dessert

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

March 17, 2015

Oh, what a weekend! Such a good weekend!!!

My sister came up from Connecticut on Saturday so we could go wedding dress shopping. We went to David’s Bridal in Danvers to start our shopping adventure. I had done some previous browsing on-line but nothing had jumped out to me so when we got there we just started grabbing dresses based upon the vision I had in mind. Plus, a few more that I wouldn’t have originally considered, like a short dress and a mermaid dress. Some looked surprisingly good but didn’t make the cut.

Ultimately, I the dress that I did pick was the first dress that I tried on. We both really liked it early on but I didn’t like a shadow from where the tulle was added to the lower portion of the dress. I tried it on again to see who annoying that shadow was – it was annoying. I jokingly mentioned that I would love to hack it off and the great women helping me there said it could be done. They suggested that I get a petticoat to replace the fullness from the tulle we would be removing. Plus, we added a grey band around the waist and it all fell into place. Woohoo!!

Plus, my sister picked out her Matron of Honor Dress. Getting things done!!

I had a busy Saturday so my Sunday was a bit more relaxed with some baking in the morning, and new laptop shopping in the afternoon. Ugh, that’s the worst. But the cake I made was delightful!!

I had grabbed some Meyer Lemons at Trader Joe’s on a whim the last time I was there. They were taunting me every time I went into the kitchen as I had no plan for them. I had to figure something out fast before they went bad. I turned to Pinterest to find a recipe to use up those Meyer lemons.

Side note- is Pinterest the new Google? It is for me! I need a recipe. Pinterest! Home design inspiriation. Pinterest! Wedding hair styles. Pinterest!

So I found a few great recipes and Price narrowed it down to this Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake from Kelsey, aka The Naptime Chef. It looked and sounded great. I love pudding cookies so I was intregued and then even more intrugided as there is no pudding in the cake! What?!?

The texture is what gives the cake it’s name. It’s dense, but airy. It’s creamy, but fuffly. It’s just plain interesting! We loved it, as did autumn’s daycare teachers. They are saints with all those kids running around. They deserve a slice of cake with a cup of tea while the kiddos nap. (Also, last week Autumn woke up early during naptime and then yelled to wake the rest of the kids up so they could all play again. Naughty!)

Kelsey does note that you get a different consistancy when you use a glass pan, it’s a little less dense on the bottom, than when you use a metal pan. I thought the results I had, with the metal pan, were enjoyable, but I would like to try it with a glass pan to check out the difference.

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

Makes a 8″ square or 9″ round cake*

Ingredients

1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/4 Cups sugar, divided
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 Tablespoons grated Meyer lemon zest
5 eggs, separated, yolks in one bowl with whites in another
1/2 Cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
1 1/4 Cups whole milk

Process

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a baking pan*. Place the baking pan in a larger roasting pan to create a ban marie later.
Bring several quarts of water to boil for water bath.
Mix flour and cornstarch together in a bowl, set aside.
Cream the butter, 1 Cup sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the egg yolks, then flour mixture, mixing until smooth.
Slowly mix in the lemon juice, then mix in milk. Set the custard mixture aside.
Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Addthe remaining sugar and beat egg whites to stiff, moist peaks.
Gently stir a dollop of the egg whites into the custard. Then, working slowly, fold the remaining egg whites in bit by bit until they are all incorporated, but not over beaten.
Pour the batter into the buttered baking pan. Fill the larger pan with the hot water until it comes halfway up the side of the smaller pan.
Bake until pudding cake center is set and springs back when gently touched, about 1 hour. Let pan cool for 1 hour before serving.

*There is some flexibility in the shape of the cake pan you use, as long as you have the same volume capacity. For expample, the recipe called for a 8″ x 8″x 2″ square pan, but I didn’t have it so I used a round 9″ x 2″ (deep), as it has the same 8 cup capacity. I refered to this chart for help.

Sourced from The Naptime Chef

Crock Pot Baked Apples- SRC

January 27, 2014

Every night Price and I are up between 2 am-4am, depending on when Autumn has fallen asleep. Ideally, we get her down between 9-10.30 and then we immediately brush our teeth and drive into bed as well. Gotta maximize on our sleep! Anyway, there are some pretty interesting things on TV in the middle of the night.

Sometimes we watch something we’ve DVR’d but other times we’ll find some random thing to watch while I’m pumping and he’s feeding Autumn. Lately, we’ve been watching the Australian Open. So weird to be watching live tennis in the middle of the night. But to change it up, the other night we watched the first episode of Wahlburgers, a reality show about the burger joint run by the Wahlberg family. Made me want a burger in the middle of the night. Hello… always hungry now!

Other nights we turn on Weatherscan and just so happen to leave it on for like an hour as we sometimes are zombies in the middle of the night. There is just something so relaxing about their music in the middle of the night. no?

Anyway, besides the TV we watch in the middle of the night, I often end up browsing Pinterest. My pins are pretty varied but lately I’ve been thinking about slow cooker recipes. I have fallen deep in love with my slow cooker. It just makes things so much easier now with a new baby. Between feeding her, changing her, snuggling with her my time gets sucked up pretty quickly. And it’s not like I have any problem with that but that is the way things go. Basically it just means it’s time to reinvent how we typically get meals on the table.

Since slow cooker recipes are a big part of our life now, it made perfect sense that Price picked out these Crock Pot Baked Apples for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. This month I had Emily’s blog called Life on Food. Emily has lived all over, including Iowa, Maine, and Connecticut, and her travels are reflected in the recipes she features on her blog. Totally jealous she gets to Disney every year too!!

These Crock Pot Baked Apples are killer. Well, actually, I don’t like baked apples. So I took Price’s word for it when he said they were really, really good. I know, how can I not like baked apples?!?! It’s a texture thing that has to do with the skin. But Price wanted them so I made them. That’s what happens when you love someone… you make them baked apples! And then your house smells amazing!!

Make these for yourself, or at the least for someone you love!

Crock Pot Baked Apples

Makes 6 apples

Ingredients

6 Gala or Macintosh apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup diced walnuts
3 tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons orange liquor (optional)

Process

Remove the stem, core, and seeds from the center of each apple while keeping the bottom of the apple. This basically creates a bowl shape.
In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the liquids into the bottom of the crock pot.
Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Adapted from Life on Food

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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

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

August 30, 2013

So I’m still addicted to peaches. I don’t know what I am going to do when they are out of season. I’ll be super sad and probably still buy them and pay too much for out peaches shipped half way around the world. All because I’m pregnant and must have peaches on the daily.

When I recently checked the NASCAR schedule to see what recipes I would be making soon for the upcoming race for my Sprint Cup Snacks posts, I got really excited for the Atlanta race this weekend. Peaches just jumped out to me so I could not resist!

Oh man, I had so many peach recipes dancing through my head! I toyed around with everything from muffins to a dessert pizza topped with a cream cheese drizzle. (Still thinking about that last one!) But in the end I found this Peach and Blueberry Cobbler that had my name all over it. Nice mash up of the North and South with the Blueberries and Peaches. Plus cobbler is just super simple to make so you really have no excuse not to make one. No excuse.

I suggest you take a bit of time before dinner (or this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway) to make it so it is hot and ready for when you are looking for dessert! Doesn’t hurt to serve with some vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream.

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients

2 3/4 pounds peaches, halved lengthwise, pitted, and then cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges (about 8 cups)
1 pint blueberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated, peeled fresh ginger or 1 generious pinch of ground ginger
pinch of salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, (1 stick), cut into small pieces
1 vanilla bean
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Process

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the racks in the in upper and lower thirds of the oven.
Stir together the peaches, blueberries, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, cornstarch, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a 12-by-8 1/2-inch (2-quart) baking dish; set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your hands to form clumps that are no larger than small peas. (If using your hands be sure to work quickly!)
Scrape vanilla bean seeds into the cream; stir with a fork to combine. Discard pod. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture; stir until a soft, sticky dough forms.
Drop small pieces evenly over the entire cobbler. Brush the top of the dough with cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any overflow juices. Bake the cobbler on the rack directly over the baking sheet until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 55 to 70 minutes. If the topping is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Let cool on a wire rack 1 hour before serving.

Sourced from Martha Stewart

Key Lime Pie

July 6, 2013

So I have been trying to ‘spice up’ the massive amounts of water I drink on a daily basis with slices of limes. But really it just makes me want mojitos and margaritas. Dang it!

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Banana Nutella Bread Pudding- SRC

June 24, 2013

So probably picking a bread pudding for this month’s Secret Recipe Club post was not the best idea since it’s been so hot out now. Wasn’t I just complaining that it was cold and rainy? Well, that is the way things go in New England. But not or not I swear it’s worth it to make this bread pudding anytime of the year!

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club post I had Shirley’s blog Enriching You Kid!. It had such a fun time going through Shirley’s blog because she had such interesting recipes. I went through years and years of recipes looking around for something to make and share. I had several recipes in mind but decided on the Banana Nutella Bread Pudding. I couldn’t pass up on having some Nutella!!

I kept all of the ingredients the same but played around with the proportions of the ingredients. Shirley’s recipe called for 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of bread. Since I prefer a bit drier of a bread pudding I changed up the amounts to 1 1/2 cups milk and 3 1/5 cups of bread. If you prefer a wetter bread pudding then increase the amount of milk and reduce the amount of bread a bit. Just as simple as that.

Hope that you enjoy this delightful bread pudding as much as we did 🙂

Banana Nutella Bread Pudding

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups bread pieces
1 banana, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Nutella
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, optional

Process

Beat together the milk, egg, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the bread, sliced banana, and the Nutella. Fold together completely to combine, let soak for 30 minutes.
While the bread is soaking up the milk mixture, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and prepare a baking dish by greasing all the sides.
Pour the bread pudding mixture into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle nuts on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, then let stand for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.

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Black Cherry Yogurt Brownies

November 27, 2012

Black Cherry Yogurt Brownies are fudgy brownies that use black cherry Greek yogurt in the batter. The Greek yogurt gives it a nice subtle tang with a hint of cherry.

Do you know that you can in fact perform magic acts? Yep, once you make a batch of brownies you’ll have the magical ability to make everyone come running, and make those brownies disappear. These Black Cherry Yogurt Brownies are going to disappear in a flash. *Poof!* And they are gone!

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Brownie Pie

November 12, 2012

I love to get mail. I used to have pen pals when I was younger. One was from Finland and she used to write the date D-M-Y. I loved it for some random reason. Well now without pen pals I just get bills, magazines, and some packages. I love the arrival of my monthly Studio Calico kit. I just get so giddy with anticipation and once it gets here I love that the package holds so many creative possibilities Well, I was just as giddy for the arrival of Tate’s Bake Shop: Baking For Friends. As soon as I finished interviewing Kathleen King I bought her new book. I could not wait for it to come that I upgraded my prime and got it the next day. I just could not resist waiting to get my hands on that book.

Once I was able to browse the book I got myself into some trouble picking out what to make first. I was drawn to so many different recipes because of their ease. I love baking but I love to find simple recipes because I am so busy I just can’t spend so much time of something that I don’t eat. I’m glad Kathleen focuses on keeping her recipes simple but delicious. The book has over 120 recipes of muffins, scones, quick breads, pies, cupcakes, and cookies. Out of all of that I was really struggling to decide on Rocky Road Muffins (pg 31), Apple- Italian Plum Deep Dish Pie (pg 69), Brownie Pie (pg 71), and Pecan Squares (pg 138). I finally decided on the brownie pie and I think I made a great choice.

The Brownie Pie is a really simple, really rich dessert. Just a few ingredients and a few minutes of manning the mixer and you’re on our way to a chocolaty delight. This really works for any number of people as it’s great for sweets addicts to chocoholics and people who keep to a gluten free diet. It covers all bases and does so perfectly. The recipe calls for even more chocolate stating that a slice is to be served with a smear of nutella and whipped cream. I served this with some whipped cream and fresh raspberries and blackberries since I just wanted it to be a tad bit lighter when serving it as the pie is so rich. Grab yourself a glass of milk and a slice and enjoy!

Brownie Pie

serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of salted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs plus 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

Process

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch glass pie plate by lightly buttering it.
In a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and pieces of the butter. Microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes, stir the chocolate every 30 seconds.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs on high until thickened and light in color, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar the mixture is light and fluffy. Incorporate the melted chocolate. Pour into the prepared pie plate.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon its removal. Let cool on a wire rack.
Serve with whipped cream, berries, caramel sauce, or nutella.

12 Courses @ BOKX 109

October 16, 2012

Last Wednesday night I was honored to be a part of a blogger’s tasting of the Fall Flavors Dinner at BOKX 109. I’ve had to been BOKX 109 at Hotel Indigo previously for events, and was always dying to go back to use the hotel’s pool when I was a resident of Newton. I enjoyed my visits then but I was interested to see what a new Excutive Chef Stephen Coe would have to offer.

I brought one of the General Contractors that I work with to the dinner with me. I’ve been working on this project for 18 months now and he joined the team shortly after construction started last summer. I’ve brought in baked goods and other goodies to the team at meetings and have told him about the fun blogging things I do so I wanted to share this experience with him. Obviously, Chris could not turn down a 12 course tasting menu with wine pairings.

-Course 1-

Pear & Mascarpone Sacchetti … aka ‘Smoke Show’ – sacchetti stuffed with pear and Mascarpone topped with a cream sauce, arugula, pickled red onion, and lemon.

This is called ‘smoke show’ as the sacchetti, purse shaped stuff pasta, were plated and then served under a large wine glass that was filled with hickory smoke. The presentation was incredible. Chef Coe removed the wine glass for me so I could take photos of the smoke billow out. The smoke provided a nice subtle taste to the dish. It added a nice contrast to the somewhat sweet tender handmade pasta delicately covered in a cream sauce. Once I took a bite of this dish I knew that the rest of the courses would be unforgettable. Knock your socks off first impressions.

This course was paired with Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc

-Course 2-

Grilled Oyster- local oyster grilled and topped with fennel pollen, tomatoes, panko bread crumbs, pancetta, and chive fondue.

I skipped this course because I do not like oysters. It’s a texture thing. I gave my dish to Chris, who really enjoys oysters. He liked both but commented on how overall they were salty. Also he noticed that the second one (mine) was less briny than his, which he preferred more.

According to Chef Coe, ‘Fennel Pollen has a flavor that is incredible–like taking the fennel seed, sweetening it and then intensifying it a hundred times.’

This course as paired with Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc

-Course 3-

Grilled Octopus- Octopus Carpaccio and grilled tentacles served with Arugula and pickled red onions finished with lemon juice, olive oil, and chives.

This dish has us stumped for a bit. We obviously knew there was grilled octopus put didn’t know what was below the grilled ocotopus. We were running through some of the ideas we had like hearts of palm or sunchoke. It was so thinny sliced and delicate! Well we asked Chef Coe and he explained it was octopus carpaccio, which is a dish of raw meat thinly sliced or pounded thin. Loved the play on 2 ways to prepare the octopus.

This course as paired with Deep Sea Chardonnay

-Course 4-

Tomato Heirloom Soup- Campbell style, tomato, garlic, onions, basil. Finished with Parmesan foam.

I could not believe that Chef Coe was describing his soup as ‘Campbell’s like’ as this was a hundred times better. I could see where he was going with this soup as everyone grows up with and reminds you of home, reminds you of warm coup after a cold afternoon playing outside. Bullseye. The soup was paired with a salad of fresh heirloom tomatoes and some fried cheese. While this was very good – basically a raw, whole soup – I still was wishing the soup was paired with a fun grilled cheese. I just can’t resist that pair.

This course as paired with Deep Sea Chardonnay

-Course 5-

Lobster Cavatelli- Lobster meat, shitake mushrooms, edamame, and finished with a chive cream sauce.

Such a big bowl, such a big tease. I’m honestly glad there was not too much of this as we were not even half way through dinner but if this was an entree I would need a massive bowl as this was one of my favorite dishes of the night. The fresh pasta was sauteed in the chive cream sauce and then combined with the mushrooms and edamame. Lobster was tossed in and then it was all topped off with some ribbons of ricotta salata. Did you get all that? Wow. Like I said, I only wish there was some more of it.

Did you know that ‘cavatellis are a type of pasta. The term cavatelli has two meanings: the most common meaning is small pasta shells that look like miniature hot dog buns. It is similar in shape to casarecci, but shorter in length. The name is less frequently used for a type of dumpling made with ricotta.’?

This course was paired with King Estate Signature Pinot Gris

-Course 6-

Decon Rabbit- Bacon wrapped rabbit with stewed butter bean

I skipped this course. I just can’t eat rabbit. I think of my pets and I just can’t. Thankfully my partner in crime has no mental blocks and enjoyed this dish. He liked it so much he stole some more off my plate. I should have just asked for the dish without the rabbit since the beans looked incredible. Dang it!

This course was paired with King Estate Signature Pinot Gris

-Course 7-

Sous Vide Veal Cheeks- Sous Vide Veal Cheeks with Tarragon Pappardelle and Parsnip puree

Oh this course, I spent the rest of the week and all weekend thinking about it. Fork tender meat on a bed of fresh pappardelle with parsnip puree. Every element of this dish was thoughtfully prepared. The veal was incredibly tender and seasoned perfectly. It was my first time having anything made in the sous vide technique and I am a firm supporter of it now. So tender! The fresh papparadelle was tender and lightly coated with a tarragon sauce. Now, I can’t believe I am saying this but I could have had a soup bowl full of the parsnip puree. I’m sure there is an obsence amount of butter/cream/magic in there but I don’t care as it was ah-mazing. The puree was fine and if you close your eyes you just imagine fall.

I was talking to Chris was I was taking photos as he began to eat. I was shooshed. He was haivng a moment with the veal cheeks. I then had my moment a minute later. I love when a dish leaves you speechless. Bliss.

This course was paired with Hogue Reserve Cabernet

-Courses 8 thru 11-

Dessert Plate–Blueberry & Prosecco Shooter, Strawberry & White Balsamic Jelly, Petite Tiramisu, Chocolate Cyclone

Every element on the plate was unique and delightful.

The blueberry and Persecco shooter was a fun. I loved the presentation of it in the square shooter and tiny straw. I only wish there was more Persecco as it was a little thick for the straw, but the flavors were light and refreshing.

The jelly duo was a nice delicate dessert. The white balsamic was light in flavor and was a nice pairing with the strawberry jelly. I’ve had concentrated balsamic with strawberries in the past but the white balsamic is even better match.

The petite tiramisu was exactly that- a tiny bite of tiramisu. Very clear flavors, but not too intense.

The chocolate cyclone was so intense and rich. It was a chocolate cone filled with chocolate mousse and topped off with caramel corn. O.M.G. fun presentation and fun dessert.

-Course 12-

Pop Rocks- Frozen Lemon Soufflé with pop rocks

This was such a fun way to end the dinner. The poprocks added a fun, whimsical end to it while the lemon souffle was like last hurrah. The frozen lemon souffle, which was not too frozen, reminded me of lemoncello, which is an after dinner Italian drink. Fun!

I enjoyed all of the wine pairings we had during dinner. From light fruity wines to richer reds, this covered it all and were paired nicely. All were new wines to me. I would try them all again while shopping for some wines to pair with dinner.

I loved this evening at BOKX 109. It was a very special dinner as it was at the chef’s table and a custom 12 course dinner for the group of bloggers. However, Chris and I watched the dishes coming out of the kitchen and we were dying over some of the things we saw coming out for the dinner service. There was a trio of beef that got higher as was arranged on the plate. Trio of beef!! Oh and don’t get me started on this dish with that started with a bed of potatoes, then asparagas, and then a cut of beef (fillet?). That was covered in hollandaise and then topped with lobster. I could die happy after that.

BOKX 109

Located inside Hotel Indigo

399 Grove Street

Newton, MA 02462

*While I did receive this complimentary meal from BOKX 109 these opinions are entirely my own.

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Apple Pie Squares

October 10, 2012

When I was recently doing a bit of random blog browsing on Rachel’s blog I saw this recipe for Apple Pie Squares and I knew I would have to make them this year. After I went apple picking I knew that making these was only a matter of time, finding time. Well after a crazy 2 weeks that included a surprise trip to Chicago (more on that later!) I finally had some time to stay home and bake. I’m not saying they take long, I just felt the impulse to basically unpack everything in the kitchen before hand and put it in a new cabinet/drawer/bin before doing anything cooking related.

Before making them I discussed with Rachel that I don’t have a food processor large enough to process all the base ingredients together so I would have to adapt the recipe a bit and I’d see how it works out. Well, folks if you have a food processor then follow Rachel’s instructions, you don’t have one then follow mine. These came out really well so I imagine that you can make it work out for you as well. If you can’t break down oats in something like a mini prep which I borrowed from my friend) then you just carry on. Maybe I’d add an extra egg white to help it come together easier. The important thing is that you make these apple pie squares!

Truthfully I was a bit nervous about enjoying these because I don’t like apple crisps, or any crisps for that matter, since they have an oat crumble on top. Well, it turns out I like the taste and just hate the texture. Blending the oats kept the great oaty taste but completely changed the texture. Perfect!! In regards to adapting the recipe I basically stuck with it but I used much more apples, basically because I felt like it, so I had to increase the bake time. Also, I didn’t have plain yogurt at home so I used vanilla which gave this a nice a la mode taste to it.These were a hit at work and I bet they will be a hit when you make them too.

Apple Pie Squares

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients

For the base and topping:

1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 C oats
1/2 C butter, cubed
1 egg white
1 tsp cinnamon

For the filling:

6 oz of vanilla yogurt
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
4 C diced, peeled apple

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 8×8 pan by lining with foil or parchment.
In a large bowl, mix the peeled, diced apples together with the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Once evenly coated, add the yogurt and mix to coat all pieces. Set aside.
In a food processor, blend the oats until a fine meal is created. Add the oats to a large bowl containing flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly to combine. Add the butter incorporate with your hands/forks/pastry blender until the dough is crumbly. Remove 1 cup of the mix, set aside. Add 1 egg white, blend until mixture is just combined.
Evenly press moist mixture into the baking pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
Spoon filling over the pare-baked crust spreading out as evenly as possible. Sprinkle reserved topping mixture over apples. Press down to flatten just slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Cool in the pan then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least one hour. Remove from pan carefully and slice into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Oreo Peanut Butter Lovers Ice Cream

October 2, 2012

So I’ve recently been snatching up all different kinds of flavored Oreos. Sandwich cookies are my favorite cookies. Don’t even think about getting me Snackwell’s Creme Sandwich Cookies… watch out for your fingers. Anyway, I love to play around with using Oreos in recipes so when I got my hands on some Peanut Butter Oreos I knew just what to do…

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S’mores Cinnamon Rolls

August 23, 2012

It is Day 4 of S’mores Week! Are you sick of Amanda and I yet? Hope not! Just one more day of great s’mores recipes. hint hint… I have a cocktail for you tomorrow!

Anyway, I originally planned on making mini cheesecakes today but then at the very last minute decided to change my mind resulting in some late night and early morning baking. how early? well this dumb-dumb got up at 4.30a.m. I am crazy. obvi.

I’m so glad that I put in the extra effort to make these because they are incredible. I honestly would not eat them for breakfast but I think they are perfect for a fun, different kind of dessert. It would totally shock someone if you served this for dessert. A big rich cinnamon roll jam packed full of s’mores goodness. The marshmallows get toasty, the chocolate chips get melty, and the graham adds a fun different crunch to it all. Addicting!

You need to go over and check out Amanda’s S’mores Ice Cream recipe. The post is hilarious and totally relate-able. Plus, the recipe is drool worthy. That ice cream is trouble with a capital T!

S’mores Cinnamon Rolls

makes 12 rolls

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup warm milk (skim works)
1 packet dry active yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
4 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup reserved
1 teaspoon salt

Filling

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 cinnamon graham crackers, broken into small pieces
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Glaze

4 ounces marshmallow Fluff
1/4 cup milk

Process

To prepare the dough, sift together the flours and salt, set aside. Heat the milk per yeast instructions. Once the milk has reached the right temperature (between 100-110F) add the yeast and let proof per instructions. In a large bowl or using a stand mixer, beat 2 eggs. Mix in the sugar and melted butter into the eggs. Gently pour the milk into the bowl. In half cup intervals mix in the bread flour until 3 1/2 cups has been incorporated. With the remaining 1/2 cup, dust a clean smooth surface and coat your hands. Kneed the dough into a ball incorporating the remaining flour. Place into a greased bowl, cover, and let double in size (several hours).
While your dough is rising prepare the filing by combining the cinnamon and sugars together in a bowl and the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham cracker pieces. in another bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 and grease baking pans.
Roll out dough into a 16 by 21 inch rectangle. Spread the melted butter evenly over dough. First add the sugar mixture to the cover the dough, then add the s’mores mixture. Roll up dough jelly roll style and, cut in half, then cut each section into 6 pieces. Arrange evenly in pan
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown.
While rolls are baking combine the fluff and milk. Spread frosting over warm rolls before serving.

S’mores Week

dessert

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

Crock Pot Baked Apples

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Banana Nutella Bread Pudding

Brownie Pie

-Course 1-

-Course 2-

-Course 3-

-Course 4-

-Course 5-

-Course 6-

-Course 7-

-Courses 8 thru 11-

-Course 12-

Apple Pie Squares

S’mores Cinnamon Rolls

S’mores Week

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3