white chocolate, pineapple & coconut bark

I'm not the biggest fan of white chocolate, but I did change my mind on this creation. This was good, really good. I had a small bite and then made sure to send it away to friends as I knew I would eat all of it. It's that type of candy that you have a piece, vow to have one more piece, then seal it up, then end up going back for a third, fourth and so on.
Are there a lot of people out there that like white chocolate? I know my hubby loves it. I love my high cacao chocolate--give me my fix! For the longest time I had been craving a pineapple & coconut type bark, every since spring came about actually. But mixing the pineapple and coconut with the dark or even milk chocolate was ok, not my thing really. I gave the white chocolate a try. But trust me, I was hesitant because melting white chocolate is a pain in the ciuco! You really have to watch the chocolate because it goes from melted directly to dry and crusty. But if you have all your ingredients lined up and work fast it comes out okay.
So, was this good? Yes, it was really good. I love the sweetness of the pineapple and coconut mixed with the almost salty-like white chocolate. And I used a dried coconut to give the bark texture (not a sweetened coconut, but dried). Plus the salty macadamia nuts were crazy good with this. Did I forget to mention the salty macadamia nuts? My bad--yes there are macadamia nuts in here and they are salty gooooood.

white chocolate tropical bark
by Dawn
about 16 oz of white chocolate melted (about one bag and a half bag)
1/2 cup more or less dried pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup more or less dried coconut (not the sweetened kind but the dried)
1/2 cup more or less rough chopped salted macadamia nuts

You can use as much or as little of the ingredients above as you like. Have all your ingredients (in separate bowls) at the ready because as soon as the white chocolate is melted you need to pour it onto a sheet pan and add your mix in's. Get a small jellyroll pan ready; either use a non-stick one or cover it with parchment paper. Melt white chocolate over double boiler. (I don't microwave my white chocolate, it's never ever melted right for me). Keep stirring until it's melted, then pour onto jellyroll pan, spread with nonstick spatula, then sprinkle on the pineapple and then the nuts, push them down a bit to make sure they sink in a bit to the melted chocolate, then top with the coconut. Put in freezer to harden, about 30 minutes. After it's hardened, then let it sit at room temp for a bit before breaking into pieces.

This recipe & photographs are copyrighted and are the property of Dawn Finicane.

sweet potato & vanilla bean cupcakes

The wonders of creating new baked goods with sweet potatoes always excite me. I am a sweet potato-holic, can't get enough of them. I found this recipe over here, and decided it was perfect, nothing else was needed (although I did change the frosting a bit) and I wanted to create it in mini cupcake form. I love mini cupcakes, so easy to eat so many in a sitting! I just wish I could decorate them better to make them cuter. But I am absolutely horrible at decorating them (as you'll notice in the photo). Plus I really should get one of those turning cake stands--they do help, yes? Do you know that I have on my list to take cake decorating classes? Anyone else out there doing this or have done this? I can't wait. Now I have to hope for a class close to cape cod to appear! I really don't want to have to drive into Boston for this. For those of you that do decorate and are fairly good at it, what did you buy for decorating tools and where? I would love to know, since if I can't find classes, then maybe I can buy them and just practice, practice, practice.

My changes: for the cake no nutmeg, and I used mini cupcake pans. Made about 12 mini's, not much batter. For the frosting I did 1/2 - 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar, 2TB fresh OJ, half stick of room temp butter (unsalted), tiny pinch of salt, whipped up very well and then chilled for a bit before frosting.

sweet potato cupcakes
adapted from blog.serialcooking.com
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Cook notes: this does not make much batter. I was only able to get 12 mini muffins from this. You can try using a loaf pan, but use a small one.

Cake:
225g mashed cooked sweet potatoes (1 small sweet potato)
150g plain flour
110g butter
100g dark brown sugar
50ml yogurt
1 egg
1 vanilla pod (alternatively you can use vanilla extract but the taste won’t be quite the same)
½ tsp ground nutmeg (I did NOT use this)
1tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt

For the icing:
½ - ¾ cup confectioners sugar
2 TB freshly made orange juice
Half stick of unsalted butter (4 ounces), room temp
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350 degrees). Spray a mini cupcake pan with non stick spray.
Cream the softened butter with the vanilla seeds scraped out of the pod, sugar, ground nutmeg and salt.
Add in the egg, slightly beaten.
Mix well until well blended.
Add the mashed sweet potatoes and yogurt.
Combine the baking powder and flour and add to the mixture. Mix well.
Pour the mixture into the pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Leave to cool.
To make the icing, mix the icing sugar, butter whip then add in the orange juice. Chill a bit before frosting.
When the cake is cool, spread the icing on top.

the best veggie calzone, ever

Get out a pen and paper, I'll wait.... Go ahead, go get them because you're going to need to write this down. The next time you go to Whole Foods, do not leave the store without picking up a couple batches of their multi-grain pizza dough. This is the best pizza dough I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I am not one of those people who likes to make their own pizza dough. Why? Well, I have a 55 sq. ft. kitchen and an oven that "sometimes" works. So, until we move into a better kitchen I'm not chancing all that hard work of bread & pizza dough making and then baking it, sitting by my untrusty oven with crossed fingers. I had this same problem when I attempted cheesecake :::shudder:::
But, let's go back to this multi-grain pizza dough from Whole Foods. The texture, the taste, the ease of forming it was a breeeeeeze people. You know how some pizza doughs you buy from the store are just awful; there is no stretching those dry puffs of dough or if you do they just rip. And don't get me started on the taste. This multi-grain pizza dough had such an incredible taste and texture (plus it did very well when freezing for later). Let's not forget that it's multi-grain and that means it's good for you. I had been craving one of my calzones for some time now and wanted to try a veggie version.

All I did was saute one red, orange, and green bell pepper, one small onion with olive oil and salt & pepper. When it was just about done sauteeing I added in a couple splashes of Worcheshire sauce. Then added in a few marinated mushrooms from a jar, toss well, set to the side. Roll out pizza dough into a circle, cut in half. Fill with sauteed veggies, top with a bit of mozzarella cheese or whatever you fancy. Seal up dough very well. Poke a couple holes on top of calzones for steam to escape, rub some olive oil on top of the calzone (make sure you get the olive oil all over the crust too! that's the best part!) and top with some sharp cheddar. Bake in 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven. Let them cool a bit before biting into them because these babies are HOT! I loved these so much I ate my leftover half cold for lunch, oh yeah, I could not wait to heat it up, I was that impatient--it was delish cold.

Look at the crust! Is that not perfection? And this is multi-grain dough people! You have to try this, you will love it, trust me.


I could not pass the chance to introduce you all to the newest part of my friends' family. This is Anderson. Yes, he is a King Cavalier. And he is the most precious puppy I've come across in ages. I'm the lucky one that gets to watch him from time to time. Look at that face! Do you know how hard it is to kiss that face when all he wants to do is play? Impossible, but I'm still working on it!

This recipe and photographs are copyrighted and are the property of Dawn Finicane.

pineapple & bacon pound cake

Yes, I know a lot of us are on diets, myself included. I've been doing the "clean eat" semi-diet for a while now. So I did not really eat this, only a small sample to make sure it came out great. And yes it truly came out decadent, divine, heavenly, pineappley & baconley. I have wanted for some time now to make something with pineapple and bacon. I mean they go so well together on a pizza (if done right), so I wanted to try it else where. I came up with the idea of putting pineapple and bacon in a butter rich pound cake. Why not? Let's just kick that fattening pound cake up a few more fattening notches shall we? Allllrighty then!

pineapple & bacon poundcake
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3 – 4 pieces of bacon, cooked crisp
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained, divided (might need a bit more, so have a small can of crushed pineapple set aside in case you need it)
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temp.
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 ts baking powder
¼ cup half & half
1 ts pure vanilla extract

Cook about 3 – 4 slices of bacon till just about crisp. Drain on paper towels, set aside.
Take a few pieces of pineapple and chop up about 2 ts (or more) for the glaze, set aside in fridge to keep cool.
Put 3/4 cup or so, of undrained pineapple with its juice in a small bowl; set aside.
Drain remaining pineapple and measure 1 cup of drained crushed pineapple; set aside.
Cream shortening, butter, and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Sift flour and baking powder together; add to creamed mixture, 1 large scoopful at a time, alternating with half & half. Now stirring by hand, add vanilla; then fold in 3/4 cup undrained pineapple with juice and blend well.
Pour batter into a well greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Place in cold oven.
Turn oven to 325° and bake for 1 ½ hours, or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger.
Let pineapple pound cake stand for few minutes in pan. Run knife around edges to loosen and remove pineapple cake carefully to a rack.

Pineapple & Bacon Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons reserved pineapple syrup
About 2 ts of minced pineapple (or more if you like it, I did)
3-4 ts +/- of cooked bacon, finely chopped.

Mix the sugar and pineapple syrup until desired consistency (I like mine fairly thick), then add in minced pineapple and bacon, pour over pound cake.

tomato pie

I'm pretty certain tomato pie is an old-fashioned recipe. And there are a few recipes on the web for it. This recipe comes about from my experience, as a child eating heirloom tomatoes with sugar and mayo on them. With summer fast approaching (thank goodness!) that means abundant tomatoes will be here. Heirloom tomatoes are one of my favorite, and Whole Foods has some of the best around. Since I am not a gardener, playing with dirt is so not me. I highly doubt I ever will be a gardener, so thankfully there is a Whole Foods that sells nice, juicy heirloom tomatoes in the summer. Plus I have a few clients that love to share their fast growing summer tomatoes with me.
I have some distant family that is Canadian and spent some of my childhood summers in the Thousand Islands region. I clearly remember summertime dinner being fresh, juicy tomatoes with cracked pepper and sugar (yes sugar), slab of sharp cheddar cheese & mayo, and corn on the cob slathered in butter. No, we weren't poor, it was just the way they did a summer meal from time to time. Man, that was good and fresh. Ever since those summers I've always loved a good tomato and sharp cheddar cheese sandwich with a hint of pepper and mayo.
So my latest creation, or craving, comes from some of those memories. Keep in mind, this pie is very rich and full of fat. A treat of sorts. Best to eat it cold, not hot from the oven, well, unless you're daring. Look at this money shot. This is one pie that tastes perfect when eaten cold; like a tomato & cheese sandwich with crust!

tomato pie
recipe by vanillasugarblog.com
recipe and photographs are copyrighted & are the property of Dawn Finicane.
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1 (9") deep dish pie shell, kept frozen (recipe here)
4-5 lg. tomatoes, thickly cut (heirloom works wonderful in this)
Freshly cracked black pepper
a gentle sprinkling of fine sugar
1 c. good quality mayonnaise (Hellmans)
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup cooked real bacon, chopped fairly small (not the fake stuff please)

I like to keep my deep dish pie crust ready to go and sitting in the freezer till I’m ready to use; it cooks up better that way.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, 350 for convection. Slice up the tomatoes in rather thick slices and place them on paper towels to absorb some of the excess moisture.
Get out pie crust from freezer, place sliced tomatoes over crust; do a double layer of sliced tomatoes. Recipe by dawn finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Then sprinkle with an ever-so-light sprinkling of white sugar, then some freshly cracker black pepper.
In a bowl combine mayonnaise with shredded cheddar cheese, and the chopped up bacon. Spoon over tomatoes; try to get it spread evenly over the tomatoes, but don’t push down.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Mine was done at the 25 minute mark, so best to keep an eye on it at the 20 minute mark.
I let my pie cool down about an hour before slicing into it. It really does taste best when it’s refrigerated and served cold. Serve with a nice glass of white wine.
Note: I love my crust nice and dark brown, if you don’t like it that way then cook it less. This is a really rich pie, so cut the slices smaller than you would an apple or other fruit pie. (not the size I did in the above photo).

steak diane

One of my favorite ways to eat a good steak is either a steak diane or steak bearnaise. Those two sauces are some of the best around, but they have to be made from scratch; that dry stuff in the packets or in the jars, no no! I love going to French restaurants, authentic French restaurants mind you, that make the sauce from scratch; and in some places right in front of you. These are the same places that have no qualms when I ask them for extra sauce, on the side--s'il vous plaît! I am a true sauce junkie. If the sauce is good and is full of flavor then I want more, I want it on the side or I want it slathered on my plate: depending on the meal. I love bearnaise sauce so much that I will put on sunday morning poached eggs. And yes, I have used it on a veggie burger and it was fabulous. I've also used it on hummus rollups.
Are there any other sauce junkies out there? What is your favorite or favorites?

Steak Diane (I have no idea who the original owner of this recipe came from)

2 (6 oz) Filet Mignons (I used sirloin steak this time, worked fine)
1/8 ts salt
1/8 ts freshly ground pepper
2 TB butter
3 ts Dijon mustard
2 TB Shallots, minced
2 TB Butter
2 TB Lemon juice
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 TB Fresh chives, minced
3-4 ts Cognac (use the good stuff)
1 TB Fresh parsley, minced

Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper.
Melt 2 TB butter in a heavy skillet; add steaks and cook approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare; about 2 minutes longer per side for medium.
Remove steaks to serving plate and keep warm.
Add into pan drippings, mustard and shallots. Sauté over medium heat 1 minute.
Then 2 TB butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and chives.
Cook for 2 minutes. Add brandy; pour sauce over steaks.
Sprinkle parsley over the top.
Serves 2.

Serve with thin crispy french fries--a must!

coconut truffles

Are these coconut truffles? I wasn't sure what to call them. They do remind me of a Mounds candy bar, but better in taste and texture. I was trying to re-create a healthier version of a Mounds bar without all the chemicals; just pure high quality dark chocolate and coconut. I found the recipe over at Flagrantdelicia; one of my favorite and most enjoyable food blogs. She is very creative with her baking/pastry making skills; paying close attention to perfecting her food designs as evident in the details. Not to mention some of the most stunning food photographs I've come across. She is one of the many food bloggers that inspire me to eventually become a top notch baker and chef.

chocolate-almond coconut truffles/balls
adapted from flagrantdelicia.com
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100 g sweetened coconut flakes (3.5 ounces)
140 g sweetened condensed milk (4.9 ounces)
a pinch of salt
200 g 70% dark chocolate, to coat (7.5 ounces) (I used milk chocolate too)
Salted, roasted almonds, optional but wonderful.

Cook notes: I used salted almonds to place on the tops of the bars before they hardened. I also made a batch using dark chocolate and milk chocolate. Loved them both ways. Keep in mind the dough/candy is very sticky so use wet fingers when molding them into a pan or molding/rolling them into balls. I prefer making these into balls or oval shapes instead of bars. But do what you like.

Combine coconut with condensed milk, add a pinch of salt and mix until smooth.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes to harden up. At this point you can: place the mixture into a small pan and cut out bars after they’ve hardened OR you can roll them into oval shapes (like eggs) or balls.
I chose the latter since it’s a lot easier than slicing them into bars. The dough is very sticky so use wet fingers to mold. After you’ve molded them into balls or ovals, place on parchment lined trays and put in fridge for at least an hour before dipping into chocolate. I also found it a lot easier to gently freeze them a bit (like 5-7 minutes before dipping into chocolate).

Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler. Using two forks roll/dip the balls in the chocolate, making sure to coat all sides. Place on a rack and top with an almond or two if desired.

When all are done refrigerate until the chocolate hardens.
Should make about 15 – 18, depending on the size you roll them

cheesy artichoke bread & spicy hummus

What a wonderful combo! Oh you simply must try this. It was such an excellent combination that I made a meal out of it. I love my hummus and I love to jazz it up sometimes too, I mean one can only take so many hummus wraps and sandwiches. Now the bread idea I got from Smoky Mountain Cafe. I loved the sound of it, never heard of it before, and simply had to try it. I kicked it up a few notches, and turned some things around. The tanginess of the artichoke bread paired so very well with the spicy hummus. I cannot wait to make this again. This is an excellent appetizer for parties.

cheesy artichoke bread with hummus
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¼ cup butter
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 French bread loaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

My changes:
for the artichoke bread, I followed the recipe, but used 1/8 cup (maybe a little more) of olive oil instead of the butter, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 jar 10 or 11 oz. of artichokes, about 3 oz. of mozzarella cheese, and did not use cheddar cheese.

For the hummus: I have never written down my hummus recipe, I do it all off the top of my head, but I think everyone knows how to make hummus? I just added in a bit of chili oil to the batch to make it spicy. Trader Joes sells a wonderful Mediterranean Hummus too. If you don't have a recipe for hummus, you can try this one, it looks pretty good.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the artichoke hearts, Mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and sour cream. Stir to blend. Remove from the heat and cool.
Slice the bread lengthwise and scoop out some of the center. (Note: You can crumble the pieces of bread and add to the artichoke mixture if you wish.) Spoon the artichoke mixture evenly into the bread shell and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
Place each half on a baking sheet and cover lightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes or until the cheese melts completely. Cut into slices and serve warm.

raspberry & lemon buttermilk scones

Another one of my baking addictions is scones. I just love to make them, finding new flavors, textures to put inside them. They literally are so versatile; you can add almost anything to them, be it sweet or salty or as I'm more inclined to do--both! Once you get the hang of making scones and understanding the less you knead the better--you'll soon notice you will be a pro at making them. Overmixing and over-kneading is a big no no with scones and biscuits. Can't overwork the dough because the butter starts to get warm, and the gluten in the batter starts to form. But practice makes perfect, and over time I became quite good at making them. With that said, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, new techniques. This latest scone is from Cooks Illustrated, which I found over at a fellow foodie friends' blog Lick the Bowl Good. She made these gorgeous blueberry & white chocolate scones. I switched it up a notch and made mine with raspberries & lemon zest. I also wanted a 'thinner' scone; I wanted more of a croissant. I used less baking powder and more butter to flour ratio...see my all my changes below.

My changes: I followed the recipe, BUT used 2 ts of lemon zest; did not use white chocolate; used raspberries instead of blueberries; used buttermilk instead of milk; used 10TB of grated butter as opposed to just 8 TB; sprinkled tops with raw, thick sugar before baking; used 1 ts of baking powder as I wanted a thinner scone--more like a croissant texture (as you can see in the photo below). The more butter & using buttermilk will make the scone thinner and not as heavy or thick--in case you're interested.

raspberry-lemon buttermilks scones
adapted from Cooks Illustrated
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10 TB unsalted butter, grated and kept frozen
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 ts baking powder
1/4 ts baking soda
1/2 ts salt
2 ts grated lemon zest

Heavy cream (about 3 tb), optional, for brushing tops of scones before baking
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling to the tops of scones before baking

Adjust an oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grate the stick of butter on large holes of box grater. Wrap stick of butter where you put your fingers to hold it with some parchment paper.
Place grated butter in freezer until needed.
Place raspberries in freezer until needed. Measure out your 1 cup of buttermilk and refrigerate until needed.
Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen grated butter to flour mixture and toss with spatula until thoroughly coated. Fold in the chilled buttermilk until just combined (do not overmix).
Turn the dough and any floury bits onto a well floured work surface. Lightly flour your hands and the dough.
Knead the dough gently 6-8 times until it just holds together in a ragged ball, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square.
Then fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to counter top.
Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square.
Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.
Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll again into a 12-inch square.
Sprinkle raspberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough.
Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface.
Roll up dough, pressing to form tight log, and pinch the seam closed. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle.
Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles.
Transfer the scones to parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

dark chocolate peanut butter cups

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy were these delish. My stars, these were good! I am a HUGE fan of anything peanut butter and chocolate. These homemade peanut butter cups were some of the best I've made in years. I have to thank Pete over at Pete Bakes for this one. I've made peanut butter cups before and they were ok, but I never thought to use high cacao chocolate (60-70% cacao); it made all the difference, it truly did. The dark chocolate really melded perfectly with the salty peanut butter (I added in some sea salt to the peanut butter mixture). These are the perfect little treat to make for family, friends or special clients for the upcoming Easter holiday. Trust me, those Reese's peanut butter cups have nothing over these. These are frutto di Dio (fruit of the Gods), heavenly.

That center is salty, creamy, peanut buttery goodness.

dark chocolate peanut butter cups
adapted from pete bakes
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12 oz dark chocolate 60-70%
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I added in an extra 1-2 TB) Note**
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers (finely, but not a powder, but not chunks either)
(I added in 1 tsp salt to peanut butter mixture)

In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and graham crackers. I put mine in the fridge to harden up a bit as it’s easier to form into balls.
In a double boiler, carefully melt the chocolate (set a metal bowl on top of a saucepan with boiling water).
Use regular or mini cupcake tins and line them with cupcake liners. It is best to use 3 to 4 liners per each compartment as this will help hold the structure of the pb cup.
Using a pastry brush, brush the melted chocolate on the bottom and sides of mini cupcake liners; when in doubt, add more chocolate, since this will be the base for your candy. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
While those are in the freezer get out the peanut butter mixture and form into teaspoons or tablespoon balls depending on what size peanut butter cup you are making.
remove the cupcake tins from the freezer, and place about one teaspoon (1 tablespoon for larger size) of the peanut butter mixture in each cup, make sure to put it in the middle, not touching the sides of the cup. Spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup, make sure to get filly in around the sides too.
Place the peanut butter cups back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to set. Let them sit at room temp before devouring. Should make 12-16 mini's or 8 big ones.
Note** I used Whole Foods 365 Organic creamy peanut butter.