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Banana Cream Pie

April 11, 2014

I am just itching to go on vacation.

At the very least planning one would cool my wanderlust urges. I just love adventures and times to relax in a new setting. I love to discover new places and try new things.

Price and I are looking into cruises for next January as a way to celebrate my 30th. I think a week in the Caribbean is just the best idea to break up the cold winter up here. Plus I think turning 30 while sipping a daiquiri as I soak up the sun is they best way to spend a milestone birthday

As well, I’m waiting for Jet Blue to release more dates next year so that Emily and I can have a girl’s weekend. I can’t wait to check out Seattle and have her show me all around. Everything she has been telling me about the PNW sounds awesome. I think it will be such a fantastic time. yay!

Anyway, let’s check out this awesome pie for Pieday Friday!

This banana cream pie should be illegal.

It’s that good. Really really good.

The flavor is so good. The silky smooth pudding filling is a great companion to the fresh bananas.

Price came back from work and I basically shoved a spoonful of the pudding into his mouth the moment he walked in. I don’t think he minded though. Well, maybe it was a tease because he had to wait for it to set up. ha!

I suggest that you make the pie well in advance of serving it. You can let it chill for an hour but I think that the longer the better. Then you garnish it right before serving so the bananas don’t brown. And I think that some whipped cream is great for a garnish as well. yum!!

What pies should I make next? I’m taking suggestions!!

Banana Cream Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

1 9″ deep-dish pie crust
3/4 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cup milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 Tablespoons
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 bananas

Process

Bake the pie crust according to the packaged instructions/recipe. Let completely cool.
Slice 4 of the bananas into 1/4″ thick rounds. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually pour the milk in while stirring gently. While continuously whisking, cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
Mix a small quantity (about 1/3 cup) of the hot pudding mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. While continuously whisking, cook for 2 more minutes.
Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
Place the banana slices in the cooled baked pastry shell and then top with pudding mixture.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for 1 hour before slicing. Garnish with the remaining banana prior to serving.

Sourced from All Recipes

French Toast Roll-Ups {& a Musselman’s Giveaway}

April 10, 2014

Spring!!! Spring!!! Spring!!!

I can barely contain my excitement with Spring’s arrival.

It’s beautiful in the mornings and the late afternoon is great when I leave work. The nights are warmer now so we have been driving to the next town to go to the beach. It’s great to be out in the fresh salt air getting a bit of exercise right next to the waves. Autumn usually sleeps in the carrier Price wears and I have Kemper, who gets slobbery and sandy. I like to ask Price where the people are coming from when the planes fly low overhead on their approach to Logan Airport. He makes it up on the spot but it’s fun to imagine going there and taking the same trip over the beach looking down at other people walking their dogs. Moments like that are why I love Spring so much.

Oh, and the flowers. We can’t forget the flowers!

I’m really hoping that the bulbs I had in the front yard (technically our neighbor’s yard but she let’s me plant there) survived this horrible winter. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens with the lilies I planted. Thankfully the Pieris japonica (Lily-of-the-valley bush) and mini rose-bush I planted last year appear to have made it.

It will still be awhile until things bloom outside, but in the meantime I can enjoy the beautiful roses that Musselman’s & FTD sent me. Earlier this week a The Color Your Day with Laughter™ Mini Rose Plant arrived and ever since it has been brightening up our dining table.

The rose buds are still pretty tightly closed but some are opening up. While that be disappointed to get a green bush without any roses in bloom, I think that is the best! It means that I get to see each one open up and the flowers last longer. More time to enjoy the bright pink flowers. Love.

Now is the best time to treat someone you love (or even yourself!) with a flower arrangment. FTD is giving my readers $10 off select flower arrangements. Check out the flowers here!

Anyway, let’s get to the yummy stuff featured in this post…

French Toast Roll-Ups!

These are wonderful, yummy breakfast treats. Quick to assemble, packed for flavor, and easy to eat. You can dip them into the usual maple syrup but the cream cheese based dipping sauce is so good.

I know Autumn is a long, long ways away form helping me in the kitchen but I think this would be a great kid’s recipe. They can help you roll out the bread, spread some apple butter on the bread and roll it up. I’m sure dunking them in the french toast batter would be fun for them too. Plus, I’m sure kids woul dhave fun dunking the french toast roll-ups into the dipping sauce. yum!

At work, we take turns bringing in breakfast on Friday’s. My turn is coming up in a few weeks and I am planning on making these guys because the recipe is super easy to multiply (or even halve), they are easy prepare so a large batch will be a synch, and easy to transport. I am planning on preparing them really early that morning, but I think they will be just as good to make the night before and then they can be reheated in the microwave at work.

Grab a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter and make a batch of these. They are just so good!

French Toast Roll-Ups

Makes 16 roll-ups

Ingredients

16 slices of white sandwich bread
1 Cup of Musselman’s Apple Butter
2 eggs
1/4 Cup milk
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon water

For the dipping sauce

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup Musselman’s Apple Butter
1/2 Cup confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Process

To prepare the roll-ups

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or grease well to prevent the rolls ups from sticking to the pan.
Using a rolling-pin, flatten a slice of bread to about half of its’ original thickness.
Spread roughly 1 Tablespoon of apple butter evenly on the bread. Roll up with the apple butter side inward. Set aside, with the seam side down. Repeat with the remaining bread.
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dip each roll-up into the egg mixture to complete coat it, then shake off the excess batter. Place on the baking sheet.
Bake 10 minutes. Pull out of the oven, brush the top side with melted butter, flip each roll, then brush the bottoms with butter. (If they stick, gently use a spatula to loosen them.) Leave the bottom side up and bake another 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, add the sugar and the remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon. When the roll-ups are done baking, roll each one in the mixture. Serve warm with dipping sauce (below).

To prepare the dipping sauce

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together cream cheese and apple butter until there is a smooth consistency.
Gradually beat in the sugar until smooth and then beat in the milk. Set aside to use later.

Sourced from Musselman’s

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And now the good stuff… the GIVEAWAY!

You can win a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter and some recipe cards.

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me what your favorite things about spring is.

Contest Ends Sunday, April 13th at Midnight EST.

Good luck but if you don’t win be sure to go to your jam/jelly aisle at your local grocery store and pick up a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter!

And don’t forget to order flowers from FTD!! Save $10!!

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*This blog contains sponsored content. While I did receive complimentary products from Musselman’s and FTD, these opinions are entirely my own.

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies

March 26, 2014

Autumn is just beginning to laugh. EEEEEEE!!!!

She has spent the past 2 months laughing like a mime. Just imagine watching some TV on mute when you see someone crack up with a huge smile. Yep, that is how she had been. But since last Thursday night she has given us a few giggles. It’s just the best thing ever. Makes us so happy whenever she does it.

Until I can actually capture her laughing to share with you, I’ll make you happy with this recipe for Samoa Cookie Stuffed Brownies.

That’s right cookies inside brownies. And not just any cookies… Samoas!!

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies_06

I just love Samoas (aka Caramel Delights) so much so I’ve made cocktails to take like them and even just put them in a pie! Well, the next obvious step to me was that I had to put them in brownies. Obvi.

These are fun because it’s a treat to bite into them and discover a cookie inside the brownie!

Now don’t fret if you don’t have Girl Scout Cookies on hand, you can use Keebler’s Coconut Dreams. So you can enjoy these brownies whenever you want, not just in the spring time!

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies_02

Enjoy!

And please, winter won’t you go away soon? Like now! RIGHT NOW!!

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies_03

Hidden Samoa Cookie Brownies

Makes 20 brownies

Ingredients

8 ounces of semisweet chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 Samoa Cookies

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan by generously buttering/spraying with non-stick cooking spray the bottom and sides.
In a large microwavable safe bowl, melt 8 ounces of the chocolate chips and the butter together, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted and combined.
Add the cocoa powder and sugar, mixing completely.
Add in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
Stir in the flour and salt to gently incorporate.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Then place 20 cookies into the batter in a 4×5 grid, then pour the rest of the batter on top. To help you cut later on put a tooth pick in the center of the few cookies to give you some guidance.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon removal. Do not over bake. Let cool prior to cutting into 20 pieces.

Post contains affilate links

Frozen Samoa Cookie Pie

March 14, 2014

It is finally going to be nice out tomorrow so we are going to test drive some cars!

I feel like I’m betraying our other car. Ahh poor Frank the Tank.

But Frank is just too small now. Not in the ‘we have a new baby and have tons of stuff small’ but ‘we have a new baby and no one can sit in the passenger seat now because of the car seat’ small. Yep, that’s what happens when your Scion Xa is the size of a matchbox car. It means with the car seat in the back you can’t sit in front. Well, you can but then your knees are touching the dashboard and that’s not the safest thing.

Now we are getting a new car so that it doesn’t mean that one of us is playing chauffeur.

Thankfully, Frank has been paid off for years so he is sticking around and will be the car we use when we are just running errands. I can’t ditch Frank yet! He only has 115K miles under the belt and he has plenty more in him!

Tomorrow we are looking at a Mazda CX5 and then next weekend we are going to check out a Toyota Rav4. Price has done endless research on endless models of cars and they are our top 2 cars.

Truthfully, I’m a bit nervous to test drive cars because I’m so used to how mine handles and this time we are going to get an automatic (for various reasons). Aside from rentals, I’ve only ever driven standard cars and when I drive automatics I tend to drive with 2 feet. I’m sure the sales guy is gonna love it…

Anyway, today is Pie Day here on the blog and Pi Day! #doublepieday

So I made this doozy of a pie for the occasion. This Frozen Samoa Cookie Pie is what happens when you stuff some Samoa Cookie pieces in and on a Cool – Whip based pie. And don’t forget the added coconut, caramel, and chocolate that is in and on the pie too!

This takes almost no time to whip up but the killer part is waiting for it to set up and freeze again. But the wait it worth it.

DIG IN!!!

Frozen Samoa Cookie Pie

Makes 9″ pie

Ingredients

1 Nilla Wafer Pre-made Pie Crust
8 oz of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons low-fat milk
1 container (8oz) Cool Whip, at room temperature
12 Samoa Cookies, cut into dime sized pieces, divided
1 cup shredded coconut, divided
chocolate syrup (about 1/2 cup)
caramel sundae syrup (about 1/2 cup)

Process

Whip the cream cheese in a mixing bowl for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and milk and mix until fully incorporated it into cream cheese.
Gently fold in the Cool Whip until it’s well blended together
Put half of the filling mixture into the pie crust. Then put half of the coconut on the filling. Drizzle a lot of the caramel and chocolate sauces on the filling. Lastly, add in half of the cookie pieces.
Pour the rest of the filling mixture on top of the fillings later. Spread evenly with a spatula.
Sprinkle the remaining coconut and cookies on the top of the pie. Gently press into the top of the pie. Then generously drizzle with the caramel and chocolate sauces.
Put the pie into the freezer to set up. I suggest at least 4 hours, but overnight is preferred.
When ready to serve, remove from freezer and cut into all the pieces (8-12). (Cutting the pieces at once when frozen makes it easier to do.) Remove slices from pie plate and let thaw slightly on serving plate.
Serve slices with more caramel and chocolate sauce. And a bit of whipped cream doesn’t hurt.

Inspired by Beyond Frosting

Meatball Sliders

March 5, 2014

We made these irresistible Ham and Cheese Sliders yet again when we watched the Super Bowl. These are one of our favorite things to eat. Super simple and super good. What’s better than a warm mini sandwich with some ooey gooey cheese topping off some meat? I think it’s just the perfect kind of snack for for watching sports or serving at a party or even for dinner. So what did I decide to do?

Make more sliders for dinner recently that involved yummy flavorful meat covered in ooey gooey cheese.

Yep! This time I made Meatball Sliders. Meatball Subs are great but there is just something cute about having the meatballs served in sliders. Well, I don’t know if cute is the right word, but definitely fun to eat this way.

My dad was up in December for a visit to meet Autumn and help us out by stocking up our freezer with some of our favorite dinners. Of course Mr. I-talian made amazing meatballs and marinara sauce. That big batch is long gone now but I have been thinking about making more recently but haven’t found time. Instead of making a big batch of meatballs and sauce I decided to change it up and make some meatballs for these sliders.

I love meatballs any time but these ended up being such a good dinner as they are a great warm up food. I just love an excuse to turn on the oven after being on a cold bus. Totally helps takes the chill away in me and the house. 🙂

These meatball sliders are perfect for any occasion as they are quick to whip up and a crowd pleaser.

Meatball Sliders

Makes 12 Sliders

Ingredients

1 1/2- 2 lbs of ground beef, 85%/15% is suggested
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Italian Style breadcrumbs
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 heaping tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
24 oz jar of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
12 dinner rolls

Process

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the ground beef, beaten eggs, breadcrumbs, diced onion, parsley, and seasonings together in a large bowl.
Form 12 equal sized meatballs.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, brown the meatballs, in batches. Once the meatballs are browned on all sides, place in an oven safe baking dish.
Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
Bake the meatballs for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and add the shredded cheese to the top of the meatballs and place under the broiler until the cheese is completely melted.
Split the rolls and place 1 cheese covered meatball in each roll to serve.

2.21-23: Weekend Recap

February 24, 2014

{Friday Night}

dinner out with Autumn @ Chili’s

{Saturday}

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

January 3, 2014

I enjoyed last year’s Thirsty Thursday’s posts so much that I started to think of another series that I could tackle. I wanted to do something that was a bit more of a challenge for me. I was thinking of breads and pizzas but then I would be eating a lot of carbs and cheese. And neither of of those are easy to share with other, which is what I really like to do. So I kept thinking and decided that I would have a year of PIES!!!!

I want to conquer making homemade crusts, creating lattice top pies, making the perfect crimped edge, and creating the perfect filling. This will be a year of fruit pies, chess pies, savory pies, chocolate pies, and meringue topped pies. There will be deep dish pies, tarts, mini pies, and hand pies. This will be an awesome year. 🙂

So I am kicking this year off with this Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. It’s the combo of 2 great things… chocolate chip cookies and pie!!! And it’s just as amazing as you imagine.

The key to making this super simple pie is slowly incorporating the ingredients into each other. This makes the pie really smooth and light in texture. As well, the butter needs to be really soft as you are adding it into the rest of the beaten ingredients and you really don’t want any lumps.

The pie is best right out of the oven but if you can’t enjoy it right then you should just microwave it on a low power level until it is warmed through again. It makes the chocolate chips ooey gooey and irresistible.

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Stay tuned for another irresistible pie recipe next week!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 9″ pie crust
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (6 oz.) Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts

Process

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place pie crust in pie plate.
Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of stand mixer on high speed until foamy.]
One at a time, slowly beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and flour until each is incorporated into the eggs. Beat in the softened butter. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon the mixture into the pie shell.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Sourced from Nestle

Cornbread Muffins

November 13, 2013

Wanna hear a pretty obvious statement?

I’m pretty hungry all the time now. I know… hungry at 9 months pregnant.?!?! Big shocker here.

But really, I am the most hungry for breakfast so I think about cereal, bagels, waffles, muffins, and yogurt. No, not having 1 of those things… but eating all of it. A huge pile of it. A bucket of it. Whatever.

And lately, I’ve been thinking of carby goodness in the form of muffins. Pumpkin Muffins. Chocolate Chip Muffins. Blueberry Muffins. Apple Cinnamon Muffins. Donut Muffins. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins. Corn Muffins. <<<< I’m having that Forest Gump shrimp moment when it comes to thinking about muffins.

So that is why I jumped when I saw these cornbread muffins on Baked by Rachel. She just made them last week and once I saw them I was drooling. I just knew I had to make a batch.

Anyway, besides being awesome corn muffins to eat for breakfast they are so good in stuffing. Yep, Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I used some of these babies in an amazing Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing that I saw on Baked by Rachel. I’m blog stalking Rachel. ha! Well that Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing was awesome so I will share that recipe tomorrow too!!

Cornbread Muffins

Makes 15 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
1C buttermilk (or substitute by mixing together 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 cup of liquid)

Process

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare muffins tins by spraying with nonstick cooking spray. (If cooking all 15 muffins at once, then only spray 3 cups in the 2nd muffin tin)
In a small bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl combine the melted butter with the sugar and eggs. Whisk in buttermilk. Slowly add dry ingredients, stirring until completely combined.
Fill each muffin pan cavity roughly 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
Allow muffins to cool for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to several days.

Sourced from Baked by Rachel

Monster Cookies

September 27, 2013

Sorry I couldn’t resist. Not this time…

I have really tried to steer clear from making cookies, or most sweets, while I’ve been pregnant. Sometimes I cave, but I at least plan on getting them out of my house ASAP and share so I don’t eat them all.

You see it’s just that I’ve been too afraid that I can’t resist just having one and before you know it the whole batch of cookies are gone.

Or a tray of brownies.

Or a pie.

I can’t stand that I am in love with sweets now. I can’t get off Pinterest looking at desserts hoping they would magically instantly appear in in my kitchen just for me. So when I decided to make Monster Cookies for this weekend’s race at “The Monster Mile” I was just about going to eat my laptop screen. But thankfully I resisted and held out for these mega cookies to appear in real life. And of course, hot from the oven!

These babies are large and in charge. They look really cute with the teeny tiny M&M’s throughout but they are monsters! They pack a punch from the creamy peanut butter, oats, and the double dose of chocolate. Plus they are just giants. Well, isn’t that really the point of Monster Cookies?!?!?!

Hope you enjoy this weekend’s race at Dover.

Monster Cookies_00

Monster Cookies

Makes 18-20 large cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups quick oatmeal
1 cup mini M&Ms
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Process

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Blend together the butter and sugars in a mixer.
Add the eggs, vanilla extract, corn syrup, and peanut butter and blend until combined.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, oatmeal, and flour and mix until everything is well blended.
Stir in the M&Ms and chocolate chips.
Using a cookie scoop (or just 2 spoons!) scoop dough into balls about 1 1/2″ round on a cookie sheet about 2″ apart. Just slightly flatten the dough balls.
Bake for 11-13 minutes until lightly brown and just set in the middle. Cool slightly on the pan for 3-5 minutes before removing to enjoy

Sourced from Skinny Not Skinny

Maple Walnut Whoopie Pies

September 21, 2013

You should totally make these for your dog walker when you leave your dog with her and her adorable family for 4 1/2 days and the idea is totally crushing you. Sure, you really need the vacation before you are cut off from flying and before a cute wiggly baby comes crashing into your heart. But the fact that he has NEVER been without either of you for even a day is freaking you out… A LOT.

So that is what I did. I made these the morning of our flight so that our super amazing dog walker and her family would have something to enjoy while our pup ‘terrorized’ her life. Hello, middle of the night pee walks!!! In fact I got up so early (crazy lady) that the dog didn’t even want to get up when I checked on him. So I got to make these in peace while he slept another hour. Again, I’m nuts!

Oh, you aren’t pregnant and crazy about leaving your dog? Then just make these for this weekend’s NASCAR race in New Hampshire since you can’t not have maple goodies while in New England. So you’re not a NASCAR fan and don’t follow along with my Sprint Cup Snacks? Then make these just because you deserve them.

You totally do.

These are light, spongy maple cookies that are studded with walnuts that sandwich a fluffy cream cheese frosting. Once you take a bite you will be transported right to the middle of the woods in New England with maple taps all around you. Kinda like a Klondike Bar experience. Kinda.

Maple Walnut Whoopie Pies

Makes 13-15 small whoopie pies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 large eggs
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese
4 cups sifted glazing sugar OR confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Process

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.
For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and maple flavoring.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrap the bowl down between the addition of each egg.
Add in the dry ingredients until the mixture is evenly moistened.
Scrape the bowl again, then mix in the walnuts.
Scoop by the tablespoonful to make 26-30 (even # amount!) cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2″ of space between each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched, and the edges are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack before filling.
For the filling: Place the cream cheese and half of the confectioners’ sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat at slow speed until the mixture is smooth.
Add the remaining sugar and the flavoring, and mix until the filling is a spreadable consistency.
Place a tablespoon of filling on the flat face a cookie then top off with another cookie, flat face towards the filling.

Slightly adapted from King Arthur

Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

September 13, 2013

Are you ready to dive???

So NASCAR has been interesting this week! From Saturday night’s race to Monday night’s penalties it was a really interesting week. Oh man. I still can’t believe that things got so far and intense at the end of the race and how that all played out on Monday. While I totally think that strategy is part of any sport it’s just unfortunate how it all played out during the last laps of the last race before The Chase with a suspected purposeful spin-out to bring out a caution and pitting when it was not needed just to help another teammate move up in the points to get into The Chase. And then the penalties on Monday were record setting with docked points that resulted in drivers moving in and out of The Chase, suspending the team GM indefinitely, a $300K penalty for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Basically, I’m going to be really interested in how all this plays out for the drivers in the effected team for the rest of the races. Will people try to get back at them? Will they under a high powered microscope? Or will everyone play nice? Doubtful! But then it wouldn’t be the intense racing I love.

Anyway…

Last year I surprised Price with a trip to Chicago for his 30th birthday. Totally surprised him. He didn’t know where we were going until we got to the gate. It was so awesome to plan something that big and surprise him with it. Also, it was so great to walk, sight see, and eat our way through the Windy City (which has nothing to do with wind).

Of course we had to have deep dish pizza. And of course it was INCREDIBLE! Since then we have been hooked on it for it’s thick buttery crust, it’s ooey gooey cheesy layer that is topped off with meat and/or veggies and a chunky sauce.

This weekend’s kick off to The Chase is at Chicagoland Speedway so I just had to whip up a deep dish pizza for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks.

Once you have the 14-Inch Deep Dish Pizza Pan it’s really easy to whip up since you can do the crust an hour before you need it (or make it in the morning like I did) and then it’s not all too different than making a regular pizza, but some extra baking time but it’s worth it. I filled our pizza with a combo of sautéed fresh veggies and a layer of sliced pepperoni. Soo delish!

Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza_B

How can you resist?!?!?!

Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza_C

Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

Makes 1-14″ deep dish pizza/12 servings

Ingredients

Crust

4 cups All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or salad oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water

Filling

3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 pound total of Italian sweet or hot sausage, cooked and sliced and/or chopped cooked meatballs, or pepperoni; or about 3 cups of the sautéed vegetables of your choice (mushrooms, onion, zucchini, broccoli, etc)
28-ounce can plum tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced, optional
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
1 to 2 teaspoons of mixed dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary), to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

Process

To make the crust:

Mix all of the dough ingredients together, and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a smooth crust. This will take about 7 minutes at medium-low speed in a stand mixer.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise till very puffy, about 60 minutes. (It can hang out all day, if needed)
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and prepare the 14-Inch Deep Dish Pizza Pan by spraying it with non-stick vegetable oil spray and then pour in 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, tilting it to cover the bottom of the pan, and partway up the sides.
On a lightly greased countertop or baking mat, stretch and roll out the dough to make a circle large enough to cover the bottom and up the side of the pan.
Place the dough in the pan and gently push it up the sides of the pan to stay in place. (It’s okay if some olive oil oozes over the edge of the crust) Let the crust rest for 15 minutes or so.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until it’s set and only just starting to brown. While it’s baking, prepare the sauce.
Drain the tomatoes thoroughly, remove the tough part where the stem connects to the tomato, then chop up. Combine the tomatoes with the herbs and garlic. Add the sugar and some salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the bottom of the crust with the sliced mozzarella, fanning it into the crust. Add the meat/sautéed vegetables filling evenly over the cheese. Then top with the tomatoes and then sprinkle with the grated Parmesan.
Bake the pizza for another 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust edge is golden brown.
Remove it from the oven and allow the pizza to cool for about 15 minutes (or longer, for less oozing) before cutting and serving.

Sourced from King Arthur Flour

Taste Trekkers Conference Ticket Giveaway!

September 13, 2013

So if you have had a rough Friday The 13th like me (random street glass in my big toethis morning) this would be perfect for you!

I have a GIVEAWAY!!!! FOR YOU!!!

_____________________

Have you heard about the upcoming food conference in Providence?!?

Taste Trekkers is hosting the Nation’s First Food Tourism Conference, being held Friday, September 20^th – Sunday, September 22^nd, 2013. The Taste Trekker’s Conference will feature fantastic speakers, panels, and plenty of food options. What more can you expect in the city city ranked #1 for Food/Drink/Restaurants in Travel + Leisure’s “America’s
Favorite Cities 2012.”?!?!

Matt Jennings of Providence’s Farmstead, Inc. is the keynote speaker. He is a two-time James Beard Foundation Best Chef Northeast nominee and has national recognition as one of “Most Sustainable Chefs in America,” in part due to the development of Providence’s Trace and Trust program.

Even Mayor Angel Taveras will be there too to kick things off on Friday night. woohoo!

While I can’t make it to the conference it doesn’t mean that you should miss out on this wonderful experience so be sure to enter the giveaway (see below)!!

Additional highlights of the conference include:

Breakout sessions featuring:

From Farm and Fisherman to Table
New England Lamb Butcher Demo
Peruvian Cerviche and Causa Limena
Taste the Terroir of American Honey
Dry-cured for Three Generations: A Family’s Journey in Charcuterie
Durham, North Carolina: Integrity Tastes Good
Memphis: BBQ and Beyond
New England: Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!
Before there were Food Trucks, there were Lunch Wagons
The Chocolate of Madagascar
The Story of Vermont Ice Cider: A Tasting and Pairing

Panel Discussion: Food Tripping: Culinary Tourism Today and Tomorrow, hosted by Gail Ciampa, Food Editor of the Providence Journal. Featuring speakers:

Danielle Brodhagen, Director of Product Development, Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance
Jose Duarte, Owner and Chef, Taranta Restaurant
Cindy Salvato, President & Owner, Savoring Rhode Island
Joyce Weinberg, Owner, City Food Tours
Meghan Sheridin, Executive Director, Vermont Fresh Network
Sai Viswanath, Chef, DeWolf Tavern

Tasting Pavilion at the Providence Biltmore Hotel featuring regional purveyors including:

American Honey Tasting Society
American Lamb Board
Coastal Extreme Brewing Company
Ravenous Brewing
Food Trucks In
Johnson and Wales Univeristy
Melting Pot Food Tours
The Mystery Café
Narraganett Creamery
And many more!

Culinary Tours on Sunday morning with Rhode Island’s Cindy Salvato, Newport Gourmet’s Mike Martini and A Taste of Rhode Island through the historic neighborhoods of Providence.

Food Truck Brunch on Sunday featuring some of Providence’s most popular Food Trucks, including:

Acacia Café Food Truck
Clam Jammers
Go-Spresso
Mootzadeli
Noble Knots
Panino Express Mobile Cuisine
Portu-Galo
Rocket Fine Street Food
Radish Fugo

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To enter the giveaway for a ticket on Saturday just tweet the following:

“I love food & travel! I want to win a ticket @TasteTrekkers Conference next wknd in Providence from @iamahoneybee. http://wp.me/pzEAP-3MY “

Just come back and leave a comment here that you did this!

For extra entries:

Follow Taste Trekkers on Twitter AND come back and leave a comment here that you did this!
Like Taste Trekkers on Facebook AND come back and leave a comment here that you did this!

I’ll annouce the winner on Sunday night at 10pm!

If you would like to secure your ticket now then be sure to buy here and get a $15 DISCOUNT!! Awesome! http://tastetrekkers2013.eventbrite.com/?discount=iamahoneybee