Bunny's Warm Oven

Praline Apple Bread

2012-01-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

I was trying to remember how many times I've made this bread in the last couple of months. I think the first time was in the begining of October. My husband loved this so much he asked me to make it for his birthday, which is the end of October. I've made it two more times since then. I've never blogged about it because it never stuck around long enough for me to get pictures. I made a point of doing that today. Everyone that's tasted it has absolutely loved it, hands down this is one fantastic quick bread. You'll notice that the recipe for the bread doesn't include any fat in the form of butter or shortening. The bread derives it's moistness from sour cream. The top of the bread is bathed in praline and ....well it's praline ,nuff said.

The bread looked amazing straight out of the oven without the praline on top.

With the praline, it's magical and will disappear before your eyes.

Click here to print recipe

Apple Praline Bread
MyRecipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream $
1 cup granulated sugar $
2 large eggs $
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt $
1 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 3/4 lb.) $
1/2 cup butter $
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 1/2 cup pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 4 minutes.
2. Beat sour cream and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until blended.
3. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Add to sour cream mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in apples and 1/2 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chopped pecans; lightly press pecans into batter.
4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.
5. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a 1-qt. heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, and spoon over top of bread; let cool completely (about 1 hour).
Note: To freeze, cool bread completely; wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Cheddar Potato and Bacon Soup with Roast Beef Club Sandwich

2012-01-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

The winters here in Kentucky are definitely milder that what I'm use to in Pennsylvania. In Pa. winter starts at the end of October and hangs around till April. Yesterday I was hanging clothes out on the line. BIG contrast, and I'm gonna take it and run with it. Whatever the temperature is, soup is always welcome. Whether you make it as a light accompaniment in the summer with a salad or a hearty soup with a sandwich to warm your bones with in the winter, we love it. And if you put cheese in the soup , it'll make me absolutely giddy. This recipe came from Allrecipes.com. It was fast and delicious. Paul and I both agree it's the best potato soup we've ever had, and the cheddar cheese had a lot to do with that. I pared this soup with my husbands favorite sandwich, a club sandwich. You can make a club sandwich with any meat you have on hand. I usually make them for him after I've roasted a chicken or beef roast, he really looks forward to it. We hope you enjoy this soup and sandwich as much as we do. Enjoy!

I didn't have red potatoes when I made this so I used russet potatoes. I added about a cup more potatoes to the soup, that way I could take my potato masher and mash some of them to make the soup nice and thick and still have pieces of potatoes. I also added about 3/4 cup more cheddar cheese. I love me some cheese!

Click here to print the recipe.

Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups peeled and cubed red potatoes ( I used 3 cups russet potatoes)
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese ( I used about 1 3/4 cup)
1 cup diced ham ( I used bacon)

Directions:

Using a medium sized stock pot bring water to a boil, add potatoes and cook until tender. Drain reserving 1 cup liquid.
Stir in butter, onion and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Gradually stir in potatoes, reserved liquid, milk, sugar, cheese, and ham. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Making a club sandwich is very easy. Start by toasting 3 slices of bread, we use whole wheat. Put mayonnaise on all 3 slices. Fry 3 slices of bacon,and cut into pieces and lay on one slice of mayonnaise bread. Take whatever meat you have on hand....chicken, turkey, roast beef or ham and lay it on top of the bacon. Top this with your second slice of mayonnaise bread. On top of your second slice you can add cheese if you want to along with your lettuce and tomato, top with third slice of mayonnaise bread. It's one terrific sandwich!

Apple Brown Butter Jalousie

2012-01-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

I've always loved pastries like this. I'd go to the grocery store and drool over Entenmanns danish thinking one of these days I'm gonna make one. It's one of those things you put on that ever growing list you keep of things you want to bake someday. Fine Cooking helped me bump it up the list when I saw it was made with frozen puff pastry. I made the apple filling as the recipe states, rolled the puff pastry out, layered the apples and sealed it up. It's truly amazing. So flaky and delicious! I sprinkled this with granulated sugar this time, next time I think I'll make a little glaze for it. OH, and just in case you were wondering.....jalousie means-
a blind or shutter with horizontal slates, in this case the slices you make for the top of the puff pastry. Go buy some puff pastry and make yourself HAPPY!

Print the recipe out here.

Apple Brown Butter Jalousie
Fine Cooking

Directions :

Ingredients:

1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb. Granny Smith apples (about 3 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Pinch freshly grated or ground nutmeg
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out with the back of a knife (reserve the seeds) ( I used 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 large egg
1 sheet frozen packaged puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm brand), thawed overnight in the fridge or according to package instructions
Flour for rolling out the dough
1 tsp. demerara, turbinado, or granulated sugar
Crème fraîche, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss the apples with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until the milk solids turn golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla seeds, and stir. Carefully add the apple mixture to the skillet; with a heatproof rubber spatula, scrape all the sugar and spices from the bowl into the skillet. Stir the apples to coat them with the butter and then spread them in a fairly even layer. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring gently with the spatula every few minutes (try not to break the apple slices), until the apples are tender but not mushy (taste one) and still hold their shape, and the juices have cooked down to a fairly thick, brown, bubbling syrup, 10 to 13 minutes. Scrape the apples into a wide shallow dish or onto a baking sheet to cool completely before assembling the jalousie.

Assemble the jalousie: Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, make an egg wash by beating the egg with 1 Tbs. water until well combined.
Unfold the puff pastry dough on a floured surface, and gently pinch together any seams that have split. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x14-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise to form two 6x14-inch rectangles. Use a long spatula to help you move one of the dough rectangles onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Use a pastry brush to brush a 1-inch border of egg wash around the perimeter of the dough. (Save the remaining egg wash.) Arrange the fruit in a 4-inch-wide strip down the length of the dough. (I like to shingle the apple slices in a thick herringbone pattern down the length of the dough; you may need to make a double layer of apples.) Some syrupy apple juices will likely remain in the dish; spoon 2 to 3 Tbs. over the apples. If some of the liquid seeps onto the egg-washed border, don’t worry about it.

Lightly dust the remaining piece of puff pastry with flour and then gently fold it in half lengthwise; don’t crease the fold. Using a sharp knife, cut 1-1/2-inch-long slashes at 1-inch intervals along the folded side of the dough; leave at least a 1-inch border on the remaining three sides. Do not unfold the dough. Using a long spatula, gently lift the folded strip and position it over the fruit-filled dough rectangle, matching up the straight edges.

Gently unfold the top piece of dough and stretch it over the filling, matching the straight edges all the way around the perimeter of the dough. Press the edges gently with your fingertips to seal the dough, and then, with a fork, very gently crimp the edges of the dough all the way around the pastry.

Chill the assembled jalousie for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F.
Right before baking, brush the top of the jalousie with a very light coating of the remaining egg wash (you won’t need it all) and sprinkle with the demerara, turbinado, or granulated sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the baking sheet. Continue baking until the pastry is puffed, deep golden brown on top, and light golden brown on the bottom—use a spatula to gently lift the jalousie so you can peek underneath—another 10 to 15 minutes. Immediately transfer the jalousie from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for at least 45 minutes. (Instead of trying to move the hot jalousie with a spatula, lift the parchment to move the jalousie to the rack and then carefully slide the paper out from under the pastry.)
Serve the jalousie slightly warm with crème fraîche, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream, if you like.

Celebrating Shelby's Blog Anniversary and Her Giveaway!

2011-12-27T05:27:00.000-08:00

One of the first blogs I discovered in the cooking/baking blog community was Shelby's - The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Shelby has been sharing her family and her recipes with us for 4 years, and now we get to celebrate her anniversary with her $50.00 gift certificate giveaway! Leave a comment on my blog for one entry in the giveaway, visit Shelby on her blog to see who helped her celebrate and learn how you can earn more entries in her giveaway! Shelby has been a wonderful friend. Thank you girlfriend for your blog and the love you put into it! I wish you many more years of happy blogging.!

This Cheese Straw recipe was made to celebrate Shelby's blog anniversary. Visit her blog to see more recipes from all the bloggers helping her celebrate, and learn how you can earn more entries to her giveaway.

Cheese Straws
Good Housekeeping

Directions:

1 tablespoon(s) paprika
1/2 teaspoon(s) ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg
salt
1 package(s) (17.25 ounces) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed as label directs
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
8 ounce(s) aged Gouda or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, room temperature, finely shredded (2 cups)

Grease 2 large cookie sheets. In small bowl, combine paprika, ground red pepper, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll pastry into 14-inch square. Lightly brush with some egg white. Sprinkle half of paprika mixture on pastry. Sprinkle half of Gouda on half of pastry. Fold pastry over to cover cheese, forming rectangle. With rolling pin, lightly roll over pastry to seal layers together. With knife, cut pastry crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place two-thirds of strips, 1 inch apart, on 1 cookie sheet, twisting each to form spiral and pressing ends against cookie sheet to prevent strips from uncurling. Place remaining strips on second cookie sheet; set aside. (Do not crowd; strips puff while baking.) Bake first sheet of strips 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. With spatula, transfer to rack to cool.
Meanwhile, repeat with remaining pastry, egg white, paprika mixture, and Gouda, placing one-third of strips on second cookie sheet; bake as above. When first cookie sheet is cool, wash and grease again; use to bake remaining two-thirds strips. (For even cooking, bake only 1 sheet of strips at a time.) Store in tightly sealed container up to 3 days.

Editor's Note: To do ahead, prepare pastry strips as above, but do not bake. Place pastry strips on 2 greased cookie sheets, 1/2 inch apart, and twist each into a spiral. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight. Place frozen cheese straws in freezer-weight container or storage bag; return to freezer. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen cheese straws on greased cookie sheets, 1 inch apart, and bake without thawing, in 3 batches, 15 to 20 minutes per batch or until golden. Cool as above.

Hershey's Best Brownie

2011-12-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

We had company coming, dinner was taken care of but....dessert? All the Petite Macaroons Cups with Almonds were just about gone. I needed something quick, delicious and FAST! This brownie recipe filled all those requirements. I didn't have my square 9 inch baking pan available. Since moving to Kentucky some of my baking pans are still being stored, so I made this in a round pan. With only two of us in the house, I was happy this recipe was just our size! My husband isn't crazy about chocolate, but Hershey certainly won him over with this recipe. He loved it! The brownie is very moist and chocolatey, the frosting is outrageously good! I don't think I've ever made a Hershey Chocolate recipe I didn't like. The recipe comes together fast, perfect for a last minute dessert. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Click here to print recipe.

Hershey's Best Brownie
Hershey Chocolate Site

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING (recipe follows)

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.
2 Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
3 Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.

CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk;
beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting.

Petite Macaroon Cups with Almonds

2011-12-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

I've baked three times this week. But they were goodies that I had already blogged about. We all have those recipes that have to be made for the holidays, those tried and true goodies that our families ask for. Now it's time to make something I want! I found this recipe on the Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk site. They kinda reminded me of Pecan Tassies, and don't we all just love those! The recipe called for ingredients that I already had so it was going to be made. It really didn't take any time at all to make the dough, just minutes really, then it chilled in the fridge for an hour. The filling was very simple, just what I needed today something easy and not time consuming. I did make a change though...out of necessity. I didn't have almond extract, but I did have almonds so I crushed 1/3 cup of almonds into the batter. These are so good...really good. Next time I make them I was thinking about adding some lemon or lime zest to the batter just to mix it up a bit. Maybe some pineapple, that sounds good with coconut and almonds! Take it and make it yours, enjoy!

Click here to print recipe.

Petite Macaroon Cups with Almonds
Eagle Brand Condensed Milk Recipe Site

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

2 (3 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

Directions :

BEAT butter and cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy; stir in flour. Cover; chill 1 hour.
HEAT oven to 375°F. Divide dough into quarters. On floured surface, shape 1 quarter into a smooth ball. Divide into 12 balls. Place each ball in a 1 3/4-inch muffin cup; press evenly on bottom and up side of each cup. Repeat with remaining dough.
COMBINE sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla and almond extracts in medium bowl; mix well. Stir in coconut. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until slightly browned. Cool in pans; remove.
VARIATION
CHOCOLATE MACAROON CUPS: BEAT 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa into egg mixture; proceed as above.

Food Tip - Freezing Bacon

2011-12-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

I love this method for freezing bacon. It comes in so handy with only two of us in the house. I don't have to worry about using opened bacon up anymore.

Open your package of bacon , roll it up.

Place the bacon in the freezer bag standing up.

Freeze, after its frozen its very easy to pry them apart with a butter knife. I usually take out 3 pieces at a time and microwave for 1 minute and they are completely defrosted.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookies....for real!

2011-12-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

When I told my husband that I loved to bake, the first question he asked me was...can you make oatmeal cookies? Oatmeal cookies with raisins and nuts in them? Yes I can make them, my only probably was I didn't have a recipe that I liked. Up until now, every recipe I tried yielded oatmeal hockey pucks. Cookies you'd have to dunk to make soft. I wanted an oatmeal cookie recipe that would give me what I love about a fantastic chocolate chip cookie recipe, a soft chewy cookie. Was there really one out there? Thankfully yes!
I found it on Food.com. There were 865 reviews for this little slice of heaven, I couldn't resist. Finally an oatmeal cookie recipe that is perfect! These were so good we kept them all to ourselves, no need to look anymore, this is it, the perfect Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookie. Enjoy!

The only thing I changed about this recipe... I reduced the amount of raisins to 1 cup and added 1/2 a cup of pecans.

To print this recipe, click here.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-raisin-cookies-35813
Posted by Beth
Ingredients:

Whisk together and set aside

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Cream wet ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Then stir in

3 cups oats (not instant) I used Quick Oats
1 cups raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.

Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.

To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.

Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.

(Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.

Fill cookie scoop with dough.

(Use a #40 cookie scoop; it measures 2 tablespoon of dough) Press against side of bowl, pulling up to level dough.

Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.

Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Appetizers...Bacon Wrapped Pretzel Rods and Cream Cheese Wrapped Olives Rolled in Crushed Nuts

2011-11-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends! Knowing that most of our family would be eating two Thanksgiving dinners in one day on Thursday, we decided to go a different route. Our dinner was on Friday, Paul smoked a beef brisket and two pork butts. The kids were happy, we were happy. I'd call that a win , win situation. Paul and I put together 5 appetizers, a fruit tray with yogurt, a vegetable tray with spinach dip, cheese straws and the reason for this post, the two appetizers that were by far the favorite....Bacon Wrapped Pretzel Rods and Cream Cheese Wrapped Olives Rolled in Nuts.   You have Christmas parties and New Years Eve parties coming up, somebody has to bring the crazy good appetizers, let it be you!   Enjoy!

To print this recipe click here.

This appetizer is very easy to make with few ingredients, so far so good right?   You're gonna need:

   Pretzel Rods
   Thin Sliced Bacon
   1 Cup of Brown Sugar
   1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

You can do this 3 ways.....You can cut the bacon strips in half and wrap the pretzel rods, you can cut the bacon strip length wise and wrap the rods or you can use the whole strip of bacon and wrap the rods. I used a whole thin bacon strip to wrap the pretzel rods. The amount of bacon you buy and the way you choose to wrap the pretzels will determine how many you make, I bought one package of bacon and had lots of pretzels left over. But that wasn't a problem for me, we love pretzels. Next time I'll buy 2 packages of bacon! Wrap the bacon around the pretzel Rods. In a shallow dish mix the sugar and chili powder together. Roll the bacon wrapped pretzels in the sugar /chili mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bacon wrapped rods on a cookie sheet, bake 20 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Turning once during baking will insure that the sugar will caramelize on both sides of the bacon. Watch carefully so the sugar doesn't burn. You can also put these on a baking rack on top of a cookies sheet to bake. I preferred just the baking sheet so the bacon would get nice and caramelized . Also, you'll notice when you turn the rods that they will get flimsy, don't worry, they firm up when they cool down. When you take them from the oven lay them in a single row to cool, not touching each other while they are cooling so they don't stick together.

Paul and I went to a dinner party at one of our neighbors houses a couple months ago. Our hosts Martha and Jeff served these appetizers.

Not only do these taste amazing but they look terrific on a tray! For this recipe you'll need:

To print this recipe, click here.

1 Jar large Olives ( the largest olives you can find in the grocery store)
1- 8 ounce block of Cream Cheese, room temperature
Crushed nuts ( pecans, walnuts or almonds ) crushed finely

The best way that I can describe getting the cream cheese onto the olive is to envision someone making truffles. Dry the olives with a paper towel, with a knife slice a small portion of room temperature cream cheese and put it into the palm of your hand. Place the large olive on top of the cream cheese and wrap it around the olive. When its covered, shape it into a little football, making sure that the pimento is on one side so you know how to cut it, you want it cut in half not length wise.

After it's covered, roll it in crushed nuts. Put the wrapped and nut covered olives into the refrigerator so the cream cheese firms up.   Slice when your ready to serve.

Golden Pear Snack Cake

2011-11-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

The last time I posted was in April, a lot of things have happened since then...good things. I moved from Pennsylvania to Kentucky and got married. My husband and I live a quiet life on Gilberts Creek. There's lots of country, beautiful country and plenty of fresh air and sunshine. I"m blessed to be married to a handsome, energetic, creative man and I"m going to take very good care of him. Paul had the first piece of this snack cake and said that ....it was perfect. From the amount of cinnamon to the right amount of sweetness it all balanced out very well. It was originally an apple cake but since our neighbor has a pear tree I decided to use them. The first thing I noticed about the cake while I was mixing the batter is that it was very thick, I double checked the recipe to see if I had forgotten any liquid...no, no ingredient missing so into the pan it went. While baking it produces a very nice crusty brown top that goes very well with the soft pears. This is an excellent cake for a quick dessert, it comes together easily and the results are fantastic. Enjoy!

Golden Pear Snack Cake
Taste Of Home

If you would like to print this recipe click here.

Ingredients
Golden Apple Snack Cake RecipeI

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-1/2 cups chopped peeled tart apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; gradually beat into the creamed mixture. Fold in apples and pecans.

Transfer to a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 32-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 9 serving

Hershey's Ultimate Chocolate Brownies - Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread

2011-04-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

I missed you...
I needed to take care of some things in my life that would enable me to move forward, with that done...a new life begins.

Today my little Prince celebrated his 1st birthday. He had the biggest birthday party I've ever seen for a 1 yr old! While planing the party my son Billy ( taller handsome guy in plaid, ) called me and asked if I would bake for Ryder's big bash. His request was cookies , brownies ....little treats to accompany the cake. I filled his request for the treats and added another one , Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread. Two of the recipes came from the back of a bag of Hersheys Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips. They were on sale, and lo and behold the recipes on the bag were just what I was looking for..a .cookie and brownie recipe! Fantastic recipes I might add, when I left the party all the cookies and brownies were gone.....made my little heart happy to know they liked them. The Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread recipe made two loaves and when I left , there were only three slices left. The Banana Bread has instant pudding in it, it made the quick bread very very moist and delicious.

I think my little Prince inherited his gramma's love of sugar LOL!!!

This is an amazing brownie, fudgey, chewy and chocolaty. The frosting is soft and smooth, it's a great accompaniment to the brownie. You would think it would be to sweet, but it's not. its just right. Hershey knew exactly what they were doing when the named this the Ultimate Brownie, it truly is!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here.

Hershey's Ultimate Chocolate Brownie
Hershey's site

Ingredients:

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted and divided
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (recipe follows)
Instructions:
1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan or two 8-inch square baking pans.
2 Stir together cocoa and baking soda in large bowl; stir in 1/3 cup butter. Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend completely. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.
3 Bake 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan, 30 to 35 minutes for square pans or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. Cut into squares. About 36 brownies.

ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

I've made lots of different recipes for chocolate chip cookies, this one is as good as any I've tried. Soft, chewy and delicious, exactly what I'd expect from Hershey Chocolate.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here.

Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Hershey's site

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 Heat oven to 375°F.
2 Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies.

This was a recipe for plain Banana Bread with instant pudding in it. I added the chocolate chips and pecans to the recipe to kick it up a bit. The pudding in the recipe makes this so moist and delicious! I didn't have french vanilla pudding so I just used vanilla. This quick bread has a little something for everybody, bananas, nuts and chocolate.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here.

Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread
Food.com
Ingredients:
* 2/3 cup oil
* 4 large eggs
* 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
* 2 cups flour
* 2 cups sugar

* 1 (3 1/2 ounce) box French vanilla instant pudding
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped pecans
    1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
   Preheat oven to 325°F.      Mix oil, eggs and mashed bananas.
    Combine remaining ingredients and add to banana mixture.
   Grease and flour pans,place on baking sheet.
   Bake in a 2/ 9 x 5 x 3 inch pan 0r 4 mini loaves [mini's will take about 45 minutes] for 1 hour or until bread tests done.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2010-12-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

We're coming down the home stretch aren't we, Christmas is going to be here before we know it! Every year we go hunting for something to bake that's a little different than what we baked last year for our cookie trays. Not easy is it? I happened a cross this recipe this morning and decided to try it. The recipe says you can use either pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice. I really wished I had apple pie spice in the house but pumpkin it was! I have to admit the one teaspoon turned out to be a heaping teaspoon, kinda love my pumpkin pie spice too. The recipe said to measure out tablespoons of the dough, well that didn't look big enough for me so I used my coffee scooper, then patted them down a little bit before baking The other change I made was to use quick oats, again all I had in the house, but they were good , very good! I baked these for 11 minutes then let them rest on the cookie sheet for a couple more. A nice buttery oatmeal cookie with a pumpkin pie or apple pie taste, crunchy and slightly chewy all in one. Lovin it!!

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Oatmeal Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookies
MyRecipes

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups quick oats
1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice

Preparation

Heat oven to 375° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter, brown and granulated sugars, corn syrup, and vanilla for 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.

Form the dough into tablespoon-size mounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks. Cool completely.

Rich Chocolate Brownies - Melting Moments Cookies - Chocolate Chip Shortbread

2010-11-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

Carol, Cyndy and I would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving filled with family and loved friends.

Ok sometimes I'm not organized....my intentions are good, I start out wanting to plan my day and then , well life happens and messes eveything up. It's not my fault *sigh*. Sometimes good things happen when you have an unorganized day. Like....you find really good recipes to make for the family dinner that's 2 hours away that you haven't baked for yet. Yeah, three fantastic recipes found at the last minute, easy recipes that'll knock your socks off. Recipes you could use during the holidays for unexpected guests, or a sudden holiday party that wasn't on the schedule. We better get started before something happens and I don't get to finish this post! Happy Thanksgiving my friends!!

I haven't made brownies in forever, but when I saw these I couldn't resist! I found these brownies on CookEatShare. They were posted by Nancy Miyasaki. WOW are these good! They're dense, chewy, chocolaty, rich and delicious! Everything I want in a brownie. I made them for our family dinner and took some to work, it was unanimous, these are the best brownies EVA!!

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Rich Chocolate Brownies
CookEatShare

Ingredients:

* 2/3 c. butter
* 1 1/2 c. sugar
* 1/4 c. water
* 4 c. semisweet chocolate chips, divided
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a heavy saucepan, bring butter, sugar and water to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips until melted. Let cool a little. Beat in vanilla.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Gradually add chocolate mixture, mixing well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining chocolate chips.
3. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 325 F for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

During the summer I was on a shortbread kick, shortbread has few ingredients and always turns out fantastic. I bet you already have everything to make these! I could see these with a little lemon zest in them and some lemon extract instead of vanilla. Well they're not kidding when the say they melt in your mouth!! WOW!! They were fantastic!

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Melting Moments Cookies
Joyofbaking

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (60 grams) cornstarch (corn flour)

1/4 teaspoon
salt

1/4 cup (30 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1 cup (110 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar, sifted

Melting Moments: In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour
mixture and beat until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

When dough is firm, form into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets
spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 12 - 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, line another baking pan or tray with parchment or wax paper. Sprinkle about half of the confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar onto the bottom of the pan and then place the slightly cooled cookies on top of the sugar. Put the remaining sugar in a fine strainer or sieve and then sprinkle the tops of the cookies (or you can just roll the cookies in the sugar).

These cookies store very well. Place in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper and they will keep a couple of weeks.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Oh my word these little guys were good! This was sooooo fast and easy to put together too. It made a 9 inch square pan full and it was delightful. Just what we needed for the end of our family meal. This was suppose to have coffee granules in it but I didn't have any, didn't matter. They were fantastic without it. The recipe called for baking 20 minutes but this was ready at 30, they reviews from other people about this recipe said the same. These are so light and delicious and take no time at all to put together! I obviously didn't cut them into triangles the way the recipe called for...I just wanted an excuse to eat a whole one!!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here !.

Mocha Chocolate Shortbread
Southern Living

Ingredients

* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
* 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels, divided
* Vanilla or coffee ice cream (optional)

Preparation

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl; add butter and vanilla, and beat at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Stir in 1 cup chocolate morsels.

Press dough into an ungreased 9-inch square pan; prick dough with a fork.

Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup morsels over top, and spread to cover. Cut shortbread into 25 (about 1 3/4-inch) squares; cut each square into 2 triangles. Let cool 30 minutes in pan before removing. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Pumpkin Doodle Cookies - World Champion Oatmeal Bars - Chocolate Birthday Cake

2010-11-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

My little Prince is getting so big, time is flying by and he's growing leaps and bounds. Please forgive this very proud gramma for wanting to share. Speaking of time...where has it gone? It's already the middle of November! We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in less than 2 weeks. We'll be searching for recipes for the perfect way to make our turkey, our side dishes and desserts. Desserts... you know the sugar in my veins runs wild this time of year. I made three absolute keepers that I want to share with you, Pumpkin Doodle Cookies, World Champion Oatmeal Bars and my son Billy's Chocolate Birthday Cake. All delicious easy recipes that I will be making many times. Lets get the sugar flowing !

I found this recipe after wanting to make something with pumpkin but wanting it to be just a little different. I wasn't sure where my search was going to lead me, cakes, bars , cookies..... didn't really care as long as it was fantastic. I hit the jackpot with this one! A snicker doodle type cookie made with pumpkin. My goodness it'll be very hard for me to eat a regular snicker doodle after having this. Pumpkin flavored cookies rolled in cinnamon and sugar, you need this little gem. I made these the day before my family dinner, they were soft and moist and stayed that way for as long as they lasted, which trust me wasn't long.

The cookie batter comes together very nicely. The batter is refrigerated for an hour and rolled into balls and bathed in cinnamon and sugar. They bake for 10 minutes, if you like, take them out a minute or two before the time is up, it only makes them better.

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Pumpkin Doodle Cookies
Midwest Living

1 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the 1-1/2 cups sugar and pumpkin. Beat until combined.
2. Beat in vanilla, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Beat in egg. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Cover and chill 1 hour.
3. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls into the sugar-cinnamon mixture, rolling to coat. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove and cool on wire racks.

These bars are seriously dangerous, I can't walk away with just one. I could sit with a glass of milk and eat them till my thighs begged me to stop. The recipe makes a 9 x 13 baking pan full of oat bars filled with caramel and chocolate chips. The amount of butter in this is outrageous, which is why they're so good. The old fashioned oats are moist but at the same time add a little crunch while the caramel and chocolate give you the chewy sinfully delicious middle that makes this bar addicting. Bake at your own risk!

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World Champion Oatmeal Bars
CookEatShare
Nancy Miyasaki

Cooking spray
48 soft caramel-candy squares
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Coat a 9-by-13- inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line with a 9-by-21-inch sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each short side. Put the caramels and cream in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramels are well melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
Stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Blend in the butter with a fork or until the mixture is coarse; press half of the mixture onto the lined pan. Bake until just set and starting to color around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the crust with the chocolate chips and drizzle it with the caramel mixture. Top with the remaining crumb mixture and bake until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan. Then cut into squares and serve.

My son Billy's 30th birthday required a fantastic cake, after all it's not everyday your baby turns 30. I was making dinner and the cake. I knew the kids would be full from dinner and wouldn't have a lot of room for cake. I started looking for a 9 inch cake recipe, just one layer that I could frost. My internet search yielded nothing but 9 inch layer cakes. I searched again only this time I searched chocolate snack cakes. I landed on Taste Of Home with a chocolate snack cake that fit the bill. So delicious ( the reviews said) that it didn't need frosting. I frosted the cake with the Hershey Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting I used for the A - Number Banana Cake I made. The snack cake was indeed fantastic and with the chocolate frosting it made a perfect birthday cake. The picture I was able to take really doesn't do it justice though. While my grand daughters and I were putting the candles on the cake, the youngest decided she would take the already placed candles and move them...all over the top of the cake! Holes everywhere, like little gophers lived on the cake top! LOL!! If you need a small cake to celebrate with, you can't go wrong with this one.

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Chocolate Snack Cake
Taste of Home

Cake Ingredients

* 1 cup boiling water
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sugar
* 3 tablespoons baking cocoa
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Confectioners' sugar

Directions

* In a bowl, beat water and butter until butter is melted. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the egg mixture. Beat for 2 minutes.
* Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 9 servings.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Hershey Chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Banana Cake With Chocolate Frosting - Affogato - Pumpkin Spice Zucchini Bread

2010-10-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Autumn in Pennsylvania is beautiful, I couldn't resist taking a picture of leaves that looked like they were flames in a fireplace. I love it! Some blog news for Bunny's Warm Oven...I put a nifty little tool on the comments that allows you to post a picture of your latest delicious creation. Please use it and show me what you've got!! I love to see them! Carol, Cyndy and I have 3 recipes that we hope you'll enjoy. Carol made Pumpkin Spice Zucchini Bread, Cyndy made a coffee and gelato drink called Affogato, and I made a Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting.

It's a sugar post and we're knee deep in it! Enjoy!

Banana and chocolate for me, is a match made in heaven. The flavors alone are wonderful... together they make my mouth do a happy dance.
I made the banana cake recipe from Allrecipes.com , and the chocolate frosting came from Hershey Chocolate.
I made this for our weekly family dinner. As I stood watching my brothers, their wives and my mom take their first bites of the cake, I asked if they liked it? With their mouths full, nodding their heads with mmmmm hhmmmmms they gave it a thumbs up. This is indeed an A Number 1 Banana Cake. So, what did they think of the frosting ? They couldn't believe how smooth and soft it was. Thank you, Hershey Chocolate, for another great recipe! This one came off the back of the cocoa can. The butter for the frosting is melted before adding the dry ingredients, which made for a wonderful frosting, I'll be using it again.
As I said, chocolate and banana are a match made in heaven, and these two recipes together are perfect!

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A Number 1 Banana Cake
Allrecipes.com
Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and place on a damp tea towel to cool.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Hershey Chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Bunny had sent me a recipe for Affogato quite a while back. I kept it in my files thinking I would make it soon. Don't know why I waited and then forgot all about it The subject came up in a conversation about coffee drinks that were different and unusual. It sounded so good that I was thinking about it most of the day. I had purchased some Coconut Creamer for my morning coffee & I thought it was really good so when I found the Carribean Coconut Gelato at the market I thought it would make a great flavor combination with the espresso. Creamy Coconut and Starbucks Via Bold, I had a taste of the tropics right in my coffee cup!
Now knowing my penchant for twisting, the drink wouldn't be complete with only one little twist so I added another. A nice dose of Trader Vic's Macadamia Nut Liqueur to the whipping cream. Oh was that good. If you're looking for a drink with less calories, this one surely isn't, but it is a nice way to treat yourself to something special after a long hard day.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here.

Affogato
Adapted from: Giada De Laurentiis, Foodnetwork.com
4 servings.

Ingredients
1/3 cup cold whipping cream
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 pint chocolate gelato or ice cream
1 Tbsp. Macadamia Nut Liqueur

Directions
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a medium bowl, adding 1 Tbsp. Macadamia Nut liqueur, beating until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate the whipped cream.

Whisk the boiling water and espresso powder in a 1 cup glass measuring cup until the powder is dissolved, or use an espresso machine to make 4 shots of espresso. Scoop 1/2 cup of the gelato or ice cream into each of 4 dessert bowls or glasses. Pour 2 tablespoons or 1 shot of hot espresso over each. Top with the whipped cream and serve immediately.

I love pumpkin all year round, but when fall arrives, I really have the urge to bake with it.

I always pick up zucchini when grocery shopping, since we love it cooked so many ways. The Jell-O Pumpkin Spice instant pudding is now on the grocery shelves, so I bought a few of those, thinking along the line of adding it to a cake mix.......that's when a pumpkin zucchini bread idea started rolling around in my brain.

The pumpkin pudding mix tastes more like gingerbread than pumpkin to me, and I knew I wanted the pumpkin flavor to shine through in the bread. I've read that pumpkin is a fat replacer in baking so I thought, why not cut down the amount of oil in the recipe and replace it with pumpkin? It will lighten the bread and give me the flavor I want.

I took one of my favorite zucchini bread recipes, added some new ingredients, subtracted a few others and came up with what Bob declares a WINNER. The bread is moist, tasty, and the addition of the cinnamon chips leave little pockets of melted spicy goodness. It's a "Slice of Fall" for me. Another plus...the bread freezes really well too.

I'm going to be making more of this soon....I bet it would even be wonderful made into muffin.......what a great grab and go breakfast. Hmmmmmmmmm.....here comes some more ideas....now to find the time to get back into my "laboratory"!

Carol

Wanna print just the recipe, click here.

PUMPKIN SPICE ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon extract
1/2 c. oil
1 c. pumpkin puree
2 c. grated, unpeeled zucchini
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 (4 serving size) pkg. pumpkin spice instant pudding mix
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. cinnamon baking chips

In a medium bowl, beat eggs until light; add sugar and mix well. Whisk in extracts, oil and pumpkin until well mixed; stir in zucchini. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and instant pudding mix; make a well in the center. Add the zucchini mixture along with the pecans and cinnamon chips; stir until dry ingredients are just moistened-do not over mix.

Divide batter between 2 greased 9x5-inch loaf pans or 6 greased 5x3-inch mini loaf pans.
Bake @ 350 degrees 1 hour for regular size loaves, 35-45 minutes for mini loaves, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans or 20 minutes; run a knife around the edge of each loaf, remove loaves to wire rack and cool completely. Freezes very well.

Apple Ricotta Cake - Southern Apple Crumble - Swedish Apple Pie

2010-09-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Is there anything more intoxicating than the smell of apples and cinnamon baking in the oven? For me ...no. This is the time of year I long for. Cooler weather sends me into a frenzy looking for different ways to bake apples and cinnamon. I'll sit in the kitchen and linger over the aroma coming from the oven, simple little pleasures coming from my kitchen. Cyndy and I have put together an all apple dessert post, easy delicious recipes that will hopefully find they're way into you oven. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have.

Every time I bake with ricotta cheese I am amazed at the results. The Ricotta Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce and the Lemon Glazed Ricotta Cake were moist and delicious, The Apple Ricotta Cake followed suit and will be my go to coffee cake recipe. The possibilities are endless with this recipe, switching out the apples for your favorite fruit is the first change that comes to mind. You can get very creative with this recipe, I'm so looking forward to experimenting with it!.

I started this recipe by buttering and flouring a 9 inch springform pan. I peeled, cored and diced 2 large apples, I used Yellow Delicious because that's what I had. I sprinkled a tablespoon of lemon juice over the apples to keep them from turning brown while making the rest of the recipe. I made the cake portion of the cake. The batter is very thick, not pourable....but spreadable. I made the streusel/ filling in my food processor, it was easy and fast to put together. I did add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the filling instead of the 1/2 tsp, I'm a cinnamon apple kinda girl and 1/2 tsp just didn't seem like enough.

Spread half of the cake batter into the greased and floured 9 inch springform pan. Top the cake batter with half of the streusel/filling. Then repeat the layers again with the remaining cake batter and streusel/filling. I baked the coffee cake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

OH my goodness this was so good!!! It was so soft and moist, absolutely worth the effort!

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Apple/Ricotta Coffee Cake
Kevin Weeks/Seriously Good
Cake
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter — at room temperature
1 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 ea eggs
1 c ricotta cheese
Streusel/Filling
2 ea cooking apples — peeled, cored, and diced
2/3 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsps butter — cut into small pieces
2 tbsps shortening — cut into small pieces
1/2 c pecan pieces
Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9″ springform pan with butter and dust with flour.
Streusel/Filling
Peel and dice apples (about 1/2″ dice) and toss with lemon juice. Set aside.
Place remaining streusel ingredients (except pecans) in a food processor. Add butter and shortening. Pulse about 10 times then process for 5 to 10 seconds until there are no visible lumps of fat.
Cake
Mix together 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Using an electric hand mixer or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer beat 1/2 cup butter for about 30 seconds, then beat in granulated sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and ricotta cheese to batter. Mix on low speed after each addition until combined. Note: this batter will be rather thick and stiff.
Spread 1/2 of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the filling mixture and then the diced apples. Spoon remaining batter over apples. It will not spread smoothly so be gentle and use dollops of batter. Sprinkle with remaining topping and nuts.
Bake 45-50 minutes more or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at least 1 hour on a wire rack.

This recipe came from Carol and when I read it, I had to make it. Our apple tree is giving us some very large, tasty and juicy apples and I want to use them up as they come off the tree. While best eaten warm, it was just as good cold. The flavors are simple yet delicious. The apples cooked perfectly. I had mine as is but hubby had to have his with vanilla ice cream. This was a perfect ending to our meal.

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SOUTHERN APPLE CRUMBLE
Adapted from: Betty Crocker

FILLING:

3 large apples, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 3 c. or a little more)
1/3-1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. cold butter or margarine cut into small pieces

Combine all and pour into a greased 8" square pan. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

TOPPING:

1 (1 lb. 5 oz.) pouch oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Mix the cookie mix with the melted butter. Sprinkle over the apple mixture. Bake @ 300 degrees for 40 minutes; remove from the oven and sprinkle top with chopped pecans. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes

Carols's daughter Robin made this pie, it looked so good I had to try it! I've never heard of or seen a Swedish Apple Pie but I was more than willing to remedy that after seeing Robin's. This was soooooo easy! Apple pie taste in practically no time at all, I was all about that. The crust on this is like a sugar cookie. Tell me your not intrigued.! Believe me it was delicious and well received at our family dinner.

I used more apples than Robin did, more like heaping the pie plate instead of filling 3/4 full. Next time I'll fill 3/4 full as Robins was more solid and slice-able while mine was more apple pie-ish with juice from the extra apples laying on the bottom of the dish, but still delicious! I did use brown sugar instead of white mixed with the cinnamon to sprinkle over the apples. The dough was made and spread over the apples and baked at 350 degrees for 45 - 55 minutes.

The dough formed a sugar cookie like crust over the apples that was so good!

Easy and delicious apple pie, your gonna love this one! Serve with vanilla ice cream just like apple pie.

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SWEDISH APPLE PIE
(Source: Robin (Carol's daughter)...recipe from her Nana Bev)

Fill pie plate 3/4 full with sliced apples. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

In small bowl combine:
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg (unbeaten)

Pour over apples and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Nana Bev's comments: "This recipe was given to me by a friend several years ago and one that I had forgotten about. I came across it the other day and made it for dessert for supper. It is so easy and so yummy. It is great served warm with vanilla ice cream and it smells so good near the end of the baking time."

Cannoli Cakes and Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Banana Cake

2010-09-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

In my opinion Fall is the most glorious time of year. I look forward to the change in weather. The heat and humidity of summer are replaced by a cool crispness in the air that revitalizes you. The Fall gives us trees filled with leaves of amber, gold and browns that are a magnificent sight to see. Every season has its beauty and Fall certainly shines in hers. Along with the cooler weather comes the urge to bake. Cyndy and I want to motivate you with two excellent recipes. Cannoli Cakes and Nigella Lawon's Chocolate Banana Cake. Whether you dive right into that urge to bake or work your way into it, enjoy it......it's a Fall thing.

I got this one from Carol. I haven't tried making anything sweet with Ricotta, I've always just used it in my lasagna. Well, good news here. LOVE the stuff!
The cakes are dense yet buttery. At first I thought way too dense, but then after making the frosting? They need to be hearty since they need to hold up all that goodness in the frosting! I know I have pistachio's somewhere here, just couldn't find them. I used macadamia pieces. To give it more color I not only used the mini chips, I used some dried cherries that I chopped up as well. We had one each for dessert and I wasn't sharing this time! LOL Carol's right, I'll find those pistachio's when I'm not looking for them............
Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Cannoli Cakes
Adapted from KingArthur.com

3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec) for brushing {I used Cointreau}

Ricotta Topping
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 cup whipping cream, whipped and chilled
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped salted pistachios{ used macadamia pieces}
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped {my addition}

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange 12 mini paper brioche pans on a parchment lined baking sheet, and spritz the pans with cooking spray. If you are not using paper brioche pans, you may use a 12 cup muffin tin.
Beat the eggs, sugar and salt on medium high speed for 5 minutes until thick. Gently fold in the melted, cooled butter and flour until no lumps remain. Divide the batter evenly among the pans.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden brown on the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cool completely. If using a muffin tin, remove the cakes to a wire rack to cool, don't leave them in the pan as they will steam and get soggy.
Gently brush each cake with some of the orange liqueur and repeat until all liqueur is used up. Set the cakes aside while you prepare the filling.

Combine the ricotta, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium mixing bowl until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream, mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios until evenly incorporated.
Using a cookie or muffin scoop or large spoon, evenly divide the ricotta filling over the 12 cakes. Place on a tray and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

12 small cannoli cakes

Tips from our bakers(King Arthur)
◦Not a fan of orange liqueur? Use simple syrup (plain or flavored with orange) instead. Brushing the cakes helps keep them moist.
◦Try a bit of candied lemon peel as a topping, it adds a bright flavor and touch of sparkle.
◦Should you by chance have some ricotta topping left over, it's great on graham crackers!

Oh this is an amazing cake! You're not going to believe how moist this is. It was very easy to put together, that's a plus in my book. Especially since I had my granddaughters over night and still here for the day, then I had our family dinner to put together. This is very impressive, if you make this for company, they will adore it! This is very light, it doesn't look like it but it is. The banana and chocolate flavors are wonderful in this cake.

I made this in a grease 9 inch spring form pan, I lined the bottom with a piece of parchment paper and greases that as well.. I melted the butter and oil, I used vegetable oil, in a sauce pan and set aside. I combined all the dry ingredients except the salt in one bowl and mixed till combined. I put the melted butter into my KA, ( you can use a saucepan if you have one big enough, I didn't. I slowly added the dry ingredients to the melted butter. Mix well. I then added the mashed bananas and sour cream, mixing only till combined. I whisked together the eggs, vanilla and salt and added it to the mixing bowl, whisking until the batter was smooth. I poured the batter into the pan and baked for about 50 minutes.

The cake had some cracks in the top of it, but the ganache was very forgiving and you couldn't tell after it was frosted. After the cake was completely cooled I started the ganache. I chopped the semi sweet chocolate up, measured out 1/2 cup of heavy cream into a small saucepan and added the corn syrup. The chocolate went in next, I stirred this on low heat very gently until it was melted. I slowly filled the top of the cake with ganache and gently smoothed it working from the center outward to the sides with an off set spatula. It worked beautifully! About 15 minutes before I was ready to serve this I put it into the fridge to harden up the ganache slightly to cut it.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Chocolate Banana Cake
New York Times
Nigella Lawson
Time: 1 hour plus cooling

For the cake:
Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray, for cake pan
3/4cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 3/4cups flour
2 1/2teaspoons baking powder
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1/4cup best-quality cocoa
1 cup sugar
2/3cup sour cream
1 1/2cups mashed banana (about 4 whole bananas)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Pinch of salt

For the icing:
1/2cup heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Yellow sprinkles, optional.

1.For cake: heat oven to 325 degrees. Oil or spray a 9-inch springform cake pan and set aside. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter with olive oil. Remove pan from heat.
2.Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and sugar. Mix well. Add sour cream and mashed banana, and whisk to combine. In a small bowl or pitcher, whisk together vanilla extract, eggs and salt. Add to saucepan and whisk until smooth. Pour into cake pan.
3.Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then remove springform and allow cake to cool completely before icing.
4.For icing: In a medium saucepan, combine cream, chocolate and corn syrup. Place over low heat, stirring gently with a spatula to avoid creating air bubbles, until mixture is very smooth. Place cake on a stand or a plate and spread icing over it with spatula. Garnish immediately with yellow sprinkles, if using. Yield:One 9-inch cake, 10 to 12 servings.

Chicken Marsala - Sweet Tea Cosmo - Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2010-08-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding down, kids will be getting on school buses and more dinners will be made in the kitchen instead of on the grill. Cyndy has made a quick, delicious Chicken Marsala for those busy days ahead. She's even supplied us with a cocktail to relax with after running the kids to and from all those football and soccer practices, a Sweet Tea Cosmo. I decided on a Chocolate Peanut Cupcake, no frosting needed for school parties, the kids are gonna love this one.! Two classic flavors in one cuppie. Sit back and enjoy the rest of the summer, it'll be a fond memory soon enough.

Cyndy made

Chicken Marsala

I had been wanting to try this kind of recipe for quite some time now but couldn't find Marsala wine. I finally found the wine when I wasn't looking for it, isn't that always the way it happens? I also read an article that Carol had sent me about the wine and it seems that there are a few different Marsala's. There is Dry and then there is Sweet. I found the sweet and was hoping my chicken wouldn't be too sweet as it's been hard enough to come up with Chicken recipes that Randall will eat. I followed the recipe but added only one thing, 1/2 tsp of Mrs Dash Garlic and Herbs and for us, that worked nicely. The flavor is rich and complex after the reduction due to the brandy in the Marsala. It had an earthy flavor. I didn't add extra salt, it was perfect as it. Made the chicken as directed, then crisped the prosciutto and removed it from the pan, sauteed the baby bella's and removed them from the pan and then made the Marsala reduction. By doing this the prosciutto stayed crisp and the bella's perfect. I love mixed textures. I placed the bella's and the prosciutto on top of the chicken and poured the reduction on top. Excellent meal and simple to prepare.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Chicken Marsala
Adapted from Menshealth.com

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to a uniform 1/4" thickness
1 cup flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 oz prosciutto, sliced into thin strips
8 oz cremini mushrooms (stems trimmed), sliced (used baby Bella's)
3/4 cup marsala wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (used only a sprinkling)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Mrs Dash Garlic & Herbs

Directions

Season each breast with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl, add the chicken, and coat the pieces evenly, shaking off any excess flour. Heat the olive oil on medium in a large nonstick pan or cast iron skillet. Add the chicken (don't overcrowd the pan; do two batches if necessary) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side until the breasts are golden brown on the outside and cooked all the way through. Transfer them to a serving platter and keep them warm. Add more oil to the pan if needed, and saute the prosciutto for 1 to 2 minutes until it starts to crisp up. Add the mushrooms and continue sauteing until they're well browned.

Stir in the Marsala and broth, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the liquid has reduced to about 1/2 cup. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and add the parsley. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Cyndy made:
Sweet Tea Cosmo

I love Sweet Tea and I treat myself to one every now and then. I was in BevMo buying wine and while wandering through the isles I spied this bottle of Sweet Tea Vodka. Okay, I don't drink much but love to play with flavors ( and taste). I do have a drink occasionally and like to serve my guests something different when I entertain. I googled sweet tea cosmo and a few suggestions were there.
One blogger said the vodka had the musky flavor of tea, I agree. I couldn't find something that appealed to me on the internet, so I followed the basic recipe for a Cosmo and switched out the triple sec for Cointreau. A splash of white cranberry juice and a splash of cointreau (instead of triple sec) and a squeeze of fresh lemon. It was so good. Only one problem, it goes down way too easy. You can even make an Arnold Palmer cocktail with this Sweet Tea Vodka by adding only lemonade to the vodka. Cool and refreshing over lots of ice on a hot day.

Caution, this is one very sweet drink! Enjoy wisely.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Sweet Tea Cosmo
2 oz Sweet Tea Vodka (used Firefly)
Splash of Cointreau
generous splash of White Cranberry Juice(Ocean Spray)
squeeze of fresh lemon(about 1/2 - 1 tsp)

Fill a shaker with ice and pour in all ingredients. Shake vigorously for about a minute and then pour into Martini glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel or lemon twist and enjoy.

Bunny made:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I wanted cupcakes but I didn't want to deal with frosting. I decided to check out the Hershey Site for recipes, lo and behold...there it was the cuppie of my dreams. Chocolate and peanut butter in one cupcake, delicious, moist and NO FROSTING!

The cupcakes started out with two batters, one chocolate and one peanut butter.

I took one level tablespoon of chocolate batter and put it into the cupcake liner. I put 1 level tablespoon of the peanut butter batter on top of the chocolate layer, spreading to the edges of the liner. I repeated the layers one more time, and topped with chocolate chips. I used all chocolate chips because I was out of peanut butter chips.

They baked in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes then cooled on a wire rack for 15 minutes. These are so moist and delicious!!! They're well worth the time it takes to make the layers, trust me your gonna love these!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Hershey's Chocolate Site

Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST All Purpose Flour
* 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil
* 1 cup water
* 1 tablespoon white vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 EGGLAND'S BEST egg
* 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
* 3/4 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup powdered sugar
* 1/4 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips
* 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 18 regular-size muffin cups.

2. In large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add oil, water, vinegar and vanilla to flour mixture, stirring just until smooth (do not over mix).

3. In another large bowl, beat egg, cream cheese, peanut butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar; beat until creamy.

4. Spoon 1 level tablespoon chocolate batter into each cup; evenly spread 1 level tablespoon peanut butter filling on top. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.

5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not over bake). Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack; cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool. 18 cupcakes.

Fruits of the Summer

2010-08-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

Last summer I did a post full of blueberry desserts. This year I thought I'd do a little bit of everything........peaches, cherries, and blueberry. They're all so delicious and in abundance now, I couldn't resist! Lets use them while we have them, enjoy!

Sweet Cherry Coffee Cake

This was a nice , easy coffee cake! A good way for me to use the cherries I bought. It's nice and moist, perfect dessert for our family dinner tonight. I had to substitute a 6 oz container of Yoplait Vanilla Yogurt for the sour cream because I didn't have quite enough sour cream on hand. That was the only change to the recipe. It was terrific!

The recipe came together very quickly. I combined the baking mix , sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and mixed. Then the beaten egg, yogurt and melted butter went into another bowl to whisk together. The cherries were cut in half, and ready to go. I mixed the wet mixture into the dry mixture just until moistened, then added the cherries. I put the batter into a greased 8 inch square pan.

The remaining cherries where placed on top of the batter and the topping sprinkled on top. This was baked at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. it was still warm when we ate it!! Fantastic!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Sweet Cherry Coffee Cake
Northwest Cherry Growers

Ingredients:
2 cups buttermilk baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3/4 cup diary sour cream
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1 egg, beaten
1-1/2 cups pitted and halved fresh Northwest sweet cherries, divided
Streusel Topping

Yield: 9 servings

Mix baking mix, sugar and lemon peel.

Combine sour cream, melted butter and egg; mix well.

Add sour cream mixture to baking mix mixture and stir only until moistened. Fold in 1/2 cup cherries. Pour into oiled and floured 8-inch square baking pan.

Sprinkle remaining cherries and Streusel Topping over batter. Bake at 375ºF for 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

Cherry Streusel Topping:
Combine 1/2 cup flour, 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix in 3 tablespoons softened butter or margarine with a fork. Add 1/4 cup copped walnuts and mix well. Makes about 1 cup.

Sweet Cherry Blondies topped with Chocolate

I still had fresh cherries to use up, so I started recipe hunting. I love recipe hunting, it's like a treasure hunt. I found this recipe on the Northwest Cherry Growers site. This is a very easy, delicious , chewy blondie. The staff at work loved them! The only change to the recipe was ...I didn't have pecans so I chopped up a semi sweet chocolate bar and used that! Fantastic!!

Wanna print just the recipe , click here!

Sweet Cherry Blondies topped with Chocolate
Northwest Cherry Growers

Ingredients
1-1/3 cups flour
1-1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pitted and halved Northwest fresh sweet cherries
1/2 cup chopped pecans ( I used 4oz of chopped semi sweet chocolate)

Yield: 16 serving
Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, oil, eggs and vanilla; mix on low speed of electric mixer until blended. Mix 1 minute on medium speed. Batter will be thick.

Spread half of batter in oiled and floured 9-inch baking pan. Toss cherries in small amount of flour. Scatter cherries over batter; spread remaining batter over cherries.

Sprinkle pecans over top. Bake at 325ºF 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on rack and cut into 16 pieces.

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler

My daughter was having a picnic today, I had gotten peaches and didn't quit know what I was going to do with them.....
Then I started recipe searching and found Paula's Peach Cobbler, the reviews were outstanding! I added a tsp of vanilla to the batter and a little bit of cinnamon, this is a wonderful recipe!

I tried something different , instead of peeling the peaches, I boiled them for 3 minutes, the skins just peeled right off!! After they are peeled, they are sliced and cooked with water and sugar. Melt the butter in the dish you plan on using to bake it in, add the batter but DO NOT STIR! Spoon the peaches in and then some of the peach syrup from cooking them. Bake! Very easy , very good!!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler
Food Network

Ingredients:
* 4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
* 2 cups sugar, divided
* 1/2 cup water
* 8 tablespoons butter
* 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
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Peach - Blueberry Pudding Cake

I've seen pudding cakes before, but not with fruit. They're usually chocolate or lemon with a little bit of sauce at the bottom of the baking dish, making it a "pudding cake" I was intrigued with the idea of a fruit pudding cake so I decided to make one. This was a very very moist cake, but not a traditional pudding cake with sauce. I asked my mom why she thought they would call it a pudding cake.......She said, well your Dad would have eaten this cake in a
bowl with a little milk and sugar on top. It really didn't clear up the pudding part of the cake for me but I enjoyed the idea that my Dad would have liked it that way. I had 3 peaches, the recipe called for 6. I decided instead of running to the store to get more peaches, I'd use the 12 oz bag of frozen blueberries up in the freezer. It worked out perfect for me.

The batter was terrific, it was very light. I spread the batter down onto a grease 13x 9 inch baking pan. I over lapped the peach slices on the batter first then distributed the berries over the peaches. I covered the pan with foil and baked at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

After the 45 minute baking time was up, I removed the foil from the pan and baked for another 40 minutes until it tested done, the edges were crispy the top was golden brown.

We ate this as it was and it was delicious. Then I had some with ice cream....more deliciousness!

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Peach Pudding Cake
Epicurean.com

Ingredients:
Nonstick veggie oil spray
1 3/4 plus 2 tbs all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 tbs vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches (about 3 pounds)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13X9X2 inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Whisk flour, baking poder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, incorporating weel after each addition. Using low speed, beat in flower mixture alternately with buttermilk in three additions each, beating well between additions.

Transfer batter to baking dish, spreading evenly. Arrange peach slices over batter, overlapping slightly as needed. Spray sheet of foil with vegetable oil spray; cover cake with foil, spray side down, and seal at edges.

Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil (some cake may stick). Bake until top is golden brown, edges are crusty, and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes longer. Cool one hour. Serve warm with whipped cream (or ice cream!).

Kay's Swedish Cucumber Salad - Asian Slaw with Roasted Peanuts - Beef Salad with Sour Cream Dressing

2010-08-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

The bounty of the summer has finally arrived. We planted, we watered, we waited...... All of our favorite veggies are in abundance this time of year. Whether your harvesting your bounty or enjoy going to your local farmers market to get your veggies, enjoy them while they're here. We have three ways for you to savor them. Carol made a Swedish Cucumber Salad, Cyndy has an Asian Slaw with Roasted Peanuts and I made a Beef Salad with sour Cream Dressing. We hope you enjoy them!

Carol made:

KAY'S SWEDISH CUCUMBER SALAD

Fresh-picked vegetables are such a treat-be it from your backyard garden, or purchased from a farm stand or farmer's market.

We've been lucky this year and have had some things actually do WELL in our garden...pardon me while I pass out.....cucumbers are one of those things. This makes me a very happy person, because it allows me to make one of my all-time favorite salads.

I got this recipe from my neighbor Kay years ago. I look forward to making it often-especially with fresh picked cucumbers.

I call this salad "summer in a bowl." It's quick to put together and uses VERY basic ingredients. Its clean, light taste isn't overpowered by anything. The simplicity of it allows the cucumbers to shine, as well they should.

Another thing I adore about it is it lasts a long time in the refrigerator...and it tastes better the longer it sits.

I didn't have fresh dill this time, so used 1 tsp. dried dill weed (thank you Cyndy-that dill from Ikea is WONDERFUL)....it worked just fine.

The cucumbers and fresh parsley came from the garden, so it's not only tasty, but economical too!

If you love cucumbers like we do, I hope you'll give this a try,

Carol

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

KAY'S SWEDISH CUCUMBER SALAD

7 large unpeeled cucumbers
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1-2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp. dried dillweed)
3/4 c. white or apple cider vinegar (I use cider vinegar)
1 small onion, thinly sliced (optional-I always add onion)

Score cucumbers by running the tines of a fork down the sides. Slice very thin; place them, along with the onions (if using), in a deep bowl. Press down on the cucumbers with the palms of your hands to release some of the juices.
Sprinkle with sugar, parsley and dill; toss and pour vinegar over. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then press again. Juice should cover cucumbers.
Cover and chill well before serving. Serves 4-6.

Cyndy made:

Asian Slaw with Roasted Peanuts

I got this recipe from Carol. She finds some of the best recipes. This one came from Erzapoundcake.com.

I love Asian Flavors. They just appeal to me in a way I can't explain. Something about the simplicity of the ingredients to the way it packs a flavor punch when you take that first bite. As Rebecca says on her blog, it's easy to tweak the ingredients to suit your taste, I did. I can't eat Peanuts so I used roasted cashews instead. I can't eat fresh lime segments, love them, but just can't eat them, so I omitted them (I did use the lime juice in the dressing). I really wanted to make this salad and had both kinds of cabbage, but no spinach so I used what I had on hand. So, digging into my veggie drawer I came up with green onions, Mini peppers in red, yellow and orange, carrot slivers and cilantro. The last time I made Chinese Chicken Salad I used cilantro and it gave the salad a nice flavor. The mini peppers are mild yet full of flavor and I use them when I make soup. The Salad was Tart, Tangy and not really sweet, and had a nice mild flavor. I decided to kick it up a notch and use rice wine vinegar infused with garlic. That did the trick. Just one tablespoon added to the dressing and that was all it took for me.

Thanks for the great find Carol!

Thanks Rebecca, this salad ROCKS and so do You!!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Asian Slaw with Roasted Peanuts
From Rebecca Crump (EzraPoundCake.com)

Ingredients:

Serves 6 to 8
3 cups green cabbage, shredded (about half a small cabbage)
3 cups red cabbage, shredded (about half a small cabbage)
2 cups fresh vegetables (chopped baby spinach, bell pepper strips, snow peas, shredded carrots)
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1 lime, segmented and chopped {omitted}
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped {used whole cashews}

Dressing:

1/4 cup vegetable or peanut oil{used canola}
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar){I used 1/2 cup}
Juice of 1/2 lime{used the whole lime it was small}
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated{used two}
1 to 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1. In a large bowl, combine the cabbages, spinach, green onions and lime segments. Toss.

2. In a small bowl or food processor, combine the oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar and soy sauce.

3. Toss the slaw with the dressing, season with freshly ground black pepper, and add the roasted peanuts.

Bunny made:

For our family dinner I made a creamed cucumber salad with a sour cream dressing that everybody loved. In this part of the country just about every creamed cucumber salad dressing is made with mayonnaise.
I was stepping out of my comfort zone making this, didn't know what it was going to taste like....or if anybody would even like it. Fortunately everyone was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it. Which got me thinking...... I've always wanted to try a Beef Salad, never had one, never made one, what's it like? The first thing I thought of after tasting the dressing on the cucumbers was, I bet this would taste great with beef! I had a sirloin steak in the fridge that I broiled and cut on the bias. After that it was just a matter of building the salad with all the fresh veggies I love. It was light and refreshing and so good! I found the original recipe on Epicurious and tweaked it to my liking. I started with:

1 cup of sour cream
1 tbls of apple cider vinegar
sugar to taste
salt and pepper to taste
dill weed

With this base recipe you can add whatever you want. Make this a day ahead and keep in the fridge, it gets better the next day. Next time I'm thinkin a little bit of garlic would be nice .....This is great as a veggie dip as well!

Lemon Ice Cream - Blueberry Gelato - Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake - Homemade Fudgesicles

2010-07-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

I pretty much turn into a wuss when the temperature hits anything over like...85. Our temps here have been running anywhere from 90 to 107. WAY over my tolerance level! Cyndy ( our resident ice cream maker) and I decided an ice cream post was in order. The mere thought of it makes me somehow cooler. Carol is in New England praying for cooler weather, I'm right there with you girl! We hope we've given you lots of good reasons to use that ice cream maker this hot, humid, sweltering summer.

Bunny made:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

I've wanted to make an ice cream cake since last summer, somehow it just never came about so I was determined to do it this summer. The first thing I had to decided was what shape I wanted and what kind of cake would hold up to being cut into layers and filled with ice cream. I decided on a chocolate pound cake from Joy of Baking. That decision pretty much took care of the shape of the cake as well. Next, ice cream....peanut butter and chocolate, mmmmm. Saveur Magazine had a pb ice cream that looked terrific, decisions made, now to get started!

I made the custard for the ice cream the night before and chilled it over night. In the morning I put it into the ice cream maker, it only took about 20 minutes to make, then I froze it. The chocolate pound cake was baked and cooled. When it baked up it had a dome on it so I cut that little bugger off, then put the cake on it's side and cut it into three layers. I took the ice cream out of the freezer to soften up a bit , it had to be soft enough to spread on the layers but still be semi firm. I took the loaf pan that I baked the pound cake in and covered the inside with plastic wrap, I made sure the plastic wrap was long enough on the sides to use as handles to left the cake out of the pan after frozen. I put one layer of cake on the bottom of the pan, then layered with ice cream, another layer of cake and ice cream with the last layer of cake on the top. I wrapped it in plastic and froze it. This was the perfect dessert! Ice cream and cake all in one shot!! You can use a different flavor pound cake and ice cream and come up with your own ice cream cake! It was very well received by my family and that's all I wanted.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Chocolate Pound Cake
Joy Of Baking

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

3 tablespoons boiling water

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (175 grams) granulated white sugar

13 tablespoons (185 grams) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

Chocolate Pound Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, an 8 x 4 x 3 inch (20 x 10 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl mix the cocoa powder into the boiling water until smooth. Let cool to room temperature and then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended. Add the butter and half of the chocolate/egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about one minute to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the remaining egg mixture, in 2 additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg and strengthen the cake's structure.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover loosely with a piece of lightly buttered aluminum foil after about 25 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan, re-invert, and cool completely on a lightly buttered wire rack.

Will keep, well wrapped, several days at room temperature, about one week when refrigerated, or it can be frozen for two months.

Makes one loaf.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream
Saveur Magazine

Makes I quart

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
3⁄4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup salted, roasted, shelled peanuts, chopped

1. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just hot. Meanwhile, beat sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick and pale yellow.

2. Gradually whisk hot milk into egg mixture in bowl, then pour milk–egg mixture into saucepan. Return saucepan to medium-low heat and cook custard, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in 1⁄2 cup of the peanut butter. Strain custard into a large bowl, let cool briefly, stirring often, then stir in cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 6–8 hours.

3. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions, adding 1⁄2 cup of the chopped nuts to the ice cream 30 seconds before it has finished churning. Transfer to a bowl, quickly swirl in remaining 1⁄2 cup peanut butter, cover, and freeze until hard. Serve ice cream sprinkled with the remaining 1⁄2 cup nuts.

Bunny made:

Homemade Fudgesicles

If these were any easier to make, they'd make themselves! The kids will love helping you make these. You could use any flavor four ounce instant pudding you want to. Maybe even mix and match! The molds are so easy to come by, I found mine in the dollar zone of my grocery store.

Homemade Fudgesicles
Foodista

1 four ounce pkg chocolate instant pudding
3 1/2 cups whole milk

Add pudding to milk, whisk 2 minutes pour into molds and freeze.

I filled 2 molds and still had some left over so I poured the remaining mixture into ice cube trays and froze them.

Cyndy made:

Lemon Ice cream

Have you ever started to make a recipe and find out what you thought you had, in fact you KNOW you had, wasn't there? I know that I HAD 2 lemons in my refrigerator. I had just seen them there, in fact, I PICKED them off the tree THIS morning! Okay, no big deal, just go out to the back yard and pick a few more off the tree and wash them. Yeah? NOOOOO! Not one lemon on either of my trees, I lied, there are a few mini lemons that are in no way ready to be picked yet. What happened? My wonderful husband informed me that he gave away the lemons because we had so many, and that my neighbor needed a few so the ones in the refrigerator were given to him. All of them?? WE have TWO trees and you gave away ALL the lemons?? Where is my French Rolling pin when I need it?? Okay, since the ice cream is for him~~snicker~~ I'll use what I have on hand. BOTTLED Lemon juice! To make sure it tasted lemony, I used 1 tsp of Lemon extract (Watkin's) Now, I'm a lemon head too and I know i'm in good company here. I made sure it was going to taste good. Geez, I still can't believe it, wait until the apples ripen and the mango's, i'll take them to work with me. hehehehe.......Ooh and the peaches too.......

I made the custard and it tasted really good (i'm imagining at this point how it would taste with REAL lemons). Used Whipping cream instead of half and half. I figured if it had to have bottled juice, then I might as well make it creamier. I have never used an ice cream recipe that called for whole eggs to be used in the mix, this one didn't specify yolks only. I noticed the custard had white flecks, tiny white flecks. I looked closer, it had to be the egg white (next time, i'll use yolks only and add another one to make up the volume). I used my whisk and beat the tar out of it and they were still there! Okay, the taste was good, so i let it ride I put it in the refrigerator to cool completely covered with plastic wrap. Once cooled, into the ice cream maker it went. It firmed up and it sure did look nice, and guess what?? No white flecks!! I served Randall a bowl with an admonishment "DO NOT EVER, GIVE AWAY ALL THE LEMONS AGAIN!" He smiled and said "Yes Dear!" good thing he ran off with the ice cream, I started to reach for the rolling pin!!

The taste was so soft and the tartness of the lemon was tempered with the creaminess. Sweet soft perfection on a spoon!!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Lemon Ice Cream
Adapted from: Gourmet June 1993

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (omitted, but not by choice)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (used REAL lemon juice~bottled)
1 cup sugar (used super fine)
3 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half (used whipping cream)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (used ¼ tsp)
1 tsp Lemon extract (my addition)

In a saucepan whisk together the zest, the lemon juice, the sugar, and the eggs, whisk in 1 cup of the half-and-half and the vanilla, and cook the mixture over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, until it just comes to a simmer. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the zest, and chill it, covered with plastic wrap, until it is cold. Whisk in the remaining 1 cup half-and-half and freeze the mixture in an ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions. Makes about 1 quart.

Cyndy made:

Blueberry Gelato

I’ve been craving Blueberry Gelato ever since I found the recipe on Italialicious. Daziano makes it so easy with his instructions. Follow them and you will have the most creamy and delicious treat to ever pass your lips!! If you love blueberries as much as I do, you will really love this recipe. Follow his instructions and read through them BEFORE you start and you will have blueberry bliss on your palate, Soft, smooth and creamy. The blueberry flavor makes you want to sing.
Yes, it’s that good. What can I say? I’m following Daziano’s advice and indulging myself and lovin’ every spoonful!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Blueberry Gelato
Adapted from Italialicious

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups blueberries
5 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup water
In a saucepan dissolve 1 cup of sugar with ¾ cup of water over medium heat. Add the blueberries and bring it to a simmer for a couple of minutes, until the water turns into a blueberry sauce. When the sauce is cool, blend it at high speed in an electric blender. Then make the custard, following these instructions but using the ingredients listed above. Make the blueberry gelato using your ice cream machine.

How to make the custard ~ Daziano's instructions

Making gelato custard

Preparing homemade gelato is quite easy – once you get familiar with the technique. Gelato is a kind of ice cream, so all you need is an ice cream maker. They are so inexpensive, and nobody wants to do it in the old way (breaking the ice crystals each half an hour I don’t know how many times). So buy one, it’s totally worth it. Then, you have to know how to prepare custard for gelato. It could be a bit tricky, but practice makes the master.

Ingredients:

3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Then add ½ cup of the heavy cream and beat until a creamy white mixture forms. In a saucepan heat the milk and the remaining heavy cream over medium heat. When bubbles begin to form at the edges, turn the heat off and take ½ cup of the heated milk. Then slowly pour this ½ cup of hot milk over the yolk mixture, while stirring the mixture constantly. This process is called tempering the eggs. You know what happens when eggs are heated: you get scrambled eggs. But have you ever heard about scrambled egg gelato? No, because we don’t want scrambled eggs here. That’s why we are tempering the eggs: we are preparing them for the otherwise terrible shock of heat. Once the eggs are tempered, turn on the heat again, pour the custard into the saucepan with the milk and continue cooking.

You thought that was the trickiest part? Well, no. Now you have to decide when to stop cooking. At this time you have to stir constantly using a wooden spoon. NEVER boil your custard. Check if the custard is getting thick enough. Here is the test: the custard must coat the back of the wooden spoon and when that happens wipe it with your finger. When you notice a clear trail, you’re ready. Ready to quickly pour the custard in a bowl, over another bowl with ice. We want a cold shock in order to stop the cooking process. At this point and if you didn’t curdle your custard, you can start breathing again. Wait until the custard cools down, and then put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, covered with plastic wrap. Sounds scary, I know: the imminent risk of curdling the custard and obtaining scrambled eggs is always present. But – just as with the purchase of your ice maker machine – this process worth it. Once you have your own homemade gelato, you’ll forget all the fuss. And then you’ll become an expert.
OK. When the custard is cold, it’s ready for the ice maker machine. Then follow the manufacturer’s instructions and in about 30 minutes you’ll have gelato!
Why all the fuss? The custard has to be thickened in order to have the correct texture. What if you overcook it? Then you’ll have scrambled eggs, sorry. What if you under cook it? Then you’ll have a harder texture. And what if you tried – you really tried, but you curdled it? Then quickly put the custard over the ice, as if nothing happened and whisk as vigorously as you can, while praying to our Lord. In most cases you’ll be able to save your custard.
Gelato uses more milk and less cream than American ice cream. Even if at first it might seem that because of this it will be less creamy, in fact it’s quite the opposite. Because it’s lighter the final result is creamier. Nice, right?

Happy 4th of July and Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

We'd like to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July this weekend and for our Canadian friends Happy Canada Day!! If your going on a picnic this weekend or spending it with family and friends have a wonderful safe holiday! We packed this post with food for fun! Carol made a Turkey Club Sandwich Ring with Avocado Aioli that's perfect for a holiday picnic. Cyndy made a beautiful Bleu Cheese and Pear Salad with Walnuts plus a little firecracker of a drink, Roy's Pineapple Martini ! I made Danish Oatmeal Cookies to round out the picnic with. Enjoy!

A Freebie!
The Prepared Pantry is offering a Free Pizza Dough mix, you pay the shipping and handling of 3.95 and a Free Ebook " A Collection of Pizza and Calzone Recipes. The Ebook is filled with tips, techniques and recipes! Get your free Pizza Crust and Ebook HERE!

Carol made:

TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH RING WITH AVOCADO AIOLI

I'll admit it........I'm not a fan of an ordinary sandwich. I DO, however, like "kicked up" sandwiches.....you know the ones....they take an ordinary sandwich to new heights of flavor by using a little something different, be it the type of bread or something that "pops" in the filling. Every so often I stumble across a recipe for one of those sandwiches that I just have to try.....and this is one of them.

I received an email from Pillsbury a while ago with the 100 recipes in the running this year for their Bake Off contest. I hung onto it for referencing later because there are some fantastic recipes on that list. I've made a sandwich ring using their French bread dough before, so when I saw this, and took a look at the ingredients, I knew I HAD to try it.

WOW is it ever good! I used Thin and Trim turkey breast from the deli this time, but I'm sure this sandwich would be equally as wonderful with roasted turkey breast slices-or even sliced chicken breast. The lettuce "salad" that goes into the sandwich adds a nice vinegary undertone-it reminds me of what sub shops sometimes use on Italian subs. And that aioli? Mmmmmmmm.....what a nice combination with the turkey and bacon. The garlic gives it some snap while the avocado cools it down. The only thing I added to that was a bit of freshly cracked black pepper to bump up the flavor a tad. I'm thinking a splash of fresh lime juice and a little grated lime zest would also be a wonderful addition.....note to self for the next time.

What I love about this (as with the other ring sandwich I made) is the bread ring can be baked ahead.....in fact, everything in this sandwich can be made ahead of time, refrigerated and the sandwich can be quickly assembled right before you serve. They can also be made ahead, wrapped and refrigerated-PERFECT to make for OR take to a get together. People just love them. Oh-and a slice of this for lunch the next day is a real treat too.
Thank you Heather, for inventing such a WONDERFUL sandwich.......it's in my keepers file and will be made again and again.

Carol

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH RING WITH AVOCADO AIOLI
(Source: Pillsbury-recipe by Heather Halonie from Webster, WI)

http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=47222&bof_return=1

2 (11 oz. each) cans refrigerated crusty French bread
1 egg
1 tsp. dried oregano, divided
1 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. shredded lettuce
1/4 c. chopped red onion
2 medium plum (Roma) tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing (I use reduced-fat mayonnaise)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
1/8 tsp. black pepper
8 oz. thinly sliced deli turkey
8 slices (3/4 oz. each) provolone cheese, halved
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked (I use low sodium bacon)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray (I use my pizza pan) or line with parchment paper.

Place both loaves of bread down, seam sides down, on cookie sheet. Join ends of loaves to form an 11" ring; pinch ends together FIRMLY to seal (this takes some work-they don't like to stay together well at all). Using a sharp knife, make 12 (1/2" deep) diagonal slashes on top of dough.

In a small bowl, beat egg and 1/2 tsp. oregano with a fork; brush egg mixture generously over dough. Sprinkle dough with Parmesan cheese. Bake @ 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool on pan for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix lettuce, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes and remaining 1/2 tsp. oregano. Refrigerate about 20 minutes to blend flavors and slightly wilt lettuce (I did mine 1 hour ahead and it was fine).

In food processor, cover and process mayonnaise, garlic, black pepper and avocado until smooth.

Cut bread ring in half horizontally. Place lettuce mixture on bottom of ring. Top with turkey, provolone cheese and bacon. Spread avocado mixture on top of ring; place over top of fillings. Cut into 8 sections and serve. Makes 8 servings.

Cyndy made:

Bleu Cheese and Pear Salad with Walnuts

I found this recipe in a book I received during the holidays. When I saw this salad it looked so pretty, I just knew it had to taste good, and boy did it. Sweet, savory & tangy. I used red and green D'anjou pears and they were perfectly ripe and juicy.

The dressing mellowed the bleu cheese and was mouth watering to the very last bite. the combination of flavors & textures compliment each other beautifully. I happen to like Pecans better than Walnuts so that is what I used. Mmmmmm, I savored every little morsel. If you like Bleu Cheese, you won't be disappointed.

Wanna print just the recipe , click here!

Bleu Cheese & Pear Salad with Walnuts
Adapted from HyVee Seasons ~Holiday Entertaining

3 tbsp HyVee walnut pieces { used Pecans}
¼ cup HyVee canola oil
¼ cup HyVee apple cider vinegar
2 tsp HyVee dijon mustard
1/2 tsp HyVee Salt {used kosher}
1 tsp HyVee Sugar {used superfine}
1 10oz bag HyVee chopped romaine lettuce
1 pear cored and cut into slices or chunks {used ½ D’Anjou and ½ Red D'Anjou pear}
1/4 cup reduced fat bleu cheese crumbles

In an ungreased heavy skillet toast walnut pieces over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden. Set aside to cool
For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, and salt.
In a large bowl toss romaine lettuce with pear and bleu cheese and dressing. Top with toasted walnuts before serving.

Bunny made:

Danish Oatmeal Cookies

This is NOT your average oatmeal cookie! This is the most light, buttery oatmeal cookie I've ever made. Somewhere between a shortbread and a sandie cookie. The first thing you feel when you bite into this cookie is how light and airy it is, it has this slight crisp, and then the lightness hits your mouth, along with the orange and chocolate flavor, absolutely amazing! I made it for our family dinner tonight, my sister in law Mary Beth picked one up and took a bite, she turned and looked at me with her eyes wide and said....What are these, they're delicious! I did change the recipe a bit, the original recipe called for pecans, my mouth was craving orange and chocolate. I switched out the two tsps of vanilla extract for 2 tsps of orange extract, I switched out the pecans for 4 ounces grated semi sweet chocolate. I wanted to use mini chocolate chips but didn't have any....grated chocolate worked just fine. I also put the one cup of regular oatmeal that used into the food processor and pulsed till it was flour like. I used my one tablespoon measuring spoon to measure the cookie dough out.

These baked for 20 minutes in my oven, then they went straight on to the cooling rack.

The orange aroma coming from the oven was heavenly! I don't even wanna know how many I ate before my family came for dinner.....

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Danish Oatmeal Cookies
All Recipes
Ingredients

* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ( I used 2 tsps orange extract)
* 1 cup oatmeal ( I ground the oatmeal into a flour)
* 1 cup chopped pecans ( I used 4 oz grated semi sweet chocolate)
* 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, or as needed

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix the butter, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the flour mixture; gently stir in the oatmeal and pecans and lightly mix until combined.
3. With a spoon, drop about 1 scant tablespoon of dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely before sprinkling cookies with confectioners' sugar.

Cook's Notes
*
These cookies freeze well so I often make a double batch. The trick is getting some into the freezer before they're all gone!
*
You can use walnuts instead of pecans and regular oats for quick-cooking oats.

Cyndy made:

Roy's Pineapple Martini

I was on the hunt for a pineapple martini and decided that this one was "it". I'd been to Roy's once but have never tried this cocktail. When I read the bloggers notes, I knew I would like to try it. I cut this recipe way down and used only one bottle of each liquor and used one full pineapple.
You DO want to let this mix infuse for at least ONE FULL WEEK. I tested this after about 3 days and it was so strong and I didn't think I was going to like it and was thinking of throwing the batch away. DON'T! If you let it sit, the flavors literally bloom. Now while it is strong, the flavor of the pineapple fuses with the vanilla and rum, and makes a very nice martini.
The infused Pineapple? I wouldn't use it. It was very potent. Unless you like it that way, I would go with a slice of fresh pineapple for garnish. But that's only my opinion. This is one very nice drink and it makes a big batch. Enjoy wisely

Roy's Pineapple Martini
Adapted from: Chaosinthekitchen.com
Recipe adapted from Roy's Fusion Restaurant

Hawaiian Martini's
makes 2500 ml allow to infuse about 1 week

1500 ml (2 750 ml bottles) vodka
500 ml vanilla vodka
500 ml coconut rum (like Malibu)
2 fresh pineapples, cut into 1 inch wedges

1.In a large (6 quart) container with a spigot-such as a lemonade, ice tea, or a punch dispenser-layer pineapple.
2.Pour alcohol over pineapple making sure to completely cover the pineapple.
3.Allow to infuse at least a week, will stay good much longer as long as the pineapple slices remain submerged.
4.To serve (makes 2 drinks), measure out 4-6 oz liquid. Add along with ice to a martini shaker and shake vigorously.
5.Strain into two martini glasses, garnish with a wedge of marinated pineapple.

Blogger's Note:
This recipe is different from other recipes on the web but is straight from the bartenders at the original Roy’s in Hawaii.
Their mix is huge though: 2 bottles of vanilla vodka, 2 bottles of coconut rum, and 6 bottles of regular vodka. Feel free to
do the math if you want to make an even smaller batch.

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce - Fresh Blueberry Pretzel Dessert - Brownies on Steroids - Cafe Cookies

2010-06-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well...guess whose in a sugar kinda mood...LOL!
We've got some pretty terrific recipes here we hope you'll all enjoy. I made a Ricotta Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce, Cyndy made a Fresh Blueberry Pretzel Dessert and Brownies on Steroids and Carol has some pretty darn good cookies to boot-Cafe Coffee Cookies.
Get yourself a glass of milk...we're sitting down to some sugar!

Bunny made:

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce

I'm in love with baking with ricotta cheese. It does amazing things to cake.
This pound cake recipe was originally orange, but I made it lemon. I then went hunting for a blueberry sauce to slather on top of it.
Oh my this was fantastic...the cake is soooooo moist! The blueberry topping is excellent and also a multi-purpose recipe-it would be great over pancakes and waffles and would also make a wonderful cheesecake topping.
I baked this for an hour in my oven, as most of the reviews on the recipe said the 45 minutes wasn't long enough. It was perfect at an hour. Just make sure to test the cake for doneness.

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce

Food Network
Giada De Laurentis
Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups cake flour
* 3 tsps baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
* 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese ( I used a 15 ounce carton)
* 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
* 3 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon lemon extract
* 1 lemon, zested
* 2 tbls lemon juice
*

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Blueberry Sauce
All Recipes

Ingredients

* 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 cup orange juice
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1/4 cup cold water
* 3 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.
2. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

Cyndy made:

Fresh Blueberry Pretzel Dessert

This recipe came From Susie Ann, a good friend who knows what a good dessert is all about.

If you like textures and sweet & salty, this dessert is something you should try. It's fruity, sweet, creamy, salty and crunchy all in one bite. The flavors play so beautifully together.

I have never tried a pretzel crust, I don't know why. I've heard of them, and I've seen photos of them, but have never made one-until today. Oh, I am so Hooked! This crust is sweet and salty and buttery crisp. All this time I didn't know what I was missing.

I drooled over Carol's photo of the Peach Pretzel Dessert and we even talked about how amazing it is. I wanted something different and I got it. Today the blueberries came out of the refrigerator and they gave their all for this sinful dessert.

Sinful? Oh yeah. you can't stop taking bites every time you open the fridge...it's that good!
That's one of the reasons I decided to make them in muffin cup liners. Two words...Portion Control. I was so bad...I kept pinching a taste of the pretzel mixture.

I made 12 standard sized cups and had ingredients left over. I knew it wouldn't fit in an 8x8-inch pan, so I pulled out my tart pan and all that left over goodness fit in perfectly. I have no idea how many single portions this would make. If I had to hazard a guess? I'd say maybe 16, but that's only a guess.

This is one delicious dessert you won't want to put down.

Thanks Susie Ann & Carol. This is the perfect compliment to any summer meal.

Cyndy

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Fresh Blueberry Pretzel Dessert
Adapted from: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Makeover-Strawberry-Pretzel-Dessert

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

2 c. crushed pretzels
1/2 c. melted butter
3 Tbsp. sugar

Mix together pretzels, melted butter and sugar; spread evenly into a 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool completely.

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 oz.) pkg.blueberry Jell-O
2 c. boiling water
4 c. fresh blueberries, washed and picked over for stems

Beat together cream cheese and sugar (and extract, if using) until well blended; fold in Cool Whip. Spread over cooled pretzel crust.

Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water; allow to cool to room temperature. Stir blueberries into cooled Jell-O. Place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes, then spoon over cream
cheese mixture. Chill until firm.

Cyndy made:

Brownies On Steroids

I found this recipe on Taste of Home forum, posted by our friend Deb.

The name of this brownie is NOT an exaggeration. One bite and I was in chocolate overload. The brownie bar itself is not huge by any means, and not bulked up. But the taste? Oh yeah baby, it's on steroids alright.

Now don't get me wrong, I mean that in the best way possible.

How can I describe the taste? Big Taste in a small bite...part brownie, part truffle. Crunchy... gooey...perfection.

I've already confessed my weakness for tweaking a recipe, and this recipe is no exception. Nutmeg is a spice I use often in baking. I thought the base of this bar needed a boost-while it was nice, it needed something more. I pinched a taste....mmmmm-good, but it's still missing something. I looked at all my spices and thought, no, nothing here that would add the flavor that is missing. Then I saw it....the bottle I picked up the other day at the market. It intrigued me when I read the label-Cocoa Chile Powder. It's one of McCormick's new gourmet line of spices. Oh yeah, a pinch of this would do...a very nice pinch...a whole BIG pinch. I took a small spoon and tasted the crust mixture....I liked what I tasted.

While the crust was baking, I started on the filling. It came together quickly and easily and it spread on the crust like a sinewy glossy ganache. I almost hated to cover it with the toppings, but I did. This time, I used the pecans but next time, I'll change them out for Macadamia nuts.

The chocolate texture and taste of the filling was almost truffle-like, and the crust a moist, yet firm, scrumptious base. I baked my crust for only 8 minutes and it was perfect.

When all was cooled and cut, we each took a bite. You can't taste the cocoa chile powder but you can feel it...a nice warmth that combines well with the chocolate, pecans and coconut.

This is a chocolate dessert so rich and delicious you need a BIG glass of milk.

Thank You Deb and thank you Lisa.... this is one treat that satisfies my craving for chocolate!

Cyndy

Wanna print just the recipes, click here!

Brownies on Steroids
Adapted from: The cutting edge of ordinary

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa {schokenag}
3/4 cup cold butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1-inch squares
1/2 tsp Cocoa Chile Powder~McCormick's {my addition}
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg {my addition}
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract {used vanilla bean paste}
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided {used Guittard bittersweet chips}
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1/3 cup English toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar and cocoa (add Chocolate Chipotle powder and nutmeg, if using); add the butter and pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Press into the bottom of a well-greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Bake on center rack at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (this took 15 minutes in my oven, so check, mine was a little wet in the middle at the 10 minutes mark).

While crust is baking, combine condensed milk, vanilla extract and 1 cup of chocolate chips in heavy-bottomed saucepan; cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth.

When crust has cooked for 10 minutes, remove from oven and pour chocolate mixture directly over crust, spreading gently with a spatula if necessary.

Sprinkle the top with coconut, nuts, toffee bits and remaining chocolate chips. Press down to set; return brownies to oven to continue baking at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

Remove from oven, allow to cool, and cut into squares of desired size.

Carol made:

CAFE COFFEE COOKIES

I was in a cookie baking frenzy Saturday morning but wanted to try some new recipes...not the same ole, same ole. Besides......I have ALL of these cookbooks and cooking magazines here waiting to be opened up and looked at and USED.......Saturday was the day!

The photo of these cookies in the magazine hooked me right away..... it has a list of simple ingredients that I had right at my fingertips.....no more excuses.....time to BAKE!

What a wonderful twist on a basic chocolate chip cookie these are. The cookies are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside-the perfect combination in my book. The coffee flavor is subtle, yet it adds a nice dimension of flavor. Since we're coffee lovers here, I'm going to use a heaping tablespoon of coffee in these the next time-I wanted to do what the recipe suggested the first time just in case the amount was the right one for us.

I wasn't sure about glazing them but then decided it might add a nice finishing touch-it sure did. Once again-the coffee doesn't overpower the glaze, but it does add a little more flavor to an already wonderful cookie. They're PERFECT with a cup of coffee and would be equally good with a nice cold glass of milk.

I'm so glad I dog-eared this page of the magazine-onto my favorites list this one goes!

Carol

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CAFE COFFEE COOKIES
(Source: adapted from Betty Crocker's Supermoist Cakes magazine)

COOKIES:
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. instant coffee or instant espresso coffee granules or crystals
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips (I think milk chocolate chips would be wonderful in these cookies too)

COFFEE DRIZZLE:
1/2 tsp. instant coffee or instant espressp coffee granules or crystals
1 Tbsp. hot water
1/2-3/4 c. confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat sugars, butter, egg and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.

On low speed, beat in flour, 1 Tbsp. coffee granules, baking soda and salt. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake @ 350 degrees 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and edges are set. Cool on pan for 2-4 minutes; remove cookies from pans to wire racks and cool completely.

For the glaze, in a small bowl, dissolve 1/2 tsp. instant coffee in hot water. Stir in 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar, adding more confectioners' sugar, if necessary, to reach desired drizzling consistency.

Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Allow glaze to set before storing cookies in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper, plastic wrap or foil.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Blueberry Buttermilk Crumb Cake- Chocolate Waffles-Strawberry Cheesecake Sweet Rolls

2010-06-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is coming up next week and we think we have something you could make for that special father in your family. Waking up to one of these would make any man happy, or me! LOL!! I made a Blueberry Buttermilk Crumb Cake, Cyndy made Chocolate Waffles and Carol has her very own recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Sweet Rolls! They say the way to a man's heart is through is stomach...lets fill'em up kids!

Matt from Tiepedia sent me a link to his blog, the man is obsessed with neckties......kinda like my baking pan obsession hee hee. Look at the beautiful Father's Day cakes on his blog here! Thanks for the link Matt!

Bunny made:

Blueberry Buttermilk Crumb Cake

Chas DivineChef Scott is a friend of mine on Face Book and a terrific baker. He produces his own videos about the things he bakes and cooks on YouTube. Like this video he made of this very Blueberry Buttermilk Crumb cake. I couldn't wait to try this little gem! It was WONDERFUL!! The cake is very moist , the crumb topping is excellent, throw in 3 cups of blueberries and WOW!! It's a winner all the way around. I made this in two 9 inch square baking pans, one for me...one to share. I found the batter baked up a little and went over the pan a bit so I stuck a cookie sheet on the lower rack. It was all good. Thanks Scotty for the recipe and your videos!

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Blueberry Buttermilk Crumb Cake
Chas DivineChef Scott

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping:
2 - 1/4 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 pound butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cake:
2 - 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 pound butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon creme de tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Combine ingredients for crumb topping in a mixer and refrigerate when mixed

In mixer add butter, sugar and vanilla, blend then slowly add 3 eggs. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk half at a time until blended. Pour into 14 x 10" coated pan and top with 3 cups blueberries and crumb topping.

Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

Cyndy made:

Chocolate waffles

I love Gale Gand's recipes. This one is from her book BRUNCH! There are so many fantastic recipes in this book that I want to try. This time I made the waffles, and I can say I'm SO happy with the way they turned out.

These are the lightest waffles I've ever had. They aren't overly sweet, since they only have 2 Tbsp. of brown sugar....light and airy on the inside....crispy light on the outside. No tweaks this time-I didn't want to mess with the recipe since I didn't want to take a chance that they wouldn't come out good. Turns out that I didn't have to worry at all- they were delicious and PERFECT.

These will be made again and next time with the Banana's Foster. Oh, I wanted the Bananas Foster, but Randall wanted whipped Cream. The whipped cream is faster and I was hungry!! Maybe next time, I'll add just a touch of Macadamia Nut liqueur to the whipped cream for an extra flavor boost. Yum.....a dessert waffle!

Cyndy

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Chocolate Waffles
Source: Gale Gand BRUNCH!

Gale Gand's note:
Rich and chocolaty but not too sweet, these are definitely great for brunch, not just for dessert. The chocoholics in your life will thank you. You could serve these with vanilla yogurt, strawberries in syup, Banana Foster's or simply whipped cream, fresh raspberries and a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar.

Ingredients:
2 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups cold milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups A/P flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large egg whites
2 tbsp light brown sugar

Heat a waffle iron.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, milk, baking powder, flour, cocoa powder, and melted butter and mix until almost smooth. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form; then add the brown sugar and continue whipping until stiff. fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.

for each waffle, pour 1/2 to 1 cup of the batter(or amount recommended by the waffle iron maker) onto the waffle iron; bake as directed by the manufacturer.

Banana's Foster

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split, or 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp Brandy or other brown spirit(cognac, whiskey, rum, etc)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 bananas, sliced

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until slightly bubbly. Add the sugar and stir it in with a wooden spoon. Add the vanilla bean(but not the extract, if that's what you're using) and the cinnamon stick and stir to combine and release the vanilla seeds, then remove the bean pod, and the cinnamon stick. Continue cooking until the sugar starts to caramelize, or turn a light amber color, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully stir in the brandy and lemon juice, and continue cooking until the syrup becomes caramel-smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the banana slices(and vanilla extract, if using) and swirl to coat them in the hot syrup and warm them, about 1 minute. serve immediately.

Carol made:

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE SWEET ROLLS

I've been thinking about creating a roll with these flavors for quite some time...to the point of even attempting different ideas for them twice. Both trial runs didn't give me the final result I was looking for.

I was focused on the idea of a cinnamon roll, only with strawberries and cream cheese in the filling- a great idea in theory, but alas, my attempts weren't very successful. I wasn't happy with the way the bread dough cooked in the center of the rolls-the moisture in the cream cheese and fruit kept the dough wet in the center and although it was cooked, it was WAY too wet. They tasted good...we ate them, but I just knew there had to be a better way-and I wasn't going to give up until I came up with something that worked.

And then one day, it suddenly it hit me...I was going about this all WRONG!

Instead of spreading the strawberry filling onto the bread dough and rolling it inside, why not TOP the bread dough with the strawberries? After all-the image of the cheesecake I had in my mind had the strawberries spread on top. Making ropes of bread dough and making coils like I do with one of my stand-by recipes, Raspberry "Danish" would be PERFECT for these! Oh my....another brainstorm....put the cream cheese IN the bread dough instead of spreading it ON the bread dough. The cream cheese will take the place of butter, PLUS will give a "cheesecake" type flavor...........I hoped. I always add butter extract and vanilla extract to my sweet roll doughs, so both would be included here, as well as freshly grated lemon zest-something I add to my mini cheesecakes.

Cyndy sent me some flavored oils a while ago to add to melted chocolate and to bump up the flavor when making glazes, candy, coated popcorn or numerous other recipes....well, one of the the oils she included in the mix is CHEESECAKE! What better way to enhance the flavor of the cream cheese? The oils are concentrated so a little goes a long way. WOW-did that do the trick! These oils can be found in craft stores, baking supply stores and online. The flavors available are incredible-so many wonderful ones to choose from.

The final hurdle was getting the graham cracker crumbs incorporated into the recipe somehow. Simple! Instead of adding melted butter to graham cracker crumbs and a touch of sugar that I use for the mini cheesecake crust, brush the butter onto the rope, then roll it in the graham cracker crumbs-hence a "crust" on the outside of the "cheesecake."

I can't begin to tell you how HAPPY I am with the finished product. Before these are stored airtight, the graham crackers on the outside of the roll actually "crunch" a little when you bite into the roll. The crumbs do soften once the rolls are covered for storage, but it's OK-they still taste FABULOUS! The cream cheese flavor is there in the bread dough, giving the effect of cheesecake......and the fresh strawberry topping? That tied it all together. A quick drizzle of a simple confectioners' sugar glaze and I had achieved the outcome I had envisioned.

This is only the beginning of the fun I'm going to have spinning this recipe a bunch of different ways. I can't wait to get back into the kitchen and play. For now, I need to rest my brain...........all those "light bulb moments" done tuckered me out! :)

Carol

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STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE SWEET ROLLS

STRAWBERRY FILLING:
1 (2 lb.) container fresh strawberries, chopped
1/2-3/4 c. sugar (adjust the amount up or down according to how sweet the strawberries are)
2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
4-5 drops red food coloring

BREAD DOUGH:
2 1/2-3 c. bread flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. instant or quick-rise yeast
1/4 c. hot water (120-130 degrees)
1/4 c. warm milk (120-130 degrees)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened (light cream cheese may be used)
1 egg
Grated zest of 1 lemon (1 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. butter extract
1/4 tsp. cheesecake flavor oil (optional)
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR GLAZE:
1/2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. clear vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. cheesecake flavor oil (optional)
1-2 Tbsp. milk

For the filling: Combine strawberries, sugar and cornstarch in a 10" skillet; bring to a boil, stirring constantly, crushing the berries lightly with the back of a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook and stir until mixture has thickened. The mixture will be chunky. Remove from heat; let cool completely.

For the bread dough: Combine 1 1/2 c. flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add water, milk, cream cheese; beat until mixture is combined. Add 1/2 c. flour, egg, lemon zest, vanilla, butter extract and cheesecake oil; beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until a soft dough forms. Dough will be sticky. Turn dough onto floured board; knead in remaining 1/2-1 c. flour until a dough is smooth and elastic-about 5 minutes. I used about 2 1/2 c. flour total in this dough-that includes kneading. You want the dough to be slightly sticky-too much flour will dry the bread out.

Cover dough and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar; spread out on a piece of wax paper.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 15" rope. Brush each rope with melted butter; roll the rope in the graham cracker crumb mixture, coating well.

Form ropes into a coil, tucking ends under. Place coils on baking sheets sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle coils with any remaining graham cracker crumb mixture, if desired. Cover lightly with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly press center of each roll with your fingers to make a hole for the filling; fill indentation generously with strawberry filling (I fill the center, then mound and slightly spread the filling on the top of each roll).

Bake @ 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove coils to a wire rack and cool completely.

For the glaze: Combine glaze ingredients, adding just enough milk to the glaze to achieve desired drizzling consistency. Lightly drizzle glaze over rolls.

Makes 12.

Spicy Hot Chocolate Brownie Cookies-Lemon Glazed Ricotta Cake-Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

2010-05-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

If your looking for some sweet treat ideas for the Memorial Day holiday, maybe we can help.
We're heating up the kitchen with some pretty fantastic goodies.
Carol literally added some heat to some Spicy Hot Chocolate Brownie Cookies, Cyndy made delicious Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes with Kahlua Buttercream Frosting that should liven up your picnic, and I made a Lemon Glazed Ricotta Cake-a moist and lemony cake that changes my whole attitude about ricotta...it's not just for cooking anymore!

Carol made:

SPICY HOT CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIES

Ever since Bob went to Germany a few years ago and brought back some decadent chili chocolate, I've been thinking about experimenting with a cookie or brownie recipe and adding chili pepper or cayenne, trying to recreate that flavorful taste sensation.
An email arrived containing this cookie recipe, and once I saw the list of ingredients, I couldn't wait to get into the kitchen and begin baking.
The dough goes together very quickly, and with a baking time of a little more than 10 minutes, soon I would know if this recipe was "the one."
I could hardly wait for them to cool, so that I could try one to see if this combination was going to produce the effect that I was looking for. I'm very happy to say....I wasn't disappointed.
In the first bite, I encountered a slight crispness on the outside of the cookie, followed by the rich, full bodied flavor of chocolate. After the second bite, a slight warmth slowly started to grow in the back of my throat, as the combination of chipotle and cayenne worked their magic. It's a pleasant warmth that brings the flavor of the cookie to another level.....you don't just "taste" the cookie, you "experience" the cookie.
Bob was pleasantly surprised to taste the multi-layered complexity that mimicked the chocolate he brought home from his business trip to Europe.
This recipe rode the Bullet train to the top of the favorites list in this house!

Carol

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SPICY HOT CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIES
(Source: adapted from Duncan Hines)

1 (13x9-inch pan size-about 20 oz.) pkg. chewy fudge brownie mix
3/4 tsp. ground chipotle chile pepper (found in the spice aisle-the brand I got is McCormick Gourmet Collection Chipotle Chile Pepper)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/3 c. vegetable oil OR butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, chipotle and cayenne. Add oil and eggs: stir with a wooden spoon just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto prepared pans. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, if desired.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 11-14 minutes or until cracked in appearance and just barely set in the center when lightly touched. Cool on pans for 1-2 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Bunny made:

Lemon Glazed Ricotta Cake

I've never baked with ricotta cheese...I don't know what took me so long to try it in my baking. The picture of this cake on The Daily Loaf was just the incentive I needed to try it.
I haven't made a cake this moist in a long time. It is absolutely delicious and was a huge hit at our family dinner last week. It's light, lemony and OH so moist! My brother wants me to make one just for him.
Since this was my first time using ricotta cheese, I followed the recipe exactly. After tasting this, there's absolutely nothing that I would change...it's perfect as is. The Lemon Glaze did give me a little bit of a fit though-the lemon juice wasn't enough liquid with the powdered sugar to make a glaze, so I just added 1 more tablespoon of lemon juice and a little water until it was the consistency that I wanted.

I would be very curious to see what this cake would be like with blueberries or raspberries folded into the batter....

Stop at the store on your way home from work and get some ricotta....your gonna love what it does to a cake.

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Lemon Glazed Ricotta Cake

Ricotta Cake:
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
15 ounces whole milk ricotta
1 ½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest and Juice of 1 large lemon
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Lemon Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a Bundt cake pan and set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the ricotta and blend until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, incorporating well. Add the vanilla, lemon juice/zest and mix until fully combined.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients in 2 increments, mixing just until incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth our as needed. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the top of the cake and serve.

Cyndy made:

Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes with Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

OH MY...these are waaaaay too good. I love the taste of Kahlua and when I saw these, there was NO WAY I wasn't going to make them. I wanted to surprise Randall...but I couldn't keep these under wraps even if I tried! Once I opened the cupcake carrier, you could smell the chocolate and Kahlua.
The cakes are soft and the crumb is tender. The Kahlua flavor in the cupcake itself is subtle, but the frosting is so sinfully creamy, chocolaty and full of Kahlua taste. I didn't add the 2-3 Tbsp. strong coffee for the frosting as the recipe states-I used one packet of Starbuck's VIA Bold instant coffee and added 2 more Tbsp. of Kahlua. It was absolutely perfect to me...more coffee flavor to balance the Kahlua. I drizzled on some caramel since I love caramel and chocolate in my coffee.
If you try these, be aware that the Kahlua flavor is VERY prominent in the buttercream. I have more.............do you want one? :)

Cyndy

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Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes with Kahlua Buttercream Frosting
Adapted from Worththewhisk.com
Recipe by Karen Gillingham

3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup strong cold coffee
3/4 cup Kahlua

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy; then beat in sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with coffee and Kahlua; blend well. Fold egg whites into batter. Fill prepared cupcake cups to 2/3 full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tins and cool on rack completely before frosting. Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tbsp. Kahlua {used 6 Tbsp.}
2-3 Tbsp. hot coffee {omitted and used 1 packet Starbuck's VIA Bold}

In large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add cocoa powder, Kahlua and hot coffee {or VIA Bold packet}. Beat until smooth. Frosts 2 dozen cupcakes.

Orange Cream Dessert Squares-Godiva Chocolate Cheese Cake-Cheese Cake Cream Puffs

2010-05-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

It's all about the flavor of cheese cake today! We have 3 different ways to enjoy it. I made Orange Cream Dessert Bars, Cyndy made Godiva Chocolate Cheese Cake and Carol made Cheesecake Cream Puffs.

Bunny made:
Orange Cream Dessert Squares

Once a week, my family gets together to have dinner and I always make dessert. This week I made these little gems. It combines two of my favorite things, sugar cookies and the flavor of orange.
I couldn't resist the thought of sweet orange marmalade in a cream cheese filling...then there was the sugar cookie crust...be still my heart...then a soft chewy sugar cookie crust. The squares are topped off with tinted melted white chocolate.
Believe me, I ate more than my fair share and loved every bite. I added 2 teaspoons of orange extract just to make sure the orange flavor came shining through. I'm glad I did...it was perfect. Next time, I'm going to add some mini chocolate chips to the mix.
Orange and chocolate are divine together!

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Orange Cream Dessert Squares
Pillsbury

INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
2 tablespoons grated orange peel (from 2 large oranges)
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup SMUCKER'S® Sweet Orange Marmalade
1 teaspoon orange-flavored liqueur or 1/4 teaspoon orange extract ( I used 2 tsp orange extract)
2 Eggland's Best eggs
3 tablespoons whipping (heavy) cream
2 drops orange food color (or 2 drops yellow and 1 drop red food color)
1 1/2 teaspoons LAND O LAKES® Butter
1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Press cookie dough evenly on bottom and 1 inch up sides of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. (If dough is sticky, use floured fingers.) Sprinkle evenly with orange peel.
2. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, marmalade and liqueur with electric mixer on medium-high speed about 1 minute or until well blended. Add eggs; beat about 2 minutes or until well blended and mixture is creamy. Spread evenly in crust.
3. Bake 29 to 36 minutes or until crust is golden brown and center is set. Cool 1 hour.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave whipping cream and food color uncovered on High about 30 seconds or just until boiling. Add butter and baking chips; stir until chips are melted. Spread mixture evenly over bars. Refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours or until chilled and firm.
5. To serve, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows, using thin, sharp knife and wiping blade occasionally. Cover and refrigerate any remaining dessert squares.

Cyndy made:
Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake

I confess...I am a true chocoholic. I found this recipe on the Godiva Website when I was looking for chocolate recipes. I guess I got carried away when putting it together, since most cheesecakes are versatile.
It calls for Coffee in the filling...I decided that since I like coffee to be bold and full bodied that this should be too. Once again, I used a VIA instant coffee packet from Starbuck's, and instead of actually making the coffee with it, I decided to use my Trader Vic's Macadamia Nut Liqueur and mix the VIA packet into that. The recipe says to top the cheesecake with whipped cream and that whipping cream got a taste of the Macadamia Nut Liqueur as well. I can tell you that it raised the soft cool cream to yet another level and made it fantastic! I just used a tablespoon of the liqueur with vanilla (used vanilla paste) and it kicked the flavor up perfectly! I also used macadamia nuts to top this beauty and had a few more of the Godiva chocolate bars which I cut and used decoratively with the whipped cream.
See what I mean? I DO get carried away sometimes when making something! I cut a slice out for a photo and still haven't taken it yet. But the rest of the cheesecake? GONE. I took it to work and it sure didn't last long!

WARNING, this cheesecake will put you into sugar overload. We could only eat a sliver of this as it was thick and rich. I think making it in a square pan and making small bars would be perfect.

Cyndy

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Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from Godiva Recipes

Yield: 12 servings

Preparation: 1 hour plus baking, cooling and chilling times
Special Equipment: Chocolate Wafer Crust:
1 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
(I just used the whole package and added one more tbsp of butter)

Filling:

8 bars (1.5 ounces each) Godiva Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar (used superfine)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brewed hot coffee(used 1 VIA packet in 1/4 cup Macadamin Nut Liqueur)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract(Used Vanilla Bean Paste)

Whipped cream topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tbsp Macadamia Nut Liqueur (my addition)

Garnish:
Godiva Dark Chocolate, grated
Chocolate coffee beans
3 bars of Godiva chocolate cut into squares( my addition)

Make the chocolate crust:

1.Preheat oven to 325°F. Tightly wrap bottom of 9-inch springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. ( This is very important, you don't want water in the cheesecake)

2.Mix together cookie crumbs and melted butter in bowl until combined. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.

Make the filling:

1.Place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds more or until chocolate is softened. Stir until smooth and let cool.

2.Beat cream cheese in mixing bowl until creamy, using electric mixer at low speed. Gradually add sugar and beat until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Dissolve salt in hot coffee. At low speed, slowly beat in the coffee. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate until blended. Pour mixture over crust. Place cheesecake in roasting pan. Pour boiling water into roasting pan so that the water comes halfway up the side of the springform pan.

3.Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until center is firm. Leave cheesecake in the oven and turn off the oven. Prop oven door open and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.

4.Remove cheesecake from roasting pan. Cool cheesecake in the pan on wire rack. When cheesecake is cooled, cover pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Make the whipped cream topping:

1.Loosen edge of cheesecake with a knife. Remove side of springform pan.

2.Beat cream, sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl until stiff peaks form, using electric mixer at medium speed. Reserve 1 cup whipped cream for garnish. Spread remaining cream over top of cheesecake. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.

3.Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large closed star tip (such as Ateco #5) with reserved whipped cream. Pipe a border of rosettes around edge of cheesecake. Decorate with chocolate coffee beans

4.Cut cheesecake into wedges.

Carol made:
CHEESECAKE CREAM PUFFS

We were heading up to my daughter Robin's for a belated get together for my Mom's birthday and she asked me to bring dessert. What to make...what to make? She wanted something that was easy to serve but we both wanted it "special" for the birthday girl. I remembered this recipe, and know my Mom loves cream puffs, so there was my answer.

I've been making these ever since a woman made them for one of our church suppers. She shared the recipe with Robin and BOY, are we glad she did. I haven't seen Vicki for a while, but every time I make this recipe, I think of her.

The original recipe calls for making this into a cream puff ring.....I don't do tha.....although I will say, I've seen the cream puff ring and it's VERY impressive indeed. I make them into individual cream puffs for two reasons....one, they're much easier to fill (at least for me) and two, they're easier to serve off a tray than cutting the ring apart and plating it. What I love about this recipe is the cream puff shells can be made ahead-that's a great time saver. The full size puffs are REALLY big-honestly? I don't think you could pick one up and take a bite with all that filling, so what I usually do for get togethers is make miniature cream puffs-I've found people really enjoy the smaller version. I usually go home with an empty serving tray.

Let's talk about the taste.......the light, creamy filling has the slightest hint of cheesecake flavor from the pudding-it's not overpowering...people take a bite and say MMMMmmmm what IS that flavor? It's kind of like a mousse in a cream puff shell...heavenly. When I want to bump up the cheesecake flavor in the filling, I add a little cheesecake oil (THANK YOU CYNDY!).....those flavored oils are a great way to add a little OOMPH to a dessert.

I know that birthdays are usually celebrated with cake......but I have to tell you....celebrating with these cream puffs was a pretty good idea-at least we all thought so!

Carol

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CHEESECAKE CREAM PUFFS

CREAM PUFFS
1 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. all-purpose flour
4 eggs

CHEESECAKE FILLING
2 (3.4 oz.) pkg. instant cheesecake pudding mix
2 c. milk
1 pint heavy cream

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
2 Tbsp. water
1 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Bring water, butter and salt to a rolling boil in a saucepan. Add flour all at once; stir vigorously over low heat for about 1 minute or until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.

Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.

Drop dough in individual mounds onto ungreased baking sheets (I use an ice cream scoop for regular size cream puffs and my medium size Pampered Chef cookie scoop for miniature cream puffs).

Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 35-40 minutes for regular size cream puffs, or 25-30 minutes for the miniature cream puffs. Shut off the oven and let the puffs sit in the oven for 15-20 minutes longer.

Remove from the pan immediately to wire racks and let cool completely.

For the filling, beat cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. Whisk pudding mixes with milk; let stand for 1 minute. Fold in the whipped cream.

Fill the cream puffs generously with filling (I pipe the filling into the puffs using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip).

For the glaze, combine butter, cocoa and water in a small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the cream puffs. Chill until serving time.

Makes 12 regular size cream puffs or 24 miniature cream puffs.

Caribbean Honey Spiced Chicken - Pistachio Ice Cream - Caramel Rolls

2010-04-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, do we ever have a great post for you! Carol has done it again with her wonderful chicken recipe, plus a great summer salad. Cyndy has made a mouth-watering homemade ice cream and I decided on delectable caramel rolls. Before we get to the recipes ....let me introduce you to my new grandson, Ryder Allen, I nicknamed him the Little Prince....born April 1st!

CARIBBEAN HONEY-SPICED CHICKEN

Once again....there it is, sitting in the refrigerator...that chicken that's defrosted and waiting for you to come up with a delicious way to cook it. I love chicken because it's so versatile, and I have a lot of wonderful recipes to make it (as you already know from past posts), but I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.
I've vowed to use these cookbooks of mine that are now within easy reach and try new recipes on a regular basis...what better time than now?
Grocery shopping is coming up Saturday, so fresh ingredients in the refrigerator are hit or miss-that can make it a little tricky-you know how it is....you have everything to make a recipe but ONE INGREDIENT? I stumbled upon this recipe, scanned down the ingredient list, found that I had everything to make it....and OH BOY, did it sound good.
We love the jerk seasoning on pork...I couldn't wait to try it on chicken. I especially liked the idea of making my own spice mixture. We always have a fruit-based salsa with jerk seasoned pork, and usually one of the fruits in it is mango, so I knew the combination of this sauce with the mango topping had to be a winner.
The sauce went together very quickly...using the food processor did all of the chopping. The dish was assembled and in the oven in no time...and did it ever smell good while it was baking.
I wish I could describe how juicy and flavorful the chicken is. It's not "hot"...there's a level of heat with the jalapenos but it's not intense...it's perfect...and the mango mixture that is spooned over top blends SO well with the spicy topping. All the flavors compliment each other to create one very flavorful dish. The topping baked up more like a sauce than a cooked on topping-I think because I poured the extra topping over the chicken before it went into the oven. We like it this way. I would imagine a lighter coating of the spice mixture would give you a browner top on the chicken.
I served this with rice pilaf-a perfect taste combination with the meat-and the Summer Strawberry Salad. What a winner this meal was.
Bob said the recipe's a keeper for sure. I agree...when I have a mango to use-and I always have chicken in the freezer and jalapenos in the crisper drawer-this will be a recipe I'll turn to again and again.

Carol

CARIBBEAN HONEY-SPICED CHICKEN
(Source: adapted from National Honey Board recipe)

1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Scant 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine honey, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl; whisk to combine. Remove 1/4 cup of mixture to food processor bowl; set aside. Add mango to remaining honey mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate.

Add jalapenos, onion, paprika, 2 tsp. oil, garlic powder, salt, cinnamon, pepper and allspice to honey mixture in food processor bowl. Process until very finely chopped, scraping down sides as necessary.

Spread 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Place honey/spice mixture in a shallow bowl; dip chicken pieces into mixture, coating both sides. Arrange chicken in prepared baking dish; brush any remaining sauce over chicken.

Bake @ 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear. Remove chicken to serving platter; top with reserved mango mixture. 4 servings.

SUMMER STRAWBERRY SALAD

This salad was posted a while back on the Taste of Home recipe board by kimsonmerk and had gotten rave reviews by Nancy, a regular poster and Taste of Home Field editor.....I copied it, put it in my files and forgot all about it....something I seem to do often with recipes.
While filing some new recipes away, the title of this caught my eye...I had everything in the house to make it, and was ironically trying to think of something to do with the strawberries in the refrigerator. PERFECT solution...a side dish for dinner and an ingredient I wanted to use up finds a new home.
This salad is SO pretty and very tasty. I always tend to go heavier with vinegar than oil in homemade salad dressing and did just that here. The dressing is thick and syrupy, so a little goes a long way. This wonderful dressing coats those salad ingredients perfectly, adding a wonderful sweet and tangy taste sensation to the strawberries, mushrooms and crispy lettuce. The pecans add a nice crunch to round out the salad. I opted to serve the dressing on the side rather than dress and toss the salad so that we could have the leftovers the next day.
We both enjoyed this salad a lot. The strawberries I got didn't have a lot of flavor, but you'd never know it in this....the mixture of everything together made those berries taste very good indeed!
I think this would be wonderful topped with almonds if you didn't have pecans....and I bet some grilled chicken would be mighty tasty included in the mix. I'm adding that note to my copy of the recipe....with warm weather ahead, what a great summer supper that would be!

Carol

SUMMER STRAWBERRY SALAD
(Source: adapted from allrecipes.com)

2/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3-1/2 c. granulated sugar (I use about 1/3 cup-it depends on how sweet you want your dressing to be)
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground mustard powder
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. fresh sliced mushrooms*
8 c. mixed salad greens*
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans*
4 c. sliced fresh strawberries*

Whisk together the oil, sugar, poppy seeds, garlic powder, ground mustard powder and vinegar and salt (if using). Refrigerate until chilled.
In a salad bowl, combine the mushrooms, strawberries and mixed greens. Sprinkle pecans over top. Serve dressing on the side.

*I don't measure these ingredients...I always use the amount-however large or small-that I have on hand.

NOTE: If you'd like to dress the salad before serving, combine the mushrooms, strawberries and mixed greens; add dressing and toss to combine. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and serve.

Cyndy made:
Pistachio Ice Cream

Man this Ice cream is good and creamy!!

I had previously made the Cherry Garcia Ice Cream and it was a big hit with my husband. I had been emailing my friend Corinna and between she and I, we have to be the biggest fans of Pistachio Ice Cream. I had in my possession some Pistachio flavoring left over from my candy making days. Hmmmm...why not?? I made the sweet cream base using the same recipe as before and added the flavoring. I was almost upset because as I added the flavoring, I realized it was a slight orange color, which in turn made the cream base YELLOW. OK...I started to panic...wait...let's see...WAIT...yellow and blue make green! Off I went to get my gel food color. I dipped a toothpick into the color and dabbed the coloring into the cream base. If you've ever worked with gels, you know it only takes a TINY bit to make the color bright. I used royal blue...and it worked!! As I kept mixing, the color became.....Pistachio Green! I then added the whipping cream and it lightened considerably, but that was fine. I wasn't about to make it darker and mess it up. I poured it into the Cuisinart and hit start.
Just one thing, don't add salted Pistachios like I did………but......I like it!

Cyndy

Pistachio Ice Cream
This recipe is adapted from Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream from the Ben & Jerry Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Warning the eggs in this recipe are NOT cooked. You can use irradiated eggs now widely available in larger grocery store chains. This recipe uses an ice cream maker.

2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar {used Superfine}
2 cups heavy or whipping cream {used three cups}
1 cup milk {omitted}
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste {my addition}
1 dram LorAnn Pistachio flavoring
3/4 cup pistachios, NOT SALTED.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1
to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then
continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute
more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend. Add Vanilla bean paste and Pistachio flavoring and whisk until blended.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze
following the manufacturer's instructions.

4. After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is
done), add the Pistachio's , then continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.

Bunny made:

Caramel Rolls

I love working with yeast dough. When ever I make sticky buns or cinnamon rolls, I like to use the Potato Bread recipe that I make potato bread with. It's a sweet dough that makes soft, delicious rolls of any kind...not to mention fabulous potato bread!. This time, I made Caramel Rolls. I've never tried them before, but you can bet your buns I'll be making them again! I made the dough up from the recipe here. I have no clue where I got this recipe, but it's the best potato bread I've ever made. These caramel rolls are a combination of recipes, the potato bread recipe, Carol's recipe for the cinnamon filling that gets spread on the dough from her Big Delicious Cinnamon Rolls and the caramel goo comes from a recipe on Mixing Bowl for Sinful Cinnamon Rolls.
After the potato bread dough rose the first time, I rolled it out and spread the cinnamon filling on it.

I love this filling..I use it for every sweet roll recipe I make. I didn't measure how long or wide the dough was when I rolled it out...I just rolled it till it looked good.

I rolled the dough up from the long side jelly roll style.

Cut the roll into slices that were about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Put the slices in the caramel mixture and let them rise again.

They baked up beautifully! This picture is before I flipped them out of the pan. Flip them out as soon as they come from the oven.

Mmmmmmm!!! Caramel Rolls!

Monkey Muffins - Dark Chocolate Soup & Cinnamon Toasted Pound Cake Croutons w/ Jacques Torres Caramalized Bananas - Pastel de Tres Leches

2010-03-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for a sugar post??!! I think we have a little something for everybody here, so grab the drink of your choice and let's get crackin'!

Carol made:

Monkey Muffins

My oldest grandson, Stephen, stayed with us for a few days on his school vacation....and the one thing I learned about him is that he LOVES peanut butter....just as much as his Dad does......that's a LOT!
I had 3 bananas sitting on the counter needing a new home but wanted to make something other than banana bread. When I ran across these muffins, I knew they'd be the PERFECT solution....the bananas would be used up....AND the peanut butter would make him very happy-not to mention a little chocolate as a bonus.
The thing I love about mini muffins (or cupcakes) are they're the PERFECT 2 bite snack. We have to eat dinner later than I'd like since Bob works until 6 and has a long commute home, so one of these around 4:00 would hold him just long enough to be hungry for dinner.
These are SO good and SO moist.....the peanut butter flavor is subtle-the banana really shines through.....and that little burst of chocolate adds a nice touch. Each bite gives you another little pop of each flavor.
The recipe stated it makes 6 dozen......I got 5 dozen out of it....maybe I filled the cups a little fuller, I'm not sure.....all I know is I got a nice Rubbermaid container full of these cute little morsels.
Stephen took some of them home to share with his little brother Nicholas....and I'm sure his Dad snuck a few out of the bag. Oh-and I couldn't resist...I held back a few for us too.....they're just too darned good!

Carol

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

MONKEY MUFFINS
(Source: Simple and Delicious magazine Sept./Oct. 2009)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. plus 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 c. mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and 1 c. sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas, peanut butter, milk and vanilla.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture, stirring until just moistened. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined miniature muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Makes 5-6 dozen.

Cyndy made:

Dark Chocolate Soup & Cinnamon Toasted Pound Cake Croutons w/ Jacques Torres Caramelized Bananas

I have the cookbook "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey". In it is a recipe for Chocolate Soup. The recipe makes 8 servings. Since there are only two of us, I didn't want to make 8 servings so I cut it in half. For the soup in the photo, I used two different recipes and adapted them to our tastes. I made the recipe from the SCMG book, and used the Caramelized Bananas from Jacques Torres chocolate soup recipe. The dark chocolate and caramelized bananas with rum are a tantalizing combination.

I left out the espresso since I was using the caramelized banana recipe, and used the full amount of sugar and water. What they don't tell you is that the caramel will seize if you put in the cold half and half, so I warmed the half and half/cream in another pan and added it to the caramel... it melted fine. I used the rest of the caramel that was left over from the bananas once I removed them from the caramel (and set aside) and put that into the cream mixture as well. When the mix was ready, I added the chocolate. It was a bit thin. I had a thought....hmmm....I did make Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes today and had 3 egg yolks left over. I took one cup of the chocolate mixture from the pan and added it to two of the eggs and whisked quickly. I then added them back into the chocolate mixture on the stove. PERFECT, it thickened nicely. Of course I wanted a nice sheen to the chocolate so I added a pat of butter to the mix and stirred until thick. I placed the bananas in the cup (a generous amount), then added the soup and topped it with the pound cake croutons.
It's creamy, it's thick and it's SOOOO chocolatey good!! The pound cake croutons are buttery and crunchy good too!

I know it will thicken more into a custard when it gets cold, but we like it that way too.

I think I'll keep the changes I made to this since it worked great for us. I chose not to use the meringue in Jacques Torres recipe and used the croutons instead. I'll post both recipes as they are written. My changes are in brackets. The pound cake referred to is a basic cream cheese pound cake.

Cyndy

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Dark Chocolate Soup & Cinnamon-Toasted Pound-Cake Croutons
Adapted from: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth by Jill O'Connor
Caramelized Banana's Adapted From: Jacques Torres

Dark Chocolate Soup with Cinnamon-Toasted Pound-Cake Croutons
with Jacques Torres Caramelized Banana's

First prepare the bananas as they have to cool

For the Caramelized Bananas:

4 large bananas, peeled and diced {used 2}
1/4 cup dark rum {used full amount}
1/2 cup sugar {used full amount}
1 tablespoon unsalted butter {used full amount}

Prepare the caramelized bananas:

Place the diced bananas in a medium-sized mixing bowl with the rum and toss to coat. Set aside to let macerate at room temperature while you prepare the caramel.
Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat. If it starts to smoke, it is too hot and you need to run it under cool water, dry it, and start again. When it is warm sprinkle the sugar into the pan. Try to keep the sugar in an even layer to allow it all to caramelize at the same time. As soon as you see the sugar begin to melt, start moving the pan over the burner to keep the sugar from burning. Tilt the pan from side to side so that the melted sugar runs over the unmelted sugar. Cook until all of the sugar is a light golden brown. Chef Torres usually adds a tablespoon of butter at this stage because it makes the caramel smoother. Add the bananas and rum and spread evenly in the pan. When cooking with alcohol, there is always the chance of it catching on fire, so be VERY careful when adding the rum. Continue to cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the bananas are soft but not mushy; they should still hold their shape. Remove from the heat and pour the caramelized bananas onto a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool for about 20 minutes. Covering the hot bananas with plastic wrap keeps the caramel from drying as it cools.

Chocolate Soup
Serves 8

Ingredients:
½ cup sugar {used full amount}
¼ cup water {used full amount}
Pinch of salt
6 cups half-and-half {used 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup half and half}
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder {omitted}
1 1/2 pounds bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped {Used Godiva dark chocolate bars}
Cinnamon-Toasted Pound-Cake Croutons (recipe follows){cheated and used a Sara Lee Pound Cake}
8 scoops vanilla ice cream{omitted}

Directions:

Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling gently from time to time, until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns a deep amber color, about 4 to 5 minutes. (Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly.) Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt and half-and-half. Bring the mixture just to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve the caramel into the half-and-half, about 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat; stir in the espresso powder and chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Divide the soup among 8 shallow soup bowls. Carefully place a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center of each bowl and float 4 pound-cake croutons around each scoop of ice cream. Serve immediately.

Cinnamon-Toasted Pound Cake Croutons

Instead of plain, square croutons, feel free to use a heart, star or other cookie cutter to give your croutons a more fanciful shape.

Makes 32 croutons

Ingredients:

1 loaf (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches)

My Favorite Cream Cheese Pound Cake or purchased pound cake

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat the broiler.
Cut a razor-thin slice from both ends of the pound cake to reveal the interior. Cut the trimmed loaf of pound cake into 8 equal slices. Trim each slice to form perfect, uniform, squares.
Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Brush both sides of the pound cake slices with the melted butter and sprinkle generously with the cinnamon-sugar. Place the slices on a large baking sheet and broil until the sugar on top starts to bubble and turn brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the slices over to broil the second sides in the same way. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool.
Use a serrated knife to carefully cut each slice into 4 equal squares

Bunny made:

Pastel de Tres Leches

One of my friends on Facebook is Chef Mario Daniel Jarero. Chef Mario and I were chatting one day and he asked me what my favorite cake was. As I sat thinking about all the luscious cakes I've had and trying to pick just one, Mario very quickly replied that the best cake he's ever had was a Tres Leches Cake. I was still mulling the question over... he didn't even hesitate! Of course his choice peaked my interest because I've never made one.
Off I went on a recipe search. I found out that is cake is thought to have originated in Nicaragua and has become a favorite of many Latin countries. I started this recipe from Epicurious by making a cinnamon flavored sponge cake in a 10 inch spring form pan. The cake is very light and airy , perfect for absorbing the 3 milks that are spooned over the top.

Other recipes called for baking the cake in a 13x9 inch baking pan. But I liked the idea of a nice tall cake, so I made it in a 10 inch spring form pan.

It baked up beautifully! In my recipe search, I found that other cakes required you to poke holes in the top of the cake so the milks would abosorb easily....not so with this recipe....

.

This cake bakes with a slight crusted dome on the top, when removed, either by cutting it off or as I did peeling it off ( I couldn't cut a straight line if my life depended on it!), it reveals a light cake with air holes perfect for absorbing the milks.

After combining the 3 milks (evaporated, sweetened condensed, cream and vanilla), I spooned the milk syrup over the cake. I was fascinated at how the cake absorbed it all!

That last little bit of milk on top soaked into the cake as well! I chilled the cake, then prepared my topping. This recipe called for a meringue topping, but I wanted whipped cream. I have a wonderful recipe that Carol sent me a few years ago called Chef's Secret Whipped Cream that I use whenever I need a whipped topping for a dessert. This recipe uses gelatin and keeps the whipped cream from weeping...even the next day. I use it for all my summer desserts...it's like Cool Whip only homemade!

I piped the whipped cream on top, and sprinkled with cinnamon. Now to taste....the first bite gave me the cinnamon in a moist soft cake. It's not soggy...it's not heavy. The milk becomes part of the cake and makes it so moist and light...yes, light!

Thank you Chef Mario...this is one heavenly cake!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Pastel de Tres Leches
Epicurious

Sponge Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk

Rum Milk Syrup
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
1 can heavy cream (use empty can from condensed milk - 1 1/4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark spiced rum (Meyers or Captain Morgan will do), optional ( I didn't use the rum)

For Sponge Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour cake pan, and line with parchment paper. Sift flour with baking powder and cinnamon. Using a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until frothy, then slowly add sugar to tighten whites to semi stiff peaks. Add yolks one at a time. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk.

Pour batter into pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until the middle springs back when touched and edges pull slightly away from pan. Cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

For Rum Milk Syrup:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Whip thoroughly with a wire whisk and reserve. (If made in advance, refrigerate and stir before using.)

To Assemble:
Unmold cake while slightly warm, and slice off the hard top with a serrated knife. Place cake on serving platter and spoon rum syrup over cake a little at a time, until it is all absorbed, repeat until all the syrup is used. Ice the top of the cake. Refrigerate until cool.

Chef's Secret Whipped Cream
makes about 4 cups whipped cream

1 envelope Knox Unflavored Gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups heavy or whipping cream ( 1 pint)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Chill large mixing bowl about 15 minutes. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over cold water; let stand 1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. In chilled bowl, while beating cream on low speed, gradually add gelatin, then beat on medium speed until thickened about 5 minutes. Add sugar, then beat till soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Hint: If you plan on piping beat until stiff peaks form.

Variations: For a flavored whipped cream add your favorite extracts or liqueurs to taste and proceed as above.

Chicken and Pastina Soup - Soft Oat Rolls - Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

2010-02-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

I wanna see little buds coming out on the trees, flowers poking their little heads out of the ground....but no......not yet. First, the buckets of SNOW we've been getting have to melt away! Everything in good time I guess.
On a day like this, you need some comfort in the form of a piping hot bowl of soup, chock full of goodness and some soft, warm rolls with melting butter....oh yes. I can taste it now! To follow this warm comforting dinner, we need some cookies...peanut butter sandwich cookies.
Are you ready? Last one to the table shovels snow! LOL!!

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Cyndy made:

Chicken and Pastina Soup

It's a cool day here in Southern California, drizzling rain. Perfect weather for some hot soup with crusty bread. I changed only one thing about this soup. I used Orzo pasta, since I didn't have Acini di Pepe Pasta. It's small and round. I had used it up in another dish a while back. It doesn't matter...this soup is good with the orzo. Light and refreshing, with simple veggies you normally have on hand...well, I do.
Sit down and have a cup with me, it makes a nice big batch! I'm happy!

Cyndy

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Chicken and Pastina Soup
adapted from: Micheal Chiarello for Progresso

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/2 cup diced carrot (1 medium)
1/2 cup diced celery (1 medium stalk)
1 cup Progresso® crushed tomatoes (from 28-oz can)
2 cartons (32 oz. each) Progresso® chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon gray salt or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup uncooked acini di pepe pasta or other small round pasta (8 oz)
2 cups chopped, lightly packed mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard or other greens
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In 5-quart stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, carrot and celery; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaf; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; reduce heat.

Cover; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in greens just until wilted. Remove bay leaf. Serve with a twist of additional freshly ground pepper and sprinkle of cheese.

10 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

Carol made:

Soft Oat Rolls

As a rule, I like to have some kind of bread or roll with soup or stew....it's something my Nana always did....my Mom always did....and now I do. Besides...it gives me a good excuse to try new roll recipes because I LOVE to make bread. I had planned to make one recipe I've been wanting to try...go figure, I was missing one ingredient...good thing I realized it early in the afternoon so I had time to go looking for PLAN B.
I found this recipe and thought it sounded really good. It goes together in no time...you don't even need a mixer-it all can be done by hand.
The one thing I would do differently the next time is to form the dough into rolls and make them in a cake pan rather than a cookie sheet. That's my preference...I like the rolls that rise high instead of spread out.
Having said that......OH MY are these delicious! I was a little concerned as to how soft they'd be, given that they didn't have milk in them....well, the oats stepped in and did the trick. These live up to the "soft" title for sure....they're a little sweet, but not overly so, and VERY soft and tender. They're wonderful warm, but I'm sure they'd be equally as good cold. We both really liked them....they were a perfect side kick for soup and even make a pretty good mini sandwich.
If you're looking for a nice roll to accompany your meal, this is a great one for sure...and I have plenty tucked away in the freezer too.
This recipe has definitely gone into my favorites file!

Carol

Wanna print just the recipe , click here!

SOFT OAT ROLLS
(Source: adapted from Best of Country Breads cookbook)

2/3 c. quick-cooking oats
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. boiling water
1 (1/4 oz.) pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1/2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 egg, beaten
3-3 1/2 c. bread flour

1-2 Tbsp. butter, melted (for brushing tops of rolls after baking)

In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, sugar, butter and salt. Stir in boiling water; cool to 110-115 degrees.

Dissolve yeast in warm water; stir into oat mixture with egg and enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll to 1/2" thickness. Cut with a floured 2 1/2" biscuit cutter. Place 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake @ 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Lightly brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Remove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.

Bunny made:

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Once a week, my son Billy ( adorable, 29 and single, I'm just sayin') comes over for dinner and dessert. This week, this was dessert. His unbiased opinion of his mom's cookies? Delicious! That's my baby boy!
A soft peanut butter cookie with a peanut butter, chopped nut and chocolate chip filling. Sinfully rich, you couldn't eat too many of these in one sitting....pace them through out the day! LOL!! I took them to work and shared with some of my favorite customers. It was great to see the look on their faces as they savored them. This is an outstanding cookie and definitely a keeper. How good would this be with a chocolate filling or a banana flavored filling? Oh, the possibilities! Enjoy!

Bunny

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Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Fine Cooking

For the cookies:
6 oz. (1-1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
2 oz. (2/3 cup) cake flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz. (12 Tbs.) unsalted butter, completely softened at room temperature
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

For the filling:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 Tbs. heavy cream
1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate, or mini semisweet chocolate chips

To make the cookies

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. In a medium bowl, sift together the two flours, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg; continue creaming until smooth and fluffy, about 3 min. with an electric mixer (longer by hand). Stir in the flour mixture by hand just until it's incorporated; don't over mix or the cookies will be tough. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter, spaced about 2 inches apart, onto the lined baking sheets. With floured fingers, flatten each dab of batter into a 2-inch round. Bake until the cookies are puffed and golden, 12 to 14 min., rotating the baking sheets if needed for even baking. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

While the cookies cool, make the filling

In a small bowl, cream the confectioners' sugar, butter, and peanut butter until smooth. Add the heavy cream; continue creaming until smooth and fluffy. Stir in the chopped peanuts and chocolate.

To assemble

Transfer the cooled cookies to a work surface, flipping half of them over. With an offset spatula or a butter knife, spread a scant teaspoon of filling onto each turned-over cookie. Set another wafer on top of each filled cookie, pressing gently to spread the filling. Store sealed at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Hope for Haiti Live Raffle is on NOW!

2010-02-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

A live raffle at Cook Sister! starting today and running through til midnight February 28th to raise funds to help the people of Haiti. Cook Sister has all the details. She's also got all the prizes on her blog. $10.00 will buy you a ticket an give the people of Haiti hope. Go check out the prizes, buy a ticket....tell a friend and spread the love.

Bunny
Carol
Cyndy

Lucia's Breakfast Cake - Italian Pork Stew - Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

2010-02-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day everybody! Our Valentines Day post includes an Italian Breakfast Cake, Italian Pork Stew and Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes. All fantastic recipes, all in the name of LOVE!

Breakfast Italian Style
Lucia's Breakfast Cake

Breakfast in Italy is usually a cup of perfectly prepared cappuccino and pastry. Since this is our Valentine's Day post, let's eat Italian style shall we?
This little gem is called a breakfast cake...it really isn't like any other cake I've ever made. This is a cake made with a dough instead of a batter. There's no leavening in it, so it doesn't rise. The dough is pressed into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan, brushed with an egg wash and baked. It's a very simple little cake...no bells and whistles...none are needed. It holds it's ground as is, that was very evident with my first bite.
I cut this into wedges, picked it up with my hand and bit into a little cake that had a big shortbread cookie taste that was wonderful. A little crisp on the outside with a buttery shortbread consistency and taste that is addicting. Perfect for a light breakfast, fabulous with a cup of coffee or at tea time and with just the right amount of "sweet", it's the perfect ending to any meal. I doubled the vanilla in the recipe, 2 teaspoons instead of one. You could definitely switch out the vanilla for almond extract or add lemon zest to make it your own. Maybe add mini chocolate chips if that's your fancy....but make it as is the first time and taste the bliss of simplicity.

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Lucia's Breakfast Cake
Epicurious

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I used 2)
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter and process, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and vanilla and blend until dough holds together. Press dough onto bottom of prepared pan. Use tines of fork to decorate edge. Brush with glaze. Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Carol made:

Italian Pork Stew

I saw this recipe posted by Lynne/avidcookGA...she's a field editor on Taste of Home's forum. She said in her post that her recipe had been accepted and published in the new edition of Taste of Home magazine. I had gotten the magazine but hadn't had a chance to sit down and look through the whole thing...well...when I saw that post, I ran and got my magazine.....there was the recipe with a yummy looking picture. I read through the ingredients and one stopped me in my tracks...anchovy paste........oh boy.....never tried that one.....and didn't feel real comfortable about it. I've heard Rachael Ray say that when anchovies are cooked they melt down and taste nutty....not fishy.....well.......I still wasn't convinced.
In talking with Lynne on the board, she assured me that you CAN'T taste anchovies in this stew at all and that they add another level of flavor. OK.....I'm convinced....I picked up anchovy paste in a tube....no more fear.....I'm goin' for the gusto. Bob, on the other hand, wasn't so sure....anchovies? He had some VERY bad memories from back in his living in CA. days. He and a bunch of others would get pizza after their company softball games and they'd order pizza with a whole anchovy hidden under the toppings on one of the pizzas.....inevitably Bob would always seem to get that piece with the "prize"...only he didn't think it was such a good prize. So.....I had to REALLY work at convincing him he wouldn't taste it at all....and prayed the whole time I was making this that in fact that would be the case.
Let me tell you---I can see why they published this recipe....oh my goodness, it it WONDERFUL! The meat is so moist and tender. I used a center cut boneless pork loin roast for this....followed the recipe pretty much to the letter...used beef broth rather than opening a bottle of red wine and omitted the salt-mainly because I forgot to add it......but I think the stew had plenty of salty flavor between the broth, tomatoes and anchovy paste.
Oh yes....the anchovy paste?....NO added fish flavor at all...just another flavor layer that makes you say mmmmmm....what is that? The crushed red pepper adds just the right amount of heat-for us....if you don't like things on the "hot" side, I would suggest cutting the amount in half...we like the full amount though.
This has gone into my favorites file......it's an absolutely fantastic dish. Thank you, Lynne and congratulations on being published. The magazine picked a winner for sure!

Carol

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ITALIAN PORK STEW
(Source: Lynne German-published in Taste of Home magazine Feb./March 2010)

2/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 lb. boneless pork loin, cut into 1" pieces
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, crushed (I finely mince them or "press" them into a paste)
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 c. dry red wine OR beef broth
3 bay leaves
1 (3") cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. anchovy paste
1 tsp. each dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sage leaves (I use 1/2 tsp. ground sage)
1/2 tsp. salt (I omit this)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. minced fresh parsley

Hot cooked bow tie pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese

Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add pork, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
In a Dutch oven, brown pork in 3 Tbsp. oil in batches; remove from pan and keep warm.
In the same pan, saute onion in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
Add the tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, cinnamon, tomato paste, vinegar, anchovy paste, herbs, salt, pepper flakes, pepper and pork; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Stir in parsley. Cover and cook 30-60 minutes longer or until meat is tender. Skim fat; discard bay leaves and cinnamon.
Serve with pasta; sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Cyndy made:

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

Valentine's Day is coming and I thought a little color might be in order. With that in mind I decided on a re-do of the Margarita Cupcakes with one change...STRAWBERRIES!
The Grand Marnier was the perfect tweak for these luscious berries. It worked for the lime and is outstanding in this version! Make these full size OR bite size for a perfect little treat.
I used only a smidge of red gel color and added 1/2 jigger of Grand Marnier to the Butter Cream again and it's a standard with me now!
Thanks again RecipeGirl!

Cyndy

Wanna print just the recipe, click here.

~ ~ ~ MARGARITA CUPCAKES ~ ~ ~
Adapted from: RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients:

CAKE:

9 ounces liquid Margarita mix (a little over a cup)
3 ounces tequila (a little less than 1/3 cup)
¾ ounce Grand Marnier ( I used 1 1/2 oz about 45 mililiters)
1/2 cup strawberry puree mixed with 1 tbsp sugar{my addition}
1 box white cake mix {used Strawberry}
3 large egg whites
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs lime zest {omitted}

~ ~ ~ LIME BUTTERCREAM ICING ~ ~ ~

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs fresh lime juice{omitted since I did strawberry}
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lime zest
green food coloring, if desired {I used gel color}
small lime slices for garnish, if desired
1/2 jigger of Grand Marnier {my addition}

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two dozen cupcake tins with paper liners. {I used mini bite sized and got 24 and one dozen regular sized}

2. Prepare cupcakes: Whisk together margarita mix, tequila and Grand Marnier, and Strawberry Puree with sugar in a small bowl. Measure out 1¼ cups for the recipe; pour the rest on some ice and drink it while making the cupcakes {Love this part!}

3. In a large bowl, blend cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, lime zest and 1¼ cups of the margarita mix from step 1. Blend on low for about 30 seconds and then increase speed to medium and blend for two additional minutes. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

4. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners (about ¾ full). Bake for 20-25 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pans, then remove them to a rack to cool completely.

5. Prepare icing: Once cucpakes are completely cooled, prepare the icing. Place butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until butter is fluffy. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar, salt, lime juce, and lime zest. Mix until thick and creamy. Add more powdered sugar until the frosting is of a good spreading (or piping) consistency. Mix in a tiny amount of green {Used red} food coloring or gel paste if you’d like the frosting to have a green tint. Ice cupcakes in whatever manner you prefer… spreading or piping the frosting. Use small lime slices as garnish.

Yield: About 24

Cooking Tips
*Don’t worry too much about exact measuring for the margarita mix/tequila/Grand Marnier. Just eyeball it and measure out the 1 1/4 cups that you’ll need for the recipe.

**If you just spread frosting on the cupcakes (rather than piping), you’ll probably have a bit of frosting leftover.

***If you prepare these a day before, it’s best to place them into a covered container and refrigerate them. Remove them to room temperature a couple of hours before serving. Of course, they’re best if eaten the day they’re made.

Friday Night Bistro Chicken - Russian Chocolate Braid - Cherry Cosmopolitan

2010-02-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

Well I can't think of anything I'd rather have for dinner than the menu we have today. Carol has made a fantastic bistro chicken recipe, Cyndy has a cocktail that will knock your socks off ( I love cherry anything!). I made a braided sweet bread that is sinfully delicious. Are you ready for this...I know I am!

Carol made:

Friday Night Bistro Chicken

A very sweet lady named Janie and I were talking about chicken dishes a few weeks ago on the Taste of Home board and she told me about a few that were reviewed and loved many times over a while back on the board. She was nice enough to go back, retrieve them and repost them so that I could copy them.
I hadn't seen this recipe when it was first posted by Nancy_NJ and reviewed......I went back and did a search and WOW......so many made it and loved it. I knew I had to try it...and soon!
I FINALLY gathered all the ingredients needed.....canned French Onion Soup isn't something I have in the house and being a creature of habit at the store in the soup aisle, I always reach for the low sodium stuff when I buy soup and very rarely look past that. I retrained my brain and grabbed a can for this dish. The rest of the ingredients are things I always have here in the house.
I only made a couple changes and they're minor. I omit the added salt in the recipe since, for us, the soup has enough salt and I use 1 tsp. of thyme leaves, which is plenty for our taste. Don't feel like you have to go out and buy shallots for this....a lot of the reviewers on Taste of Home said they just used chopped onion in its place. I love shallots and try to keep them at the ready, so that's what I used. My skillet isn't oven ready, so I transfer the browned chicken to a 13x9-inch glass baking dish, pour the sauce over and into the oven it goes. I'm not normally a fan of Swiss cheese, but I have to say, in this dish, it ROCKS!
The chicken is SO nice and moist and the combination of flavors in the sauce....heavenly. I would call the sauce in this recipe an accompaniment to the chicken-there isn't enough to pour over pasta-at least there isn't when I make it...others who have made this say they have plenty of sauce. I think it depends how much juice is in the diced tomatoes you use and how long you reduce them before adding the soup. I spoon some of the sauce over the chicken when I plated it.
I serve this with orzo to which I add sauteed yellow pepper, onion, garlic and some chopped fresh parsley. It works nicely as a side dish.
This would be a wonderful-and EASY-dish to serve dinner guests too. It's so simple to put together, yet so complex in flavor.
I can see why it was given so many rave reviews on the Taste of Home board......it has become a new favorite in this house for sure. I know I'll be making this many times over......oh, and don't wait for a Friday night to make it.....it's a winner ANY night of the week!!!

Carol

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FRIDAY NIGHT BISTRO CHICKEN
(Source: adapted from Recipezaar....posted by Nancy_NJ on Taste of Home)

2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tsp. salt (I omit this)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. chopped shallots (you can substitute chopped onion if you prefer)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
1-1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can condensed French Onion Soup
1 c. grated Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, melt butter in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken breasts with half of the salt and pepper, reserving the rest for the sauce. Pan-fry the chicken until both sides are golden but the chicken is not cooked through.

Remove chicken from skillet; set aside. (I place the chicken into a 13x9-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.)

Add shallots to skillet; cook, stirring, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice and thyme; cook until sauce has reduced a bit, 4-5 minutes. Add soup; cook another 4 minutes, seasoning with remaining salt and pepper.

Return chicken to skillet; place in preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for 18-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (I pour the sauce over the chicken in the baking dish and place in the oven to bake). Remove from oven; sprinkle chicken with Swiss cheese and return to oven 3-5 minutes more, or until cheese is melted. 6 servings.

Bunny made:

Russian Chocolate Braid

Russian Chocolate Braid....absolutely outrageous! A little bit of work...yes. But so worth it, I've never had the pleasure of tasting anything like it. And isn't that why we do what we do, to taste the sinfully delicious. I found this recipe on Fine Cooking. The minute I saw it , I knew it had to be mine. George you tempted me with your Bread pudding, it's my turn to get you back. You need this buddy, you need this! The dough recipe is made in the food processor and really only takes minutes to put together. Now don't think for one minute I wasn't intimidated because I was, but I wanted it and that over rode any fear I had. The dough has sour cream,butter and a small mashed up potato in it. Warning , the dough is sticky, so sticky in fact that I really didn't
get to knead it the way the recipe called for. But it was all good!! After the dough is made, you let it rise, then roll it out with a little flour to a rectangle. Ok, now you put the pastry cream you've made on it, yeah pastry cream. Spread a layer all over it, I used all the pastry cream I made. Then you sprinkle mini chocolate chips on it, I didn't have mini , so I used regular. Roll the rectangle up from the wide side jelly roll style. Cut it down the center then make a 2 strand braid, I have to seriously work on my braiding! Let it rise again, then brushed with an egg wash and baked till golden delicious! Seriously just make this once, you have to taste the moist, rich sweet bread with those chocolate chips in it. Unbelievable! I don't know whose sweet little Russian Grandma made this first but I could hug her for it!!

Russian Chocolate Braid
Fine Cooking

Sour Cream and Potato Sweet Dough
Fine Cooking

For the dough:

8 oz. (1-1/2 cups) plus 3 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. instant yeast (Red Star QuickRise, Saf’s Perfect Rise, Fleischmann’s RapidRise, or bread machine yeast)
3 Tbs. water
1 very small potato, peeled, boiled, and sieved (to yield 1/4 cup)
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter

In a large bowl, mix the 3 Tbs. flour with the yeast and then whisk in the water. Let the mixture sit covered until it has begun to puff, 10 to 15 minutes.

Fit a large-capacity food processor with the metal blade. Put the remaining flour in the workbowl and then add the yeast mixture, potato, egg yolks, vanilla, and sour cream. Process the dough for about 1 min. Remove it from the machine and knead it by hand on an unfloured countertop for 1 minute to redistribute the heat. The dough will be very stiff at this point. Continue this alternating kneading: process for 30 seconds and then knead on the counter for about 30 seconds, until the dough is very smooth (this should take 2 to 3 processing rounds).

Put the dough back in the food processor and add the sugar and salt, kneading again in the processor and then on the counter until the sugar has dissolved (the dough will soften considerably and become very sticky; this is fine).

Finally, return the dough to the processor, add the butter, and do another alternating kneading round until the butter is well incorporated and the dough is very soft and smooth, about 1 minute. The dough won’t clean the bowl at this point. It’s all right if it feels quite soft and warm after processing: kneading the dough on the counter will help it cool down and firm up.

Transfer the dough to a container at least four times its volume (no need to grease the container); seal well. (At this point, the dough can instead be rolled in flour and then sealed in a plastic bag and refrigerated for up to 4 days. If you do mix ahead and chill the dough, pull it out of the fridge 3 to 4 hours before baking.) Let the dough ferment at room temperature for about 3 hours or until it’s expanded to 3 times its volume and an indent remains when you press it with a floured finger.

Pastry Cream
Fine Cooking

1 cup milk
2-inch piece vanilla bean, slashed lengthwise, seeds scraped out, or 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. table salt
2 large egg yolks

Cyndy made:

Cherry Cosmopolitan

A few of my friends and I went out to dinner one night to celebrate another friends retirement. I adore Cosmopolitans and was going to order one when my friend Aida noticed they had Cherry Cosmo's on the menu. OOH had to try it. Boy was it good and strong too. I knew i'd have to try and make it at home. I googled Cherry Cosmo and found lots of ways to make them and settled on this one. No changes here, it's perfect as is!

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Cherry Cosmopolitan
barmeister.com

1 1/2 oz Absolut Mandrin Vodka (used Stoli Orange)
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 splash(es) Lime Juice
1 splash(es) Cherry Juice

Chill & strain. Serve in martini glass. Garnish with cherry and lime round.

Giant Lemon Cookies - Viennese Chocolate Torte - Banana Pecan Sweet Rolls

2010-01-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

I think the best thing I've ever done creatively is make this blog. The first time I ventured into the cooking/baking blog world, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Why? Because I found you to be caring, loving people...people you can count on.
I've had a rough winter. I kinda dug a hole in the ground and stuck my head in it till I was ready to come out.
I'm ready now....thanks for waiting for me, thanks for caring. You're all priceless to me. Thank you Carol and Cyndy for putting up with me my sistas! I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard Of Oz, clicking her heels together....There's no place like home.

Cyndy made:

Giant Lemon Sugar Cookies

I got this recipe from a very nice lady on Taste of Home, her name is Salsarose. She found it on Pinch My Salt blog.

I saw this and thought YUM....LEMON. I made these tonight and made one change-I used lemon extract instead of vanilla extract. These are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the center. I doubled the extract and doubled the zest. Can you tell I love lemon? They don't have a really strong lemon taste, it's subtle and just right. I'm thinking I'll try them again and use a lemon drizzle with a hint of cointreau......Ooooooh......or do a lemon flavored white chocolate drizzle!!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Giant Lemon Sugar Cookies

2 c. sugar, divided
Zest of 2 lemons, divided (zested 3 large lemons)
1 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla (omitted, used 2 tsp Watkin's Lemon extract)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda

Prepare lemon sugar: In a mini food processor, blend 1/2 c. sugar with 1 tsp. lemon zest. Pulse several times until the lemon zest is incorporated into the sugar. Put sugar mixture in a shallow bowl and stir lightly with a fork to break up any clumps. Set aside.

Prepare cookie dough: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and remaining 1 1/2 c. sugar. Blend in eggs, one at a time then add vanilla, lemon juice, and remaining lemon zest. Add flour mixture, one cup at a time, blending well after each addition, until all flour is incorporated.

Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Shape the cookies: Using a jumbo cookie scoop or your hands, shape 2 tablespoonfuls of dough into a ball and roll in lemon sugar. Place ball of dough on cookie sheet and press down lightly with the bottom of a glass until cookie is about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat. Six cookies will fit on one 18x13-inch baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Bunny made:

Viennese Chocolate Torte

This recipe came from a big ole Hershey Chocolate Dessert Book I got at holiday time. I was very intrigued with the recipe because I've never made a torte before. It was easy to put together , I mean really easy. You make one cake in a jelly roll pan, cut it into 3 equal pieces and stack them. The layers are filled with raspberry preserves and whipped cream. Absolutely delicious!
I'm already thinking about what flavorings to put into the whipped cream, and switching out the preserves . Oh the possibilities!! I opted for walnuts instead of coconut...the sky's the limit with this one...use your imagination!

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!

Viennese Chocolate Torte
Hershey Site
Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
* 1/4 cup boiling water
* 1/3 cup shortening
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 egg
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
* 1/4 cup seedless black raspberry preserves
* Cream Filling (recipe follows)
* Cocoa Glaze (recipe follows)
* MOUNDS Coconut Flakes, toasted

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 15x10 1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan; line pan with wax paper and lightly grease paper.

2. Stir together cocoa and boiling water in small bowl until smooth; set aside. Beat shortening, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl until creamy; beat in egg. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to shortening mixture. Add reserved cocoa mixture, beating just until blended. Spread batter into pan.

3. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Remove wax paper. cool completely. Cut cake crosswise into three equal pieces. Place one piece on serving plate. Stir raspberry preserves to soften; spread 2 tablespoons evenly on top of cake. Spread half of Cream Filling over preserves. Repeat layering. Glaze top of torte with Cocoa Glaze, allowing some to drizzle down sides. Garnish with coconut. Refrigerate several hours. Cover; refrigerate leftover torte.

*To sour milk: Use 2 teaspoons white vinegar plus milk to equal 2/3 cup.

CREAM FILLING: Beat 1 cup whipping cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until stiff. Makes about 2 cups filling.

COCOA GLAZE:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
2 tablespoons water
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in cocoa and water. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Do NOT boil. Remove from heat. Whisk in powdered sugar gradually. Add vanilla and beat with whisk until smooth. Add additional water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

Makes 10 servings.

Carol made:

Banana-Pecan Sweet Rolls

There they are....those bananas on the counter....you know the ones.....they're the ones with the REALLY dark peels that needed a new home-preferably not the trash. I've been making banana bread and muffins every time we had some of those over ripe bananas and sticking the finished products in the freezer. I wanted a little something different this time.
I started the new year by unpacking box after box of cookbooks I've been storing in the bedroom...moving the dinosaur set of encyclopedias downstairs and loading the tall bookcase in the living room with cookbooks. OH MY have I been finding some treaures I forgot all about....and in the process finding GREAT recipes.
This is one of them. I was really in the mood to make some kind of cinnamon roll, but not the usual cinnamon roll, so when I found this...and it used BANANAS...it was a win-win situation for me!
The dough was quick to put together...and used 3 out of the 4 bananas to boot....WOO HOO! The flavor of bananas is subtle in the rolls but definitely there. I really like the allspice in the filling too...that's a different and tasty surprise. I only used half of the recipe for glaze and that worked out as plenty for what we like.
I didn't bake these off individually on a baking sheet as the original recipe called for-I rolled the rectangle 1" shorter and sliced each roll into 15 slices so that I could bake them off in two 13x9-inch pans. I like cinnamon rolls baked in baking pans-they rise higher and they seem to be moister to me....probably my imagination but it's what I'm used to doing so I stick with what works.
One pan stayed upstairs as a breakfast treat and the other went into the freezer. We microwaved a couple this morning for about 10 seconds and they were so nice and soft-just as if they were fresh baked.
Now to find some more new recipes to try...

Carol

Wanna print just the recipe, click here!.

BANANA-PECAN SWEET ROLLS
(Source: adapted from Taste Of Home Holidays and Celebrations Cookbook 2007)

DOUGH:
4 3/4-5 c. bread flour
1/4 c. sugar
4 1/2 tsp. instant yeast (or 2 (1/4 oz. each) pkg. quick-rise yeast)
1 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

FILLING:
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground allspice

ICING*:
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp. milk

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 c. flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120-130 degrees. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add the bananas, egg and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, 45-60 minutes.

Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 15x6-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter to within 1/2" of edges. Combine pecans, sugar and allspice; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2" of edges.

Starting with a long side, roll up jelly-roll style; pinch seam to seal. Slice each roll into 15 (1") slices. Place in (2) greased 13x9-inch baking pans.** Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake @ 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, brush tops lightly with melted butter (I always do). Remove from pans to wire racks.

Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over rolls. Serve warm. Makes 30.

*I cut the icing ingredients above in half and had plenty of icing to drizzle over both pans of rolls-we don't care for a heavy frosting on sweet rolls.

**The recipe in the cookbook calls for making individual sweet rolls: Roll each half of dough into a 16x6-inch rectangle. Cut each roll into 16 slices; place the slices on greased baking sheets. Follow the instructions above for rising. Bake @ 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Make the whole batch of icing and drizzle over rolls. Serve warm. Makes 32 rolls.

Bourbon Chicken - Amish Caramel Corn - Individual Apple Charlottes

2009-12-29T07:07:00.000-08:00

Three pretty terrific recipes, three darn good reasons to get in the kitchen and cook! Carol made Bourbon Chicken...I made Amish Caramel Corn....Cyndy made Individual Apple Charlottes. Are you in the kitchen yet!!! HA HA!!!

Bourbon Chicken

I will admit, I've never had Bourbon Chicken. When I saw this recipe, it intrigued me....hmmmm...there's no bourbon in it....so why is it called Bourbon Chicken? No matter.....I didn't have any bourbon in the house anyway!
This is a quick and easy recipe to put together. The ingredients in the sauce are interesting....I never would have thought of mixing apple juice and ketchup for a Chinese dish...but it sure does work!
The aroma of this sauce while it's cooking is intoxicating. It reduces down and coats the chicken in a velvety glaze. The chicken is moist, tender and very flavorful. I used the 3/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes because we like heat....I wouldn't say this is overly spicy, but you know there's red pepper in it. I'm sure it would be just as good with less red pepper in it, or if you don't like spicy food, you could leave it out all together.
I served this over brown rice with some steamed broccoli on the side.
Once again, a recipe for my "Keepers" file that is forever growing...and that's a good thing!

Carol

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BOURBON CHICKEN
(Source: Recipezaar)

2 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp. ginger (I use fresh grated ginger)
3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. apple juice
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. soy sauce (I use lite soy sauce)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken.

Add remaining ingredients to skillet, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve over hot rice.

Bunny made:

Amish Caramel Corn

I made this as Christmas gifts for the staff at work. I needed to make something that would give me a high yield and be terrific. This was the perfect recipe! I'm not kidding when I tell you that this stuff is absolutely addicting!! I couldn't keep my hands off of it when I was making it. The kitchen manager at work told me I should bag and sell it, it's just that darn good!
I did play with the recipe to get it the way I wanted it. First, I used butter instead of margarine. I used 2 tsp. vanilla instead of one, then I had to play with the amount of popcorn to get the right ratio of popcorn to caramel. If I'm gonna eat caramel corn I want LOTS of caramel on the popcorn! HA HA!! I made this recipe so many times I know it by heart. I popped 1/2 cup of Jolly Time popcorn according to the package directions using 3 tablespoons of oil. I know the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups...but the popcorn didn't get coated with caramel the way I wanted it to be, cutting back on the popcorn was the key to getting it perfectly coated. I used the 2 cups of dry roasted peanuts and followed the recipe for the caramel exactly. The recipe is a little time consuming, stirring every 15 minutes from the oven ( I only baked and stirred 3 times for 45 minutes instead of an hour)....but believe me, your gonna be very happy with the results!

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My Amish Friends Caramel Corn
Adapted from All Recipes.com

Ingredients

7 quarts plain popped popcorn ( 1/2 cup Jolly Time Popcorn kernels, popped)
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine ( I used butter)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I used 2 tsp.)

Directions

1. Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.
4. Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Bunny's note, I baked for three, fifteen minute intervals.

Cyndy made:

Individual Apple Charlottes

Butter...........lots of butter. I think Paula Deen would be proud of me. This is the most mouth watering dessert that i've had in a Long Long time. Good doesn't even begin to describe the taste. Lucious, sweet, Heaven in a baked buttery sweet cake! Bunny sent this to me in an email and said "LOOK AT THIS" the pic was so pretty and INVITING........... hmmmmm. Had some Honey Crisp Apples to use up. I love to eat them just by themselves. I love them, sweet, crisp and tart. I thought they would be perfect for this recipe and I wasn't disappointed. The recipe calls for raisins and golden raisins. I'm not really a raisin fan, but have a box of Golden Raisins that i was supposed to take to Mom's. I decided to use both the Goldens and change out the regular raisins for dried cranberries. Good choice as they complimented the apples perfectly. This recipe also calls for Calvados. I couldn't find it anywhere and didn't want to have to travel 2 cities over to get it at BevMo, so I used boiled Apple Cider. I took 3 cups of Apple Cider and added 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of Karo Syrup. I reduced to about half or 1 1/2 cups. it was a nice thick rich syrup with a concentrated apple taste. Now, I could of added brandy, but I figured why? It's good like that. The Cointreau was an afterthought when I was about to pour in the boiled cider into the apple mix. It is fantastic and you can't even taste it.
Now, should you attempt to make these, remember to let them cool for about 10 minutes in the ramekins and then loosen them, they will be very hot and may collapse on you. Also, if you leave them in too long.....they get stuck.
This is one treat you want to eat warm, with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche.

MY NOTE: I got 5 ramekins and ran out of filling so I made one with canned peaches and added pumpkin pie spice....it was good!! I dotted it with butter and sprinkled a little bit of brown sugar into it. YUM.

Thanks Bunny....this is excellent!

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Individual Apple Charlottes
adapted from Fine Cooking
by Ris Lacoste

Serves 8.

Ingredients:

crème fraîche
vanilla beans
raisins
dried cranberries~~my addition
apples
lemons
butter
granulated sugar
Calvados
white bread
ice cream

For the filling:

3 lb. Braeburn or Golden Delicious apples (6 or 7 apples) ~~Used Honey Crisps
1 lemon, rinsed
1 vanilla bean
1/3 cup raisins~~ Used Dried Cranberries
1/3 cup golden raisins
2-1/2 oz. (5 Tbs.) unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs. Calvados (or other apple brandy)~~Skipped the brandy and used Boiled Cider and a shot of Cointreau

For the crust:

1 loaf sliced white bread (I use Pepperidge Farm Classic White; you may want to buy an extra loaf just in case)
1/2 lb. (1 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream for serving

Make the filling:

Peel, core, and dice the apples into 1/4-inch pieces (you’ll have about 6-1/2 cups). Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest off half the lemon in long strips, taking care to avoid the bitter white pith (if necessary, remove any pith from the zest strips by scraping it off with a knife). Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a paring knife. In a large bowl, toss the apples, lemon zest, vanilla bean seeds and spent pod, raisins, and golden raisins.

In a 12-inch skillet or 5-quart Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat and then add the sugar. When the sugar is fully moistened, add the apple mixture and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the apples start to release liquid and look soft on the outside (they’ll still be a little crunchy inside), about 7 min. (you want to just start the cooking process at this point while still leaving the apples crunchy). Set the apple mixture aside to cool slightly and then add the Calvados.

Prepare the crust:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven; heat the oven to 475°F. Trim the bread crusts. Cut eight rounds to fit the bottoms of eight 8-ounce ramekins. Cut enough rectangles to line the sides. (The bread should come to within at least 3/4 inch of the ramekin’s rim, if not the top.) Melt butter in a medium skillet and put the sugar in a shallow dish. Brush the insides of the ramekins with butter. Generously dip both sides of each piece of bread in butter followed by sugar on one side. Lay one round in each ramekin, sugared side down. Nestle the rectangles, sugared side facing outward toward the ramekin, so they line the sides of each one.

Trace around the ramekin bottom with a paring knife to cut a round of bread to line each ramekin. Strips of bread line the sides. They needn't come all the way to the top, but they should be close to the rim.

Assemble and bake:

Pick the lemon zest and vanilla bean halves out of the apple filling and fill each ramekin, pressing on the filling to get rid of air pockets. Be generous; the filling will cook down. Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet (leaving a few inches between each) and cover snugly with one sheet of foil. Bake for 40 min. To see if the charlottes are done, run a paring knife around the side, knock on the ramekin bottom, and invert a ramekin onto a plate to check the bottom; it should be nicely caramelized, and will have caramelized more than the sides. (If they’re not done yet, return them to the oven for a few more minutes). Unmold and serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Make Ahead Tips
Apple Charlottes can be completely prepared a day ahead, covered (still in the molds) with plastic, and refrigerated. To reheat, let them sit at room temperature while you heat the oven to 350°F. Bake until hot, about 12 min., and unmold.

Bread was dipped in butter, both sides and then one side dipped in sugar. The sugar sides faced outward towards the ramekin

Spooned the filling in and pressed down to remove air bubbles. The filling will rise a little, but it will go back down. Definitely line the rimmed baking pan with foil, you'll have sugar and butter all over your pan and oven if not.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies - Hazelnut Cappuccino Fudge- Double Swirl Apple Bread

2009-12-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

It's crunch time kids. Time to seriously get out there and do some Christmas Shopping and start thinking about what we're baking for family, friends and neighbors. Somebody kick me in the rear to get me started will ya!! LOL!! We've got some pretty terrific sugar for you in this post. I made Chewy Chocolate Cookies, Cyndy put together some Hazelnut Cappuccino Fudge and Carol made a wonderful Double Swirl Apple Bread, Ingrid, I thought of you when I saw it. I have to shamelessly put a plug in for my little brother Kevin's blog! My brother has a blog!!! He's an interior designer and very good at what he does. He just started a blog called A Beautiful Life. In his blog he gives you tips and shows you his work. Go check out his blog and say hello!

Bunny made:

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

I made these cookies to take to work today. I past them out to the staff and my favorite customers. These are a WOW cookie. So soft , fudgey and chewy...like a brownie made into a cookie! Everybody loved them!! After I made them I put them in a sealed plastic container, when I took the lid off to get one the aroma of chocolate was intoxicating, chocolate cookie with semi sweet chocolate chips, does it get any better than that! No, no it doesn't.

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Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Source: Holiday Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine flour, cocoa,, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on pans for 1 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Cyndy made:

Hazelnut Cappuccino Fudge

If you've ever tried Guittard's Cappuccino chips you'll know how captivating the taste can be. Now combine that with the flavor of Hazelnuts and fudge and your taste buds will not know what hit them. I found a recipe on the DesertCulinary blog for Cappuccino fudge. Since I had the chips and had been wanting to make it and got sidetracked by my popcorn loving husband I decided I would make the fudge. I was telling Carol about the fudge and started to get ideas (shhh, don't tell Carol she's my muse, I get the best ideas when talking with her. Okay, someone pick her up off the floor and smack her for laughing at me!!) I had a thought. Why not make it Hazelnut Cappuccino instead? The more I thought about it, I realized what I really wanted was to layer it. Hazelnut on top and cappuccino on the bottom. So, I made the capp fudge first and let it firm up some before making the second layer. I pinched a taste and man that stuff is awesome!

For the Hazelnut layer, I toasted about 1 cup of hazelnuts and removed the husks. chopped them up and tossed them into the fudge mix along with 1/2 dram of LorAnn Chocolate Hazelnut flavoring and poured that into the pan on top of the cappuccino layer. I had lots of crumbs from chopping the hazelnuts so I sprinkled that on top of the fudge. After firming up. I removed the foil and had the pleasure of slicing off the uneven sides. Randall was watching me as I took my first taste. He said you couldn't slap that smile off my face. Creamy, soft and smooth with a crunch from the hazelnuts. oh the taste was pure bliss. a nice combination of flavors that will make you smile.

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Cappuccino Layer
Adapted from desert culinary blog

Fantasy Fudge
Original Recipe

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package Guittard Cappuccino Chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme

2 tsp vanilla

Traditional method:

Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme,and vanilla, beat till blended. Pour into greased foil lined 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool

For the Hazelnut Layer

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package Guittard White Chocolate Chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped toasted Hazelnuts
1/2 dram Chocolate Hazelnut flavoring-LorAnn

Traditional method:

Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme,and Hazelnut flavoring and nuts, beat till blended. Pour on top of Cappuccino layer. remove from pan and cut into pieces

Carol made:

Double Swirl Apple Bread

I've had this recipe in my folder here for quite a while....have looked at it and thought I REALLY want to try that-and I always chickened out. No more excuses...time to dig my heels in and just DO IT.
This is a really different bread....and I mean that in a good way. It's not overly sweet, which I like......BUT I REALLY have to figure out why EVERY TIME I make a bread like this that has to be rolled, it never sticks together and leaves that big gap. That just irritates the heck out of me.
Oh well...a big gap doesn't change the taste----the bread is SO nice and soft! I think the shredded apple in the dough adds to the moisture. I love the double swirl too.
I substituted bread flour for the all-purpose flour in this...I use bread flour in all my yeast breads now. I think it rises better....overall, the dough just handles better for me....plus I find I use less of the bread flour than all-purpose. I don't know why but that's OK!
Oh-and is this ever good toasted...yum yum!!!
We'll enjoy this loaf and the other is in the freezer for another day.
Now to study up on the fine art of making a "swirled" loaf of bread...geesh...

Carol

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DOUBLE SWIRL APPLE BREAD
(Adapted from culinarycafe.com)

5 1/2-6 c. all-purpose flour (I use bread flour-it takes about 5 cups)
1 (1/4 oz.) pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. milk
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. shredded apple

1 1/2 c. finely chopped peeled apple
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 slightly beaten egg white
1 Tbsp. water
Coarse sugar

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 c. of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a saucepan heat and stir milk, granulated sugar, the 3 Tbsp. butter, and the salt until warm (120-130 degrees.) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to flour mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping side of the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in shredded apple. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour). Punch dough down.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for filling, in a medium mixing bowl, combine chopped apple, nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon; set aside.

Roll half of the dough into a 14x9-inch rectangle. Spread with 1 tablespoon of the softened butter; sprinkle with half of the filling. Beginning at both short ends, roll each end up, jelly-roll style, to center. Place loaf, rolled side up, in a lightly greased 8x4x2- or 9x5x3-inch loaf pan (I used the 9x5x3-inch pans). For second loaf, repeat with remaining dough, remaining butter, and remaining filling; place loaf in a second lightly greased loaf pan.

Cover; let rise until almost double in size (about 30 minutes). Stir together egg white and water. Brush egg white mixture over tops of loaves; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. (If necessary, loosely cover with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.) Immediately remove from pans. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves.

MAKE-AHEAD TIP: Prepare loaves as directed. Wrap in heavy foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw loaves at room temperature