Cooking

No Wilty Greens?

2013-06-19T19:27:51Z

I'm about to get my first share of a CSA, and while I've gotten them for years now, this year I'm a bit stuck with what to do.

My fiance doesn't like wilty greens. I actually made him sauteed chard once, and he gagged from the texture. So, seeing as it's still very early spring and this weeks share includes: Kale, Spinach, Chard, Beets, Lettuce, Scallions, and Garlic Scapes, I need some new ideas.

Lettuce will be salads. Kale I was going to do chips. But what about the chard and spinach?

Please help with recipe ideas! Low carb preferred but not required.

Thanks!

Pandan and Vanilla Layer Loaf Cake - 1st Attempt

2013-06-16T21:08:55Z

While randomly looking for recipes, I came across this interesting looking cake on WendyinKK’s blog. She calls it a Topo Map cake. Originally I was going to do a raspberry and vanilla cake but my mom’s over visiting at the moment and she brought over some pandan paste for me. Naturally I had to try it out, so pandan and vanilla it is!

Ingredients:

4oz Sugar

4oz Butter

4oz Self Rising Flour seived

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Pandan Paste

Cocoa Powder

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.

Cream sugar and butter till light and fluffy.

Add eggs and beat.

Add flour and fold.

Put half the batter into another bowl.

In one half, fold in the vanilla. In the other half, fold in the pandan paste.

Put half the vanilla batter on the bottom in an even layer.

Sift an even layer of cocoa powder over the vanilla layer.

Carefully spread half the pandan batter.

Once again sift an even layer of cocoa powder.

Repeat the layering with the remainder batter.

Bake for 25-30 mins (skewer test).

Click here for pictures...

Making homemade pesto.

2013-06-16T19:12:45Z

Hello all!
So...
I want to break out the food processor or new Vitamix and make homemade pesto sauce, and, it looks really simple; but I have a question about the nuts.
Every recipe I've seen calls for pine nuts, which, are crazy expensive, and IMO, not worth it since I won't likely use them again.
I'm wondering what nut I could use instead?
I do have some raw macadamias here because I bought them to make nut milk and to use to thicken a cream of artichoke soup, but in this case with the pesto, I am making one version dairy free, and one with cheese. I also have some raw cashews here as well.
So, what nuts would you use if not pine nuts? If the macadamias or cashews could work, would you toast them first?
Thanks in advance!

Raspberry Coffee Cake

2013-06-15T20:16:10Z

So far, spring has been unseasonably wet. I'm not talking cute little rain showers either - I'm talking pretty much rain straight for a week at a time that results in localized flood warnings. Fun, right?

To try and brighten things up, I decided to try and bring the outside in, with this:

Raspberry Coffee Cake
For the filling:
1 cup raspberries
3 Tbs brown sugar

For the dough:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream
3 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the icing:
1/4 c. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp. milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8" square baking pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine raspberries and brown sugar; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in egg, sour cream, butter and vanilla. Mix just until combined and moistened.

Spread batter into baking pan, reserving about 2/3 cup (I found it was easier to spread using just the very edge of a fork). Top with raspberries. Spoon remaining batter over raspberries.

Bake for 25 minutes, until raspberries are set and top is lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes. Combine icing ingredients and drizzle over coffee cake. Serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

This got gobbled up so quickly I was only able to take a couple of photos. I had some for breakfast with my morning coffee and it was definitely the right way to start the day. To see more, head on over to Elfie's Edibles!

Substituting oil for butter in cake

2013-06-15T19:52:18Z

After years of pigging out shamelessly, the dark angel of cholesterol has visited my husband, with the result that we are minimizing butter, mayonnaise, etc. (It scared him, and this is good, because God knows I had no luck trying to convince him to cut back on the fats.)

Anyway, I have a recipe for Apricot Upside-down cake that calls for 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter. He asked if I could make it but substitute oil for all or part of the butter.

I have very little experience in substituting oil for butter in baked goods. What I am thinking is that it would be best to substitute part applesauce for half the butter, unless someone out there has a better idea.

Anyone?

Searching for the Best French Bread (Baguette) Recipe!

2013-06-13T16:54:37Z

I am looking for the best recipe to bake my own French bread baguette - I've tried a few recipes I have found online as well as recipes from friends, but none of them have developed the crisp, crunchy crust I am looking for... I do humidify the oven and bake on a stone, and have gotten good, crisp crusts on other breads, but for some reason, baking a really crunchy-crusted baguette continues to elude me!

If you have a good, reliable recipe for French baguette to share, please do!

Barbecue Sauce

2013-06-13T12:04:59Z

I have the recipe below for Barbecue sauce which is so good. I was wondering if it would be possible to can it without adding anything else? I've only made jams before so I'm not sure what it's possible to can and what shouldn't be. Thanks for any help.

Smokey Barbecue Sauce

1 oz butter
1/4 pint water
1 tbsp mustard
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp demerera sugar
1 garlic clove
1 slice of lemon
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp wine vinegar
pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tbsp tomato puree
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until soft but not brown. Add the vinegar, water, mustard, sugar, lemon, bay leaf and cayenne pepper. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 15 mins.

Stir in the remaining ingredients with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a further 5-10mins. Remove the bay leaf and lemon before serving with barbecued meats.

Strawberry Coconut Cream Pie

2013-06-12T22:29:14Z

This pie is one of the best pies I've ever eaten. It doesn't hold it's shape well -- it's more of a pudding pie -- and so I serve it in a bowl. It's more than delicious enough to make up for that, though.

Besides the awesome pie, I have some Big News. Read about it on my blog if you're interested :)

Strawberry Coconut Cream Pie

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking, with basic pie recipe modeled on my Aunt Pat's pie and coconut cream from Zoë Bakes
Yield: one 9-inch pie

Pie Crust Ingredients:
1 blind baked (until golden) and cooled pie crust

Coconut Cream Filling Ingredients:
1 can (14 fluid ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup whipping cream

Topping Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
red food coloring (optional; I skipped this)
mint leaves or whole strawberries for garnish (optional)

Directions:
To make filling: Heat the coconut milk, sugar, salt and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and corn starch. Once the cream is hot, remove the vanilla bean, scraping out any remaining seeds and returning them to the cream. Add 1/2 cup of the hot cream slowly to the yolks, whisking as you add. Then pour the yolk mixture into the pot of hot cream and whisk. Continue to whisk with heat on medium-high for 3 more minutes. The mixture will turn thick and bubble. You need to continue to whisk for the full 3 minutes or the pastry cream will separate once it is cool. After the 3 minutes, whisk in the butter. Add the coconut flakes. Pour into a shallow dish to cool.

Cover with plastic wrap pressed right against the pastry cream. This will prevent a thick skin from forming on the surface. Refrigerate for at least an hour or freeze for 30 minutes. Once it is cold, stir the pastry cream to loosen. Whip the 1/2 cup cream to medium peaks. Stir in 1/3 to the pastry cream to lighten. Fold in the remaining cream until the pastry cream is nice and light. Fill baked, cooled pie crust with your coconut filling.

Slice 1 cup of strawberries in thin slices lengthwise and layer the slices in pretty concentric circles around the top of the coconut cream. Set this in the fridge to chill while you make your glaze.

Make the glaze: Crush remaining 1/2 cup of strawberries and cook with water in a saucepan over medium-high heat for two minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard the pulp. Add the juice back to the saucepan over medium-high heat and gradually stir in sugar and cornstarch. Cook until thickened. If you want, you can tint this glaze with food coloring to desired hue, but mine was plenty bright enough! Cool the glaze slightly (I transferred mine to a heat-proof measuring cup with a pour spout to cool for a bit) and then pour over top of strawberry slices on your pie. Garnish with big mint leaves, if you’d like, or whole strawberries. Chill entire pie for at least a few hours for best results; cut with a knife held under hot water and then dried. It'll still be a bit puddingy, so I served mine in a shallow bowl! Use a pie gate (or a makeshift pie gate made from aluminum foil) to keep remaining pie from oozing in the pie plate after slicing.

To see my Big News, read about the one time I was a disobedient child, and see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, bakebakebake

Fudgy Chocolate Tunnel Cake

2013-06-11T08:30:22Z

This is not a cake for the weak.

This is a cake for the fudgiest, moistest, chocolate-iest, dairy-free-est (if you want it to be!), cake that you will ever make, or ever be requested to make again, ever.

That huge GLOB of fudge you see running throughout the base of cake there? Ah-MAY-zing.

Let me and the dozen people who devoured this say...this is NOT your typical chocolate cake.
This may be my FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE TO DATE–Make this!!

Click over for more fudgy photos and the recipe!

Fudgy Chocolate Tunnel Cake

Slightly adapted from Erica’s Sweet Tooth

Yield: 1 12-cup bundt cake pan

for the pan:
1 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

for the cake:
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
20 tbsp (2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (use lactose-free margarine to make this dairy-free!)

for the ganache:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk (substitute soy milk for dairy-free option!)
1/4 cup butter (use lactose-free margarine to make this dairy-free!)

1vanilla extract

directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and melted butter, and use a brush to evenly coat the inside of a 12-cup bundt pan.

Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl and pour boiling water over them; whisk together until smooth. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. In a third small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter until very light and fluffy (this will take several minutes). Add the egg mixture and beat well. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges of the cake begin to pull away from the pan.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least an hour before inverting it onto a cake platter. Serve warm or cooled, as desired.

For the glaze, combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil for one full minute. Turn off heat and remove pot; beat icing for an additional 3 minutes, until it begins to cool and thicken. Allow icing to continue thickening until it reaches desired consistency, then pour over your fudge tunnel cake and enjoy!

Jessi's Oven Baked Skin-On Salmon

2013-06-11T08:17:44Z

Really love this recipe on a colder night, with a side of Danzera Pasta.

Ingredients

One pinch of thyme
One pinch of Oregano
Two pinch's of sea salt
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (I have only used bottled but fresh should work)

Also needed
Non stick baking paper
Salmon fillet(s) (Skin-On is what I created this recipe with but without should work the same)

Note: The ingredients cover one piece of salmon so if more pieces you may have to do two batches ect.

Method
1. On a suitable plate (one with a slight lip to avoid spillage in fridge)combine all herbs, salt & lemon juice (also a tad of pepper if you like).

2. Add fish skin-upwards onto plate, leave in fridge for 5 minutes, then flip and repeat process. Have oven pre-heated to 200 degrees Celsius.

3. Place fish on centre of baking paper (if you put on the edge the lemon juice will make a mess on the tray, trust me on that). If you have two pieces place in middle a centre-metre or so spaced.

4. Put in over for 15 minutes, skin-down first. Then flip, add a little sprinkle more salt and herbs, and return for 10 minutes further. Some fish pieces which are thicker will need additional time, my recommendation is five minute increments, still turning so fish does not burn.

5. Serve with salad, chips or anything of your choice. Save the skin til last if you have Skin-on as is so yum!

Hope you enjoy!

I will try and remember to take a snap-shot before I eat it next time....

apples poached in caramel, apple cider, white wine, ginger and cinnamon

2013-06-09T15:22:25Z

I'm not the type who needs to cook fruit or dress it up before it can be eaten, because I love fruits fresh and on their own. That said, this was a nice surprise. I ate one hot and just-cooked and one cold after a stint in the fridge and the hot one won by a mile. If Singapore ever had a winter I'd want to have these with a mug of spiced tea. Warm, soft, sweet apple infused with smoky caramel and lovely spices - I think they would go ridiculously well with vanilla ice cream. Are you salivating yet?

Recipe from Look I made That!.

3 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups apple cider
3/4 cup water
6 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP sliced peeled ginger
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
4 medium apples, peeled and cored
1 1/2 cup apple cider
1 1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup sugar
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

- Put 3 cups sugar and 1 cup water in large pot. Heat on low, stirring until the sugar is melted. Turn heat up to medium and let boil, undisturbed.

- Meanwhile put 1 1/2 cups apple cider, 3/4 cup water, sugar, ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise in a small pot and bring to boil. Set aside.

- Once the boiling sugar turns amber, slowly add in the hot cider mixture. Cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain out spices.

- Add the 1 1/2 cup apple cider, white wine, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice and vanilla bean to the caramel. Add the apples to the poaching liquid. Place a sheet of parchment on top and weigh down with a plate. Heat on medium low, bringing to just under a boil. Poach until fork tender.

I left out the vanilla and the star anise, and only used 2 apples. I found that a smaller pot was better as the poaching liquid was then able to cover the apples 3/4 of the way [they will float in a lot of liquid, so you still have to turn them over]. You must be very very careful with the caramel - boiling sugar can be happily colourless for the longest time and then change to amber in a split second so you have to watch the pot. Once part of the sugar starts changing colour, watch it like a hawk and don't let it get too dark, or else you'll have to start all over again. Also be very careful when pouring in the apple cider into the caramel because it will spit and bubble very ferociously.

I think more cinnamon would be even better - if I ever make this again I'll put in two sticks. I used moscato, because that was the white wine that I had on hand. Moscato is already sweet, so I think on hindsight I shouldn't have put in any more sugar after that because the apples came out really very sweet. The apples need to poach for about less than 10 minutes each side. I left the skins on as I like a bit of texture, and as you can see, they split. I kind of like the effect that made.

Till next time :)

Ranch Dressing Seasoned Wedges

2013-06-08T13:14:12Z

This is a house favourite with barbecued meats.

These are a wicked side dish and this recipe caters for four adults with 4 wedges each.

Ingredients

4 Large potatoes (washed)
1 Bottle of Paul Newman's Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup of sunflower or such cooking oil
1 medium sized zip-lock bag
1 baking tray (covered in non-stick paper)
1/4 cup of bread crumbs

* Don't worry if there isn't enough mix, repeat the method steps until all wedges are seasoned.

Method
1. Preheat over to 180 degrees (Celsius)

2. Slice peeled potatoes into quarters (wedge style)

3. Place all wedges into bowl and drizzle with oil.

4. Mix two spoons of bread crumbs with three lids of dressing in Ziplock.

5. Put 2 - 4 wedges into ziplock bag.

6. Seal bag and massage mix into wedges for a few minutes.

7. Remove batch onto baking tray, space evenly and repeat steps 4 through 6.

8. Cook for 40 minutes, then cut one to test centre is cooked. If not put back in for another five and repeat if necessary.

Lemon & Choc Chip Cupcake

2013-06-08T11:06:51Z

I made this cupcake a couple of months ago. Originally I was going to make a lemon icing to go with the cupcake but the cupcakes didn’t quite make it to that stage lol. Note to self, Do Not leave cakes lying unattended, they tend to mysteriously disappear.

Ingredients:

4oz caster sugar

4oz self rising flour sieved

2 eggs

Zest of 1 lemon

1oz choc chips

1/2tsp lemon extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Add eggs, lemon zest & extract and beat.

Add flour, choc chips and fold.

Portion the batter out equally into cupcake liners.

Bake for 12-15 mins (skewer test).

If you are going to frost the cupcakes, make sure you leave them to cool completely before icing them.

Sweet Galette Dough for a Diabetic?

2013-06-08T03:19:23Z

Hey y'all!

One of my most favorite people in the world is in town, and I'd like to make him a strawberry galette with this dough recipe. He's a diabetic, but I'd still like to use this recipe since it's hands down one of my favorites and obscenely easy to use. Since the strawberries are so sweet and I want to cut down on sugar, I was thinking of just 86'ing the sugar that the dough recipe requires, and relying on the sweetness of the berries. I've also heard of just substituting Splenda or Stuvia, but I don't have any on hand. :l

Is this feasible? Or am I better off starting from scratch with a certified diabetic friendly galette recipe?

Thanks in advance!

p.s. Any chance we could get a fruit:strawberries tag? P:

Hünkar Beğendi - Turkish lamb on eggplant mash

2013-06-05T07:42:58Z

I love lamb overall and this particular way to cook it just became my absolute first choice. I first tried the dish couple of months ago at Hünkar restaurant in Istanbul. Simple and intense melt in your mouth lamb stew with smoky and creamy eggplant mash made a truly perfect combination. I started researching and it turned out that Hünkar Beğendi was a well known dish. There were many recipes around, but none really resembled the version I had at Hünkar. It took quite some time to replicate it, but finally it worked. Now it seems that at home it comes out even better.

Hünkar Beğendi translates as something like "sultan's favorite". All the recipes I found suggest stewing bite size pieces of lamb in tomato sauce. However what we had at Hünkar definitely didn't have any tomato. It also looked like the lamb was cooked whole and then flaked into chunks. Experiments led to braising lamb shoulder in a very low oven with very simple non prevalent spices.

That incredibly silky eggplant mash also tasted like a mystery. There was just no way for eggplant to hold such a creamy and thick texture. Here web search did help a lot as the main stream recipe actually produced something very similar to what I looked for. It turned out to be simply thick bechamel sauce with some charred crushed eggplant mixed in.

It is a great homey dish in a sense that it doesn't take too much effort. You just need to plan a bit ahead as the lamb will need a couple of hours of slow oven cooking. If you at all like lamb or would like to develop taste for it I so much recommend trying this dish. Wine will be a great complement, but it really should be white wine. I know lamb is normally served with red wine, but I'm sure you will agree this shouldn't be the case here as soon as you have your first bite.

Hünkar Beğendi (Turkish lamb stew on eggplant mash)

serves 8

Braised lamb:

1 lamb shoulder (around 1 - 1.2 kg), cut into chops around 3 cm thick

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 onion, unpeeled and cut into quarters

1 carrot, unpeeled and cut into quarters

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 bay leaves

6 black pepper corns

1 teaspoon of salt

Eggplant mash:

3 medium eggplants

50 g of butter

50 g of flour

550 ml of milk

30 g of sharp cheese (like parmesan or grana padano), finely grated

1 tea spoon of salt

To make the lamb preheat the oven to 250C. Lay the lamb into a deep baking dish. Place the garlic, onion and carrot around. Drizzle with olive oil and cook in the oven for 20 minutes, so that the meat and vegetables brown on the outside.

Take out of the oven. Turn the oven down to 150C. Into the baking dish add the bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and pour in 400 ml of boiling water. Loosely cover the dish with foil and return to the oven. Cook for 2 hours or till the lamb is extremely tender and melting.

Take out of the oven and let stand for 20 - 30 minutes. Take the meat out and flake it off the bones into bite size pieces (with your hands or using two forks). Place the meat into a bowl and strain the juices from the baking dish over it. Keep warm till you serve it.

To make the eggplant mash preheat the oven to 250C. Make several cuts on each eggplant. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet covered with foil (not oiled) and roast for 45 - 50 minutes, until they are completely soft and the skin starts to turn black. Take out of the oven and let cool. Cut each eggplant in half and take off the skin (it will easily separate) or scrape the flesh out with a spoon. Cut the flesh into roughly 5-7 mm cubes.

In a medium pan melt the butter on medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring till it gets ivory color and nutty aroma. Take the pan off the heat and let cool for half a minute (to prevent the lumps). Pour in the milk and whisk till the flour dissolves into it. Return the pan to low heat and bring to boil stirring constantly. Cook stirring for 3-4 minutes till the sauce thickens. Take off the heat, mix in eggplant flesh, cheese and salt. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Spoon the meat together with the juices over a bad of warm eggplant mash and serve.

Related:

Turkish eggplant salad #1002

Turkish baked halva (sicak helva)

Istanbul - a personal food guide

Navy beans

2013-05-31T07:07:52Z

I want to make navy beans. I seen several recipes for soups and the traditional baked beans with the sauce. But I wonder how they would be with butter, salt and pepper? I just want to keep it simple and have them for a vegetable on my plate. I like them plain with just salt but my husband would find them too bland like that.

So has anyone just had them with butter and salt?

i love~~~ ♥

2013-05-30T13:11:55Z

I've made so many delicious things but I never take photos of them! Wish I could share

Slutty Cheesecake Bars

2013-05-28T03:43:14Z

Disclaimer #1: You guys are going to love me. TRUST me.
Disclaimer #2: You are also going to hate me. Very, very much.
Disclaimer #3: Print this. Bookmark this. Pin this. Whatever. Just make sure you have this on file, so that if a zombie apocalypse hits tomorrow, you will at least have these to see you out in your final hours.
Disclaimer #4: Make a batch. Then make ten. And make sure you send me at least one of them.

These are GOOD.

Friends have been ooh-ing and aah-ing over these slutty cheesecake bars (original recipe from Baker's Royale--alas, the name is not mine) all week. What could be more slutty than an Oreo stuffed on top of a chewy chocolate chip cookie crust, slathered in rich cheesecake, and then doused in a generous shower of chopped Oreos and Whoppers?

The answer is nothing. In case you were wondering.

This has been the most pinned, featured, and reblogged photo/recipe I have posted yet--check out more pictures at my blog!

Now go bake these like tomorrow is a zombie apocalypse.

Slutty Cheesecake Bars (from Bakers Royale)

Yield: 1 8×8-inch baking pan

Ingredients:

For chocolate chip cookie base (original recipe from My Baking Addiction)–one of the chewiest, most satisfying CCC’s you’ll ever make!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and both sugars until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Set bowl aside and make cheesecake layer.

If you’d like to make these as individual cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drop prepared cookie dough by rounded tablespoonfuls on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on hot cookie sheet for at least 3-5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

For cheesecake layer:

Ingredients:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Cream together softened cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat in until completely smooth, but be sure not to overbeat.

Set aside cheesecake layer as you assemble the slutty cheesecake bars.

To assemble slutty cheesecake bars:

Ingredients:

21 Oreos (16 whole Oreos and 5 chopped Oreos, divided)

5 oz. Whoppers, chopped

Directions for assembly:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan.

Spread cookie dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking pan (or drop them by rounded tablespoonfuls on a cookie sheet if making cookies). Your cookie dough layer should be about half an inch thick–if you have leftover dough, you can bake it immediately as individual cookies or simply toss it into the fridge for baking at a later time. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, until the dough is just cooked through and firm. Remove from oven.

Layer 16 whole Oreos on baked cookie crust. Pour cheesecake filling evenly over Oreos. Sprinkle 5 chopped Oreos and 5 oz. chopped Whoppers over the cheesecake.

Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until cheesecake is pretty well set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in pan before cutting. Best served chilled from refrigerator (but make sure you store it in the fridge either way).

Note: If you eat these warm straight out of the pan–as I did–you might be alarmed to find that the Whoppers are almost impossibly chewy! Don’t worry; if you wait like you’re (ahem) supposed to, they will regain their crunchy texture after chilling in the fridge.

Spiked Biscoff Cookie Icebox Cake

2013-05-27T21:30:59Z

Icebox cakes are amazing, and spiked icebox cakes are amazinger. This icebox cake only has 5 ingredients and is a cinch to throw together, but is also indulgent and delicious. It’s a riff off of the ubiquitous and well-loved Oreo Icebox Cake, but uses Lotus Biscoff Cookies because they are insane. A little Goldschlager in the whipped cream enhances the cinnamon flavor and gives this chilled dessert a nice bit of “heat.” Enjoy!

Spiked Biscoff Cookie Icebox Cake

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: would easily feed 10 people

Ingredients:
4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup goldschlager (or cinnamon liquor or liquor of your choice)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 packages Lotus Biscoff cookies
caramel sauce for topping (optional; I used store-bought but this is a great from-scratch recipe)

Directions:
Combine cold cream, goldschlager, and powdered sugar in a chilled mixing bowl and beat to stiff peaks. Taste it to be sure the alcohol/sweetness ratio works for your tastebuds. In a trifle dish, place a layer of Biscoff cookies along the bottom, breaking them to fit as needed. Dollop whipped cream on top and spread it over the cookies to form about 1/4 inch layer of cream. Continue layering cookies and cream until you're out of cookies, finishing with a layer of cream. Cover the dish and let it chill overnight so the cookies are softened. Heat the caramel sauce and then let it cool a bit so it won't melt the cream. Drizzle it over top of the trifle and serve.

To read about what annoys my students most, evaluate how you scale walls and swim moats, and see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, cookingupastorm

I just found a nifty trick

2013-05-26T17:03:35Z

You know what they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and all that. Apparently, being cheap is the stepmother of invention.

Have you priced hamburger bun pans lately? They're ridiculous! So I looked around at all my kitchen stuff, wondering what I could use. You know what I found? Canning rings-the wide mouth, not the regular. They're the perfect size, and you can get a bunch on a standard baking sheet, without the buns rising into each other. They even work fine with pretzel buns (which is what I made today), even though those have to be taken out of the ring to be dipped in the lye bath. You do have to grease them pretty thoroughly though, they have that stripe of crimps for better grip when you're unscrewing the ring that the dough likes to stick in.

A box of a dozen canning rings is about $5.00 (and I've got dozens of the silly things). I've quit looking for a hamburger bun pan I'm willing to afford!

I used this recipe: http://www.chow.com/recipes/11096-soft-pretzel-rolls

The 2013 Navy Dinner

2013-05-26T13:06:07Z

Every year we have a Navy Dinner to celebrate Memorial Day. When your good friend happens to be a master chef and served as a E-9 cook, it makes sense to break out the old recipes as served on the ship and kick them up a notch. This is the dinner we had last night.

Glazed Vegan “Chicken” Wings Classic Cosmo with

Crispy Shards of Celery and Organic Carrots            Sky Citrus Vodka

Stone-Ground Grit Cakes with Flame-Roasted Tomato Aioli

Baked Spinach Spheres in Pernod Cream with Diced Bacon
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New Age Waldorf Salad                                    Fess Parker Viognier
with Mixed Pears, Apples and Candied Walnuts                                   2011

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Blood Orange Sorbet Intermezzo

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BBQ Pork Ribs with Smoky, Sizzling Sauce            Rombauer Zinfandel
Crescent City Red Beans-n-Rice with Andouille Sausage                   2010
Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob with Lime-Chile Butter

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Meyer Lemon Semifreddo with Macerated Berries       Schramsburg Cremant
and Crushed Almond Biscotti Cookies                                                      nv

the apps

salad

intermezzo

entree

dessert

Fat Free Lemon Cookies

2013-05-24T20:50:16Z

A fat free cookie? It exists! And it's delicious.

These are so good that the man and boy (and I) were eating them as they were being lifted off the pan, and they were gone so quickly I had to make a double batch the next day. Definitely a keeper.

These light and fluffy lemon delights are nearly fat free (around 0.5g per cookie) and they kind of remind me of meringues. To be honest, we actually prefer them without the icing - they're too sweet with it for our tastes.

To see more pictures, and read about my long weekend plans and new app obsession (PLANES!), head on over to Leanne Bakes!

Fat Free Lemon Cookies

Yields 18 - 22 cookies

Ingredients

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze

1 cup icing sugar

1 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F and grease a cookie sheet. (You must grease it or else these suckers aren’t coming off without a fight).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until completely incorporated, giving the bowl a few scrapes with a spatula to make sure.

Drop 1 tablespoon of dough at a time onto the baking sheet, and bake for 8-12 minutes. They’ll be lightly golden brown around the edges when ready. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

If glazing, mix the sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl, whipping until all lumps disappear. Gently drizzle over cookies.

Light Creamy Potato & Leek Soup

2013-05-24T03:26:34Z

This soup is decadently creamy without the heavy cream! It relies on pureed potatoes for the creamy texture, and the sharp cheddar gives it such an unexpected bite! All in all, it's a very filling soup without being filling on the calories!

Creamy Potato & Leek Soup

Serves: 6
293 calories | 15g fat | 41mg chol. | 588mg sodium | 24g carb | 1g fiber | 17g protein |

You'll Need:
1 medium leek, white and green part diced thinly
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 cups fat free milk
3 tbsp all purpose flour
4 c reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 c dry white wine
3 medium potatoes
2 c (8oz) sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt, pepper, and chives

In a large stockpot, cook leeks in 1 tbsp oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. In a medium bowl, whisk milk and flour together, and add to onions. Cook 5 more minutes, and add broth, wine, and 2 of the diced potatoes.

Mean while, preheat oven to 425. Dice remaining potato, and toss with 1 tbsp oil. Add to baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes or until tender.

Bring soup to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, or transferring the soup to a blender in batches, puree soup to a smooth texture. Return to medium heat and add the cheese and oven-baked potatoes, stirring until cheese has melted. Season to taste, and serve topped with chives. Enjoy!</lj-text>

Chicken livers

2013-05-23T04:57:22Z

I am trying to figure out what to do with chicken livers besides frying them with onions or make pate out of them. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Biscoff Spread Gooey Butter Cake

2013-05-22T15:51:44Z

Gooey butter cake is already completely insane, buttery, and delicious, but when you add Biscoff Cookie Spread, things get serious. I thought up this combo when working on my beloved Gooey Butter Cake theme and it is a real crowd-pleaser! But I ate most of it myself. No judging.

Biscoff Spread Gooey Butter Cake

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Crust Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, cold

Filling Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup crunchy Biscoff Spread (or other cookie butter)
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
icing sugar

Toppings Ingredients:
more cookie butter!
Biscoff cookies
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
NOTE: If you don’t have a skillet, I believe you can bake this in a greased 9-inch square baking dish (I’d use a glass one if you have it, and check it early and often. Remove when there’s some jiggle left.) Let us know how it goes if you try it this way for all the other skilletless people!

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together cake flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives (I use my food processor) until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together. Press the mixture into the bottom (this step is a lot harder than it sounds, but be patient and use the back of a spoon to help spread/press the mixture down) and up the sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Make the filling: Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale yellow (about 2-3 minutes). Mix in the cookie butter. Mix in the egg until just combined. Alternate adding the flour and evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Mix in the corn syrup and vanilla. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the top with icing sugar.

Bake and assemble the cake: Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake is nearly set (mine was probably ready around 48 minutes). Some jiggle is fine — do not overcook! It’ll finish setting up as it cools. Let it cool in pan for 2 hours. No really. If you don't, it'll just be pudding-y. In the meantime, beat heavy cream to stiff peaks. Top your cake with cookie butter, Biscoff cookies, and whipped cream. Eaaat it.

To read about validation and why we should do it, see the perils of not validating others (through a surprisingly tense toilet paper conversation), and see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

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