It’s been a while, but my friend Chelle and I decided to get back to our old habit of blogging together occasionally.  When I asked her to come up with something we could make together, she sent me a long list of things that sounded great but one that really stood out to me was bread pudding.  I’ve only had bread pudding once before, and really was not a fan.  But, I know it is one of Ben’s favorite desserts, so I decided it was time I give it a shot.  When she suggested this particular recipe I knew it would be perfect, because one of Ben’s other favorite desserts is bananas foster.

Turns out, I actually do like bread pudding.  I think part of my issue with the one and only time I ate it was just that it was not at all what I had expected.  I have texture issues with some foods, particularly things that are mushy, so I think that put me off a bit.  But now I’m a convert.  Ben and I both loved this dessert.  The banana flavor is very strong and it just tastes amazing!  Now that I’ve realized that, in fact, I do like bread pudding, there are a LOT of variations I would like to try.  Get ready to see more bread pudding recipes coming your way!

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
For the bread pudding:
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup overripe bananas, pureed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
5-6 cups French bread, torn up into pieces

For the sauce: 
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 bananas, sliced
3 tbsp. dark rum

Directions:
To make the bread pudding, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and egg yolks and whisk on medium speed until frothy.  Add in nutmeg, cinnamon, banana puree and vanilla extract.  Whisk until fully incorporated.  Add in both sugars and whisk until well combined.  Add in the cream and whisk until incorporated.  Add the bread pieces to the egg mixture and mix until the bread has absorbed most of the liquid.  Pour pudding into baking dish (I used a 2 qt. oval dish, but individual dishes are fine too).  Let sit for 30 minutes.

Place the baking dish(es) inside a larger dish and add 1 inch of hot water to create a water bath.  Bake uncovered for about 1 hour (5-10 minutes less for smaller dishes), or until the pudding is no longer runny.

To make the bananas foster sauce, heat a large skillet over low heat.  Add the butter and brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has just begun to dissolve into the butter.  Add the banana slices.  Moving the skillet back and forth, cook for 1 minute.  Remove the skillet from the heat and add the rum.  Return to the stove and tilt the pan to ignite the liquor.  After the alcohol burns off, add the cream.  Stir until fully incorporated.  Serve immediately over warm bread pudding.  (Sauce can be refrigerated, and then reheated on the stove.) 

Source: adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

One of the things that can make it difficult for me to come home and cook a slightly time consuming recipe is not the time or energy it takes, but in fact, just my appetite!  I am usually so hungry when I get home that the idea of waiting for a more involved meal sounds awful.  However, there are so many recipes I want to try and I so enjoy the meals once I make them, so I came up with a new strategy.  I make sure to have healthy foods to snack on while I prepare dinner to hold me over until our meal is ready.  My go-to healthy snack is hummus and veggies.  It is so delicious and nutritious, and just the thing I needed.  This particular hummus is a slight variation on a basic recipe.  The taco flavoring is not too prominent but more of an afterthought.  Mostly, it tastes like regular hummus with a bit of a twist.  You could definitely increase the spices to suit your own tastes.  Be sure to reserve the liquid as instructed because I needed to add quite a bit to achieve the creamy texture I like.

Taco Hummus
Ingredients:
2 cups well cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
6 tbsp. tahini
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon

Directions:
Combine the chickpeas and all the spices in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until well combined.  With the machine running, add the tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice through the feed tube in a steady stream.  Add reserved liquid from the chickpeas as necessary to achieve your desired texture.  Taste and adjust the salt, pepper and lemon juice as necessary.

Source: adapted from Liz’s Cooking Blog

You really can’t ever go wrong with stuffed shells.  I’ve made several varieties and they have all been delicious.  These were particularly flavorful and maybe my favorite so far (but don’t make me pick, okay?)  The Italian sausage really put these over the top.  Actually though, I think my favorite thing about this recipe was the use of chopped tomatoes instead of jarred marinara sauce for topping the shells.  So often, pasta sauce can overpower whatever you put it on and your whole dish ends up tasting just like the sauce – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I’d like to taste more flavors than that.  These tomatoes were just right.  They tasted great with the shells, and added a nice pop of color to the dish as well.

My main gripe with this was that the original recipe called for either 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach OR 10 oz. fresh spinach.  REALLY?  I honestly don’t know how those can be considered equivalent.  I bought a 10 oz. bag of fresh spinach, chopped up two large mounds of it, and still had at least a third of the bag left.  If I had used the whole thing, I would probably rename this recipe “Spinach, with a little bit of sausage and pasta on the side”.  I think frozen chopped spinach would be fine, but if you’re using fresh, I would definitely use less than 10 oz.  I think the amount I used was just about right.  This makes a lot of food, so be prepared to have leftovers (which are great) or freeze some.  I made three 8×8-inch trays; one for us and two for my little college bro :)  

Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Ingredients:
1 12-oz. package jumbo pasta shells
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
6-7 oz. fresh spinach, chopped OR 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta shells according to package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks.  Cook until the sausage is completely cooked through and no pink remains, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper.  Stir together to combine.  Add the cooked sausage mixture to the bowl and stir until evenly mixed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Spread a thin layer of the chopped tomatoes in the baking dishes (either three 8×8″ pans, or one 9×13″ and one 8×8″).  Stuff each shell with some of the sausage and cheese mixture, and arrange in the baking dishes, open side up.  Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling.  Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.  Bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.  

Source: adapted from Simply Recipes

Banana biscotti with cinnamon chips.  How good does that sound, right?  Well, I was already in the middle of making these when I realized I did not in fact have the cinnamon chips in my pantry as I thought I did.  No matter, I added mini chocolate chips and they tasted fantastic.  But I still think it would be even better with the cinnamon chips…I guess I’ll just have to make them again soon and find out!  I made these for my family as well as Ben’s parents and they got rave reviews all around.  My dad could not stop mentioning how good they were, and he (supposedly) doesn’t like sweets.

As with every baked good I’ve ever made containing banana, these were slightly puffy after both baking periods.  At first I was worried that they would be too soft and not achieve the crunchy texture biscotti should have.  I considered baking them a bit longer, but since they looked perfectly done I decided to leave them.  I’m glad I did not bake them further, as they crisped up nicely while they cooled on the baking sheets.  The banana flavor came through really well and even though they have all been delicious, I think these are the best biscotti I have made yet!

Banana Biscotti with Cinnamon Chips
Ingredients:
3/4 cup very ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cinnamon chips (or mini-chocolate chips)
5-6 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the mashed bananas, egg, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl.  Mix until well combined.  In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and cinnamon chips.  Stir together to mix.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

Divide the dough into two equal parts on the prepared baking sheet.  Spread into two logs on the baking sheet, about 4 inches wide and 1 inch deep, leaving at least 4 inches or more between the two logs.  Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, reduce the heat to 250 degrees F and let cool for 10 minutes.  Using a long, thin knife slice the biscotti into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces on the diagonal.  

Place the slices back onto the baking sheet on their side and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, flip the biscotti over to the other side, and bake for 10 more minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.  Drizzle over cooled biscotti.  Let cool until set. 

Source: adapted from Picky Palate

The very brief bout of warmer temperatures last week made my longing for spring and summer even worse than it already was.  While I was grocery shopping, I took advantage of the sales on berries left over from Valentine’s Day, but didn’t have any purpose in mind for the strawberries I bought.  Then the idea came to me – a summer-inspired strawberry lemonade cupcake.  Delicious!  I used a lemon cupcake base, folded in chunks of fresh strawberries, and topped them with a strawberry cream cheese frosting.  The result was a refreshing blend of both flavors, and very cute with a strawberry lemon garnish.  Personally, I would have preferred the lemon flavor to be even more pronounced, so I think poking the cupcakes and drizzling with a lemonade syrup before frosting would achieve this nicely.  However, Ben disagrees with me and thinks more lemon would be too much.  (I’m right.)  So, I’ll leave it up to you and make the syrup optional.  Give them a try, and hopefully they’ll give you a taste of summertime despite the cold weather!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Yield: about 21 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

For the lemonade syrup:
1 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting: 
1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
18 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Fresh strawberries
Lemon slices

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.  In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.  Stir together with a fork and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat until well combined.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until just incorporated.  Add in the milk and mix until smooth.  Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until just blended.  Fold in the fresh strawberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners, filling them about 3/4 full.  Bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the lemonade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lemonade syrup.  Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.  (Place wax paper underneath your cooling rack so you don’t make a mess!)

To make the frosting, puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender.  Strain the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and set aside.  Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and very fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.  Mix in strawberry puree, a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve your desired texture and flavor of frosting (I added about 7 tablespoons of puree).  Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices. 

Source: cake adapted from Williams Sonoma, frosting from Annie’s Eats

As eager as I am for warmer weather to get here, I’m trying to continue making the best of the cold by making delicious soups.  I made a recipe for cauliflower soup last winter as well, but while it was good, it just didn’t really wow me.  I knew this one would be a keeper before I even tried it because it is from Pioneer Woman, and thus far I have disliked exactly zero of her recipes.  The main difference between this and the other version I tried is that this has whole pieces of cauliflower, while the other was pureed.  I definitely prefer chunks of vegetables so this was right up my alley.  The flavor is just fantastic.  This makes a very large pot of soup, but I ate it every day for lunch the whole week after having it for dinner and was still sad when it was all gone.  And in case you need any suggestions, these honey yeast rolls truly make the perfect side for this soup.  Y-U-M!

Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients:
7 tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 1/2 to 2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup half-and-half
2 bay leaves
2-4 tsp. salt, to taste
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and stir them around for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to brown.  Add in the carrots and celery, stir, and cook for about 1 minute.   Add in the cauliflower and the fresh parsley and stir.  Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let simmer 15 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Pour in the chicken broth, turn up the heat and bring to a boil.  Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Pour the whole milk into a separate bowl.  Add the flour to the bowl and whisk together.  As soon as the butter is melted, pour in the milk/flour mixture and whisk to combine.  The mixture should thicken into a white sauce.  Once thickened, whisk in the half-and-half.  Then pour the whole mixture into the simmering soup.  Add bay leaves to the pot, as well as the salt.  Let the mixture simmer 15-20 minutes.  

Just before serving, remove the soup from the heat.  Mix in sour cream and stir until completely incorporated.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman

I will admit I was both very excited and very nervous to introduce mangoes into Andrew’s diet. Mangoes are a tropical fruit (obviously), and therefore more acidic than many others. This causes them to be slightly more allergenic than most other fruits. Since he turned eight months old last week, I thought it would probably okay to give them a try (recommendations are for eight months or older) and it was! And not only did he not have any sort of reaction, he LOVED them!! I’d say they are up in his top three favorites with peaches and pears. So make your baby something a bit more unique – mango puree!

Mangoes have one large, flat seed on the inside.  You can tell the orientation of the seed just by looking at the fruit.  To cut a mango, cut lengthwise down just off of the center so that you are cutting parallel to the seed.  Don’t worry if you cut too close – your knife will let you know and you can cut a bit farther out.
 
Repeat the same cut on the other side of the seed so that you end up with two outside sections, and one thin middle section containing the seed.  You can discard the middle section.

Score the remaining pieces with a grid of cuts so that you end up with cubes of fruit still attached to the peel.  Invert the peel so that the cubes are sticking outward.

Peel the cubes of mango from the peel…

…and toss them into the food processor.  (Man, one of my mangoes was really not ripe!)  If you toss a few cubes into your own mouth, that’s okay too :)

Puree until the mango has reached the consistency your baby prefers.  Add water if necessary to help thin it out (I didn’t need any).  If the puree is too thin, thicken with rice cereal just before serving.

Yum!!!  I love mangoes!

The better I get at cooking, the less willing I am to go out and pay for a meal in a restaurant when I could make something better at home.  Sometimes it is worth it for a particular cuisine or a really fantastic restaurant, but in general it is less and less worth my money.  Combine that with the fact that my very active 8-month old doesn’t make eating out the most enjoyable experience, and we are just more inclined to stay home.  On Valentine’s Day we wanted to have a nice meal but were not about to go out to a crowded mediocre restaurant with Andrew in tow so I made dinner at home.  This dinner was definitely fancier than what I make on any old weeknight so it was perfect for the occasion.  Even though I love seafood I was worried this might taste too fishy, but my concerns were unfounded.  The crab and shrimp taste were definitely prominent, but not overdone.  This was fabulous!  Ben really loved it too and he is not the biggest fan of seafood.  I look forward to making it again.

Recipe Rewind: tried and true favorites I’ve made recently
The Perfect Hamburger

Crab and Shrimp Risotto
Ingredients:
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, divided
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/3 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into 4 or 5 pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup medium-grain rice, such as Arborio
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
4 oz. lump crabmeat
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, saute the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the parsley in 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil, stirring once or twice, until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, just until the shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes.  

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.  Add the broth to the saucepan and bring just barely to a simmer.

In another saucepan over medium heat, warm the remaining olive oil.  Add the onion and sauté until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the kernels are hot and coated with oil, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine and continue to cook, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed.

Add the simmering broth 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and making sure the liquid has been absorbed before adding more.  When the rice is about half cooked, stir in the tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning.  The risotto is done when the rice grains are creamy on the outside and firm yet tender to the bite, 20 to 25 minutes total.  (Rice varies so you may not need all of the broth or you may need more.)

Stir in the shrimp and crabmeat and cook, stirring, just until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Transfer to serving dishes.  Sprinkle with remaining fresh parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve. 

Source: adapted from Williams Sonoma

I could tell just from the title, these were going to be GOOD.  Each month I am excited to get the newest Williams-Sonoma catalog, because it is full of both kitchen equipment for me to drool over as well as delicious sounding recipes.  Williams-Sonoma is one of my most trusted recipe sources.  I have made an unbelievable number of things from their website, cookbooks, etc. and have had only one or two that were less than superb.  So this month when the catalog came, I quickly folded down the pages of all the recipes I wanted to try and these waffles were right at the top of my list.  These were a delicious Valentine’s breakfast for us (we made a half batch).  I had no issues with the recipe and wouldn’t change anything for next time.  They may be slightly more involved than your usual waffle recipe, but are totally worth it in my opinion.  Can’t wait to have them again!

Cinnamon Waffles with Caramelized Apples
Yield: 12 4-inch square waffles

Ingredients:
For the caramelized apples:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the waffles:
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
8 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
whipped cream, for serving

Directions:
To make the caramelized apples, in a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter.  Add the apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Mix until apples are evenly coated.  Cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove skillet from heat and stir in vanilla.  Set aside.

To make the waffles, in a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Whisk the flour mixture into the yolk mixture until smooth.  In another clean bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.  Gently fold 1 cup egg whites into batter; carefully fold in remaining egg whites.

Preheat waffle maker on medium-high.  Pour 1/3 cup batter into each well of waffle maker; close the lid.  Cook 5-6 minutes.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Serve waffles with caramelized apples and whipped cream.   

Source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma Catalog, February 2009

I am a planner.  I plan my days, plan my outfits, plan our social calendar, plan, plan, plan.  It makes me feel more in control and helps me keep my fairly hectic life more manageable.  Planning our weekly menu is no exception.  In fact, this is one of the most important factors in keeping everything running smoothly.  If I know what I am planning on making for dinner each night, I know if any ingredients need to be thawed, how much time (and effort) dinner will require, and it prevents me from resorting to take out just because I can’t make a decision after a long day at work.  However, one thing that has repeatedly escaped my planning ability is these rolls.  I have had them on my menu several times since last summer.  The problem is, they require a pate fermentée which is prepared the night before you actually make the rolls.  For some reason, I would never remember that fact until it was far too late.  This time I decided to make sure that they finally got made by clearly marking both the starter and the actual dough on my baking schedule.  Success!  

These came out wonderfully.  We ate them with spicy shredded pork, but I think they would also be fantastic with a burger, a grilled chicken sandwich, or just about anything you would want to eat on a bun!  They are soft, but definitely sturdy enough to hold up to a heavy duty sandwich :)  I topped a few with poppy seeds, a few with sesame seeds and left some plain.  We enjoyed them all!

Kaiser Rolls
Ingredients:
For the pate fermentée:
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. bread flour
scant 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
6 to 7 tbsp. water 

For the dough:
1 batch pate fermentée
1 1/4 cups bread flour
3/4 tsp. plus a pinch salt
1 tsp. instant yeast
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. molasses
2 tbsp. honey or 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
10 tbsp. to 3/4 cup water
milk, for brushing
poppy or sesame seeds, for topping (optional) 

Directions:
To make the pate fermentée, stir together the flours, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add 6 tablespoons of the water, and mix on low speed for 1 minute.  Adjust the flour or water according to need, so that the dough is neither too sticky or too stiff.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 6 minutes, or until the dough is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky.  

Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling once to coat with the oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 1 hour, or until it swells to about 1 1/2 times its original size.  Remove the dough from the bowl, knead it slightly to degas, return it to the bowl and cover again with the plastic wrap.  Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight.  (This can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen in an airtight bag for up to 3 months.)

Take the pate fermentée out of the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough.  Cut into 10 pieces, cover with a towel and let sit at room temperature to take off the chill.

To make the dough, combine the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Add the pate fermentée, egg, molasses, honey or sugar, vegetable oil, and 10 tablespoons water.  Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the ingredients form a ball.  If there is still some loose flour, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of water.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed about 7 minutes, adding flour if needed to make a dough that is soft and supple, tacky but not sticky.  Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap.

Ferment at room temperature for 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size.  If the dough doubles in size before the 2 hour mark, remove it from the bowl, knead lightly to degas, and return to the bowl to continue fermenting until doubled from original size or until the 2 hours have elapsed.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 6 to 9 equal pieces, depending on the size of roll you would like.  Form the dough pieces into balls.  Mist lightly with spray oil, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, line a sheet pan with baking parchment, lightly mist with spray oil and dust with cornmeal or semolina flour.

I am still immensely enjoying the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks I received for Christmas.  This is another recipe from Ina’s newest book, Back to Basics.  It is a phenomenal dish for many reasons: 1 – It tastes incredible!  2 – It requires very few ingredients, and they are things I almost always have on hand.  3 – It takes very little time to prepare so you can have an awesome dinner fast even after a long, hard day of work.  I’ve made it a few times now and each time I have been amazed at what a fantastic meal it is for so little effort.  With a simple salad and some crusty bread, you are good to go!  I have noticed that the broiling step at the end of baking really helps with the appearance of the dish and texture of the topping, so I would advise not skipping that step.  Enjoy!

Baked Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients:
1 lb. large shrimp in the shell (I use about 20/lb. size)
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dry white wine
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tsp. minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 tbsp. minced shallots
1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on.  Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper until combined.

Starting from the center of an oval or round baking dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer in the dish.  Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp.  Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Place under the broiler for 1 additional minute to brown the top.  Serve with lemon wedges. 

Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics by Ina Garten

For those who read food blogs frequently, I’m sure you’ve had this happen to you.  You see a recipe posted on a blog, think it looks good, and then find yourself thinking about it again and again (and again…) over the next several days.  That is what happened to me when I first saw this recipe.  Of course with cheesecake and brownies, how can you go wrong?  I planned to make it several times but life and other fancier, more exciting recipes got in the way.  Last week I finally got around to making them and they were excellent, as expected.  A nice fudge brownie base swirled with a cheesecake topping.  My only issue was that the brownie batter was fairly thick and the cheesecake topping was thinner, which made it difficult to swirl the two together.  I did my best but didn’t achieve quite the look I was hoping for.  No matter though, I sent them to work with Ben and they vanished before lunchtime.  My only change next time may be to sprinkle with some extra chocolate chips on top since I can never get enough chocolate :)

Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients:
For the brownies:
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For the cheesecake topping:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan is just set.  Let cool completely, then lift out with the foil and peel away.  Cut brownies into squares.  (I like to chill before cutting to ensure a clean cut.) 

Source: adapted from David Lebovitz

I first made this recipe months ago, back in the summertime. I had a nice photo all lined up, pressed the button to take the picture and my camera battery died. I was very disappointed – especially when I tasted how fantastic it was! This is a recipe that REALLY needed to be shared. I have made it many, many times since then but for one reason or another never remembered to blog about it. Last week I decided it was finally time, it was unfair of me to deprive you for so long. This is an absolutely awesome dinner, and even more awesome when you realize how simple it is to make.

Technically this is “lighter chicken Parmesan” because you do not fry the chicken at all before baking, as with the traditional version. However, I vastly prefer this to my old classic recipe. I will not be making that again. The panko breadcrumbs provide just the right amount of crispness, the chicken is perfectly cooked through, and the coating has fantastic flavor. The only thing that makes it better is some chopped fresh basil on top, but sadly my herb garden is out of commission for the winter and our store didn’t have fresh basil when I was shopping (gasp!) Served over a bed of angel hair and with a side Caesar salad, it is one of my favorite meals.

Recipe Rewind: tried and true favorites I’ve made recently
Honey Yeast Rolls

Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp. water
vegetable cooking spray
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into halves (4 pieces total)
2 cups marinara sauce, warmed
about 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp. minced fresh basil

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position.  Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.  Combine the breadcrumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat until golden, stirring often, about 10 minutes.  Spread the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and allow to cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.

In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper together.  In a third shallow dish whisk together the egg whites and water.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge each chicken piece in the flour to coat completely, shaking off the excess.  Then dip into the egg whites and finally coat with the breadcrumb mixture.  Press on the breadcrumbs to make sure they adhere.  Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until the chicken is no longer pink and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the oven.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce over the top of each piece of chicken and top with 2 tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella.  Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with the fresh basil and serve as desired, with extra Parmesan and marinara sauce.

Source: adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Cook’s Illustrated, October 2006 

I’m so happy to finally get around to posting these muffins!  I made these last weekend for brunch with Ben’s parents.  Ben always tells me that his dad likes carrot cake, so I thought these sounded like something he would enjoy.  I, on the other hand, am a long-time carrot hater (although I’m slowly turning that around) so I’m always hesitant to try baked goods with carrot in them.  These were really great though, and everyone (including me!) really liked them.  I thought they were a fantastic addition to our brunch spread.  They are very tender, mildly sweet, and the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe the flavor is warm.  I also loved how they baked up with beautiful domed tops, an important part of good muffins in my mind.  I would make these again in a heartbeat.  

My only issue in making them was shredding the carrot.  I was baking these in my dad’s kitchen which is incredibly unequipped and sometimes makes me feel as though I’m baking in the wilderness.  I ended up shredding them with a cheese grater (my own, mind you).  It was difficult and it took way too long.  I think a grater with larger holes might have been easier, but next time I’ll definitely use my food processor to do that job and avoid the mess!

Carrot Spice Muffins
Ingredients: 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt.  Stir together to combine, and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, brown sugar and canola oil.  Mix until smooth.  Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.  Add in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternately with the milk, mixing each addition just until incorporated.  Mix in the shredded carrot.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the coconut, raisins, and nuts (if using).  Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Source: adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Does that look like a box of chocolates in the picture?  It’s not – it’s actually cupcakes!  I received the book Hello, Cupcake! for Christmas.  If you have never seen it, you definitely need to check it out.  It has so many incredibly creative ideas for impressive looking cupcakes.  I truly want to make every single thing in the entire book.  I love all their ideas, and it has also inspired me with lots of ideas of my own as well.  These cupcakes modeled after a box of chocolates are the first thing I have made out of the book, and they turned out even better than I expected!  I made these as a Valentine’s treat for our babysitter and her family full of chocolate-lovers.  I think it’s safe to say they were a hit all around!

I’m not posting an actual recipe for these, as you can mostly figure out how to make them from looking at the picture.  I simply made Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake in mini-cupcake form, frosted with with the accompanying Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Frosting, and then decorated to look like Valentine’s chocolates with various candies, sprinkles, leftover royal icing, etc.  This is a great opportunity to be creative and use your imagination  I could not find an empty heart-shaped box anywhere, and I wasn’t about to buy a box of chocolates just for the box, so I fashioned my own out of an old shirt box and some card stock.  I was really pleased with how it turned out!  It wasn’t the sturdiest creation, but it achieved the effect I was going for nicely.  This version is obviously very much geared towards Valentine’s day, but with a bit less pink and red, I think this could be a great gift for a special someone at any time of the year.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my wonderful readers out there!  I know some people think this is a “Hallmark holiday” created by retailers to boost sales, but even if it is, I see no reason not to celebrate and tell your loved ones what they mean to you.  Everybody loves to be loved, right?  Plus I can’t resist all a holiday themed with my two favorite colors!  I’ve been doing a LOT of cooking and baking lately, and have about seven or eight blog updates ready to go, but I decided I just had to post my Valentine’s goodies today before the time had passed me by!

Most of what I bake is made with other people in mind, but I made these cookies just for myself.  And really, more because I enjoy the act of baking and decorating them than I do eating them (although they are delicious!)  Ever since I figured out how to work with royal icing, I have been in love with the gorgeous cookies it can produce.  I started thinking about these Valentine’s cookies a month ago, and actually sketched out my ideas so that I would not forget them.  (Nerd alert!)  I was pretty happy with how these turned out.  I think they could have been even better but after a very long week and a lot of other baking, decorating at 11 pm at night – well, this is what I got.  I still think they are pretty cute, though ;)  Click the links for my sugar cookie recipe and my royal icing recipe and tips.

I’ll be updating a little bit later today to share one more Valentine’s themed treat I baked up.  Stay tuned!

The last of the birthday honorees for our group celebration was my friend Joe.  When I told his wife Rachel that I was planning on making individual desserts for each birthday boy or girl, I asked her if Joe had any particular favorites that I could make for him since nothing was immediately obvious as “the one” for him.  She said, “He does have a favorite – he calls it ‘girl cake’.”  Um, what?  She clarified that “girl cake” is how Joe refers to funfetti cake.  Hilarious :)

I have made this recipe once before in cupcake form, and it was fabulous.  This time I made it in two 5-inch round cake layers and decorated it with my favorite vanilla buttercream.  The only problem I had was judging how long to bake the cakes.  I took them out of the oven a bit early before I realized they needed to bake a bit longer, and I think this caused them to sink in the middle.  Because of this I really cannot give an accurate baking time for this recipe, but I will estimate about 30-40 minutes.  Of course the sunken middles were nothing some delicious frosting couldn’t fix ;)

Funfetti Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour the sides of two 5-inch round cake pans, and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg whites to the bowl and beat until combined.  Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until incorporated.  Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix just until incorporated.  Fold in the sprinkles with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (about 30-40 minutes?).  Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Frost cooled cakes as desired.

Source: adapted from Baking Bites

The third birthday celebrated on our 4-parties-in-1 night was mine!  Most of my regular readers are well aware of my deep love for cupcakes.  I thought it very fitting to make my personal dessert be some sort of cupcakes.  Not as well known is my serious love for fun fruity drinks (or actually almost any sort of juice.)  My favorite kind of cupcakes are those that can be decorated in a fun way, so when I saw this recipe combining a fruity drink with cute cupcakes, I was sold.

I have heard many times how fabulous the drinks from Sonic are, the cherry limeade in particular, but I had actually never even been to a Sonic before (gasp!)  A new one was just built near my grocery store a couple of months ago, so I decided to go try the cherry limeade for myself before I tried a cupcake so I would have something to compare them to.  The drink was good, although I’m not quite sure it lived up to the hype – I didn’t notice enough lime flavor.  Regardless, fruity sugary drink = happy Annie!  The cupcakes tasted surprisingly similar to the drink.  I think the lime syrup drizzled on top of the cakes is key in keeping them moist, and contributes the bulk of the lime flavor, so don’t skip this step.

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. limeade concentrate
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)

For the lime syrup:
3/4 cup limeade concentrate
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting:
3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 tbsp. (or more) maraschino cherry juice
red food coloring (optional)

For decorating (optional):
fresh lime slices
maraschino cherries

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two muffin pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl combine the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed.  Add in the limeade concentrate and mix to incorporate.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions.  Add in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Mix ingredients just long enough to incorporate but no longer.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack over wax paper to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the limeade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lime syrup.  Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.

To make the frosting, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter and maraschino cherry juice in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until smooth.  Add more maraschino cherry juice as needed to achieve desired texture.  Add red food coloring if desired.

Frost cooled cupcakes.  Garnish with lime slices and maraschino cherries, if desired.

Source: adapted from Baking Up Chaos

The second birthday honoree in our celebration of birthday month (in chronological order) is my friend Rob.  Rob is quite the foodie himself – a fantastic cook and a wine connoisseur.  Any time he invites us over for dinner I am very excited to taste whatever wonderful dish he has decided to prepare.  In particular, Rob enjoys French food and cooking, so I wanted to make a French dessert as his birthday treat.  Many ideas crossed my mind but too many of them required special equipment, last minute finishing, or just weren’t quite special enough.  I decided on this tart since it is the season for pears, and I am glad I did.  The almond cream was a fantastic accompaniment for the pears, and everyone commented on how much they enjoyed this.  I made the sweet tart dough that Dorie recommends and while it was good, I still prefer my usual go-to tart dough recipe more, so next time I will use that instead.  I used fresh poached pears, but you can use fresh unpoached or canned as you desire.  My pears were a bit misshapen, preventing me from making the beautiful spoked design with the fruit as I imagined, but it ended up looking alright.

French Pear Tart
Ingredients:
For the pears:
6 canned pear halves, drained, or 3 ripe but firm medium pears (such as Bartlett or Anjou)

For poaching the fresh pears (optional):
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

For the almond cream:
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 egg
2 tsp. dark rum or 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 9-inch tart shell, partially baked and cooled

Directions:
To poach the fresh pears, peel the pears and leave them whole.  Combine the water, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add the pears to the boiling syrup, lower the heat to a simmer and gently poach the pears until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow the pears to cool to room temperature in the syrup.  When you are ready to use the pears, discard the syrup.

To make the almond cream, combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until the mixture is smooth and satiny.  Add the ground almonds and process until well blended.  Add the flour and cornstarch and process to blend, then add the egg.  Process for about 15 seconds more, or until the almond cream is homogeneous.  Add the rum and process just to blend.  Use the cream immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  If using fresh unpoached pears, peel them now.  Cut the poached or unpoached fresh pears in half from blossom to stem and core them.  Rub the unpoached pears with lemon juice.  Pat the fresh or canned pears dry so that their liquid won’t keep the almond cream from setting.

Fill the partially baked tart shell with the almond cream, spreading it in an even layer.  thinly slice each pear half crosswise.  Lay the slices in an overlapping, fanned pattern on top of the almond cream, covering the top completely.  Put the tart pan on a baking sheet.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the almond cream puffs up around the pears and browns.  Transfer the tart to a wire rack to cool.  Just before serving, dust the tart with confectioners’ sugar.

Source: adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Recently there have been several birthdays within my group of close friends.  Last week we decided to get together to celebrate them all at once.  We had dinner at our favorite local pizza place, and then went back to one friend’s apartment for dessert provided by yours truly.  I wanted to do something that all of the birthday honorees would like.  Of course none of us are picky when it comes to desserts, but I wanted it to really be special.  I ended up deciding to make one dessert per birthday boy/girl, something that they would really love and was perfect for each individual.  My friend J.W. loves Guinness beer, so I thought a Guinness cake would be just the thing for him.  And WOW, it really was!  He was SO SO SO happy about this cake, and he actually said it was his favorite cake ever.  That meant so much to me!

Everyone in the group really loved this, except for me because I really don’t like beer.  The cake was very moist and the Guinness flavor was prominent.  The method used for mixing the batter in the original recipe really left a lot of lumps in the batter that I noticed even after baking.  No one else seemed to notice or care, but it bothered me so I have altered the recipe below to avoid this issue next time. I baked my cakes in two 5-inch round cake pans and ended up with two very tall cake layers, as well as a little bit of batter left over.

Chocolate Guinness Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 cup Guinness beer
10 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese (no need to soften)
5 tbsp. butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour the sides of a 9-inch round springform pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper.  In a small saucepan, combine the Guinness and butter.  Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted.  Remove from the heat.  Whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sour cream, eggs and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed until well combined.  Add the Guinness mixture to the bowl and mix until incorporated.  In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer and mix on low speed until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean.  Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.  Once cooled, remove the sides of the pan.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Cream on medium-high speed.  Add the powdered sugar to the bowl in batches, beating on low until just combined and then on high speed until desired consistency is reached.  For a stiffer icing, add more powdered sugar.  Frost cooled cake as desired.

Source: cake adapted from Angry Asian Creations, originally from Nigella Lawson
frosting adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from The Gourmet Cookbook

When I was growing up, my dad did an incredible job as a single parent cooking for three kids.  He cooked well-balanced and tasty meals for us nearly every night, and I never did any cooking for myself until I moved into my college apartment.  One of the dinners that he made often was chicken stir fry, and I always loved it.  Unfortunately, it was more of a semi-homemade dinner (Market Day, anyone?) so there was no real from-scratch recipe he could pass on to me.  When I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman, I was so excited at the prospect of having good stir fry once again.  And as with all of her recipes that I have tried, this was fantastic!

My only complaint is that she calls it “Monday Night Stir Fry”, seemingly because it is quick and easy to throw together.  Easy, yes.  Quick?  No.  I think this took me nearly an hour to prepare, just because of all the chopping – and I’m good with a knife!  Now don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy meals that require a lot chopping, but I definitely would not make this again on a night where I am looking for a quick, low effort meal.  However, I absolutely will make it often when I have more time.  It was really delicious!  Since there was quite a bit of sauce, I think next time I will add water chestnuts and broccoli to the mix as well.  There was plenty left over for lunches as well.

(This was a brief intermission in my slew of dessert posts.  Be prepared for more sweetness very soon :P )

Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 tsp. sesame oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth, divided
2 rounded tsp. arrowroot
3 tbsp. peanut oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
2 tbsp. of fresh ginger, minced
8 oz. sliced white mushrooms
1 can baby corn, cut into pieces
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl.  Drizzle lightly with soy sauce and sesame oil.  Set aside.  Have all of the vegetables cut up and ready to be added as you cook.  In a small prep bowl, combine 1/2 cup soy sauce with 3 tablespoons sugar.  Stir well and set aside.  In another small prep bowl, combine the chicken broth and arrowroot.  Stir and set aside.  Measure an additional 1/4 cup of chicken broth and have it ready.

Heat a skillet or wok over high heat.  When it is heated, add 2 tablespoons of peanut oil.  Add the chicken to the skillet and fry quickly, stirring around for 2-3 minutes.  When brown and just cooked through, remove to a separate bowl with a slotted spoon.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to the skillet.  Add onions and cook for 1 minute.  Add red pepper and cook for 30 seconds.  Add garlic and ginger, and stir well.  Add the mushrooms, stir well, and cook for 45 seconds.  Add the baby corn, and stir well.

Pour in the 1/4 cup chicken broth and soy sauce mixture.  Add in 1 teaspoon rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil.  Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and stir.  Pour in the chicken broth/arrowroot mixture.  Stir together, then turn off heat.  Sauce should be thicker.  Just before serving, stir in fresh cilantro.  Serve over cooked rice.

Variations: you could also add in broccoli, water chesnuts, snow peas, green onions, zucchini or carrots to suit your taste

Source: adapted from Pioneer Woman

My birthday was a week ago yesterday, and I decided that this year I wanted to make my own birthday cake.  Ben very sweetly offered to bake a cake for me, but it likely would have been from a box.  Of course I would have been very appreciative and been happy to eat it, but we both knew that I could bake something better and let’s face it, I would have way more fun making it myself too.  Then it was just a matter of deciding what type of cake I wanted to make.  Oh, how I agonized over this decision…so many options, both new ideas and old.  I finally decided to try something new.  I’ve been on kind of a butterscotch kick lately so this sounded fantastic.

This is basically just butterscotch blondies baked in small cake pans instead of a 9×13″ pan, and topped with butterscotch and dark chocolate ganaches.  It was phenomenal! It definitely has the dense texture of a blondie or brownie rather than a cake, and it was very rich.  The mini cake size ended up being just perfect because even a small piece was very filling.  Once again, I had issues with the chocolate ganache because I used a different recipe than my usual (don’t ask why I keep doing this – I really have no good reason).  It tasted fine but didn’t have the smooth finish that I love.  Oh well, the cake was gone in no time so no one seemed to care ;)  I have changed the ganache to my favorite recipe below so that you won’t have the same problems I did.  The butterscotch ganache recipe makes more than you need so either make a half batch, or just save the rest for topping ice cream…or really anything!

Butterscotch Brownie Cake
Ingredients:
For the butterscotch brownie cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 (11 oz.) package butterscotch chips, divided

For the butterscotch ganache:
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
6 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp. unsalted butter

For the chocolate ganache:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water

Extra butterscotch chips, for garnish

Directions:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour the sides of two 5-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.  In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed until creamy.  Scrape down the bowl and mix in the eggs until well incorporated.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low speed just until combined.  Stir in 1 cup of butterscotch chips with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Sprinkle with the remaining butterscotch chips.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before carefully removing from the pans.

To make the butterscotch ganache, combine the cream and the butter in a small saucepan.  Warm over medium-high heat until the mixture is almost boiling.  Place the butterscotch chips in a small, heatproof bowl.  Pour the cream mixture over the butterscotch chips and allow to sit for 30 seconds.  Stir until smooth.

To make the chocolate ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.  Bring the cream, sugar and water to a boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.  Gently whisk the mixture together until smooth.  Leave the glaze to sit until it thickens a bit to your desired consistency.

To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a wire rack with a sheet of wax paper.  Drizzle butterscotch ganache over the top so that it drips over the edges of the cake.  Drizzle with a small amount of chocolate ganache as well.  Lay the remaining cake layer on top of the first and top with remaining chocolate ganache so that it drips over the edges.  Decorate with extra butterscotch chips, if desired.  Transfer the cake to a serving platter.

Source: adapted from Bakerella, cake adapted from Very Best Baking, chocolate ganache from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Oh boy, I have been so busy in the kitchen in the last couple of weeks!  I have a slew of updates that I can’t wait to share with you all, mostly delicious desserts!  Most of these have been in honor of a birthday or two, as it seems a LOT of friends and family have January birthdays, myself included.  So here is the first of several fun cakes I have made.  Ben’s school had Family Fun Night recently complete with a cake walk and of course, I volunteered to provide a cake.  However, I never post anything without tasting it myself, so I decided to make two of the same cake – one for the cake walk and one to in honor of both my mother- and father-in-laws’  birthdays.  Problem solved!

It came as no surprise that this cake was fantastic.  Four layers of dark chocolate cake separated by white chocolate whipped cream and fresh strawberries, and decorated with whipped cream frosting.  The white chocolate whipped cream was light and fluffy and combined with the fresh strawberries, it was a nice counterbalance to the rich chocolate cake.  Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of the cut cake, but the black and white colors made it visually impressive as well.  This was a huge hit with Ben’s family and I would make it again in a heartbeat!  Be sure to note that the white chocolate whipped cream needs two hours in the refrigerator to set, so don’t plan on this if you are pressed for time.

Dark and White Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients:
For the dark chocolate cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For the white chocolate whipped cream:
6 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

For the whipped cream frosting:
1 cup cold heavy cream
4 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Fresh strawberries, for filling and garnishing

Directions:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour the sides of two 9-inch round cake pans, and line the bottom of each with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the sugar, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; mix at medium-low speed until smooth.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just incorporated.  Stir in the boiling water (batter will be thin).

Pour batter into the prepared pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of each cake, remove the cakes from the pans, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  When the cake has cooled, cut each in half horizontally to create four cake layers.

To make the white chocolate whipped cream, place the chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Melt, stirring occasionally.  When the chocolate is almost melted, bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a boil.  Once the chocolate is fully melted, transfer the bowl to a counter, pour in the hot cream and let it sit for one minute.  Then stir gently with a spatula until the chocolate is smooth.  Let the chocolate sit until it reaches room temperature – the chocolate can’t be the least bit warm when it is added to the whipped cream.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 1 cup cream only until it holds the softest peaks.  With the mixer on high speed, add the white chocolate all at once and continue to beat just until the mixture holds firm peaks.  Transfer the cream to a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap gently against the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To make the whipped cream frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat the cream, sugar and vanilla together just until the cream starts to thicken.  Start on a slower speed and increase the speed as the cream gains texture.  Continue to beat until the cream holds stiff peaks.  Be very careful not to overbeat.

To assemble the cake, transfer one of the cake layers to a 10-inch cardboard circle, cut surface up.  Spread a thick layer of white chocolate whipped cream on top of the cake.  Layer with fresh strawberry slices.  Lay another cake layer on top of the cream and berries, and press down gently.  Top as before with white chocolate whipped cream and berries.  Repeat once more with another cake layer and topping.  Place the final cake layer on top, cut side down, and press down gently.  Frost the cake with whipped cream frosting and garnish with fresh berries as desired.

Source: cake adapted from Hershey’s, filling and frosting from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

This was by far my favorite goody that I baked during my recent all-day baking extravaganza with friends, but unfortunately I did not post about that batch because they were very unattractive!  However, they tasted SO good and had such potential to look adorable I knew I needed to make them again soon to share with my readers (and of course, I’ll take any excuse to make these tasty treats!)

I made a couple minor changes this time, mainly using a ganache recipe that has never failed me, and I was much happier with the outcome.  The chocolate topping in the original recipe is made in the microwave with melted chocolate chips, a method that rarely works for me, and it came out with an awful texture and really looked gross.  Also, I think using mini-M&Ms is perfect for these cookies because they are just the right size in proportion to the cookie (only regular size were available to me last time).  These cookies are phenomenal – but what wouldn’t be with this much candy?  Make them today, you won’t be sorry!

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies
Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
24 mini Reeses peanut butter cups, unwrapped
mini marshmallows
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
mini M&Ms

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine peanut butter, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat until well combined.  Divide the dough evenly between 24 wells of a mini-muffin pan (I usually have a bit left over, but do so to leave room for the candy).  Make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, until almost done.  Remove from the oven and press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie until it is flush with the top of the dough.  Top each cookie with 3-4 mini marshmallows.  Return the pan to the oven and bake 2-3 minutes more, until the marshmallows have puffed up.  Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before removing them.  (This is important!  I tried removing them while still slightly warm – not a good idea.)

Once the cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil.  Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.  Bring the cream, sugar and water to a boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.  Gently whisk the mixture together until smooth.  Leave the glaze to sit until it thickens a bit to your desired consistency, then drizzle over the tops of the cookies.  Sprinkle with mini M&Ms before the glaze hardens.

Source: cookies adapted from Picky Palate, ganache from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan