Jen’s Big Birthday
Today is a big day for my friend, Jen, as she celebrates a milestone birthday. Her grade-partners have prepared a surprise celebration, and I volunteered to bake the cake.
Since I wasn’t at the party, I don’t have any photos of the sliced cake (bummer). I will do my best, though, to describe it. I started with a Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix. To this, I added: 1 cup milk, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 stick melted butter (a la Paula Deen). Mix it all together and bake in two 9-inch round cake pans for approx. 25 minutes (you know what a cooked cake looks like!)
The filling is Henry & Henry raspberry filling and it is wildly delicious. I purchased it at Ladybug Cake and Candy Supply, but if you don’t live anywhere near a shop like this, it is available online. I frosted it with Magnolia Vanilla Buttercream, but I substituted 1 tsp. almond extract for 1 tsp. of the vanilla (it calls for two). I love the taste and creamy texture of this classic buttercream. It’s easy to make, but the secret is to beat it (just beat it…)
Happy day, dear Jen! Hope you enjoyed your cake ;-)
“A”
Note: My addiction to disco dust continues. I may need a 12-step program.
Grandma’s Roasted Red Peppers
My mother-in-law has shared some mighty-fine family recipes, and these roasted peppers are among our all-time favorites. They are super delicious served hot, cold…as a side dish, as a sandwich, as a snack…morning, noon or night!! They take a bit of work, but good food is well worth the effort. (right???)
I have her written recipe, and have watched her dozens of time, so I’ll try my best to keep this authentic. First up, you’ll need 4 – 5 lbs. of red bell peppers: (she would usually make 10 lbs. ;-)
Remove the seeds by cutting around the green stem at the top of the pepper and then pull the stem out. (sometimes you have to give the stem a little twist) Reach into the pepper and remove as much of the pulp and seeds as possible:
Next, place the cored peppers on a broiling pan:
Place peppers under the broiler, and broil until skins are somewhat blackened. You’ll have to rotate each pepper during cooking so that all sides blacken. It took about 35 minutes for my peppers to cook:
Place cooked peppers in a paper bag, or plastic grocery sack, and allow to cool until peppers are easy to handle, but still warm. This process helps loosen the skin, making it easier to remove the skin from the pepper.
Now…the messy, not-so-fun part. (Don’t give up…it’s still worth it!!) Remove the skin from the pepper by peeling it off with your fingers. The goal here is to remove the entire peel. (Well, sometimes close enough is good enough.) After the skin is removed, separate each pepper into three or four sections and set aside until all peppers have been peeled and separated.
Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a casserole dish (I used a 13 x 9 x 2) and arrange the first layer of peppers. Sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs (mine are seasoned), place some fresh, thin garlic slices on top, sprinkle lightly with salt (pepper is optional) and drizzle olive oil across the entire layer.
I started with 4.5 lbs. of peppers, and I sliced 5 cloves of garlic:
Place the next layer of peppers directly on top of the first, and repeat the seasonings. There are three layers here:
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for approx. 45 minutes (they’ll be really hot and bubbly). Remove the foil and continue cooking until they are completely soft and tender, and slightly browned on top…about 15 minutes more.
Yes, you can buy roasted peppers in a jar but, trust me, they do not compare.
I hope that I have honored my mother-in-law by sharing this version of her treasured recipe; one she generously and lovingly prepared for her grateful family.
“A”
Note to Mom: I got the peppers for $1.29 a pound!!
Minty Hearts and Chocolate Coconut Bites
I have been looking for a real good reason to make peppermint patties again, and what better opportunity than Valentine’s Day. These patties are the perfect combination of oh-so-minty and deliciously-creamy, and I couldn’t resist turning them into a sweet Valentine’s treat. After I formed and pressed the prepared patty, I cut them with a 2″ heart-shaped cookie cutter. They sat in the fridge for about an hour before I dipped half of them into melted dark chocolate and the others into Wilton pink candy melts. A few sprinkles (gotta have sprinkles!) and there you have it!
The coconut bites are way too easy. I purchased a 1/2 lb. of coconut dough at my local cake & candy supply shop, scooped it into small balls and dipped them into melted chocolate. They taste like mini Mounds!
I’m hoping to share these on Valentine’s Day, but they’ve already started disappearing.
Sweets (with me around) have a way of doing that.
“A”
Wedding Shower Cookies
I’m going to a bridal shower on Sunday for my beautiful niece, Nicole. I baked these as a surprise and I have to say that I had a really good time creating them. It took three batches of sweetsugarbelle’s sugar cookies to make 50 large cookies and, instead of making the royal icing from scratch, I used 4 lbs. of CK royal icing. I’m sure that veteran sugar-cookie bakers could have frosted these in a jiffy but it took me every bit 12 hours to complete them, and comments such as “you’re STILL making those cookies???” did not help :)
I’m not sure if you can see it, but I brushed some rainbow disco dust onto the ruffle after the icing had dried, which added just the right amount of dazzle and sparkle!! (I love disco dust so much that I wanted to brush it over the entire cookie. After all, the only thing better than “some” sparkle is “more” sparkle. How-Ever, I resisted temptation…this time…and left well-enough alone.)
Each cookie is wrapped in a cellophane bag and tied with a sweet little shiny ribbon.
I can’t wait for Nicole to see the cookies, and I look forward to celebrating the upcoming wedding of two very special people.
“A”
Neapolitan Bundt Cake
This cake tastes as good as it looks! It starts with a white cake mix which is separated into three parts. The white layer is poured first into a bundt pan, the strawberry and chocolate layers follow, and voila. Pretty and delicious!
The recipe is on allrecipes but, after reading the reviews, I made the following changes: I added 1 1/2 tsp. strawberry extract to the pink layer, and I added 1/8 cup dutch-process cocoa and 6 tbsp. melted dark chocolate to the chocolate layer. The cocoa made the batter a little thick, so I thinned it slightly with a bit of milk. (it was still thicker than the vanilla and strawberry). The vanilla glaze came from allrecipes, too, but I tinted it pink and used strawberry extract instead of vanilla. Also, 2 1/2 tsp. milk was not nearly enough to make the glaze pourable, so I kept adding milk until I got the consistency that I wanted. (I think I may have gotten carried away with the milk because the glaze was a lit-tle too runny. Next time for me, less milk.)
I would definitely make this cake again. With a scoop of strawberry ice cream on the side, it’s a Valentine’s Day super-treat!
“A”
Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
I like peanut butter cookies, but I hardly ever add them to a cookie tray as the aroma (like mint) tends to attach itself to all the other cookies and, before you know it, you have a peanut butter extravaganza.
So, for me, these cookies are a stand-alone favorite, and Betty Crocker seems to do it best. These cookies have a mildly crunchy texture and wonderful peanutty flavor. I was tempted to make a few changes, like chunky peanut butter, mini-chocolate chips, or those highly-addictive peanut butter m&m’s, but simple old-fashioned goodness won out. I followed the recipe exactly, but instead of dipping my fork into sugar before I made the criss-cross pattern, I rolled the whole cookie in granulated sugar and then made the pattern.
Cold milk + two (or more) of these cookies = happy day.
Here’s to another happy day.
“A”
Banana Crunch Muffins
Same old story. What to do with ripe bananas. Although I’m a huge lover of banana bread, it was time to try something different.
To quote Sean, the oil burner serviceman that I shared them with today, “OMG! Best muffins E-VER.” Since he ate three of them, I believed him. And, since I ate uhhhhh two of them, I had to agree. The topping is deliciously sweet and crunchy, and the soft, tender crumb of the banana muffin is the perfect complement.
The recipe came from Allrecipes, and I made them exactly as described. Their yield is 10 muffins, but I filled 12 muffin cups.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
No need to wait for a visit from your oil burner serviceman. If you have some golden, spotted, ripe bananas, now is the time to use them.
Trust me, you will not regret it!
“A”
Almond Joy Cookies
I love Love LOVE Almond Joy candy bars. So much so that I buy bags of them every Halloween knowing full well that it’s not a favorite amongst trick-or-treaters and knowing full well that there’ll be a ton left over for me. As candy goes, I can’t think of a more perfect combination…creamy coconut, sweet milk chocolate and whole crunchy roasted almonds. There’s nothing better, really, except this cookie.
Wow. They are packed with coco-nutty flavor and the magical power to turn a gloomy day bright.
I’ve had this recipe for years, and I’ve seen it on the web, but here’s my take:
ALMOND JOY COOKIES
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped roasted almonds
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Place 1 cup whole almonds on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Cut each almond in half:
Combine dry ingredients; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugars. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and stir in extracts. Stir in the dry ingredients until well mixed, then stir in chocolate chips, coconut and almonds. (Note: you may have to blend it together with your hands, because the mixture tends to be crumbly).
Form into large rounded balls using a 1 1/2″ diameter cookie scoop. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten tops slightly:
Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack. Yield: 38 large cookies.
Give these cookies a go… they’ll make every minute you spend on the treadmill well worth the effort!
“A:
Annual Christmas Cookie Baking Marathon – 2011
The pictures and the story may be a wee bit late, but the cookies were right on time and enjoyed by many.
Our marathon was different this year, as little a and I bid a sad farewell to our treasured baking buddy who moved to a warmer climate. We were fully prepared to carry on as a dynamic duo, but little a came up with the brilliant suggestion to invite her best friend, Khalil Hymore, to join in the cookie chaos.
Besides being extremely talented and kind, Khalil is an associate food editor at Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine, where he helps create scrumptious seasonal recipes. (Sorry, Martha, but today he’s ours!!)
So, which cookie will Khalil contribute? Will he choose one of my tried-and-true favorites, or perhaps one that has been handed down in his family? No. He reaches for this book, instead.
(Surprise, surprise.)
BUT…..see that beauty on the front cover? (I mean the cookie) That’s the one he made! It’s called Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread and it is really, really good. I admit to being a bit skeptical, as chocolate and gingerbread just didn’t seem a likely combo. (what do I know.) These cookies are deliciously tender and spicy, and they looked just as good!
Khalil was thrilled to bake some traditional cookies and he had lots of creative fun:
And so did his family!!
Scott had fun teaching Norah some cookie-baking basics with homemade gingerbread play-doh, and she was loving every minute:
Here are the recipes:
1. Better Homes and Gardens Spritz
3. Hazelnut Raspberry Almond Thumbprints
7. Susan Branch’s Lemon Squares – this was the first time I added a lemon square to the tray, and it was tasty. I couldn’t stop eating these!
10. Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
14. White Chocolate, Cranberry, Pistachio Biscotti – this was Martha Stewart’s Pecan Mandelbrot recipe. We eliminated the chopped pecans and threw in a 1/4 cup Craisins, 1/4 cup shelled pistachios and 1/2 cup Nestle’s white chocolate morsels. I especially like this recipe because the biscotti has a soft and tender crumb.
So, this year, a new tradition was born. Thank you, Khalil, for bringing smiles where there might have been tears and for sharing your time, talent and beautiful family with us. We hope you’ll all come back next year! (not that you have a choice ;-)
“A”
Christmas Cutout Cookies – Ornaments & Trees
Little a and I enjoyed our marathon holiday baking weekend, and there’s so much to share. Instead of snowflakes this year, we chose to decorate ornaments and trees:
The basic sugar cookie and royal icing recipes came from Sweet Sugarbelle. I just love her blog and her cookies inspire me to keep trying, although I am completely aware that my cookies will never look as incredible as hers. And, that’s okay with me. I’m totally happy just baking and decorating, whatever the results.
That said, I really do love this year’s cutouts!! Little a and I had way too much fun (and spent way too much time) transforming simple cookies into our own little works of art. The table was bursting with royal icing, sparkling sugar, sprinkles, doo-dads and, of course, my (ahem) personal favorite…DISCO DUST.
We made lots of other cookies that I will share soon, and…we had a very special guest baker this year! I won’t keep you in suspense long. Promise.
“A”
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