tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25605136857746321442024-02-19T04:11:15.018-08:00Brownies & Cookies & Pie..oh my!Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-50436202582886754352009-12-08T16:59:00.000-08:002009-12-08T18:26:06.686-08:00Triple-Layer Chocolate Cake with Chocolate GanacheMy dad's birthday was coming up, and while I can get away with baking a fudgy brownie to satisfy my friends chocolate cravings on their bithdays, the situation remains different with my dad. He <strong>loves</strong> anything with good solid chocolate, (who do you think is the one who seeks out for my gharadelli chocolate chips and eats them all?!), and since hes my dad, why not spend a day of baking with chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate for his birthday?<br /><br />Ever since I was lucky enough to indulge into a gourgousely layered rich chocolate cake at a wedding lunchen, I was inspired to make one of these cubes of heaven myself. I didn't challenge myself to far, as far as finding interesting flavors to incporporate into the cake, finding challenge enough in baking a huge batch of devils food cake enough for 3 cakes , evening out each layer of cake, layering them on top of each other with home-made ganache, and why not make some chocolate leaves to top it all of!<br /><br />I found a great guided recipe for the whole thing, which was self-explained very well, and as far as the cake, it tasted so good (with a hint of instant coffee added) that I'll definatly consider using the cake recipe to incorporate into others. The link from where I found the recipe (though I increased the serving size of the reipce) can be found right here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/08/devils_food_cak.html<br /><br />Below I posted my pictures of this decadent delightful chocolate cake through the steps I took in making it, but I must warn you, side affects may include extreme drooling and sudden intence chocolate craving...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L6Tl9mu3hP4jEEkJJrrjmZ7gFmx4B22qGFR6OnUmYxg8luwcyjuNJR4rGUfo46nhfkP1fTUpKjrZzGrXKg5BTjpZsQ-bNxD1-H6ClkjZjV_q4l_90DHu24AL7hpkJGdj1K33b8h2HFr5/s1600-h/IMG02593.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413045321765366402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L6Tl9mu3hP4jEEkJJrrjmZ7gFmx4B22qGFR6OnUmYxg8luwcyjuNJR4rGUfo46nhfkP1fTUpKjrZzGrXKg5BTjpZsQ-bNxD1-H6ClkjZjV_q4l_90DHu24AL7hpkJGdj1K33b8h2HFr5/s320/IMG02593.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />1.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L6Tl9mu3hP4jEEkJJrrjmZ7gFmx4B22qGFR6OnUmYxg8luwcyjuNJR4rGUfo46nhfkP1fTUpKjrZzGrXKg5BTjpZsQ-bNxD1-H6ClkjZjV_q4l_90DHu24AL7hpkJGdj1K33b8h2HFr5/s1600-h/IMG02593.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfW9eIfrZelh0spvASMvEDWnKG7QzaiyNAGt0QwatGN5WB2Bpq81pvTjq83nQGix52xLXQkAegF5siyfeQqx6pTt8mGwNkeqYtqNVCXhefdedcdN65sVqMTUTPamh6T1OwZ9_pQ3JYl9u/s1600-h/IMG02599.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413046777142033122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfW9eIfrZelh0spvASMvEDWnKG7QzaiyNAGt0QwatGN5WB2Bpq81pvTjq83nQGix52xLXQkAegF5siyfeQqx6pTt8mGwNkeqYtqNVCXhefdedcdN65sVqMTUTPamh6T1OwZ9_pQ3JYl9u/s320/IMG02599.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />2.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L6Tl9mu3hP4jEEkJJrrjmZ7gFmx4B22qGFR6OnUmYxg8luwcyjuNJR4rGUfo46nhfkP1fTUpKjrZzGrXKg5BTjpZsQ-bNxD1-H6ClkjZjV_q4l_90DHu24AL7hpkJGdj1K33b8h2HFr5/s1600-h/IMG02593.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L6Tl9mu3hP4jEEkJJrrjmZ7gFmx4B22qGFR6OnUmYxg8luwcyjuNJR4rGUfo46nhfkP1fTUpKjrZzGrXKg5BTjpZsQ-bNxD1-H6ClkjZjV_q4l_90DHu24AL7hpkJGdj1K33b8h2HFr5/s1600-h/IMG02593.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdv9ACL3T3-ClIiEfLngl1puoS9oxQlaUr2u_lz_avMdvgqzSG2hyphenhyphenbBMzDImEChawMCNAkiYd-ooinIb_oLdVh2freJ8GwnKYw1lCb5xbFymZbByzJ6rBVcMoCTofaynVQS0qQmo1PiqL/s1600-h/IMG02618.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413047278823190578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdv9ACL3T3-ClIiEfLngl1puoS9oxQlaUr2u_lz_avMdvgqzSG2hyphenhyphenbBMzDImEChawMCNAkiYd-ooinIb_oLdVh2freJ8GwnKYw1lCb5xbFymZbByzJ6rBVcMoCTofaynVQS0qQmo1PiqL/s320/IMG02618.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L6Tl9mu3hP4jEEkJJrrjmZ7gFmx4B22qGFR6OnUmYxg8luwcyjuNJR4rGUfo46nhfkP1fTUpKjrZzGrXKg5BTjpZsQ-bNxD1-H6ClkjZjV_q4l_90DHu24AL7hpkJGdj1K33b8h2HFr5/s1600-h/IMG02593.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />3.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcuK4CXNoEnCs4zJdV-6iGa2c15YgCKeIVY-Nay2hdfDFr5DpNFMZkcl-i-bwb5JGdvIY01BDG3Pk1_6-q0XnPaeOa3d8f0Ln78NZjRiBP_ogFaGRRVhVHGjrrbHyUEatFso_AC8ooIr4/s1600-h/IMG02600.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413048641441032162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcuK4CXNoEnCs4zJdV-6iGa2c15YgCKeIVY-Nay2hdfDFr5DpNFMZkcl-i-bwb5JGdvIY01BDG3Pk1_6-q0XnPaeOa3d8f0Ln78NZjRiBP_ogFaGRRVhVHGjrrbHyUEatFso_AC8ooIr4/s320/IMG02600.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />4.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtILiIoBc3pt7_-QsQ9Bl-DadBYmJJEyAJn0eSIig5k_AKf0c1Loj-328UIXLALIxUtFXVUIjW3uIG_WIZVgdaatgmO0i6mL0ErSqmLGhy55-K4scOfBFjo0S7HRUdpjagJjiLBPPEqn58/s1600-h/IMG02608.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413049475997830322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtILiIoBc3pt7_-QsQ9Bl-DadBYmJJEyAJn0eSIig5k_AKf0c1Loj-328UIXLALIxUtFXVUIjW3uIG_WIZVgdaatgmO0i6mL0ErSqmLGhy55-K4scOfBFjo0S7HRUdpjagJjiLBPPEqn58/s320/IMG02608.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />5.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MX8y6ckIc4VW5MuVw87srAFMTCUR3PwOBqeM5GZqOcvwuQaj1Om4676oqsfRelOHlg3Zx3fi0EOu_FV2BJW3q3WTOsozj7neG9EPKwdyXziRK9Lg99dExgt1SSk2f1C47M2QzKZVBd2I/s1600-h/IMG02625.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413051658600746146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MX8y6ckIc4VW5MuVw87srAFMTCUR3PwOBqeM5GZqOcvwuQaj1Om4676oqsfRelOHlg3Zx3fi0EOu_FV2BJW3q3WTOsozj7neG9EPKwdyXziRK9Lg99dExgt1SSk2f1C47M2QzKZVBd2I/s320/IMG02625.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />6.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrGcIY8rXg_rLAu4AobIm_CK-LhJ266XO4G-8LTMmbizKJeY9XUHbsWyF-GakyTPpZGieW2vXmTKMi3XLHEFBjwzBwC5mOwkXpAla4Njp2yWjBR61Hkhln4fqGyU4oewJlBUgR88Vsa69/s1600-h/IMG02629.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413053915076118002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrGcIY8rXg_rLAu4AobIm_CK-LhJ266XO4G-8LTMmbizKJeY9XUHbsWyF-GakyTPpZGieW2vXmTKMi3XLHEFBjwzBwC5mOwkXpAla4Njp2yWjBR61Hkhln4fqGyU4oewJlBUgR88Vsa69/s320/IMG02629.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />7..<br />All you have to do to make chocolate leaves is spread a layer of melted chocolate onto clean leaves, and peel the chocoate of once its hardened. Use a little bit of the access melted chocolate as glue, to stick the leaves onto the cake.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBabJzUlXiqK-nu28PSRTBUlxyY0cYqm3EFBitNm1HEYPnukQR2dHkwNlWRKyIfpWu6cuIScqHrWhbEjtHcKEkfnnKIzDwV6WwimPjA0RHohds9KbIalCziGTcW2LalqXjAbR33SSQ7oC/s1600-h/IMG02633.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413055217194385090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBabJzUlXiqK-nu28PSRTBUlxyY0cYqm3EFBitNm1HEYPnukQR2dHkwNlWRKyIfpWu6cuIScqHrWhbEjtHcKEkfnnKIzDwV6WwimPjA0RHohds9KbIalCziGTcW2LalqXjAbR33SSQ7oC/s320/IMG02633.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />8.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_ytkCXsnTau0yfCM8JRTLbam2_xmwRaae7Ekd3Dsa6Jdf7R8XrnBYFae7PKmuPUt_5mRqDhQFXMJcci2bKVrt9ZJ9B7UHW3Ab3kF8hfI0wqXQjv_i0wJlLyaTQfrcw800QFxyO6N8M3N/s1600-h/IMG02636.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413054855217921570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_ytkCXsnTau0yfCM8JRTLbam2_xmwRaae7Ekd3Dsa6Jdf7R8XrnBYFae7PKmuPUt_5mRqDhQFXMJcci2bKVrt9ZJ9B7UHW3Ab3kF8hfI0wqXQjv_i0wJlLyaTQfrcw800QFxyO6N8M3N/s320/IMG02636.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />9.Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-8956126994144461552009-11-03T19:19:00.001-08:002009-11-03T20:02:04.935-08:00Apple CakeMy mom was taking my little brother over to his friend's house for a little holiday celebration (Rosh Hashanah, they were having a sukkah party), and wanted to bring a fruity treat over, with fruits being a main appreciation during that holiday. However, she only had about half an hour to make a cake, and I didn't have to guess hard to predict that she was hoping she could bake my aunt's famous apple cake (a recipe she got from a friend from germany!), which has evolved into a family favorite.<br /><br />It has been constantly made not just my aunt, but my grandma and occasionally my mom, and lets not forget myself! Even the base of the recipe itself ,without the apple on top is a fabulous basic cake batter to work with. It is nice and moist, but still has a sturdy structure.<br /><br />Anyways, there was no way the neat freak, aka my mom, could make a cake in less than half an hour, so I immediatly started peeling some apples for her (about 6) and took buttered a baking dish. Once she managed to mix all the ingredients together, a great advantage of the cake is that the mixing steps are so simple, I started layering the apples onto the cake, which I had lightly tossed into some cinamon, brown sugar, and sugar. My mom and I both agreed that some slivered almonds would add a happy crunch to the cake and would be a good combination to the apples, so not only did I add slivered almonds to the cake but I melted some butter with cinamon and brown sugar, and drizzled that over the apples and almonds layered onto the cake. Yummy!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgL6BCnlasZ8TsX8i5Xs2eMWkAIG3qIaJwIfv7HIot_YL8mV2Tybqo65u4NYiPPdgIRqKNJZyyRv_nQn_bZ7KrZ6yDFR1tNQ7jwhyphenhyphenSEMsAt69Vk5nNOaGmPHzFNu5iRrDKzbTLGZ77Bq6w/s1600-h/IMG025~7.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400086378494633218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgL6BCnlasZ8TsX8i5Xs2eMWkAIG3qIaJwIfv7HIot_YL8mV2Tybqo65u4NYiPPdgIRqKNJZyyRv_nQn_bZ7KrZ6yDFR1tNQ7jwhyphenhyphenSEMsAt69Vk5nNOaGmPHzFNu5iRrDKzbTLGZ77Bq6w/s320/IMG025~7.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I would have pre heated the oven as well, but their wouldn't have been enough time to bake the cake at our house, so my mom shrewdly, or so she thought, decided on baking it at my brothers friend house. But that is where all the trouble started;<br />Don't worry, my mom didn't drop the cake on her way to their friends house. However, the oven still didn't seem very friendly to invite to the cake into it, and literally refused to go onto the bake setting. The buttons were all set to 350 F on the bake setting, and after about half an hour in the oven, or so I heard, my mom<br />checked on the cake to see how it was cooking, and it was completely raw! Of course, out of all days for the oven not to work, it picked a day a delicious apple cake wanted to bake in it. So after minutes of stress and confusion, the oven seemed to cut my mom and my brother's friend's mom some slack, and decided to let its broil setting to work. And so the cake was cooked on the broil setting with a big blanket of foil wrapped on top of it. So the result? Umm, well it couldn't end up being that amazing moist texture everyone loves, but it still had that delicious flavor and tasted even better with a dollop of whipped cream.<br />The actual flaw of the cake that wasn't he ovens fault was that my mom didn't cover every corner of the cake enough with foil, so a good amount of the edge of the cake was a burnt black color, which she was kind enough to take home..so I could photogragh? ;)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnSHUP7d7xIwCoqL8ycksSF4ye3XJWrj1iJRQdj3wQWY4UtBDIDAuidJoFMOQ5fZwyrA58cMteKQe8AtSGd1k4vYIztjbDdpiW9hnaSaPY43_lTgZuZ3qSJsmLiCWdoJu1aC07QJMBIpC/s1600-h/IMG025~9.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400089392550733394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnSHUP7d7xIwCoqL8ycksSF4ye3XJWrj1iJRQdj3wQWY4UtBDIDAuidJoFMOQ5fZwyrA58cMteKQe8AtSGd1k4vYIztjbDdpiW9hnaSaPY43_lTgZuZ3qSJsmLiCWdoJu1aC07QJMBIpC/s320/IMG025~9.JPG" /></a><br /><br />I wish I had better pictures of the moist apple-licious beuatifully colored apple cake it was supposed to look like, but I guess this is just an excuse for you to go ahead and bake this amazing cake and send me some pictures. No seriously, it tastes amazing, as long as your oven doesn't feel like broiling on you!<br /><br />The recipe follows: APPLE CAKE<br /><br />-6 eggs<br />-2 cup. Sugar<br />-3/4 cup. Oil<br />-3 cup. Flour<br />-3 Tsp. Baking Powder<br />-1/2 cup. Orange Juice<br />-Vanilla<br />-5-8 apples<br />-1 Tbsp.Cinamon, brown sugar, and sugar to toss the apples in (optional)<br />-1 Tbsp. butter melted in cinamon and brown sugar (optional)<br /><br />Directions:<br />1.Mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla together.<br />2.In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together<br />3.Alternate adding the flour and baking powder mixture and the orange juice to the wet ingredients, starting with the flour and ending with the flour.<br />5.Slice the apples as thinly as you like and layer them onto the cake however way you like, after you've tossed them in some cinamon, brown sugar, and sugar (optional)<br />6. Optional: Sprinkle some slivered almonds on top, and about a tablespoon of butter melted with cinamon and brown sugar in it, on top of the cake. <br />7.Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-84854685100347620362009-10-07T19:47:00.000-07:002009-10-18T14:13:34.610-07:00Berry GelatoFinally, an icecream maker machine has found its way into my kitchen! There have been so many times I have come across delicious icecream, sorbet, and gelato recipes that look so scrumpcious, creative, and much lower in fat then what you find in your local grocery store! Each one playing its role as a flavorful, creamy, icey, refreshing treat.<br />I am a big fan of berries, which is why I awlays keep a package of Trader Joe's frozen mixed berries on hand, so I'm always pretty comfortable in experimenting with berries as the base of my flavors for new recipes. I also wanted to take advantage of being able to make my frozen treat extra healthy, the healthier it is, the more scoops you get ;), so I decided to go with a berry <em>gelato</em>.<br /><br />I didn't search too much to find a berry gelato base, and was confident in picking a recipe I found at http://www.recipezaar.com/Skinny-Peoples-Berry-Gelato-141620. The steps are pretty simple, meaning it isn't to hard to put it all together, and to be honest, the step that took me the longest (that I wasn't prepared for), was waiting for my icecream machine to chill in the freezer for over 24 hours! Ahhh, a little advice; read the intructions of any new device you get ahead of time, so that your not stuck waiting with a ready made batch of gelato batter that has to impatiently wait in the fridge for over a day, to let the icecream machine chill!<br /><br />Instead of using a certain type of berry, I just threw in the 3 whole cups of mixed frozen berries that came all together in the package, which i let thaw for a bit. I take that back, knowing how impatient I am, you uprobably figured I let them thaw for 30 seconds-a minute in the microwave. :)<br /><br />Overall, the flavor of the gelato was pretty good. The cornstarch, in the ingredients was noticable and for the future I would like to find a replacent for it. I used low-fat milk, which was fine for me, but if you would like a creamier gelato, use whole milk, or any milk with a higher fat content.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWriJEwMbbousJQKkO6yOZZPm5ab3rnjBYY7d0_lPqROWeIepxOWNiTxHY03XTsGo-hibSmSRlCTHZ7cPzTQBKshgJHEP8UZCclmKPMu1zSRE40imvl3nCW_1YxJ45PSzmjCJBtk-eciy/s1600-h/IMG01878.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394047736681993026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWriJEwMbbousJQKkO6yOZZPm5ab3rnjBYY7d0_lPqROWeIepxOWNiTxHY03XTsGo-hibSmSRlCTHZ7cPzTQBKshgJHEP8UZCclmKPMu1zSRE40imvl3nCW_1YxJ45PSzmjCJBtk-eciy/s320/IMG01878.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The only major thing I was disspaointed in, was the texture of the gelato. Throughout a few days in the freezer, it started to get a more solid texture, almost like a popsicle. However, that could have been, because the berry mixture was in the fridge a day longer then it was supposed to be, but hey, maybe I just mixed it for the wrong period of time. After all, this was my first time using an ice cream machine.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06HodQfByhpccKgGtjdJu11Uh-K-82TQtAPfjjCgqF8G4KD3IxDqKHFt1Nib5zcXDKbq870ZuKuRdk2VRV561R8g42_eWV8GyUjy5ipANYj-tN7qqeSoBsTPzUNyO4eb9DPY4iFI9RJjW/s1600-h/IMG01880.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 290px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394048933078398578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06HodQfByhpccKgGtjdJu11Uh-K-82TQtAPfjjCgqF8G4KD3IxDqKHFt1Nib5zcXDKbq870ZuKuRdk2VRV561R8g42_eWV8GyUjy5ipANYj-tN7qqeSoBsTPzUNyO4eb9DPY4iFI9RJjW/s320/IMG01880.jpg" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-43406245394909572422009-09-21T19:47:00.000-07:002009-10-18T13:32:03.039-07:00Toaster SmoresI had a handful of marshmallows leftover just sitting in my pantry, waiting for the heat of the sun to melt them all together. So before I could let that happen,what a shocker, I decided to use them. My aunt was over with her adorable little daughters, so I wanted to make them a mild mess free treat with the marshmellows. I was thinking about rice crispy treats, but that was before I remebered we had a box of graham crackers! And thus, the idea of fixing up some smores was born.<br />No time to head out in the woods and make yourself a campfire to roast up some marshmellows? No problem. Smores, meet the toaster oven...<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />-Marshmallows<br />-Graham Crackers<br />-CHOCOLATE!<br /><br />Directions:<br />1. Start of with laying out a row of even squares of graham crackers along a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil (the foil makes the cleanup easier)<br />2. Cut all the marshmallows halfway in half, and roll the cut open side in chocolate chips (mini chocolate chips would stick better) or tuck in a chocolate chunk.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr_t193k48WFgV4hjP60_xG0BJdgYECMMUQE0HzUvndJr-OOTrNEbjnaxTuXk40uTbyFwQyEleASX9tmvLHBMC7z6IAuKw7lengw91LIIF1PrIh5FTA6KP1CuQd8ms4dFlejAzKKRlZK1/s1600-h/IMG01847.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 303px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384122490757320674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr_t193k48WFgV4hjP60_xG0BJdgYECMMUQE0HzUvndJr-OOTrNEbjnaxTuXk40uTbyFwQyEleASX9tmvLHBMC7z6IAuKw7lengw91LIIF1PrIh5FTA6KP1CuQd8ms4dFlejAzKKRlZK1/s320/IMG01847.jpg" /></a><br />3. Pinch the marhmallow closed, as closed as it can get, and then place onto a graham cracker.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp73MSVJyUeqo_pSS67pGBbA7Bwks4G8x-9xUEYV6Q_KugiacbyP53xleVTtva40rhfFzqHo0DoSV_zPPYQ3urjU5WSxQIagmq1u_tGt4JJKXoK7g19PfBrPM41VF7xVCRLxCOCaUqTBIT/s1600-h/IMG01852.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384126290826904866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp73MSVJyUeqo_pSS67pGBbA7Bwks4G8x-9xUEYV6Q_KugiacbyP53xleVTtva40rhfFzqHo0DoSV_zPPYQ3urjU5WSxQIagmq1u_tGt4JJKXoK7g19PfBrPM41VF7xVCRLxCOCaUqTBIT/s320/IMG01852.jpg" /></a><br /><br />4. After all the marshmallows are each comfortably placed onto a graham cracker, plop them into the toaster oven/oven at abot 200-300 F., and take them out as soon as the marhmallow starts browning to the toasty roasty consistency you want it to.<br /><br />5. After you take them out of the oven, yes, you can indulge your mouth with one as soon as you take it out, just after you smoosh the second layer of graham cracker on top! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LazBLvd6J-Hi0xFoI0vaP53aKx3wvCQRsDMk9g12uP4-FqjGySVsw1BtRyX6ExzJnpUU8jV0_YsyYti678WqlNSU2MlLg2oqD0QkfrIjrHlNcHiIDMScrFLCfXczGKdQsgr3HFItG3Gj/s1600-h/IMG01853.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 260px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384127162761244450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LazBLvd6J-Hi0xFoI0vaP53aKx3wvCQRsDMk9g12uP4-FqjGySVsw1BtRyX6ExzJnpUU8jV0_YsyYti678WqlNSU2MlLg2oqD0QkfrIjrHlNcHiIDMScrFLCfXczGKdQsgr3HFItG3Gj/s320/IMG01853.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAGupz8BfAHYHGRaP1w-KrFs_QCdh2kUfqpzMhEwOLF0ygCGhRmGcHBVC_Ul1BZaEriJ4iPnq1J5CCkChP1BgcQml8SXlP_LZiImHn0kzC_EUVXiYecwHts_V7Zl7iAID0GY0e3TurtqC/s1600-h/IMG01857.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAGupz8BfAHYHGRaP1w-KrFs_QCdh2kUfqpzMhEwOLF0ygCGhRmGcHBVC_Ul1BZaEriJ4iPnq1J5CCkChP1BgcQml8SXlP_LZiImHn0kzC_EUVXiYecwHts_V7Zl7iAID0GY0e3TurtqC/s320/IMG01857.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384130619432766818" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6fI-o1X8abaap7EkqhMh8FRHYlbUWxmviq4y9jzoKwPWE2pAZ65BG2pZ0Ikz7QNk-BzC4EeA1ugtgmBWy4DurkhfnlvYqqTXJjDM4VU10HyJ-NlyIhyphenhyphenJL6ccl3beigJQssG3c7IG5yr6/s1600-h/IMG01859.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6fI-o1X8abaap7EkqhMh8FRHYlbUWxmviq4y9jzoKwPWE2pAZ65BG2pZ0Ikz7QNk-BzC4EeA1ugtgmBWy4DurkhfnlvYqqTXJjDM4VU10HyJ-NlyIhyphenhyphenJL6ccl3beigJQssG3c7IG5yr6/s320/IMG01859.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384130207804379906" /></a><br />I wasn't planning on eating it, I promise...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />...but it just wouldn't stop staring at me!Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-50290252529813977172009-09-17T17:24:00.000-07:002009-09-17T18:08:54.610-07:00RugelachMy mom has cousins living in Israel, and one of them was coming to visit with her hubby and 1 year old. I don't get to see them that often, so I was very excited. Of course, of course, of course I had to bake dessert for the following night that they were coming over for dinner. Something tasty, wonderful flavors, great texture, and comes from the background of Israel. 1 word: R-U-G-E-L-A-C-H. I never made rugelach before this, but I was eager to try.<br />I found probably the best recipe I could have found, from the fabulous, Ina Garten. The link to the recipe is: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rugelach-recipe2/index.html<br /><br />I didn't have the apricot preserves that the recipe called for, so what I did was<br />1. Quartered up some dried apricots.<br />2. Put them into the blender with a few very small drops of lemon juice, a splash of orange juice, and however much sugar I needed to sweeten it up.<br />3. I pureed everything together, adding as much hot water as I needed to thin out the puree.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjikyvBTQYpP0fFoW8TkrEuHy_4dIoCcqi1mo-2AeXt6tBoaIPV0gvBOOPLjgaTVShBwMotq2IHt7Qf3o_ti0_p5V9Txe1EoK61zDI_bza_XR6EKpazRVp21_iEO_T7XLKzFFV85hVSiRp/s1600-h/IMG01901.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382601213010001250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjikyvBTQYpP0fFoW8TkrEuHy_4dIoCcqi1mo-2AeXt6tBoaIPV0gvBOOPLjgaTVShBwMotq2IHt7Qf3o_ti0_p5V9Txe1EoK61zDI_bza_XR6EKpazRVp21_iEO_T7XLKzFFV85hVSiRp/s320/IMG01901.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63_b-dsWoncHhlWoP3xbLUrAyPHzLj7HhDTsfCC_hxx-1LwdXLp3uwV-B3xOo91K_cu3lQ09LkB7Q5XlpHaSBWUcuEU18Vb91oz14xJDnf2ypbLpgPuN3YqD3dTSdFPNyEY80RGyNEpS7/s1600-h/IMG01903.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 310px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382601800419265218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63_b-dsWoncHhlWoP3xbLUrAyPHzLj7HhDTsfCC_hxx-1LwdXLp3uwV-B3xOo91K_cu3lQ09LkB7Q5XlpHaSBWUcuEU18Vb91oz14xJDnf2ypbLpgPuN3YqD3dTSdFPNyEY80RGyNEpS7/s320/IMG01903.jpg" /></a><br /><br />I really liked the little creation I had made as my replacement for the apricot reserves. It had a nice texture from the apricots which couldn't get completely pureed, and was perfectly sweet. In the future, I will definatlly use this puree again instead of buying a whole jar of apricot preserves, although one day I have to try the preserves to compare the differences. Anyhow, both ways seem delicious.<br /><br />As far as the assembly of the rugelach went, it was a bit time consuming, but all the steps were very simple.<br />Start out with rolling one of the 1/4's of the dough into a round cirle. Don't worry about getting the edges straight, because the edges are going to be unseen after you roll them up anyways.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37JYCtqAnpKLEq_0xAAxZnVWGq5XzRSULyUX5tBWusDP9wP2bLbxZx6KYCJL0A5Zmhj-VA71w3A5GH92Fmu6VJIk6fM5OBYOKaggPy7Zesy0DQO-SMDavmXdaMcDecBHZJZ27Uy7Mxpec/s1600-h/IMG01909.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382603019536735698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37JYCtqAnpKLEq_0xAAxZnVWGq5XzRSULyUX5tBWusDP9wP2bLbxZx6KYCJL0A5Zmhj-VA71w3A5GH92Fmu6VJIk6fM5OBYOKaggPy7Zesy0DQO-SMDavmXdaMcDecBHZJZ27Uy7Mxpec/s320/IMG01909.jpg" /></a><br />Next spread out your layer of apricot puree (I spread it out with a brush)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY717LVCQyGITP83i0RU7aNC7Pif9X1qvLBgsaaqt5zxhxmm-FjqoPucbAm1HwEFsMiEcxW5tzJKHAmQ8XUP8oo4ZLfMSw9BWzhJpR7XGQ4cqaRhSsJ_D33WJqYbAEII4wcIrrYEvMy77m/s1600-h/IMG01911.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382603028413313218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY717LVCQyGITP83i0RU7aNC7Pif9X1qvLBgsaaqt5zxhxmm-FjqoPucbAm1HwEFsMiEcxW5tzJKHAmQ8XUP8oo4ZLfMSw9BWzhJpR7XGQ4cqaRhSsJ_D33WJqYbAEII4wcIrrYEvMy77m/s320/IMG01911.jpg" /></a><br />Sprinkle on the sugar/nut mixture, and then cut the cirlce into 12 even wedges.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwpuGKCuIZs6tljWpa4XU3PIrZSEkJp2tOghLSeKPm8Rn4wYapH4S-t9RD5v4I-8KVZnEBq_Idygh4c_zBx91BBgalb7E-Ku4XlU5qzjGtedJ_XxC_4QpcJOtVDIckmPlRcMLjPuEunqI/s1600-h/IMG01914.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382603035382773538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwpuGKCuIZs6tljWpa4XU3PIrZSEkJp2tOghLSeKPm8Rn4wYapH4S-t9RD5v4I-8KVZnEBq_Idygh4c_zBx91BBgalb7E-Ku4XlU5qzjGtedJ_XxC_4QpcJOtVDIckmPlRcMLjPuEunqI/s320/IMG01914.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Roll up a wedge at a time, starting from the biggest side of the triangle wedge.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzDuj_g03WLwpR6g7-GInOy-k1TCyOCFFF2ZPiLW2JfyJAc5NvpcfSvaXRmbcmnoN4XQ9CQoJf-aVnKGvH_gpPJZuI-OPKjLuaXz0yWSyBe0rbmK0vRS7Fa0Sb2xO1ghzOve4-oMXBG8B/s1600-h/IMG01919.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382604121582453090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzDuj_g03WLwpR6g7-GInOy-k1TCyOCFFF2ZPiLW2JfyJAc5NvpcfSvaXRmbcmnoN4XQ9CQoJf-aVnKGvH_gpPJZuI-OPKjLuaXz0yWSyBe0rbmK0vRS7Fa0Sb2xO1ghzOve4-oMXBG8B/s320/IMG01919.jpg" /></a><br /><br />After you've got them all rolled up and on a baking sheet, give them all an egg wash, and then sprinkle on the cinamon sugar mix<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZRETOTgMiiXIQctGaG2bnAk5YPF4dOtCtP9aONOInbxjBuR7uv4qsdk-tRObZzUyDMqCIXA50ifG9etpOrIPAyBwMPAon3nfBPeJD-cKKWlpruU867_zbw9AZD09gHh2j0ZHmS-ItsJR/s1600-h/IMG01928.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382604744490319570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZRETOTgMiiXIQctGaG2bnAk5YPF4dOtCtP9aONOInbxjBuR7uv4qsdk-tRObZzUyDMqCIXA50ifG9etpOrIPAyBwMPAon3nfBPeJD-cKKWlpruU867_zbw9AZD09gHh2j0ZHmS-ItsJR/s320/IMG01928.jpg" /></a><br /><br />These rugelach were one of the best things Iv'e every baked. That surprises me, because I didn't even think I like rugelach. Everytime I bake somthing, I can't help but think of all the things I could have added or shouldn't have. But these, oh these were just about perfect. The only complaint I would have with these, besides being so addictingly good, is how the sugar sprinkled on top of them created a hard chewy crust on the bottom of each, although that complaint was turned into a complament by many of the guests who enjoyed these treats with me, since they liked that sugary crust on the bottem.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78mAfk4Wiagm7XSqG_BWhjMEtb085VXSKelbVK418XcZBS0djcFzPby29JFf6aS5J3z4PPVDHFgE3nm0VlgKVZTIHaoqWjJ_Qqk-y3uSgdjUxJrFeL-gvghunrNrbSMMwfKGLriKTA9CA/s1600-h/IMG01938.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382606789149693170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78mAfk4Wiagm7XSqG_BWhjMEtb085VXSKelbVK418XcZBS0djcFzPby29JFf6aS5J3z4PPVDHFgE3nm0VlgKVZTIHaoqWjJ_Qqk-y3uSgdjUxJrFeL-gvghunrNrbSMMwfKGLriKTA9CA/s320/IMG01938.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFYsB8rm_DpL4imCZJXreYH0w2YRj_mtdQM8LhfLCqLjG0ZxuYse-GIuAKhTow0awnb5ynXKlwwLNHPlD42nkxaX2VV-hKPTzJZS342QmY2rcrdhXnQ-volQmobeK_bCGoYJnUODnydh2/s1600-h/IMG01945.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382606797439286370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFYsB8rm_DpL4imCZJXreYH0w2YRj_mtdQM8LhfLCqLjG0ZxuYse-GIuAKhTow0awnb5ynXKlwwLNHPlD42nkxaX2VV-hKPTzJZS342QmY2rcrdhXnQ-volQmobeK_bCGoYJnUODnydh2/s320/IMG01945.jpg" /></a><br />We started out with 48 ruhgelach, I mean 45, considering all the ones I managed to sneak into my mouth right when they came out of the oven, at the begining of the night...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNDuTrFIQdG-cChuQI2WCefyu5b65KHlH_A9QxiAHrF9PyfuZJBZQ3UHeyIcwoo0mgXd1HQyb1Gf-GREhTJJSGRCV-llstncwNExQ-RXUxsLpiaViMOV9sBW_t6ee6aHvedL4xBQAs_vC/s1600-h/IMG01952.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 195px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382606801949210946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNDuTrFIQdG-cChuQI2WCefyu5b65KHlH_A9QxiAHrF9PyfuZJBZQ3UHeyIcwoo0mgXd1HQyb1Gf-GREhTJJSGRCV-llstncwNExQ-RXUxsLpiaViMOV9sBW_t6ee6aHvedL4xBQAs_vC/s320/IMG01952.jpg" /></a><br />And were left with...Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-65772428534649213282009-09-16T19:27:00.001-07:002009-09-16T20:19:42.003-07:00Rocky Road BrowniesMy friend's birthday was coming up, and of course I had to bake her something. Whenever we go to this certain chocolate store in a shopping center, she always samples their rocky road, and so I knew I had to bake her something with rocky road in it. And what goes better with anything than a nice chocolaty brownie? And so, I went into the kitchen to bake some rocky road brownies.<br /><br />The good thing about these brownies, is that you can pretty much use any brownie recipe you like. Just be sure not to use an overly fudgy recipe, or else the brownies will be too heavy with everything going on.<br />Here is a link to a website which gives you a huge variety of brownie recipes to search from, to find one that is the chocolaty consistency and flavor you want: http://browniepower.com/<br /><br />Halfway through the brownies cooking process, I took them out to put a layer of marshmallows, chocolate chips/chunks, and walnuts.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYOt40dcVoBZoftz0uYVi-uzvzcEG4WB01ji1J6_zNPCnmHoIgfB5FQ1_7nhftQMbJiEu0UWw73p7dva1dgS-02Q5Wcjfvu8DDkgNlwBocnFi4AzdAgJiigKzIugkCNKIngofY3q8Fnrr/s1600-h/IMG01843.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382264994769479362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYOt40dcVoBZoftz0uYVi-uzvzcEG4WB01ji1J6_zNPCnmHoIgfB5FQ1_7nhftQMbJiEu0UWw73p7dva1dgS-02Q5Wcjfvu8DDkgNlwBocnFi4AzdAgJiigKzIugkCNKIngofY3q8Fnrr/s320/IMG01843.jpg" /></a><br />As far as putting mini marshmallows vs. chunks of big marshmallowa goes, the cut up marshmallows melt all over the top, while the mini marshmallows keep their shape better. To me it didn't matter, but all I had was big marshmallows on hand which i quarted up, so I used those.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6n64dgcq8BPd4vHfwBhcyEJXmtTJMiDGUUqbtC6jQPbR7GkC_4nUsqjU_3Rm0XrlQMjLhEYpHG_cgtS-pd0E0nEG71KQZMHk0cUjSfDj3tI0LZSKBMCRdPlXpeZszcyuULAJwd8BDYkc/s1600-h/IMG01868.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382266067731369538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6n64dgcq8BPd4vHfwBhcyEJXmtTJMiDGUUqbtC6jQPbR7GkC_4nUsqjU_3Rm0XrlQMjLhEYpHG_cgtS-pd0E0nEG71KQZMHk0cUjSfDj3tI0LZSKBMCRdPlXpeZszcyuULAJwd8BDYkc/s320/IMG01868.jpg" /></a><br /><br />I was a big in a rush, because we were havving a mini surprise party for the birthday girl, and I needed to get there on time with the rocky road brownies, so I had to cut them up before they were fully cooled down. The brownie recipe I used was too fudgy so cutting them was a bit of a mess!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIfF9fzNMGcdK_081G1qBzH40l1lhO1RUT4uOmlTWNw6v-UiJ_vtG1W6qE19o_5lENF9rYZuWMS9G7WrtE3XfdWjiyIc7Q7taSBh8mRS6gBQ0TpSe5m703cEC_wHt1AFi7wG_Go9IJF8p/s1600-h/IMG01869.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIfF9fzNMGcdK_081G1qBzH40l1lhO1RUT4uOmlTWNw6v-UiJ_vtG1W6qE19o_5lENF9rYZuWMS9G7WrtE3XfdWjiyIc7Q7taSBh8mRS6gBQ0TpSe5m703cEC_wHt1AFi7wG_Go9IJF8p/s320/IMG01869.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382266742225133314" /></a><br />No worries though, because my mouth had a good time cleaning up the fallen fudgy pieces of the brownies!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxx5ZKKG9E69TRBt616448J6Y3bNYSYaVDANjdVkAfyZPg1MeLp8BEqsAip5_Pf9RrLkHeCbmvU2RJg_GUEl-7-wPuoYTbSegOdE1rppsyMH2cSDlY8dv_Hlo1EiNG-eh0cO3HH4CW-KgJ/s1600-h/IMG01872.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxx5ZKKG9E69TRBt616448J6Y3bNYSYaVDANjdVkAfyZPg1MeLp8BEqsAip5_Pf9RrLkHeCbmvU2RJg_GUEl-7-wPuoYTbSegOdE1rppsyMH2cSDlY8dv_Hlo1EiNG-eh0cO3HH4CW-KgJ/s320/IMG01872.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382268013763266866" /></a><br />I did however plop them into the fridge for a little bit, to speed up the cooling process, and then somewhat cut them in the best way I could...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma8LNnezwIiV0JNySMpaGUhGdBFMSU0zjWnBUl_fhjlqjy4-gSngK5lU-OEwg30PnayVCdOyhERQ7bkMOovJcyCEBVTJHs2ZadUG1JGcCX3fSEuEpRiZSg961CxZ5fMDeD_Y7hHa_isiV/s1600-h/IMG01874.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma8LNnezwIiV0JNySMpaGUhGdBFMSU0zjWnBUl_fhjlqjy4-gSngK5lU-OEwg30PnayVCdOyhERQ7bkMOovJcyCEBVTJHs2ZadUG1JGcCX3fSEuEpRiZSg961CxZ5fMDeD_Y7hHa_isiV/s320/IMG01874.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382268364647330642" /></a><br />Overall, these messy, nutty, marshmellow invested, chocolaty brownies, gave us and the super surprised birthday girl, at her surprise gathering a super duper fun time, filled with giggles, chocolatey lips, and very satisfied tummies!Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-74068824252745602922009-09-06T17:47:00.000-07:002009-09-16T20:15:09.112-07:00Vanilla Almond BiscottiStory of my life: mom always yelling at me because of the slightest mess Iv'e made through baking! So the pieces fell perfectly together when treats ran out, and I wanted to bake something, and my grandma wanted me to come over to her house that following afternoon to bake something for her...:D<br />My family and I were going on vacation in a couple of days, and my grandma, herself, was going on a cruz in a few weeks, so we decided on baking something delicious, very low on fat, and of course, something that can be kept/stored for a long time. Biscotti!!!<br /><br />I found the recipe very special, because this had been passed down through friends of my grandmothers generation, but still the ingrediants and directions remained very simple for such a delicious dessert.<br /><br />-3 cups A.P. white flour<br />-2 cups sugar<br />-4 eggs<br />-1 1/2 tsp. baking soda<br />-1 1/2 tsp. baking powder<br />-2 tsp. vanilla extract<br />-1/4 cup nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts, alightly roasted/toasted (optional)<br />-1 cup almonds , slightly toasted/roasted<br />-1 cup almond powder<br /><br />Directions:<br />Sift and then mix all the dry igrdediants into one large bowl together. Mix in the eggs. Mix in everything else and let it all mix until everythings combined into a dough. Form the dough into 2 even sized loaves and bake in the oven at<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgBakyq3Z91tbc6ZDq9o8Tt0xeK_cn7fJpGU-aJiYrSxEMxj2WWxVhITr2hyVpOFOJ7Mq6EgciaEfuWo9ngK49FWeX5eI3qWBqhNsK-dXCZhD8mEqOZzNlHP__2eVxlAlI8rrPrQDJHcS/s1600-h/IMG01448.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382253426645298546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgBakyq3Z91tbc6ZDq9o8Tt0xeK_cn7fJpGU-aJiYrSxEMxj2WWxVhITr2hyVpOFOJ7Mq6EgciaEfuWo9ngK49FWeX5eI3qWBqhNsK-dXCZhD8mEqOZzNlHP__2eVxlAlI8rrPrQDJHcS/s320/IMG01448.jpg" /></a><br /><br />After the loaves cook in the over for about, take them out and slice them at an angle and place them on one of their flat sides into the oven for about another, flip them one more time, and let them bake for about another or until the edges start browning.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEher5DAc6AQtCL7-J2lXy4886OTfEg18bnqeubrkwgialKVkD402TT4_p3ADcPveISa9FuXItAfEbaYsR9XbaT6s9X3gMcAv4JkfTYtGjYJJTEe6dklky7-DOBZdMgAS6WuiJ9yTiBJ1lem/s1600-h/IMG01450.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEher5DAc6AQtCL7-J2lXy4886OTfEg18bnqeubrkwgialKVkD402TT4_p3ADcPveISa9FuXItAfEbaYsR9XbaT6s9X3gMcAv4JkfTYtGjYJJTEe6dklky7-DOBZdMgAS6WuiJ9yTiBJ1lem/s320/IMG01450.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382254351557882178" /></a><br /> <br />For the second biscotti loaf, we wanted to make the biscotti smaller, so we cut the load in half<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvBHIcHzpDUO0VXbzy2IeVxkMdFIciWqtBNjxmY34gX-3rIiGHO-b8wF1-3drAUXan1et2agtmvYZ_c5KwVWJUezMUd6tg_2AMwTQOmR5_HkY1UgiKqzBiCyz2V7YFugi8D_XH9sUUebh/s1600-h/IMG01452.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvBHIcHzpDUO0VXbzy2IeVxkMdFIciWqtBNjxmY34gX-3rIiGHO-b8wF1-3drAUXan1et2agtmvYZ_c5KwVWJUezMUd6tg_2AMwTQOmR5_HkY1UgiKqzBiCyz2V7YFugi8D_XH9sUUebh/s320/IMG01452.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382254748074902178" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqU3jR9r5ucD-ohxjhfZXyVV843WFjRkHgeZanemOlWF8Cc7lAp5Mr8ZsqcuXEyoM4KshChFloyPzMoL5qRzK9MYwN5CGMXQfaoQMuw8iCjlRgyLBbAZ0SEXDZD-pFP88rIlkfRT69blRn/s1600-h/IMG01457.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqU3jR9r5ucD-ohxjhfZXyVV843WFjRkHgeZanemOlWF8Cc7lAp5Mr8ZsqcuXEyoM4KshChFloyPzMoL5qRzK9MYwN5CGMXQfaoQMuw8iCjlRgyLBbAZ0SEXDZD-pFP88rIlkfRT69blRn/s320/IMG01457.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382255034345646978" /></a><br /><br />The original recipe actually called for 2 cups of almonds, but since my grandmother had almond powder on hand, we added a cup less of almonds and a cup of almond powder instead.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04nfZ1NpapFsW_2F1PeE_HsB0H2xfj-9hwdSfTfv1PgJdcsUEUjXSXDAtKppXMgXSp6LODSRtJ3EQwHZGnF9dZyk78mllpamjAt9xzHy8NuBfZ_71JryIqO9C4lfg50Ub7pLLcIz9E_gJ/s1600-h/IMG01433.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 291px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382250311565653346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04nfZ1NpapFsW_2F1PeE_HsB0H2xfj-9hwdSfTfv1PgJdcsUEUjXSXDAtKppXMgXSp6LODSRtJ3EQwHZGnF9dZyk78mllpamjAt9xzHy8NuBfZ_71JryIqO9C4lfg50Ub7pLLcIz9E_gJ/s320/IMG01433.jpg" /></a><br />The almond powder gave the biscotti a much stronger almond flavor then the whole almonds did, so I would add the almond powder into the dough the next time I bake these again. I you don't have any almond powder on hand, you can make i yourself by just tossing some almonds into the food prosseser, until they become as powdery an you want. Just be sure to use cold almonds, so that they don't turn into almond paste in the prosesser. If you don't feel like doing this, you can always add a few teaspoons of almond extract into the dough to give it a strong almond flavor.<br /><br />Be sure to allow the cookies to cool completely before serving, in order for them to become as hard and crispy as possible. They store well and keep their crunchy texture in the freezer.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgom_GhwdAv6zw8fq6prza6Ns9Ueuis-r26mpeQvor63tACUkYl_nO_dhss7jY23UJKlh_RQSB3UIxmNkGU5ZimcDnWq5PvRi-6raCMNk_Ck1DRF3K7bwQGxyLI3jYshyw8B2I9ApRi5PuK/s1600-h/IMG01658.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgom_GhwdAv6zw8fq6prza6Ns9Ueuis-r26mpeQvor63tACUkYl_nO_dhss7jY23UJKlh_RQSB3UIxmNkGU5ZimcDnWq5PvRi-6raCMNk_Ck1DRF3K7bwQGxyLI3jYshyw8B2I9ApRi5PuK/s320/IMG01658.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382255582494275778" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-92098300538334061202009-08-18T11:13:00.000-07:002009-08-18T11:58:43.504-07:00Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese FrostingTheir arn't many times when I'll bake a classic cheesecake, five layer chocolate cake, or one of my favorites, red velvet with cream cheese frosting. The only times I do bake heavy duty classics are most likely when I'm baking it for someone else. If I were to bake it for my family, it would be very likely, too likely in fact, that I would eat a big slice everyday, which is why I always try baking lighter treats. But sometimes, after you've managed to squeeze in some long walks in the morning, you're in the mood for baking, you want something that will put a huge smile on your face, and not to mention you've got some red food coloring on hand...<em>then it is time to bake some <strong>red velvet!!</strong></em><br /><br />I decided to go with red velvet cupcakes and found a recipe on allrecipes.com. The link to the recipe is <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=105768&servings=20">http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=105768&servings=20</a>.<br />The only changes I would make when baking these are putting only 1/4 cup of cocoa powder instead, because I found the fll 1/3 cup to be too much, and then putting half oil, instead of all butter, because I would have prefered the red velvet cupcakes to be a little moister.<br /><br />I also used half white flour, and the other half whole wheat flour, which didn't make a dramatically noticably difference, except the color of the batter wasn't able to get as deep and rich of a red as I would have liked, but none the less, they were definatly still red.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFmdIVjMOHoXO3-oWdC9XiftZjyi_WtxYjhXJZQq7421V4Q0mkM1WFrzfIbmqjCwtdGsyZsZ4XDV-5r0j_YQI2AKi2vVD8IdbkpjBkLJooMDQVX_IUmyXuZ6cIPpQdHaf118DUyHyMPAA/s1600-h/IMG01389.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371374195273466914" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFmdIVjMOHoXO3-oWdC9XiftZjyi_WtxYjhXJZQq7421V4Q0mkM1WFrzfIbmqjCwtdGsyZsZ4XDV-5r0j_YQI2AKi2vVD8IdbkpjBkLJooMDQVX_IUmyXuZ6cIPpQdHaf118DUyHyMPAA/s320/IMG01389.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When even amounts of the batter was all scooped into each cupcake tin, they went into the oven and then finally came back out<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26FZwzzDLs7u7rpgnG-jdtkJRFMkWD54Mv2Bj3vCsJqglBYUx1e2Y8oi7heipJsNGXa8-f3Vys7XTdXYtRy6XlI4fOh0tJuJ1yIzdUkpR7l5EVMlufyb2Z1RSBA-NDvYahrhSnGG3kYt2/s1600-h/IMG01390.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371375137836199394" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26FZwzzDLs7u7rpgnG-jdtkJRFMkWD54Mv2Bj3vCsJqglBYUx1e2Y8oi7heipJsNGXa8-f3Vys7XTdXYtRy6XlI4fOh0tJuJ1yIzdUkpR7l5EVMlufyb2Z1RSBA-NDvYahrhSnGG3kYt2/s320/IMG01390.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But I couldn't start scarfing them down just yet. Because a red velvet cupcake without cream cheese frosting, to me, is like an oreo without milk! So I had to wait for the cupcake to cool, and in the mean I made a cream cheese frosting to go with it.<br /><br />I only had an 8 ounce cream cheese jar, which was 1/3 empty, so I mixed that with 1/4 cup of softened butter, then added a drop of vanilla and gradually added 1 1/2- 2 cups of powdered sugar (however much you need to make it as thick or thin as you like)<br /><br />So <em>finally </em>the cupcakes had cooled and the cream cheese frosting was ready, so I dolloped a spoonful onto each cupcake and spread it out with the spoon itself, eagerly trying to get them finished so I could eat one asap!<br />I crumbed the smallest cupcake (because who wants to have to eat the <em>smallest</em> one?!) before I frosted it, onto all the other cupcakes after they had been frosted.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkAvCB1NJ4zsZehmkB64MPIrqvVAcLy00hcMPBGLxKdmy3hpHJl04rgMFXy8HZNQ_gqk-sfFdCkbXVORdSZTxapx06389e6KCrMuMaSvBp4mTaY3hDp9rYYvHZn5SwsuQBFMEJWuB4Noe/s1600-h/IMG01397.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371378488133297570" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkAvCB1NJ4zsZehmkB64MPIrqvVAcLy00hcMPBGLxKdmy3hpHJl04rgMFXy8HZNQ_gqk-sfFdCkbXVORdSZTxapx06389e6KCrMuMaSvBp4mTaY3hDp9rYYvHZn5SwsuQBFMEJWuB4Noe/s320/IMG01397.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />About 30 pictures of red velvet cupcakes later, I was <em><strong>finally</strong></em> able to reach for one of them for myself...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdygLEct7MX2MhOS5RnlWsIipmRK7QnNk5GfnFur64D-_KOK2TKRdWbA_kLonPnEsOXMVkSwKbAtO0fZy8ErhTWf9K-G3mavf9w07aKDP_Fn0qbOSPL4hJKNWW0m3LOTMkqWKZqg-2qP9/s1600-h/IMG01399.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371374773509285826" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdygLEct7MX2MhOS5RnlWsIipmRK7QnNk5GfnFur64D-_KOK2TKRdWbA_kLonPnEsOXMVkSwKbAtO0fZy8ErhTWf9K-G3mavf9w07aKDP_Fn0qbOSPL4hJKNWW0m3LOTMkqWKZqg-2qP9/s320/IMG01399.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />...<em>and it was love at first bite!!</em>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-56179862042911872932009-08-05T15:29:00.000-07:002009-08-18T12:22:23.676-07:00Peanut Butter-Banana Stuffed French ToastI was watching an episode of "The Best Thing Iv'e Ever Tasted," a show on Food Network and the main subject for that episode was 'breakfast.' The best thing Chef Bobby Flay had eaten for breakfast was "Stuffed French Toast." While he was explaining were they serve it at, I was too lost in the words of the french toast being stuffed with peanut butter and bananas to pay attention. So of course, the following morning, I was eager to make some Peanut Butter-Banana Stuffed French Toast (PBBSFT)! Just as I was about to grab the bananas, I realized I didn't have any bananas! Me, with a sad face, was stuck eating cereal that morning, instead of my hot 'PBBSFT.' However, the next morning after that, after I was sure to buy bananas, I was able to make my stuffed french toast.<br /><br />I made a plain peanut butter-banana sandwhich on whole-wheat bread<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAFMH5bhiLH6lhVofARvTpqMThyphenhyphenNxPCx_ZM1dgb6PYG6Io8pmVhbgdU47vlp956CtrDu9LpRXzU7U3VTLuFs5C4t_bdtVmJ66QXNtC5rsoVkF8V7VaAhj07kEZgxdNfII4MQQuqp1t4yP/s1600-h/IMG01249.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371382978843877490" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAFMH5bhiLH6lhVofARvTpqMThyphenhyphenNxPCx_ZM1dgb6PYG6Io8pmVhbgdU47vlp956CtrDu9LpRXzU7U3VTLuFs5C4t_bdtVmJ66QXNtC5rsoVkF8V7VaAhj07kEZgxdNfII4MQQuqp1t4yP/s320/IMG01249.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After I had closed the sandwhich, I soaked it into a mixture of 2 eggs, 1/8 cup of milk, salt, vanilla and:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTi_cfw0Ayza5tm-9d5Ibr-QjlYrf3K0Wb8iw5grV1xQk-4HtQatyefwwmLm8Q20-CQ3XQWoWPZLNEq7daF-xtHjIKIk0dFz2amFk0oWAyL3QzAnXTME8zdHFzawIKdl229ozyI5bkpb0/s1600-h/IMG01240.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371383635356312386" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTi_cfw0Ayza5tm-9d5Ibr-QjlYrf3K0Wb8iw5grV1xQk-4HtQatyefwwmLm8Q20-CQ3XQWoWPZLNEq7daF-xtHjIKIk0dFz2amFk0oWAyL3QzAnXTME8zdHFzawIKdl229ozyI5bkpb0/s320/IMG01240.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I let it soak for about 45 seconds on each side<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglMyjAz3lDXM8oNz0_Y6ArADNcDnEPP1b5unE2Qmu9T7bP7XF9ma275eTyDy-6noUO11QlEYvEK5cqMRCKK3NJ6Wd49M4_crlHCdFaZq6XZafpPk5aR3GumBPQYsXbhWGBOKPpJJy8uEt/s1600-h/IMG01252.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371383944703972530" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglMyjAz3lDXM8oNz0_Y6ArADNcDnEPP1b5unE2Qmu9T7bP7XF9ma275eTyDy-6noUO11QlEYvEK5cqMRCKK3NJ6Wd49M4_crlHCdFaZq6XZafpPk5aR3GumBPQYsXbhWGBOKPpJJy8uEt/s320/IMG01252.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Cooked it on a buttered pan until the it was nice and crisp on both sides:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7gzTimCdUa_6Oj99FwSAWa_P53WILGJbF0PoIz84oE9DbVt8h0ilJWiBUmqRJAmF2aVOXzdGi4WCGwgVREsjSWxoCWzT4XvyunweRSHB7yn1bDOrZ4FUiQWF_DAD9Pj9gE1_sB1ArP4b/s1600-h/IMG01258.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371384455056892834" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7gzTimCdUa_6Oj99FwSAWa_P53WILGJbF0PoIz84oE9DbVt8h0ilJWiBUmqRJAmF2aVOXzdGi4WCGwgVREsjSWxoCWzT4XvyunweRSHB7yn1bDOrZ4FUiQWF_DAD9Pj9gE1_sB1ArP4b/s320/IMG01258.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Then sliced it in half, dusted some powdered sugar and cinamon on top...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93JZ9pCHkajTTQiFrdFrMRs3M9EkwZw1JG-HO-uJeiJZs8-4zTjitZT-OSPsSQUsZmBsPoJs4qFQQI6019-7V2jDqNuSkXYjbBWXrnsAFtjw4xeBMdMzL8uyI_L1QZDOtWvvauSfNCzyQ/s1600-h/IMG01260.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371384874022388370" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93JZ9pCHkajTTQiFrdFrMRs3M9EkwZw1JG-HO-uJeiJZs8-4zTjitZT-OSPsSQUsZmBsPoJs4qFQQI6019-7V2jDqNuSkXYjbBWXrnsAFtjw4xeBMdMzL8uyI_L1QZDOtWvvauSfNCzyQ/s320/IMG01260.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />...drizzled some maple syrup on top, and ate it with a glass of orange juice...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPNlxgW3okr_8usG459AcGdc1Alby7FnmHmvAz55Zyoi_IApMzNByURw1YulzHI7yNM9MJgxNM_YqWzgONGQKjxRsQRpa19AN3BEbrgS6ip_ib-M3yWdw-xvDifcL_NGP3S50a3I8vzxr/s1600-h/IMG01268.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371385615522064882" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPNlxgW3okr_8usG459AcGdc1Alby7FnmHmvAz55Zyoi_IApMzNByURw1YulzHI7yNM9MJgxNM_YqWzgONGQKjxRsQRpa19AN3BEbrgS6ip_ib-M3yWdw-xvDifcL_NGP3S50a3I8vzxr/s320/IMG01268.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />..and experienced a little taste of heaven for breakfast :)Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-80328827333393197672009-08-02T16:52:00.000-07:002009-08-02T17:20:09.552-07:00Lemon Wafers with Lemon GlazeI love the concept of a light and very tasty cookie and was lucky enough to find a great recipe for (mini) vanilla wafers on <a href="http://bakingbites.com/2008/07/mini-vanilla-wafer-cookies/">http://bakingbites.com/2008/07/mini-vanilla-wafer-cookies/</a>, which has turned out to be one of my favorite basic cookie recipes. If you add an extra 1/4 cup of flour to the batter, it keeps the shape and form of the cookie you pipe out, so you can use any shaped you like. I decided to change the vanilla cookies into lemon cookies instead, and all I did was add <strong>1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice</strong> instead of the vanilla extract and used <strong>all white sugar</strong>. I zested the lemon earlier, and sprinkled the <strong>lemon zest</strong> on top of the cookies right before they went into the oven.<br />'Unwisely' I piped the batter into a bit more unique of a design than little rounds, and even though they looked nice going into the oven...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9XLe11HAEzpZl2wiDZBa96eOYOdp1yEcmlS1hKlDzYRQA_XZcxNXWXOr3gacDfWaiBvLiMvJU66qTOLUBppheJnrfSPh4l31KUSy2TYboINw7hrAYVmYuv9sOOtiZt5ciHJwCRuQqKwR/s1600-h/IMG01159.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365522030181846834" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9XLe11HAEzpZl2wiDZBa96eOYOdp1yEcmlS1hKlDzYRQA_XZcxNXWXOr3gacDfWaiBvLiMvJU66qTOLUBppheJnrfSPh4l31KUSy2TYboINw7hrAYVmYuv9sOOtiZt5ciHJwCRuQqKwR/s320/IMG01159.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />..the cookies didn't keep their shape and came out flat because of the low amount of flour put into them<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyaJYG2KSH-pvSgfwkL4Yi4_fSoshWll8H9QRLNHCekIhWYUiBEWyqko6e7jlCVkkZJE9VvjfHrCxyUv07Y4N4bYMJ4jxKdZ5L7Kj6j8LSLzF_jar2wjvDwDiL3ljZgC77WDCjeTWDzKN/s1600-h/IMG01166.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365522638311106098" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyaJYG2KSH-pvSgfwkL4Yi4_fSoshWll8H9QRLNHCekIhWYUiBEWyqko6e7jlCVkkZJE9VvjfHrCxyUv07Y4N4bYMJ4jxKdZ5L7Kj6j8LSLzF_jar2wjvDwDiL3ljZgC77WDCjeTWDzKN/s320/IMG01166.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To spice up their flat appearence, I mixed the extra lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon) with sifted powdered sugar (about 1/4-1/3 cup, depending on how thick you want your glaze) until they were fully combined togeher as a glaze. I just drizzled that glaze onto the cookies in rows of stripes, but be careful not to drizzle on too much, so that you don't overpower the cookies with it.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOB4gnkdLwU47CLRvmw3yQcEB-0Jr6MnoImkJb5ZNTxzKah0rYxkEZEjH92y8X2NFGaLrL8M920wFwp7wz5Mzz7OMiZthFZxCi2gbgzW11KJS3UVuZ9oDxTJInE46inBTt_8x4emXYpw9/s1600-h/IMG01177.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365524616963596786" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOB4gnkdLwU47CLRvmw3yQcEB-0Jr6MnoImkJb5ZNTxzKah0rYxkEZEjH92y8X2NFGaLrL8M920wFwp7wz5Mzz7OMiZthFZxCi2gbgzW11KJS3UVuZ9oDxTJInE46inBTt_8x4emXYpw9/s320/IMG01177.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once the glaze hardened, I had myself a batch of delicious petite lemon wafers with a lemony glaze :D<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8QvXw_2jVqkPfhIyGneDf98_DBCh7QMv29Ekl7-3R-sKnsiomQ7ZhCuM23Wn7deJtCkI7N8NsPU50dnBMepU2PgbnjAPFiRh1niB79WbNMQL9sUjmX_9jaQZs4ZIfqcbtefSlFdKEUWC/s1600-h/IMG01197.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365525400381281138" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8QvXw_2jVqkPfhIyGneDf98_DBCh7QMv29Ekl7-3R-sKnsiomQ7ZhCuM23Wn7deJtCkI7N8NsPU50dnBMepU2PgbnjAPFiRh1niB79WbNMQL9sUjmX_9jaQZs4ZIfqcbtefSlFdKEUWC/s320/IMG01197.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />^^These cookies wern't photograghed with the most attractive looking "lemon zest stripes," but I triedDoreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-42920607702707543172009-08-01T18:47:00.000-07:002009-08-02T16:39:10.531-07:00Whole-Wheat Strawberry ShortcakeI was at my grandma's house, and my aunt brought a simple and very tasty dessert. Strawberry Shortcake. I decided to post about it, because shortcakes have only a couple of steps, can be put together as slopply as you like, and always taste good.<br />For the cake part, my aunt used the recipe she always uses, only this time, she used whole-wheat flour in replacement of white flour:<br /><br />-6 eggs<br />-2 cup. Sugar<br />-3/4 cup. Oil<br />-3 cup. Flour<br />-3 Tsp. Baking Powder<br />-1/2 cup. Orange Juice<br />-Vanilla<br /><br />Directions:<br />1. Mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla together.<br />2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together<br />3. Alternate adding the flour and baking powder mixture and the orange juice to the wet ingredients, starting with the flour and ending with the flour<br />4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.<br /><br />After the cakes are ready, start layering in a large serving bowl a layer of cream, sliced strawberries, cake, cream, sliced strawberries, etc. Do this until the whole bowl is filled to the top with a final layer of cream and decorate with strawberries if you like<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEoV7YhloKni4gSqo0CCIc9r8UakyTkMkCYQ6c4F1c72pETneC4RcK45GYLNhSjit5oqcNb2vTFtIAEqO2keDYwS9LO4NQaBBEy7SCIOxYx7SKX-mocxPQAoMcFGup-3nDEM94XHt5AF0/s1600-h/IMG00962.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365181473951478402" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEoV7YhloKni4gSqo0CCIc9r8UakyTkMkCYQ6c4F1c72pETneC4RcK45GYLNhSjit5oqcNb2vTFtIAEqO2keDYwS9LO4NQaBBEy7SCIOxYx7SKX-mocxPQAoMcFGup-3nDEM94XHt5AF0/s320/IMG00962.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There is really no better way to serve this, than to just dig in with a big spoon. Even if it gives of a sloppier appearence of the cake, that's just part of the fun of it, and your still going to be eating the same wonderful flavors from the strawberry shortcake.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSei6ZnSMdkdGJXrjGN1miuVHF4UPRE0iS0iO-LvZvX8h5Xbau-jzdBpSFaP8vpK6fKRshXw9FK_0mAH7sP8frjbixY6ExMfHrmJajh3Y4zf9D4-3ChIiSQUO_hjuLXv_L1JHJYDWKzac/s1600-h/IMG00982.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365183857609845618" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSei6ZnSMdkdGJXrjGN1miuVHF4UPRE0iS0iO-LvZvX8h5Xbau-jzdBpSFaP8vpK6fKRshXw9FK_0mAH7sP8frjbixY6ExMfHrmJajh3Y4zf9D4-3ChIiSQUO_hjuLXv_L1JHJYDWKzac/s320/IMG00982.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Theirs the spoon that's been attacked ^^ with cream<br /><br />Strawberry shortcake anyone? It's whole wheat..<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh788QIbtBf6q8UzcoFJZX1QwTnSrYNrMIxsGB0fn5TtsjDnF2h7aRP35gd5kJrX8UpOdTSNXZa_36Uj8EGw27RiO-hh0Xn4QaPnfPmAk70_QJ7wFxJJsqiAfkEik1ij7YMTgPxX6EBzqcN/s1600-h/IMG00968.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365184840682154674" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh788QIbtBf6q8UzcoFJZX1QwTnSrYNrMIxsGB0fn5TtsjDnF2h7aRP35gd5kJrX8UpOdTSNXZa_36Uj8EGw27RiO-hh0Xn4QaPnfPmAk70_QJ7wFxJJsqiAfkEik1ij7YMTgPxX6EBzqcN/s320/IMG00968.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-54284480151981428252009-08-01T11:40:00.000-07:002009-08-01T12:22:58.281-07:00Espresso Cookies with Chocolate CoatingI find myself baking a lot of cakes, and decided to go with cookies this week. I made up my own recipe, but it's just the ingredients for a basic cookie recipe, which i then added some ground coffee beans into it, for the extra flavor.<br /><br />-1/2 cup butter (softened)<br />-1 egg<br />-1/2 cup white sugar<br />-1/4 cup light brown sugar<br />-1 1/2 cups all purpose white flour<br />-1/2 tsp salt<br />-1/2 tsp baking powder<br />-1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />-1/2 tsp fresh coffee/espresso<br />-1 tsp ground coffee/espresso beans<br />-1/4 cup chocolate for melting<br /><br />Directions:<br />1. Beat the butter and sugars together.<br />2. Once the butter and sugars are fully combined beat in the egg. Add the vanilla and fresh coffee/espresso<br />3. In a seperate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground espresso/coffee beans. Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture while mixing, until everything is combined 4. I put my batter into a ziplock bag, and snipped a whole at the bottom, to pipe out logs onto a greased baking sheet. I also tried cutting the edges of each cookie of, with a rigid/wavy edge cutter, to give the edges of each cookie a wavy design, but after they baked up, the design got to crips and didn't look to good<br />5. Bake at 325 F for 15-25 minutes or until the edges start to turn a golden brown color<br /><br />Let the cookies completely cool before adding a layer of chocolate on them<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjL7rbMsxyOte20MDacjEZ9RpQ56JCjXV6TP-OPs0Gl-VnrTMHG4By_3XqSPrkH6zN5a5fQ9Ra2Z32diHY3NpfKnprfIE4C1UB70tQ4b8VIdq-6EXi0ZUs0yFvASf79OJcAGmhB4ZCnfR/s1600-h/IMG01169.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365073409758974386" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjL7rbMsxyOte20MDacjEZ9RpQ56JCjXV6TP-OPs0Gl-VnrTMHG4By_3XqSPrkH6zN5a5fQ9Ra2Z32diHY3NpfKnprfIE4C1UB70tQ4b8VIdq-6EXi0ZUs0yFvASf79OJcAGmhB4ZCnfR/s320/IMG01169.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Melt half of the chocolate in the microwave, and then stir in the other half of the (finely chopped)chocolate into the melted chocolate , until it's all melted in. (This is a trick I learned from Ina Garten, from food network, and this assures you to have shiny tempered melted chocolate)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUWBttWFl5Q2rO2ZHyojloC-9LKrUUIGPDkBJGyGWB0mKJziihmGWfrHknFQZZCjO-qi8ySMRdKlKoqmY80cJnsmh107qL32lQkQtO1hWuLbpeUiorktUOQuQQ-gAG6CTy3gnqUmKrglG/s1600-h/IMG01187.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365074146580203026" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUWBttWFl5Q2rO2ZHyojloC-9LKrUUIGPDkBJGyGWB0mKJziihmGWfrHknFQZZCjO-qi8ySMRdKlKoqmY80cJnsmh107qL32lQkQtO1hWuLbpeUiorktUOQuQQ-gAG6CTy3gnqUmKrglG/s320/IMG01187.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once your melted chocolate is ready, spread on an even layer of chocolate over all or half of each cookie. I used semi-sweet chocoolate, because that's what I had on hand, but you can use a more bitter/darker chocolate to go with the slightly bitter coffee/espreso flavor from the cookies.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExfwU6YAmnfher_8nBbIVP3lFa66owqk_SlRtMrgRzbjMX-jf2hggi4W7qff5NsKjrfwxktjTB5Hm0M0_SyxdZnmZjxZzRyvJ3nvmdEiZ-brNFW4jOuuLMPBwKX82W_VhoMQLa8vbJwsf/s1600-h/IMG01188.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365075812687915474" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExfwU6YAmnfher_8nBbIVP3lFa66owqk_SlRtMrgRzbjMX-jf2hggi4W7qff5NsKjrfwxktjTB5Hm0M0_SyxdZnmZjxZzRyvJ3nvmdEiZ-brNFW4jOuuLMPBwKX82W_VhoMQLa8vbJwsf/s320/IMG01188.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once the chocolate has hardened (in the fridge to make it go faster) on the cookies, sit down with a cup of milk, coffee or, of course, espresso while enjoying one of your freshly baked espresso cookies!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoiyKX5b3QklRsMKnu3y-dn7i0yJT7iVKoW9mfNnGsaiqEmLcDXW1NLQiuPr5CwB-oP1wUMf5kLh8s3j3hHlk_lM3fho1G4-b4hwg3jfiltpyCjpdZlTjoMi6o-YKBkHA9P8eI74Wzhoj/s1600-h/IMG01208.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365077111813864562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoiyKX5b3QklRsMKnu3y-dn7i0yJT7iVKoW9mfNnGsaiqEmLcDXW1NLQiuPr5CwB-oP1wUMf5kLh8s3j3hHlk_lM3fho1G4-b4hwg3jfiltpyCjpdZlTjoMi6o-YKBkHA9P8eI74Wzhoj/s320/IMG01208.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-45772305802278342312009-07-30T14:07:00.000-07:002009-07-30T14:24:40.742-07:00Banana-Berry ParfaitJust a simple, quick, and I guess I could say healthy, snack for a hot summer afternoon. Iv'e made a berry parfait before, and there really isn't much to it, but they always end up looking elegant and yummy enough to post about. I used a simple wine glass for my cup, and pretty much just threw in a layer ofnon-fat vanilla yogurt on the bottem, berries (that have chilled in the freezer for about 30-60 mins). Then some non-fat cottage cheese (cottage cheese?...Oddly enough, I like the combination of it with the berries), then granola, and then sliced bananas. Pretty much, you can just keep layering the parfait with whatever ingredients you like, but I finished it wit a dollop of yogurt, leftover berries, and a little bit of granola on top.<br /><br />*The lighting wasn't to good when I took this picture**<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJo69YOcsqek5qF5a3-PBQwrBe84sILJo457zHqYdyU97GlXJscBEXjVwEYTsT4xRa5TKfvchuum_ierxRvUDEsvceh6yeAZJTe_S_FEE47HCd752xDsSLzvtwfCI8HYVz5IfbhpMJ0OZ/s1600-h/IMG01101.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364364930202863906" style="WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJo69YOcsqek5qF5a3-PBQwrBe84sILJo457zHqYdyU97GlXJscBEXjVwEYTsT4xRa5TKfvchuum_ierxRvUDEsvceh6yeAZJTe_S_FEE47HCd752xDsSLzvtwfCI8HYVz5IfbhpMJ0OZ/s320/IMG01101.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Do you know that point after you've eaten half of your parfait, and your starting your way down to the point where all the ingredients sort of come together in your next spoonful!?...I sure did :)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8DS_9tmxLPDZP_PdeQJflNJJyRMJVdQWa5EPpadZ6fvsPR7Eixh3Gs8kRHNN-yQ81MuP133kYM8e3MMw_tIP8b9ssq4xVUui06yuFqk82w1WYLi9LniCmViwdNUG2iR1yEF_7TIy7ICX/s1600-h/IMG01102.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364366075842130178" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8DS_9tmxLPDZP_PdeQJflNJJyRMJVdQWa5EPpadZ6fvsPR7Eixh3Gs8kRHNN-yQ81MuP133kYM8e3MMw_tIP8b9ssq4xVUui06yuFqk82w1WYLi9LniCmViwdNUG2iR1yEF_7TIy7ICX/s320/IMG01102.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />..but it sure didn't last too long<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLsMaV7Xj-V1m9wI41cufgmyJUZhyTFVGAA7eEnMKmo5lyq4CWMHCXV_7csvO0H02BecmiXdthxzVhoki2FS0zXyC7fKvQgrbEEfzyOCqvi_cwyasXlesSkZRRPUQIAqj2rxv_7AMYW1-/s1600-h/IMG01108.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364366406593129554" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLsMaV7Xj-V1m9wI41cufgmyJUZhyTFVGAA7eEnMKmo5lyq4CWMHCXV_7csvO0H02BecmiXdthxzVhoki2FS0zXyC7fKvQgrbEEfzyOCqvi_cwyasXlesSkZRRPUQIAqj2rxv_7AMYW1-/s320/IMG01108.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-42761298457552700282009-07-29T21:28:00.000-07:002009-07-30T13:29:05.072-07:00Chocolate Nutella CakeAs much as my brother enjoys what I bake, he's been complaining about how often I do, and how he never does. He is pretty young, but my grandma, my aunt, and I all love baking, so maybe it just runs in the family. He wanted to bake a chocolate cake with his own made up recipe, and I decided on helping him. He made a list of the basic ingredients he knew to put in the cake, and I added a few extras. The measurments were figured out along as we made up the cakes recipe, but overall, the texture and flavor of the cake was pretty good.<br /><br />Chocolate Nutella Cake<br />-3 eggs<br />-1/4 cup dark brown sugar<br />-1/4 cup white sugar<br />-1/2 cup oil<br />-1 tsp. coffee<br />-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract<br />-1/4 cup milk<br />-1 1/4 cup white AP flour<br />-1/2 tsp. salt<br />-2 tsp. baking powder<br />-1 tsp. cocoa powder<br />-1 tsp. Orange Juice (optional)<br />-1/3 cup chocolate chips<br />-1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts (I didn't have any on hand ): )<br />-1/4 cup AP flour<br />-1/4 cup-1/2 cup nutella (based on how fudgy you want your cake)<br />-Melted Chocolate and Sprinkles to decorate (optional)<br /><br />Directions:<br />1. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugars, and oil.<br />2. Add in the coffee and vanilla and beat until all combined. Add 1/4 cup of nutella, or 1/2 cup for a fudgier cake<br />3. In a seperate bowl, sift togther the flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder all together.<br />4. Alternate mixing in the sifted flour mixture with the milk and orange juice into the egg mixture, until it's all combined together<br />5. Toss the chocolate chips and hazelnuts in the extra 1/4 cup of flour (to prevent the chocolate chips/nuts from sinking into the bottom of the cake), until each chocolate chip/hazelnut is evenly coated with flour. Pour the flour coated chocolate chips and hazelnuts into the batter and mix in.<br />6.Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafmZTZMUpInvEJboscbyg_0eSMB1TSkDqknR9-cS_8sOnc_1n3E8UWsZnBwhyphenhyphenQt4FjDyKwFowKbIBpd4LLdDmTKfjnOESWj4UjDw09KzllUM6VKQI4siv_HBCYs0ga7GgjkafGU1tt6IL/s1600-h/IMG01063.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364109834164608690" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafmZTZMUpInvEJboscbyg_0eSMB1TSkDqknR9-cS_8sOnc_1n3E8UWsZnBwhyphenhyphenQt4FjDyKwFowKbIBpd4LLdDmTKfjnOESWj4UjDw09KzllUM6VKQI4siv_HBCYs0ga7GgjkafGU1tt6IL/s320/IMG01063.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To add a little something extra to the cake, once its cooled down, take it out of the pan and melt about 1/3 cup of chocolate. With a wisk or a fork, drizzle it over the cake, however way you like, and then top it of with some sprinkles while the chocolate is still melted.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VhSo-h4uOv2IoH1WI1RjcijIom5h4tKjFTeKLSNe_yfAVJZkj9s8q0Vdd6kXW6iH-bCBJNRt_esP1HCsEOjLT51u4dXvqbrYcZA3eu6jvfBCzMU0ZGhwg4gVd4jC75AZLpFdFby25fyz/s1600-h/IMG01068.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364110701021832706" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VhSo-h4uOv2IoH1WI1RjcijIom5h4tKjFTeKLSNe_yfAVJZkj9s8q0Vdd6kXW6iH-bCBJNRt_esP1HCsEOjLT51u4dXvqbrYcZA3eu6jvfBCzMU0ZGhwg4gVd4jC75AZLpFdFby25fyz/s320/IMG01068.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />If I would have thought of this earlier (and was up for the extra calories ;p), I probably would have sliced the cake down the middle and spread on a layer of nutella and chopped up hazelnuts onto the bottem half, and then closed it with the upper half of the cake!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ25uzxO7MRNmWR4Yt2S6aAg_10AzNdRPiMEoEX9wRjneK6MRnv7zEaffdjlcIR3c39MHh2Sn8-s5axh3Fp59FG2BjcH6KkaN9ai9vEADpssC_HJ0ptT1J-PvyzuszzXD9GZNSRIPjGDhM/s1600-h/IMG01077.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364111165474376850" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ25uzxO7MRNmWR4Yt2S6aAg_10AzNdRPiMEoEX9wRjneK6MRnv7zEaffdjlcIR3c39MHh2Sn8-s5axh3Fp59FG2BjcH6KkaN9ai9vEADpssC_HJ0ptT1J-PvyzuszzXD9GZNSRIPjGDhM/s320/IMG01077.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-60796983103524255382009-07-26T13:53:00.001-07:002009-07-26T14:22:00.085-07:00Peanut Butter and Chocolate Covered Banana with NutsA few weeks ago, half a banana was eaten, and the other half layed unappealingly lonely on the counter for the rest of the afternoon. So what's a girl who's never eaten a chocolate covered banana before supposed to do? That's right, I went to the cupboard and grabbed a handful of chocolate chips to melt, to smear onto that banana! I do love bananas with a drizzle of peanut butter on them, and I do loveee peanut butter with chocolate, so i think we already know what happened next...;)<br /><br />After I inserted a stick into the banana I smeared an even layer of peanut butter all around it<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODnpbkm443-kIZQvo4rxRNE-tVD2BwgmoCrwGY1ks1Soub0B1QzPg4vtk35xrUcAi9jXZs2BUkUIlx167AGe_uo2uC_V08XMUXFfKm2icl0Vl-djpvPIlgwK8ZhyphenhyphenokdXU80UH_KvW134S/s1600-h/IMG00622.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362879301473237970" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODnpbkm443-kIZQvo4rxRNE-tVD2BwgmoCrwGY1ks1Soub0B1QzPg4vtk35xrUcAi9jXZs2BUkUIlx167AGe_uo2uC_V08XMUXFfKm2icl0Vl-djpvPIlgwK8ZhyphenhyphenokdXU80UH_KvW134S/s320/IMG00622.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />After the peanut butter on the banana hardened up for about 15 minutes in the freezer, it made spreading a layer of melted chocolate onto the banana a lot easier<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenQzDeNCv7H4uP9CIL7DevR06cDEdqzF_sCYV8GT8dLdLqXSWD1fUKR8kDERoXHrikgojBSfzirh65xfifK6rervR0aNWJOfsLqMOz4mJmFh5jRUtlXnSd4dYxVOB0v5_uDqK8ni91ekN/s1600-h/IMG00626.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362880044672665122" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenQzDeNCv7H4uP9CIL7DevR06cDEdqzF_sCYV8GT8dLdLqXSWD1fUKR8kDERoXHrikgojBSfzirh65xfifK6rervR0aNWJOfsLqMOz4mJmFh5jRUtlXnSd4dYxVOB0v5_uDqK8ni91ekN/s320/IMG00626.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Which then dove its way into a pile of nutss...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ojnXyIzTsjQtmx7rsstxcqclq4Q6TYRvNXlqsZFziyfA1ixBl6jM8TXhTsLZGbeQ6fYeciifD48bi-ZPlB6lVdPspFPoworbfGanUOOoUdtmNBLRdWBQVe9hMOAaVfEmET9jgzLEOOYq/s1600-h/IMG00630.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362880486747895522" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ojnXyIzTsjQtmx7rsstxcqclq4Q6TYRvNXlqsZFziyfA1ixBl6jM8TXhTsLZGbeQ6fYeciifD48bi-ZPlB6lVdPspFPoworbfGanUOOoUdtmNBLRdWBQVe9hMOAaVfEmET9jgzLEOOYq/s320/IMG00630.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I only had almonds on hand so I chopped them up and they still added a great nutty crunch<br />(I only coated half the banana in nuts, and placed the nutty side down on the tray so that none of the chocolate touched/stuck onto it)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISk2NTV7SrEm4gGI879m5zZsoHmTal924wD6ugDwprr2UKfMboL_Y4s7f8aioBng3kK04bOe4fnnxS7-saB3sAPhNrH8u8kqpo9kEPXguO6rpfpMdzl64BZ3DPjxsmZZRCIi_a3BPUEAL/s1600-h/IMG00646.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362881261715806882" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISk2NTV7SrEm4gGI879m5zZsoHmTal924wD6ugDwprr2UKfMboL_Y4s7f8aioBng3kK04bOe4fnnxS7-saB3sAPhNrH8u8kqpo9kEPXguO6rpfpMdzl64BZ3DPjxsmZZRCIi_a3BPUEAL/s320/IMG00646.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Once the whole things done and coated in whatever toppings you like, plop it into the freezer and put it into the refridgerater for 30-45 minutes before you want to eat itDoreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-83358504619587660812009-07-25T20:32:00.000-07:002009-07-26T21:19:50.601-07:00Lots and Lots of Different Cupcakesss!Through out last year, I baked plenty, but didn't think of making a blog at that time, so I rarely photograghed my food. I was looking through old pictures and was fortunate enough to find a picture of something I had baked for a friend's birthday. We had a memory of craving cupcakes after passing a sprinkles cupcake and crumbs cupcake shop and so of course I went with cupcakes! She's one of my closest friends, so I decided on making her a variety of cupcakes with flavors she picked out.<br /><em>I don't remeber the basic cupcake recipe I used, but the flavors added are simple enough to add to any cupcake recipe</em> you like<br />The picture quality itself isn't that great and each cupcake was only photographed once so I didn't have much variety to choose from for the best looking pictures of each. The little papers stuck onto each cupcake have the flavor and frosting types of each cupcake written on them, though its sort of blurry<br /><br />Cupcake #1<br />Flavor: Vanilla Cupcake with Nutella Swirl<br />Frosting: Vanilla Buttercream mixed with Nutella<br />Topping: Small Chocolate Chunks and Tuxedo Chocolate Covered Strawberry<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b4h1Y3GLYE9VgJEbXnAOPy-Fr4nuQ9_bw1FDYSXaQ7PMHJZNuv3OGEUxvxj7TY-B2VH5kj5zPQnwIu1Vk1j3kRWYCnbTwGaWBwxbC0yvdx-mWqOHKZB9pfdfB3uTX-_Rik2-rFt5J1ui/s1600-h/IMG_31.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362621780225871282" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b4h1Y3GLYE9VgJEbXnAOPy-Fr4nuQ9_bw1FDYSXaQ7PMHJZNuv3OGEUxvxj7TY-B2VH5kj5zPQnwIu1Vk1j3kRWYCnbTwGaWBwxbC0yvdx-mWqOHKZB9pfdfB3uTX-_Rik2-rFt5J1ui/s320/IMG_31.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Cupcake #2<br />Flavor: Chocolate Cupcake with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup chunks<br />Frosting: Peanut Butter Frosting<br />Topping: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Crumbles<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlxDv8yWVO36ynmmwqVfHbnOCwfsMG2u0nBp5mRp7PIHbP81tI0lryZRtzgQjSMga5Ye8kvkue8WE3OaHttSq5s7KhJ8p2-szYwmCgiOhcDa7lf66GmTPn84a2YDU0lZ8gsLzna9rnMf5/s1600-h/IMG_33.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362625409261409938" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlxDv8yWVO36ynmmwqVfHbnOCwfsMG2u0nBp5mRp7PIHbP81tI0lryZRtzgQjSMga5Ye8kvkue8WE3OaHttSq5s7KhJ8p2-szYwmCgiOhcDa7lf66GmTPn84a2YDU0lZ8gsLzna9rnMf5/s320/IMG_33.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />(the link to this recipe is originally from <a href="http://icecreambeforedinner.blogspot.com/2008/07/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-cupcakes.html">http://icecreambeforedinner.blogspot.com/2008/07/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-cupcakes.html</a>, an amazing and absolutely deliciousss blog!)<br /><br />Cupcake #3<br />Flavor: Cinamon Sugar with Pecans and Walnuts<br />Frosting: Cinamon Cream Cheese Frosting<br />Topping: Pecans and Walnuts and and a Small Sprinkle of Cinammon<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9mQ0emx1qto10SCHaCg421FUD8YuTW0_gsPY7-JIlpotbCI9BA-OVa5Pyoe3ZOVGeAM6Pjsq_aQQ65qdZGa4tVpY4BWBX0TByNaDO_mg5Hz9GNKTSv_DBO6KX5yZBx5Au6nX13HV-23d/s1600-h/IMG_37.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362627655368358562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9mQ0emx1qto10SCHaCg421FUD8YuTW0_gsPY7-JIlpotbCI9BA-OVa5Pyoe3ZOVGeAM6Pjsq_aQQ65qdZGa4tVpY4BWBX0TByNaDO_mg5Hz9GNKTSv_DBO6KX5yZBx5Au6nX13HV-23d/s320/IMG_37.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Cupcake #4<br />Flavor: Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Covered Caramel Chunks<br />Frosting: Vanilla Buttercream with Nutella Swirls<br />Topping: Chocolate Coated Caramel Chunks and Chocolate Covered Strawberry with White Chocolate Stripes<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeg8QG2lzETL9t8jzJZXaWBtTZrcBxSztOc32Pj7o0SusNwI6EEJS9QkWYTnEOGFwuoqF2L2CdLIE3kCh6Tj6BCMqGY2nEBmUA1a02dlnsOZ5aRToxkLdHFtmGzdVRncOnfCfv2z7WyqS/s1600-h/IMG_39.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362628803697511746" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeg8QG2lzETL9t8jzJZXaWBtTZrcBxSztOc32Pj7o0SusNwI6EEJS9QkWYTnEOGFwuoqF2L2CdLIE3kCh6Tj6BCMqGY2nEBmUA1a02dlnsOZ5aRToxkLdHFtmGzdVRncOnfCfv2z7WyqS/s320/IMG_39.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I packaged all 4 cupcakes up in a plastic container and took it to school the following morning to surprise my friend and make her birthday nutrition/lunch at school a little more satisfying ;)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzfXRos-ZA8oxVM9-DtsaGCbmFz5sPgAFlaJsrzBysnhz4821uSC9E7cbbaMRUAy4e-7hfoequcCmEsXBiPxSm-x5GVEpeiJQGiCNqI4H0NhPyutGHmbHQWHRl4ybvrERPcaEXzd5DtJ1/s1600-h/IMG_41.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362630306310941938" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzfXRos-ZA8oxVM9-DtsaGCbmFz5sPgAFlaJsrzBysnhz4821uSC9E7cbbaMRUAy4e-7hfoequcCmEsXBiPxSm-x5GVEpeiJQGiCNqI4H0NhPyutGHmbHQWHRl4ybvrERPcaEXzd5DtJ1/s320/IMG_41.JPG" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-33140971774191416912009-07-25T17:43:00.000-07:002009-07-25T22:12:32.235-07:00Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies (C.C.C.B.)Two of my friends birthdays were recently on the same day. We all met up togther for lunch with some other friends, and of course, you've got to have dessert on your birthday! One birthday girl is a big fan of brownies and the other of chocolate chip cookies, and I had spotted a recipe which layered chocolate chip cookie dough onto brownie batter on <a href="http://anotheronebitesthecrustblog.com/">http://anotheronebitesthecrustblog.com/</a>, an amazing blog that has all my favorite ingulgences in low-fat versions! So of course, I found a great brownie recipe as well as a chocolate chip cookie dough recipe to pile onto each other for the perfect birthday treat.<br /><br />The brownie recipe I got was from, probably favorite food network star, Ina Garten, and I also halfened the recipe since I needed only a thin layer. The recipe given for her "Outrageous Brownies" is:<br />-1 pound unsalted butter<br />-1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided<br />-6 ounces unsweetened chocolate<br />-6 extra-large eggs<br />-3 tablespoons instant coffee powder<br />-2 tablespoons real vanilla extract<br />-2 1/4 cups sugar<br />-1 1/4 cups flour, divided- 1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts<br />-1 tablespoon baking powder<br />-1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />-3 cups diced walnut pieces<br /><br />Directions<br />1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.<br />2. Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and bitter chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.<br />3. Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter.<br />4. Pour into prepared pan. <strong>**I kept some exra brownie batter (a few tablespoons) to drizzle on top of the cookie batter going on top*</strong><br />5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not overbake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDEmOM1eSRVEsvNE1qxiM3XBz248lMfC8sha85QhjdK93ysB-P-826RES2WwNHkiF7-gzwd74H5xEVDkkG8W35QJbTUUVxmBnDSkfwJ5hbLM1ISUJiXvgd_a61UB2Yf21naFOJ5CR8SpA/s1600-h/IMG00744.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362571186690156130" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDEmOM1eSRVEsvNE1qxiM3XBz248lMfC8sha85QhjdK93ysB-P-826RES2WwNHkiF7-gzwd74H5xEVDkkG8W35QJbTUUVxmBnDSkfwJ5hbLM1ISUJiXvgd_a61UB2Yf21naFOJ5CR8SpA/s320/IMG00744.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^<br />If your making C.C.C.B.'s preheat the oven to anywere from 325-350F. Also don't put the brownie batter into the oven without putting on the layer of chocolate chip cookie dough over it first (recipe below)<br /><br />For the layer of chocolate chip cookies I tried to find a recipe that had the longest cooking period possible to match up with the full half an hour of the brownies cooking time. This recipe I found only had to be baked for 15-17 and can be found on <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Big-Fat-Chewy-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie/Detail.aspx">http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Big-Fat-Chewy-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie/Detail.aspx</a>. To this recipe, I didn't add the extra egg yolk listed in the ingredients.<br /><br />I actually made this batter before I made the brownie batter, and just let it 'chill' (haha get it..i know, it's not that funny) in the fridge while it was waiting. After I had the brownie batter poured into the pan, I poured the chocolate-chip cookie dough batter on top of the first layer<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZ4T5yMLxseRBZPxCLuRPhxZGRFlCOLLBhpR8Gl0q0TZOkGAqWyqF4Jxx71BMmPRAKwO8pZKg7BwYfpWtjCG_BV8l5lbIuiaCX7c8xR63jD8mt1DolfAl4ta2HwUJE6flay5S6U5uY5J7/s1600-h/IMG00748.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362575110198041538" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZ4T5yMLxseRBZPxCLuRPhxZGRFlCOLLBhpR8Gl0q0TZOkGAqWyqF4Jxx71BMmPRAKwO8pZKg7BwYfpWtjCG_BV8l5lbIuiaCX7c8xR63jD8mt1DolfAl4ta2HwUJE6flay5S6U5uY5J7/s320/IMG00748.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I then spread it out, and while spreading, I sort of dug into the brownie batter to get streaks of both batters mixed into each other<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8T0Ru9TIzbOxYrXE_o7llRi3y6NzuwzI4f0vlVv0P6oxhAnQq7_Ak_XRXzzOs7e64tUQkT3vG02uYg-WOlMCjh9dVDhYHQceADM4Y29kZobj6_5og0jfwsB6AAfZ56ncqp9VXo6N50FxE/s1600-h/IMG00752.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362575681187122866" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8T0Ru9TIzbOxYrXE_o7llRi3y6NzuwzI4f0vlVv0P6oxhAnQq7_Ak_XRXzzOs7e64tUQkT3vG02uYg-WOlMCjh9dVDhYHQceADM4Y29kZobj6_5og0jfwsB6AAfZ56ncqp9VXo6N50FxE/s320/IMG00752.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And with the extra brownie batter, I drizzled lines across the pan with it, which I then swirled in even rows<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqSpbrOp-hc6RbEa8tW_mbTH6N-QX5kq-WoKsTRWCDjrjN7pHUrjlMzbsD7k5o9EQYBYLLbiqUjeXuoH_p-h4wzOxG1PsafJ-1Bs6CFNslARer_gRFPnL2sa3E15_qiOb8BePLyvxirB8/s1600-h/IMG00756.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362576401694704258" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqSpbrOp-hc6RbEa8tW_mbTH6N-QX5kq-WoKsTRWCDjrjN7pHUrjlMzbsD7k5o9EQYBYLLbiqUjeXuoH_p-h4wzOxG1PsafJ-1Bs6CFNslARer_gRFPnL2sa3E15_qiOb8BePLyvxirB8/s320/IMG00756.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And just in case you think your kitchen is the only one that got messy while baking the batters..<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_zg6GV2lWE4bKSQmUayl0Zlux1o8B3vOwZ7SWwzLAeEyV6zJM0cZHAHDb4aiTILOSGcye0nCuHPFTeqyN4_fkn2IAJBKebvCeu1d5k3JsuAEBqQ3TirFSpHaIYBWPlTzgh0bgCejRocJ/s1600-h/IMG00758.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362576881985406242" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_zg6GV2lWE4bKSQmUayl0Zlux1o8B3vOwZ7SWwzLAeEyV6zJM0cZHAHDb4aiTILOSGcye0nCuHPFTeqyN4_fkn2IAJBKebvCeu1d5k3JsuAEBqQ3TirFSpHaIYBWPlTzgh0bgCejRocJ/s320/IMG00758.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Anyways, when putting the C.C.C.B.'s into the oven, i used the temperature of about 340 F, which was in the middle of both recipes cooking times, and I baked them for about 25 minutes total. The result is a more fudgy brownie with a chewy chooclate chip cookie on top, which tasted <strong>amazing</strong> with vanilla icecream! I also put the extras into the fridge which gave them such a nice chewy and rich texture.<br /><strong>Milk, meet your new best friend... </strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J2LQFOmG3h6H-2xaPdYO4Im0Fmh9kPPSL98G1XNymu9rEoqjTZfxwNud0AZc_4HLFNBVu02k0iC9u1GRcWDuk61T9CWb1R_D7rn8Rr_Fxgoo_C33cD1BTu3KeNcp5RPh4OVNKaqeVgPS/s1600-h/IMG00776.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362580385584051538" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J2LQFOmG3h6H-2xaPdYO4Im0Fmh9kPPSL98G1XNymu9rEoqjTZfxwNud0AZc_4HLFNBVu02k0iC9u1GRcWDuk61T9CWb1R_D7rn8Rr_Fxgoo_C33cD1BTu3KeNcp5RPh4OVNKaqeVgPS/s320/IMG00776.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-46437529439523298862009-07-25T10:49:00.000-07:002009-07-25T17:41:22.173-07:00Focaccia with Red Pepper Tomato SoupI had half of my day booked with nothing to do, and since the house was completely vacant of people, something that doesn't happen to often, I decided on spending my day in the kitchen cooking a nice hardy dinner. Nothing compliments any dinner better, then a nice serving of bread to go with it, and what can go wrong if that bread is flavored with garlic and herbs?! And so I found a perfect focaccia recipe in "<strong>The Essential Baking Cookbook</strong>." <div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />The recipe given was:</div><div>-<strong>7 g. 91/4 oz) sachet dried yeast</strong></div><div>-<strong>1 teaspoon caster sugar</strong> (I make my own by blending it in the coffee grinder for a few seconds)</div><div>-<strong>2 tablespoons olive oil</strong></div><div>-<strong>3 1/4 cups (405 g/13 oz) white bread flour</strong> (I used wheat for half)</div><div>-<strong>1 tablespoon full-cream milk power</strong> (I didn't have any on hand, and wasn't quite sure what it even was, so I would have mixed whole-milk with cornstarch, but since I dind't have any cornstarch, I used rice flour which also works as a thickning agent, to mix in with the whole-milk)</div><div>-<strong>1/2 teaspoon salt</strong></div><div></div><div><strong><br />Topping</strong>:</div><div>-1 tablespoon olive oil</div><div>-1-2 cloves garlic crushed</div><div>-I added 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion</div><div>-fresh rosemary springs or leaves</div><div>-1 teaspoon dried oregano</div><div>-1-2 teaspoons coarse sea salt</div><div>-Black olives (I didn't use them)</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />Directions:</div><div>1. Lightly grease a 28 x 13 cm (11 x 7 inxh) baking tin. Put the yeast, sugar and 1 cup (250 ml/8 fl oz) warm water in a small bowl and stir well. Leave in a warm, draught-free place for 10 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy and slightly increased in volume.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVf-s_ls4yKuA7G0EkdoRGYX09cQFuk-LU4eoS6k4fwK_1H5vbTNcAF66UI47Pzstf2hCc0csFRFrpq94iyBiNFIpQ2JorjKYGGwsr4nKol7FPcUGm8mJpOIukbBnbva2BVIuzdpX74SW/s1600-h/IMG00866.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362470206149253634" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVf-s_ls4yKuA7G0EkdoRGYX09cQFuk-LU4eoS6k4fwK_1H5vbTNcAF66UI47Pzstf2hCc0csFRFrpq94iyBiNFIpQ2JorjKYGGwsr4nKol7FPcUGm8mJpOIukbBnbva2BVIuzdpX74SW/s320/IMG00866.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />2. Sift 3 cups of the flour, the milk powder and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is well combined. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough, and then turn onto a lightly floured surface.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />3. Knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Brush the surface of the dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until well risen. Punch down the dough and knead for 1 minute. Roll into a rectangle and place in the prepared tin and the cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, form indents 1 cm (1/2 inch) deep all over the dough at regular intervals.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7ZOPIO424JEsX7bNApSOuLtiQAAw5RZNc96DHrwzUKx4m3QiMu2ZYxFdMAx5L0-deC6vmcos2P9hTJg8-hOjrhrdDnVcbIpGLSPDz_83DKIEmjuJQAEhrMhkmx6Rl_cocKVDNmACg3lC/s1600-h/IMG00871.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362474724543547938" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7ZOPIO424JEsX7bNApSOuLtiQAAw5RZNc96DHrwzUKx4m3QiMu2ZYxFdMAx5L0-deC6vmcos2P9hTJg8-hOjrhrdDnVcbIpGLSPDz_83DKIEmjuJQAEhrMhkmx6Rl_cocKVDNmACg3lC/s320/IMG00871.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes, or until the dough is well risen. Preheat the oven to moderae 180 C (350 F/Gas 4)</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />4. For the<strong> Topping,</strong> brush the combined olive oil, garlic, and onion over the surface of the dough. Top with the olives optional), rosemary springs, then sprinkle with oregano and salt. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmtRohtte3juUSgwL6CC3ur5N5-jkDjFEjcg4MciOZtatPDx6Qd5tMLpx6_5fIz_fYDLJJFjyr-i_3G3T9rbif4-yJhL8lDWpv0mrEfHntqPMPf7l3oO0Qcs3Rbxe8V0yMnF1cuLblVmp/s1600-h/IMG00877.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362476416372898258" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmtRohtte3juUSgwL6CC3ur5N5-jkDjFEjcg4MciOZtatPDx6Qd5tMLpx6_5fIz_fYDLJJFjyr-i_3G3T9rbif4-yJhL8lDWpv0mrEfHntqPMPf7l3oO0Qcs3Rbxe8V0yMnF1cuLblVmp/s320/IMG00877.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Cut into large squares and serve warm.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKeomRm5ct3vsDzydPLFpOTbkHWiQl9-7WCKHw_bM-0lvzctLcEyrSuxhEf0YVnMnFdZxJfQxG3E2EldWWge00Kefqkb51Snp12SC__9HER_SG7xxg4UroT97VGDreAlLVlrHRvoOZ80v/s1600-h/IMG00884.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362477324536178562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKeomRm5ct3vsDzydPLFpOTbkHWiQl9-7WCKHw_bM-0lvzctLcEyrSuxhEf0YVnMnFdZxJfQxG3E2EldWWge00Kefqkb51Snp12SC__9HER_SG7xxg4UroT97VGDreAlLVlrHRvoOZ80v/s320/IMG00884.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br />Through the rising intervals the focaccia had, I multi-tasked by making this soup in the mean time;<br />I was looking through a cooking magazine a while back and found a red pepper soup recipe. I didn't buy the magazine, but since I admired the recipe so much, I tried memorizing the basic steps and ingrediants of it. This seemed like a great time to make it knowing it would compliment the focaccia perfectly. I couldn't completely memorize the recipe, and I had more tomatos on hand then bell peppers, so I turned it into more of a tomato soup with red peppers.</div><div>I used:</div><div>-<strong>3 Red Bell Peppers</strong></div><div>-<strong>7 medium tomatos</strong></div><div>-<strong>Olive Oil</strong> (to roast the veggies)</div><div>-<strong>1/4- 1/2 an onion</strong></div><div>-<strong>1 can of veggie stock</strong></div><div>-<strong>2-4 tablespoons of cream </strong>or<strong> chunks of fresh mozzarella</strong></div><div>-<strong>Salt and Pepper</strong></div><div>-<strong>Grated parmesan to garnish</strong> (optional)</div><div>-<strong>Fresh basic to garnish</strong> (optional)</div><div>-<strong>Focaccia toping</strong> (recipe above, optional)</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />Directions: </div><div>1. Toss the bell peppers with olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper, after you have seeded and sliced the peppers, and then let them roast in a 400 F. oven for about half an hour. </div><div>Then add the tomatoes and onions for another 15 minutes, which have also been smeared with some olive oil and the leftover focaccia topping</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bjmGLDMw6KdMEkzv9DclCPtCE60rCoXbGGO-NkKlucSimI500OU2U63j_HgYTe47PJOc6qv2DrnKgkJBcRR9qMG9Q_GQVGgkXhXQEiwTTro07HPsf50Lfj0ic-MarMsumRIBbyYp2HDh/s1600-h/IMG00885.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362461328475080994" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bjmGLDMw6KdMEkzv9DclCPtCE60rCoXbGGO-NkKlucSimI500OU2U63j_HgYTe47PJOc6qv2DrnKgkJBcRR9qMG9Q_GQVGgkXhXQEiwTTro07HPsf50Lfj0ic-MarMsumRIBbyYp2HDh/s320/IMG00885.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />2. Once the roasted veggies have cooled of just a bit, throw them into the food proccesor (try not to pour in the excess olive oil with them, but save some of it to drizzle on top of the soup) with a can of veggie stock (or however much you need to thin the soup out to your liking), the chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese, and a few heaping pinches of salt as well as some pepper</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0R6Tmnngt-hCl4i-x31FqzmRJSkkL7PkDCP5_QaRiogNcf5JaqRgRiBG7je3T3B5hEfOj4w1j0UqRGIWtQ4udeY1-YW1IYS9bOEHFv0QKeLUiT1y1fNaI2PzW81JnMH3bzQAA1LnU1uy/s1600-h/IMG00886.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362462804238196466" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0R6Tmnngt-hCl4i-x31FqzmRJSkkL7PkDCP5_QaRiogNcf5JaqRgRiBG7je3T3B5hEfOj4w1j0UqRGIWtQ4udeY1-YW1IYS9bOEHFv0QKeLUiT1y1fNaI2PzW81JnMH3bzQAA1LnU1uy/s320/IMG00886.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />3. Once its all fully pureed together, you may the mixture to get rid of any seeds from the tomatoes, or just put it onto the stove to heat, and serve with grated parmesan cheese and basil on top. You can also drizzle any of the saved olive oil, that was used to roast the veggies on top.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXnq2WfjM0-aolea9d7_PXMt0YbtXkjvyA-usL8fQ1x9AKfR_rE7gh1OkIuL6uWmkG1lbSCX3i-bLyaxNJhtDZ6LEvwMmSRVrWbx24Bq-KONF0WZYk33aPyJKEe84XPBpSoqKx-iucUNs/s1600-h/IMG00896.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362562203631104690" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXnq2WfjM0-aolea9d7_PXMt0YbtXkjvyA-usL8fQ1x9AKfR_rE7gh1OkIuL6uWmkG1lbSCX3i-bLyaxNJhtDZ6LEvwMmSRVrWbx24Bq-KONF0WZYk33aPyJKEe84XPBpSoqKx-iucUNs/s320/IMG00896.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCSf7hKQgsxoJysgBsdMDBnAIp00WtJMb_305h-cy0ymmcHMsu_upa8urVZ1LUAIOV37mh01OtxM_tk0liJ7aLm4wMBrt005FyLVIzji0VAm8HnNXUMUvqfzrTHkiItBEC389O3-VKJaH/s1600-h/IMG00889.jpg"></a></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />After a good few hours in the kitchen, hot soup with a side of focaccia was finally ready to be eaten...</div><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyiUsbiTOO-Cm-7eLfDkVPcaLFb_X5cn2z4Tlalmpkp6shZ_wQ2x0V6UZLbGDZB5sHeOu4IMHXPuRsE2yXGDnZ7k4za2ubDXb5mkmcgXXYV_MeKi3dMQ8CXZHafLqFFbO6kUhdQK7IaWS/s1600-h/IMG00887.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362479403939220338" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyiUsbiTOO-Cm-7eLfDkVPcaLFb_X5cn2z4Tlalmpkp6shZ_wQ2x0V6UZLbGDZB5sHeOu4IMHXPuRsE2yXGDnZ7k4za2ubDXb5mkmcgXXYV_MeKi3dMQ8CXZHafLqFFbO6kUhdQK7IaWS/s320/IMG00887.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />..every single bit of it =)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfdS3q12TX3467FZ4aIIS3dhVMshNJnwEme4iFTW6d0zc31rZSCxAgPSOG74hSyZjNHpUaIWCowid_SNJ8h2wpSxnLUj031znPrAotpbpUuAyiI8sb1gKgtSwuNdoDpwNk7cgSfiEMoq4/s1600-h/IMG00901.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362480264063343330" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfdS3q12TX3467FZ4aIIS3dhVMshNJnwEme4iFTW6d0zc31rZSCxAgPSOG74hSyZjNHpUaIWCowid_SNJ8h2wpSxnLUj031znPrAotpbpUuAyiI8sb1gKgtSwuNdoDpwNk7cgSfiEMoq4/s320/IMG00901.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-16829945272815279482009-07-23T19:00:00.000-07:002009-07-25T10:48:47.915-07:00Rice KrispiesMy aunt called me over once again to bake some treats with her two lovely daughters as well as my brother. She kept it simple, and went with the classic rice krispy treat.<br />The only ingredients necessary were <strong>6 cups of rice krispy cereal, 10 ounces of marshmallows, and 3 tablespoons of margarine</strong> (I used oil).<br /><br />To start it off, melt your marshmallows in a pan with the margarine/oil (if you're worried about the marshmallows sticking to your pan, you can simply buy premade marshmellow fluff)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHpeSIKw7b7Y4Y_S5nACvguziHtze89WDAQU9l1qZ7Y9bi5cOSh4FS5toA6cgIXeGhTy0y2RzXHYShnugzCtF4xgCt8Qjtkzlx1jPn74JODol7_pyHsrTuqaoin9zgeMraYrgXvXhrkiC/s1600-h/IMG00843.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361842951440631410" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHpeSIKw7b7Y4Y_S5nACvguziHtze89WDAQU9l1qZ7Y9bi5cOSh4FS5toA6cgIXeGhTy0y2RzXHYShnugzCtF4xgCt8Qjtkzlx1jPn74JODol7_pyHsrTuqaoin9zgeMraYrgXvXhrkiC/s320/IMG00843.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Next, mix in the melted marshmallows with the rice krispies until they're completely combined together<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeVVJ715gx8EiyO31e9XSI84Fd9F3EwT2nHeiOkutjHMJ-zp_B_xjaURO5CCgLRHgLuOG3xIb5A92JjXiBl9IhUyaWcjFvc2nkQifQZA3PwDnlZYq1n3PnBM9cqusMlKRRDskvPbNvDRV/s1600-h/IMG00847.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361844078745407330" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeVVJ715gx8EiyO31e9XSI84Fd9F3EwT2nHeiOkutjHMJ-zp_B_xjaURO5CCgLRHgLuOG3xIb5A92JjXiBl9IhUyaWcjFvc2nkQifQZA3PwDnlZYq1n3PnBM9cqusMlKRRDskvPbNvDRV/s320/IMG00847.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Remember that the marshmallow mixture is extremely sticky and will constantly stick to your mixing device, so it takes a good few minutes to really layer/mix the crispies with the marshmallow all together<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361844788123847858" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDLhbVpG0e4lRDDdCI93P0ti8PQKV88WMDVIlYyQdvLx3hCYgDQP_zPsJHoeYX04NRE_Bs-OX2Kjdj6TUvJoEv-PqJRdCq5H-Zt_VqOf-Y0uhPWtqN5oiVJGCrtuL5JbyS2YRmjYnRXA8/s320/IMG00850.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />When the fully combined mixture has cooled off a bit spread it out onto an ungreased dish smooshing it all down together (the more compact/dense you want your rice crispies, the cooler the mixture has to be) When it's cooled, you can cut the rice crispie treats into all sorts of shapes with a cookie cutter.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCfys6IAFy0ofdRMaaw_y-7LClyBsOmOCytOptoU6kMg0kpaA2pVGlaEbuOUzRV_SJcGwZ6_zeeFXGrIcg3uGuDQaXK5Bkqz_YB5MKXzSDQWifR32Oe4yDakNP0nUAed6s7VfYnrWVc9C/s1600-h/IMG00860.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361845716627886178" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCfys6IAFy0ofdRMaaw_y-7LClyBsOmOCytOptoU6kMg0kpaA2pVGlaEbuOUzRV_SJcGwZ6_zeeFXGrIcg3uGuDQaXK5Bkqz_YB5MKXzSDQWifR32Oe4yDakNP0nUAed6s7VfYnrWVc9C/s320/IMG00860.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If I had the time, or thought of it earlier, I would have definitely drizzled chocolate over the tops of the crispies with sprinkles of sprinkles on top, or mixed in mini chocolate chips into the batter for a chocolatey twist to the rice krispy treats. However, plain or with chocolate, they taste declicious either way.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlvvPDQ-BUZ8i79noT26RmGeNAjUnSmTukS-8PASl1XSHf0RBrSNaWqIZtWLTEFc_XrZeDLfmxo3F8tCbui-XKRXdqzywviehM6FrqK2NEG3lEHORWLS8mpSS8Z9myuRhjhcDHO4ns8xe/s1600-h/IMG00862.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361846351605129058" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlvvPDQ-BUZ8i79noT26RmGeNAjUnSmTukS-8PASl1XSHf0RBrSNaWqIZtWLTEFc_XrZeDLfmxo3F8tCbui-XKRXdqzywviehM6FrqK2NEG3lEHORWLS8mpSS8Z9myuRhjhcDHO4ns8xe/s320/IMG00862.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The fun shapes were given to the kids, and the extra ends were formed into a nice fat lump for me<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpHMX30sV_CGF_UEknPpU0HhegHBP0PvhTCtIaDlG9zlpUlMIVOwewtLD0R3KR_joHEG6D2mIzYM6ymPNVhl3WDK850ETJPWhtJx3BDJzBzWACxJG_DxGWmYuIXOn_98M2ZuyKUlINMfJ/s1600-h/IMG00864.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361847674370644690" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpHMX30sV_CGF_UEknPpU0HhegHBP0PvhTCtIaDlG9zlpUlMIVOwewtLD0R3KR_joHEG6D2mIzYM6ymPNVhl3WDK850ETJPWhtJx3BDJzBzWACxJG_DxGWmYuIXOn_98M2ZuyKUlINMfJ/s320/IMG00864.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-14750829970428744532009-07-20T15:01:00.001-07:002009-07-23T19:44:00.673-07:00Crepes with Chocolate & Cream & Strawberry Puree..oh my!Occasionally, I will find some time to make my brother a sweet treat for breakfast or lunch, and one of his favorites is a crepe! Unfortunatley, I didn't have any nutella on hand to smear on the crepe, so instead I finally chopped up some chocolate chips (you can use any type of chocolate, the better quality chocolate you use, the better flavor you will get), so that it melted instantly when placed on the crepe<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6saAsnjqNXXSDDVU5tdNU22IH65qnITnT52ghmrFFNRGWrvM7WVkLeRlSPTX108wMMzHcCh_vKJ_4_yS8jNk6-ShVY1IuoDtUyz1MKJ-Ujg8kw6VZUl-ualfC-HmhUN1ytYnX5Acrlh6/s1600-h/IMG00727.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360667650071890114" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6saAsnjqNXXSDDVU5tdNU22IH65qnITnT52ghmrFFNRGWrvM7WVkLeRlSPTX108wMMzHcCh_vKJ_4_yS8jNk6-ShVY1IuoDtUyz1MKJ-Ujg8kw6VZUl-ualfC-HmhUN1ytYnX5Acrlh6/s320/IMG00727.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>The recipe I used was a basic one I had found years ago (unfortunately, I can't find the link to the website that provided me with such an amazing recipe, so if anyone finds out the link from were the recipe originally came, please send it to me. Thanks, and once again all kudos go to the person who originally is responsible for coming up with this recipe)<br /></div><div>I usually halfen the recipe for just a few crepes and add a couple drops of vanilla and powdered sugar to sweeten it up. </div><br /><div>-4 eggs<br />-1/4 teaspoon salt<br />-2 cups flour<br />-2 ¼ milk<br />-¼ cup melted butter or margarine<br /><br />Directions;<br />1. Break all eggs into a bowl with salt and whisk together until the egg looks uniformly yellow<br />2. Slowly add the flour (may look a little lumpy so sift it first)<br />3. Alternate pouring in the flour and milk, to the mixture (start with the flour and end with the flour)<br />4. Whisk it all together until it looks smooth<br />5. Add melted butter and whisk until the batter is smooth again<br />6. Cover the batter, put in refrigerator<br /></div><br /><div>To get a thin crepe, drop in a couple of tablespoons of batter into your buttered pan (to make it nonstick) , and instantly spread it out by tilting the pan until a thin layer of batter covers the whole skillet.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhcHdE-zdqBPYKlB5GkFUP-9ewc4oACp57cDMMJ6FBUcJgUWBv5Qk_XN6JXvNUCP28I03e5UEYTIJ_p_Ls3Lmc4obkpHGMs6zKHyI1Gp-F4vXq_ml_hf_UWXaRx1Ngt_reK9vQ1a7yWWO/s1600-h/IMG00731.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360669519770034098" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhcHdE-zdqBPYKlB5GkFUP-9ewc4oACp57cDMMJ6FBUcJgUWBv5Qk_XN6JXvNUCP28I03e5UEYTIJ_p_Ls3Lmc4obkpHGMs6zKHyI1Gp-F4vXq_ml_hf_UWXaRx1Ngt_reK9vQ1a7yWWO/s320/IMG00731.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After you flip the crepe, sprinkle on the chocolate (as well as any other additional toppings you might want to add; Berries, Nuts, Caramel, etc..) immediately, because the other side will cook extremely fast and you want to give the chocolate enough time to melt.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QU68ZdLCRRQ1WDYT7qqw42CTpiWhuv6LETzVwpd1gfGTkJMei91uuVzWcBePTGke5uEaGDT4kTgmsekgYbPDcTM2gkI_ZiP-9I2jodsa3pqM67gCI5O4dFP6VzoOnhBN8zTJTMAUnL2D/s1600-h/IMG00733.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360670827022694226" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QU68ZdLCRRQ1WDYT7qqw42CTpiWhuv6LETzVwpd1gfGTkJMei91uuVzWcBePTGke5uEaGDT4kTgmsekgYbPDcTM2gkI_ZiP-9I2jodsa3pqM67gCI5O4dFP6VzoOnhBN8zTJTMAUnL2D/s320/IMG00733.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>After the crepe was fully cooked, I folded it in half, and sprayed on some cream (the premade ones that can get sprayed out when you press the nozzle of the container, which started melting when it touched that hot hot crepe!</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360672536896701938" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpIl5M7dDtDbKNlRZyqE84RK56GWFfqIzjMI57F3UmOv5-5j6MyYXgykLqcF24nIbjMQ0g3qXE8hbKxEF0jfnkwPyvC9fHXnPOQ9tcRXPOok8smmP_r7PfGgUlv7T_feSN3fPaG0EWUHC/s320/IMG00735.jpg" border="0" />I had pureed stawberries previously to flavor an icing, and used the excess I had stored in the fridge to drizzle over the crepe, and then sprinkled on some extra chocolate that I had chopped up a bit more roughly.<br /></p><p><br /><br /></p>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-72250571270913649372009-07-20T14:24:00.000-07:002009-07-23T19:45:47.167-07:00Chocolate Chip Banana-Nut Muffins with Crumble ToppingOnce again I had overripe bananas on hand, and decided to use my favorite banana bread recipe which has been previously posted at <a href="http://browniescookiespieohmy.blogspot.com/2009/07/banana-breadcake-with-chocolate-chips.html">http://browniescookiespieohmy.blogspot.com/2009/07/banana-breadcake-with-chocolate-chips.html</a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>This time I changed the recipe up a bit, aside from my basic changes I used in the past.<br />First of all I made the banana bread into muffins instead.</div><div>I also changed the recipe up to make the muffins more low-fat.</div><div>I used 1 cup of whole-wheat flour and then remaining 1/2 white flour.</div><div>I replaced half the butter with applesauce which suprisingly didn't change the texture of the muffins much<br />Finally, just for the sake of experimenting with textures, I put half the amount of milk listed (low-fat) and for the remaining 1/8 cup of milk, I added 1/8 cp of greek yogurt mixed with plain yogurt (all non-fat), which didn't make a dramatic change in texture, but was a smich noticable.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I couldn't squeeze in all the batter into all the muffin tins, so with the extra batter I mixed up the extra chocolate chips and nuts I had chopped up to get added into the batter, with brown sugar, flour, and some applesauce and flour and the smallest pinch of baking soda. The thick topping got crumbled onto each of the muffins.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoBqTWaSZu-kaQR221juSHqgFOiAyveUQlPES-ic0y8LiHNVWmOmbzuDbNUVCPX2BxmdWmNaiiPvlanO7aM6911IVUDJKZhtnseNWkbG3Ur9eqV4m1I1JW3zsl6DRCQQRHkDpBRsz4ZnA/s1600-h/IMG00691.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360662953646099026" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoBqTWaSZu-kaQR221juSHqgFOiAyveUQlPES-ic0y8LiHNVWmOmbzuDbNUVCPX2BxmdWmNaiiPvlanO7aM6911IVUDJKZhtnseNWkbG3Ur9eqV4m1I1JW3zsl6DRCQQRHkDpBRsz4ZnA/s320/IMG00691.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABYtWYskHiwqIoGV4erj3LZzmgRxwKg8kPWcrWpozeZX8HxaySXZQg6MSk60t0LAhu6A2skQgr5NHc4n26O2_kbbuPpkZxxKxoc5e73ivHc3FaNJZFKOXabVSuBO8t8W6Ud1gQTgWZlnR/s1600-h/IMG00711.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360663992975463474" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABYtWYskHiwqIoGV4erj3LZzmgRxwKg8kPWcrWpozeZX8HxaySXZQg6MSk60t0LAhu6A2skQgr5NHc4n26O2_kbbuPpkZxxKxoc5e73ivHc3FaNJZFKOXabVSuBO8t8W6Ud1gQTgWZlnR/s320/IMG00711.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-80438787686711932372009-07-13T14:38:00.001-07:002009-07-13T15:20:12.452-07:00Whole-Wheat Cupcakes/Muffins with Homemade FrostingMy little cousin had to bring treats to her camp for the last day. My aunt called me up and told me she was going to bake something with my cousin and asked me to help.<br /><br />She uses this basic recipe for all her cakes, cupcakes, and recipes which originally came from an apple cake recipe:<br /><br />-6 eggs<br />-2 cup. Sugar<br />-3/4 cup. Oil<br />-3 cup. Flour<br />-3 Tsp. Baking Powder<br />-1/2 cup. Orange Juice<br />-Vanilla<br /><br />Directions:<br />1. Mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla together.<br />2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together<br />3. Alternate adding the flour and baking powder mixture and the orange juice to the wet ingredients, starting with the flour and ending with the flour<br />4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.<br /><br />My aunt changed the recipe up a little by using what she only had on hand<br />The flour she used was whole-wheat and used light brown sugar<br />She also didn't add the orange juice, which gave the cupcakes a texture of muffins.<br /><br />The cupcakes should get filled up about 2/3 full each<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsoMs094SZA5KTy_6Hb9Mf0JwRByJcIOiFXo1lyEpQ2uwjQcqhc9o3LauORm8ErFTRYW6NQEFkHIgDHOue7IAmbxB2xEChUdQpO-wV_Y6w24IMZvg4rTyDtEXpwsrg9T4YWGpX9N834sQ/s1600-h/IMG00658.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358065073439685906" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsoMs094SZA5KTy_6Hb9Mf0JwRByJcIOiFXo1lyEpQ2uwjQcqhc9o3LauORm8ErFTRYW6NQEFkHIgDHOue7IAmbxB2xEChUdQpO-wV_Y6w24IMZvg4rTyDtEXpwsrg9T4YWGpX9N834sQ/s320/IMG00658.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Scooping the batter into the cupcake tins with an icecream scooper, is a great technique, because it assures even amounts of batter in all the cupcakes<br /><br />Even with the texture of a muffin, after they had baked and then cooled, they got frosted with a homemade frosting<br /><br />Frosting Recipe:<br />-1 cup butter, softened<br />-8 cups confectioners' sugar<br />-6 tablespoons milk<br />-2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br /><br />You can just beat all the ingredients together in a mixer making sure to add the confectionary sugar a cup or two at a time. It will be pretty thick, so if you want it creamier just add a couple more tablespoons of milk.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m_dFbMtXiYDn0WLMeQCFfrngvl0W35F1EUb8NzQDnByio6N76JakeBlrp6j_0X8tI1csDA0YczGLqN_85pjnZmgy5gOMOzmU8qxE-gli-yXpd5Ew0En1V7GZsCohSusO-92U0KJmrnas/s1600-h/IMG00676.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358069665963302930" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5m_dFbMtXiYDn0WLMeQCFfrngvl0W35F1EUb8NzQDnByio6N76JakeBlrp6j_0X8tI1csDA0YczGLqN_85pjnZmgy5gOMOzmU8qxE-gli-yXpd5Ew0En1V7GZsCohSusO-92U0KJmrnas/s320/IMG00676.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And with a little food coloring, the frosting was turned into a light blue, which got swirled onto each cupcake<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEokpF-8eNf-DzDFUl7ky8MFUZUsvkp7jmoJo8XYUx8B994qidMrlp1xp501ykZnULIISEPqOvyR5VKT-8DGPjXWpfHSmOmPZg84Q72bGGP7QM-PY4F22EfP6NHf_r5tpWgL-vdr9Nyda/s1600-h/IMG00678.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358071046721319794" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEokpF-8eNf-DzDFUl7ky8MFUZUsvkp7jmoJo8XYUx8B994qidMrlp1xp501ykZnULIISEPqOvyR5VKT-8DGPjXWpfHSmOmPZg84Q72bGGP7QM-PY4F22EfP6NHf_r5tpWgL-vdr9Nyda/s320/IMG00678.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Of course my cousin made sure that each cupcake got a nice big sprinkle of a princess sprinkles mix<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQXiw0p1j0m0qSS5iZmDQUXnimgoaVO8MnmuFwKUKRYqCJCCgRotz14XHq59JENy_lNsEhVJLA6AWXFhf0uC2XwMChQMUJMcHu3FSoM4xbq6Z0K6Qxhff3GDNTGw55_fgygj0ft75Pege/s1600-h/IMG00679.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358071048822158210" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQXiw0p1j0m0qSS5iZmDQUXnimgoaVO8MnmuFwKUKRYqCJCCgRotz14XHq59JENy_lNsEhVJLA6AWXFhf0uC2XwMChQMUJMcHu3FSoM4xbq6Z0K6Qxhff3GDNTGw55_fgygj0ft75Pege/s320/IMG00679.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-15528833441801897062009-07-11T18:22:00.000-07:002009-07-13T15:26:52.608-07:00Brown Sugar Scones w. Lemon/Vanilla DrizzleI have pials of recipes just sitting in a binder which Iv'e never tested out. Last week, when pastries ran out in the kitchen, I decided to seek into my binder of recipes I had printed out, and make one. I barely make scones, and the ones I make are with plain white flour and sugar, so a recipe for brown sugar scones, really caught my eye. I originally found the amazing recipe on http://veganvisitor.wordpress.com/ which providedes the very recipe on http://veganvisitor.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/brown-sugar-scones/.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmAI2GedxZkauFRxlIt4b71523-z7LswKORlrV6VfEX8f69dBxKALDXxwfWNDFdqEZTvCQXpJleVKgjAhdMMqx-Ro4mr9w-sSuo1o4GhB-d8QylWmiPW8Hf9G9OT8-_AmOd6ybAgZatca/s1600-h/IMG00557.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357381695303198114" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmAI2GedxZkauFRxlIt4b71523-z7LswKORlrV6VfEX8f69dBxKALDXxwfWNDFdqEZTvCQXpJleVKgjAhdMMqx-Ro4mr9w-sSuo1o4GhB-d8QylWmiPW8Hf9G9OT8-_AmOd6ybAgZatca/s320/IMG00557.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The recipe is all vegan, but I made a couple of changes when I baked mine:<br />- Instead of 2 cups all-prupose flour and 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour I put in 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup orf whole-wheat flour<br />- I didn't have any vegetable shortening on hand, as well as any shortening, so I replaced the shortening with butter<br />- I didn't have soy milk either, but regular works just fine<br />- I threw in some blueberries, dried cranberries, oats, chocolate chips, and some chopped up almonds and walnuts<br /><br />I knew the flavor of coffee would go great with these scones, but wasn't quite sure how to incorporate it into the scones. I decided to press little stripes of coffee onto the scones with a brush, which gave the scones a unique look to them. I also sprinkled oats onto the scones with oats in order to tell the difference.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrsTlOn5wYArfHjXoTQymtfrCH72zEhMeVk8_q0oH4Mn_VDiIKe04__ABfPPA_9PjFTNxsjeQDYu5ZbTsKQMQ8_TfMsQanizzvEKDqUmn-jsMpu5PjVXVsZ_r3-ZXhh34_nqy9jWH9gSt/s1600-h/IMG00565.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357382164383121346" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrsTlOn5wYArfHjXoTQymtfrCH72zEhMeVk8_q0oH4Mn_VDiIKe04__ABfPPA_9PjFTNxsjeQDYu5ZbTsKQMQ8_TfMsQanizzvEKDqUmn-jsMpu5PjVXVsZ_r3-ZXhh34_nqy9jWH9gSt/s320/IMG00565.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After they were baked, I felt like they could use a little bit more flavor and I wanted to add more to the apperence of the scones. To contrast the flavor of the blueberries I wanted a lemony flavor and some vanilla as well. And so, I mixed up some lemon juice and vanilla juice with powdered sugar, until it became a nice thick drizzling consistency, and then swirled some on top of each of the scones after they had cooled.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznPVigZtranCME1_Ks1UomG8Y97slE5MKa13C8Xu82beZ1nCjjzzn_tAr2TtLVCwC83zwzqd8nTVUXH7yE09rh12si0eg1B_xjYbVCAr1al_bcYy6CC3DYK0Yx_yMlSPVcngXYjtMeGI4/s1600-h/IMG00571.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357385063528189474" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznPVigZtranCME1_Ks1UomG8Y97slE5MKa13C8Xu82beZ1nCjjzzn_tAr2TtLVCwC83zwzqd8nTVUXH7yE09rh12si0eg1B_xjYbVCAr1al_bcYy6CC3DYK0Yx_yMlSPVcngXYjtMeGI4/s320/IMG00571.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The Glaze hardened nicely after about a half hour and tasted delicious on the scones<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEouxKLvlK9ar0Ldmgye_2RZpCEjKItvttktvR1gJGEs9ui36zqlkTgez65lTJcl_mjaMML2OxGFnSTmGRoixWYs2KVhaJnf0ihz-NsWKCLnWptmGKYJ8A5rlWkY4S-3_0bpLQFki2Zj7/s1600-h/IMG00610.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357385996756357746" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEouxKLvlK9ar0Ldmgye_2RZpCEjKItvttktvR1gJGEs9ui36zqlkTgez65lTJcl_mjaMML2OxGFnSTmGRoixWYs2KVhaJnf0ihz-NsWKCLnWptmGKYJ8A5rlWkY4S-3_0bpLQFki2Zj7/s320/IMG00610.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-33154048755815050682009-07-10T19:58:00.000-07:002009-07-10T20:30:43.451-07:00Strawberry Banana Smoothie topped w. a Chocolate Covered StrawberryHot Day + Banana+ Lots of Fresh Strawberries + Blender = Strawberry Smoothieee Timeee!<br /><div>Big boxes of strawberries went on sale for a great price so of course they came home with me. </div><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOXyrPkvRyaHbSXKBPO6silcc9g_OFWgGdnEB8KNqB2bks7mJR7p1OBPFBgh36Q-P2D6RxSHMEY_nssLFO0JISqH9WiTGIcxkIRNZwH8oBtTiAyQQ7nardMbMzc-x9_440XUtoX5vqogj/s1600-h/IMG00505.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357035957499963106" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOXyrPkvRyaHbSXKBPO6silcc9g_OFWgGdnEB8KNqB2bks7mJR7p1OBPFBgh36Q-P2D6RxSHMEY_nssLFO0JISqH9WiTGIcxkIRNZwH8oBtTiAyQQ7nardMbMzc-x9_440XUtoX5vqogj/s320/IMG00505.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>However, the large amount wasn't getting eaten fast enough and was on its way to rott, and so i threw them into the blender with chunks of a banana<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYFXTGOjZtlMcxgF6PZN4ryHu4lTjx_YgTq0Mr4qtCfiMF0oJkvRd-06cMC5X2tmDoe6w6HaqUtIaGRPNQDIOM7_SlQNqr2-1iHurK6lEwCqEZYZiK2T6BGvbDPztFKBn5GacI1zO2zX8/s1600-h/IMG00506.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357036403782151490" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYFXTGOjZtlMcxgF6PZN4ryHu4lTjx_YgTq0Mr4qtCfiMF0oJkvRd-06cMC5X2tmDoe6w6HaqUtIaGRPNQDIOM7_SlQNqr2-1iHurK6lEwCqEZYZiK2T6BGvbDPztFKBn5GacI1zO2zX8/s320/IMG00506.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>To make it more rich and creamy havving a thick greek yogurt, vanilla yogurt, and even strawberry banana flavored yogurt on hand, they all got thrown into the blender with the fruit<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XN_oYpTDJhjU0nGJWa0NNGHuL5I75JinHJIjwm-I8S71wP3CUtgBomgu2RIyrodu42WChEFXrBvjvQzMB96Y9JyhWwPbHnSUP08tcytyMYyf_Q-jMaoDTr6SDr6G_eAYHCezZVnPG3qJ/s1600-h/IMG00507.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357037248108767714" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XN_oYpTDJhjU0nGJWa0NNGHuL5I75JinHJIjwm-I8S71wP3CUtgBomgu2RIyrodu42WChEFXrBvjvQzMB96Y9JyhWwPbHnSUP08tcytyMYyf_Q-jMaoDTr6SDr6G_eAYHCezZVnPG3qJ/s320/IMG00507.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div>After it was all blended for a good few minutes into the consistency I wanted, I poured some into a serving glass and garnished it with some whipped cream and was hoping to find a mint leaf to put on top of the cream. Even though I coudn't find any mint, I conincidently had made chocolate covered strawberries earlier for someone and was able to use one of them to take the place of the mint leaf.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSHjOU4ru1eo1lho0OSWQOKBFtA3Xl0IiidE-vc6hpcm43SdrkegBBOt1RoUQMX6f2_Q9j5ZTpyjQsNOMAwBoejzMTzYbLcieBswG81zhInidsWj03v0jTIxuJiEw1blq57TIcsvHOp1K/s1600-h/IMG00473.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357038846968366690" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSHjOU4ru1eo1lho0OSWQOKBFtA3Xl0IiidE-vc6hpcm43SdrkegBBOt1RoUQMX6f2_Q9j5ZTpyjQsNOMAwBoejzMTzYbLcieBswG81zhInidsWj03v0jTIxuJiEw1blq57TIcsvHOp1K/s320/IMG00473.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P0VKLY8gsqDC3eEpjzmY9IBuQHR_4UU0lHl9EUWkVpAjxU8Eyfo62-RU_Fhg5AhPXxUJNrU3brgt6Z9D18YwaBr764u99b0FXI20Rd_FPjqmcHGcvAqgx6oF2iZL6aA1fe4uRulu2LYf/s1600-h/IMG00516.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357039326874687394" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P0VKLY8gsqDC3eEpjzmY9IBuQHR_4UU0lHl9EUWkVpAjxU8Eyfo62-RU_Fhg5AhPXxUJNrU3brgt6Z9D18YwaBr764u99b0FXI20Rd_FPjqmcHGcvAqgx6oF2iZL6aA1fe4uRulu2LYf/s320/IMG00516.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560513685774632144.post-76862628185006204892009-07-01T20:07:00.001-07:002009-07-10T20:45:18.854-07:00Hot Cocoa w. a Chocolate Chip Cookie on a Rainy DayI was in charge of babysitting my brother on a cold rainy day, and the weather wasn't the only gloomy atmosphere. My brother happened to be having a bad day as well, and decided to take his gloomy attitude out on me. So what's better to cheer someone up than with a chocolate chip and hot cocoa with marshmellows??<br /><br />I made a batch of chocolate chip cookie batter a while back and rolled the unused dough into little balls and plopped them into the freezer, so I could easily put them into the oven/toaster oven whenever I feel like a chocolate chip cookie.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZk8Ynj9NBjUPabnsHn2gCZt_Gt_lM2nHGlo1QB3M8AaTfPFLGfqQcyocWnDACGn8z3eolkrv-1QtK3NKQNMPkQFdhfF_Wj0OjsGf-_P9yrd-ylOzvw2b7uCFtR9q62HPpWeHI5wMcX_Js/s1600-h/IMG00317.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357042238272119058" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZk8Ynj9NBjUPabnsHn2gCZt_Gt_lM2nHGlo1QB3M8AaTfPFLGfqQcyocWnDACGn8z3eolkrv-1QtK3NKQNMPkQFdhfF_Wj0OjsGf-_P9yrd-ylOzvw2b7uCFtR9q62HPpWeHI5wMcX_Js/s320/IMG00317.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Anyways, long sotry short, the cookies got baked and were placed next to a hot cup of cocoa which had marshmellows floating into it =]<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhocUtBEs5m-Wi6j8ZMElagNHFzcFW1x46E13qzodZ6NYKK7P8asxjnbNp0c1cAIQyiCuOKgukPpDXHqoGUVzFOAHuDRZwOlcAayDlp7MEYPwOz9WyIIMEqzZF71u-xPKLyrHZDchwhyphenhyphenC/s1600-h/IMG00091.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357043145586658338" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhocUtBEs5m-Wi6j8ZMElagNHFzcFW1x46E13qzodZ6NYKK7P8asxjnbNp0c1cAIQyiCuOKgukPpDXHqoGUVzFOAHuDRZwOlcAayDlp7MEYPwOz9WyIIMEqzZF71u-xPKLyrHZDchwhyphenhyphenC/s320/IMG00091.jpg" border="0" /></a>Doreenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839464119289142075noreply@blogger.com0