I don’t watch much TV in general, and we actually don’t even have cable at our house.  However, Food Network is my guilty pleasure whenever we visit my dad.  Some shows don’t interest me, but I do have a few favorites.  A few weeks ago when we were there, I happened to catch a marathon of the “Next Food Network Star” episodes.  I found it quite amusing for the most part, but one of the episodes that really interested me was one where all the contestants had to come up with a unique burger idea.  This version from the contestant Michael Proietti consists of a hamburger patty stuffed with fresh mozzarella cheese, wrapped in pancetta and served on a garlic bread bun with basil ketchup.  WOW!  Ben and I were both drooling just watching the show, and I knew we had to try this.  It certainly did not disappoint.

The recipe shown on the Food Network website calls only for ground beef in the burger part of the patty – no salt, pepper or other seasoning.  Ick!  So, I decided to use my traditional favorite burger recipe for the meat portion and then use that as a jumping off point.  Now that I have had them, I know exactly what I will do next time to adjust the seasonings correctly and make the meat an Italian blend as well.  I will use a bit of balsamic vinegar in place of the Worcestershire sauce, cut down the black pepper and mix in some dried herbs to the meat mixture.  (I have reflected these changes in my recipe below).  Also, I will stuff a few whole basil leaves inside each patty along with the mozzarella, because I can never get enough fresh basil!  Not surprisingly, I could not find garlic bread buns anywhere in our grocery store, so I used some nice Kaiser rolls spread with garlic butter.  This garlic butter is a staple that I try to have in my fridge at all times, and it really put these burgers over the top.  I love a good classic burger, but this genius idea is definitely a new favorite!

Stuffed Italian Burgers
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Yield: 3 burgers
Ingredients:
For the patties:
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 tbsp. yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
¼ tsp. black pepper
1-2 dashes of balsamic vinegar
Sliced fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves
6 slices pancetta

For the basil ketchup:
½ cup ketchup
Handful fresh basil leaves (about ¼ cup)
1 clove garlic
½ tsp. red pepper flakes

For serving:
Kaiser rolls
Garlic butter
Fresh tomato slices
Green lettuce

Directions:
To make the patties, combine the ground sirloin, onion, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl.  Mix well to thoroughly combine.  Divide the mixture into three equal portions; divide each of these further into halves so that you have 6 equal portions of the meat mixture.   Form each portion into a thin, round patty.  Place a slice of fresh mozzarella and a few basil leaves on top of three of the patties.  Lay the remaining patties on top of these, sandwiching the mozzarella in the center.  Pinch the edges of the patties together to form one large patty with the cheese in the center.  Wrap 2 slices of pancetta around each patty.  Preheat the grill.

While the grill is heating, make the basil ketchup.  Combine the ketchup, basil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor and pulse until well combined and finely chopped.  Set aside.

Cook the burgers on the preheated grill until cooked to your desired doneness and until the cheese inside has melted.  Just before the burgers are done cooking, split the Kaiser rolls in half.  Toast the buns and then spread with garlic butter.  Assemble the cooked burgers on the rolls with fresh lettuce, tomato, and basil ketchup as desired.

Source: burger loosely based on Michael Proietti’s Mulberry Street Burger, garlic butter from Allrecipes

The thing I love most about sugar cookies with royal icing is that with a few fun cookie cutters and different icing colors, you can make gorgeous treats to suit just about any occasion.  Two of my good friends are getting married this weekend and I could not be happier for them.  There have been two showers in honor of the bride in the past month or so, but unfortunately I was unable to attend either of them.  I sent a gift for the first one, but wanted to do something for the second one as well without spending too much money.  I thought some wedding themed sugar cookies would be a nice gift so I ordered a few new cookie cutters that seemed fitting.  The bride definitely loved them, and I had a blast making them!  I think these would make fantastic favors for a bridal shower and will keep that in mind if I ever have the opportunity to host another.

The more I decorate with royal icing, the more fun I have with it.  This time around I tried adding a metallic sheen to the icing with Wilton pearl dust.  I used gold for the champagne, silver for the ring band, and white for the detailing on the cake and the ring.  You can’t see it very well in the pictures, but it actually looked really cool.  I will definitely be using this more in the future!  My only other tip to pass along is that sketching out your cookie designs can save you a lot of time and not-so-pretty cookies.  I love brainstorming and sketching out ideas before starting to make sure I choose the best designs.  So, bake some cookies and have fun decorating them for someone special in your life.  They are sure to be a hit!

In case you missed my previous posts about sugar cookies and decorating with royal icing, here are those entries:
Christmas Cookies
Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Valentine’s Cookies
Onesie Cookies
Andrew’s First Birthday Party

These mushrooms have been mentioned once before on this blog in a post about one of my holiday parties, but I made them again recently and decided that they definitely deserved an entry of their own.  You see, these fabulous little bites have long been a favorite amongst my friends.  I first brought them to a get-together during our first year of medical school and they were such a hit, they have been requested many times since.  No matter how many I make, they are always rapidly devoured and I’m pretty sure people have argued over the last one :)  The filling is creamy and delicious, and the addition of cayenne pepper gives these a surprising kick at the end of the taste.  I also love these because they can be prepped and stuffed in advance, and then baked when needed, which makes them perfect for entertaining!

Stuffed Mushrooms
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Ingredients:
24 whole fresh button mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. vegetable oil
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Bread crumbs and minced fresh herbs, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully remove the stems from the mushroom caps, setting the caps aside for later.  Add the stems to the bowl of a food processor.  Add the garlic to the food processor as well, and pulse in brief bursts until them mushroom stems and garlic are finely chopped.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chopped mushroom stems and garlic and cook until all the moisture has disappeared, about 5-7 minutes.  Lower the heat to medium-low.  Stir in the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and spices.  Stir together until the mixture is smooth and creamy; remove from the heat.  Using a small spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of filling.  Arrange the mushroom caps on the prepared baking sheet.  Top with bread crumbs, if desired.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are hot and liquid starts to form under the caps.  Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with fresh herbs if using and serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Allrecipes

I have never been much of a fan of sheet cakes.  There is nothing wrong with them of course, but they are more of a low-maintenance dessert and to be perfectly honest, I enjoy frills :)  However, there are times when no-fuss desserts come in handy such as when you are short on time, or if you want to bake something with limited kitchen equipment.  This sheet cake is a wonderful answer to just such situations, and was a big hit with my family.  Not only that but the berries sunken into the top and the drizzle of glaze on top make it much more attractive than your average sheet cake, and everyone kept commenting on how pretty this was.  It tasted wonderful – a sturdy, moist crumb with just a hint of lime to compliment the raspberries.  I bet lemon would be great as well.

Raspberry Lime Sheet Cake
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Ingredients:
For the cake:
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ cups sugar
Zest of two limes
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup milk
1 tbsp. lime juice
2 cups fresh raspberries

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1-3 tbsp. lime juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and lime zest.  Mix together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.  Add the canola oil and beat until combined.  Mix in the yogurt and vanilla extract.  In a measuring cup, combine the milk and lime juice.  Stir in half of the dry ingredients on low speed, mixing just until incorporated.  Mix in the milk mixture until smooth.  Beat in the remaining dry ingredients on low speed just until blended.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.  Drop the raspberries evenly over the surface of the batter.  Bake for 32-36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the glaze, place the confectioners’ sugar in a bowl.  Whisk in a tablespoon of lime juice, and adding more as needed until the glaze has reached a good consistency for drizzling.  Drizzle over the surface of the cooled cake.  Let set before serving.

Source: adapted from Bitter Sweet

Chicken and broccoli over white rice is one of our favorite meals to order when we get Chinese food.  I can’t believe I have never tried making it before, but I recently saw a recipe that looked really promising so I decided to give it a try.  Well, that recipe actually turned out to be a major disappointment.  It seemed like the ingredients had the right idea, but the quantities were a bit odd so that flavors of the sauce were very off-balance and just, well, icky!  I could barely finish my meal.  Last week I decided to give it another go and just come up with my own sauce instead.  I am happy to report that this second attempt was much more successful and we absolutely loved it.  I am thrilled to have come up with a home version of another restaurant favorite – saving money is always a good thing!

Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
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Ingredients:
1 tbsp. peanut oil, divided
1½ tsp. sesame oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
¼-½ tsp. red pepper flakes
4 cups broccoli florets
6 tbsp. chicken broth, divided
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tbsp. hoisin sauce
4 tbsp. soy sauce
1½ tsp. cornstarch
3 scallions, chopped
Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Heat about half of the peanut oil and the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and sauté until golden brown and cooked through.  Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and cover with foil to keep warm.  Add the remaining oil to the pan.  Add the garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the red pepper flakes and broccoli florets to the pan.  Pour in about half of the chicken broth – it should steam and boil quickly.  Allow the broccoli to cook until crisp-tender and the broth has mostly evaporated.  Add the oyster sauce and hoisin sauce to the pan.  In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and cornstarch, and add to the pan.  Stir in the remaining chicken broth.  Return the chicken pieces to the pan.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the scallions.  Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Source: Annie’s Eats original

I was thrilled to host another Foodbuzz event this weekend after having such fun last time I did it.  This was a particularly fun event because it was sponsored by Smirnoff and needed to be somehow related to a summer theme.  For me, the best summer nights are casual get togethers with lots of friends, sipping cocktails and munching on delicious snacks while engaging in some friendly competition be it board games, video games, outdoor games – whatever!  So, my idea for Summer Fun & Games Night was born!

On the Menu:
Beverages
Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade
Smirnoff Vodka Mojitos
Strawberry Margaritas
Assorted Beer and Wine

Appetizers
Loaded Baked Potato Skins
Oven Baked Chicken and Shrimp Spring Rolls
Soft Pretzels
Hot Bean and Cheese Dip
Chile Lime Tequila Popcorn

Desserts
Chocolate Dipped Banana Pops
S’mores Brownies
Strawberry Whoopie Pies
Peanut-Butterfinger Mini Cheesecakes
Peach Brulee

Being sponsored by Smirnoff, our only requirement for this party was to feature either the Tuscan Lemonade or Vodka Mojitos as part of our menu.  One of my friends is a big fan of Smirnoff and both options sounded good to her, so we bought both.  The Tuscan Lemonade seemed to be the favorite, but both were definitely a hit.  Both of these are completely premixed cocktails, and I have to say as the hostess it was incredibly convenient to have some yummy drinks that required nothing more than opening the bottle.  I’ll have to keep these in mind for the future.

We had a big assortment of board games to choose from.  If we had had more time, I’m sure we would have played even more than we did!

Have you ever played Apples to Apples?  It’s a SUPER fun game, and pretty hilarious.  You definitely need to try it out!

How many doctors does it take to figure out a new board game?  At least 5!  Really though, once we figured out the premise of the game, it was a blast.  Party Playoff by the people of Cranium – this is a great game for a party (duh, right!?)  You can play it with any number of people and it’s still great even with a large crowd.  We loved it!

And my personal favorite game, Aerosmith Guitar Hero.  Ben and I battled in the finals, and though we seemed to be perfectly tied in the sudden death round, he won somehow – I still claim the game malfunctioned ;)

Rachel and Joe are jammin’!

A make-shift winner board was a fun way to keep track of the games we played.  Unfortunately four guests were unable to make it at the last minute, otherwise this would have a lot more names (and games) on it!

In keeping with the spirit of competition, I made these rating cards so that the food items could “compete” against each other.  I loved reading people’s responses, although for the most part there was no clear landslide winner.  I guess that’s a good thing, because each item received votes in some category or another, so everything must have gone over pretty well!

After the tallying, here are the results!

Appetizers
Best Looking: Spring Rolls
Best Tasting: Soft Pretzels
Perfect for a Party: Loaded Baked Potato Skins
Overall Favorite: Soft Pretzels (Spring Rolls were a close second)

Desserts
Best Looking: Peanut-Butterfinger Cheesecakes
Best Tasting: Peanut-Butterfinger Cheesecakes
Perfect for a Party: Chocolate-Dipped Banana Pops and Strawberry Whoopie Pies (tied)
Overall Favorite: Peanut-Butterfinger Cheesecakes

Aahh, the spring rolls.  I will spare you the details of the full saga, but I had the hardest time ever finding spring roll wrappers despite heroic efforts on my part.  I finally gave up and just used egg roll wrappers and you know what?  They were great!  These were very popular, and there were none left at the end of the night.  I was concerned about how the texture of these would be after baking as opposed to frying, but they were really good.  Certainly not as crispy as with frying, but we all thought they were fantastic.  I think they would have been even crispier if they had baked a few minutes longer, but I had other things that needed to get in the oven.  Can’t wait to make these again!

Oven Baked Chicken and Shrimp Spring Rolls
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Ingredients:
1 small boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and roughly chopped
1 cup cooked shrimp, peeled
Napa cabbage, enough for 2 cups shredded
1 medium carrot, peeled
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 package egg or spring roll wrappers
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Directions:
Combine the chicken breast and shrimp in the bowl of a food processor.  Mince with brief pulses until chicken and shrimp are finely chopped.  Transfer to a bowl; set aside.  Replace the blade of the food processor with the shredding attachment.  Shred the cabbage to yield 2 cups.  Shred the carrot.  Transfer the cabbage and carrot to a bowl; set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Cook garlic and ginger just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the shredded cabbage and carrot and sauté just until the carrot is slightly tender, about 3 minutes.  Add the chicken and shrimp to the pan.  Mix in the oyster sauce, fish sauce and bean sprouts.  Stir until well combined.  Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and hard-boiled egg.

Preheat the oven to 400° F.  On a work surface, orient an egg roll wrapper with a point toward you.  Place about 2 tablespoons of filling near the edge of the wrapper.  Flip the point up over the filling, rolling away from you to cover the filling.  Fold both sides in and continue to roll.  Use a dab of egg white on the loose point of the wrapper to help seal the roll completely.  Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.  Spray the rolls lightly with cooking spray.  Bake until golden brown and slightly bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.

Source: adapted from Cooking Et Cetera

These little babies couldn’t be easier!  Such a brilliant idea, s’mores brownies.  These bake up quite tall so you can cut them into smaller pieces.  I think I cut 20 and the pieces looked absolutely huge to me!  That certainly didn’t seem to stop them from being eaten though, so maybe that was the right size.  The marshmallows on top browned a bit more than I would have liked and I think next time I will drop them on about halfway through baking to prevent that.  Otherwise, loved these!

S’mores Brownies
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Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1¼ cups dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup roughly crumbled graham cracker pieces
12-18 large marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Butter and flour a 9×13″ pan.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl, stir together and set aside.  Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water.  Warm, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract to blend.  Stir in the warm chocolate mixture until blended.  Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until just incorporated.  Fold in the graham cracker pieces with a rubber spatula.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.  Dot with the large marshmallows.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30-35 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes.  Cut with a clean, sharp knife, cleaning between slices if the knife gets too messy.  Serve immediately or wrap individually in wax paper for storing.

Source: adapted from Joy the Baker

This dip is so, so, so good.  I’ve been dying to make it for quite a while and wow – I think I’ve found a new addiction.  It is basically refried beans mixed with sauteed jalapeno and onion, and lots of melted cheese.  It was wonderful the next day as well, but didn’t last longer than that before it was totally devoured.  Yum!

Hot Bean and Cheese Dip
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Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 (14.5 oz) can refried beans
2 tbsp. sour cream
¼ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup cheddar cheese, in ½-inch cubes
1/3 cup pepper jack cheese, in ½-inch cubes

Directions:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and jalapeno, and sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the refried beans and cook until smooth, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook until the cheese is melted.  Transfer to a bowl and serve hot with tortilla chips.

Source: adapted from Life’s Ambrosia

These are super cute, easy to make, and delicious!  The strawberry flavor is definitely a key player.  I do think next time I might try using a cream cheese based filling rather than this one, which is more like frosting.  It was just a bit too sugary for my taste.  But still delicious, and very cute.  My main word of caution is that this recipe makes a LOT!  I made about 20 mini sandwich cookies using a small dough scoop, and I think I could have made about 20 more with all the extra batter and filling (just didn’t have time or need for them.)  So, unless you need a lot of these, I recommend halving the recipe.

Strawberry Whoopie Pies
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Ingredients:
For the cookies:
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
½ cup plain yogurt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup strawberries, finely chopped

For the filling:
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½-1 cup strawberry puree

Directions:
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the brown sugar and canola oil and mix until smooth.  Beat in the eggs.  Mix in the yogurt and vanilla extract until well blended.  Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed, just until incorporated.  Gently fold in the chopped strawberries with a rubber spatula.  Cover, and refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.

Using a dough scoop, drop mounds of batter on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.  Bake until the cookies are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes if using a medium dough scoop (about 9-10 minutes with a small dough scoop).  Rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking.  Once finished baking, transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the cookies to the rack.  Repeat with any remaining dough.

To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth.  Add in the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated, then on medium speed until smooth.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Add in the strawberry puree, starting with about ½ cup and adding more if desired.  If the filling becomes too thin, add more powdered sugar to stiffen.

To assemble, pair up the cooled cookies by size, laying one cookie of each pair flat side up.  Pipe a dollop of filling onto the flat cookie of each pair, and top with the other cookie to create a sandwich, pressing gently to bring the filling to the edges of the cookies.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: adapted from Erin Cooks

I think that if any one food item stole the show at the party, it was these soft pretzels.  I’ve made pretzels before but decided to try Alton Brown’s recipe this time around.  After seeing him make it on Good Eats and hearing multiple rave reviews, I figured it had to be good.  Boy, was it!  The dough tasted phenomenal, the texture was just right – they were just an all-around hit!  I had originally planned to serve them with some spicy mustard and then never had time to get it on the table, but no matter because they were gone before I could bat an eye.  I would love to try them with other flavor variations or a cinnamon-sugar topping, but no matter what way you try them, they are delish!

Soft Pretzels
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Ingredients:
For the dough:
1½ cups warm water (110-115° F)
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
22 oz. all-purpose flour (about 4½ cups)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl

For finishing:
Cooking spray
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water
Pretzel (or kosher) salt

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed to dissolve the yeast.  Add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 50-55 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot.  In the meantime, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Working with one piece at a time, roll a segment out into a 24-inch long rope.  Make a U-shape with the rope and holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the U-shape in order to form the shape of a pretzel.  Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 or 2 at a time, for 30 seconds.  Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and return to the baking sheet.  Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Alton Brown via Food Network

Is there any doubt from the name of these that you will love them?  Didn’t think so.  A graham cracker crust, a peanut butter cheesecake filling mixed with crushed Butterfingers, topped with ganache and more candy bar pieces – heavenly!  These are very easy to make, and my only concern was some discrepancy with the amount of crust to filling to topping.  I have altered my version to reflect a better estimate so you don’t end up wasting a bunch of ingredients like I did – I hate that!  I baked these in a mini-muffin pan, though you could certainly use a mini-cheesecake pan.  You may just end up with a few less cakes.  Also, if you use a mini-muffin pan, definitely use paper liners.  I had an awful time getting these out in one whole (nice-looking) piece.

Peanut-Butterfinger Mini Cheesecakes
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Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter, melted
Pinch of salt

For the filling:
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
¾ cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
3 tbsp. heavy cream
Pinch of salt
6 fun sized Butterfinger candy bars, chopped

For the topping:
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp. heavy cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Set a 24-well mini-muffin pan on a baking sheet.  Line with paper liners.  In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter and salt.  Toss with a fork until the mixture is completely moistened.  Press a small spoonful of the mixture firmly into the bottom of each well.  Bake for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300° F.  To make the filling, add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat until smooth.  Add the peanut butter and beat again until well combined.  Mix in the sugar, eggs, cream and salt.  Fold in the crushed Butterfinger pieces with a spatula.  Spoon evenly into the wells of the pan over the crust.  Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the center is set.  (The cakes may puff up a lot, but they will sink again while cooling.)  Let cool for at least two hours before removing from the pan.

For the topping, heat the chocolate and the heavy cream in the top of a double boiler until the chocolate is melted.  Stir just until smooth and glossy.  Spoon over the tops of the cakes and sprinkle with the remaining crushed candy bar pieces.  Chill until ready to serve.

Source: adapted from Picky Palate

Popcorn is one of my absolute favorite snack foods, and I crave it literally every single day.  However, I rarely make it because Ben doesn’t feel the same way about it.  I thought this party would be a good opportunity to finally try out this flavor variation that I have been wanting to try for months.  It was great!  The spices gave it great flavor which Ben likened to a taco, but they were not overpowering so you could still actually taste the popcorn itself.  Little popcorn boxes are a fun touch to make any event more festive.  I see them all the time at my grocery store and Sur La Table but I’m sure party stores would have them as well.

Chile Tequila Lime Popcorn
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Ingredients:
4 quarts freshly popped popcorn
5 1/3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
½ tsp. lime zest
1 tsp. tequila
½ small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced
½ tsp. pepper
1½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300° F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  Place the popcorn in a large, clean paper bag.  In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, lime juice, lime zest, tequila, and jalapeno.  In a small dish, combine the pepper, salt, red pepper flakes and cumin.

Drizzle half of the butter mixture over the popcorn in the bag, fold down the top, and shake to coat the popcorn completely.  Taste and add more of the butter mixture if desired.  Sprinkle most of the spice mixture over the popcorn, shake once more, and taste again.  Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Spread the popcorn over the prepared baking sheet and bake until the popcorn is dry, about 5-7 minutes.

Source: adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Okay, these are just about one of the cutest little dessert ideas ever!  I foresee these being very popular with our kids someday, especially judging from Andrew’s reaction.  Actually, when Ben first saw them he said they looked like something for a kid’s birthday party, and I kind of agree!  They are fun, incredibly easy to make, and the kids would have a blast helping.  Don’t let the childish appearance fool you though, these are really, really good!  They far exceeded my expectations.  Just be sure to let them sit out a bit before serving, otherwise they are too hard to bite into.  The topping possibilities are endless.  I chose mini M&Ms, toffee bits, and honey roasted peanuts, but just use your imagination!

Chocolate Dipped Banana Pops
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Ingredients:
Firm but ripe bananas
Lollipop or popsicle sticks
2 cups chocolate chips or chunks
Toppings (chopped nuts, M&Ms, chopped candy bars, sprinkles, etc.)

Directions:
Peel the bananas and slice them into thirds or fourths, so you have about 3 inch-long sections of banana.  Place lollipop or popsicle sticks in the center of each banana, about 2 inches deep.  Place the bananas on a plate or tray, carefully spaced so they are not touching, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to dip the bananas, melt chocolate over a double boiler and stir until smooth.  Have bowls or plates with toppings ready.  Dip each banana in the chocolate to coat and gently shake off any excess.  Gently press one side of the chocolate-coated banana into the topping to adhere.  Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet, so that the topping faces up.  Repeat with remaining bananas.  Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer to set the chocolate for 30 minutes.

Once hardened, wrap individually in plastic wrap or sandwich baggies.  Allow to sit at room temperature for about 7-10 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Joy the Baker

The potato skins were the one thing I forgot to get a picture of, but you can kind of see them here on the red platter.  The idea is nothing new – hollowed out baked potato skins, topped with lots of cheese, crumbled bacon, sour cream and chives.  These were very yummy, even to me who is not a fan of baked potatoes or bacon.  They definitely seem like they would be perfect for football season, so I’m sure I’ll be making them again soon enough.  I baked the potatoes and hollowed the skins out the night before the party so that at crunch time, all I needed to do was top and bake them.  I definitely recommend this strategy if you have a lot of food to prepare because it made things very easy for party time!

Loaded Baked Potato Skins
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Ingredients:
Russet potatoes
Bacon
Melted butter
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream (optional)
Minced fresh chives (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Poke the top of each potato with a fork to let steam out.  Place the potatoes on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 1 hour.  When finished, transfer to a plate and let cool for at least 15 minutes.  While the potatoes are cooling, cook some bacon until almost crispy.  Crumble into large chunks.  Slice the cooled potatoes lengthwise into thirds, removing the middle slice so you are left with two slices covered mostly with peel.  Scoop out some of the potato inside, leaving some behind.

Preheat the broiler.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Brush both sides of the potato skins lightly with melted butter and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Place under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes just to crisp up the skins.  Remove from the oven, top with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon, and return to the oven for a few minutes more until the cheese is melted.  Top with sour cream and chives as desired, and season with salt and pepper.

Source: adapted from Simple Comfort Food

Peach brulee is a fantastic dessert, and truly perfect for summer.  Possibly the best way to showcase ripe seasonal peaches is this simple preparation – sometimes, less really is more!  Peach halves are sprinkled with brown sugar and broiled for 2-3 minutes.  These take almost no time to prepare, but with a scoop of vanilla ice cream they are divine.

Peach Brulee
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Ingredients:
Peaches, halved and pitted
Brown sugar
Freshly whipped cream, for serving

Directions:
Turn on the oven’s broiler and move a rack to the highest setting.  Line a broiler-safe pan with foil.  Place peach halves, cut side up, on the pan.  Sprinkle brown sugar over the peaches.  Place in the broiler and stand by to monitor closely.  Cook just until the sugar has become brown and toasty (this should only take a couple of minutes at most).  Let cool slightly before serving.  Place a dollop of whipped cream in the center of each peach half, and serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Joy the Baker

And finally, a shot of these cute festive lanterns I bought for the occasion.  They seemed very summery and went well with the rest of the decor.  A nice touch, and they really set the mood once it got dark outside.  Happy summer everyone!  Take advantage and enjoy it while you still can :)

Oh, how I LOVE these little cuties!  What an ingenious idea – bacon, eggs and toast all wrapped up in a cute little muffin-sized package.  Even better, these take next to no time to throw together so they are perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast, or a quick breakfast-for-dinner night.  Growing up my absolute favorite breakfast was known in my family as an “eggy on toasty” (an over-easy fried egg on a piece of toast), even better when made by my sweet Grampa.  These remind me so much of that favorite dish, and I hope that one day these will be a favorite breakfast of one of our kids.  These are much more ideal than regular fried eggs to serve a whole family because you can make so many at a time, rather than having to cook eggs in batches.

If you don’t like a runny yolk, simply bake your eggs longer until they are cooked to your preferred doneness.

Occasionally I get requests for recipes from readers for something that has not yet been posted on my blog.  A few months ago, a reader asked me if I had a good recipe for beef stroganoff.  I didn’t, but I did promise to search for one.  It took me a while, but I finally got around to trying this dish and we really enjoyed it!  Ben definitely liked it more than me because I am just not a beef-lover, but I was a tasty dinner.  I’m sure if you like beef, you will like it.

The original recipe calls for crème fraîche, which is basically a variation of sour cream that is typically thicker and less sour than traditional sour cream.  I have never been able to find crème fraîche in any grocery store, and this time was no exception.  You can make your own using non-ultra-pasteurized heavy cream and buttermilk, but of course the only heavy cream I could find had been ultra-pasteurized.  So, I just used sour cream, and it was still fabulous.  I added a bit more for a creamier sauce, but you can easily adjust the amount to suit your taste.   I might opt to use chopped onions next time instead of leeks because I thought the texture of the leeks wasn’t quite right in this dish, but otherwise this was an easy and yummy meal.

Beef Stroganoff
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Ingredients:
1½ tbsp. olive oil, divided
¾ lb. top sirloin, cut into strips 1-inch wide and 2-inches long
Salt and pepper, to taste
1½ tbsp. butter
2 leeks, white and light green portions only, cleaned and finely chopped
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1¼ cups beef stock
2-3 spoonfuls sour cream
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lemon juice
Cooked egg noodles, for serving
Fresh parsley, finely chopped for garnish

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the about half of the olive oil.  Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Add some of the beef strips in a single layer, being sure not to crowd the pan.  Sauté until browned but still slightly pink on both sides, about 1 minute per side.  Transfer to a bowl.  Repeat with remaining oil and meat.

In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the leeks and sauté until lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and sauté until nicely browned, about 5 minutes more.  Season with  salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook until well-blended, about 1 minute.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to incorporate.  Increase the heat to high, add the stock and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan.  Boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to medium.  Return the meat to the pan along with any accumulated juices and cook just until the beef is heated through, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the sour cream, mustard and lemon juice and heat just until the sauce is warm.  Remove from the heat, serve over egg noodles and garnish with fresh parsley.

Source: adapted from Williams Sonoma

Cherry Coke float cupcakes – what a cute idea, right?  Right!  These are essentially a chocolate cupcake base with maraschino cherry juice and Coke added for flavor and more importantly, an almost bubbly texture!  They are drizzled with a powdered sugar-Coke glaze after baking (though I’m not sure that is really necessary), topped with whipped cream and a cherry.  Easy and cute!  Baking them in red foil liners really adds a nice touch to achieve that Coke bottle look.

Ben and I tasted an unfrosted cupcake and agreed that we could taste the subtle Coke flavor, but I think once topped and garnished, the Coke mainly contributes the light, airy texture and the flavor is difficult to discern.  The original recipe uses only one maraschino cherry inside the cupcake itself, but next time I will add probably 4 or 5 because they added a great cherry flavor.  These are a really cute treat though, and were a big hit with all who tried them!

Cherry Coke Cupcakes
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Yield: 10-12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup sugar
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk
¾ cup Coca-Cola
¼ tsp. maraschino cherry juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Maraschino cherries, stemless

For the glaze (optional):
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. Coca-Cola

For topping:
2/3 cup heavy cream
3-4 tbsp. powdered sugar
Maraschino cherries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line  a muffin pan with foil or paper liners.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter.  Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.   Mix in the egg until incorporated.   In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, Coke, maraschino cherry juice, and vanilla extract; stir to combine.  (This mixture may look disgusting and/or curdled – it’s okay!)

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture on low speed, alternately with the liquid ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated.  Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners.  Drop 4 or 5 stemless maraschino cherries into each cupcake well and push them down into the batter.  Bake for about 18 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.

To make the optional glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and Coke in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.  Spoon or drizzle a small amount of the top of each cupcake.  Allow to set.

To make the whipped cream topping, add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Begin whipping on medium speed, slowly adding the confectioners’ sugar and gradually increasing the speed to high as the cream holds soft peaks.  Whip until the cream holds stiff peaks, being careful not to overbeat.  Spoon or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes and top each with a maraschino cherry.

Source: adapted from Coco Bean

Have you ever fallen in serious love with an item on a restaurant menu, only to have it taken away?  There is a wonderful restaurant from our hometown called Scholars Inn.   We have always been great fans of the restaurant and even had our rehearsal dinner there before our wedding.  They have a wonderful menu (and faaabulous half-price martini nights!)  My favorite item on the menu has always been their lemon thyme chicken.  In fact, I think I would go so far as to say it is the best chicken I have ever eaten.  The restaurant did so well that they expanded and opened a location in Indianapolis as well, which worked out wonderfully since it coincided with our moving here.  However, due to work, life, etc. it had been quite a while since we had dined there.  I recently requested to go there for a date night because I was just dying to have this chicken again.  So you can imagine my devastation when I saw that it was no longer on the menu.

I decided to take a shot and email the restaurant to see if they would be willing to share the recipe with me.  The worst that could happen would be that they said no.  Well, I’m glad I asked because I was promptly contacted by a representative from the restaurant.  Unfortunately no one was able to find a written version of the recipe with specific quantities of ingredients, but one of the chefs remembered well how to prepare the dish and was happy to share the methods of preparation.  They even provided me with a phone number to speak with him if I had any questions.  How wonderful!  Thankfully, just the methods were all I needed and I was able to recreate this dish at home.  It turned out quite wonderfully if I do say so myself, and I am thrilled to be able to make it on my own.

Lemon Thyme Chicken
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Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup flour
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2/3 cup dry white wine
Juice of ½ a large lemon (or the juice of 1 whole lemon, if desired)
2-3 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Butterfly the chicken breasts to create four halves.  Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Place the flour in a shallow bowl, and dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off the excess.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute until lightly golden, about 2 minutes; flip and cook on the other side, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme leaves to the pan and saute just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Off the heat, add the wine to the pan.  Return the pan to the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.  Reduce until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has become golden brown on each both sides.  Add the lemon juice to the pan and stir in the butter until completely melted.  Serve immediately, and spoon the extra sauce over the chicken.

Source: Annie’s Eats original, inspired by Scholars Inn

Of the gazillion recipes I have saved to try, several of them incorporate dulce de leche.  In case you are not familiar, dulce de leche is basically a type of caramel made from sweetened condensed milk.  Up until now, I have been unable to try any of these recipes because I have never been able to find dulce de leche in any stores in my area.  Finally, I decided to just try making my own dulce de leche at home and give this recipe a try – and of course, on this trip to the store, I actually found cans of the stuff!  (In the Mexican part of the ethnic foods aisle, in case you might have success finding yours there as well.)  In case you are unable to find dulce de leche in your area, there are multiple methods for making your own at home.  Personally, I would opt for the safe way detailed here by Smitten Kitchen.  Another option is to boil the cans as many do, but with the possibility of a major explosion, I probably would not be inclined to try this.

These little cheesecake squares are the perfect two-bite dessert.  They start with a simple graham cracker crust, topped with a thick layer of creamy dulce de leche cheesecake filling, and finished with a thin dark chocolate glaze.  They are just heavenly!  The filling is amazingly light and smooth and the dulce de leche lends the perfect warm caramel flavor.  Incredibly easy to make, the hardest part about these is waiting for them to cool, chill, glaze, and chill some more.  I cut these into 36 pieces and thought they were just the right size.  I put them in mini muffin wrappers for serving which worked out just perfectly.  Ben’s coworkers certainly seemed to enjoy them since very few returned home!  My pal Chelle baked these along with me this week, so check out her blog and see what she thought.

Dulce De Leche  Cheesecake Bars
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Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
1 tsp. plain (unflavored) gelatin
¼ cup whole milk
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
Scant ½ tsp. salt
1 cup dulce de leche

For the chocolate glaze:
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tsp. light corn syrup

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325° F.  To make the crust, line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil.  In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Toss with a fork to combine.  Spread the crumb mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking pan and press down into an even layer.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling, sprinkle the gelatin over the whole milk in a small bowl and let stand about 2 minutes.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth.  Add in the eggs, salt and gelatin mixture and beat until well combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add in the dulce de leche and mix on low speed just until combined and smooth.

Pour the filling on top of the crust and smooth with a spatula.  Set the dish inside a 9×13-inch dish.  Add hot water to the larger pan to create a water bath.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is just set.  Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for 2 hours.  Cover, transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 6 hours before glazing.

To make the glaze, combine the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in the top of a double boiler and heat until the chocolate has melted.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over the cheesecake, tilting the pan to coat the top evenly.  Chill, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

To serve, lift the cheesecake from the pan using the foil lining.  Transfer to a cutting board.  Cut into 1-inch squares using a thin knife, wiping the blade between each cut.

Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet, December 2003

No, no, I’m not pregnant – but my friend is!  One of my good friends is expecting her first baby, and while all pregnancies are very wonderful and exciting, hers is really something special.  After trying without luck to have a baby for years, and attempting multiple fertility treatments which were unsuccessful, my friend and her husband decided to adopt.  They were incredibly excited about the prospect of becoming adoptive parents and then the week they went active with their adoption agency, they found out they had their own biological little one on the way!  Life is funny sometimes, but I am just tickled to death with excitement for them.  They will be truly wonderful parents.

They came over for dinner a few weeks ago and I wanted to come up with a dessert that would somehow incorporate a baby theme.  Pink and blue are a natural choice, so I opted for a classic vanilla cupcake with my favorite vanilla buttercream.  I topped with jelly beans because one of her nicknames for the baby is “bean” (and that is what we called Andrew sometimes as well).  I thought these were a cute, simple way to celebrate such joyous news.  I was also happy to make these because I rediscovered the wonderfulness that is Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake.  I haven’t made this cake since the first time I tried it, and now I have no idea why!  It is just as easy as any other vanilla cake, yet so light and flavorful.  I am positively giddy over how well it worked in cupcake form.  I’ll be using this a recipe a lot more now!  These were definitely a hit with the parents-to-be, and I heard that the box of cupcakes I sent home with them did not entirely survive the trip :)

Because I am lazy, I will simply direct you to my previous posts where you can find both the cake and frosting recipes.  I bake these cupcakes about 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  A half batch of the frosting was enough to generously frost 10 or 11 of the 12 cupcakes I made, so if you skimp a bit more I’m sure you could stretch it to all 12 – I just like a lot of frosting!

Happy Friday, everyone!  Go enjoy a cupcake :)

A few months ago my friend and I took a little road trip to go to a concert.  We stayed with her aunt and uncle, and her aunt was gracious enough to cook a wonderful meal for us when we arrived.  She made a delicious salmon as the entree, but what really wowed me was the asparagus.  It was topped with a mixture of fresh tomatoes and feta, and it was unbelievably delicious.  I mean, this was back in April and I’m still thinking about it now!  So, I finally decided to try recreating it here at home and I’m happy to report that this was every bit as delicious as I remember.  Hands down, my favorite way to prepare asparagus.  Very simple but so delicious, and a great way to use up any extra feta you have in the fridge.  I don’t really know what else to say about this except that it is a spectacular side dish!

Asparagus with Tomatoes and Feta
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Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely minced
2-3 vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:
In a large skillet, lay the asparagus in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as you can get).  Add water just until the asparagus is covered.  Heat over medium-high heat until the water boils.  Reduce the heat and let simmer until the asparagus is tender.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat.  Sauté the shallot until tender, 3-4 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes, just to warm and wilt very slightly.  Once the asparagus is tender, remove from the heat and drain.  Remove the shallot-tomato mixture from the heat, stir in the feta, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place the warm asparagus on a serving platter (or individual plates) and top with the tomato-feta mixture.  Serve immediately.

Source: Annie’s Eats original, inspired by Aunt Susan

German chocolate cake has been my dad’s favorite cake for as long as I can remember.  So, it’s probably pretty surprising that I have never attempted making one from scratch before now.  Growing up my fabulous nanny who was more like a second mom always brought us a birthday cake in our favorite flavor – always a sheet cake, and always from a box with canned frosting.  She still makes me my standard strawberry cake with vanilla icing and darn it, it’s delicious!  This year though, she has had some other things going on in her life requiring her attention so Dad did not get his standard German chocolate cake.  I saw this as the perfect opportunity to finally try my hand at one – I’ve been itching to give it a shot for so long!

I’ve had this recipe from David Lebovitz bookmarked for quite some time.  It was of course, not surprising to me that this turned out nothing short of amazing, like nearly every other recipe of his that I have tried.  Truly, this cake was to die for.  One of my brothers was working while the rest of the family sampled the cake, but the next day I received a text message from him stating, “Last night, hands down, best cake I have ever eaten in my entire life.”  Considering that German chocolate is his favorite, and that he has tasted nearly every cake I have made, I think that says it all.  The coconut-pecan filling was absolutely divine, the cake tasted wonderful and the rum syrup really helped keep the layers moist.

As far as the recipe goes, I had a few minor issues.  Despite the fact that I drenched my cake layers, there was a TON of rum syrup left over so unless you have some other use for it, I would reduce the amount by at least half and maybe even more (I have reduced by half in the version below).  The only other problem was that this is frosted with a ganache-like icing which, when freshly made, cannot possibly neatly frost a cake and would really require pouring.  I chilled mine in the fridge and then the freezer for quite a while but I finally ran out of time before we needed to leave, so I just did the best I could with the consistency I had.  I definitely recommend chilling this ganache very thoroughly before attempting to frost or decorate with it.  This cake may seem like a big project, but I made the whole thing easily in one morning with no trouble (other than waiting for the frosting to cool).  Enjoy!

German Chocolate Cake
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Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tbsp. water
4 large eggs, separated
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the rum syrup:
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
2 tbsp. dark rum

For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
6 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
½ tsp.  salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted*

*I was unable to find unsweetened coconut, so I used sweetened and the filling tasted great

For the icing:
8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.  Butter and flour the sides of the pans; set aside.

Using a double boiler (or the microwave in short bursts), melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate with the water, stirring until smooth.  Set aside until the mixture cools to room temperature.

In the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form soft droopy peaks.  Slowly add ¼ cup of the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.  Transfer the egg whites to a separate bowl and return the mixer bowl to the mixer base.

In the bowl the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with 1¼ cups of the sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Beat in the melted chocolate.  Mix in the egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture on low speed just until incorporated.  Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla extract until combined.  Mix in the remaining dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about a third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it.  Then fold in the remaining egg whites just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the cake pans for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, make the rum syrup.  Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.  Off the heat, stir in the rum.

To make the filling, combine the cream, sugar and egg yolks in a medium saucepan.  Put the butter, pecans and coconut in a mixing bowl; set aside.  Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon (170-175° F.)  Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted.  Cool completely to room temperature.  The mixture will thicken as it cools.

(*Note – I found that my filling was still a bit thin even after cooling.  I mixed in more coconut and that thickened it up perfectly.  Probably depends on how tightly packed the coconut is in measuring.)

To make the icing, place the chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and butter.  Heat the cream just until it begins to boil.  Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.  Let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.  Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator or freezer until firm enough for decorating.

To assemble the cake, cut the two cake layers in half horizontally to yield four layers.  Set the first layer on a cake circle, cut side up.  Brush well with the rum syrup.  Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach the edges.  Set another cake layer on top of the filling.  Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top.  Ice the sides of the cake with the chilled chocolate icing.  Pipe a decorative border around the top layer, encircling the coconut topping.

Source: adapted from David Lebovitz

I was looking for a side dish to go with the honey chipotle glazed chicken, and thought these black beans sounded like just the thing.  (Apparently I have a thing for grilled chicken with black beans as you can see here and here.)  I made numerous modifications from the original recipe to suit our tastes and my schedule.  I really do my best to avoid convenience foods as much as possible, but canned beans are one thing I don’t think I can give up.  I am a busy woman and I just do not have the time to rehydrate dried beans!  So, I used canned beans in order to help make this weeknight-friendly.  I also reduced the amount of liquid drastically because I like a more chunky mixture.  These were absolutely delicious, but next time I think I will add even more lime juice (and maybe even lime zest) to play up the citrus flavor, and will mix in some chopped cilantro in addition to that used for garnish.  Topped with some sour cream, salsa and of course a little shredded cheese, these could be a meal on their own!

Spicy Citrus Black Beans
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Ingredients:
1 (28 oz.) can black beans
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
pepper, chopped or minced (bell, Anaheim or jalapeno depending on your taste)
½-1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1½ tsp. dried oregano
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. pureed chipotles in adobo
1½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Juice of 2 limes (added lime zest – optional)
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste, plus more for garnish

Directions:
Place the beans in a colander and rinse throughly.  Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Sauté the onion and pepper until tender, about 5-7 minutes.   Add the garlic and sauté just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the beans.  Mix in broth (more or less depending on how much liquid you would like) and bring to a simmer.  Mix in the oregano, bay leaves, salt, chipotle puree, cumin, orange juice, lime juice and vinegar.  Once simmering, reduce to medium-low or low and let simmer, covered, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat, stir in chopped fresh cilantro to taste and serve.

Source: heavily adapted from Simply Recipes

Do you have a hard time finding certain less common items at your grocery store?  This is something that has always plagued me.  It used to be because I shopped at a store that didn’t carry any ingredient that was even slightly unique.  However, I now shop at a very well stocked store where I can find almost everything – so when I can’t find something, it’s usually just because I don’t know where to look (and the employees are rarely able to help because they have never heard of the item I want.)  So, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce is one of these items.  I have looked for them approximately eleven bajillion times and could never find them.  But, I have seen them in so many recipes that I know they must be common and I knew my store would have them.  So, I Googled them to find exactly what the can looked like, and – success!!  (And for the record, they were where I swear I have looked every time.  I think I have a selective blindness or something.)

Anyway, let’s talk about this wonderful chicken!  I was anxious to try this because it sounded delicious – the combination of sweet honey and spicy chipotle glaze was very enticing.  I had high hopes, but after mixing up the glaze I was unsure.  The glaze smelled awful to me and I was sure I was not going to like this at all.  However, it ended up having a fantastic flavor and the meat was very moist.  The sweetness of the honey is perfect, and then it is followed by the spiciness from the peppers.  The balance was just right and we loved this meal.  The only thing I will change next time is to reduce the amount of glaze by at least half, because I had ton more than I needed.   I have reflected this in the version below.  Enjoy!

Honey Chipotle Glazed Chicken
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Ingredients:
¼ cup honey
1 tbsp. pureed canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. ancho chili powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. canola oil
½ tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. Spanish paprika
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied into halves
Sesame seeds, chopped fresh cilantro and minced chives, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Heat the grill or a grill pan to high.  In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, chipotle puree, mustard, 1½ teaspoons ancho chile powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1½ teaspoons oil.  Set aside.

Stir together the remaining ancho powder with the coriander, cumin and paprika in another medium bowl.  Add the chicken breasts the remaining oil, and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken on the heated grill and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Flip the chicken and brush the cooked side of the chicken pieces with the honey-chipotle glaze.  Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes; flip the chicken again and brush the second side with the glaze.  Cook for 1 minute, flip again and cook for 1 minute more.  Remove from the grill and brush with more sauce as desired.  Garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro and chives as desired; serve.

Source: adapted from Smells Like Home, originally from Grill It! by Bobby Flay

What is not to love about this phenomenal cake?  A delicious, triple chocolate devil’s food cake with chocolate chunks folded in to the batter, layered with a fluffy marshmallow frosting.  For the finishing touch, one of the cake layers is crumbled and used to coat the outside of the frosted cake.  This is great because not only does it look awesome, it is probably the most no-fuss cake decorating I’ve ever done.  No need to worry about a smooth frosting job here – just throw on some cake crumbs and you’re done!

I did hit a snag while baking this cake though.  The original recipe recommends baking the cake in two 8-inch pans and then halving the cakes horizontally to end up with four layers.  I only have 9-inch cake pans, so initially that was what I used.  However, once out of the oven I determined that the layers were too thin to be halved (well, it could have been done, but I wanted them to look thicker) so I ended up baking two more layers, essentially doubling the cake recipe.  This ended up giving me just the look I was going for of a nice, tall cake, so I have altered the recipe below to reflect these changes.  However, if you have 8-inch pans, you can go that route (just halving the amount of cake batter.)

It seemed when the Tuesdays With Dorie group blogged about this cake, many of the members did not like the frosting.  Consequently, I wasn’t expecting to like it either, especially since I’m not a huge marshmallow fan but I wanted to at least try it.  I actually ended up loving it!  It was fun to make and had a fantastic thick, sticky-sweet texture.  It was definitely a hit all around, and one of my friends remarked that the combination of the cake and frosting made this taste like a giant Hostess cupcake!  My only comment is that if you want the frosting between the cake layers to be as thick as they are on the cover of Dorie’s book, I think you’ll need to increase the batch by 50-100%.  However, I really think that would be overkill and I think the current proportions of cake to frosting are just right.

I’m submitting this blog entry to the Got Milk? blog event hosted by Linda at  Make Life Sweeter.  Got Milk? is a blog event featuring any sweet item containing milk in honor of World Breastfeeding Week.  I think this is a very important cause to recognize.  If you have been reading my blog for a long time, you may remember my entry from last year when Andrew was only one month old.  At that time, breastfeeding was still incredibly difficult and challenging for me.  However, I’m happy to report that we made it to 11 months of exclusive nursing and even now at 13 months, we still nurse occasionally.  I know that not everyone is able to breastfeed and I also know how difficult it can be, but when it works out it is truly a wonderful thing.  So, I give you this delicious sweet treat in honor of breastfeeding.

Devil’s Food White Out Cake
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Yields 1 large 9-inch, triple layer cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 2/3 cups cake flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
20 tbsp. unsalted butter (2½ sticks), at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 cup boiling water
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

For the filling and frosting:
½ cup egg whites (about 4 large)
1 cup sugar
¾ tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
To make the cake, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350° F.  Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment or wax paper.  Grease and flour the edges of the pans; set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.  Add the sugars and beat for 3 more minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate.  When it is fully incorporated, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients).  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix just until ingredients are incorporated.  The batter will be thick.  Working at low speed, mix in the boiling water (the batter will thin out).  Scrape down the bowl and fold in the chopped chocolate with a rubber spatula.

Divide the cake batter into four equal portions.  (I like to use four drinking glasses of the same size to accomplish this, to help ensure that all the cake layers will be the same size.)  Use two of the portions to fill the prepared cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge and turn the cakes out of the pans onto the wire rack and let cool completely.  Meanwhile, clean out the cake pans, reline them with paper and grease and flour the edges.  Bake the remaining portions of batter as before, and cool on a wire rack when finished.

To prepare the filling and frosting, place the egg whites in a clean, dry mixer bowl.  Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put the sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, cover the pan and boil for 3 minutes.  Uncover and allow the syrup to boil until it reaches 242° F on the thermometer.  While the syrup is cooking, start beating the egg whites.  When the syrup is at about 235° F, begin beating the egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment.  If the whites form firm, shiny peaks before the syrup reaches temperature, reduce the mixer speed to low and keep mixing the whites until the syrup catches up.  With the mixer at medium speed, and standing back slightly, carefully pour in the hot syrup, making sure to pour it between the beater and the side of the bowl.  Add the vanilla extract and keep beating the whites at medium speed until they reach room temperature, about 5 minutes.  You should have a smooth, shiny, marshmallowy frosting.  It is best used immediately.

To assemble the cake, crumble one of the cake layers into a medium bowl.  Place one of the cooled cake layers on a cardboard cake circle.  Spread a generous layer of frosting on top.  Top with a  second layer of cake, and again frost generously.  Finish with the third layer of cake.  Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting (no need to frost neatly, since the cake will be covered in crumbs).  Sprinkle the top and sides of the entire cake with the cake crumbles, gently pressing the pieces into the frosting.  Refrigerate the cake for about 1 hour before serving.

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

One thing I always look forward to on a weekend free of any obligations is the opportunity to make a more involved meal for dinner one night.  I have seen many versions of this recipe many times before, but have put it off and put it off some more because I never felt like taking the time to make it.  Recently I decided that I needed to just get over it and give this a try because everyone I know who has made it has given it rave reviews.  I am so happy I have finally tried this because it is really an incredible meal.  The chicken is incredibly moist and has fantastic flavor.  I actually thought it was really fun to make and even though it took some time, it was well worth it.  I almost skipped making the sauce at the end because I was busy with a side dish, but ended up making it and I have to say, the sauce is a MUST.  I mean, the chicken tastes fabulous on its own, but the sauce takes it to a whole new level.  The leftovers were wonderful as well.

I did need to make a few minor alterations to the recipe.  I used my Dutch oven for browning and baking the chicken pieces because it really didn’t look like they would fit in a 12-inch skillet.  I had to brown them in two batches because they could not all fit at once.  Then I just placed them all on top of each other to bake.  They did take slightly longer to bake than the recipe called for, but once again, this is the importance of using an instant-read thermometer.  There is no question as to whether the meat is properly cooked.  I will definitely be making this again and again.  I think it will be especially wonderful when the weather starts to cool off.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
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Ingredients:
Table salt
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces (I bought a pre-cut chicken at the store)
Ground black pepper
3 large heads garlic, with medium-sized cloves if possible
2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered pole to pole
3 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
¾ cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to middle position.  Preheat the oven to 400° F.  In a large container or bowl combine ¼ cup salt in 2 quarts of cold tap water; stir until the salt is dissolved.  Submerge the chicken pieces in the brine and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 30 minutes.  Rinse the chicken pieces off and pat dry with paper towels.  Season the chicken pieces on both sides with freshly ground pepper.

Remove the outer paper skins of the heads of garlic.  Separate the cloves but keep the peels on.  In a 9-inch pie plate combine the garlic cloves and quartered shallots.  Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover tightly with foil and roast until softened and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes, shaking the pan once to toss the contents after 15 minutes (leave the foil on to toss).  After 3o minutes, remove the foil and return the pan to the oven to bake uncovered for 10 more minutes, so the cloves are fully browned and tender.  Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450° F.

Using kitchen twine, tie together the fresh thyme, rosemary and the bay leaf; set aside.  Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; swirl to coat the pan with oil.  Brown the chicken pieces skin side down until deep golden, about 5 minutes.  Turn the chicken pieces with tongs and cook until golden brown on the second side, about 4 minutes longer.  Transfer the chicken to a large plate and discard the fat.  Off the heat, add the vermouth or white wine, chicken broth, and herb bundle, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits.  Set the skillet over medium heat, add the garlic-shallot mixture to the pan.  Return the chicken pieces to the pan, skin side up, and nestle them on top of and between the garlic cloves.  

Place the pan in the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160° F, about 10-12 minutes (mine took about 18 minutes).  If desired, increase the heat to broil and broil to crisp the skin, about 3-5 minutes more.  Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the chicken to a serving dish.  Reserve 10-12 cloves of garlic and place them in a mesh sieve.  Using a slotted spoon, scatter the remaining garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken and discard the herbs.  Push the reserved garlic cloves through the mesh sieve into a bowl; discard the skins.  Add the garlic paste to the pan and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally to incorporate the garlic.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk in the butter.  Transfer to a sauce dish and serve with chicken pieces.  

Source: adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally from Cook’s Illustrated

Okay, so I thought I had already found my perfect brownie.  I thought I was content and never needed to try another brownie recipe again.  Ina’s is so very good, it would be impossible to top it – right?  Wrong.  So wrong.  I’m not even exactly sure what compelled me to try this recipe because I normally feel no desire to try new brownies when I have found one I love – I’m thinking it was the name that hooked me.  That, and the fact that these come from Baking Illustrated which has yet to fail me…or has yet to turn out anything less than perfect (see cheesecake, berry pie, and snickerdoodles for examples).  So I made these mostly out of curiosity as to whether they could replace my favorite brownie.  

While I will always hold Ina’s brownies in very high regard, this version has them beat.  I vastly prefer the texture of these (as the title says, chewy and fudgy) where I sometimes find Ina’s on the verge of crumbly.  Not only that but these are quite a tall brownie, yielding a thick bar of yummy chocolate goodness.  And, they bake up with a thin, delicate shiny crust on top that makes them pretty.  I’ve never made such aesthetically pleasing brownies before, but I like it!  As far as methods go these are not that different from other brownie recipes.  My only change was to cut them into larger pieces.  These are baked in an 8×8-inch pan, and the original recipe calls for them to be cut into 64 1-inch square pieces.  HAHA!  I’m sorry, but these are brownies, not fudge – I want a real piece!  I cut them into 12 pieces, but I think 16 would be just fine too.  Now, get thee to the kitchen and prepare to be wowed!

Chewy, Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies
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Ingredients:
5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1¼ cups (8¾ oz.) sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (5 oz.) all-purpose flour

Directions:
Place an oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth.  Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds.  Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated.  Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined.  (It took me a while to get the flour evenly incorporated and I was worried it would affect the texture of the brownies, but they turned out fabulously – no need to worry.)  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer.  Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35-40 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.  

Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board.  Cut into squares as desired.  Store in an air-tight container.   

Source: adapted from Baking Illustrated

I saw these calzones on my pal Chelle’s blog not too long ago, and I could not stop thinking about them.  Then, it just so happened that I had half a batch of pizza sauce in the refrigerator and a batch of pizza dough in the freezer.  In other words, I had no good reason not to make them!  It was no surprise that these did not disappoint.  Basically just a classic supreme pizza rolled up in calzone form, these are a fantastic meal.  I opted to sauté the veggies briefly before adding them to the filling so that they would be more tender after baking.  Also, I used turkey sausage and while usually I am a big fan of subbing turkey products where possible, I really wish I had used real Italian sausage because the turkey did not quite cut it for me.  I should mention that we ended up with a small amount of filling left over, but Ben considered it a great snack the next day so we didn’t mind.  I am already looking forward to making them again with real sausage – this one is a keeper!

Italian Supreme Calzones
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Ingredients:
½ batch perfect pizza crust
2 links Italian sausage, removed from casings
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 oz. sliced mushrooms, chopped
Sliced black olives
Red pepper flakes
10 slices pepperoni, chopped
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp. water for egg wash
Pizza sauce, for serving

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 500° F.  Place a pizza stone in the oven and let it heat for at least 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, divide pizza dough in half on a lightly floured work surface and roll out into two rounds approximately 7-8 inches in diameter.  Transfer to a piece of parchment paper about the size of your pizza stone.  

In a skillet over medium-high heat, crumble the sausage and cook until browned.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Return the skillet to the heat and add the chopped onion and green pepper.  Sauté briefly, about 3 minutes.  Mix in the slices mushrooms and sauté a few minutes more.  Transfer the veggie mixture to the bowl with the sausage.  Toss in sliced black olives and red pepper flakes to taste.  Mix in the chopped pepperoni.  

Sprinkle one half of each dough round with a small amount of shredded mozzarella, leaving a thin border around the edge.   Divide the meat and veggie mixture between the two dough rounds, on top of the mozzarella.  Top with more mozzarella cheese, to taste.  Fold over the remaining dough on top of the cheese and filling, pinching the free edges of dough together to seal.  Brush the tops of the calzones with egg wash, transfer to the heated pizza stone and bake until browned, about 12-15 minutes.  Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.  

Source: inspired by Brown Eyed Baker

These sweet little strawberry tarlettes are the perfect dessert if you are looking for something quick yet impressive.  The buttery crust combined with the fresh berries is a match made in heaven.  These were inspired by Dorie’s recipe for La Palette’s strawberry tart but instead I used my favorite basic tart dough and made them into mini tarts.  Beyond making the tart dough, there is very little other work required – just cutting up some strawberries and mixing them with a bit of sugar.  Making the tart dough is a breeze as well if you use your stand mixer like I do!  I got five tartlettes out of one batch, but I’m sure you could get six if you rolled your dough a bit thinner.  This is a wonderful light and summery dessert, and while they are fantastic on their own, they are also wonderful topped with a bit of freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  

Strawberry Tarlettes
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Ingredients:
For the tart dough:
For the crust:
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp. very cold water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

For the filling:
Fresh strawberries, halved or quartered (1 quart would be plenty)
Sugar (optional)
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Good quality strawberry jam 

Directions:
To make the tart dough, in a small bowl stir together the egg yolk, water and vanilla; set aside.  Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas.  Add the egg mixture and beat on low speed just until the dough comes together.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 ° F.  When you are ready to roll out the dough, unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured work surface.  Roll out with a floured rolling pin, lifting and turning the dough occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the work surface.  Roll it out evenly, about 1/8-inch thick.  Carefully transfer the dough to the tartlette pans, pressing it into the sides, and trim to remove the excess.  Reroll any excess dough to line the remaining pans.

Place the tartlette pans on a baking sheet.  Cover the dough with foil or parchment paper and fill each pan with baking beads.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 400° F.  Remove the foil and baking beads and return to the oven to bake until the shells are golden and completely baked, 5-10 minutes more.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the filling, toss the strawberries in a bowl with sugar, if needed.  Add a small squeeze of lemon juice and toss to mix.  In the cooled tart shells, add a tablespoon or two of strawberry jam – just enough to cover the bottom of the shell with a thin layer.  Top with the fresh strawberry mixture to completely fill the shells.  Serve with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.  

Source: inspired by Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, tart dough from Williams Sonoma