Homemade By Holman

Caramel Praline Cheesecake

2012-01-11T21:03:00.000-05:00

Yes I know, everyone is on a diet right now. Oh wait, I mean "lifestyle change." Taking a break from rich desserts, cookie jars, and cheese-filled appetizers. Well, I'm not going to lie, we kind of are too, and I actually made this way back at Thanksgiving, I just haven't had a chance to share it with you yet. But despite that, I'm still going to tell you to find an occasion to make this cheesecake. A birthday, an anniversary, a special dinner for Valentine's Day, Saturday... you know, whatever works in your life. I'm not the biggest cheesecake lover, but this one is good. Rich and creamy and topped with a delicious caramel sauce and candied pecans... it doesn't get much better. And go ahead, use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese if you want, I used it for two of the four packages and it turned out perfectly.

The best part for those of you Type A dessert makers, the caramel sauce will hide any cracks that you might have. I got lucky with this one though and it came out perfectly without a crack.

Caramel Praline Cheesecake

Adapted slightly from Taste of Home

Crust:

1 package (about 10) graham crackers

1 T sugar

6 T unsalted butter, melter

Filling:
4 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
5 large eggs
2 cups sour cream (16 oz)
1/4 cup milk
1 T bourbon vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 T unsalted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
10-12 pecan halves

Spray a 10-inch springform pan with baking spray and place on a double layer of aluminum foil big enough to fold up around the pan. Wrap the overhanging foil around the sides of the pan to seal it.

In a food processor, combine the graham crackers and sugar for the crust. Pulse 5-6 times until fine and crumbled. Add melted butter and pulse 2-3 more times until the mix begins to hold together slightly. Pour mix into prepared pan and press into the bottom in an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat a few cups of water in a tea kettle or microwave in a large measuring cup. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar for 3-5 minutes on medium speed until smooth. Beat in flour and then eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed just until combined. Add sour cream, milk, and vanilla and mix to combine. Pour mixture into crust. Place the springform pan inside another larger pan (like an 11"x13" baking pan or a 12" cake pan) and pour the hot water around the outside of the springform pan to a depth of approximately 1" to form a water bath.

Bake for about 75 minutes, until the center appears dull. The cake should still jiggle slightly in the center. Remove springform pan from the water bath and transfer to a wire rack. After about 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and continue to cool about 1 hour. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the topping, stir together sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar is melted. Cook approximately 15 minutes more without stirring until golden brown. Reduce heat to low and gradually add the heavy cream. Cook and stir until the sugar is completely melted and smooth. Using a candy thermometer, increase heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly until the temperature reaches 225 degrees. Remove from the heat and add butter and vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Pour evenly over the cheesecake.

In a small skillet, toast pecan halves over medium heat for a few minutes just until fragrant. Press one pecan into each slice of the cheesecake or garnish as desired.

2011's Top 11 Recipes

2011-12-30T15:15:00.000-05:00

As 2011 comes to a close (how is that possible?? Didn't it just start?) I'm going to share this year's most popular recipes. There are a few repeats from last year as some of the "greatest hits" continue to pop up.

The number one recipe is this White Cheddar Chicken Pasta. This recipe has become a staple around here and is a quick and easy dinner to throw together. It's also super versatile. No wonder it remains a hit.

In the number two spot is this recipe for Chicken Enchilada Soup. Perfect on a chilly fall or winter day, this soup can be made on the stovetop or in a crockpot.

In third place is another all-time favorite still sticking with the spicy trend... Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-ups. These are a perfect appetizer for a New Year's or Superbowl party. They come together quickly and you can make them in advance too.

For fourth place, you moved on to dessert and like these S'mores Cupcakes as the top cupcake recipe I've posted over the last three years. And I can understand why, they are quite impressive especially when you break out the kitchen torch to give them the marshmallow frosting that toasted look and taste. If you haven't made these yet, you really should try them.

Coming in fifth is another easy weeknight pasta dish. These lasagna roll-ups are the perfect solution to a classic Italian dish without all the work and without three days of leftovers in the fridge if you're not cooking for a crowd. Plus these can be made with so many variations. Try using chicken, beef or Italian sausage in place of the turkey, an alfredo sauce or pesto cream sauce in place of the marinara. There are all kinds of options to keep these fun.

New to the list of favorites this year is another appetizer that I originally made for the Superbowl this year. These classic soft pretzels with jalapeno cheese sauce are easier than you might think and make a fantastic weekend snack or party appetizer. The cheese sauce can be used with the pretzels or use at a queso dip for chips or pour it over enchiladas for even more cheesy goodness. If you want to experiment with some pretzels, compare this classic method which uses bread flour and boils the pretzels in a baking soda bath to this latest version of Cheese-Stuffed Everything Pretzels that I just tried which uses all-purpose flour and skips the baking soda bath with fantastic results.

In seventh place, a cookie recipe that mimics those super soft grocery store sugar cookies. Made with a cake mix, this isn't your standard sugar cookie recipe but it does yield delicious cookies and it takes about five minutes to mix up. You don't have to roll and cut anything and decorations are as easy as a few colored sprinkles if you want them. I know it's past "cookie season" but these Soft and Thick Sugar Cookies are worth it.

The list is rounded out with cupcake recipes.

In eigth place, Snickers Cupcakes, a rich chocolate cupcake, filled with caramel and topped with caramel buttercream and chopped Snickers bar pieces. I've since decided I prefer to add a little chopped candy bar to the caramel filling in the center as well as it helps hold the cupcake together a little better.

Next up is another chocolate favorite, Chocolate Cherry Coke Cupcakes. Again these start out with a chocolate cupcake base but this time they get filled with a cherry filling, topped with a Coke glaze and frosted with whipped cream frosting. A cute little cherry on top make these an adorable and nostalgic favorite.

Next on the list, is a cupcake that could be breakfast or dessert. Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes are a delicious, portable (although still sticky) cinnamon roll baked up in cupcake form. The method is the same as a classic cinnamon roll but the cupcake presentation adds a cute touch for a brunch or other gathering.

Finally, the last favorite of the year is a cupcake I baked up for my husband for his birthday this year. These Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes would definitely make my short list of favorites as well. The cake is super moist and has a light orange flavor. The combination of orange buttercream and marshmallow cream filling give the cupcake that creamsicle flavor that takes these over the top.

That wraps up the list of 2011 reader favorites. All in all, 2011 was a great, although extremely busy, year for my family.

Of course, my favorite thing I "baked" in 2011 was our daughter, Aubrey, who arrived in February. I can't believe it's time to start planning her first birthday party now.

From there the year was a blur of selling our house, weddings, vacations, and buying and remodeling our new house that still hasn't really ended but as the year comes to a close, I'm trying to appreciate what we have and live more in the moment rather than rushing to get to the next big thing. Happy New Year to all my wonderful readers, thanks for putting up with a lot more sporadic posting than I would have liked this year. Although I don't see 2012 calming down any, I'm hoping I can squeeze in some recipes with a bit more regularity. I've got some great ones to share with you.

White Chocolate Cinnamon Crunch Popcorn

2011-12-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

Want some gourmet popcorn that you can make right at home? It's easier than you might think. But it probably involves more butter than you think so make this before your New Year's resolutions take effect. This would actually be a perfect snack for a New Year's Eve party.

However, if you make your popcorn in the microwave, I hope you'll reconsider. It is so much better when you make it on the stove top. You don't end up with all the chemicals and it's super easy. All you need is a large sauce pan with a tight fitting lid, a little canola or vegetable oil, and some popcorn kernels. Personally I've replaced my popcorn pan with a Whirleypop, a switch I made a few years ago when we upgraded our stove to a glass top instead of coil burners. I didn't want to scratch the stove top shaking the pan so I bought the Whirleypop which has the same result but since it has a mechanism to stir the popcorn inside the pan, you don't have to shake it. It was a worthwhile investment for us since I'm a popcorn lover and it was only about $30.

Anyway, back to the recipe, you can make your popcorn on the stove or in an air popper, or if you must use the microwave, at least make sure you are using the natural popcorn without butter or other flavorings.

White Chocolate Cinnamon Crunch Popcorn
Recipe adapted from Right at Home

2/3 cup popcorn kernels (about 16 cups popped)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
3 squares almond bark

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pop popcorn and set aside in large bowls, make sure to leave yourself room to mix in the bowls or it will get very messy.

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and corn syrup in a large microwave safe bowl. (If your butter is straight out of the refrigerator, cut it into chunks before adding it to the bowl to help it melt faster.) Microwave on high for about 30 seconds and then stir to combine everything. Microwave an additional two minutes and stir and return to microwave for two more minutes. Add vanilla and baking soda and stir to combine, the mixture will foam and rise when you add the baking soda. Divide hot caramel mixture evenly among the popcorn bowls and quickly stir to coat the popcorn. Continue to gently mix until topping is well distributed.

Pour popcorn mixture onto prepared pans and bake for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Lay out another large sheet of parchment paper on your counter. Remove the popcorn from the oven and spread out on parchment paper. Melt almond bark (I like to use a double boiler method as it scorches very easily in the microwave but you can use whatever method you prefer) and drizzle over popcorn. Let popcorn cool and then break into chunks and serve or store in an airtight container.

(Whirleypop has not sponsored this post in anyway, these are my own opinions.)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from my family to yours...

Thanks for reading, I'll be back soon with some new recipes.

Cheese Stuffed Everything Pretzels

2011-12-20T21:19:00.001-05:00

It only takes one word to describe these pretzels... awesome!

Of course, I will continue to type because I can't actually just stop at the one word. Soft pretzels are delicious on their own, this recipe adds cheese to the middle and then adds poppy seeds, garlic, and minced onion to the normal sea salt topping. Takes them to a whole new level. Just look at the oozy cheese, the crunchy toppings... yummm...

This is also a super easy recipe for those of you who are afraid of yeast... there is no rising, punching, etc. This recipe also skips the normal soft pretzel step of boiling the dough in a baking soda bath before cooking as well. This makes for an incredibly quick pretzel recipe. I think I had these mixed, rolled, shaped, and baked in under an hour.

Cheese Stuffed Everything Pretzels
Adapted from Guy Fieri, via the Food Network

Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water (approx. 110 degrees)
2 packets active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
3 cups shredded colby jack cheese

Toppings:
1 egg
2 T milk
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion
1 tsp sea salt

In a large measuring cup, heat water and sprinkle yeast over the water. Stir to combine and let sit for about 10 minutes until frothy. Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with a dough blade, combine all dry ingredients and pulse to combine. Add egg and yeast mixture and pulse in short bursts until the dough comes together. Do not over mix, you just want the dough to come together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times with your hands. If dough feels sticky, add a little more flour. Form the dough into a ball and cut in half.

Roll out 1/2 of the dough into a large rectangle, approximately 12"x17", sprinkle about 3/4 cup of the colby jack cheese down the center 1/3 of the dough. Fold one edge over the cheese, sprinkle with another 3/4 cup cheese, and fold over the remaining 1/3. Pinch the edges of the dough to seal the cheese inside. Roll out the dough again into a rectangle about 11"x15". Cut the dough into six strips approximately 1 1/2" wide. Roll each strip into a tube and form into a pretzel shape by looping and crossing the ends over each other, then tuck back onto the loop and pinch to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine remaining egg and milk. Whisk to combine and set aside. In another small bowl, combine poppy seeds, garlic, onion, and salt. Brush the pretzels liberally with the egg wash, then sprinkle with spice mixture. Bake 18-20 minutes until light golden brown. Transfer pretzels to a wire rack to cool.

Pizza Bread

2011-11-02T15:33:00.001-04:00

The next time you need a simple appetizer for an event, let me recommend this one. There are endless variations and it takes next to no time at all to throw together. It works for football games, it works for kids, it works for girls' nights... why? Because it's easy, delicious, and adaptable.

I originally spotted this idea on Pinterest... it's my latest internet obsession and I've pinned about 4,000 things and made about five of them. In honor of the "Pinterest Challenge" (see the details here, here, here, or here and check out all the other Pinterest projects), I had to get this posted today so I could play along.

There are several variations of this appetizer floating around, anything from a warm and gooey cinnamon roll version that I figure would be great for a brunch, to the "bloomin' onion" spin-off, to the bacon-loaded "crack bread" version. I opted to go with a pizza version this time around. Of course, I modified it a bit, I don't like pepperoni so I used Italian sausage. It takes about five minutes of hands-on prep time and a little patience while it's in the oven. You may need to adjust the quantities slightly depending on the size of the bread boule you buy. (Did you know boule is a fancy way of saying round when referring to bread?) You can also try several different types of bread but I used an Italian bread for this one. Depending on the flavors you add to it, you may want to consider sourdough or other types.

Pizza Bread
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 unsliced Italian bread boule (or whatever type you prefer)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound mild Italian sausage
3 T butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 T Parmesan cheese
Pizza sauce for serving

In a medium skillet, brown sausage and crumble as it cooks. Drain well and set aside. Prepare a baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Carefully slice the bread in long slices, taking care not go all the way through. Turn the bread 90 degrees and cut slices the opposite direction, again leaving the bottom connected. The second set of cuts will be a little more difficult to make. If your bread is very soft, you may want to put it in the refrigerator for about thirty minutes before you try to cut it so it is a little easier. The cuts don't have to be perfect though so don't worry if your lines aren't straight and such.

Next start tucking the crumbled sausage and the shredded cheese into the cuts in the bread, pack it in as much as possible. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese. Pour butter mixture over the top of the bread. Cover the bread with another piece of foil, molding it down around the bread, and bake about fifteen minutes, uncover and continue baking about ten more minutes until the top is golden and the cheese is all melted. Serve warm with pizza sauce.

Beer Cheese Macaroni

2011-10-12T21:02:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned a time or two in the past, macaroni and cheese is definitely up there on my list of favorite foods. In my mind, it's pretty much the perfect comfort food. While I definitely have a favorite traditional mac and cheese recipe, I also like to experiment with variations. Check out these other macaroni recipes I've posted previously - Spicy Crab Macaroni and Cheese, Baked Mac and Cheese, Stovetop Mac and Cheese, and this chicken version - White Cheddar Chicken Pasta.

Well when I saw this beer cheese soup turned mac and cheese recipe on Pinterest, I couldn't pass it up. I figured it would be perfect for our tailgating party for the upcoming game. Let me tell you, don't wait to make this one. This is some fantastic pasta. The beer combines perfectly with the smoked and sharp cheddar cheeses and whole wheat pasta. I used a Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer but any decent beer should work, I think I would avoid the light beers for this recipe, as you want something with a bit more flavor.

Feel free to adjust the cheeses but I think the blend of 1/3 smoked cheddar, 1/3 sharp white cheddar, and 1/3 mild cheddar, along with a little American cheese gives great flavor. I added the American cheese slices because I like the creaminess that it adds. I just used slices from the deli but you could shred it as well. The recipe that I used baked the mac and cheese but I opted not too for this one since it was so creamy straight from the stovetop. If you want to bake it, I recommend adding a bread crumb topping.

Beer Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from HowSweetEats

12 oz uncooked whole wheat elbow or shell pasta
2 T unsalted butter
2 T flour
1 cup milk
1 cup beer
4 oz smoked cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz mild cheddar cheese, grated
6 slices American cheese
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
10 basil leaves

Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add a liberal amount of salt when boiling and add pasta. Cook to just al dente, according to package directions. Drain and return to pan or crock pot if you want to keep it hot for a while (you don't want to cook it in the crock pot but it can stay on low for a short while, if you plan to leave it in the crock pot for an extended time, you'll want to cook your pasta just shy of al dente so it doesn't turn mushy.)

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to make a roux. Continue whisking until the roux start to turn golden and bubbles, about two minutes. Add milk and beer, stirring constantly. Cook for about five minutes until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. Reduce heat to low and add cheeses by the handful, stirring to melt and incorporate. The sauce will thicken slightly but will not be as thick as regular mac and cheese at this point. Add paprika, mustard, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over pasta and stir to distribute. Chiffonade basil leaves by stacking and rolling tightly, then use a sharp knife to cut thin slices to form ribbons. Stir basil into pasta and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

2011-09-23T08:00:00.003-04:00

It's football season! Finally, it's time for Saturday's spent at the stadium, tailgating, cooler weather, sweatshirts... the list goes on and on, I love fall. While summer is full of fresh fruits and vegetables, sunshine, and pool time, it also requires (at least in my world) air conditioning and bug spray. While summer is great while it lasts, by August I'm always impatiently waiting for fall to make an appearance.

To kick off the home football season this year (sort of, technically I missed the first game - college football shouldn't happen on Thursday nights) I brought buffalo chicken burgers to our tailgate. These burgers were pretty tasty - so much so in fact that I made them again just a couple nights later. Full disclosure - the speediness was partially so I could take the picture that I forgot to take in the parking lot but it was also at the request of my husband. For tailgating, I made these as sliders (aka mini burgers) but at home I made them full size. Take your pick, although I prefer the sliders, just because they are more fun in my opinion.

In my mind there are two choices for condiments when it comes to buffalo chicken, ranch or blue cheese. If you side with me on this one, top your burgers with a dollop of ranch dressing and a slice of cheddar cheese. If you disagree, top them with some blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Burgers:
1 lb ground chicken
3-4 green onions, diced
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce (plus more for serving)
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 slices day old bread or 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

To serve:
Ranch and/or blue cheese salad dressing
Frank's Red Hot sauce
Cheddar cheese slices or crumbled blue cheese
Pickles
8 small rolls or 4 hamburger buns

Prepare grill to medium heat or preheat a cast iron skillet if cooking indoors. If you are using day old bread, quickly tear into chunks and pulse in a food processor to make crumbs. In a large bowl, add all of the burger ingredients and gently mix until just incorporated. (Don't skip the egg and breadcrumbs, they will really help the patties stay together.) Form into four patties for full size burgers or eight small patties for sliders. Make each patty slider larger than the bun and slightly thinner in the center (this is more important for full size burgers.) Cook finished patties about five - seven (three to four for sliders) minutes per side (you want these cooked all the way through since it's poultry and not beef but don't overcook them or they will be dry), flip once and cook through. Just before the finished, top with cheddar slices if desired. Serve on hamburger buns topped with condiments of your choice.

Mango Date Muffins

2011-08-15T21:42:00.001-04:00

Knock, knock, knock... is anyone still here? Anybody? Good news... I'm alive and I have a kitchen again. Oh wait, I didn't tell you about the fact that we didn't have kitchen for a while because we sold our house! Oh yeah that was a couple of months ago, we sold our house at the end of May and started what may have been some of the busiest weeks ever.

We went to Maryland (twice actually) for my friend Michelle's bridal shower and wedding. I did make some cute personalized sugar cookies (see the recipe here), a bunch of cupcakes (Triple Lemon and Lemon Meringue - lemon's her favorite) and a devil's food chocolate cake with coconut cream filling and frosting - of course I don't have any good pictures.

The next week we packed up our whole house into a Pod container, closed on our house and left for Jamaica for a week for my cousin Blake's wedding - welcome to the family Summer!

When we got home from Jamaica we were supposed to move into an Extended Stay America for two weeks but as luck would have it, Todd's cousins offered up their house in exchange for petsitting while they went on vacation so we moved there instead.

Finally mid-June rolled around and we closed on our new house. Of course the work didn't stop there as we've since been busy remodeling and modernizing our 40ish year old house that was a little bit stuck in the 70's.

Painting paneling and beams, built-ins and trim, adding French doors, new sectional... it was so much work but worth it and I'm really glad we kept the panelling.

So far we've finished (is a room ever really finished?) the family room and Aubrey's room.

New beadboard and chair rail and soft yellow walls with the pink curtains from her nursery at our first house to make a cozy little girl's room. We still need some pictures for those frames and to paint and move the chandelier from the dining room.

So the good news is that things are starting to calm down ever so slightly so I'm not making any promises at this point but hopefully I'll get back to blogging with a little bit more regularity. I do have several recipes that I want to share that have been piling up even though it seems like I'm only cooking when we have guests these days.

For now, I'm going to share one of my favorites from the past couple of months.

I baked these as jumbo muffins but they could be baked in regular size muffin tins as well. They are reminiscent of a spice cake or carrot cake but with delicious chunks of mango. Although the decision to make these muffins was an improvisation with leftover ingredients mostly because I had a couple of mangoes around because of plans to make mango peach salsa that didn't materialize, they turned out to be one of my favorite things I've made this summer. I've definitely added the recipe to the list for repeat desserts. And since they are muffins, I vote they even work for breakfast - just hold the ice cream.

Mango - Date Muffins

Inspired by Fresh Mango Bread from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 18 jumbo muffins

4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/3 cup canola oil
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups diced, peeled mango (about two mangoes)

1/3 cup diced dried dates

2 T dark rum

1 T orange zest

Soak chopped dates in dark rum in a small dish until softened. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with baking spray or butter and flour. Whisk together eggs and oil in a small bowl. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and stir just until combined, either by hand with a wooden spoon or on low speed in mixer. The batter will be thick. Drain dates and add along with mango and orange zest and stir to distribute. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake the muffins about 25 minutes until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Cool for about five minutes in the pan and then transfer muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling. These muffins are excellent served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

2011-04-30T20:23:00.001-04:00

For my husband's birthday last month, Aubrey and I surprised him by visiting him at work with a dozen cupcakes to share with his office. I wanted to do something different and I was inspired by a new drink that my sister and her husband introduced us to - a cocktail of orange Fanta and whipped vodka. The cupcakes were a little more acceptable for the office, although I'm sure the vodka would have been appreciated!

The recipe is a combination of a few different sources - I adapted the recipe on I Heart Cuppycakes who adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and Dulcedo. The cake is really moist and don't skip the orange zest because it adds so much flavor and I love seeing the little bits of zest in the cake. The marshmallow cream is a great addition to these cupcakes, it really gives it the creamsicle flavor instead of just an orange cupcake.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from I Heart Cuppycakes

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 T citrus olive oil

1 cup sugar

2 T vanilla

2 eggs

Zest of 1 orange

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with paper liners. (This made 16 cupcakes for me.)

Combine butter, olive oil and sugar and mix on medium high speed about three minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and mix about one more minute until well incorporated. Stir in orange zest. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Separately combine heavy cream and orange juice. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the cream mixture and repeat, finishing with the flour. Mix until just incorporated after each addition.

Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Bake about twenty minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans about five minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Marshmallow Cream Filling:

7 oz marshmallow fluff

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Cut butter into small pieces and add to fluff in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Cut a small cone shape into the top of each cupcake and spoon marshmallow cream into wells allowing the cream to puddle on top of the cupcake slightly. (Don't add too much, when you add the buttercream, it will cause the cream to move out toward the edges of the cupcakes.)

Orange Buttercream:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/8 - 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add orange juice, zest, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until incorporated to reach desired consistency. Whip on medium high speed about two minutes until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with desired tip and pipe onto cupcakes.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

2011-04-07T13:51:00.000-04:00

Lately anything that can be made in five minutes or with one hand is what I'm making for breakfast, lunch or dinner. These smoothies fit the bill - with a bonus that I only need one hand to drink it too. Things involving forks and knives haven't been happening too often lately.

This "recipe" is more of a method, you can change out the fruit to whatever you like best. The yogurt is a must have for me - but feel free to use plain or vanilla or even another flavor if you prefer - but it really adds to the creamy smooth texture of the smoothie. I also always combine fruit juice and milk instead of just milk to add some extra flavor. Orange juice is my favorite but I also sometimes use cranberry juice - it's especially good with blueberries in your smoothie. My final tip is frozen berries - using frozen berries means you don't have to add ice. Your smoothie will have so much more flavor if you use frozen fruit instead of ice which dilutes the smoothie. Occasionally I use frozen banana too - it's a great way to use up bananas that are almost past their prime, peel them, cut them into big chunks and freeze in a Ziploc bag and then use throw them in smoothies.

If you want to add some extra protein to your smoothie, mix in a scoop of protein powder and its a great post workout snack. I prefer to mix the milk, OJ and powder by itself before adding the fruit because I think it gets rid of the grittiness that can sometimes result from adding protein powder to things.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

8-10 large frozen strawberries
1 banana
1/2 cup milk (I use skim)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for about two minutes until smooth. Pour and serve. This makes 2-4 smoothies depending on the serving, for breakfast I usually split this between my husband and I, as a snack, it would serve four.

A Little Leprechaun's Pot of Gold Cake

2011-03-16T15:03:00.000-04:00

So having a new baby has been an excuse to celebrate all the little holidays, "it's her first..." has commonly been my rationale. So making a St. Patrick's Day cake - for a 1 month old baby who can't eat it - didn't seem at all over the top in my mind. Especially when I had a great idea for a cake to try. Now if only I could celebrate with things like baby carrots and salad maybe I would be more prepared for Aubrey's first trip to the beach but we'll get there -- and let's be honest, cake is way more fun than carrots and salad.

This cake was a spin off of this cookies and cream cake I made for my husband last year for his birthday. I tried these Golden Oreos at my in-laws house a couple of months ago and thought they were delicious. When I saw the spring Oreos in the store the other day, I thought they were cute with the green filling but my mind went back to these.

This yellow cake recipe isnt the usual one I use, simply because I wanted something quick and this one didn't require beating the egg whites and folding them in separately and also used buttermilk and all purpose flour rather than cake flour. The result - a quick easy yellow cake recipe, it works great in this instance because its not too soft to hold up to the filling.

Pot of Gold Cake

Cake:
Recipe from The Modern Baker
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray two 8" cake pans with baking spray or butter and flour and line with parchment paper and spray paper.

Cream together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl on medium speed about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing about 1 minute after each addition until well incorporated. Add half of the flour, half of the baking powder and the salt. Mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add buttermilk and mix until incorporated and add remaining flour and baking powder. Increase the speed to medium and beat an additional 2 minutes.

Divide batter evenly between pans and bake about 25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then turn out on wire racks, flip them over so they are top side up. Cool completely then slice each cake layer in half horizontally to make 4 thin layers and assemble.

Golden Oreo Cream Filling
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 package Golden Oreo cookies, crushed

Process cookies in a food processer until they are fine crumbs. Add heavy cream to a cold mixing bowl (putting the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes prior to mixing will speed up the process) fitted with the whisk attachment and beat 2-3 minutes until cream forms stiff peaks. Add vanilla extract and blend until mixed. Gently fold in crushed cookies. Add 1/3 of the cream mixture in between each layer of cake.

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 T heavy cream
3 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and cream and mix until well incorporated. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until frosting reaches desired thickness. Increase speed to medium and whip about 1 minute until smooth. Tint with gel food coloring as desired and frost cake. Cover and refrigerate cake if not serving within a couple of hours.

Chipotle Chicken Sliders

2011-03-09T13:06:00.000-05:00

Well here's an idea of how far behind I am on blogging -- I actually made these sliders for the Superbowl. The fact that it's a month later and I'm just now getting around to posting them says nothing about the quality of these sliders but is really just an idea of how crazy my life has been. Truthfully, I've got even more recipes to post that I made well before these.

I love sliders -- they are the perfect size for a party so you don't have to commit to just eating a burger. I quickly made these sliders because I had an open can of chipotles in adobo from my chipotle chicken pasta that I wanted to use some more of rather than freezing. I used a nice sharp cheddar cheese to top these but I think a monterey jack or pepper jack cheese would also be delicious. Get some nice fresh rolls from a bakery for these - I used some sourdough rolls that were great. A little red onion and a cilantro lime mayo are the finishing touches for a great little sandwich.

Chipotle Chicken Sliders

Burgers:
2 T olive oil
1 pound ground chicken
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped + 1 T of the sauce
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
8 rolls
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
8 thin slices of red onion

Mayo:

1/2 cup mayo
1 T lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro
Chop cilantro finely and stir into mayo with lime juice and set aside.

Preheat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat and add oil. Combine all remaining ingredients except rolls, cheese, and onion slices in a large bowl, gently mix until just combined. Divide mix into eight equal portions and form into small patties, thinning just slightly in the center. Transfer patties to hot pan, cooking about 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through.

Meanwhile preheat broiler on low. On a large sheet pan, cut rolls in half and lay out evenly. Add burgers and cheese to bottom of rolls. Broil until cheese is melted and rolls are golden brown. Spread tops of rolls with mayo and top burgers with onion slices and serve.

King Cake

2011-03-06T12:25:00.001-05:00

First of all, I want to say thank you if you are still reading my blog - sorry for the three week interruption in posting but we've been a little busy. Three weeks ago we welcomed our daughter, Aubrey to the world. She was born at just over eight pounds the night before Valentine's Day. Since then life has been an amazing mix of staring at our beautiful baby girl, family and friends visiting and a little sleep deprivation so I haven't spent much time in the kitchen. I promise I won't turn this into a blog about Aubrey but I have to share a couple pictures to introduce my little girl.

Photo by Dede Holman Photography

As for a recipe - I finally got around to making a king cake yesterday... something that's been on my list of things to make for at least two years. I always seemed to run out of time during Mardi Gras "season" but got one made just in time this year. We get a few king cakes delivered to the office every year at work which is where I originally discovered this treat. It's essentially like a giant cinnamon roll but baked into a ring-shaped cake and decorated with bright purple, yellow and green sugars for festive Mardi Gras flavor.

The dough itself is an easy yeast recipe but it does take a little time. The initial mixing is very simple but make sure to allow about three hours total for rising time. The filling is a slightly modified cinnamon and sugar mixture spiked with a little bourbon and raisins. The icing adds a tart lemon flavor which is a nice mix with the sweetness of the powdered sugar.

King Cake

Recipe adapted from All Recipes

Dough:

1/2 cup half and half

2 T butter

1 package active dry yeast (.25 ounce)

1/3 cup warm water (approx 110 degrees F)

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour plus more for rolling
Zest of 1 lemon

Scald half and half over medium heat, remove from heat and add butter. While mixture cools, stir together warm water, yeast and 1 T of the sugar in bowl of a stand mixer and let stand until foamy. When half and half mixture is cooled, add to yeast mixture. Add remaining sugar and egg and beat until well incorporated. Add salt, nutmeg and flour one cup at a time. Stir in lemon zest and switch to dough hook attachment. Knead with dough hook for about 5-7 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. It will still be fairly sticky. Oil a deep bowl and transfer dough to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until doubled in size.

Filling:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 T cinnamon

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
2 T bourbon
1/2 cup raisins

Combine bourbon and raisins in a small bowl and set aside. Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and flour and then stir in melted butter.

Punch down dough and turn out onto a heavily floured surface. Roll dough out into a large rectangle about 12x16 inches. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread filling mixture over dough in a thin layer leaving about a one inch edge free around the whole rectangle. Drain raisins and sprinkle over filling. Begin rolling dough like a jelly roll from the wide edge. Roll tightly and transfer to baking sheet. Form dough into an oval, seam side down and pinch edges to seal. Using a sharp knife or cooking scissors, cut slices into top of dough about every two inches approximately 1/3 of the way through dough. Cover with a towel and let rise an additional 45 minutes in a warm place.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake approximately 30 minutes until golden brown.

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 T lemon juice

2 T half and half

3/4 cup demerara sugar

Food coloring in green, yellow and purple

Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice and half and half until smooth. Pour over cooled king cake.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and a couple drops of yellow food coloring and stir together. Transfer to a small bowl or plate. Add 1/4 cup sugar and a couple drops of green food coloring and stir together. Transfer to a small bowl or plate. Add last cup of sugar and purple food coloring and stir to combine. Sprinkle sugar over icing as desired.

Breakfast in Bed for Your Valentine

2011-02-12T11:42:00.000-05:00

Take advantage of the weekend this year and make your sweetheart breakfast in bed. But take a couple of shortcuts so you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get it done. These recipes can be made in advance the night before and then just pop them in the oven when you're ready to make them.

This first recipe is one that we make all the time in my family for holidays and I have to admit that we change up the add-ins pretty much every time we make it. But the basics stay the same. This makes a big 9x13 casserole so you may want to cut the recipe back for just a couple people or you'll be eating breakfast casserole for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is how we made it on Christmas morning this year. The recipe was originally adapted from old cookbook that my mom has had for years that I believe was put together by local women as a fundraiser for the country club about 30 years ago.

Ham and Swiss Breakfast Casserole
Family recipe

8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
8 slices sandwich bread
2 cups thawed frozen spinach
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz ham, cut into 1/2" chunks
8 oz Swiss cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (if you are going to bake right away). Spray a 9x13 casserole pan with cooking spray or grease with butter. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add salt and pepper and set aside.

Cut or tear the bread into about one inch pieces and toss in the pan. Add vegetables, make sure your frozen spinach is well drained - add it to a double layer of paper towels and wrap it up and squeeze out all the water. Add garlic and ham and toss everything together in the pan. Pour egg mixture over the top, pushing everything down if it floats up. Top with grated cheese. At this point, you can cover the casserole with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight if desired.

Bake covered for about 30 minutes, remove foil and continue baking an additional 15 to 30 minutes until casserole is set and golden brown. Let stand about 10 minutes before cutting.

Some other recipes to try or serve along with your casserole:

Strawberry Scones

Creme Brulee French Toast Casserole

Cinnamon Crunch Coffee Cake

Oatmeal Peach Scones

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Monkey Bread

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Enjoy -- Happy Valentine's Day!

Soft Pretzels with Jalapeno Cheese Sauce

2011-02-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

Well the Superbowl didn't have the outcome that I was hoping for, my team had too many turnovers, I wasn't a fan of the halftime show and the commercials weren't anything exciting, but the food was good at least. For me these soft pretzels were the highlight of the night.

I debated between a couple different recipes - one from Baking Illustrated and one from Alton Brown. Although similar the main differences were in the type of flour and the type of sweetener. The Baking Illustrated recipe used bread flour which has a higher gluten content and therefore creates a chewier dough. Pretzels are supposed to be chewy so I decided to stick with the bread flour. The Baking Illustrated recipe also used honey and after reading their explanation, I decided to go with that - it also meant I didn't have to open a package of brown sugar for a couple tablespoons - so it made it a fairly easy decision. The other key to the recipe which both versions did is to boil the pretzels in a baking soda solution, so make sure you don't skip this step.

The pretzels are best eaten the day they are made or you can freeze them right away and then warm in the oven when you want them. Don't store them in a covered container on your counter top though or they will end up a little soggy.

I made a simple spicy, garlicky cheese sauce to dip these in because it sounded good and I was already chopping jalapenos and garlic for guacamole and sliders that I was making. It turned out to be a great dipping sauce for the pretzels adding a spicy kick to the slightly sweet and salty pretzel dough. They would also be good with mustard or a cheddar cheese sauce. Of course you can also sub cinnamon and sugar for the salt sprinkled on before baking and make more dessert-like pretzels if you prefer.

Soft Pretzels
Recipe slightly adapted from Baking Illustrated

Dough:
1 package rapid-rise yeast
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour (16 1/2 ounces)
1 cup water, at approximately 110 degrees
Approximately 1 T olive oil

Baking Soda Solution:
Approximately 6 cups water
3 T baking soda
Salt for sprinkling on pretzels

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all ingredients for the dough. Make sure you are using rapid rise yeast, or you will need to proof your yeast before mixing. Mix on low speed until combined and then knead about 5-7 minutes on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Prepare a separate bowl by coating with olive oil, transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about one hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down, recover and let rise approximately 30 minutes more.

In a large low pan (a 12" skillet with deep sides or a small dutch oven will work perfectly) bring water and baking soda to a boil over medium high heat. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Separate dough into 12 approximately 2 ounce pieces. Roll each piece into a long string, about 20 inches in length. Fold pretzels into shape, twisting the ends over each other and pressing lightly to seal dough into shape. Transfer pretzels, a few at a time to boiling water, cook 30 seconds on each side, turning with a slotted spoon, drain and transfer to prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with coarse salt and repeat until all the pretzels have been boiled. They don't need much room on the baking sheet as they won't spread much in the oven. Bake approximately 12-14 minutes until dark golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and serve.

Jalapeno Cheese Sauce

1 T unsalted butter
1 T flour
3/4 cup milk
1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely minced
1 cup Colby Jack cheese
1/2 -1 tsp cayenne pepper

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to combine, cooking about one minute until smooth. Add milk, whisking to incorporate. Add garlic and jalapeno. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until thickened, about 15 minutes. The sauce should begin to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Add cayenne pepper to taste.

Steelers are going to the Superbowl!

2011-02-02T20:59:00.001-05:00

Here we go, Steelers, here we go!

Obviously this is old news but I'm a little behind on starting this Superbowl recipe post. Since half the fun of the Superbowl is making a bunch of appetizers and snacking all day (at least that's half the fun for me) I've got some great recipes to share with you.

To start off - here are six recipes from the archives in honor of each of the Steelers past Superbowl victories!

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Cheddar Ranch Cheese Ball

Beer Cheese Fondue

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

Since the Steelers are attempting to win their 7th championship game, here's a 7th recipe for spicy sausage pizza roulade.

This recipe is really easy and essentially a rolled up pizza, so you can change up the filling to whatever your favorite pizza toppings are. I would recommend staying away from things with a high water content though, like pineapple if it's on the top of your list, so that you don't end up with soggy bread. You can use any bread dough you want for this - a standard pizza crust from scratch or even roll out a dough like Pillsbury's French bread dough, they even have one that doesn't contain any high fructose corn syrup or trans fats. That's what I used for this one since I didn't have any pizza dough ready to go and I had a coupon to try their Simply Rustic French bread dough.

Spicy Sausage Pizza Roulade

12 oz hot ground Italian sausage
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pizza or french bread dough
1 tsp pizza seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup shredded pizza or mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 T butter, softened
1 tsp garlic powder
Pizza sauce for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with baking spray or line with parchment paper.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and crumble as it browns. After about 2 minutes, add onions, peppers and garlic. Cook until sausage is just cooked through and vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and drain any grease off the sausage. Lightly flour a smooth counter surface and roll out dough into a large rectangle, about 12x18 inches. Evenly sprinkle pizza seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes over dough. Spoon sausage mixture onto bottom third to half of the long edge of the dough, leaving an edge of about one inch open at the outside. Next add cheeses directly next to the sausage mixture on the 2nd third of the dough, a little overlap is fine. The final third should be open.

Begin rolling from sausage side, rolling the dough gently into a long tube. Pinch the seams to seal the dough and place the dough seam side down on prepared pan. Fold the ends under slightly, pinching to seal the ends. Bake about 25 minutes and remove from oven. Add garlic powder to melted butter and brush over the top of the bread dough and return to the oven for about five more minutes until golden brown. Cool at least 5-10 minutes before slicing into 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve with warmed pizza sauce.

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

2011-01-29T08:45:00.000-05:00

Have you ever used the chipotle in adobo peppers you can usually find the Mexican or ethnic aisle of your grocery store? I absolutely love them. They have such awesome flavor. I add them to chili, salsa, taco meat, and all kinds of things. The adobo sauce adds such a great smoky heat. Chipotles in adobo are dried, smoked jalapeno peppers cooked in a sauce of spices like cumin and garlic among other things, vinegar, tomato sauce and ancho chilis, there is often a little brown sugar added too. They are spicier than a jalapeno though so be careful. If they are too hot for you, you can scrape out the seeds to cut down on the heat. The ones I buy come in a small can that looks like this.

As for this pasta, I wanted a spicy pasta with a light cream sauce. I added lots of bell peppers, onions, and cilantro to give it extra flavor. I let the chicken marinate in a little lime juice, cilantro and spices for about half an hour before cooking it to give it some extra flavor. I used whole wheat pasta to make it a little healthier. I've cut back on the chipotles in this recipe from the way I made it the first time. Although I was fine with using three chipotle peppers, my husband thought it was just too spicy so I would start with one pepper and taste it along the way. That way you get the flavor but adjust the heat to suit your own tastes. I didn't take out the seeds. Remember though that it will get a little hotter as it cooks. I used farfalle or bowtie pasta but feel free to substitute whatever shortcut pasta you would like. This makes a lot of pasta - about 8-10 servings.

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)

1/4 cup lime juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp salt

2 T olive oil

1 lb farfalle pasta

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 chipotle pepper + 1 T of adobo sauce, minced

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Trim fat from chicken breasts and cut into bite-size pieces. Combine lime juice, 1/2 of minced garlic, 1/2 of cilantro, chili powder, and salt and mix together. Pour over chicken to coat and marinate chicken about 30 minutes.

Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add generous amount of salt and add pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, add olive oil to large saute pan and heat over medium heat. Add chicken, bell peppers, onions and remaining garlic and cook about 6-8 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are softened. Add chicken stock and chipotle pepper and adobo sauce and cook until stock is reduced by about 1/3. Reduce heat to low and add cream and cheese. Stir to combine and return pasta to sauce pan and toss to evenly coat with sauce. Cook about 5 minutes and top with remaining cilantro and serve.

We have a winner!

2011-01-25T20:10:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in my contest this week to win a copy of Michael Chiarello's cookbook Bottega and some lemon-pepper panko breadcrumbs to try courtesy of General Mills and MyBlogSpark. Thank you to all of you for reading and following my blog!

There were 48 comments telling me about what they would make with panko breadcrumbs -- I got a few new ideas to use from them. I chose the winner via a random number generator and the winning number was entry number seven.

Amber from Texas Tales said...
How exciting! I love exploring new recipes and reading cookbooks. Would love to win. In the meantime, I'll have to try out these panko bread crumbs. I enjoy cooking our tilapia or catfish in seasoned bread crumbs, and it might be time to mix it up a little!

Amber - I think you'll like the panko -- it will make an extra crispy crust on your fish! Enjoy the cookbook and thank you for reading my blog! I've sent you an email with the details.

Carrot Cake

2011-01-23T22:17:00.000-05:00

So for at least the past week I have been wanting carrot cake -- I'm not sure why but I'm chalking it up to pregnancy cravings. I finally had a halfway decent excuse to make one since we were having friends over for dinner. While I love the carrot cake cupcakes I've made in the past, I wanted to try a new recipe that used pineapple since I had some crushed pineapple in the fridge that I needed to use up. (The cupcakes are a great recipe to try if you prefer your carrot cake sans additions.) It was an excellent decision, I found an Ina Garten recipe that used pineapple (although it called for fresh but I subbed in the canned that I already had) and it also added in raisins and walnuts (although I made another substitution and used pecans since I had those in the pantry). Just make sure if you do use canned pineapple that you get the kind packed in its own juice not heavy syrup, you don't need to add extra sugar to the recipe. It turned out to be really moist and topped with a cream cheese frosting, a perfect choice to satisfy my craving.

This cake is really forgiving, there's no complicated mixing instructions, you don't have to sift flour and most of the ingredients you probably have on hand. I also added some extra spices to the recipe. It originally called for cinnamon but I added some ginger and nutmeg as well. A thick cream cheese frosting is always a good combination for carrot or other spice cakes and is really easy to whip up. I used my normal cream cheese frosting which has a 1:1 ratio of cream cheese to butter. To that, I add vanilla, milk or cream and powdered sugar. Make sure you whip the frosting really well to incorporate plenty of air, this will help give it a light texture and make it the right consistency to frost your cake. I did end up with about an extra cup of frosting even after converting this from a 2-layer to 3-layer cake.

The original instructions were to use 2 8-inch pans but unless your cake pans are deeper than standard cake pans, I think you would have overflow problems, I split it into 3 8-inch pans and thought the layers were still pretty substantial. They do bake up pretty flat so there was no trimming required to assemble.

Carrot Cake
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten via Food Network

Cake:
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups canola or vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 T
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 8-inch round cake pans (or you can use baking spray) and line with parchment paper if desired (I didn't and it came out just fine but with a more delicate cake or if I'm not just making it for myself, I usually do).

Combine sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for about two minutes until light yellow in color. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt and whisk together. Add to mixing bowl and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Batter will be pretty thick at this point. Toss raisins and pecans with remaining one tablespoon of flour. Fold raisins, pecans, carrots and pineapple into batter until well distributed. Divide batter evenly among pans and bake about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans about ten minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:
1 package cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat), at room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 T milk
1 pound powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed about three minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and first three tablespoons of milk and mix on low to incorporate. Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing on low until incorporated. Increase speed and whip about two minutes, adding additional milk if necessary to reach desired consistency. When cakes are completely cool, spread about 1/4 of the frosting on top of the first layer, spread evenly, top with 2nd layer, add another 1/4 of the frosting and top with remaining layer. Add a generous amount of frosting to the top of the cake and smooth working out with a spatula to the edges and down the sides of the cake.

A Giveaway and an Easy Weeknight Dinner

2011-01-21T15:59:00.001-05:00

***This contest is now closed - Thank you for participating!***

Well it's a good thing I didn't make a New Year's resolution to blog more often -- oh wait I did that?? FAIL! These last couple of weeks have really just gotten away from me. In a bit of good news, I have gotten a lot done, work has been busy, the nursery is finished and all the baby's laundry is cleaned and put away, and my freezer is full of meals frozen for easy dinners once she arrives. So there's my excuse. To make it up to you -- here's a GIVEAWAY for a beautiful cookbook, Bottega by Michael Chiarello Chef Chiarello is the host of Easy Entertaining on the Food Network and chef at Bottega Napa Valley Restaurant. Along with this great cookbook, you'll also receive a box of the Progresso Lemon-Pepper Panko Breadcrumbs that I used in the recipe below to try out.

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me what you would like to try to make or what your favorite dish using panko breadcrumbs is. For a second chance to win, "like" Homemade by Holman on Facebook by clicking on the link in the side bar of this page and leave a separate comment telling me you're a fan. All entries must be made before Tuesday, January 25 at 6 pm Eastern and must include a valid email address to be eligible.

Speaking of the recipe... I promised a quick and easy dinner and this definitely meets those qualifications. You can have all this ready to go in about twenty minutes. If you have never used panko breadcrumbs before, they make a much crisper breading than traditional breadcrumbs. I generally just buy the unflavored variety in the grocery store and season them up as needed but these lemon-pepper flavored breadcrumbs work great with the pesto pasta. In the interest of full disclosure, I had pesto on hand when I decided to make this as I made a big batch this fall when I had an abundance of basil from the garden and froze it. But pesto is really easy to make and only takes a few minutes, so I've included the recipe below (although this will make more than you need but you can freeze the extra.) You can also find pesto in the grocery store if you want a pre-made version.

Lemon Pepper Panko Crusted Chicken with Pesto Pasta

Serves 4

Chicken:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into 4 pieces

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

3 T olive oil

Pasta:

8 oz spaghetti (I used whole wheat)

1/4 cup pesto sauce

Salt

Pesto:
1 cup packed basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil (if desired, you can cook directly on the baking sheet but foil makes for extra easy cleanup). For the chicken, set up two wide shallow dishes for the breading process. In one dish, beat egg and add milk, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. In the second dish, add breadcrumbs. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness approximately 1/2" thick. Dip each piece in the egg mixture, coating both sides and letting any excess drip off before transferring to the breadcrumbs. Coat both sides, lightly pressing the breadcrumbs into the chicken to ensure they are well-coated. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add chicken breasts and cook about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to baking sheet and continue cooking in the oven until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.

For the pasta, heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat. Generously add salt and add pasta to boiling water. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and toss with pesto sauce.

For the pesto, combine basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, slowly stream in olive oil with processor running until uniform. Stir in cheese and pour over pasta.

Please note: Giveaway provided by General Mills via MyBlogSpark. Although these products were provided to me free of charge, the opinions above are my own and are not influenced by General Mills or MyBlogSpark.

Cranberry - Orange Muffins

2011-01-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

So as it turns out, the very last thing I baked in 2010 ended up being one of my favorites. I made these cranberry-orange muffins for breakfast on New Year's Eve and they were delicious. I've been meaning to try them ever since we had a breakfast tailgate for a football game a couple of months ago and we had some muffins from a local bakery here in town. I hate to brag, but I think mine were better. This has convinced me once again that I need to make more recipes from The Pastry Queen cookbook. Everything I've made out of it so far has been delicious.

The recipe in the cookbook is for "Essence of Orange Muffins" but as suggested, I added fruit. I used frozen cranberries (like pumpkin I tend to stock up around Thanksgiving when they go on sale). You could substitute fresh or dried cranberries as well. I also used an equal ratio of orange juice to milk instead of 2:1 as the recipe suggested and added a little cinnamon and ginger. I also decided to skip the glaze and topped half with demerara or turbinado sugar and left half plain. The extra sugar gives the tops a nice sweet crunch so I recommend adding it. This is one baked good that its fine to use skim or 2% milk instead of whole milk without any issues as well. I used skim milk and light sour cream with no problems.

I baked these in a jumbo size muffin pan and the recipe yielded 12 muffins.

Cranberry - Orange Muffins
Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook

3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup fresh/frozen cranberries, roughly chopped
Demerara sugar (about a tsp per muffin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with baking spray or line with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine milk, orange juice, sour cream, eggs, and butter and whisk until well combined. In another mixing bowl, add sugar and orange zest. Use your fingers to rub orange zest into the sugar until distributed and fragrant. Add in flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated. Fold in the cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared pans (I use an ice cream scoop to make it easier) and fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle about one teaspoon of demerara sugar over the top of each muffin. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and spring back lightly to the touch. Cool in pans about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

2010's Top 10

2010-12-30T09:32:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! 2010 was a pretty good year for me, although it sure went by quickly. The year started and ended with lots of travelling, I think we went home to Iowa a half a dozen times this past year. I also travelled to Texas a couple of times for my sister's wedding festivities, we went to St. Louis to celebrate our own 1st wedding anniversary, and spent a week at the beach in August with my college roommates. We ended the year travelling for the holidays and a weekend in Chicago to celebrate my mom's birthday. My husband started a new job this fall and I kept busy throughout the summer and fall with lots of baking jobs making hundreds of cupcakes and several birthday cakes.

Of course the big news is that we found out we'll be having our first child in 2011, thank you all for sticking around even though it was tough to keep up with this blog when I could barely think about food for the few months. These last few months have been busy with preparing the nursery, baby showers, and doctors appointments. Now we're almost there and our daughter should be here mid-February!

As we all recover from the sugar coma of the holidays, I'll be sharing some recipes from my baby shower, as well as some freezer meals as I try to stock up before the baby arrives. For now though, I'll leave you with the most popular recipes from 2010. Evidently the popularity of cupcakes isn't over yet!

S'mores Cupcakes

Margarita Cupcakes

Chocolate Cherry Coke Cupcakes

White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

Snickers Cupcakes

Lasagna Roll-ups

Italian Cream Cake

Triple Lemon Cupcakes

Dijon Chicken Club Sandwiches

Mudslide Cupcakes

Spiced Brown Sugar Christmas Cookies

2010-12-23T07:30:00.001-05:00

I had to make another batch of Christmas cookies, and since it was my 4th batch of sugar cookies in as many weeks, I decided to go for something a little different this time around. For the dough, I made a spiced brown sugar cookie dough. They turned out to be sort of a cross between a gingerbread cookie and a sugar cookie. They are prepared the same way as traditional roll and cut cookies, making them convenient to do in parts. You can (and should by at least an hour or two) make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate. Then when you are ready to bake them, roll out the dough, cut and bake. This dough is a little bit more particular than my normal sugar cookie dough. I had to let it sit on the counter about ten minutes before I was able to roll it out. But don't let it sit out too long, if it becomes too warm, the dough will be sticky.

For icing, I used royal icing again, you can find the recipe here. If you are going to color your royal icing, I recommend using gel food colorings. I especially like the Americolor brand if you can find them; they come in convenient squeeze bottles which is more convenient than the Wilton jars. Around here, I can find Wilton at several different places but can only get the Americolor at Hobby Lobby or online. If you try to use the normal liquid food colorings, it will change the consistency of your icing or you wont be able to add enough to get saturated colors. If you are having trouble finding meringue powder, check out a craft store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby - again, I can only find the Wilton brand. You may also be able to find it at large grocery stores, sometimes in the baking aisle and sometimes it's in a craft section if you are at a store like Walmart or Meijer.

This is my first attempt at marbling with royal icing so I'll tell you what I did and recommend that you google a tutorial -- Bridget from Bake at 350 has tips and so does Marian of Sweetopia. To do the peppermint candies, I outlined and flooded my cookies like normal, doing about a dozen cookies at a time. I then used the red outline consistency icing in a piping bag with a Wilton tip #3 to pipe a swirl onto the center of the candy. I gently tapped the cookies to let the swirl settle into the flood icing. Then used a toothpick to drag through the swirl to create the marble effect.

Spiced Brown Sugar Cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from Bake at 350

3 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl and whisk to combine. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar, brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Slowly add flour mixture, mixing on low speed. The dough will be very stiff. Lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap and turn dough out on to plastic. Form into a disk and wrap tightly. Chill approximately one hour.

Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand five to ten minutes at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Generously flour work area and rolling pin. Roll dough to about 1/4" thick and cut into desired shapes. Transfer to prepared pans and bake about 9-12 minutes. Cookies shouldn't really brown but will firm up. Remove from the oven, let stand about one minute on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cool, frost as desired.

See other examples here:
Thanksgiving cookies
Christmas Cookies
Gingerbread Snowflakes
More Christmas Cookies

Rasberry Pochettes

2010-12-22T06:00:00.003-05:00

These are a simple little treat with an indulgent cream cheese crust filled with jam. You can use whatever flavor you have on hand, I thought the raspberry would be pretty and it's one of my favorite flavors of jam. That and my husband won't use it for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so we weren't out of it when I went to make these. Use jelly or preserves for these, it doesn't matter. I prefer preserves so that's what I used here.

I used a flower cookie cutter to cut these out because I liked the rounded edges and added decoration. You can use any shape you like or a simple 3" round cookie cutter. One thing to note, with the flower cookie cutter, you'll have more leakage because the edges won't line up quite as perfectly as a round cut-out would. I recommend baking these on parchment paper so you don't end up with a sticky mess of burnt jelly to clean up when you are done.

Raspberry Pochettes
Recipe adapted from Melissa D'Arabian via Food Network

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Approximately 1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 egg white
Sanding sugar

Combine butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Slowly add the flour and salt, beating on low speed until just combined. Lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap and turn the dough out onto the plastic. Form into a disk, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Generously flour your work surface and a rolling pin. Roll out the dough to about 1/8" thick. Cut out rounds or shapes as desired. Add about a half a teaspoon of jam to one side of each cookie. Brush the edges lightly with water. Fold the dough over and press to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork. Re-roll scraps and continue with remaining dough.

Beat egg white with approximately one tablespoon of water, brush over cookies and sprinkle cookies with sanding sugar. Bake until golden, about 18 - 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and serve.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2010-12-21T11:40:00.002-05:00

If candy-making intimidates you, this is the perfect recipe for you to try. You don't even need your stove, no thermometers are involved, you barely need a pan. This fudge can be made completely in the microwave and only takes about five minutes. It's a perfect recipe to round out your holiday baking when you are short on time.

Peanut Butter Fudge
Recipe via Erin's Food Files from Alton Brown

1 cup of butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb powdered sugar

Prepare a pan by covering it in wax paper and spraying with nonstick cooking spray, leaving at least one inch overhang of wax paper around all edges. You can use an 8x11" baking sheet with a one inch rim or an 8x8" square pan if you want thicker fudge.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine butter and peanut butter. Microwave on high two minutes, stir and microwave two additional minutes. Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth. Pour into prepared pan, smooth, and cover with another sheet of wax paper pressed directly against the surface of the fudge. Refrigerate at least two hours and cut into one inch squares.

Rocky Road Fudge

2010-12-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

Fudge is a classic Christmas dessert but not one I have a ton of experience with. I've made a couple of different types in the past and found it to be much easier than I expected and this recipe ended up being very easy as well. The most time consuming part is chopping up the chocolate.

If you haven't finished your Christmas baking yet, here are some other candy recipes you may be interested in.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Fudge

And check back tomorrow for Peanut Butter Fudge!

Rocky Road Fudge

Recipe slightly adapted from Dinner and Dessert

18 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

14 oz (1 can) sweetened, condensed milk

1 T vanilla extract

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line an 8x11 inch baking sheet with aluminum foil leaving at least 1" overlap on all sides. You want to use a baking sheet that has at least a 1" high rim. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Set up a double boiler with a couple inches of water over medium heat. In a heat proof boil or double boiler, toss chopped chocolate with baking soda and salt until well distributed. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Set bowl over simmering water, making sure that bowl doesnt touch the water. Stir continuously with a rubber spatula until chocolate is almost fully melted. It will likely take about 2-4 minutes to melt, remove bowl from heat when there are just a few remaining pieces and stir until smooth.

Stir in marshmallows, peanuts, and chocolate chips. Mixture will be quite thick. Quickly transfer mixture to prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Refrigerate until set, at least two hours. Use foil overhang to remove fudge from pan, peel off foil and chop into approximately 1" square pieces.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Blondies

2010-12-17T06:00:00.008-05:00

Do you still have an extra can or two of pumpkin in your pantry from Thanksgiving? Or maybe you're like me and you buy a dozen cans as soon as it hits the shelves so that you don't run out. I'm down to three cans and thinking I should pick up a few more because I really don't accept that I can only use pumpkin in the fall. Especially when I can make things like these blondies. These are so rich and delicious and they are easy to make as well.

The original recipe called for chocolate chips but I think the butterscotch is a better combination. You could use white chocolate if you prefer as well.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Blondies
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, soda, and salt and whisk together and set aside. In a second mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin. Mixture may appear slightly curdled at this point but its okay. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Spread batter in prepared pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. Bake about 35-40 minutes until edges begin to pull away from side of pan and toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Cool completely in the pan. Invert out of pan onto wire rack, peel off foil, cut into squares and transfer to a serving plate.

Note: As per FTC requirements, the butter in this dish was provided by Real Butter, as part of a Tastemaker promotion sponsored by Real Butter for holiday baking. I received a gift package of butter and holiday baking supplies. However, the opinions above are strictly mine and are not affected by this promotion.

Sugar Cookies for Christmas

2010-12-16T12:57:00.001-05:00

Frosted sugar cookies are a staple on almost everyone's Christmas baking list. I've made them lots of different ways over the years but my favorite recipe is this one. These cookies bake up without changing shape so its easy to see the details from the cookie cutter. They stay fresh for quite a while and don't turn rock hard as long as you keep them in an airtight container. The almond and vanilla extracts give them great flavor without being too sweet.

Royal icing is necessary if you want cookies that you can decorate in layers and it dries hard so you can stack the finished cookies without ruining them. Royal icing requires a little practice but it's pretty quick and easy once you get the hang of it. The recipe below will give you the right consistency to outline your cookies. I generally use a piping bag and a Wilton tip #2 or #3 to outline my cookies.

Once you've outlined the cookies, thin the icing by adding a little bit of water (a teaspoon or less) at a time until it reaches the consistency of a thick syrup. In my opinion, the easiest way to fill in the cookies is to fill a squeeze bottle with the thinned icing and flood the cookies, using a toothpick to pop any air bubbles and spread icing out to the outline. You'll want to let the outlines dry for about an hour minimum before you fill them in. Then let the thinned icing dry overnight before stacking the cookies and packaging.

Sugar Cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from Annie's Eats

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out cookies

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl on medium high speed, about two minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated. Add in egg, almond and vanilla extracts, and salt and mix until well incorporated. Add in flour and beat on low speed just until mixed. Transfer dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap, form into a disc and wrap well. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Flour counter to roll out cookies. Also flour rolling pin. Roll to approximately 1/4" thick and cut with cookie cutters as desired. Transfer cookies to prepared pans and bake about 8 - 10 minutes. Cookies should not brown. Gather scraps and re-roll. If dough becomes sticky, return to refrigerator briefly before rolling. Recipe yields about 4 dozen cookies depending on size of cookie cutters.

Royal Icing
Recipe from Bake at 350

4 T meringue powder
Scant 1/2 cup water
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp corn syrup
1/4 tsp almond extract

Combine water and meringue powder in mixing bowl. You can make royal icing without a stand mixer but its a lot easier with one, your arm will get tired with a hand mixer! Beat until slightly foamy. Add powdered sugar, corn syrup and extract, beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium high and beat about five minutes until stiff peaks form and icing is glossy. Divide icing into small containers to color. Add gel coloring as desired and press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the icing and cover with a lid.

To do the shimmery snowflakes, I added sanding sugar over the thinned icing after letting the cookies stand about five minutes. For the Christmas trees, I let the flood icing dry completely before piping on the swirl lines with the original outline icing. If you leave the outline icing in the piping bag, make sure you cover it with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.

This recipe should be enough for the above cookie recipe unless you need to use lots of colors/layers of icing.

See other examples here:
Thanksgiving cookies
Christmas Cookies
Gingerbread Snowflakes

Classic Apple Pie

2010-12-12T22:11:00.000-05:00

Apple pie intimidates a lot of people. Despite looking relatively simple and ordinary, it can be tricky to get the filling to have the right consistency. You want the filling to be thick but not dry, if its too liquidy the crust will be soggy. You want to be able to see the apple slices; tender but not mushy. You want the crust to be flaky and tender, not dense and dry. I'm by no means an expert on apple pie, but here are a few tips that have worked for me.

Apples: Get a mix of apples, that way you are likely to have some of the best characteristics of each variety. I like granny smith, pink lady, and honeycrisp. Try to cut them all into slices of uniform thickness so they cook at the same rate. Sprinkle the lemon juice on the sliced apples right away, if its going to take you a while to slice them, sprinkle some on the cut slices as you go.

Thickening agent: I use cornstarch rather than flour, you can use either but I prefer cornstarch as I think it works better.

Filling: Mix your filling together and let it sit for a bit while you prepare the crust. The sugars will draw some of the juices out of the apples and allow the cornstarch to work it's magic. It's going to look like you have too much filling but you really want to pile it up high because the apples are going to shrink when you bake your pie and you don't want to have a hollow crust. I always like to use a deep dish pie plate for apple pie. Also make sure you put a cookie sheet under your pie pan when you put it in the oven. There will almost always be a spot where the filling leaks out and bubbles over, it's much easier to clean up a cookie sheet than a sugary burned apple syrup off the bottom of your oven.

Crust: Use cold butter, really, really cold butter. You can freeze it and grate it with a cheese grater or your food processor. If you don't want to do that, cut it into small pieces and then return it to the refrigerator/freezer. You want the pieces of butter to remain when you roll out the dough, its those streaks of butter that lead to an extra flaky crust.

I'm not sure of the source of this recipe for the filling, the crust is from Martha Stewart Baking. If you don't have a food processor, you can mix the pie crust by hand or in a stand mixer as well, I just think the food processor is the easiest. And if the crust intimidates you, pick up a package of the refrigerated pie dough, all you have to do is unroll it and it's pretty good.

Apple Pie

Crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold
4 T ice water plus more if needed
1 egg white

Filling:
Approximately 3 pounds apples, peeled, cored and sliced into uniform thickness
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1-2 T cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 T unsalted butter

Grate or cut cold butter into small pieces and freeze for about 15 minutes. In bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt. Pulse a couple of times to combine. Add the butter pieces and pulse about 10-12 times until the mixture becomes coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process about 20 seconds, the dough will clump up and begin to hold together. If the dough appears too dry, add more water, one teaspoon at a time and pulse briefly until the dough sticks together when you pinch it between your fingers. Lay out 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and dump 1/2 of dough out onto each sheet. Press into a disk, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least an hour. (You can do this a day or two in advance if you prefer.)

To make the filling, toss sliced apples with lemon juice and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle about half of the cornstarch over apples. Add spices and stir gently to combine. After the mixture sits for a while, if it looks like there is too much liquid, add remaining cornstarch to thicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously flour rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll pie crust to about 1/4" thick. Remember that it needs to be about an inch wider than the diameter of your pie plate plus twice the depth. Spray pie pan with baking spray. Carefully move rolled out crust to pie plate. Fill pie with prepared filling, mounding high above the pie plate. Dot with remaining butter. Carefully roll out top crust and center over top of filling. Press and crimp edges to seal as desired. Carefully slice 3-4 slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Mix egg white with one tablespoon of water and brush pie crust.

Bake pie for about 50-60 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. If the edges begin to look too brown before the pie is ready, cover with foil and continue baking. Let stand about two hours to set before serving. Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream both make excellent toppings.

Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Dressing

2010-12-11T13:28:00.001-05:00

Wow... it has been a busy couple of weeks. In the past 2 weeks we've travelled to my parents for Thanksgiving weekend, had two baby showers, 2 prenatal classes, one of my college roommate's was in town to visit, a Christmas party, and our everyday jobs. That didn't leave a lot of time for blogging. So I have a stack of recipes to share with you and just need to find some time to post them. Now if only I could find some time to get my holiday baking started and Christmas shopping done, I might actually catch up a little bit but the next couple of weeks are looking like they will be just as busy.

Going back to my Thanksgiving recap, I want to share a recipe for wild rice dressing. My mom isn't really a fan of bread so traditional stuffing recipes don't really appeal to her. When I saw this recipe in Cooking Light for a wild rice dressing, I thought it would be a great addition to our normal Thanksgiving menu. I made a few modifications for our own tastes to come up with the recipe below. I think it turned out great and the leftovers were good as well.

Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Dressing
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, November 2010

1 cup uncooked wild rice
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 T olive oil
1 cup dried cranberries
5-6 green onions, chopped
2 T fresh sage, minced
2 T flat leaf parsley, minced
1 T fresh thyme, stripped from stems
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saucepan, combine rice, stock, water and 1/4 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 40 minutes until rice is tender. Transfer cooked rice to a 9x13 or similar baking dish coated with cooking spray, do not drain.

While the rice is cooking, toss butternut squash with olive oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for approximately 20-25 minutes until tender. Add to rice in baking dish.

Add cranberries, onions, herbs, and spices to mixture, adding additional salt and pepper as desired. Stir everything together, cover with foil and bake about 15 minutes until everything is heated through.

Pumpkin Roll

2010-12-01T19:20:00.001-05:00

While this is a classic recipe, it was one I've never made on my own before. It's a really impressive dessert, especially when you serve it to people who aren't familiar with it because it looks much more difficult than it is. I got lots of "oohs and aahs" when I sliced it at Thanksgiving. This requires less than 20 minutes of baking time. Everything else is just waiting on cooling and refrigeration. Give yourself plenty of time to refrigerate though because this is best served cold. If you want to make it in advance, you can also freeze it.

The pumpkin part of the recipe is a very thin pumpkin cake -- you'll want to be careful not to overcook this and use the right size pan. You want a moist cake that will easily roll up. You need a thin cotton towel as well, preferably one without much texture like a flour sack dishtowel, otherwise your cake will end up with impressions from your towel and your towel may be more likely to leave little cotton fibers on the cake. Be liberal with the powdered sugar when you sprinkle it on the towel, it's like flouring a counter to roll out pizza dough, you don't want it to stick. The original recipe also calls for walnuts but I left those out and added a little ginger and nutmeg to the cake.

For the cream filling, it's essentially a thick cream cheese frosting. I added some maple syrup and vanilla extract for flavoring to mine. Don't go overboard with the filling. It doesn't look like a lot when you make it but there will be plenty. You want to spread it in a thin even layer over the cake. Once you roll it up, the filling is so rich and creamy that you don't want it to overpower the cake.

Pumpkin Roll

Adapted from Libby's

Cake:
3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

6 T unsalted butter, softened

2 T maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar (plus more for towel and dusting)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 10" x 15" jellyroll pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, spray parchment paper as well. (The parchment paper is just extra insurance that you cake will come out of the pan cleanly.)

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a large mixing bowl and whisk to fluff and incorporate. Beat eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy. Add pumpkin and beat well. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake 11-15 minutes, rotating halfway through to insure your oven cooks evenly. The cake should spring back when lightly touched.

Prepare kitchen towel by sprinkling with about 1/4 cup powdered sugar in a thin layer. Loosen cake from pan by running a knife around all edges. Carefully flip cake onto towel and peel off parchment paper. Gently roll cake and towel up together and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before assembling.

For filling, beat together cream cheese and butter about 2-3 minutes until smooth. Add syrup and vanilla and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, increase speed to medium high and whip until light and fluffy. Set aside until cake is cooled.

To assemble, carefully unroll cake. Quickly spread a thin layer of filling evenly over the cake and re-roll cake without the towel. Wrap cake in a double layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Cider-Brined Roast Turkey and Gravy

2010-11-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

The star of Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey. There are many ways to make a turkey, you can bake it, fry it, grill it, smoke it, etc. but my favorite way to make it is to brine it overnight the night before you bake it. Brining the turkey in a salty solution infuses the turkey with extra moisture, creating an extra juicy turkey. While I don't take credit for the apple cider brine, I have no idea where the original recipe came from and its been adapted several times over the past few years to the current version.

Even if you brine the turkey, the most important thing is not to overcook it. If you overcook it, no matter what you did the turkey will be dry. My advice - don't rely on that little pop-up button that comes in the turkey. They are often wrong or just don't work at all. Make sure you get a meat thermometer, you can find one at pretty much any store with a kitchen department. While you can spend a lot of money, you definitely don't have to. Personally, I prefer the kind that has a probe that you can leave in the turkey that connects to a display outside of your oven.

The gravy recipe below is for "sweet gravy" a recipe that my grandma always made. You can make the gravy without the sugar, but I really suggest trying it to see if you like it if you've never had sweet gravy before.

Cider-brined Roast Turkey

Brine:
1 quart apple cider
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 T allspice
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 T peppercorns
8 whole cloves
At least 3 quarts water

Heat the apple cider, brown sugar, salt, and allspice in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Stir frequently until boiling to dissolve sugar. Set aside to cool. Quarter onion and smash and peel garlic cloves. In a container large enough to submerge the turkey, add the cider mixture, apple cider vinegar, onion, and garlic along with bay leaf, peppercorns, and cloves. Add two cups ice. Carefully add thawed turkey (make sure to remove the neck and giblets first if necessary). Pour in water until the turkey is submerged. Refrigerate turkey for approximately 12 hours.

Turkey:
1 14-18 pound turkey
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 T sage, chopped
2 T thyme, chopped
1 apple, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 onion, quartered
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken or turkey stock
Cheesecloth

When ready to cook the turkey, preheat oven to 375 degrees, rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on a roasting rack in a heavy roasting pan. Pour wine in a shallow bowl and soak a square of cheesecloth big enough to cover the turkey breast in wine. Mix butter with herbs and rub liberally over turkey, including inside cavity and under skin of breast. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Lay cheesecloth over turkey breast. Add apple, lemon and onion slices to the cavity of the turkey, put anything that doesn't fit in the bottom of the pan. Pour any remaining wine over the turkey, add about 2 cups of stock to the bottom of the pan.

Bake turkey at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking for about 15 minutes per pound. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth for the last 45 minutes of baking time. Cook turkey until the temperature in the breast reaches 160 degrees on both sides. Remove turkey from the oven, transfer to a platter, tent with foil and let rest for about 30 minutes. Save the turkey drippings in the pan for gravy. Temperature should continue to rise until it hits 165 degrees. Remove the aromatics from the turkey cavity and discard. Carve turkey as desired. If during the cooking process, the wing tips or legs start to get too dark, cover them loosely with foil and continue cooking.

Gravy:
Turkey drippings
1/3 cup water
2 T cornstarch
2-3 T sugar
Chicken or turkey stock if necessary

Carefully pour turkey drippings from roasting pan into a large measuring cup, mason jar, or gravy separator or similar container. Put container in the refrigerator. The fat from the drippings will rise to the top and then can be carefully spooned or poured off and discarded. Meanwhile, mix together cornstarch and water to form a slurry in a separate cup. Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add remaining drippings. Whisking constantly, add cornstarch slurry to thicken. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens to desired consistency. If its too thick or you don't have enough gravy, you can add additional stock, if it's too thin, add more cornstarch slurry. Do not add the cornstarch directly to the gravy or it will be difficult to get rid of lumps, mix it with water first. When it's the right consistency, add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, to taste. Transfer to a gravy boat or serving bowl and serve hot.

Thanksgiving 2010 Menu

2010-11-29T21:27:00.005-05:00

This year's Thanksgiving dinner was a great mix of old and new recipes. Thanksgiving is one meal you don't want to experiment with too much. People expect the classic holiday dishes, but that doesn't mean you have to make them the same way they were made twenty years ago either. Putting a few new spins and ideas on the table can keep things from getting boring.

I'll be posting several of these recipes over the next couple weeks -- bookmark them for next year or keep them in mind for your Christmas dinner. I'll also be posting some great recipes using some of the leftovers too.

Thanksgiving Menu

Dinner:
Cider-Brined Roast Turkey and Gravy
Apple Cranberry Stuffing
Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Cinnamon Streusel Sweet Potato Casserole
Roasted Vegetables
Spinach and Apple Salad with Cranberry Lime Vinaigrette
Macaroni and Cheese
Parker House Rolls

Dessert:
Deep Dish Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Roll
Caramelized Banana Pudding

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

2010-11-24T12:04:00.000-05:00

I've posted a monkey bread recipe before and its my favorite "special" day breakfast treat. But when I saw this recipe on the blog What's Cooking Chicago, I knew I had to try it. She adapted the recipe from Paula Deen's Gorilla Bread Recipe - which I've actually tried before but wasn't really impressed with. The cubes of cream cheese in the middle of the rolls didn't really work for me. But this version with the cinnamon apple mixture in the middle of the rolls sounded great. It only takes a few extra minutes during the assembly process (which you can do the night before if you want) and adds an unexpected twist to the classic monkey bread recipe.

This would be great for a big breakfast while so many people have family over during the holidays. Add an egg casserole or strata for something savory and some fresh fruit and hot coffee and you have a great, easy breakfast that you can do all the prep work the night before and just bake in the morning.

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Recipe adapted from Whats Cookin' Chicago, originally adapted from Paula Deen

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

3 cans refrigerated biscuits (I use the Pillsbury Buttermilk biscuits that come in a 4 pack)

2 large apples, diced (I used Gala)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more for buttering pan

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heavily butter a bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly around the bottom of the pan.

Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Open biscuits and flatten each individual biscuit into discs about 1/4" thick. Dredge both sides in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Continue until all biscuits are coated.

Combine apples with remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture. Spoon about one teaspoon of apple mixture into the center of each biscuit and fold up biscuit into a pouch and seal. Drop stuffed biscuits into the pan, trying to keep the layers even all the way around. Don't worry about packing them in too tightly, they'll fill in the gaps as it bakes.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium high heat. Heat just until the edges of the sauce start to rapidly bubble and boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pour mixture over the top of the rolls.

Bake about 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown. Cool about five minutes in the pan, cover with a large plate and invert. Uncover and serve warm.

Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2010-11-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of cinnamon chips? I had heard of them but had yet to ever see them in a grocery store until a few days ago. My local Kroger had a big baking display for the holidays and they had all kinds of chips on sale, including cinnamon chips. I wasn't sure what I was going to make with them but I figured I should pick up a bag and figure that out later. By the time I got home, I had decided they would be perfect in oatmeal raisin cookies. Evidently I wasn't the only one who thought it would be a good idea... Hershey's had a similar recipe on the back of the package. I used my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe from Quaker and just adjusted a bit.

Unfortunately I also found out that my dog also enjoys these cookies. We left the house on Sunday and I forgot that I had left the plate of cookies on the counter instead of putting them in a storage container and when we got home there were only a few cookies left on the plate. Luckily she hadn't knocked the plate off the counter and broke it into a million pieces and at least she didn't get sick from all the cookies. But I am going to have to make these again because we didn't get very many before the dog finished them off. Make sure you store yours somewhere a little more secure.

Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Recipe adapted from Quaker Oats

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 T dark corn syrup
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
2/3 cup golden raisins
2/3 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Add in eggs, vanilla and corn syrup and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix until well incorporated. Add oats and mix in by hand until evenly mixed. Finally stir in raisins and cinnamon chips. (A sturdy wooden spoon works well for this as the batter will be quite stiff.)

Use a cookie scoop or similar measure to drop onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Cool on the pan about one minute and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Recipe yields about four dozen cookies, depending on size.

Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2010-11-18T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here's another alternative to that traditional sweet potato pie I was talking about yesterday, but this recipe has a savory spin on it. These are as simple as it gets, all you have to do is peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Then it's as easy as tossing them on a baking sheet with a little olive oil and some spices. Roasting them at a high temperature, results in a crispy outside and soft inside. These would be great as a healthier alternative to fries as a side for burgers. Make them as a side dish for Thanksgiving, they would be great with a spice-rubbed turkey like this turkey breast. A turkey breast is a great idea for a smaller Thanksgiving meal.

Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 T olive oil
1 tsp Ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop sweet potatoes into approximately 1/2 inch cubes. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil. Combine spices in a small bowl and sprinkle liberally over potatoes. Toss well and bake about 20-25 minutes. Use a spatula to turn the potatoes about halfway through the cooking time. The potatoes should be crispy on the outside and easily pierced with a fork.

Sweet Potato Bake -- A Healthier Way

2010-11-17T06:15:00.001-05:00

Maybe you are used to the marshmallow covered sweet potato "pie" served so often served at Thanksgiving, maybe you like your sweet potatoes baked and topped with sweet cinnamon butter. These sweet potatoes are usually whipped with cream or butter and then topped with sugar or marshmallows and baked. The result, a dish that could pass for dessert disguised as a side dish.

This dish is still sweet, but due to the sweet potatoes natural sweetness and apple cider, rather than a lot of extra sugar. I love them combined with apples and cranberries. I also prefer them in chunks rather than whipped. These are really easy and can be made for ten people just as easily as for one person. You can bake up each person's serving in individual ramekins or bake it all in one big dish, whichever is easier. The below recipe serves two. I like to use an apple like Gala or Honeycrisp for this dish.

Come back tomorrow for a savory sweet potato dish!

Sweet Potato Bake

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and cubed
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup apple cider
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop sweet potatoes and apples into approximately 1/2" cubes. Divide potatoes and apples evenly among to two ramekins, divide cranberries among baking dishes. Add half of the cider to each ramekin. Combine spices in a small dish and sprinkle over potato mixture. Toss to combine.

Bake approximately one hour, stirring every twenty minutes until cider has cooked down to a glaze and potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Classic Yellow Birthday Cake

2010-11-16T08:17:00.001-05:00

I made some birthday cakes for a one year old's birthday a couple of weeks ago. The birthday girl's dad has nicknamed her "bug" so they were going with a cute girly bug theme for the party. Such a cute idea! The plan was to do a half sheet cake and two smash cakes -- one for the party and one for pictures.

I topped one smash cake with a pink and black ladybug, the other smash cake was covered in whimsical polka dots in two shades of pink.

For the sheet cake, I did a few more lady bugs across the bottom of the cake, a cute little bumblebee and some white chocolate butterflies, inspired by Hello Cupcake!

For the cake, I did classic yellow cakes with buttercream frosting - a simple crowd-pleaser that's also kid-friendly. This is my favorite yellow cake recipe from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, it comes together so easily, bakes up really well and it is nice and moist. I do think it works better for cakes than it does for cupcakes. It doesn't require cake flour or separating egg whites and it's a really reliable recipe. The cookbook calls for self-rising flour but I substitute all purpose flour with baking powder and salt.

One tip for you - make sure you use a good sturdy cake board for a large cake like a sheet cake. I had one board under this one and it flexed a little in the middle, causing the buttercream to "crack" on the top of the cake. Doubling up the cake boards, made it much sturdier, unfortunately the cake was already decorated and there was nothing I could do about it at that point.

Classic Yellow Birthday Cake

Recipe slightly adapted from Magnolia Bakery

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 9 inch round baking pans. For extra insurance when baking layer cakes, I like to line each baking pan with parchment paper cut to size and butter and flour parchment paper. (You can also use baking spray like Baker's Joy.)

Cream butter in mixing bowl on medium speed until smooth, gradually add sugar with mixer running, beating about three minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for about one minute after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk and vanilla in a large measuring cup. Add 1/3 of the flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated, follow with 1/2 of the milk mixture and alternate, ending with flour, mixing each addition until just incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula and make sure all the flour is incorporated.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth out the tops. Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and tops are light golden brown. Cool about ten minutes in the pans and then turn out onto wire racks lined with parchment paper and cool completely. Level each layer as necessary, fill with frosting or filling and frost as desired.

Kahlua Fudge Brownies

2010-11-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

These brownies are very rich and dense, definitely more fudge-like than cake-like. The addition of a half cup of Kahlua makes them an adult treat but you can replace the Kahlua with coffee if you prefer a non-alcoholic version. While the majority of the alcohol evaporates during baking, it's hard to determine exactly how much will be left when they are done. So while these won't make you tipsy, I'm not sure it's a good idea to give them to your kids.

Like most brownies, these can be mixed up in only a matter of minutes, bake them in a jellyroll pan with at least 1" high sides or another baking dish. I went with a Bailey's Irish Cream icing because I think the Baileys and Kahlua go so well together, but you could use more Kahlua or just make a simple powdered sugar glaze. Brownies will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Kahlua Fudge Brownies

Recipe adapted from RecipeGirl

Brownies:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup Kahlua
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan with baking spray.

Set a heatproof bowl over a small pan of simmering water to form a double boiler, add chocolate and butter to bowl and heat, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. Watch the chocolate carefully, you should remove from the heat just before all the chocolate is melted and continue stirring to melt the final chocolate pieces to avoid scorching the chocolate. Set aside to cool five to ten minutes.

In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs and Kahlua on medium speed until well combined. Add chocolate mixture and beat until well mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 35-45 minutes until top cracks slightly and toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. The baking time will depend on how thick your brownies are due to pan selection.

Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 T whipping cream
2 T Baileys Irish Cream

Whisk cream and Bailey's into powdered sugar until smooth. If icing is too thick add a little more liquid, if mixture is too thin, add a little more sugar. Smooth onto cooled brownies with a spatula and allow icing to set before cutting and serving. You can chill the brownies in the refrigerator to speed up this process if desired.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

2010-11-06T12:25:00.002-04:00

It’s cold and gloomy here which is perfect soup weather. Especially when that soup has a little heat of its own from some spicy jalapeno peppers. I'm not really ready for winter weather yet -- I held out as long as I could before having to turn the heat on but with temperatures getting down in the 30s and 40s, this week was the end. The beautiful fall weather is over; it’s cold and dark before 6:00 at night, which means it’s almost winter. Have I mentioned that I really don't like winter? I look forward to the holidays, my birthday, etc but after that, I pretty much look forward to spring. I could do without the snow and gloomy dark days. But anyway, you're here for the soup recipe not to listen to me complain about the weather.

I'm calling this chicken enchilada soup because the flavors remind me of the enchilada soup at Chili's. This one has a few extras in it though with some corn and black beans. I used two kinds of cheese, a grated pepperjack cheese which adds some extra heat and melts beautifully and some crumbled cotija cheese which has a very mild flavor but adds a delicious creaminess to the soup. I poached the chicken in chicken stock with some spices and then shredded the chicken and returned it to the soup later in the cooking process. You can use boneless or bone-in chicken for this just remove the skin before cooking.

You could also make this soup in a crockpot, you'll just have to extend the cooking times - expect that it will take at least 3-4 hours on high and you'll probably want to use a 5 quart crockpot. You can cook the chicken prior to adding to the crockpot or just put it all in together using chicken breasts cut into smaller chunks. Add everything except the cheese and cilantro and cook. Add the cheese and most of the cilantro just before serving to allow it time to melt, serve and top with cilantro.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

3 cups chicken stock
2 skinless, chicken breasts
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
4-6 jalapeno peppers, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup tomato paste
8 oz cotija cheese, crumbled
8 oz pepperjack cheese, divided
1 cup cilantro, chopped
Tortilla chips

In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add chicken stock and heat over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Simmer about 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside. Add tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the pot. Simmer about 30 minutes, covered until tomatoes have begun to break down. Add black beans, corn, and tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Add cotija cheese and half of the pepperjack cheese and stir to melt. Return chicken to soup and cook about 20 more minutes until desired consistency.

If soup isn't as thick as desired, you can add strips of flour tortillas. They will dissolve into the soup to thicken the broth. Add cilantro, reserving some to top individual bowls if desired. Ladle into serving bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, reserved pepperjack cheese and cilantro if desired.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!

These are pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting rolled in orange sugar inspired by Hello Cupcake.

Crab Queso Dip

2010-10-29T17:02:00.000-04:00

This is a great appetizer for a game day tailgate or any fall party. You can make it on the stovetop and serve or transfer to a crockpot to keep warm. It's great with tortilla chips or pita bread.

This is one of those places that you can save a few calories and fat grams and use the reduced fat cream cheese and sour cream as well. I don't think you'll notice the difference. Add in plenty of jalapeno peppers to give this a good kick. Using canned crab meat will also save you a few dollars or comes in handy if you can't get fresh. Getting fresh quality seafood for an affordable price in Kentucky isn't always easy so I went with canned here.

Crab Queso Dip
Recipe inspired by Paula Deen

1 T olive oil
1/2 large or 1 whole small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4-6 jalapeno peppers, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 8 oz packages cream cheese, cut into 1 oz pieces (I used 1/3 less fat Neufchatel)
1 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated/shredded
12 oz lump crab meat (I used well-drained canned crab meat)
2 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

In a dutch oven or deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat and add onion, bell pepper, jalapenos and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes until slightly softened. Reduce heat to medium and add cream cheese. Stir to distribute and melt. When melted, add sour cream and milk and stir to incorporate. Mixture should be relatively smooth aside from the vegetables. Add shredded cheese and stir to melt. Add crab meat and spices. Stir until well mixed and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with chips or transfer to a crockpot and set on "warm" setting to keep hot.

A Fall Favorite: Pumpkin Cupcakes

2010-10-24T18:38:00.001-04:00

As I've mentioned before pumpkin desserts are some of my favorites. I didn't use to think so, I was never a fan of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, I always picked apple. But in the past couple of years, I have really developed a taste for pumpkin. I realized that maybe it was just the traditional pumpkin pie I wasn't a big fan of; pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin cheesecake were all delicious. These pumpkin cupcakes are my new favorite of all of them. In fact, I think they are my new favorite cupcake overall.

The cupcake part of these is a light and delicious cake. The pumpkin really makes a moist cake and the spices are perfect for fall. Your whole house will smell like fall within minutes of putting these in the oven. I frosted these with a classic cream cheese frosting which works perfectly with the pumpkin flavors. Top them with sprinkles, maybe some caramel sauce or those cute little candy pumpkins they sell this time of year and they are a perfect fall dessert.

I actually found this recipe browsing at Williams-Sonoma in the mall. They had some seasonal recipe cards in the store and with all the fall scents that pipe through that place, this recipe quickly went on my short list of things to make. The raisins and walnuts made it seem more muffin like than cupcake like so I left those out but added a little ground ginger to the spices. Make sure you get pure pumpkin puree for this recipe and not the pumpkin pie filling in the can.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Cupcake:

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners or spray pans with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk or sift to combine and set aside. In mixing bowl, cream together pumpkin, sugars, and oil. Mix on medium high speed about one minute until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour mixture in three additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated after each addition.

Fill cupcakes 3/4 of way full and bake approximately twenty minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans about five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost as desired.

Frosting:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese and butter and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add cream and vanilla and mix in until incorporated. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition until well incorporated, to reach desired consistency to frost cupcakes. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes as desired.

Crock Pot Apple Butter

2010-10-20T19:36:00.001-04:00

***Updated October 2010: I added cider to the recipe per a co-worker's suggestion and added a picture of my own -- you learn a little with a little more blogging experience, like remembering to take pictures when you want to blog something. I also increased the cinnamon and added a little nutmeg this time around.***

Such an easy treat... and a great way to use up apples - especially ones that are a little bruised or starting to get mushy.

Part 1:
About 15 apples (depends on the size of your crock pot and your apples - I used a 5 qt crock pot and had medium sized apples)
1 cup apple cider

Peel, core, and thinly slice all the apples until your crock pot is full. Turn it on high, add cider and cook for about an hour, then turn heat to low and cook about 8-10 hours.

(Picture via Google Images - I forgot to take one)

Part 2:
2 - 2 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

When you take off the lid, the apples should be reduced to about half their volume and most of the chunks should be gone. Add sugar and spices, stir until well mixed and cook on low for approximately 8 more hours. If its still not smooth, blend with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender. Spoon into jars and enjoy. Keep refrigerated for about 2 weeks or can by processing in a water bath.

Apple and Brie Melts

2010-10-20T19:26:00.001-04:00

Last week I received this All-Clad griddle that I won over A Cozy Kitchen so naturally I had to try it out. I knew I wanted to make a grilled cheese sandwich but I didnt want to just make a regular grilled cheese. Then I saw a caramelized apple grilled cheese on Beantown Baker which looked awesome and I knew what I would do. Unfortunately I had just used up the rest of the apples we had on hand to make a batch of crockpot apple butter, so I had to wait until I went to the grocery store to try these out. So my pretty new pan stayed in the box all weekend long.

But I picked up some crisp Fuji apples on Monday along with some brie that I found at the store to use for the cheese.

I decided to use my homemade apple butter as a sauce for the sandwich - the recipe can be found here. While it takes a little while to cook, it requires almost no effort for all of that time since its done in the crockpot. The most time consuming part of the recipe is simply peeling, coring, and slicing the apples (which you can avoid if you have a food mill).

These sandwiches aren't a typical savory grilled cheese sandwich - you may want to switch out the brie for some sharp cheddar if that's more your style and even throw on some bacon per Jen's suggestion. Use whatever type of bread you want, I used Italian bread because I had it on hand but I think this would be great with a crusty multigrain or wheat bread too. Make it even sweeter by using a cinnamon-raisin bread. These would be great appetizers made on a thin baguette of French bread for bite-sized sandwiches.

Apple and Brie Melts

4 slices of Italian bread, about 1/2" thick

1 large apple, thinly sliced

4 oz brie, thinly sliced

2 T apple butter

1 T butter

Spread apple butter on one side of bread slices. Layer brie and apple slices on one side and top with remaining slice of bread. Heat griddle over medium heat and melt half of the butter on the pan. Add sandwiches and spread remaining butter on tops of bread. Let cook about three minutes and then flip. Cook an additional two to three minutes until cheese is melted and bread is toasted as desired. Cut and serve.

Champagne Cupcakes

2010-10-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

These champagne cupcakes make a great treat for an adult party - be it an elegant party or a bachelorette party. You'll want to use a sweet champagne rather than dry, pink champagne would work too. You can play with the flavors by adding fillings or different icings. Add orange curd filling or orange-flavored buttercream for mimosa cupcakes, ice with raspberry buttercream and top with a fresh raspberry. Top champagne cupcakes with a chocolate covered strawberry for a fancy dessert. You could also make them mini cupcakes for a cocktail party. The recipe below is for a classic champagne cupcake with a champagne buttercream.

Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream
Recipe adapted from Loves to Eat

Cupcakes:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup champagne
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with paper liners (recipe yields about 22 cupcakes).

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of champagne combined with vanilla.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Fold in about 1/3 of the egg whites to lighten the batter then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Transfer batter to cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Bake approximately twenty minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool about five minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar
3 T champagne

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium high speed until smooth and fluffy, about three minutes. Add vanilla extract and about three cups of powdered sugar. Mix on low speed to combine. Add in champagne and mix on low to incorporate. Increase speed to medium and beat about one minute to whip frosting. If frosting appears to be thin, add additional powdered sugar as necessary to reach desired consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

2010-10-13T08:19:00.000-04:00

I've made these devil's food cupcakes several times and they always get great reviews. They are a great go-to cupcake when you want a rich chocolate cupcake. They bake up nice and pretty with domed tops and the sour cream adds a bit of extra tang. If you were curious as to what makes these different from most chocolate cakes, devil's food cake is generally made with melted butter instead of oil, according to Martha Stewart at least. In my opinion, devil's food cake is also light and airy while many chocolate cakes are more dense.

These cupcakes are great with a number of different frostings, this past weekend, I made them with raspberry buttercream (the recipe can be found here although I subbed milk for the lemon juice this time), cream cheese frosting and the one pictured here, a chocolate sour cream frosting.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

3/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup water

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp coarse salt

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 T plus 1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners - this recipe yields approximately 30 cupcakes. Heat water in the microwave about 90 seconds, stir in cocoa powder, whisking until smooth and set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Melt butter and combine in mixing bowl with sugar. Beat on medium low speed until mixture is cooled, about five minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and cooled chocolate mixture and mix well. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, alternate with 1/2 of the sour cream and repeat, beating after each addition until just combined.

Fill each cupcake liner approximately 3/4 of the way full and bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a center cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in pans about 5-10 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 oz melted semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup sour cream

Sift together sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Beat cream cheese and butter on medium high speed in a mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add in sugar mixture, beating on low speed until combined. Add melted chocolate and sour cream and mix until combined. Increase speed to medium high and whip until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag and frost cupcakes as desired.

Pumpkin Dip

2010-10-10T20:50:00.000-04:00

Since pumpkin has returned to store shelves finally, I'm taking full advantage. I stocked up on half a dozen cans and have plans for lots of good stuff. I didn't have time to bake anything (or the need to) this weekend, but I decided to make a pumpkin dip for tailgating instead. Now this might not be your typical tailgate food as it doesnt contain any buffalo sauce, cheese, or alcohol, but it was definitely addictive. Served with apple slices, grapes, and vanilla wafers, it was a perfect gameday (or anytime) appetizer and it's really easy to put together. If you want to make the dip ahead of time, it will keep just fine in the refrigerator. If you prep your apple slices ahead of time, make sure you toss them with a little lemon juice to keep from browning.

Feel free to sub fat free or reduced fat cream cheese in this recipe - I can't tell the difference and neither could anyone I served it too. You could also sub a low fat/fat free whipped topping for the whipped cream (just leave out the powdered sugar) but I used the good stuff because I dont generally have whipped topping on hand. The whipped cream gives this dip a really light, mousse-like texture that's perfect with the fruit and cookies.

Pumpkin Dip

Inspired by She Wears Many Hats

1 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 T powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Add pumpkin and spices and mix until well blended. Mixture will be fairly thin.

In a separate, cold bowl beat whipping cream with a whisk attachment on high speed until peaks form. Slowly add powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Fold whipped cream into pumpkin mixture and serve. If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

2010-10-06T22:01:00.000-04:00

I much prefer homemade pizza to takeout or delivery - maybe I'm in the minority but to me, its much better to be able to put whatever toppings you want on the pizza and its a lot cheaper. If you keep dough on hand in your freezer and thaw it out the night before you want to make pizza, it can also be faster than delivery. I typically make a double batch of dough so I always have an extra crust available. You can thaw the dough in the refrigerator and then all you have to do is roll it out and prepare your toppings. I made this using my favorite pizza crust from The Way The Cookie Crumbles - which is awesome - but using half whole wheat flour, half bread dough to make it healthier.

So Buffalo chicken pizza was what I came up with when I thought I was all set for pizza night only to discover I had no pizza sauce. I didn't even have any tomatoes on hand to make some pizza sauce. But I know I've seen Buffalo chicken pizza on other food blogs with a ranch dressing type of sauce. Of course, I didn't have ranch dressing either - that bottle got thrown away the last time I cleaned out the fridge to get rid of anything containing high fructose corn syrup. But I had buttermilk and sour cream so making my own dressing was easy. Adding some Frank's Red Hot, shredded chicken, onions and a combination of mozzarella and sharp cheddar completed the pizza.

It turned out to be a great improvisation and the pizza was delicious.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Crust:
From this recipe with 1/2 of the flour replaced with whole wheat flour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pizza stone in oven to heat. When oven is preheated, transfer shaped pizza dough on a pizza peel or parchment paper to hot stone dusted with cornmeal. Cook about 15-20 minutes until crust begins to brown. Meanwhile prepare toppings.

Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 T fresh chives, finely chopped
1/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 - 1 T Frank's Red Hot or other hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth. Top pizza crust with a thin layer of dressing.

Toppings:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Frank's Red Hot, to taste
1/2 white onion, sliced into thin strips
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Toss chicken with one to two tablespoons of hot sauce. Top pizza with shredded chicken, cheese, and onions and return to oven. Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

2010-09-30T09:54:00.001-04:00

How can it possibly be the last day of September already?? I feel like fall just started and its already going to be October? I just turned off the air conditioner this past weekend.

I've been meaning to get this recipe posted all week and time has just not cooperated. We laid new flooring in our house this past weekend and instead of helping all too much, I decided to bake for the help. These cinnamon roll cupcakes are ridiculously good... think cinnamon roll without the need for a fork. They are still a little messy - even with the wrappers, but in a good way. While these are perfect as a dessert, they also would make an indulgent treat for a fall brunch - I mean they do contain fruit so that means you can eat it for breakfast right?

Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
Adapted from Stephani Pollack from Cupcake Project via Paula Deen

Dough:
2 cups milk
1 packet active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups finely chopped apples (I used Golden Delicious apples)

In a small saucepan, heat milk to about 110 degrees. Add yeast and sugar to bowl of a stand mixer and pour in the milk, stir to dissolve. Add salt and two cups of flour and beat for two minutes. Beat in eggs and butter. Stir in the remaining flour half a cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Switch to dough hook and knead about five minutes, until smooth and elastic. Spray a large deep bowl with cooking spray, shape dough into a ball, put it in the bowl, turn once to coat and cover it with a clean towel. Set in a warm place and allow to rise for about 40 minutes or until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile make the filling by combining the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and apples in a small bowl. Melt remaining butter in a small dish.

Dust counter top with flour and roll out dough into a long rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with about half of the melted butter. Top with the apple mixture, sprinkle evenly over the dough, leaving about an inch empty on all sides.
Line cupcake pans with 24 liners. Roll dough into a log beginning on the long side of the rectangle. Trim off both ends to remove the uneven part that doesn't have any filling. Slice the log into approximately 24 even pieces. Place each piece in a cupcake liner, folding the ends together to make a “C” shape. The pieces should come to about the top of the liners. Cover the cupcake tins with a clean towel and set in a warm place to rise for another 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with remaining melted butter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
About 2 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk until combined. Start with one tablespoon of milk and add more as necessary until you have a glaze that is thick but runs easily off the spoon. Drizzle over warm cupcakes and serve. Store in an airtight container and reheat leftover cupcakes in the microwave for about 20 seconds before serving.

Soft and Thick Sugar Cookies

2010-09-26T16:03:00.001-04:00

These sugar cookies are similar to the Lofthouse sugar cookies you get at the grocery store. They start out with a box of cake mix - which isnt usually on my grocery list but I happened to have a box in the pantry from a while back so I figured I would try them. The recipe said to make sure you use the kind with pudding in the mix as that helps with the softness. They turned out really, really good. I loved the texture of these - they are so soft - and they stay that way for several days too.

The frosting on the storebought version of these cookies is never great in my opinion, so using a homemade buttercream frosting adds a special touch. You can decorate these however you want - they would be really cute for Halloween if you tinted the frosting orange and used some black sprinkles or nonpareils.

Soft and Thick Sugar Cookies
Recipe adapted from Noshings

Cookies:
1 18 oz box white cake mix with pudding in the mix
2/3 cup flour
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
2 T sour cream (I used reduced fat)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together cake mix and flour. Add eggs, oil and sour cream and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Batter will be fairly stiff. Use a cookie scoop or roll into approximately one inch balls and bake on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. This will help keep the bottoms of the cookies from browning. Use the heel of your hand or a glass dusted with sugar to gently flatten cookies to about a half inch thick. You don't want the bottoms to be browned or you've overbaked these. Bake approximately ten minutes until just set. Let cool about one minute on the pan and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 T heavy cream
1 T vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 T meringue powder
Food coloring or sprinkles as desired

Beat butter on medium speed for about two minutes until smooth. Add cream and vanilla and beat about one more minute to incorporate. Add sugar, one cup at a time mixing on low speed until incorporated until you reach the desired consistency. Add meringue powder (this will help your frosting crust so that you can stack the cookies without smearing your frosting all over the place, I use a sheet of wax or parchment paper in between layers). You want the frosting to be fairly stiff so that it doesnt run off your cookies. Frost cooled cookies and decorate as desired. Store cookies in an airtight container.

We have a winner!

2010-09-24T14:01:00.001-04:00

The winner of the CSN $45 gift card giveaway is comment number 22 -- Manda! Her favorite fall dish was sweet potato souffle. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Manda - please contact me as soon as possible with your name and address to receive your prize.

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

2010-09-23T10:57:00.001-04:00

Quesadillas are a perfect weeknight meal when you need something quick and easy to put on the table. However, quick and easy doesn't have to mean boring. These also work great as an appetizer.

These quesadillas are full of chicken, bell peppers, onions, jalapeno, cilantro, and cheese. The chicken is flavored with lime juice, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and garlic. The lime juice makes for an extremely quick marinade, especially when you cut the chicken into small chunks, which also speeds up the cooking time. Make sure you use a good quality cheese for these - grating your own cheese instead of buying the shredded stuff will add so much more flavor. I used a blend of about half each of sharp cheddar and pepperjack but if you don't want them to be as spicy, Monterrey jack would be a good alternative.

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

Cut the chicken into approximately 1" chunks and sprinkle with salt. In a large Ziploc, combine lime juice, garlic and spices, add chicken and let sit about 15 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Quesadillas:

4 large flour tortillas

1 bell pepper

1/2 onion

2 jalapeno peppers

1 cup cheese

Handful of cilantro

1 T canola oil plus more if desired for cooking quesadillas

Slice bell peppers and onions into long thin strips. Grate cheese and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with 1 T canola oil, add chicken, peppers and onions and cook about five minutes, turning occasionally until cooked through. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel and reduce heat to medium-low. You can add a little oil to the pan, but I don't usually think its necessary and I prefer to save the calories and fat.

You have two options for assembling the quesadillas. You can use one tortilla and put the filling on half and fold it over - which does make it easier to flip the quesadilla - or build the quesadilla on the entire tortilla and then cover with a second tortilla. I use both methods, it just depends on the day. To assemble, layer on chicken, peppers, onions and jalapenos and top with cheese. Tear cilantro and sprinkle over the top. Fold or cover and transfer to skillet. Cook about 3-4 minutes per side, until cheese is melted and tortilla is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve.

Fondant Toy Story Birthday Cake

2010-09-21T22:21:00.000-04:00

This cake was so much fun to do - the more I work with fondant, the more I really like it. You can do so many fun things with it because it creates such a clean back drop to layer anything on. For this cake - the birthday girl loves Toy Story's Jessie so that's what inspired the cake. I used a couple figurines that I picked up at Walmart to top the cake since sculpting them was a challenge I didn't want to undertake for this cake. I used toothpicks to attach these to the top of the cake since there was a small hole in the bottom of one foot of each character.

As I've mentioned before I really like to use marshmallow fondant for cakes. Marshmallow fondant has several advantages - it tastes a million times better than the store bought stuff, it's a lot cheaper, and it can be made in just a few minutes and stored for quite a while at room temperature. You will want to let it rest after mixing it up for at least a few hours or overnight before working with it.

One thing to keep in mind when you use fondant, is that you will likely want to do something as a border in between your cake layers. While fondant creates a very clean cake, the edges can sometimes leave a little to be desired. For this cake I twirled two strings of brown fondant into a rope border and rolled red fondant into tiny balls to make a border for the bottom layer.

You can use any regular cookie cutter to make cutouts for fondant - I used several different sized stars for the base layer, a set of alphabet cookie cutters to do the writing so that everything would be a uniform size and made freehanded cutouts for the cow print using a small wheel cutter.

Depending on the humidity on the day you make this, you may have to adjust the water to powdered sugar ratio slightly but this is a good starting point from my experience. You'll also want to have plenty of shortening on hand to keep the fondant from sticking to your hands and the surface you use to roll it out. I've only ever done this with a stand mixer, I'm sure it can be done by hand but it's going to be a lot more time consuming.

Marshmallow fondant

16 oz marshmallows - the size doesn't matter
2 1/2 T water
1 T vanilla extract (use clear extract if you want a true white fondant)
2 pounds powdered sugar
Vegetable shortening

Begin by liberally greasing a microwave-safe bowl to melt the marshmallows in, a large spoon, mixing bowl of your stand mixer and the dough hook attachment. Add all but about one cup of powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add marshmallows and water to the microwave-safe bowl and heat about one minute in the microwave. Stir and continue heating another 30 seconds to a minute until melted. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Pour melted marshmallow mix into the powdered sugar and begin mixing on low speed. When mixer begins to sound strained, turn up the speed a notch. Mix until all the sugar is incorporated. If mixture is too dry, add water, half a teaspoon at a time, mixing after each addition until all the sugar is incorporated. If mixture is too sticky, add remaining powdered sugar.

Coat hands with shortening, transfer mixture to a large sheet of plastic wrap, kneading into a ball. Coat fondant with shortening and wrap tightly. Either wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap or slide plastic wrapped ball into a large Ziploc bag. This yields about three pounds of fondant which is approximately enough to cover two eight inch, two-layer cakes.

Giveaway!

2010-09-16T09:33:00.003-04:00

**This Giveaway is now closed**

It's your lucky day -- I'm doing the first ever Homemade by Holman giveaway thanks to CSN stores! If you have never heard of CSN stores, they sell a little bit of everything from dining tables to bakeware to home decor.

I've been looking at a couple of great Le Creuset dishes that would be perfect for fall baking.

http://www.csnstores.com/Le-Creuset-PG071523-67-LEC1834.html

And just imagine how handy this apple peeler/corer is for making apple pies and other delicious apple dishes.

http://www.csnstores.com/Back-to-Basics-A505-BTB1044.html

But the great part about this giveaway is that you don't win what I want - you can pick out whatever you want or need because the winner gets a $45 gift card to CSN stores. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below telling me what your favorite fall baked good is.

For an extra entry, become a follower of Homemade by Holman on Facebook by clicking here and leave a separate comment below.

Finally, for one more entry, become a follower of HomemadeHolman and tweet about the giveaway on Twitter and leave a separate comment including your tweet below.

The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and announced next Friday. The contest will close next Thursday, September 23 at 5 pm EST. All entries must include a valid email address or they will not count. Please note international shipping charges may apply for non-US residents.

Fauxstess Cupcakes

2010-09-13T08:32:00.002-04:00

One more marshmallow frosting recipe - this time I'm using the frosting as a filling for the cupcakes though. These are homemade versions of the ever-popular Hostess cupcakes - complete with little swirls scrolling across the tops.

A couple tips for these - make your ganache in a small container that is at least a few inches deep so you have enough depth to dip your cupcakes even as you get low on ganache. Also, you'll want to make sure you fill your cupcakes full enough that they rise over the tops of the liner so you aren't hitting the liner before you hit the cupcake when you dip them. You'll have to work quickly once your ganache is ready as it cools quickly and gets thicker as it cools so its harder to make the tops of the cupcakes smooth.

To fill these cupcakes, I used the cone method. Once cool, I cut out a small cone-shape in the center of each cupcake with a paring knife and then filled them with a piping bag full of marshmallow filling. This allows much more filling in the center than if you just try to pipe the filling in.

Once the ganache is set, you can add any decoration you want, I used a bit of extra marshmallow filling and changed my piping bag to a small round tip (I think I used Wilton #3) to pipe on the traditional swirls.

Fauxstess Cupcakes

Adapted from Beantown Baker, Heather Drive and Smitten Kitchen

Cake:

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners. Recipe yields about 30 cupcakes. Combine sugar through salt in a large boil. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat on low until just incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat two minutes. Stir in boiling water, the batter will be thin. Transfer batter to prepared pans, filling each liner about 3/4 of the way full, approximately 1/4 cup of batter. Bake approximately 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans about five minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, use a paring knife to cut a small cone shape out of the center of each cupcake.

Filling:

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a double boiler (I set my stainless steel mixing bowl over a small saucepan) combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar and heat over simmering water. Whisk almost constantly, heating to 160 degrees. Transfer mix to mixing bowl and beat on high speed (with whisk attachment if you are using a stand mixer) until egg whites hold stiff peaks. Add vanilla and mix until just incorporated. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe into the holes in the top of each cupcake. Reserve remaining filling for piping swirls or decoration as desired.

Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate

Heat heavy cream until simmering in a small saucepan (you can also microwave but do it in 30 second intervals and watch it closely). Cut chocolate into chunks and put in a small bowl. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for one minute. Stir until chocolate is melted. Let stand about 5 minutes and then dip each filled cupcake quickly into the chocolate, tap lightly to get rid of the excess and turn over. Let cool on a wire rack until chocolate is set. Pipe on swirls or decoration as desired.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2010-09-08T05:56:00.001-04:00

I have so many jalapeno peppers in my garden right now. This spring I planted one jalapeno plant, one cayenne pepper plant and one Anaheim pepper plant. So far I've harvested maybe 3 Anaheim peppers, about 100 cayenne peppers and for the past few weeks I've had tons of jalapenos and there are a lot more to come. After picking roughly a dozen late last week, I remembered seeing a recipe for jalapeno popper dip a while back and decided to make it to take to the first football tailgate this past weekend.

I am so glad that its football season. Fall is my favorite time of year and the kickoff to college football means its finally time. Of course, football season and tailgating also gives me an excuse to make lots of great appetizers and dips. Some of last year's favorite snacks included Goat Cheese Spinach Dip, Oktoberfest Dip, Stuffed Mushrooms, and Cinnamon Roasted Almonds - I'm really going to have to make some of these recipes again soon just so I can update the pictures!

Back to the jalapeno popper dip though, you may have to adjust the number of peppers to get the right level of spiciness depending on how hot your peppers are - usually I think the homegrown variety are a little more potent than the ones you buy in the store.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Recipe adapted from Jaime Cooks: Endevours in Eating & Entertaining

2 8 oz packages cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat Neufchatel cheese), at room temperature

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped

6 jalapeno peppers, seeded, ribbed and finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T cilantro, finely chopped

2 T lime juice

1 1/2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

1 tsp Ancho chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and mayo. Add bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and half of the chili powder and cumin. Mix well to combine to a uniform mixture. Spread dip into a baking pan (I used a 1 1/2 quart oval Corningware baking dish but you can use any similar sized baking dish), smoothing into an even layer. Top with remaining shredded cheese, cover with bread crumbs and sprinkle with remaining chili powder and cumin. Bake approximately 30 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with tortilla chips.

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

2010-09-05T19:00:00.000-04:00

Now that kids are back to school, maybe you need the occasional sweet treat to send in your child's lunchbox. When I was a kid, we used to get Little Debbie snacks every once in a while and one of my favorites were Oatmeal Cream Pies. The soft oatmeal cookie sandwiching marshmallow cream filling was such a great combination. However, these days if I'm going to eat baked goods, I dont want them in a cellophane package from the grocery store.

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been loving this marshmallow frosting lately so knowing I would have some leftover, I baked a batch of soft, chewy oatmeal cookies and decided to make some homemade oatmeal cream pies to send with my husband for his company picnic.

I would recommend using a cookie scoop or some form of uniform measure to drop the cookies onto the sheet so that you end up with cookies that match up fairly well for even sandwiches.

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Cookie recipe adapted from Quaker Oats, Filling recipe from here

Cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 T dark corn syrup
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Add in eggs, vanilla and corn syrup and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix until well incorporated. Add oats and mix in by hand until evenly mixed. (A sturdy wooden spoon works well for this as the batter will be quite stiff.)

Use a cookie scoop or similar measure to drop onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. (Depending on how big you make the cookies, you may need to flatten slightly.) Cool for about a minute on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Match up cookies in pairs and pipe on filling.

Filling:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a double boiler (I set my stainless steel mixing bowl over a small saucepan) combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar and heat over simmering water. Whisk almost constantly, heating to 160 degrees. Transfer mix to mixing bowl and beat on high speed (with whisk attachment if you are using a stand mixer) until egg whites hold stiff peaks. Add vanilla and mix until just incorporated. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto half the cookies (a small offset spatula will also work if you prefer), leaving about 1/4 - 1/2 inch around the edges. Sandwich with top cookie and press lightly to distribute filling. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes

2010-08-30T19:37:00.001-04:00

These chocolate marshmallow cupcakes are adapted from the S'mores cupcakes I made a while back - which just so happen to be the most popular recipe I've ever posted. These don't have the graham cracker base and don't require a kitchen torch or incredible timing with the broiler. They do however require a lot of egg whites to make the frosting, so I recommend a nice custard style ice cream to go along with them. With a few less steps involved, these are an easier version.

I love this marshmallow frosting. It does take a little more time than a traditional American buttercream but its so light and glossy. I've used it on several things lately - stay tuned for some more recipes coming up shortly. Drizzle a chocolate ganache over the top to add a little something extra.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes

Cake:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners. Recipe yields about 30 cupcakes. Combine sugar through salt in a large boil. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat on low until just incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat two minutes. Stir in boiling water, the batter will be thin. Transfer batter to prepared pans, filling each liner about 2/3 of the way full, approximately 1/4 cup of batter. Bake approximately 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans about five minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Set a clean stainless steel or other heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double boiler. (I just use my KitchenAid bowl for my stand mixer to avoid having to transfer.) Add all ingredients except vanilla and whisk to combine. Heat, whisking almost constantly, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl frequently until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Transfer to mixer/mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment and continue mixing, increasing speed slowly to high speed until the frosting holds stiff peaks. Add vanilla extract and beat until just incorporated.

Fill a piping bag fitted with desired tip (I used a large closed star tip for these) and pipe as desired onto cooled cupcakes.

Note: You don't want to make this frosting until you are ready to use it as it will harden so wait until your cupcakes are cooled.

Ganache:
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat heavy cream until simmering in a small saucepan (you can also microwave but do it in 30 second intervals and watch it closely). Cut chocolate into chunks and put in a small bowl. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for one minute. Stir until chocolate is melted. Let stand about 5 minutes and transfer to a squeeze bottle. Drizzle over the top of cupcakes.

Oatmeal Peach Scones

2010-08-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

Not to sound bossy, but you need to go grab some peaches while they are on sale now at your local farmer's market or grocery store and make these scones. These are really easy to put together and work great for a quick breakfast. You can even make the dough and portion it out onto a baking sheet and freeze them. Then just bake as many as you need when you want them.

If you like these scones and are looking for other ideas, try out these strawberry oatmeal scones (based on the same recipe) or these blueberry scones (one of my very first blog posts).

Oatmeal Peach Scones

Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 2/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup sugar

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of nutmeg

10 T unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

3 ripe peaches, peeled and chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Whisk together the egg and buttermilk and set aside. Combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Add the cold butter pieces and cut in with a pastry blender or your hands, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir with a stiff wooden spoon until just incorporated. Gently mix in the chopped peaches. The mixture will be very sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly flour surface and gently knead and press the dough into a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick. Portion the dough into about 12 wedges or balls and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for approximately 25 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool about 10 minutes before serving. If you are freezing, bake straight from the freezer, increasing baking time by about 5 minutes.

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

2010-08-26T06:00:00.009-04:00

I remember making pineapple upside down cake a long time ago when I was a kid and thinking it was so cool - back then anything that you baked and then flipped out of the pan was pretty impressive. It still makes me pretty happy and impressed when I can flip something and everything comes out right without sticking or falling apart. These little cupcakes are no exception - you layer the butter and brown sugar in the bottom of a well-greased muffin tin. Add in the pineapple and a maraschino cherry and then top with yellow cake batter. Bake them up and then its time for the reveal. Flip the pan over onto a platter or a parchment lined cooling rack and take off the pan. The cupcakes should be adorable little stacks of goodness, the brown sugar and butter melt into a sticky glaze and caramelize the pineapple.

These aren't as convenient as traditional cupcakes because if you bake them up in cupcake liners, you don't get the effect of the pineapple and syrup and it just looks like an unfrosted yellow cake. They don't really dome up like most cupcakes either (which is good when you want to flip them). To make them portable, I set them upside down on a cupcake liner. You could also put them in small boxes if you were doing them as a favor. These are definitely best served the day you bake them or the next day at the latest since there is no frosting to keep the cakes from drying out.

Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
Recipe adapted from Epicurean.com

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
12 pineapple rings
12 maraschino cherries

Cake:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup pineapple juice, reserved from can
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with baking spray or grease with butter. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice for the cake batter. Combine brown sugar and melted butter in a small bowl. Evenly divide among each of the muffin wells, about one teaspoon per well. Cut about 1/3 out of each pineapple ring and arrange rings over the brown sugar mixture. Add a cherry in the center of each ring.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Add butter, pineapple juice and vanilla and beat on low until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat two minutes. Add the egg and beat in until well incorporated. Evenly divide the batter among the muffin wells, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake approximately 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes five minutes in the pan and then flip onto a platter or covered rack. Cool and serve.

Stove-Top Mac and Cheese

2010-08-23T19:52:00.001-04:00

Normally I'm a baked macaroni and cheese fan - the crunchy breadcrumb topping with gooey, cheesy insides almost always wins. However, Alton Brown just gave me another option. Stove-top mac and cheese is quick and easy but the boxed stuff isn't good (unless you're my husband who loves the blue box stuff for some unknown reason) and its full of chemicals. You can make this recipe just as fast but you'll be oh so much happier.

The evaporated milk makes it super creamy and using sharp cheddar gives you a better than the box taste. It also reheats well for a leftover lunch. I modified the original recipe a little bit by using fat free evaporated milk, reducing the butter slightly, using whole wheat noodles and adding some thyme. I used rotini because I had it on hand, use elbows or shells or whatever you prefer or keep in the pantry.

Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown via Food Network

14 oz whole wheat short cut pasta

3 T butter

2 eggs
9 oz evaporated milk
1/2 - 1 tsp hot sauce
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a large pot of water to boiling, salt liberally and add pasta. Cook to al dente per package directions and drain. Reduce heat to medium low, return to pan and add butter. Melt and stir to coat pasta. Whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper and pour over pasta. Stir and cook about one minute. Add cheese and stir to melt and incorporate, cook about two minutes, add additional salt and pepper if desired and serve.