[Sara Tea's] Culinary Crack(s)

feeling hot hot hot.

2011-05-02T23:49:00.004-05:00

Oh hey there, how have you been? We haven't spoke since... Valentines Day. I gave you a delicious chocolate cake and never called back, I'm awful. I know. I promise you I've cooked since then... I just haven't had the motivation to write about it. I keep reading all of your blogs and I keep trying all of your great recipes. I guess... I've been busy? I guess I've been a bit burnt out. I guess I'm have a quarter life crisis. But hey, I'm feeling it tonight, so let's catch up!

I went to Las Vegas for Spring Break with my favorite girl, and had the time of our lives. I graduate college in two weeks... that's pretty sweet!

I'm going to make Tequila Sunrise Sorbet this week... so keep an eye out for that!

And now, on to the good stuff... cashew brittle. JALAPENO cashew brittle. make it. eat it. love it.
I won't lie, sometimes making candy is scary. Sugar is not scary, but 300 degree sugar is super scary. However, face your fears friends, because you won't regret it.

I got this recipe from this great blog I found. So be sure to check it out!

What you'll need:

2 cups sugar
1 cup corn syrup
½ cup water
(2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups cashews
3 medium jalapeno peppers
1 teaspoon baking soda

What you'll need to do:

Butter a large baking sheet (I used a silpat, but do what you do) .
Gather and portion all of your ingredients.
Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
Place sugar, corn syrup, water, and pepper halves in a large pot over medium heat.
Attach the thermometer to the side.
When mixture comes to a boil (about 5 minutes), add in butter. Stir occasionally.
When mixture reaches 230 (about 15 minutes) degrees remove peppers and begin stirring frequently.
Turn heat down slightly to medium low.
When mixture reaches 275 degrees (about 20 minutes) add cashews and stir constantly.
Turn heat back up to medium.
When mixture reaches 300 degrees (about 10 minutes) remove from heat and stir in baking soda.
Pour onto baking sheet and spread out with two forks while candy is still hot.
Place sheet on wire cooling rack and do not touch until it is cool.
Invert baking sheet and snap brittle into pieces.
Store in an airtight container.

delicious success!

best ever chocolate cake

2011-02-15T22:54:00.004-06:00

I made these little guys for my friends on Valentine's Day, since my valentine was tattooing people in Italy. (Yep, he's out being a globetrotter while I rot in school, boo hiss!) Anywho, these mini cakes, which I baked in little loaf pans, are impressive. So moist, perfectly sweet, and immaculately flavored. Tonight, 5 days later, I was asked if I'd make them for a friends birthday, they're that good. Pretty cute too, huh?

I colored them a super pale pink, though I was a bum and took these photos on my phone. Shh.

Oh yeah, they're also filled with frangelico milk chocolate mousse :)

What you'll need (it looks like a lot, but just hang in there!) :
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs + 1 yolk
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup + 2 T oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 c Kaluha (or whatever coffee liquor your have)
• 3 ounces french vanilla yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons hazelnut agave

This makes quite a bit of cake, so have lots of liners or cake pans or whatever you are baking in ready. I'd give you more specific yield amounts, but I used a silly shaped pan for a majority of it and filled the rest in the little loaf pans you see above.

This will blow your mind. Preheat your oven to 350F and grease your pans.
1. Add all the liquid ingredients.
2. Then, add all the dry. Tada!
Sinfully simple. Just make sure it's all combined and you'll be set!

While those little guys are baking at 350 F (bake until top is firm, and a cake tester comes out clean)
start on your mousse!

Frangelico Mousse, adapted from here. I'll list the whole recipe, but I definitely halved this.
• 5 large egg yolks (I used three since it's kinda difficult and annoying to "half" 5 eggs)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup Frangelico hazelnut liqueur (non-drinkers substitute 1/3 cup water)
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 66% cacao), finely chopped (I used milk chocolate)
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled

In a heat safe bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is uniform and light in color. Place over a double boiler and whisk until slightly thickened. A ribbon of the egg sugar mixture should flow back into the bowl when the whisk is lifted and the sugar should just be beginning to dissolve. Add the Frangelico (or water) and then continue to whisk over the simmering water until the mixture hits roughly 160°F and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add the finely chopped chocolate. Stir until your arm cramps or the mixture becomes cool to the touch, whichever comes first (roughly 10 minutes).

Set the chocolate aside and beat the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the cream into the chocolate, then cover and chill until pipeable.

Fill those suckers!
Using a small knife, cut out a hole in the center of each cake. Don't cut through the bottom or things will get real sticky. Now you have a hole in the middle of your cake waiting to be filled with glorious filling and a delicious little cake plug. Fill your hole with the mousse (don't be stingy!) and then place the cork back in. If you need to trim some of the bottom of the "plug" off so that it fits evenly, go so! Just make sure you eat it :)

Repeat the process until all of your cupcakes, cakes, mini loafs, dinosaurs, whatever pan you baked them in, are filled.

Then, top with your whipped cream icing below!

1-2-3-4 Frangelico whipped cream topping
(I honestly realized after getting home from the store with my cream that I was out of powdered sugar, so I just sweetened the cream with Hazelnut Agave since I had it on hand and since I was already on the hazelnut theme. Feel free to use powdered sugar, and just add a few more tablespoons of the frangelico to bulk up the hazelnut flavor.)

•1 cup heavy whipping cream
•2 tsp good vanilla
•3 Tablespoons Hazelnut Agave nectar
•4 Tablespoons frangelico
(I added a bit of wilton gel pink food coloring to be festive)

1.) Put heavy whipping cream in cold bowl or in the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with whip attachment.
2.) Start your cream on medium high and slowly add the remaining ingredients.
3.) Watch your cream closely, you want whipped cream, not butter!

This recipe is super simple and will be best if you put your own spin on it! The whipped cream topping is just light enough to accent the cake without weighing it down or mellowing it out.

hot hot hot.

2011-02-10T23:17:00.000-06:00

When you have to pass over your fabulous pumps only to put on soot and salt covered snow boots every day, wake up and adorn yourself with at least 30 layers of clothing, freeze your face off while refilling the air in your tires a zillion times a week, and despite all of the cute things in your closet you perpetually find yourself feeling like the mayor of frumpville, you just get tired of winter. You want to spit in winters face. You want winter to get dumped for a prettier, thinner season. What? Yeah, just go with it.

These are the times you need to call your girlfriends over, make a giant pot of spicy chili with some pepper jack scones, bust open a bottle of wine and watch the Jersey Shore. You have those days where chopping up hot peppers, wrecking your kitchen, and talking about nail polish and cute outfits is a necessity. You need to laugh and you need to eat, a lot. You need to talk about diets after eating a lot. Sometimes you just need your girls. I'm glad to finally have girls. I needed them, bad.

Lucky for me, my main girl, is not only incredibly beautiful and stylish she's extraordinarily talented. Apart from being the sweetest girl on the planet, having a closet full of cute clothes, sharing a love for white wine, she also happens to be an amazing photographer.

Please please please check out her fabulous blog. You won't regret it.

I'll cut to the chase and tell you, this chili was excellent. Spicy and hearty, you won't even notice it's meat-free. Such great flavors and kick! I won't even bother listing all the ingredients and giving you step by steps, because once again this is from the ever fabulous Joythebaker. The only things I have to say about the chili apart from singing it's praises is that I didn't use veggie stock, I instead used Spicy V8. As for the scones, they were the most fabulous texture, and the cheese melted so beautifully. They soak up the chili in the most magnificent way. However, alone... they were super super bland. So I'd add some more salt for sure... that's my two cents (feel free to keep the change)!

Call up your girls and make this meal, then check out my girl's blog, and swoon over her photos.

Jalapeno pepper-jack scones.

Local dessert wine [swoon]

our fabulous chili and my messy kitchen

all bowled up in these adorable dishes

scones pre-baking

hot hot hot.

I just love this photo.

vanilla bean cupcakes topped with french vanilla cocoa frosting

2011-02-02T15:03:00.000-06:00

Hi friends.

I hope you all survived the super bowl. Can I be honest? I didn't even know which teams were playing until I asked a guy at work yesterday. I'm going to be honest again... I wanted to go shopping today. I mean honestly, wouldn't retailers make a zillion kabillion dollars if they had super bowl Sunday sales? I'm not talking rotel and velveta and beer. I'm talking... Anthropologie. I'm talking... Urban Outfitters. I'm talking... department stores, boutiques, salons, spas, everything women love. WE could be shopping spending lots and lots of money buying cute clothes, SUMMER clothes, sun dresses, heels, sandals, (can you tell it's really freaking cold in Missouri?) while the lovely men in our lives pretend to actually care about football. They can drink beer and feel manly, we can spend money and look fly. Fair trade? I think so.

*P.S. If you are offended by my "women should shop men should watch football comment", I'm truthfully not sorry, but if it makes you feel better, you can think I am. I'm a girl, I do like shopping. I however, do not care about the super bowl. On the flip side, I also like hockey, tattoos, working in a kitchen full of dudes, wearing pearls and diamonds, and cursing like a sailor. It's okay, we can all get along. I promise.

Anywho, last week, while snowed in for three days... I ate, a lot. I cooked a lot, but I def. ate a lot too. (Notice a new swimsuit wasn't in the list of summer wants) But I was checking out some of my favorite bloggers, so of course I went to joythebaker... my blog crush. I don't really know what a blog crush entails, but I know I look at her blog and then come back to mine, and feel like the stinky kid in class or something. I also feel like we'd be friends. It'd be pretty sweet.

Bake these. You won't regret it. The cupcakes are really dense, but yet still super moist... kind of an unusual texture. The frosting however, is mind blowing. She suggests using ovaltine, but I don't have that. I was a fat kid, I used Hershey's syrup for chocolate milk. So, I actually used a packet of French Vanilla hot cocoa (it was 1/3 of a cup worth of dry cocoa). It was d-e-l-icious! Okay okay, enough of me, more of you. Bake these!!

Vanilla bean cupcakes from JoytheBaker:
•2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
•1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
•4 large eggs
•1 cup whole milk (I used skim, no one died)
•1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
•1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out (I used the full vanilla bean, people clapped)
•2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
•1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt

-Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
-In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
-In a small bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. Set aside.
-In a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This may take 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
-Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. If the batter begins to looks a bit curdled, that’s alright.
-With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the vanilla milk mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour. When the batter is almost combined, stop the mixer and finish mixing the batter with a spatula, making sure that any flour bits at the bottom of the bowl are well incorporated.

Divide into the lined cupcake pan and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely before frosting.

Ridiculously awesome chocolate frosting: (makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes or one 8-inch layer cake)
•1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
•1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•2 tablespoons milk (I used skim milk)
•1/2 cup heavy cream (Yes, I used skim milk and then poured in a half cup of heavy cream. My baking has personality disorders)
•1/3 cup Ovaltine (I used French Vanilla hot chocolate)

-Cream together butter, cocoa powder and salt. Butter mixture will be very thick.
-Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar.
-Turn mixer on low and mix in powdered sugar while adding milk and vanilla extract. As the sugar incorporates, raise the speed of the mixer to beat the frosting. Beat until smooth.
-In a 1-cup measuring glass, stir together heavy cream and Ovaltine.
-Turn mixer speed to medium and pour cream mixture into frosting in a slow, steady stream, until you’ve reached your desired consistency. You may not need the full amount of Ovaltine and cream.

banana cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecans

2011-02-02T14:56:00.000-06:00

Thomas Keller.
Probably two of the most influential and powerful words in modern culinary nomenclature. I mean honestly, Thomas Keller could microwave a hot pocket and charge a zillion dollars for it, and people would be lined up until next year hoping to get a taste of this precious morsel. His food is flawless. The textures, colors, presentation, and of course taste leave no room for error.

Now I'll stop gushing... but seriously. As I was paging through some of his books the other day I found myself thinking, how do you work for Thomas Keller? I'd have a panic attack just looking at an application for The French Laundry or Bouchon. It would probably somehow burn my finger tips, turn to dust, and get ingested in my body causing me to choke and die. Okay, maybe that's extreme... but seriously. I'd at the very least pass out without a doubt.

What does this all mean? I'm getting there! Have I lost my mind? Partially. I've been snowed in for the last three days. Haven't left my apartment in DAYS. My University closed the entire campus for the last THREE days, for the first time in University history. So honestly, I'm super eager to even feel as though I'm speaking to the "outside" world. I'm just thanking God we never lost power. Being snowed in is one thing, being snowed in with butter is another. I tried to make the best of it.

But yeah, this recipe comes from Claire Clark, the head pastry Chef at Thomas Keller's, The French Laundry.

Her book is called, Indulge, 100 perfect desserts. It's pretty intense skill-wise, but it's definitely something to get ideas and information from. It's beautiful.

I made this delicious and delicate banana cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecan chips. It calls for dark brown sugar there are beautiful caramel undertones to this cake. I'll be honest, it pains me to make banana anything without adding hazelnut or cinnamon, but who am I to change one of her recipes? If Thomas Keller approves, I'll take his word.

Try it out, let me know what you think!

What you'll need:
•180 g/6 oz. plain (all purpose) flour, sifted
•2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•180 g/6 oz. soft dark brown sugar
•2 medium eggs
•4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
•180 g/ 6 oz. ripe bananas (peeled weight), mashed to a pulp
•50 g/ 1 3/4 pecan nuts

For the frosting:
•65 g/ 2 1/4 oz cream cheese
•190 g/ 6 3/4 oz. powdered sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
•125 g/ 4 1/2 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•50 g/ 1 3/4 oz. pecan nuts, chopped

What you need to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease a round 8 inch springform cake tin and line the base with parchment.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder together.

3. Place the sugar, eggs, and oil in a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer on medium speed for about a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.

4. Add the sifted flour mixture and the bananas and mix on a low speed for 30 seconds. Stir in the pecan nuts.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 40 mins, until the top springs back when pressed gently and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave in the pan to cool completely before frosting.

6. For the frosting combine all the ingredients except the pecans in a bowl and beat until pale and fluffy. Spread the frosting over the cake with a palette knife and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Finally, dust with powdered sugar.

Bake and enjoy! Stay warm!

better late than never?

2011-01-31T00:47:00.001-06:00

Greetings from the blustery, winter-infested state of Missouri! I sit on my couch preparing myself to be snowed in for the next 3-4 days. I cleaned out my fridge and label faced my pantry, that's normal, right? I stocked up on enough goods to get me through, and enough baking supplies to make the best of the anticipated snow days. Let's just cross our fingers (and toes) that the power doesn't go out. I came to the startling realization I have no "land line", and my cell phone will run out of juice in a day or so. I guess I still have smoke signals, right? I hope you are all reading this from sunny southern California or some tropical destination, and that you are far far away from the midwest.

Anywho, back to business...I have returned yet again. I feel as though I write more, "I'm baaaack" posts than solid, sarcastic, food filled entries, full of awkward banter and truthfully this saddens me. I want to let you know all know I've not forgot about this blog, but rather I've been spending a lot of time trying to reinvent it. As I finish my last semester of college, I find myself busier than ever, and I've not had the time or energy to babble on here. I also find myself eating popcorn and multi-grain cherrio's perpetually, and I know I'm crafty but I can't really recommend any recipes for microwave popcorn or a bowl of cereal. However, I've gotten seven new cookbooks (and 3 new pieces of all-clad!!!) since we've last spoke, and I'm trying to focus all of my energy on becoming a more serious and well rounded cook/baker/person. I'm contemplating getting a "real" website and there is definitely something quite exciting in the works for me to share with you all. I'm absolutely certain you will love it.

So please, keep checking back, and I promise to serve you well. I'll be cooking up a storm, provided the storm doesn't stop me.

Cherry cheesecake cookies!!

2010-12-07T00:46:00.000-06:00

Today we're going to bake something super cute, super festive, and super delicious. Not only are these cookies super cute, super festive, and super delicious they have absolutely nothing to do with my finals and I think THAT is super. School sucks, woe is me, bla bla bla I will spare you the messy details. You can thank me later.

Anyway, these cookies are fabulous. I think that these would make a really great kid-friendly baking project. However, I have zero children, I don't even really know any kids, and well, some would argue I'm still a child. So if you have children and think that these would actually destroy your kitchen with the help of your sticky offspring, please, feel free to correct me. Simple mistake.

Now, if you don't like cherries I am sure these would be equally delicious with blueberry pie filling, or any other canned pie filling flavor of your choice. However, I must admit if you don't like cherry pie filling, you will be subjected to me secretly judging you because I could probably eat an entire can of cherry pie filling. Okay, now you judge me.

Heres the line up:

Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla, cream cheese, butter, cherry pie filling, and graham cracker crumbs. Nothing too wild.

First, take your baking powder and salt. Dump them into the flour. Set aside.
Let them get to know each other.

Then, combine cream cheese, butter, and sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer.
Beat until your mixture is creamy, light, and fluffy.

Then add your eggs and vanilla.

It'll look like this ^.

Gradually add your friends in the flour bowl to the mix.

Look! We have dough!
Now, place the dough in the fridge for 30 mins.
The chilling process will make the rolling process WAY easier.

[I wish I had a really awesome 30 minute intermission for the chilling process, but I bet that would get super awkward... so I'll let you wait by yourself. It's better for both of us.]

Portion the dough into 1 1/2 in balls. Roll into crumbs.

With the help of a Tablespoon measuring spoon, make indentations.
Don't be shy, smoosh em good, because this is where your cherries will rest.

Now, add three cherries to the indentation.
Make sure to get most of the goo off, you want the CHERRIES not the filling.

Line em' up on a prepared baking sheet.
Place in a 350 F oven for 14 minutes or until golden brown.

They puffed up beautifully!

These cookies are great. With each bite they really take you back to diving into a big fat piece of NY cheesecake. These will make a great addition to your Holiday baking rotation, and a great addition to any Holiday party--they're festive, cute, and most important they are delicious. Plus, you probably have everything you need already stocked up in your pantry and fridge!

Oh! I'd be a rude thief if I didn't give credit to where credit is due. This recipe comes from the brilliance of taracooks over at P Dub's Tasty Kitchen. Oh Ree, she's really got a good thing going. I'm infinitely jeal.

3-½ cups All-purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
2 packages Cream Cheese (8 Oz Packages)
2-½ sticks Butter, Softened
1-½ cup Sugar
2 whole Large Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (See Note Below)
3 cans (21 Oz. Can) Cherry Pie Filling, Drained

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place graham cracker crumbs in a shallow dish.

Roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls, then roll in crumbs. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using a tablespoon measure, make indentation in the center of each ball. Place 3 cherries in each dimple. Bake until golden around the edges, about 12 to 14 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool for 5 minutes on the sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2 days.)

Note: to make graham cracker crumbs, process 8 whole graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

a cure for the common cold...

2010-11-30T20:18:00.000-06:00

Well, winter has decided to stop screwing around and show her ugly face in Missouri. Coincidentally, I also caught my first cold. After peeling myself off the couch I decided the only thing that would make me feel better was chicken noodle soup. When I'm sick, I pretty much consume my weight in chicken noodle soup... it's a family cure. I also dip peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my chicken noodle soup (it's actually the only way I eat peanut butter and jelly). Please note, I've never claimed to be normal. Now, I KNEW it would be quicker, cheaper, and less painful to just buy a can of soup and go back to being a pathetic lump on the couch, but I'm too stubborn for that business. So, I mustered up enough strength to head to the store and get the ingredients I needed to MAKE soup.

Let's just note...I'm a baker. I mean, I can cook a mean meal, but baking is my comfort zone. I've never made soup from scratch, so I turned to the infallible Pioneer Woman to see what soups she had fixed up. So because you can never go wrong with Ree, do yourself a favor and when you catch your first cold this winter make this, love this, thank God for this, and heck, hook it up to an IV and absorb it... it's that wonderful.
*Just a few notes:
-for some odd reason my grocery store did not have white pepper anywhere, and I randomly found it in a pepper mill for some stupid amount of money (but I bought it anyway because I figure it'll last forever).
-even though I diced up my veggies real small and super uniform they took FOREVER to cook. I'd say I cooked them probably and extra 40 mins or so after eating the first bowl and realizing the veggies were still crunchy.
-also, I'd add more salt, and I'm not a salt person... but then again I'm also sick and my taste buds are WAY outtawhack.

Homemade Chicken and Noodles from The Pioneer Woman [try it with a PB&J :) ]

1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
2 whole Carrots, Diced
2 stalks Celery, Diced
½ whole Medium Onion, Diced (optional)
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Turmeric
¼ teaspoons White Pepper (more To Taste)
¼ teaspoons Ground Thyme
2 teaspoons Parsley Flakes
16 ounces, weight Frozen Reames "homemade" Egg Noodles (available in the frozen food section)
3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

Cover chicken in 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, slightly shredding meat in the process. Return bones to broth and simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes.

Remove bones from broth with a slotted spoon, making sure to get any small bones that might have detached.

Add the carrots and celery (and onions, if using) to the pot, followed by the herbs and spices. Stir to combine and simmer for ten minutes to meld flavors.

Increase heat and add frozen egg noodles and chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Mix flour and a little water. Stir until smooth. Pour into soup, stir to combine, and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until broth thickens a bit. Test and adjust seasonings as needed.

Guns N Hoses...

2010-11-27T00:25:00.000-06:00

The night before Thanksgiving is the biggest bar night of the year. I'm still not entirely sure why someone would encourage getting shwasted the night before a day of loud and lengthy family events, but hey I'm a team player. Each year the night before Thanksgiving, Saint Louis hosts the largest fundraiser of the year for law enforcement and fire fighters, called Guns N Hoses. Guns N Hoses is a charity event that puts local police officers and firefighters in the ring to box it out.

This event is HUGE, the best time, and raises TONS of money. Guns N Hoses is a benefit for the Backstoppers organization. Backstoppers is an organization that supports the families of fallen police officers, firemen, and EMTs that lose their lives in the line of duty. Those words makes me shudder, seeing that my brother, my best friend, and nearly everyone I know in Saint Louis are all police officers, and I pray to God I never know anyone that is a beneficiary of Backstopper funds. However, I will continue to contribute in support of those that do. Backstoppers is not an organization that cuts a check and calls it a day, they actively support the family of the fallen officer, and see that all of their needs are met. Backstoppers immediately pays $5,000 to the surviving family and continue to provide for them. Currently some of the things Backstoppers does:

Pays the family’s mortgage, taxes and insurance
Provides the family’s health and dental coverage
Supports educational assistance
Helps young people attend college

Please click on the link listed and check out what an incredible organization Backstoppers truly is, and if at all possible become a Backstopper and donate.

So what does all of this have to do with a food blog? Well, apart from the fact that I will do anything to support law enforcement, I also support making fun of law enforcement :) so as a way to poke fun and honor all of my favorite police officers, I made chocolate mustaches to hand out at the boxing match! I used a chocolate mustache mold from bakeitpretty. I also got chocolate melts from that website and Irish Creme flavoring, and it was so simply AND incredibly delicious! (I'm really smart and left my Nikon in Columbia, so I've been shooting my entire Thanksgiving break with my camera phone)

super excited my first mustache turned out!

my bestie and favorite lady cop with her stache!

she and I DRENCHED from our long walk to the car in the pouring awful cold rain. ick!

Guns N Hoses was a GREAT time as always. However, a lot of the essential team players were unable to attend because my brother and his squad were on midnights (they were working from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.) so they were unable to partake in the festivities. That's alright, there's always next year!

"What the hell is that?"

2010-11-26T23:39:00.000-06:00

"Get me a beer." -my brother
"What kind?" -me
"I don't care, Bud Light?" -my brother
"Really? I'll get you something awesome." -me

I walk up to the bar at Flamingo Bowl (in Saint Louis), and as I am about to order my brother a local brew (okay, technically Bud Light is a local brew too, but that does NOT count) I see a fancy drink menu, and I see the words, "Singapore Sling".

My heart stopped. I actually died for .5 seconds.Why? I'm glad you asked.
My E N T I R E life I have heard my father speak of this infamous "Singapore Sling". Legend has it my grandfather (who traveled a lot) had this drink while in Singapore and always raved about it (I think that's true, I could've just made that up over the years, but I'm fairly certain it's true haha!). My grandfather also had a bar in his basement so he was into booze, there are a lot of fabulously sketchy details about my Lithuanian grandfather that I love with every fiber of my being. Anyway, neither of my parents drink. They may have A drink, but I've never seen either intoxicated, so for my father to talk about a drink is a big deal. Hundreds of times throughout my life my family would be out to dinner and my dad would speak of this legendary drink, and we'd nag him to order one, and the bartender would always stare blankly. I have even witnessed bartending books being dusted off and brought out to see if such request could be fulfilled.
I place my order eagerly, "TWO Singapore Slings please"! I share my story with the bartender who was super pleasant considering I just ordered two of the most intricate and timely drinks to make. I come back with the two frilliest girly drinks on the planet (granted we in a bowling alley with all of my extremely tattooed friends) in the most feminine glassware possible.

"What the hell is that?" -my confused brother
"A SINGAPORE SLING!!!!" -me
both of our eyes were bright with excitement! my amazingly talented friend snapped this photo of the moment:I proceeded to attempt to call my father at 11 p.m. probably twenty times to share the excitement, and to my great disappointment, he never answered! Turd!!

Anyway, this drink WAS killer and boozey and... you couldn't taste any of the booze. E P I C.

This is from Flamingo Bowl's Cocktail Menu, check it out if you are ever in Saint Louis!! It's fabulous and in general Flamingo Bowl rules.
Singapore Sling / $9
Bombay Gin, Cointreau, Benedictine, cherry brandy, fresh juices, grenadine, bitters

This is normal, right?

2010-11-23T22:12:00.000-06:00

This is not your typical holiday butter ball, right?
Oh, you don't find bowling balls baking in your oven?
Yeah, didn't think so.
Another reason I love my dad.

Yeast the B...

2010-11-19T01:44:00.000-06:00

e a s t.

Yeast the beast. Yeast is scary. Am I right or am I right? Is my water hot enough to make it bubble? Is it suppose to bubble? Will it expand? Will it expand the first resting period and then psych you out like when the boy you like wants to talk to you, but only to ask you about your best friend? Oh man, yeast SUCKS. Truthfully, I'm not certain when yeast isn't scary. Yeast infections? SCARY (yeah I went there). Okay okay, yeast does ferment and gives us booze, so that's rad. Anyway, together and with the guidance from our good friend King Arthur let's get over the fear of yeast (at least in non anatomical settings) and eat some soft pretzels.

Hot Buttered Pretzels, from King Arthur Flour
What you will need:
• 2 1/2 cups Unbleached, All- Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoon regular instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water

Topping:
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 Tablespoons baking soda
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Now King Arthur gives you a few options including a food processor method, and a bread machine method, but we'll use their third option, the mixer. If you'd like to check out the other methods just click on that handy dandy link I posted above.

Let's do this:
-Place all of the dough ingredients into your mixing bowl. Knead the dough on medium high speed for about 5 minutes. It will pull away from the sides of the bowl, and form a bowl that is soft, smooth, and quite slack. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a greased bowl, cover it up, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F.

If you are like me you will stop and go, "500? Does my oven do that?!!" It most likely does, so just start preheating it!

Gather two baking sheets and prepare them by spraying them with vegetable oil spray, or lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn't, it'll make your pretzels splotchy.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28 to 30 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel, or whatever shape you can make. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. I actually sprinkled 3 of them with cinnamon and brown sugar to make a "sweet" pretzel. They turned out AWESOME. However, the excess burned in the 500 degree oven so it was a liiiittle smokey. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
**Also, my parchment paper almost caught on fire. The edges turned SUPER dark and started smoking... so keep an eye on that 500 degree oven. No soft pretzel is worth burning your home down... (okay, maybe some are, but seriously don't do it.)

Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown, rotating the baking sheets halfway through.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and drown them in melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their glorious taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or if you somehow do not devour all of them at once, reheat them in an oven or microwave.

looking too good!!! right??

p.s. let's not talk about my "pretzel" shapes... my friend Dan said they looked like plastic dog poop. jerk.

The Real Deal Holyfield...

2010-11-16T21:52:00.000-06:00

Sooooo, Hi. Sara T here. Remember me? Blond hair blue eyed baker... living it up in the land I love, Missouri. It's been a minute (or months) and for that I apologize. I've been... busy? Negligent? Reclusive? All of the above truthfully, and a little discouraged too. I faithfully read the food blogs of all my blogging crushes. I get recipes, ideas, inspiration, and often sincere feelings of inadequacy. Hey, I'm quirky. I'm fun. I cook like nobodies business... I need to step up my game!! I just wish this little blog of mine could be so much more. Well, I have a few things in the works, so look forward to that... because I definitely am!!
So what have I been doing? Sheesh. It seems as though every weekend I am playing hostess.

Do NOT get it twisted. I love and adore having visitors.
I love that my boyfriend throws the greatest parties on the planet that attract great friends from all over the country. I adore living in a college town that never ages.

(oh p.s. check out my talented and (ridiculously good looking) friends blog, it's amazing and where a lot of these photos come from)

So yeah, that's a bit about what I've been doing... What have you been doing?! Let me know!

But now, real talk. This post is all about French Buttercream. Do NOT get it confused with American Buttercream...filled with shortening and powdered sugar. Don't get me wrong... I've yet to meet a frosting I wouldn't eat, but this is... the Chanel of frosting. Yep, that's serious. This is the real deal. It spreads WAY smoother than American buttercream, and it's so super rich. Also, at work we make a crazy giant batch at the start of the week and flavor it as needed. You can make a huge batch of this (this recipe is not huge) and throw fresh fruit in it, espresso, chocolate, anything and it flavors super nicely. It stores best if you just wrap it up in little plastic wrap packets. It'll get super hard and then you just throw it back in your mixer (it'll look gross and watery and broken as it re-mixes, but will come back immaculately after it's beaten for a while on a high speed).

French Buttercream, from Professional Baking Fifth Edition.

8 oz Sugar
2 oz Water
3 oz Egg Yolks
10 oz Butter, softened
.12 oz (3/4 tsp) Vanilla extract

1. Combine the sugar and water in a heavy bottom saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar.

2. Continue to boil until the syrup reaches a temperature of 240 F. (This is NOT a typo. I am actually directing you to boil sugar and water until 240 F. Please I beg of you, try not to burn the fingerprints off your fingers... unless you are planning on embarking on a mass crime spree and want to go undetected, then just dunk those fingers right in!!).

3. While the syrup is boiling, beat the yolks with a wire whip or the whip attachment of a mixer until they are thick and light.

4. As soon as the syrup reaches 240 F pour it very slowly into the beaten yolks while whipping constantly.

5. Continue to beat until the mixture is completely cool and the yolks are very thick and light.

6. Whip in the butter a little at a time. Add it just as fast as it can be absorbed by the mixture.

7. Beat in the vanilla. If the icing is too soft, refrigerate it until it is firm enough to spread.

Then get a spoon (after licking the mixing bowl clean of course) and dive in. Close your eyes, name your dog Pierre, and thank God that even though Americans are way tougher and 1000 times cooler than the French will ever be (sarcasm, learn it love it embrace it), and rejoice in the fact that they have perfected both the art of pastry and making Americans fatter. I guess you could also bake a cake, and put the Buttercream on that, but only if you are going to trick your friends into eating it too.

Check this out, I put forth a very...half assed attempt to make a "ruffled cake", because Melody of the epically fabulous My Sweet and Saucy put up this stellar video of how to do so. It's SUPER simple and looks ultra fancy. Give it a whirl!!

Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake with Oatmeal Cookie Crust

2010-10-19T17:02:00.000-05:00

Did you go to preschool? I definitely went to preschool. I went to Mrs. McPeak’s preschool. Do you know what I remember about preschool? I remember Mr. McPeak coming by during snack time every day to give Mrs. McPeak a smooch, sending the class of 4 year olds into a roar of disgust, squirming, and “BOO-ing”. But besides those kisses, I remember eating oatmeal cookies. No, not the kind of oatmeal cookies your grandmother makes that are soft and chewy, but the kind that comes wrapped in a see-through plastic carton. The kind that are so hard you could lose a baby tooth (or possibly expensive dental work), the kind that the “icing” was more reflective than a mirror. That’s what I think of when I think of preschool.

Why do you care about my preschool memories? You probably don’t, and that’s okay. BUT, the reason I brought up those weird oatmeal cookies is because I secretly still love them. I see a ton people make cheesecake crusts with graham crackers and oreos (duh) and people trying to step it up with ginger snaps, but I thought to myself… I want oatmeal cookies. I know you can’t grind up soft baked oatmeal cookies so I thought to myself… what about those hard weird oatmeal cookies from preschool? So I went with it. I was surfing the web to bake something, because frankly I’ve been falling off. I’ve been so busy that I’ve been neglecting this blog like whoa. In the midst of drooling over all of the delicious fall inspired recipes I saw this Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake. Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake with Oatmeal Cookie Crust? Uh. Yes please.

Oatmeal Crust:
-14 oz Oatmeal Cookies (they come in 16 oz packages, I don't feel as though I need to tell you what to do with the extra 2 ounces)
-2 tablespoons brown sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
-pinch of salt
-6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Spiced Cheesecake Filling:
-32 oz cream cheese, at room temp.
-1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
-4 large eggs, at room temp.
-3/4 c heavy cream
-1 heaping tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
-1 tablespoon pure vanilla

Apple Topping:
-1/4 cup unsalted butter
-2 tablespoons all purpose flour
-3/4 c apple cider
-1/4 c granulated white sugar
-1/4 c brown sugar
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-juice of 1/2 large lemon
-2 Granny Smith apples, skins removed and sliced

Preheat oven to 350 F and gather 9 inch springform pan (I put a parchment round in the bottom, but hey, that's just me).

For the crust:
1.) Combine all ingredients for crust and combine with fork. Dump moistened crumbs into pan and flatten to form crust on the bottom and up the sides as high up as possible.
2.) Place into oven for around 7 minutes to ensure a crispy bottom.
3.) After 7 minutes pull out and allow to cool in the freezer while you begin to make the filling.
4.) Turn oven down to 300 F and fill a deep baking dish with water. Place baking dish in the bottom of oven. This will keep your cheesecake from cracking.

To make the cinnamon cheesecake:
1.) In the bowl of your mixer use the paddle attachment, and combine the cream cheese and sugar. Beat on high until light and fluffy.
2.) Add eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg.
3.) Add heavy cream, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla; combine until
thoroughly incorporated.
4.) Pour the heavenly batter into prepared crust. Bake at 300 F for an hour, or until set. The edges will will start to brown, and the center will still have some jiggle to it.
5.) Allow to cool for a few hours.

For the apple topping:
1.) Mix together the sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl.
2.) In another bowl, sprinkle peeled and thinly sliced apples with the juice of ½ lemon and toss.
3.) Melt butter over medium heat; whisk in flour.
4.) Slowly whisk in the apple cider followed by the sugar and spice mixture.
5.) Add in the apples and cook until slightly tender for about six minutes, continuously stirring. The sauce will have thickened and the apples will be tender.
6.) Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.
7.) Let the apple topping cool completely before arranging apples on top of cheesecake.
8.) Chill for at least one hour. Enjoy!!!

Blondes have more fun...

2010-09-19T02:38:00.000-05:00

White chocolate, maple, macadamia nut blondie topped with a bacon creme anglaise, candied lardons, and pink peppercorn brittle.

Yep. Re-read that a few times.

Take it all in. Go ahead, I'll give you a minute.

Yes, white chocolate, macadamia nut, BACON creme anglaise and yes, yep you got it, candied lardons.

PINK peppercorns? Brittle?

Did I mention this is house cured bacon? Smoked to perfection?

Yep.
Pretty epic, huh? Pretty freaking weird too (in this case weird is synonymous with magical).

My boss/life coach/idol, set me free this weekend, and told me I had to run my own dessert. With her help, guidance, and moral support I came up with something I felt pretty great about.

Sweet, smokey, and savory. This dessert is definitely different and definitely will get your taste buds going. Each bite is a new flavor and each component was carefully thought out. The guys at the shop ooo-ed and ahhh-ed with each bite, especially the candied lardons. I usually don't give into the hype of savory desserts (or diet desserts or any of that jazz) and I'm a firm believer desserts are by naughty by nature (yep, I said it) so why try to change that? But I'm a HUUUGE sucker for maple, especially this time of year... so I put my thinking cap on and gave it a whirl--I hope you will too.

White Chocolate, Maple, Macadamia Nut Blondie:
2 cup sifted flour all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup toasted Macadamia nuts, coarsely ground
2/3 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 c pure maple syrup
1 cup white chocolate chips (use the good stuff)

-Preheat oven to 350 F and grease baking pan of your choice. (I used a special silicon circle mold at work because I was making individual portions, and had a fancy silicon mold, you can easily make these into bar cookies.)

-Sift flour, add baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift again. Add nuts. Mix well and set aside.

Melt butter. Add brown sugar and mix well. Add egg and vanilla extract and maple syrup. Blend well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well. Stir in white chocolate chips. Spread in a pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean or with slightly fudgy-looking crumbs.

Maple Bacon Creme Anglaise:
1/2 cup half and half
6 oz sugar
5 egg yolks
2 oz bacon and it's juices (pan fried and crispy)
2 Tablespoons of pure maple syrup

-Bring half and half, syrup, bacon and bacon fat to a boil.
-Meanwhile stir together yolks and sugar.
-Add a bit of boiling half and half to egg mixture and stir. Then pour the egg mixture into the boiling half and half and continue cooking until 160F. (mixture will thicken slightly and begin to foam).
-Pour through strainer and trash the bacon.

Let sauce thicken slightly as it cools, and then pour on top of your warm blondie.

**The candied bacon lardons and peppercorn brittle are a little tricky, but if anyone really wants to know the recipe for those too leave me a comment and I'll be happy to share it with you!!

The Village of Arrow Rock

2010-09-05T17:49:00.000-05:00

**I want to apologize and inform you that The Finer Things Club did not meet last Sunday because we were in Phoenix and the beautiful Biltmore for a tattoo convention.

today The Finer Things Club, brings you Arrow Rock, Missouri.

Established: 1829
Population: 59
Random: Home of George Caleb Bingham, Lyceum Theatre, and Dr. John Sappington (he developed quinine pills and distributed them nationwide to successfully treat malarial fevers).

town flag

oldest restaurant west of the Mississippi

note on the entrance

smoked pork, candied green beans, yeast roll, and mashed potatoes with bacon cream gravy

bbq pork sandwich

We dined at this remarkable tavern, which, happens to be the oldest running restaurant west of the Mississippi River. J. Huston Tavern has been serving food non-stop for 176 years (though times, owners, and food have changed it's never stopped serving food). Pretty impressive, eh? Here you find delicious comfort food served up by young employees decked out in old-timey clothing. The restaurant has been fully restored and is filled with antiques and decorative relics. The place has more charm and character than any I've seen before. After our delicious meal I had the pleasure of meeting the owner and Chef, Liz. This outgoing and quirky woman that has her own line of dressings and marinades shared with us the greatest tales of the city, her business, and all the local hot spots. She also shared how haunted the building is, which was super exciting to us.

old crib, yep haunted

local craft shop filled with quilts and other handmade goods

they had two cook books, I got them both, YESSS!

gun shop!

We spent the rest of the beautiful fall afternoon exploring this quaint village. We had some delicious homemade ice cream (I had blackberry cobbler ice cream, it was fabulous!), browsed the antique shops, and Gabe without a second thought bought some crazy mounted African looking deer head for a price I'd rather not mention. I really encourage you to be proud of where you come from, embrace the state you live in, and meet the people that keep your small towns going. You'll meet the most hard working, gracious, and welcoming people and learn more from their stories and their lives than you'll learn in any textbook or class room.

I hope you enjoyed a peak inside this beautiful town as much a we did, and if you find yourself in the area please stop in and see Liz, grab a bite to eat, and treat the people of this great town well, because they'll do the same to you.
Enjoy the long weekend!!
P.s. I'll post a recipe out of the cookbook I got soon!!

Where great folks meet...

2010-08-22T17:02:00.000-05:00

Blackwater, Missouri, "Where great folks meet"...

This city's slogan couldn't be more truthful. This beautiful historic town has a whopping population of 199, and I'll introduce you to a few of my favorites. I want to remind everyone that this is the second meeting of the, "Finer Things Club", that consists of me and my heavily tattooed friends traveling through small town Missouri to experience the land we love and the people that keep these tiny towns going.

The warmth, generosity, and sincerity of the people of Blackwater was humbling and inspiring. The way these kind people embraced and received us was truly impressive. When a group of people with face tattoos led by a nearly 6 foot tall platinum blond with a habit of compulsive camera shooting enters a town of 200, I never really know what to expect, but I always hope for the best. The hospitality of these people was higher than any expectations I ever imagined, and I will try my best to pass it forward.

Our initial stop was Bucksnort Trading Company where we first met the fine Blackwater citizens. This shop was filled with treasures of all sorts. Beautiful aromatic homemade soaps, decorative pieces of all sorts, beautiful native pieces, and much much more. We asked what was the best spot to eat and the kind store owner said, "There's a 90 year old lady on the corner that makes the best pies. Her flag is out today, so that means she's open." My eyes widened with excitement. Done and done, Thomas Keller could have had a spot around the corner and I would've skipped over it to meet Imogene, the infamous pie lady of Blackwater. She also advised us to check out the saloon next door, that was a soda pop shop fully restored to it's original design from a photo taken in 1880.

We eagerly headed next door to the Bucksnort Saloon and walked through the saloon doors where we met Gerald, a gracious host with a passion for history like I've never seen. While sipping on our old fashioned sodas he shared with us stories of the town, and explained how he created this living history exhibit. He told us so many fabulous stories about the Natives he knows, and how he works with them to preserve their culture and history.
A small quiet man in the corner, walked up to Gerald and whispered, "I think they might be interested in the corn." Gerald had a look of great joy on his face and eagerly asked us if we would accept a gift. We surely agreed and moments later he came back with this

then the two explained that this corn has been traced back to the Trail of Tears and is the most prized possession of the Cherokee people. The white streaks are referenced as White Eagles and it is said that when the White Eagles appeared on the corn it was time for change, a spiritual change, and that it was to be brought about by the White man. Then with the utmost sincerity said, "and by listening and preserving in this, we are doing just that". Later he went on to say he met a Cherokee woman and he offered her some of this corn and she wept. I was nearly moved to tears too.

After a long conversation at the Saloon it was finally time for pie! So we walked down to the corner and saw many beautiful sights along the way...

fabulous fountain in beautiful garden

passion flowers growing outside a business

street shot!

and finally (1 minute later) we arrived to our destination, The Picket Fence.

We walked in the front door into a small house filled with wall to wall hand sewed items and saw a tiny beautiful woman sitting at her sewing machine. She got up and greeted us with a smile. Looking around you could see all of her needlework for sale, small folding tables set for a meal, and a long card table filled with beautiful homemade pies.

Imogene serves homemade chili, sloppy joes, grilled cheeses, sandwiches, and fresh baked pies. We placed our order with her and sat at the tables as this incredible 92 year old woman whipped up our lunches. I think we might've been the first people to tip her, and after insisting she keep it, she was over joyed. Eric even killed a fly for her, that had been pestering her all day. Truthfully this experience seemed unreal. It was so perfect it was hard to believe it a place like this actually exists.

serving up her famous pies

this chili was SPECTACULAR

delicious blackberry pie

There was also an incredible historic hotel called The Iron Horse. It was not open, but the outside was absolutely spectacular. To my understanding the hotel has 10 rooms and has fine dining in the evening. I'll definitely be back to check it out, without a doubt.

Thanks for reading and I hope you've seen a little bit more of the Show Me State.

The land that I love...

2010-08-17T22:30:00.000-05:00

I love Missouri. I love our winding rivers and I love our lush mountains. I love our sunrises and even more our vibrant sunsets. I love our starry skies and I love the sounds of the night. I love our rich history, bountiful vineyards, picturesque farmland, unique cuisine, and most of all I love the natives. We gave you Mark Twain, pork steaks, toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, and Calamity Jane. Missourians experience all four seasons to their fullest potential and we are the heart of the United States. I’ve traveled to so many beautiful places, but I will always come home to Missouri. I don’t have a southern accent, and I’ve never milked a cow. I love fishing, but I’m afraid to touch the fish. I attend a major university and my parents are not related. We typically end sentences with unnecessary prepositions, and the only thing we love more than baseball is hating Kansas. Missouri is so much more than you’ve heard, I promise. This is my new weekly resolution to share with you the land that I love (don't worry I'll still cook up fattening recipes!!).

**Below are some shots I took in Missouri

Growing up, every Sunday my family attended mass and then set out on a “ride”. We drove, we drove, and we drove some more. We drove until we found a new spot we had never been; dined at whatever eatery the small town possessed, and drove home with full bellies. That’s how my family spent Sundays, together. I loved Sundays, and I miss Sundays. So in the spirit of “Sunday Funday” Gabe and I decided to carry on tradition with “The Finer Things Club”. We hopped in the car and headed west. We wound up in Boonville Missouri (Boonville is home of the military school Chucky was filmed in, creepy right?). We stopped at the Historic Hotel Frederick and ate an incredible family style meal at Glenn’s Café. Glenn’s Café sits inside the 100+ year old Hotel Frederick, and overlooks the beautiful Missouri River. It’s fabulous and so full of character. Let me just say it is now Tuesday and I cannot stop thinking about that meal. We had fried chicken, pot roast, mashed potatoes, garden salad, corn on the cob, bread, and peach cobbler-- all refillable and all fabulous. Forget fork-tender pot roast, this pot roast is beyond fork tender, you might as well spoon it into your mouth after drowning it in gravy obviously. The chicken was so crispy and perfectly fried. The potatoes were peppery and perfect. It was just as good as a home cooked meal made by your grandmother, but with the precise execution of a Chef. I wouldn’t change a thing if you held a gun to my head, I’d be content with this being my last meal.

**These photos below of the Cafe were not taken by me, I found them online, and I thank whomever shot them. I am dumb and did not bring my camera on my very own adventure.

Stay a weekend when passing through, Hotel Frederick | At Main & High Streets, Boonville, Missouri 65233 | 1.888.437.3321

Naner puddin' ice cream!!!

2010-07-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

After being out on the road in California and constantly rolling my eyes at the natives of L.A. as one by one they looked at me in wonderment for not speaking with a Southern accent (this was after I told them I was from the Midwest, which was before I had to tell them where Missouri was located in the United States), I think I’ve unintentionally developed an attachment to the South. Okay, it may not be so sudden of a fondness… I’m a complete and total sucker for Southern (especially when they’re in cheesy love stories ie: Ryan Goessling in The Notebook) accents, I could eat my weight in “soul food”, and I may or may not hope to magically turn into Paula Deen one day. So what does all of this talk about the South have to do with anything? Well, my previous post was a boozy concoction based off of the fabulously Southern Arnold Palmer, and now I share with you, Southern Banana Pudding with Nilla Waffers Ice Cream (as if there is any other way to eat banana pudding).
Let me just warn you that I got an ice cream machine yesterday (it makes two flavors at once, try not to turn too green with envy). Apart from the fact that I will probably become morbidly obese and suck my bank account dry (hey cream is expensive!) be ready for a lot of ice cream recipes. We make our own ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets at the University Club I work at, and I’ve always been super into doing so. So now that I have an ice cream machine at my disposal… my jeans will never fit the same. Let me also add that I’d say ¾ of the guys at the tattoo shop (who are my guinea pigs) are lactose intolerant, but still foolishly indulge in ice cream and in doing so get violently ill. So, sorry in advance dudes.

This classic dessert has been turned into a frozen favorite. It’s incredible how dead on this recipe is and I couldn’t be happier with my first batch of homemade ice cream. Do yourself a favor and make this!!I saw this recipe on Pink Parsley’s super cute blog, and just couldn’t pass it up. Check out her recipes and fall in love. She’s great!

Banana Pudding Ice Cream by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
makes about 1 quart
* 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 ripe bananas, sliced in half crosswise and lengthwise
* 2 Tablespoons dark rum
* 2 large egg yolks
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 cups whole milk
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 8 2-inch vanilla wafers, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish (plus a lot more for eating and even more for the ice cream)
-In a medium skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the butter until frothy. Add the brown sugar and spread it with a wooden spoon. Add the bananas, and turn to coat with the sugar mixture several times. Cook about 1 1/2 minutes, or until they are well coated and softened.
-Pour the rum over the bananas. Let it hiss and pop, then bubble for a minute to burn off the alcohol. Transfer the contents of the skillet to blender or food processor and set aside.
-Lightly beat the egg yolks with a whisk in a medium bowl, then add the sugar and beat until the mixture is a milky lemon-yellow color, about 1 1/2 minutes.(you like the purple nails??)

-In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 150 degrees on a candy thermometer, 6-8 minutes. You may see steam rising, but don't allow it to boil.

Pour 1/2 cup of the milk into the banana mixture, and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Reserve and let cool.
-Add the remaining 1 cup of milk in a thin stream into the egg and sugar mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Pour the custard back into the saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When the custard reaches 170 degrees and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn off the heat (this will probably take 6-8 minutes).
Add the banana puree to the custard and gently whisk to incorporate it completely.
-Allow the custard to cool to room temperature, and whisk in the cream. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill at least 4 hours, or overnight.

-Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Scatter some of the wafer crumbs in the bottom of your ice cream storage container. Scoop ice cream into container and randomly scatter more crumbs alternating ice cream and crumbs. Freeze for at least 2 hours. Garnish with a whole vanilla wafer before serving. Bake and enjoy- Sara Tea

Official drink of the summer... meet the

2010-07-20T14:24:00.000-05:00

John Daly.
What is a John Daly and why would you ever want to drink a beverage named after such a distasteful man in ugly pants? Because it RULES, plain and simple. The John Daly is the adult version of the beloved Southern gem, The Arnold Palmer (which Arizona Tea Co. so conveniently mixed perfectly and put in a can ready for your summer consumption). Perhaps you aren't up on your Southern hospitality... an Arnold Palmer is half lemonade and half sweet tea. It's the most refreshing combo, ever.

Now the John Daly...
Fill a glass with ice. Then fill 3/4 of the glass with this lovely liquid

and then top off with this lovely liquid.

The true Arnold Palmer is just regular lemonade, but I've always been a pink country time kid. It's also slightly impressive how many bars do not have lemonade... a local bar I was visiting the other night did not have lemonade so he did a bit of sour mix and splash of sprite and it was still incredibly delicious. If you are not familiar with Sweet Tea Vodka do yourself a favor and order it the next time you are out. It's dangerous how much it tastes JUST like sweet tea with the potency of vodka.

*I totally yanked all these photos from the world wide interwebz, so thank you internet for letting me use you and not having to buy an entire bottle of Sweet Tea Vodka (seeing that I live alone) and more importantly not having to track down the beast of a man, John Daly.

best ever baked beans and taco noodles? seperate but equal I assure you...

2010-07-06T15:27:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know I’ve been slacking on this blogging situation, so I’m going to make a plea-bargain… I have two delicious recipes that will blow your mind and make your mouth water. These are GREAT for summer picnics and will absolutely wow your guests... BUT (there's always a but, right?) I have no motivational photos to seduce you into making these delicious dishes. I was in a serious rush to 4th of July celebrations and didn’t have enough time to set up a photo shoot, but they were devoured instantly so that’s probably a good sign, right? So… no photos but TWO awesome sides (or meals honestly). I hope you'll forgive me.

First up, taco pasta. Let me tell you two things:
a.) this taco pasta rules, like… rules so hard it should be adorned with robe and crown, like… make once a week awesome. It’s freaking delicious, super simple to prepare, and is fills you up. This would make a great week night meal or a stellar side at a large gathering.
b.) this is a family friendly recipe. My mother, the woman who thinks ketchup is spicy thought this was fabulous, which means your kiddos will love it too. However, if you have taste buds (okay, a little harsh) you might want to chop up some chipotle peppers or maybe flip a few jalapeños in this dish just to kick it up a notch. Perhaps your favorite taco sauce or even just some chili powder would make a great addition to spice it up. The next time I make this I’m def. going to step up the spice, but honestly it’s great as follow.

adapted from Fake Ginger
-1 pound ground turkey (I used ground turkey, but this would also be delicious with ground bison or obviously ground beef)
-1 Tablespoon (ish) olive oil to coat pan
-16 ounce small dry pasta shapes (I used medium shells, pick your favorite shape)
-1 small onion, chopped
-2 clove garlic, minced
-1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
-1 standard size envelope of your favorite taco seasoning (you need about 4 tablespoons)
-3 ounce cream cheese
-1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package and or your preference.

-Drain the pasta but reserve around 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.
-In a large skillet or sauté pan add oil and cook the ground meat (feel free to season with salt and pepper) over medium-high heat until nearly no pink remains.
-A few minutes before the meat entirely browned, add the chopped onion to the skillet. -Once the meat is cooked entirely through, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
-Pour in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
-Finally stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended.
-Open mouth and shovel in immediately.

Now recipe number TWO:
Southern-Style Baked Beans recipe by Pam Anderson, slightly adapted by yours truly.

These beans are so freaking good. That's all I'm saying. Feel free to add some hot dogs or kielbasa and beef up (or pork up hahaha I'm so funny, right?) this recipe to make it a full entree. Make, smell, and enjoy. Dooooo it.

-8 slices of thick cut bacon (I used peppered), halved
-1 medium sweet onion, cut into small dice
-1/2 medium green pepper, cut into small dice
-3 large cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans (the original red can pork n beans, nothing fancy)
-3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Raspberry Chipotle and it was a great choice I highly suggest you do the same)
-1/2 cup dark brown sugar
-1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
-2 tablespoons Dijon

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
-Fry bacon in large, deep sauté pan skillet until bacon has partially (don’t let it get crispy, YET. No worries it will get crispy later) cooked and released about 1/4 cup drippings.
-Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.
-Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes and take a moment to embrace the glorious smell of onions and peppers in bacon fat.
Add beans and remaining ingredients and bring all that sweet deliciousness to a slight simmer.

If skillet is not large enough, add beans and heat to a simmer then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients).

-Pour flavored beans into a greased 13-by 9-inch (or similar size) ovenproof pan.
-Top with bacon, then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is the consistency of pancake syrup, about 2 hours. Let stand to thicken slightly and serve.

I hope you will take the time to try out these dishes! They're worth it, I promise!!

the prodigal blogger...

2010-06-27T13:21:00.000-05:00

I have returned. I have! I promise! I've been working at tattoo conventions in California, and then had an extended vacation at my parents home when I brought back a serious cold from Sacramento. I hate saying it, but all of my aspirations of excessive blogging this summer have pretty much gone out the window. For whatever reason I thought it would've been a hassle to bring my laptop to CA with me, but I'm fairly certain I'll start traveling with my Macbook more often. He deserves to get out of the house too. I ate at some fabulous places while on the West Coast, but I didn't get the chance to lug my camera with me everywhere, so I apologize. I really need to step it up. I'll try to make the rest of the summer much more blog oriented. I hung out with some great friends from all over the planet, met some incredibly talented artists, and talked with lots of neat people from all over the world (including the Hell's Angels, yessssss). I took about 9 billion photos, mostly of flowers, but I'll spare you all of those and just share a few. So I know I don't have a fattening recipe or mouth watering photo, but I hope until I can get back in the kitchen these will do. Next stop? Phoenix Arizona at the end of August. I'll talk to you all much before then though!
love, sara t.

[memorial rose garden in Sacramento]

[view from our table at Splashes in Laguna Beach]

[Gabe and I, he cannot be serious in photos, ever]

[sitting in a beautiful garden at our friends home in Balboa Island]

[Cara and I in a fabulous store in Balboa Island
p.s. I may or may not be wearing vintage Gucci sunglasses, just sayin']

[one of the most exquisite places on earth]

[arrested development anyone?]

[saw this little guy in the back of a truck while driving]

[such beautiful flowers in California]

[making some amaretto brioche french toast at Cara's]

[stole this photo from Lars, but they put a mom banner on the Queen Mary for the tattoo convention, so neat!]

I'm alive...

2010-06-14T22:52:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! It's been SO long, I know. I just wanted to let you know that I'm having a great time in California. The tattoo convention on the Queen Mary was excellent and Long Beach is such a beautiful city. I have so many things to share with you, but alas I have very little computer access so I'll just update that I am leaving L.A. and flying to Sacramento on Wednesday for another convention. Until then my friends, I hope you are all doing well and eating lots of awesome food. Miss you all and cannot wait to catch up!
Love, Sara T.

I've missed you...

2010-05-30T15:10:00.001-05:00

I'm back from The National Restaurant Association Convention in Chicago, I've been back for quite some time actually. I apologize for my lack of updates. I was certain summer would allow me to update daily. I have pages of notes that I wanted to write about from this trip, please look at a few bullet points. First, these are a few photos from the actual convention that I borrowed from my friend John, as I didn't actually take any photos inside because apparently it was quite frowned upon. The NRA is a great convention FULL of samples of anything you could possibly think of. If you own a food service business you should be there. It's incredible.

beautiful gelato

McCormick Place, where the convention was held

a peak inside

NRA Convention
bars are open to 5 a.m.
took 10 hours to drive 400 miles
hotel indigo
giant Jenga at Mother's Bar
spoken to at business networking event because of my tattoos--weird
dinner at the PUBLICAN
Lithuanian Vodka
Nostalgia (feeling, not place)
Lucky's Sandwich Co.
Corner Bakery
Potato Ninja
Cool McFinns
The Lodge
Creepy guy trying to lure me into an alley
Vodka, peach, and sprite
cherry vodka, lime, and sprite
tequila and sprite
red sangria

those are just SOME of the things I wanted to talk to you about... I'll try to only hit the highlights. Like this: our new friend potato ninja. He's rad, be jealous.

close call!

hanging with celebs

he was getting bored...

But now for the good stuff:

the PUBLICAN. Eat there. Just do it. You will never enjoy a meal more. Their menu consists of three categories: Oysters (flown in fresh daily), Pork, and Vegetables. Such a unique place, from the decor to the staff to the food. It's just incredible. Let me tell you, while in Chicago I was on like day 43 of no meat and it was heart breaking to watch my friends devour such beautiful cuts of pork and indulge in such great Pâté's. This is what I had:

drink #1: Graham Beck, Brut Rosé, from Robertson South Africa [pinot noir, chardonnay]

drink #2: Hogan's Cider, Hogan's Cider Company, Alcester Warwickshire, United Kingdom. (This is the first "beer" I've ever been able to not only choke down, but genuinely enjoy. Suggested by the bartender it was one of the greatest beverages to wet my palate, incredible honestly)
entree: Smoked Ivory King Salmon--Columbia River Washington. Topped with apricots, pickled ramps and fromage blanc. Holy wow. Incredible. Served on the most delicious bread.
vegetable: Asparagus from Nicolas Farm Marengo IL topped with Hazelnut breadcrumb salsa.

dessert: Rhubarb beignet with ginger lime and pink peppercorn brittle with yogurt sorbet.

dessert beverage: Canadian black maple tea with brown sugar cubes loose leaf tea.

John and Mike (co workers and classmates)

The boys I dined with shared:
-the charcuterie plate—pork pie, head cheese, pork sugo terrine, lardo, morteau, pickles & mustards

-sweetbreads—Strauss Veal Farm, Franklin, Wisconsin spinach, bacon & radish

-suckling pig—Becker Lane Organic Farm, Dyersville, Iowa fava bean vignole, grits & pickled red onion

-a number of oysters flown in fresh to Chicago from multi-coast destinations.

Now onto the next stop: Lucky's Sandwich Co. as soon on Man vs. Food.

My friend John got this:

skirt steak and cheese sandwich and opted to add a fried egg

Every sandwich comes with seasoned cole slaw, tomaotes, and french fries on top. It looked incredible and it was a seriously huge sandwich. They had other sandwiches such as: veggie and cheese, corned beef and pastrami, and many many more. Definitely a neat place!

Crunch N Munch...

2010-05-20T22:58:00.000-05:00

Does anyone remember Crunch N Munch? It's like... the awesome more fattening cousin of Cracker Jacks minus the cheap little trinket. It's possible my dad is the only one on the earth that still eats this forgotten snack (he also still buys some random weird candy bar called Chunky's or something). My father, LOVES caramel corn with everything in his being. Last Christmas my brother got him one of those tins of popcorn with some random Christmas tree or kitten on it FILLED with caramel corn because the factory they come from happens to be in the city he is a police officer (fun fact of the day, your popcorn tins come from Ferguson Missouri). You would've thought he got him a pot of gold. The idea of it being that fresh makes my dad even happier. It's the little things in life right? Riiiight.

Anywho, the fam came for a visit not too long ago and I had acquired a large sum of mixed nuts from a friend which I was planning on sending home with my parents anyway. Cashews, almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, etc... it was a pretty great line up. I had seen this recipe on Orangettes website and knew I had to give it a whirl. I followed the recipe EXACTLY and it turned out beautifully. Just make sure you have some time when you plan on making this because it needs to bake for an hour. She lists some really helpful tips at the bottom so make sure you read those little guys.
I hate to throw a link at you and run, but I should be packing because I leave for Chicago tomorrow at 7 a.m. I won't have my computer with me, but I'll be tweeting updates from the National Restaurant Convention the whole time, so if you don't already follow me on Twitter. My name is Sara_Tea and if you don't tweet I'll blog about it with some hopefully awesome photos when I get back Wednesday. Hopefully this caramel corn with hold you over until then :) Have a great week!

cake mix! scmake mix!

2010-05-18T23:11:00.000-05:00

It's your birthday? I'll bake you a cake! It's your anniversary? I'll make your wife assorted truffles. It's your going away party? You'll get a stellar cookie tray. I've successfully managed to make people baked goods in lieu of purchasing real gifts for quite some time now. I make fancy pastry, luscious eclairs, and immaculate cheesecakes in a jiff. However, I'll always ask you your preference first... because I mean some nut jobs out there don't like chocolate or coconut, CRAZIES! Sadly, I come across this answer far too often... "What kind of cake do you want for your super special occasion? I'll bake you anything in life!" *moment of silence* "Funfetti."FUN-FREAKING-FETTI. My heart drops and my blood boils. Now now, don't get it twisted. Funfetti cake with that gooey icing and those even gooier sprinkle chunks is incredibly delicious, I am by no means trying to deny funfetti of any glory. But really dudes, I can make you anything on this planet and you want cake minx, out of a box?! Gah! You child!

[Now back to the point of this entry]
this cake... a highly requested cake comes out of *sighs* a box. This cake is Cherry Chip by Betty Crocker. I long long ago made a four layer Betty Crocker (2 boxes in 4, 8" rounds) with the suggested Betty Crocker White Chocolate Almond Frosting, and it was delicious. Like, the entire cake gets devoured in 30 seconds delicious. The cake is moist, bakes up beautifully, and has some a great flavor it doesn't even need icing (but really the icing is awesome too). It's the perfect amount of sweet and the cherry is not over done. It's a keeper, for sure.

Though, this cake is tricky, very stealthy actually (if I can cake be stealthy) because it comes and goes. Sometimes it can be found in stores and a lot of the time it's MIA. It's like... VIP cake mix or something. The rapper of cake mixes. It's only in stores when it wants to be. I actually saw online that random bloggers were reaching out to one another trying to track down this specific cake and frosting. My local grocery store got the cake mix in, but no icing... so I decided I was going to make authentic fancy expensive as gold French Buttercream with authentic European butter.
I make this in a giant vat at work... using a whopping 10 lbs of Euro butter so I thought I'd give it a whirl at home. To make a long story short... I poured hot eggs into stupidly expensive imported European butter and made the richest most delicious... soup goo on the planet. After my giant brain fart and slight mental break down I decided to throw it in the freezer and hope to God it would thicken... and it did. However, not the way it should be. Does it taste fabulous? Absolutely. It just didn't have that flawless texture of French Butter Cream. So rather than reveal my awesome recipes on this dud I'll save it for a better more luxurious cake.
But I'll share with you this little tip... if you're ever upset with your icing or just don't feel like taking the time to make it super pretty flip over chocolate chips (the bigger the better) and stick em to that cake with your mediocre icing! It makes a really great and simple finish and is super super quick, and of course it tastes delicious it's CHOCOLATE!

If you can find this cake mix in your store pick it up, you won't regret it!
-Bake and enjoy my friends.

P.S. I'll be at the National Restaruant Association Convention in Chicago this weekend, so get ready for our first trip of the summer!

Cancel the search and rescue...

2010-05-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

I'm alive. I'm more alive than ever, you know why? My last final of the semester was Wednesday.
Do you know what that means? It's summer! Do you know what summer means (other than the fact that my anxiety level will drop back down to slightly crazy rather than card carrying psycho)?

I will finally be able to tend to this blog like I've always wanted to. Plus, once the Midwest stops getting reamed by thunderstorms I'll be able to carry my camera everywhere and share the tales of my summer visually (because sometimes my witty banter isn't enough, I know hard to believe, right?).

I hope we all get to know each other a little bit better this summer. If you stick around with me a bit longer, I'll add some tasty recipes to your collection, share some neat photos, make you slightly more awkward, and introduce you to my bizarre Midwestern life that's filled with pastry, tattoos, and policemen.

I will be traveling a bit and I hope you'll come with.
I'll be in Chicago next week for the National Restaurant Convention.
Then we'll head to Long Beach California where I'll be working at the Ink N Iron Tattoo Festival that takes place on the legendary Queen Mary.
Then to Sacramento for another tattoo convention.
I hope this list gets longer :)

That's all for now, recipes, photos, and awesomeness soon to come.
Love, Sara Tea.

I'm joining the carnival...

2010-04-26T01:06:00.001-05:00

okay, maybe not... (even though I probably have enough tattoos to be apart of some weird sideshow or something) but seriously, who doesn't like carnival food? I mean... what kid doesn't want to eat their weight in funnel cakes and cotton candy and spew their guts out on the tilt-o-whirl? Oh funnel cakes... so delicious and fried, blessed with tons and tons of powdered sugar. The glory! Well, now you can make funnel cakes at home, in no time at all. I decided (if I ever reproduce) I'm definitely keeping this recipe up my sleeve to woo all of my kids friends. "Oh, Tommy's mom makes pancakes? That's really cool and original... NOT!!! HAVE FUNNEL CAKES KIDS!!!" It's official, I'll be the coolest. Don't sweat it, I'll empty a can of cherry pie filling on top so they get some nutrition :)

But seriously, try this out for a fun and quick dessert. It's next to impossible to mess up, and will excite the crap out of little kids, hungry tattooed boys, and police officer big brothers. May I add they're also pretty stellar to slip into a ziploc baggie and sneak into a movie as well, just sayin.

I got this recipe from The Tasty Kitchen, where the incredible Pioneer Woman gives a great tutorial, as per usual. I actually tried it out the first time the other night at work. There was an Americana dinner at work the other night and my boss and I did a "modern" apple pie. It went a little something like... funnel cake, tahitian vanilla pastry cream, apple pie filling, funnel cake, powdered sugar, cinnamon, scoop of house made walnut spice ice cream. Yeah, maybe it was a heart attack in a bowl, maybe it would make Paula Deen blush... and maybe it's the best freaking thing you'll ever eat :)

So go fill your favorite deep skillet or dutch oven with lots and lots of veggie oil, get it super hot, and get your batter ready.

3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

2-2 1/4 cup milk

powdered sugar for dusting (or dumping)

Canola Oil, for frying

-combine all dry ingredients in bowl.

-Next, add eggs and combine. The dough will be super clumpy and that's okay.

-Add your vanilla.

-Finally add your milk. It'll take at least 2 cups but you can add up to 1/2 cup more if you want your batter thinner. You want it a tad thicker than pancake batter.

-Now, obviously you may use the funnel method, since these are funnel cakes... however I filled a squeeze bottle with batter and cup the tip a tiny bit to make the opening a bit larger.

-Squeeze a small drop of the batter into the pan to test the oil. If the droplet floats to the to immediately you're in business, if not kick up the heat!

-Once you are sure the oil is hot enough, squeeze the batter in a crazy pattern (don't be afraid to get close to the oil. keep the tip of the squeeze bottle no higher than an inch from the top of the oil). Allow to brown and with a fish spatula (or a slotted spoon, whatever you have around) flip so the other side gets equally deliciously golden brown, this should take around 3 mins on each side.

-Scoop funnel cake out and allow to de-grease on a paper towel. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and devour. These guys are obviously best served warm, but it's funnel cake... it will be good ANYWHERE.

-It'd be a really fun dinner party dessert to have a funnel cake bar and prepare a funnel cake for each of your guests and then have a buffet of toppings for them to choose from. Also, same idea for a kids birthday party... kids and adults are strangely similar when it comes to desserts :)

Veggie Fajitas

2010-04-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

Hiiiiiii! I’m sorry for showing up so little around here these days. Lots and lots of stuff going on lately, and by lots and lots I mean school and work. It’s horrendous.

In other random news, I started 50-day challenge. If all goes according to plan, I will not eat meat, consume caffeine (not even chocolate), or eat in between meals until May 31st. Today is day 6. I have not consumed any caffeine or meat, but I have snacked between meals. I don’t feel too terrible about it because my days are long, really long. My first class starts at 9 a.m., and I get home from work around 11 p.m. or later. The first two days were filed with blinding migraines, as I’ve always consumed copious amounts of caffeine since childhood, but now that those have past, I must admit I sleep so much better at night. So so much better. It’s pretty incredible.

Also, may I add it’s really hard to not eat meat when you have no moral conflict in doing so? I’ll be at work and one of the guys will be slicing turkey or something and typically I’d grab a slice and go about my work, and now I reach for it and I’m like, “noooope”. I guess if I thought killing delicious animals for consumption was immoral it would be far easier not to reach for it… but I don’t, sorry. I will say this though, being full from a giant plate of veggies is a much more pleasant feeling than being full from… a giant steak. I don’t feel inclined to unbutton the top button on my jeans after chowing down on a giant salad or stir-fry.

So I’ve been trying to cook up some healthy vegetarian meals. So many people I know gain tons of weight when they switch to the dark side, because they only eat potatoes and cheese and more cheese. So I decided to make these Veggie Fajita’s inspired by one of my favorite bloggers ever, Ezra Pound Cake’s meatless Monday recipe from a while back.

Let’s preface this with my family is Lithuanian, I’ve grown up in Missouri my entire life, and I come from a mother who thinks ketchup is spicy. I never even had Taco Bell until I was like 13.

[Boohoo, I’m sooo sheltered. I never got to eat garbage Taco Bell until I was 13 with a friends family because I had an incredibly talented stay at home mother who cooked a meal from scratch every day three times a day for her whole family, I’m just so terribly deprived!!]

Honesty, my most Latin attribute is that the boyfriend’s last name is Garcia. So is it wrong that I put refried beans in a fajita? Probably. What about lettuce and diced tomatoes? You tell me. My most embarrassing confession of all is that if it’s “Mexican” I automatically roll it up like a burrito. It can be a taco, and I’ll roll it up like a burrito. I’d probably try to roll up flan like a burrito if I could. Though, I must say, I’m not a complete idiot, and as I’ve been in a professional kitchen longer and longer I’ve learned about Latin cuisine, and I really genuinely think it’s a beautiful—the smells, the colors, the textures, and of course the tastes. I just don’t really pay much attention to tradition when I’m sitting on my couch in my apartment.

So here it is (well, here is what I used):

-1 red onion, sliced

-4 peppers (I used one each red, yellow, orange, and green)

-3 cloves of garlic, minced

-8 oz mushrooms, sliced

-6 Tbsp vegetable oil

-2 Tbsp chili powder

-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add to taste more if you like it hot, scratch it if you aren’t into spicy)

-2 tsp cumin

-1 tsp paprika

-salt and fresh cracked pepper

-tortillas, warmed

Garnish to your taste: cilantro? Lime? Sour cream? Guac? Refried beans? It’s okay if it’s not a “traditional” fajita topping…I won’t judge.

1. In a bowl, combine the onion, peppers, garlic and mushrooms.

2. Mix the oil and spices in a small cup and pour over the vegetable mixture. Make sure to coat those suckers good. Set aside for a bit.

3. Heat a skillet or wok until very hot. Add the marinated veggies, and stir-fry over high heat for 5-6 minutes, until the peppers and mushrooms are just tender. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a little of the filling onto each tortilla, add toppings of choice, and ENJOY!

Viva Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake?

2010-04-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? FALSE. Who came up with this erroneous belief?? False false false! Liiiiieeeeesssss! I’m pretty sure my severe exhaustion, sore legs, blistered feet, and a few new pounds did NOT stay in Vegas and I'm positive, my BILLS did not stay in Vegas. It's okay I have a plan, if people can win a lawsuit for spilling hot coffee on their lap I can tell Discover Card to ask Las Vegas for their money, right? I mean… my money definitely stayed there; I definitely came home with no money. Yep, I'm a thinker.

Las Vegas at night.

Also, Donny and Marie Osmond? Really? WHO CARES about Donny and Marie Osmond anymore? “America’s favorite siblings!” FALSE. I’m certain my brother and I are America’s favorite siblings, just saying.

he's brilliant, he's a police officer, and he's single... just saying ladies.

slightly blasphemous seriously hilarious

"Steve! I'm crawling in that tiger's mouth, take my photo!!"

All in all Vegas was great. My bro and I decided it really isn’t our scene, but we were glad to be able to check it off our list, and at the end of the day (which days don’t really end in Vegas) we truly had a blast (the T’s are much more low key and nerdy). We stayed at The Venetian in a ridiculous suite; it had a living room… not like 6 tiles and a sketchy chair typical of a hotel “living room”, we had… a real one. We lived like rappers in Vegas, which was a delight. We ate incredible meals, wore fancy clothes, and drank “free” booze while gambling our hearts out.

Why did I stay in a hotel with Bouchon, Bouchon bakery, and David Burke?

I became obsessed with this statue, so beautiful.

I got off the plane, went to an amazing duo’s wedding reception,

long time great friend Mike and I.

[Cody (the groom and a filmmaker), had an old passport photo camera, and had guests take photos with it for he and his wife's scrapbook. It was so clever and the photos turned out great!]

long time best friends. Mike, Jake, and myself.

celebrated Easter and drove straight back to class. Yikes bikes, right?

Today was productivity day, I cleaned my house, unpacked, and decided it was time to bake. I’ve been looking at this cheesecake for some time now from the brilliant Smitten Kitchen, and I decided it was time.

I apologize for prematurely blogging about this seeing that I actually haven't hacked into it yet, but I missed you (and I want to freeze it for when I have guests come in town)! However, the batter was pretty much epic and I can't imagine this NOT tasting good, can you? I mean I guess if you don't like chocolate or coffee or cheesecake or anything that is awesome.

I'll let you follow Smitten Kitchen's recipe and directions because she explains everything 20x times better than I ever will.

The only thing I did differently was that I used chocolate graham crackers for the crust, and in place of the molasses I used Hazelnut Agave nectar. I topped it off with perfectly shimmering ganache just as she did and beautiful chocolate covered espresso beans.

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake.

oh hey beautiful ganache!

uh... LOOK at that crust.

not too shabby if I do say so myself!!

I've missed you...

2010-03-29T20:36:00.001-05:00

Hi!!! Hiiiiii!!! Hi!

It's been so long! I'm sorry I've been MIA. I've missed you! I really have!!

This past week was "the week before spring break", which means the worst week, ever. 3 tests, 3 papers, and 2 group projects later (plus, working 3 days which consisted of something like 300 eclairs, 20 key lime pies, 12 pecan pie bourbon tarts, enough french buttercream to clog a small countries' arteries and everything else was pretty much a blur) I'm officially on Spring Break and made the mini-trip from school [Mizzou] to the rents house in Saint Louis.

Anywho, my mother has an entire collection of really random old weird shaped pans, and I always try to put them to use. For instance I found a square tube pan. Weird, right? So I decided to make a square angel food cake. I saw a lemon curd and coconut angel food cake on tastespotting and decided I HAD to make it.

This cake is SO spring-y and would be absolutely fabulous after a big Easter dinner.

square pan!! weirrrrdddd.

okay it didn't cut too swell, but it tastes divine!

I got the recipe from the Cheeky Kitchen. I'll let you follow her directions because there are some really awesome Easter Brunch ideas along with this cake, and honestly I have to be up at 4 a.m. to catch a plane to Vegas so I'll spare you all of my clever (or lame) ad-lib! Woo!!

I followed her recipe almost exactly, but I'll quickly add my piece. To the icing I added a splash of vanilla and after it was "combined" I added probably another 1/4 cup of powdered sugar because it didn't taste quite sweet enough. Also, I had some lemon curd left over after filling the cake, so I just put it in a ziplock bag, snipped the corner, and drizzled it on top.

There you go folks! I hope you enjoy this great spring cake and I hope you all can take a break this week too. I'll be taking my first trip to Vegas with my big brother. We're staying at The Venetian, and I'm SUPER pumped about it. Do you know what else is in The Venetian? BOUCHON! PLUS, BOUCHON Bakery! It's my goal to a.) win a zillion dollars b.) not gain 300 pounds and c.) hang out with celebs and d.) hang out with Thomas Keller and or David Burke. All possible, right??

p.s. The weather I am leaving in Saint Louis, Missouri is 84 and sunny all week. The weather I'm vacationing to in Las Vegas (THE DESERT) is 60 and cloudy. I hope weather.com is lying.

tiny tiramisù...

2010-03-16T00:19:00.001-05:00

**UPDATE: I've officially peaked at 22. I made this successfully in layer form [3 thin layers] and it is turned out beyond my highest expectations. The flavors get better with time so feel free to make ahead and take to a weekend party!

Drunken Tiramisù, to be exact... however, you may not be ready for this.

Seriously. If you choose to scroll down and read about these delicious, moist, espresso, and liquor soaked chocolate-y cakes topped with the most delicious creamy mascarpone filling you have no one to blame but yourself. I am entirely not responsible for the chaos that will ensue or the elastic pants you will need after eating this. Don't say I didn't warn you. Seriously, this cake is legit.

With all of the Daring Bakers posting their classic Italian Tiramisù's all over the internet, my boss sabotaging my diet by making the most incredible Tiramisù at work for our Italian wine club nights, and well, my freaking obsession in general with Tiramisù I obviously freaked out when I saw a random recipe for O'Tiramisù. Not only did I think "shit the freaking bed" (that's my expression of choice, my own mother even said it mockingly one day), I had been looking for something to bake up for St Patrick's Day (plus I have a bottle of Bailey's sitting in the fridge, for far too long).

I knew I wanted to make this "O'Tiramisù", but I wanted to make it a little more Irish. I wanted to make it a lot more intense. I wanted to make it much more unbelievable. The recipe calls for a yellow fluffy sponge cake, which, without a doubt would be fabulous (since lady fingers pretty much turn to cake once they're soaked anyway), but I wanted something else.

So, I got to thinking (don't worry, no one was injured)... I make an Irish Car Bomb Cake that changes lives on the regular (it may or may not cure cancer..err at least the common cold) why not make this little O'Tiramisù with my Guinness infused chocolate stout cake. I mean it's not like Bailey's, chocolate, and coffee go together or anything. OH WAIT. That's actually the ultimate trifecta.

Now, let me tell you... making these "tiny" was not my intention. I made my beautifully shiny cake batter and poured it evenly into a prepared 9'' spring form pan (though I typically make this same cake in two 8'' rounds). I baked the cake, it cracked a bit, but nothing that couldn't be covered with topping. I did the toothpick test, that little booger came out clean as a whistle. I let it cool. I even put it in the freezer to make sure it was firm for cutting. I start to cut the cake into layers, perfectly even... I lifted the first layer... THE ENTIRE F#*($(@#* CENTER WAS RAW.

Now... I'm a cool chick, but I seriously freak the f out when things like this happen. You could spit in my face and I'd be like, "jerk face" but if I mess up something I'm working on... something is getting thrown, punched, and or chucked across the room. Sometimes I yell, sometimes I cry, and I definitely always blurt out a chain of swears that would make a trucker blush.

Poor Gabe. Poor poor Gabe. He was there when I realized it was raw and ruined. He then had the nerve (and by nerve I mean was trying to be sweet) to ask what was wrong. Poor poor Gabe. He may be double my size, he may have tattoos over 90% of his body, but he spoke to me at my worst moment... so I obviously bit his head off.

To make a long, gruesome story short, I only had about a quarter of an inch layer that was entirely cooked, so I saturated it, and used a tiny circle cutter to make rounds and then layered them together with the filling and sprinkled with cocoa. They were adorable, delicious, and all around stunning.

After I stopped being a giant baby I snapped a few photos and let Gabe do the taste test. He's a true keeper for being able to deal with my OCD and slightly crazy self, and well he loved the tiny little cakes. I love him and somehow he loves me too.

So heres the deal I'm going to direct you in making a full size three layered cake of awesomeness, and if you royally F yours up too, make these cute little guys:

For the cake:
1 cup Guinness 1 cup

(2 sticks) unsalted butter 

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all purpose flour 

2 cups sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

2 large eggs 

2/3 cup sour cream 

Syrup: (I doubled this)

1 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

4 teaspoons instant espresso powder

2 teaspoons Kahlúa

Cream filling: 6 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish cream

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Unsweetened cocoa powder for garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F and do one of two things 1: grease a 9 in springform OR use a silcone baking mat or parchment lined jellyroll pan. (I later used a jellyroll pan and baked a thin layer of cake and it worked beautifully for a normal, not tiny sized cake, but these were too cute not to share).

*If you wind up using a jellyroll pan just use a salad plate and cut around so that you have even tiers (it still works best to assemble the cake within the constraints of a springfrom, keeps it snug).

Cake: Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Allow cake to cool completely

Syrup: Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and stir in the Bailey’s and the espresso powder. Set aside to cool.

Cream Filling: The filling is made in the top of a double-broiler. (If you don’t have a double-broiler, like me, set a metal bowl on top of a saucepan with barely-simmering water. Make sure the water does not boil.)

Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, Bailey’s, and espresso powder.

Use a hand-held mixer to to beat the mixture for 6 minutes, until very thick. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Using the mixer on high speed, beat the cream until stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted. When the yolk mixture is cooled to room temperature, add the mascarpone and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Using the rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream.

Assembly: Cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers (if you have one large cake). If you used a jellyroll pan, you will take your three hand cut rounds. However, put one layer back into the springform pan.

Brush with some of the syrup, so the cake is soggy and saturated. Don't be skimpy, SOAK this cake.

Plop one third of the cream filling and spread evenly.

Place another cake layer on top of the filling, brush with syrup, and spread with filling.

Place the third layer of cake on top, brush with syrup, and spread the remaining filling on top.

Gently tap the pan against the counter to settle its contents, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours or up to overnight to let all of the flavors really soak into the cake. When ready to serve, remove sides of the springform pan. Garnish with chocolate sprinkles haha okay maybe not (but really, you could), then dust with cocoa powder.

Slice and serve and put in your mouth. Jump up and down, cry tears of joy, and share this recipe with everyone you know.

so good you'd think your grandma made it

2010-03-11T00:26:00.000-06:00

"Sara T this is by far my favorite thing you've made. It's so simple and really freaking good."

"Really? It's good... something a grandma would make."

"You just kicked my grandma's ass."

Whoa. That's impressive right? Out baking a grandma is like... out running a cheetah or something [I'm blonde, these things slip sometimes].

But seriously, what's not to like about this. Apples, cinnamon, and oatmeal are as American as red white and blue [it's late... don't judge]. I found this recipe interesting though because it did include white chocolate and cream cheese. For whatever reason I was unsure of the white chocolate... why would I ever doubt chocolate? It blends so perfectly with the apples and cinnamon I'll probably try to pair them again soon.

Okay, without further jibber jab and without saying anymore horribly lame things check these out:

Chewy Apple Oat Bars with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing, from Piece of Cake.

For the apple-oat bottom:
-1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt-1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
-3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-3/4 cup oats [the original recipe specifically said not quick cooking, but I definitely used them anyway and it definitely turned out fine]
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
-6 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
-1/4 cup granulated sugar-1 egg
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced [I used Granny Smith]
-4 ounces white chocolate [though I don't think it will make or break the recipe I used nice white chocolate because your normal run of the mill white chocolate chip tastes so...waxy to me]

For the white chocolate cream cheese icing:
-2 ounces white chocolate
-2 ounces cream cheese, softened
-1 tablespoon unsalted butter
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
-Ground cinnamon, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a parchment round in the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan and spray with cooking spray, set aside. (I used a round, the original called for a 8x8 square pan, use what you have)

1.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and oats and set aside.

2.) In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy.

3.) Add the sugars and beat until smooth and lightened in color.

4.) Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat in the egg and vanilla until well-blended. 5.) On low speed, blend in the dry ingredients.

6.) On the lowest speed or by hand, stir in the apple chunks and white chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake just until a toothpick comes out clean, about

35 minutes. Do not overbake.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then release the sides of your spring form and remove from the bottom onto your serving plate. Let cool completely on the rack at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the icing:

1.) In the microwave, melt 2 ounces of white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl in 30 second bursts at 50% power, stirring after each interval until smooth.

2.) In your mixer with paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth.

3.) Add the melted white chocolate and beat until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until the icing is slightly thickened and sweetened to your liking.

When the bars are completely cool, spread the icing in an even layer over the round. Refrigerate until the icing is firm, at least 1 hour.
Remove and dust with cinnamon. With a large, sharp knife, cut slices. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Hazelnut Banana Cheesecake topped with Caramel Rum Sauce and Flambéed Bananas

2010-03-09T18:07:00.000-06:00

**I will apologize now for the unreasonably long title, but I’m sure you’ll forgive me if you make this.**

Before I get into the good stuff [by good stuff I mean creamy, banana-y, luscious, slice of heaven with the ever so subtle hint of booze] there are a few things that should be discussed.

One: I am contemplating checking myself into rehab for my severe (and freaking expensive) obsession with hazelnuts (I blame my boss for ordering boat loads of luxurious Gianduja).

Two: I whacked nearly 9 inches off [thanks Heather at Studio E] of my trademark stupidly long hair (I’ve had near butt length hair since a horrid hair cut in the 6^th grade).

Three: I am now platinum blonde (like…really freaking platinum blonde).

[Oh heyyyy friends]

Four: I added another tattoo to the collection (the worst part of getting your knee cap tattooed? Standing up to check it out in the mirror).

[that's a Japanese Peony]

Five: I am feeling so great with Spring tiptoeing into Missouri (seriously, I promise I’m not going through some quarter life crisis.

NOW, down to business.

So the tattoo shop was having a good friend, Joshua Chapman of Iron Age Studios, tattoo at our shop for the weekend. So obviously, I sent Josh a message,

“Chappy, we're eagerly awaiting your arrival. Be thinking of what baked good you would like to eat, because well, I'll make it. See you soon!”

he quickly responded,

“Just nothing too chocolatey:)”

I read this, rolled my eyes, and thought “too chocolately?” Pft. That’s like saying “too free” or “too many puppies”. Anyway, he later informed me that he loves bananas. I got online, opened up tastespotting and saw a banana cheesecake. Done and done, that’s what I was making.

[such a neat photo from my friend Tony, check his site out, seriously. such a great photographer.]

Now I’m sure Vanilla Sugar’s recipe is epic, what is NOT epic about the idea of banana cheesecake with caramel rum? However, I cannot cook or bake without getting ingredient happy. I start dumping stuff in all willy nilly (willie nillie? meh whatevs) and it gets a little out of hand.

I knew I wanted to add some extra crunch to the graham crust so I decided to add ground hazelnuts. While at the store to get hazelnuts, I saw hazelnut flavored agave nectar so of course that got thrown in too.

**I'm also aware there are like 20 different components to this, but really it's simple. It's a normal cheesecake with extraordinary flavor. When I followed Vanilla Sugar's recipe for the rum sauce it was ultra thick...so I put it in a squirt bottle and made a plaid pattern on top. Then I topped that with bananas that were cooked in brown sugar, butter, and rum. That's it. I promise it's not difficult, I'm just long winded :)

Lets get baking! What you'll need:

-9 inch spring form pan. [May I suggest doing yourself a favor and cutting a circle of parchment to fit in the bottom? It will change your life.]

-foil [to wrap around the pan so that your cheesecake doesn't go for a swim in your water bath. This crust is entirely too delicious to get soggy.]

crust ingredients:

-2 cups graham cracker crumbs  

-3/4 cup ground hazelnuts (NOT super fine, but more than chopped...throw some sugar in when you process these, so the oils don't get all loosey goosey)

-3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar  

-1 Tablespoon cinnamon

-1 splash of Frangelico (for good measure)

-1 squirt [thats a very technical term, obviously] of Hazelnut Agave Nectar (this is an additional natural sweetener and entirely optional, seeing that I literally just bought it because it was hazelnut)

-1 stick unsalted butter, melted  (I put a pinch of salt in the crust)

-Preheat your oven to 375, we're going to pre-bake this crust so that it's extra crunchy.

1.) Take your melted butter and place it in a medium sized bowl.

2.) Add everything else.

3.) Combine, until each and everyone of those little crumbs are wet.

4.) Dump crumbs in the bottom of your pan. [I hope you can keep up, this is super technical ;) ]

5.) With a small glass level the bottom of the pan, and make sure it goes up at least half way up the sides. The glass really helps you out on this.

6.)Place in oven for 7 minutes-ish, remove, set aside to let cool.

7.)Turn oven down to 250 F [cause we're slow baking this baby].

cheesecake filling:  

-1 1/2 lb. (24 oz) cream cheese softened  

-¾ cup white sugar  

-guts of 1 vanilla bean

-¾ cup sour cream

-3 eggs  

-2 tsp Frangelico [or rum or both]

-4 mashed ripened banana

-1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice for the bananas   

1.) Beat your cream cheese, vanilla bean insides, and sugar together with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer at rapidly high speeds (as high as your mixer goes without spitting all over your kitchen) for at least 7 minutes. Stop mixer scrape down the sides and beat some more. (this is the key part of not having lumpy cheesecake)

2.)Meanwhile, peel your ripened bananas and put them in a medium bowl. Squeeze some lemon juice on them, and smash the heck out of them with a fork [or smashing tool of your choice].

3.) Next, add your sour cream, vanilla, and booze to cream cheese mixture and continue to beat on high speeds.

4.)Lower the mixer speed and add eggs one at a time.

5.)Finally, on your mixers lowest speed, add your bananas.

6.) Continue to mix until well combined.

7.) Pour cheesecake batter into pre-baked crust. Make sure you have already wrapped your spring form pan in foil, and place filled spring form on baking sheet. Fill baking sheet with water to create water bath (you aren't giving swimming lessons here, don't add TOO much).

8.) Pop in 250 F oven for probably close to 2 hours. Check periodically. Bake until cheesecake is set. (Poke the pan with your finger and if it barely jiggles you're ready)

9.) Allow to cool completely and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

*this cheesecake is firm enough to hold form on a plate, in part of it's delicious sturdy crust, but because there is delicious banana mush IN the cheesecake it sets a little softer than most cheesecakes, don't be afraid... just be afraid of eating the entire thing in one sitting.

caramel rum sauce:

*this entire process seemed weird to me, but hey I at least TRY to follow directions :)

-1 1/2 cups heavy cream  

-1/4 cup dark rum  

-splash of Frangelico, again because I'm obnoxious

-1/4 cup granulated sugar  

-2 Tablespoons cornstarch   

1.) In a medium non-stick saucepan, combine all but 2 Tablespoons of the cream with the rum and sugar.

2.) Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

3.) Remove from the heat.  

4.) In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 2 Tablespoons of cream.

5.) Add to the warm rum mixture and return to medium heat. Simmer, stirring, until the mixture thickens, 4 to 5 minutes.

6.) Remove from the heat and after it cools put in a squeeze bottle and store in fridge until needed.

For the amazing sweet and boozy nanners on top:

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar (plus some extra for sprinkling)

2 nice, ready to eat bananas, sliced up into coins

1/4 c dark rum

1.) In a medium sized skilled melt butter and brown sugar together.

2.) Once it starts bubbling add your nanners.

3.) Allow to cook for about 2 minutes.

4.) Add rum.

5.) Carefully (with a long fireplace lighter) light the pan and stand back (keep those eyebrows). Allow alcohol to cook off (it will burn itself out).

To make it all come together.

-With a squeeze bottle squeeze rum caramel sauce into design of your choice [I chose plaid because I grew up in the 90s, DUH].

-Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon [what shouldn't you sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon?]

-Slice the cheesecake [or get a spoon and put on a good movie] and then top each serving with a spoon [or shovel] of the flambéed bananas.

Bake and enjoy!

Mocha Silk Pie

2010-03-03T15:04:00.000-06:00

Crunchy crust? Check.

Unbelievably silky texture? Check.

Espresso? Check.

Chocolate? Check.

A hint of booze? CHECK.

need I say more? Oh maybe I should say, you don't have to bake a thing.

so freaking creamy!

Yep, that's right... jot this down, make it immediately, and send me love notes tomorrow.

This recipe is from the beautiful, Pioneer Woman and is slightly altered.

Now that I've won you over, and you are thinking SHUT UP and give me the recipe...I must share a slight disclaimer. This recipe contains nuts, do not serve this to anyone with nut allergies or less you feeling like shanking someone with an EpiPen sounds fun, even then... don't, meanie.

This recipe also contains raw eggs. This really doesn't bother me much, and hopefully it won't bother you either. Think of all the cookie dough, cake batter, brownie goo you've eaten in your day? Eggs aren't that scary, right? Well, the choice is yours. However, if you are immunocompromised, prego, or of age to clearly remember the 20s, don't eat this pie because of the hypothetical risk of becoming ill. Don't serve this to any of those people either, this pie is amazing, but not amazing enough to risk killing a grandma. Deal? Deal.

With that being said here is your grocery list:

Crust
1 cup Pecans, Finely Chopped
½ cups Packed Brown Sugar
2 ounces, weight Semi Sweet Chocolate Grated
2 Tablespoons Kahlua
(I added 1 Tablespoon of Frangelico)
Dash Of Salt
Filling
2 sticks Butter (it said salted, but I say unsalted...because that's what I had)
1-½ cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Instant Coffee Granules (I used instant espresso powder)
1 teaspoon Kahlua
3 ounces, weight Semi-sweet (or Bittersweet) Chocolate
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
(1 also added another 1 Tablespoon of Frangelico)
4 whole Large Eggs

I then chose to top it with:

1 cup super cold heavy cream

2 Tablespoons of Frangelico (your hand maybe a tad heavier, I'm not looking, and I'm definitely not judging)

and chocolate sprinkles, because I'm 9.

To make the crust:

-Chop your pecans, really chop them. Chop them as though your boyfriend doesn't like nuts in anything and you're trying to sneak them in. Yep, that chopped. Once they're chopped dump em' in a bowl.

-Take your semi-sweet chocolate and grate it, grate all of it. This is tedious and could be slightly dangerous for your fingertips. It's worth it, I promise. Dump this in that same bowl.

-Now dump brown sugar and your dash of salt, on top of your nuts and chocolate. Combine with spoon. Drizzle your Kahlua and Frangelico in and stir together until fully incorporated.

-Form mixture into a crust on the bottom and up the sides of a (not deep) pie pan. Slip in the freezer until needed.

To make the filling:

-Take your 3 oz of semi-sweet (or bittersweet) chocolate and melt in a microwave safe bowl, until melty, in 30 second intervals. (Should probably take about 45 seconds)

In the bowl of your stand mixer with whisk attachment, place butter (softened), sugar, instant espresso, and Kahlua until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. When melted chocolate is cooled, drizzle it into the butter/sugar mixture as it beats on medium speed; use a rubber spatula to get all of that chocolate out. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 Tablespoon Frangelico. Beat the mixture thoroughly until combined, scraping the sides if necessary.

On medium speed, add the four eggs, one at a time, over a period of 20 minutes; leave about 5 minutes between each egg addition. Scrape sides of bowl halfway through this process.

Pour this immaculate mound of deliciousness into your prepared pie crust. (It makes a bit extra...do 1 of 2 things: 1: smoosh it in the pie shell or 2: get rid of the excess in the smartest way possible, your mouth.)

Smooth out the pie filling and place pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours (preferably longer).

To make the topping:

Pour your cup of cold cream into the bowl of your mixer and while whipping on high speed, add your Frangelico. Whip until soft peaks form, don't over whip... you don't want boozy butter (or do you???).

Place in piping bag with star tip and go around the edge of the pie. OR spoon on top of each slice before serving OR smother all over the top. The choice is yours.

Finish with chocolate shavings or if you're me, chocolate sprinkles.

Enjoy.

Hu Hot at home?

2010-02-28T13:28:00.000-06:00

Have any of you ever been to Hu Hot? Once I initially get over my buffet anxiety and ignore the fact they are giant germ pools of grossness, I for whatever reason really enjoy this place. You grab a bowl (or 2) and go through three different buffet stations... the first being meat and noodles, the second your veggies, and the third and largest station your sauces (a surprisingly large variety). You put all of your ingredients in bowls and hand them off to your smiling Hu Hot employee. Then, they throw it on a giant round flat top. Chop it all up, make a bunch of noise, and throw their spatulas around all while flipping your meal in the air and whatever other random things they decide to do. During dinner the buffet comes with a salad, rice, and tortillas. It's all you can eat and fairly healthy. They even have a healthy Hu Hot section on their website.

Anyway, it inspired me to make a healthy lunch at home, that was so good I ate it two days in a row. Please don't judge my shameful use of imitation "Krab" meat... I'm a broke college kid okay??? Lay off! Also, this meal is insanely delicious, fills you up all day, and is SUPER quick. I typically have an our tops between my last class and having to be at work, so this is definitely my new favorite lunch.

You will need:

-All of your favorite veggies

-2 cloves of garlic

-Meat of your choice (or not)

-Teriyaki sauce

-Sweet Chili sauce (you can use soy or whatever other sauces you like on your "stir fries"

-Veggie steamer (or steaming basket), frozen veggies would work too, or a wok

-Small sauté pan

-Rice of your choice

What to do:

I grabbed a lot of convenience products, just to save time. I took

-a small bag of sugar peas (still in the pod)

-pre-sliced button mushrooms

-red and orange bell peppers (julienned)

-pre cut broccoli, and some sliced red onions rings

I put the broccoli and sugar peas in the bottom level of my veggie steamer, and then placed the julienned peppers and mushrooms on the top tier. I set the steamer for about 9 minutes. (I like to have some bite in my veggies)

*I split them up because I thought the mushrooms and peppers would cook quicker, but they were actually ready the same time as the broccoli and pea pods.

While your veggies are steaming grab a small sauté or omelet pan. Over medium heat add:

-1 Tablespoon Teriyaki sauce

-2 Tablespoons Sweet Chili sauce

-2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

-1/2 cup of *cough cough* Krab

The Krab is precooked, so this is just to heat it up.

While this was going I threw in a pouch of Uncle Ben's Jasmine rice, that cooks wonderfully in 90 seconds. (Granted, you can put rice in your veggie steamer, but this is quicker and already portioned)

When finished, take rice out of microwave and pour pouch into large bowl. Add your steamed veggies and top with Krab and sauces.

This is seriously delicious, super super healthy, and even more importantly filling. It's so great to feel full from a nutritious lunch. I went to work right after this meal and felt full, but not heavy. I had so much energy and wasn't as tempted to snack on...everything.

Try this at home with your favorite veggies and sauces! Enjoy!

My first go at Pâte à choux...

2010-02-25T10:12:00.000-06:00

Winner winner (mini) éclairs for dinner (and a few mini cream puffs)!

I never knew how simple it was to make lush eggy little tubes of custardy deliciousness. Yep, that's right... eggy tubes of custardy deliciousness... DIPPED in chocolate. My dad loves éclairs and I love crossing baked goods off my list of things to try, and so my mind was made. Also, any time I have a reason to make vanilla bean pastry cream... I'm in. (If you have never used actual Vanilla Beans, do it. They're pricey, but will change your life and are far worth every cent.)

I used Pierre Hermé recipe for pâte à choux. It was simple and turned out beautifully. Try it. You can do it, I promise.

½ cup (125g) whole milk

½ cup (125g) water

1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

¼ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil.

2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough will be very soft and smooth.

3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your hand mixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough. You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes: 1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

oh hey little pile of deliciousness

For the filling, (Crème Pâtissière fancy pants for Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream) I used this wonderful recipe from the book The Art & Soul of Baking. I doubled it, but that's only because a.) I didn't want to run out and b.) I'm always happy to use up extra pastry cream, it definitely won't go to waste, but here is the recipe (not doubled).

Equipment
• Large Bowl, Medium Saucepan, Paring Knife, Two Medium Bowls, Whisk, Fine- Mesh Strainer

Ingredients
• 1½ cups (12 ounces) whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean (or 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) sugar
• 1/4 cup (1¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) cold unsalted butter

Directions
1. Fill the large bowl halfway with ice and water and set it aside. Pour the milk into the medium saucepan. Use the tip of a paring knife to cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Turn the knife over and use the dull side to scrape the seeds into the saucepan, then add the pod. Heat until the mixture just begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes. (If using vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean, skip this step and add the extract later.)

2. Heat the milk to just below the boiling point and remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, and sugar until well blended and smooth. Add the flour and whisk vigorously until the mixture is very smooth. Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Slowly pour the yolk mixture back into the hot milk, whisking all the while.

3. Heat the mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the flour from lumping, until it reaches a boil. Continue to cook and whisk for another minute, until the pastry cream is very thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter (and vanilla extract, if using). Strain the pastry cream through the strainer set over a medium bowl to remove any lumps or tiny bits of egg. (Save the vanilla bean: Rinse it thoroughly, allow to dry, then use it to make vanilla sugar).

4. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream, then set the bowl into the bowl of ice water. Once the pastry cream has completely cooled, use or store in the refrigerator until needed.

my dad was astounded by how teeny my cream puffs were and insisted they be photographed next to his silver dollar.

Now, you have your beautiful little pastries and your delicious pastry cream. You have two options for filling them. Cut them in half lengthwise with a serrated knife or fill them with a pastry tip. If you don't have the super long filling pastry tip, I'd suggest cutting them. I however, had the super long goofy looking pastry tip, so I used that.

Now, for dipping. I used really nice milk chocolate for some of them and a 53% chocolate for the others.

-Now... get about 2 cups of nice quality chocolate and about 1 Tablespoon of butter.

-Put 3/4's of the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and nuke it in 30 second intervals.

-30 seconds.

-30 seconds again, then stir with spatula.

-Continue with 30 second intervals until it's entirely melted.

-Once the chocolate is melted dump the remaining unmelted 1/4 cup of chocolate and tab of butter in. (The fat in the butter will allow the chocolate to set firmer) Stir together. Ta da! You just tempered chocolate. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of corn syrup for extra sheen.

Eclairs are obviously best served fresh. They can be stored in the fridge, but they'll get soggy with time.

Bake and enjoy!

new recipe in a very old pan...

2010-02-24T02:39:00.000-06:00

My family is visiting tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more stoked! My brother has been trying to come down for the last two weeks, but between his work schedule, my work/school schedule, and snow it hasn't happened. Whenever my parents come to town we always go out to a nice dinner (usually hit up the Casino), and then come back to my apartment for some dessert. I typically try to make them a little something to take home too. I decided to try out éclairs for dessert. My dad adores them and I had never made them before. They turned out absolutely beautiful. I’ll share them with you in the next post.

My father also, absolutely loves pears and grows some of the most delicious ones I’ve ever tasted. His pears are like sugar, juicy juicy sugar. Unbelievable. Anyway, we’ve had some really great pears at work lately too, so I decided to pick a few up from the store a few nights ago to send home with my dad. Well, I guess they ripen quicker than I remember and truthfully I entirely forgot about them. So while my éclairs were baking I was looking around for a pear recipe. I didn’t feel like making anything too fancy or too time consuming seeing that I just made, piped, and baked éclairs and vanilla bean pastry cream (yep, start drooling). I saw pear bread that a lot of people made from Smitten Kitchen, which is usually the first spot I look when searching for a new recipe. It kept saying to grate the pears, and my pears were not grateable, they were… mush. So I thought to myself you mash bananas why not mash pears? So I did. I mashed em, real good. There were a few chunks here and there, but all in all it was mush. Let me tell you, mush has never tasted so good. Apart from it looking beautiful and tasting great, it was so incredibly aromatic while baking. I wish I could save that scent. It really was incredible.

*Sidenote, I should never use bundt pans. I always will, because I have my grandmother’s bundt pan and I will use and cherish everything that is hers for the rest of my life, but I’m not patient enough for bundt pans. I waited 10 minutes, I even set a timer! Flipped it, felt it touch the plate, and well… there was a big ol chunk still in the pan.

yep, that's a hole

It’s entirely baked, it’s just a curse. Oh well, I guess that was my grandmother’s way of insisting I try it right then and there. Anyway, here’s the recipe. In addition to the ingredients below, I added about ½ cup of pecans and ½ cup of walnuts… because that’s what I had. When it came out of the pan I sprinkled it with cinnamon and brown sugar because uh.. hello it's cinnamon and brown sugar.

Make this, enjoy this, and have a little more patience than me

Pear Bread, adapted from here who adapated it from here

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

1 (heaping) tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp salt

2/3 cups vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

4-5 ripe pears, peeled and cored

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Butter and flour your favorite bundt pan. Set aside.

Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a large bowl.

Place the pears in a small bowl and mash. *Some of my pears were not as super ripe as the others, and it was just fine if they’re a tad on the chunky side* Add the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix well.

Add the pear mixture to the flour mixture. Fold the mixture until no specks of flour remain, being careful not to overmix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.

Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn the bread out on a wire rack and cool completely.

Sunday Brunch

2010-02-20T23:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I woke up at noon on Saturday and made this before I went to work, but it was still brunch time! Plus, it was so good I might make it again today, so HA! Sunday brunch!

Below you will see a guilt free feast fit for a food fanatic. Get ready to chow down with out chubbin' up. This entire meal maybe takes 10 minutes to prepare, and fills you up all day. Also, the options are endless... load up your omelet and pancakes with whatever you'd like!

Baby spinach and mushroom egg white omelet

(look at that fold, be impressed)

cinnamon, banana, and walnut whole wheat buttermilk pancakes

with delicious CALORIE FREE syrup

This morning (cough cough afternoon cough) I threw a griddle and omelet pan on the stove, and got down to business. I sprayed my pans with my ever loyal Criso butter pan-spray and turned the heat on. I poured my liquid egg whites in the omelet pan (just enough to coat the pan plus a tad more for good measure) and did a quick chiffonade on some baby spinach, threw in some button mushroom slices, a pinch of kosher salt and cracked some black pepper on top the whites. Truthfully I'm not going to get too in-depth on proper omelet making...perhaps that will happen on a later date.

With the omelet looking fabulous and waiting to be eaten, it was onto the pancakes...

As you can figure out by the links, I used Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancake mix, which is incredibly delicious. They are light, taste great, and cook up a beautiful golden brown. (seriously, look at those banana's looking good) All you need is:

• 3/4 c of the pancake mix

• 1/2 c milk

• 1 egg

• 1 Tablespoon of oil.

Throw the ingredients in a bowl, whisk em up, and pour onto a hot griddle. Flip your jacks when they start to bubble. SO simple.

But there's more...

Calorie Free syrup. Calorie free?! YEP. TRUTH. I wouldn't lie about calories. Honestly, I don't like drinking water... perhaps I can just put this in a water bottle and be set? Okay...this syrup is freaking delicious but really... that was gross, sorry. However, it tastes JUST like the real deal. So good! I could be a dirty liar, but I feel as though there is an ever so subtle coffee taste to it. That could be a lie... but it was intended to be a good thing.

Okay, I'll stop flapping my gab and you start flipping some flap jacks.

Bake and enjoy!

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with White Chocolate Raspberry Cream

2010-02-13T22:38:00.000-06:00

I had been itching to make something for you all for a few days now, and more so wanted to make something to photograph. I'm really really trying to brush on my photo skillz, ha! However, I've been swampedwith work. Valentine's Day means extra fancy desserts and extra reservations. Oh well, extra hours means extra money, wohoo. (If I can snap some photos tomorrow I'll be sure to share, we have some beautiful desserts this weekend.)

Anyway, I saw that the lovely Smitten Kitchen had a new update, so of course I had to check it out. If you don't know her blog, you should. If you don't love her blog, you don't have a brain. Seriously. But anyway, she had these cute little cupcakes and I knew I had to try them. Apart from her brilliance, another selling point was that it only makes 9. I live alone, and I just wanted to photograph something, 9 was perfect.These little guys are adorab

le, and would be great for a small dinner party. Make them, and try them. They're light and fluffy, moist and flakey. Mmmm! Did I mention they are BEAUTIFUL!?

She originally made these with mint cream which I imagine woudl be fabulous, but I was just gifted some nice white chocolate and Chambord so I decided to make mine raspberry.

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with White Chocolate Raspberry Cream snatched with the utmost respect from the talented Smitten Kitchen

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes

6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I preferred this with bittersweet)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) (86 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) espresso or instant coffee powder

3 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons (97 grams) sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Raspberry Cream
2 ounces (56 grams) white chocolate, finely chopped
3 ounces heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon Chambord (more or less to taste)

Get the cream ready for later: Place the white chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate. Whisk well. Add the booze and whisk again. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours.

Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9 standard-size (3-ounce) muffin cups with paper liners. Stir chocolate, butter and espresso powder together in heavy medium saucepan over low heat mostly melted, then remove from the heat and whisk until it is fully melted and smooth. (I like to put the butter underneath the chocolate in the pan, so that it protects the chocolate from the direct heat.) Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.Using electric mixer (a hand mixer, rather than a stand mixer, actually works best here because the volumes are so small) beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and all of the salt, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way. (You might find, as I did, that you had enough leftover for a extra half-cake. That’s your “taste tester”. It’s a, uh, very important part of the process.)Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch (some may crack, embrace it) and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a cooling rack, where the cupcakes will almost immediately start to fall. It will be all the better to put your raspberry cream on them.

Finish your masterpiece: Beat raspberry white chocolate cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Remove cupcakes from pan, arrange on a platter. Fill each sunken top with a healthy dollop of white chocolate raspberry cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy. I’d say “eat at once” but I suspect that you already have.

King Cake

2010-02-09T22:11:00.001-06:00

I know I am a week early with this post, but to be honest I have Mardi Gras on the brain. Don't get it twisted, I'm from Saint Louis, which is the second biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the country (second to NOLA, obviously). In all honestly, I never really got behind the whole Mardi Gras thing. I'm not a flasher, I don't enjoy drinking to the point of possible death, and well Saint Louis is COLD in February. SNOWY and COLD.

However, being a fat kid in grade school I LOVED Fat Tuesday. Going to Catholic school my whole life, Fat Tuesday was a big deal. Teachers would bring in crazy colored popcorn, doughnuts, cupcakes, and whatever else. Fat Tuesday was the last day to indulge in whatever we were giving up for Lent. Typically for me, it was drinking insane amounts of soda, lying compulsively, and swearing like a truck driver. So in honor of Fat Tuesday and fat kids out there everywhere, I wanted to give the infamous King Cake a whirl. I've never eaten a King Cake. Saint Louis is home of the Gooey Butter Cake, and I've seen those Mardi Gras'ed out, but that's about it.

Also, I didn't expect to actually get to blog about this because I was positive I'd jack it up and throw it in the trash can and sulk on my couch. However, it not only turned out, it turned out fabulously, so I'm eager to share. In fact, I'm eager to share so I give the darn thing away so I don't eat it tonight. I've had... more than I'd like to admit. But whatever, it's the Tuesday before Fat Tuesday, lay off!

look at it!!!

I spent several weeks researching King Cakes, and trying to figure out what is a traditional King Cake. I finally decided on this recipe, and followed the steps EXACTLY. This blogger gave better how-to-instructions than I ever could, so I'll just copy and paste. However, the only thing I did differently was the icing. I didn't follow the directions for the icing for a couple of reasons...

gooey deliciousness!!!

1.) She used raw egg whites in her icing, and that just seems weird.

2.) After lots of research I've so eloquently concluded that King Cakes are braided cinnamon rolls shaped into a ring. Ta da!

3.) A lot of people stuffed their braids with cream cheese, and I decided since I'm very inexperienced in braiding breads I shouldn't try to stuff something in what I'm attempting to braid.

4.) Rather than the "traditional" decor, I made stupidly delicious cream cheese icing and colored it with my handy dandy Wilton gel colors. They're vibrant and awesome. Truthfully, the thought of putting TONS and TONS (if you google King

Cakes you'll see those bad boys are COVERED in sprinkles) of gritty colored sugar sprinkles, on top powdered sugar icing, on top a cinnamon roll makes my teeth hurt and my stomach sick.

you can do it!!!

She included these helpful tips:

The dough can be started one day in advance. Once the dough has risen the initial hour, it can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, covered.
The cake is definitely best eaten within one day of preparation, ideally the same day that it is prepared. Be sure to keep it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature to prevent it from drying out.
Feel free to play around with the filling recipe, depending on what you have on hand. Finely chopped almonds or pecans, candied citron, dried cranberries or cherries, and raisins are all good options.
Instead of braiding the dough, you can also roll it up jelly-roll style. After rolling the dough to the 24X10-inch rectangle, brush it with the melted butter and sprinkle the filling on top. Tightly roll the dough and then bring the ends of the roll together, pinching to seal.

here is what you'll need:

For the dough

1/2 cup whole milk

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

6 ounces butter, softened

4 large eggs

Zest from one orange

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the icing:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

delicious guts of half a vanilla bean

the juice of one whole lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Here is what you'll do:

Prepare the dough: In a small saucepan, heat the milk to about 110F degrees. Pour the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and stir to combine. Set the mixture aside until the yeast is foamy, 10 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the remaining sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the yeast mixture and mix for 1 minute. Add an egg and mix thoroughly; follow with a third of the flour. Repeat with the remaining eggs and flour. Add the orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt, and continue to mix on low speed for 7-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, and it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too soft, add up to 1/2 cup of flour.

Scrape the dough from the bowl and lightly knead to form into a ball. Butter or oil the inside of a medium size bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

When the dough has risen, turn it out of the bowl, punch it down, and knead it lightly to form a ball. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Form the cake: Flour a clean work surface. Roll the dough into a 10 by 20-inch rectangle, keeping the thickness consistent throughout. Cut the dough lengthwise into 3 strips. Paint each strip of the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border clean along the length of each strip. Reserve any leftover butter. Sprinkle the strips with the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Fold each strip over lengthwise toward the clean edges to enclose the cinnamon sugar, and pinch the seam to seal the dough closed. Snugly braid the three pieces together. Transfer the braid to the baking sheet and form the braid into a wreath, pressing the ends together. Cover the wreath with a clean towel and set aside to rise for 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Brush the cake with the reserved melted butter and bake for 18 minutes, until golden brown. Cover the cake loosely with foil and continue to bake for 20-25 minutes more, until baked through.

While the cake is baking, make your icing. Cream together butter and cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Then add vanilla bean insides, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until all ingredients are incorporated and it becomes light fluffy and delicious. Divide icing into three bowls and color appropriately with the dye of your choice.

Remove the cake and while it's still warm, smother in cream cheese icing. I decorated it so that there were 3 chunks of each colors. Green, yellow, purple, green, yellow, purple, green, yellow, purple. Get it? Got it? Good.

P.S., this was far easier than expected, and truly gratifying when it turns out beautifully. I had a picture of the great braid before I iced it, but apparently my SD card ate it, grr. Don't forget to hide a little plastic baby! (I didn't get to because well, I live in Missouri which is a giant sheet of ice currently) Just realize it's a commitment. It's a day project, for sure.

spicy heathy and awkward

2010-02-07T19:23:00.000-06:00

I feel awkward, and weird—more than usual. In this entry, I’m going to share with you a meal, not cookies, not brownies, not cheesecake, a meal. Shocking, I know. Brace yourself, it’s *clears throat* vegetarian. It’s like…really vegetarian, not because it just happens to have no meat in it like a chocolate chip cookie is vegetarian, but because *looks down in shame* it has “meat crumbles”. I’m sorry, but the thought of “meat” crumbles makes me shudder. There is V8 juice in it too, spicy and hot V8 juice… I’ve never in my life even held a bottle of V8, so stumbling around the grocery store, and realizing there are multiple varieties of such a putrid concept I was taken aback.

A few interjections must be made, and will be done so at this time.

1) I love cooking. I cook a lot. I make meals that make grown men drool. It’s what the women in my family do; we are blessed with natural ability and a developed palate. I made a roast over winter break that almost made my father hold me hostage from going back to college. The reason I never blog about “real” food is because I do love cooking, and I rarely have written recipes. I cook by taste. I throw this in throw that in and if doesn’t taste perfect I add a little more of this or that. Even when I bake I have to stop and think about how much of what I put in, so that I can share it with you all later.

2) I’m not a vegetarian, at all. Once at Sam’s Club bought a case of Boca Burgers because they are so low in calories and when I diet I’ll eat dirt if it fills me up without being caloric. Anyway, with a case of Boca Burgers in my cart I instantly ran and bought a 3 lb slab of bacon because I didn’t want people to think I was a vegetarian… as if that was a bad thing. “That girl only has Boca Burgers in her cart, she must be a murderer!” But seriously, I’m a carnivore, and have been my whole life. Truthfully I never realized steak was considered a treat to some people until I was like 13 because we ate it almost nightly growing up. As a kid I use to be like “ugh, steak again??” and demand a bologna sandwich or frozen pizza again. My father could eat steak 3 times a day, and probably has.

3) I’m dieting, and truthfully I always feel ashamed when I talk about dieting. I’ve lost a lot of weight, close to 40 lbs. Anyone who has lost weight knows it takes a while for the mind to catch up with the new pants size (which may I add I’m wearing the smallest pants size I’ve ever wore), and truthfully I’m awesome at dieting and feel like I can help others diet too. I’m counting calories and eating great. I will tell you my secret to dieting. Get as full as you do on Thanksgiving, everyday but on awesome awesome food. (example: I eat a sandwich FULL of veggies, so full I can barely put my mouth around it, with healthy lunchmeat and good cheese, an apple, a yogurt cup, and a serving of baked cheetos. I am always full halfway through my lunch but press on. It’s amazing how you feel when you are THAT full on such great foods.) Eat real food and eat lots of it.

But anyway, back to the actual point of this entry. I saw a bowl of soup on foodgawker that looked delicious so I clicked on it, and it turns out it was vegetarian chili. I love chili. I love eating healthy so I thought, why the hell not.

This is hearty, delicious, spicy, and… awesome. I wouldn’t call it soup and I wouldn’t call it chili. If soup and chili had a love child, it would be this recipe. Here are the ingredients as listed by Pickycook, and I’ll add my helpful (or snide) comments.

-1 package “meat crumbles” (I know, I know)

-1 onion, chopped (I used a sweet yellow onion)

-1 pepper, chopped (I used an orange bell pepper)

-5 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 large bottle of V8, hot & spicy variation

-28 oz can (or 2 14 oz cans, whatever) fire roasted tomatoes, diced

-2 Tablespoons of chili seasoning (That is what the recipe called for, but I don’t even know what that is. Put what you normally put in chili, I used a random mixture of cumin, cayenne pepper, hot chili powder, oregano, garlic salt, a few dashes of "chipotle tabasco sauce" adds smokiness, dried chives, and coarse ground black pepper.)

-1 Teaspoon Chili Powder (I used hot)

-1 bay leaf

-kosher salt and black pepper to taste

-1 lb macaroni cooked 2 minutes less tah instructions (I used a box of Healthy Harvest 7 grain fusilli)

-1 can black beans, rinsed (I used Bush’s seasoned Black beans)

-Olive oil

-I also put some Jalapeño rings (the ones you put on nachos that come from the jar) and Green onions (because I put green onions on everything) and I topped it with Sargento’s Reduced fat Mexican Shredded Cheese blend

Get started: In a large pot get a pot of water boiling and throw in some kosher salt. When the water has reached a rapid boil add in your pasta. Remember you will want it a little “under done” as it will cook a bit in the pot later.

In another large pot, coat the bottom with olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and pepper until tender. Add the garlic and let it all do it’s business for a few minutes. Add the dried spices and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Pour the crushed tomatoes and the V8 into the pot. Let it come to a boil, and then reduce the temperature to a simmer for around 15 mins. Check your seasonings, does it taste good? Does it need something? Let your tongue tell you what’s up!

Okay, brace yourself and add the crumbles and black beans and let it all cook for another 5 mins or so. Then dump in your pasta and let it cook for like 2 more mins. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf!!

Bowl it up and add some shredded cheese and green onions on top!

the search is over...

2010-02-02T15:21:00.000-06:00

for now.

Being a giant baking nerd, I'm constantly looking for the best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. People always say they have the best, whether it be The New York Times CCC, The Neiman Marcus CCC, your crazy great Aunt's CCC, your college roommates crazy great Aunt's CCC, whatever, you're picking up what I'm throwing down. Just like you know that lady that has the cutest dog, the smartest kid, the biggest diamond, hers is always the best (you know what I'm saying, don't hide it!). I'll tell you right now, I won't lie, the last two cookie posts, the m&m sugar cookies and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies won't change your life. However, this post...just might.

Honestly, until last night my favorite was always Alton Brown's, "the chewy". I've been posting a lot of cookies lately, because I always have to make fancy cakes or random French pastries at work, so I enjoy the simplicity (and deliciousness) of cookies. These cookies are classic and awesome. There are no special tricks to make these cookies fabulous, you don't have to make them on a full moon or let them rest or chill for 48 hours, you don't have to light a candle and make a wish... they are what they are and they are delicious.

I adapted the recipe from Dorie Greenspan's favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie, and as usual Dorie's recipe was right on.

Sara Tea's new favorite CCC (adapted from Dorie)

-2 cups all purpose flour

-1 teaspoon kosher salt

-3/4 teaspoon baking soda

-2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and diced into cubes

-2/3 heaping cup of brown sugar

-2 teaspoon milk

-1/2 vanilla bean, slit down the middle, long ways

-2 large eggs

-12 oz bittersweet chocolate (I had a few ounces of several types of chocolate so I actually used a mixture of Hershey Special Dark chips, Tollhouse semi-sweet chunks, and then some nicer 70% cocoa discs I had in the pantry.)

Preheat oven to 375 F, and prepare a parchment lined cookie sheet.

1. Open vanilla bean lengthwise with pairing knife. Gently pull apart and use the back of your pairing knife to scrape the vanilla-y goodness out of the pod. Drop butter, sugars, and vanilla into mixing bowl and cream with paddle attachment. Beat for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. While butter is creaming combine dry ingredients into one large bowl.

2. Lower mixer speed and add eggs one at a time. Add milk.

3. Turn mixer off and scrape down sides of bowl so that the mixture is fully incorporated.

4. Turn mixer on low, and add dry ingredient mix gradually. Once again, turn off mixture and scrape down bowl.

5. Dump chocolate chips in and fold.

6. Using portioning tool of your choice, place portioned dough onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for one minute before transferring to cooling rack.

mini m&m cookies

2010-01-26T18:52:00.000-06:00

Let this entry begin with me saying I had to search high and low to find mini m&m's. Who the heck would've thought?! They use to be everywhere, candy isles, baking isles, that devilish marketing section that makes you buy crap you don't really need at the end of the check out lane, everywhere!! Well, last night Gabe texted me asking if I needed anything from the store, and I told him to pick up some mini m&m's. He couldn't find them at Wal Mart, which was a shock to me. So today after class got out I set out on a quest to find these little gems. Let me tell you, it was looking grim after guy at grocery store #2 insisted they were discontinued, but I pressed on. Finally, I found them! Sitting eye level (I'm 5'10 so they were pretty high!) in the candy isle of Hyvee like a little pot of gold, I was PUMPED!

I had been planning on making m&m sugar cookies. You know those melt in your mouth, soft, chewy, painfully sweet sugar cookies loaded with m&m's that random cookie carts have at the mall? I specifically didn't want chocolate chip cookies, with m&m's in place of chocolate chips, I wanted sugar cookies. After searching the nifty interwebz for hours, and comparing recipes to sugar cookies, to chocolate chip cookies, to m&m cookies, I finally decided to use this recipe from sophistimom. It's is absolutely fantastic, but not what I wanted. I say these are a mix between a chocolate chip cookie and a sugar cookie, which was not my plan. So I will have to bake on. Nonetheless, these are DELICIOUS! They baked beautifully and they tasted phenomenally. I followed her recipe exactly, with the exception of this: she calls for 2 ounces of m&ms and advises placing a few m&ms on top of each cookie. Bless her heart, 2 ounces? Bah! I threw in the whole dang bag, all 12 ounces.

Delicious mini m&m cookies (adapted from Sophistimom):

-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-3/4 tsp salt (I used Kosher)

-2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

-1 3/4 cups sugar

-2 eggs

-1 tablespoon vanilla

-1 12 ounce bag M&M minis

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Add flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside for later.

3. With an electric mixer and paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy.

4. Lower the speed and eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.

5. Beat until smooth. Turn off mixer and scrape down sides of bowl.

6. Turn mixer back on and add dry ingredients slowly. Mix until fully incorporated.

7. Portion dough onto baking sheet and slightly flatten dough rounds.

8. Bake for 10 minuets, or until edges are barely golden.

9. Allow to cool completely. Devour with milk, lots and lots of milk.

bake and enjoy.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies...

2010-01-23T19:24:00.000-06:00

these cookies are crunchy, crispy, chewy, and classic. I won't be that blogger that swears every recipe I make is the greatest thing on Earth. These cookies won't change your life, they may not win an award, but they will put a smile on your face and satisfy your sweet tooth. However, when making these cookies it should be known have at least 2 gallons of milk in your house, or you'll probably wind up in severe depression. These cookies are milk's best friend, watch out Oreo these are perfect for dunkin'.

I'll be honest, I have no idea where this recipe came from. I found it written down on a half sheet of yellow lined paper from a legal pad.

It read:

-1 1/2 c flour

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

-1 c brown sugar

-1 c white sugar

-2 eggs

-3 c oats

-1 1/2 c chocolate chips

That's it. That's all it said. Do you see a problem with it? I do. Where's the vanilla?? I added 2 tsp of vanilla for peace of mind. Also, I added one cup of chocolate chips and a half cup of chocolate chunks... because I had them. If this is your top secret million dollar oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I just raptor snatched it and posted it online for the whole world to see... I apologize. Okay, I don't actually apologize, you can track me down and yell at me, and I'll probably laugh in your face for neglecting vanilla. Moowhohaha!

On a less sassy note, in case you need further direction:

-in a large bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

-cream together butter and sugars in stand mixer with paddle attachment on high for 3 minutes until mixture becomes light and fluffy.

-add eggs one at a time, and then drop in that vanilla.

-add the flour mixture slowly, until fully incorporated.

-take bowl off mixture, add chocolate, and oatmeal. get your arm ready and start folding it all together.

portion cookies to your preference with portioning tool of your choice on a parchment lined baking sheet and and bake at 350 F for 15 mins.

Secret Missions and Blueberry Crumb Cake

2010-01-17T12:59:00.000-06:00

I am very fortunate to have a lot of guinea pigs in my life, not cute squeaking rodents, rather big hungry men always down to try anything homemade. I have the tattoo shop, the kitchen, my father, and an entire police squad. Don't get it twisted, I love eating baked goods. However, I typically give away every single treat I make so that I don't wind up eating an entire batch of muffins while watching the Jersey Shore (go ahead, judge) alone, in my apartment. If I ate everything I baked, I'd need to be air lifted out of my apartment.

Anyway, as I was saying, my brother is a police officer, and my entire

break they have been on midnights, working 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., GROSS right? His squad is like family to me, and I'd want it no other way. I sleep better at night knowing the people my brother risks his life with all care for one another like family. Often, I will call my brother or one of the officers and ask, "What is your location?" Then, stealthily I'll meet them "at

their location" (usually at the station or in a parking lot), and drop off a large supply of baked goods, then I'll send out a mass message saying "Steve has baked goods, find him for a ____(insert baked good)". They love

it and I love doing it.

Well to tie it all together, I did a secret mission with those Caramel Macchiato Muffins, and my dad was unaware I was doing s

o. After dinner last night he went into the kitchen for his ritualistic after dinner coffee and dessert, and there

were no sweets in the house. He even raided the pantry hoping to find a nutty bar. Nothing. He looked so disappointed and inquired about the muffins, and I told him they had been given away on a secret mission. He w

as not a happy camper.

Soooo, in conclusion I made him this:

Dorie Greenspan's, Blueberry Crumb

look at that crumb topping, oh my gosh.

Now, I haven't been blogging long, so I'm not really sure of my blogging ethics. I feel as though I shouldn't post a recipe out of a cookbook but I can't say that I never will, because honestly if I see a good recipe online from a cookbook 90% of the time I go out and buy that cookbook. I'm also not a TWD baker, though I've often wanted to, and bought the book in December to do so, but then it sat in my apartment mailbox while I was hours away from it at my parents home. So I'll tell you this, this Blueberry Crumb cake is delicious. It's airy and has a great blueberry flavor with a hint of lemon. The crumb topping is hard, crunchy, brown sugary, and delicious. I'd bake a pan of this topping and eat it on ice cream, oatmeal, yogurt, or all by itself. This is Dorie Greenspan's Blueberry Crumb cake you can purchase the cookbook or if you want to google Dorie Greenspan's Blueberry Crumb cake and maybe find the recipe online I will look the other way, just remember you didn't get it from me ;)

Bake and enjoy.

Caramel Maccihato Cream Cheese Muffins

2010-01-13T00:17:00.000-06:00

your morning coffee in a muffin

"Can I get a Caramel Ma-key... whatever", my brother orders mumblingly.

"Ma-key-yah-toe, it's Italian!", flamboyant Starbucks employee snaps snidely.

Brother bites tongue and rolls eyes.

"That guy making MY coffee sure knows how to speak Italian" grunts with irritation.

These muffins are inspired by my brothers favorite Starbucks drink, so when I saw the post from Peabody, I knew I HAD to make them for him. He will be SO pleased.

These muffins baked beautifully, and taste even better! The batter was so fluffy, and honestly too delicious for it's own good. I could've eaten a bucket of it, and let's just say the beaters, spatula, and ice cream scoop were clean before they went through the dish washer, ha!

Go on dear readers, bake and enjoy. Now!

Caramel Maccihato Cream Cheese Muffins (adapted from Peabody)

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp instant espresso powder
1/3 cup caramel flavored hot chocolate powder
½ cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Caramel Cream Cheese Filling

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 TBSP caramel sauce (store bought or homemade, I actually used the Hershey's syrup caramel syrup and it worked fabulously)
¼ cup (hefty cup) brown sugar
1 egg
1 TBSP all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 F and grease or line muffin tins.

Grab a small saucepan and heat the milk. Add the hot chocolate and the powdered espresso. Whisk and set aside.

Cream together on medium speed the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time.

Add the vanilla extract and espresso hot chocolate milk mixture, and beat for an additional minutes.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Dump the flour mixture into mixing bowl and whip the mixtures together just until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each one about 2/3 of the way full.

For the cream cheese filling:

Grab another bowl and beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the caramel and beat on medium-high for about 2 minutes-- until it is nice and smooth. Add sugar, egg, and flour and beat an additional 2 minutes. *Peabody says "Using a piping bag with large tip, fill the bag with cream cheese mixture. Place tip into the middle of the muffin and fill until you see the cream cheese on top. Repeat with all of the muffins." However, my cream cheese mixture was entirely too runny for those directions so I just poured my cream cheese mixture over each muffin and marbled the two mixtures with a knife and it worked just fine.

Bake for 20 minutes ish until edges are brown and your cake tester (knife, toothpick, skewer, whatever) comes out clean.

feel free to smother in caramel.

Happy Birthday...

2010-01-12T13:04:00.000-06:00

to me!

As a child having a January birthday was a complete and total bum out. My birthday parties were always snowed out, it was entirely too cold to actually do anything outside or go anywhere fun, and there was a lot of combining Christmas/birthday presents. But as I've gotten older, I've started to embrace my January 9th birthday. I was born the day after Elvis, and share a birthday with Jimmy Page, Dave Matthews, and Richard Nixon (for whatever that's worth). My birthday comes 8 days after the new year, and 8 days before the new semester of classes. A new year, a new semester in school, and another year older. The perfect time for ambitious goals and fresh starts.

For the last few months I've been eating like a rabbit, and dieting like never before. So naturally, on my birthday it was gloves off-- I was going to EAT. My family, Gabe, and I went to Albert Pujols' restaurant, where I devoured a bison burger and fries. Then, stuffed beyond belief, I came home and ate a giant piece of:

David Lebovitz's German Chocolate cake

Barely being able to move and contemplating whether or not I should wear pants with an elastic waistband, Gabe and I met up with Sean B, Chappy, Amy, and Katie at Pi in the Central West End, and bar hopped. It was a great night full of good friends, good food, good drinks, and awkward dancing. My birthday was very low key and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way (with the exception that my brother and my besties could've been off work).

But, now onto the cake! This cake was DELICIOUS. The layers were light and airy (very French), and the rum simple-syrup hydrated them to perfection. Moist and rich! And the frosting, oh my Lord the frosting. I've made a lot of things from scratch, but never before a German Chocolate cake. I never realized the frosting was actually a custard, poured over toasted coconut and pecans and BUTTER. I never anticipated blowing my diet would taste THIS good.

At my parents house (I'm STILL on winter break wohoo) I have no cake decorating tools other than an off-set spatula. So I cut the two 9" rounds with a serrated bread knife, (and they were not even close to even, ha!) saturated the cake with the rum syrup, and then filled the layers with the custardy coconut frosting. Lebovtiz put a border with the chocolate fudge-y icing on top the cake, but lacking my pastry tools I just coated the sides sloppily, and used a butter knife and made a consistent line border, with 1/2 inch lines. Simple, rustic, and eye pleasing. The only thing I'd say against this recipe is that Lebovitz's recipe for the chocolate icing does not thicken properly. It tastes delicious, but does not thicken. Add a few more ounces of butter, set it in the fridge, and let it harden a bit so that it'll surpass the ganache/syrup stage and will actually stick to your cake. Also, I used 4 ounces of bittersweet and 4 ounces of semi-sweet for the the icing (and it made for a delicious rich icing).

Bake and enjoy!

what up buttercup?

2010-01-06T14:12:00.001-06:00

Chocolate and peanut butter. Has there EVER been a better combo? Probably not. The best part of making homemade candy? The caloric information is not printed on the back, so what you don’t know you can’t gain… that’s how that works, right?

Anyway, grab some paintbrushes, mini muffin liners, and a few other ingredients and get makin’. These are simple, delicious, and well peanut butter cups…what more do you need to know?

I adapted this recipe from here and she adapted it from here.

•12 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used Hershey's Special Dark chips)
•1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I added in an extra 2 TB or so, and I used Jiff creamy, nothing special)
•1/4 cup powdered sugar
•1/4 cup crushed graham crackers (finely, but not a powder, but not huge chunks either...I put them in a sandwich bag and rolled a can on them, fancy right?)

In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and processed graham crackers. Put in the fridge to harden up a bit because it will be easier to form into balls.

In a double boiler, carefully melt the chocolate 3/4 of the chocolate. Once smooth pour melted hot chocolate on reserved 1/4 to properly temper. (Also, I add a tablespoon or so of corn syrup to give it nice shine)

Lay out your liners and place them on a flat baking sheet that will fit in your freezer.

Using a brush, paint the melted chocolate on the bottom and sides of mini cupcake liners. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

While those are in the freezer get out the peanut butter mixture and form into teaspoons or tablespoon balls depending on what size peanut butter cup you are making.

Remove the cupcake tins from the freezer, and place about one teaspoon (1 tablespoon for larger size) of the peanut butter mixture in each cup, make sure to put it in the middle, not touching the sides of the cup. Spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup, make sure to get in there around the sides too.

Place the peanut butter cups back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to set. Let them sit at room temp before devouring.

A few minor discrepancies I had with these… let me emphasize minor because these turned out fantastic.

1.) I am at my parents house far away from my pastry supplies so I don’t have pastry brushes. However, they had several new water color paintbrushes… cheap ones, like 15 for a dollar cheap ones. I pulled on the brushes several times to get any loose hairs out, and all was fine. I was really nervous that there would be hair in my peanut buttercups, which could be the only thing that could ruin such a delectable duo, but rest assured… if you can’t pull the hairs out, neither can your chocolate.

2.) I called my brother in the kitchen for reinforcement because I wanted to get all of the liners painted before I had to temper the chocolate again. Upon doing so he argued I shouldn’t be painting the chocolate all the way to the top of the liner, because it would be too hard to peel. However, I painted them to the top anyway, and they were slightly difficult to peel, but came off easily either way. So when making these call your big brother for help, ask his opinion, and then do what you want anyway.

3.) I again, used cheap-o chocolate so they were a tad melty upon touch, but once again… get over it.

Wrap these up in foil when finished and impress your friends (and watch them struggle as they try to figure out if the liner is still on or not)! Bake and enjoy.