tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88457619067890338352024-03-12T19:52:02.531-05:00Good Eats 'n Sweet TreatsJaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.comBlogger452125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-87226208482503415882012-12-23T16:40:00.000-06:002012-12-23T16:52:24.614-06:00Maple Pumpkin Fudge <center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8495/8301924834_2beb967ccc.jpg" /></center>
I love maple fudge and originally went in search of a maple fudge recipe when I stumbled upon this maple pumpkin fudge. It's the perfect fall/holiday recipe and seems fairly fool proof - I actually let it get a bit too hot (up to 239 degrees) and it still turned out just fine. <br />
<br />
Just imagine pumpkin pie filling with maple syrup in it, in convenient bite size servings... that is what this fudge tastes like! The maple flavor is certainly there; I'd say it's a good blend of maple of pumpkin... but if you want a predominantly maple fudge with pumpkin undertones, then I would suggest adding maple extract for a stronger maple flavor.<br />
<b><br /></b>
So if you're doing some last minute baking in the days leading up to Christmas, try this unique fudge recipe and let me know what you think. I'd still like to find a good plain old maple fudge recipe, too, so if you've got one, please leave me a link in the comments section below! <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Maple Pumpkin Fudge </b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://sugarcrafter.net/2011/09/19/maple-pumpkin-fudge/" target="_blank">Sugar Crafter</a></span><br />
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar<br />
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar<br />
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces<br />
2/3 cup evaporated milk<br />
2/3 cup pureed pumpkin<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp nutmeg<br />
1/8 tsp cloves<br />
2 cups white chocolate chips (one 12 ounce bag)<br />
1/2 lb marshmallows or marshmallow crème<br />
3 Tbsp maple syrup<br />
<br />
Line a 12×8″ baking dish with foil, letting it hang over the
edges. In a large sauce pan, whisk together the sugars, butter,
evaporated milk, pumpkin, and spices.<br />
<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/technically_tracy/6153385241/" title="Pumpkin Maple Fudge - 1"><br /></a>
Bring to a foil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue
boiling for 10-12 minutes or until the candy thermometer registers 235
degrees Fahrenheit – soft ball stage (soft ball stage occurs when you
drop some of the mixture into a bowl of cold water, and it forms a “soft
ball” when it cools and is removed from the water).<br />
<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/technically_tracy/6153386567/" title="Pumpkin Maple Fudge - 3"><br /></a>
Stir in the white chocolate chips first, and then the marshmallows or marshmallow crème and maple syrup.<br />
<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/technically_tracy/6153931448/" title="Pumpkin Maple Fudge - 2"><br /></a>
Stir until melted, and then immediately pour into the prepared pan.<br />
<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/technically_tracy/6153932934/" title="Pumpkin Maple Fudge - 4"><br /></a>
Let cool on a wire rack for 2 hours or until completely cooled. To
cut, lift the foil from the ends of the dish. Cut the fudge into 1″
squares. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-46703010322630486162012-12-23T16:30:00.000-06:002012-12-23T16:56:05.745-06:00In The Pink White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8300780617_8bd4be886d.jpg" /></center>
Ok, so I wasn't able to finish posting all of my holiday posts yesterday before the kids started needing my attention. Today I'll finish off the series with some fudge recipes. What holiday baking list would be complete without fudge? I love fudge. Every variety of it - chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate with peanut butter, and maple. This year I tried two new flavors of fudge: White chocolate cranberry and <a href="http://www.goodeatsblog.com/2012/12/maple-pumpkin-fudge.html" target="_blank">maple pumpkin</a> (the latter will be <a href="http://www.goodeatsblog.com/2012/12/maple-pumpkin-fudge.html" target="_blank">my next post</a>). This white chocolate fudge recipe is nice because it doesn't require the use of a candy thermometer.<br />
<br />
I actually made this pink white chocolate cranberry fudge the first time in November for my daughter's birthday party. I needed both pink and purple desserts and stumbled upon this fudge recipe while browsing the web. I love white chocolate (even though my husband gets on me for it not being "real" chocolate), so I knew I'd love this fudge. I omitted the nuts because I never put nuts in my baked goods, but the cranberries were a welcome addition. The original recipe calls for cherries, but I did not have those on hand. The dried cranberries work well as a substitute, as they are both tart and sweet. Everyone who tried this at the party loved it, so if you're looking for something a little bit different this holiday season, I'd encourage you to try this fudge.<br />
<br />
<b>In The Pink White Chocolate Cranberry (Almond) Fudge</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">adap<span style="font-size: x-small;">ted </span>from <a href="http://www.imperialsugar.com/recipes/category/desserts/in-the-pink-white-chocolate-cherry-almond-fudge" target="_blank">Imperial Sugar</a></span> <br />
<br />
2 cups Imperial Sugar® Extra Fine Granulated Sugar<br />
2/3 cup heavy cream<br />
1/2 cup butter<br />
3 cups mini marshmallows<br />
2 cups (one 12 ounce bag) white chocolate chips<br />
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped<br />
3-4 drops red food coloring<br />
1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds, toasted <span style="color: red;">(I omitted these)</span><br />
<div class="instructions">
</div>
<div class="instructions">
<br />
Line an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with foil <span style="color: red;">(I used a 9x9 inch pan)</span>. Butter foil and set aside.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
</div>
<div class="instructions">
Combine sugar, cream and butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until blended. Increase heat to medium. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
</div>
<div class="instructions">
Remove from heat and stir in marshmallows and white chocolate chips. Stir
until chocolate is melted. Stir in cranberries, enough food coloring to
turn fudge pink (3-4 drops) and nuts, mixing until well blended.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
</div>
<div class="instructions">
Spoon into prepared
pan. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares. Store tightly covered in refrigerator for up to a month.
</div>
Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-82835638046843219962012-12-22T18:00:00.000-06:002012-12-22T18:04:31.650-06:00Crunchers<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8082/8298732460_e035968a8e.jpg" /></center>
Have you tried these crunchers yet? I've seen variations of this recipe, or similar recipes, made with saltine crackers as well. I've been seeing them on various blogs and on pinterest for a few years now. Every time I see them, I've said I want to try them but I've never gotten around to it because I never have butterscotch chips on hand in my pantry. I love the salty and sweet combination (chocolate covered pretzels are among my favorite!) and when you're baking several different things for the holidays, it's nice to have a few recipes that are simple and quick to prepare.<br />
<br />
This recipe is basically club crackers with layers of caramel-type filling in between, topped with a chocolate peanut butter layer. The best part - they can be made in under 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
The best way to describe these "crunchers" would be to compare them to peanut butter Twix. I actually used multi-grain club crackers because I sent my mom out to get them for me and she didn't know what I'd be using them for so she got the multi-grain variety. They tasted just fine and I suppose the "multi-grain" aspect might make you feel a little less guilty about eating these ;)<br />
<br />
My only issue with them is that they are best when kept refrigerated. After they are taken out of the refrigerator, the chocolate layer on top starts to get very soft and easily smudged. So, these wouldn't be the best goodies to ship out if you're looking to mail some holiday goodies. Don't let that stop you from trying these though because for such minimal effort, these are really good!<br />
<br />
<b>Crunchers</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://www.gonnawantseconds.com/2012/12/crunchers/" target="_blank">Gonna Want Seconds</a></span><br />
<br />
80 - Club Crackers<br />
1 Cup - Butter<br />
2 Cups - Graham Cracker Crumbs<br />
1 Cup - Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed<br />
1/2 Cup - Whole Milk <span style="color: red;">(I used 2%)</span><br />
1/3 Cup - Sugar<br />
2/3 Cup - Creamy Peanut Butter<br />
1/2 Cup - Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips<br />
1/2 Cup - Butterscotch Chips<br />
<br />
Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an extension of foil on either end. Line the foil with 1 layer of club crackers, cutting to fit if necessary.<br />
<br />
In a heavy bottom large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, milk and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Moderate heat and reduce as needed so mixture doesn't stick to the bottom and mixture doesn't boil too hard (this can cause butter to separate). Remove from heat and spread half of butter mixture evenly over crackers. Place another single layer of crackers evenly over butter mixture, cutting to fit if necessary. Spread remaining butter mixture evenly over crackers. Top evenly with remaining crackers.<br />
<br />
In a small saucepan, combine peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Melt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over top of crackers. Cover, and chill for at least 1 hour. Lift foil overhang and remove bars from pan. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.<br />
<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-15304450648020631312012-12-22T17:00:00.000-06:002012-12-22T17:23:00.684-06:00Pumpkin Gingerdoodle Cookies<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8361/8297578883_3b95f5e8d7.jpg" /></center>
One of the first food blogs I ever started following was Peabody's blog, <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/" target="_blank">Culinary Concoctions by Peabody</a>. Everything she makes looks amazing - I truly wish I was one of her friends so I could have the pleasure of eating all of it ;) So, when I went in search of recipes to try this holiday season, I knew that I could surely find something wonderful to make from there.<br />
<br />
And I was right. After scrolling through a few posts, I stumbled upon these pumpkin gingerdoodle cookies. Part pumpkin snickerdoodle and part gingersnap cookie, these cookies combine some of everyone's favorite holiday flavors. My husband walked into the kitchen and saw me pulling these out of the oven and asked, "Can I have a snickerdoodle?" I informed him they weren't snickerdoodles but pumpkin gingerdoodles and he was happy to try them. He quickly proclaimed, "These are way better than regular snickerdoodles."<br />
<br />
I only had two issues with these cookies. The first issue was really a non-issue: I had way more pumpkin snickerdoodle dough than gingersnap dough. So in the end, I made some plain pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies as well (all were eagerly consumed regardless). <br />
<br />
The second issue was in the consistency of the cookies. The pumpkin snickerdoodle dough puffed up into a wonderful moist, slightly cakey cookie. The gingersnap dough, on the other hand, puffed up but deflated after I pulled it out of the oven. So, my cookies looked lopsided when I placed the cookie doughs side by side. Next I tried a batch with the pumpkin snickerdoodle dough on the bottom and the gingersnap dough on top. Those turned out okay, but they weren't very aesthetically pleasing. So finally I made a batch with the gingersnap dough on the bottom and the pumpkin snickerdoodle dough on top and those cookies turned out to the look the best. I'm not sure how Peabody got her cookies to look the way that she did, but the cookies you see in the photo at the top of this blog post were the best that I could do. <br />
<br />
Regardless of how these cookies look, they are amazing. We couldn't stop eating them in our household and almost didn't have enough to give out to family and friends because we wanted them all to ourselves! So, if you're going to only try one new recipe out this holiday season, I encourage you to make it this one - I promise you won't regret it!<br />
<br />
<b>Pumpkin Gingerdoodles</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2012/11/23/pumpkin-gingerdoodles/" target="_blank">Culinary Concoctions by Peabody</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Dough</u><br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar<br />
1 cup unsalted butter<br />
2 eggs<br />
¾ cup pumpkin puree<br />
3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 tsp. cream of tartar<br />
1 tsp. baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp. salt<br />
<br />
for rolling the cookies in: <span style="color: red;">(I had to double this)</span><br />
1/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
2 tsp. ground cinnamon<br />
<br />
Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, pumpkin, and eggs in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. <span style="color: red;">(It will appear curdled, but don't worry it will all come together in the next step.)</span><br />
<br />
Add in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and mix on low until fully combined. Set aside.<br />
<br />
<u>Gingersnap Dough</u><br />
<br />
3/4 cup butter<br />
1 cup granulated sugar<br />
1/4 cup molasses<br />
1 egg<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking soda<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1 teaspoon cloves<br />
1 teaspoon ginger<br />
<br />
Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside for rolling dough in.<br />
<br />
Cream together butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg and continue beating. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">(I found that it's best to refrigerate both cookie doughs for at least one hour before assembly and baking.)</span><br />
<br />
Roll a small amount of gingersnap dough into a ball and a small amount of snickerdoodle dough and place them together and gently roll or squeeze together.<br />
<br />
Roll in cinnamon sugar.<br />
<br />
Place on baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving to cooling racks.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-42758096653704454712012-12-22T16:30:00.000-06:002012-12-22T16:52:15.453-06:00Magic Middle Peanut Butter Cookies<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/8297506835_efed0eb399.jpg" /></center>
Wow, has it been a crazy few months. I can't believe that it's been over three months since my last blog post?!<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">I thought that with my daughter startin<span style="font-size: small;">g school in September, <span style="font-size: small;">I'd have all this extra time to bake and blog again. However, as many moms out there know - <span style="font-size: small;">your <span style="font-size: small;">time without the kids is rare - so I found myse<span style="font-size: small;">lf running a million different errands every time she was in school and I was never home to do any baking.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">I<span style="font-size: small;"> kept thinking to m<span style="font-size: small;">yself that I'd get around to another post "so<span style="font-size: small;">on" and then before I knew it, <span style="font-size: small;">I was busy getting re<span style="font-size: small;">ady for my daughter's th<span style="font-size: small;">ird birthday party and then a few days <span style="font-size: small;">later I had my baby girl! <span style="font-size: small;">Life's been crazy <span style="font-size: small;">with a<span style="font-size: small;"> newborn and a three year old</span></span>, to say th<span style="font-size: small;">e least. <span style="font-size: small;">For those who have been <span style="font-size: small;">following my blog for some time and would like to see some pictures of the new little one</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>, you can visit our photographer's blog <a href="http://zoedphotography.com/blog/keira-newborn-photos/" target="_blank">here</a>.<span style="font-size: small;"> I'm so blessed to be celebrating this holiday with two beautiful lit<span style="font-size: small;">tle girls that are the light of my l<span style="font-size: small;">ife.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">And w</span>i<span style="font-size: small;">thout further ado, I'm<span style="font-size: small;"> hoping to post a flurry of blog posts today to make <span style="font-size: small;">up for my lack of blogging over the past few months (hopefully the kids will nap long enough for me to <span style="font-size: small;">get these all up today!)</span>. For<span style="font-size: small;"> those who are still looking for some last minute i<span style="font-size: small;">nspiration for their holiday baking, look no further :) I've g<span style="font-size: small;">ot some great recipes that I've tried out this year, and of course there are the <a href="http://www.goodeatsblog.com/2008/12/holiday-round-up.html" target="_blank">tried and true recipes</a> from years past as well.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let's start off this <span style="font-size: small;">series of posts with one of my favorite combinations - peanut butter and chocolate. You <span style="font-size: small;">really can't go wrong <span style="font-size: small;">with anything made with these two <span style="font-size: small;">ingredients<span style="font-size: small;">! These cookies are impres<span style="font-size: small;">sive yet s<span style="font-size: small;">imple to make. <span style="font-size: small;">With chocolate cookies it can be difficult to tell sometimes when the cookies are done baking because they do not turn golden brown like other cookies do. You'll want to watch these cookies c<span style="font-size: small;">losely - when they <span style="font-size: small;">just start to barely crack you should take them out of the oven. They'll continue to bake just a little bit more while they're cooling on your cookie sh<span style="font-size: small;">eet. If you over bake them, t<span style="font-size: small;">h<span style="font-size: small;">ey'll still be good, but a bit on the dry side.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<br />
<b>Magic Middle Peanut Butter Cookies</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://www.gonnawantseconds.com/2010/03/magic-middle-peanut-butter-cookies/" target="_blank">Gonna Want Seconds</a></span><br />
<br />
Cookie:<br />
1 1/2 Cups - All Purpose Flour<br />
1/2 Cup - Unsweetened Cocoa Powder<br />
1/2 Teaspoon - Baking Soda<br />
1/2 Cup - Sugar<br />
1/2 Cup - Brown Sugar, Packed<br />
1/2 Cup - Unsalted Butter, at Room Temperature<br />
1/4 Cup - Peanut Butter<br />
1 Teaspoon - Vanilla Extract<br />
1 - Large Egg<br />
<br />
Filling:<br />
3/4 Cup - Powdered Sugar<br />
3/4 Cup - Peanut Butter<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.<br />
<br />
Make Cookies: In a small bowl, blend flour, cocoa, and baking soda.<br />
<br />
In a large bowl beat white sugar, brown sugar, butter and 1/4 cup peanut butter, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beat until blended. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Set aside.<br />
<br />
Make the filling: Combine the confectioners sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Beat well with electric mixer until mixture comes together.<br />
<br />
Roll filling into 30 1 inch balls. Form exterior part of cookie by sectioning dough into approximately 1 tablespoon pieces and then shaping the exterior part of cookie around filling balls. Cover the filling completely. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.<br />
<br />
Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-90313077623623861432012-09-04T23:58:00.003-05:002012-09-04T23:59:38.810-05:00Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake (TWD)<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/7934732080_35b5c29871.jpg" /></center>
<br />
This week's <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>: <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Baking with Julia</a> recipe was hosted by Marlise of <a href="http://thedoubletroublekitchen.com/">The Double Trouble Kitchen</a> and Susan of <a href="http://littlefrenchbakery.com/">The Little French Bakery</a>: Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake. It's been a long, long, time since I've posted for this group - I'm sorry :( I have just been so busy, and on top of that I'm six months pregnant and turning on the oven when it is 100+ degrees outside just hasn't been very appealing. The good news, however, is that my baby girl (who is not so much a baby anymore) just started school this week so that means this mama is going to have a lot more time to bake each week! So, you should start to see blog posts pick up a little more at least.<br />
<br />
I didn't have a pan large enough for this cake, so I made one large nectarine and peach upside-down chiffon cake and one mini blueberry upside-down chiffon cake. After reading some of the comments on the weekly <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/p-q-nectarine-chiffon-cake/#comments" target="_blank">P&Q</a>, I decided to skip the streusel and made sure to bake my cake for a few extra minutes. I really think the longer baking time has to do with whether or not the cake is baked on a jelly roll pan. I did not bake mine on one and I think it only took an extra 3-5 minutes to bake. I did, however, cover the bottom of my pans with foil to catch the butter drippings, which was good because there was quite a bit.<br />
<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8175/7934731346_a4ae254fa6.jpg" /></center>
The blueberry cake was delicious. The chiffon was light and airy, as it should be. It's a nice contrast to the denser, more traditional <a href="http://www.goodeatsblog.com/2007/10/toffee-topped-pineapple-upside-down.html" target="_blank">pineapple upside down cake</a>. I'm not sure how the nectarine and peach cake turned out because that one will be going with my husband to work tomorrow, but I imagine it's just as good as the blueberry cake.
<br />
<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8313/7934732968_6c5fd05252.jpg" /></center>
Thanks to Marlise and Susan for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs <a href="http://littlefrenchbakery.com/nectarine-upside-down-chiffon-cake/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://thedoubletroublekitchen.com/2012/09/04/twd-nectarine-upside-down-chiffon-cake/" target="_blank">here</a>. Make sure you check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/lyl-nectarine-chiffon-upside-down-cake/#comments" target="_blank">here</a>, too, to see what everyone else thought of this sweet, end of summer treat.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">* Recipe notes: </span><br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- If you bake your cake on a jelly roll pan, be sure to add at least another 10 minutes of baking time to your cake. Definitely don't forget to wrap the bottom of your pan in foil, or you'll end up with a big mess on the bottom of your oven.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Frozen blueberries work great with this recipe. Do not thaw before baking.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- For more recipe notes, check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/p-q-nectarine-chiffon-cake/#comments" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-77209944205096016022012-08-28T17:13:00.000-05:002012-08-28T17:13:17.869-05:00Filled Pate a Choux Swans and Turtles (DB)<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7883090180_69fe97dc72.jpg" /></center>
Kat of <a href="http://thebobwhites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Bobwhites</a> was our August 2012 <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Baker</a> hostess who inspired us to have fun in creating pate a choux shapes, filled with crème patisserie or Chantilly cream. We were encouraged to create swans or any shape we wanted and to go crazy with filling flavors allowing our creativity to go wild! <br />
<br />
I've made pate a choux several times in the past before, but it had been quite some time. As such, I didn't catch that a key piece of information was missing from the recipe until my dough turned out like soup! :( The recipe states that you are to melt the butter in water, milk, and salt. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and add the flour. Well, it doesn't say if you're to melt the butter over low, medium, or high heat so I did it over medium heat. Unfortunately, if your liquid isn't boiling when you add the flour, it won't cook the flour and you end up with a soupy mess instead of a beautiful pate a choux dough! So, I've added those notes to the recipe so you can avoid that fatal mistake if you make this recipe.<br />
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Otherwise, everything went off without a hitch. I made a few swans and then loved the idea of making some turtles as another Daring Baker had posted in our private forum. I filled my pastries with chocolate pastry cream and they were delicious. <br />
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Thanks Kat, for hosting this month's challenge. You'll find the recipes below. Also be sure to check out the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/member-blogs" target="_blank">Daring Bakers' Blogroll</a> to see all the other wonderful creations that were made!<br />
<br />
<h2>
Pate a choux<em> </em></h2>
<em>(cannot be doubled)</em><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><em></em></strong> Recipe source: Good Housekeeping Illustrated Guide to Cooking, 1980 edition</span><strong><em><br /></em></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><em>Ingredients</em></strong><br />
½ cup (120 ml) (115 gm) (4 oz) butter<br />
1 cup (240 ml) water<br />
¼ teaspoon (1½ gm) salt<br />
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) all-purpose flour<br />
4 large eggs<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Directions:</em></strong><br />
<ol>
<li>Line at least two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper, or grease pans well. </li>
<li>Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F/190°C/gas mark 5 .</li>
<li>In a small saucepot, combine butter, water, and salt. Heat over until butter melts <span style="color: red;">(and liquid has come to a full rolling boil)</span>, then remove from stove.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Add flour all at once and beat, beat, beat the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Add one egg, and beat until well combined. Add remaining eggs
individually, beating vigorously after each addition. Resulting mixture
should be somewhat glossy, very smooth, and somewhat thick.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Using a ¼” (6 mm) tip on a pastry bag, pipe out about 36 swan heads.
You’re aiming for something between a numeral 2 and a question mark,
with a little beak if you’re skilled and/or lucky.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Remove the tip from the bag and pipe out 36 swan bodies. These will
be about 1.5” (40 mm) long, and about 1” (25 mm) wide. One end should
be a bit narrower than the other.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Bake the heads and bodies until golden and puffy. The heads will be
done a few minutes before the bodies, so keep a close eye on the baking
process.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Remove the pastries to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before filling.</li>
</ol>
<strong><em>Assembly</em></strong><br />
<ol>
<li>Take a swan body and use a very sharp knife to cut off the top 1/3rd to ½. </li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Cut the removed top down the center to make two wings.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Dollop a bit of filling into the body, insert head, and then add wings.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
<li>Your first attempt will probably not look like much, but the more
you make, the more your bevy of swans will become a beautiful work of
swan art.</li>
<div class="img-center">
</div>
</ol>
<h2>
Vanilla Crème Patissiere</h2>
(Half Batch)<br />
<strong><em>Ingredients:</em></strong><br />
1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk<br />
2 Tbsp. cornstarch<br />
6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
2 large egg yolks<br />
2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter<br />
1 Tsp. Vanilla<br />
<strong><em>Directions:</em></strong><br />
<ol>
<li>Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.</li>
<li>Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour
1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that
the eggs do not begin to cook.</li>
<li>Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.</li>
<li>Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to
solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from
heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.</li>
<li>Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap
firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.</li>
</ol>
<h2>
Chocolate Pastry Cream</h2>
(Half Batch Recipe):<br />
Bring ¼ cup (about 50 cl.) milk to a boil in a small pan; remove from
heat and add in 3 ounces (about 80 g.) semisweet chocolate, finely
chopped, and mix until smooth. Whisk into pastry cream when you add the
butter and vanilla.<br />
<h2>
Coffee Pastry Cream</h2>
(Half Batch recipe)<br />
Dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder in 1 ½ teaspoons boiling water. Whisk into pastry cream with butter and vanilla.<br />
<h2>
Chantilly Cream</h2>
1 cup (225 ml.) cold heavy cream<br />
2 tablespoons confectioners' (powdered) sugar<br />
Chill medium mixing bowl and whisk in freezer for 10 minutes before
beginning. In chilled bowl, whisk cream until it begins to foam and
thicken. Add sugar and continue to whisk just until soft peaks form. Do
not over-whip.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Freezing/Storage Instructions/Tips:</em></strong> While
the crème filling stores well when covered tightly and kept in a
refrigerator, the baked choux does not store well at all, especially
after being filled. Therefore, you must eat these the day they are
made. This won’t be a problem, though, I assure you.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-47790017968283727032012-07-31T15:50:00.000-05:002012-07-31T15:50:51.578-05:00Blueberry Nectarine Pie (TWD)<center>
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<br />
This week's <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>: <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Baking with Julia</a> recipe was hosted by Hilary of <a href="http://manchegoskitchen.typepad.com/">Manchego's Kitchen</a> and Liz of <a href="http://thatskinnychickcanbake.blogspot.com/">That Skinny Chick Can Bake</a>: Blueberry Nectarine Pie. This pie is about as summer as you can get. I love taking advantage of fresh fruits that are in season. <br />
<br />
In this recipe, the blueberries and nectarines get cooked down in a little bit of lime zest and brown sugar and then they're tossed in some fresh lime juice with more fresh blueberries and nectarines. The lime is what really brings out the flavors in the fruit. This pie was delicious, and the only thing I'd probably change is to double the fruit next time, as my pie came out a bit thin.<br />
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<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/7686434996_5b4f34b75d.jpg" /></center>
Thanks to Hilary and Liz for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs <a href="http://manchegoskitchen.typepad.com/manchegos-kitchen/2012/07/twd-baking-with-julia-summer-fruit-pie.html">here</a> and <a href="http://thatskinnychickcanbake.blogspot.com/2012/07/blueberry-nectarine-piebaking-with-julia.html">here</a>. Make sure you check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/lyl-blueberry-nectarine-pie/#comments">here</a>, too, to see what everyone else thought of this fruit-filled summer treat.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">* Recipe notes: </span><br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- You'll definitely want to use a pie crust shield or cover the edges of your pie with some foil about half way through the baking process to prevent the edges from getting burned.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- I had to bake my pie about an extra 10-15 minutes before the crust was golden and the fruit juices were bubbling. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- I did not bake my pie on a baking sheet; in my experience that only causes the bottom crust to be undercooked. Instead, I simply laid a piece of foil at the bottom of the oven to catch any juices that might bubble over.</span></div>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-20556271603676104052012-07-27T22:31:00.000-05:002012-07-31T15:02:15.813-05:00Homemade Crackers: Pepper Jack and Oregano Crackers and Cheddar Rosemary Icebox Crackers (DB)<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7686285050_3169ea10fa.jpg" /></center>
Our July <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Bakers'</a> Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each
cracker our own by using ingredients we love.<br />
<br />
It's been quite some time since I made homemade crackers, so it's hard for me to compare this experience with my previous one. However, I found that both of these recipes were extremely quick and easy to execute. The icebox crackers, in particular, were very simple. Just mix everything together and form the dough into a log and refrigerate; then slice and bake when ready.<br />
<br />
<br />
My schedule is a bit hectic these days, so I stuck with the recipes as written and didn't take any creative license with them. The only thing I changed was to omit the walnuts from the cheddar rosemary crackers because I don't care for nuts.<br />
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<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/7686283720_e20d9af8d1.jpg" /></center>
<br />
Both types of crackers were very flavorful. My only complaint would be that the cheddar rosemary crackers were way too salty; so I'll definitely cut back on the salt next time. These crackers reminded me of a gourmet version of cheezits; the rosemary is such a wonderful addition.<br />
<br />
I really enjoyed this challenge because it reminded me of how much I love making my own crackers. With a toddler to feed, I love that I can make her a snack that doesn't have all the additives and preservatives that are found in store bought crackers.<br />
<br />
Thanks Dana, for hosting this month's challenge. You'll find the recipes below. Also be sure to check out the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/member-blogs" target="_blank">Daring Bakers' Blogroll</a> to see what everyone else thought of these savory homemade treats.<br />
<u><span style="font-size: small;"></span></u><br />
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">Pepper Jack and Oregano Crackers (Roll with pasta rollers or by hand):</span></u></h1>
Servings: Approximately 80 crackers<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients</span></h3>
1⅔ cups (400 ml) (235 gm) (8¼ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour<br />
2¼ cups (540 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) grated pepper jack cheese, firmly packed<br />
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (1 gm) dried oregano<br />
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (3 gm) salt<br />
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (½ gm) black pepper<br />
½ cup (120 ml) (4 fl oz) vegetable oil<br />
½ cup (120 ml) (4 fl oz) water<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">Spice topping</span></h3>
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1/8 gm) cayenne<br />
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) kosher salt<br />
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) sugar<br />
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<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7686340548_53dafaf3fb.jpg" /></center>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">Directions:</span></h3>
1. Combine the spice topping and set aside.<br />
2. Grate the cheese and put in the bowl of a food processor with flour,
oregano, salt and pepper and pulse to combine. This can also be done by
hand.<br />
<br />
3. Add the oil and pulse until the consistency of wet sand is reached.<br />
4. Add enough water for the dough to come together.<br />
5. Form the dough into two disks, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.<br />
6. Heat the oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3.<br />
7. Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, either use a rolling
pin or roll out in your pasta rollers to 1/8 of an inch (3 mm) thick. If
you use pasta rollers, ensure the dough is well floured so as not to
stick.<br />
8. Cut the strips into cracker shapes or cut out using a cookie cutter.<br />
<br />
9. Transfer to a parchment lined cookies sheet and sprinkle with the spice mixture.<br />
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until medium golden brown.<br />
11. Store in an airtight container and eat within three days<u><br /></u>
<br />
<h1>
<u><span style="font-size: small;">Cheddar, Rosemary and Walnut Icebox Crackers (form into a log and slice):</span></u></h1>
Servings: Approximately 48 crackers<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients</span></h3>
½ cup (120 ml) (1 stick) (115 gm/4 oz) butter, well softened<br />
2¼ cups (540 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) grated aged cheddar cheese (the better the cheese, the better the cracker), firmly packed<br />
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (285 ml) (190 gm/6oz) all-purpose (plain) flour<br />
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt <span style="color: red;">(I found this to be way too much! try 1/4-1/2 tsp)</span><br />
1/2 cup (120 ml) (60 gm/2 oz) finely chopped walnuts<br />
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (1¾ gm) finely chopped rosemary<br />
<center>
<img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7686332494_4a46be0c3f.jpg" /></center>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">Directions:</span></h3>
1. Combine butter, rosemary and cheese in a stand mixer and beat well (can also be done by hand)<br />
<br />
2. Add the flour, salt and nuts and stir to combine<br />
3. Form the dough into two tight logs and wrap with cling film<br />
<br />
4. Chill for at least an hour and up to several days. The log can be frozen at this point for several months.<br />
5. Heat the oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3.<br />
6. Slice a log into 5mm (1/5 inch) coins and place on a parchment lined baking sheet<br />
7. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown<br />
8. Store in an airtight container and eat within three days<br />
9. Try this recipe with different cheeses, nuts (or no nuts), and spices. Get creative!<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Storage and Freezing Instructions/Tips:</span></h2>
Generally crackers with less fat and cheese last for weeks in an airtight
container and richer crackers only a few days. Dough can be made days
ahead, stored in the fridge and baked when needed. The icebox cracker
dough can be frozen for several months before thawed, sliced and baked.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-30562495094360801832012-07-20T18:00:00.000-05:002012-07-20T21:03:43.464-05:00Dove Visible Care Body Wash & Spa Certificate Giveaway<script language="JavaScript1.1" src="http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/ReviewBadge/OID2793_Dove_Iris_Badge_122/@x13"></script><p>
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<center></center>For the June <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Bakers'</a> challenge, <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/users/mandym">Mandy</a> of <a href="http://www.mandymortimer.com/">What The Fruitcake?!</a>
came to our rescue last minute to present us with the Battenberg Cake
challenge! She highlighted Mary Berry’s techniques and recipes to allow
us to create this unique little cake with ease.<br />
<br />
This cake has far grander beginnings than tea with teddy. It was actually created as a wedding cake for royalty. The first Battenberg cake was made to celebrate the marriage of Queen
Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Victoria, to husband Prince Louis of
Battenberg.<br />
<br />
It’s traditionally flavored with almond and has the signature
Battenberg markings, that is, the yellow and pink squares (said to
represent the four princes of Battenberg). The strips of sponge are
glued together using jam (normally apricot) and the whole cake is
covered in marzipan. Sometimes the edges are crimped and the top is
patterned with a knife.<br />
<br />
Although there are specialized Battenberg cake tins available, you
don’t need one. This cake can be baked in a square baking tin and a divide
made with foil to separate the two batters. This recipe really is all
about simplicity.<br />
<br />
I found the cake to be very simple to make. The almond flavor was nice and the crumb was moist and perfect. Instead of marzipan, I attempted to make some chocolate plastique (plastic chocolate). I was not so successful with this. Despite kneading my chocolate for quite some time, I just could not get it to come together. It simply crumbled as soon as I tried to roll it out. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but this prevented me from wrapping my cake beautifully as others have done. Instead, I'm going to attempt a marshmallow fondant (for the first time). That also means that I haven't finished it yet, so pics for this post will come later...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks Mandy, for hosting this month's challenge. You'll find the recipe below. Also be sure to check out the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/member-blogs" target="_blank">Daring Bakers' Blogroll</a> to see what everyone else thought of these beautiful and impressive cakes!<br />
<br />
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;">Traditional Battenberg:</span></h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Recipe Source: </strong>Traditional Battenberg adapted from Mary Berry’s “Baking Bible”</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></h1>
<em>Servings: approx. 8</em><br />
<br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
¾ cup (1½ sticks) 175gm / 6 oz Unsalted Butter, softened & cut in cubes<br />
¾ cup / 175gm / 6 oz Caster Sugar<br />
1¼ cups / 175gm / 6 oz Self-Raising Flour (*<span style="font-size: small;">To make your own self raising flour: <strong style="font-weight: normal;">1 cup Self Raising Flour = 1 cup / 115g All Purpose Flour + 1
½ tsp Baking Powder + ¼ tsp Salt (omit salt if there is salt in the
recipe) sifted together)</strong></span><br />
3 Large Eggs, room temp<br />
½ cup / 65gm/ 2 1/3 oz Ground Almonds (Can be substituted with ground rice)<br />
3/4 tsp / 3½ gm Baking Powder<br />
½ tsp / 2½ ml Vanilla Extract<br />
1/4 tsp (1¼ ml) Almond Extract<br />
Red Food Colouring, paste, liquid or gel<br />
<br />
<strong>To Finish</strong><br />
1/3 cup (80 ml) 100gm /3 ½ oz Apricot Jam<br />
1 cup / 225gm / 8 oz Marzipan, natural or yellow<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Directions:</strong><br />
1. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/160°C Fan Assisted/Gas Mark 4<br />
2. Grease an 8”/20cm square baking tin with butter<br />
3. Line the tin with parchment paper, creating a divide in the middle with the parchment (or foil)<br />
4. OR Prepare Battenberg tin by brushing the tin with melted butter and flouring<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/vandelkey/Daring%20Baker/ADBCTradBatt-Divider.jpg" /><br />
<em>Making the pan divider with parchment paper and foil.</em><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<em>I folded over a sheet of foil several times to help reinforce the divide.</em><br />
<em>
Fold the parchment in half and put the foil into the crease.<br />
Butter the bottom of the cake pan, this will help "glue" the parchment to it.<br />
</em><em>Make sure the divide is in the middle of the pan and stick the excess parchment onto the bottom.</em><br />
<br />
5. Whisk together the dry ingredients then combine with the wet
ingredients in a large bowl and beat together just until the ingredients
are combined and the batter is smooth<br />
6. Spoon half the mixture into the one side of the prepared baking tin<br />
7. Add a few drops of red food liquid/gel/paste to the remaining batter,
stir until the colour is thoroughly distributed, add more colour if
needed<br />
8. Spoon the pink batter into the other half of the prepared baking tin<br />
9. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, making sure batter is in each corner<br />
10. Bake for 25-30mins until the cake is well risen, springs back when
lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean (it should shrink away
from the sides of the pan)<br />
11. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to cool thoroughly on a wire rack<br />
12. Once completely cool, trim the edges of the cake with a long serrated knife<br />
13. Cut each coloured sponge in half lengthways so that you are left with four long strips of sponge<br />
14. Neaten the strips and trim as necessary so that your checkered pattern is as neat and even as possible<br />
15. Gently heat the apricot jam and pass through a small sieve<br />
16. Brush warmed jam onto the strips of cake to stick the cake together
in a checkered pattern (one yellow next to one pink. On top of that, one
pink next to one yellow)<br />
17. Dust a large flat surface with icing sugar then roll the marzipan in
an oblong shape that is wide enough to cover the length of the cake and
long enough to completely wrap the cake<br />
18. Brush the top of the cake with apricot jam<br />
19. Place the cake on the marzipan, jam side down<br />
- Tip: Either in the middle or to the one side of the marzipan<br />
20. Brush the remaining three sides with jam<br />
21. Press the marzipan around the cake, making sure the join is either
neatly in the one corner, or will be underneath the cake once turned
over<br />
- Tip: If you put the sponge to the one side of the marzipan, I found it
easiest to "roll" the sponge over and over onto the marzipan instead of
lifting the marzipan up onto the sponge<br />
22. Carefully flip the cake over so that the seam is under the cake and
score the top of the cake with a knife, you can also crimp the top
corners with your fingers to decorate<br />
23. Neaten the ends of the cake and remove excess marzipan by trimming
off a small bit of cake on both ends to reveal the pattern<br />
<br />
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;">Coffee and Walnut Battenberg:</span></h1>
<em>Servings: Approx. 8</em><br />
<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
¾ cup (1½ sticks) 175gm / 6 oz Unsalted Butter, softened & cut in cubes<br />
¾ cup / 175gm / 6 oz Caster Sugar<br />
1¼ cups / 175gm / 6 oz Self-Raising Flour (***see end of doc on how to make your own)<br />
3 Large Eggs, room temp<br />
½ cup / 65gm / 2 1/3 oz Ground Almonds (Can be substituted with ground rice)<br />
3/4 tsp / 3½ gm Baking Powder<br />
3 tsp (15 ml) Milk<br />
½ tsp (2½ ml) Vanilla Extract<br />
1½ tsp (7½ ml) 7 gm Instant Coffee Powder or Granules<br />
3 Tbsp / 25gm / 1 oz Walnuts, roughly chopped<br />
<br />
<strong>To Finish</strong><br />
½ cup (1 stick) 115gm /4 oz Unsalted Butter<br />
2 cups / 225gm /8 oz Powdered (Icing/Confectioners') Sugar<br />
½ tsp / 2 gm Instant Coffee<br />
1½ tsp (7½ ml) Milk or Cream<br />
1 cup / 225gm /8 oz Marzipan, natural or yellow<br />
<br />
<strong>Directions:</strong><br />
1. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/160°C Fan Assisted/Gas Mark 4<br />
2. Grease an 8”/20cm square baking tin with butter<br />
3. Line the tin with parchment paper, creating a divide in the middle with the parchment (or foil)<br />
- Tip: See photos or watch video above for detailed instructions<br />
4. OR Prepare Battenberg tin by brushing the tin with melted butter and flouring<br />
5. Whisk together dry ingredients (except walnuts and coffee) and
combine with the wet ingredients in a large bowl (except vanilla and
milk) and beat together just until the ingredients are combined and the
batter is smooth<br />
6. Spoon half the mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the vanilla, 1½ teaspoons milk and chopped walnuts<br />
7. Spoon the walnut mixture into the one side of the prepared baking tin<br />
8. Dissolve the coffee in the remaining 1½ teaspoon milk and add to the remaining batter, stir until just combined<br />
9. Spoon the coffee batter into the other half of the prepared baking tin<br />
10. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, making sure batter is in each corner<br />
11. Bake for 25-30mins until the cake is well risen, springs back when lightly touched and a<br />
toothpick comes out clean (it should shrink away from the sides of the pan)<br />
12. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to cool thoroughly on a wire rack <br />
13. Once completely cool, trim the edges of the cake with a long serrated knife<br />
14. Cut each sponge in half lengthways so that you are left with four long strips of sponge<br />
15. Neaten the strips and trim as necessary so that your checkered pattern is as neat and even as possible<br />
16. Combine the buttercream ingredients together and mix until combined<br />
17. Spread a thin layer of buttercream onto the strips of cake to stick
the cake together in a checkered pattern (one yellow next to one pink.
On top of that, one pink next to one yellow)<br />
- Tip: See photos for detailed instructions<br />
18. Dust a large flat surface with icing sugar then roll the marzipan in
an oblong shape that is wide enough to cover the length of the cake and
long enough to completely wrap the cake<br />
19. Spread the top of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream<br />
20. Place the cake on the marzipan, buttercream side down<br />
21. Spread buttercream onto the remaining three sides<br />
22. Press the marzipan around the cake, making sure the join is either
neatly in the one corner, or will be underneath the cake once turned
over<br />
23. Carefully flip the cake over so that the seam is under the cake and
score the top of the cake with a knife, you can also crimp the top
corners with your fingers to decorate<br />
24. Neaten the ends of the cake and remove excess marzipan by trimming
off a small bit of cake on both ends to reveal the pattern<br />
<br />
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;">Chocolate Plastique / Modelling Chocolate:</span></h1>
<em>Servings: Approx. 8</em><br />
<strong>Dark Chocolate Plastique</strong><br />
200gm /7 oz Good Quality Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa content)<br />
¼ cup / 60ml /2 oz Light Corn Syrup / Glucose Syrup / Golden Syrup<br />
<strong>Milk Chocolate Plastique</strong><br />
200gm /7 oz Good Quality Milk Chocolate (+-50% Cocoa content)<br />
3 Tbsp / 45ml /1½ oz Light Corn Syrup / Glucose Syrup / Golden Syrup<br />
<strong>White Chocolate Plastique</strong><br />
200gm /7 oz Good Quality White Chocolate<br />
2 Tbsp / 30ml /1 oz Light Corn Syrup / Glucose Syrup / Golden Syrup<br />
<br />
<strong>Directions:</strong><br />
1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, stir occasionally<br />
2. Once completely melted, remove from heat and allow to cool a bit<br />
3. Stir in corn syrup / glucose syrup / golden syrup, it will seize up
almost immediately, just keep stirring until mixed and it comes away
from the side of the bowl<br />
4. Transfer chocolate into a sealable bag, spread the chocolate out then seal the bag<br />
5. Leave overnight or refrigerate for about 2 hours until completely firm<br />
6. Turn out from the bag and knead on a surface dusted with powdered
sugar, at first it will just break , but as you knead, it will warm up
and start to become pliable<br />
7. Knead until it's pliable enough to roll out or mould, 5 - 10mins<br />
<strong>Storage Instructions/Tips:</strong><br />
- Battenberg will keep for 3-4 days stored at room temperature in an airtight container<br />
- Keep chocolate plastique in an airtight container at room temperature, it will keep for as long as the<br />
expiry date on the chocolate wrapper <br />
<h1>
</h1>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-58774647168178863642012-06-19T08:00:00.000-05:002012-06-19T18:52:45.098-05:00French Strawberry Cake (TWD)<br />
<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7375230324_1ba5b56392.jpg" /></center><br />
This week's <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>: <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Baking with Julia</a> recipe was hosted by Sophia of <a href="http://sophiasbaking.blogspot.com/">Sophia's Sweets</a> and Allison of <a href="http://thinklovesleepdine.blogspot.com/">Sleep Love Think Dine</a>: French Strawberry Cake. It's a genoise, or Italian sponge cake, made without any chemical leavening agents. Instead, the sponge is made by whipping air into the batter and the dry ingredients are folded in. The batter is extremely delicate, and over mixing will cause it to deflate. The cake is then split into three layers, and then strawberries and cream are layered into between each cake layer.<br />
<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7190017299_4a93d18ef6.jpg" /></center><br />
I had a few small issues with this cake. First, I was traveling and did not have an 8-inch cake pan. I had to use a larger pan, and the resulting cake was too thin to cut into three layers. So, I ended up baking a second cake and splitting both cakes into two layers instead - resulting a 4-layer cake instead of a 3-layer cake. Even though I whipped up a full 2 cups of heavy cream (instead of the indicated 1-1/4), I did not have enough cream to pipe around the cake. Instead, I decided to just decorate my cake with more fresh strawberries.<br />
<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7375223078_9405f91d78.jpg" /></center><br />
Thanks to Sophia and Allison for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs <a href="http://sophiasbaking.blogspot.com/2012/06/twd-french-strawberry-cake.html">here</a> and <a href="http://thinklovesleepdine.blogspot.com/2012/06/twd-french-strawberry-cake.html">here</a>. Make sure you check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/lyl-french-strawberry-cake/#comments">here</a>, too, to see what everyone else thought of wonderful summer treat.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">* Recipe notes: </span><br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Be very very careful folding your ingredients together, especially the butter. If you're not careful all is lost and you shouldn't even bother baking up the deflated batter.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- I'd recommend using at least 2 cups of heavy whipping cream to frost the cake. </span></div>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-32926874630800734022012-05-28T23:53:00.001-05:002012-06-18T16:19:17.087-05:00Honey White Challah and Cinnamon & Sugar Challah (DB)<br />
<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7292605068_a84e3dd1c6.jpg" /></center>May’s <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Bakers'</a> was pretty twisted – Ruth from <a href="http://www.mommy-crafts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Crafts of Mommyhood</a> challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from all
over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she encouraged
us to bake beautifully braided breads.<br />
<br />
I was eager to try this recipe, and made one honey white loaf and one cinnamon & sugar loaf. The honey white was good, but the cinnamon & sugar loaf was to die for! The recipe was easy to follow, though I had to add about 1 extra cup of flour before the dough wasn't too sticky to work with. I was rather concerned as I was adding so much extra flour, but in the end I still had fluffy loaves with a nice crumb.<br />
<br />
To create the cinnamon and sugar filling, I used 2/3 cup brown sugar (packed) mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon. After separating the dough into three equal pieces, I simply rolled each piece into a rectangle and then spread 1.5 tablespoons of softened butter on to each rectangle. I then spread one-third of the cinnamon and sugar mixture on to each one and then rolled the rectangles up lengthwise. Then I simply braided the three rolls like I did with the regular honey white loaf.<br />
<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7299684174_3491d257bd.jpg" /></center>
The result was a bread that basically tasted like a delicious cinnamon roll, sans icing. I realized as I was getting ready to put the bread in the oven that I was out of eggs, so my loaves were without egg washes, but I brushed them with a little bit of milk to add just a little more color to them. The cinnamon & sugar loaf didn't last very long in our household, and I will definitely be making it again.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Ruth, for hosting this month. If you'd like the recipe, you'll find it posted below, and on <a href="http://www.mommy-crafts.blogspot.com/2012/05/daring-to-do-it-challah.html" target="_blank">Ruth's blog</a>.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Honey White Challah </b></u><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://tammysrecipes.com/challah" target="_blank">Tammy's Recipes</a></span> <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; page-break-after: avoid;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ingredients</span></u></i></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; page-break-after: avoid;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1 ½ cups (360 ml) warm water, separated</span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1 Tbsp. (15 ml) (15 gm/½ oz sugar</span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2 Tbsp. (2-2/3 packets) (30 ml) (18 gm) (2/3 oz)
dry active yeast</span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">½ cup (120 ml) honey</span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1 Tbsp. (15 ml) oil (light colored vegetable oil,
or olive oil if you prefer)</span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">4 large eggs</span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1 ½ tsp. 7½ ml) (9 gm) (1/3 oz) salt</span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">5 cups (1200 ml) (700 gm/25 oz) all-purpose (plain)
flour, plus more as needed (up to 8 or 9 cups total)</span></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/7292606168_29cafbe840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/7292606168_29cafbe840.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Directions:</span></u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In mixer
bowl/large mixing bowl combine ½ cup warm water, 1 Tbsp. sugar and 2 Tbsp.
yeast. Allow to proof approximately
5 minutes until foamy.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To the yeast
mixture add the remaining water, honey, oil, eggs, salt and 5 cups of
flour. Knead (by hand or with your mixer’s dough hook) until smooth,
adding flour as needed. Knead for
approximately 10 minutes.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Transfer dough
to a clean, oiled bowl, turn to coat or add a bit more oil on top. Cover bowl with a kitchen/tea
towel. Leave to rise in a warm
place until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.
</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Punch down the
dough, divide it into two sections.
Use one half to make each loaf (shaped or braided as desired).</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Place loaves
on parchment lined or greased baking sheets, cover with a towel, allow to
rise 30 minutes.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Preheat oven
to 325 degrees. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Brush tops
loaves with egg wash. (Sprinkle
with seeds or toppings here if wanted.)</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Bake loaves
30-40 minutes until done.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cool on wire
racks.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<center></center>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-24961720313369928372012-05-02T23:30:00.001-05:002012-05-02T23:30:23.727-05:00Hungarian Shortbread (TWD)<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/6991697244_cd414b5195.jpg" /></center><br />
I'm a day late posting, but this week's <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>: <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Baking with Julia</a> recipe was hosted by Lynette of <a href="http://1smallkitchen.blogspot.com/">1smallkitchen</a> and Cher of <a href="http://crazyworldofcher.blogspot.com/">The not so exciting adventures of a dabbler…</a>: Hungarian Shortbread. This shortbread recipe is very similar to most traditional shortbreads - made with flour, sugar, and <i>a lot</i> of butter. However, instead of rolling out the dough, half of it is grated into the pan and then topped with fruit preserves, and then topped with more grated dough.<br />
<br />
The dough recipe was simple, and the results quite delicious. However, I think I spent a good 30 minutes grating all of the dough! It kept getting too soft to grate so I'd have to put it back in the fridge to chill while I grated the other ball of dough. So, while these were buttery, crumbly, and delicious, I'm afraid I won't be making them again simply because I cannot put myself through another 30 minutes straight of grating again!<br />
<br />
Thanks to Lynette and Cher for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs <a href="http://1smallkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/05/tuesdays-with-dorie-hungarian.html">here</a> and <a href="http://crazyworldofcher.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-shoulders-of-those-before-us-twd.html">here</a>. Make sure you check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/3120/#comments">here</a>, too, to see what everyone else thought of these sweet, buttery treats.<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">* Recipe notes: </span><br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- I used a 13 x 9 inch pyrex pan to bake my shortbread.</span></div>
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Instead of 8 oz of fruit preserves, I used 16 oz. This seemed to be a good amount. I think 8 oz would result in a layer of fruit preserves that was too thin. I would recommend using at least 12 oz. </span></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">- I had to bake my shortbread for an extra 15 minutes before it was golden brown on top. Some bakers noted that the bottom layer seemed undercooked but I did not have this problem since I baked mine longer.</span>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-61356459353490191122012-04-29T23:32:00.002-05:002012-04-29T23:32:21.547-05:00Armenian Nutmeg Cake (DB)<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6980880384_cd5bc2aef9.jpg" /></center>The <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Bakers'</a> April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at <a href="http://dailycandor.com/">Daily Candor</a>, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a
layered yeasted dough pastry with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a
fragrant, nutty coffee-style cake. We were given the choice to make either dessert, or both if we were really up for a challenge.<br />
<br />
I opted to try the Armenian Nutmeg Cake and while it seems deceivingly simple and plain, it is such a delicious cake. The brown sugar in the cake gives it the most wonderful caramel flavor and the "crust" that is created at the bottom of the cake with a layer of flour, sugar, and butter gives it an unexpected crunch. The cake vaguely reminded me of the British dessert sticky toffee pudding, just without the sauce.<br />
<br />
I stuck to the recipe as written, except I used 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of nutmeg instead of 1.5 teaspoons of nutmeg. I think the cake lasted a total of about 24 hours in our household, it was that good!<br />
<br />
Thanks Jason, for hosting this month's challenge. I just love it when I find a recipe that is <i>amazing</i> that requires minimal effort! I'll definitely be making this cake again and again. You'll find the recipe below. Also be sure to check out the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/member-blogs" target="_blank">Daring Bakers' Blogroll</a> to see what everyone else thought of these Armenian desserts.<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Armenian Nutmeg Cake</span></h2>
<em>Makes one 9”/23cm cake which yields 12 servings</em><br />
<strong><a href="http://livelonger.hubpages.com/video/Easy-Coffee-Cake">Video Instructions</a></strong> by Jason<br />
<br />
<em><strong>Ingredients</strong></em><br />
<ul>
<li>1 cup (240 ml) milk (I use whole, but nonfat or lowfat should be fine; non-dairy might work just fine, as well)</li>
<li>1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking soda </li>
<li>2 cups (480 ml) (280 gm/10 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour (I suspect
pastry flour or another low-gluten flour might even work better to
achieve a light, fluffy crumb)</li>
<li> 2 teaspoons (10 ml) (10 gm) (⅓ oz) baking powder (I used
single-acting, because it's aluminum-free, and it turned out fantastic) </li>
<li>2 cups (480 ml) (400 gm/14 oz) brown sugar, firmly packed</li>
<li>3/4 cup (1½ sticks) (180 ml) (170 gm/6 oz) butter, preferably unsalted, cubed</li>
<li>1/2 cup (120 ml) (55 gm/2 oz) walnut pieces, may need a little more </li>
<li>1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons (5 to 7 ½ ml) (5 to 8 gm) ground nutmeg (try to grate it fresh yourself; the aroma is enchanting)</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
</ul>
<strong><em>Directions</em></strong>:<br />
<em>Directions - the Traditional Way (The Fast, Easy Way further down)</em><br />
1. Preheat your oven to moderate 350°F/175°C/gas mark 4.<br />
2. Mix the baking soda (not baking powder; that's for the next step) into the milk. Set it aside.<br />
3. Sift together the flour and the baking powder into a large bowl. One sift is fine<br />
4. Add the brown sugar. Go ahead and mix the flour and brown sugar together. Or not.<br />
5. Toss in the cubed butter.<br />
6. Mash the butter with a fork into the dry ingredients (you can also
use your fingers if you want). You'll want to achieve a more-or-less
uniform, tan-colored crumbly mixture.<br />
7. Take HALF of this resulting crumbly mixture into your springform
(9”/23cm) pan. Press a crust out of it using your fingers and knuckles.
It will be easy.<br />
8. Crack an egg into a mixer or bowl.<br />
9. Toss the nutmeg in with the egg.<br />
10. Start mixing slowly with a whisk attachment and then increase to
medium speed, or mix with a hand whisk if you're doing it manually. Once
it's mixed well and frothy (about 1 minute using a standing mixer, or
about 2-3 minutes of vigorous beating with a whisk), pour in the milk
and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until uniform.<br />
11. Pour in the rest of the crumbly mixture. Mix that well, with either a
paddle attachment, or a spatula. Or continue to use the whisk; it won't
make much of a difference, since the resulting batter is very liquidy.<br />
12. Pour the batter over the base in the springform pan.<br />
13. Gently sprinkle the walnut pieces over the batter.<br />
14. Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 30-40 minutes. You'll
know it's done when the top is a golden brown, and an inserted toothpick
comes out clean.<br />
15. Allow to cool in the pan, and then release. Enjoy!<br /><br />
<br />
<em>An Even Easier Way...if you have a Food Processor</em><br />
1. Preheat your oven to moderate 350°F/175°C/gas mark 4 .<br />
2. Mix the baking soda (not baking powder) into the milk. Set aside.<br />
3. Put the flour, baking powder, and the brown sugar into your food processor. Pulse until uniformly mixed.<br />
4. Toss in the cubed butter. Pulse until uniformly mixed into tan-colored crumbs.<br />
5. Pour HALF of the crumbs into your springform (9”/23cm) pan. Press out a crust using your fingers and knuckles.<br />
6. Crack the egg into the food processor with the rest of the crumbs still in it.<br />
7. Grate 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. Toss that into the food processor, too. Pulse until well-incorporated.<br />
8. Pour in the milk and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until a slightly lumpy tan batter is formed.<br />
9. Pour the batter over the crust in the springform pan.<br />
10. Gently sprinkle the walnut pieces over the batter.<br />
11. Bake in a preheated moderate oven for 30-40 minutes. It's ready when
the top is golden brown, and when it passes the toothpick test (comes
out clean).<br />
12. Cool the cake in the pan, and then dig in. Yum yum!<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Freezing/Storage Instructions/Tips</em></strong>: Armenian nutmeg cake will keep (covered) at room
temperature for 2-3 days. It tastes even better still warm from the
oven.<br />
<br />
Allow to cool completely before attempting to freeze. Armenian Nutmeg Cake will freeze fairly well if completely sealed.
It can be frozen for up to 3 months. <br />
<h1>
</h1>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-16668086320311833052012-04-26T16:14:00.001-05:002012-04-26T16:14:41.675-05:00$5 Starbucks eGift Card for $1.80If you're a Starbucks addict, you'll want to head on over <a href="https://halfoffdepot.com/charlotte/referafriend/?bl=bXlpbmJveDAxMDVAZ21haWwuY29t">here</a> to get a <a href="https://halfoffdepot.com/charlotte/referafriend/?bl=bXlpbmJveDAxMDVAZ21haWwuY29t">$5 Starbucks eGift Card for just $1.80</a><br />
<br />
It's the daily deal today (check under Charlotte if you don't see it) for $2 and code moviebuff3 (case sensitive) will take 10% off and make it only $1.80!<br />
<br />
Act fast, as I am sure that these will sell out quickly! (Also note that the site is <em>extremely slow</em> right now due to increased traffic, but the pages do eventually load)Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-37772980061219211102012-04-23T22:49:00.001-05:002012-04-24T00:22:29.961-05:00$10 Off and Free Shipping on Orders over $25 at Vitacost.com<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjthVlAfKgYeV2VfDV1ocxqQWneZuhsek_k__U24AjLvSd3SsfsZxR8gJhnkl9XiNTULt0DGN8Dx9nJgZZcEbYNqF4ijFYTsHM_5ZMGLP9hl8CHDFNAWUmveJV5f8QxC-KqxW88I02qs/s1600/coconutoil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjthVlAfKgYeV2VfDV1ocxqQWneZuhsek_k__U24AjLvSd3SsfsZxR8gJhnkl9XiNTULt0DGN8Dx9nJgZZcEbYNqF4ijFYTsHM_5ZMGLP9hl8CHDFNAWUmveJV5f8QxC-KqxW88I02qs/s1600/coconutoil.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red;">*** Update - it also looks like through 4/24 only, you can get free shipping on all orders over $24, or $2.24 shipping on orders under $24. Several of the </span><a href="http://www.vitacost.com/clif-kid-organic-zbar-chocolate-brownie-6-bars" style="color: red;">Clif Organic Zbars</a><span style="color: red;"> are just $3.45 for a 6 pack. This means you can get three 6 packs for $12.59 including shipping, or just $2.59 after your $10 off code! Be sure to look around for some other great deals ***</span><br />
<br />If you previously signed up for the <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">Vitacost.com</a> $10 off promo but didn't get to use it before the deal expired, here's another one! <b><i>T</i></b><i><b>hrough 5/1</b></i>, Vitacost is offering FREE shipping on your entire order when you purchase $25 or more in Vitacost brand products. This means you can purchase something like the <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-extra-virgin-certified-organic-coconut-oil-54-fl-oz">54 oz Vitacost Extra Virgin Coconut Oil</a> ($20.99) and the <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/as-seen-on-tv-resources" target="_blank"><b>Vitacost Vitamin D3 (200 capsules)</b></a> ($4.99) and pay only $15.98 for both after the
$10 code. Plus several Vitacost brand items are <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/buy-one-get-one-half-off-vbogoe">buy one get one half off</a> right now, too (with code VBOGOE)!<br />
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1) Use <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">this link</a> to sign up and get a $10 promo code sent to your email. After you register for an account with <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">Vitacost.com</a> (to get the code you must go through a referral <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">link</a> like the one provided) you will receive an email with the subject line "Here's your $10 coupon for Vitacost.com" (this may take an hour)<br />
<br />
2) Then add $25 or more in Vitacost brand products to qualify for free shipping.<br />
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3) Enter your $10 off code (should arrive in your email) at checkout.<br />
<br />
Also, don't forget to add 2 <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/FreeSamples">free samples</a> to your cart before checking out (they've got a few different teas and
other samples available). Happy shopping!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-65349497297501212042012-04-19T17:15:00.002-05:002012-04-19T17:15:53.366-05:00Orange Loaf Cake (TWD)<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7094490169_a4b4075071.jpg" /></center><br />
Ack! I'm not sure how I missed it, but I totally lost track of the days and realized on Wednesday night that I had forgotten to do this week's <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>: <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Baking with Julia</a> recipe! This week's recipe hosted by Truc of <a href="http://www.treats-sf.com/">Treats</a> and Michelle of <a href="http://www.ladystiles.blogspot.com/">The Beauty of Life</a>: Lemon Loaf Cake.<br />
<br />
This was a quick and easy one bowl recipe that came together in just minutes (no mixer required!). I didn't have any lemons on hand so I made an orange loaf cake instead. I also glazed my loaf with an orange glaze.<br />
<br />
The crumb was nice and fluffy, not too heavy at all. However, I did find the cake a tad dry - not sure if I over baked it? The orange flavor was quite subtle and I'm not sure you would really taste much of it without the glaze. One of my favorite treats to get at Starbucks is their iced lemon pound cake. I'm afraid this one pales in comparison. It was good, but probably not something that I'll make again.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Truc and Michelle for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs <a href="http://www.treats-sf.com/2012/04/twd-lemon-loaf-cake.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.ladystiles.blogspot.com/2012/04/lemon-loaf-cake-for-tuesdays-with-dorie.html">here</a>. Make sure you check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/lyl-lemon-loaf-cake/#comments">here</a>, too, to see what everyone else thought of citrus infused treat.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-3019101831003188682012-04-03T22:40:00.000-05:002012-04-03T22:40:00.084-05:00Pizza Rustica (TWD)<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5192/7043888797_d404b323e0.jpg" /></center><br />
This week's <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>: <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Baking with Julia</a> was hosted by Emily of <a href="http://capitalregiondiningblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Capital Region Dining</a> and Raelynn of <a href="http://tptch.com/" target="_blank">The Place They Call Home</a>: Pizza Rustica. I'm not sure where this got its name. Rustic it is, pizza it's not. It's more like a quiche, but heavy on the cheese and light on the eggs. The base of the filling is ricotta cheese. Then you mix in some mozarella and romano cheeses, some parsley, and some prosciutto.<br />
<br />
I didn't have any fresh parsley on hand, so I subbed in 2 teaspoons of dried parsley. Also used cooked bacon instead of proscuitto, and asiago cheese instead of romano cheese. Sometimes a quiche tastes to "eggy" for me, so this "pizza" was more appealing to me.<br />
<br />
There were some mixed opinions among the group about the pie crust, which was very sweet. I decreased the amount of sugar in it, just a bit, based on comments that it was too sweet. In the end, I'm not sure if I liked this savory and sweet combination. I think cutting the sugar in half with this recipe would be absolutely fine.<br />
<br />
I thought this was a pretty good dish; my husband not so much. He would not eat more than one bite :( He usually isn't very picky, either. So, this is unfortunately probably the first and last time I'll make this one.... in its entirety at least. I'll probably make the pie crust recipe again, as this is the first one I've ever made that I didn't have huge problems with and it was delicious :) <br />
<br />
Thanks to Emily and Raelynn for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs <a href="http://capitalregiondiningblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/twd-baking-with-julia-pizza-rustica.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tptch.com/2012/04/03/twd-pizza-rustica/">here</a>. Make sure you check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/lyl-pizza-rustica/#comments">here</a>, too, to see what everyone else thought of this non-traditional pizza.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-60885940254690674092012-03-28T10:00:00.000-05:002012-03-28T22:51:25.506-05:00Dutch Crunch Bread (DB)<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6057/6879571618_4a05b4494d.jpg" /></center><br />
Sara and Erica of <a href="http://baking-jds.blogspot.com/">Baking JDs</a> were our March 2012 <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Bakers'</a> hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a
delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica
also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread!<br />
<br />
Technically, Dutch Crunch doesn’t refer to the type of bread, but rather
the topping that is spread over the bread before baking. In Dutch it’s
called Tijgerbrood or “tiger bread” after the tiger-like shell on the
bread when it comes out of the oven. The final product has a delightful
sweet crunch to it that makes it perfect for a sandwich roll. It’s a
common option at sandwich shops all over the Bay Area and is often one
of the first breads to run out.<br />
<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6091/6879571946_d146516498.jpg" /></center>
I've never had Dutch Crunch bread before, so I was curious to try this one out. It was a pretty straightforward recipe, and I did not come across any issues making this bread. It was actually kind of fun schmearing the topping all over the bread prior to baking :) (would be fun for the kids to get involved too!)<br />
<br />
I wasn't too creative with my sandwich making. I just went with a classic BLT. I'm a bacon lover, so the lettuce and tomato are basically just there to make me feel less guilty (otherwise I'd just be eating plain bacon!). The dutch crunch topping was a nice textural change to plain bread, but I think this type of soft white roll would have lent itself better to another type of sandwich. The BLT seems to work better with traditional toasted bread. Still, I had fun with this challenge and I am glad I tried it.<br />
<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/6879572664_2c0ecf4f4d.jpg" /></center>
Thanks Sara and Erica, for hosting this month's challenge. You'll find the recipe below - be sure to read the note at the bottom about rice flour if you are not familiar with this ingredient. Also be sure to check out the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/member-blogs" target="_blank">Daring Bakers' Blogroll</a> to see what kind of sandwiches everyone else came up with.<br />
<br />
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;">Soft White Roll</span></h1>
<em>Servings: Six sandwich rolls</em><br />
<em>This recipe approximates the quintessential white sandwich roll
found throughout the Bay Area. The recipe is simple, quick, and
addictive.</em><br />
<br />
<strong><em>Ingredients</em></strong><br />
1 tablespoon (1 packet) (15 ml) (7 gm/ ¼ oz) active dry yeast<br />
¼ cup (60 ml) warm water (105-110º F) (41-43°C) (No need to use a
thermometer – it should feel between lukewarm and hot to the touch).<br />
1 cup (240 ml) warm milk (105-110º F) (41-43°C) (We’ve tried both nonfat and 2%, with no noticeable difference)<br />
1½ tablespoons (22½ ml) (20 gm/ ⅔ oz) sugar<br />
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil (plus additional olive or vegetable oil for greasing bowl during rising)<br />
1½ teaspoons (7½ ml) (9 gm/⅓ oz) salt<br />
Up to 4 cups (960 ml) (600 gm/21oz) all purpose flour<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Directions:</em></strong><br />
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer or large mixing bowl, combine
yeast, water, milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit for about 5
minutes (The mixture should start to bubble or foam a bit and smell
yeasty).<br />
2. Add in vegetable oil, salt and 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook
attachment or a wooden spoon, mix at medium speed until the dough comes
together. (The photo to below is with the first 2 cups of flour added).<br />
<div class="img-center">
</div>
3. Add remaining flour a quarter cup at time until the dough pulls
away from the sides of the bowl, as shown in the photo below (For us,
this usually required an additional 1½ to 2 cups of flour).<br />
<div class="img-center">
</div>
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 4 minutes, until smooth and elastic.<br />
5. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise
for 1 hour, or until doubled (or more) in size (see photo comparison). <br />
6. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured
surface and divide it into 6 equal portions (if you’d like to make
rolls) or 2 equal portions (if you’d like to make a loaf) (using a sharp
knife or a dough scraper works well). Shape each into a ball or loaf
and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (try not to handle the dough
too much at this point).<br />
7. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 15 minutes while you prepare the topping.<br />
8. Coat the top of each roll or loaf with the topping as described
above. While the original recipe recommends letting them stand for 20
minutes after applying the topping, I got better results by putting them
directly into the oven.<br />
9. Once you’ve applied the topping, bake in a preheated moderately hot
380ºF/190°C/gas mark 5 for 25-30 minutes, until well browned. Let cool
completely on a wire rack before eating.<br />
Our finished products: Note the roll in the foreground on the left.
This is what happens if you don’t put enough topping on the bread – no
cracking! So be sure to load on the topping.<br />
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;">Dutch Crunch Topping</span></h1>
<em>Servings: This recipe should make sufficient topping for two 9x5
loaves (23cmx13cm) or 12 rolls. If you make only 6 rolls in the first
soft white roll recipe, you can cut the topping recipe in half.</em><br />
<em><br />
You should not prepare the topping
until the bread you’ve selected to bake is almost finished rising (~15
minutes from baking). </em><br />
<br />
<strong><em>Ingredients</em></strong><br />
2 tablespoons (2 packets) (30 ml) (15 gm/½ oz) active dry yeast<br />
1 cup (240 ml) warm water (105-115º F) (41-46°C)<br />
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm/1 oz) sugar<br />
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil<br />
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (3 gm) salt<br />
1½ cups (360 ml) (240 gm/8½ oz) rice flour (white or brown; NOT sweet or
glutinous rice flour) (increase by 1 cup or more for home-made rice
flour)<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Directions:</em></strong><br />
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a whisk;
beat hard to combine. The consistency should be like stiff royal icing –
spreadable, but not too runny. If you pull some up with your whisk, as
shown below, it should drip off slowly. Add more water or rice flour as
necessary. Let stand 15 minutes.<br />
2. Coat the top of each loaf or roll with a thick layer of topping.
We tried coating it with a brush but it worked better just to use
fingers or a spoon and kind of spread it around. You should err on the
side of applying too much topping – a thin layer will not crack
properly.<br />
3. Let stand, uncovered, for any additional time your recipe recommends.
With the Soft White Roll, you can place the rolls directly into the
oven after applying the topping. With the Brown Rice Bread, the loaves
should stand for 20 minutes with the topping before baking.<br />
4. When baking, place pans on a rack in the center of the oven and bake
your bread as you ordinarily would. The Dutch Cruch topping should
crack and turn a nice golden-brown color.<br />
<br />
<strong>A Note about Rice Flour:</strong> If it’s not in your local grocery store, check in
a specialty shop (somewhere that would sell gluten-free foods) or
online (e.g., <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O8IIVW/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=goeanswtr-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B004O8IIVW&adid=05J7YQY25K2VA0MS9WZF&" target="_blank">amazon.com</a>).
Be sure not to buy the sweet or glutinous variety, though either white or brown rice flour works just fine.<br />
<br />
If you are unable to find it, or if you’re just curious about how to
make it yourself, it’s not very hard to do at all. There are a number
of tutorials online, but the basic idea is to put rice in a spice
grinder or something else that can break grains, and grind it until it
is a fine flour-like powder. You will likely need to sift the final
product through a sieve. <br />
<div class="img-center">
<br />
</div>
Home-made rice flour alters the balance of
ingredients in the topping recipe, specifically requiring more rice
flour to make it the appropriate paste-like consistency. You want the topping to form a thick layer on the bread. If it’s
too watery or drippy, it will not stay on top of the bread and crack
like it’s supposed to.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-7611098658863502882012-03-22T09:23:00.002-05:002012-03-22T09:28:08.410-05:00Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale only $11.37<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EUMKwwL71NCgjdDrNEt7zt9sgBh1mYvoJ_YsTuSqpUWBIksuuIINyZP3B7RFzq5O4KlEJwUDztp4biBNWt4sdRkNFY3taaDJZo6m7Zn-fZ1t3Sc-CR08inaVVOebKXxRGgwCxCWPScM/s1600/scale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EUMKwwL71NCgjdDrNEt7zt9sgBh1mYvoJ_YsTuSqpUWBIksuuIINyZP3B7RFzq5O4KlEJwUDztp4biBNWt4sdRkNFY3taaDJZo6m7Zn-fZ1t3Sc-CR08inaVVOebKXxRGgwCxCWPScM/s1600/scale.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Do you have a kitchen scale? If you don't, now is the time to get one! Right now you can get the <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004101GQC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=goeanswtr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004101GQC">Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale</a> (in Elegant Chrome) for just $11.37. Just use coupon code<b> IAMFIT12</b> during checkout to bring it down from $18.95 to $11.37. (This item ships FREE with Amazon Prime or with a purchase of $25 or more with Super Saver Shipping) <br />
<br />
A kitchen scale is a very inexpensive way to make your life easier while baking. Weighing ingredients is much more accurate than measuring them, and a digital kitchen scale makes doing that so easy. If you like <a href="http://www.goodeatsblog.com/2008/08/best-chocolate-chip-cookies-my-new.html">the best chocolate chip cookie recipe</a> from my blog, you'll definitely find that making it by weighing the ingredients is faster than measuring out the ingredients, and will give you more consistent results from batch to batch. Act fast, as items do sell out quickly and prices fluctuate quite a bit on Amazon!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-48599352266123151372012-03-20T23:56:00.000-05:002012-03-20T23:56:33.332-05:00Irish Soda Bread (TWD) and Vitacost Deal on Coconut Oil<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/7001999419_2f543831a7.jpg" /></center> This week's <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>: <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Baking with Julia</a> was hosted by Carla of <a href="http://chocolatemoosey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chocolate Moosey</a> and Cathleen of <a href="http://myculinarymission.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">my culinary mission</a>. The chosen recipe was Irish Soda Bread. So named because instead of yeast, baking soda is used as the leavening agent in this bread.<br />
<br />
It's pretty similar to most quick bread recipes (or biscuits), in that you mix all the dry ingredients together in one bowl, then pour the liquid ingredients in and mix it all together. This recipe does call for a quick kneading, however, and I found the dough to be way too wet to knead. I had to add quite a bit of extra flour before I could handle it. Otherwise, this was a super easy recipe and it came together in just a matter of minutes! I added dried cranberries and chopped dried apricots to mine, which gave it a slightly sweet but not overwhelmingly sweet flavor. I saw that a few other bakers added cheese to theirs and I think that will be my next rendition of this recipe :)<br />
<br />
Thanks to Carla and Cathleen for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs <a href="http://chocolatemoosey.blogspot.com/2012/03/irish-soda-bread-tuesdays-with-dorie.html">here</a> and <a href="http://myculinarymission.blogspot.com/2012/03/twd-irish-soda-bread.html">here</a>. Make sure you check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/lyl-irish-soda-bread/#comments">here</a>, too, to see all the other variations on this classic Irish bread.<br />
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Also, if you missed the last <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">Vitacost</a> deal I posted about, their free shipping promotion has been extended through 3/26 at 9am EST.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjthVlAfKgYeV2VfDV1ocxqQWneZuhsek_k__U24AjLvSd3SsfsZxR8gJhnkl9XiNTULt0DGN8Dx9nJgZZcEbYNqF4ijFYTsHM_5ZMGLP9hl8CHDFNAWUmveJV5f8QxC-KqxW88I02qs/s1600/coconutoil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjthVlAfKgYeV2VfDV1ocxqQWneZuhsek_k__U24AjLvSd3SsfsZxR8gJhnkl9XiNTULt0DGN8Dx9nJgZZcEbYNqF4ijFYTsHM_5ZMGLP9hl8CHDFNAWUmveJV5f8QxC-KqxW88I02qs/s1600/coconutoil.jpg" /></a></div>
Right now, <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">Vitacost.com</a> is offering FREE shipping on orders that contain over $20 in Vitacost brand products. (Normally their shipping fee is $4.95 for orders under $49 and free shipping for orders $49+) Pair this free shipping offer with their $10 off $10 promo (for new customers) and you can get $20 worth of products for just $10.<br />
<br />
You can get the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044MTGHI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=goeanswtr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0044MTGHI" target="_blank">54oz Vitacost Coconut Oil</a> for just $11.95 after the discount. It's normally $18.89 on Amazon, so this is quite a savings.<br />
<br />
Here's how:<br />
1) Use <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">this link</a> to sign up and get a $10 promo code sent to your email. After you register for an account with <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">Vitacost.com</a> (it must be through the <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">link</a> provided) you will receive an email with the subject line "Here's your $10 coupon for Vitacost.com" (this may take an hour)<br />
<br />
2) Then add the <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/Vitacost-Extra-Virgin-Certified-Organic-Coconut-Oil-54-fl-oz" target="_blank">Vitacost Coconut Oil</a> to your cart for $19.95 (used to be $20.99 so it would qualify for free shipping alone). Add the <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/Vitacost-Organic-Apple-Cider-Vinegar-with-Mother">apple cider vinegar</a> ($2) as a filler to bring your total to $20+. Then use the $10 off code sent to your email, bringing your order total to $11.95 for both the coconut oil and the apple cider vinegar!<br />
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Of course, feel free to look around their website for other items. You can view all Vitacost brand items that qualify for this free shipping offer <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/Vitacost-Brand">here</a>. <br />
<br />
Also, don't forget to add 2 <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/FreeSamples">free samples</a> to your cart before checking out (they've got a few different teas and
other samples available). Happy shopping!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-62092327874898777802012-03-13T14:25:00.002-05:002012-03-20T23:52:49.569-05:00$20 in Products for just $10 at Vitacost.com through 3/15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjthVlAfKgYeV2VfDV1ocxqQWneZuhsek_k__U24AjLvSd3SsfsZxR8gJhnkl9XiNTULt0DGN8Dx9nJgZZcEbYNqF4ijFYTsHM_5ZMGLP9hl8CHDFNAWUmveJV5f8QxC-KqxW88I02qs/s1600/coconutoil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjthVlAfKgYeV2VfDV1ocxqQWneZuhsek_k__U24AjLvSd3SsfsZxR8gJhnkl9XiNTULt0DGN8Dx9nJgZZcEbYNqF4ijFYTsHM_5ZMGLP9hl8CHDFNAWUmveJV5f8QxC-KqxW88I02qs/s1600/coconutoil.jpg" /></a></div>
Did
you miss the last deal I posted on free coconut oil? Well, this isn't free, but it's a pretty good deal. Right now, <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">Vitacost.com</a> is having a sale and they are offering FREE shipping on orders over $20 through 3/15. (Normally their shipping fee is $4.95 for orders under $49 and free shipping for orders $49+) Pair this free shipping sale with their $10 off $10 promo and you can get $20 worth of products for just $10.<br />
<br />
You can get the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044MTGHI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=goeanswtr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0044MTGHI" target="_blank">54oz Vitacost Coconut Oil</a> for just $10.99 after the discount. It's normally $18.89 on Amazon, so this is about 50% off.<br />
<br />
Here's how:<br />
1) Use <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">this link</a> to sign up and get a $10 promo code sent to your email. After you register for an account with <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">Vitacost.com</a> (it must be through the <a href="https://www.vitacost.com/MyAccount/CreateAccount.aspx?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=782000205765">link</a> provided) you will receive an email with the subject line "Here's your $10 coupon for Vitacost.com" (this may take an hour)<br />
<br />
2) Then add the <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/Vitacost-Extra-Virgin-Certified-Organic-Coconut-Oil-54-fl-oz" target="_blank">Vitacost Coconut Oil</a> to your cart for $20.99 to qualify for free shipping. Then use the $10 off code sent to your email, your order will be $10.99!<br />
<br />
Of course, feel free to look around their website for other items. You might like the <span id="IamMasterFrameYesIam_ctl02_productContent"><a class="pNameM cf" href="http://www.vitacost.com/Chocolove-Almonds-and-Sea-Salt-in-Dark-Chocolate" title="View more information about Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate">Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate Bar</a></span> or some of these <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/productResults.aspx?Ns=P_UnitPrice&ss=1&Ntt=chocolate&x=0&y=0&ntk=products">other low priced chocolate products</a>. I also have a few mommy friends who swear by <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/Boiron-Cocyntal-Colic-Relief" target="_blank">Cocyntal</a> for the treatment of colic in cases where nothing else worked! <br />
<br />
Also, don't forget to add 2 <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/FreeSamples">free samples</a> to your cart before checking out (they've got a few different teas and
other samples available). Happy shopping!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-38007006864724732222012-03-12T18:45:00.002-05:002012-03-12T18:46:11.533-05:00KitchenAid Professional 6-Qt Mixer Only $195.99 Shipped (Reg. $499.99!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpFBIlK0QKEi9QVRpyjRn2FG0Y59D83Ay2UIsW6trrwu3I6VqJiB8zBjSZmuionY3-L4LcF8nN3q7oGIQqc-ProRKAcjDm7GKlMQIYbxKhcWTbW1HePM7AX41P4xKwKXNvzD218phCJU/s1600/mixer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpFBIlK0QKEi9QVRpyjRn2FG0Y59D83Ay2UIsW6trrwu3I6VqJiB8zBjSZmuionY3-L4LcF8nN3q7oGIQqc-ProRKAcjDm7GKlMQIYbxKhcWTbW1HePM7AX41P4xKwKXNvzD218phCJU/s1600/mixer.jpg" /></a></div>
Amazon has this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Z2L3L8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=goeanswtr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005Z2L3L8" target="_blank"><b>KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer in Silver</b></a> priced at just $259.99 (reg. $499.99) + FREE shipping. That's just an ok price, but what makes this a great deal is the mail in rebate.
<a href="http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/images/en_US/Special-Offers/National_Rebate_Images/2012%20Q1/StandMixe$40-Magazine.pdf" target="_blank"><br /></a><br />
Right now you can submit a rebate for <b></b><a href="http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/images/en_US/Special-Offers/National_Rebate_Images/2012%20Q1/StandMixe$40-Magazine.pdf" target="_blank"><b>$40 + FREE subscription to either Travel & Leisure or Food & Win Magazine here</b></a>!
However, if you would rather not receive the magazine subscription, you
can choose to request a $24 refund! That means that after mail in rebate, you can get this mixer for just <span style="color: red;"><b>$195.99</b> <b>shipped</b></span>! <br />
<br />
Requests must be postmarked no
later than 4/24/12. I know that there are sometimes deals on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007IT2P/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=goeanswtr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00007IT2P" target="_blank">KitchenAid 5-Quart Artisan Mixer</a> for around $150, but I would urge you to spend a little extra money and invest in the professional series. Unlike the Artisan series, the Professional series is made with all metal gears, so it will last a lot longer. Prices on Amazon are subject to change at any time, so be sure to act quick if you want this mixer!<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/images/en_US/Special-Offers/National_Rebate_Images/2012%20Q1/StandMixe$40-Magazine.pdf" target="_blank"><br /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Please note that the <b>KP26M1PSL</b>
model number may not be listed on the rebate form, but KitchenAid Customer Service has verified that this model does
qualify for the rebate. If you would like to verify for yourself before ordering, simply call 1-888-474-2457.</span> <br />
<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8845761906789033835.post-66545214738407682872012-03-06T23:55:00.000-06:002012-03-07T22:12:54.285-06:00Rugelach (TWD)<br />
<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6817259532_c992fd3592.jpg" /></center> This week's <a href="http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>: <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Baking with Julia</a> was co-hosted by Jessica of <a href="http://mybakingheart.com/">My Baking Heart</a> and Margaret of <a href="http://www.theurban-hiker.com/">The Urban Hiker</a>. The chosen recipe was rugelach. Rugelach are actually Jewish pastries made with sour cream pastry dough. They are made in the form of a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling of fruit, nuts, or fruit preserves. The rugelach made in this recipe is slightly different in that it is made with a cream cheese pastry dough, and the rolled dough and filling is cut into slices before baking.<br />
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I've actually made rugelach a few times prior to this - love the stuff! I love <a href="http://www.goodeatsblog.com/2007/12/rugelach.html">this Barefood Contessa recipe</a> and we actually also made <a href="http://www.goodeatsblog.com/2008/11/rugelach-twd.html">rugelach</a> back in 2008 for TWD. I'm not a nut person so I didn't put nuts in my filling, but I did put some nuts in the streusel that the pastries were rolled in. I made apricot lekvar (homemade fruit butter) and filled my rugelach with dried cherries, raisins, and dried apricots. I did not have any problems with this recipe, except that I did not look at it ahead of time and did not realize how much refrigeration time was required, so I did not finish baking them until very late today!<br />
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<center><img class="thinborderfloat" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6817259424_da302aa2a6.jpg" /></center>
I have to say that I <i>love</i> this version of rugelach. The sugar and cinnamon mixture that the pastries get rolled in caramelizes in the oven and gives it a wonderful, crisp texture. Then you bite into the cream cheese pastry that is so light and flaky, and then you taste the apricot butter and dried fruit bits. I think I just ate about ten of them in one sitting and my husband asked me to hide them from him because he can't stop eating them!<br />
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This recipe is definitely a keeper, and I can't wait to make it again. Thanks to Jessica and Margaret for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs <a href="http://mybakingheart.com/2012/03/06/twd-baking-with-julia-rugelach/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.theurban-hiker.com/?p=774">here</a>. Make sure you check <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/lyl-rugelach/#comments">here</a>, too, to see how everyone else in our baking group enjoyed these pastries!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Also be sure to leave a comment below... I was visited recently by the <a href="http://www.appliancesonline.co.uk/">Fairy Hobmother</a> and received an unexpected gift... if you leave a comment here you might get a visit from the Fairy Hobmother too ;)</span>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194510368311330032noreply@blogger.com10