time I'm going to spend in the kitchen. Fortunately I have a quick and easy plan for dinner- caramelized onion BBQ chicken sandwiches. When I was pregnant with Baby Strawberry I wanted caramelized onions ALL THE TIME. That and chocolate chip cookies, but those don't make a very good/healthy dinner. These sandwiches fill that need and are hearty enough for a cold day, in case that's what you're having right now. They're also quick and flexible, in case you're having such great weather that there's not time to make something fancy.

You can dress up or down these sandwiches as much as you like. Depending on the time, I use rotisserie chicken or chicken I've roasted myself. Buns from the deli, or homemade, if you're feeling ambitious. I slice up the onions and saute them over medium low heat while I prep the rest of my ingredients. It takes no time and tastes SO good. I know it's not really a fancy recipe, but more of a suggestion for a yummy dinner (that will leave you time to bake up something really great!)

I'll be back next with Thin Mint Mini Cheesecakes- the perfect treat to dress up those delicious cookies that those rotten, adorable girl scouts are bringing around trying to ruin everyone's new years resolutions (we're still thinking about those, right? Maybe?)

Caramelized Onion BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
from Anne Strawberry

2 cups shredded chicken
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 slices your favorite cheese (I prefer pepperjack)
1 cup of greens- spinach, romaine, etc, washed and dried
1/4 cup your favorite bbq sauce (homemade recipe below if you're feeling ambitious)

Saute the onions over medium low heat with olive oil until browned and delicious. Stir frequently. Assemble sandwiches with bbq sauce, meat, greens, any other veggies, cheese, and onions. Enjoy!

Homemade Barbeque Sauce
from Anne Strawberry
1 C. Ketchup (spring for the Heinz... you know it's the best!)
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Soy Sauce
2 T. Worchestershire Sauce
1 T. Chili Powder
1 t. Sriracha hot sauce
2 T. Dijon Mustard (use more if you like a really mustardy sauce... but it's strong!)
1 T. Tomato Paste (I like the kind in the tube you can store in the fridge)
1 T. Garlic Powder
Dash of Ginger
Dash of Cumin

Whisk all ingredients into a bowl and refridgerate. Serve with BBQ chicken. If desired, baste meat with sauce in the last few minutes of cooking so the sugar doesn't burn. Be sure to throw out the extra sauce after basting (or cook it up) so it's not contaminated from the raw chicken.

Lemon Velvet Cupcakes

2011-02-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}
I tend to post a lot of lemon recipes but not only is lemon one of my favorite flavors, but my parents also have an enormous lemon tree that produces hundreds (maybe more) of lemons each year. When I'm over, it's super convenient to run out to the tree and grab a handful of fruit, to make homemade lemonade, lemon curd, lemon poppyseed muffins, garlic rosemary lemon chicken, etc. Lemon cake of course is delicious and the simple addition of lemon zest to the frosting and the cake makes all the difference.

We started calling these "lemon velvet" when we had to come up with a new red velvet replacement after my tall man couldn't eat chocolate any more. I still enjoy red velvet but we make this crowd-pleaser more often. It doesn't stain like the red velvet but is based off the same easy recipe. Instead of starting with a German chocolate cake, I used a lemon mix and add the zest of two lemons (in addition to the vanilla, sour cream, and extra eggs to doctor the mix). Then for the light cream cheese frosting, I replace the milk with fresh squeezed lemon juice and add the zest of another lemon. Now is the perfect time of year to make these, but even when I don't have fresh lemons on the tree, I reach for my stock of zest and juice in the freezer that I've built up during the winter. It's not a lot of work but has a huge impact on flavor.

I've had a lot of people ask me about the meringue powder I put in my cupcake frosting. I buy the Wilton brand- you can get it at Walmart, Michaels, or Hobby Lobby (or at Amazon of course). I usually buy the big can at Michael's with a 40% off coupon for the best price. It lasts forever and just a tablespoon mixed into the frosting with the powdered sugar will help "set" your icing so it holds its shape after you frost the cupcakes. The end result is a lot better and there's no taste difference. Try it and let me know what you think.

Lemon Velvet Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}

1 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
zest of one or two lemons
1 box lemon cake mix (I prefer Betty Crocker and stock up when they are on sale)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients in stand mixer and beat for two minutes until combined. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, scoop into 24 paper-cup lined muffin tins.

Bake for 21-24 minutes or until cupcakes spring back slightly when touched and a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on racks and frost once completely cooled.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened (I like to use Neufchatel, less fat and I don't notice much difference)
1/2 cup butter, softened (one stick)
juice of one lemon (about two tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of one lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
dash of salt
6 cups of powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency, this is a baseline)
1 Tablespoon meringue powder

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the lemon juice, vanilla, zest, and salt, and blend.

Next, add the powdered sugar and meringue powder, cover the bowl of the mixer with a dish towel, and turn it on low until everything is combined. Then increase the speed for a minute or so until the frosting is light, fluffy, and delicious. The meringue powder will help set the frosting after it dries so it holds its shape.

My Shocking New Favorite- Oatmeal Cake

2011-01-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't like coconut, and I don't like oatmeal. Last weekend we had a dinner party to go to and we were supposed to bring dessert (seems to happen frequently). I was busy painting in the garage and hadn't decided what to make yet when my friend emailed me a recipe for Oatmeal Cake that she was making for her daughter's birthday. I had all the ingredients on hand and my tall man loves oatmeal so I figured it would be perfect- I could take a hit for the team and make something with coconut and oatmeal.

The first step is to boil some water and soak some oats to soften (then put your kids down to nap), then you use the creaming method (just like cookies), add the oatmeal, dry ingredients, and pour into the pan, bake it off- totally low-maintenance. Since the cake is flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg, I snuck in some whole wheat flour. The color and flavor of the spices mask the difference in taste from the whole wheat and no one is the wiser. While the cake bakes, you make the caramel-y frosting with a whole bunch of yummy things- butter, brown sugar, vanilla, evaporated milk, nuts and coconut. Spread it over when the cake comes out of the oven and enjoy as soon as it starts to cool.

Then stand back and be totally surprised when I actually liked this cake! Really, with oatmeal (totally undetectable), coconut and nuts in the frosting, I LOVED this cake. It goes to show that I can really trust Naomi. And maybe I'm growing up. And that I need to make this cake again. The ingredients are cheap and easy, you could make it by hand with a big bowl and spoon. It's flexible- different nuts, or none, more coconut, or none, whatever. My son could make it. It's SO good too. I'm totally making this again, and maybe this week. I had hand surgery Monday and only have one good hand but this cake is that easy and delicious (and no chopping or anything) and I owe my peeps for taking care of me. This is good payback cake. Yum.

I'm doing another review from CSN Stores. Yes you've heard about them all over the blogs, but it never ceases to amaze me all the things they carry! From modern bar stools to kitchen tools. We got my Bosch from them for Christmas and I'm looking forward to getting some accessories for it. If you have any favorites please let me know! I'm thinking about the Bosch blender or maybe some new bread pans. Any advice?

Oh Wow Anne Strawberry Actually Likes Oatmeal Cake (maybe even coconut...)
{printable recipe here}
from Celisa Smith

1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 c. flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat)
1 tsp. cinnamon (I always use a little more)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (I always use less- just a dash)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Pour boiling water over oats and let stand until cool. Cream butter with sugars for one minute then add the eggs and beat until fluffy. Stir in oats and water mixture. Add flour with other dry ingredients and blend into creamed mixture. Pour into greased and lightly floured 9X13 inch pan. Bake 350 for 35-45 minutes or until done. Spread topping on baked cake as soon as it comes from the oven.

Topping:

1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1 c. coconut
1 c. nuts, chopped (I used pecans)
1 tsp. vanilla

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add sugar. Blend. Add remaining ingredients and spread on baked hot cake. Place under broiler for a minute or two if you like a crisp topping. Serve cake with ice cream and fruit if desired.

Texas Sheet Cake

2011-01-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}
Sheet Pan Chocolate Cake is far from a new invention but I love this stuff. I made this pan for a church event a few weekends ago. I had no idea how many people would be there so I liked the flexibility of a big pan, to slice big or small depending on the numbers (as opposed to strictly portioned cupcakes, my usual cake choice!) This Texas Sheet Cake recipe comes from my mom and there's a few things I love about it. It's cheap and easy to make- and tasty of course! The chocolate color and flavor is more intense than most similar cakes I've tried because the cocoa is boiled with the liquid before you bake it. It's a quick step that makes all the difference. The frosting is also boiled for the same effect. Stir in a few marshmallows (and nuts if you like) right when the cake comes out of the oven and ice it immediately. The end product is a beautiful, easy to make cake that tastes amazing. It's far from health food but great for a party (just make sure you send guests home with any extra slices or you'll be in trouble!) Serve it with ice cream for an even more decadent, but totally comforting treat.

One last thing, before I go make my dinner (My tall man cannot live on dessert alone unfortunately!) I'm sure you heard, but just in case, today only you can get a $20 Amazon Giftcard for only $10 from Living Social. Oh man. We've snapped a few up already because you can buy pretty much everything from Amazon (think of the Mixers, Silpats, Gadgets, Baking Sheets, even TVs- that one's on my husband's wish list of course!) You can even use it for diapers (not as fun but it's pretty great to have them come straight to the door!) I've bought a few things from Living Social and haven't been disappointed. If you buy a gift card please let me know what fun things you get! And wish me luck, that my card gets spent in the "Home and Garden" (my favorite department)- not "Electronics!"

Anne Strawberry's Texas Sheet Cake
{printable recipe here}
For the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium saucepan, combine and bring the following ingredients to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup butter

Meanwhile, combine the following and mix for two minutes in your mixer (or by hand, whatever, this is happy, easy cake!):
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk (I never have this on hand, so I just sour 1/2 cup milk with a teaspoon or so of vinegar, it only takes a minute but adds a lot of flavor)
1 teaspoon vanilla

After the wet team is well mixed, gently mix in the dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt

When everything is nice and mixed, turn the mixer on low and slowly pour in the boiled chocolate. Stir until just combined and pour into ungreased half sheet pan (a regular cookie sheet or jelly roll pan, as show above).

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until the cake looks set and springs back slightly when you touch it. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting.

For the Frosting

Combine the following ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to boil, then remove from heat and set aside:
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk

Add in the following ingredients and whisk until nice and smooth.
16 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

After it's shiny and smooth, stir in:
1 1/2 cups minimarshmallows
3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, etc)- optional

Set frosting aside and pour over cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Spread it gently to cover the whole cake and let set for a few minutes. Garnish with additional nuts if desired.

This cake keeps well for a couple of days, just keep it well covered. It doesn't ever last at our house long enough to go bad, though!

Orange Poppyseed Muffins

2011-01-18T00:11:00.000-08:00

I love to try a fancy, new dessert recipe but I also really appreciate a simple Tuesdays with Dorie recipe like these muffins. Right now it's citrus season and the trees are beautiful and heavy with delicious fruit, so I had a hard choice to make between lemon and orange for these babies. I went with orange merely because my little man asked so nicely (it is his favorite color still!) These muffins came together quickly and were super yummy, especially after the glaze went on top. I even subbed in 1/3 whole wheat flour and no one was the wiser. I can't seem to get my muffins to stay fresh more than one day (tips anyone?) but I am going to make these again for Sunday breakfast for sure. My favorite muffin from Dorie is still her Orange Berry muffins but this was a fun chance of pace. Get the recipe from Betsy or from Dorie's wonderful book here or try my favorite Lemon Poppyseed Muffin recipe. It's a classic. Just take it easy on the mixing and have a quick and special breakfast! Come back later this week for my first try with fondant (and overly ambitious pirate cupcakes for my little man's birthday!)

PS- I used some silicone muffin cups for the first time. NOT recommended in case you were wondering! I scored a whole stack of heart shaped ones for a buck at Goodwill at thought it would be fun, but instead of getting heart shaped muffins I have blobs in muffin liners that need to be washed (lame!) I do, however, 100 percent recommend buying a few Silpats to line your baking sheets. No more burned cookies or muffins, easy clean up, a million uses- I can't say enough about these things.

TWD- Blueberry Banana Cream Pie

2011-01-04T00:02:00.000-08:00

It's a new year! I know everyone is in the middle of resolutions and things but why not start with a chocolate cookie, right? This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is a spicy, chocolaty cookie- midnight crackles to celebrate the new year and TWD's three year anniversary (I can't believe how the time flies!). I modified the recipe and wrapped the dough around mint three musketeers (Target Christmas clearance!) But obviously, you aren't looking at chocolate cookies, since I forgot to grab the pics from my mom's camera and my brother couldn't figure out how to get the pictures emailed to me for some reason. Card reader drama he claims, but I love my card reader, and my mom's, since we bought it too. Whatever the case, my cookie pictures are in limbo for tonight!)

So we have pie instead. I made a whole bunch of pie crusts for a Christmas party and while my kitchen was covered in flour and butter I made a few extra to freeze- pretty much no more effort and a lot of benefits. We had ripe bananas, ready to go blueberries, and whipped cream waiting to be used, so banana cream pie was on the menu. After I baked up the crust I layered in bananas, pastry cream (no cinnamon, per my mom's request), blueberries, bananas, pastry cream, and whipped cream on top for good measure. My family gets a lot of baked goods and sometimes they shrug off totally yummy things, so I was prepared for that response but instead I had two big guys vying for the last slice of pie (my tall man won out, with the husband claim, but my brother said I owed him a pie for all his babysitting). The pie was a hit- even with teething Baby Strawberry.

See the full recipe and a sweet post on the TWD site (the actual cookies) or buy the book (it's a great investment, but I'll be honest, it might make you need to invest in some new jeans too!) As for the banana cream pie, I looked for the recipe on my blog and found it at the first of January 2009- apparently it's proper new years food (although since it is new years, I'm grateful the pie is all gone and it's oatmeal for breakfast instead!)

Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts

2010-12-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

My blog has stayed pretty stagnant lately but it's certainly not indicative of my kitchen! I've used (no joke) three bags of flour in as many days. We've been busy and enjoyed Christmas. My KitchenAid, Ms. Empire Red, got a new boyfriend for Christmas. Don't worry, I'm still in love with my KitchenAid but I am excited to have the Bosch for bread making. I've always felt a little guilty about overusing my dearest mixer on big batches of cinnamon rolls or brioche! Yesterday, after all the commotion died down, I made a big batch of wheat bread, rolls, a batch of orange rolls and a batch of cinnamon rolls. My Tall Man, Mr. Carbohydrate himself, is enjoying my present too.

So about this French Fridays with Dorie recipe. It's really simple- some sugar, spices, nuts, and a egg white. I had my son do the whole thing (with a little direction) and he had fun and enjoyed the final product. Get the recipe from Dorie's wonderful book here. I'm going to try another sweet cinnamon version next and soon, because I think these would be great for any party (or to snack on around the house, what we did!)

I have lots of yummy recipes to post and hope to be back soon. Merry Christmas from my house to yours!

Apple Orange Holiday Cupcakes

2010-12-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Last week at a Christmas party, my girlfriend and I were laughing at another friend's ridiculous food aversion. "No way will I eat onions, they're like tapeworms!" she repeated and we laughed. "Come on, everyone knows onions are nasty." Another chimed in against onions and added another equally repulsive (to her) food- tomatoes. Natalie and I just had to look at each other and laugh. When she said, "Well if you don't like onions or tomatoes I don't think I could make you anything for dinner" I had to agree. I can't imagine never eating those delicious foods again (come on, lasagna, best food of them all) but do understand the ridiculous food aversion.

My number one, can't do it food is coconut. No way on the texture (I'll refrain from posting what I identify it with since this is a food blog after all) and the flavor (sunblock? Apply not eat, thank you!) So when I saw this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe from Cobbler du Monde was an Apple Coconut cake I knew that wouldn't do. For a minute I even thought about growing up and making it with coconut since it was for my husband's coworkers anyway, but it turns out there isn't even any coconut in my house, which makes since considering I do all the shopping! So I just upped the apple, added some orange zest and juice to sub for the rum, and made it my own with a little more Greek yogurt (regular plain yogurt would work just fine, too) and a little less oil. Of course since I was already off the radar of the original recipe I added some orange zested frosting, why not? They are cupcakes, after all, and try as I may to grow up in my food preferences, frosting will always trump cake around here. Since they felt a little muffin-y I went light on the frosting, for me anyways. Really though, the orange, cinnamon, and vanilla pair so nicely with the apple and my house just smells like Christmas. Not bad for about 15 minutes of work (20 if you count the dishes). See the real deal with the other TWD bakers and come back later this week for a fun giveaway.

Apple Orange Holiday Cupcakes
from Anne Strawberry
loosely adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 apples, peeled and cored (a mix of whatever you have on hand, I used galas and granny smiths)
zest and juice of one orange
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
6 ounces plain yogurt (I used Greek Gods)
5 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Line about 18 muffin tins with paper wrappers, set on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Whisk together the dry team (flour, powder, soda, cinnamon, salt).

Peel and cut the apples into a small dice (I like to use my apple peeler). Zest the orange and then squeeze the juice from one half into the bowl- combine to prevent browning.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together for a minute or so. Add in the yogurt, oil, and vanilla and mix until nicely combined. Fold in the dry ingredients with a silicone spatula, being careful not to overbeat so the cake stays tender. Lightly mix in the apples and scoop into prepared muffin tins using an ice cream scoop.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool and frost with my favorite frosting, whipped cream, or apple jelly.

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

2010-12-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}

Did you know Christmas is almost here? I'm sure that, unlike me, you're on the ball and all ready. I actually made these brownies for a Halloween trunk or treat party (as evidenced by the styrofoam plate and hastily shot picture) and haven't had a chance to post yet. My little chickens keep getting sick and like nice children they are sharing their germs with their parents, so we've all been a little crazy! Today I finally got the lights on the tree and my little man is excited to cover it (or the lower half anyway) with ornaments. We made some homemade cinnamon ornaments that were quick and fun- I can't wait to share them with you next week. My house smells wonderful. I love Christmas time even though it's plenty busy!

It feels like we have some get together every spare minute in December. These brownies are the perfect accompaniment because they come together in a flash (five or ten minutes, really, and you can taste the brownie batter along the way so you won't mind the time, or is that just me?) I swirl in some softened cream cheese and a can of Lucky Leaf cherry pie filling and they actually feel fancy, are super easy, and taste SO good. I didn't used to like cherry pie filling. I'm not sure what I was thinking there, but now that I'm a "grown up" I've changed my ways. Lucky Leaf is also having a recipe contest that you can read about here. I have a few more cans of their yumminess in my pantry that I'm going to experiment with. Let me know if you enter- and you should, there's a prize and a trip to their bake off!

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

from Anne Strawberry

{printable recipe here}

1 box of brownie mix, prepared in a 9 x 13 pan lined with parchment or generously greased- I like Betty Crocker

1 can Lucky Leaf Cherry Pie Filling

1 stick (8 ounces) Neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese, softened (regular cream cheese works just fine too, use what you have!)

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350.

Make the brownies as directed on the box and pour into a pan lined with parchment so you can lift the brownies out later. Spoon the pie filling evenly over the top.

In a mixer or bowl, combine cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla until perfectly smooth. Using a large spoon, divide it over the brownie batter in random piles. Use a butter knife to swirl everything together and bake for about a half an hour or until they reach your desired "doneness".

Best Ever Lemon Cake

2010-12-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

{printable recipe here}
Did you have a great Thanksgiving? I hope so! Ours went a lot different than planned. We were going to go to Utah to see family but decided against it due to bad weather. We ended up staying home and I was happy to relax. Since we made our plans so late in the game, dinners were already planned so we were going to scoot on in to dinner with my tall man's family and a later dinner with my cousins and not really worry about cooking at all. My husband left first thing to play football with the guys from Church and while the kids and I were getting ready to go meet them at the park there was a knock at the door- my tall man with a nasty dislocated finger. Our plans went out the window and we spent some time with the nice, patient people at urgent care and the er. The doctors laughed about how many guys were in with football injuries, my husband said over and over again, while he sat with a throbbing, tangled finger for a few hours, "I'm never playing sports again" (believe that when I see it), and we ate turkey sandwiches while we waited on xrays. It was memorable to say the least.

Baby Strawberry at Thanksgiving Dinner

We did make it to our dinners and had awesome food and better company. The rest of the week flew and here we are, December already. I've been working on a handmade felt advent calendar (like the pottery barn kids one here) and it's not done yet! My poor, hungry husband has been eating sandwiches and breakfast for dinner while I stitch away as often as I can. Good thing my kids are little and don't know one day from another. I did squeeze in this lemon cake and it's a winner. It's made with a mix (once again, half of my readers just unsubscribed and the other half are finally thinking about making one of my recipes) and ridiculously delicious. The recipe comes from a Church friend, Cyndi Reis, who is an amazing cook. She brought us dinner after Baby Strawberry was born and this dessert was the start of the show. We offered to share with my brother in law who was over but after we tried the cake we realized we shouldn't have shared, if you know what I mean! I knew I needed to the get the recipe right away and truly value my photocopied recipe cards Cyndi brought over. I figured it was time to put the recipe on my blog so I wouldn't risk it being lost/colored on/cut into pieces by my little preschooler.

Really, try this cake, even if you're against mixes. The cake is moist and flavorful. I'm all about the frosting and can usually take or leave the cake but this lemon cake is really better than frosting (I can't believe I said that!) It's so good I might have to put down my sewing and make it again. And I forgot to post the winner for the CSNStores Giveaway- Naomi. Shoot me an email (it's on the top right).There's lots of baking to be done with Christmas right around the corner. I'll be back soon!

Cyndi's Lemon Cake

recipe adapted from Cyndi Reis

{printable recipe here}

1 boxed lemon cake mix (I like Betty Crocker)
1 small box instant lemon pudding
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla (that and the zest are my addition and optional but recommended!)
4 eggs

Combine ingredients in stand mixer and mix for five minutes on medium. Pour into ungreased cake pan (about 9 x 13 or two 8-9" rounds) and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup orange juice
3 cups powdered sugar

Warm butter, water and juice in microwave for about a minute, or until they are just warm and will nicely combine. Stir well and pour over powdered sugar. Mix until smooth.

Prick cake all over with a fork and pour glaze on top. Enjoy!

TWD Rewind (my favorite)

2010-11-23T07:32:00.000-08:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is a rewind, a favorite to choose for our Thanksgiving tables. My first (and still favorite) Dorie recipe ever are the Brioche Snails- really just a fancy, buttery, sweet roll. I lined mine with pastry cream and chocolate chips and it's like I'm in Paris eating cheap, delicious Pain Au Chocolat from some hole in the wall bakery. I would definetely be thankful to have these on my table, any day of the year. You can see the recipe here. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving and with any luck I'll finally post our cute sugar cookies I made with my little man in honor of turkey day.

Did you know you can get a free $3 MP3 credit from Amazon today? Just click over here and type in GET3MP3S. I am totally going to download the Michael Buble Holiday Album (or this 99 Christmas Essentials, shoot, Amazon has too many good choices once again). Either will be great for some holiday baking (I've already started- I love this time of year, especially since it's actually nice to turn on the oven and have things warm up a little, finally!)

Cranberry Lime Galette & a Giveaway

2010-11-16T00:15:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday and today I have a quick and delicious cran-apple galette. I don't think most people know what a galette is, but it's actually just an open-faced pie. I think it might even be easier than a pie because there's no need to put a pretty crust on top or crimp (I know that bugs some people). Just roll out the dough, put the filling in the center, and fold over the edges. Bake and enjoy. Dorie's pie crust is absolutely amazing- buttery, easy, and delicious. This lime and cranberry combo is new to me but it's really fun and tangy- just make sure you use enough sugar to compensate for the tart, fresh cranberries.

Now for the giveaway. I'm sure you've heard about CSN Stores in the blog world before- where you can buy anything from a suitcase to a rice cooker (that's what I just bought from them this weekend- I'll let you know how I like it once it's here!). This time around I have a $75 store credit to CSN Stores (for US or Canada residents only). Just leave a comment and let me know what your favorite type of pie is- I'll leave the giveaway open until Friday at midnight. I love apple pie (so I put extra in this galette of course). Whatever pie you make for thanksgiving, I would try Dorie's amazing dough and her tip to put a little bit of graham or bread crumbs on the bottom to soak up juice- it makes all the difference.

Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough
adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
3/8 cup very cold (frozen is even better) Crisco (plain, not butter flavored), cut into 4 pieces
About 1/2 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don't overdo the mixing—what you're aiming for is to have pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley.

Pulsing the machine on and off, add 3 tablespoons of the water—add a little water and pulse once; add some more water and pulse again; and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. If you've got big pieces of butter, that's fine. The dough is ready and should be scraped out of the work bowl and on to a smooth work surface. (be careful not too add too much water- if the dough looks dry after adding most of the water, pinch it with your hands to check if it's coming together, and finish combining it by hand)

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it. Refrigerate the dough at least 1 hour before rolling. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.