Bonnie the Baker

We've Moved

2010-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, Bonnie the Baker has moved. We are very excited about this new site, and would love to have you update your RSS, your bookmarks, or whatever else you used to find this site to the new site!

www.bonniethebaker.com

Can't wait to see you at the new place!

Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

2010-01-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

Oxymoron? I think not. First of all, if you haven't met my mom. Do so. She has a little blog that she updates from time to time and I must let you know that when she writes, you wont want to miss it. She is a librarian, an ex-english teacher. She belonged was a Kappa Kappa Gamma in college, she wore red shoes when I was growing up. She schools me in the kitchen every time. Her french fries are amazing, but they don't hold a candle to her chocolate cake. And that chocolate cake is in a tight race with her hot chocolate. And because I live in a summer all year round climate, I went ahead and made her hot chocolate into ice cream. This is Mom's Hot Chocolate Ice Cream. Trust me. It's different than regular chocolate, and it's creamy, and if it melts, then heat it and it's like your'e drinking a bit of my childhood.

And friends, this would be the perfect addition to my Vanilla Bean Cake. And that's that. Like my mom, this post is better left to be experienced. Please enjoy, and enjoy fully. What color shoes are you wearing? It makes a difference when you eat ice cream, I promise.

Pass the marshmallows please.

Mom's Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 egg yolks

Place heavy cream, milk and brown sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Heat while stirring continuously until sugar has dissolved completely. Pour coco powder in mixture and whisk briskly until all powder is not mixed into milk, cream and sugar mixture. Mixture will turn brown. Remove from heat, and whisky in egg yolks at a very rapid pace. The egg yolks should be poured into pan at a slow and steady stream, taking time to mix well. If you need to break up the mixing, go ahead, it's worth it otherwise you will get eggs in your ice cream. Place back on heat and let small bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat and let cool by placing mixture into bowl and put that bowl over ice. Once cooled to room temperature, pour into ice cream maker that has been frozen according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Cake

2010-01-24T20:29:00.000-08:00

The smell of vanilla is one of my favorites. Real vanilla. Vanilla tea on a Saturday afternoon. Vanilla lotion after getting out of the shower. Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. Vanilla bean creme brulee. Some people don't like vanilla and I am very aware of that. They think it's too plain, or they like to eat it but not use it as lotion. They like the idea of vanilla, but they don't really love the reality of it. And this, my friends is the very reason I find vanilla to be perfect. I have people I know that don't really like me. Or they like me for some things, and not others. I am too plain, around too often, too versatile, or just too vanilla. And that's ok with me. Because not everything can be fancy. Not everything can be liked by everyone. Not me, not you, not vanilla.

But let's be clear. People that love vanilla are tried and true. And bakers. Bakers and cooks love vanilla. They appreciate the black specks of the vanilla bean that declares its authenticity. They realize and take note of vanilla's versatility. They see vanilla's potential to mix and mingle with a variety of flavors, yet they understand and accept it's raw, pure beauty. And it's these people that do the same things in us. They love us. Accept us. And help us by adding this and that, yet they let us just be ourselves. Vanilla, you and me are so much alike. Let's always be together.

Vanilla Bean Cake
{sometimes I like to google recipes and then just choose one and see how it turns out. I did just this for this vanilla bean cake, and here is the source that this version is adapted from.}

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
8 ounces butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean split, seeds scraped
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk

Place flour, baking power and salt together in a small bowl and set aside. Mix together butter and sugar until well combined. Add vanilla bean seeds that have been scraped and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Add dry ingredients in small doses until all mixed together, but only barely mixed. Do not over-mix. Butter and flour bunt pan (or round pans, but ins't vanilla bean perfect for a bunt pan?). Pour into bunt pan and drop filled pan lightly on counter top to level cake batter. Place oven rack on the middle shelf, and place cake into preheated 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes until fork inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan and then transfer to cooling rack. It must be cool before frosting.

Buttercream (kind of) Frosting

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 bag of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of milk (if that)

Melt butter and pour into mixing bowl with powdered sugar. Mix on medium high speed, slowly adding milk until desired texture is reached. If you want a full-frosted cake, then only add a small amount of milk. If you want a drizzled cake, then add more milk, etc. And done.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

2010-01-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

It's been 9 days since my last blog post. 9 days. That's eternity in delicious food land. Because if I'm not posting, then I'm not cooking. Instead, here are 9 things that happened in the past 9 days:

1. Good friends of ours were in Haiti when the earthquake hit. They had to leave their behind son whom they have been trying to adopt for 2.5 years from Heartline Ministries in Haiti. They have been fighting on behalf of all orphans to get them home to the United States.
2. I was diagnosed with Mono.
3. My horrible headaches that I have had for a month now, still no diagnosis. But I've been to three different doctors, and another one will be hit this week.
4.My best friend Shey came into town and we had a restful, lazy, blast.
5. It dawned on me that we are moving to sweet Old Town Orange in 12 days. 12 days and only 5 boxes packed. Yikes.
6. I realized that I am addicted to sweets.
7. I went through about 6 different shades of hair color that I wanted to change to. I settled on the cheap way out, which is keeping it the same.
8. I've watched more TV, movies, and slept more in the past week than I have in maybe the past three months. Which, is probably why I now have mono.
9. I survived the rain in Southern California.

And so, it was these mixed emotions of sadness and grief, hope, fatigue, and standstill that fueled my decision to make this ice cream. It's comforting, it's delicious, my husband requested for a more "regular" flavor, and so, comfort food does the trick. I cheated and purchased the cookie dough instead of making it. In my defense, it's the Mono's fault and I chose Simply by Pillsbury. Have you had it? It's delicious, and no High Fructose Corn Syrup or Trans Fat. I'm a sucker for marketing, and this time it paid off, I really loved it. Just cut those up and put them in the ice cream at the end of the churning cycle. This is easy, and doesn't take 9 days to make. It may take you 9 days to eat, but if you live in our house it will take you 3.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

1 cup Heavy Cream
3 cups Whole Milk
5 egg yolks
1/3 and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 package chocolate chip cookie dough

Place Heavy Cream, Whole Milk, and sugar into large saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are mixed well. Briskly whisk in egg yolks by pouring them slowly from a small bowl into the pan. It will help to remove pan from heat while you do this. Add in vanilla extract. Place sauce pan in fridge until cooled to room temperature. Pour into ice cream maker that has been frozen according to manufacturer's instructions. Cut cookie dough in pieces you think are appropriate ( I like a few large chunks here and there) and fold into finished ice cream. Serve immediately or store in airtight container in freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Roasted Corn Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Salsa Swirl

2010-01-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

I do really believe that most anything delicious is even more delicious when frozen and churned to perfection with heavy cream and sugar. This ice cream, well, is no exception. Although I have learned something about gourmet flavors: a little goes a long way. People love bowls and bowls of vanilla ice cream. Not you? Must just be me. But when it comes to unique flavors, I think small doses really does the trick. You want your guests to appreciate the flavor. Enjoy the richness of the dessert. I mean after all, dessert should be rich. Savory. And enjoyed. So here's to a unique flavor made in a small batch so your guests will come back next time expecting something even more outrageous and delicious.

Oh, yes. I forgot to mention where I got this crazy idea. Being a Foodbuzz Featured Publishers means you can be a part of their Tastemaker's program and opt in for samples from companies to come up with interesting recipes. This month it was Pace Picante Sauce to make a great Super Bowl dish. There are so many salty things at Super Bowl parties, I want to throw a little sweet curve ball in the mix. So I mixed an entire jar of Pace Picante medium salsa (choose your desired spice level accordingly) with about 1 tablespoon of Cayenne Pepper (again, your taste buds will be the judge here) and an entire bar of dark chocolate. Melt this all together over medium heat, and you have yourself a rich, spicy, dark chocolate sauce that has an after bite that hits you in the back of your throat. And does so just in time for the creamy Roasted Corn Ice Cream to sooth the spice.

Sounds crazy right? It might be. But it. is. good. My husband suggested to dip chips it. Might be too far. I am gong to suggest to serve it on it's own, or maybe another addition like churros for garnish. I'm going to make that this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, give this a try. It's fun, easy, and will make your Super Bowl servings stand out from the rest of the block.

Roasted Corn Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Salsa Swirl (Makes 1/2 quart)

1 ear of corn
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 jar Pace Picante Salsa (your choice on spice level)
1 tablespoon Cayenne Pepper (optional)
1 bar 70% Dark Chocolate

Cover ear of corn with butter, so that it looks like you have put frosting on the ear of corn. Roll buttered corn in brown sugar. Place buttered, brown sugar ear of corn on to baking sheet and place in 350 degree preheated oven for 14 minutes, rolling the ear of corn around in melted butter and brown sugar half way through heating time. Remove and let cool, set aside. Heat milk, heavy cream, and sugar in saucepan over medium-low heat until small bubbles form around the edge of pan. Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolks. Be sure to whisk fast and pour in egg yolks in small doses, otherwise you will end up with scrambled eggs. Once egg yolks are mixed in, place back over heat. But corn kernels off the cool cob, and place kernels into milk mixture. Continue to heat over medium to low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and place entire saucepan into freezer for quick cooling, about 1 hour. Take mixture out of freezer, and stir to mix up ice formations that may have formed on top. Pour cooled mixture into ice cream freezer bowl that has been frozen according to manufacturer's instructions. Churn full cycle, usually about 30 minutes. While churning, pour the Pace Picante salsa into saucepan over medium heat and add Cayenne Pepper according to your desire. Break up dark chocolate and place into heated salsa. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted completely. Taste and add more spice if you so desire. Remove from heat and leave in saucepan until churn cycle of ice cream is completed. Remove ice cream from freezer bowl and place in layers into small airtight container. Place a medium to thin layer of ice cream on bottom, followed by the cooled salsa chocolate sauce on top. Repeat with layers, ending with ice cream. You may have extra sauce, depending on how much spice and chocolate you want in your ice cream. IF you do, keep it and use it as a cooking sauce for a chicken dish, or in burritos. I'm telling you, it's yummy! Serve immediately or place in freezer and serve when ready! Enjoy!

Yogurt Parfait and Other Delicious Snacks

2010-01-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

Do you remember that magazine Highlights? And there were always those pages where you had to find the hidden things in the picture? Well let's play a round of that game. You find: cheese. In this photo. See it yet?

How about now? If you say now, I'll know your lying, because I only added maple syrup. Wait, maple syrup? Cheese? Blueberries? Welcome friends to my taste buds. Before I go further, let me please tell you that I am fully aware that this hardly constitutes as "baking", but more on that later. You see, this yogurt parfait is my to-die-for favorite snack: Greek style Cheese Yogurt, blueberries, and maple syrup. I have this every single day. Not joking. Sometimes, I have multiple servings and call it lunch. Take my word for it. The cheese and maple taste like a birthday party. Seriously, trust me on this one.

Do you know what else is to die for? Biscuits. I wish that I could tell you I made these. But I'm too hungry to make the dough, so I got these from Trader Joes. And yes, that thick coating of white is butter. Pure butter. Not to worry though, I used Rice Milk instead of Whole Milk in my coffee today to try and break even with the calories. But then I had three of these biscuits, so I failed in my efforts. Have you had biscuits recently? I care about your sanity. Have one.

Why, oh why am I writing about things that anyone can make and that are random combinations? Because this is how I come up with ice cream flavors. If it's good normal, then why would it not be good wrapped up in heavy cream and sugar?

Enlighten me. What is your favorite snack, meal, breakfast, spice? Let's collaborate here and come up with some new flavors. I'm dying to make the two above, because then I can have my snacks in dessert form. If you suggest it, I'll try and make it. Let's roll.

Olive Oil Ice Cream with Balsamic Strawberries

2010-01-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

I'm going let you in on something my mother and I discussed this past Christmas vacation: the not-so-classy girl of 2009, soon to be 2010. Call us old fashioned but whatever happened to having a sweet disposition? Ever notice that now-a-days if you like vintage style clothes, vintage dressers or hair pins then it's a "style", it's not how you are. Well, it's how I am. It's how my mom is. It's how my best friend Stephanie is, and we are proud of it. We like sweet. We like vintage items, and our tastes are here to stay. Its 2010, and time to show the world just how classy we women can be. Just how sweet. I'm not saying you have like vintage things to be sweet. For we all know that being sweet comes from inside, not out. But here's a good challenge. Instead of just focusing on ways we can change, improve, and become better fit into 2010, let's think about the parts of us that we want to keep. The things we like. That contribute to society. That encourage love and maintain peace with conviction. Let's work on those things, too. I have a sinking suspicion that if I did this, I would be so much less discouraged when I didn't change right away, and I would love myself just a bit more.

And speaking of women who have come before us, Deb must have been one of those. This is her saucer that this Olive Oil Ice Cream is in. {I promise I'll get to the ice cream} I wonder where she lived. What she did. What she loved, what made her laugh, when she cried, and if she liked ice cream. I also wonder how she would feel that her saucer was sold to a humble baker in Orange County, California. I doubt that that price reflects the memories that are wrapped up in that saucer, which is why I intend to keep the tag on. I want Deb to know that this saucer is just as much hers as it is now mine.

Nice job, Deb cause look at how cute those feet are! And mom, kudos to you, you picked this out, and knew I would love it. And frankly, I think that an elephant foot saucer is the perfect thing to put something as decadent as olive oil into. I love olive oil. And I hope that Deb would too. This ice cream is a bit like my love for vintage things. It feels like something new, yet has an old, familiar almost regal flavor. It's unique, and part of you wants to tell everyone the name of the shop you got it and the other half wants to keep it to yourself, serving it in small portions, wistfully waving your hand when people ask where you got this recipe. You don't know, it was just "something you had in your recipe book." Go ahead, say it. I wont care. Shhh, I didn't make this recipe up either. I adapted it, but good ol' technique classes at Williams Sonoma has the patent on this recipe.

Give this a try. It's odd, it's curious, and it's a reminder that some of the best flavors we can create are things that have been around forever. I think you'll like it, and while you do, think about the things inside yourself you like. Encourage those. The rest, they can't live without breath. Inhale.Exhale.Bite.Smile.Repeat.

Olive Oil Ice Cream with Balsamic Strawberries (Adapted from Williams Sonoma)
{makes 1 1/2 quarts}

3 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into medium pieces
enough balsamic vinegar to drown strawberries

In a large sauce pan, stir together cream and milk over medium heat. Do not let this boil, only form small bubbles on the side of the pan. In the mean time, beat egg yolks and sugar in mixer with whisk attachment on medium to high speed, until it's triple in size, which is about 5 minutes. When this happens, it's so beautiful you will want to stop and take a picture. I didn't and wish I did. So please do, and show me. Remove milk and cream from heat, and pour 2 cups of milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture changing speed to medium-low. Add in mixture 1/4 cup at a time and be sure to scrape the sides occasionally. Mix each time until just combined. Slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream, making sure that it begins to mix into the egg/cream/milk/sugar mixture. Turn the heat on the stove back on to medium heat, and whisk new egg mixture into rest of cream and milk mixture at a slow, but steady pace. You will see the oil trying to separate out. No worries, that's just chemistry. This need to cook for about 15 minutes, until it reaches 175 degrees. The original recipe says to strain the mixture at this point into a new bowl. I did not do this. I added a bit of texture to the ice cream, something that I like. However, if you don't want texture, strain away. Place pan into freezer for 30 minutes, allowing the mixture to cool. Once cooled to room temperature or close to this (about 30 minutes) pour into freezer bowl for ice cream and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. While churning, wash, hull and cut strawberries. Place into a small bowl, douse in Balsamic Vinegar, and place into fridge. Once Ice cream as been fully churned (about 35 minutes), fold in strawberries. Place in an airtight container, and let freezer overnight. Enjoy! My mom put a bit of chocolate on it, and loved it. I hope you will too!

Toffee

2009-12-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

I look back at 2009 and I see pieces of things that fell into place and I see pieces of things that have yet to fall to where they belong. Isn't life just like that? And so is cooking. Sometimes I have no idea why certain recipes call for certain ingredients, and sometimes my learning mind desires to research and find, and other times, I am so content in knowing that the recipe just. needs. every component. to. work.

I've been a bit under the weather lately, and I've been spending all my time resting, watching movies, sleeping, and going to the doctor. Oh, and eating. No exercise, no healthy food, and that was ok. We all need a bit of rest, and we all need a bit of recovery. I'm looking forward to being well again and starting on my favorite things: baking, running, and school but in a new light. It will be balanced. It will be ok when it doesn't all fit together, and when the plate is empty and there are still pieces left. Because, who knows what pieces will go into the next day, week, month, or year.

2010. Piece away. I welcome your unpredictable nature, yet comforting pieces. Bring it, and thank you in advance.

Dad's Christmas Toffee

2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
6 oz. of chocolate {your choice: dark, milk, semi-sweet}
Large handful of nuts {your choice: tradition calls for almonds, I used pecans}

Melt Sugar and butter in medium saucepan until reaches 300 degrees. This is the 'hard cracking point" for sugar. Stir in vanilla and salt after the 300 degrees is reached, but before 320 degrees. This is hard to "guess" so be sure to use a candy thermometer. Pour mixture on cookie sheet that has been covered with wax paper. Spread evenly and create a medium to thin layer, but be aware that it will not cover the entire cookie sheet. It will only cover about 1/4-1/2 of the sheet. Immediately place chocolate chips (or if you got it from a bar, then chocolate pieces that you have cut up in small pieces) on top of hot, poured mixture. Wait about 30 seconds to one minute, and the chocolate will have begun to melt. With a spatula or backside of spoon, spread the chocolate over the mixture, creating a thing layer. Sprinkles nuts on top. Place entire sheet into refrigerator and let cool completely for about an hour and a half. Remove from fridge and break candy into pieces. Enjoy!

Bruschetta Cornbread Casserole

2009-12-27T14:54:00.000-08:00

Because I am trying so very hard to use everything in our house and not waste a morsel of food, I put together this random casserole, based off of one in the cookbook Cooking With All Things Trader Joe's. I must tell you, it turned out great, and I actually think that it's much more flavorful than the original recipe. And this, my friends is a lesson in cooking. Not that I can offer too many. But I do know this: you wont know if something works until you try it. You can substitute anything you want, and it just might be fabulous. It might be sick, and you will know. But you will never know if it's delicious-my-mom-wrote-down-this-recipe good until you try.

So add a little flavor. I used spicy cornbread mix that my dad had purchased at the store, couscous cooked with cinnamon and maple syrup to take away some of the spicy, and grilled vegetable bruschetta. It was good. Perfect for an afternoon lunch, but also would go so well as a side to a perfectly grilled steak, or even BBQ chicken. Give it a whirl. Substitute something else and let me know how it works. You might surprise yourself. Enjoy!

Bruschetta Cornbread Casserole

1 box couscous
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 jar grilled vegetable bruschetta mix (this you can substitute anything for, just make sure that you season your couscous properly to go with whatever you pick. Like a basil lime with artichoke hearts sounds good here too.)
1 box spicy cornbread mix via Marie Calendars
1 cup plain goat milk yogurt (You can use other yogurt if you want, but goat milk is nice and creamy)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While heating, cook couscous according to instructions, adding in maple syrup and cinnamon about half way through cooking process. When finished cooking, place couscous into 9 inch round casserole dish and add in the cup of plain yogurt, folding yogurt into the couscous. Once mixed well, add the full jar or bruschetta (don't strain the juices) and fold bruschetta into the couscous-yogurt mixture. Once mixed, make sure new mixture is nicely covering the bottom of the pan, and is even on top. Add 1/2 cup of water to the cornbread mix. (This may vary depending on the mix, so make sure to check the package.) Stir until batter is smooth, and no powder remains. Pour 1/3 of batter on top of the couscous/yogurt/bruschetta mix, allowing it to lay on top of mixture. Use rest of batter for a small loaf of cornbread in appropriate sized pan. Place the casserole dish and extra cornbread into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

S'mores Ice Cream

2009-12-23T18:53:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a good camp fire? I know that these usually happen during the summer, but there are a few methods to my madness for this craving: First of all, I live in Southern California. Do you know that its summer all year round? I'm serious, it's wonderful. Beach. Sunglasses. Windows down. Doors open. Campfires. Secondly, there is something about familiar tastes that can transport you to a certain time and place. The scent of a certain perfume can remind you of an old flame {my mom says things like that, or refers to people having a "main squeeze"} or tasting something that you had in your school cafeteria can take you back to the good ol' days. And s'mores my friends, does the same thing. Campfires. Camping. Scary Stories. Truth or Dare. The whole bit. So, yes, I am aware it's winter, but make up a cup of hot coco with this bowl of ice cream and have your own little campfire, Christmas edition.

Of course you are going to need some Marshmallows. How you cook them is going to tell me, and yourself, and others about how you generally cook your s'mores. Do you cook them slowly and throughly? Do you let them catch on fire and burn? I am the latter, so I cooked mine a bit longer than the former may like. However, you must know that it gave the mallows a "toasty" flavor, which is the point of campfires after all.

Absolutely you need the grahams and chocolate. Honeymaid is where it's at. I mean, it's classic, right? And Hershey's is usually my go-to. And it was for this ice cream, but alas, as usual I ate it all before I could photograph it, so this is the Trader Joes' variation.

And yes, it is as creamy, delicious, beautiful, and wonderful as it looks. Am I the only person to describe food in this way? Seriously, I'm making this again. And having a fire via a million candles, hot coco and telling my favorite scary story. Or tear-jerker. Or sentimental heart-warmer. Or favorite song. Or...you get the point. The question is, what will you share?

S'mores Ice Cream (makes 1/2 quart)

1/2 package marshmallows
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 bar Hershey's Chocolate
3 Honeymaid Graham crackers

Place Marshmallows, cream and milk into a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mallows are melted, and the liquids blend nicely with the mallows. The texture will be thick, gooey, and wonderful. Remove from heat and let cool for only one minute, stirring occasionally to make sure the marshmallows do not cool too much, making the mixture sticky. Pour mixture into ice cream maker that has been frozen according to manufacturer's instructions, and churn for about 30-35 minutes. While the ice cream is churning, cut chocolate into chunks about 1/4-1/2 the size of a regular s'mores piece. This is different for everyone, so choose accordingly. Break graham cracker pieces inso larger pieces, you want them to stay in tact so that they will freeze well, and still resemble graham cracker pieces after the freezing process is done. After churning is completed, turn off ice cream maker, and fold in chocolate pieces and then graham cracker pieces. Be gentle when folding in the graham cracker pieces, or they will break. Of course a little break here and there is fine, but you want to have a few, good strong pieces in there; just like men in your life. :) Serve right away or store in an airtight container. If the ice cream is a bit softer than you want, it's because the mixture was added when it was hot. So just place in the freezer for an hour or so before serving. Enjoy!

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Mama's Favorites

2009-12-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been in a house that is just like a house you picture in the movies? You know, decorated to the nines of shabby chic, yet comfortable enough to call home? Yep. This place is it. I was selected by Foodbuzz to host a 24, 24, 24 dinner, and friends of ours opened their home to us to host this special event.

Seriously, do you know about Foodbuzz? It's a great food networking site that allows you to share recipes, meet other people who love food as much (or more) than you do, and learn how to expand your culinary horizons. It's the best. Oh, and the pictures. The pictures! Beautiful food pictures from everyone, don't go there when you are hungry.

So the Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24, event is hosted by Foodbuzz Featured Publishers all on the same night, and posted by the next morning. So all over, people at the same moment are making meals, getting together and eating with one another. It's like when everyone is placing cookies out for Santa at the same time, all waiting for something magical to happen. Because that is what it's like when good friends get together to eat good food: magic. And this, was our event. A beautiful home, 7 good friends, all eating and laughing, and brining what we can to each other's lives. However, this dinner was special to me for another reason: my family. They live in Colorado and New York and I don't get to see them often. I attribute my love for baking to my mom, and my need and love to run to my dad, and my witty sense of humor to my sister. They are a part of me, and I am so glad. So the holidays come around and I miss them. I miss my mom's meals. They are incredible. If you are in Denver, seriously let me know. They will open their home to you, and you will never want to eat out again. She is that good. So our menu was in honor of my Mama:

Mama's Favorites

Blueberry Basil Salad with apricot stilton, carrots, and sweet and spicy pecans

Chicken Pot Pie with side of Peppered Green Beans

Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Frosting and Sweet Cream Peppermint Bark Ice Cream

You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. My mom cooks like this all the time. So it is my honor that I got to cook this meal for the Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 event. And here is how it went:

Who doesn't love a good salad? Growing up we had a salad with dinner every night. And for holidays we had special salads like this one. Mixed greens, spinach, basil, pecans, blueberries, carrots, and apricot stilton. Serious. Oh and those roses in the middle? My friend Kali, who is a regular Martha Stewart added that touch. What would I do without a friend like Kali? Besides have a plain salad, I would also be a crazy person. I love her.

I seriously felt like a professional cooking in this kitchen. It was incredible. The stove was blue on the inside, which matched my Le Creuset mini-cocottes that I got. How very planned of me. No, not at all. I just happen to love blues and yellows, and their stove happened to match. And happened to cook a delicious pot pie crust.

I know. Can you believe these pictures? Our good and talented friend Abe took all of these. He is incredible, goes beyond picturing the food to actually capturing the taste. Check out his work, he is amazing. I can't believe he came and photographed these humble pies. Don't worry, we fed him. Can't you just imagine that crust melting in your mouth? My mother would very much approve of that golden brown color. See mom? You taught me well.

My mom makes one giant pot pie in this beautiful ceramic dish that my dad got her. I've watched her make and bake a million things and if there is one thing that has stuck all these years it's this: never stress out. The more homemade it looks, the better. So you see how the pie crust doesn't cover the entire cocotte on this one? No big deal. Seriously. It tastes the same and it's made with love. My friend Julia helped spread these out, and frankly I was so glad she was there. She helped thicken the filling, and did it all calmly. This girl can cook. She can bake. And I'm pretty sure she is my mother's third daughter.

And so here we are, ready to dig in. A side of green beans completed this dish in honor of my dad. He eats a pound of green beans a night. Yes, one pound. I've taken this tradition over. I often eat a pound for lunch, or dinner, or a late night snack. It's like our bodies have turned to green beans now. Which, of course, makes sense. Vegetables are full of water you know. So, eat up my friends.

Ok. Red velvet cake. Does it get any better? Every Christmas my mom and I make a Red Velvet Cake, and every year I love it. It reminds me so much of Christmas that I barely want to eat it any other time. Usually mom does a cream cheese frosting, but this year I branched out and tried something different: Cream Frosting with White Chocolate. I like desserts rich. I learned this from my dad. If you are going to eat a huge piece of cake, or if you are my dad you eat the entire cake, then it better be delicious. So make it rich. Use real butter. Use chocolate whenever possible. And enjoy. every. bite.

I tried to cut it small-er. But I went in for seconds. So did Julia. Megan passed, and of course my husband had seconds too. I think the key to a good red velvet is just enough food coloring to make it red, but not too much to make it artificial. Go for a maroon. Such a decadent color.

You aren't going to believe me that I don't usually use food coloring. But I made this ice cream with brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, and I didn't want it to be brown. I mean, it's Christmas after all, and Mama, she would never have brown ice cream. Sweet cream brown sugar ice cream with peppermint bark. I know. But you have to understand that is my mom: goes the extra mile. Always. We have desserts like this all the time. She is so wonderful. Have you met her? She's a librarian. She's read every book, and made every dessert. She's my mama, and I am so proud of her.

And to top off the night, we had Orange Apple Spiced Cider. Let me tell you something about my mom. We moved from Arizona to Colorado when I was in high school and I could not get out of bed when it was below 50 degrees. So every morning from October through March, my mom would wake up extra early and make this drink, or homemade hot coco. Apple cider with orange and cinnamon. This will warm you to the core. Get you out of bed and into your mom's arms. My husband says he would drink this every night if he could. I should inform him he can, and at least during the holidays while my mom and dad are here, they will see to it that he will.

And what would this night be without at little sharing of our Christmas memories? Take a look. In order, a few of our friends: Ethan (great sense of humor, check out his blog.), Kali, Cy (my wonderful husband who is also responsible for the lovely table setting), and myself. Julia, Abe, and Megan, although faithful friends and attendees, are not filmed here.

P.S. How good is this editing? My husband works for Apple and he is so good at what he does, and so very good to me. I'm so in love with him.

Merry Christmas!

Blueberry Basil Salad

Mixed Greens
Spinach
Basil, torn into medium pieces
fresh blueberries
fresh shredded carrots
sweet and spicy pecans
apricot stilton

Mix greens together, making sure basil pieces get mixed in well. I only used about 6 basil leaves for the whole salad, and tore the leaves into medium sized pieces, making sure to get all the pieces mixed in well with the other greens. Scatter blueberries, carrots, pecans, and stolen on top. Be generous here. Your guests will thank you. A balsamic or raspberry balsamic works very well on this salad. The basil is so fresh, I can hardly stand it.

Chicken Pot Pie with side of green beans (serves 4) (adapted from Le Creuset)

2-3 large chicken breasts
olive oil for cooking
4 carrots
1 medium white onion
4 cups of chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup of milk (use half and half if you want it extra creamy)
1 cup of peas
1 frozen pie crust
2 egg yolks
1 tsp milk
1 lb green beans
fresh ground pepper

Place chicken on baking sheet, brush with olive oil or butter, generous pepper, and cook at 350 for twenty minutes. When done, cut into small pieces, however small you want the chicken in the pot pies to be. Peel and cut carrots into fairly large pieces. A good bite of carrot never hurt anyone. Peel and cut the onion, cooking in small pan with olive oil until brown. Add flour, and continue cooking for a few more minutes, whisking briskly until a paste is formed. While cooking, heat chicken stock in large pot, until just hot. Don't boil. Add milk, pepper to taste, carrots, peas, and chicken. Mix in onion paste and stir over low heat until filling is well mixed and desired thickness is reached. If it seems a bit too "soupy" for you, take a bit of the filling and place into onion pan. Add more flour and whisk as before, then add and stir into the rest of the filling. Pour chicken pot pie filling into desired container or containers, and place thawed pie crust over the top. Brush top of pie crust with egg yolks that have been whisked with 1 tablespoon of milk. Bake for 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Enjoy!

Green Beans

Tear ends off washed green beans, and place in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and place in serving bowl. Add butter and a generous amount of pepper. Done.

Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Frosting (adapted from Joy of Baking)

2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
red food coloring
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 bag white chocolate chips

Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes,and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour cake pans. I chose a bunt cake, but two 9-1/2 inch rounds will do just fine. In a small bowl, stir together food coloring and coca powder and set aside. The food coloring will look almost non-existant here. Just trust that it will show up later, you don't need too much. I would say 50 drops. In an additional small bowl, stir together flour and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed after each addition until combined. Scrape sides of the bowl the entire mixing process. Beat in cocoa mixture, then alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating low to medium speed after each addition until just combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter, and mix until well combined. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until fork or stick can be inserted in the middle and comes out clean. Leave in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes to cool, remove carefully from pan and let cool entirely.

Creamy White Chocolate Frosting

In medium saucepan, whisk one cup of milk into 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Cook and stir over medium heat until it's thick and bubbles at the edges. Reduce heat to low and cook for two more minutes, stirring the entire time. Remove from heat, and cover with plastic wrap. In another small sauce pan, pour half a bag of white chocolate chips and about 4 tablespoons of heavy cream, and heat on medium, stirring constantly until chips are melted. Remove from heat and work fast. In a mixing bowl, mix 1 cup of softened butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, a bit of vanilla extract, melted white chocolate, and original mixture that has been covered with plastic. Beat on high for 15 minutes. Make sure cake is cooled completely, and drizzle over edges, or ice as desired. Use colored sprinkles and white chocolate chips for garnish. Place in fridge to cool, remove from fridge at least 1 hour before serving.

Brown Sugar Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Peppermint Bark (adapted from David Lebovitz and serves 9 scoops)

6 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 stick butter
2 pieces of peppermint bark

In a large sauce pan, heat milk, heavy cream, brown sugar and butter over medium heat until butter is almost completely melted, and sugar has dissolved, do so by stirring slow strokes constantly. Remove from heat, and carefully whisk in egg yolks. Make sure there are no whites in this mixture. You will get scrambled eggs into your ice cream. Once mixed, color if desired, and pour into ice cream maker that has been frozen according to manufactures instructions. Mix for about 30-35 minutes (times may vary depending on mixers). Cut Peppermint bark into an assortment of sizes, so each bite is different. At the end of the mix cycle fold in peppermint bark. Serve immediately, or place in freezer until ready to serve. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving for optimum softness. Yum!

Healthy and Delicious Mac and Cheese

2009-12-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

People are always talking about comfort food. And frankly, I feel like that's all I eat. I mean of course, I eat salads and fruit and yogurt and all that, but the majority of my "diet" is comfort food. If it's not delicious then why, oh why would I eat it? No clue.

So here's the deal. This dish is super easy and super yum. Start by browning some hamburger meat. Yes, I said that. We all need some iron. Boil some noodles, whole wheat if you want to be healthy. And then here is the real kicker: skim mozzarella, cottage cheese and greek cheese yogurt. I. know. Sound odd right? No way. Delicious. And I added some green peppers in here as well as butternut squash to make it extra good. We loved this, and my husband who is an avid mac and cheese fan very much approved. You get a little protein, a little carbs, a little dairy, and veggies. I mean hello. Everything you need, and for those of you that eat well on a regular basis, this is comfort food that wont cramp your style.

Healthy and Delicious Mac and Cheese

Cooked noodles (as many as you will need for your family or guests. I did about 2 cups)
1 cup butternut squash puree
1/2 lb of hamburger meat (or turkey meat, or none)
1/2 cup of cheese greek yogurt (I got mine at Trader Joes)
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese (or any cheese you want)
1 whole green pepper (or, again, any veggie you want)
1 egg
Pepper to taste

In two separate pots, boil noodles until done, and brown meat until cooked all the way through. While cooking, place all other ingredients into a large bowl and mix until just mixed. Fold in cooked and strained noodles, and then meat. Place in casserole dish, adding a bit more cheese to the top for browning, and place in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Banana Sweet Potato Muffins with Chocolate Chips

2009-12-14T00:26:00.000-08:00

I have a confession. I love bread. Not bread like French Bread, or bread like sandwich bread, but bread like pumpkin bread, banana bread, ginger bread. Those types of breads. The reason why this is a confession, and probably the confession of all confessions is because if these types of breads are around me, I will eat it all. Every crumb. I'm like a tornado, ready to take everything that is in my path. Yes, that's me. I made the Blueberry Sweet Potato Bread last week. Did you make it? Well I would offer to give you some of mine, but I ate the entire loaf in two days. So here we are, a week later, and I found myself in the kitchen again, my body craving the usual delicious bread. And do you know what happened this time? I made 16 of these cute muffins, and I ate 11 within 24 hours. I consumed 4 the first night, 3 the next morning and 4 later that day after lunch.

But, in my defense these have nothing but fruits and vegetables. Ok, it has chocolate and maple syrup too. Oh, and flour. Ok fine. I should not eat breads in bulk, but whatever, I run, I take spin classes, and I just took my first yoga class after my 11 muffins. Let's make this clear: I'm not confessing to you because I want change my ways. I'm confessing because if I am addicted to one thing, I can not think of something better to be addicted to than delicious, moist, can't-stop-eating breads. Amen.

P.S.
I did the math, and each of these muffins only has 93 calories. Wish I would have known. I would have eaten 5 more.

Banana Sweet Potato Bread

1 cup Sweet Potato Puree
3 ripe bananas
1/4 cup Maple Syrup Agave Blend (You can use brown sugar here, but just make sure that you change the amounts of course. I would suggest a cup of brown sugar if you wanted to go that route.)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons of butter
1 egg
chocolate chips for the tops
powdered sugar

Place all wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Slowly mix in the flour, making sure to scrape the sides to get all of the flour mixed in. Mix until just combined. Place into greased muffin tins, and fill only about 1/4-1/2 full. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, as many or as few as you would like. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan easily with the help of a utensil, on a cooling rack. Sprinkle powdered sugar on muffins when they are luke-warm. Serve immediately. For a bit of extra goodness, but the muffins in half and place a bit of butter on them. Make sure to sprinkle powdered sugar only on the muffins that you will be eating. The sugar will melt if left on too long, and look yellow in color which is not appetizing. Enjoy!

Italian Bolognese and Spinach Braid

2009-12-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

I love italian food. Love it. In fact a pasta attachment for my KitchenAid Mixer is on my Christmas list. But seriously, what is better than Italian food? Mexican? Maybe. But it's a close call. I wanted to make something italian, but I wanted to make a braid, and I didn't want to make another loaf of bread for garlic bread. So I made this. Was it any good you may ask? I ate two pieces and my husband ate the rest. That night.

Start with some dough, flour, and...hearts? Love? Isn't Italy known as being romantic? I have never been and frankly I want to go but I don't. Cause I will eat so much Italian food that I will never be able to have American-Italian again and that could ruin me. Or I guess I could go to school in Italy and learn to make good pasta. I digress. Roll out the doug about 1/4-1/2 in wide.

Add a layer of mozzarella, sauce of your choice, (I chose Bolognese), and then some fresh spinach.

Fresh Spinach makes all the difference. Look how pretty it looks, all lined up there.

Cut 1 inch sections on the long sides of the dough, and then fold around the filling.

Bake until golden brown. I added a bit of garlic powder on the top per my husband's request. It added that bit of Italian flare. Cut and enjoy!

P.S. Sugar Duchess gave me the idea, and the recipe is adapted from hers. She used an apricot and cream cheese filling! If I was not so lazy, I would have made that one for dessert!

Italian Bolognese Spinach Braid

1/2 tablespoon of instant yeast {only so that it doesn't have to rise twice}

1/4 cup of warm milk

1/8 cup of butter, softened

1 egg

pinch of salt

1 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour

1 jar sauce of your choice

handful (or so) of mozzarella cheese

heaping 2 cups of fresh spinach leaves

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the dour except only half of the flour. Mix the rest of the flour in by hand. The dough will be very sticky, so maybe put a little olive oil or butter on them before you mix in the flour. Knead the dough until all the flour is mixed in.

Roll dough into rectangle, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Place on a greased cookie sheet. In the middle of the dough, place your filling in a long, thin line. Make sure to leave about 1 1/2 inches on each side. Then cut 1 inch apart slits in the dough. Starting at the ends, fold pieces over filling and allow them to criss-cross in the middle. Pinch and fold the ends. Cover and let rise for about 30-40 minutes.

Place braid into pre-heated 350 degree oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes. And, enjoy!

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Blueberry Bread

2009-12-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

I love books. I always have. My mom is a librarian, so I think it's in my DNA. My dad read to us every night when we were little, before we went to sleep. When I was sick he would read to me, and three years ago I went home to have my tonsils removed and he read me one of our favorites: To Kill a Mockingbird. But one of my all-time favorite books is Blueberries for Sal. Have you read this? You must. Seriously. Go and order it right now. I love the mischievous and hungry Sal, and I love that kids can make friends with anyone. And I love the memories that it has. And because of all these things, I love blueberries.

Blueberry and Sweet Potato an unlikely combo? No way. It's delicious. I adapted this recipe and it is the moistest (is that a word?) bread I have ever, ever had. Seriously. It crumbles as you cut and then melts in your mouth. All you need is a few cups of flour, sugar, maple syrup, and a can of butternut squash {ok probably more, just see below. I can't remember.}

And grab some blueberries. If you are really fancy then you can make a blueberry sauce. It's easy. A little blueberries, a little flour, a little sugar, and heat and bam you are done. But if you are like me, you'll buy Blueberry Sauce that should be for ice cream sundaes at Trader Joes, and you will use that.

So I poured a lot of batter into the pan, and then I poured a layer of Blueberry Sauce right on top. Then more batter. See that small little line near the top? It comes out swirly and adds a bit of color to the fall Monet of sweet potato, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Enjoy, and try to make it last more than a day.

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Blueberry Bread (adapted from Joy the Baker)

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup of packed dark brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

some cinnamon {I poured about 3 teaspoons}

some ground nutmeg {I poured about 2 teaspoons}

1 15 ounce can of Sweet Potato

1 cup of olive oil

1 or more teaspoons of maple syrup

1/3 cup of water

Place all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and gently stir together. Pour all other ingredients into medium bowl and stir carefully. Add wet ingredients from the smaller bowl into the dry ingredients into the larger bowl. Fold until batter is well combined. Make sure to get all the flour off the of bottom of the bowl. Grease two bread pans and pour batter equally into both pans. Layer batter with blueberry sauce. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies and Chai Frozen Yogurt

2009-12-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

A one-pump chai, one-pump gingerbread soy latte makes me a happy camper. My father-in-law is a Chai fanatic. He also loves ice cream. And, since both families are making the trek to come to sunny so-cal this Christmas, I decided I needed to make a good Chai ice cream recipe so he could have it when they got here. My parents are coming from Colorado and my husband's parents are coming from Idaho. Both families are leaving snow, fireplaces and skiing to meet sand, 60 degrees, and surfing. The least we can do is offer them a cold treat and pretend that it's winter.

I was going to go chocolate chip cookies because, well they are classic and I never make them. But then my friend Julia suggested butterscotch and I was so excited. Sometimes I forget butterscotch exists, and I am so glad that Julia is smarter than me because they were perfect with the Chai spices.

And the Chai. The only thing you have to think about here is make sure that the Chai you get is not already sweetened. This recipe used unsweetened Chai powder and then sweetened it until it tasted just right. No joke. You by-the-book people are going to hate this recipe cause it's also of guessing and doing what tastes the best. But that is what baking is all about, so have fun with this one and think of other teas or drinks that would make a great ice cream. Mint Hot Coco? Mexican Hot Coco? Early Gray? If you can drink it, then why not freeze it and eat it?

Chai Ice Cream

2 cups non-fat yogurt
1 cup milk {I used almond milk}
1/2 cup cream
4 oz organic cream cheese or to taste
4 heaping scoops unsweetened Chai mix
about 1/4 cup brown sugar or to taste

Mix all ingredients in blender or food processor until mixed well and smooth. Your tastebuds will be your best friend in this one. Taste well. Add Chai and sugar slowly and easily. Above is what we lied but maybe you like it a bit spicier, or sweeter. You choose! Place all ingredients into ice cream maker per manufacturer's instructions. Freeze immediately or enjoy immediately.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

I can't lie to you hear. I bought the package and followed the recipe as it says on the back. Oh yeah, I added a cup of quick-cooking Oatmeal. Here is the recipe as well.

Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls

2009-12-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

We had a finance meeting this weekend, my husband and I. Do normal people do that? They must. Well, must to my surprise (not at all) we were way over on groceries every month. I usually purchase all the groceries because like every other food lover, the grocery store can make you feel organize, relaxed, and creative all in one trip. So, oops, at times I let my creative juices flow (no pun intended) and I get a bit carried away, and then just like that we are over budget. Time to scale back. What does that mean? Stop baking? No way! Start making boxed mac and cheese? I don't think so. It means staring at your fridge until you see one or two ingredients that you don't want to go bad and so you make something out of it. Enter cranberries. Exit delicious Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls.

These are whole wheat, not tons of sugar, and seriously look at that red. Perfect for the holidays.

They are pretty easy too. The sauce is not hard, and you get to hear the cranberries "pop." My mom says that this reminds her of her mom and when she was little she would wait to hear the cranberries pop. I digress. After you make the dough and let it rise, you spread the cranberry sauce on it like so, and then roll it up.

Let the rolls rise again, put 'em in the over and done! The oranges? Oh yes, I added a bit of orange juice to the cream cheese frosting. I have no pictures of that frosting though, because I will tell you that these were so good that a bit of honey and butter will do the trick. But also, we had oranges lying around and since I'm all about staying on budget, Ill throw whatever I can into a recipe.

Do you have any other saving money tricks or random thrown together recipes? Please share. As this is a new stage and I need all the help I can get.

Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls

4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour {I used Whole Wheat}
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar

Mix 2 cups of flour and yeast, set aside. In a sauce pan, heat and stir milk, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and the salt until just warm and butter almost melts. Add to flour mixture along with the 2 eggs. Beat on low for 30 seconds and then on high for 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl frequently. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Place dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in any remaining flour. The dough should be moderately soft, and sort of elastic. Shape dough into a ball, and place into a buttered bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so the entire dough is touched with butter. Cover and place in a warm place until dough is doubled in size. This will take about 1 hour, maybe 1.5 hours.

Once dough is double in size, punch the dough down and place on to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half, cover and let rise for 10 minutes. Use this ten minutes to make your filling. (See below)

After ten minutes, roll each dough half into a 12x8 rectangle. {I just got it as close to a rectangle as possible. It took me some time} Sprinkle filling over dough, leaving 1 inch along the sides of the dough. Tightly roll up each rectangle long ways. Once the dough is rolled up, pinch the ends, and cut into 12 equal pieces, or however big you want your rolls to be. Place into greased two 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 pans, cover, and let the dough rise another 30 minutes or until it is doubled in size.

Place in preheated 375 degree oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Watch the tops for a golden brown color to test if they are cooked all the way. Let cool for five minutes, put some butter and honey on top, and enjoy!

Cranberry Filling

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cups cranberries
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

Heat and stir water and sugar into a medium saucepan until sugar dissolves. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and allow water to return to boiling, then reduce the heat. Boil gently for about 3-4 minutes until cranberries "pop". {I love this part!} Stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Done and done.

Beef Bourguignon with Rosemary Butter Rolls

2009-11-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

I made this for dinner partly because I wanted to and partly because I wanted to make the now quintessential cooking blog dish that has become oh so popular since Julie & Julia. It turned out delicious, and the best part is that I took a short cut and used my slow cooker. Partly because I dont have a dutch oven and partly because I am in grad school and sometimes you don't have enough time. But it was delicious, and our guests loved it. So, mission accomplished.

The other thing I want to say is that these rolls were really good. But, they do not look as delicious as they did when the Pioneer Woman made it. And let me just say, we are only one and a half months into my bread journey, so please cut me some slack.

So this experience confirms three items that are on my Christmas list: (given in the order in which I would want them, of course) Pioneer Woman Cooks, Iron Skillet, and Dutch Oven. Yes, those are links. Is that too presumptuous? Maybe. Sorry.

Beef Bourguignon

1 lb boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 1/2 cupos chopped onion (3 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Pinot Noir or Burdundy wine
3/4 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
3/4 teaspoon dired marjoram, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
3 cups whole fresh mushrooms
2 cups 3/4-inch pieces carrot (4 medium)
1 cup pearl onions, peeled, or frozen small whole onions
2 tablespoons buter or margarine, softened
2 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
3 cups hot cooked noodles or 1 recipe Mashed Potatoes
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

Brown meat, chopped onion, and garlic in hot oil. In a 3 1/2-or 4-quart slow cooker layer mushrooms, carrot and pearl onions. Omit flour and butter or margarine. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca. Place meat mixture on top of vegetables. Add thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Decrease wine to 1 1/4 cups and beef broth to 1/2 cup; pour over meat. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves. Stir in bacon.

Buttered Rosemary Rolls. Trust me, Pioneer Woman knows her stuff.

You Voted and I Got Into the Kitchen

2009-11-25T00:19:00.000-08:00

I had a little vote going on the blog, and I was thrilled that you all voted. It's still up on the right hand side if you want to check out the results. Basically, I had a friend Kyle who requested Banana Dark Chocolate Ice Cream and you all chose the mix in. As you can see, the votes were tied between carmel and nuts. I was shocked by this. I wanted to add sprinkles, but I am glad I went with you all. Smart ones you are. It was so good.

I decided to make Roasted Banana Ice Cream out of David Lebovitz's book, The Perfect Scoop. It's also on my Christmas list if you were wondering. So of course, you will need bananas, ripe ones. This was hard for me, letting them sit and become ripe. I really, really dislike ripe bananas. Green ones, a bit chalky, that is my favorite.

And your choice, a little carmel sauce. This was gooey, very gooey.

But seriously, what caramel is not gooey?

And you will need some dark chocolate. This one is 73%. I was a little nervous about this addition because dark chocolate can be bitter. But it turned out great, and any other kind would have been a bit too much sweet.

Ok. Confession time. 1.) I do not have a photo of any ice cream for you because every last bite was eaten the night I served it. All that was left was little measly bit, and it took a bit of hiding to keep this in tact. I'm sorry. 2.) You might be wondering where the nuts are. I cheated. After I tasted this delicious ice cream I could not think of it having nuts in it. So, I served it with my Brown Sugar Pound Cake. See? It's not all the way cheating, just placing the nuts elsewhere. Don't be mad. Vote again. My creativity got the best of me.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. You are great. So anyway, enjoy the creation that you helped make. It's delicious, and believe me this: the cake adds a whole other dimension.

Roasted Banana Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Chunks and Caramel Swirl
(Adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop)

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 400. Slice the bananas into 1/2-inch pieces and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, sitrring just once during baking, until the bannanas are browned and cooked through.

Scrape the bananas and the thick syrup in the baking dish into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, granulated sugar,vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, and puree until smooth.

Chill the mixture throughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If the chilled mixture is too thick to pur into your machine, whisking it with thin it out. During the last 5 minutes of mixing, add the dark chocolate chunks that have been cut to your ideal size.

When freezing process is completed, transfer ice cream to air tight container. Place ice cream in thirds, adding a layer of caramel between each layer of ice cream.

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

2009-11-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

"Hi. Dad."

"Oh, hi Bonnie. What are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready for class. It was so beautiful here today. In the high 70's I think."

"Oh really? It was freezing here. So guess what I have."

"What? Your jacket?"

"No. I bought two pumpkin pies and whipped cream."

And he ate them both. That night. After dinner.

Because, you see that is how my dad is. A food machine. His metabolism is the speed of light and for as long as I can remember he will eat a full dinner and then a large dessert of some sort. Pumpkin pies. A box of cookies. A pint of ice cream. And, never has gained an ounce. He's a runner, like father like daughter, and so it melts right off him. He is cut up, in fact my husband said once when we were at the beach and he saw my dad with his shirt off, that he looked like batman.

But look, we all dont have the ability to consume two pies and never see it. But we all do love a good, delicious, fall treat. So please, do yourself a favor and try this. It's. so. delicious. Its made with non-fat yogurt, and yes there is sugar, but if you use organic then you are better off. My guest Martha who ate this said "this may be the best frozen yogurt I have ever eaten." Serious. What a compliment. I'm blushing. My husband added some whipped cream to it and declared it wonderful, and of course I followed suit with an additional squirt of chocolate syrup.

Buy an extra can of pumpkin and give this a whirl.

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

1 cup milk {I used Almond Milk}
2 cups plain yogurt {I used non-fat}
1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon {I used whatever I felt like here. I LOVE cinnamon}
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg {Again, whatever looked pretty}
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup of pumpkin puree {If you have a 15 oz can, this will give you a bit left over. No worries, just mix it with a bit of butter in the food processor, with some spices and sugar to taste and bam you have enough pumpkin butter for a few slices of toast.}

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend, or process, until smooth. Place all ingredients into ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, and when finished, enjoy.

Morning Tea

2009-11-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

About once a year I get sick, or start to get sick and I begin to down gallons of hot tea to get rid of the scratch in my throat. By the time the two week period is over and I remember how much I love tea, and I swear off coffee. For a while, it doesn't even appeal to me. But then, about 8 months down the road, I decide I want a latte. For no reason, I just do. So I get one, and what do you know? I board that coffee train like nobody's business. Until, about 4 months later, I start to get sick again...and well, the vicious cycle starts over again. Sigh. I am currently in the tea part of the cycle.

I have sort of this connection with tea and I don't really know why. When I go home, I immediately make sure that everyone knows that I want to tour the Celestial Seasonings plant. And, my husband's grandma used to work for Bigelow Tea. So, maybe it's in my blood, or maybe I just love to collect tons of tea bags that take up and entire shelf as well as a large glass jar on my counter. Oh well. If you have enough good books, which I do, then you can never have too much tea.

Dear Vanilla Carmel Tea,

   You are making my holidays so very festive. You wake me in the morning, satisfy my sugar cravings in the afternoon, yet you give me enough clam and relaxation to still sleep at night. And, you never complain that I like you both as you are, and dressed up for a night on the town. I mean, you look good with a little milk, a little sweetener, and some whipped cream. But it's better than looking good. You taste delicious. You do. Please don't leave me when the holiday season is over. Please stay stocked at my local store. And if you aren't planning on it, then tell me. Cause Ill need to empty another cabinet and fill it with just...you. It's been a week and I've been through a box. Please stay close to me forever.

   Love,

   Bonnie the Baker

And yes, I just wrote a post about putting milk, sugar, and whipped cream on top of a hot tea that I made hot in the microwave. That just happened.

Sour Cream Bread

2009-11-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

I can not begin to tell you how wonderfully moist this bread is. I had a tub of sour cream and I did not know what to do with it. I also got two great bread books for my birthday from my husband and sister, because the year of not purchasing bread and ice cream has begun. So I flipped through and I found this recipe. I was hesitant, but so glad I made it. I love when random ingredients come together and make something delicious.

Before I get into the recipe, though, I must tell you about this book my husband got for me: The Bread Baker's Apprentice Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. It's beautiful. Like when I tell you that my food was so pretty I could barely eat it, that is how I feel about this book. The pictures are wonderful, the writing is so descriptive and I love that it has all sorts of breads, recipes, and techniques. I think it's important to really learn the technique behind cooking and baking, not just do it. I would highly recommend this book for those who feel the same. Good job, husband.

The second book I received for my birthday was from my sister. It's Beard on Bread, and frankly, it's awesome. This is where the recipe came from. Oh, yeah. The forward is written by Chuck Williams of Williams-Sonoma. What is not to love about that? Page turner. I'm serious. I'm aware it's just about bread. Good find, sister.

So what do you do with sour cream bread? I think this is my favorite part. You can put butter and jam on it, make mini sandwiches or, do what I did and make mini appetizers for you and a friend. Or just eat 97% of them and tell the other person that the rest are for them. That's what I did too. These little guys are simply fresh caught tuna steak, cooked in a peach salsa, cut up and mixed with a dab of mayo and mustard, and laid on a bed of spinach, which of course, was on toasted sour cream bread. I'm telling you, this bread is so diverse, I. just. love. it.

Sour Cream Bread via Beard on Bread

1 package active dry yeast

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup warm water (100 to 115 degrees, approximately)

2 cups sour cream

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Combine the yeast, sugar, and water, and all to proof for five minutes. (This means that you let it sit for a few minutes. If the yeast it good, it should expand an form bubble on the top. See? You learn something new every day!) Put the sour cream, salt, and soda in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture. Then add 4 cups of the flour, cup by cup, to make a very wet, sticky dough, beating hard with a wooden spoon after each addition. Scrape out onto a lightly floured board. Using a baker's scraper or spackling knife, lift the flour and the dough, and fold the dough over.Turn it clockwise slightly and repeat the lifting and folding process until the dough is less sticky and can be worked with your hands. Add only flour to prevent sticking. (This entire kneading should take about 10 minutes, possibly longer if you are inexperienced.) {Beard's words, not mine.} Shape the dough into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat it with the butter. Cover with plastic and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down. turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for a minute, then divide into two equal pieces. Butter two 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf tins. Shape the dough into loaves and fit into the tins. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on top and bottom. Cool thoroughly before slicing. {I always skip this step. Let cool? Are you kidding me? I want the butter to melt right before my eyes. Immediately.}

Bonnie the Baker's First Press!

2009-11-16T20:52:00.000-08:00

Have you been to Foodbuzz? Well, you should go. It's a wonderful site full of fun recipes, fun people, and creative ideas. Seriously, I go there and I get instantly hungry. Well, the wonderful people at foodbuzz have made me a Featured Publisher! I am so very excited, and honored, and I can't believe that little Bonnie the Baker has recipes that others want to see, and well, taste!

So go ahead, click the link to the right and visit Foodbuzz, you will not be disappointed. Oh, and, if you are feeling up for it, give me a bit of love and vote for me on Foodbuzz.

Here is a bit of info if you want a quick tutorial on what Foodbuzz is about. They just had their first Foodbuzz Blogger's Conference, and it looks so fun! I can only hope to attend next year!

Thank you Foodbuzz, I wont disappoint! http://www.foodbuzz.com/pages/festival

Brown Sugar Pecan Pound Cake

2009-11-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

Pound cake is dense, and I feel like I'm really getting the bang for my buck when I eat it. No offense to Angel food lovers, but I don't want to eat dessert and feel like I was real healthy about it. I'll save that for a spinach salad. Or smoothie. But when it comes to dessert, go big or go home, at least that's what I say, and according to her million dollar recipe, so does Martha Stewart.

Good ol' Martha, she knows what's good for you. Lots of eggs for protein, tons of butter for good taste, and enough brown sugar to last a life time.

Oh yeah, salt and vanilla extract. I love vanilla. As a kid, it was always the ingredient that I wanted to put in the mixture. I love watching it get caught up in the batter by the swirling of the mixer. So pretty and fun, I rarely measure it out because it takes away from the swirling effect as it pours out of the bottle. That means that most of my recipes have too much vanilla. Oh. Well.

And, of course, a little tea to go with the cake is the perfect comparison. What is your favorite tea? Irish Breakfast Tea with a bit of milk and sugar. Pumpkin Spice Tea with milk and maple syrup. Vanilla Chai with Hazelnut creamer. Need I go on? If you are not a tea consumer, you should start. Tea is a perfect companion to delicious desserts, and I'm pretty sure that Martha would agree that Pound Cake and Tea go together like cream and sugar. Which, of course, are two essential elements in anything delicious. I love coming full circle. Enjoy your pound cake!

Martha Stewart's Brown Sugar Pecan Pound Cake via Martha Stewart Living

(Martha's was actually Brown Sugar Walnut, but I adore Pecans way too much to leave them out of this)

1 pound (3 1/4 cups) of all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat. Not sure if that's ok, but I did it anyway)

1 tablespoon coarse salt

4 sticks unsalted butter

9 large eggs (room temperature)

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups roasted pecans

Preheat oven to 400 and place a few handfuls of pecans on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, stirring half way through. Check the time and make sure they do not get burned, or you will have to do it over again (Martha does not suggest your brown the nuts, but for pecans, I think it brings out some flavor).

Reduce oven to 325. Butter two 5-by-9 inch loaf pans. Combine 1 flour and salt in a bow. Soften butter and cream with brown sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for about 8 minutes. (That Martha knows her time, it was literally 8 minutes on the dot.) Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract. Lightly beat eggs and add in 4 separate additions to the flour mixture, mixing until just together. Fold in pecans. Divide batter and tap on counter to distribute evenly throughout the pan. Use knife or scraping tool to smooth the top of batter. Bake for about 65 minutes, or until a tested inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pans, on top of cooling racks for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely. Enjoy.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

2009-11-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you have guests who are vegans. Sometimes you just don't have eggs or milk, and you pretend that you always cook vegan. Either way, this cake did the trick. I got the recipe from Joy the Baker. She is so very creative, and although they look delicious which usually means hard and complicated, they are not that bad.

To grease a pan, I always use butter. I love butter. When people skip the butter, it baffles me. You are right, butter is not vegan. So if you want to make this truly vegan, then please grease the pan with something vegan approved. Your choice.

My mom got me these measuring spoons.

She is a librarian, that's how cute she is.

Oh. Oops. Did I forget to tell you that the thing that makes this cake so moist, and the main ingredient in the frosting was avocado? Yes, yes I did. I apologize. But would you have kept reading?

Probably not. I tricked you.

But if the green is too much for you, just dye the frosting.
You know, season specific.

And I added a bit of garnish with the chocolate chips. Not to mention the flowers courtesy of my husband, and the vintage cake stand really adds a bit of charm.

Thank you Joy the Baker. This was de.li.cious.

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake (Via Joy the Baker)

3 cups of flour (called for all purpose, I used wheat)

6 tablespoons of unsweetened coco powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups of granulated sugar

1/4 cup of vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1/2 cup soft avocado

2 cups water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch rounds. Set aside.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients except the sugar. Set that aside too.

Mix all the wet ingredients together in a bowl, including the super mashed avocado.

Add sugar into the wet mix and stir.

Mix the wet with the dry all at once, and beat with a whisk (by hand) until smooth.

Pour batter into a greased cake tins. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting with avocado buttercream.

Avocado Butter Cream Frosting

8 ounces of avocado meat, about 2 small to medium, very ripe avocados

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and pit the soft avocados. It’s important to use the ripest avocados you can get your hands on. If the avocados have brown spots in the meat, avoid those spots when you scoop the meat into the bowl.

Place the avocado meat into the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. Add lemon juice and whisk the avocado on medium speed, until slightly lightened in color and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat. Add vanilla extract until combined. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator. Don’t worry. It won’t turn brown!

Note: Clearly, butter is not Vegan. I know this. I called it Vegan because it is the official title of where I got this from. As the comments suggest, if you want it purely Vegan, please do not use butter.

Rich Strawberry Cupcakes

2009-11-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

Do you know of Chick-fil-A? Well, we love it. LOVE it. And what a better way to tell someone you appreciate them than a homemade treat? These Strawberry Cupcakes are super easy. Better Crocker, out of the box, easy. Betty Crocker, whipped frosting, easy. Seriously.

And lookie there, I used a little frosting pen to draw part of the logo. So fancy, I know. But what makes these cupcakes so amazingly delicious?

Can you see it?

Notice anything different? Look closer.

That's right, a little something under the Betty Crocker Whipped frosting. A little delicious surprise that takes these cupcakes from delicious to fabulous.

A layer of white chocolate. And not just any white chocolate, Ghiradelli White Chocolate. So good, it melts in your mouth. These cupcakes turned out super moist, and not too sweet. They are rich in flavor, and the white chocolate adds a little surprise.

So when you don't have time to make a Martha Stewart or Julia Child's recipe, use faithful and true Betty Crocker, and then add a bit of your own surprise.

Rich Strawberry Cupcakes

1 box of Betty Crocker Strawberry Cupcakes

1 jar of Betty Crocker Strawberry Whipped Frosting

1 Ghiradelli White Chocolate Baking Bar

Small dose of milk

Following instructions as listed on box. Allow cupcakes to cool completely. Melt white chocolate in pan with a bit of milk. Once melted, remove from heat and let cool, but not all the way. Chocolate must remain smooth. Dip each cupcake into chocolate, allow excess to drip down the sides. Frost with Betty Crocker. Chill overnight. Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie Snow Balls

2009-11-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

It all started with a little bit of love.

Love for pies, for bananas, and for small, mini things.

But like many things we love, they don't always prove to be

what we picture.

So what do we do? We make icing.

We mix it and mash it.

And we make it into something beautiful and delicious.

And make lots of them, so we can share the beauty with our friends.

Doesn't the snow add a little holiday cheer?

A bit of fun, a bit of snow, and a bit of making something beautiful.

Don't be afraid to eat it. You can always make more.

Beauty never runs out.

Banana Cream Pie Snow Balls

I tried so hard to make mini pies. I had no mini cupcake pans. So, plan B. Fashion my own. They fell apart. Plan C. Make Pie Balls and see if they are any good. And they were. De.li.cious.

2 ready made pie crusts

3/4 cup white sugar

a bit of teaspoon salt

2 cups of milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

2 tablespoons butter

enough vanilla extract to get the job done

4 bananas

(I got this recipe here, but I halved it which made about 25 snow balls.)

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. (Beware! If you don't add it carefully, you can get scrambled eggs into your mix!!) Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for an hour.

Because you just end up mashing the pies all together, then I would suggest skipping the part where I cute up individual pies in the shape of a heart, and made mini pies. Just make one big one, or two, and then let cool. Mash up in bowl.

Icing

Powered Sugar

Milk

There are no measurements here, cause you have to eyeball it. So start with a healthy amount of the powdered sugar and then add milk while mixing little by little. Make about one cup.

Pour Icing into mashed up pie.

Roll into small balls using your hands, or, with a melon baller. Whichever you prefer. Put on a cookie sheet and let sit in refrigerator until completely cool. When cooled, reshape if needed. Melt one chocolate bar for baking (choose flavor here wisely) on the stove until it is thick yet think enough to drizzle. Dip pie balls into chocolate and place on wax paper. Put back in refrigerator to cool, again. Once cool, reshape if needed, and add more chocolate if needed. Sprinkle the coconut while chocolate is still moist, this may be the first time you put chocolate on them, or the second. Let cool completely.

Enjoy!

Chilled Strawberry (Dessert) Soup

2009-10-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

This is the second chilled soup I have made in a week, and only the third time in my whole life I have had it. It's winter, so why am I not making hot soup? I have no idea, but when a craving hits you. You go with it.

Start with the ripest strawberries you can find. Wash, and hull about 2 cups. Place 1 cup of sour cream in a food processor or blender along with one cup of milk. Add all two cups of your delicious strawberries. If some don't make it to the blender, cause they land in your mouth, go with it.

Process mixture until smooth. Taste. Add sugar while processing to your liking. I know you can't believe that I am going to say this, but: you are done. That's it. Place mixture into sealed tight container and refrigerate for at least six hours, but do not let sit without consumption for more than 24 hours.

When ready, place soup into bowl and garnish with fresh strawberry slices. This was so delicious, melted in my mouth.

I mean, look at those colors! I can't imagine a better, more refreshing, dessert to add a punch of flavor and color. I say it all the time, but I can't say it enough: this was absolutely, delicious. Delicious. No other words for it.

Chilled Strawberry (Dessert) Soup

2 cups of fresh strawberries

1 cup of milk ( I used Vanilla Almond Milk for health benefits)

1 cup of Sour Cream ( I used organic, full fat. Tastes better, it's only a little bit, and no additives)

Agave Nectar to taste (Agave Nectar is a sugar sweetener. I would say about 1/4 cup of Agave and 1 cup of Sugar will do the trick)

Enjoy!

Rules for Life and Baking

2009-10-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

Rule #1: When making a casserole or layered dish, always place the biggest pieces on the bottom. This will give you a solid, sturdy foundation. If you place the biggest pieces in the middle, that which is underneath with crumble.

Life is a layered dish. Relationships have a little of this, a little of that, and it's easy to package them nicely, garnish creatively, and hope no one notices. But you will. You will notice, and you will taste it, feel it, and at some point, it will crumble.

The most important thing, person, or belief in your life is already your foundation. Is it big enough to sustain, holding together the rest of this dish we call life? If not, it will crumble, and that's ok, it's a sure sign it's not the right foundation.

Autumn Sangria

2009-10-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

I love Sangria. I think it is so much fun, delicious, and inventive. The best part, however, is that you can use cheap wine and it still tastes delicious. Sangria is a perfect option for a party because it will cost less overall, and people can still enjoy it while trying a mix of new flavors. I found this specific recipe by googling the words "Fall Sangria"and I am so. glad. I. tried. it.

Take my word: it pays to take chances when creating new menu options. If you hate it, then don't do it again. If you find something delicious, it will show up again and again, and you will be so glad you were not too afraid to branch out. This Autumn Sangria is a must for holiday parties this season. Here is my altered recipe and prep for this delicious dinner drink:

Autumn Sangria

2 bottles of Merlot
1 bottle of Ginger Ale
1 cup of Sugar
Palm sized amount of ground Cinnamon, to taste
Pinch of ground Nutmeg, to taste
4 to 6 apples, sliced
7 Cinnamon sticks

Pour one bottle of Merlot, 1 cup of Sugar, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg into a medium sized pot and place on medium heat until just hot, stirring constantly. Small bubbles will surface, and the sugar should be dissolved before you remove from heat. Once the sugar is dissolved, the other spices should be mixed well into the merlot. This will take about ten minutes. Be careful to stir constantly, and that the heat is not too high. If the mixture gets too hot, then the alcohol will be boiled out of the mixture, so do not let it get too hot.

After small bubbles form and the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat, and place into an air tight container. Add the second bottle of Merlot, the sliced apples, and the cinnamon sticks. Place mixture into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, but up to 24. Right before serving, pur the bottle of ginger ale into the container. Pour slowly, or a layer of foamy bubbles will form at the top of the mixture. If this happens, don't sweat it, just remove the foam before placing into serving pitcher. Place sangria into the the desired serving container and enjoy!

Don't stress if people pour the sangria into their glasses and get pieces of fruit as well. One of my favorite things about Sangria is tasting the wine-infused fruit after y glass is finished. The cinnamon and nutmeg give this drink a fall flavor, and although it's chilled, it warms you up a bit. I think you are going to love this treat!

Not everyone drinks wine, so I had these fun old-fashioned sodas available for those who wanted to try them. They are made with pure can sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, so for a special occasion, it's a healthier alternative.

Chilled Cucumber, Basil, and Mint Soup

2009-10-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

The first time I had chilled soup was when I had my tonsils out and I could not eat anything. The cold felt good, but popsicles were getting old, so my mom made me Gazpacho soup, and cold soup is now one of my favorites.

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website, and it was so good. I originally had wanted to have a salad, but I saw this and was so intrigued by how unique it sounded. I also wanted to expand my palette and those of my guests with something unique and different. It was perfect for the meal because we made small amounts for each person, so those that did not like it, didn't have to waste any, and those that did, were left wanting more. The basil and mint were very refreshing, and if you use low fat sour cream, then this soup is as healthy as it gets. Here is my rendition of the recipe:

Chilled Cucumber, Basil, and Mint Soup

Serves 4

1 cup of Sour Cream
1/2 cup of fresh Basil
1/2 cup of fresh Mint
1/4 cup of diced Scallion
1 cup of water
1 large seedless Cucumber
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Thin Cucumber slices for garnish

Remove Basil and Mint leaves from stems, and rip (or use a fancy machine and chop) into small pieces. Place Sour Cream into a food processor or blender, along with the Basil, Mint, Scallion, and water. Process until blended, but not smooth. The soup should be a bit chunky. Chop the cucumber into small pieces and add to the mixture along with the lemon juice. Process again until almost smooth. The consistency here is your call. Cold soup might throw your guests for a loop anyway, so chunky soup might really do it to them. If so, make it smooth. If not, then let the Cucumber chunks be very present. Remove from processor and chill in a sealed bowl for at least three hours. Soup is best served on the same day. When you are ready to serve, place one or two cucumbers on top of the soup, and enjoy!

I used this one batch that serves four for the entire 13 person party. This was intentional so that people just had a taste of something new, but the lasagna stood out as the main course. I served the soup in these cute mugs, and made sure that no soup was dripping down the inside. I think it added a bit of character to the night, and small taste of a fresh, invigorating chilled appetizer.

Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Lasagna

2009-10-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves fall flavors, and although I am usually not big about breaking tradition for Thanksgiving, this would be a great alternative to a traditional meal. Or, of course, in addition. I originally had this delicious recipe at my friend Julia's cooking class. So, I must give her all the credit on this one. It was delicious. I used pumpkin puree instead of butternut squash and it really gave it a punch. I also put crushed pecan on top, which gave each bite a little crunch and an additional nutty flavor. Delicious.

Go to Julia's blog for the Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Lasagna recipe, but below are a few of the substitutions that I made:

I used Brown Rice Pasta instead of Whole Wheat. This posed a few problems as if they are cooked too long then it will fall apart. However, it tastes the same, and remember that because lasagna has so many layers, just place the biggest pieces on the bottom for a nice foundation.

I also opted for the Pumpkin Puree and I thought it was delicious. It really brought out a fall taste. Depending on the other appetizers, side items, drinks, and desserts, you may opt for a pumpkin theme. However, if you are a butternut squash fan, then don't use the pumpkin. It's a win-win either way.

Like I said above I added chopped pecans to the top of the lasagna. I love pecans. Love them. In fact, I roasted some tonight just so that I could eat them later. Love them. Everyone enjoyed these pecans on the top, a nice crunch in each bite and something that really sets it apart from other lasagna dishes. Delicious.

For those who are new at food prep, Julia uses the term "julienned" to speak of how the Sage and Basil leaves should be prepared. I must confessed that I often skip small details because I am in a rush, or lazy, or just cause I don't know what it means. The term "julienned" means that the leaves are cut into long pieces, and then diced. What did I do? I just ripped up the leaves, and smelled the delicious smell on my hands all day. No matter how you dice it, it will taste delicious.

I think you are really going to love this dish. Making it has made me excited to make more untraditional lasagnas. I think that I might branch out this holiday season and make Turkey Cranberry Stuffing lasagna for Thanksgiving. Thoughts?

Spice Cake

2009-10-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Ok I have to confess, I used a box cake mix for this one. I know, why even post it right? But, I must admit that when you are short on time, a box cake is the way. to. go. I had found a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cake that I really wanted to try, but cooking dinner for 15 people in a kitchen that is not your own, and going to a bridal shower that same day, means that something has got to give.

My husband was feeling sad that I took the reins on the dinner and so he wanted to make the cake. He made home made cream cheese frosting per my direction, and drizzled it because that is my favorite. It turned out beautiful, but also delicious. We also had a choice of vanilla bean or Butter Pecan Ice Cream to have with it if the guests wanted. It was an odd feeling knowing that would be my last scoop of store bought ice cream for one whole year. Alas, it was delicious, and the adventure begins.

In case you want a semi-homemade cake, here is the recipe for cream cheese frosting:

Cream Cheese Frosting

1-2 lbs of powdered sugar
small amount of milk
8-16 oz of cream cheese

Start with half of the powdered sugar and one 8 oz. package of cream cheese. Slowly add small amounts of milk while mixing with a power mixer on low.

Now, just eye ball it. What are you going to do with the frosting? Pile it on thick. Then add more powdered sugar. Drizzle? Then add more milk. Remember, if you have too much frosting at the end, then you can always save it and make something else the next day. Frosting is easy, and way better than Betty Crocker. No offense.

Birthday Menu

2009-10-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

This Friday is my birthday. I LOVE birthdays, and I love mine. I know it's because we always had the best birthday parties when we were younger. Mom and dad always let us pick what we wanted to do, and we had a blast. However, my favorite part of birthdays is the food. So, this Friday, we will be having a dinner party in Boise, Idaho for my birthday. Here is a little taste, in pictures, of what will be on the menu.

Autumn Sangria * Butternut Squash Lasagna * Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

One Year and Counting

2009-10-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

This week I bought my last loaf of bread for a whole year. I also had my last ice cream cone from an ice cream shop in San Francisco. I'm not going on a crazy diet, nor do I care enough to do so. Instead, my husband and I have set a few short term goals for the next year, and not buying bread and ice cream is one of mine. My first goal is to finish grad school. I am currently at Fuller Theological Seminary and am getting my masters in Theology. I love to bake, cook, read, write, and am an avid runner and exerciser and will do anything that Jillian Michaels says, and I still haven't figured out how it all works together. But, finishing is the first step to figuring that out.

One of my other goals was to bake bread and make home made ice cream for a year. A whole year. That means no going out and buying it from the store or anything that looks like a store. If I have to open a container that is not from my own bakeware to eat it, then we are not doing it.

We eat bread and ice cream a lot. Tons. We love it. So why not learn the craft and have a better appreciation for it? Why not make what we eat so we can be sure it's healthy and good? It's going to be a year of trial and error. Of delicious food and sometimes no food at all. We know that. But, we are very excited.

I hope you are too. I'll post recipes and pictures of my food, my occasional rant, and hopefully make some new food-loving friends along the way. In the meantime, check out my friend Julia. She's an AMAZING cook, baker and friend, and she is going on this journey (at least the ice cream part) with me. She has one of the best palettes of anyone I have met, always up for a new flavor and adventure. So bookmark her blog as well, I'll be sending you there anyway.

Much love.

Strawberry-Raspberry Peppermint Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

2009-10-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

That title cracks me up. It screams the revealing fact that I wanted to make frozen yogurt but I had random ingredients and just threw them all together. Maybe a better title would be "Mint Fruit Surprise." No. No one likes to be eating a "surprise" because who knows what is in there. It is better, if you can't in your title, to tell your guests what they are eating. Then there is no picking around in the food and leaving a small pile of ingredients on the side of the plate.

Anyway, this frozen yogurt turned out great. My husband ate tons of it, and finished it off last night. It was a huge hit, and it was so pretty. I also used all organic ingredients, and substitututed the sugar for Agave Nectar, so it was Jillian Michaels {the world's toughest, and my favorite, trainer} approved. I like to pretend sometimes that she is going to come to my house and check up on me in my workout routines or in my eating habits, and frankly if I was caught eating this one, I think she would not only give me a high five, but would ask for a few scoops herself.

Strawberry-Raspberry Mint Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

3 cups of non-fat organic frozen yogurt

1 cup of strawberry Keifer {You caught me. I ran out of non-fat yogurt, so I used this Strawberry Keifer. Sometimes my best decisions come out of my mistakes. This added texture and TONS of delicious, natural, flavor.}

1/4 cup of Agave Nectar

1/2 cup of milk

Raspberries {However many you have. Eat some while you make it, cause why not?}

1 package of Newman's Own Organic Dark Chocolate Mint cups

Place the yogurt (and Keifer), Agave Nectar, milk, and raspberries into a blender. If you want to have raspberry chunks in your yogurt, then wait on the raspberries. I chose to blend them so that the mint chips were the only thing that stuck out in the yogurt.

Agave Nectar is a sugar substitute that is all natural. You can get it at any Whole Food, Trader Joes, or any store of the like. It is 4 times as sweet as regular white sugar, so you only have to use 25% of what you normally would use.

Pour all the ingredients into your ice cream maker and begin the churching process. Make sure that you freeze the bowl to the full amount. I have messed this up, and the ice cream churns, it's just in liquid form. It will freeze later, and taste the same, but if you are serving it right away then you are at a loss. So make sure you follow the directions. Chop the Mint cups into small pieces, you be the judge here. How much do you want in each scoop? Decide this way, and then proceed.

These are seriously so good. I got them at Whole Foods, and was surprised to find that they have milk chocolate, and peanut butter too. My husband is lucky that we had Peppermint in the pantry, otherwise I would have put the peanut butter ones in here. Don't test me, I would have.

Again, like the Pecans in the Carrot Cake Ice Cream, I put the Peppermint pieces in last so that they would not get mashed in the churning process. With any frozen yogurt, the less fat you use, the more icy the yogurt will be. That's ok. Just remember to leave the container out for a few minutes before you scoop it, and shape the scoop on the side of the container so you look like the chef you are! If not, just fake it and cover it in chocolate sauce.

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Ice Cream

2009-10-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

I love cake, and I especially love Carrot Cake. Delicious. And something about the fact that it has veggies in it makes me smile. I'm a huge nerd. Anyway, I had seen a recipe from David Lebowitz here and looked good, but it didn't have cream cheese, which is one of the best parts of the Carrot Cake as far as I am concerned. So, I found a recipe for Cream Cheese ice cream here, and decided to put the two together, and of course, get inspiration from a recipe for Carrot cake itself.

Carrot Cake Ice Cream

1 cup of pecan halves
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar

I followed the directions for toasting the pecans from Mr. Ice Cream himself. I put the oven 100 degrees too high the first time and burned them. Oops. But let me tell you, these are delicious. I would recommend chopping them up in larger pieces, because the flavor can spread through the whole ice cream. For this particular recipe, you want the pecans to kind of add a punch to the rest of the flavors, not infiltrate the entire scoop.

I love pecans and I could eat them all the time. Look how good they look!

8 ounces of cream cheese {I used Organic, full fat. It tastes better, and it's organic. Again, have a full scoop of full fat, rather than three scoops of non fat. The chemicals you will be eating in non-fat is just not worth it.}
1 cup of milk
3/4 cup of sugar
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 cups shredded and chopped carrots

Place all the ingredients (except the carrots) in a blender until smooth. Pour ingredients into ice cream maker, and slowly add the carrots. In the last 5 minutes of churning process, add the pecans. Adding the pecans last will again keep the flavor with the pecans only. Follow your ice cream maker's instructions, and voila! It's a yummy treat!

Look at that delicious scoop!

Chocolate Bacon Ice Cream

2009-10-19T12:49:00.005-07:00

I know it sounds disgusting. But you have to get past it and think of it like a chef: the perfect combination of salty and sweet will keep your guests wanting more. Did you know that the Lays potato chip people have this mixture down to a science? Those chips aren't that good, they just keep you wanting more sugar or more salt so you reach in handful after handful. So think of this creation as that: a perfect blend of salt and sugar that really does leave you wanting more.

Now I must say that if I did this again I would change a few things. The recipe below is for chocolate frozen yogurt. Next time around, I would do full fat ice cream. I am firm believer that eating sweets is all about self control and ingredients. I use only natural and organic ingredients because 1.) they are healthier, and 2.) the flavors are so much richer. It is much better to have one scoop of full fat ice cream that is mouth watering good and has natural ingredients than have two scoops of non-fat ice cream that is so-so in taste, and it's self life might outlast your own.

Also, per my friend Julia's suggestion, I would make the bacon bits larger. I was so nervous about having bacon in ice cream that I cut them very small. The truth is they were very good, and thus we learn a lesson: if you are going to do something, be bold about it, and do it with gumption. Anyway, here we have it:

Chocolate Bacon Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk (I used Organic Rice Milk, pick your variation, but the less fat, the less creamy)

6 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate ( I used 12 ounces of Organic chocolate chips...oops!)

2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt (I used Organic Greek Yogurt to make up for the thin Rice Milk)

1/4 cup sugar (Organic)

6 strips of organic bacon

6 tablespoons organic brown sugar

{Oh yeah, it's all about what you have. You don't have the exact ingredients? Make a variation. You don't want to use whole milk? Don't. Try it out and if you hate it, then you learned for the next batch. No harm done.}

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400. Cover a cookie sheet ( I know it's not the technical term but it's what my mom called it when we were little and I like it) with aluminum foil, shiny side facing up. Place the bacon strip evenly on the cookie sheet and sprinkle about a tablespoon of brown sugar on the side facing up. Be generous, and if you need more, just use more. Don't be too uptight about measurements here.

Once the oven is pre-heated, place the bacon inside the oven and set the timer for 12-14 minutes. Half way into the baking process, open to oven and use tongs to rub the bacon in the melted brown sugar and flip it over. This way, both sides are coated. Let it cook for the remaining time. You will know the bacon is ready because the brown sugar on and around the bacon will have turned a dark, maple brown. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack to allow to cool. Once it has cooled, chop into small pieces, you can determine the size based on how prominent you want the bacon to be. Set aside.

Now it's time for the ice cream/frozen yogurt part. Most ice cream makers call for the container to be frozen at least 24 hours before use, please check with the manual on this one. Combine the milk and chocolate in a blender or food processor, until smooth, about 20-30 seconds. Add the yogurt and sugar and process until smooth, about 15 seconds.

Turn the Ice Cream machine ON and pour mixture into freezer bowl through the "pour spout" and let thicken which is about 25-35 minutes. You can watch the thickness here, and you can tell how it's turning out. In the last 5 minutes or so of mixing, pour the bacon into the mixture as it churns. Add the bacon in segments so that it gets all throughout the ice cream.

Once the Ice Cream is all churned up, turn the machine to the OFF position and remove pouring spout and plastic "blade." Some ice cream will have stuck to the blade, just be patient and remove it with a spoon. Now you are ready to enjoy your treat. The freezer bowl should still be cold, so either scoop and enjoy immediately, or put into an air tight container and place into the freezer. If you are making the ice cream ahead of time, I would suggest the latter, and then placing it at room temp about 5-10 minutes before you are serving it. This will allow for it to soften just a bit.

This dessert is so rich and flavorful, I would suggest serving as is. Some ice creams may need a bit of sauce or syrup, but that will overpower the flavor here, and take away from the combination of sweet and salty. Plus, the point is to taste the bacon. Oink, oink...enjoy!