tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214497824303237752024-03-05T02:37:57.881-08:00Give Me Some SugarNataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-91265517419433151572011-05-10T17:30:00.000-07:002011-05-10T17:30:56.430-07:00Chocolate Tiramisu and Exciting News!<em>**note this post was written a week or two ago, I've just been lazy about getting the pics uploaded!**</em><br />
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Happy spring, everyone! Over the past week we've been pummeled by tornado warnings, thunderstorms, and just a lot of crazy weather in general...so I guess spring has really sprung! But more importantly, let's start with the exciting news...<br />
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It's a......<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;"><strong>GIRL!!</strong></span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Woohoo! :) There's my little munchkin, all snug in her temporary apartment (I hear the landlord is AWESOME). Even though I get bombarded with inappropriate comments from strangers all the time ("Wow, that's going to be a BIG baby!" "Are you sure it's not twins?!"), I'm still elated to be pregnant, and SO excited to meet this little one!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboxLDhvC5iXI9TW_Pzpl4grpkHHlIEJhZJO0yrKMpek0PMrsnp_ciFepQ9MhuKFsWyUa4_tuuIkkPpVj_GXTN9Uh0AadApt5aqeskbvRhJjKk7KBZNbnPVyTuQIQCW_aYULjMXQxTLR2H/s1600/20+weeks+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboxLDhvC5iXI9TW_Pzpl4grpkHHlIEJhZJO0yrKMpek0PMrsnp_ciFepQ9MhuKFsWyUa4_tuuIkkPpVj_GXTN9Uh0AadApt5aqeskbvRhJjKk7KBZNbnPVyTuQIQCW_aYULjMXQxTLR2H/s320/20+weeks+020.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, let's get around to the food part. Chocolate tiramisu anyone? I made this for Easter and it was a HUGE hit! At first I thought I'd give homemade ladyfingers a try since I found a recipe on <a href="http://annies-eats.net/">Annie's Eats</a> a while back, but then I decided it was overly ambitious and that I'd just buy some from the store.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixt3gvrLkJdYnHcb530yb2JoqAlfb2NojiRdPQGkXSelSyP7-4j-yJ5HU0ehwgShol4GI_0HefN7fINJ82lM1hFdzt8zussNPF20Y9X5t6pIAvN4q8fYCtlrzlnAcg6Fxy7rBCTwsln29w/s1600/20+weeks+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixt3gvrLkJdYnHcb530yb2JoqAlfb2NojiRdPQGkXSelSyP7-4j-yJ5HU0ehwgShol4GI_0HefN7fINJ82lM1hFdzt8zussNPF20Y9X5t6pIAvN4q8fYCtlrzlnAcg6Fxy7rBCTwsln29w/s320/20+weeks+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Then I went to the store the day before Easter. Woops! Giant didn't have them, Eastern Market Bakery didn't have them, Yes! Organic Market didn't have them...no one! Sooo I marched over to Hill's Kitchen, bought a silpat, and forged on. Yes. I made my own ladyfingers...<em>and didn't screw them up!!!</em> Winner winner, chicken dinner!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAfIbU62Rz3RKNJhlhEu04CGnM-AN6UjaO9sijw8rt3WTzBLMnIiWO9BP7LvfYquWipXbmaAcl3cJYBvQvZ2F0FBBzHiP_6joAwkS3zLprqhyphenhyphenLdBTTlsbyVK_4g0EEwo4hMCYtWa7-ka5/s1600/20+weeks+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAfIbU62Rz3RKNJhlhEu04CGnM-AN6UjaO9sijw8rt3WTzBLMnIiWO9BP7LvfYquWipXbmaAcl3cJYBvQvZ2F0FBBzHiP_6joAwkS3zLprqhyphenhyphenLdBTTlsbyVK_4g0EEwo4hMCYtWa7-ka5/s320/20+weeks+011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ladyfingers turned out to be easy and fantastic. They were a little sticky (it was also hot and humid when I made them, so that could have contributed), and they soaked up the coffee <strong><em><u>fast</u></em></strong>. Definitely only needs a very quick dunk and placement straight into the mousse, otherwise I think they'd disinigrate pretty quickly. The only thing I would do differently is double the recipe. The original said it would yield over 30 ladyfingers, and somehow I only eeked out about 20. For a tiramisu this size, I would have doubled this, and put a double layer of ladyfingers between the layers of mousse. This still turned out fine, but just if I had my druthers, you know. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgezIZ8SAhY_laWG2QB-nTtRwEWJIVTjS45qQxn11EL7TT4Bsx_MmKcJMF3ra5OpyqY3teaWJfIYNjhwQMnUNDQH4-FL1w_wjC51RqA-t2xrfSXw-GSMFXmAuaKdVHUVm87WiNll3jbLh/s1600/20+weeks+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgezIZ8SAhY_laWG2QB-nTtRwEWJIVTjS45qQxn11EL7TT4Bsx_MmKcJMF3ra5OpyqY3teaWJfIYNjhwQMnUNDQH4-FL1w_wjC51RqA-t2xrfSXw-GSMFXmAuaKdVHUVm87WiNll3jbLh/s320/20+weeks+005.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The chocolate and coffee flavor at the end was divine! I tried to top it and make it pretty with the mascarpone like they did in the Bon Appetit article, but the mascarpone was just too thick for the mousse. Instead I swirled the top layer of mousse and the mascarpone together, then topped it with some fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings. We all ate it, and all loved it! I would definitely make this again. So easy, especially since I made it a day ahead and just let it sit overnight, and so delicious! Here's the recipe breakdown:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://annies-eats.net/2011/02/11/berry-charlottes/"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Ladyfingers</span></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><strong>from Annie's Eats</strong></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Ingredients:</em></div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3 large eggs, separated</div></li>
<li>½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for sprinkling</li>
<li>1/3 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li>½ cup all-purpose flour</li>
</ul><em>Directions:</em><br />
To make the lady fingers, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually add the sifted confectioners’ sugar, and continue whipping the egg whites until a stiff, glossy meringue forms. Transfer the meringue mixture to a medium mixing bowl. In the empty mixer bowl, now fitted with the flat beater, combine the egg yolks and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until thick and pale yellow. With a spatula, fold the egg yolk mixture into the meringue until smooth and blended, taking care not to deflate the egg whites. Gently fold in the flour until no streaks remain.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe the ladyfingers onto the prepared baking pans, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Sprinkle additional confectioners’ sugar over the piped ladyfingers. Bake until light golden, about 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool on the pans 10-15 minutes, then remove the ladyfingers and cake bases to a wire rack to cool completely. (Yield: approximately 20 ladyfingers<br />
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<a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/05/chocolate-tiramisu"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Chocolate Tiramisu</span></strong></a><br />
<strong><em>Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2011 issue</em></strong><br />
<div class="ingredient-sets" peppycount="331"><div class="ingredient-set" peppycount="336"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="337"><span class="quantity" peppycount="338"><em>Ingredients:</em></span></span></div><div class="ingredient-set" peppycount="336"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="337"><span class="quantity" peppycount="338"><em>Espresso Syrup</em></span></span></div><div class="ingredient-set" peppycount="333"><ul class="ingredients" peppycount="335"><li peppycount="336"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="337"><span class="quantity" peppycount="338">1 1/2</span> <span class="unit" peppycount="339">cups</span> <span class="name" peppycount="340">espresso or strong coffee</span> </span></li>
<li peppycount="341"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="342"><span class="quantity" peppycount="343">1/4</span> <span class="unit" peppycount="344">cup</span> <span class="name" peppycount="345">sugar</span> </span></li>
</ul></div><div peppycount="341"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="342"><em>Tiramisu</em></span></div><div class="ingredient-set" peppycount="346"><ul class="ingredients" peppycount="348"><li peppycount="349"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="350"><span class="quantity" peppycount="351">1 3/4</span> <span class="unit" peppycount="352">cups</span> <span class="name" peppycount="353">mascarpone cheese, divided</span> </span></li>
<li peppycount="354"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="355"><span class="quantity" peppycount="356">2 Tbsp. </span><span class="name" peppycount="357">plus 1/2 cup sugar</span> </span></li>
<li peppycount="358"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="359"><span class="quantity" peppycount="360">1/4 tsp. </span><span class="name" peppycount="361">vanilla extract</span> </span></li>
<li peppycount="362"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="363"><span class="quantity" peppycount="364">1/2 tsp. </span><span class="name" peppycount="365">unflavored gelatin</span> </span></li>
<li peppycount="366"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="367"><span class="quantity" peppycount="368">4</span> <span class="name" peppycount="369">large egg yolks</span> </span></li>
<li peppycount="370"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="371"><span class="quantity" peppycount="372">1</span> <span class="unit" peppycount="373">cup</span> <span class="name" peppycount="374">chilled heavy whipping cream, divided</span> </span></li>
<li peppycount="375"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="376"><span class="quantity" peppycount="377">6 oz. </span><span class="name" peppycount="378">bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped, plus more for shaving</span> </span></li>
<li peppycount="379"><span class="ingredient" peppycount="380"><span class="name" peppycount="381">About 48 soft ladyfingers</span> </span></li>
</ul></div></div><h3 class="preparation instructions" peppycount="383" sizcache="6" sizset="34">Preparation</h3><div class="prep-steps" peppycount="384"></div><ul peppycount="386"><li class="step" peppycount="387"><span class="instructions" peppycount="388"><div class="text" peppycount="389">Stir espresso and sugar in a small bowl until sugar dissolves; set aside. </div></span></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="prep-steps" peppycount="390"></div><ul peppycount="392"><li class="step" peppycount="393"><span class="instructions" peppycount="394"><div class="text" peppycount="395">Combine 1 cup mascarpone, 2 Tbsp. sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk to blend; cover and chill.</div></span></li>
<li class="step" peppycount="396"><span class="instructions" peppycount="397"><div class="text" peppycount="398">Place 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, 10-15 minutes. Whisk the remaining sugar, yolks, 1/4 cup cream, and 1/4 cup water in a medium metal bowl to blend. Place bowl over a large saucepan of boiling water (do not let bottom of bowl touch water) and whisk constantly until custard thickens and temperature reaches 160° on an instant-read thermometer, 3-4 minutes. Remove bowl; add gelatin mixture and whisk until dissolved, 15-20 seconds. Return bowl over water, add chocolate, and whisk until almost melted, about 30 seconds.</div></span></li>
<li class="step" peppycount="399"><span class="instructions" peppycount="400"><div class="text" peppycount="401">Set bowl in a large bowl of ice water and whisk until chocolate is melted and custard is cool, 5-6 minutes. Whisk in the remaining mascarpone. In another medium bowl, beat remaining 3/4 cup chilled cream until firm peaks form. Fold cream into custard in 2 additions to make a chocolate mousse.</div></span></li>
<li class="step" peppycount="402"><span class="instructions" peppycount="403"><div class="text" peppycount="404">Spread a thin layer chocolate mousse in bottom of large glass dish. Dunk ladyfingers in the espresso syrup and arrange in a single layer on top of the mousse. Repeat layering with chocolate mousse and soaked ladyfingers. Swirl mascarpone mixture with top layer of mousse. Top with fresh whipped cream, if desired. Garnish with chocolate shavings and serve.</div></span></li>
</ul>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-17489073042877970912011-03-20T19:17:00.000-07:002011-03-20T19:17:07.616-07:00Whoopie!!It's the first day of spring! So I thought after the beautiful sunny weekend we had here in DC, whoopie pies would be quite appropriate. It's 9:51PM and since I'm preggo, I'm exhausted!! If it's alright with you guys, I'm going to keep this post short and sweet, and just leave you the recipe with some good pics. <br />
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Chocolate and Marshmallow is the classic whoopie pie flavor, and I'm a HUGE fan of the whoopie pies that <a href="http://www.redhooklobsterdc.com/">Red Hook Lobster Pound</a> sells on their food truck (along with some ridiculously amazing lobster rolls, of course), so I was excited to try my hand at making some from scratch. The most interesting thing about whoopie pies is that the outside is a mix between a cake and a cookie. The batter was exactly somewhere in between, and made for interesting scooping. I went out this weekend and bought a #40 cookie scoop from Hills Kitchen, and I would venture to say it was the best decision ever. The size of the batter dropped onto the pan was about the size of a silver dollar (do people even know what that size is anymore?!), and it easily doubled (if not more). If you were to use an ice cream scoop, it would be fine, but you would have pies almost the size of your whole hand. Depends on what you want! This size (maybe the size of my palm or smaller) made about 50 pies.<br />
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So give it a go! Make some whoopie pies, and say, "WHOOPIE!!!" to spring!! But first, let me tell you about my little system...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YR5YKgJBT76y7jtZKwtYCJaabbMKE-RaazKlIgR9k9YOF2W5graWcxHcqUTlEi-SlW5iLwdHxF6RIAKlcEfw2HZhVKIibQtUU2j3VWUZ0kfsmM6n6ncampjUueJ4ZXi6M-ay7iCsvVJb/s1600/15+weeks+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YR5YKgJBT76y7jtZKwtYCJaabbMKE-RaazKlIgR9k9YOF2W5graWcxHcqUTlEi-SlW5iLwdHxF6RIAKlcEfw2HZhVKIibQtUU2j3VWUZ0kfsmM6n6ncampjUueJ4ZXi6M-ay7iCsvVJb/s320/15+weeks+006.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Every time I buy powdered sugar, I think two things. The first, I think of my Mom. Somehow every time my Mom bakes, she buys more powdered sugar. This results in about 4 or 5 half opened powdered sugar bags in her pantry, rolled up, tied with rubber bands, and tucked away to be forgotten for the next trip. It cracks me up! So when I moved into my first apartment, and started baking, I found myself doing the same thing! All of the sudden there were three half-full powdered sugar bags in my pantry, rolled up, and poofing out little spurts of powdered sugar every time something was set on top of them. Finally I realized this was ridiculous, so I bought a big box of gallon-sized freezer bags, and voila!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBXNNzErjSC0aAzDgFfu6x2v17FhSQSrWAOxQo4QE69jSUmSPuarLyLHhOcxqtVcDB80M1Zb9tMZ4rBrYLdFnAsxm1T4anPMcnupgBvOFqwhw0aARSgmC6EAehvtcUEOsOsO4AJmfYs0U/s1600/15+weeks+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBXNNzErjSC0aAzDgFfu6x2v17FhSQSrWAOxQo4QE69jSUmSPuarLyLHhOcxqtVcDB80M1Zb9tMZ4rBrYLdFnAsxm1T4anPMcnupgBvOFqwhw0aARSgmC6EAehvtcUEOsOsO4AJmfYs0U/s320/15+weeks+008.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
I'm a genius! If I buy an extra bag? No big deal, just add it to the freezer bag! It doesn't tear when I measure out of it, I'm always aware of how much I have left, and there's no need to have an annoying lump in my cupboard taking up awkward space. Okay, so enough preaching. Just a little idea I thought I'd share (with you, too, Mom!). <br />
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On to the recipe! This one comes from Annie's Eats. I know you know I have a tendency to obsess when I find a food blog I love, and this one is no different. Check her out!!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://annies-eats.net/2010/05/28/chocolate-marshmallow-whoopie-pies/">Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pies</a></span></strong><br />
<em>Yield: about 24 sandwich cookies (mine made about 50 small pies)</em><br />
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<strong><u>Ingredients:</u></strong><br />
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<strong>For the cookies:</strong><br />
<ul><li>3½ cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1 tsp. salt</li>
<li>1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder</li>
<li>1 tbsp. baking soda</li>
<li>1 tsp. baking powder</li>
<li>1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature</li>
<li>2 cups sugar</li>
<li>2 large eggs</li>
<li>2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature</li>
<li>2 tsp. vanilla extract</li>
</ul><strong>For the filling:</strong><br />
<ul><li>1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature</li>
<li>2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted</li>
<li>7½ oz. marshmallow fluff</li>
<li>2 tsp. vanilla extract</li>
</ul><strong><u>Directions:</u></strong><br />
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<div> </div>Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Combine the flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl; whisk together to blend. Set aside. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Blend in the buttermilk and vanilla extract until incorporated. Mix in the dry ingredients, blending just until combined.<br />
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<div> </div>Using a 1-oz dough scoop, drop the batter onto the prepared baking pans, 12 cookies per pan. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool on the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter.<br />
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<div> </div>To make the filling, place the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Blend in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated. Beat in the marshmallow fluff and vanilla until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.<br />
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<div> </div>Once the cookies are completely cooled, match them up in pairs by size. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain with the marshmallow filling. Pipe a dollop of marshmallow filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair, and sandwich the cookies together, pushing the filling to the edges. Store in an airtight container.<br />
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<div> </div>Source: cookies and filling from Martha Stewart<br />
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<div> </div><br />
<div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy-xVxvLYi5RjHfCH0cCzmFapFHojegWEmoJpqLA1hYLqV99Nsjhy3TS7tM9o3UWZ6ZthGSNqwBhZCBIVQf_RmB2-ZfvhWxG7gFz3SJVF82tsPiHsZDKtVrGmfBz2cf2nDQpDoiYilo2-/s1600/15+weeks+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy-xVxvLYi5RjHfCH0cCzmFapFHojegWEmoJpqLA1hYLqV99Nsjhy3TS7tM9o3UWZ6ZthGSNqwBhZCBIVQf_RmB2-ZfvhWxG7gFz3SJVF82tsPiHsZDKtVrGmfBz2cf2nDQpDoiYilo2-/s400/15+weeks+011.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3Y24K1baj7yAiSjmCqhL1vhq2GQpcyF0r2vV-6oLJubswBSaldDOWm7YItiRGkXwefDTqjew4uYTzMgvqI1BsX0e_LL0JQJFFVWG3kvOvIrbkatHom3OnpoLDuwwXJncPoWrQrUZfYx0/s1600/15+weeks+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3Y24K1baj7yAiSjmCqhL1vhq2GQpcyF0r2vV-6oLJubswBSaldDOWm7YItiRGkXwefDTqjew4uYTzMgvqI1BsX0e_LL0JQJFFVWG3kvOvIrbkatHom3OnpoLDuwwXJncPoWrQrUZfYx0/s400/15+weeks+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcn4FZApWRsIN1zt1bippKzRKYIh77bI_g2wfAeLmJ8mFUL0I4CWoGSfkfGMQ_K_W91AckMAEF5KHzhiJe3L8MOcOLskeMC-33n1Y-IkG5PQuRNIJ5UPhgnKisCGtAL_0_U_jKNkwmVVjJ/s1600/15+weeks+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcn4FZApWRsIN1zt1bippKzRKYIh77bI_g2wfAeLmJ8mFUL0I4CWoGSfkfGMQ_K_W91AckMAEF5KHzhiJe3L8MOcOLskeMC-33n1Y-IkG5PQuRNIJ5UPhgnKisCGtAL_0_U_jKNkwmVVjJ/s400/15+weeks+019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-89403674792593254992011-02-20T19:43:00.000-08:002011-02-20T19:43:59.166-08:00Strawberry Ice Cream and My Favorite CakeLast week I gave you a teaser about strawberry ice cream, when I had leftover strawberry puree and eggs yolks from the strawberry cupcake recipe. Here I am, delivering on that promise! As an extra bonus, you get my favorite recipe for the best pound cake you've ever tasted. It's my favorite cake because I always have almost all of the ingredients, it's consistently delicious, and it's so quick and easy! Literally...I have memorized the recipe, and could probably make it with my eyes closed!<br />
<br />
<div></div>What I'm not delivering on: photos! I made the ice cream Friday night after work, quickly before Jeff and I went out for dinner and <a href="http://www.thedairygodmother.com/flavor-of-the-day-forecast/">frozen custard</a>. Then I finished it in the ice cream maker Saturday morning quickly before we dashed out to Madame Tussaud's. Then on the way back, I decided to make the pound cake to bring with the ice cream to our friends' house that night, so I dashed to the store for heavy cream and then quickly home to throw it together before we were supposed to get over there (it takes 1 hr and 15 min to bake!). So there was a lot of dashing, and going quickly, and it didn't even dawn on me to take photos, or that I would even blog about it!<br />
<br />
<div></div>That was until we tasted them. Ooh my goodness. The pound cake? Divine. Literally still hot from the oven, I brought it to our friends' house still wearing oven mitts! It smells like a gigantic sugar cookie, and tastes like sugar cookie cake, if there were such a thing. Combine it with the fresh, creamy, strawberry-licious ice cream? It was like summer on a plate!!<br />
<br />
The cake recipe comes from one of my favorite authors, Dorothea Benton Frank, and her book <u>Shem Creek</u>. All of her books are set in Charleston, SC, and make you completely want to pick up and move to the South. The recipe is perfect, and I can tell you that I will never (NEVER) look for another recipe! Seriously...it's perfect. <br />
<br />
<div></div>So since I have no photos for you, how about I just give you the recipes, so you can go make these as soon as possible?<br />
<br />
<div></div><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/fresh-strawberry-ice-cream-recipe/index.html">Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream</a></span></strong><br />
<em>by Emeril Lagasse, from Food Network</em><br />
<br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
<ul><li>1 quart fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed and quartered* </li>
<li>1 1/2 cups granulated sugar </li>
<li>4 cups half-and-half </li>
<li>1 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li>1/2 vanilla bean, split in half and scraped* </li>
<li>6 egg yolks </li>
</ul><strong>Directions</strong><br />
<br />
In a food processor or blender, combine the strawberries and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Process until smooth. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the half-and-half and sugar. Bring to a simmer. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid to the egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Add the yolk mixture to the saucepan of liquid and whisk until incorporated. Bring the liquid back to simmer and continue to cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the strawberries. Whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture. This will prevent a skin from forming while cooling. Cool the mixture completely. Process the mixture according the ice cream machines instructions.<br />
<br />
*<em>As I mentioned, I used the leftover strawberry puree from the cupcakes I made for Valentine's Day, so I was unable to measure our strawberries in this way for the puree in the recipe. I had about a pint glass full of puree, just stirred the sugar in (didn't blend it again), and it tasted great. I also just used vanilla extract (about a teaspoon or two, I just eyeballed it), and added it after the strawberries while it was off the heat.</em><br />
<div></div><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.dotfrank.com/WEDDING_CAKE.html">Vanilla Pound Cake</a></span></strong><br />
<em>from Dorothea Benton Frank's novel, </em><u>Shem Creek</u><br />
<br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
<ul><li>3 cups plain flour - not self-rising</li>
<li>2 sticks salted butter</li>
<li>3 cups sugar</li>
<li>1 cup heavy whipping cream</li>
<li>6 large eggs</li>
<li>2 tablespoons vanilla</li>
</ul><br />
<strong>Directions </strong><br />
<div></div>Preheat oven to 325 degrees.<br />
<br />
Generously grease and lightly flour a tube pan. Sift flour three times.<br />
<div></div>Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat only until each disappears. Blend in 1 cup flour followed by 1/2 cup whipping cream. Repeat with 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup whipping cream. Add remaining flour. Fold in vanilla.<br />
<div></div>Add batter to pan, level it and drip it flat on the counter to knock out the air bubbles. Place in center of the oven and bake for an hour and fifteen minutes, or until it's browned on top and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan (important!). Remove from oven. Wait ten minutes and invert on a cake plate. Do not cover until cool to touch.<br />
<br />
As a bonus, here are some fun photos from our trip to Madame Tussaud's. Hope you get the day off tomorrow like we do!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGasYXVKidAgRpQyvW0TDyDgzSKgAfDuAIgP2y_2Whx7eFsWBe3cO-2kLZlweRGqUenlvt3tgX31839-IEebQnWeMOK8jxOvokVm1TJ2U7VQQ6h0zY1ZKMCQz_0aCN69to5nPk-7VXReYK/s1600/feb+11+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGasYXVKidAgRpQyvW0TDyDgzSKgAfDuAIgP2y_2Whx7eFsWBe3cO-2kLZlweRGqUenlvt3tgX31839-IEebQnWeMOK8jxOvokVm1TJ2U7VQQ6h0zY1ZKMCQz_0aCN69to5nPk-7VXReYK/s320/feb+11+007.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em>On the Delaware with Washington</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-O5DUB8zzN8xyl7S97zCSR541a6sihRvBHvdTmnSo-BlDH9IFYl5h1sBeUyyQdPTBya7c93PrGTDN3f7CCHhq-_oi7KQ9W2kDDAUaUzd6b9ez5pGp1QNFObifPqkPfr-QCInODcGLkW0j/s1600/feb+11+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-O5DUB8zzN8xyl7S97zCSR541a6sihRvBHvdTmnSo-BlDH9IFYl5h1sBeUyyQdPTBya7c93PrGTDN3f7CCHhq-_oi7KQ9W2kDDAUaUzd6b9ez5pGp1QNFObifPqkPfr-QCInODcGLkW0j/s320/feb+11+010.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em>I am not a crook!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-QYbFRz1roxD5P3HRiJoE6CEJvTTcZPJKUdU_jdLQIIrmljHQkxKMin_yy_aL8-zy6k3_Yk64fiudahE44daXo6YezZJP8wHkNgy0byiLXqAIxRMf1Vze4YHYp9OpDaD0Zm-5IS3MsgR/s1600/feb+11+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-QYbFRz1roxD5P3HRiJoE6CEJvTTcZPJKUdU_jdLQIIrmljHQkxKMin_yy_aL8-zy6k3_Yk64fiudahE44daXo6YezZJP8wHkNgy0byiLXqAIxRMf1Vze4YHYp9OpDaD0Zm-5IS3MsgR/s320/feb+11+012.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Can you smell what the Rock is cookin?!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoFufiCE3EaYidOaHC3h-lpErQKx-0XIWADWQiPOvyJdkHaj6yVTAKty-nLVUlofXpT-4WAIS_8drj6NXpywBcINQzT_qfAaMqfcv89WLbzbfsaQN_tSlG3WvoQgJ5MK2L0pvJX4NVSYn/s1600/feb+11+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoFufiCE3EaYidOaHC3h-lpErQKx-0XIWADWQiPOvyJdkHaj6yVTAKty-nLVUlofXpT-4WAIS_8drj6NXpywBcINQzT_qfAaMqfcv89WLbzbfsaQN_tSlG3WvoQgJ5MK2L0pvJX4NVSYn/s320/feb+11+013.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em>J. Lo's booty's got nothin on mine!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_F1A6jDVcnT2hWVjCHOkaKaxxFtUtcjVF3SqOrfDYB-oejkTWhRggGny-Sk0FWNxb-i1pIZrxlk8Hu4mkZyUdyqcRpzyLRnwvorbY3-bM6b21oCWPdKb5MLP4LEtYLzIxyOwYzRwJnsjq/s1600/feb+11+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_F1A6jDVcnT2hWVjCHOkaKaxxFtUtcjVF3SqOrfDYB-oejkTWhRggGny-Sk0FWNxb-i1pIZrxlk8Hu4mkZyUdyqcRpzyLRnwvorbY3-bM6b21oCWPdKb5MLP4LEtYLzIxyOwYzRwJnsjq/s320/feb+11+014.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Thrilla!! </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQd2yZJdvdi9nl208lLRFGkHjxBmKGfvCwL2gaJcQFimBCN8CstpAoH4Lkh0uUwN95htMh9fSBEfwokB80QBcHC3h_tPiwwyg_HkuJVrFqSf_gTV3G_Kk6PMpWEmudMXH0EQoD3nQHbsF/s1600/feb+11+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQd2yZJdvdi9nl208lLRFGkHjxBmKGfvCwL2gaJcQFimBCN8CstpAoH4Lkh0uUwN95htMh9fSBEfwokB80QBcHC3h_tPiwwyg_HkuJVrFqSf_gTV3G_Kk6PMpWEmudMXH0EQoD3nQHbsF/s320/feb+11+015.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Jeff takes a Tyson-sized bite out of Holyfield </em></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-42422925733845494892011-02-13T19:39:00.000-08:002011-02-13T19:39:04.600-08:00Be Mine?I've been dreaming about these cupcakes for a couple weeks now. I saw this recipe for strawberry cake a couple weeks ago, and the gears started turning. Here was my train of thought...<br />
<br />
Strawberry cake--> pink--> Valentine's Day!--> hearts! --> chocolates!--> <strong>OH MY GOD. CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES!</strong><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So before I knew it was writing on Facebook to my friend Leah, who own's my fave kitchen store, Hill's Kitchen, asking for heart-shaped cupcake molds. I got the last set in the store! I ordered another set from Amazon, and then started talking about these hypothetical cupcakes to all of my coworkers. So tonight was the night. Tomorrow's the big day for all you lovaaahs out there! Maybe make your valentine some sweet cupcakes to show your love!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbUFG5rEpBwr_Qwcpl66ZauJkqZAeRscEwom0T3ZXRv_e_dGX3fCpHctHfkClG_hrqwAiDNwHeW_aaI-KoXk8ZSFbqyc04w4eouhbumvGhRcH_2cEHZdQIbajHIk3t1lMsCyV0zMC5gHb/s1600/valentine%2527s+day+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbUFG5rEpBwr_Qwcpl66ZauJkqZAeRscEwom0T3ZXRv_e_dGX3fCpHctHfkClG_hrqwAiDNwHeW_aaI-KoXk8ZSFbqyc04w4eouhbumvGhRcH_2cEHZdQIbajHIk3t1lMsCyV0zMC5gHb/s320/valentine%2527s+day+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There are some great things and not-as-great things about this cake. Not so great? Waiting for strawberries to thaw, separating egg whites, making strawberry puree. Great? Leftover strawberry puree, juice, egg yolks...can someone say ice cream?! I'm really hoping to find a good recipe in the next couple days. Anyway! Cupcakes!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJMewfslKgaowZ_RYB6PAL71hqBM5QbSU1Q7BjSOYhXD4Za1HenNRg9p1DYq6c3EsQRpCWIbKr7NQ36XASyHmJl4m5MMdGw2ZrOiAq5z_ooOUwiECfxPeT0cp_lqYgvePA7f4UFExYxSw/s1600/valentine%2527s+day+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJMewfslKgaowZ_RYB6PAL71hqBM5QbSU1Q7BjSOYhXD4Za1HenNRg9p1DYq6c3EsQRpCWIbKr7NQ36XASyHmJl4m5MMdGw2ZrOiAq5z_ooOUwiECfxPeT0cp_lqYgvePA7f4UFExYxSw/s320/valentine%2527s+day+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpngkgV1WCcatRa-kMoFLIliwmcyjnEfJLt4XZHlS9hVYrOlDFgXS6zNSozrRU_qzU3YkHY5MdW9cvG-j9bx_PoYJV1fXWT-x1AzyDpGmLJbY3EumjoCfZHmvLAdHqCTHo0qCWdMSD8Bv/s1600/valentine%2527s+day+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpngkgV1WCcatRa-kMoFLIliwmcyjnEfJLt4XZHlS9hVYrOlDFgXS6zNSozrRU_qzU3YkHY5MdW9cvG-j9bx_PoYJV1fXWT-x1AzyDpGmLJbY3EumjoCfZHmvLAdHqCTHo0qCWdMSD8Bv/s320/valentine%2527s+day+011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtJeaCDd5QfjlKSwKdc7zYqF2XbAuFQqQaoeN1zm3OeCMf8Pogjd8UWWswqfMKIggD5qfSO37iW8NKItGfxAJnDifzOh0r8ug8JeM2VElvUxMRh_WBnsY36xLZI5-dfMZbtu4iWPeN0lM/s1600/valentine%2527s+day+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtJeaCDd5QfjlKSwKdc7zYqF2XbAuFQqQaoeN1zm3OeCMf8Pogjd8UWWswqfMKIggD5qfSO37iW8NKItGfxAJnDifzOh0r8ug8JeM2VElvUxMRh_WBnsY36xLZI5-dfMZbtu4iWPeN0lM/s320/valentine%2527s+day+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll warn you now, this batter is SO good. I walked into our living room, where Jeff was watching TV, holding the bowl of batter and said, "Okay. I know I'm pregnant. I know this has raw egg whites in this, so I shouldn't eat it. But I did. And oh. my. gawd. It's SO good!!!" It tastes kind of like strawberry ice cream! Delish! When you get caught in the kitchen with your finger in the bowl, don't say I didn't warn you!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The original recipe, below, featured a champagne buttercream (wow!) but I thought it would be so delicious to just dip these in chocolate ganache, like a chocolate-covered strawberry. Plus, they are perfect for the heart-shaped molds! These cakes would be so excellent with any type of frosting, though. I think it might be my new favorite recipe! Dee-lish!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cooklikeachampionblog.com/2011/02/strawberry-champagne-ruffle-cake.html">From Scratch Strawberry Cake</a></span></strong></div><br />
Adapted to cupcakes from <a href="http://www.cooklikeachampionblog.com/">Cook Like a Champion</a><br />
<br />
Makes about 24 cupcakes<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<strong>For the strawberry purée:</strong><br />
<ul><li>24 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed</li>
</ul><br />
<div> <strong>For the cake:</strong></div><ul><li>3/4 cup strawberry purée, room temperature</li>
<li>1/4 cup milk, at room temperature</li>
<li>6 large egg whites, room temperature</li>
<li>1 tablespoon vanilla extract</li>
<li>2 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted</li>
<li>1 3/4 cup sugar</li>
<li>4 teaspoons baking powder</li>
<li>1 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened</li>
</ul>Directions:<br />
<br />
<div> </div>To make the strawberry purée, pour thawed strawberries into a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl to remove any liquid. Save liquid for a later use or discard. Purée strawberries in a blender or food processor and set aside 3/4 cup for the cake. The remaining 1/2 cup can be used to fill the cake, top ice cream, make daiquiris or almost anything else you can think of.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>To make the cake, preheat oven to 350º. Prepare a cupcake pan, either with paper liners, cooking spray, or use silicone molds like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Silicone-Heart-Cupcake-Molds/dp/B000GGTIEC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1297654000&sr=8-1">mine</a> on a baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together strawberry purée, milk, egg whites and vanilla. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed. Add butter and continue mixing until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the purée mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Divide the batter evenly among the pans (a kitchen scale works wonders here) and smooth tops with a rubber spatula.<br />
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<div> </div>Bake cakes for about 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in molds for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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<strong>For the Ganache:</strong><br />
•4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (I just used chips, unchopped. Mini chips would be even better)<br />
•1/2 C heavy cream<br />
•2 Tbsp light corn syrup<br />
<br />
To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Combine the cream and the corn syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the chocolate right away, and stir slowly until all of the chocolate melts and the ganache is silky and shiny. (It takes a while! Be patient and keep stirring, it will get there!).<br />
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Dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache, tapping gently to remove the excess. Return the cupcakes to the wire rack to let the glaze set up, at least 30 minutes.<br />
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The cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 3 days.<br />
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The finished product got the hubby seal of approval, so you KNOW they're good!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIicPgfWCornBaoowbuxdgJ7JArZfcXGzR5FEWpqoBmW1ddXFT8UEzveFq84LxJ8s7qbYgOqTdkoypPc2wG_D0MIxShfPLvuUxVVkRPA1xZKOabLuezCX8tdBGnNKWBVn-eQ8enURB5aC/s1600/valentine%2527s+day+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIicPgfWCornBaoowbuxdgJ7JArZfcXGzR5FEWpqoBmW1ddXFT8UEzveFq84LxJ8s7qbYgOqTdkoypPc2wG_D0MIxShfPLvuUxVVkRPA1xZKOabLuezCX8tdBGnNKWBVn-eQ8enURB5aC/s320/valentine%2527s+day+013.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> And just for kicks, here's a pic of me and my valentine from the Capitals game on Saturday (in our new jerseys!). Happy Valentine's Day everyone!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIuU35G-RSO_MTbj7UuubnMmo2df54cC6V8A9ts66rv1iOBf62NMd9i0_ScyrVwkShe-4lo_erGz6889CpDIeQ6kLmEJn5YC2erkF48cb1EwNJR07GmiEbMczUUuAkR7O0wCKJ0C0iOlL/s1600/valentine%2527s+day+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIuU35G-RSO_MTbj7UuubnMmo2df54cC6V8A9ts66rv1iOBf62NMd9i0_ScyrVwkShe-4lo_erGz6889CpDIeQ6kLmEJn5YC2erkF48cb1EwNJR07GmiEbMczUUuAkR7O0wCKJ0C0iOlL/s320/valentine%2527s+day+002.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-4014589488079570632011-02-06T08:51:00.000-08:002011-02-06T08:51:18.680-08:00Buns in OvensAre you excited? Have I piqued your interest? Hmm...that's cool. Now let's talk cinnamon rolls. That is definitely one good type of bun that comes out of an oven. Hot, gooey with frosting, everyone loves a cinnamon roll! Would I make them again? I'm not sure. Here's why...<br />
<br />
I've had this Smitten Kitchen recipe for Cinnamon Rolls for so long. Seriously. Probably something like a year. But MAN is it time intensive! It's what really turns me off about breads and buns...all that rising time! Truth be told, I love (LOVE!) those cinnamon rolls in a can, with the little pot of icing at the bottom. It's Christmas tradition in our family to make those every year, and I have to hold myself back from eating 5! Why bother with something that takes HOURS to make?! So you may be asking, where did these go wrong?<br />
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They didn't!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-u7lghtVAoVtgJplukKZlnztst6wi8fZVOTGgh6hSC4MlNs8Kvn6mK2-DwKqN2V_E5AOi0ezbi3klVtD0kove_n4nGF50_tOiEE96tRK0WkMsc7w7EGphjodT2-U-3hMEy3-LE0WfNyG/s1600/DSC00105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-u7lghtVAoVtgJplukKZlnztst6wi8fZVOTGgh6hSC4MlNs8Kvn6mK2-DwKqN2V_E5AOi0ezbi3klVtD0kove_n4nGF50_tOiEE96tRK0WkMsc7w7EGphjodT2-U-3hMEy3-LE0WfNyG/s320/DSC00105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhNcq7CHYkjV2DYVht4Ze0yLEpDbdW8ozDS573DYyvQr76N0qdxdDaNMxWhZfb439Y2fmIBKrP3FnMSWD0RWRuLC4YlryoXNUvGKin0-gM0zaiwyYmsY-NQXIFOr5nqCvjFvT-Bdl5YX4/s1600/DSC00106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhNcq7CHYkjV2DYVht4Ze0yLEpDbdW8ozDS573DYyvQr76N0qdxdDaNMxWhZfb439Y2fmIBKrP3FnMSWD0RWRuLC4YlryoXNUvGKin0-gM0zaiwyYmsY-NQXIFOr5nqCvjFvT-Bdl5YX4/s320/DSC00106.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I did everything correctly. I started my dough on Saturday morning, refridgerated it overnight, and brought it out to room temp (err...kind of...it was room temp enough...kind of...) Sunday morning before our friends in from out of town woke up. The dough rolled out beautifully. My new bread knife from my in-laws for Christmas was AMAZING. Sliced through the dough like a hot knife through butter. <strong>There's my big tip for the whole process: use a sharp knife to cut your dough into rolls.</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxriS7ekndqP0HeRHYaMWj-yF-XNwF45nDw7kWi5x819AkNM5pKksAEh7RBGB_t5x4ozoPbSu7jIE5_oSreMKR3qpvAGxeTM0QQ_GykiH8ZvFnmXqpNJG3Y92OW7RuuIO_X5xo3Q-6Wrk/s1600/DSC00108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxriS7ekndqP0HeRHYaMWj-yF-XNwF45nDw7kWi5x819AkNM5pKksAEh7RBGB_t5x4ozoPbSu7jIE5_oSreMKR3qpvAGxeTM0QQ_GykiH8ZvFnmXqpNJG3Y92OW7RuuIO_X5xo3Q-6Wrk/s320/DSC00108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoERJZsh9AmSIw8lxK-4so5IH8UWd2S9pKA6X7dfVqrCdbJoorswlkxrPgx3MwOpCd06V0oib2uNk5mdeEOjSNPLxIq8_tPJ2DqhLpQd4f7Z66QQFNWkLoHIY5Ap6Hlbjj7XCRq6l6UV3w/s1600/DSC00110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoERJZsh9AmSIw8lxK-4so5IH8UWd2S9pKA6X7dfVqrCdbJoorswlkxrPgx3MwOpCd06V0oib2uNk5mdeEOjSNPLxIq8_tPJ2DqhLpQd4f7Z66QQFNWkLoHIY5Ap6Hlbjj7XCRq6l6UV3w/s320/DSC00110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><strong><br />
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They cooked up nicely, didn't burn, and everything worked out exactly how it should have. My husband loved them. Our friends loved them. Why didn't <em>I</em> love them? Well that would be the second bun in the oven I'm referring to...<br />
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This little stinker doesn't seem to like Mommy to eat very much lately! Yep...I'm pregnant! That tiny little speck in there is a 7 week old bun (who is actually about 9 weeks now). Our sweet little Bun (yes...we call it "The Bun") is due in September, and we couldn't be happier!! It's definitely been an interesting month since I've found out, and morning sickness currently has had me in it's death grip until the recent acquisition of a little miracle drug called "Zofran." I managed one bite of roll, and had to put it down. Tragedy of tragedies!! Who puts down a perfectly good cinnamon roll?! The answer is me.<br />
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So from what I gather, these rolls were delicious. It's up to you to be the judge now! Also, check out Smitten Kitchen's post for these rolls. She announced her pregnancy through these rolls, too! I figured if it worked for her, it works for me!<br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/04/cinnamon-swirl-buns-so-much-news/">Cinnamon Rolls</a></span></strong><br />
<em><span style="color: purple;">From SmittenKitchen.com</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><strong>Cinnamon Swirl Buns with Cream Cheese Glaze</strong><br />
Adapted from </span><a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: purple;">Molly Wizenberg’s</span></a><span style="color: purple;"> recipe in </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cinnamon-Rolls-with-Cream-Cheese-Glaze-241631"><span style="color: purple;">Bon Appetit, March 2008</span></a><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Makes 18 buns. Note I did not say “servings”. That’s between you and your buns.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><u>Dough</u><br />
1 cup whole milk<br />
3 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />
3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise or instant yeast (from 1 envelope yeast)<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
Nonstick vegetable oil spray</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><u>Filling</u><br />
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar<br />
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon<br />
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
Pinch of salt</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><u>Glaze</u><br />
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature<br />
1 cup powdered sugar<br />
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><u>For dough</u>: Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, about 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. (You may also use a KitchenAid’s dough hook for this process.) Form into ball.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><u>For filling</u>: Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt in medium bowl. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Press down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly over butter. Starting at the longer side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, trim ends straight if they are uneven (we baked them in a </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/smitten/3439479233/"><span style="color: purple;">ramekin</span></a><span style="color: purple;">, incapable of discarding such deliciousness) cut remaining dough crosswise with thin sharp knife (a good serrated worked well here) into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes (an 8-inch square metal pan worked just fine, too) with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes, though yours, like mine, may take longer. Don’t skimp on the double-rising time.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><u>For glaze</u>: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature. </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><u>Note</u>: These buns were best the day they were baked. The second day, they were on the tough side. If you anticipate wanting them over a few days, glaze them to order, heating the buns beforehand to soften them up.</span><br />
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Okay, me again. My other tip would be to roll the dough relatively tight. I noticed that a couple of my rolls had a decent amount of filling fall out after slicing them. I think the easy solution would be to roll the log tighter, and it shouldn't be a problem. So now you have it. Sharp knife, roll the dough tight. Now go make some buns (cinnamon or babies...whichever you prefer!)!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-56768955297964481862010-12-20T07:14:00.000-08:002010-12-20T07:14:01.716-08:00Misspellings, with a side of rumAha! It's Sunday night and I baked Saturday. I have no excuse not to blog about this! :) Just in time for all of your holiday feasts hopefully, too.<br />
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<div> </div>Last night we went over to our friends Beth and Justins' house to celebrate Justin's birthday. Beth and I spent the whole day shopping for ingredients and decorations. We had baked brie, goat cheese with honey and green apples on crackers, egg rolls, spinach and artichoke dip...so much food! But naturally no birthday is complete without a big ol' hunk of cake with (literally) your name on it. Last week I emailed Beth with a cake idea that I've had my eye on for a while, from Smitten Kitchen (natch), and she was nice enough to let me give it a go on her hubby's birthday!<br />
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<div> </div>The cake is an epresso chiffon cake, brushed with an espresso-rum syrup between the layers, and then frosted with a chocolate buttercream. Ohh yeaaaah. Sounds delicious, right? Well tell a bunch of party goers that there's rum involved with the cake and it turns into "So wait...there's rum in the cake? Or in the frosting...? Or wait...<em>where's</em> the rum...?" Which was hilarious, since the rum's actually a very small part of this cake. It made me think of this:<br />
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<div> </div>The cake actually turned out fantastic, even though I had to trash my first set of eggs whites from a tiny bit of yolk (once the yolks in there, don't even bother trying to beat your egg whites. It just doesn't work). I also LOVED making the chocolate buttercream. Who knew that you could make frosting in the food processor?! Genius! It was so easy. I made it without the chocolate at first, scooped out enough for the writing, and then added the melted chocolate to the rest. It tasted absolutely delicious! Like brownies, or fudge, or something else intensely chocolatey and delicious.<br />
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<div> </div>So I make the frosting, frost the cake, pipe on "Happy Birthday Justin!" with a couple stars, and then pipe on some small dots to the bottom of the cake. A couple things happen here. I was very nervous about tearing the cake, and didn't have time to freeze the layers to make it easier, so I thickly piped on the frosting around the edges, swirled it in the middle, and then smoothed it out with my offset spatula. Holy cow. SO much easier than scooping on a big mound in the middle and spreading from there!! I will do this every time from now on!! <br />
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Then I piped on the birthday message. Yikes. So maybe I had a drink while baking...then maybe I had a glass of wine while frosting (Hey! It's a PARTY!)...so maybe I forgot the "D" in "birthday." Woops! :) We all got a big laugh out of it, and I shoved it in there anyway.<br />
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<div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w2hWVHeZBF60i-GHcolO6yXQGjMVcs5MZbbAQ1UH5j_bAs309qp1zofOMsOFvFQeAMDJRwzVrkCcz2WDm23MuAP7akCFIznCGvUCOfxYmAvbbs4LGpsLJX3W1xJO3bWOIEbM2mI90GmL/s1600/cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w2hWVHeZBF60i-GHcolO6yXQGjMVcs5MZbbAQ1UH5j_bAs309qp1zofOMsOFvFQeAMDJRwzVrkCcz2WDm23MuAP7akCFIznCGvUCOfxYmAvbbs4LGpsLJX3W1xJO3bWOIEbM2mI90GmL/s320/cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>on to the recipe!<br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/08/espresso-chiffon-cake-with-fudge-frosting/">Espresso Chiffon Cake with Fudge Frosting</a></strong></span><br />
<em><span style="color: purple;">Adapted from Smitten Kitchen</span></em><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Makes an 8- or 9-inch triple-layer cake</span><br />
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<ul><li><span style="color: purple;">1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as soybean, canola or vegetable blend</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">6 eggs, separated</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">6 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso, cooled to room temperature (Huntsman recommends freshly-brewed over hydrating espresso powder, which she feels can be too bitter)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">2 teaspoons vanilla extract</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">1 1/3 cups cake flour</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">1 1/2 cups sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar</span></li>
</ul><span style="color: purple;">Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of three 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with rounds of parchment or waxed paper, but do not grease.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">In a medium bowl, combine the oil, egg yolks, espresso and vanilla; whisk lightly to blend. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">In a large mixer bowl with an electric mixture, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-low speed until frothy. Raising the mixer speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining half cup of sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form; do not whip until stiff or the cake will shirk excessively upon cooling.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Add the espresso-egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together just enough to combine. Add one-fourth of the beaten egg whites and fold them in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remainder of the whites just until no streaks remain. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Bake the cakes for about 18 minutes each, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pans. When cooled, run a blunt knife around the edge of the pans to release the cakes. Invert onto wire racks and remove the paper liners.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">To assemble the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Soak the cake with 1/3 cup of the Espresso Syrup (below). Spread about 1 1/3 cups of the Instant Fudge Frosting (below) evenly over the top of the layer. Repeat with the next layer, more syrup and more frosting. Finally, top with the third layer. Soak it with the remaining syrup and frost the tops and sides with the remaining frosting.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Espresso Syrup</span></b><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Makes one cup</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">1/3 cup hot, freshly brewed espresso </span><br />
<div><span style="color: purple;">1/3 cup sugar</span></div><div><span style="color: purple;">1/3 cup dark rum, such as Meyer’s</span></div><span style="color: purple;">In a bowl, stir together the espresso and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the rum and let cool to room temperature.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Don’t want to use rum? (I know someone will ask.) I’d swap it with water, perhaps flavored with some vanilla extract. Worried about the caffeine? Use decaf espresso.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>Instant Fudge Frosting</b> </span><br />
<div><span style="color: purple;">Adapted, barely, from a </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811854485?ie=UTF8&tag=smitten-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0811854485"><span style="color: purple;">Sky High</span></a><span style="color: purple;"> recipe</span></div><span style="color: purple;">Now, this is, to be honest, a fancy name for a quick buttercream but it’s got two things going for it that are worth mentioning: One, the frosting isn’t flavored with cocoa (too mild) or even good semisweet chocolate, but unsweetened chocolate. Brilliant, I tell you. I find most quick buttercreams way too sweet, and although this one still is quite sugary, the super-bitter chocolate goes a long way to mitigating it. The second thing worth mentioning is this: Did you know you can make quick buttercreams in the food processor? I had <i>no idea</i>, I hadn’t even considered it before. But there I was whirling everything together in ten seconds flat and I will make it no other way from now on.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Makes about 5 cups</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="color: purple;">6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled </span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar (no need to sift)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">6 tablespoons half-and-half or whole milk</span></li>
<li><span style="color: purple;">1 tablespoon vanilla extract</span></li>
</ul><span style="color: purple;">Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to incorporate, then process until the frosting is smooth.</span><br />
<br />
Okay, my notes now. <br />
<ul><li>We used extra virgin olive oil, because I goofed and forgot to bring vegetable oil. Didn't make a difference at all, so if you need to use it, no big deal (it's probably not ideal, though). </li>
<li>Don't have an espresso machine? I'll bet you've got a Starbucks! Venti cup about half full. Just microwave it before you make the syrup, so it's hot enough to dissolve the sugar. </li>
<li>From what I could see when I made the cakes, I had enough batter to make three thin-ish cakes, or two regular-sized cakes. I just made two. Everybody loves a little less clean up!</li>
<li>For the frosting: I used whole milk, not half-and-half, and it was RICH. Rich as in "Oh em geez I need some milk with this cake, stat," rich. I think half-and-half might have given us all heart attacks. </li>
<ul><li>Also, as mentioned above, I didn't add the chocolate right away, since I wanted some white frosting to write with. I scooped some plain buttercream into my piping bag, then added the melted chocolate to the rest.</li>
</ul></ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPFshDbOwoEx-rmO7o5IBmuZb008FGDlDGZDim_lDxF0MWLNLj9BxFG0jqyp3Ctz8_QUieYwZMXCyQN2eyhIROkkofNi8yTqHUTbeqSrvZjMXYp0GewQFzALPftYLR0zx-3jMOwasV33f/s1600/layers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPFshDbOwoEx-rmO7o5IBmuZb008FGDlDGZDim_lDxF0MWLNLj9BxFG0jqyp3Ctz8_QUieYwZMXCyQN2eyhIROkkofNi8yTqHUTbeqSrvZjMXYp0GewQFzALPftYLR0zx-3jMOwasV33f/s320/layers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As you can see, no one hated it! :) All in all, I'd say this recipe is definitely a keeper. Was it a little complicated to make? Sure. I'd rate it "Intermediate" from the separating eggs, folding in egg whites, and because it's a delicate cake (harder to frost). If you've got the time and patience, though, it's definitely worth the hard work!<br />
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Happy Holidays, and enjoy!!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-34413792593176857182010-12-10T11:27:00.000-08:002010-12-10T11:27:55.319-08:00Pamp-keen Pie!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmRGLKdiVUHavBB0lNqMkWDvdJNwL3GvBBCE4t1qoRghB-EvUicS405QbIurphSuA65dbT4V4Q7Hgf-dBOyt3Qy3aIPNDWk0fVsAXkSUN7pmuXc-7WKbZZM9EUDheFOHCi7c95VDK0ppR/s1600/pumpkin+pie.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408855889520031138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmRGLKdiVUHavBB0lNqMkWDvdJNwL3GvBBCE4t1qoRghB-EvUicS405QbIurphSuA65dbT4V4Q7Hgf-dBOyt3Qy3aIPNDWk0fVsAXkSUN7pmuXc-7WKbZZM9EUDheFOHCi7c95VDK0ppR/s320/pumpkin+pie.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a> So if you don't get the title of this post, let me explain...then we'll get on to the goodness!</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>I won a trip to Barcelona, Spain two years ago through work (people who had the highest sales goals got to go, that kind of thing). Many of you who know me know that Spain is my favorite place in the world, and I have some great friends there, Cristina and Lalis and their family. So of course I worked it out with them to meet up one day while there and have lunch. During lunch it was a crowd of me, my friend Anne (also American), my two Spanish friends, one of their boyfriends, and a German exchange student. So to sum up the languages being spoken at our table: English, Spanish, Catalan, and German. We were quite the international crowd. </div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>During this lunch, we somehow got to talking about funny-sounding words in different languages, and all of the Spaniards at the table agreed that "Pumpkin" was the strangest word they had ever heard. So for the rest of lunch they kept saying "Pamp-keen!" with their Spanish accents and laughing like crazy. Ever since, I have never been able to say "Pumpkin" like a normal person, this way is just so much better :). As for crazy sounding Spanish words? I've always been a fan of "Habichuelas," or green beans, pronounced "ah-bee-CHWAY-lahs." Also, "albondigas" always struck me as kind of funny too (meatballs-"al-BOHN-dee-gahs").</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>ANYWAY! Enough rambling-I know what you're here for. You're here to unlock the secrets to a perfect pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving? That was just a test run. Now you've got some practice under your belt and you're ready to pull out the big guns! Well this pumpkin pie is the big daddy of all pumpkin pies (if I do say so myself). The fresh ginger and bourbon in it totally send it over the edge! So I now want you to listen very carefully: </div><br />
<ul><li>go to your freezer</li>
<li>politely break it off with your Sara Lee pumpkin pie...that means YOU, Mom! (you're growing apart, your culinary skills have improved, and you need something else that will challenge you as a budding bakery goddess...or god...you get my drift)</li>
<li>now throw it away, and follow this recipe...</li>
</ul><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Pumpkin Pie</span></strong><br />
<br />
<em>Courtesy of Brock Kuhlman, of Hill's Kitchen in Washington, DC</em><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">par-baked 9” pie crust</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 T all-purpose flour</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 t cinnamon, ground</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 t salt</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">¼ t nutmeg, ground</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 c fresh or canned pumpkin puree, unsweetened</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 1/3 c heavy cream<br />
3 large eggs</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/3 c brown sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/3 c sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 T vanilla extract</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 t finely grated peeled ginger</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">*for those of you who love bourbon: reduce the heavy cream to 1 cup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add 1/3 cup of bourbon to the filling, along with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You should love bourbon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Preheat the oven to 325 F.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the bowl of a mixer, whip the pumpkin, eggs, cream, sugars, vanilla, and grated ginger until smooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add the dry ingredients and blend just until combined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fill the parbaked shell and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the middle of the custard jiggles but doesn't slosh.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cool at least three hours before cutting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This pie really improves after sitting overnight- the spice flavors really smooth out and become luscious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Butter/Shortening Pie Crust*</span></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">single crust</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 ½ c all-purpose flour</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">¼ t salt</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">5 T cold unsalted butter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3 T cold shortening</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4-5 T cold water</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">double crust</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 c all-purpose flour</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">½ t salt</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">7 T cold unsalted butter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4 T cold shortening</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">5-6 T cold water</span></div><br />
<div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Measure out the water for the crust and then chill in the freezer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Measure out the flour and salt into a cold bowl and whisk until well mixed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Coat the stick of butter in the flour, and then using a bench knife or chef's knife, cut length ways into four long pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coat in flour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cut the long pieces into ¼” cubes (1” pieces for a food processor) and coat in flour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using a pastry cutter, press the tines straight down through the fat and flour mixture repeatedly until the largest pieces of fat are the size of large peas and the smallest are the size of lentils.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don't over do it- range of fat pieces makes for a flaky pastry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rechill if your kitchen is warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(if using a food processor, pulse a few times until the fat is cut into a range of sizes as indicated above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not run the processor continuously- only pulse. Transfer to a cold bowl.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Be stingy with the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add a tablespoon at a time, tossing the dough between each addition, not mixing or smearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Work the dough as little as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add just enough water that there is no more dry flour at the bottom of the bowl- you want all the flour to be incorporated until there are only little cobble like bits hanging together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add the last bit of water in drips, or flicks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To test, pat together a tennis ball size piece of dough- if it falls apart or has big, floury cracks, you need to add a few more drops of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too much dough makes a tough dough, so be judicious at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you get your dough too wet, throw it away and start over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can't be recovered.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For a single crust, form into a ball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a double crust, divide into two balls, one slightly larger than the other (the bottom crust will need to be bigger to fit the pan).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">*Working with pastry is a bit of an art, but one that can be mastered if you remember two things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dough has to have enough water to be cohesive, but too much water (which paradoxically makes the dough easier to work with) will make it tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, the fat always has to be cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Warm fat will never make a good crust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it seems too warm, stop and chill it a few minutes in the freezer.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Blind Baking/ Par-Baking a Pie Shell</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Roll out the pastry and fill a 9” pie tin, crimping the edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Refrigerate for 10 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prick the bottom of the pie shell with a fork to keep it from bubbling up, and then line the pie shell with parchement paper or aluminum foil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fill the pie with pie weights or kidney beans and bake as follows:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For a par-baked crust (for pumpkin pie), bake the bean/weight filled crust for 15-20 minutes at 450 F, or until the edges look blonde and slightly blistered.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For a blind baked crust (for a fresh fruit tart), bake the bean/weight filled crust as above, but then remove the weights/beans, turn the oven down to 375 F, and then bake it for ten minutes or so until the crust edges and bottom are golden brown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><br />
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First off, let's be honest here. I've slacked on the blog. I used to write it on my lunch hours at work, but now I've taken to not taking lunch hours. If you work in front of a computer screen like me, you know you don't want to even SEE a keyboard after work! I know, excuses excuses. So why I am I giving you this now? Truthfully, I wrote this LAST year around this time...but I lost my recipes! They were in a packet that got thrown away. I just got around to asking Brock for the packet, and he was nice enough to send it to me. Why is it a big deal that he was nice enough to send it to me? Because he lives in THAILAND now. Yah. The man is awesome. You should check out his blog <a href="http://www.brockeats.com/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Me waiting around on this draft for a year and still posting also tells you something...this pie is GOOD! Like really good. And Brock's right, add the bourbon. Between the bourbon and the fresh ginger and the regular pumpkin pie deliciousness, it's heavenly. I'm thinking I might make this for Christmas in San Diego. I'm thinking you should too, wherever you are.<br />
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Happy Holidays! :) I promise to try and write more! And remember...<br />
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</div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-86186581750924274922010-08-23T07:19:00.000-07:002010-08-23T07:19:36.724-07:00Summer Slacking...What can I say? I am a slacker. The heat has rendered me a kitchen-hater. We made dinner the other night on the stove for the first time in months....MONTHS I TELL YOU! And you know what I did? I grumbled. It's true. I'm a grumbler now.<br />
<br />
I have made two things since my last post, and I apparently found them so lack-luster that I couldn't bring myself to share. One of them? Ice cream! Frozen yogurt to be precise. It was good-<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/pinkcherry/">Cherry Almond Coconut Froyo</a>-but I actually ended up liking the non-frozen product a lot better than frozen. I don't know if it's because it froze to a rock-like consistency, or if I just wasn't that crazy about it. Either way, I'd suggest just making it for yourself and not freezing it. You know what it tastes like? Yoplait Cherry yogurt. But possibly a little bit better. Plus, you could go the healthy-crunchy-green-route and say that you're making your own flavored yogurt. Way to go you! Here's a pic of the pre-freezer ice cream (it was also excellent in this stage...maybe my freezer is just too cold?):<br />
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</div>I fully admit to eating enough of this that I felt slightly nauseous. You know why? Coconut milk. Holy cow. I could practically chug the stuff. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9DwA_VZDno&feature=related">I want to use it in anything</a>!!<br />
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So yes. Froyo was good, but once in it's rock-solid frozen state, I didn't touch the stuff. On to the other thing I made since the last post...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_i9EDET0uRN2MdHnPfVYf9GRPAC3JkhvjCURdsivs3Rw7OptNsf8y2lXqwQFE41AYlBKoOBW5pJMnegfioB5egkl_o-5oYABsgrO2f0PExR4gXkUpuUbIqFXiB_kkNIH1HVYalbVsB0NN/s1600/box+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_i9EDET0uRN2MdHnPfVYf9GRPAC3JkhvjCURdsivs3Rw7OptNsf8y2lXqwQFE41AYlBKoOBW5pJMnegfioB5egkl_o-5oYABsgrO2f0PExR4gXkUpuUbIqFXiB_kkNIH1HVYalbVsB0NN/s320/box+cake.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Mmhmm. I can't even lie. Every year on December 24th, I bite the bullet, roll my eyes, and make yellow cake from a box for my husband's birthday. Then I top it off with "milk chocolate" frosting from a plastic tub. He. Loves. It. My silly picky-pants husband loves cake from a box. It's his favorite. He has no interest in homemade cakes, no matter how delicious or visually appealing, but he'll down 4 of these cupcakes in one sitting like they're the greatest thing on earth. Go figure! So a couple weeks ago Jeff was having a bad week, and while we were at the grocery store he gave me the puppy dog eyes and asked, "Do you think you could make me some cupcakes? Y'know...like...from a box? Yellow, with chocolate frosting?"<br />
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:) Little booger. So of course I did. And then I admittedly had a couple myself. I hate to admit how good they are! I hate how it takes no more than an hour to make them from start to finish! I hate that there's no skill required, and yet this is somehow what my husband finds most appealing! It's like buying a $500 dress just to hear your husband say, "Eh, it's okay. What about that dress you got from Target last week?"<br />
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Aaanyway. As the heat is starting to die down, I'm feeling the urge to bake more. There are cookie recipes I want to try! Cakes! Pies! Ice creams! So hopefully you'll hear from me soon...if not? Keep an eye on that DC forecast. As soon as it dips back down into the low 80's, I'll be making regular appearances again. Later gators!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-91812053775154028402010-07-14T09:12:00.000-07:002010-07-14T09:15:07.729-07:00Sing it Martha!Hello out there! Yes...I still exist. I know, I know, where have I been?! Here's the deal...<br />
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You know that heat wave you've heard about on the news? Perhaps you experienced it yourself? Well to say DC experienced it is quite the understatement. In fact, if we're being real here, I'd say DC was punched in the face by that heat wave! It wasn't just a day or two...it was a MONTH! Record highs, records for the most consecutive days over 90 degrees, blah-<span style="background-color: white;"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">de</span>-</span>blah-blah. You get it, right? No? Perhaps you need Martha and the girls to tell you...<br />
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Okay, so now that that's clear for you, let's move on. <br />
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Last post I teased you with the prospect of wedding cake in your future. <span style="background-color: white;"> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">Hmmm</span></span>...yeah I don't have that for you. I used a few recipes that turned out to be just so-so. That...and did I mention the heat? Let me tell you what results when you leave your butter on the kitchen counter to "soften" overnight? <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: #ffffff;">Mhmm</span>. Melted butter ALL OVER YOUR COUNTER. And the cereal boxes. And the pot holder. And down the side of the cabinets. Awesome. I should have taken this as a bad sign and stopped there. But <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: #ffffff;">noooo</span>...I'm a glutton for punishment! So I switched on the a/c window unit in our dining room (let me clarify...a room NEXT to our kitchen) and charged ahead.<br />
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*sigh*<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The oven heated our kitchen to epic proportions. The <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">swiss</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">buttercream</span></span> melted down the sides of the cake. The cake was a tad on the dry side, and yet somehow completely fragile, and really enjoyed falling apart to the touch. It still came together, and we still ate it (okay...we're cheesy...we fed each other the first bite). We threw the rest of it away, though. Just not good.<br />
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BUT! There is a light at the end of this dreary little summer tunnel!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_wH8FqZ4DV3UfYHP0vUJ6FEACfAfIbXAwQ6-6QZu9F-S_y4HRdy4v9DW0LeULCLhTX8FSUHn5-1uXv4cYb_shS1AgdFj9I7PNCsNxfhdd0v_13EmU174cNiaAoPEXdCqU2M4twUYv40l/s1600/mixer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_wH8FqZ4DV3UfYHP0vUJ6FEACfAfIbXAwQ6-6QZu9F-S_y4HRdy4v9DW0LeULCLhTX8FSUHn5-1uXv4cYb_shS1AgdFj9I7PNCsNxfhdd0v_13EmU174cNiaAoPEXdCqU2M4twUYv40l/s320/mixer.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">Ohhh</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">yeaaaah</span>. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">KitchenAid</span></span> ice cream maker attachment for my birthday? Don't mind if I do! :) Gosh that husband of mine is a nice guy! So what's in your future, as a reader of this blog? How <span style="background-color: white;">about b<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">lueberry</span></span> cheesecake ice cream? Cherry almond coconut fro-yo? Caramel chocolate chip ice cream? Oh yeah babe. And the best part? My sweet little kitchen gets a break from the heat (well...from the oven's heat, at least!). Keep your eyes peeled!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVv8LMQb1TqxzkAPGKzeTVIqObEWdUOchqlV1z2P_KXRq4WJ-v5saKhvOX_z_RgN2oZoEy3p5Ozg98uu_qkGvkG_c0a-AsRCh83mqV3oBR9zlRVOiXJM1RgPVCOgNN3ICr0wkZ9s4YjrJ8/s1600/kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVv8LMQb1TqxzkAPGKzeTVIqObEWdUOchqlV1z2P_KXRq4WJ-v5saKhvOX_z_RgN2oZoEy3p5Ozg98uu_qkGvkG_c0a-AsRCh83mqV3oBR9zlRVOiXJM1RgPVCOgNN3ICr0wkZ9s4YjrJ8/s320/kitchen.jpg" /></a></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-14048641536636060732010-06-23T12:55:00.000-07:002010-06-23T12:55:44.339-07:00Twisty Bobcat Kinda PretzelHello readers! What's on today's menu? I made pretzels last week for my dear, wonderful, picky-pants husband. I constantly get this question at work when I bring in baked goods: "What about your husband?! Didn't you want to save some of this for him?!" like I'm starving the poor boy, and smacking his hands away.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Oh contraire!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Just the opposite actually. I have to beg him to try things! He usually just greets my baked goods with a polite, "No, thank you." I'm serious! Know what he wants for his birthday every year? Yellow cake and chocolate frosting, from a box and a plastic tub, respectively. How's that for crazy?!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So I'm constantly on the prowl for a good recipe that just might interest him...and I found one! Jeffrey LOVES soft pretzels. I ran the idea by him a while ago, and he was really interested; he actually followed up once to see when I was going to make them! If he sees a stand at the baseball game, or the mall, he'll usually get one. So I decided to surprise him when he had to work late one night last week, and have him come home to a late night snack of delicious, salty, doughy, goodness.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>While I was making them (somewhat terrified at first...me+dough=not good things in the past), I kept thinking of this scene from "Two Weeks Notice" with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant (hence the title of this post. Sorry, Sandra gets a little cut off by the layout of the page). It's really only the first 2:15 of this clip, but the whole movie is so great. Classic rom-com.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9MspPwON1Vs&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9MspPwON1Vs&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div><br />
HA! <br />
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So anyway, I've only really got two pics for you today. Hopefully they'll leave you satisfied and wanting to make some pretzels of your own! I really liked the end result, but I would probably get a little more creative and season them with other things besides just salt if I make them again. This is the picky-pants part, naturally. :) Jeff just prefers plain salted, which were still delicious. These would be equally excellent with some rosemary and garlic, maybe some cinnamon and sugar? The possibilities are endless! They were surprisingly easy to make (remember? I'm dough deficient), just a little time consuming. I started mine late, at about 7:30PM, and they were done by 10PM.<br />
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And look how pretty they turned out!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNjbjqBDHtSMlL_coPtwfBRv2xArqi51iK_-YUKLYnohTdvCPuzTsq93o_m8Kk-bU-6wndwW02CP0dwOs38xUXbGsNaHQTcChjMihnGA_H9kAW4DKaRp0VT9ZOJc3K4czW7UYsouYKMFC/s1600/Pretzels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNjbjqBDHtSMlL_coPtwfBRv2xArqi51iK_-YUKLYnohTdvCPuzTsq93o_m8Kk-bU-6wndwW02CP0dwOs38xUXbGsNaHQTcChjMihnGA_H9kAW4DKaRp0VT9ZOJc3K4czW7UYsouYKMFC/s320/Pretzels.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">They were wonderful, doughy, chewy, delicious! Add a good spicy mustard, or maybe a little queso, and ohmigod heaven! Plus, my kitchen smelled amazing! Oh...and that husband of mine seemed to like them too. Especially when he told me he had SIX (<strong><em>SIX!!!!</em></strong>) the next day when he brought them to work. Ha! Let's call that a victory.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmRqRawF2TQqV5ZcKIvg3fhY5-9Gqc2iSGqosS1RP0W9nHCWB1-Y9cL1sEEKvL6KXsd05pCCDYclarb3ryY4jBrdLSNMICy3IAFrDtXpYb0u_FiVaZkwDbOzM8RHcxwMKH9vbcsJPUTQK/s1600/Mmm+Pretzels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmRqRawF2TQqV5ZcKIvg3fhY5-9Gqc2iSGqosS1RP0W9nHCWB1-Y9cL1sEEKvL6KXsd05pCCDYclarb3ryY4jBrdLSNMICy3IAFrDtXpYb0u_FiVaZkwDbOzM8RHcxwMKH9vbcsJPUTQK/s320/Mmm+Pretzels.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/02/knotted-and-stacked-disappearing-acts/">Soft Pretzels</a></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>from Smitten Kitchen/Martha Stewart</em><br />
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Makes 16 full-sized or 32 miniature</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons sugar</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 packet active dry yeast</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 tablespoon salt</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 teaspoons canola or other neutral oil</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/4 cup baking soda</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 large egg</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Coarse or pretzel salt</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Vegetable-oil cooking spray (<strong>I just used parchment paper...I'm a sucker for minimal clean-up...btw, my comments will be in bold down here</strong>)<br />
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1. Pour warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar into bowl of electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and stir to combine. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.<br />
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2. Add 1 cup flour to yeast, and mix on low until combined. Add salt and 4 cups more flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium-low until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup flour, and knead on low 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions<strong> this means if your kitchen is like mine, and 1000*F and humid? extra 1/2 cup is needed</strong>); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about ten times, or until smooth.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3. Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray (parchment paper, ungreased, also works). Set aside. Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each) or 32 if making miniature pretzels, and wrap in plastic <strong>(extremely important to wrap the dough! Otherwise it will dry out, and won't roll out easily)</strong>.</div><br />
5. Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. [I find the pretzels much easier to roll on an unfloured board, oddly enough, but see what works for you.] Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; eight will fit on each sheet (you may need a third sheet if making miniatures). Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.<br />
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6. Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda (and step back, it foams up quickly) and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Reduce to a simmer; transfer three to four pretzels to water. Poach 1 minute on each side. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached.<br />
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7. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for two days. Do not store in covered container or they will become soggy.<br />
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So there you go! These are an excellent addition to my recipe box, and I'm excited to make them again with some different flavor combinations!<br />
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Just before I go, though, I would like to give a big shout-out to my AWESOME cousin Kim! I came home yesterday to find this waiting for me in my mailbox:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt0AhTfMRNUoKGruf3sgEIcg2_taBFYmVqO4Yx-aJ9PnUl2Q4DnHOEmBF4V-Dwq3RDEEUMbwpASFA4Ui0qLKnEWQPrXU7V3CqVDnSwQAHYIr35cYI9glVfNww90psBApg8kSTkIAj-sFE/s1600/tshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt0AhTfMRNUoKGruf3sgEIcg2_taBFYmVqO4Yx-aJ9PnUl2Q4DnHOEmBF4V-Dwq3RDEEUMbwpASFA4Ui0qLKnEWQPrXU7V3CqVDnSwQAHYIr35cYI9glVfNww90psBApg8kSTkIAj-sFE/s320/tshirt.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">How great is that?! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Okay, enjoy your week everyone! Coming up next, I'll be featuring a redo of our wedding cake for our 1 year anniversary this weekend. Keep your eyes peeled!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-86360778585722601222010-06-16T20:54:00.000-07:002010-06-16T20:54:57.560-07:00Detour: Special Pasta<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As you are aware, I occasionally (okay...<a href="http://cupcakefridays.blogspot.com/2010/01/lemon-cake-part-deux.html">once</a>) like to feature a non-baked good on here because it's just so darn good I want to share it with the world! If you've known me or my husband for more than a month or two, then you've heard about our "Special Pasta." Just sitting here actually writing out "Special Pasta" makes me laugh, because it's so funny that we call it that. We made it last night, though, and in light of our 1 year anniversary (of marriage) coming up in a little over a week, I thought it would be great to share it with all of you. Let's start with a story...</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Most of you know that I met my husband when we were in high school. I was 14 and he was 17, and much to the chagrin of our parents (helloooo drama!) we fell for each other HARD. I was a preppy kid in Gap jeans and cardigan sweaters, he was a metal head with spiky hair and scary chains. We were both in marching band, and he was probably the most charming individual I had ever met. The years that followed were filled with love notes, late night phone calls (BEFORE cell phones! We used calling cards! Ha!), and flower-filled lockers when he came home from college for a weekend.</div><br />
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Okay, okay, enough with the mush. Where did the pasta come from?!<br />
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One year for Valentine's Day I went to OU to celebrate with him. He decided that we were going to take over his crazy little apartment (everything was brick! The floor, the walls...seriously...EVERYTHING) and have a romantic dinner. We went back and forth on what to make, and finally he settled on a Rachael Ray recipe for <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/bacon-and-egg-coal-miners-pasta-rigatoni-alla-carbonara-recipe/index.html">"Bacon and Egg Coal Miner's Pasta (aka Rigatoni alla Carbonara)." </a>We. loved. it. We also changed the bejeesus out of it for two reasons:<br />
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1. Pancetta-Have you ever been to Athens, OH? Great place for a Halloween Party, bad place to find out-of-the-norm foods. When we inquired if the deli had pancetta at the local Kroger, we were asked, "Paynchetta? Is that sum kahnd of cheeese?" Mmmhmm. We smiled, thanked her for her help, and got a package of center cut bacon.<br />
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2. Quantity-Being the true blue Americans that we are, we added the whole package of bacon, pretty much doubled the cheese, and upped the ante on the crushed red pepper. Mmmm...<br />
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So because "Bacon and Egg Coal Miner's Pasta: Rigatoni alla Carbonara" is kind of a mouthful, we just started calling it "That special pasta from Valentine's Day," which was eventually shortened to "Special Pasta." Over the years we've made it for so many people, even our friends know what "Special Pasta" is! So after countless requests for the recipe, I'm sharing it with you. I sincerely hope you enjoy what has become our signature dish!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Special Pasta</span></strong><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from Rachael Ray's Bacon and Egg Coal Miner's Pasta</span></em><br />
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<strong>Ingredients:</strong><br />
<ul><li>1 pkg center cut bacon <em>(less fatty)</em></li>
<li>5 cloves garlic, minced <em>(yes...5. Don't skimp. Bacon+garlic=heaven)</em></li>
<li>1 lb rigatoni <em>(any pasta will do, I actually really enjoy this with Farfalle as well)</em></li>
<li>1/2 C grated parmesan cheese <em>(buy the block of cheese and grate it yourself. SO much tastier! Cheese was not meant to come from a can, people)</em></li>
<li>1 handful of flatleaf parsley, finely chopped</li>
<li>1/2 C white wine <em>(chicken stock only in a pinch, the wine is WAY better)</em></li>
<li>2 egg yolks</li>
<li>plenty of freshly ground black pepper</li>
</ul>Fill large pot with water to boil for pasta<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeCaJy5WU2rJbgRUWsmbudCJYHMK4YNxBB3g9L6fwvN5FT94qB_N60LFaR6zpcjobhOeZM91P3h1tJiAjYHL4wHBGnvQlTofTloGZcbM8OhMQIneLs_NLzUEym_zKHNDGPsbx9epobqV2/s1600/Vegas+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeCaJy5WU2rJbgRUWsmbudCJYHMK4YNxBB3g9L6fwvN5FT94qB_N60LFaR6zpcjobhOeZM91P3h1tJiAjYHL4wHBGnvQlTofTloGZcbM8OhMQIneLs_NLzUEym_zKHNDGPsbx9epobqV2/s320/Vegas+038.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Have your loving husband slice the bacon into small strips (naturally, you can do this on your own, but this is one of those recipes that really works best with two people). Heat a large pan with high sides on medium-high heat, add bacon. Be sure to drain bacon fat from the pan with a large spoon as much as you can. If you leave it, it will be greasy, and not-so-tasty. Once the bacon starts to look halfway cooked, add pasta to your boiling water. It's better to be a little late adding the pasta, than early. When you add the pasta in the end, it should be very hot.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">While husband is cooking the bacon, chop the parsley, grate the cheese, and stir together in a bowl with the egg yolks and black pepper. Add a large spoonful of the boiling pasta water to the egg/cheese mixture and stir rapidly to temper the eggs. Add water until it's creamy and easy to stir with a fork, but not too runny (this is usually about 3 spoonfuls for us...but it will depend on your spoon!). Set aside.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When bacon is just starting to look crisp, add garlic and crushed red pepper and stir rapidly, (careful not to burn it!!!) until garlic is just softened. Add white wine to the pan, and deglaze. Be sure to scrape the pan to loosen tasty bits that may have been sticking. When wine is reduced by half, turn off the heat. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When pasta has finished cooking, drain in a colander (DO NOT RINSE-you want the pasta to stay starchy so the cheese mixture adheres to it), and transfer hot pasta into pan with bacon. Toss to combine. Finish by adding egg/cheese mixture and toss well until pasta is coated.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfEnLgs__HnTux9g7MNzr4m5JSr_hjbJnfRHYTi8SpsJL0mXdu341C55oe5LNSpj6ISxrekDUERNh3X1eIInddMLrSMXlnNCir1BoIJZTcrg2jo4uPE6NbOWmvYcrtWIxEw1rt0WxapFw/s1600/Vegas+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfEnLgs__HnTux9g7MNzr4m5JSr_hjbJnfRHYTi8SpsJL0mXdu341C55oe5LNSpj6ISxrekDUERNh3X1eIInddMLrSMXlnNCir1BoIJZTcrg2jo4uPE6NbOWmvYcrtWIxEw1rt0WxapFw/s320/Vegas+051.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Serve in your favorite bowl, plate, or as we're fond of: the blate (bowl...plate...blate...get it? This one is from Williams Sonoma. Thanks, Mom!). Finish with a little grated parmesan, and devour. This recipe can also be doubled, and devoured as leftovers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6g1C1MEhmuICkTMeJlEY63BsSujjnYHh8U8DPGRFAKymhPGLML8prvkKa1c2zzGvfrK4cPWvlPjw82la6lqiqE-YFPqODzjEoVvb_8x4Tz4pNLp3iglfxRPyxPfRY94t3KFaTAbQWtfSZ/s1600/Vegas+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6g1C1MEhmuICkTMeJlEY63BsSujjnYHh8U8DPGRFAKymhPGLML8prvkKa1c2zzGvfrK4cPWvlPjw82la6lqiqE-YFPqODzjEoVvb_8x4Tz4pNLp3iglfxRPyxPfRY94t3KFaTAbQWtfSZ/s320/Vegas+056.JPG" /></a></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-74348659358421410582010-06-10T07:13:00.000-07:002010-06-10T07:13:25.749-07:00I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Hmmm...starting off a post with a Little Mermaid quote? Looks like a recipe for awesome-ness to me!</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have been wanting to make these Blueberry Crumb Bars for over a month now, and it was just time! Why did I wait a month? Well, first I moved. Then it got HOT. We're rocking the a/c window units here in the new digs, so the idea of heating up the oven (and, therefore, my kitchen) was less than appealing to say the least. It finally cooled down this week, after many days (weeks?) of 90+ degree days, so I decided today was the day!</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I haven't tried them yet, since they're cooling as I write this, but I can tell you without a doubt that my house smells heavenly!! There's nothing like blueberry, lemon, and butter to make your house smell all sorts of good! These bars look so delicious, and they were beyond easy to make! I was actually thinking while making them, "Gosh, these are so easy, I'm not sure I'll really have much to write about!" Then I looked at what was in front of me and realized, "Wow...I'm using some things here that might not really be something that could be found in <em>everyone's</em> kitchen," so I had the idea to show you some of my kitchen gadgets, gizmos, and essentials. Plus, I figure, in the days of Twitter, Facebook, and People magazine, everyone likes to be nosy nowadays! So here we go (Not interested? Just want the goods? Recipe's at the bottom!)...</div></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpcrKkeRNugEz6QKrbK2SA2DiiwvT186npH99fyxmjqdARlGM_YKQ0wxHwRzm1CcPh4vnxYR_NkjE9e3H0Tt7n_jX83hBHRuqya3b4P33Mz5-cjMw5CVPnWI41Yhlr4GYr6pUyjzDk074/s1600/cooking!+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpcrKkeRNugEz6QKrbK2SA2DiiwvT186npH99fyxmjqdARlGM_YKQ0wxHwRzm1CcPh4vnxYR_NkjE9e3H0Tt7n_jX83hBHRuqya3b4P33Mz5-cjMw5CVPnWI41Yhlr4GYr6pUyjzDk074/s320/cooking!+003.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Uj4kfQ0CEBUIdJBoD38KLLwJKGzEiNbbet2PZ0oEo8cvVgXCBxShuI_SoVxa5bTK-tK31R87_haGsx-g6F2h1Y6s5qYAtPBdlt8M_XtY5o224nVjekYY-d-4KqQgy87uZp06SH6E08Lg/s1600/cooking!+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Uj4kfQ0CEBUIdJBoD38KLLwJKGzEiNbbet2PZ0oEo8cvVgXCBxShuI_SoVxa5bTK-tK31R87_haGsx-g6F2h1Y6s5qYAtPBdlt8M_XtY5o224nVjekYY-d-4KqQgy87uZp06SH6E08Lg/s320/cooking!+011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1. Pastry Cutter- This is my newest kitchen gadget from Hill's Kitchen. This can be used to make biscuits, pie crust, shortbread, etc. I've been wanting one for a while (I'm dying to try my hand at homemade biscuits!) because even though all recipes that call for a pastry cutter say "or use two forks or knives to cut in butter..." I have had <em>zero </em>luck with that method. This, however, was easy as pie (Oooh! Yesss. Haha, I crack myself up!).</div><br />
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<div> </div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMh6amSLxVOXpjPIVWPrEOETkZysJZs7_5sQFuzf8UqYNLE0ebD_Lz8hyphenhyphen3KqlkPhkT4GYMLbi76JGtZ02MPLeJyZNg5nr1akt_MAbDQKB1Foag8xqlkL3kyYM-OvLKb4QSuCeK8l5Qe3Hm/s1600/0609101848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMh6amSLxVOXpjPIVWPrEOETkZysJZs7_5sQFuzf8UqYNLE0ebD_Lz8hyphenhyphen3KqlkPhkT4GYMLbi76JGtZ02MPLeJyZNg5nr1akt_MAbDQKB1Foag8xqlkL3kyYM-OvLKb4QSuCeK8l5Qe3Hm/s320/0609101848.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Microplane & Citrus Reamer- Do me a favor: GO BUY THESE. Oh, I'm sorry? You say you have a "juicer" that works just fine? You lie. That little piece of wood will get every last bit of delicious juice from a lemon, orange, whatever. I've never seen anything that works better (except maybe those crazy juicer contraptions at Jamba Juice). And the microplane? It's just money. Works great for zesting lemons, and also grates parmesan cheese faster than the huge box grater that is now collecting dust on my shelf (makes less of a mess too!).</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgXfvZFXcimwpc5ct7O7XqZHfAH2czEGaA8HkgQm66O7N7KWZBfTjOSEsfv6LkAAKDAuSP2-ND6_JaEjHQHPZNbkO6kyw-HemKS_6Xh9_7kq4AH95ixbhY26YnUjupRdzp0d1rnJPelFp/s1600/cooking!+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgXfvZFXcimwpc5ct7O7XqZHfAH2czEGaA8HkgQm66O7N7KWZBfTjOSEsfv6LkAAKDAuSP2-ND6_JaEjHQHPZNbkO6kyw-HemKS_6Xh9_7kq4AH95ixbhY26YnUjupRdzp0d1rnJPelFp/s320/cooking!+037.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Kitchen Timer- Essential! My mother tells me she doesn't bake because she always gets distracted and burns things. Ever heard of the phrase, "Like mother like daughter?" Yep. I've burnt a thing or two in my day. So I love my kitchen timer magnet. Why? It's loud enough to hear in my living room at the other end of the apartment, it is extremely obnoxious (a high pitched "<em>beep-a-da-beep!</em>"), and won't turn off until I press the button. This is just common sense people!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ykuNcl4Bual6GpX3FjiZW-bnv1c4eXqSvtLxCeKZe8Lr6sHnRE2ca7dmUv0b4MeUNxg34RfFFW0_XYppqrTpsmVMwqOx71I0pbmUFSgjYzyI4LrNCF_VXqt0VA_giGOgGDvH7yl6cZB9/s1600/cooking!+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ykuNcl4Bual6GpX3FjiZW-bnv1c4eXqSvtLxCeKZe8Lr6sHnRE2ca7dmUv0b4MeUNxg34RfFFW0_XYppqrTpsmVMwqOx71I0pbmUFSgjYzyI4LrNCF_VXqt0VA_giGOgGDvH7yl6cZB9/s320/cooking!+056.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Ikea flour and sugar jars- Know what I hate? I hate those big bags of flour that never seem to open right, so they inevitably tear, and your counter tops get more flour than your baked goods! Drives me bananas! These jars were $5 each! It's a no brainer. If you're going to go buy some, keep in mind that they should be wide enough at the top to accomodate your measuring cups (this is important! For some reason the cutest ones have skinny little necks at the top. Who does that?!). These also have a seal under the lid, which I like.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
<div> </div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGms_TffHTSUPvlHLpgNQ0jawMM3ZagN2_vkjApJQXVPDHt9imPMhiPcq4z1HRGLQDLpVNb-Jw-Nen9aTmn3OrCjcaOMLNX0aKmrNJanDJB6TJuHP09I3JC0zxXc2_K0aBnuLbS2B6jYfa/s1600/cooking!+061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGms_TffHTSUPvlHLpgNQ0jawMM3ZagN2_vkjApJQXVPDHt9imPMhiPcq4z1HRGLQDLpVNb-Jw-Nen9aTmn3OrCjcaOMLNX0aKmrNJanDJB6TJuHP09I3JC0zxXc2_K0aBnuLbS2B6jYfa/s320/cooking!+061.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">5. Jewelry Dish- Confession time: I'm a sucker for those pottery painting places in strip malls. Yep. The ones with the little ceramic turtles and "I love you!" picture frames. I'm always looking for an excuse to go in! Well if you're looking for an excuse to paint some cheap unfinished pottery, here you go! This dish is shaped like a flower, is painted by moi, and holds my rings while I bake, cook, and do dishes. As a side note: how cute are my garlic jar and Ohio barn?! Gotta love a little home state pride!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Okay. So did you come here for a recipe or something? My bad. Let's move on to that for you! Today's recipe is yet another gem from Smitten Kitchen, who got it from AllRecipes.com. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/blueberry-crumb-bars/"><span style="font-size: large;">Blueberry Crumb Bars</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">from SmittenKitchen.com, adapted from Allrecipes.com</div><br />
Yield: I cut these into 36 smallish rectangles<br />
<ul><li>1 cup white sugar</li>
<li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>3 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>Zest and juice of one lemon</li>
<li>4 cups fresh blueberries</li>
<li>1/2 cup white sugar</li>
<li>4 teaspoons cornstarch</li>
</ul><br />
<div> </div>1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.<br />
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<div> </div>3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.<br />
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<div> </div>4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. (This took an extra 10 to 15 minutes in my oven.) Cool completely before cutting into squares.<br />
<br />
<div> </div><div>Honestly? These were <em>too</em> easy! They are so delicious too (they've cooled overnight, and as I'm finishing this post my coworkers are devouring them)! I think if I were to change anything, I might add some toasted pecans to the crumbles on top next time. It would be the perfect addition! Also, the lemon in this is so essential. The blueberry flavor really pops because of it! While I wouldn't recommend cutting it out, you could probably use a small orange if you didn't have a lemon lying around, and it would be equally delicious. Okay, so seriously...go make these!!!</div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0P2TDWEXuCuSnrWB5NBeGoBGcheMbPzhWmYscP0W329AIKBbS2vmh-Ai_PA9_OBSHe2LgZ8pqgIAv3nqOpNJ38dt-tPeq689pX0qxYDGPwi5KNP29h1N1S0_KOHFpZ98tr4xtiSSaxgY/s1600/blueberry+bars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0P2TDWEXuCuSnrWB5NBeGoBGcheMbPzhWmYscP0W329AIKBbS2vmh-Ai_PA9_OBSHe2LgZ8pqgIAv3nqOpNJ38dt-tPeq689pX0qxYDGPwi5KNP29h1N1S0_KOHFpZ98tr4xtiSSaxgY/s320/blueberry+bars.jpg" /></a></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-58717379378219488102010-05-07T08:32:00.000-07:002010-05-07T08:55:17.219-07:00Excuses, Excuses...Aaand I'm back! As the title notes, I am full of all sorts of excuses and baloney today...so bear with me. First off, let's start with today's recipe. My Mom made a carrot cake for Dad's birthday, and it looked so pretty I thought I'd just have to make some cupcakes of my own, complete with creamy delicious frosting, and maybe I'd get ambitious and pipe on some pretty little carrots too! Ha. Then we moved. I've been telling friends that our new place could be a contender for "Hoarders" as of late. Boxes piled up, just crap....eeeeeverywhere. So carrot cake got put off for a little bit. Then I got stressed. And I was like "Okay, we're moving everything aside and I'm making some darn cupcakes!" So I invited my friend Beth over, and bought all of my ingredients.<br />
<br />
Then we got to talking... :) hehe....<br />
<br />
So 8PM rolls around and I'm like, "Oh! Cupcakes! Haha, woops!" So I made them. And wow. Delicious!! Just sooo good. Moist, light, perfect. Since it was getting late, I drove Beth home while the cakes cooled. Then I got back and it was, oh, 10PM. And I hadn't cleaned up. And then I had a cupcake. They were literally so good at that point that not only did I not feel like MAKING frosting, but I didn't want to mess with the awesome flavor they were already packing. So I passed. No creamy frosting, no piped on carrots, just cake (hey, stop it! I can hear you judging me through my computer screen!). :) They still went like hotcakes the next day at work. Probably because people were thinking, "Ooh, muffins! Healthy!" as us Americans are wont to do. Hey, if an absence of frosting makes you feel better, my lips are sealed!<br />
<br />
So this is where I usually show you a picture of a pretty little cupcake.<br />
<br />
**Sigh**<br />
<br />
Excuses again. So I'll provide a different picture instead...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRbyxyX7HmQ46iOh_ocZReWJC1rnq6FWVa14komZdRaGy__ocapjtWM9oOobw0W9NHDjkRSGeG7hbtp82rsAsqIPlQen9VXvXkn1U6rtpYbmQCNcEOq5YAiUlstoiHd-19fGOCmTm3Njd/s1600/darpa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRbyxyX7HmQ46iOh_ocZReWJC1rnq6FWVa14komZdRaGy__ocapjtWM9oOobw0W9NHDjkRSGeG7hbtp82rsAsqIPlQen9VXvXkn1U6rtpYbmQCNcEOq5YAiUlstoiHd-19fGOCmTm3Njd/s320/darpa.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>That's my office building. Some of you know I work for a certain government agency, and guess what? No cameras inside. No cell phones inside. No cell phones with cameras or computers with cameras....you get the picture. So I got nothin! Luckily, that talented Mama of mine DID catch a photo of Dad's birthday cake (carrot cake is his fave), so I have this for you!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeHGwI4bHh31ekomiSXTNy2QKHUp3aPeMthesWryh8YXhN4dbAloWi5BX4DjbPMr66_US_NzlmJSTRgqCW5l3j5fHu11U-PG5Ly42Kxqyp_IGEn9FNlBYHYgBcw-nmEnpsv3Igi9iV0rN/s1600/moms+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeHGwI4bHh31ekomiSXTNy2QKHUp3aPeMthesWryh8YXhN4dbAloWi5BX4DjbPMr66_US_NzlmJSTRgqCW5l3j5fHu11U-PG5Ly42Kxqyp_IGEn9FNlBYHYgBcw-nmEnpsv3Igi9iV0rN/s320/moms+cake.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><br />
Gorgeous right?! She doesn't know it...but I'm going to steal that cake plate someday. Or at least find one that cute! And those are crushed pecans on the sides. Delicious, AND pretty! Okay, so on to the recipe already! This one hails from allrecipes.com (an awesome go-to for just about anything!).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sams-Famous-Carrot-Cake/Detail.aspx">Carrot Cake</a><br />
from AllRecipes.com<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong><br />
<ul><li>3 eggs </li>
<li>3/4 cup buttermilk </li>
<li>3/4 cup vegetable oil </li>
<li>1 1/2 cups white sugar </li>
<li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract </li>
<li>2 teaspoons ground cinnamon </li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt </li>
<li>2 cups all-purpose flour </li>
<li>2 teaspoons baking soda </li>
<li>2 cups shredded carrots </li>
<li>1 cup flaked coconut </li>
<li>1 cup chopped walnuts** </li>
<li>1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice </li>
<li>1 cup raisins** </li>
</ul><em>**Call me a purist, but I omitted the walnuts and raisins. Just not my cup of tea. It was perfectly fine without.</em><br />
<br />
<strong><u>Directions</u></strong><br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x12 inch pan. <br />
<br />
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. <br />
<br />
In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well. <br />
In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins. <br />
<br />
Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well. <br />
<br />
Pour into prepared 8x12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Check with toothpick. <br />
<br />
Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Frosting-II-2/Detail.aspx">Cream Cheese Frosting</a><br />
From AllRecipes.com<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong><br />
<ul><li>2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened </li>
<li>1/2 cup butter, softened </li>
<li>2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar </li>
<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract </li>
</ul><strong><u>Directions</u></strong><br />
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use. <br />
<br />
**Nat note: I also learned from the awesome teacher at Hill's Kitchen here in DC that if you want your frosting to harden a bit (kinda like the grocery store sort) you can add a tablespoon or two of milk to your frosting, and adjust the amount of powdered sugar as needed.<br />
<br />
So I hope you all enjoy! Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there this weekend, including all three of my wonderful Moms!<br />
<br />
And last but not least, Happy Birthday to my gorgeous Mom (then and now!) tomorrow! Love you!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLBJ6HO1g2GdykkU4c-hEhEQL2Mcg5e2gMbpQBJOOqkXv-1GAzSUNPwRJ8ABC5aOqrNBFcfwEB4CYmvgcmS5OFpdwqYDPle2ouC4t3nY5QQGQmgHXcJSOizLUaR-lIXuNlrqOmZEcjFIg/s1600/me+mom+wedding.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLBJ6HO1g2GdykkU4c-hEhEQL2Mcg5e2gMbpQBJOOqkXv-1GAzSUNPwRJ8ABC5aOqrNBFcfwEB4CYmvgcmS5OFpdwqYDPle2ouC4t3nY5QQGQmgHXcJSOizLUaR-lIXuNlrqOmZEcjFIg/s320/me+mom+wedding.bmp" tt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzZP8P9VlHB6sXsJqO_zhMUcdIxFnESFNEaoJHXzcom1PSlEB_cjl5F-_NZZQsNGs0Y2no0Lt5Dv6p2V5mD1z_S0nOXWEMie3KdwweV8tPI3oIkxszbpf2EzfaKKHO-KEQNNy5HBkv-0m/s1600/me+and+mom+then.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzZP8P9VlHB6sXsJqO_zhMUcdIxFnESFNEaoJHXzcom1PSlEB_cjl5F-_NZZQsNGs0Y2no0Lt5Dv6p2V5mD1z_S0nOXWEMie3KdwweV8tPI3oIkxszbpf2EzfaKKHO-KEQNNy5HBkv-0m/s320/me+and+mom+then.bmp" tt="true" /></a></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-20629606518427124892010-04-15T20:26:00.000-07:002010-04-28T09:40:32.373-07:00Best. Pie. EVER.There's just not a whole lot to say about this pie. I saw it on (I know, I know, I tend to obsess when I find something good) Smitten Kitchen and thought, "Ooh that looks yummy. It will be perfect for the cookout with Beth and Justin!" Just all non-chalant like that. Not that I didn't think it would be <em>good</em>...I just didn't think it would be "Oh my god I could eat this whole pie by MYSELF" good. Yeah. For serious.<br />
<br />
So back to the story! We had our friends Beth and Justin and their little cutie Henry over for a barbeque. We just made some steaks, a <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Potato-and-Green-Bean-Salad-with-Dijon-Vinaigrette-106929">green bean potato salad</a>, and some grilled veggies. It was so nice to spend time with our friends, and the weather here in DC has been just gorgeous! I wanted to have something cold for dessert, but didn't want to give up on a big "bang" of flavor, so I searched Smitten Kitchen's arsenal of pie recipes, and came across the recipe for Chocolate Pudding Pie. <br />
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The first obstacle I ran into was that I had a packet of pie recipes with an EXCELLENT pie crust recipe, but I lost it! I was so forlorn. How would I make pie?! Well, I decided that Deb could never do me wrong, so I used the all-butter pie crust recipe she had on the site. OH my gosh. I'll never go back. So buttery, flaky, delicious. The pudding? I'm not sure I'll ever make it out of the box again. And the very lightly sweetened whipped cream on top? The perfect compliment to the rich, thick pudding. I'm telling you. Make this. How good was it, you ask? I had a piece. I tried to pawn the rest off on Justin and Beth, but they wouldn't take it. They left. I had another piece. I put it in the fridge. I came back to it the next day. I had another piece. Midway through that last piece I shouted "NO MORE!! I need to throw this #@*% pie AWAY!" as I felt it's chocolatey buttery goodness settling in on my hips. It pained me, but I knew it was for my own good.<br />
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Worry not, friends. I have a feeling this pie will be making an appearance again soon! We're moving in the next couple weeks to a new, and much bigger apartment. I'm thinking there's a housewarming barbeque in our future...and I'm thinking this chocolate pudding pie will be our guest of honor!<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now on to the recipe (straight from Smitten Kitchen)!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/09/chocolate-pudding-pie/">Chocolate Pudding Pie</a></span></div><br />
Adapted from Gourmet<br />
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One of my favorite things about this — besides the whole CHOCOLATE and PUDDING and PIE thing — is the way that despite its all-id, kid-like nature, this pie is surprisingly unsweet and not heavy. There’s barely a half cup of sugar in the whole she-bang and the lack of excessive richness (it’s a milk and cornstarch pudding, not a weighty egg yolk and cream custard) makes for something you can easily crave on a hot summer day, although you’ve already been warned that that craving may strike without warning.<br />
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One half-recipe of <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/">All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough</a>, wrapped and chilled for at least 30 minutes<br />
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<br />
Pudding filling:<br />
1/4 cup cornstarch<br />
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided<br />
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
3 cups whole milk<br />
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not more than 60% cacao), finely chopped<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
1 cup chilled heavy cream<br />
Bittersweet chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)<br />
Prepare pie dough: Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round, then fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with a fork, then chill shell 30 minutes. While shell chills, preheat oven to 375°F with a baking sheet on middle rack. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights*.<br />
Bake on baking sheet until pastry is set and edge is pale golden, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil, then bake shell on baking sheet until pale golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool shell.<br />
Make pudding filling: Whisk together cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk [tips alert!] in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, two minutes (mixture will thicken). Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.<br />
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Pour filling into cooled shell and chill, its surface covered with wax paper (if you want to prevent a skin from forming), until cold, at least two hours.<br />
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Just before serving, beat cream with remaining two tablespoons sugar until it just holds soft peaks. Spoon onto pie and garnish with bittersweet chocolate shavings, if you’re feeling fancy.<br />
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Do ahead: Pie dough can be made and chilled up to two days. Pie, without whipped cream, can be chilled up to one day before serving. Whipped cream is best added at the last minute, however, I did find that ours held up surprisingly well for a day (so far), if you feel like winging it.<br />
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* Detour! This is where I admit that I for reasons both lengthy and boring, I really loathe working with pie weights and use a different technique to blind bake pie and pastry shells. Instead, I freeze my rolled-out shells for 20 to 30 minutes until solid, press a piece of buttered foil, buttered side down, very tightly against the frozen shell and blind bake it according to regular directions. When it is time to remove the weights, I carefully pull back the foil, and press any part of the crust that has bubbled up gently back with the back of a spoon and continue baking the shell. Try it!<br />
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Natalie note: I used a bag of uncooked kidney beans as my pie weights. Works every time!! <br />
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Seriously guys. Make this pie. But don't blame me when you sit on your couch rubbing your belly and cursing it's chocolatey goodness. It can't help that it's got Mary Poppins Syndrome! You know...it's practically perfect in every way? Har har har! Okay, and there's your daily dose of cheesey jokes. Enjoy!!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-7186216517030083972010-04-15T19:42:00.000-07:002010-04-28T09:40:32.373-07:00Smitten with Smitten Kitchen!The last time you logged on here, I made some delicious St. Patty's Day cupcakes. In making that cake, I rediscovered my favorite blog Smitten Kitchen, and I've been a woman obsessed. There's this handy little button called "Surprise Me!" on the left side of the side, and MAN! I could spend all day clicking that link and just daydreaming about all of the possibilities. Cakes, pies, side dishes, main courses, appetizers, EVERYTHING! Girlfriend has mad skills, and an amazing sense of humor on top of that. If you haven't been to <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/">http://smittenkitchen.com/</a>, you're missing out!<br />
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So to begin, the obsession with this recipe started with a <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/">picture</a>. Sometimes I'll see a recipe or see a photo and I'll have this "Oh-my-god-if-I-don't-make-this-I-may-die" moment, and before I know it I'm making a grocery list. The first photo on this blog post made me have such a moment, and voila! Cupcakes. <br />
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This cake was not meant to be a cupcake, and after making them, I can see why. This cake is so light and delicate, one of mine actually collapsed under the weight of the frosting! I can completely see this working better as a cake. Especially if you were to keep it light on the frosting--it packs a serious punch! It was so strong I actually decided to nix the glaze for the cupcakes. I think I would definitely make it like Deb did on the blog with a full cake, but I'm happy with my decision to leave it out for the cupcakes. Why am I happy? Because where my coworkers usually blow through 2 (or sometimes 3!) cupcakes at a time at work, and the other day's PB&C cupcakes actually didn't go very fast at all, and we had some leftovers. This NEVER happens people. It was just weird! So while I wouldn't say it was a raving success, it definitely wasn't a failure either (they were still delish, people!). I would totally use this peanut butter frosting on anything and everything else. Seriously. Bookmark it. Use it. Love it.<br />
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Now on to the recipe, because the next one I give you is a doozy!<br />
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<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/">Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze</a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from Smitten Kitchen (copied from the site)</span><br />
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<br />
Adapted, only barely, from Sky High: Irresistable Triple-Layer Cakes<br />
This cake is INTENSE. Serve it in the thinnest slices possible, and keep a glass of milk handy.<br />
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Makes an 8-inch triple-layer cake; serves 12 to 16 (the book says, I say a heck of a lot more)<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 1/2 cups sugar<br />
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process<br />
2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend<br />
1 cup sour cream<br />
1 1/2 cups water<br />
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle (I skipped this)<br />
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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.<br />
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2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.<br />
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3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Deb note: These cakes are very, very soft. I found them a lot easier to work with after firming them up in the freezer for 30 minutes. They’ll defrost quickly once assembled. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.)<br />
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4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Deb note 1: Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating. Deb note 2: Once the cake is fully frosting, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)<br />
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5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.<br />
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<br />
<strong>Peanut Butter Frosting</strong><br />
Makes about 5 cups<br />
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature<br />
<br />
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
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5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted<br />
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2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)<br />
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.<br />
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2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.<br />
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<strong>Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze</strong><br />
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Makes about 1 1/2 cups<br />
<br />
8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped<br />
<br />
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter<br />
<br />
2 tablespoons light corn syrup<br />
<br />
1/2 cup half-and-half<br />
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1. In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.<br />
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2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warmNataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-63292075129233879222010-03-17T09:46:00.000-07:002010-04-28T09:40:32.374-07:00Car Bomb CupcakesGood morning my devoted readers! :) Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all! Are you wearing green? Are you downtown wherever you are drinking pint upon pint of green beer and singing along to whatever Dropkick Murphy's song they've got blasting?! Well, probably not, since you're reading this (and if you are? well that's just weird). If you're like me, you're probably at work WISHING you were doing all those things...but alas, you're stuck in your cube (or maybe you're big time and have an office!). I have the cure, folks, for the St. Patty's Day office blues...Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting. In the words of the wise Emeril Lagasse? "Oh yeah, babe."<br />
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I was on Facebook yesterday when I saw that one of my friends was making "Car Bomb Cupcakes" and I remembered that I had the recipe too! I'm fully admitting to being a copy cat here, although our versions are slightly different. Seriously, though, getting inspiration from a girl named Maggie O'Toole on St. Patrick's Day? Luck of the Irish and whatnot, if you ask me! :) So thanks, Maggie for reminding me of this gem!<br />
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The recipe comes from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/">Smitten Kitchen</a>, another one of the many blogs that I love! The original recipe includes an Irish whiskey chocolate ganache in the middle, but I chose to leave that out (just too rich for my taste!). Maggie made hers with the ganache, and did a cream cheese frosting instead...and you should see hers! They look gorgeous! I went for just a spread of frosting on mine, as the taste of Bailey's in it is pretty potent, so I didn't want the cupcakes to be overwhelmed by the frosting. As I'm writing this, <strike>there is ONE cupcake left in the box of 22 that I brought in...and it's not even noon yet!</strike> all of the cupcakes are GONE!! Needless to say, these went over VERY well here! On to the recipe (straight from the blog--all commentary is hers, which is pretty great)!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxL2R7fXAo_qbo3oZaLrp5bqIpffPF8OL2OXk1U6Upl1aTcggGh3yN9_mtbIx66I_6tU3eZiXDGd6F_o3O2GwXXDyQpB_cJOfP8A-S0w6sXBYliLv5IpNMXzPjUK0KObkAGrRj6Adb7i1k/s1600-h/guinness+cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxL2R7fXAo_qbo3oZaLrp5bqIpffPF8OL2OXk1U6Upl1aTcggGh3yN9_mtbIx66I_6tU3eZiXDGd6F_o3O2GwXXDyQpB_cJOfP8A-S0w6sXBYliLv5IpNMXzPjUK0KObkAGrRj6Adb7i1k/s320/guinness+cakes.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/car-bomb-cupcakes/"><b>Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes</b></a><br />
While the Guinness in the cake gets mostly baked out, the Baileys is fresh and potent, so if you’re making this for people who don’t drink — ahem, nobody I know, but I hear such people exist — you’ll probably want to swap it with milk.<br />
The Baileys frosting recipe makes a smallish amount of frosting — enough to just cover the cupcakes. Because they were so rich and this frosting so sweet, I felt it only needed a little. Double it if you want more of a towering effect.<br />
Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes<br />
<b><u>For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes</u></b><br />
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)<br />
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter<br />
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)<br />
2 cups all purpose flour<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
3/4 teaspoon salt<br />
2 large eggs<br />
2/3 cup sour cream<br />
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<b><u>Ganache Filling</u></b> (Updated to double it, based on many commenters suggestions — thanks!)<br />
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate<br />
2/3 cup heavy cream<br />
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature<br />
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)<br />
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<b><u>Baileys Frosting</u></b> (see Recipe Notes)<br />
3 to 4 cups confections sugar<br />
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue<br />
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)<br />
Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)<br />
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<b><u>Make the cupcakes:</u></b> Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.<br />
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.<br />
<b><u>Make the filling: </u></b> Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.<br />
<b><u>Fill the cupcakes:</u></b> Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.<br />
<b><u>Make the frosting:</u> </b>Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.<br />
[This is a fantastic trick I picked up while working on the cupcakes article for Martha Stewart Living; the test kitchen chefs had found that when they added the sugar slowly, quick buttercream frostings got less grainy, and tended to require less sugar to thicken them up.]<br />
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.<br />
Ice and decorate the cupcakes. [I used a star tip and made little "poofs" everywhere and sprinkled it with various colors of sanding sugar to keep it looking festive for New Years. I bet shaved dark and white chocolates would look gorgeous as well.]<br />
<i><b><u>Do ahead:</u></b> </i>You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)<br />
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Natalie again! So-some issues that I had with the cake:<br />
-When I melted the butter and Guinness and cocoa powder, it kind of separated and didn't look very smooth. I whisked it until I decided that all of my effort wasn't making one bit of a difference, and put it in the mixer bowl with the eggs and sour cream. It all came together just fine, but it did make me nervous.<br />
-As usual, my oven cranked the heat, so they were done in about 13 min. Please people. I beg of you. Don't overcook your chocolate cupcakes. Just consider it illegal. Camp out in front of your archaic stove like I do, and stare in at them. It's worth it...trust me!<br />
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Final product, voilá! And yes...that's a cupcake wrapper in the background. :) Jeff and I split one last night. Dee-lish! I also had to include a pic of Maggie's, because they were so pretty! Enjoy, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNstKEQTWhhrW0WZ7u97UV5KmHucgiHzYSpELvHeOz-cSw4A97HWSWsA69aWvnAWKYU4hTiJNEV3nAYF8YqR-Mw68wXgljw7nyPZ1tqLS6cNrXby0VKph791ROqrjzRz8UmbX6JwpIYz2A/s1600-h/0316002303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNstKEQTWhhrW0WZ7u97UV5KmHucgiHzYSpELvHeOz-cSw4A97HWSWsA69aWvnAWKYU4hTiJNEV3nAYF8YqR-Mw68wXgljw7nyPZ1tqLS6cNrXby0VKph791ROqrjzRz8UmbX6JwpIYz2A/s320/0316002303.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4TpYLrTwAFJU1RTdYsZQtdx001tHKiypOVZYDAlKPK6YBNtP4c8KnPVJV3Krq1tLM7544DZePViOxvXOTdQeqEQzQBVqTys7cGYSYldQKPQlgsYcX8_b04NdvS7NoOARLqT_XNjmyNh-/s1600-h/maggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4TpYLrTwAFJU1RTdYsZQtdx001tHKiypOVZYDAlKPK6YBNtP4c8KnPVJV3Krq1tLM7544DZePViOxvXOTdQeqEQzQBVqTys7cGYSYldQKPQlgsYcX8_b04NdvS7NoOARLqT_XNjmyNh-/s320/maggie.jpg" /></a></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-59181502164352116942010-03-14T17:09:00.000-07:002010-04-28T09:38:15.450-07:00Maple Magic!Good evening dear readers! Today's baking adventure took me down a new road--scones! I have never made a scone before today, but Ina Garten made some DELICIOUS looking Maple-Oatmeal Scones while I was vegged out on the couch recently...and I decided they were a must-try. My husband is a huge maple-anything fan, and I was excited to make something that he'd really enjoy. I also have included a couple more photos today, as I usually only include the end product. The easiest thing I have access to is my phone-so the quality of the photos aren't usually the greatest....but they get the job done. <br />
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<div></div>So I took a photo today of all of my ingredients before I started, and then I laughed. I noticed my iPod and speaker was in the shot, and realized that music is an essential when I bake, cook, drive, breathe, etc. My husband says that my life has a soundtrack...and that's probably true :)<br />
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<div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWTnOAp4CriIbdon-c_f0J5QxfNeDX2wJATMZFGPmtneIGw0yuC_JyVCOJzz4iSZgYBLELH6DvwyRMNApDG91FiJz0GSHNyqpnicvy8UeRxUt1LS0iA-YdqdNbmXBjZ9u6UrEL83mS5NF/s1600-h/ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWTnOAp4CriIbdon-c_f0J5QxfNeDX2wJATMZFGPmtneIGw0yuC_JyVCOJzz4iSZgYBLELH6DvwyRMNApDG91FiJz0GSHNyqpnicvy8UeRxUt1LS0iA-YdqdNbmXBjZ9u6UrEL83mS5NF/s320/ingredients.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div></div>So there they are. The essentials for today's adventure. I was feeling like some country today, so today I played my Country mix with songs like "American Saturday Night" by Brad Paisley, and a whoooole lot of Sugarland (my favorite band!). It put me in such a great mood while I baked!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, before I go into the recipe-I just want to take a minute to tell you about this dough. All I could think while I was rolling out the dough was how <em>luscious</em> it was! It was so soft, but not too sticky (after flouring my counter and the dough) and just made me so excited to get the scones into the oven! Also, as I'm about to post a photo of the dough, you should know that the largest cookie cutter that I had was a big heart. I felt a little silly at first, but I was so happy with how they turned out! They just looked adorable!</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOW1x104Ra-vCyzm4mfgChJGocK42eoLFwzr3LhXLce2mb-dhgE8aMkANKsxU9Ioh4mnc1HHZ-N6vL0nMKAIvgWxd0TVg-P4Xro60fG1rp2whTU-Q47OjGXCROEkH4rEGVD2Jw2At9lJZ8/s1600-h/dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOW1x104Ra-vCyzm4mfgChJGocK42eoLFwzr3LhXLce2mb-dhgE8aMkANKsxU9Ioh4mnc1HHZ-N6vL0nMKAIvgWxd0TVg-P4Xro60fG1rp2whTU-Q47OjGXCROEkH4rEGVD2Jw2At9lJZ8/s320/dough.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div>Okay, so on to the recipe! Like Ina's, mine made about 16 large (heart shaped, hers were round) scones. Also, you'll see in my ingredients photo above that I had 4 eggs. Well, those were the last of the eggs, so I didn't do an egg wash on the top. No big deal, it didn't make a difference because of the glaze that we're putting on top anyway. Also-It took the ol' turbo heater 15 minutes and not 20-25. Keep an eye on them, they get nice and golden!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Maple-Oatmeal Scones</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>by Ina Garten, from Barefoot Contessa, Food Network</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Ingredients</strong></div><ul><li>3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour </li>
<li>1 cup whole-wheat flour </li>
<li>1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling </li>
<li>2 tablespoons baking powder </li>
<li>2 tablespoons granulated sugar </li>
<li>2 teaspoons salt </li>
<li>1 pound cold unsalted butter, diced </li>
<li>1/2 cup cold buttermilk </li>
<li>1/2 cup pure maple syrup </li>
<li>4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten </li>
<li>1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash </li>
</ul><strong>Glaze</strong><br />
<ul><li>1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar </li>
<li>1/2 cup pure maple syrup </li>
<li>1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract </li>
</ul><br />
Directions:<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.<br />
<div></div>In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky. <br />
<div></div>Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.<br />
<br />
<div></div>Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done. <br />
<div></div>To make the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes, and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of glaze. I like to sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39vCVnKvKRsKlukzzFQKH5g9EDE3hXY4V4C7fuRmLAplch86M6GD7CrrlRwPeJQGwNG6YG6qAuIpDwKL9G7blsw1cP4cN2dqqr7MC6wmmoQvAxnuQ_y8c8VqWvMX9wwxDZQX2n2zOXhk-/s1600-h/scones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39vCVnKvKRsKlukzzFQKH5g9EDE3hXY4V4C7fuRmLAplch86M6GD7CrrlRwPeJQGwNG6YG6qAuIpDwKL9G7blsw1cP4cN2dqqr7MC6wmmoQvAxnuQ_y8c8VqWvMX9wwxDZQX2n2zOXhk-/s320/scones.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div></div><div>And now the final result! I placed the scones on a cooling rack, and put the rack over a sheet pan and the parchment that I baked them on, to make for easy clean-up when I put the glaze on. They turned out so cute, I love the hearts! They're VERY tasty too! I think the only think I would try next time is adding a little cinnamon to the dry ingredients; I think it would really make the maple flavor pop a little more. I hope you'll give these a shot, they are just perfect! Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZoRRq1ZdiXJHcBRIYeewEieD9UKT8N-L2v6Bh2lJOK3gxpc45gqzrSerOB9VbC-KVc663yjvBzQlnFWfjEdYqBBrfXCuIdc8FG09RGrHu3Kump5KVsFyRjjB5nHIKhSDSPGABurFqwjq/s1600-h/scones2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZoRRq1ZdiXJHcBRIYeewEieD9UKT8N-L2v6Bh2lJOK3gxpc45gqzrSerOB9VbC-KVc663yjvBzQlnFWfjEdYqBBrfXCuIdc8FG09RGrHu3Kump5KVsFyRjjB5nHIKhSDSPGABurFqwjq/s320/scones2.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-13014029501882578592010-02-28T12:17:00.000-08:002010-04-28T09:40:32.374-07:00What Can I Say? It's a Gift!No, I'm not talking about my baking skills (those I had to work for!), I'm talking about the amazing cookbook that my Grandma Lynn sent me in the mail! I came home this week to find a mysterious package at my door, and I opened it to find an AWESOME book called "The Craft of Baking" by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox. Okay, just to reiterate, this book is amazing! Recipes for donuts, cakes, breads, puddings, everything! And believe me...I want to try everything!<br />
<br />
<div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EegNJbL1Pz2PZPIDwPfBeAySjNZFJSNCPJ7tUreGuqYnkqV-WiamPo4yI7S0zavFhi8p3-YuZeD_aWs4PoNjp66x5Y-Ox3-DzFGS7vHpI29XZ2OQ8LathzjB7AHvSglcUAee_LVwdhcx/s1600-h/Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EegNJbL1Pz2PZPIDwPfBeAySjNZFJSNCPJ7tUreGuqYnkqV-WiamPo4yI7S0zavFhi8p3-YuZeD_aWs4PoNjp66x5Y-Ox3-DzFGS7vHpI29XZ2OQ8LathzjB7AHvSglcUAee_LVwdhcx/s320/Book.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div></div>So my first foray into the book was for a night out at our friends Beth and Justin's house. We had an awesome dinner with them of pot roast, broccoli, and delicious red skin mashed potatoes. I brought dessert that was supposed to be in the form of "Devil's Food Cupcakes with Cream Filling" (much like a Hostess cupcake!), but unfortunately my icing tips weren't quite strong enough to get the cream into the cake. No matter, though. The cupcakes with the ganache were delicious enough! They were so rich and chocolatey, and went perfectly with the (many) glasses of red wine we had with them (and the hilarious rounds of Mad Libs with new friends Hanna and JP!). I would definitely recommend making the cream filling work for you if you aren't a fan of very rich chocolate desserts. The cream would very much lighten it up. <br />
<br />
<div></div>The most important part of this baking experience? Not overcooking the cupcakes!<br />
<br />
<div></div>I'll repeat it: NOT OVERCOOKING THE CUPCAKES!<br />
<br />
<div></div>I have learned the hard way that cooking chocolate cupcakes for too long creates a dry, tasteless cupcake. If you can perfect your baking time, it doesn't matter WHAT you put on top of them!<br />
<br />
<div></div>On to the recipe!!<br />
<br />
<div><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Devil's Food Cupcakes with Cream Filling</span></strong></div><em>from "The Craft of Baking" by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox</em><br />
<br />
For the Cupcakes:<br />
<ul><li>3/4 C plus 1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder</li>
<li>3/4 C cake flour</li>
<li>2/3 C unbleached all-purpose flour</li>
<li>3/4 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>3/4 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>1/4 tsp kosher salt</li>
<li>1 1/4 C plus 2Tbsp packed dark brown sugar</li>
<li>5 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature</li>
<li>1 large egg</li>
<li>1 large egg yolk</li>
<li>1/2 C plus 2Tbsp buttermilk</li>
<li>3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract</li>
</ul>Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin (I actually used two...must have made my cupcakes smaller) with paper liners.<br />
<br />
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and 1/2C plus 2 Tbsp warm water to form a paste; set aside.<br />
<br />
In another bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.<br />
<br />
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar with the butter on medium speed until they are well combined with no pieces of butter visible. Add the cocoa paste, making sure to use a spatula to get all the cocoa paste into the mixer bowl. Once this is well combines, add the egg and egg yolk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. In three additions each, add the buttermilk and vanilla extract, alternating with the flour mixture.<br />
<br />
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full (I really like to use a zip-top freezer bag for this, with the corner cut off. Really easy to control, and one less thing to clean!). Bake, rotating the tins halfway through, until the cupcakes spring back to the touch and a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes*. Invert the cupcakes onto a wire rack, turn them top side up, and let them cool completely.<br />
<br />
*I actually recommend removing them when the toothpick comes out when there are still a few crumbs on it. If it comes out totally clean, they're usually overcooked. Also, these took me 17 minutes, but again I made 24 cupcakes instead of 12...12 would have been some LARGE cakes!<br />
<br />
For the Cream Filling:<br />
<ul><li>1 C heavy cream</li>
<li>2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar</li>
<li>1 tsp pure vanilla extract</li>
</ul>To make the filling, combine the cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed to soft peaks, about 4 minutes. Put the cream into a pastry bag fitted with a small piping tip. Using a paring knife, make a small cut in the bottom of each cupcake, through the paper, to insert the tip of the pastry bag.** Insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1.5" into a cupcake. Gently squeeze the bag while holding the fingers of your other hand over the top of the cupcake. When you feel a slight pressure on the top of the cupcake, stop filling. Repeat with each cupcake.<br />
<br />
**Okay, me again. I don't know about you, but it drives me CRAZY when I read a cookbook, and get to a step like this where they just <em>assume</em> that everyone keeps crazy kitchen gadgets like piping bags and tips in their kitchens. I like to bake, and I've made some crazy investments in things like piping bags, tips, bench scrapers, etc...but most people don't! SO. If you would like to do this, do as follows:<br />
<br />
Take the paper liners off your cupcakes. Using a small paring knife, cut a small circle into the bottom of your cupcake, only to the middle-not all the way through. Gently pull out the cake circle (SAVE IT! DON'T EAT IT! Yes I see you ready to pop that in your mouth...sneaky sneaky!) and set it aside. Put your cream filling into a zip-top bag (a sandwich bag will work) and cut off a small tip in the bag. Insert your brand new fancy piping bag into the hole you just made in your cake and fill. Take the circle of cake, cut off the end so it's about 1/4" long. Now, "plug" your cream center with the bottom of the cake, and voila! You're ready to frost. And you didn't have to break the bank at Sur La Table for new gadgets that you'll only use once a year! Just be careful, as you now have a hole in your cupcake. Be gentle! Don't use your kung-fu grip on them when you dip in the ganache. <br />
<br />
For the Ganache:<br />
<ul><li>4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (I just used chips, unchopped. Mini chips would be even better)</li>
<li>1/2 C heavy cream</li>
<li>2 Tbsp light corn syrup</li>
</ul>To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Combine the cream and the corn syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the chocolate right away, and stir slowly until all of the chocolate melts and the ganache is silky and shiny. (It takes a while! Be patient and keep stirring, it will get there!)<br />
<br />
Dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache, tapping gently to remove the excess. Return the cupcakes to the wire rack to let the glaze set up, at least 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
The cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 3 days.<br />
<br />
SO delicious! I would totally make these again. Especially because I'm not a huge frosting person. Ganache fits my taste much better. Thanks to our wonderful friends Beth, Justin, Hanna, and JP for being my taste testers, and as always to my husband for being a good sport and always telling me everything I cook tastes good (last night it was in the form of "Get me another cupcake woman!" ;) what a gentleman.). Enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEO_dSjIr-1JpR-Qz1ZrDkkgBZNdv6xxYrolurhl1hc6wtkGc5wqEax8baTJ5OPkv66_qxa73ee0UbZG3CHrtehCL5d3nvedhTotLSHkU9vuAljZgSpkP-8JGz_OShqw0D8GgJUrGZ5U6/s1600-h/devils+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEO_dSjIr-1JpR-Qz1ZrDkkgBZNdv6xxYrolurhl1hc6wtkGc5wqEax8baTJ5OPkv66_qxa73ee0UbZG3CHrtehCL5d3nvedhTotLSHkU9vuAljZgSpkP-8JGz_OShqw0D8GgJUrGZ5U6/s320/devils+food.jpg" /></a></div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-39441785929868503242010-02-10T20:45:00.000-08:002010-04-28T09:39:44.199-07:00Lost my marbles...Holy snow day Batman!!<br />
<br />
So if you haven't heard, the DC area is being HAMMERED by snow this week. We're talking day number FOUR tomorrow of this week where my office has been closed. What does this mean for me? Well, it means that I've been living solely off of the contents of my pantry and fridge (slim pickings friends...seriously). The good news? I've lost 5lbs in the last week (YAY!). The bad news? I feel like if I don't have something sweet soon I might just trek the 10+ blocks through knee deep snow to the obliterated grocery store and scarf a donut or something.<br />
<br />
Here's what I made instead...Marble cake! Infinitely better than some crappy donut or an Oreo creeping around in my pantry!<br />
<br />
Oh man, this stuff is so delish. I've made it before as a birthday cake with vanilla bean frosting, which was good. This is just as awesome on it's own, though. It's from one of my favorite cooking blogs, <a href="http://www.alexandracooks.com/2008/07/10/la-times-culinary-sos-buttercake-bakerys-marble-cake/">Alexandra's Kitchen</a>. It's in the oven as I write this, and I literally don't know if I'll be able to make it until it's cool enough to eat!! I'm so excited. Like Ali, I didn't make this with chocolate chips (I also don't think you need them, the chocolate batter is so deliciously rich). <br />
<br />
Okay, on to the recipe!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4uSfZaZXM4CN5cPxR-gZM1JE7MIPENAOngZC7dJcN9wSpfQuiq__SAgfzhrgUHxbUh45T6he1TPs4hMh96CHiOJBe5iB6vs6OhzNNPsuD3hEMfS28MH5yjiFrxsVltg7ibuLM6QgCsDw/s1600-h/0210002221(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4uSfZaZXM4CN5cPxR-gZM1JE7MIPENAOngZC7dJcN9wSpfQuiq__SAgfzhrgUHxbUh45T6he1TPs4hMh96CHiOJBe5iB6vs6OhzNNPsuD3hEMfS28MH5yjiFrxsVltg7ibuLM6QgCsDw/s320/0210002221(2).jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Buttercake Bakery’s Marble Cake</span> <br />
Total time: 1½ hours<br />
Servings 12 to 16<br />
2½ cups sugar, divided<br />
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
¼ cup light corn syrup (I used brown rice syrup)<br />
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided<br />
2 2/3 cups flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
½ teaspoon kosher salt<br />
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temperature is ideal)<br />
4 eggs<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1 cup chocolate chips (optional — I did not use them. This cake really doesn’t need them.)<br />
powdered sugar for dusting<br />
1. In a small saucepan, whisk together ½ cup of the sugar, the cocoa powder and syrup with ½ cup hot water. Bring just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla off the heat and set aside.<br />
2. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and lightly flour a 12-cup bundt pan. (I never flour anymore — it always burns for me. I coated the bundt pan with cooking spray.)<br />
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), cream the butter with the remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then whisk in the remaining vanilla.<br />
4. Whisk about a third of the flour mixture into the batter, then a third of the milk. Continue whisking in the flour mixture and milk, alternately and a little at a time, until everything is added and the batter is light and smooth.<br />
5. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. (I really think the chocolate chips are unncessary, but that’s your call.) Divide the batter into thirds. Pour a third of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. <br />
6. Whisk the chocolate syrup with another third of batter, then pour this into the bundt pan. Pour the remaining third of batter over this, lightly swirl the batters with a wooden skewer or knife to give a “marble” effect and place the pan in the oven.<br />
7. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back lightly when touched, about an hour. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. Invert the cooled cake onto a serving platter and dust lightly with powdered sugar.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbCQGFOu3J3HSQWOZiyWDJGda93mrvhp9zstrpuzIFKui_3wzE3VIATi5i139TJM6Rr_plSeEZuLUncELnKaLbtXnu4wFoMcrSdQpJjzFfB-4SVMQSrf8gds2Md8Asprn6xrzpxWtuCM_/s1600-h/0210002309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbCQGFOu3J3HSQWOZiyWDJGda93mrvhp9zstrpuzIFKui_3wzE3VIATi5i139TJM6Rr_plSeEZuLUncELnKaLbtXnu4wFoMcrSdQpJjzFfB-4SVMQSrf8gds2Md8Asprn6xrzpxWtuCM_/s320/0210002309.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
And voila! Next time you're craving something sweet, give this a go. Enjoy!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-85851019158277284702010-01-19T13:41:00.000-08:002010-04-28T09:46:13.960-07:00Lemon Cake, Part Deux<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So yes, once again I'm a repeat offender. I made the <a href="http://cupcakefridays.blogspot.com/2009/08/lemon-lime-cupcakes.html">lemon cake</a> again. What can I say? It was my boss's birthday, and his wife told me he loves lemon cake! In my own defense, though, I did it up a little different, using fresh whipped cream as frosting, and fresh raspberries on top. SO good. I'd actually venture to say that it was better than the lime frosting! Especially in the middle of winter, such a refreshing dessert! I've gotten rave reviews in the office so far (but hey, who's going to call me up and say, "Hmmm. Yeaaah. Your cake kiiiiinda stunk. Sorry!" ;)<br />
</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So I don't leave you hanging, though, I've got a non-baked good recipe to share. The other night I made this OUTSTANDING soup that my best friend of 10 years, Anne,emailed to me. She told me it's incredible, and that I had to try it.<br />
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Oh. my. god.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">She was right, it's amaaaazing! While I'd normally make a soup like this in the fall, when squash is more plentiful (or maybe it's just my grocery store, but I had to buy organic. It's all they had!), this was so satisfying on the chilly and rainy Sunday we had this week in DC. The only warning I'll throw out was that peeling and cubing an acorn squash was like nothing I've ever experienced before. Flat out: it was hard. Be sure you have a sharp knife! Also, if you wait to peel, core, and cube your apples until after the squash, you'll feel like a ninja with your knife skills. Substantially easier!!<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On to the recipe!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Apple Squash Soup</span></strong><br />
Acorn squash makes the richest soup, even though it can be difficult to peel; butternut or even yellow zucchini may be substituted. This simple soup adds color and elegance to any meal!<br />
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Ingredients<br />
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3 tablespoons butter<br />
2 cups chopped onion<br />
About 3 pounds acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 6 cups)<br />
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled, cored, and cubed<br />
3 cups chicken stock<br />
1 teaspoon sea salt<br />
1 cup apple cider or apple juice<br />
Freshly ground pepper to taste<br />
1-2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, for garnish<br />
In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until tender. Add squash, apples, chicken stock, and salt.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until squash and apples are tender. Puree the soup in a blender (I used my immersion blender, worked beautifully!) and return to soup pot. Stir cider into pureed soup. If necessary, reheat soup until hot. Pepper liberally.<br />
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Grate or chop apples into tiny pieces just before serving and garnish each bowl of soup.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRemBm6X6piGV1UJkdujJE_5L2r3XW74Tomrp1PFkWUhHokLFbZprUF3hRoL0l8VwtvY5k8Sz0E_-0h7R8iw22Ka7eiM12Sqv_px_8gtDrnJpTBABhRbPDIMItQtOAIgXgRO5UNrmGivSH/s1600-h/soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRemBm6X6piGV1UJkdujJE_5L2r3XW74Tomrp1PFkWUhHokLFbZprUF3hRoL0l8VwtvY5k8Sz0E_-0h7R8iw22Ka7eiM12Sqv_px_8gtDrnJpTBABhRbPDIMItQtOAIgXgRO5UNrmGivSH/s320/soup.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">**I also added a few shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg to mine, which turned out excellent. Anne likes to add some curry powder to hers. There's a ton you could do with this! I also think that some warm, chewy french bread is a must when eating this soup. SO good!<br />
</div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-1117635090381368062010-01-15T13:27:00.000-08:002010-01-15T13:27:06.164-08:00Cookie Fail/Win<div>**Note to my faithful readers: I made these cookies about a month ago. I didn't want to post until I had a recipe for you! These would be great any time of the year, perhaps some heart-shaped treats for your favorite valentine? :) I also have a recipe for pumpkin pie coming up that will knock your socks off! Same thing, just waiting to get another copy of the recipe here (I lost mine! Woops!). Enjoy, and I apologize for being a little late!**<br />
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Alright folks. I gotta be straight with you.<br />
</div><div>The "horn" cookies didn't make it to fruition. This is the point where I tell you all that *cringe!* I'm human. See, the recipe calls for evaporated milk, and I'll be darned if that's not RIGHT next to the condensed milk in the grocery store! My snarky, sarcastic side says I should blame this cookie failure on the grocery store...but I'm fully aware that I was rushing through my list of things to buy. The worst part? I even opened the can!!! The only reason I caught the mistake was that I looked at the recipe to see that it called for 6.5 oz of evaporated milk and thought, "Gee, this a 14 oz can, what a pain...wait...CONDENSED?!?!!? OH come ON!" So I scratched the idea (and about 6 cups of flour on top of that..."ouch!", says my wallet) and moved on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72YbeNnl1ghE-dnh1-_mb3FOWlmBXrbM9GOgWzrbHnKt2jVi1uHUrhb8Z8UbJGYjDuWvPkB64RDXqxuZoa7dlLBW3QM8GHcf8uVxnoCTYlXLPpJCVNKPBvkeTIZm07L6EK72gH9p1qran/s1600-h/cookies+2.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416297870790364818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72YbeNnl1ghE-dnh1-_mb3FOWlmBXrbM9GOgWzrbHnKt2jVi1uHUrhb8Z8UbJGYjDuWvPkB64RDXqxuZoa7dlLBW3QM8GHcf8uVxnoCTYlXLPpJCVNKPBvkeTIZm07L6EK72gH9p1qran/s320/cookies+2.bmp" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<div>So what I have for you today are some perfectly delightful Sugar Cookies, courtesy of <em>Everyday Food </em>Magazine. They turned out to be really cute, thanks to my new cookie cutters, and sparkly white decorative sugar from my favorite cooking store: <a href="http://www.hillskitchen.com/">Hill's Kitchen</a>. Seriously. If you live here, go there! It's nothing short of the best!! <br />
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<div>Today's sugar cookie recipe was a bit strange. The method to make them was very much like making pie dough, in that it required the butter to be cold and cut into the dry ingredients. I made these right after my mix-up with the horn cookies, so I started off flustered. Genius that I am, I forgot to add one of the sticks of butter at the beginning! So where it says "Pulse until it looks like coarse crumbs" I was thinking, "Well, not really...but onward!" Yep. So I added the eggs, the vanilla, and I pulsed and pulsed wondering just why it wasn't looking like "wet sand" as the recipe said. So I walk over to grab a spoon to clear the sides of the bowl, and what do I see? a FULL stick of butter on the counter. I won't repeat the expletives that were shouted for your innocent eyes...but I'm pretty sure my landlord upstairs might think I have Tourette's after this day of madness.<br />
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<div>So here's where, if my husband were home, I would cry and probably throw a couple things around. Since I had no audience, my thought was, "Well...at this point it can't get any worse!" so onward I went.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_-ZGG7Zo4GLqzzZBxqMEB4HdHpxbRf0cNm_abWAKYnq8ll4FhoWDM159mFNR2jKc6Pc3GgYm1JXzcMWVeTZZ7hUvfC5RXC3Ip7d9XC6z_x5kCspSpluXLJ5MnNfZnY0vM5kpYhkdW7b9/s1600-h/candy+canes.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416298734718377762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_-ZGG7Zo4GLqzzZBxqMEB4HdHpxbRf0cNm_abWAKYnq8ll4FhoWDM159mFNR2jKc6Pc3GgYm1JXzcMWVeTZZ7hUvfC5RXC3Ip7d9XC6z_x5kCspSpluXLJ5MnNfZnY0vM5kpYhkdW7b9/s320/candy+canes.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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AND IT WORKED!!!!!! Holy guacamole folks. I was seriously not expecting this. I cut the butter into pieces, popped them in the food processor, and together it came. Amazing. These cookies turned out so cute, and so delicious! I used a simple recipe for royal icing for some of them, and I used red and white sugar for the candy canes. So while I hope you don't feel the need to throw things around or scream expletives while you bake them, I do hope you enjoy them as much as I with did! With that, on to the recipe!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Citrus Sugar Cookies </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, December 2009 issue</span></strong><br />
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Makes 40 3-inch cookies<br />
<ul><li>4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for working</li>
<li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>3/4 teaspoon coarse salt</li>
<li>1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces</li>
<li>3/4 cup sugar</li>
<li>1 large egg plus 1 large egg white, lightly beaten</li>
<li>2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest</li>
</ul>1. In a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (if you're like me and you don't have a food processor, you can sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and then grate the butter into the dry mixture, lightly tossing to incorporate). Add sugar, eggs, and lemon zest and process until the mixture resembles wet sand.<br />
2. Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface; knead several times until dough comes together. Divide into 3 portions; flatten each into a disk. Roll each disk to an 1/8-inch thickness between sheets of parchment (or wax paper). Stack dough (still in parchment/paper) on a baking sheet; refrigerate 20 minutes.<br />
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in middle and lower thirds. Working with 1 dough sheet at a time, peel off parchment. With lightly floured cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and arrange, 1 inch apart, on baking sheets (reroll scraps). Refrigerate 15 minutes.<br />
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4. Bake until cookies are set but still pale, 7 to 9 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOH7KbORI8IrJBPxv0_uehB95CtF1TkWQQsRqR_7t1eE2wCksttJA__ViVKlUBcksTiB0I0ys8lX7Ps4F-iMNPnrY-o8qXqExbEBn0CLeHYMjbLfQZLeYDxt0p2WtGbF4RnRtvBc5bKFg8/s1600-h/cookies.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416299149484875090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOH7KbORI8IrJBPxv0_uehB95CtF1TkWQQsRqR_7t1eE2wCksttJA__ViVKlUBcksTiB0I0ys8lX7Ps4F-iMNPnrY-o8qXqExbEBn0CLeHYMjbLfQZLeYDxt0p2WtGbF4RnRtvBc5bKFg8/s320/cookies.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
</div></div></div></div>Another word for the wise? I used a spoon to decorate my cookies, and I found it to be the easiest way to get to the edges without looking too messy. The biggest trick is icing all the cookies before the frosting hardens in your bowls, so if you're really smart you'll recruit some helpers! Or, you can be like me and watch The Goonies on TV like a zombie, and before you know it you're all done! :) Enjoy!Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-32501446710708294522009-12-13T07:42:00.000-08:002009-12-13T08:19:13.439-08:00Stop...Cookie Time.<div>I think we can all agree that some point in our lives, "C" was for cookie, and it was good enough for all of us. Well this weekend, friends, I'm heading back to my little kid days, and whipping up some dee-lish Santa Snacks to share with all of you! I'm going the classic route, with sugar cut-out cookies. The Cleveland route, with Klotchky (Kolachy? I've heard both. Klotchky is to appease my huband...who is "always right.") Cookies, a classic for anyone who ever went to an old relative's house in Northeast Ohio during the holidays. And finally, the Cobb route! My wonderful mother-in-law passed out recipe cards in addressed envelopes to everyone who attended my bridal shower, and one that I got just recently was from my good friend Brenna Cobb. She passed down her grandmother's recipes for "Horn Cookies" which sound delicious!</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>So on we go, to tons and tons of cookies! Hopefully they make it long enough for me to get them to work tomorrow! :) The first recipe I did this weekend was for Klotchky Cookies. These are little cream cheese based cookies with a bit of jam in the middle. I don't know why they were so popular in Ohio, but I'm pretty sure that <em>someone</em> made them for just about every family event we ever had. Sometimes they were filled with Almond Paste, some filled with strawberry jam, even my Mom remembers her Great Grandmother making <strong>Prune</strong> filled cookies (go figure, they were her favorite!)! Well since I was making them this time around, I decided to go with my two favorites: Apricot, and Raspberry. Any jam, jelly, or preserves will work in this case, though, so get creative!</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414748958648823474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBpxQHU97vZ7R5X0TOgnyrt3Mv3zUZO8zAHsdYXHJSZyIx3CN4fbP-0Lhg5HPNZKK6u93b8bQXEriqwfQIPx1nbgFRpMj_xyMi2gpWp8NObXdsS0orA4jYsEA19ACgjmNbECDNz3lNUQc/s320/klotchky+2.jpg" /></div><br /><p><strong>Klotchky Cookies</strong></p><p><em>("Jam-filled cream-cheese cookies" from Everyday Food Magazine)</em></p><p><em>Makes 48. Prep time: 45 min. Total Time: 1.5 hr + chilling</em></p><ul><li>8 oz bar cream cheese, room temperature</li><li>1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature</li><li>1/3 C sugar</li><li>2 C all purpose flour, spooned and leveled</li><li>1/2 teaspoon coarse salt</li><li>1 egg yolk</li><li>1 1/2 C jam, jelly, or preserves (I didn't measure this out, just scooped portions out of the jar)</li></ul><p>In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (I used my stand mixer), beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add flour and salt. Beat until combined (but don't overmix!).</p><p>Divide dough into 3 portions. Flatten each into a disk. Roll each disk to a 1/8 inch thickness between sheets of parchment. Stack dough (still in parchment) on a baking sheet; refridgerate 20 min.</p><p>Preheat oven to 375F. Mix egg yolk with 1/2 tsp water. Working with the dough 1 sheet at a time, peel off top sheet of parchment (save for baking!). With a 2" round, or 2" star cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Spoon 1/2 tsp jam into the center of each, and brush exposed edges with egg wash. Shape cookies, and arrange 2" apart on two parchment lined baking sheets (mine didn't spread at all, so I went about 1" apart) and refridgerate 20 minutes (I did no such thing. Into the oven they went!). Before baking I brushed the tops with egg wash and sprinkled with plain sugar.</p><p>Bake until cookies are light golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on wire racks. To store, cover and keep at room temperature up to four days.</p><p>Okay, so as you can see above, I used the star cookie cutter method. Below is what the end product looked like:</p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414749230108258098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAWg-zgrWD4zJanTzavtKBJbv1s8kpTg_12B6vqJ94CSJT4ZW9s6tuXI_lh_SDKyi4t-eSGOZcW8yRiDcZ5qkJhVxSVI3gqyj0OpE0tUFpg0HmH-Y9jiZ3z_E8qx3JpXYJ-jD4HoctOJp/s320/klotchky+1.jpg" /><br />Aren't they pretty?! Like little jewels! I used the star method, because as a kid, we always had them from round or square cookies with two sides folded in. These were much prettier, but most likely much more of a pain to get through. It took a while to make sure the edges were together, and even so, some came apart in baking (what a bummer! I get to eat the mess-ups! haha!). Another thing to note was that 1/2 tsp is a LOT of filling here. Some stars had an extremely hard time closing, and some (as you can see above) overflowed a bit during cooking. Towards the end, I used a <em>tiny</em> bit less, and pressed my thumb into the middle of my stars to give the jam a little more room. </p><p> </p><p>These were SO good, though. I'm actually thinking about making more, since I have all of the ingredients. But onward we go!! Up next are the horn cookies! Stay tuned!....</p>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-43085617382794339322009-11-19T10:16:00.000-08:002010-04-28T09:39:35.179-07:00There's a hole in this cake...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvdFW6MXu0OuvFKsVAOlgZ_GGIwCQ7thRt6JYAm7DuNrr-5d5jJljn6KvpUDiwcx1lnrz95lguYYNFSq4qO0-QT8QCO-9ahiYGvsTYBDQ7NQXx-9ClN73t6NkzCIES_sKJYzpeNh1sUOK/s1600/choc+pound+cake.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406018525996754850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvdFW6MXu0OuvFKsVAOlgZ_GGIwCQ7thRt6JYAm7DuNrr-5d5jJljn6KvpUDiwcx1lnrz95lguYYNFSq4qO0-QT8QCO-9ahiYGvsTYBDQ7NQXx-9ClN73t6NkzCIES_sKJYzpeNh1sUOK/s320/choc+pound+cake.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>"It's a bundt"<br />"Boont?"<br />"BUNDT! BUNDT!"<br /><br />Ah, one of my absolute favorite <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vxZHU0oijE">scenes </a>from a movie ever. I can't make a bundt cake without saying it to anyone who may be around to listen...<br /><br />So back to the story! This week's cake is a beauty. Even my picky-pants husband liked it (seriously, that's saying something)! This week I made a Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pound Cake courtesy of Ms. Paula Deen. I need to tell you it's by Paula so when you look at the recipe below and say "Natalie, what the heck is WRONG with you?! A stick of butter?!" you'll know it's not me...it's Paula. And DANG is it good! I'm quite convinced that the pudding is what makes this recipe so delicious. It stays so gooey and moist, I bet you could leave it on the counter for a day and it would still be delicious!<br /><br />I made the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pound cake on the premise that I would slice it up and bring it to the office bake sale. Yay me, good deeds. Welp. Not the case.<br /><br />Turns out that the office bake sale was more of a <em>department</em> bake sale...and I have too much pride to bring it downstairs with a big smile and say, "I made you a cake to sell!" to a bunch of people I don't know. So now I have a big honkin' cake on my counter at home. <em>Great.</em><br /><em></em><br />I think I'm going to bring a big chunk to my landlord upstairs, wrapped up all pretty like I planned this all along :) Anyway, on to the recipe!<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pound Cake</span></strong><br />by, Paula Deen from <u>The Lady & Sons, Too</u><br /><br /></div><ul><li>4 eggs<br /></li><li>1 1/2 C Water<br /></li><li>1 tsp vanilla extract<br /></li><li>1 pkg butter recipe cake mix<br /></li><li>1 3.4 oz pkg instant vanilla pudding mix*<br /></li><li>1 3.4 oz pkg instant chocolate pudding mix*<br /></li><li>1/2 C (1 stick) melted butter<br /></li><li>1/4 C vegetable oil</li><li>6 oz chocolate chips<br /></li></ul><p>Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour tube pan.<br /></p><p>In mixing bowl, beat the eggs, water, and vanilla by hand**. Stir in the cake mix and pudding mixes. Slowly add the butter and oil, and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips.<br /></p><p>Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes***.<br /></p><p>Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cake plate. Sift confectioner's sugar over the cake, or drizzle chocolate sauce over it, if desired****.<br /></p><p>Alrighty, here's where I put in my two cents.<br /></p><p>*I have no idea what kind of mutant pudding packages they sell in Georgia, but here in our lovely Nation's Capitol, they sell 3.9oz packages. Normally I'd just throw in the whole package, but the cake is already so dense and moist, I just eyeball it and leave some pudding in the package. Use your best judgement.<br /></p><p>**If you're looking to beef up your arms (maybe you're going for the Schwarzenegger look?)...go ahead and beat everything by hand. But I'll tell you that when the recipe tells you to mix in the oil and melted butter <strong><em>slowly</em></strong>, that batter is going to be so thick you'll be swearing like a sailor by the time you need to "mix well". I had Jeff come in and pour slowly, so I could hold the bowl with one hand and mix with the other. The next time I make it, I'll beat the eggs, water, vanilla in my KitchenAid mixer bowl by hand, then just attach it to the mixer for the rest, and keep it on low speed.</p><p>***For once my super-charged oven went the full time on a recipe! I cooked mine for the full 60 min.<br /></p><p>****Call me a purist, but I say this cake needs nothing but a cold glass of milk.<br /><br />Hope you enjoy!</p>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-11104156349395437292009-11-08T18:33:00.000-08:002010-04-28T09:41:05.591-07:00But I would be proud to partake in your...Pecan Pieeee!<br /><br /><div>Chocolate pecan pie to be exact. *gracefully receives "ooh"s and "aah"s from the peanut gallery. A-thank you, a-thank you* </div><div><br /> </div><div>Here's a little back story: </div><div><br /> </div><div>I had such a wonderful weekend. I took off work on Friday because my wonderful mom came to visit! We spent the weekend shopping, eating at awesome restaurants around DC (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/seventh-hill-washington">Seventh Hill</a>, <a href="http://www.cocosala.com/">Co Co Sala</a>, and <a href="https://www.chefgeoff.com/chef-geoffs-downtown-home.html">Chef Geoff's</a> to name a few), and of course made a stop at the incredible <a href="http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/">Georgetown Cupcake</a>. We always have the best time when she's in town, and I'm always sad to see her go. So she left this morning, and I was admittedly a little mopey. What better to lift my spirits than baking?!<br /><br /></div><div>I started off with a pie crust recipe that I got from a cooking class at <a href="http://www.hillskitchen.com/">Hill's Kitchen</a>. It's a Butter/Shortening pie crust that creates nothing short of heaven. Any other day I would post it here, but it's so involved and so tricky, that I would just recommend looking up a recipe on your own, and working through it. Pie crust seems to be a tricky beast to tame, and while it's been edible the two times I've made it, it's a serious science to figure out the consistency of the perfect crust.<br /></div><div>Here's my step by step process for tonight's baking fun:<br /><br /></div><br /><div>First: Make the dough!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 365px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 314px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401948310569428354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij84NxBmjUzLZHY3ZfknW3zOPcWF6gHL_DI4phq6wDT9hZnVqLV5T9oMI_qP8LGEe5RcGQ-KqWUD34_z3rF7yqGxLilGsPga91sv9Ntv_nG7dUMNOFsvAXNVAD2zKpvYvlBXigDtcyulqJ/s320/Pie+004.JPG" /></div><br /><br />Would ya look at that pretty little dough ball? Well after I let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours (it needs at <strong>least</strong> 30 minutes to chill) I rolled it out to find an extremely cracked hunk of dough. Lucky for me I had that handy-dandy glass of water there to help me. I have found, also, that this little baby makes pie dough a piece of cake...well...a piece of pie at the very least:<br /><br /><p>Meet my mean, green, dough making machine:<br /></p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 288px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 356px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401949379878511874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS60tZphYzRjGq_qUmFsTRRrDqOWSg_uYdF0Sk1dtTIg__A8ZvI2ImAcyENqOaukllGvrjQU-7sEiigf1msEyBmcwDaymFtyVyjxD-sG60nsiCu-bImJ5tnoSJHEAqXn5e6IfoUNA2-_H6/s320/Pie+005.JPG" /></p>This little baby makes cutting butter and shortening into flour a cinch. No forks, no knives, just pulse! It's a beauty, and I doubt I'd be as adventurous about making pie if I didn't have it.<br /><p>Next I followed Paula Deen's recipe for <a href="http://www.pauladeen.com/index.php/recipes/view2/chocolate_pecan_pie">Chocolate Pecan Pie</a> and used some adorable little mini fall cookie cutters that my mom got me this weekend from Hill's Kitchen. Seriously, if you haven't been to that store here on the Hill, it's just awesome. If you like cooking the tiniest bit, you will *<strong>love</strong>* this store! Here's what I ended up with (pre-baked):</p><p></p><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 296px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 399px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401954734382220274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczFJ3mdqS0EUQ4FCTsHniyonXKLezNI9Nnj8Oi4Sno19adN3SNVZESGb5L2ehaSoha4Kvew5KGEtvXBuc69qjNOmAoDs1x2ceJ8cWZNm1dB0GrDnwWm9_2PFP4P-VpGV1lxyBMomcUlo6/s320/Pie+006.JPG" /><br />How cute are those little leaves?! And here's what it looks like post-baked:</p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 347px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 305px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401955927105080146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWd9oIw1RBeqGZzRThEvEwIzU-KHW9ZQ-L-v2qqUuRSNUVmABr9t1DI7JRh1TGKWEAIDQnUaEBhoksV-ePTy66WdM3843zSkidg5QHWCExnSiOam8y1z0vnxRFxhT8J2O8P1QqjW1xRKr/s320/Pie+008.JPG" />HA! Just kidding, I didn't eat the whole thing...just a slice. Bringing it to work tomorrow, though, because leaving it in my house is a dangerous dangerous thing!</p><p>Hope you all have a Happy Monday!<br /></p><p></p>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-821449782430323775.post-2334934407002795622009-10-28T19:44:00.000-07:002010-04-28T09:40:50.923-07:00It's a...brownie!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6nS-g0ouUikBCAu9PwhBV99XXFoO7irotphM9LjuCmNr_pPxtKFMEPpF1lB3Zh_dd3iUtmvF7ecntDuF9JtJSY09KLf2KeaZpYvq2CenKhfwbv26G-zX0-JA_AYG4cqL5mqPf8hSn6KJ/s1600-h/brownies.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397855019701378994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6nS-g0ouUikBCAu9PwhBV99XXFoO7irotphM9LjuCmNr_pPxtKFMEPpF1lB3Zh_dd3iUtmvF7ecntDuF9JtJSY09KLf2KeaZpYvq2CenKhfwbv26G-zX0-JA_AYG4cqL5mqPf8hSn6KJ/s320/brownies.bmp" /></a><br /><div>OH Chocolate. Here's a little side story to start this post:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Today at work I ate lunch, and then went back to work. I worked for a bit and thought to myself "Woo! This day is flying by!"...then I looked at the clock and saw that it was only 1:15. Oy. My body decided then and there to tell me that if it didn't get chocolate soon it was going to revolt.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I staved off the craving with a couple handfuls of Special K with Strawberries and a piece of gum (gum is surprisingly effective here!). I was also able to because I knew that we were making brownies tonight. Not just brownies, but "OH my god I'm <em>never</em> making brownies from a box again" brownies. The are nothing short of the best brownies EVER.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>One of my favorite (okay...my FAVORITE) food blogs out there is <a href="http://www.alexandracooks.com/">http://www.alexandracooks.com/</a>. She finds wonderful recipes to share, she's eco-friendly without being preachy, and she takes pictures so gorgeous that you want to cook right then and there (and eat too of course). When I read the blog post about the "Best Brownies" I knew I had to give them a try. I've made them many times since, and I vow to never make brownies from a box again.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Tonight's baking bonanza is specifically for Beth's husband Justin's volunteer group. Justin volunteers for a very cool group that works with at-risk kids in DC to teach them about business and help them develop ideas, learn about becoming entrepreneurs, etc. So Justin is going to be making these kids and volunteers seriously happy. You will be too, you've just got to try them! The photo above shows some of the brownies we took home...Jeff and I had two as soon as we got in the car tonight, we couldn't even wait to get home!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Okay, so on to the recipe...</div><div> </div><div>...</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Well alright. Technical difficulties, I suppose, folks. For some reason the blog isn't letting me paste the recipe! For now, check out the recipe on Alexandra's blog <a href="http://www.alexandracooks.com/2009/04/26/hearst-ranch-grass-fed-steaks-oven-roasted-potatoes-all-time-favorite-brownies/">here</a> and I'll try to paste it in tomorrow.</div><div> </div><div> </div>Goodnight, and happy baking everybody!<br /><div></div><div> </div>Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05361131990221540589noreply@blogger.com0