Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo)

 

Photo and Recipe courtesy keyingredient.com
http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/7214014/brazilian-cheese-bread-pao-de-queijo/

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil or butter

⅓ cup water

⅓ cup milk or soy milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups tapioca flour

2 teaspoons minced garlic

⅔ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 beaten eggs

 Directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.Pour olive oil, water, milk, and salt into a large saucepan, and place over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, and stir in tapioca flour and garlic until smooth. Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

3.Stir the cheese and egg into the tapioca mixture until well combined, the mixture will be chunky like cottage cheese. Drop rounded, ¼ cup-sized balls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet.

4.Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.



Photo and Recipe courtesy keyingredient.com
http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/9204057/apple-upside-down-cake/


Looking for my camera.. will have to steal from others for a few days.













Topping

2 medium apples
4 tablespoons butter
¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons boiled cider or thawed apple juice concentrate
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup light corn syrup
Cake
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons boiled cider or thawed apple juice concentrate
2 large eggs
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped
¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9” round cake pan at least 2” deep. Line the bottom with parchment, and grease the parchment.
2) Slice the top, including the stem, off one of the apples and set it aside before peeling and slicing the rest of the apples into ¼” thick wedges.
3) Place the apple top, stem side down, in the middle of the pan, and overlap the rest of the apple wedges in a ring around it.
4) Prepare the topping by heating the butter, sugar, boiled cider, cinnamon, and corn syrup together over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
5) Pour ½ cup of the syrup mixture into the prepared pan, and set the rest aside.
6) To make the cake: Beat the oil, brown sugar, boiled cider, eggs, spices, and salt together for 2 minutes at medium speed
7) Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir it into the batter.
8) Add the chopped apple and nuts, and mix until just blended.
9) Drop scoops of the batter atop the apples in the pan, gently spreading to cover.
10) Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean.
11) Remove the cake from the oven, and run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen.
12) Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate, bottom side up. Scrape out any sauce that remains in the pan, and spread it over the cake.
13) Reheat the reserved topping. If butter starts to separate as you reheat, add water by the teaspoon and stir until the butter rejoins the rest of the sauce.
14) Pour the sauce over the cake. Serve cake warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if desired.


Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
10 cups water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 drops yellow food coloring
6 pounds apples

Directions
In a large pan, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add salt and water and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and food coloring.


Sterilize canning jars, lids and rings by boiling them in a large pot of water.
Peel, core, and slice apples. Pack the sliced apples into hot canning jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.
Fill jars with hot syrup, and gently remove air bubbles with a knife.
Put lids on and process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.
*Enough to fill approx. 7 guart size jars*

Recipe via AllRecipes.com  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/canned-apple-pie-filling/detail.aspx

Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts

A great warm fall appetizer or snack! Found this recipe watching 'Best Thing I Ever Ate' on the Food Network. Be careful, tasty and addicting.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups (18-ounces) assorted unsalted nuts including peeled peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, hazel nuts, walnuts, pecans and Whole unpeeled almonds
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread Them out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light gold brown. About 10 min.
In a bowl, combine rosemary, cayenne pepper, sugar, salt and melted butter
Thoroughly toss the roasted nuts in the spiced butter and serve warm. If too oily, place spiced butter coated nuts back on baking sheet and roast in 350F oven for a few minutes. Once you eat these, you will never want to stop.

Smells like fall! - Apple Pie

I never really make pies. I love pie. BUT I have always been challenged by the crust portion. I could never get that perfecly golden flakey crust. I set out to master the pie crust this fall... yes I actually did. My sister has the same issue, and we've secretly come to the conclusion that we think even Grandma's pie crust falls short. I was looking at Ree's blog (pioneer woman) and came across 'Pam's Pie Tutorial' and decided I'd start there. I was more than pleased.. I need look no further. This is the most perfect pie I have ever baked in my life! This will definitely be my go-to crust for both sweet and savory pies.

Filling is:
8 cups sliced, peeled assorted baking apples - about 3 lbs. (Granny Smith, Cortland, Jonathan)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 tablespoon water


In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with lemon juice.
Combine sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to apples and toss well to coat.
Fill pastry lined 9 inch pie pan with apple mixture. Dot with butter.
Place second crust on top of pie filling, cut slits in top of crust to vent. Seal the edges of the crust with a fork
or by hand. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and water. Brush mixture over top crust.
Bake at 425 degrees, until the pie starts to brown, about 30 minutes. Cover the pie with foil to hinder more browning, turn the oven down to 375 and continue baking until the juices in the pie begin bubbling. Depending on the fruit used this could take twenty to forty minutes more. Be patient. As long as the pie crust is covered to prevent over-browning, the pie can continue to bake.

Blogs!

Did I mention I am in Love with the Pioneer Woman's Blog??

Check it out! The Pioneer Woman

Daring Bakers - September Challenge: Fresh, Fluffy, French



Croissants

Recipe Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two. Julia Child and Simone Beck.

This was a fun challenge. I have always wanted to make croissants, but never attempted. I was excited to tackle one of Julia Child's recipes. As per usual Julia, the recipe included close to 60 steps. They came out perfectly flakey and the only thing I would change is their appearance. I'm a perfectionist (understatement) when it comes to cooking so I will definitely practice practice practice!
September Daring Bakers Challenge... Check!

Rustic Onion Tart

I made the pâte brisée crust and used feta cheese instead of the gruyère because thats all I had ;-) worked great. I would suggest waiting until later in baking to sprinkle feta topping as it started to burn and I needed to cover it with foil. P.S. sorry for the poor quality picture... this is the quality of the iPad2 camera.

Ingredients
1 Pâte Brisée (tart dough) for one 10-inch tart (see method for making pâte brisée) or 1 packaged, flat pie crust (Trader Joe's has one in their frozen section)
3 medium sized red onions
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
Salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup (not packed) roughly grated Gruyère Swiss cheese

Directions
1. If you are making a crust from scratch, prepare the dough and let it chill in the refrigerator while you are cooking the onions.
2. Peel and slice the onions.
3. Heat olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and are translucent. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for an additional 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are well browned. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for 10 minutes more, until onions are completely caramelized. Remove from heat.
4. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes before rolling it out. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10-inch diameter. Remove the crust dough to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Place all but a couple tablespoons of the cheese in the center of the dough. Spread to within 1 1/2 inches from the edges. Add the caramelized onions, layering them on top of the cheese. Fold the edges of the crust dough over so that a small circle of onion is still showing in the centre of the tart. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the tart.
6. Place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 10 minutes at 450°F. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Nana Cakies - Banana Cake Cookies



I had a few ripe bananas that I needed to find a use for. I'm banana-bread'ed out.. and I had recently made banana cake bars so I needed something new! Great recipe for banana cake cookies. Topped them with a simple no-fail cream cheese frosting recipe.



Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Cream shortening; add brown sugar, beating well. Add eggs and banana; beat well.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to creamed mixture; mix well. Stir in pecans.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto greased cookies sheets. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting  (I halved the recipe this time)
Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Amaretto-Almond Pound Cake

Yields: 12 servings
I found this recipe on a free iPad app called RecipeGrazer. Great app! Made this for work. It was delicious. I LOVE the flavor of amaretto. Similar to Rum Cake but in my opinion.. better. This recipe is definitely a keeper!


Ingredients
1¼ cups butter, softened
1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons almond liqueur
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
⅓ cup sliced almonds
Amaretto Glaze

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add liqueur and vanilla, beating just until blended. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition.
2. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Sprinkle almonds over bottom of a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan; pour batter into pan.
3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. During last 10 minutes of baking, prepare Amaretto Glaze. Remove cake from oven, and gradually spoon hot Amaretto Glaze over cake in pan. (Continue to spoon glaze over cake until all of glaze is used, allowing it to soak into cake after each addition.) Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour and 30 minutes).

Amaretto Glaze (Makes 1¼ cups)
¾ cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
¼ cup almond liqueur
2 tablespoons water
Bring sugar, butter, almond liqueur, and water to a boil in a small 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat, stirring often; reduce heat to medium-low, and boil, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and use immediately.

Avocado Feta Salsa

Mom's Recipe

Yield: 12 servings

Prep time: 20 min.

Ingredients

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

 Directions

In a bowl, gently stir together tomatoes, avocados, onion, and garlic. Mix in parsley and oregano. Gently stir in olive oil and vinegar. Then stir in feta. Cover, and chill for 2 to 6 hours.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake- Martha Stewart

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Martha Stewart

Link to Recipe

Makes one 9-inch cake Serves 10
Ingredients

For the Topping
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
Coarse salt


For the Cake
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for buttering pan
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut on a very sharp diagonal about 1/2 inch thick
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream


Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the topping: Stir together butter, flour, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until moist and crumbly.
2.Make the cake: Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Dot with 4 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces). Toss rhubarb with 3/4 cup sugar; let stand for 2 minutes. Toss again, and spread in pan.
3.Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Beat remaining stick butter and cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in zest and juice. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, until smooth. Spread evenly over rhubarb. Crumble topping evenly over batter.
4.Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and top springs back when touched, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake, and invert onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.

*Cook's Note
Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. The rhubarb will be too hot to handle safely right after baking. But if the cake sits much longer, it may stick

Cherry Tomato Corn Salad

Recipe from Taste of Home Test Kitchen via AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

Directions:

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the basil, oil, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper; shake well. In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving

Parmesan Crisps

Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis 

Food Network: Everyday Italian

Episode: Weekend Lunch

Ingredients
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet and lightly pat down. A silicone baking sheet is highly recommended. Repeat with the remaining cheese, spacing the spoonfuls about a 1/2 inch apart.
Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool.

Whole Wheat Pita Pockets



 Per 1(whole) Pita: 200 cal/1g fat/6g fiber 
1(whole) pita=
                    3 WW points
1/2 pita= 1 WW point   

Ingredients:

1 pkg. dry yeast (2¼ tsp.)

1 c. warm water

pinch sugar

3c. whole wheat flour

½ tsp. salt



Directions:

1. Take a package of dry yeast and dissolve it in one cup of warm water until creamy, 5 - 10 minutes. You can add a little sugar or sucanat (a teaspoon or less) if you like, but as pita is often served with more savory accompaniments, don't use too much. Mix 3 cups of whole wheat flour and a half teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the yeast/water mixture. Stir till combined, and add flour if too moist or warm water if too shaggy. You are looking to form a stiff dough. 

2. Knead the dough in your mixer or on a floured surface till the dough is elastic and smooth, about ten minutes. Place some oil in the bottom of a bowl, and put the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a moist towel. Let it rise in a warm area until doubled in size.
3. Deflate the dough and divide into six balls on a floured surface. Cover each ball with plastic wrap or a moist towel and allow the dough balls to rest for 15 minutes. While the dough is resting, crank your oven up to 475 degrees, and heat up one or two cookie sheets (a large rectangular cookie sheet should hold three pitas, so use two if your oven can fit them). Place the cookie sheets upside down on the bottom rack of the oven, atop a baking stone if you have one. The cookie sheets need to be very hot when you put the dough on them.
4. Using your hand or a roller, gently roll the dough into six inch circles on a floured surface. Be easy with the dough-- any tears or creases or stretched areas will upset the pita form. Put the circles on your piping hot cookie sheet and pop them in the oven for five or six minutes till they look like they're about to explode. 

5. Remove the pitas from the oven and lay them on a terry cloth towel, one stacked upon the next, covering with another towel to keep them soft as they cool. Once they're cool, you can keep them at room temperature for about a week or more depending on conditions, or freeze them for up to six months. Pita stores very well, but they don't last long when we make them! They can be warmed again before serving if desired.



March 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge: Mets la main à la pâte

The March 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria's Collection and Jamie of Life's A Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.
Jamie found this recipe of a piece of yellowed paper in her dad's collection of clipped out and hand-written recipes from the 1970's, no source, no date, and she tried the recipe and it was brilliant!

I chose Jamie's version. Here are my results. The coffee cake turned out beautifully and the only thing I would recommend is warming back up before serving. The chocolate chips tend to set back up and you loose that ooey gooeyness :) After making this, I will definitely keep the recipe and experiment with different fillings. I am excited to see what next month's challenge will bring. It will supposedly be a collaboration between the Daring Bakers and the Daring cooks... interesting!

FILLED MERINGUE COFFEE CAKE

Makes 2 round coffee cakes, each approximately 10 inches in diameter
The recipe can easily be halved to make one round coffee cake

Ingredients
For the yeast coffee cake dough:
4 cups (600 g / 1.5 lbs.) flour
¼ cup (55 g / 2 oz.) sugar
¾ teaspoon (5 g / ¼ oz.) salt
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons / 7 g / less than an ounce) active dried yeast
¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl. oz.) whole milk
¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl. oz. water (doesn’t matter what temperature)
½ cup (135 g / 4.75 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature

For the meringue:
3 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup (110 g / 4 oz.) sugar

For the filling:
1 cup (110 g / 4 oz.) chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (170 g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Egg wash: 1 beaten egg
Cocoa powder (optional) and confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes

Directions
Prepare the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups (230 g) of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.
In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Ria’s version: add the 10 saffron threads to the warmed liquid and allow to steep off of the heat for 10 minutes. This will give the mixture a distinct aroma and flavor and a yellowish-orange hue.
With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.
      Place the dough in a lightly greased (I use vegetable oil) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.
      Prepare your filling:In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling if using. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
        In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:
Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.
      Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue (ex: half of the cinnamon-sugar followed by half the chopped nuts and half of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate).
      Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.
Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.
     Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.
     Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.
     Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
     Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.
     Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.
     Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

Sourdough Waffles

Ingredients
1/2 c. sourdough starter
2 c. milk

2 c. flour

2 eggs
Dash of sugar
1/3 c. oil
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Mix sourdough starter, milk, and flour in the evening and store overnight in a warm place. In the a.m., take out 1/2 cup starter for next time. (Starter stores indefinitely in refrigerator.) Mix all other ingredients and cook on hot greased griddle.

Sourdough Starter

Started my Sourdough Starter.. smells 'pleasantly sour' just as it should. The possibilites with sourdough starter are endless!

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour

Things I've used my starter for:

San Francisco Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Waffles

Pork Chops with Stuffing

 Mom's Recipe

Recipe adapted from Margaret Pache at AllRecipes.com

Pork Chops with Stuffing

Ingredients:

6 (1/2-inch thick) pork chops
1 tablespoon cooking oil
3 cups cubed day-old bread (mom used the SanFrancisco Sourdough I had made a few days earlier, and also wild rice that had been cooked in beef broth)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup chopped celery  (omitted)
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1.In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Place in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in.* baking pan. Combine bread cubes, soup, celery, onion, garlic, egg, poultry seasoning and pepper; spread over pork chops. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until melted.

*My Dad has this great Mineral Pan (purchased at Williams Sonoma) that goes straight from the stovetop to the oven.

I want to learn about: Cuts of Meat

Whenever I go to the meat counter, I find myself overwhelmed with choices. I hate to ask the butcher to walk me through what I am looking at. I'd like to just walk up and know exactly what it is that I'm looking for. Just last night, I went downstairs to the deep freezer to get some steaks to fill with a mushroom stuffing. I had to open 4 and re-wrap/tape them because it wasn't what I wanted! I find cooking meat challenging right now. Really, it's simple once you get a few techniques and knowledge down, but I definitely need practice. Which is which? What part of the beef does this cut come from? What is the best way to cook it? The first thing I want to learn is the cut of beef and what it actually looks like. Then I will move on to ways to cook it. I have found the following website useful in determining the actual cuts.

Guides to Meat Cuts

5 Layer JELL-O

Light, delicious and pretty dessert. And so easy! This is not a new recipe... but the first time I've made it.
Ingredients
4 pkg. 3 oz Jello (lemon, orange, lime, strawberry)
4 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
DirectionsMix 1 pkg flavored jello with 1/2 pkg of unflavored gelatin. Add 1 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Cool to room temp and pour into 9 x 13 glass pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes (and make sure your refrig is level!)
Mix 1 can sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup boiling water. In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 pkg unflavored gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Let stand a few minutes and then add 1/2 c boiling water to dissolve gelatin; add to milk mixture and stir to combine. Cool to room temp and pour 1 cup of milk mixture over first layer of jello. Refrig for 15 minutes.
Repeat for next three flavors. Let jello set. Cut and serve


*Use Fat Free Sweetened Condensed milk for: 2 Points!

Knox Gelatin: 25 Calories x 4 servings                                        = 100
FF Sweetened Condensed Milk= 110 calories x 10 servings   = 1,100
SF Jello (6oz. pkg) = 10 calories x 8 servings                            = 80
SF Jello (6oz. pkg) = 10 calories x 8 servings                            =80        
                                                                                      1,360/12 servings = aprox 114 cal/serving
*no fat or fiber

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Icing

Happy 57th Anniversary Grandma Bonnie & Grandpa Burnell!

On February 14, 2011

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Icing

Tools:
•2 9 in. Round Pans


Ingredients
•4 eggs
•1 cup vegetable oil
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•2 cups granulated sugar
•2 teaspoons baking soda
•2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
•1/4 teaspoon salt

•4 cups carrots (about 1 pound) grated

•2/3 cup nuts chopped
•1/2 cup raisins
•1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

•1 package (12 oz.) White Candy Melts®
•2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
•2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Makes: 12-14 cake servings.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray two 9-in. round pans with vegetable pan spray or use Wilton Cake Release. (I used parchment paper rounds and Pam to spray the sides and top of parchment)

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until foamy; add oil and vanilla and beat well. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt together; add to egg mixture and mix well. Fold in carrots, nuts, raisins and pineapple. Pour into prepared pans.


Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on cooling grid and invert on grid to cool.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Melt Candy Melts according to directions. Allow to cool slightly, stirring occasionally (don't let it harden). In mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese (preferably with a flat beater) until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the cooled candy until blended and smooth. Beat in the butter and lemon juice.


Smooth a small amount of icing on bottom cake layer; top side up. Top with second layer bottom side up. Frost cake with remaining icing.


Refrigerate until ready to serve; bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving

Ditz in the Kitchen

Betty B. Meat Loaf

So you're probably wondering WHY I would post a boring old Meat Loaf recipe. It's SO hard to find a good meat loaf recipe... that's WHY! This one actually has flavor and quite tasty. I just don't want to misplace my recipe card and lose the recipe forever. This is a recipe from an old old church cookbook. This recipe comes from a lady named Betty B. And trust me, any recipe submitted by this lady is SURE to be excellent.

 Ingredients                                 Piquant Sauce: 3/4c. brown sugar

1-1/2 lb. hamburger                                              3/4c. ketchup

2/3c. soft bread crumbs                                        1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/3c. chopped onion                                               3/4 TBL Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1c. milk

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stir well. Shape into a 12x7 loaf. Place in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350deg. for 1hr 15min. Remove from oven. Pour Piquant Sauce over top. Bake an additional 15min.

*Lay strips of bacon over loaf before baking

*I used a loaf pan, but would suggest following the directions and using a 9x13. A lot of the juices will cook out of the meat and when you go to pour your piquant sauce on top, it will definitely overflow the pan.

Kiddie Cooks

*My Nephews (Keagan and Cullen) wanted to make a Valentine's cake for their Daddy. We bought a little box of Jiffy Cake and Jiffy white frosting. The little boxes of Jiffy are $0.75 and are great for kids. Very simplistic.*

Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt

1 (32oz.) carton Non-Fat Yogurt (I used Dannon Light&Fit Vanilla)
3/4c. sugar

Mix sugar into yogurt until dissolved. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
That's it!

*Next time I will use Plain Non-fat yogurt and less sugar or entirely Splenda to cut down on points. I figured 3 WW points per 1/2c. serving for this recipe. If you use entirely Splenda you can have a whole 1c. serving for only 2 WW points.

Happy Valentine's Day! Homemade Confections

From

Top Left to Right: Coconut Haystack, Cordial Cherry, Coconut-Rum Square, Chocolate Coconut Truffle

 Middle Left to Right: Cordial Cherry, Sea foam Candy (Large white piece), Chocolate BonBon with Chocolate Sprinkles, Chocolate BonBon with Rainbow Nonpareils, Mint Chocolate Truffle, Espresso Truffle

Bottom Left to Right: Chocolate Pecan Truffle, Cordial Cherry, Coconut Haystack, Chocolate BonBon with Rainbow Nonpareils, and Coconut-Rum Square

White Rectangle: White Chocolate Covered Toffee

Links to Every Piece:                        Difficulty

Chocolate Truffles                             Easy

Coconut Haystacks                           Easy

Cordial Cherry                                  Hard

Sea foam Candy                                 Intermediate

Chocolate BonBon                            Easy

White Chocolate Covered Toffee      Intermediate

I also made delicious Chocolate Covered Soft Caramels but was too embarrassed to give them away because they crystallized. I had tried to make them too far ahead of time. Lesson learned... make and serve immediately. I assure you this was a terrific recipe!

Get creative with your truffles. I ground coffee into a powder and added a little to my truffle mixture before it set up, rolled it in pecans, covered it in dark chocolate, and sprinkled a little ground coffee on top. The mint truffles were made by adding a little peppermint extract to the truffle mixture. They are very versatile, and you can add most anything you want!



Use your hot caramel to pour over pecans and create Pecan Turtles.

And if you are wondering where the Coconut-Rum Square recipe is... well there isn't one. These came about by mistake. Silly me used white chocolate almond bark to make truffles, which OF COURSE did not quite set up. Duh! Into the partially set up mixture, I added graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, and rum. Threw them in the freezer, cut into rectangles, covered in white chocolate, and sprinkled with chopped pecans. And I was pleasantly surprised. Quite yummy.

Problems you may (as I have) run into:

Chocolate bloom is one of the main concerns in the production of chocolate, describing a moldy-looking white coating. There are two types of bloom: fat bloom, arising from changes in the fat in the chocolate, a condition in which cocoa butter infiltrates to the surface, turning products gray or white as it recrystallizes; and sugar bloom, formed by the action of moisture on the sugar ingredients. The unsightly crystals of fat and sugar bloom limit the shelf life of many chocolates.

Any questions or concerns can be answered at a great candy making website that I've found: Chocolate-Candy-Mall