deep in the dish of texas

fleur de sel caramel crunch cups

2011-12-18T21:46:00.000-06:00

makes 45 candy cups

fleur de sel

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 (14 oz) package caramels
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
1 cup coarsely crushed thin pretzel sticks
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

liberally grease petit-four pans or candy molds that you are going to use. sprinkle fleur de sel in each pan.
combine heavy cream and caramels in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high 2 to 3 minutes or until caramels are melted, stirring after every minute. stir in nuts, pretzels, and vanilla. spoon mixture into petit-four pans or candy molds, filling each two-thirds full. cool completely.
place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on hight 1 minute or until melted. stir until smooth. once caramels are cool, dip each in the melted chocolate and place on a cooling rack to dry. store candy cups in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

cake batter fudge

2011-12-13T20:13:00.000-06:00

this fudge is a smooth, creamy fudge with the unmistakable flavor of cake batter! it looks innocent, but one taste will bring you back to the days of licking cake batter off beaters. top this fudge with a scattering of sprinkles to complete the resemblance.

1 stick (4 oz) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (6.5 oz) full-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 package (12 oz) white chocolate chips
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup dry yellow cake mix
sprinkles, to decorate

prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
place the butter, sour cream, salt, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-high heat. stir until the sugar and butter melt.
continue to cook the fudge, stirring frequently, until it comes to a full boil. once boiling, cook it for five minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. if you are using a candy thermometer instead of timing it, it should be at 235 degrees.
after five minutes, remove the pan from the heat and add the white chocolate chips and the marshmallow cream. stir vigorously until the chips and cream are melted and incorporated. if necessary, return the fudge to the heat for brief periods to melt the chips.
add the vanilla and the dry cake mix and stir well. you can even use a whisk to make sure that any small clumps of cake mix are completely mixed in. taste the fudge, and if desired, add another spoonful or two of cake mix until the flavor is as strong as you'd like.
pour the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. scatter the sprinkles all over the top and press gently so that they adhere to the fudge.
allow it to set at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. to serve, cut it into small 1-inch pieces. store cake batter fudge in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

nutella mergingues

2011-12-12T19:22:00.000-06:00

yields 15 to 20 meringues (depends on how big you make them)

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of cream of tartar
pinch of salt
½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon, granulated sugar
¼ cup nutella

preheat the oven to 300 degrees f. make sure you have one oven rack in the bottom third of your oven and one in the upper third of your oven.
line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
warm the nutella in a microwave and let the nutella cool as you make the meringue.
in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites. beat on medium-high speed until they are completely foamy.
add the cream of tartar and the salt and continue whipping at medium-high speed until when you lift the whisk attachment, soft peaks form. this should take a few minutes.
once you have reached the soft peak stage, increase the speed to high and begin adding the sugar a few spoonfuls at a time (this should take a few minutes).
once all the sugar is in, the meringue should be very thick (almost stiff) and when you left the whisk firm peaks should remain.
remove the bowl from the mixer and drop in all the nutella. with a rubber spatula, gently fold the nutella into the meringue three or four times. you’re aiming for a swirled effect so don’t overmix. this will also help avoid deflating the meringue.
using two spoons, drop the meringue onto the parchment-lined baking sheets in large dollops.
place in the oven for 10 minutes. after 10 minutes, immediately lower the heat to 200 degrees f. and rotate the trays. bake for an hour.
after an hour, check the meringues. if they are completely dried out then turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for a few hours to cool with the oven. if the meringues still look a bit “wet”, then continue baking for another 20 minutes or so. either way, once fully baked, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there for a few hours.
when you remove the meringues from the oven they should be completely dry and cool and will sound hollow when you tap the bottoms.

the meringues will keep in an airtight container for a week.

sherry butter nut drops

2011-12-11T14:35:00.000-06:00

these were amazing, very easy to make with just a slight sherry flavor!

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

3 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup dry sherry

1 cup ground pecans

2 egg whites, beaten

pecan halves, optional

preheatoven to 350 degrees f.
creamthe butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy. in aseparate bowl, combine the flour and salt. mix the flour into the buttermixture, alternating with the sherry, making sure to finish with the flour.stir in the ground pecans.
dropby the teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet and roll each portion between your palmsto make smooth, even balls. press each one into the cookie sheet and brush withbeaten egg white. using a fork, knife or another tool, press a design into thetop of each cookie, or press a pecan half, right side up, into each ball ordough. bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. remove from the oven, letcool a few minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
cooland let cookies sit overnight to ripen. serve or store in an airtight containerfor up to 1 week.

2nd annual-ish cookie baking extravaganza

2011-12-10T16:14:00.000-06:00

today, my friend lara had her 2nd annual-ish cookie baking extravaganza at her house. this was so much fun last time and I couldn't wait for the fun to start again. here is what we made:
toffee
homemade thin mints
cinnamon roll cookies
chocolate mint sandwich cookies
italian wedding cookies
raspberry shortbread thumbprints
sugar cookies
white chocolate cranberry blondies
soft gingersnaps
lara's mom wrote a great blog post about the day, complete with pictures here

christmas baking 2011

2011-12-01T18:14:00.000-06:00

after taking a break from baking last christmas, I am really looking forward to baking this year! here's what I'm making:

sherry butter nut drops
nutella meringues
cake batter fudge
dark chocolate fudge with dried cranberries and pistachios
pecan bars
chocolate strawberry rugelach
gingerbread biscotti
fleur de sel caramel crunch cups
peanut butter shortbread
spiced madelines

Brioche with Strawberry Butter

2011-04-23T16:28:00.013-05:00

Makes 16 small brioche

Dough Starter:
2 tablespoons water, at room temperature
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 large egg

Flour Mixture:
1 cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, cold
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft

Egg Glaze:
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon cream

One day or up to 2 days ahead, make the dough starter. In the mixer bowl, place the water, sugar, instant yeast, flour, and egg. Whisk by hand until very smooth, to incorporate air, about 3 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a very thick batter. (At first the dough may collect inside the whisk, but just shake it out and keep whisking. If it’s too thick to whisk, it means you’ve added too much flour and will need to add a little of the eggs to be added Step 3.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and set it aside, covered with plastic wrap.
Combine the ingredients for the flour mixture and add to the sponge. In a small bowl. Whisk the flour with the sugar and yeast. Then whisk in the salt (this keeps the yeast from coming in contact with the salt, which would kill it). Sprinkle this mixture on top of the sponge. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour mixture in places; this is fine.) Refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours.
Mix the dough. Add the 2 cold eggs and mix with the dough hook on low (#2 if using a KitchenAid) for about 1 minutes or until the flour is moistened. Raise the speed to medium (#4 KitchenAid) and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with an oiled spatula and continue beating for about 5 minutes longer or until the dough is smooth and shiny by very soft and sticky. It will mass around the dough hook but not pull away from the bowl completely. Add the butter by the tablespoon, waiting until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding the next tablespoon, beating until all the butter is incorporated. The dough will be very soft and elastic and will stick to your fingers unmercifully, but do not be tempted to add more flour at this point; it will firm considerably after chilling.
Let the dough rise. Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a 1-quart dough rising container or bowl, greased lightly with cooking spray or oil. Lightly spray or oil the top of the dough and cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height would be. Allow the dough to rise until doubles, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Chill the dough. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour to firm it; this will prevent the butter from separating. Gently deflate the dough by stirring it with a rubber scraper or spatula, and return it to the refrigerator for another hour so that it will be less sticky and easier to handle.
Deflate the dough and allow it to rest, chilled. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and press or roll it into a rectangle, flouring the surface and dough as needed to keep it from sticking. The exact size of the rectangle is not important. Give the dough a business letter turn, brushing off any excess flour, and again press down or roll it out into a rectangle. Rotate it 90 degrees so that the closed side is facing to your left. Give it a second business letter turn and round the corners. Dust it lightly on all sides with flour. Wrap it loosely but securely in plastic wrap and then place it in a large zip-seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days to allow the dough to ripen (develop flavor) and firm.
Shape the dough and let it rise. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and gently press it down to deflate it. Cut the dough into 16 pieces. Without a scale, the easiest way to divide the dough evenly is to lightly flour your hands and roll it into a long cylinder. Cut it in half, then continue cutting each piece in half until there are 16 pieces. Pinch off a little less than ¼ of each piece, for the top knot. Roll each larger piece of dough into a ball and press it into a prepared brioche mold. With lightly floured hands, shape each of the dough pieces reserved for the topknots into an elongated pear form. Using your index finger, make a hole in the center of each brioche, going almost to the bottom of the mold, and insert the elongated parted of the topknot deeply into the hole. Cover the molds loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until the edges of the dough reach the top of the molds, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 425, 1 hour before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lower level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating.
Glaze and bake the brioche. Lightly beat together the egg yolk and the 1 teaspoon cream for the glaze. Brush the top of the brioche with the egg glaze, being careful not to drip any on the side of the pans, or it will impede rising. Allow to dry to 5 minutes and then brush a second time with the glaze. Use greased scissors or a small sharp knoif to make a ¼ inch deep cuts all around the base of the topknot so it will rise to an attractive shape. Set the molds on a baking sheet and place them on the hot stone or hot baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted under a topknot comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 190).
Cool the brioche. Remove the brioche from the oven and unmold them onto a wire rack. Turn top side up and allow them to cool until barely warm.

Note: The small brioche can be reheated in a 350 oven for 5 minutes.

For the strawberry butter

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

1 cup good-quality strawberry preserves

Place the butter in the work bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until light and fluffy. Add the preserves and beat until well combined.
To serve, spoon or pipe the flavored butter into 2-tablespoon ramekins or onto side plates.

Note: Keep refrigerated in an airtight container. This spread will last for two to three days.

Bananas Foster Bread

2011-04-22T18:27:00.002-05:00

3 cups all purpose flour 1 ¼ tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 medium ripe bananas, peeled
8 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for the pans
1 ¼ cups dark muscovado sugar
¼ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons dark rum
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 375, butter a 9X5 in loaf pan, set aside
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Cut the bananas and butter into approximately ½ inch pieces. Place the bananas, butter, and sugar in a pot set over medium heat and bring to a slow simmer. Cook the mixture until the butter is fully melted and the bananas are falling apart. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Pour the banana mixture into a blender, add the run and the eggs, and puree until smooth. Quickly pour the banana base into the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to quickly mix the wet and dry ingredients together until they form a homogeneous batter. Do not over mix. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Use an off-set spatula to gently smooth the top and then run a finger around the edge of the pan, creating a slight indention in the batter, to facilitate even rising.
Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. When the bread is done, they will feel firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the center should come out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and return to the rack to cool completely.

Butterscotch Brownies with Brown Sugar Icing

2011-04-21T20:27:00.006-05:00

Brownies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups firmly packed golden brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted

Icing:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups firmly packed golden brown sugar
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

To make the brownies: preheat the oven to 350. Line a half sheet (13X18 inch) pan with aluminum foil and grease with butter or cooking spray.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 cup butter and the 3 cups brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and continue beating for another minute.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture on low speed until incorporated. Stir in the pecans.
Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake until the bars are set and slightly puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely before icing.

To make the icing: In a saucepan set over medium heat, melt the 1 cup butter and 2 cups brown sugar. Once the mixture is lightly bubbling, decrease the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 more minutes; set aside.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the powdered sugar, half and half, and vanilla on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter mixture and beat until combined.
Pour over the cooled brownies and spread evenly. Let the brownies sit for about 30 minutes to allow the icing to firm up before cutting into about 30 squares.

Left uncut in the pan, the bars will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days. Cut them the day you will serve them.

Chocolate Chewies

2011-04-20T18:26:00.003-05:00

3 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 large egg whites
1 cup chopped pecans

preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper.
in a large mixing bowl, blend the sugar, cocoa, and flour with an electric mixer on low speed. beat in the egg whites, one at a time, and then beat at high speed for 1 minute. use a spatula to fold in the nuts.
drop the dough by tablespoon, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheet.
bake for 15 minutes. remove from the oven and let cook on the paper.

Coconut Biscotti

2011-04-19T20:26:00.004-05:00

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 cup flaked coconut
3 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, vanilla and coconut extracts. Beat on medium-low speed until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the flaked coconut with a spatula.
Turn the dough out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Divide into two equal segments and form each into a log 1-inch deep, and approximately 4 inches wide. (Be sure to leave room between the logs as they will spread during baking.)
Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs diagonally into 14-20 slices, depending on thickness. Lay the slices on their sides and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake for 10 minutes more.
Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted. Drizzle over the biscotti and allow to cool until the chocolate is set.

Apple Cheddar Cake

2011-04-18T18:25:00.007-05:00

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
6 Tbs. milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 large tart apple, such as a Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add 1/2 of the flour mixture. Stir in the milk. Stir in the remaining flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the cheddar cheese and apple.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Savory Breakfast Rolls

2011-04-17T16:21:00.000-05:00

3/4 Cups warm water
3/4 Tablespoon yeast (3/4 packets)
2 Teaspoons salt
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup honey
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
3 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour

Combine every ingredient except flour and mix well. Then mix in the flour.
The dough will be very moist – gooey even. Let this dough sit and rise at room temperature for 2 hours and then into the fridge for at least a few hours, but ideally overnight. You will not be able to use this dough unless it is cold.

1 pound ground pork

½ chopped onion

Chopped fresh sage

Salt and pepper

Store-bought pesto

Shredded cheese

The morning of you are going to need to make the pork filling. Heat the pork and the onion in a medium pan until the pork is cooked through and the onions are soft. Add in the sage and season with salt and pepper. let the mixture cool in the pan, but do not wash it, we are going to use the drippings for gravy.
Take your dough out of the fridge and on a well-floured surface roll it into a long rectangle, about 20 inches by 16 inches.
Then layer on your toppings. Put down your pesto, then your ground pork mixture, and finally your cheese.
Rolling this thing is a bit of a trick. Roll it from left to right or right to left, whatever is easiest for you. If your dough is sticking to the table, go slowly, and use a dough scraper or butter knife to release the dough from the table. A bit tricky. Go slow. Patience is a virtue.
Eventually, you will end up, hopefully, with a tube of rolled awesomeness. Cut this with a serrated knife into eight even sections.
Turn these guys upright in a buttered dish and let them rise for about an hour. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375.
These guys need to bake for a long time. About an hour. I baked mine for 45 minutes and the outer buns were done, but the interior ones were still a bit soggy in the middle.

While those are cooking, let’s talk gravy. You should have a decent amount of fat left over from the pork and probably even some leftover ground pork. Get all of that in your pan and put it on medium heat. One tablespoon at a time you want to add flour in an equal proportion of fat.
It doesn’t have to be exact. I guessed that I had about 5 Tablespoons of fat from the pork, so I added 5 Tablespoons flour. Stir this together and the flour will start to cook slowly and brown. This, my friends, is a roux.
After about 5 minutes, you will end up with a dark roux.
Then, very slowly, whisk in about 2 cups of milk. There will be steam. Whisk furiously. Try to whisk out any clumps that form. I added about 1/4 of a cup at a time and eventually ended up with this lovely, creamy gravy. Salt and pepper to taste.
After an hour, pull out those buns. They will look like, well, breakfast perfection
Serve up one of these and ladle plenty of gravy over the top.

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Sweet Mustard and Ham

2011-04-16T16:14:00.002-05:00

sweet mustard
deli ham
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons baking soda
½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes (about 2 or 3)
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup buttermilk
¼ cup (1/2 stick butter), melted
cinnamon-sugar, to taste

sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and lemon zest into a bowl, cut in 1 cup butter until crumbly.
mix the sweet potatoes and brown sugar in a bowl, stir in the buttermilk. add the flour mixture and mix with your hands to form a sticky dough.
chill the dough for 1 hour.
preheat the oven to 425. place the dough on a floured work surface and knead two to three times. roll the dough ¼ inch thick. cut into circles using a biscuit cutter.
place 1 ½ inches apart on a non-stick baking sheet. prick the top of each biscuit with a fork. bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
remove from the oven and brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
allow the biscuits to cool and then slice and make into a sandwich using the deli ham and the mustard.

Brunch Loaf

2011-04-15T21:12:00.000-05:00

4 cups cubed day-old french bread
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
10 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 quart milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 to 10 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
½ cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup chopped tomatoes

generously grease a 9X13 inch baking pan. put the bread on the bottom and sprinkle with the cheese.
in a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk mustard, salt, onion powder, and cayenne and pour over the cheese. sprinkle with the bacon, mushrooms, and tomatoes. cover the pan and chill overnight.
preheat the oven to 375. uncover the pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until the mixture sets. after the first 30 minutes, check the top to make sure it’s not browning too quickly. if it is, tent the pan with foil. cut into squares and serve hot.

Tomato-Asiago Scones

2011-04-14T20:10:00.002-05:00

½ cup pine nuts 3 cloves roasted garlic, mashed ½ cup firmly packed smoked tomatoes or sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ tablespoons salt 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces 1 cup grated asiago cheese (grated with the large holes) 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (white part only) ½ cup heavy whipping cream ¾ cup buttermilk

preheat the oven to 400. arrange the pine nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden, about 5 minutes (keep checking, they burn easily); set aside.

in a bowl, stir together the tomatoes and the roasted garlic, making sure the garlic breaks up and is evenly distributed.

in a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. gradually cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 forks until the mixture resembles small peas. stir in the tomato-garlic mixture, pine nuts, grated cheese, green onions, cream, and buttermilk. using your hands, mix all the ingredients until they are incorporated.

transfer the dough into a small scone pan (should make about 25 small scones) and bake in the preheated oven until the scones are golden, about 15 minutes.

Migas

2011-04-13T22:08:00.001-05:00

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter 1 small to medium yellow onion, finely diced (¾ cup)
¾ cup finely diced bell peppers (preferably a mixture of green and red)
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas cut into long, narrow strips (1 cup)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups shredded monterey jack or pepper jack cheese
½ cup sour cream
½ cup salsa
½ cup thinly sliced scallions (white and green parts, about 6)

place a large (12 to 14 inch), nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat for several minutes. add the butter, onions, and peppers, and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes or until softened. add the tortillas and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to get slightly golden and the onions begin to caramelize, 3 to 5 minutes more. season with salt and pepper.
pour the eggs into the onion-tortilla mixture and cook, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula, until the eggs are almost fully cooked but still a little wet (though not liquidy).
add the cheese and stir to combine and finish cooking the eggs (don’t add the cheese too soon or it will make the eggs runny).
slide into a casserole and garnish with the sliced scallions. serve with the sour cream and salsa.

Poppy Seed Bread

2011-04-12T21:06:00.003-05:00

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups vegetable oil

1 ¼ cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

¼ cup poppy seeds

preheat oven to 375 degrees
grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan
in a large bowl, sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. set aside
in a large bowl, mix the oil and the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time , beating after each addition. add the evaporated milk, the milk, and the vanilla. add the dry ingredients and mix well. stir in the poppy seeds
pour the batter into the prepared tube pan. bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of bread comes out with moist crumbs attached. let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Individual Baked Omelets

2011-04-11T18:04:00.004-05:00

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces
1 fresh tomato, seeded and finely chopped
6 large eggs
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
dash of tabasco

preheat the oven to 350. line 12 muffin cups with paper liners and generously butter the liners.
melt the butter in a medium skillet set over medium heat. add the potato, onion, and ½ teaspoon of the salt; sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. add the red pepper and sauté for 15 minutes longer, continuing to stir occasionally. cook until the potato is fully cooked, but not mushy. remove the vegetable mixture from the heat and stir in the bacon and tomato.
whisk the eggs, cream, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the pepper, and the tabasco together in a large bowl. Stir in the vegetable mixture.
pour the mixture evenly into the muffin cups (the egg mixture may almost reach the top, which is ok.)
bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. lightly shake the pan; if the omelets look or feel runny in the middle, bake for 5 minutes longer, until firm. serve warm.

orange potato rolls

2011-04-10T16:23:00.003-05:00

Yield: 24 large rolls

Rolls
2 medium russet potatoes
1 ounce active dry yeast (4 packets)
3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
9 cups unbleached flour

Filling
4 cups pecans
4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Icing
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest

To make the rolls: Fill a large saucepan three-quarters full with water and set on high heat to boil. Peel and quarter the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the water and bring to a second boil. Decrease the heat to medium until the potatoes are simmering. Cook the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes, reserving 3 cups of the cooking water. Set the potato water aside to cool, until it registers 110° to 115°F on a candy thermometer.
In a large bowl, mash the potatoes—you will have 1½ to 2 cups worth—by hand or using a mixer on medium speed.
In a medium bowl, mix the reserved cooled potato water, yeast, and the 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir until the yeast has dissolved. Let the mixture rest until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the potatoes, I cup sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, and yeast–potato water. Add the flour in 3-cup increments and stir with a spoon until the flour is incorporated. Place the dough in a large greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Leaving the dough in the bowl, punch it down until it deflates (1 or 2 punches with your fist will do). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. At this point the dough can be refrigerated until the next day.
To make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Coarsely chop the pecans.
Combine the sugar and 2 tablespoons orange zest in a medium bowl.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half. On a clean, floured surface, roll each half into a G-inch-thick rectangle. Spread each rectangle with half of the melted butter. Cover each buttered rectangle with half of the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle the dough with an even layer of pecans.
Generously grease two 9 by 13-inch disposable pans with butter. Carefully roll up each rectangle, starting on 1 long side of the dough. Using a very sharp serrated knife, cut each roll crosswise in 2-inch slices. Place the slices, cut side down, in the pans, spacing the rolls about 1 inch apart so they have room to expand. Make sure the end flap of each roll is set snugly against a side of the pan, so it does not unravel while rising. Put 8 rolls in each pan. (At this point the rolls can be tightly covered in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and frozen up to 3 weeks. Defrost the rolls in the refrigerator overnight or for 1 hour at room temperature and continue following the directions from this point.) Set the rolls in a warm, draft-free place and let them rise until they get puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until light brown.
To make the icing: Combine the powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest in a medium bowl. Spread the icing on top of the rolls while they are still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.

tax season breakfast 2011

2011-04-09T18:15:00.006-05:00

well, it's that time of year again, when I cook breakfast and afternoon treats for all of my hubby's office. here is what I made (I will share the recipes with you in the next few posts, but no pics because I forgot to take any):

breakfast:

orange potato rolls

individual baked omelets

poppy seed bread

migas

tomato asiago scones

brunch loaf

sweet potato biscuits with mustard and ham

savory breakfast rolls

afternoon treats:

apple cheddar cake

white chocolate margarita cakes

coconut biscotti

chocolate chewies

butterscotch brownies with brown sugar icing

bananas foster bread

brioche with strawberry butter

blue margaritas

2011-02-18T18:04:00.001-06:00

my brother-in-law asked me today for a great magarita recipe and this is my only one (it happens to also be my favorite margartia). see, ask and you shall recieve!

1 (10-ounce) can frozen margarita mix
3/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup blue curacao liquor
2 tablespoons lime juice

combine all ingredients in a blender
fill the blender with ice to the 5-cup level
process until smooth and serve immediately

caramel croissant puddding

2011-02-16T22:46:00.028-06:00

since I hate to let anything go to waste, this is my version of nigella lawson's pudding and a great use for leftover/stale croissants. don't let the thought of making your own caramel scare you, it is incredibly easy.

2 stale croissants
1/2 cup cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
demerara (or raw brown sugar) for sprinkling

preheat the oven to 350. tear the croissants into pieces and put in a 2 cup baking dish.
put the sugar and water into a saucepan and stir to help dissolve the sugar. put the saucepan over medium-high. caramelize the sugar and water mixture by letting it stay on the heat, WITHOUT TOUCHING IT, until it turns a deep amber color, about 5 to 10 minutes. keep watching it, but do not stir it.
take the pan off the heat and whisk in the cream, whisking very rapidly, even though it will steam like crazy. whisk in the bourbon and milk and while whisking very rapidly, add in the beaten eggs.
pour the mixture over the croissants and let it steep for 10 minutes.
sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

intercourses cookbook

2011-02-14T19:48:00.007-06:00

so, I found it fitting on valentine's day to share with you my favorite aphrodisiac cookbook, Intercourses, which was actually written my a woman right here in waco. it is a very exhaustive cookbook featuring recipes from all sorts of aphrodisiacs. if you get the chance, check it out, you won't be dissapointed!

my wall of cookbooks

2011-02-12T20:07:00.018-06:00

so a few months ago, my cousin wrote a blog post about her cookbook collection and I have been meaning to write about mine. as I have said before, I love cookbooks and read them like novels, so as you can imagine, I have quite the collection. one of the things that I wanted in my dream house was a bookshelf in my kitchen for all my cookbooks. well, our house has a whole wall of bookshelves in the living room, right off the kitchen, and as you can see from the photo here, I have claimed the section closest to the kitchen for my cookbook collection.

cocoamoda on the cooking channel

2011-02-10T06:32:00.000-06:00

if you've been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I love cocoamoda. well, my friend ken wilkinson and his amazing shop and restaurant were featured on food crafters this week on the cooking channel. I saw it and it was wonderful, if you missed it, here's a link to the article on the show with listings of when it will be on again. if you can, check it out, it is great and next time you are in calvert stop by cocoamoda and tell ken I sent you!

name of my book

2011-02-09T19:08:00.000-06:00

my plinky prompt for today was:

You just signed a book deal. What's the title of your masterpiece?

and since the book I would publish would definitely be a cookbook, my answer is deep in the dish of texas, of course!

what do you think, should I pursue writing a cookbook?

my macaroni and cheese

2011-02-08T19:48:00.030-06:00

I love to make my homemade macaroni and cheese and I realized today that I hadn't shared that recipe with you, so, here you go! (make about 6 servings)

1 pound macaroni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I usually use a blend of mild cheddar, sharp cheddar and fontina)
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

preheat the oven to 375 and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. add the macaroni to the pot and cook according to package instructions and drain well.
in a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes stirring with a whisk.
add the milk, continuing to whisk, and cook until thickened. remove from the heat and stir in the 2 cups cheddar cheese, blue cheese dressing, salt, and pepper. stirring until the ingredients are all incorporated.
pour the macaroni into a 3-quart baking dish and stir in the cheese sauce. top with the shredded sharp cheddar.
bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. serve immediately.

fettuccine alfredo

2011-02-07T18:47:00.023-06:00

today is national fettuccine alfredo day, so in honor of it, I am going to share my fettuccine alfredo recipe with you:

24 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste (white pepper if you have it)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add fettuccine and cook as directed on the package; drain.
put the butter back into the pot you cooked the fettuccine in and melt over medium heat. add the fettuccine back to the pot.
reduce the heat to low, add the cream and cream cheese, stirring until the cream cheese is all melted and incorporated.
stir in the remaining ingredients and serve with additional parmesan cheese.

swedish meatballs

2011-02-06T13:14:00.000-06:00

so for last night's dinner I made swedish meatballs with egg noodles and broccolini. now, I won't say that mine were as good as ikea's but they were a close second. mike even found some lingonberry jam that we had bought at ikea a while back to go with them.

2 slices fresh white bread
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground turkey
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. set aside.
in a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. remove from the heat and set aside.
in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, turkey, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
using your hands shape the mixture into 1-ounce meatballs.
heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat. add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.
once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. gradually add the beef stock and raise the heat to medium high, whisk until sauce begins to thicken. add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

cupcakes in honor of national nutella day

2011-02-05T16:02:00.012-06:00

who doesn't love nutella, well I do!! if you've never tried it, you should, it is just chocolate and hazelnut butter that is terrific on anything from toast to strawberries. today is national nutella day and in honor of that I made these nutella and vanilla cupcakes. here is a link to the recipe: nutella and vanilla cupcakes I could not find any chocolate wafers at the grocery store, so I made these, which michael thought was great made into cookie sandwiches with nutella in between.

peanut butter banana blondies

2011-02-03T20:13:00.001-06:00

this is my variation of a recipe from the fat witch brownies cookbook. if you love to bake brownies, this cookbook is a must have, it is so wonderful. it's also a great gift, all the brownies cook in a 9X9 inch square pan and the book is sized so that it fits perfectly in the pan. for this recipe be sure to use very ripe bananas, you can always stash the bananas in the freezer once they get ripe and save them for whenever you want to make this recipe. also, I find that these are great for breakfast. makes 12 to 16 brownies.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3-4 bananas)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or banana chips (optional)

grease a 9X9 inch baking pan with butter. dust with flour and tap out the excess. preheat the oven to 350.
in a bowl, mix the butter, vanilla, and sugar into the mashed banana with a fork. add the beaten eggs and continue mixing until everything is well combined.
measure the flour and salt and sift together directly into the banana batter and mix until will combined. stir in the peanut butter chips and the walnuts or banana chips, if desired.
pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 1 hour. cut just before serving.

spaetzle

2011-02-02T21:34:00.028-06:00

so, to go with my chicken parikash last night, I made spaetzle. now, my friend lara has a spaetzle maker, but since I don't I had to use the spoon method. it is definitely worth the work!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Dump the spaetzle into a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle; tossing to coat. Cook the spaetzle for 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles some color.

chicken paprikash

2011-02-01T21:26:00.001-06:00

so, tonight for dinner I made one of mike's favorite dishes from his childhood, chicken paprikash. the recipe may not have been very authentic, but it was lighter and in my opinion, very good!

1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 cup lard (or vegetable oil)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbs. sweet paprika
1 3-lb. chicken, cut into four pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sour cream, plus more to serve with

put the bouillon cube in 1/2 cup water and begin to dissolve.
heat the lard in a deep skillet or sauté pan large enough to hold the chicken pieces snugly. add the onion; cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 6 to 8 min. it should be well colored but not burned. reduce the heat slightly, add the paprika, and stir for a few minutes to develop the flavor.
season the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper and add them to the pan, skin side down. brown them well over medium high, about 7 min. on each side. add the bouillon cube and water to the pan and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer about 15 min. add the green pepper and tomato. replace the lid and simmer until the chicken is very tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 min. longer, turning the pieces once during cooking.
transfer the chicken pieces to a dish and keep them warm while you finish the sauce. using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth. bring the sauce to a boil and boil for a few minutes to concentrate the flavors even more. stir the flour into the sour cream with a fork or whisk and then whisk this into the sauce. simmer for about 4 min. to cook away any floury taste and to bring the flavors together; taste and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. return the chicken pieces to the pan to reheat and coat them with the sauce.
serve over spaetzle and with additional sour cream, if desired.

what's the most difficult recipe you've mastered?

2011-01-30T22:57:00.007-06:00

I usually answer my plinky prompts on my other blog, but since this one was cooking related, I decided to answer it here. the most difficult recipe that I have mastered is challah (or really any yeast bread). yeast bread used to intimidate me, but not anymore!! what about you, what is the most difficult recipe that you have mastered?

green beans with creamy mushrooms and shallots

2010-11-25T07:43:00.002-06:00

well, today is the day and this is my last recipe!

green beans with creamy mushrooms and shallots

prep time: 20 min

total time: 20 min

serves: 8 servings

1 ¾ pounds green beans, trimmed

1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 large shallots, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)

¾ cup chicken stock

2 teaspoons cornstarch

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/8 inch thick

1/3 cup 2% greek yogurt

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

bring a large pot of water to a boil. blanch beans until tender, about 6 minutes. drain.
meanwhile, heat 1 ½ teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until tender and just starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. transfer shallots to a small bowl and wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.
whisk together stock and cornstarch. heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over high heat.
cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. reduce heat to low; add shallots.
whisk in stock mixture. cook until thick, about 3 minutes more. remove from heat.
stir in yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. toss in beans. serve warm.

cranberry sauce with maple syrup & cassis

2010-11-24T13:46:00.000-06:00

6 cups (about 1-1/2 lb.) fresh or frozen cranberries, picked over and rinsed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 orange)
1/3 cup crème de cassis (black-currant liqueur)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbs. finely grated orange zest (from 1 orange)

put 3 cups of the cranberries and all the remaining ingredients in a 3- or 4-qt. saucepan. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and broken down and the juices look slightly syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes.
stir in the remaining 3 cups cranberries and cook until these have popped, 3 to 5 minutes more. remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.

make ahead tips

the cranberry sauce can be made up to one week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. return to room temperature before serving.

mixed mushroom and tarragon gravy

2010-11-23T20:48:00.006-06:00

prep time: 45 minutes

total time: 1 hour 45 minutes (includes mushroom-soaking time)

makes: about 7 cups

ingredients

2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large shallot, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 pound fresh crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
4 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

the technique: make ahead

on thanksgiving, do-aheads are key. this super-savory gravy can be made a day ahead. all you have to do before serving is heat it up and stir in some tarragon. no last-minute pan-scraping and reducing required.

preparation

place dried porcini in large bowl. pour 2 cups boiling water over. let stand until soft, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. using slotted spoon, transfer porcini to small bowl. cool porcini, then chop. pour porcini soaking liquid into medium bowl, leaving sediment behind.
melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. add shallot and garlic. stir 15 seconds. add fresh mushrooms, thyme, and sage. sauté until mushrooms are tender, 6 to 7 minutes. transfer mushrooms to bowl. add vermouth to skillet; boil 3 minutes, scraping up browned bits. add 4 cups stock, fresh-mushroom mixture, porcini, and porcini liquid. boil 10 minutes. whisk in sour cream. stir 1/4 cup stock and cornstarch in bowl to dissolve; mix into gravy. cook until gravy coats spoon, about 5 minutes. season with salt and pepper. do ahead: can be made 1 day ahead. cool, cover, and chill. rewarm before continuing.
whisk tarragon into gravy and serve.

sweet potato pudding with pecan and gingersnap topping

2010-11-22T19:52:00.000-06:00

12 servings

prep: 45 minutes
total: 2 hours 15 minutes

ingredients

topping

3/4 cup coarsely chopped gingersnaps
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

pudding

3 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams; about 3 large), scrubbed
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
4 large egg yolks
5 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

the technique: pudding

eggs change everything: the yolks add richness and texture, and folding in beaten egg whites elevates the sweet potato casserole to new heights. this is a sophisticated take on the classic marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole.

preparation

topping

toss first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. add butter; using fingertips, rub in until well blended. cover; chill. do ahead can be made 1 day ahead. keep chilled.

pudding

preheat oven to 400°f. roast potatoes on baking sheet until tender, 45 to 60 minutes. cool. cut in half lengthwise. scoop flesh into bowl; mash. transfer 4 cups potatoes to large bowl. do ahead can be made 1 day ahead. cover; chill. bring to room temperature before continuing.
preheat oven to 350°f. butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. add half and half and next 5 ingredients to potatoes. using mixer, beat on low speed until blended. season with salt and pepper. add yolks 1 at a time, blending after each addition. using clean dry beaters, beat whites in another large bowl until foamy. add salt and cream of tartar. beat until peaks form. fold whites into potatoes; spoon into dish. sprinkle with topping.
bake pudding until puffed and brown, about 45 minutes. serve immediately.

honey challah

2010-11-21T15:52:00.000-06:00

I love my challah, but use this recipe sometimes if I'm feeling like something a little different or if I want to make 2 loaves.

honey challah

makes 2 loaves.

3 ½ t active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

pinch of sugar

¼ cup mild honey

¾ cup cold water

2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks

¼ cup corn oil, or other vegetable oil, plus additional for the bowl

4 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, as needed

1 ½ t fine sea salt

sprinkle the yeast over the ¼ cup warm water, in a small bowl, with the pinch of sugar. let stand for 5 minutes to soften the yeast, then stir to dissolve.
pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. add the ¾ cup cold water, the honey, the 2 eggs, the yolks, and oil and whisk to combine.
attach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. on low speed, gradually add half of the flour, and then the salt. gradually mix enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, rough dough that cleans the bowl.
replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 6 minutes.
transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. knead briefly to check the dough’s texture. it should feel slightly sticky, but you can knead in a little more flour if necessary.
lightly oil a large bowl. shape the dough into a ball and place, smooth side down, in the bowl. turn to coat the ball with oil, ending with the smooth side up. cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. let stand in a warm place until doubles in volume, about 1 ½ hours.
working carefully to preserve the dough’s light and puffy texture, turn the dough out onto a clean unfloured work surface. do not knead the dough. gently shape the dough into a thick rectangle and cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. for best results, weigh each piece on a scale.
in order to roll the dough into ropes for braiding, there must be some traction between the dough and the work surface. the tiniest bit of flour will make the surface too slick. to remedy this, scrape your work surface completely clean. using a damp kitchen towel, wipe a very thin film of water on the work surface.
working with one piece of dough at a time, shape into thick cylinder. starting at the center and working outward, roll the dough back and forth on the work surface, pressing down the dough at the same time, slowly moving your hands apart as you roll until the dough is stretched into a 13-inch-long rope, with the center of the rope plumper than the two ends. repeat with the other 5 ropes. as the ropes are formed, cover them loosely with plastic wrap.
line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper. vertically line up 3 ropes next to each other. begin the braid from the center to one bottom end, dropping the ropes loosely into place without stretching them. when you have finished half the braid, pinch the ends together. flip the dough over with the unbraided ropes facing you. braid from the center to the other end, and pinch the ends together. turn the dough over again, and transfer to a prepared pan. be sure that the ends of the loaf are pinched and the points are tucked under. repeat with the other 3 ropes of dough and transfer to a second prepared pan.
choose a warm spot in the kitchen for the proofing. let stand until the braids look quite puffy and seem a bit more than doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.
meanwhile, position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 375.
bake the breads for 15 minutes. switch the position of the breads from top to bottom and front to back. reduce the oven temperature to 350. and continue baking until the loaves are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped with your knuckles, about 30 minutes. if the loaves seem to be browning too deeply, cover them loosely with aluminum foil. transfer the loaves to a wire rack and cool completely.

malt-beer-brined turkey with malt glaze

2010-11-20T10:56:00.001-06:00

8 to 10 servings

prep (grilled turkey): 45 minutes
total (grilled turkey): 21 hours (includes brining and grilling time)

glaze

2/3 cup barley malt syrup
1/4 cup malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar
6 fresh sage sprigs
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

brine, turkey, and aromatics

4 quarts water
2 cups diamond crystal coarse kosher salt or 1 1/2 cups morton coarse kosher salt
3 12-ounce bottles stout beer (such as guinness)
1 1/2 cups barley malt syrup
1 14- to 16-pound turkey
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 peeled onions, quartered
2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
1 bunch fresh sage
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 unpeeled head of garlic, cut crosswise in half
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups (or more) water

special equipment

2 turkey-size oven bags
turkey lacing pins
charcoal chimney (if grilling)
13x9x2-inch disposable aluminum baking pan (to catch drips; if grilling)

the technique: beer-brined

brining—soaking the bird in salt water—creates juicy turkey. here, stout beer and barley malt syrup add a richness to the brine, which infuses the meat with flavor. and the malt glaze gives the bird a crisp, burnished skin.

preparation

glaze

bring malt syrup, vinegar, herbs, and pepper to boil in small saucepan, stirring occasionally. reduce heat to low and simmer until glaze coats spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. mix in butter. do ahead can be made 1 day ahead. cover; chill. rewarm before using.

brine, turkey, and aromatics

pour 4 quarts water into 16-quart nonreactive bowl or pot. add salt; stir to dissolve. mix in beer and malt syrup. insert 1 oven bag into second bag; place in large bowl. rinse turkey inside and out. slide turkey, breast side down, into doubled bag. pour brine into bag. press out any air; seal bags. chill turkey in brine (still in bowl) 16 to 18 hours.
remove turkey from brine. pat very dry, inside and out, with paper towels. sprinkle main cavity with 2 teaspoons pepper; fill with onions, celery, sage, thyme, and garlic. close cavity with turkey lacing pins. tuck wing tips under; brush all over with oil.

to grill turkey

prepare barbecue (medium heat). remove top grill rack. if using charcoal, light briquettes in chimney. when briquettes are covered with white ash, push to opposite sides of bottom grill rack, leaving center empty. place disposable aluminum pan in center of rack (you will need to light additional briquettes, checking every 30 minutes during grilling time). replace top grill rack. if using 3-burner gas grill, light burners on left and right sides, leaving center burner off. if using 2-burner gas grill, light burner on 1 side; place disposable pan over unlit side.
place turkey, breast side up, on grill rack over disposable pan. cover barbecue. insert instant-read thermometer into hole in hood. maintain temperature as close as possible to 350°f on charcoal grill by opening vents to increase temperature and closing vents to reduce temperature or adjusting temperature on gas grill with controls. cook turkey 2 hours, tenting loosely with foil if browning too quickly. brush turkey with glaze. cover grill; cook 30 minutes longer. brush again with glaze. cook until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°f, about 30 minutes longer. transfer turkey to platter. brush with glaze. let rest 30 minutes (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

pumpkin sage bundt cake

2010-11-19T19:59:00.000-06:00

3⁄4 cup (1-1⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh sage leaves
2-1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the butter and sage in a small pan and heat on low until the butter is melted. Set aside to cool.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together the butter and sage mixture, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir the flour into the pumpkin mixture until combined. Stir in the chopped nuts.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

Make Ahead Tips
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

cheddar cheese biscuits

2010-11-15T20:00:00.001-06:00

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 t salt
1 ½ T baking powder
1 t cayenne pepper
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup chopped pecans

1. preheat over to 350 f

2. in a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and cayenne pepper. stir in the buttermilk. using a dough cutter, or by hand, cut in the shortening and add the cheese and pecans.

3. turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead the dough for several minutes until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. return the mixture to a clean bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. once again, turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1 inch. using a 1.5 inch round cookie cutter (or a crescent-shaped one), cut out the dough and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. transfer to the oven and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the biscuits to a rack to cool.

cranberry coins

2010-11-11T19:28:00.000-06:00

these sweet treats are going to be my appetizers before thanksgiving dinner. makes about 4 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries

beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla with a wooden spoon until smooth. add flour and salt; stir just until combined. stir in dried cranberries. divide dough into quarters.
on parchment, shape each portion into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 4 inches long. wrap logs tightly in parchment or plastic. chill 30 minutes or up to 1 day. (dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen up to 1 month.)
preheat oven to 325 degrees. with a sharp knife, slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. rotate log as you cut to keep it from flattening. place rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart.
bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges just begin to turn golden, 20 to 22 minutes. let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks. cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

whats for thanksgiving?

2010-11-09T19:16:00.001-06:00

just like last year, I am going to share with you my menu for this year's thankgiving dinner:

cranberry coins
pecan and cheddar biscuits
pumpkin sage bundt cake
honey challah
malt beer brined turkey with malt glaze

sweet potato pudding with pecan and gingersnap topping
mixed mushroom and tarragon gravy
cranberry sauce with maple syrup and cassis
green beans with creamy mushrooms and shallots

doesn't that sound good, I can't wait for thanksgiving. as usual, my mom is going to make the desserts and the dressing.

tastebook

2010-10-02T11:20:00.002-05:00

I have to share with you the greatest site that I have found for creating cookbooks, www.tastebook.com it's great, I have already created and ordered quite a few of my own cookbooks off their site. all you have to do is input all the recipes that you want included in your book (a little time consuming, I know, but believe me it is worth it). then you just choose a cover and dedication page for your cookbooks and viloa' you are done. I have been very impressed with the quality of the books and they make great gifts!

anthropologie has aprons

2010-08-17T18:17:00.009-05:00

for those of you that know me in real life, know that I am obsessed with aprons. I probably have over 20 of them. and yet, I still can not resist getting a new one, which is what drew me to the anthropologie site today, I saw this amazing apron on the pink peppercorn's blog and I had to go and check it out. and all I can say is wow, they had so many cute aprons and all of them under $40, I resisted the temptation to buy another apron, but now I have the link saved here, so I can go back when I need my apron fix.
anthropologie aprons

is it Christmas already??

2010-08-10T20:48:00.002-05:00

I was in target at lunch today and to what did my wondering eyes appear, but the paula deen Christmas cooking magazine. it's august people, it's still over 100 degrees outside and you want me to think about Christmas. I bought it, of course, because I LOVE paula deen and read through it while I ate lunch. it got me thinking about what I want to cook for my 25 cookies and candies for Christmas this year. so, maybe I was wrong it's not too early to start thinking about Christmas, what do you think?

my new kitchen

2010-08-07T15:12:00.007-05:00

well, I have been in my new house a little over a month and I have to say that I am really enjoying cooking in my new kitchen. it is much bigger than my old kitchen that I ca really spread out. it feels like I learned to cook in my old kitchen, so it was bittersweet leaving it, but this kitchen is a definite improvement. I have really enjoyed having people over and being able to just hang out in the kitchen. plus, did I mention that mike bought me a tv for the kitchen and that really rocks!

Fruit Cobbler

2010-08-06T19:56:00.000-05:00

I usually do this with blackberries, but it is great with any fresh fruit.

2 cups fresh fruit, washed and chopped if needed
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup self-rising flour (you can use all-purpose flour instead, but the self-rising works better)
1 cup sugar
butter for the pan

Pre-heat oven to 350
Butter an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan
Spread the fruit out on the bottom of the pan
In a bowl mix together the buttermilk, flour, and sugar until well combined (don't worry if it has a few lumps in it)
Pour the mixture over the fruit spreading out to cover all the fruit
bake for one hour, until golden on top or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
Top with vanilla ice cream or cool whip and enjoy!

plinky prompt: what is your favorite comfort food and why?

2010-07-28T18:30:00.003-05:00

I normally answer my plinky prompts on my other blog, but since this one was food related, I decided to answer it here:

my favorite comfort food is chicken and matzo ball soup which is weird because I never had it as a kid, yet there is something so very comforting about it.

cake balls

2010-07-12T17:25:00.000-05:00

today I finally got to try out the cake ball at the olive branch here in waco. I have been reading all about them on leah's blog and I couldn't wait to try them. so, when mike said he wanted to have lunch at olive branch today, I was all for it, not only for the great food, but so that I could finally try the cake balls. mike got me one of each of the ones they had today, peanut butter and caramel and chocolate and strawberry. they were as wonderful as I had hoped, wonderfully moist cake (the peanut butter and caramel one even had peanut butter inside) and delicious coating (frosting?). I can't wait to go back and try all her flavors!

national margarita day

2010-02-22T20:11:00.000-06:00

today is national margarita day and I didn't want the day to pass without me mentioning it here. I did celebrate in the traditional way with a strawberry margarita at chuy's. now the question is did you celebrate national margarita day?

eating in austin

2010-02-17T19:55:00.001-06:00

this past saturday, we went to austin to celebrate mike's 30th birthday and as usual we really enjoyed the food in austin. for lunch we went to one of our favorite places to eat, zax's pints and plates. we shared a blue cheeseburger and a salad and it was wonderful as usual. for dinner, mike wanted sushi, so we went to maiko sushi lounge and it was amazing. we started off with their hot rock, which is a hot rock that you cook beef on, it was an interesting experience and very tasty. we also had their calamari which has to be the best calamari that I have ever had. the group then shared a sampling of sushi and I had their chicken teriyaki (since I don't eat sushi). the food was all very good and unfortunately, we were too stuffed for dessert, but it looked really good on the menu.

chuys in waco

2010-02-07T19:38:00.000-06:00

we went to chuys today for lunch and I have to say that I continue to be impressed with our chuys here in waco! I had the strawberry margarita to start off with and as usual, it was amazing, I think the best margarita in waco. we tried the creamy jalapeno dip with the chips and I was really good, I will definitely be asking for that again next time I go there. I then had fajita which were just as great as I remember. we finished off with tres leches cake which is the still the second best that I have ever had (mine is better!).

a stop at cocoamoda

2009-12-31T18:31:00.000-06:00

so on my way back from college station, I stopped at cocoamoda for a treat. for mid-afternoon, they were really busy. the food was wonderful as usual! I opted for the blackberry crepes and they were magnificent; light and tender crepes with a wonderful blackberry sauce! both boys just opted for some ice cream, which went great with my crepes. of course I got some truffles and chocolate covered orange peel to bring home to michael.

cherry dr. pepper cookies

2009-12-11T17:43:00.001-06:00

I love the new cherry dr. pepper so I thought this year for my cherry cookies I would make these. these cake-like cookies flatten in the oven before they puff up again. makes 3 dozen cookies.

1 stick butter
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 c flour
1/4 ts salt
1/2 c dr. pepper
2 ts vanilla
1 c candied cherries, chopped

preheat oven to 375 and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
in a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. add in the egg and mix until well incorporated.
sift the dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the dr. pepper, starting with the flour, then the dr.pepper, and finally the remaining half of the flour, mixing slowly.
add the vanilla and cherries and blend well
drop onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake in oven preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes, until browned.

boston cream candy

2009-12-08T18:52:00.001-06:00

don't be tempted to use anything smaller than a 3-qt. pot for this delicious caramel fudge-like candy. you'll need the volume when the hot, sugary liquid foams up during cooking.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter; more for the pan
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecan pieces
2 cups sugar
pinch salt
1/2 cup light karo syrup
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

butter an 8x8-inch baking pan. line the pan with a piece of parchment large enough to hang over two sides. butter the paper, too, and tuck it flat against the pan. put the chopped pecan pieces in a handy spot where you'll be working.
combine the sugar, salt, karo syrup, half-and-half, cream, and butter in a heavy-based 3-qt. pan, stirring with a wooden spoon over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. this can take a while, and it's hard to see; you should feel the texture (rub a little between your fingers or run your finger along the mixture clinging to the spoon) to be sure all the sugar is dissolved.
turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the mixture foams to a boil. add the baking soda. lower the heat and stir like mad. the mixture will double in volume and then gradually subside and begin to take on a golden hue. after the mixture settles a bit, put in a warmed candy thermometer. continue to stir constantly, scraping the sides, and cook over medium-low heat until the thermometer registers just 240°f. watch very carefully, as the thermometer will hover at 239° for a while and then move up. you must remove the mixture before it passes 240°f.
remove the pot from the heat and take out the thermometer. continue to stir quickly. the candy will look like a loose caramel sauce. add the vanilla (watch out, it may sputter) and stir carefully to incorporate. add the pecans and continue stirring quickly. don't take your eyes off the mixture at this point. watch and feel it as it begins to thicken, lighten in color, and become harder to stir. when it has thickened enough to leave a path on the bottom of the pan while you're stirring, it's just about ready. the moment you notice that the mixture is just beginning to lose its glossy shine, turn it out into the buttered pan. don't wait until the mixture looks completely matte or it will be too dry when you try to cut it. if you stop stirring at the right moment, the mixture will firm up almost the second it hits the pan. too soon, it will never be anything more than caramel (although very good caramel); too long, it will harden in the pot.
as soon as the candy cools (15 to 20 min.), cut it into squares. it will probably have tiny bubbles on top. it may well crumble when cut. if it doesn't harden immediately, just let it sit for several hours, even overnight, and it may harden. if not, you have great caramel.

vanilla chocolate wafers

2009-12-07T19:22:00.000-06:00

these cookies looked to interesting to pass up. this is another recipe that you make up and then slice and bake from the freezer whenever you need cookies. makes about 4 1/2 dozen.

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder

sift flour and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. reduce speed to low. mix in egg yolk and vanilla. gradually add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 1 minute
remove half of the dough; set aside. add cocoa powder to remaining dough; mix on low speed until well combined. turn out chocolate dough onto a lightly floured work surface. roll into a 10-inch log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. repeat with reserved vanilla dough. wrap each log in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until slightly firm, at least 30 minutes.
press handle for a long wooden spoon into side of chocolate log, making an indentation along its length. roll handle into and then away from log, creating an apostrophe shape, repeat with vanilla log. fit logs together; press lightly to seal. gently roll into a 2-inch-diameter log. wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
preheat oven to 350 degrees. cut log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. if dough becomes too soft to slice cleanly, return to freezer until firm.
bake until firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. transfer to wire racks; let cool. cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

apple sage rugelach

2009-12-06T19:05:00.000-06:00

I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now, but this year I made a change and made it with apple jelly and put some fresh sage in the dough. once your make them up, you keep them in the freezer until you are ready to slice and bake them. this makes them super easy, which always works for me!!

dough:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
8 ounces cream cheese, cut in chunks
2 tablespoons sour cream

filling
3/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup apple jelly
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cups golden raisins
1/4 teaspoon salt

for the dough: pulse the flour, sugar and salt in food processor until combined. add the butter and sage and pulse until it resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized pieces of butter, about 20 times. add the cream cheese and sour cream, and pulse until it comes together in a rough dough (with some uneven pebbles sized-pieces). turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface and divide into 4 equal portions. pat each portion into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. freeze dough for 15 minutes.
meanwhile, chop the nuts in a clean food processor. add the jelly, raisins, salt, and cinnamon; puree to make a very smooth paste.
roll a portion of dough into a 6 by 14-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. (don't worry about slightly rough edges; these will be rolled inside of the rugalach.) spread 1/4 of the filling over the surface with a small spatula. starting with a long side, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder ending with the seam on the bottom. press the top slightly to flatten; wrap in plastic wrap. freeze for another 15 minutes. repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (the cylinders can be frozen for up to a month.)
meanwhile, evenly position the racks in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees f. line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
slice the cylinders into 1 1/2-inch pieces, and place rugalach seam-side down on the prepared pans. bake until pale golden and crispy on top, about 25 minutes.
remove from oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet. carefully transfer rugalach to a rack to cool. serve.

kwanzaa star cookies

2009-12-05T13:43:00.001-06:00

even though I do not celebrate kwanzaa, I could not resist trying these peanut butter cookies. makes about 4 dozen cookies.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then lightly whisk and set aside.
in a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and peanut butter until blended and creamy, about 45 seconds. on medium speed, add the sugar and beat until light. beat in the vanilla, orange juice, and zest until blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. turn off the mixer, add half the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until blended. add the remaining flour and beat until blended.
using lightly floured hands, gather the dough into a ball. divide the ball in half and flatten each into a 6 to 8 inch disk. wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or until firm.
preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick, cut cookies using a star cookie cutter, close together to avoid re-rolling. place the cookies about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. bake in the middle of the oven until the cookies begin to color, about 22 minutes. let the cookies firm and cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

pralines

2009-12-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

I have always wanted to make pralines for Christmas, but I can never get them to set. this is my mom's no fail recipe. makes 2 1/2 dozen

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
2 cups pecan halves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

bring sugars and milk to a boil in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, stirring often. cook over medium heat , stirring often for 11 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 228 (thread stage).
stir in the butter and pecans, and cook, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer registers 232
remove from heat and stir in vanilla. beat with a wooden spoon 1 to 2 minutes or just until mixture begins to thicken and lose its gloss. quickly drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto buttered wax paper. let stand until firm.

chocolate peanut granola

2009-12-03T17:53:00.000-06:00

I love making homemade granola and when I came across this variation with chocolate and peanuts, I knew I had found a winner not just for Christmas, but any time of the year. don't let the idea of making your own granola discourage you, it is really very simple.

4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup (4 oz) sunflower seeds
3/4 cup (4 oz) white sesame seeds
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup (6 oz) apple sauce
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 cups (8 oz) raw peanuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

preheat the oven to 300 F
with your hands, mix together the oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and cocoa powder until the cocoa powder is evenly disbursed. using two spatulas, mix in the remaining ingredients.
spread the mixture out onto two rimmed baking sheets and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, turning over about halfway through the baking and re-distributing the granola. the object is to get it evenly golden without toasting it too much in one place.
once it is baked, allow it to cool and store in an air-tight container

bite-sized dark rum fruitcakes

2009-12-02T20:59:00.000-06:00

my mom makes the best fruitcake cookies and I am always on the look out for a good recipe to try. when I ran across this one it looked so good that I just had to give it a try. makes about 5 dozen.

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice berries
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light molasses
1 egg
1/4 cup spiced rum
1/2 cup diced dried apricots
1/2 cup diced pitted prunes
1 cup diced pitted dates
3/4 cup dried currants
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
grated zest of 1 orange

preheat oven to 300 F
in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice and mix well. in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until soft and creamy, about 1 minute. gradually beat in the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
beat in the molasses, then the egg, until well blended, about 1 minute. beat in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating it with the rum, until just blended. with a wooden spoon, stir in the apricots, prunes, dates, currants, raisins, walnuts, and orange zest until just blended.
line a miniature muffin tin with paper liners. fill each with a heaping tablespoon of batter, about three-fourths full. bake for 20 minutes or until the cakes spring back when pushed with your finger. transfer to a wire rack to cool. when completely cool, store in a airtight container for up to 1 month.

my 25 candies and cookis for christmas

2009-12-01T17:38:00.011-06:00

here is the list of the goodies that I am going to make for christmas this year, I will link them to the recipes once I get them posted:

bite-sized dark rum fruitcakes
chocolate and peanut granola
pralines
kwanzaa star cookies
apple sage rugelach
chocolate fantasy fudge
cherry and dark chocolate mini challah loaves
coconut sables
vanilla chocolate wafers
butter meringue nuts
pignoli cookies
chocolate peppermint pinwheel cookies
cherry dr. pepper cookies
holiday biscotti
soy nut brittle
brown family sugar cookies
ginger snaps
honey cardamom snowflakes
candy cane cookies
boston cream candy
chocolate-swirl peanut butter fudge
texas trash
white chocolate party mix
divinity
hazelnut brittle

sweet potato and grits spoonbread

2009-11-30T22:44:00.003-06:00

I usually make praline sweet potatoes, but when I saw this recipe, the southern gal in me had to give it a try. It was really good! serves about 4 to 6

For the sweet potatoes:
1 lb. sweet potatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks
1- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ cup maple syrup

For the grits:
1 ½ cups water
¼ tsp. chopped garlic
½ tsp. chopped shallot
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
¼ tsp. kosher salt
Pinch cayenne (optional)
½ cups stone-ground grits
1 Tbs. heavy cream

Put the sweet potatoes in a large pot; cover with water and ¾ tsp. of the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and mash the potatoes using a potato masher. Fold in the remaining ½ tsp. salt, the white pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Set aside.

While the potatoes boil, cook the grits. In a medium heavy-based pot, bring the water, garlic, and shallot to a boil. Add the butter, salt, and cayenne. Gradually whisk in the grits. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the grits are cooked and creamy and just start to pull away from the side of the pot, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and fold in the cream.

Heat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, mix the sweet potato purée with the grits. Spread the mixture in a casserole dish and bake until pudding sets and the top is lightly browned, about 35 minutes.

my menu for thanksgiving dinner

2009-11-25T16:42:00.003-06:00

here is my recipes and pics to follow in posts over the next few days:
cheddar cayenne crackers
maple-brined, smoked turkey
gravy
cinnamon apple cranberry sauce
sweet potato and grits spoonbread
french's green bean casserole
nigella's yorkshire pudding

no food blogging tonight

2009-11-19T20:17:00.003-06:00

I was too busy cooking tonight to blog, I made a triple batch of my corn casserole for tomorrow's thanksgiving luncheon at work. it does smell delicious!

eating in san francisco -- day 1

2009-11-14T21:15:00.001-06:00

well, we landed in san francisco today and as usual, we started eating. we went to a place called bristol farms for lunch and each got an amazing panini, mike got a salami one and I got a london broil one, they were both great and a good value. we also got some cookies that were really good as well. for dinner we went to chinatown and I have no idea the name of the place we ate it, but it was authentic and great!

the worst looking place to get the best food

2009-11-09T18:02:00.001-06:00

well, my plinky prompt for today was to name the worst looking place to get the best food. for me, it would have to be double r burgers in waco. the food is amazing, burgers made on a flat-top while you watch, served on sourdough buns with great fries. here's another good review of them.

my mom's pumpkin cookies

2009-11-08T19:28:00.001-06:00

some of my little sister's friends asked me for my mom's pumpkin cookie recipe, so I thought I would share it with all of you. these are great!!

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teasopoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

icing:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar

preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheets.
in a large bowl, cream together shortening, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and white sugar. mix in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; mix into the creamed mixture. stir in walnuts.
drop dough by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.
bake for 10 to 12 minutes; cool on wire racks.
while the cookies cool, combine the butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until slightly thickened.
cool the icing slightly, then stir in the milk, and beat until smooth. gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar until the icing is thickened.
spread the icing on the cooled cookies.

ed loves my spaghetti

2009-10-25T20:11:00.000-05:00

so, tonight for ed's birthday dinner, he could have anything he wanted and guess what he choose, my spaghetti. I think that is the highest compliment for my cooking that I have ever gotten!

potato chips and mayonaise

2009-08-31T17:54:00.002-05:00

I went to olive branch for lunch today and as I was sitting eating my sandwich, I realized something; when I am at olive branch, I eat my potato chips with mayonnaise. I do not eat them like this anywhere else. is this weird? does anyone else have strange ways of eating things only at certain restaurants?

strawberries foster

2009-08-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

so, friday night, for dessert, I had the most wonderful dish that was like bananas foster, but they made it with strawberries. of course, mike and I had to try our hand at making it and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. here's our recipe

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash of cinnamon
2 shots of grand marnier
1/2 cup sliced bananas
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a skillet.
place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
stir in the grand marnier and the strawberries and cook for 5 minutes to soften the strawberries
generously spoon warm sauce and strawberries over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

a magazine all about cheese

2009-08-12T17:33:00.002-05:00

you may not know this, but michael loves cheese. so today at lunch I was browsing the cooking magazine section at books a million and I saw a magazine all about cheese called, culture, of course I got it for my wonderful husband. now I am waiting impatiently for him to come home and tell me what a wonderful wife I am for getting it for him.

blackberry and apple kuchen

2009-07-23T20:43:00.000-05:00

this is a german cake that is served for dessert or breakfast and it is wonderful! it is a little difficult and time consuming but definitely worth it. Imperial Sugar makes a turbinado sugar that works great in this recipe. if you are making this for dessert, serve it with Whipped cream or Ice Cream.

For the cake base:
2 1/4-2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
Rapid yeast (about 1 teaspoon)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Grated zest of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of lukewarm milk
1/4 cup of butter, softened

For the topping:
1 egg beaten with a tablespoon of cream and a pinch of ground cinnamon
1 small or 1/2 medium-firm, tart apple
1 2/3 cups of blackberries
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/3 cups of self-rising flour
2 tablespoons of ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 cups of cold unsalted butter, diced
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of demerara sugar
2 tablespoons of flaked almonds

Put 2 1/4 cups of the flour in a bowl with the salt, sugar and yeast. In another bowl, beat the eggs and add them (with the vanilla extract, lemon zest and cinnamon) to the lukewarm milk. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients to make a medium-soft dough, being prepared to add more flour as necessary. I generally use about 2 1/3 cups in all, but I advise you to start off with the smaller amount--just add more as needed. Work in the soft butter and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, when the dough is ready, it will appear smooth and springy.
Cover with a kitchen towel and leave till doubled in size (an hour to an hour and a quarter). Or, leave it to rise slowly in a cold place overnight. Then punch down and press to line a jellyroll pan measuring 13 by 9 inches. You may think it's never going to stretch to fit, but it will, although you may need to let it rest for 10 minutes or so mid-stretch, especially if the dough has had a cold rise. When it's pressed out on the pan, leave it to rest for 15-20 minutes and then brush with the cream and egg mixture.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400° F. Peel and chop the apple and toss it in a bowl with the blackberries and the zest of the other half lemon. Set aside in the bowl for the few minutes it takes to make the crumble topping. Put the flour, ground almonds and cinnamon in a medium-size bowl, stir to combine and then add the cold, diced butter. Using the tips of your fingers--index and middle stroking the fleshy pads of your thumbs--rub it into the flour. Stop when you have a mixture that resembles clumpy oatmeal (this is a very buttery mixture). Fork in the sugars and flaked almonds.
Tumble the fruit over the egg-washed dough and then sprinkle the crumble on top of that. Put in the oven for 15 minutes and then turn down to 350° F and cook for a further 20 minutes or so, until the dough is swelling and golden at its billowing edges, and the crumble is set--don't expect it to be crunchy. Remove from the oven and, if you can, wait five minutes or so before cutting it into greed-satisfying slabs.

how do you like it?

2009-07-21T07:20:00.001-05:00

here's this week's tuesday take 5:

what's your favorite pizza topping?
what do you like on your hot dogs?
what do you like on your hambugers?
what is your favorite salad dressing?
what is your favorite ice cream topping?

list your answers on your blog today and enter your name (or your blog's name) in the name field below and a permalink (the url for your blog post with the answer to these questions and not just to your main blog page) to your blog post in the url field. thanks for playing, see you next week!

spinach-basil pesto

2009-07-16T23:14:00.001-05:00

so, I've had quite a few people ask for my pesto recipe, so here it is:

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (or walnuts)
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil

combine all ingredients in a blender.
blend until the mixture forms a thick paste, adding more oil if needed.

squash carbonara

2009-07-01T19:48:00.027-05:00

we watched jamie oliver make this beautiful courgette carbonara the monday night and it started our mouths watering. so we decided that we would make it tuesday night for dinner. then, tuesday morning, our friend dee surprised us with fresh squash from waco city farms (talk about perfect timing). here is how we made it:

1/4 pound pancetta, diced
1 whole yellow squash, cut into large chunks
1 whole zucchini, cut into large chunks
fresh thyme
black pepper
1/2 box whole wheat rotini
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan

cook the pasta according to the package directions
in a large pan over medium heat, cook the pancetta until crispy
add the diced squash and zucchini, stirring well
add the thyme and black pepper to taste and cook until the squash is lightly golden and softened slightly
meanwhile, mix together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl with a fork until well blended
once the pasta is cooked, drain it reserving a little of the cooking water
add the pasta back to the pot (but not back on the heat) and add the pancetta and squash mixture to the pasta and then add the cream and egg yolk mixture
stir together adding the reserved pasta water if needed to make a creamy sauce
serve and eat immediately

original joe with ham

2009-06-24T18:15:00.000-05:00

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 ounces medium mushrooms, sliced (optional)
6 green onions, including some tender green tops, sliced
6 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/2 package (5 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3/4 sliced ham, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Chopped parsley for topping

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine oil, mushrooms (if desired), and green onions and cook until vegetables are tender, 6 to 7 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, water, salt, pepper to taste, and nutmeg. Pour over meat and vegetable mixture in skillet. Let set for 20 seconds.
Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Fold in spinach and ham and stir until eggs are cooked, about 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and parsley and serve immediately.

what do you want to master? -- tuesday take 5

2009-06-16T18:37:00.003-05:00

I am going to go easy on you and me this week and just ask you to list 5 recipes that you want to master! have fun!

list your answers on your blog today and enter your name (or your blog's name) in the name field below and a permalink (the url for your blog post with the answer to these questions and not just to your main blog page) to your blog post in the url field. thanks for playing, see you next week!

princess hollywood squares

2009-06-04T20:13:00.002-05:00

4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
3 cups vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups raspberry preserves

preheat the oven to 350. spray a rimmed 11 by 17 inch baking sheet with nonstick spray
combine the coconut, flour, sugar, shortening, walnuts and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. mix on medium speed for 4 minutes, or until fluffy
spread half of the dough mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet, using a spatula
spread the preserves evenly over the mixture and then cover with the remaining dough mix
transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the dough resembles a soft-baked cookie
remove from the oven and let cool, the dough will firm up when completely cooled
cut into squares slightly larger than 2 inches

caryn’s spaghetti sauce

2009-06-01T22:46:00.003-05:00

my friend alicia came over for lunch the other day and I made spaghetti and she loved it so much that she is holding a truffle recipe hostage until she gets this recipe. well, here it is!

8 ounces ground beef (sometimes I crumble in a link of italian sausage as well)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 zuchini roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large (28 ounce) or 2 small (15 ounce) cans of tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup sugar, plus more, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregno, chopped
1 small can tomato paste

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

cook ground beef (and italian sausage if desired), seasoned with salt and pepper, in pan over medium-high heat until it is no longer pink. remove meat from pan, reserving fat in pan.
add onion, zuchini, and carrots and cook until tender (about 5 to 7 minutes). add garlic and cook 1 minute.
add the can(s) of tomoatoes, red wine, and sugar to taste
reduce heat to low and add basil and oregno. cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.
using an emerssion blender or a regular blender, blend half the sauce to a smooth liquid. return the meat to the pan and cook for an additional 1 to 2 hours.
add the tomato paste, milk, and butter and cook until butter melts and all is mixed well (about 3 to 5 minutes). serve over pasta with parmesan cheese.

praline french toast

2009-05-31T08:18:00.002-05:00

this is another one of those super easy, but very yummy breakfast casseroles!

8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-n-half
1/3 cup maple syrup
10 to 12 slices soft bread, 1 inch thick

for topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups chopped pecans

generously butter a 13-by- 9 in casserole dish
mix together the eggs, half-n-half, maple syrup, and sugar in a large bowl. place the bread slices in the prepared casserole dish and cover with the egg mixture. cover and let soak overnight in the refrigerator
preheat the oven to 350. remove the casserole from the refrigerator
make the topping: melt the butter in a saucepan. add the sugar and maple syrup and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. stir in the pecans. pour the mixture over the bread and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving

girls gone chocolate III

2009-05-30T20:32:00.009-05:00

so, we took another girls day trip today to calvert and had brunch at cocoamoda and it was great, if you want to live vicariously though us, here you go:

dee got the best dish in my view, with the croque-monsieur - classic french toasted gruyere cheese and ham sandwich with sauce mornay and garnish of fresh fruit

simone got the omelette aux herb - omelette with cheddar cheese, sauteed onion, potato, and a medley of herbs

I got the blackberry crepes and they were amazing

alicia got the praline crepes and said they were just as incredible as she thought they would be

sarah-jane went for the saumon fume - smoked salmon with chopped onion, capers, cream cheese, fresh lemon,and toasted brioche and it looked delicious and interesting

and of course, we had truffles!

margarita cakes

2009-05-29T20:07:00.001-05:00

so, in my new cake love cookbook, there is a recipe for triple lime-chocolate crunchy feet that looked really good, so I decided to try them last night. of course, I made my own "tweaks" to the recipe, and they came out really good, if I do say so myself!

crust ingredients
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

dry ingredients
2 cups cake flour (all-purpose flour will also work)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup white chocolate or vanilla chips (I used milk chocolate, but I think the white chocolate or vanilla would be better)

liquid ingredients
2 limes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons tequila (tequila with lime if you have it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

creaming ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons lime zest
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks

26 small brioche pans

to prepare the brioche pans

in a small bowl, mix together the turbinado sugar and the kosher salt for the crust
place the brioche pans on sheet pans and spray them liberally with a cooking spray. sprinkle a pinch of the crust mixture into each brioche pan.

prepare the dry ingredients

sift the flour, cornstarch, and baking soda together into a medium bowl
add the salt and chips to the bowl and use a fork to gently combine

preheat the oven to 350 and set the racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions

prepare the liquid ingredients

zest the lime and set aside for use with the creaming ingredients
juice the limes into a medium bowl and add the remaining liquid ingredients, whisking to combine

prepare the creaming ingredients

mince the lime zest
crack the eggs and the egg yolks into two separate bowls and set aside cream together the butter and the cream cheese in a large mixer bowl with the paddle attachment
add the sugars and the lime zests beating on the lowest speed until well combined, 3 to 4 minutes
with the mixer still on low speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the egg yolks, fully incorporating after each addition
add the dry ingredient mixture alternately with the liquid mixture in 3 to 5 additions each, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. (move swiftly through this step to avoid over working the batter; don't wait for the dry or liquid mixtures to be fully incorporated before adding the next)
stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl; stirring to combine any clumps of ingredients at the bottom of the bowl. mix on medium speed an additional 20 to 5 seconds to develop the batter's structure

pour the batter into the prepared pans so that they are three-quarter's full.
bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops of the cakes don't jiggle in the center and they are blonde across the top and browned around the edges. a cake tester should show just a touch of crumbs when they are done baking remove from oven and place brioche pans inverted on a cooling rack
after the cakes have cooled for 3 to 4 minutes on the cooling rack, remove them from the brioche pans (you make have to tap each pan firmly to release the cake)
return the cakes to the cooling rack to cool completely before enjoying or storing up to one week covered at room temperature

soy-nut brittle

2009-05-28T21:59:00.002-05:00

after watching alton brown make edamame brittle the other day, I decided that I wanted to try that with my brittle recipe. I had a hard time finding the dry-roasted edamame that it called for, but I found soy nuts, which Dee and I decided were the same thing. as I have said before, this recipe for brittle turns out perfect for me everytime and this was the first time I played around with the flavorings and I was very happy with the results.

8 ounces soy nuts (dry roasted edamame)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons baking soda

butter (or spray with cooking spray) two sheets of waxed paper (or a spliat mat if you have one).
combine the soy nuts with the cayenne pepper and kosher salt in a small bowl
combine sugar and corn syrup in microwave-safe 1 ½ quart bowl, stir well.
microwave on high 4 minutes.
stir in seasoned edamame, microwave high 3-5 min until lightly browned (golden).
add butter and soy sauce; microwave mixture one minute
stir in baking soda until foamy
quickly pour on prepared waxed paper and let cool
once the brittle has cooled, break it up into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

2008 tax season breakfast

2009-05-27T21:57:00.007-05:00

since everyone was asking about what I've done for tax season breakfast in years past, I thought I would share those with you, starting with last year, 2008:

peach french toast bake
frittata with smoked cheese and canadian bacon
creole breakfast bread pudding
easy sticky buns
baked garlic cheese grits
praline french toast casserole
princess hollywood square
hazelnut chocolate chip biscotti
savory pretzel sticks

in your kitchen, tuesday take 5 answers

2009-05-26T18:19:00.001-05:00

what you have and what happens in your kitchen is the theme of this week's take 5:

what are 3 things that are always in your kitchen?
garlic powder
whipping cream
apple cider vinegar
have you ever used your oven as Storage?
yes for dirty dishes when we had last minute company
do you have a bread box?
yes, we just got one
what is your favorite kitchen appliance?
my immersion blender
what was the last injury that happened in your kitchen?
I got burned two years ago when water exploded in my microwave

in your kitchen, tuesday take 5

2009-05-26T06:20:00.002-05:00

what you have and what happens in your kitchen is the theme of this week's take 5:

what are 3 things that are always in your kitchen?
have you ever used your oven as Storage?
do you have a bread box?
what is your favorite kitchen appliance?
what was the last injury that happened in your kitchen?

answer these 5 questions on your blog today and enter your name (or your blog's name) in the name field below and a permalink (the url for your blog post with the answer to these questions and not just to your main blog page) to your blog post in the url field. thanks for playing, see you next week!

s'mores cake

2009-05-21T20:12:00.000-05:00

a few weeks ago, at our family reunion, my cousin missy made this great cake, so of course, I asked her for the recipe and here it is. try it, you will love it!

One pkg. chocolate cake mix w/ pudding

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

Marshmallow Cream Frosting (recipe follows)

Garnish: graham cracker crumbs and strawberries

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 13x9 baking pan.
In large bowl, combine cake mix, cracker crumbs, water, oil and eggs. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
Spread Marshmallow Cream Frosting evenly over cake. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs and top with strawberries if desired.

Marshmallow Cream Frosting

One 7oz. jar marshmallow cream

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In medium bowl, beat marshmallow cream and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in milk and vanilla.

my mom's homemade lemonade

2009-05-13T20:00:00.000-05:00

thinking about ways to save money, I thought I would share with you my mom's recipe for homemade lemonade, it is easy and great!!

1 large lemon squeezed with pulp
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water (more or less to taste)

dissolve sugar in lemon juice in a glass
add water to taste and stir to combine

recession take 5

2009-05-12T06:25:00.001-05:00

we are all trying to save money these days and tightening our purse strings, so that the theme of this week's take 5:

what is one food item you will not skimp on?
what is one thing that you have changed about your cooking to save money?
what is you best tip for cooking cheaply?
what is your favorite "cheap" recipe?
what is your best tip for eating out frugally?