give me something good to eat

banana chocolate chip muffins

2011-05-20T09:53:00.000-06:00

I was about the whip up a batch of these muffins yesterday when I realized I've never posted about them and I haven't posted in ages! Yes, I am still baking, just usually not anything new. That and my husband and I recently moved across the country which put a lot of things on hold for a while.
But, I have a post today and even though I absolutely despise bananas, I LOVE banana chocolate chip muffins. I know, it really doesn't make any sense, but it is true.
So, if you have yourself some bananas that you are just going to throw out, hold your horses and make up some of these muffins...they're divine.

What you'll need---
1/2 cup of oats
about 1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup margarine or butter (whatever you have on hand)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk if you have it
3 bananas that have seen better days
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
about 1 cup chocolate chips

What you'll do---
Step 1: Pour the 1/2 cup of water over the oats and let them sit. You need enough water to cover the oats so they can soak it up but not enough that the oats are swimming. I usually use warm water.

Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar.

Step 3: To the creamed mixture, add 2 beaten eggs and 1/4 cup sour milk and mix well. If you have buttermilk just use that. If not, you can sour your milk by added about a tbsp or so of vinegar to regular milk.

Step 3: Take your bananas and mash them up (**Note: I only had 2 bananas and the recipe still works fine without any changes. The muffins just end up not as banana-y).

Doesn't that look tasty?

Step 4: Add the mashed bananas and the oats to the rest of the mixed ingredients and mix well until you get a nice soupy-looking mess...yummm!

Step 5: To the soup, add the flour, baking soda and salt and once again, mix well.

Step 6: Now stir in the chocolate chips. I like to do this by hand so my mixer doesn't pulverize them. Also, if you coat the chocolate chips in some flour they won't sink to the bottom of your muffins. I had this happen last time so I made sure to coat them so they stay suspended in the batter. Thanks to Paula Deen to that tip!

Step 7: Fill up your muffin tin. I like to use paper liners so clean up is easier. And, if you spray the liners with a little cooking spray, the muffins won't stick to them when you gobble them all up...just a tip. Oh and a good idea to preheat your oven to 300 now too!

Step 8: Bake the muffins at 300 for 25-30 minutes or until they are set and just browning around the edges. These are moist muffins so they won't really brown. Just keep an eye out for when the muffins look firm. It should take about 25 minutes.

Step 9: Enjoy!!!

Yummm...stacks of muffins!!! :)

I love these muffins and they are so easy to make. That and if your bananas go bad you don't have to throw them out...you can use them up! I let my husband take some to work with him this morning so I wouldn't eat them all. After doing this post I'm kind of regretting it...... ;)

chocolate souffles

2011-02-23T18:08:00.004-07:00

I did it! I finally made souffles! I have always considered souffles one of the ultimate things to bake. You know, everyone says how difficult they are because they are finicky and hard to bake. Well, for the first year and a half of my baking experimentation, this reputation succeeded it scaring me off.
But, for Valentine's Day I wanted to make something new, delicious and even a little romantic. So, I decided I was going to do it...I was making souffles. Let me tell you folks, these souffles are pretty easy! You can totally make these and probably even bake them right. The trick is, to remember that they are supposed to be mousse-like and not cake-like. Keeping that in mind, you'll do great! Don't be scared off by the souffles! Seriously, you are missing out if you're afraid to make them. So give these a try. The ingredients are simple and so is the recipe. And no, of course you don't need a special occasion to make them....

What you'll need---
12 ounces of your favorite milk chocolate (I just got a 12-ish ounce hunk from our bulk section in the grocery store)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (ya, never said these were healthy...just AMAZING!!!)
2 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
6 egg whites, at room temp (if you have the time...mine weren't)
2 tbsp sugar

What you'll do---
Step 1: Butter your ramekins and then sprinkle them with sugar, tilting to coat completely and tapping out the extra (like you would flour in a cake pan).

I used 4 larger ramekins, probably about 1 1/2-cup ramekins and I had just enough batter. The recipe I used calls for eight 3/4-cup ramekins. Just use whatever you have though

Step 2: Combine the cream and sugar in a bowl that you can place over a double boiler.

I just used my usual pot and put a smaller pot of simmering water underneath it.

Step 3: Melt the chocolate and cream over simmering water until it is nice and smooth. Remove from heat and let it cool for just a couple of minutes.

Step 4: Stir the egg yolks and salt into the chocolate mixture.

Step 5: In another bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 2 tbsp of sugar and continue beating until semi-firm peaks form (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this)

Step 6: Using a rubber spatula, add 1/4 of the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture to lighten. Then fold in the remaining egg whites in two additions.

If it's looking a little lumpy, don't worry like I did! Just keep gently folding and everything will turn out great!

Step 7: Divide the mixture into your ramekins and set on a baking sheet to bake.

Step 8: Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes (for me, the magic time was 19 minutes). The souffles are done when the puffed tops feel firm but not hard or stiff. They should slightly bounce when you touch them (don't touch too hard or you'll deflate them!!!)

Mine rose but not as much as they could if you wrapped parchment paper around the ramekins with kitchen twine. If you do that, they will rise a lot more. I'm poor though I couldn't afford it.

Step 9: While the souffles are baking make some homemade whip cream to top them with (just add s few tablespoons of sugar to some whipping cream and beat away)

Step 10: Serve warm with the whip cream and ENJOY!!!!

These really are easy and incredible. Try them out today and you'll be so glad you did. Souffles really aren't as difficult as their reputation makes them out to be. Just remember to serve them nice and warm or else they will start deflating...that's just what eggs do! I hope you enjoy this one, because my husband and I sure did!

***Just a note---you can prepare the souffles in advance and put them in the refrigerator. We only cooked two on Valentine's Day and then saved the rest and they still baked up great after leaving them in the fridge for a few days.

pasta e fagioli

2011-02-07T13:59:00.003-07:00

So, I know, I usually only do posts about baking. However, as a "new year's resolution" a decided to start baking less sweets and more whole-wheat bread (I have discovered the joys of whole wheat bread flour...it is so much better than just plain ol' wheat flour!). And while I am in the process of trying to find a great bread recipe and trying out lots of new ones I have yet to find one post worthy...it's a work in progress folks.

So to keep up with the blogging and to put off doing homework I have decided to start doing some posts about my cooking adventures. Now, you have to know, I rarely follow recipes. Rather I look at a recipe to be inspired. So I'll share these inspiring recipes with you and perhaps let you know how I alter them...that is if I can remember.

Last night, since my husband is sick I decided to make soup and I happened to have the ingredients for pasta e fagioli. This is one of my favorite soups and it is really easy to make and it is pretty healthy. I mean, it has a whole bunch of beans in it...fiber hear we come!

So here is the link to the recipe I made (figured this would be easier than typing it up)---
Pasta e Fagioli
As for the changes...I did two stalks of celery and two carrots. I did a can of tomatoes plus a small can of tomato sauce so it would be more tomato-y. I also ended up using four cups of stock and even added an extra cup of water so the pasta have some moisture to soak up. The biggest change was that I added a can of kidney beans as well as the white northern beans. I love beans and they are such a wonderful source of fiber so I try to incorporate them into lots of things.

All in all, this soup is really flavorful and very easy to make. Pair it with a nice salad and some whole wheat rolls and you've got yourself and delicious and healthy meal! Enjoy!!

cinnabon inspired cinnamon rolls

2011-01-26T21:38:00.005-07:00

These cinnamon rolls are divine. To quote my husband he said he had, "died and gone to heaven," when he took his first bite.
I woke up Saturday morning wanting to make cinnamon rolls, so I did. I decided to try a new recipe because the one I have made in the past makes a lot of dough and I just didn't want to do that. So, I found this recipe and gave it a try. Let me tell you folks, I'll never make any other cinnamon roll recipe. Yup, it's that good. So here it is...give it a try and wow everyone you know.

What you'll need---
For the dough:
1 scant tbsp (1 packet) of yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour

For the filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup softened butter

For the frosting:
8 tbsp butter
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

What you'll do---
***I didn't take any pictures of the dough making process because I didn't think to do a post until the dough was rising. The dough is easy to make though, so don't worry about it!
Step 1: Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk (let it dissolve for a while, longer than you would in water)
Step 2: Add sugar, butter, eggs, flour, salt and mix until all combined.
Step 3: Knead (the longer you knead it, the better but if you're doing this by hand, don't over work yourself)
Step 4: Cover lightly in oil and rise for an hour or until it about doubles in size (mine didn't double on the first rise so I ended up rising it again later)
Step 5: While the dough is rising, make the filling by mixing the brown sugar and cinnamon (I didn't make as much as the recipe calls for because I knew I wouldn't need that much and I didn't want a bunch of leftovers that I would have nothing to do with).

Step 6: Once the dough has risen, roll it out until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Try to make it as square as possible. It helps to shape the dough into a square before rolling.

Step 7: Pour the softened/melted butter over the dough and spread it out. Then sprinkle on the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture as evenly as possible.

Step 8: Starting at one end, roll the dough up like a big ol' swiss roll...this is always my favorite part...ha ha.

Step 9: Cut into cinnamon rolls and place in a buttered baking dish. Depending on the size you cut your rolls depends on the size of a dish you'll need. I did more smaller rolls and needed a 9x13, but you could easily do less bigger rolls and put them in a 9x9 or 8x8.

Step 10: At this point I rose the rolls again for about 30 minutes so they could double. This isn't necessarily needed but I would recommend it.

Step 11: Bake at 400 for 15-25 minutes, until the start to brown.

Step 13: While baking, make the frosting by creaming the butter and cream cheese and then adding the rest of the ingredients.

***Just a note, I put less butter in the frosting so it would be a little tangy-ier.

Step 14: When the rolls are done, serve them up with the frosting and ENJOY!!!!

And that's it...easy peasy and incredibly delicious. So if you have a craving for some cinnamon rolls, don't go buy them! Just make these and they will change your world! Ha ha ha, enjoy, folks!

one of my husband's favorites

2011-01-19T12:01:00.002-07:00

This is one of my husband's favorite recipes and we make it quite often because of that. This recipe originally comes from my best friend, but as I have made it more, I have modified it a little. All in all, it's easy and it is delicious. Give it a try!

Apple Crisp

What you'll need---
6-8 Granny Smith apples (we typically use 6 medium sized apples, but it really all depends on the size and your apple to crisp ratio preference)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2-1 cup flour (I don't like too much flour in my crisp)
1-3 cups oats (I typically do around 2 cups because I love a really oaty crisp and you get all that fiber!)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
2/3-1 cup softened butter (if you are using margarine, only use 2/3 cup and no more)
vanilla frozen yogurt (optional, and you can always use ice cream, I just prefer frozen yogurt)

What you'll do---
Step 1: preheat oven to 350
Step 2: peel and thinly slice the apples and place in a greased 9x13 pan (I like to toss my apples with a little cinnamon/sugar mixture just to give them added flavor. It really improves the taste, at least to me)
Step 3: combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: add the softened butter and mix until everything is well coated and moist and the mixture is wet but still chunky/crumbly (I add more butter because I like big moist chunks rather than a drying crumblier crisp).
Step 5: Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the top starts to brown and the apple juices are bubbly.
Step 6: Serve with frozen yogurt and enjoy!

This is really a super easy recipe you can mix up and adjust to fit your preference. I hope you enjoy it and thanks go out to my best friend for giving me this recipe back when we were roommates...hope you don't mind that I posted it!

favorite quick treats

2011-01-11T19:24:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I want a yummy treat, but it's either too late to bake or I'm too lazy. When this happens, I typically fall back on three of my favorite quick treat standbys. Depending on which ingredients I have really chooses which one I make. That is unless I have a craving and I send my husband out to buy the goods to make what I want. So if you have a sweet tooth and not a lot of time to make something sweet, try one of these.

Recipe 1
Butterscotch Crunchies

What you'll need---

2 packages (6 oz each) butterscotch chips

½ cup peanut butter

6-7 cups cornflakes

What you'll do---

Step 1: Melt butterscotch ships and peanut butter together over medium heat.

Step 2: Measure cornflakes into a large mixing bowl and stir in the peanut butter/butterscotch mixture.

Step 3: Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper.

Step 4: Allow to set (can put in fridge to set quicker, just put the wax paper on cookie sheets).

Recipe 2

No Bake Cookies

What you'll need---

1 stick butter/margarine

2 cups sugar

2-3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

heaping 1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

2-4 cups oats

What you'll do---

Step 1: Melt the butter then add the sugar, cocoa and milk.

Step 2: Cook/stir butter, sugar, cocoa and milk until boils.

Step 3: Boil for 2 minutes

Step 4: Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla and oats.

Step 5: Drop onto wax paper with spoon and allow to set.

Recipe 3

Puppy Chow

What you'll need---

7-9 cups rice Chex

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter/margarine

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

What you'll do---

Step 1: Measure the cereal into a large bowl and set aside (I like less cereal so I start with less and add more if needed later).

Step 2: Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter until smooth.

Step 3: Remove from heat and stir in vanilla

Step 4: Pour mixture over cereal and mix until evenly coated.

Step 5: Add powdered sugar and mix until coated (you can also pour it all into a large bag and shake to mix).

some amazing bread

2010-12-06T17:31:00.001-07:00

My husband was in Mexico last week and got home yesterday. So, to welcome him home, I decided to try out a new bread recipe to go with our favorite Corn Chowder. I found this recipe months ago and just never got around to making it because, well, it requires more work than usual. For this recipe you have to make a "sponge" the day before and let it sit over night before finishing the recipe. But, trust me, it's totally worth your time. This bread is awesome and I can't wait to eat leftovers tonight!
So since it's a rather long and involved recipe I'm just going to give you the link to it---
Rustic Italian Bread
And I'll also give you some tips and shortcuts.
For starters, I added a little sugar to the biga and the dough. Sugar helps the dough rise more by giving the yeast something to eat so I like to add sugar to bread recipes when it's not included.
Second, if you don't want to wait hours for the rising to be done, just preheat your oven to the lowest temperature, turn it off when it reaches that temp. Put your dough in a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth and then put it all in the warm oven. Seriously, this will cut your rising time in half. By doing this you are basically making a proofing box to rise your dough in.
If you like making delicious bread, this recipe is for you. It may look hard and confusing, but really, it isn't. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Brownies

2010-12-03T21:41:00.002-07:00

This recipe comes to you courtesy Southern Living magazine. It's easy to make and good. A little on the rich side, but it's still worth making and very festive for Christmas. I mean, why just make brownies when you can make red velvet brownies and top them with cream cheese frosting?!? So give this one a try and wow everyone you know.
ps: sorry for the bad pictures...I got tired of trying to make it work...sorry.

What you'll need---
1 (4 oz) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 (1 oz) bottle red food coloring (I used about 3/4 of the bottle and they turned out plenty red)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

What you'll do---
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line the bottom and sides of a 9x9 inch pan letting a few inches extend over the sides. Lightly grease the foil.

Step 2: Over a double boiler (or in a microwave) melt chocolate and butter until melted and smooth.

Step 3: Whisk in the sugar.

Step 4: Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until just blended after each addition.

Step 5: Gently stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.

Step 6: Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, stir in the vanilla and the desired amount of red food coloring.

Step 7: Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a inserted toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 8: While the brownies are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting using this recipe---

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese

3 tbsp softened butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.

Step 9: Remove brownies from the pan, put on a plate and remove the foil. Frost with the cream cheese frosting.

Step 10: Cut and ENJOY!!

You just might need a large glass of milk with these brownies but they are a fun twist on plain old brownies and are perfect for the Holidays. Hope you enjoy!

pumpkin cream pie

2010-11-26T13:10:00.003-07:00

I know, I know, Thanksgiving was yesterday. But, you know you have leftovers and the desserts always seem to go faster than anything else. So when you're craving some Thanksgiving treats, try out this pie. It's super easy to make. It takes some time because you have to chill things, but the actual work you do is easy-peasy-rich-and-cheesy. So give this a try, it's delicious!

What you'll need---
For the Crust:
1 1/2 packages of graham crackers (at least 15 cookie sheets)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
For the Filling:
1 three oz. box vanilla cook and serve pudding
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup heavy cream

cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice---all to taste

1/2-1 cup pumpkin puree (depending on how much pumpkin taste you like)

additional 1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp brown sugar

extra graham cracker crumbs for garnish

What you'll do---

Step 1: Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Step 2: Grind the graham crackers in a food processor or by hand (great way to get out some aggression).

Step 3: Add powdered sugar and melted butter and mix it all up until completely combined.

Step 4: Press into the bottom and the sides of a pie pan until nice and firm (it will be a little crumbly).

Step 5: Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until warm and "set." It will firm up and slightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Step 6: Meanwhile, mix dry pudding, half-and-half and cream in a medium saucepan.

Step 7: Add the spices (all to taste). While stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat until the mixture is nice and thick.

Step 8: Remove from heat and stir in desired amount of pumpkin. Taste to make sure, well, it tastes good!

Step 9: Cover and let cool slightly until ready to put in the fridge to finish cooling. When the mixture is cool, remove it from the fridge.

Step 10: In a mixing bowl, pour in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Whip for 2-3 minutes and then add the brown sugar and finish whipping until very light and fluffy.

Step 11: Fold in the pumpkin mixture until it is well combined and pour it all into the pie crust. Allow to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Step 12: Cut, top with extra graham cracker crumbs, serve and ENJOY!!!

Like I said, this recipe takes some time because of all the cooling but it is very simple and delicious. The pie crust is to die for, so the more graham crackers you use, the better! Hope you enjoy this one!

snickerdoodles

2010-11-18T10:07:00.004-07:00

The past few days I've been thinking and thinking about what I could bake. I thought about making something Thanksgiving related but I don't have the ingredients yet. Then I thought about doing something Harry Potter-ish since my husband and I are seeing the movie at midnight tonight but, I don't really know British sweets.
So finally, yesterday afternoon, I thought of snickerdoodles. I have made them before, you can look here for the post but I realized that I never actually made a full batch of cookies nor did I ever post the recipe. So, I made the cookies and when I went to take a picture of my beautifully sifted flour, I realized my camera was dead. So, sorry folks, this will just be a recipe today. But, it's a good recipe and the cookies turned out great. So don't be afraid of the snickerdoodle--give them a try, they are yummy! (Side note, the picture is from the first time I made them with an adjusted recipe...they turned out much better this time using the full recipe. I just wanted to include a picture)

What you'll need---
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup
2 eggs
2 tbsp cinnamon

What you'll do---
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Step 2: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and set aside
Step 3: With a mixer, beat together butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 mins), making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Step 4: Add the eggs, one at a time and beat to combine. Then beat in the dry ingredients until well combined.
Step 5: In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the cinnamon.
Step 6: Make about 1 1/2-2 inch balls with your dough and roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place about 2 inches apart on your baking sheet.
Step 7: Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies start to crack and are set in the center (they will not brown).
Step 8: Cool for a few minutes on the sheet before removing to a cooling rack.
Step 9: ENJOY!!!

These cookies really are quite simple and we have already eaten at least half of them since I baked them yesterday afternoon. So if you have been afraid of snickerdoodles, give this recipe a try. You just might be surprised how simple they are and how delicious they are.

new ideas

2010-11-16T16:51:00.001-07:00

I need some help folks. I'm stuck...I have no idea what to bake these few weeks before Thanksgiving. I just keep going back to my old recipes and that's just not as fun because I want to make something new to share with others. So, I need some ideas. I'm looking for something with common ingredients so I won't have to pay lots of moo-la to make me something good to eat. So feel free to shout out your ideas and maybe even email me your recipes here (just right click to copy the email address).
I hope to get some yummy, new ideas so I can share them with everyone and just make something new. If you have any good fall/thanksgiving recipes those are more than welcome too.

recap

2010-11-13T10:02:00.001-07:00

I know, it's been a while. And I have been baking, just things I've already posted about.
I've kind of gone a little pumpkin crazy being that Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I've made pumpkin cake, which you can find here and pumpkin bread, which you can fine here or here. I really do love all things pumpkin.
So to get yourself ready for Thanksgiving, give these recipes a try. They are yummy and delicious, and will get you in the turkey time mood.

food for thought

2010-11-06T12:30:00.002-06:00

"You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut."
— Dr. Seuss

mummies, witches and ghosts...oh my!

2010-10-25T11:14:00.000-06:00

This weekend, I remembered that I have a few fun Halloween cookie cutters. So I decided to put them to good use and make some sugar cookies.
I used this recipe here (also from this post from May) to make the cookies and the frosting. I adjusted the frosting a bit to make more and to make it not so sweet.
My husband and I had lots of fun decorating them, rather creatively on his part. We didn't have lots of colors to choose from, so everything ended up being orange with some color accents...perhaps I should have left some frosting white...oh well!

First I made the dough and chilled it, just like the recipe says. Then it was time to roll out and cut the cookies. This can be one of the more frustrating steps, but I think it's one of my favorites too (well, besides the eating step).

After the cookies baked and cooled, we decorated! I love Halloween and thought this was a fun way to get ready for the festivities of this weekend. Plus, it was a cold rainy afternoon and what better way to spend such an afternoon than baking Halloween sugar cookies!?! So if you have some fun cookie cutters, give it a try. This recipe is quick and simple and the cookies are delicious!

food for thought

2010-10-20T14:55:00.000-06:00

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

-Albert Camus

apple pie

2010-10-19T16:53:00.001-06:00

Yes, I have finally tackled pie. I never was much of a pie fan but when I got a beautiful pie plate, I just knew I had to try it out. And I have to say, I think all good recipes come from the South. This particular recipe came from my parents's newspaper, The Virginia Pilot. I guess they just know how to do things down there. Since I managed to have success with one pie, I plan on making more. Especially since this magazine article has several rather delicious looking recipes. So here be the apple pie recipe, and sorry for the lack of pictures...kind of forgot to take them.

What you'll need---

The Crust
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup shortening, chilled
5+ tbsp ice water

The Filling
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 rounded tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
about 8 cups sliced Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into about 1/4-inch slices (I used 7 medium sized apples)

What you'll do---

The Crust
Step 1: Blend flour, sugar and salt in a food processor (if you don't have a food processor or a large enough one, like me, just do all of this by hand or with a pastry cutter)
Step 2: Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add one piece at a time, using on/off pulses (or fingers/cutter)
Step 3: Do the same with the shortening until the mixture resembles course meal and then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: Add chilled water, one tablespoon at a time, stirring mixture lightly after each addition (I ended up using way more than 5 tbsp because my dough wouldn't stick together)
Step 5: Gather dough together to form a ball. Don't overwork; just press together
Step 6: Divide the dough in half, and press each half into a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Leave at room temp to soften slightly before rolling out.

The Filling
Step 1: Combine sugars, cinnamon, salt, flour and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl and whisk until blended.
Step 2: Add the cut apples and mix with the sugar mixture until apples are well coated.

To Assemble
Step 1: On a floured surface, roll out one pie crust just large enough to cover your plate pan.
Step 2: Place that crust into an ungreased pie plate and trim the edges (easiest way to do this is by rolling the dough up on loosely onto your rolling pin and then rolling it out over the plate).
Step 3: Pack the coated apples tightly into the bottom crust and scrape remaining sugar mixture from mixing bowl (packing them is important to avoid settling as the pie bakes).
Step 4: Roll out the other crust large enough to cover the top of the pie.
Step 5: Wet edge rim of the bottom crust and place the top crust over the apples, pressing down of the edges to seal. Trim any excess.
Step 6: Pinch edges into a fluted design to further the seal, or you can pinch them flat and cover with cut-out designs from the extra crust dough. Wet back of cut-outs and gently press to rim of crust.
Step 7: Cut four slits around center portion of crust and numerous smaller slits around outer crust to allow the pie to vent steam while baking (you can be as creative as you want here).

Step 8: Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Watch carefully and remove when crust is golden. If needed, cover the edges with foil or pie shields if they are browning too much.

Step 9: ENJOY!!

While this recipe may seem a little intimidating, it's really an easy pie to make. You don't have to make it fancy at all and boy, it sure is delicious. I don't even really like apple pie and I like this pie. Serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream...yum, yum, yum! So go ahead, conquer the pie and have some fun making it as well as eating it!

cupcakes

2010-10-16T19:57:00.003-06:00

It was my friend's birthday this week and I decided to make her some cupcakes. I stole this recipe (it's the same as the chocolate cake recipe minus the chocolate from this post) from my mom's Southern Living magazine while I was at home this past summer. And let me tell you folks, I'm glad I took it, because this recipe is fool-proof and delicious. I mean, I actually ended up with moist cupcakes...moist cupcakes! That's like, practically unheard of. Anyway, give it a try. This recipe makes good cake and good cupcakes. Included is the Carmel-Butterscotch Buttercream frosting I topped them with. Great frosting, but you can really use whatever type you want. And yes, this recipe might look a little similar, that's because, like I said, it's the same one as the chocolate cake recipe from this post just the vanilla version of it.

What you'll need---

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional...it is expensive)
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

What you'll do---

Step 1: Beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy and fluffy (about 5 mins.)

Step 2: Add eggs, one at a time, beating until yellow disappears after each addition.

Step 3: Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

Step 5: Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Start and end with the flour mixture. Beat at medium-low speed until just blended after each addition. The batter will be thick.

Step 6: Preheat oven to 350. Place paper baking cups into muffin tins and spray with cook spray. Fill the cups about 3/4 full with the batter.

Step 7: Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Step 8: While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare your frosting. Here is the recipe for the Butterscotch- Caramel Buttercream that I used---

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup butterscotch-caramel ice cream topping

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

3 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1-3 tbsp milk

1. Beat the first four ingredients together until creamy

2. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternately with 1 tbsp of milk as needed until desired consistency and taste.

Step 9: Frost cupcakes and ENJOY!!

Like I said, easy-peasy recipe that is moist and tasty. If you have a hankering for cupcakes or even cake, give this recipe a try. I think you'll find it is much better than a box and not too difficult either.

chocolate cake

2010-10-08T15:18:00.001-06:00

It was my sister-in-law's birthday this past Sunday and I made this cake for her. Sorry there are no pictures, but this is a good and pretty fool-proof recipe. Honestly, one of the moister cakes that I have ever had. It's good and easy so if you need to make a cake, give it a try.

What you'll need---
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup hot water

What you'll do---
Step 1: Beat sugar and butter at medium speed until creamy and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Step 2: Add eggs, one at a time, beating until yellow disappears after each addition.
Step 3: Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Step 5: Add to butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at medium-low speed just until blended after each addition.
Step 6: Beat in water until the batter is just smooth.
Step 7: Pour into prepared pans (I recommend using shortening and flour).
Step 8: Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes if using 8" pans and 30-40 minutes for 9" pans. Check early and remove promptly when done.
Step 9: Cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes and then remove from pans to completely cool.
Step 10: Frost with your frosting of choice and enjoy!

***Just a Note---To make a vanilla cake batter, use 3 cups of cake flour and ignore the cocoa powder as well as the 1/3 cup hot water.

nothing new, but...

2010-10-04T19:09:00.000-06:00

So I haven't made anything new lately, well, actually I have, but I forgot to take pictures. I'll try to post the recipe sometime soon, though.
I have been baking a lot though. It's Fall (and though I jumped the gun when I made these) it's time to bust out the pumpkin and make these cookies. I made them a few weeks ago and boy were they delicious...I love pumpkin.
Let's see, I also made this here cake. Our land lady had us up (we live in a basement) for dinner and I was in charge of desert and, of course, decided to go all out.
I made my favorite cake because I was craving it and tonight I have plans to make these cookies.
I still have plans to bake new things, I just haven't gotten around to it. And like I said, I did try out something new yesterday and plan on at least posting the recipe for all you folks out there who I hope are reading this blog?!?

orange rolls

2010-09-18T11:16:00.000-06:00

The very first thing I baked, the recipe that started all this madness was this one. My husband said to try out baking as a hobby, so I did. And this was a daring recipe for me, since I had never made dough by myself before. I had only baked cookies and things from a box. I'm surprised these delicious rolls even turned out the first time! Well, it's almost been a year since I started baking and this week I was wanting some orange rolls. And since making dough now is easy-peasy-rice-and-cheesy, I decided to make them.....starting at 8 pm. Probably not the wisest decision, but don't worry, orange rolls are even good when they come out of the oven at 11 pm.
So here be the recipe. It's not to hard though it can be messy. Don't worry when the orange glaze starts oozing out the the rolls when you're trying to cut them. That's totally normal.

What you'll need---

1/2-1/3 recipe sweet roll dough
3 tbsp softened butter
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp orange juice (I never measure this and probably use more around 1/4 cup because I like it orangey, but it also makes my glaze runnier, so I recommend doing this by taste)
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

What you'll do---

Step 1: Make sweet roll dough. Go here for the recipe. Follow the recipe until you complete the first rise. Stop after that and continue on with this recipe.
Step 2: Cut the dough. I used a little more than half the dough.

Step 3: Beat the butter, orange zest, orange juice and confectioner's sugar until creamy and smooth (mine is never smooth because the butter doesn't like to beat, so don't worry if that happens to you too).

Step 4: Roll the dough out into a rectangle and spread about half of the glaze mixture over the top of it, leaving about 1-inch borders.

Step 5: Roll up the dough, like a giant swiss roll and pinch in the ends and seams to kind of seal it up (Hopefully so not as much glaze oozes out).

Step 6: Stretch the roll to make it even and then cut it into about 1-1 1/2 inch slices.

Step 7: Tightly pack into a greased 9x13 or 8x8 pan, depending on how much dough you used.

Step 8: Let the rolls rise until they double, about 30 minutes.

Step 9: Bake at 375 for 15-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Step 10: Frost with the remaining glaze mixture while they are still warm.

Step 11: ENJOY!!

These are delicious and so much better than store bought. Yes, they can be messy and you'll most likely smell like oranges for a day or two, but in the end they are definitely worth it. I recommend serving them warm...they are much better that way. Try these out and really, don't worry about the mess.

fyi

2010-09-11T16:14:00.000-06:00

For those of you out there who enjoyed reading the "From the Food Scientist" posts I had a couple of times, you should check out this blog here. You can get any questions you have answered or just enjoy learning about food. So tell all your friends about it and enjoy it yourself!

cinnamon bread

2010-09-07T21:22:00.000-06:00

The latest and greatest from my baking world is cinnamon bread! This stuff makes amazing toast and we were going to try out French Toast with it, but we ate it all before we got there. That's okay though, just gives me an excuse to make it again. This is some good bread and isn't too hard to make. I had some issues getting the dough just right in the kneading phase, but in the end it worked out perfectly! So give this one a try. Breads are so much fun to make and this one is fun to eat too!

What you'll need---
1 cup milk
6 tbsp butter
2 1/2 tsp yeast
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 egg, for egg wash
2 tbsp softened butter

What you'll do---
Step 1: Heat the butter and milk until very warm, but not boiling (aka scalding). Allow it to cool until it is warm to touch but not hot (I put mine in the fridge to expedite this process).

Step 2: Once the butter and milk has cooled sprinkle on the yeast, gently stir and allow it to sit for 5-10 mins.

Step 3: While the yeast is doing its yeast magic, mix together the sugar and eggs.

Step 4: Pour in the yeast mixture and stir it to combine.

Step 5: Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the rest of the flour as well as the salt and once again, beat until combined.

Step 6: When it's all nice a mixed up, switch to the dough hook and knead. If you don't have a kitchenaid this is when you start kneading by hand. Not to hard to do and a great way to relieve stress. Knead the dough for around 10 mins (I know, that's a long time by hand, but you can do it!). If the dough is too sticky, add more flour (around 1/4 cup) and knead for another 5 or so mins.

***Just a note: this dough should be slightly sticky. It should be sticky to touch, but not a sticky mess.

Step 7: Drizzle a little canola oil in a bowl and roll the dough around in it until it's coated. Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and put some place warm to rise for an hour and a half to two hours or until doubled in size.

Step 8: When it has doubled, turn the dough out onto a counter and roll it into a rectangle no wider than your loaf pan and about 24 inches long.

Step 9: Cover it with about 2 tbsp of melted butter. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle that evenly over the butter.

Step 10: Roll the dough up like a swiss roll and pinch the seam to make sure you get a good seal.

Step 11: Place the dough in a buttered loaf pan, seam side down, cover and allow to rise for another 30 mins to an hour, until doubled.

Step 12: When it has doubled, preheat oven to 350, make an egg wash by beating the egg and brush it over the dough.

Step 13: Bake for 40-50 minutes, until it is golden brown and baked through (if the top starts browning too much, just cover it in foil).

Step 14: Remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool.

Step 15: ENJOY!! Like I said, this bread makes amazing toast! It really isn't to hard to make and is very delicious. Try it out, I know you'll love it!

it's been.....

2010-08-23T12:06:00.000-06:00

.......AGES!!! I know and I have missed blogging. To be honest, I haven't done much baking lately and as such, I haven't done much blogging. But, I made a few things and will do a quick update post for you folks today.
A few weeks ago I made these muffins that totally taste like doughnuts. They are good warm or cold. I am sure I'll be making them often. The recipe is quick and easy, and they are doughnut delicious minus some of those doughnut calories. If you are interested in this delicious recipe, you can find it here.

Doughnut muffins!

Some other recipes we have used lately are this one, which is an all-time favorite in our house (really with any meal) and this one, which we actually use for pizza. And, we have discovered the joys of grilling pizza. If you have a grill, try making pizza on it. It's so good! Our favorite is a grilled chicken and mashed potato pizza...it is sooo good!
Last night I also made this favorite of mine. This is probably one my favorite things I can bake, and I think I might go have some more right now. Don't be afraid of this recipe. I know whipping eggs whites can be intimidating, but this recipe is so worth it. So try it out. Honestly, if a girl who really only started baking 10 months ago can make it, so can you! Go make it today if you have the time, it's yummy!
Well, that's my quick update for now. Hopefully I'll have more to post soon!

coffee cake

2010-07-16T09:43:00.003-06:00

I made this probably a month ago now but with getting ready to head to Virginia and what-not, the blog never got posted. This stuff is amazing though. I don't know why it's called coffee cake since it has no coffee in it. Maybe you're supposed to eat it with coffee, but I don't drink coffee so I think it should be called the cake of cinnamon wonderfulness. Ha ha ha, anyway...it's pretty easy to make and here's the recipe. Oh, and I mixed mine by hand since the egg whites needed to be beaten in the middle of the recipe. You could just beat them before and set aside or if you have a hand mixer rather than a stand mixer that will solve the problem too. Mixing it by hand isn't hard though.

What you'll need---

For the cake:
1 1/2 sticks of softened butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour, sifted
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk
3 egg whites

For the topping:
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup of flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

What you'll do---
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350.

Step 2: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Step 3: Cream together the butter and sugar.

Step 4: To this mixture, add the flour and milk alternately until it is completely combine, making sure not to over beat (this is why doing it by hand was nice).

Step 5: Beat the egg whites until they are stiff.

Step 6: Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Step 7: Spread into a greased 9x13 pan.

Step 8: Make the topping by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl with a pastry cutter or fork until they are well combined and crumbly.

Step 9: Sprinkle the topping over the batter and then bake for 40-50 minutes, until it is no longer jiggly and is golden brown.

Step 10: ENJOY!!

This cake is best eaten warm. It is also very good with ice cream as well as alone. It's just an amazing cake because the batter rises up over the topping and the topping melts down into the cake and so you get this wonderful, wonderfulness...ha ha ha. Try this one out, folks. It's simple, you probably have all the ingredients, it makes your house smell good, and it tastes amazing!

update

2010-07-09T10:13:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. I'm currently at my parents's home and will be here for another week and a half. My husband is in Scandinavia and I came here for the 3 weeks he is going to be gone. As a result, I haven't baked anything in quite a while. It's hot a humid here and the last thing you really want to do is turn on an oven! I do have an old recipe I need to post though, and I plan on doing so soon. I'm also looking for baking suggestions, so if you have any, feel free to shout them out! Thanks!

summer eats

2010-06-21T12:44:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've done any baking and I still actually haven't done much. My husband and I moved apartments recently, and with packing up, moving, getting sick, finishing Spring Term, well, everything else just seemed to be put on hold. This past weekend however, we did make homemade gelato! And, I figured with today being the first official day of Summer, what would be a better time to do this post?!? So here it is, Giada De Laurentiis's (of the Food Network) Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato recipe.

What you'll need---

2 cups of milk (whole is recommended but I just used 1% because that's what I had)

1 cup of heavy cream (yum!)

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup

4 egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup Nutella (or any other chocolate-hazelnut spread)

What you'll do---

Step 1: In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream and 1/2 cup of sugar. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.

Step 2: While that's cooking, whip the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar until the eggs become thick and pale yellow. About 4 minutes.

Step 3: Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture and stir.

Step 4: Add the egg/cream back into the saucepan.

Step 5: Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes (This step didn't work too well for us. It never got really thick for us, but our gelato turned out great, so don't get frustrated with this part like I did).

Step 6: Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the custard through it.

Step 7: Stir in the vanilla and Nutella until it dissolves (it didn't completely dissolve for us, but when we made the ice cream, the speckles went away).

Step 8: Chill the mixture before pouring into an ice cream maker. Follow your ice cream maker's instructions to freeze.

This was the fun part for us. Since my husband is a Food Science major, we have access to fun things like a batch freezer and that is what we used to make our gelato, since we don't actually have an ice cream maker.

The batch freezer...I felt like I was on Iron Chef America!

Pouring it in

Gelato! Yummy!

Step 9: ENJOY!!!

It turned out so great! This gelato is smooth and creamy and delicious. My sister and her husband came down to visit on Saturday and we had a BBQ with this gelato for dessert. We ate all of it! It only makes 4 cups so be ready for it to disappear very quickly! Happy Summer, folks!

just a note...

2010-06-01T16:18:00.000-06:00

For the bread recipe below, you can easily make wheat bread out of it. I just made some today, using a little less than 2 cups of wheat flour and then white flour for the rest. It's really good and I am loving this bread recipe! So try it out, really. You don't need a mixer to make it, so don't be scared...try it out, you'll fall in love with it!

best bread so far!

2010-05-27T16:35:00.003-06:00

As you know I have been working on making a really good bread so that we don't have to buy it anymore. Bread is expensive and homemade is just way better anyway, right? So we tried the wheat bread and it was good, but we are more of white bread people and so this morning I tried out this recipe. Let me tell you folks, it's easy and it is so good! We did use a secret ingredient to make it even better (you'll see later) and I am more than sure that this recipe will become a regular. Both my husband and I are very excited about it and we have almost eaten an entire loaf already! So here's the recipe...try it out!

What you'll need---
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 scant tbsp yeast (2 packets)
5-6 cups flour
2 tsp salt

What you'll do---
Step 1: Put the milk, sugar and butter in a small saucepan.
Step 2: Heat over low heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Then cool to lukewarm (I put it in the fridge to cool it quicker)

Step 3: While the milk is cooling, dissolve the yeast (we love yeast!) in the warm water in a warmed mixer bowl (I never thought to make the bowl warm too, but it works really well).

Step 4: Add the milk mixture to the yeast and 4 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt.

Step 5: This is where our secret ingredient comes into play. If you have it (or if you buy some), add 1 tsp of dough conditioner. This stuff is amazing and really does work. If you are interested, you can get it here. It is definitely worth it, trust me and you don't use much and get a lot.

Step 6: Mix everything together (if you are using a kitchenaid, use the hook attachment on speed 2).

Step 7: Mix for about a minute and then start adding flour, as needed, 1/2 cup at a time. (I used probably a little more than 5 cups and it was too much, so add the flour slowly. If you get too much, just add a little bit of water.) Mix and knead the dough until a ball forms.

Step 8: Put the dough in a greased bowl and turn it to grease the top.

Step 9: Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it doubles in size.

Mine rose A LOT and this was after 40 mins!

Step 10: Punch the dough down, divide in half, form into loafs and put the dough in greased bread pans. Let it rise again for 30 mins to an hour until they double in size again.

Step 11: When doubled, bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

Step 12: Remove from the pans, let it cool and then, guess what folks.....ENJOY!!!

We just sliced into it and ate it. It is so good alone...that's how you know it's a good bread. Also, because we used the dough conditioner the texture of the bread is more like commercial bread. I hope you can see that in the pictures! This bread isn't crumbly like homemade breads often are. Instead it is soft and delicious. We are really glad we got the dough conditioner and if you enjoy making breads it is something that you just might want to invest in!

from the food scientist: yeast

2010-05-25T21:35:00.000-06:00

Finally, another "from the food scientist!" I always tell my husband we need to do another one, but then we forget and as a result it has taken a while for us to do another one. This time, we'll be learning about yeast! Not too long ago, my sister asked my husband about yeast and it gave me the idea to do a post about it. So here it is, folks-- the wonders of yeast!

Hello everyone! Well yeast is a great topic to cover. Those who bake breads a lot know this ingredient is always in the recipe, but what is it? Yeast is a microorganism that eats some of the starch and sugars in the bread dough. You may think this is bad but it actually produces carbon dioxide in a process called fermentation. This carbon dioxide gives the bread a nice fluffy texture and is what makes it rise. Because this is so important in the bread making process let's look at what you need to do to allow the yeast to grow the best.

Temperature - You rise breads in a warm environment for a reason. The optimum temperature for yeast is around 90 to 100 degrees F. A lot of times we will rise the dough in a mixing bowl placed in the oven on warm. Also, when you dissolve yeast in water make sure you use warm water but not hot. Too hot of water will kill the yeast.

pH - This just refers to how acidic or basic the environment the yeast is growing in. Yeast grow in a slightly acidic environment. This is why sometimes commercial breads will have citric acid added to it.

Salt Concentration - If you add salt to yeast directly it will kill it. This is because of osmotic pressure that causes water to leave the yeast cells and ultimately kill the yeast.

So as you can see, yeast is an important but somewhat fickle aspect to making breads. Once you know about it though, it's easy to use and understand. Oh, and don't worry, the yeast dies when you bake the bread.

thoughtful thursday

2010-05-20T16:15:00.001-06:00

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."
- Dr. Suess

wheat bread...a work in progress

2010-05-20T15:41:00.003-06:00

(Yup, wheat flour! Something healthy for a change)

Not only did I misplace the recipe for this bread and am recalling it from memory to do this post, but it is also literally a work in progress. We want to make a super good bread so we can just make our own and not buy it from the store. (We're kind of poor and look for lots of ways to save money.) I'm not saying to not make this recipe, please do! Let me know what you think about it and how it could be tweaked. And, keep your eyes open for updates on this recipe, because they are bound to come. But here it is, the recipe in its raw form...that is, how I remember it.

What you'll need---
6 cups wheat flour
2 tbsp yeast
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
5 cups warm water, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
7-9 cups bread flour
2/3 cup oil

What you'll do---

***Just a note-- You will want a mixer for this and even then, this is probably more dough than it can handle. So you might want to do the recipe in sections or just be ready to do some of the kneading by hand.

Step 1: Dissolve the yeast in 2 cups of warm water.
Step 2: Once dissolved add the wheat flour.

Ya, it's a lot of flour!

Step 3: To that, add the nonfat dry milk as well as the remaining 3 cups of water.

Step 4: Then, add the sugar and salt.

Step 5: And mix it all up, of course!

And yes, it's a lot of dough!

Step 6: Once all that is mixed well, add the oil.

Step 7: Then start adding the bread flour, one cup at a time, until you get the desired consistency. (I think we did use about 7 cups of flour, though we probably only need a little more than 6).

Step 8: Knead the dough for about 3-5 minutes. It is a lot of dough, so if needed, knead it a little by hand to make sure all the flour is incorporated and that when you push down on the dough the mark doesn't go away.

Step 9: Divide the dough into loaves (it should make 3 loaves) and roll each one in a little bit of oil to coat completely.

Step 10: Shape the dough into loaves and put in bread pans or just do free loaves if you don't have enough bread pans.

Step 11: Put the loaves in a warm oven and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Sorry for the blurry picture. I took it quickly so I wouldn't loose all the heat in the oven.

Step 12: After it has risen, bake on 350 for 25-35 minutes, until it is brown on top.

Step 13: Slice it up and enjoy!

So far this bread is super good, but we do have some plans to make it even better. When we make it again, I'll let you know what we do. In the meantime, give it a try. It's good and doesn't take too much time and makes a lot of bread. Like I said, our kitchenaid could barely handle all the dough, so you might want to half it or just make the entire recipe in two sections. Good luck and enjoy!

sweet yumminess...that you can personalize!

2010-05-18T10:26:00.001-06:00

I've had a bit of a sweet tooth lately and when I saw this recipe, I wanted it. Plus I thought it would be a fun thing for my husband and me to bake together. As usual, I got upset at what I was making because, naturally, it wasn't behaving like I wanted it to. But in the end these turned out great! You might know these as Congo Bars, though when I think of those I think of coconut, which was definitely not on my menu. So, I'm going to call them Blondies. Trust me, folks, these are sweet yumminess!

What you'll need---
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (this is equivalent to 1 lb.)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Your filler of preference-- chocolate chips, nuts, caramels, m&m's, peanut butter chips-- whatever suits your fancy! For me, I used a bag of peanut butter chips and about half a bag of milk chocolate chips

What you'll do---

***Just a note: You can mix this recipe by hand just as easily as you can in a mixer. The batter does get thick, like a cookie dough, but it is doable. I used a mixer, but don't feel like you have to.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.
Step 2: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Step 3: Combine the butter and sugar and mix until it is well blended.

Step 4: Add the eggs, one at a time to the sugar mixture. Just incorporate each egg in before adding the next one.

Step 5: Add the vanilla and mix until everything is incorporated, making sure not to over mix (if you're mixing this by hand, you will want to add the chips, etc. at this time).

Step 6: Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix well. I recommend doing this is sections to make mixing easier and less messy.

Step 7: Stir in chips and whatever else you would like! You can get creative here...go for it!

Step 8: Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan (this part proved a little difficult for me...it's a thick batter).

Step 9: Bake for 25-35 minutes, until it is golden brown on top-- don't over bake (too brown) because then the bars won't be soft and chewy.

Step 10: Enjoy!! I fully and 100%-ly recommend waiting until these cool before eating them. They are just not that great warm-- way too sweet! Let them cool and then enjoy them with a nice big glass of milk...yummm!

good old favorites

2010-05-13T18:08:00.002-06:00

Besides making mummies for Mother's Day, nothing new has been baked in my humble abode this week. This doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed some baked yumminess! For Mother's Day, my husband made me a wonderful dinner which included these rolls. Now, I felt like I was cheating since I'm not actually a mother yet, but hey, I'm not complaining since this dinner was fantastic and these rolls, honestly, were to die for. We ate all of them in 24 hours and I still wish I had more now.
I also made this bread. I was trying out a new Italian idea---Chicken Alfredo Lasagna and this bread actually wasn't my first choice. I actually wanted to make these, but it sounded like more work so I decided not to. Doesn't matter though, the bread was delicious.
If you haven't noticed, I love making breads, so if you have any good bread recipes, please share them! I've been pretty busy with school lately, but I'm hoping to have more time to bake soon...maybe.

mummies for mommies

2010-05-10T12:36:00.001-06:00

For Mother's Day, I decided it would be fun to have out primary kids do something for their mom's during church. And, when my mom came and visited me she gave me this awesomely wonderful cookie cutter---

So, I decided it would be super cool and original to make these cookies, have our kids frost them and then I would pipe "I love my Mummy" onto them. Of course, our kids didn't really get it, but I was still excited about making them and they were delicious! They are just simple sugar cookies and very easy to make. I'm sure you all don't have a cool mummy cookie cutter to use, but that's okay...make the cookies anyway! (Oh, this is the recipe that came with the cutter...I don't know if it's any different from regular sugar cookies since this is the first time I've ever made them)

What you'll need---

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour, sifted

(Yup! That's it!)

What you'll do---

Step 1: Cream together the butter and the sugar.

Step 2: Beat in the egg, make sure you scrape down the sides to get it all incorporated.

Step 3: Combine the vanilla and sifted flour in a smaller bowl.

Step 4: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until all the ingredients are well blended.

You'll get a nice ball of dough, like this--

Step 5: Wrap the dough up and let it chill in the refrigerator for around an hour, until it's nice and hard.

Step 6: When the dough has chilled, roll it out and then cut out your cookies!

Looks like France, doesn't it?

Mummies!

Step 7: Bake at 350 for 8-10 mins until the cookies are barely colored. I had no idea what barely colored looked like, so I just baked mine for about 9 minutes and that seemed perfect.

Step 8: When the cookies are all cooled, you can make some frosting for them. I used this recipe because it was also given with the cutter--

Frosting---

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp lemon juice

Melt the butter and then combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth. (This recipe doesn't make much frosting, only about 1/3 cup, so I pretty much sextupled it...I don't think that's a word).

I personally liked the cookies better without frosting, but it's always fun to decorate them and what could be better than making mummies for mommies!?!

thoughtful thursday

2010-05-06T15:10:00.001-06:00

"Whatever is, is beautiful."
- Thomas Eakins

FINALLY!! a new recipe-- carrot cake

2010-05-06T15:00:00.001-06:00

With Winter semester ending and Spring term starting and my mom coming into town, baking just got put on a hold for a while. Life was busy and though I wanted to bake, especially for my mom, I had school work and so much more to do. But finally, this past weekend, I got to make something new! We were celebrating Mother's Day and my Uncle's birthday and my mom asked me to bake something for the occasion. And, we decided on carrot cake. This cake is super good, only next time, I think I would use smaller carrot pieces. I'll explain more later. Here's the recipe---

What you'll need---
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs (I used 4 eggs plus the whites of a 5th so my cake wouldn't sink after it was baked)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda (I also used just a little bit less baking soda to prevent sinkage)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup applesauce
(Raisins, nuts and coconut are all some other ingredients you can add if you like them)

What you'll do---
Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 and butter and flour two 9" cake pans

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar and oil.

Step 3: Add the eggs and mix well.

Step 4: Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a separate, smaller bowl.

Step 5: Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat well.

Step 6: Add the vanilla and grated carrots. (I just used those matchstick carrots you can buy at the store and well, we got a few too many. For 3 cups you'll only need one package, trust me. I also thought these were a little too thick...I think I would have preferred something smaller, but these work great because you don't have to do anything to them!)

Way too many extra carrots that I really don't know what to do with!

Step 7: Stir/fold in the applesauce. And if you decide to put in raisins, nuts or coconut fold those in as well.

Step 8: Pour the batter into your prepared pans and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Step 9: Let the cake cool in the pans on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Remove from the pans and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

I used this recipe for the frosting and just a simple buttercream for the piping. Once the cake is cooled you can frost it up and then enjoy!

My mom taught me some piping tricks to do for borders. Turned out great, didn't it?

My mom likes nuts and I don't so I compromised and put them around the outside for her. It looked really pretty though!

This is a pretty easy cake to make and it sure does taste good. I do wish I used smaller carrots, but like I said those packaged ones are so convenient! Whatever you prefer though, try this cake out. It's yummy and simple!

thoughtful thursday

2010-04-29T10:12:00.000-06:00

"You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
- E.L. Doctorow

lame-o

2010-04-19T12:15:00.002-06:00

So, I know, I'm a loser...I haven't had something fun to post about in quite a while now. Though I haven't been baking anything new, I have been baking. Saturday for dinner, we made calzones using this recipe here. They were ridiculously good and ridiculously big. If you use this recipe to make calzones, know that you can make a few or you can use the extra dough for breadsticks. Two for one deal here folks! (Oh, and just as a side-note, if you're making homemade pizza, take the time to either make pizza sauce or buy some...it's way better than using just plain ol' spaghetti sauce.)
And then that night I made these here cookies. Can I just say these are my most favorite cookies in the world. Honestly, I don't like making cookies, but these ones I just can't pass up. We teach primary at church and yesterday was one of our girl's birthday. She turned 7 and I made these cookies to celebrate. Our kids gobbled them up. In fact, I think I'm craving one right now...perhaps I'll go gobble one up!
Oh and last week sometime my husband also baked us some of this bread. It's so easy and so yummy. Go make some. Right now. I'm being serious....wink, wink.

nothing new

2010-04-17T21:06:00.000-06:00

So I haven't baked anything in a while and it makes me sad. Hopefully I'll have more time to bake some new things sometime soon. Last week, I think, I did try to make the Tres Leches Cake again. It turned out much better this time because I pretty much beat those egg whites to death.
This cake is divine.
Make it...
today

Tres Leches Cake

thoughtful thursday

2010-04-15T11:47:00.000-06:00

"If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn."
- Andrew Mason

thoughtful thursday

2010-04-08T12:03:00.000-06:00

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle

Life is a maze and love is a riddle

I don't know where to go, can't do it alone, I've tried

and I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment

I'm so scared but I don't show it

I can't figure it out

It's bringing me down, I know

I've got to let it go

and just enjoy the show

Lenka, The Show

just a note

2010-04-07T14:45:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note... please read this post if you haven't already! It's interesting stuff and I hope to share all the stuff I've learned with you folks. So read away and feel free to ask questions. Have a wonderful day!

navajo fry bread

2010-04-06T19:55:00.000-06:00

I love Navajo Tacos and had a hankering for them this week. I knew one of my cookbooks had a Navajo Fry Bread recipe in it, so today I decided to give it a try and here's how it turned out.

What you'll need---
4 cups flour
1/4 cup dry powdered milk
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2ish cups warm water
2 tbsp oil

What you'll do---
Step 1: Sift together the flour, powdered milk, salt and baking soda. Combine well.
Step 2: Add the water, a little at a time and mix well with your hands. We only used about 1 1/2 cups of water and had to add a little extra flour, so use your discretion in this step. The dough should not be too stiff, and not too sticky either.
Step 3: Knead the dough until it is well mixed.
Step 4: Knead in the oil.
Step 5: Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.
Step 6: After letting it rest, break off about a 2 inch piece and stretch it out thin.

Step 7: Deep fry each piece in some hot oil. Fry for about 30 seconds on each side or until it is golden brown.

Step 8: To make a Navajo Taco, we topped our fry bread with homemade chili, cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa.

Step 9: ENJOY!!!

This make a delicious dinner that is super easy. Making this fry bread is surprisingly easy and it turns out great! Give it a try, folks, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good and easy this dinner it. Oh, and if you're not feeding very many you might want to half the dough recipe or be ready for plenty of left-overs. We're fans of left-overs around here though, so we just fried up all the dough and will be eating these for a couple of days.

from the food scientist: flour

2010-04-05T21:33:00.008-06:00

I'm sure you've been to the store and seen different types of flour and thought, why would I buy another type of flour when I already have all-purpose? Well, folks, there is a difference and using the right type of flour will make your baked goods even better. My husband is studying Food Science at BYU and he tells me lots of cool baking things, including why different flours are better for different occasions. So, here's the scoop, in his words.

All-Purpose Flour

This your flour that is good for everything. It can be used in cakes, pastries, breads and many other things. What makes it all-around good is the fact that it is from wheat that has a medium amount of protein. The protein in wheat is really what gives flour its different functionalities.

Cake Flour

Cake flour is the flour of choice for those making the good things in life; cakes, pastries, cookies and other yummy things. It is used to make these things lighter compared to using all-purpose flour. The flour is milled to a finer grain size so that it can absorb more fat, causing it to be distributed more evenly throughout the cake batter. Another things that makes cake flour different is the protein content. Because it has a lower protein content, when it is mixed in a cake batter it doesn't create a very strong structure. This is important to give the nice fluffy texture. This is also why cake flour is not for making breads because they won't hold the structure you want.

Bread Flour

This is our friend Mr. Bread Flour. It is very good for making, you guessed it, bread. Some of the desired characteristics of bread are that it holds the leavening well and has a nice strong structure. Bread flour has a higher protein content. The two major proteins in wheat flour are glutenin and glyadin. When the flour is hydrated these proteins come together to form a structure we call gluten. Gluten is what gives breads their airy and fluffy goodness. They provide a structure that can capture all the gas produced by the yeast and also be elastic to give it a good texture. Since bread flour has a high protein content it is better for bread making for these very reasons.

Soy Flour

One quick note about soy flour. Now you might think to yourself soy flour? Why would I use soy flour? Well soy flour has a high protein content like bread flour. This flour when added to bread flour in a yeast bread recipe can improve the texture and capability to hold the gas produced by the yeast. It should be used sparingly though, too much and it'll taste like soybeans. :(

Well these are the basics on different types of flour. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away.

tres leches cake

2010-04-02T15:35:00.005-06:00

I've been wanting to make this cake for some time, especially since my husband served his mission in Mexico. So I finally decided to make it and since my sister-in-law is in town this week, we invited her over to help. It was a lot of fun and this cake was way better than I expected. So don't be intimidated by having to beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry....give this cake a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised by it's unique flavor.

What you'll need---
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup of milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
For icing---
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp sugar

What you'll do---
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 and liberally spray a 9x13 pan (you'll have to get the entire cake out of the pan, so make sure it's well coated).
Step 2: Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, set aside.

Step 3: Separate the eggs.

Step 4: Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup of sugar on high speed until they are pale yellow.

Step 5: Stir in milk and vanilla.

Step 6: Pour egg yolk mixture over flour mixture and stir it very gently until it's combined.

Step 7: Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form.

You'll want to beat them more than this. Though my cake turned out great I am pretty sure the egg whites needed more beating, so have it!

Step 8: With the mixer on, add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat until the egg whites are stiff but not dry (I know, confusing, right, but don't worry about it, it's not that hard).

Like I said before, my eggs needed more beating. This is probably the least amount of beating you want to do, so keep at it until you get nice stiff eggs...it will really make the cake even better!

Step 9: Fold the egg white mixture into the batter very gently and mix until it is just combined.

Step 10: Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan, spread to even out and bake for 30-45 minutes. Check early, when a toothpick comes out clean and it's nice and golden brown, it's done!

Step 11: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes and then flip it out onto a large platter. If you don't have a platter (like in my case), I just cut the cake in half and put it on two plates. Leave the cake upside down, it's easier to poke with a fork that way.

Step 12: Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream in a small pitcher or bowl with a spout.

Step 13: When the cake is cool, poke the entire cake with a fork and then slowly pour all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture over the entire cake. Make sure you get the edges.

Step 14: Allow the cake to absorb the mixture for 20-30 minutes.

Step 15: Once the cake has absorbed all the milk mixture, make the icing, by beating on high speed, 1 pint of heavy whipping cream and 3 tbsp of sugar until it is fluffy and spreadable. You can either frost the cake or just put a dollop on top when serving.

Step 16: Enjoy!!

It may seem like a lot of steps, but it really isn't. I just try to make the steps as simple as possible, so sometimes there will be a lot of them. This cake is fabulous though. I really enjoyed it. I mean, what could be better than evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream? It's like fat, fatter and fattest. Ha ha, maybe this is a cake for special occasions....or if you aren't weight conscious, which as I'm sure you know, I'm not. Anyway, enjoy!

thoughtful thursday

2010-04-01T11:01:00.000-06:00

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"

-Dr. Seuss

birthday cake

2010-03-30T12:14:00.003-06:00

Sunday was my sister's golden birthday and I made this cake for her---

Her favorite happens to be Red Velvet Cake so instead of looking for something crazy to make like I did for the last birthday cake (see Twelve Layer Cake Post for details) I just decided to improve upon my favorite cake recipe, which would happen to be this one--

Red Velvet Cake

It turned out great and happened to be the best red velvet cake I have made so far; which is very good since it was for a GOLDEN birthday! I think it's because I added more red food coloring than usual, so the paste wasn't so pasty, actually more liquidy and as a result the cake was even moister.

So give this cake a try.

It is so good.

Like, to die for.

Oh, and you'll need cream cheese frosting, of course! (Though I did just a basic buttercream for the piping because cream cheese it too runny to pipe)

lemon squares

2010-03-25T20:30:00.000-06:00

I saw this recipe today on thepioneerwoman.com and thought I would try it out because I LOVE lemon! I must get it from my mom because I know she loves it too. So if you're a fan of this tart fruit, give this recipe a try because it's easy and yummy.

What you'll need---
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick of butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1- 1 1/4 cup oats (depending on how oaty you like it)
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice (I used a mixture of fresh squeezed and bottled)
zest of 1 lemon

What you'll do---
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350.

Step 2: Mix together the butter and brown sugar until it is well combined. I just cut the butter in with a fork.

Step 3: To that mixture, add the flour, salt and baking soda and oats. You can premix the flour, salt and baking soda, or just add it all at once...that's what I did...didn't want to dirty an extra dish...no dishwasher.

Step 4: In another bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, the lemon juice and the lemon zest.

Step 5: Now, press 1/2-3/4 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of you baking dish. I would use a smaller dish; 9x9 or smaller and grease it.

Step 6: Next, spread the lemon/condensed milk mixture over the top of the bottom crust layer.

Step 7: Then, sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top. Do not press down or else you won't get three nice layers.

Step 8: Bake it for 20-25 minutes or until it is golden brown on top. When it is finished, let it cool for at least 30 minutes before doing anything to it.

Step 9: After 30 minutes, you can cut it into squares and then put it in the fridge for a nice final chill. Eat it when it's chilled...it tastes better that way.

Step 10: Enjoy!

Pretty easy and quite delicious. I hope you'll give these tasty little squares a try!

PS: Sorry for the worse than usual quality pictures. I was having a rough day. I hope it doesn't make these little treats look too nasty. Trust me, they're good.

thoughtful thursday

2010-03-25T10:29:00.002-06:00

"Oh what good is it to live with nothing left to give
forget but not forgive, not loving all you see?
Are the streets you're walking on, a thousand houses long?
Well, that's where I belong and you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea."

-Coldplay, Swallowed in the Sea

italian bread

2010-03-23T21:24:00.002-06:00

I was really wanting to bake something before Thursday so that I could do a post about it but I wasn't really in the mood to bake, nor did I know what to bake. So, I thought about what I was going to make for dinner and decided to complement it. Since I was making ziti, I decided to make French bread. I went searching for recipes and found this Italian one in the process (don't worry, I still plan on making French bread sometime soon). So I decided to give it a try. And folks, this is honestly one of the easiest recipes I have ever made and it's really good. So stop reading this and go make it because I am sure you have all the ingredients! Here it is.

What you'll need---
3 cups flour
1 package of active dry yeast (1 scant tbsp of yeast)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
cornmeal (optional)
1 beaten egg (optional, but recommended)

What you'll do---
Step 1: Sift the flour into a large bowl. Mix the salt and sugar in by hand.

Step 2: Move the ingredients to the side of the bowl creating an empty space or "well" in the middle of the bowl.

Step 3: Pour the yeast into this well as well as 1-1 1/4 cups of water (I would do more than cup...you can always add more flour later if it's too sticky).

Step 4: Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of flour over the yeast and water and wait about 10 minutes for the yeast to dissolve and bubbles to appear.

Step 5: Once the bubbles have appeared, start to mix the ingredients together (I did this by hand but you can use a mixer if you like. I recommend doing it by hand though). To mix it, slowly start incorporating the walls of the well into the yeast and water. The slower this is done, the easier it is to mix it all in. If needed, add more flour or water. Once all the flour is incorporated, you should have a nice firm ball of dough.

Step 6: Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until you get a nice, non-sticky dough.

Step 7: Place the dough in a bowl, cover the dough in olive oil (or any oil, to prevent drying). Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place it in a warm place.

Step 8: Let the dough rise for an hour. It should double in size during this time.

Step 9: Once it has risen, punch the dough down once and form it into a loaf. Prepare a baking pan by lightly oiling it and sprinkling it with cornmeal (or flour if you don't have cornmeal). Put the loaf on this pan, cover it and allow it to rise for another 30 minutes-1 hour until it has doubled.

Step 10: When it has risen again, spread the beaten egg over the top of the loaf (this will give you a nice brown and crispy crust) and cut at least 3 slits in the top to allow for expansion.

Step 11: Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, until it has reached the desired golden brownness on top.

Step 12: Cut it up and enjoy! We didn't wait for it to cool, because honestly, what is better than fresh bread out of the oven? That and dinner was ready.

Yup, seriously folks, that is it! 11 steps may seem like a lot, but if you look closely it is really easy and simple. It probably only took me about 20 minutes to prepare the dough than 2 hours of rising and about 20 minutes of baking. That's it and you've got yourself a yummy bread with ingredients you've always got. I made a garlic butter to put on it. I just softened about 4 tbsp of unsalted butter and then stirred in some garlic salt. This is definitely going to become a regular in our house.

So, give it a try.

Bread isn't scary, I promise!

It's easy.

It's yummy.

It's begging to be made.....

thoughtful thursday

2010-03-18T15:37:00.001-06:00

"The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size."
- Gertrude S. Wister

irish soda bread...in detail

2010-03-18T15:03:00.003-06:00

I wanted to make at least one thing fun for St. Patrick's Day so I decided to make Irish Soda Bread because it only required me to buy one ingredient...buttermilk. I got this recipe from my best friend and it's easy and good. This bread kind of has a biscuit taste, but I think better. I hope you like it and will try it out or keep it on file for next St. Patrick's Day.

What you'll need---
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted

What you'll do---
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 325.
Step 2: Mix together, in a medium sized bowl, the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda.

Step 3: In a smaller mixing bowl, mix together the slightly beaten egg, buttermilk and butter.

Step 4: Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix them together until it is just moistened.

Step 5: Put the dough into a greased loaf pan. Make sure you put it in a big enough loaf pan or it might overflow while baking like mine did. Luckily I had put a cookie sheet underneath the pan!

Step 6: Bake at 325 for 65-75 minutes. The top of the bread should be a dark golden brown. Make sure it's cooked all the way through before removing from the oven.

Step 7: ENJOY!!

Yup, that's it folks. It's really easy. I even mixed it all by hand because it was just that much easier to do. It's a fun and easy St. Patrick's Day recipe that I hope you can enjoy anytime of year!

irish soda bread

2010-03-17T16:51:00.000-06:00

I'll do a real post about this good stuff later, but just in case you were looking for some ideas for St. Patrick's Day, I have posted this recipe on my recipes site. Just click on the link and you can have some Irish fun.

Irish Soda Bread

Enjoy and I'll put up another post about it later!

naan bread...finally

2010-03-16T13:00:00.000-06:00

Here it is, finally, the recipe for naan. The baking process is slightly complicated and it requires the use of a pizza stone or some other baking stone. If you don't have one, just try cooking it on a regular baking sheet (probably without putting the sheet in the oven first). See how it works...just give it a try. This is really good naan bread.

What you'll need---
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
pinch of baking soda
1 tbsp oil (I just used canola)
2 1/2 tbsp of yogurt (I used greek because it was the only plain yogurt we could buy in a small container. You can also substitute it for sourcream or buttermilk if you don't want to buy yogurt)
3/4 cup lukewarm water

What you'll do---
Step 1: Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water for about 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes frothy.

Step 2: Add sugar, salt and baking soda to the flour and mix well.

Step 3: Add the oil and yogurt to the flour and mix. The dough will become a crumbly mixture.

This is "crumbly"

Step 4: Add the water/yeast mixture and make into a "soft" dough. The dough will get much softer after rising, so don't worry if it isn't at this point.

Step 5: Knead the dough until it is smooth (I kneaded it to mix it). Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 3-4 hours. The dough should double in size. (It took about 2 1/2 hours for mine to double.)

Step 6: Once the dough has risen, heat your oven to 475-500 with a pizza stone inside for about 30 minutes so the stone gets hot. (I put my stone in the oven for about 15 minutes before I started actually baking and that worked perfectly).

Step 7: Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes and then divide it into 6 equal parts.

Step 8: Take each piece of dough, one at a time, dust with flour and roll, using a rolling pin, into a 8-ish inch oval shape.

Reminds me of Star Trek...he he he

Step 9: Before putting the naan into the oven, lightly wet your hands and flip the rolled pieces between your hands to lightly cover with water. (This will help the dough bubble without breaking and help in the browning process).

Step 10: Place the wet naan on your hot stone (or just on a regular baking sheet like I mentioned before) and bake for 2-3 minutes depending on how hot your oven is. When the naan is just barely golden brown on top, it's done!

I know this picture is blurry, but I wanted you to see what it looks like while baking.

Step 11: Take the naan out of the oven a brush lightly with butter. Wait a few minutes before you start the next batch so the oven can get back up to temperature.

Step 12: ENJOY!!

Yup, that's all it takes to make some yummy naan bread! I was a little intimidated with the baking process but it actually wasn't difficult. And minus the large quantities of smoke that filled our apt from heating up the stone first, it wasn't bad at all and the taste was definitely worth it. So give it a try, even if you don't have a stone! And once again, thanks go to Tasty Kitchen for this recipe!

pi day... 3.14

2010-03-15T13:02:00.001-06:00

Yup, that's right, folks...yesterday was Pi Day. So Happy Pi Day, a day late. I first discovered Pi day when I was in a calculus class in high school. We took the time to celebrate the day by making pie and all things round. So, this year, my husband and I decided to continue that tradition and we made a pie for the occasion...how could we not? So Saturday night, we made a Lemon Icebox Pie to let it set up for the big occasion. It is a simple pie and very good. Here is the recipe. No baking involved, but that's okay; it's still yummy.

What you'll need---
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature. Make sure it is room temp, or you'll get lumps, like we did.
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice (I used fresh and some from a bottle because we only had one lemon. And, I only did 1/3 cup because I didn't want it too lemony)
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 prepared graham cracker crust

What you'll do---
Step 1: Get your crust ready. I cheated and bought one prepared from the store but you are welcome to make one if you want, or just take the easy way like I did.

Step 2: Mix the cream cheese a bit to soften it up and smooth it out...lumps aren't the best in pie!

Step 3: Zest and juice your lemon, as well as adding all the ingredients to the cream cheese (this is a pretty basic dump and mix recipe)

Step 4: Mix all the ingredients together until you get a smooth filling. You can do this with a stand mixture, using the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer or even by hand.

Step 5: Pour the filling into the pie crust...ya we had quite a few lumps. I actually liked them, but it would've been just as good smooth.

Step 6: Put in the fridge overnight (at least 24 hours) to set up and then enjoy!

Like I said, this is an easy pie and really good. I love lemon stuff and I really liked this pie. And, it was perfect for Pi Day. So, celebrate a day late, or save this recipe for next year... 3.14 is only 364 days away...better start thinking of all things round now!

indian food and naan bread

2010-03-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

My husband and I love Indian food. So when I stumbled across this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I have some other recipes I want to try, but they involve spices that I don't have. I had everything for this one, and so I decided to give it a try. I found both of these recipes on the Tasty Kitchen website. I think I have fallen in love with this site and will be using it frequently. So I would like to justly credit my findings and encourage you all to check out this wonderful site. And so without any further ado, here are the recipes---

Butter Chicken (Kind of like Makhani Chicken, for those of you who know Indian food)
What you'll need---
4 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken boobs
5 cloves garlic, minced (yup, a lot of garlic)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2+ tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)
1/4 tsp ground coriander (if you don't have this, it's okay, because you'll be adding cilantro later)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 lime, juiced (I just used lime juice...about 2 tbsp)
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 can tomato sauce
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 pint whipping cream (yum!)
Cilantro, to taste
1-2 cups bastmati rice (depending on how many you're feeding)

What you'll do---
Step 1: Combine the first 9 ingredients together and let them marinate over night. I cut my chicken up into smaller pieces, but you can leave them whole.

Step 2: When the chicken has marinated, dice an onion and saute on medium/med-high it in the 1/4 cup of butter.

Step 3: Add the marinated chicken to the onions and let it cook on medium for about 10 minutes.

Step 4: Add the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes (I would drain the tomatoes. My sauce was a little runny and I think if you drain the tomatoes that would help).

Step 5: Mix it all together, reduce the heat a little and let it cook, covered, for 30 minutes.

Step 6: When it's done, turn off and add the pint of cream. Mix it well and then add in the cilantro. Make sure the sauce warms up, so you might want to turn the heat back on for just a little bit but don't cook it anymore.

Step 7: Serve over basmati rice (or whatever you have) and enjoy!

It is a really good and simple dish. I know I was going to post the naan bread recipe too, but this took me a little longer than expected, so I'll keep you in suspense and do it later...most likely tomorrow. Try out this recipe though. Seriously, it's good and it tastes like Indian food. Maybe not 100% authentic, but right up there. So give it a try...it's easy; it's yummy; I kind of want some more.

thoughtful thursday

2010-03-11T14:14:00.001-07:00

To Me

Joy flows through my soul,
  my fingers tingle-- I touch the
simple letters of my name, and
my heart begins to soar with hopes
   of what awaits me inside. I feel
like a child on Halloween, eying
  heaps of candy--wrapped in crazy
  bright colors of orange, yellow, purple
My smile shines, bright as the
sun on a spring morning-- I hold the
  paper close to my heart, for today
when the mail came, a letter was
   addressed to me.

-Me

nothing new

2010-03-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't baked anything new this week, because I have been enjoying some of my favorites. It's hard to always be making something new when sometimes you just want to enjoy the goods you know you can make. I am hoping to make french bread sometime soon...maybe I'll venture to do that today. If not, here's what I have made this week---
breadsticks to enjoy with our manacotti, and
sweet rolls to have with some yummy roast!
Try them out, they're easy; they're yummy; I just love making bread.

a favorite standby...oatmeal cookies

2010-03-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes. I probably make it more than any other cookie. I'm not the biggest cookie making fan, but these are some of my favorites. They are easy to make, whether or not you have a stand mixer. In fact, these cookies are really easy to make if you mix them by hand...literally. It is a thick dough so mixing them by hand is often the easiest way to go. Well, without any further ado, here is the recipe. Your house/apartment will smell wonderful after you make these. I'm currently enjoying the smells since I just pulled the last batch out of the oven.

What you'll need---
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2ish tsp cinnamon
3-4 cups quick oats (I like them more oaty, so I recommend 4 or even more cups of oats)

What you'll do---
Step 1: In a medium bowl, cream together the white sugar, brown sugar and butter.

Step 2: Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Step 3: Stir in the vanilla

You should have a nice creamy mixture that looks a little bit like this. If you are doing it by hand, it's okay if it isn't this creamy...I know it can be hard to mix!

Step 4: In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Step 5: Add this mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until it is fully incorporated.

Step 6: Add in the oats. At this point, even if you are using a stand mixture, make sure the oats get completely incorporated. To do this, you will most likely need to mix it a little by hand. The dough should look like this when you are all done.

Step 7: Cover and let the dough chill for at least one hour. The dough will get hard and firm...that's how you want it, so make sure you chill it for an hour or more.

Step 8: Preheat the oven to 375. Roll the dough into about 2-inch balls and place them on your cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Step 9: Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cookies are turning golden brown on their tops. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet until transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 10: ENJOY!! Like I said these are really easy and delicious cookies. I've gotten a few compliments on them and I hope that you enjoy them too.

Just a note--- the more oats you add to the dough, the less the spread out. Don't worry if you get muffin top cookies, that's just fine. I actually prefer them that way.

thoughtful thursday

2010-03-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Only Day In Existence

The early sun is so pale and shadowy,

I could be looking up at a ghost

in the shape of a window,

a tall, rectangular spirit

looking down at me in bed,

about to demand that I avenge

the murder of my father.

But the morning light is only the first line

in the play of this day--

the only day in existence--

the opening chord of its long song,

or think of what is permeating

the thin bedroom curtains

as the beginning of a lecture

I will listen until it is dark

a curious student in a V-neck sweater,

angled into the wooden chair of his life,

ready with notebook and a chewed-up pencil,

quiet as a goldfish in winter,

serious as a compass at sea,

eager to absorb whatever lesson

this damp, overcast Tuesday

has to teach me,

here in the spacious classroom of the world

with its long walls of glass,

its heavy, low-hung ceiling.

-Billy Collins

nutter "betters"

2010-03-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe for homemade nutter butters and I knew I had to make it. Peanut butter is pretty much the greatest food ever created! I sometimes think I'm a slave to peanut butter with the quantities that I eat. But enough of my food obsessions...I'm sure you think I'm crazy now. Onto the recipe.
It's simple.
It's yummy.
Try it out.

What you'll need---
The Cookies
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup peanut butter (I would do a heaping 3/4 cup. I thought the cookies could have been just a little more peanut buttery, so don't hold back on it!)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
The Filling
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar (I added a little more than this just to get the texture and consistency right)
3/4 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp heavy cream

What you'll do---
Step 1: In a small mixing bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside.

Step 2: Put butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix together for about 2-3 minutes, or until it looks light and fluffy.

It should be a little lighter than this. The longer you mix it, the lighter it gets.

Step 3: Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

Step 4: Add in the flour, a little at a time, and mix in until it is well incorporated.

Step 5: Divide the dough in half, cover each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 6: After 30 minutes, preheat your oven to 325. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick and cut out your cookie shapes. You can really do whatever shapes you want! I only have Halloween and heart cookie cutters, so I picked hearts!

Step 7: Place the cookies on your baking sheets (make sure you make an even amount, for tops and bottoms) and put the sheet in the fridge for another 15 minutes, or when they feel firm.

Step 8: Once the cookies are firm, transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for 10-20 minutes, or until they start to lightly brown. Make sure you don't burn the bottoms!

Step 9: While the cookies are cooling (let them cool a bit on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack to prevent breakage), you can make the filling by combining all the ingredients and mixing for about 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

Step 10: Make your nutter butter sandwiches! I say, use as much or as little filling you want and just enjoy making and eating them!

Aren't they cute? They taste even better!!

Yes, we sure do love peanut butter around here!

I hope you enjoy this simple and fun recipe. I know we sure have. I didn't make all of the cookies in one night because it was getting late. I haven't finished making them but we have just been storing the dough and filling in the fridge until we plan on finishing them. Enjoy!

thoughtful thursday

2010-02-25T13:30:00.001-07:00

"Following the light of the sun, we left the old world."
-Christopher Columbus

captain kitchenaid

2010-02-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

There are no words to describe how funny this was. I can only say, Captain Kitchenaid is our new favorite superhero, and....

I love my husband! <3

recipe recap

2010-02-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend I didn't bake anything new, but I did bake a few of my favorites. Sometimes you just need to have those old favorites. Since it's been a while since the original post for both of these items, here's a link to their recipes. Try these out. They are super easy a delicious!

Texas Sheet Cake

Sweet Rolls

calzones

2010-02-23T12:46:00.001-07:00

So, my husband and I decided to make calzones using the breadstick recipe I posted last Thursday. Just follow the recipe, and let the dough rise in a bowl and then make your calzones with it! We made a chicken alfredo calzone and a pepperoni calzone. Try these, they are good and easy and fun to make! Plus, ours ended up being HUGE!!

Curtis with his gigantic calzone!

My not-so-big-but-still-very-large calzone!

These are just like making pizza, only folded into a pocket! If you make a chicken alfredo one, make sure you cook the chicken first. These are delicious and definitely going on to our regular menu!

thoughtful thursday

2010-02-18T11:06:00.001-07:00

"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it."
-Julia Child

breadsticks...i'm a fan of the bread!

2010-02-18T10:59:00.002-07:00

I made these breadsticks for the Black Holiday (aka Valentine's Day) and they are to die for! My husband said they are like Olive Garden bread sticks, but better...I don't know if they are that good, but they sure are good and worth trying. I don't have any pictures to go with them, sorry, but they are easy to make, so give it a try!

What you'll need---
Dough:
1 packet active dry yeast (I used the fast rising kind)
4 1/4 cups flour, plus a little extra for dusting
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fine salt
water

Topping:
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder (I have a sea salt and garlic grinder that I used and I'm sure I used more than they said here...it's really up to how garlicy you want it and the salt is really to taste)
Pinch of dried oregano
Parmesan Cheese (I added this one to it)

What you'll do---

Step 1: Place 1/4 cup water in mixing bowl, add the yeast and let dissolve.

Step 2: Add flour, butter, sugar, salt, and 1 1/4 cups water plus 2 tbsp.

Step 3: Mix together until a stick dough forms

Step 4: Knead the dough until it is very smooth and soft. You can knead it by hand or with a stand mixer, if you have one.

Step 5: Shape the breadsticks however you want. You can roll them out or twist them. I like to braid mine, so I just roll out three strips and then braid them together. Really though, shaping breadsticks is the easy and fun part so get creative and try something new!

Step 6: Place the shaped breadsticks on a baking sheet. Cover and let them rise until they have doubled. It should take around 45 mins to an hour.

Step 7: Bake at 400 degrees until they are light to golden brown. (If desired, you can put the butter and salt on them before baking, I just did it all after.)

Step 8: Make the topping by simply mixing all the ingredients, except the Parmesan Cheese, together.

Step 9: When the breadsticks come out, top with the topping and the cheese and that's it!

And there you go...delicious breadsticks that are really easy to make, even if you have to do it by hand! Eat them warm and...... Enjoy!

thoughtful thursday

2010-02-11T12:11:00.001-07:00

of what...

Of all the places that I've been, of
all the stores that I've heard,
this would have to be my favorite
of all. It is the story of time and,
of course, how it passed--
without a care of what other people
thought. Of each day of beauty, that
is filled with choices of faith--
of the time that I lost my way
on the road of life, and had to
fight my way back to the world
I knew of joy and of melancholy.
Of all the trials and, of course,
of all the smiles. Of all the times
I've waited to hear-- the story of
living is the one that encourages me,
above all, to fill my days of blessings
with chances of love.

--me

orange nutella rolls

2010-02-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie, this is probably my favorite thing I have ever baked. I could seriously eat them all day, so with out any further ado, I'll just get to the recipe.

Before you get started, you might want to make orange sugar. You can just as easily use regular sugar, but to add a little bit more orange to these yummy rolls, I would definitely recommend making the orange sugar. It's really easy as long as you have a food processor. I guess you could probably use a blender as well.

It's really easy to make---
Just put some sugar in your food processor, add some orange zest and voila! you've got orange sugar.

The sugar will be moist, so spread it out on a cookie sheet and turn your oven onto warm and put the sugar in the oven for 10 minutes and it should be all nice a dry!

Once you've made the orange sugar, you can start on the recipe. It's pretty simple but the results are spectacular!

What you'll need---

Dough:

3/4 cup warm orange juice

1 packet active dry yeast

1/3 cup orange sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled (mine was about room temp)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp orange zest (I just guessed)

3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Filling:

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/4-ish cup orange sugar

1/2 cup Nutella (I'm sure I used way more than that!)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I don't really like nuts in things, so this is totally optional!!)

There is also an orange icing for this recipe, but it is totally not needed, so I'm not going to even include it in here, sorry!

What you'll do---

Step 1: In a mixing bowl, combine the orange juice and the yeast and let dissolve.

It turns a rather unappetizing shade, but that's okay.

Step 2: Add sugar, egg, melted butter, salt and orange zest. Beat mixture until smooth.

Step 3: Add 2 cups of the flour and stir until well mixed. Then add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Step 4: Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, added flour a tablespoon at a time, if needed.

I love having a kitchenaid!!

Step 5: Place the dough into a well greased bowl, turning the dough to cover the top with grease. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place. Let it rise until it has double in size. This will take 1 1/2-2 hours. (Our apartment is rather cold and I ended up putting the dough in our bedroom because my husband was working on homework in there with the heat on and the door shut. It was warm in there!)

Step 6: Once the dough has risen, grease a 9x13 pan. Punch the dough down and turn in out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough a few times and then roll it out into a rectangular shape.

Step 7: Using a knife or frosting knife, gently but firmly spread the Nutella all over the dough. If you find it hard to spread, you can heat the Nutella up a little bit in the microwave.

Step 8: Using a pastry brush, brush the butter over the Nutella. Then sprinkle the orange sugar over the top of that, using however much you want.

And yes, I ate a lot of Nutella in the process...how could you not?!?!

Step 9: Roll up the dough, jelly-roll style, rolling up the shorter side (I find this to be the easiest way). Then cut the dough into about 1 inch rolls.

Step 10: Cover and let the dough rise again until it has doubled in size. This really only took about an hour, maybe even less.

Before they rose....

After they had risen! They rose a lot, I was surprised.

Step 11: Preheat the oven to 350 and bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown. My rolls only took 25 minutes to bake. Once they have baked, let them cool on a wire rack.

Don't they look delicious?!?!

I would definitely recommend eating these rolls warm. We just topped them with a little bit of confectioner's sugar and dug in! Seriously, they are so, so, good! They are a little rich...I would get a glass of milk to eat them with!

world nutella day!

2010-02-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yup, that's right folks...today is World Nutella Day! Go out and buy yourself a big jar of Nutella and eat it by the spoonful! I have plans to make Nutella orange rolls. Well, that is, whenever we clean the kitchen. Enjoy the day and ignore the calories...you have to celebrate somehow, right?

thoughtful thursday

2010-02-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."
- Nelson Mandela

double layers and piping

2010-02-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

This Christmas I made my first double layer cake since I was a kid and made one with my sister for my mom. I kind of just skipped the whole double layer thing when I went for the 12-layer cake. But, I really wanted to make a 2-layered red velvet cake for our New Year's Eve celebrations, so I did. It turned out great, wouldn't you say?

For Christmas I also got a piping kit from my mom and so I decided to try the double layer cake again, this time with some piping additions. My husband wanted pumpkin cake because we had left over pumpkin from the bread we made. So, pumpkin it is. I made a pumpkin cake a while ago, but I realized I never posted the recipe for it. It is on my recipe website, but I'll include it here with pictures so you can see how to make it step by step. This recipe makes one 9x9 cake. To make a 2-layer cake you will need to double the recipe.

What you'll need---

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I always use canola)

1 tsp cinnamon (I also like to add about 1/2 tsp each of ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

What you'll do---

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour you pan(s).

Step 2: Beat the sugar and the eggs at medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Step 3: Beat in the pumpkin and the oil

Step 4: In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Step 5: Add the flour mixture the the wet mixture at low speed and beat for about a minute.

Step 6: Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake for about 25-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Step 7: Once the cakes are done, allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan(s) on wire racks. Then you can remove them from the pans and let them finish cooling. Once the cakes are completely cooled, you can frost them.

Cream Cheese Frosting

What you'll need---

16 oz (2 packages) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

a pinch of salt

What you'll do---

Step 1: With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and the butter until smooth.

Step 2: On low speed, add the vanilla, salt and confectioner's sugar

Step 3: Turn on high speed and beat until light and fluffy. Use right away or refrigerate.

Once you've made the frosting, you can frost and decorate the cake!

Put the cake on whatever you are going to store it on.

Put some frosting on the bottom layer and spread it all around. You can make it as thick or as thing as you want, just make sure you'll have enough to frost the rest of the cake.

I don't have a frosting knife, so I just have to use a regular one. A trick I use to make the frosting spread easier is I warm the knife up in some hot water. The heat will melt the frosting a little and the water left on the knife makes the frosting smooth.

Put the next layer on top

And finish frosting it!

To do the piping, I added some more confectioner's sugar to the frosting to make it a little thicker. Cream cheese frosting isn't the best to pipe with, but I didn't want to make buttercream just to pipe with. I used a 1M to make stars.

This is a really easy cake to make and it's pretty good. We are big fans of pumpkin in our house so we definitely enjoy it. I hope you do too!

pizza dough or breadsticks?

2010-02-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

I love making homemade pizza and there have been a few times that I have used my pizza dough recipe to make breadsticks. I make some changes to it, obviously, but it works great for a quick and easy breadstick that tastes great!

What you'll need---
1 cup warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast (I like to use the fast acting kind so it rises faster)
2-3 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3+ tbsp olive oil

What you'll do---
Step 1: Pour the warm water into a bowl. Add the yeast and let it dissolve.
Step 2: Mix 2 cups of flour, sugar and salt together.
NOTE: When I make this for breadsticks, I like to add other stuff to the dry part of this recipe. I usually add garlic powder, basil, oregano, thyme, and parmesan cheese. You can add whatever you want.
Step 3: Add the yeast mixture and 3 tbsp olive oil.
Step 4: Knead the dough until it is smooth, adding more flour or olive oil, if necessary.
NOTE: When I make this dough for breadsticks, I like it to be a little stickier so the dough won't be so dry. Only add enough flour so the dough is workable, but leave it a little sticky or else you'll get dry breadsticks. This is why you will sometimes need extra olive oil or even extra water.
Step 5: Put the dough in a bowl that is lightly brushed with olive oil and make sure all the dough is covered in the olive oil.
Step 6: Cover with a cloth and let rise until it has doubled in size (30-40 mins).
NOTE: When I make this for breadsticks, I like to let it rise longer, so the breadsticks will turn out fluffier. I would let it rise 40-50 mins.
Step 7: Punch the dough down and either form into pizza crust or breadsticks. If you are making pizza, bake the crust for about 10 mins before adding any toppings.
Bake at 350 until golden brown. For breadsticks, after taking them out of the oven, top with some butter.

This dough is great for pizza. We like to make stuffed-crust pizza by using string cheese and wrapping the dough around it---it's delicious and so easy. I hope you enjoy it!

I used this recipe to make these breadsticks the other night. I decided to try out braiding dough. I've never done it before, but it turned out great. My husband said they looked so good he didn't want to eat them.

I decided to make a fancy dinner with breadsticks and mozerella sticks...yumm!!

thoughtful thursday

2010-01-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

saturday morning breakfast--- cinnamon rolls

2010-01-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Most Saturdays I like to make a fun breakfast. One, I have the time and two, it's a good time to bake! This past weekend I decided to tackle cinnamon rolls. The very first thing a baked, the thing that started it all, was orange rolls. So, I wasn't too worried about making cinnamon rolls. I already had a good dough to use I just had to figure out the gooey yumminess for the middle, which was a cinch! So here it is, my idea of the perfect cinnamon rolls!

The Dough
What you'll need---
1/2 cup warm water
2 packets yeast (roughly 2 tbsp)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
7-9 cups flour

What you'll do---
Step 1: Mix the warm water and the yeast in a mixing bowl until it has dissolved.

Step 2: Stir in the lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and about half the flour (3ish cups).

Step 3: Mix it either with a spoon or in the mixer until it starts to get smooth.

Step 4: Add enough of the remaining flour so the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.

Step 5: Either turn onto a floured bored or attach the kneading attachment to your mixer and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.

Step 6: Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl and roll the dough around until it is covered in the grease.

Step 7: Let the dough rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Then punch it down and let it rise a second time until it has doubled in size. This will take around 30 minutes if your house isn't too cold!

While the dough is rising, you can make the filling for the cinnamon rolls.

What you'll need---

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

melted butter (to spread onto the dough before applying the sugar/cinnamon mixture)

Just simply add the sugars and the cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside until your dough is done rising.

To make the cinnamon rolls---

Step 1: Once your dough has risen, cut it in half and put half of the dough out onto a flour board.

Step 2: Roll out the dough into a circular-ish shape. For Christmas, my mother-in-law got me a baking mat and it proved really useful in rolling out these rolls because I could use it as a size guide.

Step 3: Using a brush of some sort, spread the melted butter onto the rolled-our dough so it is all covered in butter. Then, sprinkle the sugars/cinnamon mixture onto it, spreading it out to cover all the dough (Naturally, I used about half of the mixture for each half of the dough).

Step 4: Starting at the shorter end, roll up the dough like a giant swiss roll! Try to lift up the dough as you roll it, so you don't push all the sugars/cinnamon mixture out of the roll.

Step 5: Cut about 1 inch thick rolls and place them in a baking dish. I decided to use a 9x13 pan so that the butter and cinnamon yumminess wouldn't leak out everywhere.

Step 6: Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are just lightly, golden brown on top. Put the pan on a cooling rack to cool while you get some frosting ready!

I just made a simple cream cheese frosting. I used one 8 oz. block of cream cheese, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and I think about 1 3/4 cup of confectioner's sugar. Just mix it up until you get the desired consistency and taste. If you don't like really tangy frosting, add more confectioner's sugar. If you like the tang, use less. Once the frosting is ready, get one of your warm cinnamon rolls and spread lots on and enjoy!

pumpkin bread

2010-01-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in Simple and Delicious magazine and really wanted to try it. The only problem is that they pit crasins and pecans in their pumpkin bread, and I am not a fan of either of those things. So, I improvised and used chocolate chips! What could be better? And if you haven't noticed, I love pumpkin! So here is a really good recipe for pumpkin bread. It makes 2 loaves that are super yummy. And when I say bread, I mean that delicious cake-y type bread, not the kind you butter. Enjoy!

What you'll need---
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp each ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves. I think I added a little allspice too because it goes so well with pumpkin
3 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
Some chocolate chips, however many suits your fancy

What you'll do---
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices.

Like so...

Step 2: In another bowl (your mixing bowl) combine the eggs, pumpkin, oil, sugars and vanilla.

Looks appetizing, doesn't it?

Step 3: Mix in the dry ingredients until they are all just moistened. This is always where I remember how much I love my kitchenaid! Thanks to my parents, again, for the great gift!

That's looking much better!

Step 4: Fold in your chocolate chips, or if you like crasins and pecans and want to be healthy, go for it, but the chocolate chips make this bread pretty much perfect.

Step 5: Pour the batter into 2 buttered and floured 8x4" loaf pans, or whatever size you have...I had two different sized loafs, but it worked out just fine.

Step 6: Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. Check regularly after about 40 mins to see if they are done. Do the usual toothpick test...it always works!

Step 7: When the loaves are done, cool them on wire racks for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. After that, remove them and enjoy.

I actually liked this bread better cold, but it was pretty good warm with a nice big glass of milk. Really though, I have this strange obsession with pumpkin and have decided that I am not just going to have it once a year, but rather all year round because I love it so much!

recipe webiste

2010-01-21T13:46:00.002-07:00

I've decided to create a website with all my recipes on it so you can print them out if you want to. I haven't put all of them up yet, but I'm working on it. For those of you who like recipes on paper I sure hope you enjoy this and I hope it might make some of the recipes a little easier to read. Thanks to all of you readers out there, if you exist and get baking!

quicklinkrecipes.weebly.com

mexican shepherd's pie

2010-01-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've been wanted to post something for days now, but I just haven't been doing that much baking lately. I do have a recipe I need to put up and I'll eventually get around to it when I download my pictures. So, baking is what I really love to do but I also love cooking and have recently decided that when I come across something really good, I'm going to post it on here as well. For Christmas my sister-in-law got me a subscription to the Taste of Home, Simple and Delicious magazine and I saw this recipe for a mexican shepherd's pie when perusing it. I ended up not really following the recipe and just made up my own thing but it turned out great.
Just as a disclaimer, I never measure anything went I cook so sorry for some rather vague directions.

What you'll need--
- about 2 lbs of ground beef
- one medium-large onion
- a couple cloves of garlic
- 1 can (10 oz) of enchilada sauce
- 1 can of ro-tel (or just the store brand tomatoes and green chilies)
- 1 can of corn
- cumin
- chipotle pepper spice
- chili powder
- salt and pepper
- chimichuri spice (if you happen to have some)
and really any other spices that you think would be good
- 5 to 6 medium sized potatoes
- some sour cream, milk and butter

What you'll do--
Step 1: Cut the potatoes and put them in some water to start boiling. They take the most time so it's best to start with them.
Step 2: Chop up the onion and garlic and cook it with the ground beef in a big saute pan. Cook it until it is pretty much done. You can drain the meat if you want to, but I didn't. A little bit of grease never hurt and it adds a nice flavor. I also added a little Worcestershire sauce to the meat while it was cooking.
Step 3: Add all the spices! I don't measure, but a only used a little bit of cumin and chimichuri spice. You want to use a good helping of chipotle pepper spice because that adds really good flavor to it. I would do at least a tablespoon if not even more. It's good stuff, and it adds a good kick. The rest of the spices I just added a little bit. Don't forget the salt and pepper!
Step 4: Add the ro-tel (do not drain, unless you don't want it spicy; the juices have a good kick), enchilada sauce and the corn (drain first). You might need to add some flour to thicken up the sauce. I think I added around 2 tablespoons. Let that cook and allow the sauce to thicken up so that your potatoes won't just sink into it. It doesn't need to be really thick...I personally like it a little saucy.
Step 5: Once the potatoes are done, drain them and get ready to mash! Since this is a mexican type dish, I decided that the potatoes would be good if I mashed them with sour cream. I first added some milk and a little bit of cream because I had it and some butter and then I decided to add sour cream. I would add at least 3 heaping tablespoons...the more the better because it adds such a great taste!
Step 6: Once everything is done, pour the meat mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Then gently spread the potatoes over the top and top it all with some shredded cheddar of mexican or whatever kind of cheese you like. Put it in th oven (around 375) and let it cook for about 15-20 mins, or until the cheese melts and the sauce is boiling.
Step 7: Let it cool a bit and top it with some chopped green onions and enjoy!

This is a really easy dish that makes large quantities and it's pretty cheap! It's just the kind of thing Curt and I like to make because it will last us a while and it doesn't cost a lot. Hope you enjoy it because we sure did!

something good...

2010-01-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm on the lookout for a good new recipe to bake! I feel like I haven't baked much lately and it makes me sad because I have a wonderful kitchenaid to use and I have no idea what to bake! So folks, here I am asking you for your help! I'll try anything, as long as I'll like it and I'm sure those of you who read this know what I like. I would like to find a really good bread recipe, but I'm open to anything, so please, help me out! Hope to hear from someone soon. You can either just post it here on my blog, or email it to me-- chelsgw@gmail.com. Thanks and I can't wait to get baking!

an upgrade, of the best variety

2009-12-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

So my parents came to Utah on their way to Idaho for my sister's graduation. And, while they were here, we got to open our Christmas presents from them. We're all going home for Christmas, but they live in Virginia, you see, and these were such big gifts, that it was easier to have them shipped to us. So our gift got sent to my other sister's apartment...she lives just around the corner and on Wednesday we got to open them. I'm sure you can guess what I got.....yes folks, I got a beautiful kitchenaid!!!! It is the most amazing piece of machinery that I have ever seen! I was so excited and couldn't wait to start using it, I even took it out of the box at my sister's apartment. It was pretty funny when we had to put it back in the box to take it home...ha ha ha.

The box!!! Isn't it beautiful?

I'm so happy!!!

Curt taking it out of the box, for the second time... ha ha

I named him Claude! My sister liked the name because she said Claude Monet made masterpieces. I like that idea too

I loved our old one, but it doesn't really compare to what we've got now! We are keeping the old one though, because it is so cool and retro. Maybe, when I have a huge and beautiful kitchen, I'll use it as a decoration.

spudnuts

2009-12-19T21:26:00.001-07:00

I got this recipe from my sister and she got it on her mission. Apparently there is an entire doughnut shop dedicated to spudnuts in Richland, WA. My husband is from the Tri-Cities and he was telling me about it and this place was featured on Unwrapped on Food Network this Fall. But this was our own attempt at them and it was very successful. We made a lot, and I mean a lot of spudnuts. If I ever do this recipe again, I think I'll half it.

What you'll need---
- 2 cups warm milk
- in the milk add 4 tbsp melted butter and
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp yeast, dissolved in milk
- 2 cups mashed potatoes (I used real potatoes that I boiled and then mashed. I think we used 3 medium-sized potatoes)
- 4 tsp sugar
- 2 beaten eggs
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 cups of flour (This was totally not enough and I think we ended up adding almost 2 more cups. Add flour until the dough is no longer sticky, so you'll actually be able to make the doughnuts.

What you'll do---
Step 1: Warm the milk and melt the butter. Add the butter to the milk and the 1 tsp of sugar. Then add the 2 tbsp of yeast (also approximately 2 packages of yeast) and milk it all together waiting for the yeast to dissolve.
Step 2: Once the yeast has dissolved, add the other remaining ingredients and mix well.

This was the consistency with only 5 cups of flour...that's why we added more.

Once we added more, it looked like this....much better!

Step 3: Let the dough rise twice. We let it rise for about 30-40 mins the first time, punched it down and let it rise for about the same amount of time.

Step 4: Somehow, cut the dough into doughnut shapes. I would recommend using something like a biscuit cutter. Role out the dough until it is the desired thickness and then cut it. I used a 1 cup measuring cup to make the circle and then just formed the holes with my fingers. Like this....

This method worked great for us considering we don't have anything like a biscuit cutter.

Step 5: Fry those spudnuts up! We just used a typical frying pan on our stove. You could also use a electric skillet to get a more exact temperature or a deep fryer if you have one. Whatever method you prefer, use it!

And after you're done frying, you'll have a massive pile of doughnuts, like so....

Step 6: Make some sort of glaze for them. You'll need some confectioner's sugar and cocoa and maple syrup and milk or hot water. I really just made up what I did. I added some flavor...cocoa or maple...and then added some confectioner's sugar and milk until I got the desired consistency and taste. I just made the glazes by trial and error. I also made a vanilla glaze, using some vanilla and food coloring to make them

green. After you make the glazes, dip the cooled spudnets into whatever glaze you want.

I added some sprinkles and chocolate pieces to some of them, just to make them even better and more unhealthy. In the end, they looked like this...

They were very good! We had to give lots away because we couldn't eat all of them! It was a lot of doughnuts! But they worked and we really enjoyed them. I hope you do too! Oh, and I know this isn't baking, but it involved making dough and instead of baking, we fried...yumm!