Dizzy Girl Bakes

Frosted Banana Cookies

2010-07-19T20:44:00.001-07:00

If you ever wished banana nut bread could be turned into a cookie,hen your wish is about to come true.

Tired of making banana nut bread every time I had very ripe bananas, I decided to search for something new and found Frosted Banana Cookies by Krumkake.

Really I'm not lying. These cookies taste just like banana nut bread. They are soft and moist with the perfect amount of banana flavor. I loved the brown sugar frosting. Like I said before, frosting makes everything extra yummy!

Since I'm sending you to the recipe page, I won't reprint the recipe, but just tell you what I did differently.

1. I never premash (is that a real word?) bananas. I throw them in the Kitchen aid and let it do the mashing.

2. I don't sift my flour, but I do sift the baking soda since it tends to clump.

3. I didn't use the banana flavor. I just added the teaspoon of vanilla. I'm not a big fan of a strong banana flavor.

4. These cookies are yummy without the frosting if you prefer them that way like my kids do.

5. I'm digging Krumkake. If that's your picture, then your one cool chick and thanks for sharing your recipe!
P.S You're cool even if that's not you in the picture!

Frosted Banana Cookies
by Krumkaes

Spaghetti Carbonara

2010-06-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

I have never made this simple dish before but I had a feeling I was going to love it since it had roasted garlic in it. And let's face it; anything with roasted garlic is bound to be good.

Spaghetti Carbonara with roasted garlic
Adapted from The Sutter home Napa Valley Cookbook

4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

salt

1/2 lb dried spaghetti

1/2 lb sliced bacon

2 eggs room temperature, lightly beaten

1/4 light cream or half and half

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pepper

Peel the garlic and wrap it in foil. Place in 350 degrees oven. Roast for 30 minutes or until soft and golden brown.

Unwrap the garlic and mash it in a small bowl with the butter. Set aside

In a large pot bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al denta.

In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, Transfer to a paper towel. Crumble when cool and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs and cream until blended well. Set aside.

TO Assemble

Drain the spaghetti and rinse the pot and return to stove over the lowest heat. Add the garlic butter and stir to coat bottom of pan. Add spaghetti and toss to coat. Remove from heat and add egg mixture. Stir constantly until it has thickened and formed a sauce. Add bacon and cheese along with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat.

Serve immediately.

Blackberry Slump

2010-06-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe when you are craving a cobbler on a hot day, but you don't want to use your oven as this cobbler is cooked on the stove top. Which is perfect for when it is too hot to bake.

Blackberry Slump
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma New England Cookbook

2 pt (1lb) blackberries

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Biscuits

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

In a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan with a tight fitting lid, combine the berries, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir and set aside.

For the biscuits, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter and buttermilk briefly to form a soft, lumpy dough.

Set the pan with the berries in it over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once the berries have come to a boil, uncover and stir to ensure the sugar has melted and reduce the heat to medium-low. Drop spoonfuls of biscuits onto the simmering berries, spacing them evenly. Cover and simmer gently until the biscuits are firm and dry to the touch. Do not remove the lid too often as it is the steam that cooks the biscuits.

Spoon the slump into bowls and serve with vanilla ice cream, cream or whipped cream.

Key Lime Pie

2010-06-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

I've had my fair share of Key lime pie and some of them I have loved and others I could have done without. This one falls in the category of love. I love, love, love this pie. It has the perfect amount of tartness without making you pucker (who can enjoy a pie that makes you wince from the tartness with each bite?). This is the kind of pie that makes you say oh my when you take the first bite.

I bought a bag of limes thinking it would yield the 1 1/4 cups of lime juice, but I only got 1/2 cup. After tasting the lime juice, I realized it was strong enough I could add water to get the 1 1/4 cup of liquid I needed, I was right. After added the water, the lime juice was still tart. For me the diluted juice was the perfect flavor, but if you love a tart key lime, then add the full amount.

Key Lime Pie
Adapted from Cottage Living 2/2006

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoon granulated sugar

4 tablespoon butter, melted

2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 Key lime juice (fresh, not from a bottle)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and butter with hands; press firmly into a 10-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk together condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs until well blended. Pour into crust and bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until set. Chill for 4 hours.

To finish pie, spread sweetened whipped cream over top and serve.

Zucchini Pancakes

2010-06-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite ways to use up zucchini and to get my kids to eat their vegetables!

Zucchini Pancakes
Barefoot Contessa at home

2 medium zucchini (about 3/4 lb)

2 tablespoons grated red onion

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

6 to 8 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

unsalted butter and vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Grate the zucchini into a bowl using the large grating side of a box grater. Stir in onion and eggs. Stir in 6 tablespoon of flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. You can add the remaining two tablespoon of flour if the batter gets too runny.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt 1/2 tablespoon butter with 1/2 tablespoon oil. Heat until the butter is hot but not smoking and then lower the heat to medium-low. Drop a heaping soupspoons size of batter into the pan. Let it cook for two minutes or until it is brown, then flip. Place finished pancakes on a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven.
Wipe out pan and add more butter and oil for next batch.
Serve warm.

Old Fashion Pandowdy

2010-05-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Before I found this recipe I had never heard of a pandowdy. According to gourmet.com, a pandowdy is a deep dish fruit dish that was created as a way to use leftover bread dough on baking day.
After reading the history about it and drooling over the picture, and because I am a sucker for any type of apple dessert, I had to try it. I'm happy to say I was not disappointed.

This apple dessert may not be the best looking apple dessert, but the cinnamon spiced apples topped with a sweet crunchy dough, makes this dessert win first prize in the taste category. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or even eat it cold. It's a yummy apple dessert.

Old Fashion Apple Pandowdy
Adapted from gourmet.com

Fruit Filling

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoon water

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 Gala or Granny Smith apples (2 to 2 1/2 lb), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits

Biscuit Top

2 cups all- purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoon demerara sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup heavy cream plus more for brushing

To Make The Fruit Filling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in middle. Stir together maple syrup, water, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Add apples and stir to coat. Stir in flour and sugar.
Transfer apple mixture to a 9-inch square baking dish and dot apples with butter pieces. Bake, covered with foil for 25 minutes.

While Apples Bake, Make The Biscuit Topping

Whisk together flour, baking powder, 1 tsp sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add cream and stir with a fork until dough forms.
Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times to bring dough together, Roll dough in an 8 inch square, brush with cream and sprinkle with 2 tsp of demerara sugar.

To Finish Pandowdy

Cover hot fruit with dough and bake uncovered until biscuit is just golden-about 20 minutes. Then use a spoon to break up biscuit topping. Mix slightly with filling and drizzle some of the apples and syrup over the biscuit.
Continue to bake until apples are tender and biscuit is golden brown in spots, 5 to 10 minutes.

Chocolate Crinkles

2010-05-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from a cookbook created by church ladies who love to cook and for some reason put together a cookbook. I don't know why they created the "Un-'bear"ably Good Cooking" Cookbook, but I'm glad they did.

It's funny how we got this book since I didn't know the lady who put the book together (Betty Jo Young) or even the lady who gave this recipe (Monica Memmott Earl). We became the proud owners of this cookbook by luck. My hubby's boss gave him the cookbook as a way of thanking him one day. I don't remember why he was thanking him because it has been way too long to remember, but I chuckle each time I use the cookbook because this thoughtful gift was actually re-gifted. And how do I know this? Well his aunt who had been in charge of the cookbook had personally signed the book for him. Whoops. Well he may have not appreciated the cookbook, but I love it. So Betty Jo thanks for the cookbook. I appreciate the massive amount of work it must have been to put it together because I can imagine it must have been a pain in the butt.

I would also like to thank Monica who contributed this recipe to the " Un-'bear"ably Good Cooking" Cookbook. Her cookies were quick, delicious and easy to make. Which is a plus since we are all swamped with end of school projects.

Chocolate Crinkles
From "Un-'bear"ably Good Cooking" and Monica Memmott Earl

Mix together

1/2 cup oil

12 tablespoons of Dutch processed cocoa

2 cups sugar

Add:

4 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix well and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Roll into a ball and then in powdered sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes

Steamed Brown Bread

2010-05-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

I used to eat a lot of this bread when I was a kid. It was usually severed along side Boston Baked Beans and the bread came from a can. Which I used to think was a strange. But I loved the dense, moist, sweet bread and got excited anytime my mom brought some home from the grocery store. I knew dinner that night was going to be a good one.

When I saw this recipe I had to try it since it had been a long time since I had eaten steamed bread. I wondered if it would taste as good as I remembered and would I still love it?

This bread has a stronger molasses taste then I remember the one from the can having and since molasses is not my most favorite flavor, I didn't love this bread as much as I did when I was a kid. I guess my taste buds have changed.

Steamed Brown Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light October 2008

4.75 ounces whole wheat flour (about 1 cup)

4 ounces rye flour (about 1 cup)

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup raisins

2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoon butter melted

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine flours, cornmeal, raisins, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine buttermilk, molasses, butter, and rind. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Divide batter evenly between 2 (8-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Tightly cover each pan with foil. Place pans in a 13x9-inch baking pan. Add boiling water to a depth of 1 inch. Cover larger pan with foil.
Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Top of bread will be slightly sticky. Remove pans from water. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack and then remove from pans. Cool completely.

Tangy Mustard Coleslaw

2010-05-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about summer is grilling. Along with grilling I love a good slaw to go with the meal. This recipe from Cooking Light is low in fat without losing any flavor. It's creamy, tangy and goes well with everything. It would taste spectacular on fish tacos or a pulled pork sandwich.

Tangy Mustard Coleslaw
Adapted from Cooking Light June 2008

7 cups finely shredded green cabbage (about 1/2 a head)

1 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion

1 cup grated carrot

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Combine cabbage, onion, and grated carrot in a large bowl. Whisk together white wine vinegar, sugar, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a small bowl. Pour mixture over cabbage mixture and toss well to coat. Cover and chill for 20 minutes or longer. Stir before serving.

Zucchini-Pinapple Quick Bread

2010-05-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Last week I made this bread and it made a lot. Two loaf pans plus an 8'' cake. I had extra batter because my loaf pans were smaller than the 9x5 size the recipe called for. Well I figured that's a lot of bread and there is no way we can eat it all. So I froze the cake and one of the loaves thinking I would give some to my parents when they came up. They tell me every time they read my blog, they would love to eat whatever I have made. I thought I would be thoughtful and save some of my baking for them. Well to make a long story short,

I have no bread for my parents. Sorry folks, but the hungry vultures known as my family, ate it all. And yes, I would be one of the hungry vulture. Maybe I'll be able to save whatever I make next time, but with a hungry growing family and a thirteen year old son who is already eating everything but the kitchen sink, I doubt it.

One thing that made this bread so good was the wonderful addition of crushed pineapple which made this cake very moist. If you like nuts like I do, then add some chopped pecans to the mix and you will be in heaven.

This is now my favorite zucchini bread recipe.

A few notes on the bread: I didn't have egg substitute so I just added another egg and omitted the egg substitute. I also added about a half of cup of chopped pecans.

Zucchini-Pineapple -Quick Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light. June 2008

3 cups shifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 1/2 medium zucchini)

2/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup egg substitute

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 (8-ounce) cans crushed pineapple in juice, drained

Baking spray with flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combined flour, salt, and next 3 ingredients (through ground cinnamon) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Beat eggs with a mixer at medium speed until foamy. Add sugar, zucchini, oil, egg substitute (or 1 egg) and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture and stir until moist. Fold in pineapple (and nuts if using them). Spoon batter into 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans coated with baking spray. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Pureed Potato and Broccoli Soup With Parmesan Croutons

2010-05-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

What to do when the spring weather has suddenly turned to winter again? Instead of being sad by the rain and cold, I made soup. I love when summer comes around but that means I have to say goodbye to hot soup, one of my favorite entrees. So when I woke up to a wet and cold day, I took advantage of it and made probably my last bowl of hot soup for the season.

The soup I chose to make came from the New York Times Recipes for Health. I recently discovered this gem of a web site. If you have never looked at it, take a moment and peruse over the many recipes it has for healthy meals. It truly is my new best friend. So don't be surprise to see me making many dishes from the web site.

Now I know the Purred Broccoli and Potato soup with Parmesan croutons has the funky green color that may scare some people away, but once you get past the color it truly is a silky, garlicky and creamy soup. Even my nine year old who has a hard time eating foods of this color loved the soup. The garlicky toasted croutons might have done the trick.

Pureed Potato and Broccoli Soup With Parmesan Croutons
Adapted from the New York Times

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 leeks, white and light green only, sliced and cleaned

3 garlic cloves, chopped, plus 1 small clove, cut in half

Salt, preferably kosher salt, salt to taste

2 pounds starchy potatoes (russets or Yukon gold), peeled and cut in large dice

A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and 2 sprigs each parsley and thyme

2 quarts of chicken stock

1 pound broccoli crowns, coarsely chopped

Freshly ground pepper to taste

12 thin slices baguette or country bread

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat and add the chopped onions. Cook, stirring until translucent.

Add garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cook, stirring until fragrant.

Add the leeks, potatoes, bouquet garni, chicken stock and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered for 30 minutes. Add broccoli and turn up the heat to bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and cook uncovered until broccoli is tender but still bright. Remove the bouquet garni.

Blend the soup in batches with a blender or with a hand blender. Be sure to cover the blender top with a towel to avoid being splash by the hot soup.

Pour purred soup through a strainer. Use the back of a ladle to push the soup through. Return to the soup pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly rub each slice of bread with the cut garlic. Top with grated Parmesan Cheese and toast under a broiler or toaster oven until cheese has melted. Watch carefully as bread can quickly burn.

Serve the soup with two toasted croutons.

Raspberry Swirl Cake

2010-05-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

With Mother's Day right around the corner, I decided it was time for a cake.

A simple cake, one that uses a cake mix.

Because some days you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Not when there is baseball practice, a history project due and laundry and-well you get the picture.

I got this recipe from the Duncan Hines web site.

I like to add sour cream to my mix. It adds another level of flavor and makes it more moist and dense.

After the cake has cooled, cut off the top if it is not flat.

I cut this cake into three layers. That way you get more frosting and filling with each bite. Which in my book is always a good thing because I'm a frosting loving freak and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Spread the raspberry filling on the first two layers. Then on top of the raspberry filling, top with the cream cheese frosting.

Frost the cake with a crumb coat (a thin layer of frosting to seal in moisture and crumbs before the final frosting). Refrigerate for an hour or two to let the frosting set. Finish with a final coat of frosting and top with raspberries.

And to all the wonderful moms out there, especially my mom-

Happy Mother's Day!

To find the recipe for this cake, click on the link.
http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cakes/dh/raspberry-swirl-cake

To jazz up a cake box mix add:

1 cup of sour cream

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Add the sour cream, eggs and oil to dry mix and blend for 1 minute in a mixer. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium speed for two minutes.
Bake according to the instructions on the box.

No-knead overnight parmesan and thyme rolls

2010-05-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love bread dough you can throw in a pan and not kneed it? I love that the dough can be made the day ahead. The drawback- you have to wait a day to enjoy the rolls, but it is so worth the effort.

I loved how these rolls made my house smell like a pizzeria while they baked. I can have my kitchen smelling like a pizzeria anytime of the day and week. Seriously. I could really live off of pizza. I know my kids wished we did.

These rolls also make really good sandwiches. If they cool before you can eat them, they can be reheated in the microwave for 8-12 seconds.

No-Knead Overnight Parmesan and Thyme Rolls
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2010

I used whole-wheat flour in place of the whole-wheat white flour. The dough is more like a thick batter so do not add more all-purpose flour than what is called or the rolls will come out dry.

1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

2 tablespoon warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 cup 2% reduced -fat milk

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1.1 ounces whole-wheat white flour (about 1/4 cups)

5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups), divided

cooking spray

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1. Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add thyme to pan; cook 1 minute or until bubbly and fragrant. Add thyme mixture and milk to yeast mixture, stirring with a whisk; add 1/4 cup cheese, sugar, salt, and egg, stirring well.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon whole-wheat white flout into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife, Using a wooden spoon, stir whole-wheat white flour into yeast mixture, Weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add enough of remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a smooth, but very sticky dough. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator. Do not punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough into a 12x7-inch rectangle. Brush dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese evenly over dough; sprinkle with pepper.
Beginning with a long side, roll up dough jelly-roll fashion. Pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Cut roll into 8 (1 1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until rolls have risen slightly.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

6. Place pan in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake rolls at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 8 rolls

Whole wheat blueberry pancakes with pecans

2010-05-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sometime you need a hearty breakfast.

Cereal just won't do.

Eggs would be good, but it's not an egg in the morning type of morning.

Nope.

You need something with substance.

Like whole-wheat pancakes with blueberries, toasted pecans and a hint of orange in them.

Yeah, something like that.

Because when you have a new yard that looks like this

and you have to spend the day doing this

and this.

Then your going to need to start the day off right.

Whole wheat blueberry pancakes with pecans

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk, or more if needed

1 tablespoon of orange juice

1 teaspoon of orange zest

1/4 cup toasted pecans

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt

In separate bowl, mix together milk, egg, orange juice, zest and pecans

Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Fold in blueberries

Pour a 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly heated griddle or heavy skillet.

Turn pancakes when the surface is bubbly.

Cook until golden brown.

Maple-pecan snack cake

2010-04-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to buy pure maple syrup because it's so expensive, but for this recipe I made the exception. Or maybe hubby did since he was the one to buy the syrup on his way home from work. Thanks honey for saving me a trip to the store!

This recipe comes from Cooking Light, which means its lighter on the calories. It's also a quick and easy cake to make. Which happens to be my favorite kind of cake to make.

Whisk the maple syrup, sour cream, butter, vanilla and egg until smooth.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, toasted pecans, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture.

Mix it all together.

and pour it into a pan. Or as I had to do, scrape into a pan. I always laugh when a recipe says to pour a thick mixture when you really have a thick mixture that needs to be coaxed into a pan. It does sound better to say pour mixture rather than say scrape the mixture.

After the cake has baked and is cooling, whip up the frosting.

Slap the frosting on that sweet cake, sit back with a tall glass of cold milk and enjoy this yummy tasting maple cake. But don't forget to make a huge mess in the kitchen(like I always seem to do) and dust yourself with flour so your family will think it was a long and hard job to make this cake.

Maple-Pecan Snack Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light March 2008

Cake

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup reduced -fat sour cream

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 11 1/4 ounces)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/2 teaspoon salt

cooking spray

Frosting

For the frosting I just added my pecans into the frosting before I mixed it. But I had to thin it out a bit with some milk.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon whipping cream

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

To prepare cake, combine first 5 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, pecans, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add syrup mixture to flour mixture; stir until well blended. Pour batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center come out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, combine sugar, maple syrup, whipping cream and salt. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Spread frosting evenly over cooled cake; sprinkle with 1/4 cup pecans.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)
Calories 261
Fat 8.4g

Raspberry cordial

2010-04-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

In the movie "Anne of Green Gables" (love it and the book) Anne invites her best friend Diana over to tea. By a mistake, Anne serves Diana currant wine instead of the cordial. A simple mistake as they are both the same color. Diana finds the wine delicious and drinks three full glasses and staggers home drunk to the dismay of Anne.

After hearing about raspberry cordial, I wondered, what does it taste like? The only way to find out was to find a recipe and make it.

With this quick recipe you can use fresh or frozen raspberries. I didn't have enough frozen berries so I went to Costco and found some fresh ones.

Put the sugar and the berries into a saucepan and cook it until

the sugar dissolves.

Pour into a strainer

and mash the mixture to get the juice.

add lemon juice and stir.

Once the boiling water has been added, cool and then refrigerate.

After taking a sip of this drink, all I can say is I need to plant some raspberry bushes and thank you L.M Montgomery for introducing me to raspberry cordial and Anne Shirley

Raspberry Cordial
Adapted from recipezaar.com

19 oz of fresh or frozen raspberries

1 1/4 sugar

4 cups of boiling water

juice of two lemons-I used large lemons.

Add the sugar and raspberries into a saucepan and cook until the sugar is dissolved. About 20-25 minutes. Pour the mixture into a strainer and mash. To completely remove the seeds, you may want to strain it again by pouring it through a fine mesh strainer. Discard pulp.

Add the strained juice of two lemons and stir.

Add 4 cups of boiling water, stir and let cool before refrigerating.

Antiques

2010-04-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to an antique fair with my mom and brought home some goodies.

I've started to add some silver pieces to the house because I have suddenly decided I like it. I thought I would put the pieces in my bedroom, but I like them in the family room.

I bought this table for $25.00! Sweet deal!

Rocks from my backyard my youngest and I collected. A strange combo, but I like it.

Dizzy wondering why the heck I'm taking pictures of the furniture.

I don't know Dizzy. It's one of the many crazy things I do during the day.

I bought this chalkboard made out of an old door and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it.

Then I got the great idea of having my 17 year old write out our name and the year I married. I love the way she writes. You do not want to see what my handwriting looks like. Oh no, It would give you nightmares.

I wasn't sure where I would hang it. I thought I might hang it in the stairwell and put family photos around it, but I think it looks great over my bed. Now I just need to get hubby to hang it up.

A brownie so good you'll want to marry it!

2010-04-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

I love this simple and easy brownie recipe so much I want to marry it. Well, not,really. It just makes me so happy. I don't get a chocolate craving too often but last night my stomach was calling for some chocolate. I needed something that would warm my soul. I needed warm soft chewy yummy brownies.

Melt the chocolate and butter. Already a good combo!

Pour it into a metal bowl and let it sit for two minutes. This will cool the mixture enough so when you add the chocolate chips later they won't melt when it bakes in the oven.

Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the cooled chocolate and mix until just incorporated.

Add the flour and chocolate chips.

Mix it up and pour it into a pan.

And please don't step on the kitty on your way to the oven like I did. :( Sorry Dizzy!
She likes to hang out in the kitchen when I cook and sometimes I forget she's there keeping me company.

See how the chocolate chips don't melt?

How to enjoy a brownie.

Dried strawberries and mini chocolate chips.

Peanut butter chips with mini chocolate chips.

Chocolate sprinkles.

How to enjoy a brownie like a 9 year old.

A plain brownie for him? No way. First you got to jazz it up!

Yeah, that's the ticket!

Take a bite.

Oh it's so good. I can't say a word.

No really. No more questions. I must enjoy my brownie in peace.

Chocolate Brownies

1/2 cup butter

2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli)

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray an 8x8x2-inch baking pan.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter and the bittersweet chocolate over low heat.
Pour the melted butter and chocolate into a bowl. Let it cool for two minutes.

Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until just combined.

Mix in flour and 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into sprayed baking pan.

Bake for 30 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Brioche

2010-04-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

I love to make bread and the smell of homemade bread right out the oven makes my toes wiggle with delight. But I'll admit it, as much as love making bread, I tend to make the same type over and over. White, whole wheat, dinner rolls and occasional French bread is what I seem to make a lot of. So I was happy to tackle a new bread, brioche.

All I can say is why oh why does it take me so long to make new things? This bread is light and buttery with a tiny hint of sweetness. It does take some time to make, but like all good things, it is worth the wait.

I had to go out and buy these cute little brioche pans. Any excuse to go shopping right?

Before I made the dough, I got my bowl sprayed and ready.

I threw together eggs, flour, sugar, yeast and eggs and mixed them up in the Kitchen Aid.

Then came my favorite part of the recipe.

Nothing says fun than beating butter with a rolling pin. I think I need to get out of the kitchen more because I had way too much doing this. Which probably means I haven't had enough fun lately. Hint hint hubby-we need to have a date night ASAP!

After I took out all my frustration on the poor innocent sweet butter, I broke it up and slowly added it to the dough. It was kind of a rough day for the butter.

After it had been kneaded, the dough got all nice and stretchy-you know it's at this stage when you can pull it and it doesn't break but gets thin.

It proofed for an hour on the counter top and then I refrigerated it overnight as it was getting late.

To make individual rolls, I divided it into two balls,

poked a hole in one

and turned the other into a doughnut shape

and put it into the brioche pan.

Here's what they look like baked.

Hmmm...

I may have to work on my roll making technique. I think I made the balls too big. All right, all right, get your mind out of the gutter. When I say balls I mean the dough balls the ones that -oh forget it.

Seriously, I think my messed up rolls are mocking me.

Oh yeah? You know what happens when a roll mocks me?

Yeah that's right-I will gobble you up! Take that you little punk.

Pie dough can be a bully and burnt beans stink

2010-04-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

Don't let the above picture fool you. The pie gods were not being nice to me on this day.

When a recipe gives me grief I can't help, but keep trying until I get it right. I decided to be brave and try to make pie dough again. I thought I would have better luck if I used a different recipe. I choose to use the one that came with my food processor as I had heard it is a foolproof recipe.

Foolproof you say-well we'll just see about that.

Everything was chilled and ready to go. I mixed the flour with the salt and baking soda and then added the butter and shortening.

I even bought some peas so I would know how small my butter had to be.

Now the part I hate -adding the water. If this was a horror film,then this is when you would hear the scary music they play right before something bad is going to happen. Dun Dun Dun...

I added 2 tablespoons of ice water and pulsed 5 maybe 6 times. The mixture did hold together when I pressed it together just like the recipe said it would. Okay I just needed to add some more water and it should be able to be formed into a ball. After a few more teaspoons of water it looked like it was ready.

I dump it out onto the counter even though I had a gut feeling it needed more water, but I went ahead and formed it into a ball-

a dry crumbly ball.

It was hard to form into a ball and I felt it didn't have enough water. I knew if it didn't have it would crumble when I went to roll it out. So I dumped it back into the bowl and added more water. At this point I'm not feeling too good about this dough. I probably over mixed by now and even after adding more water it still looked too darn dry.

My only option was to form it into a ball and see if a miracle would happen after it had chilled in the refrigerator.

Guess what? No miracle here. The pastry gods did not bless the dough. In fact I think it might have been cursed.

Ugh. Why can't pie dough play fair and just behave?

I needed help. All I needed was someone to show me how wet the mixture needed to be. I went searching on line since I don't know any good pie makers living by me. My mom, who could help me, lives 2 hours away. But I found a video. Yes, finally a visual-just what I needed and my favorite part of the recipe, an exact measurement of water. None of these 2-4 tablespoons of water crap for me no way, just give me a precise number. It will make my life so much easier.

I tried it and this is what it looked like after I added in the water. It already looks better than the dry piece of crap I made earlier. It actually looks like it will stick together. Let us all pray that it does.

This is what it looked like after it chilled in the fridge.

Thank you pastry gods!

Hmmm... The edges of the dough still cracked, but it did roll out better. I wonder-are cracked edges normal when you roll out dough?

To blind bake the shell, I filled it up with pinto beans and then baked it for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes were up, I needed to remove the beans and bake the tart for another 15 minutes. I got lazy and instead of taking the shell out of the oven to remove the beans, I tried to do it while it was in the oven. Not such a smart idea as some of pinto beans fell back into the hot oven. I left them in the oven thinking they're just beans they won't hurt anything. Yeah right. Those suckers really stink when they get burnt.

Ugly stinky burnt beans on the right-pretty non-stinky beans on the left.

My dough shrunk in the pan after I baked it. Why does that happen? I am quickly coming to the conclusion that pasty dough is a rebellious punk that does what it wants to do regardless how nice you are to it. I'm going to have to figure out what caused that. Deb at Smitten Kitchen has a no shrink tart dough recipe that I think I will try in a month or so. I need time to recuperate after this experience.

But the true test is how does it taste?

The next day:

My original plan was to make Tarte au Ganache Chocolat (Chocolate Ganache Tart) from "The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts" which is a tart shell filled with a chocolate ganache. But after my experience with pie dough I wasn't sure if my crust would be edible. So instead of wasting ingredients for the original ganache, I decided to use the chocolate sauce I had made for the profiteroles. I figured this chocolate sauce would work, as it becomes firm once it is refrigerated. I warmed up some of the sauce and poured it into the crust and let it sit overnight. After it was chilled, I finish off the chocolate tart with whipped cream and bittersweet chocolate shavings.

I was so, so good!

And surprise, surprise. The crust was light and flaky and tender just the way a good crust should be. This ladies and gentlemen is the first time I have achieved this. Wow. Hubby gave it a 9 out of 10, which is awesome. His mom made really good pie crust. The kind of crust you would get in a really good restaurant so he knows a good crust when he taste one. So I think I will pat myself on the back for this one.

I just need to keep making pie dough and then I will get a feel for it. It reminds me of making bread. It's something that has to be made over and over until you get a feel for. At least that's my theory and I' stinking to it.

SUPER YUM!

Sign of a job well done.

Audrey's yogurt cake

2010-04-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading the book "On Rue Tatin" by Susan Herrmann Loomis who is also the author of several other cookbooks. In her book "On Rue Tatin" she chronicles her life as a married woman living in France with her family. One of the best things about this book besides being entertaining is her liberal sprinkling of recipes throughout. I absolutely love getting recipes like this. It brings the story to life and gives me another way of enjoying a book.

Audrey's Yogurt Cake recipe came to her from a mother she meet at her son's school that had brought in this cake to celebrate her daughter's birthday. Susan explains that yogurt cakes were taught to every French schoolgirl but now most of them learn how to bake this cake at home. She said it was the best yogurt cake she had ever tasted and she had tried many before. So of course I had to try it. I love to try regional recipes especially recipes that I have never heard of.

My ingredients mise en place and ready for action.

My bake pan buttered, floured and ready.

Once the eggs and sugar have been whisked to a light yellow,

the flour is sprinkled over the mixture and folded in.

Fold in the yogurt and the vanilla, then the melted butter. Pour half of it in your prepared cake pan and

fold the melted chocolate into the remaining batter.

Pour the chocolate batter onto the plain one. You can run a rubber spatula through it several times if you want a marble effect. I ran a spatula through mine but my batter just wanted to sit on top and not mix with the rest of the cake. What a party pooper.

I liked this cake, as it was not very sweet. It reminded me of a snack cake that would go well with a warm cup of tea. The combination of a chocolate layer with a vanilla layer was a very happy combination. I mean let's face it; chocolate layered with anything is bound to be good. I had to give hubby a hard time as he added chocolate frosting to his piece, as did my middle son. They said it tasted better. They prefer a sweeter cake. My other kids thought it tasted perfect just as it was baked with just a dusting of powdered sugar on it.

Audrey's Yogurt Cake
Adapted from On Rue Tatin.

1 1/2 cups/200g all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of fine sea salt

3 large eggs

1 cup /200g sugar

1/2 cup/125ml plain, full-fat yogurt (I used low-fat)

8 tablespoons/125 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 ounces/90g bitter chocolate, (I used Ghirardelli)
melted in a double boiler, then cooled

Confectioners' sugar

Butter and flour one 91/2-inch round cake pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Shift together the flour, baking powder, and salt onto a piece of waxed or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar until they are light and pale yellow. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the eggs and sugar, whisking to incorporate then. Fold in the yogurt and vanilla, then the melted butter.

Pour half the batter into the prepared cake pan; fold the melted chocolate into the remaining batter until it is thoroughly combined. Pour the chocolate batter on top of the plain batter this is already in the cake pan and run a rubber spatula through the batter several times to make a marble pattern.

Bake the cake in the center of the oven until it is slightly mounded and your finger leaves a very slight impression when you touch the top of it, about 35 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Once it is cool, dust it with confectioner's sugar and serve.

Chocolate meringues

2010-04-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

I was looking to make a simple dessert since it was the day after the Black Eyed Peas concert and my head was still ringing from being too close to the stage. Next concert I go to I'm using earplugs.

The Chocolate Meringues looked quick and easy to make, but I wasn't too excited to eat them. I've never made them but have bought them a few times for my son since he loves them. I find them unappealing. To me it's like eating cardboard with sugar. Maybe home made ones would taste better, but I had little hope.

First thing I did was let 3 egg whites come to room temperature.

Then whipped them with cream of tarter until they were stiff peaks.

Cocoa powder and confectioners sugar were folded in followed by the chocolate chips. Instead of dropping them onto parchment paper using a teaspoon, I used a cookie scoop. I like to use one as it keep them all the same size.

I expected these to taste like the store bought ones, dry and crispy with a hint of cocoa flavoring but I was in for a surprise when I took a bite. All I could say was they were amazing, crispy on the outside but warm and chewy on the inside. I ate mine about a half hour after they came out of the oven so the chocolate chips were still warm and soft. The cocoa flavoring was predominating making the meringue taste like a warm chocolate cookie. These little guys are dangerous to make since I could have eaten about 20 in a row. The next time my son has a craving for meringues; I will definitely be making them.

If you have never made homemade meringues before you need to at least once. They're so easy to make and taste way better than store bought ones.

Chocolate Meringues
Adapted from Essentials of baking

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream tarter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup miniature (I used regular size) semisweet plain chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Shift confectioners' sugar lightly over the paper.

Sift together the 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar and the cocoa powder onto a sheet of parchment paper or plate. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment or a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until the cream of tartar dissolves and the whites begin to thicken, Increase the speed to medium-high and beat just until the soft peaks form, Slowly add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Remove the bowl from the mixer,

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the sugar-cocoa mixture into the egg whites, then fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by level teaspoons (I used a cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart, Bake until the meringues feel crusty and dry on the outside, about 55 minutes. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let the meringues cool completely. The outside of the cookies will become crisper as they cool. Serve at room temperature. Store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze in tightly sealed container for up to 1 month.

Eclairs

2010-04-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

This recipe was quick and easy, since I already had the cream puff dough made. All I had to do was take it out of the refrigerator, put it in a pastry bag and piped it into rows.

Which kind of reminded me of slugs.

Thank goodness they looked better baked!

Once they cooled, I cut one in half and dipped the top in warm chocolate sauce. That is one lucky eclair.

After I dipped the tops of the eclair, I let those bad boys sit there and look pretty as the icing set. Some of them might have been over dipped but I'm not complaining, its chocolate, the more the better.

I filled mine with whipped cream since I had some available. They were admired for a minute and then they disappeared.

Yum!

Profiteroles

2010-04-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked at a recipe and thought, there is no way in hell I'm going to be able to make that with out screwing something up? That thought had always crossed my mind whenever I contemplated making choux pastry or cream puff dough. I tend to stay away from tricky recipes and this one made me nervous because it used 10 to 12 eggs. That would be a lot of wasted eggs if I messed up the recipe.

The tricky parts to this recipe were; first I had to make sure I didn't overcook the mixture as it could separate and turn red, then I had to make sure the mixture had cooled slightly before I added the eggs or they would cook and ruin the dough.

But I thought it was time to be a big girl and face my fears of making cream puff pasty.

I scanned the recipe and didn't like this part of the direction. " Begin beating the paste at medium-low speed to release some steam and to allow it to cool somewhat. This is very important because the eggs will begin cooking if they are added while the paste is too hot."

Okay, I get that part, but what temperature is "cool somewhat?"

I cheeked out another cookbook. "Essentials of Baking"

According to this cookbook, the magic temperature is 140 degrees.

EUREKA!

This recipe only took 4 eggs instead of 10-12. Hmm, since this was the first time I was making cream puff dough and there was a chance I could mess it up, I wondered, should I use the one that called for 10-12 eggs or the one that only used 4 eggs.

Of course I used the one that only took 4. Duh.

So with Hubby's help as the photographer, because I can't mix and take pictures at the same time and really if I could do that then I would be like a super hero and I would probably be out saving the world instead of baking. So as a non-super hero, I put on my apron and got down to business.

Here's the main thing I learned when I made this recipe. It's never a good idea to work out your arms with weights the same day you plan on hand mixing 4 eggs vigorously into a thick batter. It's also not a good idea to do this while wearing a sweater in an overheated house. Only do this if you want to torture yourself.

Yes, I'll admit it, I was tempted to let Hubby do the mixing, but it was my recipe and I was going to do it even if that meant I was close to sweating blood. Well, not really, but it did feel like my arms were going to fall off.

But let's start from the beginning. Before any eggs were added, I had to combine milk; water, butter and salt into a pan set it on medium heat. Once the butter melted and it came to a boil,

I removed the pan from the heat, mixed in the flour vigorously and return the pan to medium heat. My arms were fine at this point. I'm not in that bad of shape.

Once the mixture formed a ball,

I removed the pan from the heat and waited until it came to the magic temperature of 140 degrees. At that temperature, the mixture still felt too hot, but I trusted the cookbook and dumped in the whisked egg. The egg didn't cook so the mixture must have been cooled enough.

After nearly killing my arms, here is what it looked like after 4 eggs were mixed into it.

The recipe said to pipe 1 teaspoon of dough onto parchment paper for the profiteroles (small cream puffs), which I did, but they came out really small. That one in the picture looks like a snail and it was about the same size as one. The second batch I used a tablespoon of batter and they came out bigger.

Look Ma, I did it!

Speaking of my mom, my parents came up for Easter dinner so I decided to fill the small puffs with ice cream and serve them with a warm chocolate sauce also know as profiteroles.

Let's take a moment and talk about this chocolate sauce. If I was in front of a firing squad and was granted one last drink, it would not be a chi tea latte or an ice cold diet Coke-my two favorite drinks, no, it would be a tall glass of this warm chocolate sauce. It was that good.

It was way too easy to make, which means of course, I screwed up a part. I have a habit of doing that. When the milk came to a boil, I poured it over the chocolate chips, waited 30 seconds and stirred it like the directions said, but my chocolate chips didn't completely melt. I added the mostly melted chocolate to the cream, sugar and butter I had warmed up in a pan but it didn't melt all the chocolate like I thought it would.

Can you see the chocolate bits on the spoon?

It was an easy fix-I strained the mixture through a strainer (I'm becoming an expert with this handy tool) and presto-no more chocolate bits in the sauce.

Now that I know I can make choux pastry, next time I will try the recipe from "The Textbook."

Hot cross buns

2010-04-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

As it's Easter, I have decided it was high time I made some. I've always wanted to make them, but I've never gotten around to it. I know I am such a procrastinator.

The recipe is from "Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook" my stand by cookbook. I swear this cookbook has everything you need to know when it come to baking. It even tells you how to make baked potatoes. I got this cookbook as a wedding present and have used it countless times. I love the pumpkin and zucchini recipes.

First thing you do is place flour, yeast and cinnamon in a bowl

and mix it all up until it's happy.

Then combine milk, cooking oil, sugar and salt and warm it up in a pan.

until a weird face appears (hello strange face) or until it reaches 120 degree to 130 degrees.

Add the warm liquid to the flour mixture along with three eggs. Beat it to submission for 3 minutes

then add raisins

and flour and mix it all up.

Turn dough onto a flour surface and kneed until it becomes soft and pretty.

Once the dough has risen for an hour and half, let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes. Shape the dough into balls and place them on a greased baking sheet and let them rise again.

Make a cross on them and brush them with egg whites. Mine look funny, but my family won't complain about that they will only complain about the raisins.

"How come you put raisins in them and not chocolate chips?" they cried.
"You put raisins in Hot Cross Buns not chocolate chips." I said.
"They would be better with chocolate chips." They shake their heads in disappointment and sigh.

While the buns bake make the Powdered Sugar Icing and then frost those babies when they have cooled. I put my frosting into a Ziploc bag, but cut the hole too big. It was hard to control the frosting. But I didn't care. Those buns were warm and yummy!

Happy Easter Everyone!

From Dizzy Girl

Hot Cross Buns.
Adapted from Better Home and Garden.

Oven 375 degrees.

Combine 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Heat and stir 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cooking oil, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt till warm (120-130 degrees). Add to flour mixture along with 3 room temperature eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a spoon, (I used my mixer) stir in 2/3 cup currants or raisins and as much of 2 to 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour as you can.

Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape into a ball in a greased bowl; turn once. Cover, let rise till double (about 1 1/2 hours).

Punch down. Turn out onto floured surface. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide into 20 portions; shape into smooth balls. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise till nearly double (30 to 45 minutes). Make a crisscross slash across each, Brush with 1 slightly beaten egg white. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or till golden brown. Cool slightly. Drizzle buns with Powdered Sugar Icing.
Serve warm. Makes 20

Powdered Sugar Icing
Adapted from Better Home and Garden.

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
milk or orange juice

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk or juice.
Stir in milk or juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, till of drizzling consistency.
Makes 1/2 cup or enough to drizzle over one 10-inch tube cake.

Lemon chiffon cake where's your sugar?

2010-03-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary. Nineteen years! I'm getting old. Yikes! So I decided to make a simple cake to celebrate. I searched "The Textbook" and picked the Lemon Chiffon Cake. It looked easy and sounded tasty.

The five eggs had been carefully separated and brought to room temperature with the rest of the ingredients mise en place waiting to be added. The oven was preheated and the pan greased waiting for the batter.

I read over the instructions first to get familiar with the recipe. First you combine the egg yolks and oil with the lemon juice and zest. Hmmm...interesting. The recipe did not tell me how much lemon juice or zest I would need. Which was odd since I thought baking recipes had to have exact measurements or the recipe would fail. But all right, I could decide how much lemon juice I wanted in my cake. That was no problem. After the above-mentioned ingredients are whisked together, then I was to sift the flour, sugar, wait a minute- what sugar? The only mention of sugar is under the ingredient list for the French meringue. Did I miss the sugar somewhere? Maybe I didn't read the recipe close enough. I reread it again and no, not one mention of sugar in the cake batter. Just to be sure my eyes were not playing tricks on me, which sometimes they do, I had my hubby check the recipe and nope, no sugar measurement. Okay, now what? I have five eggs at room temperature and a recipe that's incomplete. How frustrating! I was tempted to guess on the sugar amount, but I didn't want to possibly waste ingredients.

After searching high and low for a recipe that took 5 warm eggs, I found Paula Deen's recipe for pound cake. Thank goodness, Mrs. Paula Deen saved the day!

Hallelujah! It took five eggs! They didn't have to be separated, but that was an easy fix I just reunited my separated eggs into one bowl, which made them happy.

Now there are a couple of reasons why I don't have any picture of me making this cake. Number one, I was too annoyed by the messed up Lemon Chiffon Cake recipe and the second; my hubby was helping me make the cake. He wouldn't have minded if I had taken some pictures, but as it was getting dark, I would have had to use my light box and well, it would have taken too long and I was annoyed-wait I already mentioned that.

But I did take some of the finished cake. It was so good it made my annoyance melt away.
If you have never made it you need to try it. The crust that forms on this cake is sooo good! It is so moist it melts on your tongue and if your feeling annoyed and angry at a cookbook like someone I won't mention, then it will put them in a better mood.

Thanks Paula for saving the day!

Here's a link if you would like to make it and eat all your worries away.

Mama's Pound Cake Recipe

P.S. She's so wonderful she even tells you how much sugar goes into the cake! :)

Tarte alsacienne ( Alsatian Apple Tart )

2010-03-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

For this tart I decided to make sweet tart dough instead of the usual pie pastry. Maybe I would have better luck with it, as it didn't seem as temperamental as pie pasty. This dough uses eggs and is mixed together in a blender. The hardest part of the recipe was making sure each egg was thoroughly incorporated before the next one was added, and to mix them in well or it would separate.

Maybe I was talking to my thirteen year old too much and was not fully focused on what I was doing, because the mixture separated on me-Silly me to think it would be so simple. "The Textbook" did suggest if this were to happen, I should continue to mix it until it came back together or add a spoonful of flour. It needed a spoonful of flour to bring that baby back together.

Here's the dough looking all-sweet and innocent like it didn't give me any problems.

After the dough was refrigerated, I rolled it out and transferred to the tart pan where I lined it with parchment paper and filled it up to the brim with dried pinto beans. Which lucky for me, I have a lot of.

The funny thing about these beans was I couldn't remember if I had any dried beans in the house. I actually spent a few moments searching my pantry worried that I might not have any. Then I remembered the huge bag of pinto beans stashed in my laundry room cupboard. How could I forget we own a 25lb bag of dried pinto beans? I like to make refried beans. Once in awhile I'll make them several times a month, but apparently it's been awhile since I've made any.

Doesn't it look beautiful? I hope the crust will be flaky. I've got my fingers and toes crossed.

Instead of apple compote, this tart is filled with yummy custard, which was easy to make. All you do is mix eggs, milk, cream and vanilla and then strain it. I wasn't sure why this would have to be strained, but it did leave behind some egg white that did not get mixed in.

While the crust baked, I caramelized the apples.

I arranged the apples in the shell (which according to the recipe should be in a decorative pattern) and poured the custard over the apples.

My final take on the apple tart-

The apples and the custard were great, but the crust was not tender.

Sigh- someday I'll get it right.