Baking Blondie

Tye dye cupcakes

2010-06-16T19:23:00.008-04:00

Its true people, these are tye dye cupcakes. I wouldnt lie to you about something this serious! How did I do such a thing you may ask? Well it was simple, and also amazingly fun.
Check this out! How cool! All I did was make a simple vanilla cake recipe and split it up into 4 bowls, then I added a good amount of food coloring to each bowl. I used the gel food coloring, Ive heard nifty things about it, and it proved to be true! Bright colors people!
I made a chocolate buttercream frosting to pipe on top of the cupcake, they look beautiful, it makes me so happy. I was literally giddy. My friend thinks im weird.
Sorry the pics are a little dark, I do most of my baking at night. Thats were the party's at.
Cupcakes like these make the world a better place, trust me.

BAM! tye dye! AWESOME! Sorry, I got a little excited. It happens a lot :]

OMG new post.

2010-05-25T17:13:00.011-04:00

Wow people, I just dont know what to say! I know that It has been a while since I have posted... and for that I apologize. Where to begin...where to begin. Hmmm ok so I made these cupcakes! and let me tell you, they were amazing. Spectacular even.Now, these may seem like just regular old cupcakes, do not be fooled. I made vanilla cupcakes, and then I was pondering how I could jazz them up. Dont get me wrong, vanilla cupcakes are amazing, but I was bored. When im bored, I inject things with chocolate, so thats what I did! I took a piping bag and filled it with chocolate ganache and injected it into the center of the cupcake.

Did I mention that I ordered colored cupcake liners off of bakeitpretty.com? They are changing my life guys. I think its love.

Ok so back to the cupcakes, I made a simple vanilla buttercream frosting and piped them onto the cupcakes, which convienently hid the chocolate injection mark. Then to top it off...I sprinkled the tops with edible silver disco dust.
SO PRETTY. It did however get all over my hands..table...floor..and my face. Not quite sure how to explain that one hahaha. So if your looking for a recipe or questions on any of this, I would be absolutely delighted to respond to your comment!

Vanilla cupcakes
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

(This recipe makes 12 cupcakes, but I doubled it to make 24)

1 cup of flour

scant 3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tbs butter at room temp

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or use a handheild beater and beat on slow speed untill themixture is sandy consistance and everything is combined. Gradually pour in hald of the milkd and beat untill the milk is just incorporated.

Whisk the egg, vanilla, and remaining milk together in a seperate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating untill just combined. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins, dividing between the 12 cups. Bake for 20-25 min or untill light golden brown. Make sure to let cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Ganache

12 oz semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

Bring the heavy cream to a boil, then remove from stove and pour over the chocolate which should be in a bowl. Whisk untill smooth. I then set it in the fridge so it would get thick.

Then I took my cooled ganache and put it in a piping bag with a round tip. I took each cupcake and injected it with some of the chocolate.

Vanilla frosting

I always make this without really doing much measuring

1 stick of butter softened
1 tsp of so of vanilla
approx a little less than a bag of confectioners sugar

I just put the butter in my stand mixer and beat it with a cup of powdered sugar so it is all combined and you can tell that the butter is smooth. Then i pour in most of the bag and oput the mixer on low, then I eventually raise it to full power so that the frosting whips. I try some...and add more powdered sugar till it gets to the right consistance, usually i use 3/4 of the bag. Im sorry that this isnt very scientific haha.

Then I just took the frosting and piped in onto the cupcakes and voila! Vanilla cupcakes injected with chocolate ganache topped with vanilla buttercream frosting! (dont forget the glitter :])

Pizzelles

2009-02-04T18:03:00.005-05:00

After deciding that I was going to bake something, I went on a search for something interesting. I think that may be one of my problems. Im compulsory, I decide something, and then im like ...ummmm now what. But eventually I find something that I wanna make, and I make it. Right then.

Making Pizzelles is very similar to making waffles, but a little more labor intensive. But it is worth it, ohh yes. After taking the pizzelle off the hot iron, it is flimsy, and you can shape it into like a waffle cone, or press it into a cup to shape it as a bowl for ice cream or fruit. I kept it simple this time and just left them flat, and sprinkled them with powdered sugar.

Oooo and I remembered to put all the ingredients in this time ; )

Pizzelle

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
8 tbs butter
2 tsp vanilla (or almond extract)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder

-> In a mixing bwol, beat the eggs and sugar untill light and yellow and think ribbons fall from the whisk, 203 minutes. Add the melted butter, vanilla and lemon zest., and beat untill blended.

-> Sift together the flour, and baking powder. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, fold untill just blended, add remaining flour and fold again until just incorporated.

-> Heat the pizzelle iron. Brush lightly with butter and place about 1 tbs of batter on iron. The excess batter that may ooze out should be cut off immediately. Bake until colden brown. Roemove and cool on a rack.

-> Repeat with remaining batter to make about 25 pizzelles. Straight after being taken off the iron, you can shape them before the cool and harden.

-> sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired.

Micky Mouse : )

2009-01-27T16:51:00.006-05:00

Besides muffins, I gotta say that waffles are really my favorite breakfast food. And when you have a Micky Mouse waffle iron, why not make waffles for breakfast? I mean seriously, a waffle always tastes better when its in the shape of a classic cartoon character right? yes. So, its actually a funny story how frazzled I can be sometimes. I found a waffle recipe, and what was kinda annoying about it was that it had multiple steps where you add things at different times, and whip the egg whites and everything. Usually speaking this doesn't bother me that much. So I started the recipe, and well, long story short I made the first batch of waffles without the beaten egg whites, or sugar. Yeah lol. But what was ironic was that they were better than the ones that had the other ingredients... They were more crispy, and when they're covered in maple syrup, who's going to notice the lack of sugar?

Waffles

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing the iron
1 large egg white, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg yolks, vanilla, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture until a batter is formed. Take care not to over mix the batter.
In medium bowl, with a hand-held electric mixer or whisk, whip the 3 egg whites until they just begin to hold a loose peak. Scatter the sugar over the whites and continue beating until they hold a soft peak. Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten the base. Fold in the remaining whites.
Brush the inside surface of the iron with butter. Pour in enough batter to lightly cover the surface of the iron, about 1/3 to 3/4 cup, depending upon the size of the iron. (Take into consideration that the batter will spread once the lid is closed.) Cover and cook until golden brown and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. (If the waffle iron is well seasoned or nonstick it is not necessary to brush the inner surface each time before cooking the waffles.)

The best blueberry muffins

2009-01-20T20:21:00.005-05:00

Ok, I'm back for real this time. Sorry for the lack of posting! I don't really have a good excuse, I'm just really bad at multitasking, which technically is not excuse at all. But, I'm planning on posting a lot more regularly, hopefully once a week. So now that I feel better about confessing that, on to the Blueberry muffins.
Its eight'o clock. What else is there possibly to besides bake muffins? I know you would agree. These aren't just regular old boring muffins either, these are amazing, and possible the *best*. They have lemon zest in them that perks them up, and the nutmeg and sugar on top really makes them that more special. These may very well be the perfect breakfast food...

Blueberry Muffins
The bread Bible

-4 tbs unsalted butter

-1/2 cup sugar

-2 tsp lemon zest

-1 large egg

-1/2 tsp vanilla

-1 cup flour

-3/8 tsp baking soda

-1/4 plus 1/16 tsp salt

-1/3 cup sour cream

-3/4 cup blueberries

-sugar and nutmeg for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Cream the butter and sugar together, add the lemon zest, then egg and vanilla. In another small bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix half the flour mixture and the sour cream into the butter mixture. the add the rest of the flour mixture, by folding it together.

3. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, it will be thick batter. Dust the tops with nutmeg and sugar.

4. Bake for 25-35 min or until golden brown and when pressed with your finger, slightly springy.

5. Unmold and cool the muffins. Enjoy. : )

Pain al’Ancienne

2008-11-24T16:33:00.005-05:00

To me, there is nothing better than fresh bread, or even better baguettes. After eating out at places like Panaras, and such bread shops, I thought that it would be impossible to make the amazing bread that they serve. But I was wrong, and this bread is amazing. It has that crisp crust, and soft interior, risen perfectly. Not only is itamazing, but also easy- probably one of the most simple breads that you can make. The original recipe makes six baguettes, but they are basically only good for a little over a day. I always cut the recipe in half, so it is more managable, plus three is usuallygood enough... haha rightt.

So for thanksgiving I have been put in charge of dessert. Im kinda excited because that my favorite thing to make. Im planning on baking a pecan pie, and a pumpkin pie, all the night before of course. Probably really really late at night... lol. Happy early thanksgiving!!

Pain al’Ancienne

The bread bakers apprentice

6 cups (27 ounces) flour
2 1/4 tsp (.56 ounce) salt
1 3/4 tsp (.19 ounce) instant yeast
2 1/4 cups plus 2 T to 3 cups (19 to 24 ounces) water, ice cold
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting
Combine the flour, salt, yeast, and 19 ounces of water in the bowl of the electric mixer with the paddle attachment and mix for 2 minutes on low speed. Switch to the dough hook and mix for 5 to 6 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be sticky on the bottom of the bowl but it should release from the sides of the bowl. If not, sprinkle in a small amount of flour until this occurs (or dribble in water if the dough seems to stiff and clears the bottom as well as the sides of the bowl). Lightly oil a large bowl and immediately transfer the dough with a spatula or bowl scraper dipped in water into the bowl. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Immediately place the bowl in the refrigerator and retard overnight.
The next day, check the dough to see if it has risen. It will probably be partially risen but not doubled in size. Leave the bowl of dough out at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours (or longer if necessary) to allow the dough to wake up, lose its chill, and continue fermenting.
When the dough has doubled from its original prerefrigerated size, liberally sprinkle the counter with bread flour (about 1/2 cup). Gently transfer the dough to the floured counter with a plastic dough scraper that has been dipped in cold water, dipping your hands as well to keep the dough from sticking to you. Try to degas the dough as little as possible as you transfer it. If the dough is very wet, sprinkle more flour over the top as well as under it. Dry your hand thoroughly and then dip them in flour. Roll the dough gently in the sprinkled flour to coat it thoroughly, simultaneously stretching it into an oblong about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. If it is too sticky to handle, continue sprinkling flour over it. Dip a metal pastry scraper into cool water to keep it from sticking to the dough, and cut the dough in half widthwise with teh pastry scraper by pressing it down through the dough until it severs its, then dipping it again in the water and repeating this action until you have cut down the full length of the dough. Let the dough relax for 5 minutes.
Now, place a baking stone in the bottom of your oven and preheat it to 500 degrees F. Also, place a baking pan or a cast iron skillet on the top rack of your oven. Cover the backs of two half sheet pans with parchment paper and dust with semolina or cornmeal.
Cut the dough into 6 roughly equal strips using the dough cutter. Using floured hands, gently transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheets (3 to a pan). Be careful to space them as you do not want them to touch. Using a very sharp knife or kitchen scissors, make three incisions on the top of each loaf. Spray with oil and then cover with plastic wrap and let them rest until the oven is ready, roughly an hour.
Heat about 3 cups of water to a simmer. Measure out 1 cup of it. Have a spray bottle full of room temperature water at the ready. Open the oven and slide the parchment paper (with the bread, of course) directly onto the baking stone. Then pour in the 1 cup of water into the baking pan or cast iron skillet. Close the oven door and wait 30 seconds. Then spray the walls of the oven with water. Repeat two more times. Then reduce the heat to 475 degrees F. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating midway through the baking time if the loaves are baking unevenly. When golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 205 degrees, transfer the loaves directly to a cooling rack. Repeat the baking process with the remaining loaves, remembering to increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.

Wheat bread and a tag!

2008-11-10T21:09:00.007-05:00

So I have this delima, I'm incapable of taking decent pictures. Im not sure what it is, but they just never turn out good. But anyways, this bread was really easy to make, and it was semi-healthy being whole wheat and everything. I think that I replaced some of the wheat flour with bread flour, because I didn't want the bread to be extremely dense. This bread was easy in the fact that, time wasn't very specific, you could let the dough rise, and do your own thing.
Ok, so now on to the fun stuff, a tag from Giz and Psychgrad over at Equal Opportunity Kitchen : )

You can take five items and are allowed one sentence in which to justify your decision. Tag whoever you like and link back! You are on a desert island so assume a plentiful supply of exotic fish, coconuts and sea salt. Ignore any issues regarding storage. There happens to be a very large solar powered refrigerator washed up on the shore as well. Now, on to the list...

1. Ok hmm, first off, I would need a very large chef knife, ya know, for preparing my fish, and defending myself against pirates.

2. Then I would need a bag of flour, because I need my bread... also a weapon incognito ; )

3. I would need a dutch oven, because you can cook anything in a dutch oven haha.

4. Then I would definitly need my mp3 player, ya know, I have to listen to my music when I cook : )

5. Then I would either need my cell phone for texting, or I would have to take my boyfriend hostage. Sacrifice him to the island gods and everything. You know how those natives can get. . . ; )

Now I tag... The Kittalog, Noble Pig, Mochachocolata-Rita, Three forks, and Elle's New England Kitchen.

Wheat bread without a timetable
Smitten Kitchen

1. Into a large bread bowl, put 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour, 1 1/2 cups stone-ground wheat flour and 3/4 cups coarse ground whole wheat flour (if you can’t find coarse ground, simply add regular whole wheat flour. I used buckwheat flour, because I’ve been feeling guilty about buying it eons ago and never using it.). Add one heaping teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of sugar (my addition, I think bread benefits from a little sweetness) and one tablespoon of wheat or corn germ. (I’m pretty sure I used bran instead, because that’s what I had on hand. Really, you can’t break this bread.)

2. Mix 1/2 scant teaspoon of yeast (active dry is just fine) with 1 1/2 cups of liquid–half milk, half water, or more water than milk–whatever you have on hand. (If you’re going to leave it overnight, use 1/4 teaspoon of yeast.)

3. Pour the liquid into the flour and stir it up. (If you have a KitchenAid, you can use the paddle attachement for this, then switch to the kneading hook when you’re done.) The dough should be neither dry nor sticky, but should tend more toward to the stick than the dry. If too sticky, add a little more flour.

4. Knead the dough well, roll it in flour, put it in a warm bowl (although I have put it in a regular old bowl right off the shelf, says Colwin, as did I) . I covered mine with plastic wrap at this time–a towel works as well–but realize it might not be neccessary. Leave it in a cool, draft-free place and go about your business. (We decided to check out the 8th Annual New York Pickle Festival, not that you asked.)

5. Whenever you happen to get home, punch down the dough, knead it well and forget about it until convenient.

6. Sometime later (with a long first rise, a short second rise is fine, but a long one is fine, too) punch the dough down, give it a final kneading, shape into a baguette* (see my notes below), slash the top with four diagonal cuts, brush wtih water and let proof for a few minutes (it was 30 minutes, in our case). However, if you haven’t the time, it can go straight into the oven.

7. You can preheat the oven or put it in a cold oven, it matters not a bit. Bake at 450° fr half an hour. Turn the oven to 425 ° and bake for another five to twenty minutes. (This range is long because I found my bread was done–sounded hollow when I tapped the bottom, quite brown on the outside and registered 200 or so on a thermometer, all different techiniques to check for doneness–after just 5 more minutes, but Colwin suggests 20. It will vary based on the density of your bread, the size of your baguette, etc. etc. so just check in with it every five minutes or so.)

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

2008-10-26T09:01:00.005-04:00

Wow it is good to be back. After not baking for a long time, I had forgotten how much fun I have been missing! Yeah I know, im that much of a loser ; ) lol. But seriously, these were actually kinda fun to make, even though I somehow managed to get flour & coco powder ALL over me.
But, this recipe was definitely a keeper. It had a really nice coco flavor, and the hazelnuts worked really well pairing with the chocolate. If I were to change anything in this recipe, I think that I would increase the chocolate chips a little bit because, who doesn't like more chocolate? : )
The perfect way to start off your morning: Biscotti and a hot cup of coffee : D

Chocolate hazelnut biscotti
Cafe Fernando

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Method
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter for 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time and beat until incorporated.
Add flour mixture gradually and mix until combined.
Add the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate and mix with a wooden spoon.
Flour your hands (the dough is quite sticky) and turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut in half and shape each piece into a 12 inch log.
Place them onto the baking trays and flatten them slightly.
Lightly beat the egg white and brush the logs. Sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake the logs, rotating trays half way through for 25 minutes. Transfer the logs onto a cutting board and let cool for 20-30 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 F. Cut the logs crosswise to half an inch thick slices. Place on a wire rack and bake for 30 minutes.

cupcake cookies of love

2008-10-13T21:04:00.006-04:00

Now, I like cupcakes as much as the next person, but cookies are definitly of a higher calling. ; )When you combine the flavor of a cupcake with the form of a cookie, you have an instant winner. I got this recipe from my tennis doubles partners mom. She is like an amazing baker, and brings cookies to almost all of our matches. So when she made this, I had to have the recipe. They are so simple to prepare, I doubt that anybody could mess them up.
Oh, and they're addicting. Really really addicting.

Cupcake cookies of love

Yes, they do use a prepackaged mix, and yes, I generally would never use a pre mix, but it was just so dang simple! Oh, you could also substitute the vanilla cake mix for other flavors such as chocolate...or lemon...the possibilities are endless.

1 package of yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup of oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Mix together, and scoop small balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for aprox. seven min(more of less depending on your oven), or until golden brown.
Enjoy!!

Bagels

2008-10-02T19:17:00.006-04:00

Is there really anything better than fresh bagels in the morning? I seriously doubt it. These bagels were really awesome. The only small glitch was that they weren't completely picture perfect. They remained lumpy, which was all right with me : )
So id just like to apologize for the lack of posts. You have no idea how hectic these few past weeks have been! Tennis has gone from a sport to a lifestyle! So in a couple of weeks I will be able to relax and continue to make a mess of the kitchen ; ) But.. in my free moments, I have been able to make some awesome stuff, starting with Bagels : D What was pretty sweet about these bagels, was that you could make and shape the dough, and store the uncooked bagels in your fridge, until you wanted to bake them off. I made them on a Friday night, and then i baked half the batch on Saturday morning, and then the rest of Sunday morning. Perfect.

The possibilities are really endless when it comes to flavorings. I did some salt, sesame, cinnamon, and some of the bread spice. Now, I know what your thinking, while looking at the following directions...they are LONG! well, don't be intimidated, its really very simple, and straight foreword, it just uses a lot of words to clarify everything.

Go forth and make Bagels!!!

Peter Reinhart’s Bagels
Smitten Kitchen

The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
Yield: 12 large or 24 miniature bagels
Sponge
1 teaspoon instant yeast
4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour (see note below)
2 1/2 cups water, room temperature

Dough
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
3 3/4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons malt powder or 1 tablespoon dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar (see note below)

To Finish
1 tablespoon baking soda
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, kosher salt, rehydrated dried minced garlic or onions (Deb note: this was what I chose, and found the taste very authentic), or chopped onions that have been tossed in oil (optional)

1. Day one: To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.

2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients for a ball, slowly working in the remaining 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough.

3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour - all ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 71 degrees F. If the dough seems to dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.

4. Immediately divide the dough into 4 1/2 ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired (Deb note: I used 2.25 ounce pieces, and yes, I weighed them because I wanted them to bake evenly). Form the pieces into rolls.

5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

6. Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Proceed with one of the following shaping methods:
Method 1: Poke a hole in a ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it to approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter (half of this for a mini-bagel). The dough should be as evenly stretched as possible (try to avoid thick and thin spots.)
Method 2: Roll out the dough into an 8-inch long rope. (This may require rolling part of the way and resting if the pieces are too elastic and snap back, in which case, allow them to rest for 3 minutes and then extend them again to bring to full length. Wrap the dough around the palm and back of your hand, between the thumb and forefinger, overlapping the ends by several inches. Press the overlapping ends on the counter with the palm of your hand, rocking back and forth to seal.

7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pans (Deb note: I got away with 1-inch space for the minis). Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float. Return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.

9. The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda (and optionally, a few tablespoons of barley syrup, see Note at the end). Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.

10. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minutes flip them over rand boil for another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side (Deb note: I used the 2 minute option). While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you decide to replace the paper, be sure to spray the new paper lightly with spray oil to prevent the bagels from sticking to the surface.) If you want to top (see note below) the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water. You can use any of the suggestions in the ingredients list or a combination.

11. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer. (Deb note: I actually baked them quite a bit longer, often almost five extra minutes. I judge by color, not internal temperature, in this case. I did not lower the oven temperature because I had multiple batches to bake.)

12. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

No-Bakies!!

2008-09-13T14:21:00.004-04:00

This has got to be the **best** cookie to make during the hot weather, because you don't have to turn on the oven. Along with that point, these cookies are extremely addicting!! They have the best chocolatey taste, and they kinda remind me of fudge : D I never really realized the props you get for being a baker! You give these cookies to anyone, and you have them under your complete control!!

You cook them on a stove top, and when you scoop them on to a parchment sheet, they harden, and sort of crystalize. Its so cool! You gotta be careful to boil the stuff long enough, or they will not harden, like mine didnt in the begining. The first couple of cookies that I put down on the sheet were not boiled long enough. The recipe called for boiling the mixture for 1 min, but later I found out that you had to boil it for two minuites. But even if you mess up like me, they will still taste absolutely godly.

Thanks everyone for the Birtheday wishes!! Im super excited to use the new kitchen aid mixer I got for my birthday!! Yay!!

No Bakies

1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cup quick oats

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add next four ingredients and heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for TWO minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and oats.Drop mixture by the spoonful onto a sheet of waxed paper, parchment paper, or aluminum foil. Allow no-bakies to cool until firm, approximately 20 minutes.

Oreos

2008-09-04T12:52:00.005-04:00

Oreos!! Arn't they the best? When it comes to eating pre-packeged cookies, oreos are definitly on the top of my list. So when I saw a recipe for the homemade version, I was really excited!
I don't know if its just me, but when I see a recipe that I want to make, there is like nothing that will stop me. Its like a have tunnel vision, I can only see the recipe that I want to make. So as soon as I spotted this recipe, I printed it out, and got all the stuff out, and started to mix things. Then I realize that Im missing the eggs, butter, and shortening. Lol. So then I had to beg my moms to go to the store and get the stuff. : )
Life will definitly be easier when I can drive and get the stuff I need, which will be pretty soon... my birthday is on wednesday!!! : D Haha, EVERYBODY WATCH OUT!!

So anyways, the cookies were a huge hit! They were very rich and chocolatey, and the frosting in the middle was just perfect.

I have a feeling that you will be seeing an assortment of cookie recipes being posted, because my tennis season has started, and cookies are a staple!

Oreos
Smittenkitchen

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies
For the chocolate wafers:

1Â¼ cups all-purpose flour

Â½ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

Â¼ teaspoon baking powder

Â¼ teaspoon salt1 to

1Â½ cups sugar*

Â½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1Â¼ sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1 large egg

For the filling

:Â¼ cup (Â½ stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter

Â¼ cup vegetable shortening

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees.

2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

Easy chips

2008-08-26T09:43:00.003-04:00

Ahh. Summer where have you gone? I can't believe that Im about to start school in fewer than two weeks! Prison!! Luckily I have gotten in some cool summer recipes, like this one- baked cheese and basil chips. What is so awesome about these chips is that you can make them really quickly, and the possibilities are endless. I actually have another recipe to tell you about, a french onion soup. But I forgot to take pictures : ( The soup turned out great, but chopping the onions was. . . interesting. I got comments telling me to freeze my onions before using them, and that seemed like a great idea. The only problem being that almost all of my cooking and baking is spontaneous. So when I started to cut my onions, the burning began. What to do!? I went outside and put on svens swimming goggles ; ) lol. This worked, except for the fact that his head is smaller than mine, and the goggles almost sucked my eyes out of my head. haha.

Baked cheese basil chips

2 tbs olive oil
30 wonton wrapers
nonstick cooking spray
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Cut wonton wrappers in half making 60 triangles. Lay out on a greased baking sheet.

In a small bowl combine garlic, oil, basil. Lightly brush triangles with mixture, and sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 8 min or until golden.

Enjoy!

Foccacia with bruschetta

2008-08-18T14:46:00.005-04:00

This is like the perfect summer food. Ever. This summer has been weird in the fact that I haven't baked that much bread. So with a couple extra hours to blow, I make focaccia from the bread bible. This bread was pretty easy except for a couple things. First off, I needed to add more flour and some vital wheat gluten to get the dough to form a loose ball. this is like the most wet dough in the whole book. You have to beat it for 20 min (thank you Mr bread machine). It is supposed to develop the gluten structure so it can develop bigger holes or something like that. So after that, your basically home free. You let it rise for 4 hours! It gets so bubbly! Mine like quadrupled in size.But all of your hard work will yield amazing results. I would definitly make this bread again and again because of how great it turned out. There were huge holes in it, and it had a really nice crisp crust. Paired with bruschetta. . .perfect.

Bruschetta

Three large ripe tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
a couple of leaves of basil, chopped
2-3 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the nasty seeds. Fine dice the tomatoes and combine with the oregano, basil, oil, cheese, salt, and pepper.

Focaccia
The bread Bible, with adaptations

3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp vital wheat gluten (if you dont have this, you can substitute with more flour)
1/2 tsp yeast
2 cups minus 2 tbs water
3/4 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbs plus 2 tsp olive oil divided
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp sea salt

In a mixer, combine 1 3/4 cup flour, yeast, and water. Mix until dough just comes together. Beat dough for 20 min on med untill it is transformed into a shiny ball. If that didn't happen to you, like it didnt for me, add the 1/4 cup of flour and 2 tsp vital wheat gluten. Keep beating till a very loose ball sorta forms.

Scrape into an oiled bowl and let rise for 4 hours, or at least until it is doubled.

Cover a sheet pan with a tbs of oil. Pour dough onto the sheet and stretch the dough as much as you can w/o tearing it. If the dough is being difficult, let it rest for 10 min.

Cover pan with greased plastic wrap, and let rise untill 1 1/2 the original volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Uncover the dough and sprinkle with remaining olive oil, rosemary, and salt. Place on bottom rack of the oven and bake for 12-13 min until golden brown

Enjoy!

Onion dill bread

2008-08-12T21:46:00.005-04:00

I decided to make this bread recipe a little while ago. Dill and onion bread. It sounded interesting, so I went for it. I'm really glad I did, because it turned out awesome. It was pretty easy to make too. It started with a simple bread dough that I added dill to. After it rose, I flattened it and covered it in red onions.

Then the hard part came. Wile my eyes were burning and tearing from the onions I had to roll up the dough and knead it. Yeah, this sounds easy now, but wile I was kneading the dough, the onions were slipping out and making a general mess. But other than that, it was really easy to make. This bread got nice and brown after being in the oven, and the crust was not that hard. The bread had an almost buttery taste.

Now, I know what your thinking. I'm slacking with my blogging. I honestly don't know what it is. Well, first off, I'm lazy, and on top of that, I'm a procrastinator. But it seems that with the more free time I have, the less I do. Doesn't that seem crazy? Well, I won't have much free time for long, the school year is coming along, so that means more blogging. lol.

Onion dill bread
Adapted from the bread bible

2 3/4 cup plus 1 tbs flour
1/2 tbs yeast
1/2 tbs salt
1 cup warm water mixed with
1/4 cup dry milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1 tbs dry dill

Combine 2 1/3 cup flour and the yeast. Then add the salt. Then stir in the water/milk and oil. Knead for 5 min adding is little remaining flour as possible. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest for 20 min.
Knead for another 5 min untill elastic.

Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise untill doubled, about 1 1/2 -2 hours.
Scrape dough onto a floured surface and press into a large rectangle. Sprinkle ontop onions. Roll up, then knead the dough.

Press into a rectangle and roll up tightly and tuck the ends in. Plate seam side down on the countertop and cover with plastic wrap. Let relax for 30 min.

Form dough into rectangle...again. Your can either roll it up tightly to form a loaf, or you can shape it into a batard.

Set on parchment lined baking sheet and cover loosly with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled. 30 min-1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have an oven sheet on the bottom of the oven while preheating

Slash the dough and place in oven on lowest shelf. Toss 1/2 cup of ice cubs on the tray on the bottom of your oven. Close door immedietly.

Bake 30-35 min untill golden brown. Half way through baking, turn sheet around to ensure even cooking.

Blueberry pie

2008-08-04T10:02:00.007-04:00

My family goes crazy when its blueberrie season. They have this obsession with blueberries that I just don't understand. I hate blueberries. To me, blueberries are like these little nasty blue tomatoes (which I also hate) that are sour and filled with crap. But for some odd reason, I love blueberrie pie.

The only problem being, that I had to pick my own blueberries in order to make pie, and it happened to be during a thunderstorm. I almost got struck by lightening a couple of times, but it was worth it. This pie was crazy good.

I had trouble deciding between blueberrie pie, or like a crumble. I decided to combine them.

This was definitly one of my better ideas, because it was amazingly good! There was some extra blueberries and crumble mixture, so I made some in ramakins.

Blueberrie pie/ crumble

crust: (9")

1/3 cup plus 1 tbs butter
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
4-5 tbs cold water

Cut butter into flour, salt, and sugar mixture until the particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle water a tablespoon at a time untill mixture comes together. Gather pasty into a ball, and flatten into a disk. Let chill in the fridge.

Blueberrie mixture:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinn
4 cups blueberries
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs butter
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry. Mix sugar, flour, and cinn (optional). Stir in blueberries. Turn into pastry lined pie plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dot with butter. Cover with crumb topping -->
Cover the edges of your pie with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Remove the last 15 min. of baking. Bake until crumble is golden brown, 35-45 min.

Crumb topping:
Baking and Books
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs raw sugar
zest of one lemon
1 stick of butter at room temp.

Combine ingredients with a mixer or food processor.

Pickles

2008-07-21T19:18:00.011-04:00

Hey everyone, I'm back!! Besides a six hour car trip, I'm all right ; ) lol. Sorry for no posting in the last week or so, my good friend Liz experienced some technical difficulties hehe. But anyways, Maine was totally amazing. Wile we were camping, me and Gwen made ice box cake, and challah, but mostly we hung out at the beach.

But let me tell you, the seagulls in Maine are as bad as the squirrels in new york city. My brother was eating a sandwich just standing around, and a seagull swooped down and grabbed the sandwich right out of his hand!!

There was also this stone pier that you could walk out on. It was so cool, even though my cousin Gwen was a little uneasy with the situation. Good times ; D lol.

The day before we left, some Canadian hippies moved in next to us! They had this hilarious Scooby Doo van!So anyways, just some advise for the people who are the the level of crazyness that I am at: don't try to make watermelon juice. Just don't.

I spent quite a long time chunking, and blending a whole watermelon, and putting it through a fine mesh sieve. Personally, I hate eating chunks of watermelon because it is usually grainy or something. So me, being the genius that I am decided to make juice out of it. At first taste, it was good. Then it tasted completely nasty. Like it left such a foul aftertaste that I almost spit it in my dogs face.

So, like ten minutes ago I made pickles. My moms garden is overflowing with zucchini, squash, and cucumbers. It took me like 15 min. with my mandolin. No lie. Its nice because you don't have to cook or boil anything, just mix the stuff together and pour over pickles, and stick in the fridge.

Easy sweet pickles

7 cups thin sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
2 tbs salt
2 cups sugar
1 tbs celery seed
1 cup vinegar

Mix salt, sugar, celery seed, and vinegar until dissolved. Place cucumbers in a jar. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers. Let sit in the fridge for at least a day.

Idiot cake

2008-07-03T15:15:00.008-04:00

I know what your thinking. . . idiot cake? Yes this is an idiot cake, but the best I've ever tasted! It is so simple, that only an idiot can mess it up! Its only four ingredients, so believe me, if there was any way to fail, I would have found it.
So, usually I don't make cake, because I'm pretty crappy at it. But last weekend, by brother wanted chocolate cake, and I caught him almost making a box mix! I shudder at the mere thought of it! Its like my brother doesn't even know me at all! So I stopped him, and searched for a chocolate cake recipe. The thing is, I don't like chocolate cakes that are spongy, and flavorless, some are even bitter tasting. The only way I can cough down a piece is when it is covered in thick chocolate frosting. But then again, I will eat *anything* covered in chocolate frosting.

Making this cake was a so simple, and the results were stunning. It didn't have a cake consistency either. It was velvety, not dry or cakey. Its like a mix between decadent brownies and fudge, but its not dense. It had the most rich amazing chocolate flavor too. The higher quality chocolate you use will yield a better taste, because the chocolate is the main flavor. I garnished the slices of cake with some whipped cream flavored with cappuccino liquor.

I also wanted to show you guys this picture of a mushroom that I took : ) I was so proud of it because-look, how cute is that mushroom?

Then I also took a picture of this really pretty flower, look how vibrant it is! So, I'm leaving tomorrow to go on a trip to Maine, with my favorite cousin Gwen!! My best friend Liz is going to post about our latest culinary adventure some time next week!

Chocolate idiot cake

David Lebovitz

10 ounces (290 gr) ScharffenBerger bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

7 ounces (200 gr) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (200 gr) sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F (175 C).

1. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan* and dust it with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. If you suspect your springform pan isn't 100% water-tight, wrap the outside with aluminum foil, making sure it goes all the way up to the outer rim.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (or microwave), stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and cover the top of the pan snugly with a sheet of foil. Put the springform pan into a larger baking pan, such as a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to the baking pan to come about halfway up to the outside of the cake pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
You'll know the cake is done when it feels just set, like quivering chocolate pudding. If you gently touch the center, your finger should come away clean.
5. Lift the cake pan from the water bath and remove the foil. Let cake cool completely on a cooling rack.

Can last 3-4 days in the fridge.

Mint cookies

2008-06-25T21:44:00.006-04:00

Yess!! Finals and regents are finally over! No more homework, or my icky uniform! What better way to celebrate than with cookies? I was going to make chocolate chip cookies, but we had no chocolate chips. So all I could find was some mint chips. It actually turned out really good! They had a really nice flavor, and the mint was a nice addition.You have to be careful because they brown really quickly, and after that, they turn black really quickly. lol. This dough also makes some crazy good chocolate chip cookies.

The day after I made the cookies, I made some challah. I posted about it a wile ago, actually I think that it was my first post ever. I make it all the time, but this time I braided it with a four braid! I thought it looked so cool that I had to show you guys!

Mint Cookies
Adapted from chocolate chip cookies
Baking Bites

2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup mint chips (or chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350F and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and salt.In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Blend in vanilla extract and egg. Slowly add in the flour mixture until nearly combined. Add in chocolate chips and stir until dough is uniform in color and chip distribution.Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.Bake at 350F for 11-13 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.Makes 40 cookies.

Meringues Chantilly

2008-06-17T10:00:00.005-04:00

**Phew** It worked!

You see, I have never really had any problems with merangue. It always worked out perfectly, sort of. Except for last time me and Liz were bored. We were going to make these merangue cookies, that I have made countless times. I thought they were fool proof! Except they weren't. I couldn't get the merangue to a stiff peak, even though I had beaten it for like...forever. So We gave up, and tried to bake them. Lets just say that we nicknamed them "moon craters" Bleh. They were nastly. lol.

But then I watched Barefoot Contessa. I had to make these merangue things. They were just so cute and elegant! It was decided then. But, I was really scared to make the merangue, especially because it used 6 egg whites. If this dessert took a nose dive, my mom would be none to happy. But thats the perils of baking I guess. Luckily it all worked out great. I made the merangues the night ahead, because they have to sit it the oven for at least 4 hours. I thought that they looked like little bumper boats. Haha.

I was smooth sailing after that. Until a I had to get the berries. My mom flipped when she rung everything out. Berries are expensive! But it was definitly worth it! This dessert was searously good. The contrase of textures between the merange and whipped cream was awesome, and the berries balanced out everything nicely.

Meringues Chantilly

6 extra - large egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar Kosher salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whipped Cream with Orange Liqueur, recipe follows

Stewed berries, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw 6 (3 1/2-inch) circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheets.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a large pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 cup of the sugar and raise the speed to high until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar into the meringue. With a large star - shaped pastry tip, pipe a disc of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.
Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 4 hours or overnight.
Spread some of the sauce from the stewed berries on each plate. Place a meringue on top and fill with whipped cream. Top with berries and serve.

Whipped Cream with Orange Liqueur:

2 cups (1 pint) cold heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon orange liqueur

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar, vanilla and orange liqueur and continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't overbeat, or you'll end up with butter!
Yield: 4 cups

Stewed berries:

1 half-pint fresh blueberries

3 half-pints fresh raspberries, divided

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon orange zest

2 teaspoons framboise (raspberry brandy)

Combine the blueberries, one-half pint of raspberries, 1/3 cup water, the sugar and zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. The juice will become a syrup and the berries will be slightly cooked. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise. Set aside.
Yield: 8 servings

Banana cookies

2008-06-09T18:51:00.005-04:00

Do you remember your first blog experience? I do. It all started with an extra bunch of bananas. Yes, bananas. It was like two years ago that I firse stumbled upon a blog. I had extra bananas around, and I didn't feel like making banana bread. I wanted cookes. Who ever heard of banana cookes? Not me. But you know how you can find almost anything on the web! So I went into google, and did a search on banana cookies, and found a link for them in the blog baking bites. I was so utterly amazed at the blog, never having seen one before. It was like a huge cookbook, free for the looking! It was full of recipes, then I found links to other amazing blogs. It was like my eyes were opened for the first time!
So anyways, back to the cookies. These are amazing. Not only are they the most delicious amazing *awesome* cookies ever, they are somewhat almost not that bad for you. Since bananas give them that extra moistness, you dont have to add that much butter. But oh geeze are these cookies good.

I like these cookies best with chocolate chips, but if your crazy like my mom you can add raisins, or nuts, or anything else that makes you happy.
In regards to my camera delima, I think that it has found a round-about solution. My dad has struck up a deal with me. He will buy me a nice camera if I give him X amount of dollars, and do 7 hours of hard labor. . . bleh. Anything for a new shiny camera!

Banana oatmeal cookies
Baking Bites

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, very soft
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mashed banana (1 small/medium)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. Beat in egg and banana, followed by the vanilla extract. Gradually, on low speed or by hand, add in the flour mixture. Stir in the oats (either whole rolled oats or “quick cooking”) and chocolate chips.Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.Bake for 11-14 minutes at 350F, until set and lightly browned.Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the pan before transfering them to a wire rack to cool completely.Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Happy corn muffins

2008-05-30T21:46:00.008-04:00

Ok first off, I'm sorry for not posting more often. Its been hectic lately (crazy teachers giving me a butt load of homework/tests). And to make things more beautiful, along with my broken computer, by beloved camera died on me. **Sigh** So its a little difficult getting everything put together. But anyways.. :D

These corn muffins made me happy : ) So my mom got this new silicon muffin umm "pan" thing. It looks really cool, but feels even cooler. Its soft and rubbery and red. So I was all excited about it, and wanted to make something for the morning. Whats better than muffins? Nothing, that's what. So corn muffins it was, but not just any old corn muffins, happy corn muffins : ).

They had a nice brown crisp top, and a moist yummy middle. Excellent.

Happy corn muffins

Quaker cornmeal recipe (modified)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup enriched corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Combine dry flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt (if desired). Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into 12 greased or paper-lined medium muffin cups. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Icebox Cake

2008-05-21T16:12:00.007-04:00

So it all started with the quest to find chocolate wafers. These elusive little chocolate cookies are very hard to find. I gave up and thought that I would never be able to make the legendary icebox cake. So when I was on spring vacation, I was happily shocked to find them in the food lion grocery store. I was so excited that I picked up like six boxes of them(not sure when I would ever get these cookies again) and put them in my moms shopping cart :D But then this week wile doing to weekly shopping, I found that my grocery store sells them too. Oops. Well thats ok, one can never have enough icebox cake! But oh my gosh was this cake good. Not just good, but crazy good. It was just so creamy and chocolaty and addicting. Even my dad (who hates chocolate) loved this cake. Say hello to the power of whipped cream and chocolate wafers! I have to say that It was actually fun making this cake. It was like assembling building blocks. Layer upon layer of goodness.Then you can top it off with some shaved chocolate. You have to let it chill in the fridge over night so that the cookies absorbe some of the whipped cream and get soft.I have never really been a cake lover, but this is the most amazing cake I have ever eaten. I like this cake better than cookies! Well this cake is technically made of cookies, but you get my point : ) My advice- Go make this cake...Now!!

Icebox cake

Smitten Kitchen

Magnolia bakery cookbook

3 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (you could use different extracts to get a different flavor)

2 (9-ounce) packages chocolate wafer cookies

Unsweetened cocoa (or chocolate shavings)

In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
On a flat serving plate, arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.
Spread with 1/2 cup whipped cream, making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (there will be a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, dust top lightly with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

Ciabatta hates me

2008-05-15T20:04:00.006-04:00

I just don't know why this bread hates me so much. Ciabatta was my first bread that I ever made from the bread bible. It turned out a horrible flat failure. Hard and flat, like a rock rather than "slipper". I vowed that with more experience, I would venture to conquer this bread. I failed. Again. But the worst part is that I don't know why. I followed the directions so carefully! Maybe it turned out right, but it just looks so wrong. And its hard. Really hard. I had a lethal weapon after I baked it. Anybody trying to break into my house will get a face full of ciabatta! I had to use a chain saw to cut it open ; ) But it was wierd, it had holes inside, but was wicked flat, and well, dissapointing. The pictures in the bread bible made it seem soft and spongey, the king of breads! Not. It tasted all well and good, as long as you have dental insurance. I had some searous deja vu wile cutting this open. Then I realized that it reminded me of making biscottis.

So what is your worst botch up in the kitchen? : )

Chinese take-out party!!

2008-05-11T16:36:00.013-04:00

I got invited to partake in a Chinese take-out party hosted by Rita of mochachocolatarita! Her blog is totally awesome, and has great recipes. Her posts are also really fun to read! So when she invited me to make chinese food, I was really excited, but had no clue what to make. Having no experience with making chinese food, I just made a stir-fry recipe,but before that marinated chicken in some hoisen sauce, then cooked it before, and added it back in later. What is so great about making your own chinese food, is that you can make it healthy, and flavor it to your tastes! This was the first time that I had used fresh ginger. And wow is it strong stuff! But what really completed this chinese dinner was homemade fortune cookies!!!

Can you say *amazing*? I would have never thought that It were possible!!! And the crazy thing was that they were simple to make, and importantly, they actually tasted like fortune cookies!! What was really cool,was that me and my friend Liz made our own fortunes for the fortune cookies. We even looked up specific ones for each family member. It was really funny.

All in all, this dinner was a huge success! For the fortune cookie recipe, watch this on youtube. Have fun!

Stir fry chinese chicken and veggies
Food network/my brain

4 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1/2 red onion, trimmed and cut into 4 wedges, layers separated trimmed,
1/4 pound Chinese broccoli, stems and leaves separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 pound Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 scallions, trimmed, 5 cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces,
1 thinly sliced and reserved separately
2/3 cup good-quality chicken stock or broth, vegetable broth, or water, heated
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
As much chicken as you want
Hoisan sauce to marinate chicken.

Marinate chicken and set aside. After marinated, cook chicken in wok. Take out and reserve for later.
Heat a large wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, and chili flakes and stir-fry just until they are aromatic, about 30 seconds. Scoop out the aromatics and set them aside.
Add the remaining oil to the wok. When it is hot, add the onion pieces and stir-fry until they turn glossy and bright, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the bok choy and the Chinese broccoli stem pieces. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more.
Add the long beans and the 1-inch scallion pieces. Continue stir-frying until they are bright green and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Add the Napa cabbage and the Chinese broccoli leaves, along with about 1/3 cup of the hot stock and the reserved aromatics. Continue stir-frying until the vegetables are all tender-crisp, about 2 minutes more. Add the remaining stock, soy sauce, and cornstarch mixture and stir-fry until the vegetables all look lightly glazed with sauce, about 1 minute more.
Add chicken back into the wok, and let re-heat.
Transfer the stir-fried vegetables and chicken to a heated serving dish. Garnish with the sliced scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Blondies! Plus and award!

2008-05-08T15:37:00.007-04:00

Blondies made by a blondie : D These are the most amazing blondies ever. They might even be better brownies! Ahh what did I just say? Is that possible? Yes, yes it is. And the best part is that these are the easiest thing to make. Ever. I don't really know how to describe them. They are like a chocolate chip cookie in brownie form. They are soft and chocolaty and slightly chewy.
I made these blondies again, because I was bored. So when they came out of the oven, I was still at a loss of what to do, because these blondies hardly took any time to make. So with my extra easter candy, I melted down the chocolate, and made chocolate stripes with white and milk chocolate.

Everybody went crazy over these blondies too. My mom went especially nuts because she doesnt want me to make baked goods. Because then she can't help but eat them. And she thinks that she can stop me from baking stuff. Ha! Like thats going to happen.

So if you are ever in a need for some super sweet baked goods, these blondies are totally the way to go. They are so quick to make, and since the recipe is pretty basic, you can jazz it up any way you like! Like nuts? Add them. Espresso powder? Chocolate chunks? Different extracts? Go for it!

Im also super happy because I got the Arte y Pico award from Recipe Girl! Thanks Recipe girl!
Ok so then you select five blogs that you think excell in creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
Im having a serious trouble deciding who to pass this along to, because I think that there are just so many great blogs out there! I guess Il pick. . .

Elle's New England Kitchen

Blondies
Smitten Kitchen

8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Butter an 8×8 pan
Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth.
Beat in egg and then vanilla.
Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Crumpets

2008-05-02T18:08:00.008-04:00

I don't know about the rest of the word, but I can not just sit around and do nothing. It might just kill me. I can't just sit down and relax, I'm just to fidgety. So when I'm bored I break out the trusty bread bible, and look for inspiration, or search random blogs. Or in this case, a recipe that I have never seen before. In fact When I decided to make this, I didn't know what a crumpet was. All I could think of was the phrase "crumpets and tea" So they started like any other bread that I have made, except on the second rise you had to stir in baking soda.Weird. Then you cooked them on a stove top.
It was odd cooking them on the stove top. It sort of reminded me of cooking pancakes except different. The batter was quite thick and super bubbly. It made the kitchen smell heavenly, like a little bakery.
And Oh my gosh were they tasty! They were like an English muffin times a 100. The texture was so light and fluffy with lots of little holes. You can toast them up again if you made them at night like I did. Serve them with jelly of jam or just about anything!

Crumpets

The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tbs dry milk
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 plus 2 tbs water divided
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp butter

Mix the batter. In a large mixer bowl beat together the flour, dry milk, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the 3/4 cup of water and, gradually beat on med. for about 5 min. until completely smooth.
Let the batter rise. Scrape the dough into into a container with a one quart rising capacity. With a piece of tape mark on the side where doubled the height would be. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
Add the baking soda and water and let dough rise again. In a small bowl mix together the baking soda and remaining 2 tbs of water.Stir into the batter and allow to rise again until almost doubled, about 30 min. The batter will be filled with bubbles.
Preheat the griddle or frying pan. If using an electric griddle, preheat to 275 degrees. If using a skillet,heat over low until a drop of water sizzles when added.
Fry the crumpets. Brush the pan, and the insides of the crumpet rings lightly with melted butter. Set the rings in the pan and use a ladle to spoon, or pour the batter into the rings, filling 2/3 full. The batter will rise to the top during cooking. Cook the crumpets for 10 min on one side, or until they are nicely browned underneath and have lost their dull shine on top. Turn the crumpets and continue to cook until the bottoms are browned.
Cool the crumpets. Remove the crumpets and move to a wire rack. Cool completely. They can be stored over night in a paper bag, or frozen well wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw before toasting.

What to do with Phylo

2008-04-28T16:28:00.006-04:00

I really had no idea what to do with my extra phylo dough after making the tomato phylo tart.
I mean, what else do you do with it? So when I got home from school I told my mom that I would make something for dessert. I had nothing planned, just hoping for some inspiration. Wile going through everything in the fridge, I spotted the phylo again, and this time It occurred to me that I could do some sort of fruit pastry! Why didn't I think of this before? So I basically just threw it together without any directions. It turned out really yummy, just like mini apple pies! The phylo made it really interesting because it was so incredibly flaky.
But, wow was some grueling work. It took literally forever! Because the phylo is incredibly thin, you have to take each tiny triangular sheet and individually brush it with melted butter and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar. 150 some odd sheets later you could pop them in the oven.

Would you think I'm crazy if I told you that making a traditional apple pie would have been less time consuming? Well in the end it was worth it, and ended up being a great way to use the extra Phylo!

Apple Phylo triangles

(All of these directions are approximate)

a couple of tablespoons of butter melted (or as much as you need for brushing
A couple of tablespoons of sugar plus cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
Phylo dough cut into squares
Apples cut into slices

Cut your apples into slices them take about a tablespoon of sugar and toss the apples in it. Take the triangles of phylo and lightly brush them with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Lay them on top of each other. I stacked about 12 sheets and then piled a couple pieces of apple on it, then covered it with 5 more sheets of phylo that had been lightly brushed with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Mmm Chocolate Chippers!

2008-04-25T21:22:00.013-04:00

Is there anything better than freshly baked cookies? I think not. Whenever we have company, or I'm simply bored, I make cookies. But what is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe? Everybody thinks that their cookies are the greatest, but it seems that we are always at an impasse. Some like them soft and gooey, others likes them flat and crispy. And the ever elusive soft and gooey in the middle, and crispy on the edges. My brother had some friends over, so I decided to try out the cooks illustrated version! Well technically these are the "Liz classic" cookies. Anyways, they were a total hit! All of them were gone at the end of the night. Who said cookies aren't the perfect bon-fire food!

The brown sugar gives it that classic homemade taste, wile the walnuts give it that slightly nutty flavor. I gotta tell you, I'm not generally a nut fan, but they give these cookies such an irresistible flavor! I don't like large chunks of nuts, so I used this chopper thing that turns these nuts into almost like a powder, so you get the nut flavor without the nut chunkies! Its the best of both worlds! For me, the hardest part about making cookies, is to not eat all the dough! I think that it is always better than a baked cookie!So if you are in need of a sure fire cookie recipe to try, these are great! They are a really deliciously crisp on the outside, yet remained soft and perfect in the middle.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cooks Illustrated
Liz aka Baking Brunette ; )

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter softened
1 cup of brown sugar (darker brown sugar will yield a browner cookie)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp water
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup nuts( I used 1/2 cup because I don't like too many nuts, I also chopped them very finely, almost to a powder)

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
By hand of with an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium power. Add eggs, vanilla, and water. Beat until combined about 40 seconds.
Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined, 15-20 seconds. Add chocolate and nuts. Stir until just combined.
Drop batter by tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing dough about an inch apart. Bake reversing position of cookie sheets half way through baking to insure even browning. Bake until light golden brown, and the edges are beginning to crisp, 8-10 minutes. Cool on sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container if your resistance holds up ; D

Orange almond Biscottis

2008-04-22T19:15:00.013-04:00

Hey! Its so great to be back. My vacation was great! Unfortunately, when I got home, I realized that my computer is busted. Doh. Well, guess that I will have to post on my mom's laptop till we get another computer. When everything gets straightened out I will have some cool pictures to show you! Ok, now for the good stuff. Me and my friend Liz made these orange almond biscottis. Like isn't midnight the perfect time to bake? We thought so, and it turned out awesome. These are the best biscottis ever. It was fun and simple to make too! These cooks illustrated recipes that I have been trying never cease to amaze me! The ingredients are really simple, and great! I have never made biscottis before, its a good thing that Liz is a biscotti pro!
These toasted almondsmade the kitchen smell amazing!After making the dough, you shape them into these cool logs. The dough tastes as good as the finished product, watch out!
Then you bake them once, them cut them, then bake them again!
I cant even begin to explain to you how simple and amazing these are. And, they are pretty much healthy ; )
Me and Liz cut them into small biscottis, so that you can eat a couple, instead of eating one huge one! That way, you think that your eating more, but your really not. Hehe.

Orange Almont Biscotti
Cooks Illustrated
Compliments of Liz

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 of a cup of whole almonds with skins toasted, cooled, and chopped coarse
2 tbs minced orange zest (zest from like 2 oranges)

Adjust middle rack to center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.
Whisk flour, salt, baking powder in a medium bowl. Either by hand, or in mixer, cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then extracts.
Stir in almonds and zest. Sprinkle dry ingredients into egg mixture, then fold until just mixed.
Halve dough and turn each portion onto oiled cookies sheet covered with parchment. Using floured hands, stretch dough into a roughly 13x2 inch log. Pat each dough shape to smooth it. Bake turning pan once until loaves are golden, and just starting to crack on top, about 35min.
Cool the loaves for 10 min.Lower oven temp to 325 degrees. Cut each loaf diagonally into 3/8 inch slices with a serrated knife.
Lay the slices about 1/2 inch apart, and return to the oven. Bake turning over each cookie half way through baking untill crisp and golden brown on each side, andout 15 min all together.
Transfer to biscottis to a wire rack and cool completely( Biscottie can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks).

A little something special**

2008-04-09T20:44:00.001-04:00

Now, I wanted to leave you all with something spectacular. Spring break is here, and I'm going to Virginia Beach! So, I will not be able to post for a week or so. I know that you have seen a lot of bread before, and probably some bread that looks like the picture above. Don't be fooled. I hate to pick favorites, but I have to say that I am partial to this bread! I think that it was the second bread that I have made from the bread bible, and probably the best ever. This is the softest bread I have made, and has the most tender crumb ever. It has a rich and buttery taste too. Every couple of weeks my mom requests this bread, it is her favorite. I think that it is everybody's favorite! Hehe. This bread is not that difficult to make either. The directions can be a little intimidating though. . .

Its nice to have all of this clarification, but yeah. . . it is a little long.
I have made this bread so many times now that I don't have to read the directions, just make sure I add the right amount of ingredients. It is fun to work with the dough, it is silky soft. You can probably tell that I made the bread at night, because of the tint of my pictures. Its just that, when the need for fresh bread hits, resistance is futile. I HAVE to make it. now. So as usual, I cant wait for it to cool properly because everyone in the house is hovering over it. Yohann finally goes, "well are we going to cut it open, or just look at it all night."Right now as my mom glances over my shoulder, she's telling me wants me to make another batch of this bread for our 12 hour car ride tonight and tomorrow. When I get back I will have lots of pictures of the beach for you to see! : D
Basic soft white sandwich loaf
The bread bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Sponge:

2 1/4 cups plus 2 1/2 tbs all purpose flour.
1 3/4 cup water
2 tbs + 1tsp honey
3/4 tsp instant yeast

Make the sponge. In a mixer bowl or other large bowl, combine the flour, water, honey, and instant yeast. Whisk until very smooth, to incorporate air, about 2 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a thick batter, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.

Flour mixture:

2 cups + 3tbs all purpose flour
1/4 dry milk
3/4 tsp instant yeast
9 tbs butter softened
2 1/4 tsp salt

-->Make the flour mixture and add to the sponge. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour (reserve 1/4 cup if mixing by hand), dry milk, and instant yeast. Sprinkle this on top of the sponge and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow it to ferment for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour blanket in places: this is fine).

-->Mix the dough.

HAND METHOD:
-->Add the salt and butter to the bowl and, with a wooden spoon or with your hand, stir until all the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little, addind as little of the reserved flour as possible to keep the dough from sticking. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point, it will be very sticky. Cover it with an inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. (This resting time will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with).

-->Knead the dough for another 5 minutes or until it is very smooth and elastic. It should still be tacky enough to cling slightly to your fingers a little. If the dough is still very sticky, however, add some of the remaining reserved flour, or a little extra.

-->Shape the dough and let it rise. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and cut it in half. Shape each piece into a loaf; the exact size is not important at this point. (A long side of the dough should be facing toward you). Dimple the dough with your fingers to deflate any large bubbles. Fold over the right side of the dough to a little past the center. Fold over the left side of the dough to overlap it slightly. Press the center overlap section with the side of your hand to seal the dough. Starting at the top end of the dough, roll it over three or four times, until it reaches the bottom edge of the dough: with each roll, press with your thumbs to seal it and at the same time push it away from you slightly to tighten the outer skin. As you roll and press, the dough will become wider. If it is not as long as the pan, place both hands close together on top of the dough and, rolling back and fourth, gradually work your way towards the ends, gently stretching the dough. For the most even shape, it is important to keep a tight skin on the surface of the dough and not to tear it. If you want the edges of the loaf to be smooth, tuck the sides under. Place the loaves in the prepared loaf pans; the dough will be about 1/2 inch from the top of the pans. Cover them with a large container, or cover them loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and allow to rise until the center is about 1 inch above the sides of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When the dough is pressed with a fingertip, the depression will very slowly fill inches

-->Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F 45 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or a baking sheet on it, and a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven, before preheating.

-->Bake the bread. Quickly but gently set the pans on the hot baking stone or hot baking sheet. Toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and immediately shut the door. Bake for 50 minutes or until medium golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 210F). Halfway through baking, turn the pans around for even baking.

-->Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack, for as long as you can manage ; )

A dinner well done

2008-04-08T20:08:00.000-04:00

A wile back I was watching TV, one of my favorite food shows was on, Barefoot Contessa. She was making these scallops, which looked pretty good. Then later of that week, my mom bought some of those large scallops. I have never made scallops before, so that was the recipe I made. It was really great! The scallops had a really nice flavor, and were just the perfect dinner. My favorite part to any meal is the carbos though, or in this case, the rice. Now, I know what your thinking, rice? Wow this girl must be more blonde than we thought. But seriously, this is the best rice ever. My Persian aunt taught me how to make rice the way that she was taught as a child. It is sort of a project, but you will be amazed at how great your rice is. The key to amazing rice is to use long grain Basmati rice. Then you put it is a bowl, and rinse it under water until the water that you drain is clear. You take a large pot and fill it with lots of cold water and season the water with salt. Add the rice to the cold water and bring it to a boil. Now this is a very crucial part. You boil the rice just until it is done, but not completely done. If you don't check it for a wile, and the rice gets over cooked, and the water looks murky. . . then the end result will be gummy, not fluffy and amazing. So once your rice is tender, take it off the stove and drain the rice in a colander. Take your pot and drizzle some oil on the bottom, then add the drained rice. Cover the pot with a clean dish towel, the cover tightly with the pot lid. Return to the burner, and turn it to low. Let it steam for about 10 min, or more. When it is done steaming, the rice is fluffy, and perfect. The bottom will be crispy, almost like fried rice. So yummy! Before my aunt taught me this, my mom used to make minute rice. After trying the real stuff, I won't let my mom make minute rice anymore! The Basmati is just so fragrant and delicious! So this rice combined with the Scallops was completely divine!

Sorry my rice directions are so scatter brained. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away : D

Scallops Provencal
Barefoot Contessa

1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in 1/2If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.

In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Phylo Tomato Tart

2008-04-05T12:26:00.001-04:00

This post is very long overdue. Because of my baking frenzy, this post was delayed, but I'm excited to finally share it with you. the Noble pig suggested this recipe for easter, and it looked so yummy, I knew that I would make it. I have never worked with phylo dough before, and when I went to the grocery store to get it, the idiots that worked there were no help. I asked the manager where I could find the phylo dough. He was like "The what?" I told him that It was like a pastry dough in thin layers. He was completely befuddled. I was like well, where do you keep the pastry stuff. Then he told me that he wasn't sure. Then I asked him where the sushi rice is. Again, he didn't know. How is he manager and not know where anything is!? Well evidently, I found the dough after inspecting every freezer shelf in the whole darn store. Gee thanks price chopper. But I must say that it was totally worth it. I made it on easter day, with the help of my beloved easter gift. A baking mat! Yay! Now my mom won't yell at me for using so much parchment paper! The phylo dough was like nothing I have ever worked with before. It was thin like tissue paper. I used a mandolin to cut my onions and tomatoes thinly and precise.

You have to brush each layer of phylo with butter, and sprinkle it with cheese. Then you layer the top with cheese, tomatoes, onions and a sprinkle of thyme.After you bake it, the phylo gets crispy and golden brown. I don't know what it is, but this tart tastes so amazing. Its crazy that simple ingredients yield such a stunning result! It was so good, that after the first one came out of the oven, I made another one. Tee hee hee.
Everybody loved it, and it was gone after like 5 min. I still have a lot of phylo left, so I'm going to make this again, and again. : D

Filo Tomato Tart
The Noble Pig
adapted from Sunset Magazine

**Cut tomatoes very thin so juice evaporates while baking, or dough will be soggy.**(use a mandolin)

7 sheets filo dough, thawed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
7 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup very thinly sliced red onion
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/8-in.-thick slices
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray paper with cooking-oil spray. Lay 1 sheet filo on paper and brush lightly with a little melted butter. Sprinkle all over with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan. Repeat layering 5 more times (with filo, butter and Parmesan), pressing each sheet firmly so it sticks to sheet below. Lay the last filo sheet on top, brush with remaining melted butter, and sprinkle on remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan.

Scatter onion across filo, top with mozzarella, and arrange tomato slices in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with thyme and salt and pepper to taste.

Bake until filo is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then serve.

Foodie blogroll + Yogurt cheese

2008-04-02T20:29:00.000-04:00

So I just joined the foodie blog roll. Have you joined yet? Well if not, I would. Why you might ask? Well, Its a really cool blog roll just for us foodies! It also might get you a bunch of new readers, and you might just stumble upon a couple of new blogs yourself! There are three conditions, first is that your blog has to be at least a month old with 5 posts. Second is that your blog must be 80% food. Third is that you have to put the blog roll somewhere on your sight where people can see it! So if you want to join this awesome blog roll, click here.. . .
What does baking Blondie do at 12 at night? Well, she makes yogurt cheese of course. I mean, what else is there to do when your bored and just had lots of caffeine? lol : ) I saw this recipe on Elle's New England Kitchen, and was then inspired to try it. It just sounded really cool. So at the grocery store I had to pick up some yogurt without gelatin. So I had trouble finding low fat yogurt without gelatin. All either had gelatin, or pectin. So the only one that I could find was Activia. Now you too can regulate your system in 2 weeks! Lol. So that night I decided to give it a try. I wanted to use basil in it.You are supposed to use a cheese cloth so that the water will drain out wile it sits in a colander, but I didn't have one. So I used multiple coffee filters instead. Hehe. Let me tell you, it was not pretty. So, Elle tells you that you can be really creative in this recipe, I decided that I might as well stick to the recipe, instead of making drastic changes.I got the basil from Svens basil plant.So you add flavorings, then as I said, put it in a cheese cloth(or a coffee filter, if your stupid like me) in a colander in a bowl, so that it can drain, turning into a cheese of sorts. Caffeine starting to wear off, I tucked my future cheese in the fridge with care.You wait overnight, and Poof! Instant Yogurt cheese! How cool!This had a really fresh taste to it, and was really creamy. I especially like how it was sort of fun to make. It was almost like an experiment to me. I was like. . .is it going to work? How will it be? I'm not going to lie, I was excited. I really need to lay off the caffeine lol.

Lizzie's Yogurt Cheese (savory version)
Elle's New England Kitchen

32 ounces (2 lbs) Lowfat plain yogurt

Herbs of your choice (I typically use oregano and basil, but a mix of your favorites, or even a blend like herbes de provence or a cajun or italian spice mix would work, about 1 tablespoon of each)

Minced garlic (optional, to taste - I like about 4 - 6 cloves)

Sea or kosher salt (about 1 teaspoon)

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Chopped sundried tomatoes (optional)

Chopped kalamata (or your choice) olives (optional)

In a large bowl, mix together yogurt, salt, pepper, herbs, and whatever optional ingredients you want. You can also do the mixing right in the yogurt container.

Prepare a large strainer over a pot to catch the water from the yogurt. Line the strainer with cheesecloth, making sure that it overlaps the strainer and can be pulled up.

Drape the excess cheese cloth over bowl.

Let sit over night in the fridge.

Death by chocolate balls

2008-03-31T17:29:00.000-04:00

Death by chocolate. Is that possible? Well il tell you one thing, these bombs are a chocoholics dream. I would first like to apologize for my lack of creative photography. You see, I finished making these late easter eave, and there was no good lighting, then I forgot to take a descent picture of them before they vanished into thin air. Woops. These chocolate balls, of cake balls, actually are really fun to make! When I first read the directions I was amazed at how you prepare these little cake balls. You prepare a cake, and bake it. Then once the cake is cooled, you crumble it up! I was like ohh myeee goshhh this is to weird! And strangely fun at the same time!Then you mix in a can of cream cheese frosting. I do not have a picture of this, not only is it not pretty, it is quite messy! Then you roll them into balls!You stick them in the fridge to harden up, then dip them in chocolate!Again, I'm sorry for the crap-tastic pictures. There is a bright side to all of this, they tasted amazing, and decadent. My family loved them, and my older brother Yohann did also. He said that they were great! Which almost put me into a state of shock. I have made a little chart for how Yohanns mind works-->
If he says. . .

"These are the most horrible things that I have ever put in my mouth"
Then he thinks that they are bad.

"These are bad"
He thinks that they are semi decent.

"These are ok"
They are not half bad.

"These are good"
He means wow, I like these a lot!

"These are great"
He is telling you that he loves whatever you have made, and therefore you should bookmark this recipe, and give it a try!!

Red Velvet Cake Balls
Bakerella
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)(I used chocolate)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

Tag. . . your it!!

2008-03-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

I got tagged by Daphne over at More Than Words, and at first, I had no idea what I would tell you guys. But then I delved deep into my memory to tell you 5 facts about me. Now, these are completely random facts, mind you. Ok so I'm going to start off with fact number one. . .

I braid my long blond hair almost every day, well actually with the help of my mom, I can't reach all the way down...
Completely random things fascinate me to no end. Like these monks I saw at the grand canyon-->and this aggressive squirrel that wanted to eat my face -->

--> and this tree that had these strange, what looked like beans protruding from it.
3. I survived a five week cross-country trip with my family across the west. The only way that I still live to tell the tale is because of my cousin Gwennie. Good times...good times.4. I love animals. Dogs, bunnies, you name it, I'll hug it. 5. I love to swim.
I'm going to tag. . .

Noble Pig

Feeding Groom

The Reckless Chef

Elle's New England Kitchen

Peanut Butter Boy

If anyone else wants to share things about themselves on their blog, consider yourself tagged! : D

Eggplant saywaht!?

2008-03-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

Ok. I have tried so many new recipes right before Easter, and on Easter. I guess that I will just have to start at the beginning, posting according to occurrence. Starting on the night before Easter. Eggplant Parmesan. After making this, I was amazed at how great it tasted, was it possible that something named "eggplant" could taste so good?
Yes, my good friends Bob and Mike did not want me to make dinner. I'm not crazy hehe. By the picture above, you probably thought that I lost my marbles (did I have any to begin with?), but rest assured I am OK. I saw Peters eggplant on his blog, and thought to myself that I should give it a try. So when perusing the veggie isle, I saw those purple guys. I know this is completely random, but I think that eggplants feel like a beluga whale, of a dolphin or something, which kinda creeps me out.I picked them up, and decided to make them tonight. When I read through the directions, after committing to make the recipe I realized how intricate the directions were! Thats ok. I love a good challenge.I had to use my mandoline to cut it even. Then what baffled me was that you had to set them out, sprinkle them with coarse salt, and let them like drain their liquid. There goes my counter space. . .

Yes, my counter is a cluttered mess TAKEN OVER BY EGGPLANTS! You can see the bottles of vitamins and my Snapple white tea that I was drinking. I definitely got my hands full. Then you had to individually bread them, and pan fry them.I didn't actually fry them, more like crisp them in a little oil in the pan. I'm a health nut, sorta like my family, but probably more. Which really doesn't coincide with my blog, because I love love love to bake.
Then you make the sauce, and layer your stuff.Then to go along with this amazing dinner, I made homemade bread. I told you I had my hands full. . . I decided to take a short cut and just make the turtle bread, but shape it in a loaf for convenience. Then you take the dinner out of the oven. Wile the smell permeates the house.I wanted to take a picture of an individual slice for you to see, and I did, but it just didn't do the dinner justice. Plus everybody in the kitchen was staring at me like I was insane as I photographed our meal. Lol.

Eggplant Parmesan
from Kalofagas

2 large eggplants, sliced lenghtwise to 1/2 in. thickness
coarse sea salt
1 can of whole plum tomatoes, hand crushed
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 anchovy filletss, chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
sunflower oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
grated Mozzarella
grated Parmesan

Cut the ends of your eggplant off and then using a mandoline, cut the eggplants lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices. Lay the slice out on a tray and sprinkle each slice with some coarse salt. Allow the bitter juices to leech for 40 minutes.
In the meantime, Place a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat and add your olive oil add your olive oil and anchovy fillets and saute for 3 minutes to soften and perfume the oil.
Add your onions and garlic and lowert to medium-low and saute for 10 minutes to soften. Now add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the sauce is nice and thick. Reserve.
Wipe the excess salt and moisture from your eggplant with kitchen towels. Now set up your dipping stations of eggplant slices, a large bowl of egg/milk mixture and your breadcrumbs. Get another large skillet on the stove and throw on enough sunflower (1/2 inch) oil over medium-high heat.
If your cooking on your own, pre-dredge your eggplant so that you may pay full attention to frying the batches of eggplant. If you have help, have the other person do the dredging and other to do the frying. Dip the eggplant in egg/milk mixture, then the breadcrumbs and fry on both side until golden brown. Fry in batches and reserve on paper towels. Discard the sunflower oil.
Preheat your oven to 400F (middle rack) and commence assembly of your eggplant parmesan.
Grease a 14" X 12" baking dish and spread some tomato sauce on the bottom. Now place a layer of eggplant, some sauce, scatter some basil, grated Mozzarella and Parmesan. Continue layering these ingredients until your you've reached your fourth and last layer of eggplant and pour over the remaining sauce, basil and grated Parmesan.
Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake for approx. 20 minutes and then allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Soft pretzel experiment

2008-03-21T21:07:00.000-04:00

And so continues my love of carbos. With the last of my crackers quickly devoured, I now needed a new snack. Hmm what shall I make? Well last weekend, up north at a ski lodge, I got a soft pretzel. They are my undoubtedly my favorite snack when out and about. There is just something about them that I can't get enough of! I have made soft pretzels before, but I have also made pretzel rolls. You had to boil, then bake the pretzel rolls, which gave them the signature chewy texture. Since I have never boiled my actual pretzels, I decided that I might as well give it a shot. So this is also a very quick yeast risen bread.I don't know why, but I'm wildly amused by this picture! All I added was yeast sugar and water, and in 5 min it turned into this fizzy beast! How cool! So then you mix up the stuff and let it rise.

This dough is enough for eight pretzels, so divide it up evenly!

Then you shape them into pretzels. Once, wile I was being lazy, I just twisted them into sticks, which was still pretty cool.Ok so here is the moment of truth.**drums for added effect** The mountain of fizz! I think that this happened because of the baking soda that I added. : D So I slid a pretzel at a time into the pot, after the fizz went down. I sprinkled some salt on top of the pretzels, and baked them. I also baked some non boiled pretzels. The pretzel on the left was not boiled, the one on the right was. The ones that were boiled and baked were chewier. I like the ones that were not boiled also, because they were sort of crisp and cool in their own unique way.

*I forgot to brush my non boiled pretzels with egg wash to make them shiny, but thats ok, they were still great!

Soft Pretzels

1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
1-2 tbs baking soda

Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in a small dish (5 min)

Combine the flour and salt in a med. bowl. Add the yeast mixture, and 3/4 cup water. Mix untill combined. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth.

Place in an oiled bowl, and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces and shape into pretzels, of pretzel twists.

You can either boil them in some water with the 1-2 tbs of baking soda for about a 30 sec. to a min., then bake at 400 degrees, or you can skip the boiling, and just bake at 400 degrees, but brush the pretzels with a little egg wash, or melted butter. Sprinkle with Salt.

Bake for 15-20 min, or until golden brown

Compulsive Crackers

2008-03-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

So I'm going to confess a problem that my house currently has. We never have enough snack foods...and me, being a still growing person, needs snackage! So yesterday I decided to fix this problem by making something really cool- homemade crackers. Wile browsing blogs, I happened upon some crackers from Food Stories. Her crackers looked really yummy, and I can be a little compulsive sometimes. I got up from my chair and started to make them. But then... doh!...I don't have some of the ingredients. So I improvised! I used the same proportions, but like swapped ingredients that I didn't have. So It asked for whole meal flour, which when I first read, didn't completely connect in my brain. So for some odd reason, I substituted semolina flour for. Don't ask me why, because reflecting upon it now, still makes me wonder.So I mixed all of my ingredients to make this cute little ball!When you roll it out, make sure that you have enough flour, so that it doesn't stick to the counter : )

So then I got my sprinkles out. I decided to use rosemary, and sea salt.

Then I cut them into triangles, and poked them with a fork, so they would not bubble up in the oven. My first batch in the oven came out burnt, but the second batch came out really good.

Smoked Sea Salt and Fennel Seed Crackers
(rosemary/plain sea salt version)
Food Stories

4oz (1/2 cup0 plain white flour
4oz (1/2 cup)wholemeal flour (for some reason, I used Semolina)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
35m l(approx 1/8 of a cup) olive oil
Smoked salt (or regular (What I used))
Fennel seeds (I used rosemary)
Water

-Mix the flour, baking powder and fine salt in a bowl. Add the oil and then enough water for the dough to come together. It shouldn’t be too sticky.
-On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for around 5 minutes then cover and allow to rest (at room temp) for around 30 minutes.
-Roll out the dough as thin as you can manage without it tearing and cut into desired shapes.
-Sprinkle each cracker with smoked sea salt and fennel seeds to your taste.
-Transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 150C/300F/Gas2 for 20-30 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your crackers but they are ready when golden brown and crispy (If you used non-whole wheat four, it will not brown up to much, if it does, then that means that you burnt your crackers like I did first time around: (. Cool on a rack, or in your tummy.

Before you put the crackers in the oven, make indents in the top with a fork to prevent them puffing

Cinnamon chip scones

2008-03-17T16:37:00.000-04:00

Ok I'm really excited for spring to finally come! It has finally started to warm up here in central NY. You know, its nice to be able to walk down the street without freezing your hands off : ) So being in a great spring mood, I decided to make scones. I love scones. They are perfect almost anytime of the day. Once you make homemade scones, the pre-packaged stuff will taste like lumps of rock. Generally, I'm not one for cinnamon, but my mom loves cinnamon, so the scones were created originally for my her. I couldn't find a recipe online, so I ended up making these without a recipe to follow. I wrote down the proportions, and have made them ever since. What makes these scones extra yummy is the cinnamon chips.I find that the best cinnamon chips are made by Hershey's. So, you know the drill. You cut the butter into the flour mixture and then add the stuff.Mmm cinnamon chips. Then add the cinnamon mountain!Then you add the wet ingredients, and shape.I know what you thinking! Omg look at all the scones! How many can somebody eat? Yeah, I had to make a double batch, but not for me, for my family's insatiable thirst for scone goodness.Cinnamon Chip Scones

1 cup cinnamon chips
2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Cut the butter into the mixture of flour, sugar, baking powder,cinnamon, and salt. Add chips and toss.

In a separate bowl, beat cream,egg, and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Try not to handle the dough to much.

Shape into 8 lumps. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 min.

No-knead bread

2008-03-14T09:41:00.000-04:00

Ahh the infamous no-knead bread. I didn't ever plan on trying it until one day I stumbled upon the most beautiful bread ever on The Kittalog. She was showing a cheddar roasted red pepper bread. I was so pretty! Like I imagined seeing that kind of bread in some artisan bread shop or something. So right then and there I decided to make up a batch of no-knead bread.Then you let it rise.This will make a lot of bread! Just to let you know how much dough this actually is, this is a large bowl. No, this is the largest bowl I have in the whole house. I can fit like three of my heads in the grande sized bowl. So right then I decided that I have to try my hand at this bread. So I took a fourth of it and sprinkled some Parmesan on it and folded it, then shaped it, then sprinkled more cheese on it.It said that you only had to let it sit for like 40 min. But I though that that was insanity! I mean, like how can it rise with big holes in just 40 min!?? So me, being an insecure bread baker, let it rise for more, even though I probably didn't have to. Then I baked it up.This bread was quite yummy.A couple of nights later I baked up another loaf. This loaf was not quite as pretty, but was still good.I decided to leave this bread plain, and it turned out beautifully. All of these breads turned out very nicely, yet somehow I felt that they lacked the depth of flavor, or the texture of some of the other breads that I have baked in the Bread Bible. Don't get me wrong, this bread was great! I'm not really sure what it was, maybe it was just the fact that this bread was so easy! Dare I say it, too easy! For some odd reason, I like a good challenge, and this made my life too simple. lol. I will definitely be making this bread again, but I will continue to bake different breads from the Bread Bible also.

If you have never made bread before, this is another bread recipe that is perfect for you to try! It is so simple, and there is plenty of dough for you to experiment with through out the week!

I got the full recipe for the bread at Gardens by the lake.

No-knead bread
Gardens by the lake
Artisan Bread in five min a day

3 cups lukewarm water (about 100º F)
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour (no need to sift)
Cornmeal for the pizza peel.

In a 5-quart bowl, mix the yeast, water and salt. Add all the flour, then use a wooden spoon to mix until all ingredients are uniformly moist. It is not necessary to knead or continue mixing once the ingredients are uniformly moist. This will produce a loose and very wet dough.

2.Cover with a lid (not airtight). Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse, about 2 hours, but no more than 5 hours.

3. After rising, the dough can be baked immediately, or covered (non completely airtight) and refrigerated up to 14 days. The dough will be easier to work with after at least 3 hours refrigeration.

4. On baking day, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the bread from sticking when you transfer it to the oven. Uncover the dough and sprinkle the surface with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough (serrated knives are best). Store the remaining dough in the bowl and refrigerate for baking at another time.

5. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick.
Create a smooth ball of dough by gently pulling the sides down around to the bottom, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. While shaping, most of the dusting flour will fall off. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out during resting and baking. Shaping the loaf this way should take no more than 1 minute.

6.Place the dough on the pizza peel. Allow the loaf to rest for about 40 minutes. It does not need to be covered. The bread may not rise much during this time.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, place a pizza stone on the center rack of the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, use another baking sheet. Remove any upper racks. Place a broiler pan on a rack below the pizza stone or on the floor of the oven. Preheat oven to 450 F.

8. When the dough has rested for 40 minutes, dust the top liberally with flour, then use a serrated knife to slash a 1/4-inch-deep cross or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top.

9.Slide the loaf off the peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door.

10.Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch. Allow the bread to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack.

Roaster red pepper hummus

2008-03-12T19:43:00.000-04:00

A staple food in our kitchen is hummus. I have made a bunch of different hummus recipes. Some were to pungent, and some were rather flavorless. This hummus with the addition of roasted red peppers had a really nice flavor, without being overly strong. Its a great recipe to make for a healthy lunch on crackers or pita chips. It is also a great thing to bring to party's as an appetizer. All you do is put everything in the food processor and whirl it all together. Very simple.The lemon juice gives it a nice brightness, off setting the garlic. I used jarred roasted red peppers because it was easy and convenient. If you want to roast your own peppers, by all means go for it! But I wanted to avoid a kitchen hazard which always seems to happen when I'm near an open flame lol. ;) Many hummus recipes call for tahini. I don't use it because I think it smells funky, so I just substitute it for a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds. This makes a very yummy lunch!

Roasted Red pepper Hummus
Inspired my Emeril Lagasses recipe

3 cups drained cooked chickpeas (I used canned chickpeas)
1 roasted red bell pepper, skinned, seeded, and coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2-3 tbs sesame seeds. plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons water
4 to 6 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves opt. for garnish
Paprika for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, sesame seeds, and/or parsley.

Turtle bread

2008-03-10T16:02:00.000-04:00

Ok so guess what!? I found my favorite cookbook, The Alpha-Bakery children's cookbook! This book also happens to be the first cookbook that I ever got as a child! As soon as I saw it nestled under some junk in our cabinets, I was so excited! I went right ahead to make this turtle bread! I made it before so this brought bake a lot of childhood nostalgia.I absolutely LOVE this cookbook, and I'm determined to eventually make every recipe! Every recipe is totally awesome, and super simple, yet interesting recipes! So I made the dough, and shaped it like a turtle!Isn't he so cute!? Me and my little brother Sven made this together. You just jut off 6 pieces of dough, 4 for the hands/feet one large one for the head, and one for the tail. This is really awesome because you can get really creative with it! You wanna make a fish instead? Go for it! Try whatever makes you happy! After your dough is shaped, cover it with some oiled plastic wrap, and let it rise.Then you bake it!An ariel view of my turtle!This bread was really yummy, and the quickest yeast risen bread that I have ever made. This is a perfect example of delicious homemade bread, that anyone can make. Its in a children's cookbook for goodness sake. There is not reason that you can't make this bread!

Turtle Bread
Alpha-Bakery

2 2/1- 3 cups of all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (rapid-rise, bread machine yeast)
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup of milk
1 tbs butter
1 egg
2 raisins

Mix the 1 1/2 cups of flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
Heat the milk, water, and butter until butter is melted. Mix into the flour mixture

Mix the 1 1/2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Heat water, milk and butter until butter is melted. Stir in egg. Mix until the dough is easy to handle.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 min until elastic. Cover and let rest 10 min.
Lightly grease cookies sheet. Shape a 2" piece of dough into a ball for the head. Shape four walnut sized pieces for dough into balls for the feet. Shape another pieces of dough for the tail. Shape remaining dough into a ball for the body. Attach balls by pressing into the body. Press raisins into head for eyes. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for about 20 min.
Heat oven to 400 degrees, Make criss cross cuts in body 1/4 of an inch thick, like a turtles shell. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 min.

The best Brownies

2008-03-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

Brownies. I have tried many brownies in my life time, and these are definitely the best. My friend Liz first used this recipe,from cooks illustrated. She would bring them to lunch for us to enjoy. I finally decided to make the recipe myself and they are what I think it , the perfect brownie! They are chocolaty and decadent. They have a really nice cocoa flavor, and they are not gooey, or cakey. They may not look like anything special,but they are just perfect. Another great thing about making these, is that they are fairly quick and easy to make! You take the butter and chocolate, and melt it together.Then you mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.Then you mix everything up. First with additions of flour.I thought that this picture was kinda funny because it reminds me of my shirt after I splotch flour all over myself. Hehe Then you put them on a bake pan, and bake them up. Cut them into squares, and they will look like this ->I cant even describe these in a way that serves them justice. They are just heavenly.
Today I also made something pretty cool for lunch, but I will leave you in suspense, and post about it later ; )

Classic Brownies
Cookies illustrated
Smitten Kitchen

Be sure to test for doneness before removing the brownies from the oven. If underbaked (the toothpick has batter clinging to it) the texture of the brownies will be dense and gummy. If overbaked (the toothpick comes out completely clean), the brownies will be dry and cakey.

1 cup (4 ounces) pecans or walnuts, chopped medium (optional)
1¼ cups (5 ounces) cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into six 1-inch pieces
2¼ cups (15¾ ounces) sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhand pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and, if using extra-wide foil, fold lengthwise to 12-inch width; fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. If using nuts, spread nuts evenly on rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

4. Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. (Alternatively, in microwave, heat butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments; do not let chocolate burn.) When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs on at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

5. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts (if using) evenly over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. (Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days, or, ahem, in the freezer until your resistance gets the better of you.)

Hearth Bread

2008-03-05T17:12:00.000-05:00

So it all started when I decided to make bread. I got out my trusty bread bible. I have thus far tried many bread recipes, all with great results. I had no idea what I wanted to make, so I just kinda stumbled upon the hearth bread. It said that it was the soul of simplicity, I like simplicity, so I started. This bread is really great because it is really rustic with a chewy open crumb, and crisp crust. So I first started by making the bread starter.As soon as I added the yeast, it got all bubbly, which I thought was pretty cool. Then you mix the rest of the ingredients, and dump it on top, and let it rest, covered for an hour, or longer in the fridge.After you wait the hour, you mix it all up into a ball.Then you let it rise.Once it has risen, you give it two business letter turns, or simply fold it a couple of times. Let it rise again until almost doubled.I kinda forgot about my bread, and it rose till it was HUGE! Woops. Then you shape it. I just shaped mine into a rustic looking round boule. Then You shape the dough, and let it rise again. Then you bake it.Once you cut it open, there are really nice big holes!This bread was really awesome. My family ate the whole loaf that night. I'm sure it would have made great toast if there was anything left. : )

Hearth Bread
The Bread Bible

Dough starter:

1 cup bread flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/8 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp honey
1 1/3 cup water at room temp.

In a bowl place flours, yeast honey and water. whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, set aside.

Flour mixture:

1/34 cup plus 2 tbs bread flour
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Combine the flour and yeast, and sprinkle on top of the dough starter. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for an hour, or up to 24 hours in the fridge after the initial one hour. Add the salt, and mix dough. Knead for 5 min, using as little flour as possible. Cover with an inverted bowl for 20 min, it will make the dough less sticky to work with. Knead the dough for another 5-10 min. It should be barely tacky and smooth and elastic.

Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl, covered with oiled plastic wrap until doubled, about an hour. Take the dough out and give it a business letter turn, and place in the bowl again. Let rise again until doubled, 45 min to an hour.

Turn out the dough on a lightly floured counter and shape into a free formed loaf, or shape to put in a loaf pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled, 45 min to an hour and 15 min.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, have a pan on the floor of the oven.
Slash the dough and place it in the oven on a sheet or bake stone, then toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes on the sheet on the bottom of the oven. Mist the dough with water and close the door. Bake for 10 min. Lower the temp. to 425 degrees and bake for an additional 20-30 min. To ensure a crisp crust, leave the bread in the oven for an extra 5-10 min with the door propped open.

Cool the bread.

Enjoy!

If you have any questions about this bread, or if I left out any details, leave me a comment and I will clarify.

Cute mini muffins

2008-03-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have a whole bunch of dark spotty bananas that you know are now inedible? For some odd reason, there are always extra bananas that seen to turn black over night at my house! I eat a banana every day for lunch, yet it seems that a few evade me, and turn to the dark side. But now I need not worry! I have found the *perfect* way to use such bananas. These cute mini muffins are simply the best banana bread I have ever had. They have such a nice deep banana flavor, and moistness. I also love them because they are low in fat. They are very simple to make, using one bowl! First you mix together the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients.Mix it until just combined. It will look lumpy.
So you can now bake it in a loaf pan, but I absolutely love mini muffins, so I baked mine in mini muffin pans!Since they were so small, it only took about 5 min. to bake them!Bunch of banana bread
Kids Favorites made healthy

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
2 slightly beaten egg whites
4 medium bananas
3/4 cup sugar
scant 1/4 cup oil.
1 tsp. vanilla

Lightly coat an 8x4x2 loaf pan, muffin pan, of mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the egg whites, vanilla, bananas, sugar, and oil. Mash the bananas. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until just combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min if in a loaf pan. Less for muffins. My mini muffins took like 5 min. Test done-ness by inserting a wooden toothpick into center, if it comes out clean, they are done.
Let cool on wire rack for 10 min, remove from pan. If its in the loaf form wrap and store over night before slicing.

Chocolate Cookie Bark

2008-03-01T18:48:00.000-05:00

I love chocolate. Chocolate is simply the best food in the world, and this Bark just enhances my love. My Good friend "Ish" made this first, and once I tried it I was completely inspired. I had to make it! Not only is it delicious, it is pretty too! I think the swirls of chocolate look really cool. I have to say that the best part of this is that it is super simple to make! I seriously made it in 10 min! So the first thing you do is get your chocolate.
Then you melt the White chocolate, then Semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave for about a min or two at power 5.Then you take a bunch of Oreos and chop them up.Ok, so do you like peanut butter or Nutella? Ish doesn't like Peanut butter, so she used Nutella. I like both so I then divided my white chocolate into two bowls. I added a tablespoon of peanut butter to one bowl, and a tablespoon of nutella to the other. Then I added half the Oreos to the Semi-sweet chocolate. Then I split the rest and added it each bowl of white chocolate. Take a baking sheet and cover it with parchment paper. Drop blobs of the chocolate mixture next to each other.You can see that the chocolate to the left, that is the most white is made with the addition of peanut butter. On the right is the Nutella. Take a knife, and swirl the chocolate together.Pop it in the fridge and wait till hardened. Break into pieces.
Store in an airtight container. I wouldn't know how long it will last because mine were gone long before I had to worry about it!Enjoy.

Chocolate Cookie Bark
Kraft Magazine

Prep Time:
20 min

Total Time:
1 hr 20 min

Makes:
14 servings, one piece each

1 pkg. (8 squares,(( or sub. for 16.oz) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

1 pkg. (6 squares,((or sub for 12.oz)) BAKER'S Premium White Baking Chocolate

2 Tbsp. peanut butter (or nutella)

10 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

PLACE semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate medium microwaveable bowls. Microwave until completely melted, following directions on package. Add peanut butter to white chocolate (or substitute for Nutella); stir until well blended. Crumble half the cookies over chocolate in each bowl; mix well.

DROP spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto wax paper-covered baking sheet, alternating the colors of the chocolates. Cut through chocolate mixtures several times with knife for marble effect.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour or until firm. Break into 14 pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Gnocchi, a food that I can not pronounce.

2008-02-27T07:45:00.000-05:00

Well it all started at 4:30 when I decided that I wanted to make dinner. But what shall I make? I offered to make soup, but my family has this thing, where they don't consider soup to be a meal, which I totally don't get because soup fills me up just fine. So the quest was on to find something that would be deemed suitable for dinner. About a year ago I remember wanting to make Gnocchi, just because I like to work with dough. So I found the recipe and started! Of course, when i told my mom what I was going to make, she had no clue what it was, and we both didn't know how to pronounce it lol. That gives me the advantage of surprise ; ) So I began by baking my potatoes, two pounds of them. I am always baffled when a recipe calls for pounds because, I don't have a weigher in my kitchen. So I weighed myself of a scale then put a bunch of potatoes in my arms and weighed myself until my original weight had two pounds added to it lol. So wile the taters were baking, I made some basil pesto to go with it.Then I got out my extra shiny grater!Now I must tell you that using a grater, food mill, or food ricer is completely essential!! I have learned from Smitten Kitchen, that Potatoes are 85% water! Yes! I know, impossible! But it isn't. So if you puree the potatoes, you will end up with tater soup, and we all know that there is nothing worse than a broken potato. So, since I don't have a food mill, I used a grater. I peeled my baked potatoes, then grated them on the side with the largest holes.Then I dumped out the potato contents, and prepared my lightly beaten egg.Then I mixed it all together with a cup and a half of flour and formed it into a dough.Yeah, this is a messy project, yet strangely satisfying! So i cut the dough into 6 pieces, then rolled the piece until the rope was 3/4 " thick, then I cut pieces 1" wide.Then if you want, you can make little ridges in them, but they are yummy either way. So you take your pieces and lay them out on a sheet, then cook them.I decided to cook them in a pan, then add my basil pesto.It was really yummy! Next time I make these I will try boiling them, then having spaghetti sauce and maybe meatballs or sausage. Or I could pan cook them again, but add veggies! The possibilities are endless.

Gnocchi
From Smitten Kitchen

2 pounds Russet potatoes
1Â½ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake them on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to one hour, or until tender. For best results, turn the potatoes over halfway through the baking time. Let the potatoes cool slightly.
Peel the potatoes, and then pass them through a potato ricer, food mill or grate them over the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Add the lightly beaten egg and the salt to the potatoes and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Add the flour to the potatoes a little at a time, using only as much as you need so that the dough will not stick to your hands. When the flour has been incorporated, bring the dough together with your fingertips.
Dump the dough and any remaining floury bits onto a slightly floured surface. Knead the dough as you would bread dough. Press down and away with the heel of your hand, fold the dough over, make a quarter turn, and repeat the process. Knead for about three or four minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and then divide it into 6 smaller balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the six pieces using your fingertips into a long rope about Â¾ inch thick. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces.
You can cook the gnocchi as it is now, but traditional gnocchi has ridges. To create the ridges, press each piece of dough against the tines of a fork. With your finger, gently roll the pressed dough back off the fork. This takes a little practice. If you find the dough sticking to the fork, dip the fork in flour before you press the dough against it.
Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured or parchment-lined dish. If you’d like to freeze them for later use, do so on this tray and once they are frozen, drop them into a freezer bag. This ensures that you won’t have one enormous gnocchi mass when you are ready to cook them.
To cook the gnocchi, place them into a pot of boiling and well-salted water. After a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Continue to cook for one minute then remove and set aside. You can also pan cook them by adding a little oil to the pan, and letting brown over low heat.

Twinkies!!

2008-02-25T16:48:00.000-05:00

Wow. Is there anything better than a childhood favorite remade? These Twinkie's are completely adorable! They are fairly easy to make, and totally worth the extra effort. So my Twinkie equipment came with this cute non-stick Twinkie pan!Last time I made Twinkie's with my good friend Lizzy, the pans were a complete pain to clean up. I don't know, maybe it was because angel food cake loves to stick to stuff, of maybe, just maybe its because I forgot to butter and flour my baking pan. Well this time, the Pan came out completely clean!! Ok so back to my Twinkie story... So I was in a mood to bake. One slightly huge problem, were out of eggs. . . NOO!!!! But I really wanted to bake something!! So I looked up what I could substitute for eggs. They said that you could Use two tablespoons of cornstarch for each egg. Hmm seems a little strange, but I will try it. So I mixed up my favorite supposed to be yellow cake recipe, and it was not yellow, and sorta really stiff.Well I continued with my adventure, and filled my pans that were carefully buttered and floured, hasty not to repeat a horrible pan clean up.
So I place them anxiously in the oven. They will turn out all right. . . wont they?
Well mostly yes, with a glitch. So near the end of the baking, I peeked into the oven to discover that they were puffed up huge, and then slowly deflating!!!! When they were slightly golden I took them out, and they deflated, leaving a crater in the middle.Well I guess that is what you get for using cornstarch instead of eggs lol. Well nonetheless I was determined to make awesome Twinkies! So it was a huge relief that the bottoms were still beautiful and golden.I let them cool wile I made some yummy vanilla frosting. Then I filled my frosting injector!So I took each Twinkie with care, and injected it with the frosting through each end, and once in the middle of the crater side, to ensure maximum frosting goodness. I still had tons of extra frosting, so I also drizzled the tops with frosting. What I thought was ridiculously cute was that my Twinkie kit came with an individual Twinkie holder, so as to not squish your Twinkie!
All you do is flip his hat off and insert Twinkie! So all in all it was a great success. My family loved them, eating all but two of them!In this picture, you can see how it looks when broken open.
Pure Twinkie goodness. If you want to make Twinkies, you can buy the kit I have at amazon.

Sugar cookies cake

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs + 1 yolk
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Put rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees

In a bowl beat the butter and sugar. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl mix the milk and vanilla.

Add 1/2 the flour mixture, and 1/2 the milk mixture to the sugar and butter. Beat together then repeat.

Bake for 25-30 min in a cake pan (less for Twinkies, about 15 min.)

Vanilla frosting

1 stick of butter softened
1 Pound of powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs milk

All you have to do is cream it all together starting with the butter and sugar, then vanilla and milk. If you need it less thick, (like I did for my Twinkies) Add more milk, or vanilla to the consistency of your choice.

Oh so Sweet Spiced Sugar Coins

2008-02-23T19:40:00.001-05:00

After a long day shopping, I decided to make some spiced sugar coins. Well actually i put the dough together sometime around Christmas, prepared the logs, and froze them for a later date. Well I'm really glad I did because they are really yummy : ) So it was actually a last minute plan... there was no dessert. So that calls for extreme change! Then it dawned on me, I have cookies waiting to be baked in my freezer!! So i took them out and let them thaw a little, and prepared them to be sliced. Then i got the sugar out.
Then I drew a monkey in the sugar because my log had not yet thawed enough to slice it.Then it had thawed!! Yesss! So I sliced and rolled the edges of the coins in sugar. My dog Bear lies down and dreams of me dropping a cookie. Not going to happen BearBear.

Then I bake them up.I really encourage you to try these cookies, especially if you have the Christmas blues. They have a very nice spice to them, and they almost remind me of eggnog.

Spiced sugar coins
Baking and Books
"The essential Baker" by Carole Bloom.

Ingredients: Makes about 5 dozen cookies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar + 1/3 cup granulated sugar (divided use)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 extra large egg yolk

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer or in a large bowl. Beat the butter on medium speed until it’s fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of sugar, and cream together well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.

Add the vanilla to the butter mixture and blend well. Over a large piece of waxed or parchment paper or a bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Add the nutmeg and salt and toss to blend. Add this mixture in 3 stages to the butter mixture. Stop after each addition and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix thoroughly.

Place two large sheets of waxed paper on a flat surface and divide the dough evenly onto them. Use the waxed paper to shape and roll the dough into cylinders about 10 inches long and 1 inch wide. Cover the cylinders tightly with the waxed paper and wrap each roll in plastic wrap. . Chill in the freezer for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, until firm enough to slice. (I left my dough in the freezer for an extended length of time, so if you do that, make sure to let it thaw so you can slice it without it cracking.)

Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line each baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking liner. Using a fork, lightly beat the egg yolk in a small bowlDivide the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar evenly between sheets of waxed or parchment paper. Unwrap each cylinder. Using a pastry brush or a spoon, coat the outside of each cylinder with yolk, then roll in the sugar, coating each completely.(I omitted this the second time, because it was messy, and somewhat unnecessary. I just rolled them in the sugar without it, and it worked fine.)

Place the cylinders on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut each cylinder into 1/2 inch slices. Cut straight down and roll the cylinder a quarter turn after every 6 slices so it will keep its round shape. If the dough becomes soft while you work with it, re-wrap it and chill for another 10 to 15 minutes, then continue slicing.

Place the slices on the baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch of space between them. Bake for 5 minutes. Switch the baking sheets (between racks) and bake another 5 to 6 minutes, until set. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies completely.

Sort of Peach-Almond Tart

2008-02-21T22:11:00.000-05:00

I know what your thinking... and no this is not a PB&J Tart. Well it all started when I was bored, and there was nothing planned for dessert. So I was looking at Smitten Kitchens newest post, the pear almond tart, and I wanted to make it... but i had no pears, or apples. So I vaguely remember there being a post for an almond plum tart. I had peaches in the fridge. Thats close enough for me : ) So I begin my tart adventure minus a tart pan. I made the dough, and rolled it out

I then chilled it, pressed it in my cake pan with a removable bottom and put it in my freezer.
When I baked it I couldn't believe how much it shrunk! There was like a half an inch between the crust, and the pan edges!! So I poured my almond puree and topped it with my peaches. When it was all done with the glaze you brush on top of it, I thought that it sorta resembled a PB&J ; ) My older brother Yohann fancy pants was the first one to try it. He came to the conclusion that it tasted interesting. But the truth was revealed when my mom tried it. She took a bite of it and tasted it, and really thought about it. All of the sudden, she was like "This is the best tart/pie think that I have ever tasted!!" Of course I was in shock because of Yohann's comment that it hardly registered that she really liked it. She kept ranting and raving about how good she thought it was! She even went as far to say that this is the kind of dessert that she would order at a restaurant! Then my dad, and other brother Sven tried it, and had similar results. Yesss! The sweet flavor of success!

Plum-Almond Tart
Adapted from Plum almond tart from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 1 9-inch tart or 8 4-inch mini-tartlets

For crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons ice water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For filling
1/3 cup whole almonds (about 2 ounces)
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons framboise (raspberry liqueur) or brandy
12 ounces ripe red-skinned plums, or in my case, peaches, pitted, cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges
1/4 cup red currant jelly

Whipped cream (optional)

Make crust:
Preheat oven to 375Â°F. Combine first 3 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix 2 tablespoons ice water and vanilla in small bowl. Pour water mixture over dough. Process until moist clumps form. (I did this process by hand, cutting the butter into the flour mixture, and then adding in the ice water and vanilla.)

Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in and press, forming double-thick sides. Using fork, pierce dough all over. Freeze 15 minutes.

Bake crust until pale golden, about 30 minutes (crust may shrink slightly, or in my case, a lot!). Cool on rack. Maintain oven temperature.

Make filling:
Finely grind almonds with sugar in processor. Add egg, butter and 2 teaspoons framboise. Process until batter forms. Pour filling into crust. Arrange plums atop filling. Bake until plums are tender and filling is golden and set, about 50 minutes.

Melt jelly with remaining 2 teaspoons framboise, or creme de cassis, in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat. Brush jelly mixture over plums, or peaches : )

Cool tart. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.

Gingerbread people!!

2008-02-20T22:39:00.000-05:00

You gotta love gingerbread people. They are just so cute and colorful. Its a lot of fun to make them, but I think that they taste nasty. Who likes the flavor of burnt dirt? Not me. So as you can see, I decorated them, or most of them anyways (I didn't decorate the one farthest to the right) and my brother Sven eats them, sometimes with the help of my family.
We first decorated these two ->
I made the one with the necklace, awesome belt, and pink slippers. Sven decorated the one with red footsie pajamas ; ) I think that the next batch came out sorta better, less colorful ->
Hehe. Well I'm really excited because one of my best friends just made a blog, and I can tell that it is going to be pure gold, so if I were you, I'd go and check it out. Its called Randomness, and if it is anything like her, it will be awesome.

Anything that you have always wanted to bake, but never had the courage to pursue it? Or just anything that you would like to see me bake? I'm open to any new ideas. Leave me a comment and I will be happy to give it a try.

Pita Bread

2008-02-19T10:26:00.003-05:00

I am about to begin one of the most comprehensive posts that I will ever write, dedicated to my cousin Gwen. She doesn't think that she can bake bread. Everybody can bake bread, and I'm going to teach you how. So i was flipping through my favorite book, the Bread Bible, and I happened upon Pita bread. She described it so well, that i decided that i must try it, and let me tell you, it is AMAZING. Its so good that i might just make it every week. Ok so the first thing you gotta do is make the dough. Very simple, you just mix all the ingredients together, then flip it on to the counter and knead it. In other words, press it down, fold it, press it down and so on and so forth. Spray a large bowl with oil and put the dough in it, spray the top of the dough, cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge.

You leave it in the fridge over night. It will look like this ->
There are lots of bubbles in it because of the yeast. If you don't have yeast, go and buy some, the instant variety ->So you take the bubbly dough and dump it on a lightly floured surface. Take a knife and cut it into 8, or 12 equal pieces. I did mini pitas, so i cut it into 12 pieces. Then you roll them into a ball, and pinch to seal the bottom.
Wile shaping into balls keep the other pieces of dough covered with a damp cloth. After they are ball shaped, press them down into slightly flattened discs ->
Cover the mini discs with oil sprayed plastic wrap and let them rest for 20 min because they and very tired. After that uncover them and roll each disc into a flatter disc, about 1/4 of an inch thick. Let them rest uncovered for another 10 min.
->Preheat the oven to 475 degrees and put a bake stone, of simply a baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Once preheated place one of the rested pitas on the sheet and bake for 3 min, this will be your test pita. After the 3 min, you pita will have risen, or bubbled.
->After they are risen. or have large bubbles let them stay in the oven till desired color. I like them with just a little brown on the edges, so they are still very soft inside.
->
Then remove them from your oven and place on a clean towel, so they will stay soft.
If they didn't puff up enough, knead a little water into the other dough discs, but even if they are not puffy like balloons, they will still be delicious. After is all said and done, everybody loved them!! My little brother Sven was a little confused. I asked him how he like them, and he was like they are really good, then i asked how he liked them in comparison to the store bought kind. He was like well the store bought kind have a lot of good flavors like sun dried tomato basil, and they are bigger and much flatter, yours are all puffy....
Dude TORTILLA WRAPS and not PITA BREAD! I should give him a bread lesson.

If you have an questions, comments, or concerns, leave me a comment, and I will be happy to help : )

Pita Bread
from the bread bible

Dough:

3 cups flour plus a scant 1/4 cup
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tbs oil
1 1/4 cup water at room temp.

Mix:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, except the scant 1/4 cup of flour. Mix with a large spoon, or with your hand, after it is all moistened, dump out onto counter and add the scant 1/4 cup. Knead for about 5 min. It will be sticky. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest for 5 to 20 min. Knead the dough for another 5 min, and place in a oiled bowl. Oil the top of the bread and cover with plastic wrap. Place tape where doubled height of dough would be. Refrigerate over night , or up to 4 nights.

Shape:

Cut dough into 8, or 12 pieces depending on if you want mini of large pitas. Shape each piece into a ball, and then a flattened disc, wile working with a piece of dough, keep the other pieces covered with a damp cloth. Cover the flattened discs with oiled plastic wrap, let rest for 20 min.
Roll each disc into about 1/4 of an inch and let rest uncover for 10 min.

Preheat:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees with a pan, of baking stone of the lowest shelf of the oven.

Bake:

Once preheated you will test making a pita. Take one pita and place it on the sheet, or bake stone. Let bake for 3 min. It should be completely puffed, but not browned yet. Keep it in the oven for addition minutes until desired brownness, but not too brown. If it is not puffy enough, knead more water into the rest of the dough and shape them into 1/4 inch discs again. If it worked out fine on the first try, of you just don't care continue with the rest of the discs. Let oven preheat again before making more batches . Once out of the oven place bread on a clean towel, this will keep the pita soft.
Enjoy!

Variation:

You can substitute half of the flour for whole wheat flour if you want to make the whole wheat version. You will need to add an additional 1/4 cup of water to the dough, with a total of 1 1/2 cups of water.

Best apple tart

2008-02-18T11:57:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things in the world -> Apple tarts. This is one of the easiest desserts I've ever made. The dough is very simple to roll out and pinch to put everything together! The result is an apple tart that is not too sweet, but completely awesome. I really like the look of it, with the swirls from the apples. I made the tart in the free form galette style because it looks cool, and also because I don't have a tart pan hehe. I got this recipe from one of my favorite blogs Smitten Kitchen.

Alice Waters Apple

INGREDIENTS:
For dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Â½ teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3Â½ tablespoons chilled water

For filling:
2 pounds apples (Golden Delicious or another tart, firm variety), peeled, cored (save peels and cores), and sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons sugar

For glaze: Â½ cup sugar

MIX flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Blend in a mixer until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter; mix until biggest pieces look like large peas.

DRIBBLE in water, stir, then dribble in more, until dough just holds together. Toss with hands, letting it fall through fingers, until itâ€™s ropy with some dry patches. If dry patches predominate, add another tablespoon water. Keep tossing until you can roll dough into a ball. Flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate. After at least 30 minutes, remove; let soften so itâ€™s malleable but still cold. Smooth cracks at edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry brush.

PLACE dough in a lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, or simply on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you wish to go free-form, or galette-style with it. Heat oven to 400Â°F. (If you have a pizza stone, place it in the center of the rack.)

OVERLAP apples on dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if using the tart pan. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch intervals.

BRUSH melted butter over apples and onto dough edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over dough edge and the other 3 tablespoons over apples. (Deb note: I found it nearly impossible to coat it with this much sugar, so I used a little less–more like 3 tablespoons. It made a lightly sweet tart, which we found perfect.)

BAKE in center of oven until apples are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown (about 45 minutes), making sure to rotate tart every 15 minutes.

MAKE glaze: Put reserved peels and cores in a large saucepan, along with sugar. Pour in just enough water to cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Strain syrup through cheesecloth.

REMOVE tart from oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes.

BRUSH glaze over tart, slice, and serve.

Valentines day!! <3

2008-02-14T18:06:00.001-05:00

Cute cupcakes for valentines day!! They are mini too, the best kind! These cupcakes just top it all off : ) I used mini cups that you would use for candies and then piped the frosting heart. Its a lot of fun to make different designs. I hope that everybody had a great Valentines day!

My first post - Honey-Vanilla Challah

2008-02-13T21:18:00.000-05:00

Id like to dedicate my first post to challah. This bread is really sweet and yummy, especially on the morning of a snow day : )I'm really excited because Winter break starts on friday! No school for a full week..i must have died and gone to heaven ^0^ So you can guess what i'm going to be baking in my precious days off. This bread is really easy to make. I got the recipe from Baking and books, the Honey-Vanilla Challah. Its especially fun to make because you braid it. Its awesome because after you set it in the oven, you can smell it- all of its honey vanilla goodness.

Honey-Vanilla Challah
from www.bakingandbooks.com

1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of warm milk (whole is best, low-fat is ok too)
2 eggs + 1 for the glaze
4 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing the bowl and another for the glaze
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey

In a large bowl using a whisk combine the yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Add the warm milk, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then the honey and vanilla. (Add the olive oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to add the honey - residual oil on the spoon will make the honey slide right out.) Vigorously mix the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, switching to a wooden spoon when the dough becomes too thick for the whisk. Continue mixing the dough until it is too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and springy, about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time - just enough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. The dough is done when it’s smooth and small air bubbles show under the skin. If you press your thumb into it the impression should bounce back. This is a slightly firm dough, which is exactly what you want for easy braiding later on.

Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 tsp of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with non-stick spray. Gently deflate the dough by pressing your fingers into it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide into 3 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 20 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Lay these ropes side-by-side, not quite touching.

Beginning in the middle and working towards you, braid the lower half of the three ropes. To braid, alternately move the outside ropes over the one in the center - left over, right over, left over -until you come to the end. Now go to the other side of your working space and braid the other half, this time moving the outside ropes under the center one. Braid tightly - you don’t want any gaps. When you finish braiding each side crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them under.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the braided dough on your baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Just before the rising time has finished whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, this is going to be the glaze for your bread. Gently brush the dough with a thick layer of it. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom. Transfer to a baking rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing- Enjoy!