Umm…so what I said yesterday about limiting the sweets? Yea, I probably should have waited til after Valentine’s Day to make such a proclamation. These goodies may be slightly cheesy, but I’m pretty sure if I had a kid and I sent it to school with these, I would be a super mom. Just sayin’.
In any case, I have no kids, so the more for me and my honey. Sometimes it’s nice to not have to share.
For the Recipe, click here:
Today begins my ten-day vacation and honestly, I couldn’t be an ounce happier without exploding. To avoid eating this entire pan of bars by myself, I had one last shot to make these and bring them to work so that my co-workers could consume the vast majority.
Here’s how I feel about Martha since I modified her recipe. Martha is slightly crazy. Martha doesn’t know how to relax. Martha is Martha, and I, am NOT Martha. But, being Martha means you do understand how to use butter with finesse. So whenever I really need something decadent, I sift through her recipes and something fits my fancy. That being said, I will never make a Cat Glitter Painting though Martha herself swears it makes her cat Vivaldi look “luminous.”
For the Recipe, click here:
This is a labor of love and if I might say, a little hazardous. If you can zest five lemons and avoid zesting a knuckle, you deserve a gold star. Usually I nick at least one of mine and then have to search my cabinets for band-aids. Lovely, I know.
After zesting and juicing, you must continuously whisk for fifteen minutes, which, take it from me, is a taxing arm workout. But it’s so rewarding to watch it thicken and develop a sunshine burst of color that I always find it worth the effort.
Fresh fruit with homemade lemon curd is a dream. You could also layer it with fruit and fresh whipped cream for a zesty trifle. You can make this a day of two ahead so get moving now and enjoy tomorrow!
For the Recipe, click here:
My good friend Kurt turned a year older today. So I baked him a cake and wrote him a poem because Kurt is one of those guys that is hard to buy for… He finds more pleasure in the winey, diney things. Maybe that’s why we get along so well! If you know Kurt, the poem below will make you smile, if not…
For the Recipe, click here:
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberries
Kurt, Kurt, the loveable flirt
Will never say no to a muffin
With black knitted hat and button-up shirt,
His belly, I’ll always be stuffin’.
Come summer his peaches will ripen and fall.
They soften while taking a tumble,
And over I’ll come to gather them all,
Transform them to peach and cream crumble.
In autumn his fig trees will sag with their fruit,
And out on his swing he’ll enjoy them
But birdies will swoop down and steal his sweet loot.
They’ll pluck them right off of the stem.
Kurt is a man that with chocolate in hand
Will share with you all that he’s got
With Thin Mints, ice cold, always on demand
The Girl Scouts are swept of their lot.
Stories he tells are unique and quite varied
From countries and cities galore
And all of the drums that he’s crafted and carried
Have travelled with him through those doors.
From Brazil’s Escola de Samba VAI-VAI
His love for the Quika drum started
He plays it in Vegas with mischievous eye
His Latin love always wholehearted.
But don’t you be fooled because though he is sweet
Kurt’s friendship is fierce and protective
His fatherly wisdom can hardly be beat
He’ll help you develop perspective.
So we all raise a toast or a piece of cheesecake
To celebrate Kurt’s coming year
A better musician he never could make
Nor a friend that’s more special or dear.
Blondies. I mean, really, what else is there to say. I have never met a person that didn’t start salivating at just the mention of Blondies. If only my mom had made them in my childhood, maybe now they wouldn’t be such a weakness for me, but keeping with her super healthy child-rearing philosophy, all I ever got were carob chips… And have you tried carob chips? Deeeeefinitely not chocolate.
Ok, so possibly I am exaggerating, but really, I don’t remember having anything as decadent as a blondie in my early years, so now, I crave them like mad. This is more of a Blondie cake because I just couldn’t bear putting two sticks of butter into a casual weekday baking project (maybe mom rubbed off on me?), but if you have a faster metabolism than I do, go for it. Yours will be slightly gooier.
For the Recipe, click here:
Are you hosting an Oscar Party? If you are, I’m jealous. I will be at work, catching what I can in between shows, but that hasn’t stopped me from coming up with lots of fun little snacks that I would serve if I was having an Oscar Party!
I plan on bringing this to work tomorrow and giving it to my favorite people to munch on. I don’t think there is anything better than a salty, sweet handful of popcorn in honor of the Oscars! Packaged in take-out containers this also makes an awesome thank you gift.
Stay tuned for two more Oscar-worthy snacks tomorrow!
For the Recipe, click here:
Baking with pumpkin puree is a dream. I swear I have never made anything with pumpkin that wasn’t super moist and awesome. This is definitely no exception. I have had this can in my pantry for an epic period and since summer is not really a time I crave pumpkin, I had to take advantage of the crisp air and make this bittersweet treat.
This is an interesting cake. It’s not sweet, but not bitter, spicy, but not overpowering, chocolatey, but not rich, and although you can taste the pumpkin, it’s more of a subtle accent than the star. It’s actually a very light cake that goes best with a cup of coffee or a latte.
I also have a confession. I really made this just because I have been dying to display something on my new cake tier. And guess where I got this thing… Goodwill! I kid you not. I absolutely love shopping for little pretty trinkets and vintage dishes at the local Salvation Army. Tea cups for 50 cents? That’s my kind of price. And this cake tier? 7 bucks. I get a thrill knowing it has history and though this may creep some people out, to me, it makes things so much more interesting!
For the Recipe, click here:
I love a spur of the moment dinner party. Even more, I love friends that I can try my recipes out on. Thank goodness Jorge and Jamie enjoy being guinea pigs. A little Southern or as Jorge put it, Peruvian, this is a nice homey meal that you can prepare in under an hour.
I threw together a Flourless Chocolate Cake with Coconut Lime Sorbet (which because of the lack of freezing time, was more like a creme) for a sweet bite at the end. My mom had given me her recipe about a year ago and I’m not so sure why it took me so long to make something so perfect sounding. I’ll probably be having sorbet for breakfast. So much for limiting my sugar intake. I figure this week, with the cookie contest, I am already a lost cause…
Juiciest Chicken with Tri-Pepper Succotash
6 chicken drumsticks
6 chicken thighs (trimmed of excess fat)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine (sweet, such as Riesling)
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 orange pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups frozen lima beans
1 can unsalted corn kernels
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 cup flour
1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into ribbons
Salt
Pepper
Place a pot of hot water on the stove. Boil lima beans for 10 minutes until almost softened, but still slightly underdone. Strain.
Liberally salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Heat oil in a dutch oven. Brown the chicken on both sides, working in batches. Remove browned chicken to a plate. After all chicken has been browned, use a paper towel to soak excess chicken fat from the dutch oven by blotting. Leave some juices.
Add the onion and turn the heat to medium. Add the peppers and corn and sauté until translucent. Add lima beans, paprika, wine, and chicken stock and using a spoon, scrape up any chicken bits from the pan. Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken back to the pot, reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. After the 30 minutes, remove chicken from the dutch oven and place in a baking dish. Cover with tinfoil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Scoop about 1 cup of the juice from the succotash into a bowl. Add the flour and whisk well to form a roux. Add the roux back into the rest of the mixture and allow to boil, uncovered for the 15 minutes that the chicken is cooking. Garnish with basil. Serve with warmed bread.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Coconut Lime Sorbet and Ripe Mango
Adapted from Epicurious
4 oz. fine quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (such as Ghirardelli)
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
powdered sugar or cocoa for sprinkling
1 ripe mango, diced
raspberries for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 8” baking round. Line with wax paper and butter paper. Chop chocolate. In a double boiler, melt chocolate with the butter, stirring until completely melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar. Add eggs, whisk well. Sift in the cocoa powder until fully combined. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 25 minutes, until top has a thin crust. Remove from pan and allow to cool 5-10 minutes. Dust with cocoa or powdered sugar.
Coconut Lime Sorbet (or if 1/2 frozen, Creme)
15-20 oz. cream of coconut (such a Coco Lopez. This can be found in the “mixer” section in the liquor department of a supermarket)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Whisk together and freeze in an airtight container overnight, or 1 hour for creme.
