Lindsey's Kitchen

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

2010-09-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Ok I have a treat for both local readers and readers from far away. Since October is right around the corner there are lots of fun fall activities to take part in in the Chicago Suburbs. Here is a list of some of my favorites around the Chicago Western Burbs.

Sonny Acres Farm
This is by far the best place to go get pumpkins, enjoy a petting zoon, go on hayrides, enjoying some yummy cotton candy and roasted corn.
290 W. 310 North Ave.
West Chicago, IL 60185

High Point Harvest Acres
Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze
30 Ferry Rd
Naperville, IL 60563

Lynfred Winery
They have having a Oktoberfest this weekend with live music, grape stomping, food and wine of course!'
15. S. Roselle Rd.
Roselle, IL 60172

Ok now for a yummy recipe that inspired my fun little list. This recipe is a must try. Perfect for fall and amazingly tasty!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes
from Rachael Ray Magazine
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 honey crisp apples, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 cups chewy caramel candies
1 tablespoon heavy cream
3/4 cup pecan pieces

Directions
Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples and 1/2 cup pecan pieces. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool. Spread the frosting generously on the cooled cupcakes and top with remaining pecan pieces.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomato, Dill and Ricotta

2010-09-25T15:21:00.001-07:00

To celebrate the end of summer I made this amazing healthy pasta dish. It was very easy to make and took less than 30 minutes. I must admit that I haven't cooked much before with arugula, but now that I have made this I want to put arugula in everything now. I love the peppery crisp taste of it. To make this dish even healthier feel free to skip the ricotta!

Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomato, Dill and Ricotta adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine

Ingredients
1 pound any type of whole wheat pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
3 cups loosely packed baby arugula leaves
3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot, reserving 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, and the garlic over medium-high heat, swirling the garlic in the oil, for 2 minutes; discard the garlic. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper; cook for 4 minutes, then add the dill and reserved pasta cooking water.

Add the tomatoes and arugula to the pasta; season with salt and pepper. Serve the pasta in large, shallow bowls and dollop with the ricotta for mixing in while you eat.

Salted Peanut Butter Cups

2010-09-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

Before I start, this recipe is not for those who are trying to watch what they eat ;) These candies are very rich and even more addicting. Who ever came up with the combo of chocolate and peanut butter is a true genius. I never thought of trying to make my own, until I saw a recipe online and realized how easy it is. The addition of the fleur de sel was just an added bonus I came up with.

Salted Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients
8 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup natural peanut buter
1/2 cup agave nectar (or honey)
Fleur de Sel

Directions
Place 12 baking liners on a baking sheet. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Reserve the pot of hot water to keep the chocolate liquid, as necessary.

Place about two teaspoons of the melted chocolate in a baking cup swirling to coat about halfway up the side of the cup. Repeat with the remaining cups. Refrigerate until set.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in the peanut butter
and agave nectar. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag and snip off one corner.

Fill the chocolate cups about three quarters full with the peanut butter mixture, smoothing the surface. Refrigerate about 15 minutes.

Top each peanut butter cup with melted chocolate to enclose, smoothing the surface. Top with a sprinkle of fleur de sel . Refrigerate until hardened. To serve, remove the candies from the baking liners.

Sweet and Savory Chicken Bites

2010-09-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

So I must admit this picture really doesn't do this dish justice. I would love to be able to take good pictures of our dinners, but we usually eat once its already dark out. So bear with me this winter and just take my word for it on our dinner photos. I made this last night and it was super easy and so flavorful. It took me less than 10 minutes to prepare and the hubby and I both really enjoyed these simple chicken bites.

Sweet and Savory Chicken Bites
adapted from The Rachael Ray Magazine

Ingredients
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1 box lemon flavored gelatin
2 tablespoons poppyseeds

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Add the chicken and let marinade for 15 minutes. On a foiled lined rimmed baking sheet arrange the chicken in a single layer. Pour 1/2 cup of the marinade over the chicken then sprinkle with half of the gelatin, bake for 20 minutes. Flip and sprinkle with the remaining gelatin and poppy seeds, then baked until browned about 15-20 minutes.

Oreo Cheesecake Pretzel Bites

2010-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my day off! I haven't had a Saturday off in a very long time so to celebrate I made these awesome little treats this morning. My whole family is in love with the ever so famous Oreo truffles. So when I saw this on Picky Palate I knew this is something right up my alley. With only five ingredients this recipe is super easy and likely you will have most if not all the ingredients already on hand. Also this recipe requires no baking but still results in a chocolate creamy party in your mouth!!

Oreo Cheesecake Pretzel Bites
Adapted from Picky Palate

Ingredients
14 whole Oreo Cookies
2 oz cold cream cheese
48 square pretzels
8 oz bittersweet bakers chocolate, melted
Sprinkles of your choice

Directions
Place Oreos into a food processor and process until finely ground. Mix Oreo crumbs and cream cheese until dough forms. Pinch 1 Tablespoon of dough and form into a little square. Place onto pretzel then gently press top pretzel to close. Top with melted chocolate and sprinkles. Chill until chocolate has hardened and serve.

Makes 24-26 pretzel bites

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2010-09-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

As a kid my sister and I lived with my dad and stepmom, we would go visit my mom every other weekend. I would always be excited to go over to my moms because she would always be baking up something yummy. A lot of the times it was chocolate chip cookies, and while these cookies were amazing the dough was addicting and I would always sneak some. Of course I knew it wasn't good for me because there was raw eggs in it, but I didn't care, I was a cookie dough monster :) I believe I still am and I have converted my hubby to be one also. So when I saw this recipe on Annie's blog I knew I had to try it out, cookie dough cupcakes with no raw egg, I am totally making these!! I am so glad I did because I think these are the best cupcakes I have ever made and even Ben agrees. I made them last week and Ben is already asking for them again.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
from Annie's Eats

Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Mini Chips Ahoy Cookies
Mini chocolate chips

Directions
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chips ahoy for decoration.

Baked Samosas with Mint Chutney

2010-09-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have watched every season of the Next Food Network Star and haven't been too impressed, until this season. I along with tons of other people fell in love with contestant Aarti Sequeira's cooking style and personality. I don't watch a lot of the food network but I have made time to watch her new show Aarti Party and I love it. She has only had a handful of shows so far, but I want to make at least one thing from each episode. On her last episode this past Sunday she made these baked samosas and they looked amazing. I have never made samosas before but knew I had to- puff pastry filled with chicken, potatoes, pineapple, cilantro, chipotle sauce...I'm so there!! I made these last night and while they took awhile to prepare they are so worth the wait and work.

Baked Samosas with Mint Chutney
adapted from Aarti Party

Ingredients
Filling:
1 large russet potato
Water
Salt
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
3 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup fresh pineapple, finely diced
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons chipotle sauce
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Big handful cilantro leaves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Samosas:
2 packages puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 teaspoon water

Mint Chutney:
1 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and soft stems
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced, plus more to taste
About 1/4 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Filling: In a small saucepan, add the potato and enough cold water to cover. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

In a second small saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a simmer and add a generous pinch of salt, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, peppercorns, chili flakes, and chicken breast. Simmer until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Mash the potato and finely shred the chicken and put into a large bowl. Combine with pineapple, lime juice, chipotle sauce, remaining coriander seeds, cumin, cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mixing with a spoon or your hands, until well incorporated. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Set aside.

Samosas: Roll the puff pastry out slightly, to flatten the seams. Using a paring knife to trace a 7-inch ring mold or bowl, cut the dough into 8 (7-inch wide) rounds. Cut each into 2 semicircles.

Put a tablespoon or so of the filling in the center of a semicircle. Have a small bowl of water handy. Dip your finger in the water and run it along the edges of the semicircle. Arrange the samosas so the flat side is facing away from you. Grab the left corner and fold it over the dough in a triangular motion, so that this corner lands on the bottom right side of the filling. Do the same with the other corner.

Squeeze bottom shut, and fold over, sealing with water. If you like, seal using a fork. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Arrange the 8 samosas on a lightly greased baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and 1 teaspoon water with a fork until thoroughly combined. Brush the tops of the samosas with the egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then turn heat down to 375 degrees F and bake for 10 more minutes. You can flip them over just before you turn the heat down, if you like.

Chutney: In a food processor, whiz together the mint, cilantro, ginger, lime juice and water until it all comes together as a sauce. Pour the chutney into a bowl.

In a small pan, over medium heat, warm the oil until it shimmers. Add mustard seeds; they should sizzle. Immediately cover with a lid until they stop spluttering. Make sure they don't burn! If they do, start over. No big deal. I do it all the time! Immediately add the seeds and oil to the chutney. It will sizzle so stand back. Once you've poured in all of the oil, you can even spoon a little chutney into the pan so that you pick up all that oil. Pour into the bowl with the chutney.

Serve samosas hot, with the chutney.

Pumpkin Whore

2010-09-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

I must say that I am quite the pumpkin whore lately. So far I have at least 5 pumpkin spice latte's from Starbucks these past few weeks and I recently went to World Market and I must say they have lots of amazing pumpkin stuff. I picked up pumpkin hand soap, lotion, soup, pasta sauce, candles, etc. So if you are just as obsessed with pumpkin this time of year as I am then check out World Market if you have one near you. I just can't get over this pumpkin obsession this time of year. I made this bread a few weeks ago and luckily I made enough to freeze a few loafs and we have been enjoying this bread just about everyday. I love that there are so many veggies in this bread. I am actually on the last loaf of this bread and I am already jonesing to make some more. This recipe made 3 medium sized loafs for me.

Olive Oil Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
adapted from Pithy and Cleaver

Ingredients
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup delicately flavored olive oil (or 3/4 cup strong olive oil and 1/4 cup safflower oil)
1/2 cup water
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1.6 cups all purpose flour
1.6 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup grated zucchini
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pecan pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease your pans with olive oil.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the olive oil, water, pumpkin, and sugar and whisk to combine well.

Add salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and baking soda, and continue whisking until well blended. Add the flour and stir into the wet ingredients using a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Stir in zucchini, carrots, raisins and nuts if using.

Pour into prepared loaf pans—do not fill more than 2/3 full as batter will rise. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for ten minutes before removing from pan to cool completely. Keep tightly wrapped, or freeze to enjoy later.

Sushi Today-Elk Grove, IL

2010-09-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to meet Ben by his office for lunch one day. He had gotten a flyer for this place awhile back and wanted to check it out. This place is located in a little strip mall in Elk Grove.

I got the Sushi Value lunch special ($9.99) which came with a California roll, Sashimi, Tempera and Gyoza plus a drink.

It was pretty good. I would've liked to be able to choose what type of roll I could have, but oh well. I think it was a good value for how much it was.

Ben got the Bulgogi ($6.99) which is Korean style roast beef with rice.

He thought it was fantastic. I did try it, and I thought it was really good also. I believe he has since been back to have this on his lunch. He is hooked.

This place is great for lunch and they are quick at getting your food to you. The staff is friendly which means I will for sure go back!

Sushi Today

552 E. Devon Ave

Elk Grove, Illinois 60007

Sugar Monkey Cupcakes-Naperville, IL

2010-09-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for good cupcakes places and I wanted to try this place out. Ben and I went here a few weeks ago to try it out.

We got four cupcakes for $3 a piece.

From top right, clockwise, Cookies and Cream, Smores, Chocolate Raspberry, Red Velvet

Cookies and Cream- The frosting was a sugar load, but enjoyable with the cookie crumbs in it. The cake part was dry with cookie bits in it. Nothing special.

Smores-It was a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with a bit of marshmallow on top with a tiny bit of graham cracker crumbs. I would've liked more of the graham cracker taste.

Chocolate Raspberry-This was my favorite. It was chocolate cake with raspberry frosting. It was just the right amount of raspberry taste. Loved it!

Red Velvet-This was Ben's favorite. For me it was too sweet. I enjoy a cream cheese frosting with red velvet cake and this obviously was not cream cheese frosting.

Here is their daily menu calendar.

Sugar Monkey Cupcakes

28 W. Chicago Ave.
Naperville, IL 60540

Charkies-Carol Stream, IL

2010-09-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

Ben and I have been here several times, and we love this place. The people that own this place are so nice and friendly and really know how to treat a customer properly. We went here yesterday for lunch before we went grocery shopping.

I got the Charkies Salad ($5.99) which has crispy romaine lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, and onions topped with crumbled feta cheese, kalamata olives and a hardboiled egg.When you dine in at Charkies you always get a bowl of complimentary soup. The soup of the day was chicken noodle.

The soup was good, not fantastic, but still a good chicken noodle soup.

Sorry about this picture, I had to take it on my iphone, I couldn't get a decent picture on my camera. This salad was very good. The only complaint I have, even though it's my own fault for not telling them I don't want it on my salad, is raw onion! I cannot eat raw onion on a salad. I love onion, but a raw onion is too strong to eat in opinion.

Ben ordered the gyro sandwich value meal ($7.95) which came with a drink and french fries.

Whenever we go here, he always orders this, so it must be good. I tried a bite and it was tasty. He always orders his plain.

All in all we keep going back to this place for a reason, its damn good. Check it out!

Charkies Restaurant

570 North Schmale Road

Carol Stream, IL 60188

Cookie Dough Creations-Naperville IL

2010-09-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

A cookie dough sandwich? Can it be true?

Cookie Dough Creations is located in downtown Naperville, IL. They specialize in creations using raw cookie dough, made without the eggs so they are perfectly safe to eat. You can order cookie dough plain kinda like as you would order ice cream. You can also get ice cream with cookie dough mixed in, or you can get the cookie dough sandwich.

Yeah Ben was looking up places to try out last weekend and he found this place online and at first I was a skeptic, but we went and these things are so bad for you, but at the same time they are so yummy. It seriously took us like 4 days to eat these things, 1/4 of these cookie sandwiches is a sugar load in itself. The cookie dough sandwiches are two cookies of your choice with raw cookie dough of your choice sandwiched between the two cookies. They are about 5 dollars a piece. We actually got one for free because as the girl was putting Ben's cookie sandwich together a part of the cookie broke off so she gave it to us for free!! (Yay! We love free stuff)

I got two chocolate chip cookies with oreo cookie dough. Very sweet but of course very good!!

Ben got two sugar cookies with cake batter cookie dough. He loved it. He told me he wants me to order a bunch of these for his birthday next year instead of a cake. Ha!!

All in all this is a place you should check out, but not if you are on a diet that is for sure. If you have a major sweet tooth you will love this place!

Cookie Dough Creations

22 W. Chicago Ave.

Naperville, Illinois 60540

The Latest Crave-Geneva IL

2010-09-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ben and I were exploring downtown Geneva a few weeks ago and stumbled upon this cute little cupcake shop. I love baking and eating cupcakes so I had to get a few so we could taste test them. We got a german chocolate, black bottom, carrot, and a red velvet cupcake. They were pretty good. Our favorite was the german chocolate closely followed by the carrot. If you are a frosting lover then this is the place for you, their cupcakes have a ton of frosting and they even sell little chocolate cups filled with frosting, calling them frosting shots. We didn't try these up might next time we stop by. All in all this place is very cute and we will for sure be back. The cupcakes were $3 a piece.

The Latest Crave

227 S. Third Street

Geneva, IL 60134

630-262-8200

Guava-Westmont IL

2010-09-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Ben and I always try to go somewhere new when we go out to eat so we ended up trying this place. It is a newer restaurant and serves latin food and tapas. When it comes to going to restaurants, we are boring and always go to the same type of places ( american and asian styles are the most frequented by us) So trying this place was a real treat for us. We arrived and were seated right away. I had looked up the menu earlier in the day so I knew exactly what I wanted to get to drink, anyone who knows me knows that I love watermelon so I had to have the watermelon mojito ($8).

It had watermelon chunks and mint garnishing this refreshing drink. The drink tasted just like a good mojito should! I was not disappointed at all. Ben was borning and got water to drink.

For dinner I decided to order two tapas thinking they would be pretty small portions, boy was I wrong. They were very large portions and very filling. I ordered the Peruvian style tuna ceviche (10.95) with sweet potato. The only complaint I would have with this is that it could have been seasoned a little bit more, a little salt does a ceviche some good ;) The texture was good and the chips were huge and went very well with the ceviche.

The other tapa I got was a duck and sweet potato sope with peach salsa and queso fresco($8.95). The duck was very tender and the peach salsa was out of this world. The flavors of the dish really complimented eachother and made me a very happy customer.

Ben got the Steak Currasco with gandules, pozole, and poblano salsa. ($16.95) I am not going to really speak for him, but he enjoyed it. He only ate the steak, as I keep updating this blog you will come to realize my husband is the pickest eater. He really doesn't like trying new things so it wasn't a shock to me that he didn't eat everything. The only comment he really had was that he would've liked the steak a little less cooked. He likes some pink in his red meat.

All in all we will for sure come back to this place and we will recommend it to friends. I would love to come to this place with some girlfriends sometime and split a bunch of tapas. The decor is welcoming and the music was fun. It even looked like they have salsa dancing nights. So check this place out and hopefuly you will enjoy it as much and we did.

800 E. Ogden Avenue
Westmont, IL 60559
phone 630-654-9600

www.guava-tlc.com

Super for Suburbanites

2010-09-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

I started another blog a little over a year ago, Supper for Surburbanites. It was a restaurant review blog, reviewing restaurants Ben and I have been to in the Chicago suburbs. I had fun doing it but haven't updated since a year ago. I am now going to just upload our restaurant reviews to this blog. I will still be making recipes and having product giveaways and reviews. It will just be easier to have it all in one place. I am adding all my posts from my Supper for Surburbanites blog to this blog so it is all in one place. If you have seen these posts before in your google reader I apologize. I will be posting some new reviews in the next few weeks.

Watermelon Sugar Cookies

2010-09-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe summer is coming to an end. It has been a whirlwind of the past few months. We celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary, we went on a mini vacay for Ben's birthday, we both have been working full time and Daphne turned 2! I actually made these cookies about a month ago. I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe and I tried decorating with royal icing for the first time. I don't think I did a fantastic good, my hand was shaking as I was piping the icing on the cookies. Any recommendations for this problem? I think they ended up cute and my coworkers loved them. I used chocolate jimmy sprinkles for the "seeds"

Also I wanted to say that Annie's Eats and Brown Eyed Baker have great tutorials for working with royal icing that really helped me.

Sugar Cookies
from Joy of Baking

Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extractDirections In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.) Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet.

Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking. Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours.)

Royal Icing
from Joy of Baking

Ingredients
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Directions
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Berry Raspberry Icebox Cookies

2010-06-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

This next week is sure to be filled with lots of bbq's and lots of summer fun. These cookies are perfect for all your Fourth of July parties. They were pretty simple to make and they have a great berry flavor. Impress your guests at your next gathering. You can even switch out the colors and flavors. I found the recipe at The Cooking Photographer. She has a lot of pictures that made the recipe easier for me. I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday!!

Berry Raspberry Icebox Cookies
from The Cooking Photographer

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter, nearly melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs2 pouches (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
Red food or icing dye
Blue food or icing dye
1 tablespoon raspberry Jell-O
1 tablespoon berry blue Jell-O

Directions

Line an 8x4-inch loaf pan with waxed paper, extending paper over sides of pan.

In a stand mixer beat butter and eggs together. Add the sugar cookie mixes and beat until just combined. Divide the dough into three equal parts and place in bowls. Set one part aside.

Add raspberry Jell-O and red dye for color (You’ll need quite a bit or they’ll be pink) to one part. Knead with your hands in the bowl until the Jell-O is mixed in then pick the dough up and finished kneading folding the dough over with your hands until combined. Repeat with berry blue Jell-O and blue dye.

Divide the doughs in half again to make 6 layers. Pat a red dough into the wax paper lined pan. Press gently with the back of a dry measuring cup to even out the dough. Next, pat the plain dough between your hands to form nearly the size of the pan. Press the plain dough into the pan over the red layer. Repeat with blue, red, white and blue.

Fold the wax paper over the cookie dough and cover with foil. Refrigerate for several hours until firm. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once chilled, dump the dough out into a cutting surface. Remove dough from pan and trim edges. Cut log into ¼” thick slices. Then cut slices in half to form squares.

Place cookies on sheets 1 1/2 inches apart. Freeze sheets for 10 minutes to retain shapes if desired. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are no longer wet looking and are very lightly golden on the sides. Let cookies firm up on the cookie sheets for a couple of minutes then move to a cooling rack.

Pink Lady Cupcakes

2010-06-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe June is just about over. This summer is flying by. I hope everyone has been having a great summer. I saw these cupcakes the other day and knew I must try them. I am a very girly girl so seeing pink cupcakes got me all giddy. These cupcakes are very light and perfect for your next summer bbq. Next time I think I will add a little more food coloring as my cupcakes weren't as pink as I would of liked.

Pink Lady Cupcakes
from A Cozy Kitchen

Ingredients
2-¼ cups Cake Flour
1-½ cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cups Pureed Strawberries
4 whole Egg Whites
⅓ cups Milk
1 drop Red Food Coloring Dye (to Make It Pinker)

FOR THE FROSTING:
4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
3 ounces, weight Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-½ cup Sifted Confectioners Sugar
1 cup Shredded Coconut (for Topping)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place liners in a standard muffin/cupcake tin.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the electric mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and strawberry puree and mix to blend the ingredients. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes; the batter will resemble strawberry ice cream at this point.

In another large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and red food dye, if using, to blend. Add the whites to the batter in two or three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only to incorporate after each addition. Divide the batter amongst the muffin cups 3/4 of the way full.

Bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes inside the muffin tins and then transfer to wire racks until throughly cooled.

For the frosting, in a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

When the cupcakes are completely cooled, ice each cupcake and top with shredded coconut, if desired.

Caramel Macchiato Thumbprints

2010-05-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

I am one of those people that must have coffee everyday, The workers at the Starbucks by our apartment know me by name and know my usual orders. I am addicted and am pure evil until I get my caffeine everyday. Anyways before I post this recipe I wanted to share one of my new favorite things. They had these cups for sale around Christmas time and I really wanted to get one, but I didn't get a chance to before they were out of stock. I was bummed, until a few weeks ago I saw they had them for sale again. I of course picked up a venti sized one, which was about 14 dollars and comes with a resuable plastic straw. I love my reusable cup and have used it so many times since I bought it.
Ok anyways back to the recipe. I love iced caramel macchiatos from Starbucks and when I saw this recipe a few months back I knew I wanted to try it out. It was super easy and they turned out fantastic. The cookie really has a strong coffee flavor and the caramel is gooey and the chocolate adds the perfect amount of sweetness. It truly tastes like a caramel macchiato!

Caramel Macchiato Thumbprints from Betty Crocker Online

Ingredients

2	teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder or granules
1	tablespoon hot water
1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/4	cup all-purpose flour
1/2	cup butter or margarine, melted
2	teaspoons vanilla
1	egg
18	caramels (from 14-oz bag), unwrapped
2	tablespoons milk
1/2	cup semisweet chocolate chips
1	teaspoon shortening

Directions

	Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, dissolve coffee powder in hot water. Stir in cookie mix,flour, butter, vanilla and egg until very soft dough forms.
	Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Using thumb or handle of wooden spoon, make indentation in center of each cookie.
	Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
	In small microwavable bowl, microwave caramels and milk uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring once, until caramels are melted. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon caramel into indentation in each cookie. Cool 15 minutes.
	In another small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth. Drizzle chocolate over cookies. Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.

Cilantro Lime Guacamole

2010-05-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

I know I have been horrible about blogging lately, but I have a good reason. I was finishing up school and I have now graduated, with honors at that!! I now have my associates in Culinary Arts. I am so excited that I am done and I have already applied at a few schools where I want to continue and get my bachelors in hospitality management. Anyways since school is over I have more time to cook more at home. I have been wanting to make homemade guacamole for a while now. I think a good guacamole has to have lots of lime and cilantro in it. I love those two flavors, they always scream Spring to me. This literally took me five minutes to make and it was so tasty. Now go ahead and make this next time you are enjoying a margarita and it will be a complete perfect spring night!

Cilantro Lime Guacamole

Ingredients
4 ripe avocados
1/2 small red onion, small diced
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 2 limes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
Salt

Directions
Cut avocados in half and dispose of the seeds. Scoop out avocado with a spoon into a bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mash it all together with a fork. Season with Salt. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cricut for Cake Decorating?!?!

2010-05-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

Let me first preface this by saying that I am a lover of all things Cricut and before I started back to school I really was a scrapbooking diva. The day I got my Cricut Expression I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

Today, while yarn shopping at my local Michaels, I saw the neatest thing, the Cricut Cake. This nifty little (well not so little)machine does the same thing that a regular Cricut die cutting machine does, but with frosting instead of paper.

Genius, right? I am also a lover of all things cake. It is a great idea but after I thought about it for a little while I decided it is not for me. Yes, I could make the perfect cake and wow friends and family at birthday parties but the machine takes something critical away from a painstakingly made confection.

Cake decorating, in my opinion is truly an art form. I love watching the cake challenges on Food Network. Duff is amazing, not to mention kinda hot. I am always amazed at the incredible cakes these pro decorators come up with. My hat goes off these masters of confectioneries.

I feel like this machine takes away from the creativity and artistic expertise that goes into these cakes. In my little experience decorating cakes I have found half the battle is in figuring out ways to create the little touches that make the cake pop. The Cricut Cake would significantly decrease my struggle but I feel my struggles are what make the cake special. The struggle later results in the WOW! factor.

It's like having a hand beaded wedding gown verses a mass produced dress. Yes, they both are beautiful but there is something genuinely special about that hand beaded gown.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I wish we would spend more time learning an art form rather than using machines to mass produce generic art. It's the heart that goes into creating a masterpiece that makes it special.

So, to those who hand decorate beautiful cakes, your fondant flowers may not be cookie cutter perfect, but you still get a big WOW! from me for the wondrous creations you put forth.

You can check out Melancholy Mommy's blog here. She is my sister and the most talented amazing writer and mother!

Amella Caramel Winners

2010-04-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

And the winners of the Amella Caramel Collection are...

77.
Sheila Sultani Said,

Black Forest caramels - looks like my Nanas - YUM!!!

15.

Holly Renee Said,
Passion fruit! Never had that before... MMMmmmmmm.

56.

Double Wide Mom Said,
definitely Carrot cake caramels. Makes my mouth water thinking about it!

Winners, please email me at lindseydavis85@gmail.com with your address so I can forward it to the people at Amella. Thanks!!

Hummingbird Cake

2010-04-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

First of I want to welcome everyone from SITS. I am so excited to be the feature blogger today. I hope you enjoy my blog. Come back soon, as I often have foodie giveaways and contests. :)

I hope everyone had a good Easter and Passover! I have been wanting to make a hummingbird cake for awhile now. This cake screams Spring to me. A combo of banana, carrot and pineapple make for a moist flavorful cake. These would also be great as cupcakes. I am not very good at frosting cakes so I decided to use the extra pecan pieces I had and coat the pitiful looking frosted cake with pecans which I think made this cake look impressive. If you are sick of eating those chocolate bunnies from Easter then make this cake and Enjoy!

Hummingbird Cake
Adapted from The Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
Unsalted butter, for greasing
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup pecan pieces
2 ripe bananas, chopped
2 medium sized carrots, grated
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil

For the Frosting:
2 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), at room temperature
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour.

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, then roughly chop. Toss with the bananas, carrot, pineapple and 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl.

Whisk the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a separate bowl with a mixer on high speed until thick and light, 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the vegetable oil.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture, then gently fold to make a thick batter. Fold in the pecan-fruit mixture, then transfer the batter to the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pans on a rack, 25 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer until fluffy, then gradually beat in the butter until combined. Sift the confectioners' sugar over the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about half of the frosting on top, then cover with the other cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.

Amella Caramels Giveaway

2010-04-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

The people over at Amella Caramels sent me some caramels recently. I was excited to try these because of their unique flavors. Amella, the first Artisan Cocoa Butter Caramel is made from a combination of pure cocoa butter, chocolate, and a unique addition of real fruits or vegetables. In fact, they believe that they are the first company in the world to use fresh carrots in a caramel. They sent me the Amella Caramel Collection which includes Carrot Cake Caramels, Passion Fruit Caramels and Black Forest Caramels. I loved all three. The Passion fruit is bursting with passion fruit flavor. I am usually not a fan of white chocolate but I did love the carrot cake caramel, I could taste the carrot cake and spice.

Ok now onto the giveaway....

The people from Amella haave been so gracious to offer 3 of my readers each Amella Caramel Collection.

Ok how to enter:

Leave me a comment on this blog post answering the question, What one of these caramels would you like to try?

You can also have a second entry at winning a case if you tweet about this giveaway on twitter and link back to this blog entry and leave me a separate comment saying you have done this.

Must have a valid email address to enter.
Giveaway only for those in the USA. Sorry!

Deadline for this giveaway is Friday April 9th at 12pm CST. Winners will be announced Friday afternoon.

Three Winners will be chosen by Random.org number generator

Coconut Almond Tart

2010-03-31T05:36:00.000-07:00

Here is another recipe I made for our seder dinner. I love the taste of anything almond, so when I saw this recipe had almond meal and almond paste, I was 100% wanting to try it. You can get really creative with the recipe and top it with whatever you want. I added some strawberries, blueberries and some pistachios for a splash of color and texture. Everyone loved this dessert, even the few people who said they normally don't like coconut.

Coconut Almond Tart with Berries
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

For the Crust:Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch
2 tablespoons almond paste
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup soy cream cheese, preferably Tofutti
5 tablespoons apricot jam
4 cups assorted berries

Directions

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch fluted tart pan with cooking spray. Combine remaining ingredients. Press into bottom and up sides of pan.

Make the filling: Scrape vanilla seeds into a small saucepan, and add pod. Stir in soy milk and 2 tablespoons sugar, and bring to a boil. Whisk yolks, arrowroot or cornstarch, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl. Add hot soy milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking until combined. Return to pan, and whisk over medium heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Discard vanilla pod.

Beat milk mixture and almond paste with a mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes. Beat in almond flour and cream cheese. Spread into tart crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Cover edges with parchment, then foil. Bake until set, 15 to 25 minutes more. Let cool completely in pan on a rack. Unmold. Spread jam evenly over the tart. Arrange berries on top.

Chocolate Covered Matzo

2010-03-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Ever since Ben and I have dated I have been immersed in his Jewish culture. Growing up Christian, I knew nothing at all about Jewish holidays. Even though Ben doesn't really adhere to all the holidays and we don't go to synagogue routinely. I do try to show him that I care about him and how he grew up. The past few years we have had a seder dinner with some of our close friends. This year I was assigned the make the dessert and side. As part of the dessert I made this. I usually hate matzo but after making this once you cover matzo in chocolate it truly is amazing. This is so simple to make and you can add type of toppings you want.

Chocolate Covered Matzo
Adpated from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
11 pieces matzo (about 1 box)
11 ounces white chocolate, melted
11 ounces dark chocolate, melted
3/4 cup finely chopped pistachios, toasted
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions
Place matzo on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Brush one side of matzo with either the white or dark chocolate; drizzle over dark chocolate, if matzo was brushed with white chocolate, or white chocolate, if matzo was brushed with dark chocolate. Sprinkle over nuts and fruit.

Transfer matzo to refrigerator until chocolate is set, about 15 minutes. Break into pieces. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated up to 1 week.

Chocolate Raspberry Macarons

2010-03-15T15:35:00.001-07:00

I have been obsessed with Macarons for a few years now . Macarons are little delicate cookies made with a meringue base with egg whites, almond meal, and powdered sugar. They are very intimidating to make. Just doing one tiny thing wrong can totally mess up these cookies. I think I did a pretty good job for the very first time making these. I made them a little too big, but they have their famous feet they are suppose to have. I also went a little over board with the buttercream. Next time I'll just use less. I made a plain buttercream icing and added some raspberry extract and some wilton icing color. I added a little too much icing color and so we have hot pink filling. One tip for making macarons let your egg whites stay out at room temperature for at least 24 hours before you make these!

Look at my gorgeous "feet" So proud of myself.

Chocolate Macarons
from I love Macarons by Hisako Ogita

Ingredients
1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar
½ cup almond meal (about 2 ounces, 50 gr)
3 tablespoons (25 gr) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your baking sheet. Draw 1 inch circles on the paper spacing them at least 1.5 inches apart. This pattern will be your guide for squeezing out the macaron batter

In a food processor grind the almonds, cocoa powder and powdered sugar together to a fine powder. Sift the mixture through a medium mesh sieve twice. Set aside. In a stainless steel mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they are foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar to the egg whites. When the meringue is stiff , firm and has a glossy texture it is done.

Add half of the sifted almond meal/sugar/cocoa mixture from before. Stir it in with a spatula while scooping it up from the bottom of the bowl. Add the rest of the flour and mix it lighting in a circular motion. When you run out of flour press and spread out the batter against the bowls side. Scoop the batter from the bottom and turn it upside down. Repeat this process 15 times. When the batter becomes nicely firm and drips slowly as you scoop it with a spatula the mixture is done.

Attach a 0.4 tip to a pastry bag and pour the batter into the bag. Squeeze out batter into circles on baking sheet from before. Rap the baking sheet firmly against the counter or other flat surface. This helps the macarons hold their rounded shape and helps the pied, or little "foot" to form.

Dry the batter at room temperature, uncovered for an hour. A slight crust should form on top of the macarons . If the batter circles do not stick to your fingers when you touch them then the drying process is done.

Stack the baking sheet with the batter circles on top of a empty baking sheet and slide both into the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes until slightly crisp and crackled on top. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool on a wire rack. When the macarons are completely cooled remove them from the baking sheet. Spread buttercream between two of the macaron shells , and they are ready to be eaten.

Raspberry Buttercream
Adpated from I love Macarons by Hisako Ogita

Ingredients
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon raspberry extract
Wilton Rose Icing color

Directions
Cut the butter into pieces and place into a heat resistant bowl. Heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Stir the butter with a spatula until it becomes smooth and creamy like mayo.

Put water and the sugar in a heat resistant container and stir well. Heat this mixture in the microwave for 3 minutes. Take the mixture out when done and stir with a spoon.

While heating the syrup break an egg into a bowl and beat it lightly with a hand mixer. Pour the water/sugar syrup like a thread in the bowl and beat it at a high speed. Reduce the speed to medium and then to slow and continue beating until the bottom of the bowl is no longer hot and the mixture becomes white and heavy.

Divide the butter adding it to the syrup in 2 or three additions. Beat with the hand mixer at medium speed after each addition of butter. When the butter is well mixed the process is done. Stir in the icing color and the raspberry extract. Spread the cream between the macaron puffs.

Tex-Mex Stuffed Shells

2010-03-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

I really don't make mexican cuisine that often, even though I love it. The truth is Ben usually isn't much of a fan. Every once in a while I say Screw Ben, I am making something I want for once! I made these last week and they were amazing . I usually just buy the taco seasonings you find at the grocery store cause they are cheap and always on sale, but going through my spice cabinet I realized I had all the spices I need to just season the beef mixture and sauce myself. I will not be buying those taco seasoning packets anymore, the homemade blend tastes so much better! Anyways this dinner is one to impress and would be great for Cinco de Mayo which is coming up!
(Sorry about the awful picture!)

Tex-Mex Stuffed Shells from Elly Says Opa

Ingredients
1 box (12 oz.) large pasta shells
1 batch ground beef filling (recipe follows)
1 batch tomato sauce (recipe follows)
1.5 cups (6 oz.) shredded Mexican cheese mix (or cheddar, monterey jack, chihuahua etc.)

Tomato Sauce
1 large (29 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup broth or water
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 bay leaf

Ground Beef Filling
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, small dice
1 lb. lean ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water (or beef broth)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1.25 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. brown sugar
2 oz. cream cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Boil the pasta shells until al dente.

Meanwhile, make the ground beef filling and tomato sauce. To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan, along with salt and pepper to taste (if you use broth, you won’t need much salt). Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let the sauce slowly bubble and simmer, stirring occasionally, as you make your ground beef mixture.

To make the ground beef mixture: Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the canola oil and once shimmery, add the onions and green pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes until the vegetables begin to get tender. Add the beef and garlic. Cook the ground beef until browned, and then, if necessary, drain the fat off the beef. Add the water/beef broth, cayenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat until most of the water/broth has been absorbed. Re-season to taste if necessary. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before stirring in the cream cheese.

To assemble: Pour about 2/3 cup of the tomato sauce over a large baking dish (or two). Stuff each shell with a tablespoon or so of the ground beef mixture, and place on top of the sauce in the pan. Continue until all the shells are stuffed. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the shells, and then sprinkle with the cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.

Happy Birthday Cupcakes

2010-03-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

How fun are these cupcakes? I wanted to make cupcakes and take them to work tomorrow since it will be my birthday. I am turning another year older (26, eeek!!) and I have been through a lot this year, good and bad. But what really stands out this year is how I have totally fallen in love with baking . I am so happy that I have found something I am so passionate about. I love trying new recipes and and testing things out. I also love seeing peoples faces as they enjoy my goodies I have baked. I have always wished I could do this for a living and seeing as I am graduating from culinary school in just a few short months hopefully I will be able to do so sometime soon in the future. I made the cupcakes using my favorite chocolate cake recipe and I used a new buttercream recipe I found on Annie's Eats earlier this week. Both turned out amazing!! Anyways here is to another year older and many more sweet treats in the future!

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
from Annie's Eats
Ingredients
5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together!) Stir in the vanilla extract and mix just until incorporated. Tint with gel icing color as desired.

Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

Beyond the Shaker Giveaway Winner

2010-02-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

And the lucky number was....

13.

Nina Said,

February 2, 2010 7:43 PM
I love trying different salts to flavor dishes. I think using some of these flavors on steaks would be great.

Nina, please email me at lindseydavis85@gmail.com with your address so I can send you your salt gift set. Thanks!!

Salty Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark Chocolate

2010-02-07T15:33:00.001-08:00

I haven't baked anything in a very long time and was itching to get back in the kitchen. I saw this recipe over Christmas time in my google reader and knew I wanted to try it. Anything that has chocolate and sea salt I am all over it. These were really easy to make and I made just a slight change from the original recipe. When I mixed all the ingredients the dough was more like a batter so I added a 1/2 cup of flour. If you love the peanut butter cookies with the hershey kiss in them then you should definitely try this sophisticated version of them.

Salty Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark Chocolate adapted from The Amateur Gourmet

Ingredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter (this recipe works best with a commercial brand. "Natural" PB just wouldn't make this recipe the same)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tbs vanilla extract
Pinch of fleur de sel (or any sea or kosher salt)
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Dark Chocolate Chunks-I used about 24

Directions
In a stand mixer, you just throw together the peanut butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, orange zest, vanilla extract and salt. Mix well scrapping sides as you go until combined. Add flour and mix until just combined. You scoop the dough on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper , lay a piece of chocolate on top and sprinkle everything with sea salt to taste. You bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 and you're done. Let them rest for a minute then spatula them to a cookie sheet to cool.

Beyond the Shaker Giveaway

2010-02-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

Wow, so I haven't blogged in a long time. We are finally all moved and have most of our unpacking done. I really want to get back into baking and cooking and of course blogging but I have been working crazy hours at work and I started my last semester of school (yay!). I hope to start really blogging again in the next few weeks. To hold you over I have a giveaway...Beyond the Shaker sent me some samples a few weeks ago...

Beyond the Shaker specializes in gourmet salts. Some of the samples they sent me were
Hot Habanero Blend, Fumee de Sel, and Truffle Wet Salt. I have tried a few of them already and am a huge fan.

OK so Chris from Beyond the Shaker has been so gracious to offer a Top Salt Seller Gift Set to one of my lucky readers!

From the Beyond the Shaker Website-

This set includes:

Citrus Basil Blend
Hot Habanero Blend
Windy City Celery

Leading off our all-star trio of gourmet salts, is the flavorful Citrus Basil Blend. In this incredible blend, we use authentic lemon myrtle, a bush plant from Australia, to provide a refreshing citrus note. To further heighten the taste of citrus, we add organic lemon and lime peel. Organic basil combines well with the flourish of citrus, and also adds to the textural experience of the salt. All of which is structured behind some of our favorite salts, including light and flaky Murray River salt (which, like lemon myrtle, also calls Australia home). Sprinkle our Citrus Basil blend on olive oil with crusty bread, grilled chicken or try it on popcorn for a special treat.

Next in our best-seller set, we provide you with a jar of our Hot Habanero Blend, which will give your grilled dish a healthy kick of heat and flavor. Hawaiian Black Lava and Red Alaea are the crunchy, dramatic base of this salt, and hand-chopped chili peppers bring the heat while organic, dried cilantro adds a hint of cool, crisp flavor. You'll want to sprinkle it on chicken, shrimp, and just about anything else you want to give a little spice to just as these foods hit the searing sizzle of the grill.

Rounding out our best-seller trio is Windy City Celery Salt. As a tribute to the Second City, we crafted this premium version of the celery salt found on Chicago-style hot dogs. Our interpretation is inspired by the condiments of this classic dog, but than spiced up a bit with premium organic ingredients, including mustard seed and jalapeno. Try on the rim of a bloody mary, with deviled eggs, or in clam chowder.

No matter how you slice it, our Best Seller Set will make you a true winner in the kitchen!

Ok how to enter:

Leave me a comment on this blog post answering the question, How would you use these salts?

You can also have a second entry at winning a case if you tweet about this giveaway on twitter and link back to this blog entry and leave me a separate comment saying you have done this.

Must have a valid email address to enter.
Giveaway only for those in the USA. Sorry!

Deadline for this giveaway is Tuesday February 9th at 12pm CST. Winners will be announced Wednesday afternoon.

One Winner will be chosen by Random.org number generator.

Chocolate and Bacon?!?!

2010-02-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

This post is very over due. Nick sent me these samples from Chocomize over a month ago. Chocomize is a really cool concept. You basically just pick what type of chocolate you want and you can choose up to 5 premium ingredients to add to your candy bar. I got to choose what I wanted. I chose a dark chocolate bar with sea salt, crystallized mint and crystallized violet petals. This was beyond amazing. I also chose a dark chocolate bar with bacon bits and oreos, GASP, I know bacon and chocolate???!!! I know its weird but if you haven't tried it I would recommend it. It is a huge fad right now and I am all about it. Yum! Check out Chocomize and you can make a candy bar for your sweetie for a fun Valentines Day Gift! If you type 'Valentine' into the coupon section of the checkout, you can get free shipping!

Week 2

2010-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

8.

Macarons, one of my favorite things ever!

9.
This is what keeps me sane!

10.Ahh Dad, why do you torture me like this?
11.
Watching the boob-tube with mom!

12.
Don't leave dad! She seriously freaks out whenever we walk out the door. He was just taking the trash out.

13. Sky is blue but still frigid out!

14.
I love what this ring represents. Love my hubby!! 6 years together this week!

Eggs in a Fancy Basket

2010-01-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

Just a note from me

We are in the middle of a move, so I will not be blogging as frequently. If you are interested in doing some guest blogging for me please shoot me an email at lindseydavis85@gmail.com. Thanks!!

OK now onto a great post by Life and Kitchen. Lindsay is actually my cousin! We never lived around each other so I believe we have only really met a few times when we were both much much younger. We have actually connected over facebook and she has a great blog which I love!

Eggs in a Fancy Basket (healthy style!)

Hello, new friends! If I am going to be a guest blogger in Lindsey’s Kitchen, then I better use the prize that I won off of her site, right? A few weeks ago there was a box sitting on my front porch with a beautiful little plate set and two coupons for free Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. It was so exciting to think about all of the different things that the rolls can be used for. Lindsey had used them for her yummy brie dessert, but I decided to go in a whole different direction… breakfast! My favorite meal of the day!

The point of the dish was to make something that tastes great, but is also healthy. I think that this ended up being the best of both worlds. I kind of made it by the seat of my pants, but somehow ended up successful. Yay! It could probably be made even better if you added in spinach or tomatoes (or if you are feeling naughty, bacon and sausage).

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 package Low Fat Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1.5 cups egg substitute (or about 6 eggs)
3 Tbsp. skim milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup 2% shredded cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then take a muffin pan and give it a quick shot of cooking spray. You might not need it, but I did it just to be safe.

Open the crescent rolls and lay the sheet flat on a clean surface. It comes in 4 rectangles (made up of 8 triangles). Separate the 4 rectangles from each other, but don’t tear the triangles apart! You actually use your hands to kind of smush the two triangles together and get rid of the seam. Then cut each rectangle in half and put each of the (now 8) smaller squares into a muffin cup.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg substitute, milk, salt, and pepper together and fill each crescent cup with the mix. Once they are all filled, sprinkle each cup with cheese.

Bake the cups for 15 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are golden brown and the eggs are puffy and cooked through.

Enjoy!

Check out Lindsay's blog, Life and Kitchen!

Baked Lemon Spaghetti

2010-01-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

It's really bad but I haven't really made a homemade meal in weeks. So last night as it was snowing like crazy I decided to make something that would make us think of warmer weather. I saw this baked spaghetti on The Pioneer Woman's blog awhile ago and have been wanting to try it. It was really nice to have such a nice "lemony" dinner. Very refreshing and tasty!!! Bonus points for Pioneer Woman cause Ben loved this!!

Baked Lemon Spaghetti
from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients
1 pound Thin Spaghetti
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
2 cups Sour Cream
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
Extra Lemon Juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Week 1

2010-01-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Click here to see what this is all about.

1.
Just waking up puppy.

2.

Playing with settings on my camera.

3.

Enjoyed some Christmas Ale on a cold winter night

4.

Pardon my language, but moving is a b*tch!!! Soo over it!

5.

They had these really cute cookie decorating kits at Target. This is the cookie Ben made for me.
6.

Ben getting way into Mario Bro on the Wii. Love him!!

7.

Ahh...Winter in Chicago, gotta love it.....NOT!

Autumn Harvest Bread

2010-01-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

Just a note from me

We are in the middle of a move, so I will not be blogging as frequently. If you are interested in doing some guest blogging for me please shoot me an email at lindseydavis85@gmail.com. Thanks!! OK now onto a great post by Books N' Cooks.....

As the new years starts, so does healthy eating, more exercise, and better habits in general. I have been on the look out for healthier, carb-filled breakfasts (because I crave carbs in the morning and need something substantial before my morning work out). I found this recipe on Good Things Catered, and it sounded wonderful, but when I counted calories, it was almost 320 calories per slice (based on 10 slices). I make a couple changes to make the bread a bit healthier (added some whole grain flour, more apple sauce and cranberries, eliminated the oil, and decreased the amount of pecans). A slice of bread in this version is about 215 calories.

This bread was so tasty – I just loved the tart cranberries, the little crunch of pecans, and the super-soft consistency. And the best part is, since the only cans of pumpkin puree the grocery store had were 30 oz., I can make this again tomorrow!

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
7.5 oz. pumpkin puree (about 1 c., says the kitchen scale)
2 large eggs
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 1/2 c. fresh, coarsely chopped (or halved) cranberries
1/4 c. coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray and 9x5 loaf pan (or 5 mini-loaf pans) with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt.

In another bowl, combine sugars, pumpkin puree, eggs, applesauce, milk, vanilla. Stir until well mixed.

Add dry and wet ingredients, stirring just until blended.

Fold in apples, cranberries and pecans. Dough is sticky and thoroughly mixed, but lumpy with fruit and nuts.

Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake 50-60 minutes. If it needs to go in longer (mine took 70 minutes), cover with aluminum foil to prevent the top from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted into center should come out clean.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely before removing bread from pan.

Go check out Books N' Cooks for some great recipes!!!!!

365 Photo Friday

2010-01-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

My sister gave me the greatest idea. She started a blog where she is determined to take a single picture everyday of 2010. I think it such a great idea. How great will it be to look back at all these pictures and remember everything from the year before. So every Friday until the end of the year I will be posting 7 photos from the week before. It might be pictures of food, Ben, Daphne, just anything in general. Once the year is over I think I might end up scrapbooking my photos. I would love it if some of my readers will do this with me. There are really no rules, just take a picture of whatever you want every day then every friday post your pictures in one blog post. You can even use my 365 Photo Friday header if you like.

Ok today is the first day...start taking some pictures!!! :)

Chocolate Mousse Torte

2010-01-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a nice New Years Eve. We spent the night relaxing, enjoying some appetizers and playing Mario Bros for the Wii. I decided to make this for our quiet night at home. It was pretty simple to put together and looks fancy but tastes quite amazing. If you want to make something impressive but don't have a lot of time to bake something then this torte is your answer!

Chocolate Mousse Torte
adapted from Kraft Foods

Ingredients
37 Vanilla Wafers, divided
4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each)Chocolate Instant Pudding
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. cold milk, divided
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.)Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
Fresh Strawberries

Directions
Stand 16 wafers around inside edge of 9-inch round pan lined with plastic wrap. Melt 3 chocolate squares as directed on package.

Beat pudding mixes and 2 cups milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Stir in 1 cup cool whip; pour into prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and remaining milk with mixer until well blended. Stir in 1 cup of the remaining cool whip; spread over pudding. Top with remaining wafers. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Meanwhile, shave remaining chocolate square into curls. Invert torte onto plate. Remove pan and plastic wrap. Top torte with remaining cool whip, berries and chocolate curls.

Happy New Year 2010!

2009-12-29T19:24:00.002-08:00

This past year has been filled with lots good for Ben and I. I was busy with school and work and Ben was making me proud going to work everyday and working so hard so I can finish school and only work part time. We had lots of fun with Daphne and celebrated her first doggie birthday. We also celebrated our third wedding anniversary and of course I spent a lot of time blogging this year. Here is a list of favorites from every month this year.

January
Gruyere and Swiss Mac with Basil and Pine Nuts

I know my pictures were horrible just a year ago, I have learned so much about food photography in the past year. Anyways this was a favorite in our house. A grown up mac and cheese!

February
Asian Short Ribs

A great crock pot recipe. Perfect for this cold nights. We love short ribs in this house!

March
Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies

These cookies are really tasty. Ben and I both love them. We have made them more than once. Perfect cookies for any kid in your life.

April
Crab and Morel Risotto

I made this for the Marx Food Morel Recipe Challenge, I didn't win, but Ben and I sure did enjoy this amazing risotto.

May
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This pie is the perfect pie to make for a summer bbq. You can really get creative when making the top crust.

June
Watermelon Lime Sorbet

I remember this is one of the first things I made with my ice cream maker. The sweetness of the watermelon was amazing with the tartness of the lime. Yum! How many more months till Summer?

July
M&M Kit Kat Birthday Cake

Ben still talks about his birthday cake. He was floored when he first saw it. I think he is going to have me make it for him every year. It is very easy to make and assemble so it will be no problem.

August
Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

I love the combo of chocolate and fleur de sel and adding caramel to the mix is just b-a-n-a-n-a-s!!! Amazing!!!

September
Easy No Knead Dutch Oven Bread

This summer I was all about making homemade bread. This recipe is easy, but it takes patience (waiting for it to rise, etc) but really tasty. All of you who are afraid to try to make homemade bread, this is a good starter recipe.

October
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time. These cupcakes are so fun and kids love them. My big kid, Ben aka hubby went crazy over these.

November
Bacon Wrapped Apricots with Sage

These take like 5 minutes to assemble and they are little bites of perfection.

DecemberCrescent Wrapped Brie with Berries and Chocolate

I think through out the whole time I have had my blog, I have had the most interest by readers in this recipe. I can't even tell you how many people have told me they have made or are making this. This appetizer is amazing! You must try it!!!

I wish all my readers lots of happiness and health in the next year. Oh and of course lots of yummy food!!

Grandma's Oyster Stuffing

2009-12-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

Lindsey's sister, Melancholy Mommy, here.

One of the many things I look forward to during the holidays is our many food traditions. We have yummy appetizers on Christmas Eve, mimosas and a pecan roll on Christmas morning, and a huge turkey dinner later that night. Our Christmas dinner always includes a wonderful oyster stuffing. It is a favorite with everybody and Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without it.

Grandma's Traditional Oyster Stuffing
(I am in no way a chef so I hope this recipe makes sense)

Ingredients
2 sticks butter
2c. cream
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
4 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
4 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 or 3 8oz containers of shucked oysters, drained and rinsed *depending on how many oysters you would like
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt butter over low heat and add onion and celery and sweat for a few minutes, add a few shakes of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
In a large bowl slowly combine butter mixture and breadcrumbs. Be sure to mix until butter is evenly dispersed throughout the breadcrumbs.
Spead half of the breadcrumb mixture in a 13x9 pan.
Layer oysters over the breadcrumbs.
Top oysters with remaining breadcrumb mixture.
Combine cream and Worcestershire sauce and pour over oysters and breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until cream is soaked in and top is golden brown.

It's no wonder high blood pressure is a tradition in our family as well:)

How do you take your Coffee?

2009-12-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sam from How do you take your coffee? sent me some samples of their latest products.

Java Rocks Black
Contain only slightly more caffeine than plain chocolate and make a delicious, anytime, treat for kids of all ages. Java Rocks use exclusive Eating Roast coffee, but instead of coating the whole beans, they finely grind the coffee and "volcano blend" it with cocoa. How this all takes the shape of sugar coated, lava colored, rocks is their secret. Try them on top of ice cream or frozen yogurt!

Java Rocks 72% Dark
All natural Java Rocks Dark provide an unpretentious and portable way for the dark chocolate enthusiast to enjoy coffee confections™ of the highest quality. Made with a decadent 72% dark chocolate and fairly traded organic Arabica coffee, Java Rocks Dark contain only slightly more caffeine than plain chocolate.

Go Go Beans
are their irreverent and highly potent energy snack. They start by cooking up carefully selected Robusta coffee beans especially to eat. Then, they generously coat them in cocoa. Next comes the sugar shell, which is fortified with even more caffeine, plus Ginseng, Taurine, & B Vitamins. GoGo Beans provide authentic energy nourishment to put you at the top of your game, no matter what your game is.

I really enjoyed all of these treats. The Java Rocks were my favorite. I topped some chocolate ice cream with this little tasty rocks. Very yummy! If you are interested in trying these out for yourself check out their online store!

S'mores Cookies

2009-12-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ever since I made these biscotti for my coworkers a few weeks ago I have been getting several requests to make some more cookies. I saw this recipe last week and they looked so good, but when I made them I don't know what I did wrong but they spread like crazy while they were baking and they burned on the bottom. So today I decided to use the base of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and came up with this. They turned out so much better and I know my coworkers will enjoy these.

S'mores Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and graham cracker crumbs Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, remove from oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a piece of a hershey's bar into each cookie. Return to oven and bake for 3 more minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Pillsbury Winner

2009-12-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

First off I just wanted to show you the gorgeousness outside of my window right now....

And the winner of the 2 VIP coupons and holiday severing platters is....

#4!! Lindsay Said,

I want to win! Though I really wanted to win that chocolate giveaway, too, and that didn't work out so well :)

Lindsay, please email me at lindseydavis85@gmail.com with your address so I can forward it to the people at Pillsbury. Thanks!

Crescent Wrapped Brie and a Giveaway

2009-12-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

You guys have spoken!

I was secretly hoping you guys would choose the Brie recipe. I must say Brie is probably one of my favorite types of cheese. I changed the recipe up and added some berries and chocolate. I know you are saying to yourself, "chocolate and cheese together?!?!" But trust me it really works amazing together and tastes absolutely fantastic.

Crescent Wrapped Brie with Chocolate and Berries
Adapted from Pillsbury

Ingredients
1can (8 oz)refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 round (8 oz) Brie cheese
3 oz fresh blackberries
3 oz fresh raspberries
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 egg, beaten

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F.

Unroll crescent roll dough; separate crosswise into 2 sections. Pat dough and firmly press perforations to seal, forming 2 squares.

Place 1 square on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut brie cheese in half. Add blackberries onto of one slice of brie cheese. Top it with the second piece of cheese and top that piece with the raspberries and chocolate. Place cheese on center of dough.

Place remaining square on top of cheese round. Press dough evenly around cheese; fold bottom edges over top edges. Gently stretch dough evenly around cheese; press to seal completely. Brush with beaten egg.

Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm.

OK now onto the giveaway....

Blogspark has made it possible through Pillsbury for me to give away 2 VIP coupons for Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dough and great holiday serving platters. Just leave me a comment on this post and I will randomly pick a winner on Monday. You must have a vaild email address and live in the US.

My recipe is in a cookbook!

2009-12-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Remember how I participated in the Marx food contest? Well I won, which means my recipe was published in their best recipes of 2009 ecookbook. My recipe for Pumpkin Black Bean Quesadillas is on page 30.

Download the Ecookbook here!

Thanks to Marx Foods!

Help me decide...

2009-12-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

The people over at My Blog Spark gave me the opportunity to participate in this Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Spark. Pillsbury sent me 2 coupons for crescent dough so now I need your help to helo me decide which one of these recipes I should make. Later this week I will gather the results and make the chosen recipe changing it up a little. Once I post the recipe I will also be giving away 2 VIP coupons for Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dough and great holiday serving platters. So what would you like to see me make?

Crescent Wrapped Brie

Crescent Bacon Cheese Tartlets

Crescent Holiday Tree

*Photos and Recipes are from Pillsbury.com

What Should I make?

C is for cookie....

2009-12-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

And that's good enough for me!

Growing up I loved Sesame Street and watched all the time. My third birthday was even a sesame street themed party. I can't believe that the show has been on the air so many years and today kids are still loving and growing up with this show. Anyways the reason I am talking Sesame Street is because as I was making these cookies all I could think of was this is a type of cookie that the cookie monster would love. It is filled with peanut butter, M&M's, oats, and chocolate chips. Kids love these cookies and they are fun to make. But remember boys and girls, "cookies are only a "sometimes food." ;)

Monster Cookies
from The Food Network

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins, optional
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

Candy Cane Biscotti

2009-12-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the holidays are right around the corner. This year flew by so fast. I love this time of year. Christmas songs, all the decorations, wrapping gifts and of course all the holiday baking. I made these for my coworkers to show them how much I enjoy them. I love the combination of peppermint and chocolate. It truly screams out Christmas to me. This recipe is very easy and instead of using the white chocolate in the original recipe I changed it up and using almond bark.

Candy Cane Biscotti
Adapted from Pennies on a Platter

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup finely crushed peppermint candy canes
14 ounces almond bark, melted
extra crushed candy canes to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350˚.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined – stir in crushed candy.

Evenly divide dough into 4 pieces on a lightly floured surface. Shape each piece into 9″ x 1 1/2″ round log. Place logs 3 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until tops are cracked and ends just start to turn light brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 325. Cool logs 10 minutes on cookie sheet.

Cut each log diagonally into 1/2″ slices with sharp serrated knife. (Discard ends, if you want.) Arrange pieces standing up back onto the baking sheet.

Bake until cookies are light golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 12 to 15 minutes. The centers may still be a little soft, but will firm up as they cool. Place onto cool rack and cool completely.

Dip half of each biscotti into melted chocolate – shake off excess. Immediately sprinkle with additional crushed candy canes and set on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet until the chocolate has set.

Bubble Chocolate Winners

2009-12-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to thank Sara at Bubble Chocolate again for making it possible to have this great giveaway. Ok now onto the winners!!

The lucky numbers were...

#29! Molly Jean Said,
Bubble Chocolate? I'm intrigued!!

My fav has to be Milky Way... which in my mind would be similar to Bubble Chocolate.

Hope I can try it ;)

#11! Christine Said,

Toblerone is the best! :)

#3! Melissa Said,
I love snickers. They just have everything!

#27! booksncooks Said,
Heath Bars! But I do enjoy Bubble chocolate, which I find mostly when I travel.

#21! Meredith Said,
My fav is a Take 5. Perfect blend of salty and sweet.

Winners, please email me at lindseydavis85@gmail.com with your address so I can forward it to the people at Bubble Chocolate.

Bubble Chocolate Giveaway

2009-12-02T10:34:00.001-08:00

GIVEAWAY NOW OVER!

So I have been a bad blogger and don't have any interesting recipes to share in the next week or so I thought I would make it up to you and have another giveaway. The people over at Bubble Chocolate sent me some chocolate a few weeks ago and I tried it and was intrigued by the light airy chocolatey taste and texture. It certainly isn't like your normal chocolate bar.The unique airy and light texture promises a consistent balance of smooth, all natural, premium European chocolate.

OK so Sara from Bubble Chocolate has been so gracious to offer 5 of my readers each a dark chocolate bar and milk chocolate bar.

Ok how to enter:

Leave me a comment on this blog post answering the question, What is your favorite candy bar?

You can also have a second entry at winning a case if you tweet about this giveaway on twitter and link back to this blog entry and leave me a separate comment saying you have done this.

Must have a valid email address to enter.
Giveaway only for those in the USA. Sorry!

Deadline for this giveaway is Saturday December 5th at 12pm CST. Winners will be announced Saturday afternoon.

Five Winners will be chosen by Random.org number generator

Blogging By Mail

2009-11-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

Stephanie over at Dispensing Happiness hosts this great event every year. I participated in this last year and I was excited to do it again this year. I got my package today from Allison at sushiday.com and fridgg.com/blog The theme of blogging by mail this time was to send someone your most favorite indulgences.

In my box from Allison I got...

Iced Green Tea. All you do is stir a packet into cold water and enjoy! I can't wait to try this. I am seriously addicted to tea and this looks fantastic!

A sushi kit-She gave me everything I will need to get started making sushi. A rolling mat, nori, sushi vinegar, wasabi, and a bottle of soy sauce. I am looking forward to making my own sushi. I love eating it, but have never tried to make it myself. My good friend Emily and I have always talked about trying to make it together, now we have all the ingredients to get started.

Lypsyl Lip Balm. Allison swears by this stuff! It is hard to find, but I am glad she included it in my package. My lips get horrible in the cold Chicago winters and I seem to be buying chapstick way too frequently.

And she sent me some Chocolate Adagio tea. I smelled it and it smells absolutely amazing. Can't wait to try some later today. She also included some tea bags. :)

Anyways I just wanted to thank Allison for sending me such a great package! I can't wait to try everything out! And I wanted to thank Stephanie for putting this all together!

Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake

2009-11-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! We went out with a friend. We went to a Brazilian steakhouse and had lots of steak and even more sangria. It was an awesome time! Now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to get ready for Hanukkah and Christmas. I saw this recipe a few months ago and knew I wanted to make it for the holidays this year. I made it a few days ago and it is amazing, such a nice change from pumpkin and pecan pie. The orange flavor is strong and goes great with the tart flavor of the cranberries. Please forgive these pictures, now that it is becoming winter and getting darker outside earlier some of my pictures will be taken inside.

Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients
3 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 cups cake flour, sifted, plus more for the pan
1 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons whole milk
4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Syrup and Glaze:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
Prepare the cake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Butter and flour a 10-cup fluted Bundt pan.

Cook the cranberries with 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a pot over medium-high heat until juicy and the mixture reduces to 1 1/4 cups, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk the milk, whole eggs and yolks, and vanilla in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk the 3 cups flour, the remaining 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, the orange zest, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the 3 1/4 sticks butter and beat with a mixer on low speed until moistened. Add half of the milk mixture, increase the speed to medium and beat 1 minute. Add the remaining milk mixture in two batches, beating between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again, about 30 seconds.

Transfer two-thirds of the batter to the pan. Spoon the cranberry mixture in a ring around the middle of the batter (do not let it touch the pan). Top with the remaining batter and smooth evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: Dissolve the 1/4 cup granulated sugar in 1/2 cup orange juice in a saucepan over low heat. Remove the cake from the oven, poke the surface all over with a skewer and pour the syrup on top. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake onto a parchment-lined rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let sit overnight.

When ready to serve, whisk the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice until smooth. Spoon over the cake.

And just for fun, our 2009 Christmas tree!

Happy Turkey Day!!

2009-11-26T11:43:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope everyone enjoys their turkey and pumpkin pie!! The picture is of me and my older sister some 20 years ago singing the "gobble gobble" song on Thanksgiving! This year I am thankful for many things. My wonderful husband of course being number one. Also I am thankful for our wonderful diva dog, all our family and friends, and of course being able to do what I love. I feel so blessed!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving??

Lynfred Winery Tour and Tasting Giveaway Winners

2009-11-25T12:45:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to thank Lynfred Winery again for making it possible to have this great giveaway. Ok now onto the winners!!

The lucky numbers were....

#18! italianwinelovr said,
Oh how exciting! My favorite is Champagne! I love the bubbles! My school nite wine is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo! Great easy flavors and great price! Cheers!

#23! Kristina R. said,
I love a nice chilled pinot grigio for white and a shiraz for red.
What a great giveaway. This would the perfect reason for the Mr. and I to head back to Chicago to hang with our friends in the city.

#31! Anonymous said,
I'm so excited for your giveaway that I made a twitter account to share with my friends about it! Good luck to everyone!
http://twitter.com/lovefairylights
E-mail: caldera23@gmail.com

#39! overgrownwaltz Said,
What a great giveaway!! I live a few hours outside of Chicago, up in Wisconsin, and my favorite wine is a great Riesling... it goes with everything!

Winners, please email me at lindseydavis85@gmail.com with your address. The first two people to email me will have their choice of a certificate to the tour and tasting at Lynfred Winery in Roselle, IL or the tasting at Tasting Devine in Wheaton, IL

Fresh Frozen Herbs

2009-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have been surprised and excited to have so many people wanting to send me stuff. It is like Christmas morning whenever I get a package. I am like a little kid dying to see what is inside. This time I got these frozen herbs from Daregal. I have already used the basil and oregano in a bolognese sauce I made. These are fantastic and fit really well in my freezer. They smell really good, just like fresh herbs and they are really convenient to use.

Check out their site!

Bacon Wrapped Apricots with Sage

2009-11-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here is another great recipe for holiday parties. The sweetness of the apricot goes great with the saltiness of the bacon and the sage just gives this small bite another depth of flavor. These took me a very short time to make and you can even assemble them ahead of time and freeze them (unbaked) for up to a month in advance.

Bacon Wrapped Apricots with Sage
from Real Simple

Ingredients
24 small fresh sage leaves
24 large dried apricots
8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thirds
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
toothpicks, for serving

Directions
Heat oven to 375º F. Place a sage leaf on each apricot, wrap with a piece of bacon, and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.

Bake until the bacon is beginning to crisp, 6 to 8 minutes per side.

Remove from oven and brush with the maple syrup. Serve with toothpicks.

World Peace Cookies

2009-11-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

Any recipe with fleur de sel and chocolate in it, pretty much guarantees that I will want to make it. I don't know why I am so obsessed with the combo of the two, but it is seriously amazing and like a little party in your mouth. I have been wanting to try these cookies for awhile and I finally got a chance to make them the other day. They are easy to make and taste fantastic!

World Peace Cookies
from Baking from my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Directions
Using a mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together in another bowl.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the mixer to avoid flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. If there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix using a spatula only until it’s incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Lynfred Winery Tour and Tasting Giveaway

2009-11-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Giveaway now over!!!

I am a lucky girl because my favorite winery just happens to be pretty close to where Ben works. Often I have him stop by on his way home and buy some wine for me. I first stopped by this place a few years ago, my class actually had a field trip to Lynfred (I guess one of the perks of being in Culinary school, I mean who else can say they had a field trip to a winery?) we had a tour and learned so much about how they make and produce their wine. We didn't have a tasting, because there were some students younger than 21 in our class. But the students who were over 21 all bought some wine. That is the first time I got to try their Christmas wine. I love that stuff. It is spiced and tastes fantastic warm. Lynfred offers all different varieties of wine, but they specialize in fruit wines. I love their pear wine and their raspberry one.

So Christina over at Lynfred has been so gracious to offer some lucky readers of my blog...

2 Wine Tour and Tasting certificates for up to 10 adults (21 years of age or older) at Lynfred Winery in Roselle IL.

and

2 Wine Tasting certificates for up to 10 adults (21 years of age or older) at Tasting deVine (which is Lynfred's sister store) in Wheaton IL

so that means I am giving away 4 certificates! How fun would it be to do a wine tasting and tour with some of your friends? This is quite possibly the most awesome giveaway I have had to date.

Ok how to enter:

Remember this giveaway is for a tasting and tour in the Chicago Suburbs. If you live around the area or if you know you will be around the Chicago area in the next year then feel free to enter.

Leave me a comment on this blog post answering the question, What is your favorite type of wine?

You can also have a second entry at winning a case if you tweet about this giveaway on twitter and link back to this blog entry and leave me a separate comment saying you have done this.

Must have a valid email address to enter.
Giveaway only for those in the USA. Sorry!

Deadline for this giveaway is Wednesday November 25th at 12pm CST. Winners will be announced Wednesday afternoon.

Four Winners will be chosen by Random.org number generator

Caramelized Onion Tart

2009-11-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

As the holidays are coming up I love finding new recipes that will work well for holiday parties. Ben is Jewish and I am not, so we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, otherwise known as Christmukkah in our house. So we get to have all the fun and learn about both holiday traditions. Anyways as I was looking for some holiday recipes I stumbled upon this one and wanted to try it out, in case I want to make it next month. After making it and eating it, I have to say this holiday appetizer is both sweet and tart and overall a party in your mouth! I think the tart pomegranate seeds balance really well with the sweetness of the onions and caramelized onions. Using puff pastry also made this recipe a heck of a lot easier! Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion Tart with Apples
Adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 red apples (such as Braeburn or Gala), cut into small pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions
Heat oven to 400º F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the apples, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until just tender, 2 minutes.

Place each sheet of pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Spread with the crème fraîche, leaving a ½-inch border. Top with the onion mixture and bake until the pastry is crisp and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Once out of the oven garnish with pomegranate seeds. Cut into pieces before serving.

Cookin' with Coolio

2009-11-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: The below blog post may make absolutely no sense with the cookbook, and may contained censored vulgarity. Also, there are suggestive references involving food. You've been warned.

This week, we have a hot recipe from the our favorite Cooking Pimp Cookbook, – Cookin' with Coolio. The people over at Coolio's camp sent us a copy of his manual and asked us to try out some of the shiz he put together over the years and make blog post. So here it is. Coolio's Sweet Chocolate Potato Pie. As he puts it, he was Mother F***ing tired of Pumpkin pie, so he figured he could make something from one of his favorite dinner dishes – Sweet Potatoes. Why eat dinner if you can just eat Desert?

This pie was pretty F***ing delicious. Don't forget to shank it with your shiv to see if it's done around 45 minutes.

Coolio's Sweet Chocolate Potato Pie
from Cookin' with Coolio

What you need:
one l lb. Sweet potato
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup chocolate milk
2 eggs
1 dime bag ground nutmeg
1 dime bag ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
one 9-inch pie crust, unbaked

Directions
Boil your sweet potato whole for 40-50 minutes or until done. Don't undress its sexy sweetness, so make sure to keep it in it's skin.

Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Run cold water over the sweet potato, then slowly and seductively remove the skin.

Now, break apart the sweet potato into a bowl. Kneed it slowly, gently, like you're making love to this hot potato.

Add the butter and mix well with a hand mixer.

Stir in both sugars, the chocolate milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.

Once you've beaten that mixture into submission, pour it into your unbaked pie crust.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

Make sure you don't get to excited and serve your pie too soon. Let it chill out for 10 minutes, then serve it up.

Polenta Bread

2009-11-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

I love making bread, most breads are fairly simple to make, and only call for a few ingredients. The trick to making bread is you have to have lots of patience. You gotta let your bread rise and don't poke or prod at it as it is rising. Making bread or any baked good for that matter is truly like a science. Flour, Yeast, Water etc, don't do anything on their own as an ingredient, but when you mix them all together you can truly create a delicious loaf of bread. I knew I wanted to try this recipe as soon as I saw it. I love polenta and make it all the time, so a bread with polenta in it, how awesome! This bread turned out fantastic and I was a very happy lady when I cut into my loaf while it will still hot and smeared some butter and salt on top of a slice. Seriously heavenly!

Polenta Bread
from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients
3 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup finely ground, quick-cooking Italian polenta, plus more for baking sheet
2 tsp. quick-rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups warm tap water
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbs. water

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, the 1/2 cup polenta, the yeast and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir to mix well. Add the warm water and olive oil and stir until all of the flour has been absorbed and a dough has formed.

Using your hands, gather the dough into a ball and transfer to a well-floured work surface. Knead the dough until soft and elastic and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes. Work more flour into the dough if needed to reduce stickiness; be sure to keep the work surface well floured. The dough should remain in a rounded shape and not flatten out when left on a work surface for a minute or two. If not, work a little more flour into the dough. Place the dough in a warmed, lightly oiled bowl, turning several times to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 to 75 minutes.

Sprinkle a little polenta on a baking sheet and set aside. Punch down the dough, return it to the lightly floured work surface and knead a few times. Form the dough into a round ball or an oval shape and place on the prepared baking sheet. The dough should retain its shape and not flatten out. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes. While the dough is rising, position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 425°F.

When the dough has risen, using a very sharp, thin-bladed knife or single-edge razor blade, carefully make a slash 1/2 inch deep across the top. Brush the surface with the egg mixture. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until golden and crusty, 30 to 35 minutes more.

Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

2009-11-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

Ben and I truly enjoy buffalo wings and we can been seen at our local wing place very frequently, but the thing is, we really enjoy the boneless wings, they are so much more easier to eat and they are not messy and you don't need to worry about getting wing sauce all over your fingers and even face. So when making this pizza I wanted to do something fun and do a boneless buffalo chicken pizza. It has all the ingredients that you will enjoy with wings; hot sauce, ranch dressing, celery, and of course blue cheese. Yum!!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken tenders, cut into small pieces
1 cup Frank’s hot sauce, plus 1 teaspoon reserved
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
pinch of sugar
pinch of garlic powder
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
¼ cup red onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced
12-16 ounces pizza dough
1/4 cup ranch dressing, optional for drizzling at the end
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season Chicken with salt and pepper. Set up a station to dredge chicken. Have a bowl with the flour, a bowl with the 1 cup of hot sauce and a bowl with the bread crumbs. Dredge chicken with flour then hot sauce then coat with the bread crumbs. When all the chicken is breaded heat some olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook on both sides until browned. Once browned place on a clean plate with a paper towel to drain some of the oil.

For the sauce, In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk or yogurt, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, sugar, garlic powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

To assemble the pizza, roll out your pizza dough and place on baking sheet. Spread the sauce evenly on the pizza dough; top with the chicken, then the cheeses, celery and finally the onions.

Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Drizzle with ranch dressing if desired.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

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

I am not going to lie, but I think I eat some chocolate each and every day. It could be a glass of chocolate milk, a small piece of dark chocolate, or even some of this! I have it just about every day. I know there have been several people that have made and blogged about this cake, but I just knew I had to blog about it once I made it and tried it. It is so decadent and amazing! The icing has a great fudgy taste and the cake is moist and fabulous. This cake feeds a crowd so it would be great for a party or a potluck.

Chocolate Sheet Cake
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
½ cups Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla

For Icing:
½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
1-¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Directions
In a mixing bow, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares.

Sweetriot

2009-11-09T15:32:00.001-08:00

The great people over at Sweetriot sent me some samples to try out. I got the flavor 65 tin which is 100% dark cacao nibs dunked in 65% dark chocolate. Each piece in this tin is only 1-2 calories. Amazing!! These were very tasty and you don't have to feel guilty about eating them! I also got a unBar 65 which is a yummy concoction of 65% dark chocolate with crunchy cacao pieces. This also was amazing!! Love this chocolate!

Here is a 15% of coupon code(chocolateriot)for you to use on shop.sweetriot.com It good for 15% off everything excluding riot club, and riot carbon free. It is good through December 31st, 2009.

Doctor Kracker

2009-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have heard good things about these crackers and was really excited the other day when I saw I had a package from them. The people at Doctor Kracker sent me a ton of crackers and flat breads. We have tried the cherry semolina crackers so far and they are fantastic. All of these crackers are all natural and artisan baked. Some of the flavors they have are fire roasted, seedlander, hummus maximus, apple crisps, sunflower cheddar and pumpkin seed cheddar.

Check out their online store!!

Homemade Sloppy Joes

2009-11-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

Hello all, Ben here.

With Lindsey starting her new job, I'm going to be taking a bit more of a role in our kitchen. Every so often, I'm going to contribute to the blog as well. Today is one of those days.

Lindsey and I spent the better part of 3 days trying to figure out what to make with that Kobe beef we received from Marx Foods, and we decided that the first dish we were going to make was homemade sloppy joes. At first I was hesitant to use such a high grade of beef in such a common dish, but it ended up being so delicious that I can't recommend it enough.

Lindsey is the kind of chef who loves herbs and spices to change the flavor of dishes, but I love the natural flavor of meat, especially beef. I want those natural flavors and textures to be present in the dish, and this definitely hit the mark.

To add a little bit of variety, we made our sloppy joes with whole wheat pita pockets with sweet potato fries. Less sloppy, more joe. This was a phenomenal dinner, and we used about 2lbs of Kobe beef for it. We're still eating leftovers 3 days later and it's just as good every day after.

Homemade Sloppy Joes
Adapted from Pinot and Pineapple

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 medium red bell pepper, diced small
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 pounds extra-lean ground beef (or Kobe if you have it)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Barbecue Sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Pita Bread

Directions

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.

Add ground beef to vegetables and cook until beef is completely browned, breaking up any large chunks. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Stir until well combined and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve on pita bread.

Curried Chicken Wonton Soup

2009-11-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have had these wontons in my freezer for awhile now and wanted to use them in a different way. I made this soup for lunch the other day. It was fantastic. The pumpkin and curry flavors go amazingly with the wontons. This soup is a great one to have on a cold winter day. You can find the chicken cilantro mini wontons at Trader Joe's, or of course you can use another brand or even make your own.

Curried Chicken Wonton Soup
from Me

Ingredients
4 cups chicken stock, plus 3 extra tablespoons reserved for later
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp hot curry powder
1 tsp sweet curry powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 bag Trader Joe's Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons
Salt
Pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions
Add all ingredients except wontons, 3 tablespoons chicken stock and corn starch to a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the Mini Wontons and let cook for 3-4 minutes. In a separate bowl add the reserved chicken stock, and the corn starch. Whisk well. Add to soup and mix thoroughly. Let soup simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

Thanks Marx Food!

2009-11-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

I was asked to participate in this contest and I actually won! Thank you for everyone that voted for me! I got to choose what I wanted from their website and Ben and I decided to go with the Ground Kobe Beef. We will be able to use it with a ton of different recipes. Also my pumpkin black bean quesadilla recipe is going to be published in their online cookbook, which is very exciting. They even sent me some fleur de sel (which is a favorite of mine!) Anyways I just wanted to thank everyone who voted for me and to Marx Food for having this great contest!

Ginger Pumpkin Truffles

2009-10-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!! I haven't been blogging much this past week because I got a job! I have been looking for one for a long time and am grateful and so happy that now I have one. I am working at a pasta place and they are going to cross train me on everything, so I will get experience doing all of it! It is part time, so I will still have time for blogging and to finish up school. I know this is silly, but I register for classes the last time ever on Monday then I graduate in May. It is coming so soon and I can't wait! I wanted to make something special for halloween and I had some Ginger-O's from Newman's Own Organics and I came up with this.

Ginger Pumpkin Truffles
Adapted from Kraft foods

Ingredients

1 pkg. Ginger-O Cookies, finely crushed (You can also use Golden Oreos instead, and up the ginger quantity in the recipe)
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 pkg. (8 squares each) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Crushed Pecans for garnish

Directions

Mix 3 cups of the cookie crumbs,cream cheese, and pumpkin until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

Melt chocolate over double boiler, add in cinnamon and ginger. Mix. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with pecans.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Pomegranate Steel Cut Oats with Dark Chocolate

2009-10-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

Two foodie things I love about fall are pumpkin (obviously, I mean take a look at my blog lol) and that pomegranates are in season. I have been on a roll with pomegranate recipes the past few days. I made some pomegranate chicken the other night and had some leftover pomegranate molasses and seeds so as I was making breakfast this morning I got creative and made this. I am so glad I did, because it was amazing. I added some dark chocolate because I thought it would go great with the tartness of the pomegranate. If you don't have pomegranate molasses then you can make your own (I did, and it was really easy.)

Pomegranate Steel Cut Oats
from me

Ingredients
2 cups water
1/2 cup Organic Steel Cut Oats
1.5 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses. Recipe follows
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1 oz chopped dark chocolate, optional

Directions
Bring Water to a boil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Slowly stir in the steel cut oats. When oatmeal begins to thicken (about 5 minutes) reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add pomegranate molasses and half of the seeds and mix in. Garnish with chocolate and the rest of the seeds.

Pomegranate Molasses
from Simply Recipes

Ingredients
4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions
In a large, uncovered saucepan, heat pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice on medium high until the sugar has dissolved and the juice simmers. Reduce heat just enough to maintain a simmer. Simmer for about an hour, or until the juice has a syrupy consistency, and has reduced to 1 to 1 1/4 cups. Pour out into a jar. Let cool. Store chilled in the refrigerator.

If you want your pomegranate molasses to be sweeter, add more sugar to taste, while you are cooking it.

Homemade Candy Corn

2009-10-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Is everyone getting excited for Halloween? Ben and I don't really do anything special for the holiday. We try to dress Daphne up if she lets us and we usually carve pumpkins and of course eat some candy. I knew I wanted to try this recipe as soon as I saw it. I am not really a big fan of candy corn, but Ben sure is. I got kind of lazy as I was rolling out the dough and they turned out way too big, but they taste great.

Homemade Candy Corn
from Cakespy

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup salted butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
red and yellow food coloring

Directions
In a medium sized bowl, combine the sifted confectioners' sugar and powdered milk. Set to the side.

In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and butter. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Once it reaches the boiling point, reduce heat to medium and continue stirring for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove from heat.

Add the confectioners' sugar and powdered milk mixture to the wet ingredients; stir well until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated and smooth.

Let the dough cool until it is firm enough to handle, about 30 minutes to an hour (I just let it cool in the saucepan).

Divide the dough into three equal parts and set each third into a separate bowl. Add 2 to 3 drops of yellow food coloring to one dish, one drop of red and two drops of yellow to another dish, and leave the remaining dish uncolored. Knead the dough to which you have added food coloring until the color is even (you may want to use gloves to ensure that you don't stain yourself). If the dough is feeling very soft or sticky, you may want to chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator before proceeding with the next steps.

On top of a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper, use your hands to roll each color of dough into a long, slender rope. You can roll it out to your desired thickness: for larger candies, make each rope thicker; for smaller candies, make each rope thinner.

Line the three ropes of dough together: white, orange, and yellow. To ensure that they will stick together, lay a piece of waxed paper on top and give them a very gentle rolling with a rolling pin. You just want to adhere them, not to flatten them.

Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into triangles. Keep a damp cloth nearby so that you can wipe off the knife if it begins to get a candy residue. This method will result in half a batch of traditionally colored candy corn and half a batch with yellow tips (it's OK—they taste the same). Let the finished kernels sit for an hour or two (do not stack them on top of one another as they will stick together!) to become firm.

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2009-10-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

When I say that I am going to make a homemade dinner I really mean it. We had this for dinner last night and I used the homemade bbq sauce I made earlier and the brioche buns I had made the previous night. I also made a red cabbage slaw to garnish the sandwich. It was quick to make (apparently too quick, as I cut my cabbage way too big) This recipe is a favorite in our house and we make it often. It makes a ton and we will be eating these sandwiches for days to come, which is great because I love them, especially with the homemade sauce!

Root Beer Pulled Pork
Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients
1 (3 pound) pork butt roast
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
2 cups BBQ Sauce
Brioche Burger Buns
Salt
Pepper

Directions
Season pork with Salt and Pepper. Place the pork butt and onion in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

Red Cabbage Slaw
from Oprah.com

Ingredients
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 head red cabbage , cored and thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
1/2 small red onion , grated on the large holes of a box grater
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, orange juice, and sugar; drizzle in olive oil while whisking constantly. Assemble slaw by adding cabbage and onion to bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Barbecue Sauce

2009-10-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

So I made the bbq sauce to go with our pulled pork which is now in the crockpot cooking away. I have never made homemade bbq sauce before (except for in class once) so I didn't know what to expect, but this turned out great and was really easy to make. I don't think I will ever buy the bottled stuff anymore. Homemade is so much better!

Barbecue Sauce
adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients

1 half yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat cook onions with some olive oil until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

Add all ingredients to saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Take BBQ sauce and process in food processor until desired consistency.

Brioche Burger Buns

2009-10-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

I must be seriously crazy or one really motivated individual. As I am driving home from class last night (9:00pm) I think to myself, what to have for dinner tonight. I decide on root beer pulled pork, ok fine that is easy enough. I really don't know why the next thought came into my head, but I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great to have homemade burger buns to go with the pork? Yes! Great Idea Lindsey! So I come home last night and start homemade brioche burger buns. Now anyone that makes bread know its a long process and you have to wait for it to rise and proof. So to make things short, I was up until 2am making these last night. They turned out fabulous though and I am pretty glad I did. I even decided that today I am going to make my own bbq sauce to go with the pork. Check back later for that recipe!

Lite Brioche Burger Buns
from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions
In a glass measuring cup, combine one cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. Meanwhile, beat one egg.

In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, well-floured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be on the sticky side so it can be a bit messy, but keep in mind that the more flour you knead in, the tougher the buns will get. Try to leave them tackier than you would a round loaf.

Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap lightly coated in nonstick spray and let buns rise in a warm place for one to two hours.

Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with one tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

A Few Thank Yous...

2009-10-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

Being a blogger is seriously the best. I love cooking and baking and being able to write about it and having people actually reading my blog is totally flattering! I am having the best time doing this and I am lucky enough that people actually want to send me stuff to try. Last week I got some chocolates from Cowgirl Chocolates

They specialize in sweet and spicy chocolates. In the box I got an assorted mix of both sweet and spicy. Some flavors that were included were Habanerno Dark Chocolate and Ivory Orange. They were all fantastic!

Then today I got a package from Newman's Own Organics. I was totally shocked when I saw how much they sent. We will be eating this stuff for weeks (maybe even months) So far I tried a few of the chocolate chip espresso mini cookies, which were very tasty! They even sent some treats for Miss diva dog Daphne (which she loves!)

Daphne enjoying her treats

Thanks Sally and everyone at Newmans Own Organics!

Oh! Nuts Giveaway Winner

2009-10-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to thank Oh! Nuts again for making it possible to have this great giveaway. Ok now onto the winner!!

The lucky number is...

#29
nynekats said...
I love sesame seeds...so I would love to try the Sesame Brittle.
Scott
nynekats at aol dot com

I will be emailing you shortly to get your info so I can forward it to the people at Oh! Nuts. Thanks!

Spiced Pumpkin Apple Bread

2009-10-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

I know your asking yourself, she is making another pumpkin recipe?? What can I say I am truly obsessed. Even as I am typing this post up I am enjoying a pumpkin ale. I saw this recipe earlier today and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it to our taste. It just came out of the oven and tastes great with some melted butter. I truly wish Fall would last longer so I can enjoy all of these pumpkin treats longer, but living in Chicago means winter is right around the corner. Anyways try this bread out and don't worry about the calories and such, it is pretty healthy for you!

Spiced Pumpkin Apple Bread
Adapted from Chef In You

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup canola oil ( or any other vegetable oil)
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
1 medium honeycrisp apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup pepita seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Directions
Preheat Oven to 350F. Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda together. Then add the wheat bran.

In another bowl, mix the pumpkin,oil,egg whites,water and spices together. Healthy Spiced Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Slowly combine the wet ingredients with the dry stirring gently. Add the apple and fold in.

Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Top it off with pepitas and seeds.

Bake for about an hour or until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let it sit for few minutes and then turn it out into a wire rack to cool.

Oh! Nuts Giveaway

2009-10-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Giveaway Now Over!

I was excited today to see that I had a package, oh how the simple things in life excite me. Oh! Nuts sent me some great products to try. I got some chocolate covered pretzels with nonpareils, cranberry pecans and some raisin trail mix.

So far I have tried the cranberry pecans and they are amazing! I can't wait to find a baking recipe I can incorporate them into it.

OK Now onto the giveaway...

Oh! Nuts has been so kind and gracious and offered to giveaway some bulk candy to one of my lucky readers. One winner will choose the candy of their choice!

Ok how to enter:

Look at the bulk candy on Oh! Nuts and tell me what kind you would love to receive in a comment on this post.

You can also have a second entry at winning a case if you tweet about this giveaway on twitter and link back to this blog entry and leave me a comment saying you have done this.

Must have a valid email address to enter.
Giveaway only for those in the USA. Sorry!

Deadline for this giveaway is Tuesday October 20th at 12pm CST. Winner will be announced Tuesday afternoon.

One Winner will be chosen by Random.org number generator.

Apple Pie ala Cheddar

2009-10-16T10:30:00.001-07:00

As I was growing up whenever we would have apple pie my dad would always get sharp cheddar cheese and cut up a piece and put it onto of his pie slice and melt it in the microwave for a few seconds, I always thought it was kind of weird, until I actually tried it. This combo is seriously fantastic together. I am going to my friend Kathy's house tomorrow to work on a school project and I asked her what she would like for me to bake for her and she said something with apples, and she told me she also loves the cheddar cheese on top. I got excited because I have been wanting to try this recipe. The cheddar is actually in the pie dough! I was smart and made myself a mini hand pie to actually try it before I served it to her. It is very good. The crust is flaky and buttery and the apples have a great cinnamon and ginger taste.

Check out this contest Marx Foods is having. (Mine is the Pumpkin Black Quesadilla) Please vote!

Cheddar Crusted Apple Pie
from My Recipes

Ingredients

Crust:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup (3 ounces) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup ice water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:
10 cup very thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 3/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of salt
Cooking spray
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 tablespoon flour and cheese in a small bowl; toss well. Place mixture in freezer for 10 minutes.

Combine 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup ice water in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry. Combine 1 3/4 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese mixture. Add slurry; toss with a fork. Sprinkle surface with up to 1 tablespoon ice water, tossing with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form a ball). Mixture will seem slightly dry.

Divide dough in half. Gently press each half into a 4-inch circle on 2 sheets of overlapping heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll each dough half, still covered, into a 12-inch circle. Chill 30 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

To prepare filling, combine apple and lemon juice in a large bowl. Combine 3 tablespoons flour, brown sugar, and next 5 ingredients (brown sugar through dash of salt) in a small bowl. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over apples; toss well to coat.

To assemble pie, remove top sheets of plastic wrap from 1 dough circle; fit dough, plastic wrap side up, into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray, letting dough extend over edge of plate. Remove remaining plastic wrap. Spoon filling into crust. Brush edges of crust lightly with water. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap from remaining dough circle; place, plastic wrap side up, on apple mixture. Remove remaining plastic wrap. Press edges of dough together; fold edges under, and flute. Cut 3 (1-inch) slits in top of pastry using a sharp knife.

Combine egg white and 1 tablespoon water; brush over top and edges of pie. Place pie on a baking sheet; bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Spiced Pork Chops with Red Cabbage

2009-10-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

So I got the new issue of Real Simple magazine and of course I found a few recipes that I wanted to tweak, and this is one of them. I am not a big fan of pork chops, but the picture of this recipe in the magazine was gorgeous and just looked really good, so I decided to try it out. The pork has a great spice and very juicy. I must say I am wanting to cook with pork chops more often after eating this great meal. It is a very healthy and hearty meal. Perfect for this time of year.

Spiced Pork Chops with Red Cabbage and Raisins
Adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bone-in pork rib chops (about 1 inch thick; 1 lb total)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning(I get mine from Penzey's)
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1/4 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the pork with the cumin, poultry seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a second large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened,3 to 4 minutes. Add the cabbage, raisins, vinegar, 1/8 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, covered, tossing occasionally, until just tender, 6-8 minutes, stir in the parsley, Serve with the pork.

Check out this contest Marx Foods is having. (Mine is the Pumpkin Black Quesadilla) Please vote!

I Need Your Vote!

2009-10-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Marx Foods is having a contest, the winner will get their recipe published in MarxFoods.com 2009 eCookbook and they will get a $150 gift card to their online store. My recipe is the Pumpkin Black Bean Quesadilla. I would love your vote! Thanks!

Vote Here

"Benchiladas"

2009-10-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

How funny that these are called Benchilada's? I saw the recipe on Annie's Eats awhile back and was hoping my Ben would like them as much as hers did. These were really easy to make and Ben ended up loving them (kinda surprising as he hardly ever eats Mexican food) This meal feeds a crowd and would be so easy to prepare ahead of time and freeze.

"Benchiladas"
from Annie's Eats

Ingredients
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
8 oz. light ranch dressing
Flour tortillas (10-15)
Jar of salsa
Shredded mexican cheese - as much as you want!

Directions
Cook chicken breasts by preferred cooking method until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.

While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed). Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving

Check out this contest Marx Foods is having. (Mine is the Pumpkin Black Quesadilla) Please vote!

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

2009-10-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

Check out this contest Marx Foods is having. (Mine is the Pumpkin Black Quesadilla)

I have been wanting to make these cupcakes for awhile now. Ben has a gaming meeting tomorrow with some friends so I figured I would make these for him to take for his friends. They were easy to make and the frosting is seriously to die for. Next time I would cook them a little less than what the directions said. My cakes turned just a little bit dry. These clever cupcakes would be great for kids!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting, recipe follows
Strawberry jam, for topping

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, Mix in peanut butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture; beat until just combined. Mix in sour cream and peanuts.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

To finish, use an offset spatula to spread frosting over each cupcake, leaving a small well in the middle. Dollop about 1 teaspoon jelly into each well. Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 1 day in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients
6 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar with a mixer on medium speed. Add salt, then peanut butter, then vanilla. Whisk cream until soft peaks form, and then fold into peanut butter mixture. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)

And just for fun.....