tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22727905427406754562024-02-07T18:59:10.457-08:00Spoon by SpoonA crazy guy! Crazy about his kids, crazy about his wife, and crazy about reading cookbooks, finding the perfect recipe and making it.Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-88934129364178317752012-05-08T08:17:00.001-07:002012-05-08T08:17:49.787-07:00Mini Cinnamon Rolls<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYskW9A5VTOhyoZGfLau6YBnQYZ9WWhrHflYzNRnr8hxLyOcWEhnuLyjYGyi0cCO1vBSNNi-wQ-b5olyTIRp8FZlMncUGsChph8vkwQLue8lAkayfvpc2Ffh_akE8E15Io-xIYYfY3jg/s1600/IMG_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYskW9A5VTOhyoZGfLau6YBnQYZ9WWhrHflYzNRnr8hxLyOcWEhnuLyjYGyi0cCO1vBSNNi-wQ-b5olyTIRp8FZlMncUGsChph8vkwQLue8lAkayfvpc2Ffh_akE8E15Io-xIYYfY3jg/s320/IMG_0660.JPG" width="240" /></a> There are few times in my life that I have the where with all to plan enough ahead to make, "from scratch" cinnamon rolls--maybe once if ever. It is really unfortunate because I love cinnamon rolls, even the ones I explode from the can. Getting my hands on a good cinnamon roll is so dangerous because it cancels all self-control I have. I love cinnamon rolls.<br />
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This variation of cinnamon rolls is great because it combines the elements of from scratch cooking with the elements of convince products which could be the best of both worlds. The good news is, they are so good no one would be the wiser that you did this from scratch. For my family, we don't corrupt our cinnamon rolls with anything foreign like nuts or raisins, just can't happen. If you were one to corrupt your perfect cinnamon rolls with such clutter then be my guest.<br />
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1 package of Pillsbury Crescent rolls<br />
1/4 cup Brown Sugar<br />
1 tablespoon Cinnamon Sugar<br />
1 Tablespoon butter, melted<br />
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Glaze:<br />
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar<br />
1 teaspoon milk<br />
Dash vanilla<br />
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Preheat oven to 400. Unroll crescent roll dough and pince perforations to seal, making one complete sheet of dough. Brush with melted butter. Combine the Cinnamon Sugar and Brown Sugar together in a separate bowl and sprinkle over the buttered dough, evenly. Starting at a narrow end, roll tightly. Cut roll into 1/2 in coins and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown. Make glaze while the rolls are baking. In a small bowl mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together until smooth. Glaze the rolls while still warm. Makes about 12-15 rolls.<br />
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Notes:<br />
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<ul>
<li>I keep Cinnamon Sugar in a<a href="http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=36&categoryCode=BK"> sifter shaker</a> and just kind of guessed how much I used. If you don't have cinnamon sugar on hand. combine 2 Tablespoons of Sugar to 1 tablespoon Cinnamon and stir well. Don't bother if it's heaping.</li>
<li>Using puff pastry would be a great idea if you happen to have that on hand and remember to let it thaw. I usually only use it for a specific recipe and use all of it up so I don't keep it on hand. The Puff pastry would be great, though, in this recipe.</li>
<li>If you wanted to brush the tops of these rolls with more butter, live dangerously I say. I didn't and found the rolls to be perfectly buttery. </li>
<li>I use salted butter because I like the flavor of salted butter in sweet cooking.</li>
<li>I slowly glaze these rolls hot out of the oven because the glaze kind of soaks in to the rolls. If you like your glaze to just kind of lay on top, then go right ahead and wait until they are cool</li>
<li>One of the things I love about this recipe is the crispiness that the butter and sugar become as they bake. It's almost like a carmel, so good.</li>
</ul>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-68144213273036596122012-04-25T13:48:00.000-07:002012-04-25T13:48:13.017-07:00Bacon Egg and Cheese Muffin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Saturday morning is my day to cook breakfast. I have always been an early riser, getting up really early every day of the week. During the work week that means I get to the office around 7:00-7:30 each morning which provides a lot of time to work, study, and get ready for the day. Saturday, however means breakfast. Kendra gives me a hard time because I get on such a rut that I don't' think of other things. Worst part is, it's really true, I could eat waffles every Saturday morning for the rest of my life and not get tired of them at all.<div>
Last Saturday I was determined to come up with something new and different and really prove to my sweet wife that I could be different. The idea to make a scrambled egg, meat, cheese, and some sort of bread "muffin" came to my head. I'm not creative enough to just pull things out of thin air, well at least very often, so I hit the internet in my search for such a creation. I was kind of heading in the bisquick direction, but quickly moved from that to these muffins. I read a few recipe blogs and then synthesized these which turned out to be exactly what I wanted. They are really good, quick to assemble and they aren't bad the next day either. I think they could be frozen and reheated, though I didn't try that.</div>
<div>
This variation uses bacon, since that is the meat I had on hand, but you could use any protein you wanted. I'll add some suggestions to just get your head spinning after the recipe is posted. Be sure to spray your muffin pans really, really <strike>think pooling </strike>well. I used my hands to smoosh the biscuit dough out flat then used my fingers to get the dough to be evenly distributed in the pan. I did learn that I need to add the filling and cheese to each pan then pour the egg mixture over, which the recipe reflects. It just didn't work out of me when I mixed it all together and then tried to be fair to each little muffin well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1 can refrigerated biscuits (I used Pillsbury)</div>
<div>
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled</div>
<div>
1 cup cheddar cheese </div>
<div>
5 eggs</div>
<div>
5 tablespoons milk</div>
<div>
1/2 teaspoon pepper</div>
<div>
1/8 teaspoon salt</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin pan very generously with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium size bowl, prepare your egg mixture, set aside. Flatten biscuits and place one biscuit in each muffin well, distributing evenly up the sides. Place a heaping spoonful of meat and cheese mixture over evenly into each muffin well. Add egg mixture to fill just barely the top of each muffin well. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the eggs are set and not jiggly at all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
NOTES:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I tried mixing all of the ingredients together and spooning evenly, I had some egg mixture left over which meant I had to go back and fill some of the wells that just didn't look full enough. It's really your call, if you want to do separate, go for it. Or roll the dice and be fair to each well.</li>
<li>Be sure to cook whatever veggies you may want to add, the water will wreck this, except for green onions.</li>
<li>Some combinations I thought of: </li>
<ul>
<li>Sausage and Cheese</li>
<li>Chorizo, jalapeño, and cheddar jack</li>
<li>Veggie</li>
<li>Spinach (sautéed) ham, swiss</li>
<li>Grilled Chicken, sautéed mushrooms, and swiss</li>
<li>Red bell pepper, sautéed onion, artichoke, and black olives</li>
</ul>
<li>These come right our of the pan, if you spray them well enough.</li>
<li>Basic ratio is one egg to one tablespoon of milk for the egg mixture. then you'll want about 2 tablespoons of mixture (whatever you want) per well to fill up. </li>
</ul>
<div>
I served this with cinnamon rolls and a fruit salad (chopped up fresh fruit drizzled with honey). Everyone loved it and I hope you do too. I think these would be great for a brunch or busy on the go family who doesn't want to hit a drive through. You can nuke and go with a great breakfast all week long. </div>
</div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-62892693099888731992012-02-29T06:50:00.001-08:002012-02-29T06:50:51.139-08:00Chicken Dumplings<br />
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My first "real" ministry job was at the Mayfair Church of Christ in Oklahoma City. I have great memories and some wonderful friends to this day from my time there. The Lord put us together, no other way to figure it out, and I look back on those days with great joy. One of the many fantastic people who attended Mayfair was Ms. Mattie. Mattie was simply amazing. She was well into her 80's, cleaned the church building every Monday and worked the Nursery EVERY Sunday and Wednesday without fail. Never called in sick, never needed a break, never complained of being tired or stressed, just served and loved and loved. She was into her second generation of babies, loving the babies of babies she had cared for in her nursery when I came along. I learned so much from her about the heart of servanthood. She is one of my heros. A tremendous legacy, tremendous. <br />
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Keenagers was a group of friends who started playing cards and other games the first Thursday of the month at the church building as Mattie put it, "ages ago." This group had been together for over 20 years when I started hanging out with them. What's a lonely single guy to do on a Thursday night? Seemed like the perfect place for me to be, it was. I played Dumb Rummy with Dorothy Reeves, Lois Smith, and Jane Bell just about every week. Scrabble, dominoes, more dominoes were also played everyone ate then just sifted and settled to their comfortable spot where they played games and laughed a lot. It was the highlight to most of their weeks. Lewis and Regina Gandy, Chester and Catherine Goss, and Buck and Ruth Gearheart were the only couples who still attended. The rest were widowed and lonely. Oh the stories they told, the even better ones on each other. Cards and games were not the most important thing, food and the fellowship as we ate was. Kathryn Goss' jalapeño hominy was amazing. It took me a year to try it because hominy in a spicy cheese sauce just didn't really hit my happy button, but once I did I couldn't get enough of it. Swannie Stanczyk's mashed potatoes were beyond my ability to describe. NO clue how she did it. She always brought them in a 3 quart Club cookware pot, wrapped in bath towels. I should have been embarrassed by the amount I ate, but I was among Mommies and Grammies who loved LOVED to see the young folk love their cooking. It was my wonderland. Mattie and I usually cooked our grub at the building since we were there already. I remember 80% of the stories she told, and desperately try to remember the other 20%.<br />
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Chicken dumplings was one of the recipes that Mattie shared with me when I couldn't think of anything to make. It was from her niece who had been given it by someone, handed down and down, one of those recipes like green bean casserole. I refuse to call them chicken and dumplings because it really isn't in my book, but it's a fine razor thin line. The preparation is really very easy, easily started and on the table in an hour, less if you follow the shortcuts I recommend. I have changed up some things, of course, and share my way of doing the chicken dumplings.<br />
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I made this for the kids last night, thinking Kendra was going to be away (<a href="http://tulsa.jbfsale.com/pages/home">JBF</a>) but turns out she was home early. It was a gamble that the kiddos would hate it, but I was pushing ahead hoping for the best. Kendra opened the oven and said, "we haven't had that in a LOOONG time." We were both taken back to Mayfair and Keenagers, and Mattie...so great to have one little smell open up such a wonderful happy memory.<br />
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Maybe one day someone will be talking to someone and say, "I read this blog from an odd guy who was a Children's Minister but liked to cook...anyway this was one of his posts, it's really good." That would be such a compliment to the memories I tie to this recipe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUOoRLtysDbyB4nNk9D2l1PQSquZjIESspU9YTaqOSjWupdd1qg5tqRMD04X1nGiUOPXglfeObtTtoM3cJXR-3mWzjQsL_j7aeDMVdXDUq8MJEfyoKE4TKsrG4qXjoZv3_abKb99JaCE/s1600/photo+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUOoRLtysDbyB4nNk9D2l1PQSquZjIESspU9YTaqOSjWupdd1qg5tqRMD04X1nGiUOPXglfeObtTtoM3cJXR-3mWzjQsL_j7aeDMVdXDUq8MJEfyoKE4TKsrG4qXjoZv3_abKb99JaCE/s320/photo+copy.JPG" width="320" /></a>2 cups finely chopped, cooked chicken<br />
1 cup Grated Cheese, plus 2 cups for later<br />
1 teaspoon Poultry seasoning<br />
1 teaspoon Garlic salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon pepper<br />
2 cans Crescent rolls<br />
1 can Cream of Chicken soup<br />
1 cup Chicken broth<br />
1 cup milk<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, set aside. In a medium bowl, place the chicken, grated cheese and seasonings in a bowl. Mix well. Unroll crescent rolls, separate into triangles. Place one tablespoon of the chicken mixture in the wide part of the triangle, fold and roll. Make sure the crescent is sealed by pinching all of the edges. Place in 9x13 pan. Repeat the process until both cans are completed.<br />
<br />
In a medium sauce pan, place the soup, milk, and broth mixing to combine. Heat to near boiling. Pour over the crescents. Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, add reserved cheese and cook 5 minutes longer until cheese is bubbly and melted.<br />
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Hints:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>You can use left over rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or slow poach chicken breasts. I only had frozen breasts, so I went with the slow poach. Place frozen breasts in a medium sauce pan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, add a very generous amount of salt. Boil for 8-10 minutes or until the breasts are cooked. The key is to finely chop.</li>
<li>The measurements of the seasonings are estimations, I simply sprinkled the poultry seasoning over the chicken mixture, I was generous.</li>
<li>Don't freak out when you pour the soup mixture over the chicken, you will want to, but don't. The liquid cooks down to a thick gravy and really does magical things to the crescents.</li>
<li>I think the crispy top of the crescents coupled with the tender savory dumpling like crescents at the bottom are what get me every time. </li>
</ul>
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<br />
<br />
<br />Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-30223232119167240862011-11-29T12:46:00.001-08:002011-11-29T13:05:09.663-08:00Life by Chocolate Cake<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcpyXb4O07qu5EKT_bct_wMEmy7q8_ork2z4lYXV4DtPpzwdEZQKm6JGv0ZgWoBX3IpYHRvX39YiDPk1JusED7JfpkawMi2EcDfGgHKWZ199Cx-UTLBwZbGZn1YGDFB8p9SB6sm4_KmQ/s1600/39bf0e55-67d3-4cdf-bc15-dac4092b2cdd.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcpyXb4O07qu5EKT_bct_wMEmy7q8_ork2z4lYXV4DtPpzwdEZQKm6JGv0ZgWoBX3IpYHRvX39YiDPk1JusED7JfpkawMi2EcDfGgHKWZ199Cx-UTLBwZbGZn1YGDFB8p9SB6sm4_KmQ/s320/39bf0e55-67d3-4cdf-bc15-dac4092b2cdd.jpeg" width="320" /></a>I have always wondered how far one could push the chocolate envelope when it comes to cake. I will wonder no more as I think this cake is the most intense chocolate cake I have ever eaten, made, or experienced. If you are a true die hard chocoholic then this cake is for you.<br />
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I originally found this recipe from the <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/">Betty Crocker</a> website and made very few improvements, I'll share the things I tweaked to make this cake "my cake." Right after I made this cake I began to think of other things I could do to make a "white chocolate" version of this cake using strawberries. Doesn't that sound great? I think it does.<br />
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This cake is incredibly dense, the batter was super thick, but tender and moist after baking. The pudding and sour cream help to make this so moist even beyond the first day. I chose to use mini chips in the cake batter instead of the big chips and really liked the resulting texture it gave the cake. Of course adding vanilla to any cake is a must for me, it just makes me feel better knowing that it is in there. There is a lot going on in this cake however.<br />
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The glaze is really a whole other post! It was like pouring fudge on the cake. I wasn't too thin, or too thick. I found that it rolled nicely down the side of the cake, and unlike other glazes, stayed on the cake and didn't just keep on rolling to the counter. After it cools is becomes this fudgey, gooey, chocolate coating. <br />
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Hot Coffee or Milk is a must, it's the only two things that could possibly compliment this cake to make it better. I think this cake would freeze great, however I would advise that you glaze the cake when you plan to serve it. Only because I'm not sure how it would turn out.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® butter recipe chocolate cake mix</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">package (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">bag (12 oz) mini chocolate chips (2 cups)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rich Chocolate Glaze</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">cup semisweet chocolate chips</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tablespoons butter</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tablespoons light corn syrup</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>teaspoons water</b></span><br />
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<li style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 21px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="main_0_MethodsListView_ctrl0_StepDescriptionItemLabel"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 21px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="main_0_MethodsListView_ctrl1_StepDescriptionItemLabel"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In large bowl: mix cake mix, chocolate milk, butter, eggs, sour cream and dry pudding. Mix with hand held mixer until well blended, batter will be very thick. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon into pan. Make sure to spread the cake, evenly distributing it--it's THICK.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 21px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="main_0_MethodsListView_ctrl2_StepDescriptionItemLabel"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake 56 to 64 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack or heatproof serving plate; remove pan. Cool completely, about 2 hours.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 21px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="main_0_MethodsListView_ctrl3_StepDescriptionItemLabel"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In 1-quart saucepan, heat glaze ingredients over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Drizzle over cake. </span></span></span></li>
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</div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-45918969565046353332011-11-08T09:51:00.000-08:002011-11-08T09:51:36.876-08:00Sugar Cookie Bars<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it's on an upside-down bowl.</td></tr>
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I've never been one to just, "come up" with a new recipe out of thin air, I have to have inspiration and then reinvent or tweak it to my liking. When I first caught wind of the idea of taking a sugar cookie and turning it into a bar I was all about that. Turns out dozens of other cooks have has the very same idea, go figure. I read about ten different recipes and finally decided on the recipe that I was going to tweak to make my own. Even if having a sugar cookie bars is not your idea of delicious, you will for sure want to try this buttercream frosting. I haven't had a better buttercream--ever!<br />
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My son, Titus, helped me make these bars, up to the point of frosting, for our church community group meeting. It's great fun to have your kids help you cook, and they get to learn all about fractions and following instructions...so much to learn from being in the kitchen and cooking. He's quite the cook, I'm very proud of him. The bars come together quick and bake even faster. One lesson I've learned is not to wait for these bars to get dark on top. These bars cooked in 10 minutes. I didn't really get a stop watch and keep time, but I would say that from mixing to frosting it was maybe 45 minutes to an hour.<br />
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These bars are very versatile in that you could add your favorite extract, or citrus zest and create a whole new bar. The frosting could be tinted to any shade you wanted. I chose to go with the plain white and used the really cool crystal sugar, which of course could be any color available.<br />
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The cookie is tender and moist with a very "sugar cookie" taste, only thicker. How bad can that be? The buttercream frosting is just to die for. Creamy and sweet with that ever so slight salt that cuts through the sweetness of the frosting. There were some parts of the bar where the frosting was as thick as the bar itself! Don't get me wrong, I love frosting as much as the next guy, but I should try to do a better job of spreading the love next time.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup salted butter, at room temperature<br />2 cups sugar<br />4 large eggs<br />1 tablespoon vanilla extract<br />1/4 teaspoon almond extract<br />5 cups all-purpose flour<br />1 tsp. salt<br />½ tsp. baking soda</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the frosting:<br />1 cup butter, at room temperature<br />1 tsp. vanilla extract<br />Pinch of salt<br />4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted<br />5 tbsp. milk<br />Food coloring (optional)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Directions:</i><br />To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray (the size will vary) Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the extracts, mixing to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and beat on low speed just until incorporated. It's easier to add all the dry ingredients to another bowl and stir them together, but if you don't feel like getting another bowl dirty then just add the salt, baking powder, and flour.<br /><br />Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet and press into an even layer. I got a paper towel wet and kept my fingers moist, not wet, to keep the dough from sticking to my fingers. Bake 10-15 minutes, until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.<br /><br />To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla, salt, and confectioners' sugar until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Mix in the milk. Tint as desired with food coloring. Spread over the cookie in the pan, sprinkle with the sugar and cut into bars and serve.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ice cold milk or hot coffee is a very necessary accessory. </span></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-7528220656916322802011-02-22T07:16:00.000-08:002011-02-22T07:16:19.006-08:00Margaret's Tea Cakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78inpI3l18GltX3_hCNNYTjKL5kAjJLhXHdM1BJ3noypxsFSmLFsQlC5a_BL_RP8adPkeCIxkQyXMUiDZlTcAVT8PYVm1CUzblzGEhhpOKBwqcm4UzU_AWcXh3kxvY2D9XyBrg1ifA5Q/s1600/IMAG0294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78inpI3l18GltX3_hCNNYTjKL5kAjJLhXHdM1BJ3noypxsFSmLFsQlC5a_BL_RP8adPkeCIxkQyXMUiDZlTcAVT8PYVm1CUzblzGEhhpOKBwqcm4UzU_AWcXh3kxvY2D9XyBrg1ifA5Q/s320/IMAG0294.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I had never heard of a tea cake until I was married. My wife raved and raved about her Grandmother's tea cakes and how delicious they were. When she was in High School she was very active in Track and Field and basketball. It drives her crazy when i brag about how well she did in athletics and talk about all the awards she won. Her Grandmother would make a huge batch of tea cakes for her to take on the out of town meets. Her coach always asked if Margaret's tea cakes were, "coming with us."<br />
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Tea Cakes are a different kind of cookie in that they aren't really sweet. They are a dense and soft cookie slightly sweet and very subtle in flavor. I think they would be really good with some lemon zest and a lemon glaze. But, these weren't for me, they were for my wife who likes them just the way they were. I did tweak the recipe adding a little more baking soda, vanilla, and almond extract. I liked they way they turned out.<br />
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A word of caution though, if you don't like to roll of fiddle with cookies, walk away. The first dozen I made I just dropped out of my scoop. They didn't look very pretty at all, very rough. The amount of flour in the batter made them hold their shape and not spread as I thought they would. I rolled them in my hands and patted them out (that's what made them look so smooth). You could roll the dough out and cut them, but I didn't think that step was necessary.<br />
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1 cup butter<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
3 eggs<br />
6 tablespoons of milk<br />
5 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 Tablespoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/8 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 tablespoon vanilla<br />
1/8 teaspoon almond extract<br />
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Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 5 min.). Add eggs, milk, and extracts mixing to incorporate. Slowly add flour until completely combined. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, rolling into a ball and slightly flattening out. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven 10-12 minutes. They will not brown. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.<br />
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Note: I think they would be delicious with some lemon zest added to the dough, then glazed with a lemon glaze.Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-90716760497336039192011-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:002011-01-04T10:39:28.399-08:00Snickerdoodle Oatmeal<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I served this with a little buttered toast.</td></tr>
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</div>I've always heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. My sister and I grew up getting ourselves ready for school each day alone. Both of our parents worked and left the house before we were even awake usually. Both my sister and I chose to sleep rather than eat breakfast, so we skipped the most important meal of the day. During the summer months we would eat cereal each morning, occasionally pancakes or frozen waffles. My Mom would always get on us for not eating breakfast, but there was no way we were going to wake up early to eat, sleep was precious.<div><br />
</div><div>When we had Titus I was determined to make breakfast for him each day and have him growing up eating breakfast. He evolved to preferring Pop Tarts, Toaster Strudel, or cereal over time but occasionally would want to have something hot...well hotter than a toaster hot. I have this HUGE hang up for wanting my children to eat homemade food and not reheated factory prepared food. I can't really explain it, but it is a big deal to me. I want them to ask for home made cookies over packaged, home made brownies over Little Debbie, and so on down the list. Maybe it because I watched too much TV, who knows I certainly don't try to figure out my crazy quirks because there isn't enough time in the day.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Having just wrapped up a long Christmas break, extended by a visit from sweet long time friends, I stayed home to help Kendra get the kids ready for their day. Titus brought home the classroom beta to babysit over the holiday, and he needed to go back to school. I usually go to work early, before anyone is awake since I wake up at 5am everyday without an alarm clock. The brisk morning made me think of oatmeal and so I just decided that I would make oatmeal for the kids and not ask what they wanted. We have microwave packets of oatmeal that they usually eat, but I wanted to make something cooked on the stove. </div><div><br />
</div><div>All of my kids loved this oatmeal! This is a rare treat and very unusual for them to all agree that they love anything, let alone oatmeal. Their reaction and praise for, "the best oatmeal on earth" made decide I'd better make it a recipe and get this written down. Since I had to think of a name for this "recipe" I tried to associate the flavors and decided Snickerdoodle cookies is the closest flavor association I could make, thus the name. The bonus is that saying, "snickerdoodle" is fun. The picture above is Levi's serving, which needs to be room temperature or cooler because he doesn't like hot stuff.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><u>Snickerdoodle Oatmeal</u></b></div><div><b><u><br />
</u></b></div><div>1 1/2 cups Instant Oatmeal</div><div>1 cup Milk</div><div>3/4 cup water</div><div>1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt</div><div>1 teaspoon Vanilla extract</div><div>6 Tablespoons butter</div><div>1/2 cup brown sugar</div><div>3 Tablespoons Cinnamon Sugar (plus some for garnish)</div><div><br />
</div><div>In a medium saucepan add milk and water, bring to a boil over medium heat. When the milk and water come to a boil, add salt, vanilla, and oats, stirring well. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes. Remove from heat adding remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust to suit personal taste. Garnish with cinnamon sugar (about a tablespoon for each serving).</div><div><br />
</div><div>4 generous servings</div><div><br />
</div><div>Notes:</div><div><ul><li>When you boil milk on the stove, be watchful. You really don't want to walk off from a pot of milk in the stove. When it comes to the boiling point, it doesn't boil like water, it swells and foams up. If you aren't careful it will over flow and that's no fun to clean up!</li>
<li>I think the vanilla adds a layer of flavor the compliments the cinnamon and sugar, it really helped finish off the dish, for me at least.</li>
<li>I keep cinnamon sugar mixed up and in my pantry in a flour shaker. The one I have is from pampered chef, but you can find them readily at most stores that sell kitchen duke. My ratio is almost equal parts cinnamon to sugar.</li>
<li>If you dont' think this tastes like a snickerdoodle that's ok, just change the name.</li>
<li>Start to finish this was done and ready to eat in 20 minutes, maybe less.</li>
</ul></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-41666814258836279502010-12-22T06:29:00.000-08:002010-12-22T06:29:54.003-08:00Cranberry Orange Scone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcUwgrW_Fm6dsZYq3vM3XKB4TenQg9DzCXBbdSX5dO6gJ_mbY3QP2QuAFnzKA06VGh1egDf5FFvCpyatDRLfYuQ0_EZvlWZLBu-aG9qS8mKKBbxqu4xm5cL02XJ6FqekzJeTLivLQCeA/s1600/scone.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcUwgrW_Fm6dsZYq3vM3XKB4TenQg9DzCXBbdSX5dO6gJ_mbY3QP2QuAFnzKA06VGh1egDf5FFvCpyatDRLfYuQ0_EZvlWZLBu-aG9qS8mKKBbxqu4xm5cL02XJ6FqekzJeTLivLQCeA/s400/scone.jpeg" width="224" /></a></div>I can remember when the no-carb craze swept across the Texas town in which Kendra and I lived. It seemed like every single person I knew was on the no-carb protein diet. I worked with a guy who ate a package of the already cooked bacon as a snack-THE PACKAGE! It really blew me away for so many reasons, the most of which was, why in the world would you give up bread? I love bread, it's one of my hands down favorite foods. I think yeast breads would be my favorite, but bread is one of my favorite foods. The smell of baking bread makes my mouth water. During the holidays I will skip the protein to eat an extra roll, or two, or who's counting?<div><br />
</div><div>Biscuits out of the can were a staple in my childhood. Cinnamon rolls out of a can, yep that was a staple too. My Mom wasn't a baker, unless you count the occasional box cake she would make say twice a year. I don't really have a memory of eating scratch biscuits as a child, with the exception of our lake trips to Shell Knob. We grew up going to the lake and would stop in Casseville, MO at this restaurant called the Lighthouse for breakfast. I always had a hard time deciding what to order there because they had two of my very favorite things on a breakfast menu: pancakes and biscuits and gravy. Their pancakes were incredible, crispy and yet light and fluffy. The butter was always real and soft enough to spread without turning your pancake into bread crumbs. Oh, and the syrup was warm. Dad's breakfast usually came with a side of biscuits and gravy, which meant I could get both. It was always a good day when we stopped at the Lighthouse. The biscuits were light and flaky, super high. I was just in awe of these ginourmous things called a biscuit because the ones I ate out of a can were croutons compared to these babies.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I've made home made biscuits, but find that the frozen biscuits we get are just as good. I still try to make some every so often just so my kiddos have a memory of eating homemade things. Scones are basically jacked up biscuits if you get right down to it. The principles of scone baking are the same as biscuit making, at least the recipe I'm going to share with you today is. Cutting in cold butter to your dry ingredients, then adding the wet, quick kneading, rolling and wham-o you are done. I dont' really think there is anything in the world that goes better with coffee than a good scone. My wife loves scones and gets very happy when I whip up a batch of these, her favorite combination.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Owning a stand mixer will really make your life easier, but it's not impossible just harder. What I love about this recipe is that they are light, not too dry and not too heavy. I've had some scones where I felt like I just ate a brick because they were too dense and too dry to the point that I couldn't whistle for a week. Cutting in the butter is what takes the longest, but once you get that done the rest is quick. Before I forget. When you are cutting the butter, don't give up. There is a point in the process where it looks like you've made sand, that's when you need to remember me telling you not to give up. Patiently waiting a minute or two longer yields the "pea size" pebbles you want.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5fQMjK08Iqs6LE_NpcmB6WiUKTFMVmjip7x9FnB0RJT6OzkiORYAtwy84VSJXUZ7Uyj9GOzSSpJXIBlSJU8tpQzD9f3yUVTNMKvfdPPRAa_-CSv0GNvxeLMv57vQDfZuOekaUy4Tolk/s1600/lg_bench_scraper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5fQMjK08Iqs6LE_NpcmB6WiUKTFMVmjip7x9FnB0RJT6OzkiORYAtwy84VSJXUZ7Uyj9GOzSSpJXIBlSJU8tpQzD9f3yUVTNMKvfdPPRAa_-CSv0GNvxeLMv57vQDfZuOekaUy4Tolk/s200/lg_bench_scraper.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div>I read probably 10 different recipes for scones from trusted cookbooks and came up with my own version I'm sharing today. This recipe will be a snap to make if you own: a stand mixer, micro plane grater, bench scraper, pastry brush, and parchment paper. A bench scraper is one of my most favorite tools to use in the kitchen. They are super cheap and you can use them for a multitude of things. I think a micro plane zester is also a must have item. I use mine to zest citrus for many different recipes as well as for grating hard cheese. Buying Parmesan or Romano cheese by the hunk is so much cheaper than already grated. In looking for a photo to upload I ran a across t<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SSZ4Q4/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00004OCNJ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0P1YWPJE70Z6Q7C9K568">his genius suggestion</a> at Amazon. For less than $40 you can get a zester, scraper, AND silpat mat! What I wouldn't give for a siplat mat! That's the next investment for me.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><u>Scones:</u></b></div><div><br />
</div><div>4 cups All purpose flour</div><div>1/3 cup sugar</div><div>2 tablespoons baking powder</div><div>1 tablespoon salt (sea or kosher please)</div><div>1 tablespoon of grated orange zest (usually one baseball size orange)</div><div>1 1/2 cups cold butter, diced (that bench scraper works like a charm for this project)</div><div>4 eggs </div><div>1 cup whipping cream</div><div>1 tablespoon vanilla extract</div><div>1 heaping cup dried cranberries</div><div><br />
</div><div>Egg Wash:</div><div>1 egg, beaten</div><div>2 tablespoons water</div><div><br />
</div><div>Glaze:</div><div>Juice of one orange</div><div>1 teaspoon of vanilla extract</div><div>1- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar</div><div><br />
</div><div>Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare sheet pans by lining with parchment or silpat mat (sigh). Zest your orange and set aside. Dice the butter and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and zest. Turn on low and mix just to incorporate. Add the diced butter and turn the mixer on low. Mix on low to medium speed until the butter and flour come together and resemble small pebbles (pea size) approximately five minutes. While the butter and flour are incorporating put the eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla in a medium size bowl and whisk together. Get your egg wash ready, too. All you need is a coffee cup or small bowl for this: whisk the egg and water together then set aside. When the flour is ready, turn the mixer to low and slowly add the cream mixture, mixing until it is just combined. Add the dried cranberries and mix until they are incorporated.</div><div><br />
</div><div>On a well floured surface, turn out the dough which will be very sticky. Dust the top of the dough with flour and lightly knead until the dough is not sticky. Cut dough in half, set one aside. Lightly press the dough into a flat circle about 3/4" thick. Think deck of cards thick. I used my hands for this, but you could use a rolling pin if you wanted to. Using a pizza cutter cut the circle in half then each half into fourths. If you want to make smaller scones, you would just cut the dough into fourths...you get the picture. Place the scones on the prepared sheet pan, brush with the egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Mix the orange juice, sugar and extract together in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar is incorporated and there are no lumps. Add more sugar to yield desired consistency, thicker or thinner based on your preference. Glaze the top of each scone when they are cooled.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Notes:</div><div><ul><li>Make sure your baking powder is good and fresh. You should only keep it 3-6 months before replacing it.</li>
<li>Cubing butter is easy with the bench scraper because you can cut the stick in 1/4's then dice it up.</li>
<li>There is no rule about the shape of a scone needing to be this triangle shape. Feel free to use a biscuit cutter and make rounds which would yield you more scones. The triangel shape just screams scone and not funky biscuit.</li>
</ul><div>Variations:</div></div><div><ul><li>Use lemon zest instead of orange (go with 2-3 lemons) and add dried blueberries instead of dried cranberries.</li>
<li>Stay with the orange zest, only had chopped bittersweet chocolate.</li>
<li>Use almond extract instead of vanilla, add chopped apricots.</li>
<li>Stick with the vanilla extract, no dried fruit, but scrape the pod of a vanilla bean or two.</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-5089312197308845302010-12-14T19:30:00.000-08:002010-12-14T19:30:32.240-08:00Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXv-dbSTe-o_qQVvZDoDHsN5Hmd1wDYwXkdCmDOa21zptxYfHJnmgVkISHkAkdoWU9mvJBuUSCCSZw8h-vQm7b1yGdbk6S-frarGwFD4-d5OlIM3yT5DBboIc_2Bm2xJsDdQATHXO7tFY/s1600/pie+crust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXv-dbSTe-o_qQVvZDoDHsN5Hmd1wDYwXkdCmDOa21zptxYfHJnmgVkISHkAkdoWU9mvJBuUSCCSZw8h-vQm7b1yGdbk6S-frarGwFD4-d5OlIM3yT5DBboIc_2Bm2xJsDdQATHXO7tFY/s320/pie+crust.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I almost forgot to get a picture. <br />
Here it is in the oven, ready to bake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I think if every cook were to really come clean and own up to it they would admit to intimidation in the kitchen. For some the intimidation might be boiling water, for others candy making or pastries, I think I could get a list quick! For me the number one intimidation is in making pie crust. I can't really put my finger on why, exactly I have a hard time with pie crust, but somewhere down the road of my cooking experience I had some pretty bad run ins with pie crust and ran away intimidated. I'm not opposed to purchasing pre-shaped and in the pan pie crusts at all, or the rolled up pastry that you just unroll and plop in your own pie plate. I'm ok with that. Of of my biggest intimidators was in the final stage of pie crust construction---crimping. I just could never get that crust to look pretty--ever! That was surely the root of my problems, I just couldn't make a pretty crust.<br />
<br />
I finally came to the conclusion that I could do it, and I was going to do it no matter what the cost. I set out reading recipes for pie crusts and talking to friends who had great pie crusts. I watched my sister make pie crust over thanksgiving and slowly built up my confidence. There was one video I watched online where the cook demonstrated crimping in which I had that eureka moment and was once and for all on the other side of being intimidated and head set on motivated to make pie crust.<br />
<br />
I knew, from my research that I needed to use butter, a food processor, and child the dough in the fridge. These three factors were stumbling blocks for me in the past and I just decided that I was going to incorporate these steps in my crust making attempt. I wanted to use real butter because I wanted to have that butter flavor and trademark flakiness that I just didn't see in shortening crusts (there is a HUGE debate about this topic on the Internet). As for the food processor, I wanted to ensure that I mixed the butter, salt and flour together to get the right texture so I could add the ice water and have it all come magically together in one nice ball (just like on TV) I didn't see that coming from a pastry blender and fork--at least from me. Finally, chilling the dough. That was a tough one let me tell you. I just couldn't come to grips with the necessity of chilling the dough, but again my research showed that it was a critical step in making good pie crust. See the flour has gluten, which is the binder, and that gluten needs to calm down after being worked over. By resting the dough you give the gluten a chance to calm down, and the butter to chill out. As the crust bakes the butter will evaporate and leave the flakiness that we want. This post is really about Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie I promise. <br />
<br />
I first started making Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie when Kendra and I were catering in Fort Worth. We started Catering (Silver Spoons Catering) to raise money for the adoption of our two boys. I really couldn't work a 2nd job being in ministry, so this gave me a great opportunity to do something I loved to do and make extra money as well. As a caterer you always want to have something that is familiar to folks, yet different enough that your recipe stands out. If you live in Texas for more than 24 hours you will run across people who talk about pecan pie. I was going to be just another import hawking a pecan pie unless I twisted it. Adding chocolate and bourbon seemed like not just a twist, but a tornado, and it worked. At the height of our business Kendra and I made over 200 of this very pie in one year. That's a lot of pie!<br />
<br />
Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie is not for the faint of heart, it's decadent to say the least. I have to say that I really love this pie. The bittersweet chocolate really comes to the rescue of this really sweet and rich pie, cutting the sweetness with the bitterness of the chocolate. I think that is one of the keys, bittersweet chocolate chips. The pecans float to the top of the pie as it bakes which gets them toasty and delicious, glazed with the sweet filling. The filling is fairly run of the mill, corn syrup, eggs, salt, vanilla, sugar, butter, but then the bourbon is added and we are lifting off to another planet.<br />
<br />
As a side note let me just say that if you cook with alcohol, don't buy it if you wouldn't drink it. Buy the best quality you can get. If you are unfamiliar with liquor stores, like me, just remember that the good stuff is on top--always! The lower you go the lower you go in terms of quality. I think the best quality you can get is important. When it comes to bourbon you don't want to go with the super high quality, sippin' whiskey, because it's just a waste and the bourbon flavor can get really overpowering. Maker's Mark and Elijah Craig are two my favorite brands. One bottle will last me two or three years.<br />
<br />
Pie Crust:<br />
<br />
1 1/2 all purpose flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
4 tablespoons butter, cubed<br />
4-6 tablespoons ice water<br />
<br />
In a food processor: add flour, salt and cubed butter. Process on low until it is small pebbles (think grape nuts size) add ice water two tablespoons at a time until the dough comes together in a ball, usually for me it's 4 tablespoons. Remove dough and shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (20-30 minutes). After elapsed time, remove dough to floured surface. Dust pie dough with flour on both sides. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick and place in a deep dish 9" pie plate. Fold in dough and crimp edges with fingers.<br />
<br />
Bourbon Chocolate Pecan filling:<br />
<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1/4 cup butter, melted<br />
3 eggs<br />
3/4 cup light corn syrup<br />
1/4 tsp. kosher salt<br />
2 T. Bourbon<br />
1 T. Vanilla<br />
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips<br />
1 cup pecan halves<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375. In a medium size bow add sugar and melted butter. Mix until creamy. Add eggs, syrup, salt, bourbon and vanilla extract, mix on medium speed until thick and well combined. Place chocolate chips and pecans evenly in prepared pie plate and slowly pour filling over. Using a spatula, smooth the filling around until the pecans look evenly distributed. Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes. The pie will turn a dark amber brown an be slightly loose (like set pudding).<br />
<br />
I love to serve this with a dusting of powdered sugar, fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0h31SXFDFBFkiH10dmLV4ijQ2CvFltZf0OktqBntfwSnhm8rkcieE25OOw2izsEMMYZ4Czt6BKu0iBlrPHdJf1MIwt1K8OiRJEMx7OYaqo3h4kbLiMLPbQHJGYwXUgg4YKCG-cibnPQ/s1600/pie+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0h31SXFDFBFkiH10dmLV4ijQ2CvFltZf0OktqBntfwSnhm8rkcieE25OOw2izsEMMYZ4Czt6BKu0iBlrPHdJf1MIwt1K8OiRJEMx7OYaqo3h4kbLiMLPbQHJGYwXUgg4YKCG-cibnPQ/s400/pie+done.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here it is! Hot out of the oven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-35243076006081513312010-11-15T09:24:00.000-08:002010-11-15T09:24:51.162-08:00Chocolate Tuxedo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UYWijcxYWokwLkzzzoVo9-KAdUysSGqxBnAr3sOXQgtM_G9grO68emEsVqHkRm08TPBzlV-chJOsXrPjQz6edqux7S-E49dVu2uaWX8JkinmEtcN65gdEawMtSNzAyxoKOmQrj7PLnI/s1600/Tuxedo+Cookie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UYWijcxYWokwLkzzzoVo9-KAdUysSGqxBnAr3sOXQgtM_G9grO68emEsVqHkRm08TPBzlV-chJOsXrPjQz6edqux7S-E49dVu2uaWX8JkinmEtcN65gdEawMtSNzAyxoKOmQrj7PLnI/s320/Tuxedo+Cookie.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I've had as many failures in the kitchen as I have had success, if not more failures. The failures usually come when I get a craving for something and go on a hunt for just the right recipe only to find that it's not what I was looking for, which makes the craving worse. I love chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips and have been searching for the perfect recipe for years. I usually find that the dough is too crumbly and doesn't hold together well, if at all. I don't know enough about chemistry to adjust and fix a recipe, so I just toss that recipe and keep on looking.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the weekend I happened upon a recipe in one of Kendra's magazines for a chocolate based cookie. I had high hopes for this recipe as it was from a butter council, I figured they knew a thing or two about buttery cookies. I changed up some of the ingredients and tweaked the cookies to my preference, hoping that I didn't totally destroy this cookie. Much to my relief and amazement-IT WORKED! It not only worked, but it was delicious and just what I had been searching for all this time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This cookie will fall into the category of, "good but time consuming", as it does take a little effort. It's easy, just time consuming, so I'll make these when the craving gets to me, or if we have some special cookie trays to make up. Chocolate crinkles, raspberry thumb prints, and snickerdoodles are other cookies in this vault of great cookies that just take some time to make.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups special dark chocolate chips, melted</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 2/3 cups flour</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">1/2 teaspoon salt </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">1/2 cup sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">2 large eggs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;">1 bag white chocolate chips (2 cups) [See note below]</span><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prep:</span><br />
<br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Place dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl (see note)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add dry ingredients to a medium size bowl and stir together</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter and both sugars. Mix on medium speed until light and creamy. I usually set my kitchen timer for 5 minutes and it's perfect. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla. Turn mixer to low and slowly add dry ingredients until completely mixed. Add white chocolate chips and stir to combine.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place rounded tablespoons of dough about two inches apart (I use a medium size spring loaded scoop). I use a jelly roll pan and can get 12 cookies (3 across 4 down) per pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let stand about a minute, them move to a cooling rack. Store in cookie jar.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note:</span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melting chocolate chips in the microwave is tricky. You have to remember that chips hold their shape, so don't expect to see smooth melty chocolate. The best trick to use is to microwave the chips for 30 seconds, then stir. Microwave for another 20 seconds then stir. This is usually as long as it takes for my microwave. Just keep microwaving at 10-20 second intervals until the chips are melted and smooth.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adding the dry ingredients separately is not a great idea because the cocoa powder is very fine and no matter how slow you mix there will be a cocoa powder mushroom cloud! Stirring the salt, baking powder, cocoa, and flour together is the ticket to cloud free mixing.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wasn't trying to impress anyone with my cookies, but if you wanted to make them really pretty. Save about 1/4-1/2 cups of the white chips and just push three or four on the tops of each cookie before baking. That will make them look very pretty, I think they are fine just as they are.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't really say why, but as soon as ANY cookie I'm baking comes out of the oven I give each one a gentle swat with my spatula to knock out the air. I think it makes them look prettier and I always do that. You have my permission to do this as well.</span></li>
</ul></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-44517803826395919662010-11-11T09:04:00.000-08:002010-11-11T09:04:13.508-08:00Pumpkin Chess Pie<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTl5Sryj-W9hC20JoV1SEpmyFLQdA18LquL-X5vUKjuOat8rH89Jlwc2px-4aEUTMql7D1sSkVJOqQ4KPqpi_e1-I2BUwynpv6IUkAOITLoFE0ANDL9RlQMQfbZ4MKzyWGQ9Koswtdtg/s1600/Pumpkin+chess+pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTl5Sryj-W9hC20JoV1SEpmyFLQdA18LquL-X5vUKjuOat8rH89Jlwc2px-4aEUTMql7D1sSkVJOqQ4KPqpi_e1-I2BUwynpv6IUkAOITLoFE0ANDL9RlQMQfbZ4MKzyWGQ9Koswtdtg/s400/Pumpkin+chess+pie.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Images provided <a href="http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/pies/pumpkin-chess-pie-winchester-in/">this</a> image.<br />
It looks pretty good to me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you are a fan of pumpkin pie then you will have to make it a point to prepare this pie. I had high hopes of getting this pie made before Thanksgiving and taking some pictures, but time is just not on our side at this point. Traditional pumpkin pies are dense, custard filled pies with sweet spices. With a pumpkin chess you lose just a bit of the denseness of the traditional, yet keep everything else. I ran across a recipe for pumpkin chess a while ago (close to ten years) and tweaked that version to make it my own and decided that I would forever prefer this over traditional pumpkin pie any day. Why? I think for me it all comes down to texture. Traditional pumpkin pies are dense, this pie is not AS dense, but don't get me wrong it's far from a mousse. This pie is also made a day or more ahead and refrigerated which is good because I love cold pumpkin pie.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With holiday baking just around the corner, you may be looking for something a little different than the normal line up in which case I would recommend this pie. When I sell this pie I include the praline sauce, but when I make it for me it's whipped cream all the way! Fresh whipped cream sweetened with just a hint of vanilla on this pie is fantastic.</span></span><br />
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<ul style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;"><li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not the pie filling)</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup half-and-half</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3 eggs</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 Tablespoon vanilla extract</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 cups sugar</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter or margarine</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 teaspoon salt</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/4 teaspoon ground ginger</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/8 teaspoon ground cloves</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg</span></span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Place piecrust in a 9" pieplate; fold edges under, and crimp. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment add pumpkin and remaining ingredients, mix on low to incorporate then increase speed to medium, mixing to completely incorporate make sure you scrape down the sides.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared piecrust. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. The custard should be set, not completely firm, but set. Cool completely on a wire rack the place in refrigerator overnight. Serve with Praline Sauce.</span></span></div></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Praline Sauce:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup whipping cream</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup butter</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup toasted pecans</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 teaspoons vanilla extract</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Place brown sugar, whipping cream, and butter in a medium size saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, stirring occasionally. When it comes to a boil stir constantly for one minute. Remove from heat, add pecans and vanilla stir well. Place in an airtight container in the fridge. Try this on vanilla ice cream! Oh heavenly days.</span></span>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-29711421413153905912010-11-07T15:09:00.000-08:002010-11-07T15:09:35.199-08:00Potato Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXkDs3DbK7ddf4bvXvxvpcrM8LvkJxMx214RuzrsgqyOprBUhAOSEBh5IHUhaSHvjN_tpKcEC8DaYu2KMOe3u2V77dwhVy3lZKa6TkvD7RmKQIf90ZsRuQPFXayk719H4PRGQy-yDApo/s1600/Potato+Soup.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXkDs3DbK7ddf4bvXvxvpcrM8LvkJxMx214RuzrsgqyOprBUhAOSEBh5IHUhaSHvjN_tpKcEC8DaYu2KMOe3u2V77dwhVy3lZKa6TkvD7RmKQIf90ZsRuQPFXayk719H4PRGQy-yDApo/s400/Potato+Soup.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>My Mom went to work when I was one year old at St. John's hospital in Joplin. She worked there for nearly 40 years, forced into retirement last year. I grew up not knowing what a say at home Mom was like, I only knew what a working Mom was like, but when that is all you know it's normal. I spent a ton of time with my Great Grandmother and my Great Aunt (whom I called Robba) and credit them with instilling my love for cooking. It was in their kitchens that I learned the ropes of basic country cooking. I could fry a mean pork chop by the time I was 10. I can remember spending hours in front of the TV watching public access cooking shows and learning a great deal about food from those cooks. I just seemed natural to me, to love cooking and reading cook books.<div><br />
</div><div>Most kids have quite a list of things they love for their Mom's to cook. I cant' really say that I have a list because I can't remember my Mom ever making cookies or cakes, or anything "special" that I just have to have. I do remember my Mom making my Grandpa a yellow cake with fluffy white frosting and coconut, which he really liked a lot. My Mom did make Potato Soup, always served with a side of cornbread, when the weather started turning brisk. I think it's the one and only thing my Mom actually made. Some people used to say that they felt sorry for me, but I don't think pity or sorrow is necessary. It was all I knew so it was normal, I never pined away wishing for something better because I thought I had a pretty great Mom. My Mom took me to work with her from the time I was 7 until I left for school. I could fill a library with the things I learned from spending time with my Mom at work. The work ethic and drive I have today is a direct result of those days spent at her side watching her work until she couldn't wiggle one more eyelash and working some more.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I have a recipe for a loaded potato soup that I really love, but this recipe is straight from my Mom's kitchen and transports me back to my childhood. As long as I make this soup I will be able to connect to my Mom. I'm blessed to still have my Mom here with me and we love spending time together. My kids are amassing a list of the things they love, and I hope that when they are gone the first thing they say when they come home is, "can you make..." The greatest treasure for my children is the time they get to spend with my Mom, their Nonny. We take Nonny on vacation with us, go to her house for the weekend just to hang out, and spend all of our holidays with her, too. That time is irreplaceable and something I know they will cherish all of their life.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Ok, we've pulled off of Memory Lane and are now ready to talk soup. This soup is straight forward and honest comfort food. It couldn't be more simple to make, but has a great flavor. After Kendra and I were married I discovered the wonder of adding cheese and bacon to this soup, something I had never added as a kid.</div><div><br />
</div><div>2 russet potatoes per person, plus one for the pot</div><div>1/2-1 cup butter (depending on how much soup you make)</div><div>1/4-1 cup milk or half and half (we always used milk)</div><div>Salt & Pepper to taste</div><div>Crisp bacon, cheddar cheese, green onion for garnish</div><div><br />
</div><div>Peel the potatoes and cube them up, trying to cut the potatoes in fairly uniform size. Add the potatoes to a large stock pot and add cold water just enough to cover them. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the potatoes start to boil, add about 2 tablespoons of salt and boil until the potatoes are fork tender (about 8-10 minutes).</div><div><br />
</div><div>Drain the potatoes, saving about 1/4 cup water. Add the butter and stir until melted. The potatoes will break up as you stir. Add milk and stir. Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning to your preference. I usually get out the potato masher and mash up the potatoes a little bit. I really depends on how chunky you like your soup. Sometimes I will make it smooth, no lumps, other times I have just a few chunks of potato. Bring this back up to a boil. The starch from the potatoes will thicken the soup. If it gets too thick add just a touch more milk to thin it out.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Serve this with cornbread and your choice of garnish: bacon bits, cheddar cheese, green onion. Mom always crumbled up her cornbread in the soup.</div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-7122585460645829532010-11-02T09:46:00.000-07:002010-11-02T09:46:54.544-07:00Red Velvet Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoaTNa60ej81ctfyVWVlP669KmdTdex4lokWnd3TX3QSNuQ475-CEsmGMioYHUGXKgejTFUtTPznfE4Cf51eW3jRXuPRP1HYSoOgruebkY2R2JJNZZWY4OJ0SVrEd4ehgCPoRegItCLs/s1600/red+velvet+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoaTNa60ej81ctfyVWVlP669KmdTdex4lokWnd3TX3QSNuQ475-CEsmGMioYHUGXKgejTFUtTPznfE4Cf51eW3jRXuPRP1HYSoOgruebkY2R2JJNZZWY4OJ0SVrEd4ehgCPoRegItCLs/s320/red+velvet+1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>I can almost remember the date and time of the first time I ate a bite of Red Velvet cake. Kendra and I were working at a new church plant in a tiny community outside of Edmond, OK and had reconnected with some very good friends of ours who were also attending the same church. Red Velvet was our friend, Donna, and her family's favorite celebration cake. Donna shared with me that her mother had made this cake for her and that no one could make it like her mother. Who could <i>make</i> something like a mother? No one! We come close but the one ingredient that cannot be recreated is the pinch of mother's love that goes into the creation of a dish. Red Velvet was a way to honor, remember, and enjoy a fond child hood memory. Luke, her oldest, requested it more often than not (I remember one strawberry cake he requested) as his birthday celebration cake. That first bite was just incredible. I knew at that moment, Red Velvet would be a life long favorite cake. Now over a decade since that first bite it is, in fact, still a lifelong favorite.<br />
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I was determined to make this cake for several reasons. The foremost reason was I wanted to make the cake for Donna so she wouldn't have to make her own birthday cake. The first several cakes were made in her kitchen, with her close supervision. Kendra and I always had a great time with Brian, Donna's husband, and Donna. I always came, "close enough" she would say. I think she was just glad she didn't have to make her own cake! Red Velvet remains one of the only truly from scratch cakes I make. I make this cake at Christmas and for Kendra on her birthday because it is her hands down favorite cake. My children have fallen in love with Red Velvet and is requested quite often. I save it as a celebration cake to keep it special. Mentioning the words red and velvet send my kids running to kitchen to enjoy a slice or two.<br />
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This is an easy cake to create, however you must remember to follow certain steps to ensure that it turns out right. It has a subtle chocolate note, isn't a chocolate cake. The flavor can only be described as red velvet as their is no other taste with which to compare. You MUST not over bake this cake or it will be dry. I usually take my cakes out before the minimum baking time elapses finding that 22-25 minutes is all it takes to make this cake "done." I think, possibly, the single biggest mistake a cake baker can make is to over bake a cake as this leads to dry cakes.<br />
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I promise I'm almost ready to give you the recipe. There is just one more issue that we have to cover: frosting. Putting a cream cheese frosting on a red velvet cake is without a doubt very popular, however I submit that it is a criminal offense. Red Velvet cake is subtle, cream cheese frosting is obnoxious. Who wants an obnoxious flavor hog icing on a subtle delicate cake like red velvet? Not me. The frosting I must insist you make is the one included. Please do not let me know you've made this cake and frosted it with cream cheese frosting. There are just somethings people need to never be told. This frosting is as subtle as the red velvet itself, yet when the two come together they are magic. The frosting is creamy, light, and has just the hint of vanilla flavor. The creamy texture of this frosting gives your palate that "velvet" taste. Having a stand mixer will keep us friends, if you decide to make this frosting. You have to mix the sugar and margarine together for a very, very long time. We'll get to that though.<br />
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<b>Red Velvet Cake</b><br />
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<ul class="clr" style="clear: both; color: #333333; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1/2</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">cup</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">shortening</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">cups</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">sugar</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"></span></span></span><span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">eggs</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ounces</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">red food coloring</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">tablespoons</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">cocoa (heaping)</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">cup</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">buttermilk</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2 1/4</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">cups </span></span></span><span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">flour</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">teaspoon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">salt</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">teaspoon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">vanilla</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">teaspoon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">baking soda</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">teaspoon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">vinegar</span></span></span></li>
</ul><br />
<br />
Step one:<br />
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
Grease and flour two 9" cake pans, set aside. <br />
In a small bowl: add the food coloring and cocoa together, mixing well. Set aside for step three.<br />
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the sugar and shortening together. Mix on medium speed until completely incorporated (about five minutes), scraping down the sides to ensure even mixing. Add eggs one at a time, mixing completely between each addition. Add salt and mix.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DuzTYiU1cZNBLbHF2nieyOBcgBvA-vrUQ4n4VGZwZz54PQLHqpHQyWz3QKe7uL9adUlCEPr5Jfj3eVpuKwmv7_9PnHWuoEH95siiXhWJhxv5mjwq7fqRL13_9PUOVVpRSEJKsDRxdFs/s1600/red+velvet+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DuzTYiU1cZNBLbHF2nieyOBcgBvA-vrUQ4n4VGZwZz54PQLHqpHQyWz3QKe7uL9adUlCEPr5Jfj3eVpuKwmv7_9PnHWuoEH95siiXhWJhxv5mjwq7fqRL13_9PUOVVpRSEJKsDRxdFs/s320/red+velvet+2.jpeg" width="320" /></a>Step two:<br />
Add flour and buttermilk, alternating between the two. Remember you always begin and end with the dry.<br />
<br />
Step three:<br />
Add the food coloring and cocoa paste. Mix to incorporate. Add vanilla. Add the soda and vinegar, in a small bowl and add to cake batter. Mix just to incorporate.<br />
<br />
Dispense the batter evenly and bake in the pre-heated oven for 26-30 minutes. Check the cakes often with a cake tester after 20 minutes and remove promptly when cake tester comes out dry. Cool on wire racks until ready to frost.<br />
<br />
<b>Frosting</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul class="clr" style="clear: both; color: #333333; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">tablespoons</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">flour</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">cup</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">milk</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">cup</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">sugar</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">teaspoon</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="name" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">vanilla</span></span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://food.sndimg.com/2010/se/rz-icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px -2150px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: none; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="amount" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="value" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1 </span></span><span class="type" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">cup</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> margarine (Parkay all the way), room temperature.</span></span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9NgKp-HPJmLrturrhiJojj4tjp23D49y1s0-cCDoeHCO2MnEBNT8ndPoUuOjxW1tk5xMfHQ5_pn-2Au3aJpn5reG73Ee1QIE1iY_DDGEaOkYZ4hGPKc3OkloV_V36Hj5WEv27WmIKqs/s1600/Red+velvet+icing+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9NgKp-HPJmLrturrhiJojj4tjp23D49y1s0-cCDoeHCO2MnEBNT8ndPoUuOjxW1tk5xMfHQ5_pn-2Au3aJpn5reG73Ee1QIE1iY_DDGEaOkYZ4hGPKc3OkloV_V36Hj5WEv27WmIKqs/s320/Red+velvet+icing+1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">Step one:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">In a medium sauce pan, add the flour, milk, and vanilla. Over medium heat, stir with a wire whisk until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Place in a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap. Cool in </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">refrigerator</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"> until no longer warm (10-20 minutes).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Step two:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and sugar. Mix on medium speed until the butter and sugar combine then on high until the mixture is fluffy and creamy (about 20 minutes). Add the cooled paste and mix until is is well blended.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Frost cooled cake.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Notes:</span></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;">I don't cut corners when it comes to greasing and flouring pans on this one. I had rub Crisco in my pans and then flour them to ensure there will be no sticking.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;">As soon as I put the cakes in the oven, I make the paste and get it in the fridge to cool. By the time I get the mess cleaned up from the cake batter... the cakes are done so I pull the cakes out of the oven to cool. That's about the time to start the frosting, and by the time the frosting is mixed enough to add the paste it's cool (about 40 minutes has elapsed.).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;">The butter and sugar will look fluffy, but be sure to feel it because you don't want to feel a lot of grains.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;">I usually put this cake in the fridge and let it set up overnight. I don't know why, but I do.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;">I think the next time I make this I'm going to dump in the cocoa, mix it, then add the food coloring to the mix and try to avoid the stirring process all together. It may not work, but it's worth a shot. My kitchen usually looks like a red paint grenade went off.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;">These cakes don't rise a lot, they will look flat so don't freak out. It's ok, it's normal.</span></li>
</ul></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-67224929096356376852010-10-18T07:16:00.000-07:002010-10-18T07:16:22.345-07:00Barbecue Beef Empanada<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAjXKIj1Vse0XDEdfRANJowhL62BpxoKN6MPKp8-0irRheCjA3sVZU-9XXm9O-5QX2UuxlC-geHNpmgTDYRmYXno1dvMdrAHvRsM_boZfQzxrmCwrESFawIXeuJrhyphenhyphenR7tme7rjYDoQ2E/s1600/Barbecue+beef+empanada.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAjXKIj1Vse0XDEdfRANJowhL62BpxoKN6MPKp8-0irRheCjA3sVZU-9XXm9O-5QX2UuxlC-geHNpmgTDYRmYXno1dvMdrAHvRsM_boZfQzxrmCwrESFawIXeuJrhyphenhyphenR7tme7rjYDoQ2E/s320/Barbecue+beef+empanada.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Fall is trying ever so hard to be a real presence, I'm really wishing it luck! One of my family's favorite Fall dishes is Potato Soup. I don't really have a recipe for potato soup, I just make it like my Mom always has. If you haven't ever made potato soup and want a good recipe <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/03/baked-potato-soup.html">start here</a>, it sounds so good. My potato soup is very straightforward, potatoes, butter, milk, salt, pepper, and cheese. We love it especially my Son, Levi who asks for it quite often. The usual tag along with potato soup is cornbread, but this weekend I wanted to make something a little different and add a little more umph to the meal. What I came up with was this barbecue beef empanada, which is so easy and really, really good.<br />
<br />
An <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empanada">empanada</a> is nothing more than a "stuffed" sandwich. After I made these, I had a ton of other ideas on how to twist the filling and also change up the bread used, so I'll be playing around with this recipe for a while to see what all I can come up with . After the recipe I'll post some of my ideas on fillings and bread combinations. This recipe came together right at 30 minutes, which included thawing meat in the microwave. I did bake the crescent rolls a little longer than called for, in my oven I went a full 15 minutes, because I wanted to make sure the bottom crust wasn't soggy. The extra baking time was the ticket. After assembling the pastries, I put about 2 tablespoons (a good pinch) of Colby jack cheese on the tops of each empanada. I love that crusty cheesy taste it gave.<br />
<br />
Barbecue Beef Empanada<br />
<br />
1 pound ground beef<br />
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt<br />
1 teaspoon cracked pepper<br />
1 cup Barbecue Sauce (my family likes K.C. Masterpiece)<br />
1 1/2 cups Colby Jack Cheese<br />
2 cans Crescent Rolls<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet brown ground beef, adding seasoning salt and black pepper. Remove from heat. We use 90% lean so we don't have any fat to drain, but drain if there is any liquid in the pan. Add the barbecue sauce and cheese, stirring until the cheese completely melts. Set aside. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Let me interrupt this post by saying, "PLEASE start using parchment paper, you'll thank me one day, you really will." Open the crescent rolls and unroll. Press two triangles together to make one large rectangle. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the crescents, fold over and seal the edges, you can just press them down with your fingers. Repeat until you have assembled all the crescents (8 in all). Place a pinch of cheese on top of each empanada. Bake for 15 minutes at 375, until golden brown.<br />
<br />
Ideas:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Cordon Bleu: Diced chicken and ham, mixed with Mozzarella and Swiss cheese, add some Dijon Mustard.</li>
<li>Pizza: Pepperoni, ground beef, and pizza/spaghetti sauce, with mozzarella cheese.</li>
<li>Fajitas: Chicken or beef, with peppers and onions, add salsa and cheese.</li>
<li>Add your families favorite veggies to any of the above.</li>
<li>White Tuxedo: Diced chicken, crumbled bacon, sauteed mushrooms, peas, Alfredo sauce and cheese.</li>
<li>Use Pie crust (use a fork to seal the edges) for any or all the above fillings.</li>
<li>Reuben (I really can't stand Reuben but some people really, really love them)</li>
<li>Breakfast: Use biscuits if you want adding sausage, bacon, ham, veggies with scrambled eggs.</li>
</ul><div>Have fun with this recipe and use your imagination to come up with your very own.</div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-15180969884076857652010-10-08T17:56:00.000-07:002010-10-08T18:02:24.603-07:00Banana Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOkwb5Wa45J6KMl90FOZ4nQWLAUdsW4WnSUrwM7qjp-b7_TSD12n_Dht2Rb4nl8HvP0dar7nlXwpFFxWs_YH4Tni2GlwllpqFqcosBXs4x2YxYg95l-QWVa7ZMUMmk3W9wFBK_AOw5Ww/s1600/banana+bar+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOkwb5Wa45J6KMl90FOZ4nQWLAUdsW4WnSUrwM7qjp-b7_TSD12n_Dht2Rb4nl8HvP0dar7nlXwpFFxWs_YH4Tni2GlwllpqFqcosBXs4x2YxYg95l-QWVa7ZMUMmk3W9wFBK_AOw5Ww/s400/banana+bar+3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to have one bite! <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> There are certain smells that transport me right back to my childhood. The smell of Old Spice will always remind me of my Dad, who wore that scent until I went to college. Food has a way of taking me back in time and kindling fond memories, too. These memories are sharp as the time I was making them because they are of friends and family who I don't have the pleasure of being around all the time. I can prepare a dish and immediately be back with that person and, through their recipe enjoy some fond memories. These banana bars have that nostalgic connection for me.</span></div></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>When I worked in Fort Worth, TX as Children's Minister our church building was sold and we began a two year process of building a new building North of the current location. This two-year time span was certainly challenging, but also among some of the best times of ministry, personally. We met in the Keller ISD High School and each week transformed the school into our church building. Teacher's lounge became the Nursery, Cafeteria and halls became classes for preschool through 5th grade, and the performing arts center (auditorium) was one where the adults Bible class met. It was during this time that many, many new faces came our way, among them the Cardenas family. Adam, Gabe, Mari-Kathrine, Dillon, Sharon, and Renan would come rolling in every week. Usually whisking Dillon off to the Nursery, in a rush, always smiling and enjoying being part of the excitement that was our church experience.<br />
<br />
Sharon eventually became my secretary and very good friend. We became fast friends because we shared a love for cooking and eating. We talked a lot about food and cooking and would find a recipe online and tear it apart to make it our own. Ms. Sharon has some great recipes, and these banana bars are at the top of that list. They cake is super moist, thanks to the addition of sour cream, and has a subtle yet unforgettable banana flavor. Light and tender, with the hint of vanilla and almond (I added almond extract to the recipe) throughout. You top these wonderful bars with a cream cheese butter cream that I could eat with a spoon. The cake doesn't last long, but keeps very well, covered on the counter.<br />
<br />
If you have some bananas past their prime, give these bars a try. A simple powdered sugar glaze would also be wonderful on this bar, if you didn't have or want to make cream cheese butter cream.<br />
<br />
Cake:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7tvZZ1GYlRQ_g50ry2cjYlKRzaMeEbTJT68uJD5OiatJTsO6L3jXEIopD-f_cobhjwyPAo9NQPFnVUYHaaPk0kzlApN8w0Erdr1X82XiT9-wmu6RmtOzZUgK9aTocNpNLPRRlVycxR0/s1600/banana+bar+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7tvZZ1GYlRQ_g50ry2cjYlKRzaMeEbTJT68uJD5OiatJTsO6L3jXEIopD-f_cobhjwyPAo9NQPFnVUYHaaPk0kzlApN8w0Erdr1X82XiT9-wmu6RmtOzZUgK9aTocNpNLPRRlVycxR0/s320/banana+bar+2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the batter spread into the pan ready for the oven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>1/2 cup room temperature butter<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 cup Sour Cream<br />
2 bananas, peeled and cubed<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1/8th teaspoon almond extract (cap full)<br />
2 cups flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a half sheet pan, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer: add the butter and sugar mixing well (5 minutes) on medium high heat. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing each well before adding the next. When completely incorporated, spread the batter evenly onto the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool completely before frosting with butter cream.<br />
<br />
Notes: I don't mash the bananas because my mixer does a good job of that, it saves a step and a bowl. I think these would make great cupcakes, you would have to play with the cooking time of course. If you don't have a half sheet (I get mine at Sam's) baking sheet, you can use a jelly roll pan just fine.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDDZR2HO8g_2SGKIrSqgHTEdI86PBJBpkAVSm6LiUgie_Pk1IdR3reBcSwscWwBvsgIslIf6nrAmqb0z7q0HdrMfazydbwUeA0OrwYuJ9FfuKgw8gbelhFoALrJCZMKvaikQd6Gt7v4M/s1600/banana+bar+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDDZR2HO8g_2SGKIrSqgHTEdI86PBJBpkAVSm6LiUgie_Pk1IdR3reBcSwscWwBvsgIslIf6nrAmqb0z7q0HdrMfazydbwUeA0OrwYuJ9FfuKgw8gbelhFoALrJCZMKvaikQd6Gt7v4M/s320/banana+bar+1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here it is hot out of the oven. The white spots are the banana<br />
bits, so good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Cream Cheese Butter Cream<br />
<br />
1 stick room temperature butter<br />
8 oz Cream Cheese<br />
1 Tablespoon Vanilla<br />
1/8 teaspoon almond<br />
2 boxes of confection sugar.<br />
<br />
Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth and without lumps. Add extracts and mix to incorporate. Slowly add confection sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Frost cake. If the frosting is too thick add some milk to thin the frosting.<br />
<br />
This cake is super simple to whip us and is so delicious, especially when the cake is still just a tad bit warm and the icing is kind of...melty. You can keep this in the fridge or on the counter, either place is just fine. If you really didn't feel like making frosting (it's super simple to do, you really can do it) you could crack open a can. I can't remember the last time I ate canned frosting, it is just so simple to make your own. I think you will want to keep this cake in your handy file and use it often. Ms. Sharon also has another great sheet cake called a White Texas Sheet Cake that we tweaked over and over to make it right. Just typing those words has really made me want to make that cake now...great.Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-751518002940148282010-09-29T07:48:00.000-07:002010-09-29T07:48:29.618-07:00Root Beer Float Cupcake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW34CH8i-iVWGHh2RFJNekEqwGzZEHGePKKSZkQRwz3x_AonfLJh2UwgkLM7jKlXuup868WR7lslyYOIphiyjEBLbjV969pF8hOS8UkEUtq6eoEiLUuW4-_yFjHDr2U0vZTy_PI8iQkQ0/s1600/Root+beer+float+cupcake.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW34CH8i-iVWGHh2RFJNekEqwGzZEHGePKKSZkQRwz3x_AonfLJh2UwgkLM7jKlXuup868WR7lslyYOIphiyjEBLbjV969pF8hOS8UkEUtq6eoEiLUuW4-_yFjHDr2U0vZTy_PI8iQkQ0/s320/Root+beer+float+cupcake.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The Youth Group at my church hosted a Mother/Daughter 50's night in our Coffee Shop and asked me to cater the event. I stayed with the 50's food theme and decided to create a Root Beer Float cupcake. Cupcakes seem to be EVERYWHERE these days, so I figured I'd be all trendy and current <s>since that's how I roll </s>for once. I figured I wasn't the first person in the world to come up with the idea and after a quick Google search discovered I was about the millionth person. Almost every single recipe I read (close to 30) involved using root beer in the cake batter and going with a vanilla butter cream frosting. That just wasn't for me, so I went in another direction and came up with this recipe. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wilton.com/store/images/site_images/2105-1820_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wilton.com/store/images/site_images/2105-1820_m.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used the <a href="http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E316B0D-475A-BAC0-569DE76DCD4C5BCD&fid=3E32C1C4-475A-BAC0-5B63ED7C799C835E">Wilton Muffin pan</a> to make the "jumbo" size cupcake. These tins were about 1/3" deeper than other jumbo pans in the baking pan aisle. I found these at my local Super Center in the cake decorating section. Since they were bigger than usual, it used more batter. I think I was able to get around 22 cupcakes from one box. I did not line the tins, opting to use <a href="http://www.bakersjoy.com/">Baker's Joy</a> with great results. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">About 8 years ago I saw at trick on TV for kicking up cake mixes and have been doing this trick ever since and have not been disappointed. I use a Super Moist cake mix, add an extra egg, vanilla, and use milk instead of water. Of course you don't have to make this in a muffin tin, and could use 9x13 or cake rounds, I just like the idea of cupcakes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The frosting was my favorite cream cheese butter cream into which I added root beer concentrate. I've always seen Root Beer concentrate by the extracts in the baking aisle and pondered who in the world would use <i>that</i> and for what? Now. I. Know. I had never used this concentrate and was a little afraid of the word "concentrate" so I went the, "it's easier to add to than take away" rule for cooking. What I discovered was that it took a considerable amount more than I thought to achieve the root beer flavor. I would guess it was triple what my expectations were, so much for being afraid of a word.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I piped the frosting on using a pastry bag with no tip, because I wanted the wide stream of frosting that, again is super popular in the baking world. I was going to add a bendy straw, but decided that coffee stir sticks would look more elegant. I couldn't find root beer barrel hard candy to save my life, that was my first choice in garnishing this cup cake, so I went with cola jellies instead. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all I think the end result was visually appealing and, if I do say so myself, tasted really good. It truly tasted like a root beer float.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">White Cake:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 box White Moist Deluxe Cake Mix (Duncan Hines is my favorite)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 1/4 cups Milk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4 eggs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 Tablespoon Vanilla</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 Tablespoons Canola Oil (or vegetable)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a stand mixer, add the cake mix and remaining ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined, then on high for two minutes. Bake according to package directions for the pan you are using.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Root Beer Butter Cream:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 stick Butter (room temp)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">8 oz Cream Cheese (room temp)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 Tablespoon Root Beer Concentrate</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 Tablespoon Vanilla</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 lbs. Confection Sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a stand mixer add first two ingredients and Cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth, adding both extracts, blending together completely. Slowly add the confectioners sugar, blending to incorporate until desired consistency is achieved. Pipe or frost onto cooled cupcakes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Note: Taste your frosting and keep adding concentrate until you reach the flavor level you want. Like I said, earlier, I used more than I thought I would.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, one more thing. I took the picture of the cupcake with my camera phone, in an empty cabinet. Not too shappy, huh?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-63337550451761115222010-09-11T18:51:00.000-07:002010-09-12T06:02:56.018-07:00Lemon Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRDx-vSvHOLFS5QjojKfNbWROt_ZxGHbV6kJU4i3kTOwSrUa_DW4mHgRhCD-g7Fbe6RItGHe3XlW-bWuwhAKZigX_KoVBK9IEDi5QygcNIiFbFHUyKs1gzSlSs7xpK1Qc7L2WGAzkgFs/s1600/Lemon+Pie.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRDx-vSvHOLFS5QjojKfNbWROt_ZxGHbV6kJU4i3kTOwSrUa_DW4mHgRhCD-g7Fbe6RItGHe3XlW-bWuwhAKZigX_KoVBK9IEDi5QygcNIiFbFHUyKs1gzSlSs7xpK1Qc7L2WGAzkgFs/s320/Lemon+Pie.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> My Mom got a craving for lemon pie over Labor Day and asked if I could make her one. Of course I told her I would be happy to make her a lemon pie, the whole time my brain was scrambling to figure out how in the world I was going to make a lemon pie. I had never made nor seen anyone make a lemon pie filling before. I spent about three hours researching the internet and my Mom's cookbook collection and came up with a recipe, the combination of many, which we all liked very much. I didn't use fresh lemon juice or add lemon zest, however I think that would up the lemon flavor considerably. That's my next tweek, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> This lemon pie is the perfect combination of tart and sweet. I opt for whipped cream topping instead of meringe, however you could easily make a meringue. I'll give you the recipe for whipped cream and meringe topping. Before we go any further, I have to say this is the easiest pie in the world to make. If you can stir you can make this pie. Take some time to get your ingredients set up and this will come together lickity split. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let's get started</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Pre-baked 9" Pie crust</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4 egg yolks (save the egg whites if you are making the meringue)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/3 cup corn starch plush 1 tablespoon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 1/2 cups water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 1/2 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 Tablespoons butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/2 cup lemon juice</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You will need one medium sauce pan, one small bowl, and one medium size bowl. In the sauce pan, place one cup of water, and the sugar together. In the small bowl, place the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water, whisking until smooth, set that aside. Now in the large bowl, add the lemon juice and eggs, whisking until smooth. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Turn the heat to medium and stir the sugar and water together until it comes to a boil. Pour in the slurry (that's the cornstarch and water mixture) and stir. Pay attention to this because it will get really, really thick. Once it comes to a thick gel, take it off the heat. Now, in the large bowl, with the egg and lemon juice in it. Slowly add about half of the hot gel. Make sure you are stirring the mixture while you are slowly stirring the yolk and juice. Add that back into the sauce pan and turn the heat back up to medium. Bring this back to a boil, add the butter and stir until the butter disolves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Pour the lemon filling into the pie crust. If you are adding the whipped cream, you will want to cool the pie completely, at least one hour, then spread the whipped cream on top before serving. Follow the directions for meringue, below. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Crust:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I use Pillsbury pie crust. It's what I grew up eating and I can't really make it better than that, I've tried and I just like it better. If you like to make your own or want to try a totally from scratch pie, I really good crust recipe is <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/05/pie-crust.html">here</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">To make the crust with no filling is called blind baking. Once you place your crust in the pie pan, bake it in a 450 oven for 10-12 minutes. Make sure you poke holes in the crust, all over, before baking. Or, place some tin foil in the pie pan and add about two cups of rice or dried beans. You can keep the beans/rice in a jar and use them over and over. The foil acts only as a holder for the beans or rice, which give weight to the crust helping it not shrink.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Whipped Cream:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One pint of whipped cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1/4 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 tablespoon vanilla</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Add all to a stand mixture or large bowl. Whip/mix until it is thick and creamy. It should take about three to five minutes. You know it's ready when you lift the whisk or beater out of the cream and it holds a peak.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Meringue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 egg whites </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 pinch cream of tartar </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons sugar </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Spread on filled pie, making sure to cover the edges. Bake in a 400 degree oven until the meringue is golden brown.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-90968337799638281532010-08-01T06:25:00.000-07:002010-08-01T06:25:39.281-07:00Icebox Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdVaom0_RleXe8ZnhQJZrmzkzG0G9duGAExYVLc9_P_cJpZAnkpAMCFHjX4dqeJRCmKVnSf8b3X0dbCH7iUVokEm-feae-PSXYQFDB2nHVXaeiC841wOffK6aiioRHTRw3O3Eza3W-6A/s1600/pie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdVaom0_RleXe8ZnhQJZrmzkzG0G9duGAExYVLc9_P_cJpZAnkpAMCFHjX4dqeJRCmKVnSf8b3X0dbCH7iUVokEm-feae-PSXYQFDB2nHVXaeiC841wOffK6aiioRHTRw3O3Eza3W-6A/s320/pie1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I knew it had been a while since I last posted, but didn't know it had been three months, yikes. Pie. Doesn't that work open the floodgate of memories for you, I know it does for me. I've always been a pie kind of guy, well actually I'm a desserts kind of guy. Cream pies are among my top favorite desserts. As a child my family and I drove my small town to "the big city" of Joplin, MO every Friday night it for dinner and shopping around at the mall. We hardly ever bought anything, just walked around. Dinner was always Wyatt's Cafeteria which was in the mall. My standard meal: chicken fried vealette, cream gravy, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, broccoli, chocolate milk, white roll, and apple pie. This wasn't just an ordinary apple pie though. This apple pie was drenched in this decadent cinnamon sauce and served warm. My favorite part was the crust. Wyatt's is long gone, but my dreams about eating one more slice of that pie are still very present. Sad the cafeteria style restaurant is no more prevalent that it is.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuYagZPEUZnF8Dfa_J242y3GnrZ6ryRY7lSgRb_oGjiZ08VhavMfA4eFT9vVkUwUHkH316bB8DLvMRId7Fmc3dA9NZ-0DPO3_R-C_QiAPo8INfO-FiOrt6SydPLtmLzjW8Dymuw-2svU/s1600/pie3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuYagZPEUZnF8Dfa_J242y3GnrZ6ryRY7lSgRb_oGjiZ08VhavMfA4eFT9vVkUwUHkH316bB8DLvMRId7Fmc3dA9NZ-0DPO3_R-C_QiAPo8INfO-FiOrt6SydPLtmLzjW8Dymuw-2svU/s200/pie3.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
I can't remember when or where I came across the recipe for Icebox pie. All I know is it's the quickest, most simple to prepare, yet full of flavor pie ever. It just screams summertime. It's refreshing, tangy, not too sweet, but sweet enough. The good thing about the recipe list is that you can make it as guilt free as you like. You can get reduced fat sweetened condensed milk, sugar-free cool-whip and reduced sugar juice concentrates now which will help if you need to cut down on calories. I usually go with the full fat version. The other added bonus is that any juice concentrate works just fine. You can even use the frozen daiquiri mixes with great results. When it comes to the crust, I usually go with the Nilla or shortbread pre-made crust because the graham crust is completely expected.<br />
<br />
Here is all you need to make this wonderful pie:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEior7Fl-O9WDKd6wMdopIXm4puo4Qog_Wwiu_6hOT6ysbxWbTszZKUeFF_3kNeoRah8D9e-znKp5ScpzteDreMruqiO_BaglvIjfqVHbNt3BzEPf2fcMrMrbwAds1ynLQ5YT8YH9PRPE3M/s1600/pie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEior7Fl-O9WDKd6wMdopIXm4puo4Qog_Wwiu_6hOT6ysbxWbTszZKUeFF_3kNeoRah8D9e-znKp5ScpzteDreMruqiO_BaglvIjfqVHbNt3BzEPf2fcMrMrbwAds1ynLQ5YT8YH9PRPE3M/s200/pie2.jpg" width="200" /></a>1 16 oz container Whipped Topping (I use Cool-Whip)<br />
1 14 oz can frozen juice concentrate (I used Pink Lemonade for this one)<br />
1 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk<br />
1 ready made Shortbread pie crust.<br />
<br />
In a medium bowl add the milk and concentrate, mix until combined. Add whipped topping and stir until completely combined. You'll need to be careful if your whipped topping is still frozen because it takes a while for it to get incorporated. Who wants lumpy pie? I usually have more filling than I have room, feel free to grab a spoon and eat the remaining filling.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVASlW-tvUAVnBaNmaLvJNfB26w1WIFNumQCfFZTDLZOI7jqaI1J-ljhzySqhRXACpG-gZzRWgysvgTl_npkbuNBl54zwZYd5DTF-s1Vh3hxxVVQRlxpcy7qsUSAE95wSWAIR_3RaAW_8/s1600/pie4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVASlW-tvUAVnBaNmaLvJNfB26w1WIFNumQCfFZTDLZOI7jqaI1J-ljhzySqhRXACpG-gZzRWgysvgTl_npkbuNBl54zwZYd5DTF-s1Vh3hxxVVQRlxpcy7qsUSAE95wSWAIR_3RaAW_8/s200/pie4.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Pour the topping into the prepared crust. Use the little plastic dome as the cover and secure. Place in the freezer at least one hour before, I usually let it set up overnight. Take it out about 30 minutes before ready to serve. I like to use a can of whipped cream and kind of jazz up the top with little dollops around the outside edge.Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-61458253393057552312010-04-09T08:25:00.000-07:002010-04-09T08:25:03.009-07:00Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cceedd; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhySR7vJr_2o0aOdrBGNm1VODd-nQrmKTdwQ8-M0jd70e2sE8afOAwwyjvEOiBnLjPhgKgxvsFIsq3LCPdbdX2XutUAZSQjMa8oAs2eEYmXn56Q-xWBg_kZpg-hBy9kRjvXvBD_BYCQXo/s1600/banana+muffin.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhySR7vJr_2o0aOdrBGNm1VODd-nQrmKTdwQ8-M0jd70e2sE8afOAwwyjvEOiBnLjPhgKgxvsFIsq3LCPdbdX2XutUAZSQjMa8oAs2eEYmXn56Q-xWBg_kZpg-hBy9kRjvXvBD_BYCQXo/s400/banana+muffin.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I love muffins! I can't really put my finger on exactly why, but I love muffins. Mini-muffins, regular, jumbo, even muffin tops...yes, yes, yes, and yes. It probably has to do with my love for cake, which I would rather have over any other dessert. Muffins are universally appreciated, I think, and everyone has their favorite. Blueberry muffins are the rock star of Muffin world. I have a good blueberry muffin recipe that I really like, but don't make often because I seldom have blueberries just lying around and the frozen berries get watery and mushy. Now Bananas...bananas I have lying around and almost invariable have 3-4 that ripen to the point that my kids will walk away from them. This comes in handy because I happen have a good banana bread recipe that uses 3-4 small bananas (equals 1 1/2 cups). I've never made an entire loaf of banana bread with this recipe, only mini-loaves and <a href="http://spoonbyspoon.blogspot.com/2009/03/banana-orange-poppyseed-bread.html">these babies</a> which are really good if you like the flavor or oranges and bananas mixed in.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">For this recipe I fell on my standard banana bread recipe, adding the vanilla glaze and the dark chocolate chips. I think the dark chocolate chips add a great bitter-sweetness to the bread which isn't really that sweet. The glaze really does add that subtle sweet touch that is so good. It was perfect, to my taste, and gave the muffin a shiny and pretty look to it. If you have a mini-loaf pan and want to use it go ahead, if you want to make it in a bread loaf pan, be my guest. The world is your <s>oyster </s> muffin. If you ever wonder where our muffin originated, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffin">here's</a> a pretty interesting little read. Well, even if you haven't it's still pretty interesting.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">1 1/2 cups sugar</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">1/2 cup butter, room temp</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">2 eggs</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">1 1/2 cups banana (about 3-4 medium)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">1/2 cup buttermilk</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">1 tablespoon vanilla</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">2 1/2 cups flour</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">1 teaspoon baking soda (I don't level off)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">1 teaspoon salt</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">8 oz Dark Chocolate Chips (I used Hershey's Special Dark brand)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin compartments with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. This batch made 19 regular size muffins. Remember to add water the the empty compartments of your muffin tin, to keep the oven karma on your side.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">In the Bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and butter. Turn on medium and mix until combined, two-three minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until completely combined. Add bananas, buttermilk, vanilla and beat until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. You could do this by hand, but when you have a stand mixer and a dishwasher...yeah, I know, "why not?"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Fill each muffin compartment 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool five minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. When completely cool, dip in glaze and return to rack. Store in an airtight container. I use a large spring loaded scoop and it fill the compartment perfectly. It's kind of a heaping scoop.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Vanilla Glaze:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">1 cup powdered sugar</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">2 teaspoons vanilla</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">2 Tablespoons milk</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Add milk to a small bowl. Slowly add powdered sugar until thick and smooth. Dip cooled muffin tops in glaze and place on a cooling rack.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Notes:</span></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-style: italic;">I don't mash the bananas, I let my mixer to the work. I just add them somewhat broken up, and I have never had any trouble with the breads not turning out.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-style: italic;">When I dip the breads, I just hold them upside down and dip straight down into the glaze. I will hold the bread over the bowl until it stops dripping then turn upright.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-style: italic;">I put parchment paper under the cooling rack so it will catch the remaining glaze the drips down.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I have a large Pampered Chef spring-loaded scoop that I use to fill the compartments of the loaf pan. It takes two scoops to fill one compartment, I can get exactly 8 mini loaves out of this bat</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-style: italic;">ch.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-style: italic;">Don't have buttermilk? Don't worry. In a liquid measuring cup add 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar, then pour in regular milk to 1/2 cup line, stir and let sit for a minute or two. This will acidulate the milk and make buttermilk. One tablespoon+1 cup milk=1 cup buttermilk.</span></li>
</ul></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-23594460966620180502010-03-10T16:10:00.000-08:002010-03-10T16:10:43.596-08:00Old Country Green Beans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycO6SpjWIHy4qS8xmPE3cKNKwwQdePyJHrtNilF5-JKCmtEFaooH0Vvsw0P8ryxxmHUufAGoMI2B1ffSxhcvGPC4TGoOP_0wlqUZRmzMD2OtPmu4TuDcvSgNGV-2E39BTU3sFbGvxnXs/s1600-h/green+beans+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycO6SpjWIHy4qS8xmPE3cKNKwwQdePyJHrtNilF5-JKCmtEFaooH0Vvsw0P8ryxxmHUufAGoMI2B1ffSxhcvGPC4TGoOP_0wlqUZRmzMD2OtPmu4TuDcvSgNGV-2E39BTU3sFbGvxnXs/s400/green+beans+1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I can remember eating my Grandmother's green beans as a kid and wondering how in the world she was able to get them to taste so delicious. I never found out her secret, other than it involved vinegar, and have wished a thousand times I could eat one more bowl. When Kendra and I got married, which in a matter of days will be 14 years ago, I was given <a href="http://spoonbyspoon.blogspot.com/2008/11/joe-knowssloppy.">this cookbook</a> which has become one of my favorite cookbooks--cherished if you will. In this cookbook I read about a formula for making green beans. While I have added one more ingredient as well as changing up the cooking process and time, it is basically the same recipe as posted in Thelma's cookbook.<br />
<br />
These green beans are simply wonderful. They will take you back to your childhood because they are old fashioned green beans, full of flavor, and as most old fashioned recipes are, full of love. The ingredient list couldn't be more simple: bacon, green beans, pepper. What makes these beans really stand out is the process or steps to cooking the green beans. The length of time also has something to do with it as well. I have never made these green beans and not received a ton of compliments. Usually the conversation goes something like this: "These green beans are divine!" "Thanks, they are pretty good. They remind me of my grandmother's green beans." "I need the recipe." "OK, are you ready?" That's the gist of it.<br />
<br />
There are just a few things to remember to get guaranteed results every time, we'll go over those in the notes section at the end of the recipe. If you remember the formula/ratio, whatever you want to call it you will be just fine and you, too will get a ton of compliments.<br />
<br />
<b>Green Beans</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6EQGsCuaPlEisVwBx7F4aJvrDKLVZaHP0nvHElFJ63Tzok7FyX3DnUz7B9P7Gp2aqkriL7kcYp8RVgo8_GdKxxD0XC5K0g1LyGiiSzo4rQw2mLwuhE3_U8wq-pYhkJvBBa4BqJJaL1w/s1600-h/green+beans+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6EQGsCuaPlEisVwBx7F4aJvrDKLVZaHP0nvHElFJ63Tzok7FyX3DnUz7B9P7Gp2aqkriL7kcYp8RVgo8_GdKxxD0XC5K0g1LyGiiSzo4rQw2mLwuhE3_U8wq-pYhkJvBBa4BqJJaL1w/s200/green+beans+2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>5 (14 oz) cans Green beans<br />
7 strips bacon, diced<br />
1 tablespoon black pepper<br />
<br />
Heat a 3 quart stock pot to medium high heat. Add diced bacon and cook over medium high heat until the bacon is crisp and dark brown. While the bacon is cooking in the pot, open the cans of green beans...DO NOT DRAIN THE JUICE.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9-O24wZOQ27cHzglIyXh1Rvx7zd4s1G-hpavKHfb4KGsb4P3JiU3Ougqcqc40cetBZBDlNVw7TmT1NyC3XbZU82AV8hXti-mJ8Q479sj-KIIR87mVv7FS-JTcKTrTIw335HNJTO_Baw/s1600-h/green+beans+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9-O24wZOQ27cHzglIyXh1Rvx7zd4s1G-hpavKHfb4KGsb4P3JiU3Ougqcqc40cetBZBDlNVw7TmT1NyC3XbZU82AV8hXti-mJ8Q479sj-KIIR87mVv7FS-JTcKTrTIw335HNJTO_Baw/s320/green+beans+3.jpeg" /></a></div>When the bacon has reached the dark brown color, like the photo to the right, pour just the juice from the cans into the stock pot. Be careful because the steam will scald you (lesson learned the hard way). Stir the juice and bacon bits together until the wonderful brown bits are all removed form the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to medium and bring the juice to a rolling boil. Add the drained green beans, black pepper, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for one hour or until ready to serve. Sit back and take the compliments.<br />
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Notes:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>You don't have to make 5 cans of green beans. Again this is a ratio. I usually add one strip of bacon to one can of green beans. If you like a lot of bacon you can do two strips, I find that it gets pretty greasy though.</li>
<li>Cooking the bacon to the point that it is almost burned is key. You want the bacon to be a good crisp, dark brown.</li>
<li>When I'm in a hurry, I will leave the pot on medium high heat and let the beans boil rapidly until I'm ready to serve. </li>
<li>The very top picture of this post is of our dinner last night. I put the beans on first, then the potatoes, and while the mini-meat loaves were cooking (which is a SUPER fast way to cook meatloaf) I let those beans boil away. It took about 25 minutes for the meatloaf to cook and that was a perfect amount of time for the beans to cook.</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-27636087759158705382010-03-02T12:16:00.000-08:002010-03-02T12:16:02.276-08:00Pecan Bars<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWyY2KYfXkXL6T9hf_XKJL29G329K9PWwM6UxzNkIPFEzy2Amrk9XMOe2AXLQnpzoPLBW-FTGgWAZT2AoIVgOsSRtJJSVMFWfQ25Wv7mIn6b-syM1V9otwOCcR4p2TWJPJI09nTz1C7k/s1600-h/Pecan+bars.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWyY2KYfXkXL6T9hf_XKJL29G329K9PWwM6UxzNkIPFEzy2Amrk9XMOe2AXLQnpzoPLBW-FTGgWAZT2AoIVgOsSRtJJSVMFWfQ25Wv7mIn6b-syM1V9otwOCcR4p2TWJPJI09nTz1C7k/s400/Pecan+bars.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div>My catering life has come back to haunt me this month with three events in one month! Fortunately for me I enjoy all aspects of catering, with exception to the clean up, especially building the menu. Tracking down recipes for menus is such fun, I really enjoy it. Over the years I have come to learn what goes with what and what will keep, etc. It just kind of comes to you after you do it for a while. The evolution of this love for cooking has brought me to discover ways to make things simple and yet very tasty at the same time which was not always the case for me. Kendra and I once made chocolate Truffles for valentines day and sold almost 1,000 of those suckers! I still do not want to see a chocolate truffle and it's been almost 7 years!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Today I had the privilege of making desserts for the area minister's luncheon at church. I was asked to bring cookies, different types of cookies. I knew immediately that I was going to make <a href="http://spoonbyspoon.blogspot.com/2009/03/triple-chocolate-toffee-chip-cookies.html">these cookies</a>. I wasn't really keen on baking two other batches of cookies, so I decided on bar cookies instead. Much easier and just as good. I made Dolce Bars, which the recipe will be coming soon it's on my list--promise, for those who don't like chocolate or nuts, but do have a sweet tooth. These bars are topped with a browned butter frosting that is just to die for. I would eat cardboard if it had this frosting atop it. I've always had in my head: something chocolate, something not, something nutty, something not as a rule of thumb for catering to groups. The dolce bars helped mark two of those off the list. So what about something nutty? Pecans. Yes. That's nutty and universally popular with every nut lover I know. But that led to the problem. I'm not very proficient at making pecan bars and believe me I've tried. Today. Today is the day that I can safely say I no longer have no pecan bar in my arsenal because I have these.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">These pecan bars couldn't be any easier and I would challenge anyone to find one that tasted better, as arrogant as that sounds. They hit all the nerves that a pecan bar should hit being buttery, gooey, nutty, somewhat salty, somewhat sweet, and delicious. The ingredient list is short and the preparation is perfect for beginning cooks or children who are wanting to learn how to cook. I hope you agree that these are great, too.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><i>Pecan Bars</i></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><u>Crust:</u></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">One box Yellow Cake mix</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">1 stick butter </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">1 egg</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><u>Filling:</u></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><u><br />
</u></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">3/4 cup finely chopped pecans</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">One can sweetened condensed milk</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">1 tablespoon vanilla</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">One bag toffee bits (readily available in most stores by they chocolate chips)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">One egg</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 15x10 jellyroll pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray very generously, set aside.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">In a medium bowl, add ingredients for crust mixture and stir to combine. No need for a mixer a wooden spoon will do just fine. When well combined dollop onto the jelly roll pan and press to cover the pan. Buttering your fingers or dipping in water will help your fingers not stick to the dough. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">In another medium bowl (or rinse out the one you just used) combine all the ingredients for the filling making sure to combine them well. Pour over the crust mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool before slicing. You can dust with powdered sugar if you want but I didn't. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Note: I think I'm going to try these in a somewhat smaller size pan, not that they are bad as they are, but to see how the crust/filling turns out thicker. I also think these would be unbelievable made in a mini-muffin pan like you would make pecan tassies. </span></span></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-38708623110170981852010-02-12T07:49:00.000-08:002010-02-12T07:49:58.607-08:00MeatballsHave you ever had a craving for something from your childhood, or not so recent past, and gone on a quest to discover that same taste? It happens to me all the time and most recently involved some meatballs I ate as a child that came back from my past with a powerful craving. As a child I ate these mostly at church suppers, but the flavor is something that stuck with me. There are a couple of sites I trust on the net, of course I had 250 cookbooks at home that I could rummage through, the net is usually faster. I remembered reading a recipe on the <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/print-recipe/29549/#sizeFP">Pioneer Woman's blog</a> about barbecue meatballs and thought they looked similar. I also know about porcupine meatballs which involve rice, that was not my goal. I would up going back to Pioneer Woman and using recipe as the base from which I created my recipe. With fingers crossed I set out to make them, and happily discovered a great old friend.<br />
I guess before I go any further I should warn you that these aren't the type of meatballs you would put over pasta, or in a pasta sauce. They aren't <i>that</i> kind of meatball. It would be better for you to think of these as teeny tiny meatloaves in a savory, tangy, sweet sauce. I think they should be served with scrumptious mashed potatoes and green beans, and some great french or garlic bread, but you could do whatever you feel like doing. We take a lot of food to friends who are in need, and I think I'm going to keep these babies up my sleeve and pull them out when called upon to take food to a friend in need.<br />
The hardest thing about these is browning them in the skillet before you put them in the pan, for real. Unless, of course, if you have a problem touching raw meat, then it will be a little yucky and painful for a while. I use our stand mixer to whip the meat mixture into shape, then I go in with an ice cream scoop to make the round shapes. I have to do that or I would not have uniform meatballs, it's just me. I found that setting up a station in which I scooped the meat, rolled in flour then placed in the pan to brown, followed by placing them in the 9x13 worked great. It kept the mess to a minimum. These can be made the night before, placed in the fridge and baked the next day...if time is something that isn't always on your side.<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Meatballs:</u></i></b><br />
2 pounds ground beef (or any combination of ground meat you like)<br />
1 cup rolled oats<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1/2 onion, finely chopped (pulverize it)<br />
2 cloves of garlic minced<br />
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt ( I used <a href="http://www.janeskrazy.com/">Jane's Krazy Mixed UP salt</a>)<br />
2 teaspoons black pepper<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 cup flour (for dredging)<br />
<br />
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the hook attachment, add all ingredients and mix on low speed until combined, then on medium for 3-4 minutes until smooth and combined. Using a large spring loaded scoop, scoop meat and roll into round balls, roll in flour and place on a cookie sheet. Continue scooping and rolling until all the meat has been used.<br />
<br />
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil. Add meatballs and brown on all sides, no need to cook all the way through. Place browned meatballs in a 9x13 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.<br />
<br />
<b><u><i>Sauce:</i></u></b><br />
2 cups ketchup<br />
4 Tablespoons sugar<br />
4 Tablespoons brown sugar<br />
6 Tablespoons vinegar<br />
4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce<br />
1/2 onion, very finely chopped<br />
1 tablespoon pepper.<br />
<br />
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until combined.<br />
<br />
Pour sauce over meatballs, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350 over for 30-45 minutes.<br />
<br />
No photographs, sorry.Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-10681518941544084212010-02-04T08:58:00.001-08:002011-01-06T07:00:20.299-08:00Bow Tie Chicken<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9JoA5VNBvcVsslDf_II1wUOaKwoA9OXf7KgunVSuYsMXwiEt7sjl3pdFOqkRvEiYt8ezmWPtVlIKoA71spLQnHWNxcYsNE8vxPqHz2mCvZOMO0H_qJ3SU1y29Ma9mSTn7YWpgnlQFbs/s1600-h/bowtie+3.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434435827243380466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9JoA5VNBvcVsslDf_II1wUOaKwoA9OXf7KgunVSuYsMXwiEt7sjl3pdFOqkRvEiYt8ezmWPtVlIKoA71spLQnHWNxcYsNE8vxPqHz2mCvZOMO0H_qJ3SU1y29Ma9mSTn7YWpgnlQFbs/s400/bowtie+3.jpeg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I love to cook and sadly don't really have a lot of time to get in the kitchen and cook up main dishes. My wonderful wife is the main, "hash slinger" in our family and does a great job with our family meals. We try to eat dinner between 5:00-5:30 every night, giving us plenty of time to get our three babies (7, 4, & 3 years old) ready for bed by 7:30-8:00pm. Sitting around our dinner table as a family every night is very important to us and we guard that time and hold it dear to our hearts. Our recent snow and ice events gave me an opportunity to give my wife a much appreciated break from dinner preparations. To my surprise my family loved every singe one of the dinners I prepared--everyone! Naturally I was excited, so I'll be sharing the recipes with you and hoping for your success, too. Trust me, I don't usually have that much luck because our children are picky eaters, but I hit a home run with Chicken and bow ties.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This dish is very comforting and creamy, reminding me of chicken and noodles--only much easier. I would say the star of the show is the creamy cheese sauce. The ingredients are easily kept in your pantry, and usually things most people have on hand. There were no leftovers with this, which is a sure sign of it's success, right? Prep was a snap, I made this in a large skillet and used another pot to boil the pasta, however you could easily make this a one pot meal, using your dutch oven or large stock pot. I'll have the suggestions for that in the notes section at the bottom. Additionally you are free to add and change up the veggies, really the possibilities are endless with what you can do. Let's get started.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555;"></span><br />
<div class="rcpdetail" id="ingredients" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;"><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">4</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> skinned and boned chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">16 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 cup chicken broth</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 celery rib, chopped (about 1/2 cup)</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 clove of garlic, crushed</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Salt and pepper to taste (probably about 1 tsp. salt for our taste; and 1T. pepper)</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 medium carrot, chopped (about 1/2 cup)</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup</span></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 (8-ounce) package pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed</span></span></li>
</ul></div><div class="rcpdetail" id="preparation" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;"><h2 style="font-weight: normal; font: normal normal normal 18px/normal Georgia, serif; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Preparation</span></span></h2><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bring 1 quart salted water to a boil in a large pot. In the meantime get a large skillet up to medium heat. Add pasta to water 8-10 minutes or until tender; drain. Keep warm.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in the skillet; add celery, carrot, and onion, and cook 5 minutes or until tender, add garlic and diced chicken, cooking until the chicken is cooked, should take about 7-8 minutes. Stir in soup, cheese, and cup chicken broth, stirring until cheese is melted. Toss with pasta; garnish, if desired. Serve immediately.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Notes:</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To make this a one-pot dish. Boil your pasta in a large dutch oven (you can add the chicken, too if you want) until done, then drain and set aside. Using the same pot, add the butter, oil, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender and clear. Add your broth, soup, and cheese, stirring until the cheese melts, then stir in the pasta and chicken.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The amount of vegetables you could add to this is unending. I would love to add mushrooms and frozen peas next time.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I'm also thinking that I might cook a few slices of diced bacon to the skillet, set aside then skip the butter and oil, and cook my chicken and veggies in the bacon fat, using the bacon bits as a topping. How good does that sound?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A side salad would be the only company that this dish needs, we skipped that and just ate garlic bread. The sauce loves to jump on bread! It's really good.</span></li>
</ul></div><br />
<div><br />
</div></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-5711394489976101692009-12-31T06:04:00.000-08:002009-12-31T07:24:36.676-08:00Cheeseball<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY4Pr4IbtiQg02qQPhPHmRL83WZNwKLutWdNxAQqNef28EFOzROT1469HAv8NHdNekRofOfgs-Si1ie84MtXXeLZlmgzQOp9jyxlO7E2YClxfDXKKbtv9tXLEmuYWxW-Dz07npWqtGyM/s1600-h/Cheeseball8"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421405300511578210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY4Pr4IbtiQg02qQPhPHmRL83WZNwKLutWdNxAQqNef28EFOzROT1469HAv8NHdNekRofOfgs-Si1ie84MtXXeLZlmgzQOp9jyxlO7E2YClxfDXKKbtv9tXLEmuYWxW-Dz07npWqtGyM/s400/Cheeseball8" border="0" /></a> The cheese ball is something that you either love or hate. I know of few people who kind of like cheese balls, but I do not doubt that such an animal exists. I've made this cheese ball for over 10 years and count on this humble party food staple to stretch my snack table without breaking the bank. The flavor is creamy and savory with the added benefit of chopped pecans that enrobe the pale yellow delight. I like this served with crackers, pretzels, pita chips, or bagel bites. I've even seen some folks put this on an apple and eat it, but don't count on me to confirm whether or not this cheese ball is good on an apple! Let's get started and we'll talk about some really cool and different ways to present this cheese ball. Well, ok, you can use my ideas for your cheese ball recipe if you want--I guess.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421404657865632690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYADuj1Dk1pqnFByrc62DOG2jEsoVPRB6UCExTAZ0L-P6RxUH4co4mu5NS8FTgRkqM8JpxocdqmnY93KgZ9YTY5pMRjnPlaehjPMK3pVWjKCCPNQ0_6S1GQ9dz-J4XjtF0CrN4IXE4eEs/s400/Cheeseball1" border="0" />Here's what you will need to pull this thin off, the ingredient list is super easy:</div><br /><div>16 oz. Cream Cheese</div><br /><div>16 oz. Cheddar Cheese (I usually use a cheese blend)</div><br /><div>One onion</div><br /><div>1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce</div><br /><div>1 teaspoon seasoned salt</div><br /><div>1/2 cup chopped pecans</div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421406946125092834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4yW7fSlntMBiiHpzNJ0uPAc0SGTSqgyEl87_bwfkRiV53ypytWvfkMLUj95YSih0TC6nXk0-NCU6X9fbeURZ2UhGAm_1cj2bvOwP1zPuTqkBXfwV3u1yp1T6L971K1YRrUVP24C6ppk/s400/Cheeseball2" border="0" /><br /><div></div>Rough chop the onion and place it in the bowl of a food processor. Add one block of the cream cheese and seasoned salt. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and combined. You do not have to have a food processor to make this cheese ball. I like to use a food processor because it really gets the onion minced up. If you don't have a food processor I would suggest that you either grate the onion, or chop the dickens out of the onions to make them super minced and mushy. Your goal is to have a creamy and smooth mouth feel. </div><div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421404671498529346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNJPFYKT6rHmVaES-aXogXkMxyonN_V2OBW9oFjFvlvfNieaVSQyjU7GEhxomMy30EvOHUttm9G2S-kWoTnfrFSIoANzktlhk-oLs4o5OHYpta-ET9eMhvPWSTj3297bbXp_VA4hMAlA/s400/Cheeseball3" border="0" /><br /><div>After you have pulsed the onion, half of the cream cheese, and seasoned salt together, go ahead and add in the Worcestershire sauce and give it another pulse. This is what gives the mixture it's pale yellowish brown appearance. Once you have pulsed together these four ingredients, dump it into a large bowl, we will have to go manual from here on out.</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421404673952948178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSb8z8R4cpzZfsiWhyYg8jQA2TqMEyIk3KME5n7374XyYxgFhhFykN0MBRRR_eTsVDCsnfRdfI3jS1T2oeE2pusW8MkLgu5gS8c703WYuo6dM7xowma2O_MzO0Q93neOI4_mb_XblBO6g/s400/Cheeseball4" border="0" />This set of Pyrex mixing bowls is close to my heart. I'm writing this post from my Mom's house in Missouri, which explains the better quality of my cell phone photographs because she has fluorescent lighting. Anyway, these bowls have been with me my entire cooking life. I learned to cook using these, and many other tools that Mom still has. We won't talk about the can of cloves that she has in her spice cabinet that has a date stamp of 1972!</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421404677432894962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipI0o0_rGPrs-baRI_Uoq1IUO90aIltu3y-GGPWDL3x54svx6H5bsJ7BJhUBH4geP-rJdkJ0T8-PNK4bG-2TOBUWzLFhLpR6QOJ6N0ueyx92ZgNM3qGBYSBemCoX9K-k9C-UnOQEmPrI/s400/Cheeseball5" border="0" /></div><div>So, after your little trip down memory lane. Dump the mixture you've pulsed into the sentimental Pyrex mixing bowl (that mushroom design is really ugly, what were they thinking?) and add the other 8 oz. of cream cheese and the grated cheese blend. Get busy with a sturdy spoon of silicone spatula and mix until the cream cheese is completely combined and smooth. If you food processor bowl is large, you can do this step in that bowl. Mom's is only a 2-cup processor.</div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421405148735575266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe9CqXzd7NUZH1fM7BSmjpeJ1KF6xJWMLzPEOOFoDY0Ccmks9muk9GSgxgS4LGw5V-svwGKBMtzTHi9i30sqW_ipOxsPb8Oot6-VsbZ7QkFQlxmLZYscDVkdODsJCOuJKELpVlxKSTvI/s400/Cheeseball6" border="0" />If you like to get your hands dirty and want to skip this next step feel free. Who am I to judge. I like to get a small bowl and place some plastic wrap in the bowl, then dump the mixture into the bowl so I can form the cheese ball into...well a ball shape. It's really much easier to me.</div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421405153799665362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zsqEZ7m-uUAtXiRuhn5Fx7T8DwBlWDbZldQD0GWkxvzkBAH1nk-ysUqcrZc3bv479621Gfr_gNHvxhN-5pG5tRz_gHu4jk2rW82t_FM2Gp03-Ewe0VjxqhsHDt4ju4JaO3kTo6azadM/s400/Cheeseball7" border="0" /><br />This is what the mixture looks like when you get it into the bowl. Just fold over the plastic wrap and press lightly to form the cheese ball into a dome shape. From this point you can place the bowl in the fridge and keep it until ready to use, or you can peel off the plastic wrap and flip the cheese ball onto a plate, peeling the plastic wrap off. Use that spatula or spoon to smooth over the rough places. Press in the chopped pecans.</div><div></div><div>This cheese ball is really at it's best flavor once is has a few hours to recover and pull itself together. The Worcestershire sauce and onion really love each other and come to the flavor party big time, they are somewhat cocky and try to take over, but never fear the cheese is the true star of this show.</div><div></div><div>Ok, now for the ideas I promised:</div><ul><li>You can roll this cheese ball in other things. You could use sliced almonds and "tile" your cheese ball, which would be really sharp. Paprika or parsley are other toppings that make this cheese ball really delicious.</li><li>Place your plastic wrap on the counter, and lay the mixture out in a log. Roll the plastic wrap up around the cheese ball. Using your hands shape the cheese log into it's long log form. Then roll in whichever topping you wish to use.</li><li>This doesn't have to be a cheese ball at all! Mix the chopped pecans into the mixture and place the entire mixture into a container with a tight fitting lid and you have a super spread that you can pull out for a snack, or super casual card or game party. This will keep for a week or more (it won't last that long, trust me.)</li><li>Substitute hot sauce for the Worcestershire sauce and everything changes. This mild mannered little cheese ball becomes a super spicy whippersnapper.</li><li>Finally, here's the best idea. Cheese ball pops! Use a spring loaded scoop, and drop the mixture onto a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Chill for 30 minutes to let the cheese pops set up, then remove from the fridge and roll in pecans or the afor mentioned toppings. Finally poke in a pretzel stick and viola you have a cheese ball pop. Place these on your serving platter. This idea is really cool, because it takes the humble cheese ball to a whole new level and totally impresses your guests.</li></ul><p>Give this yummy, yummy treat a try I think you'll agree its super good.<br /><br /><br /><br /></p><div></div></div></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272790542740675456.post-13905399538460047882009-12-21T07:26:00.001-08:002009-12-21T08:02:31.102-08:00THE Holiday Cookie aka. NICU cookies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.landolakes.com/images/recipes/7730B_l.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.landolakes.com/images/recipes/7730B_l.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div>Have you ever taken a bite of something and immediately known that, "this" would be in your life forever? I have to say that after one bite of this cookie, almost 15 years ago, I knew I would love this cookie forever. Our friend, Donna Layton, makes these every holiday and has forever. They are soft, buttery, fruity, and just delicious.</div><div><br /></div><div>My daughter, Emma, was born premature (29 weeks) and spent 42 days in the NICU of St. Francis here in Tulsa. She was born November 30th, which meant a different kind of Christmas for my family that year. The staff was amazing and touched us in a way that is still fresh in our hearts to this day. I'm not sure we will ever be able to repay the love and appreciation we have for their care of our daughter. One expression of our gratitude was a batch of Raspberry Thumbprints I made and took in a Red toile tin. Dr. Anderson, Emma's Neonatologist, just happen to love these cookies as it reminded him of his home, "up North." And so began my commitment to the staff that the red tin would always be full of cookies for them. Kendra or I one would bring that tin home, empty, and take it back full. We made double batches (7 dozen total) of these cookies every three or four days for 42 days. Everyone knew what that red tin meant when they walked into the break room. We took that same tin back at Emma's one and two year "anniversary" of her dismissal and plan to do the same for this her, third, anniversary (coming up in February).</div><div><br /></div><div>For the dramatic and beautiful end result, there really isn't an easier cookie to make. Five ingredients in the dough, some jam, and a glaze is all that comes to this cookie party. There are really two stars that shine in this cookie, butter and almond extract. The cookie dough is really a shortbread that is light and buttery. The almond extract is there, not obnoxious or showy, but does indeed make itself known. As far as jam, the world is your oyster. I've used seedless blackberry, red raspberry, raspberry, and apricot, but you could use any kind of jam you love. I think the hardest thing for me is making the perfect indention for the jam to rest in while baking. I have a coffee scoop that is dome shaped, and it works like a charm, so that is what I use. Consistency is the key. Also, trust the timer on this cookie, because the will not brown, at most on the very outer edge if at all, they just burn.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Thumbprints</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>1 Cup butter, room temp</div><div>2/3 cup sugar</div><div>1/2 teaspoon almond extract</div><div>1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</div><div>2 cups flour</div><div>Jam (maybe a 1/2 cup)<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and butter. Mix on medium speed 3-5 minutes or until light and airy. Add extracts and flour. Mix until just combined. Using a small spring loaded cookie scoop, place balls of dough on cookie sheets (2 inches apart). Make an indention with your thumb and add 1/4 teaspoon of jam to each indention.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bake for 14-18 minutes. Remove from pan and let rest on cookie sheet for one or two minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Drizzle with the following glaze.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Glaze</i></b></div><div>1 cup Powdered Sugar</div><div>1 tablespoon milk</div><div>1 teaspoon Almond extract</div><div><br /></div><div>In a medium bowl add powdered sugar, milk, and extract, whisk until smooth. Add drops of water or milk to thin to your specific taste.</div><div><br /></div><div>NOTES:</div><div><ul><li>If you want the cookie, end product, to be smooth you can roll the dough in your hands to kind of knock out the scoop marks. It is pretty, but a step I can afford to live without, trust me rolling almost 100 dough balls is not my idea of fun.</li><li>The indention is tricky. Too shallow and the jam spills over the side, too deep and it ruptures out the bottom. My trick is to push just until the dough spreads, you want the indention to be about the depth of a 1/2 teaspoon and no more.</li><li>When the cookies come out of the oven, let them rest. You will not be able to transfer them to a cooling rack immediately out of the oven because they will fall apart, trust the voice of frustrated experience. </li><li>I use two cookie sheets and alternate. It gives each sheet time to cool down before you drop more dough on the sheets. The dough is delicate and will start to melt while you are filling with jam.</li><li>I use one of my daughters old baby spoons to fill--it's perfect!</li><li>I've made these cookies bigger and don't really love the end result. </li><li>The glaze is good on a flip flop. Seriously, it's just a wonderful glaze that is pure white and smooth, it hardens to a shiny bright beautiful result.</li></ul></div>Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047136514096167724noreply@blogger.com0