cheesy sweet potato and corn chowder

Here's another quick & easy recipe for you; nothing glamorous or fancy here. Or we could call it cleaning out the cupboards? Ever make something, and on the first taste you think "holy crap this is so good" and then turn around dying to have someone around you to taste it and revel in your joy, but there is no one there? Yeah. That happened to me when I made this soup. Not a single human being near me to taste-test with me and say "OMG girl that soup!". Tempted to run out to the neighbors house (and yes they love when I come knocking) and have them taste-test, but there was snow on the ground and that meant I had to get out of slippers and pajamas, put real clothes on and go outside. Nah. Not happening.

So let me tell you this soup is amazing. I was blown away by how warm and comforting it tasted. The roasted sweet potatoes paired with corn and then mild cheddar cheese all in a nice hot creamy bath was a perfect pairing. This is now a staple in our house. And yes it freezes nicely. Very rich, so this is not diet food, but this is food that you make a ton of: freeze some for those nights when you feel like crap/had a bad day/want "feel good soup".

Hope you love as much as I do.

Cook notes:
Make sure to get your sweet potatoes nice and crisp; you need that texture in the soup. Those chicken bouillons really do make a difference, so try to use them. This soup freezes really well, just make sure to freeze it straight away after about 15 minutes of a cooldown. You might want to serve this in a sourdough, marble, rye bread bowl. That would be fabulous. Adding roasted or grilled chicken to this would be great too. Even chunks of lobster meat.

cheesy sweet potato & corn chowder
print recipe

3 – 4 large sweet potatoes, cut into 2 inch chunks and roasted
1 cup of chick stock
2 cans of creamed corn
8 ounces of cream cheese, room temp
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup of half & half
1 – 2 TB chicken bouillon powder or you can use crushed bouillon cubes
1 & ½ cups of shredded Monterey jack cheese

This is a very thick, rich soup.
Peel and cut up sweet potatoes into 2 inch chunks. Throw them in a bowl and drizzle them with olive oil and salt & pepper. Transfer to a roasting pan and roast in 400 degree oven till nice and crisp. About 45 minutes?
In stockpot, mix the creamed corn with chicken stock, cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, half & half , and chicken bouillon till heated through. Keep warm over low heat till sweet potatoes are done. When potatoes are done throw them in the soup pot. Mix and taste test. See if it needs salt & pepper. When ready to serve turn up heat a bit and add in the shredded cheese. Serve nice and hot. This is great served in a bread bowl. Freezes great too.
Should serve 4.

molasses-peanut chews

So I set out to make caramels. Truly not knowing what I wanted when I first poured the sugar and milk into the pot what was going to come of it. (I love making new recipes that way--going in totally blind when the thermometer gauge is ticking away). I did have a little bit of inspiration from an article in the NYT article about a famous chocolate-caramel recipe from 1881? Wild, from 1881. So the first batch was awful, very molasses overpowering, and no chocolate taste whatsoever. (sorry NYT, but still love you and look up to you). I know I followed everything to the T and know you have to literally "set up camp by the stove, do not leave pot" when making candy and/or caramels. The end result needed a lot more "ummphf". So the second batch I added in more butter, more salt, used half & half, and added in salty peanuts. BINGO. This recipe is a keeper. And I swear the second day they tasted even better. Everyone who was my taste-tester loved them. So I renamed them molasses-peanut chews because, well, thats what they taste like.
Super easy to make too. If you are familiar with making caramels then these will be a breeze for you. Are there some of you out there that still have last minute baking gifts to give? Use this. Trust me, these will knock their socks off.
I don't know if I will have another post before Christmas...Sooooo. I want to wish you all a merry christmas, happy holidays, etc... But more importantly: thank you truly for being such wonderful, awesome, incredible and loving fans. As I've said before "you guys rock my world"!

Cook Notes: if you have trouble with caramels here are a few things I can suggest to help you out. Get a good candy thermometer. Do not leave the stove when your mixture starts to boil. Set up camp at your stove until it's ready to pour. Stir like crazy. Be patient, it takes a good 15 - 20 minutes to get your caramels at the right temperature. The right temperature is 248 degrees (maybe minus 1 or 2 degrees)--watch that thermometer; anything higher in temp and you'll have hard candy.

molasses peanut chews
Inspired from 1881: Chocolate Caramels as seen in NYT
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4 TB salted butter
About 1 TB butter to grease ceramic dish
4 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup half & half
1 cup molasses
1 cup white sugar
1 ts high quality vanilla extract
Giant pinch of sea salt
½ cup of salted, roasted peanuts

Wax paper squares for wrapping caramels
Extra butter for greasing up your knife when cutting caramels

Remember this is hot sugar, never touch the hot sugar, never be tempted to taste test, and always use oven mits.
Butter an 8-by-8-inch or 8 x 9 baking dish. Get out a candy thermometer and clip onto pot.
In a large heavy duty pot (with high sides preferably) combine the butter, chocolate, milk, molasses, sugar, and salt. Place over a medium heat and stir constantly and CONSTANTLY scraping the bottom of pan. (You will be doing this for a while). Let it boil and cook until the temperature reaches around 247 -249 (soft ball stage). Once it hits this temperature remove from heat
And add in the vanilla extract (it will make a lot of noise and sizzle, just add in and stand back then stir in)
Once mixed, pour the hot mixture into your prepared buttered baking dish.
Sprinkle the peanuts on top of the caramel. Push peanuts down into caramel using rubber spatula—do not use your hands!
In about an hour or 45 minutes you should be able to handle caramel. Gently lift if out of baking dish and transfer to a wooden board or plastic cutting board.
Using a sharp knife cut long strips about ¾ of an inch, then cut those strips into 1 or 2 inch pieces.) Wrap in wax paper.
Should make about 70 pieces; all dependant on how you cut them (what size).

sea salted buttermilk biscuits stuffed w/ chocolate

Years ago when I lived in Washington, DC for a stint there was this place called Bread & Chocolate. When I first saw the sign I thought now there's a great concept: bread and chocolate, how fabulous is that? And I literally thought they sold bread with chocolate in some sort of manner; curious of course to see how and which way they did it; also thinking this is a great fondue idea too. But no they just sold regular bakery goods and fresh french bread. Very dissapointing. In all my food travels, meeting other foodies, I've learned from others that bread, salt and chocolate do pair very well together and I've seen it done many ways. My favorite being a sourdough french toast stuffed with milk chocolate. (I need to recreate that at home). But for now here is my take on three of my favorite ingredients: buttermilk biscuits, Scharffen Berger chocolate and sea salt. Seriously this combo is incredible, especially when they are just warm, fresh out of the oven.

One could make this a fancy dessert by adding fresh chopped strawberries and freshly whipped cream. Delightful.

Sea salted buttermilk biscuits stuffed w/ milk chocolate
biscuit recipe loosely adapted from Cook's Illustrated
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2 cups flour
1 TB baking powder
1 TB sugar
1 ts salt
½ ts baking soda
5 TB unsalted butter, grated
1 ½ cup buttermilk
1-inch of 2-inch chunks of high quality milk chocolate
Additional flour
2 TB melted butter
Pinches of sea salt for lightly dusting the tops

A small bowl with ¼ cup of flour, set aside (used for your hands when touching the flour)
Grate your 5 TB of butter with a cheese grater or food processor, place back in freezer till ready to use.
Preheat oven to 500ºF. Spray a jellyroll pan with nonstick spray and/or parchment paper.
Get your additional 2 TB of melted butter ready to go.

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
Using a fork or pastry blender, mix the butter until you have small little crumbles.
Next fold in the buttermilk until everything is just blended, and there are no streaks of flour remain.
Do not overmix, the mixture should still be fairly lumpy—lumpy is good!
These next parts you need to work fairly fast as we want to keep the dough nice and chilled and not work it too much. Coat your hands with flour and using a spoon scoop out about an 1/8 of a cup of dough. Form into a bottom half of a biscuit, place in a chunk of chocolate; don’t let the chocolate touch the edges. Then scoop out another 1/8 of a cup of dough and place on top. Pinch the two halves together, so the biscuit is nice and sealed up. Flour up your hands again and repeat.
Place the dough balls into the prepared cookie sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter, then dust them with the sea salt (light coating of sea salt).
Bake for 5 minutes at 500ºF (middle rack) and then lower the temperature to 450ºF and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. (cooks Illustrated says 15 but I'm telling you to watch them at the 10 minute mark).
Should make about 10 – 12; depending on size you make your biscuits.

white chocolate bark w/ Oreo's and Cheez Its

Let's call this PMS Christmas bark shall we? :-)
Whoa. I mean whoa dude. This stuff is crazy good. Very addicting. I have a bunch of leftovers at my house. Please come get it? It's free to a good home?
I swear I can hear you all now saying "where in the world does this crazy woman come up with this stuff?" My cravings for sweet & salty run high and deep. I am on a never-ending quest to find the ultimate in sweet & savory.
For those foodies in your life (or you) make them a batch of this for Chrismtas. They will swoon.....they will remember you forever and a day.

white chocolate bark with Oreo’s & Cheez Its
from vanillasugarblog.com
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2 bags or 22 ounces of high quality white chocolate
About 10-12 Oreo's (chocolate filled) cookies cut in half or quarters
2 large handfuls of Cheez It’s cut in half or quarters
2 TB or more of heavy cream
Generous pinch of sea salt

Have all your ingredients chopped up and ready to go as white chocolate does not stay melted long. Place parchment paper on a regular cookie sheet.
Over double boiler melt the white chocolate chips with the heavy cream, add in the salt, stirring a lot until it comes to a nice Ganache. Take off the heat, working fast add in the chopped Oreo’s and cheez its. Mix well and fast, then pour out onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Let harden about 3 hours. Cut into squares.

pb and bacon cookie bark w/ smokehouse almonds

Ready for another foodie christmas gift idea? And boy is this one super easy too. Tasty lil nuggets too. One could easily eat a cookie sheet portion of these with an ice cold glass of milk and call it a good day. These got rave reviews from my clients and friends.

And yeah, I am loving Top Chef All Stars. Did you see last nights episode at the museum? Hilarious! So funny when Dale said he was going to make "corn muffins with Nyquil".
Love every single one of those chefs. What a super, energy-packed group of chefs. They are ALL extremely friggin talented, would pay anything to just hang with them; they ALL make me want to do more, be more creative in the kitchen and rock on with my bad ass foodie self!

Cook notes:
I have given you a peanut butter cookie recipe to use, but in all honesty you can use whatever one you prefer and I also think a plain sugar cookie recipe would work here too. Remember when you are spreading the dough not to make it too thin. You might have to increase your cooking time as you are making one giant cookie in essence. Don't over cook, you want it slighty, a tiny bit, underdone because you want a moist bark, not thin and crispy. I mean one could try thin and crispy but I don't know how that would taste. Please make sure to finely mince the cooked bacon bits--this is not the recipe for large chunks.

pb & bacon cookie bark with smokey almonds
From vanillasugarblog

peanut butter cookie dough w/ bacon
(cookie dough slightly adapted from Baked: New Frontiers)
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1 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 ts of baking soda
1 ts sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ts pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
½ - ¾ cup of cooked, FINELY chopped bacon chunks (add as much or as little as you like)

For bark:
8 ounces of high quality dark chocolate (semi sweet)
A couple large handfuls of Smokehouse almonds

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy.
Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated.
The mixture will look light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and peanut butter and beat until just incorporated.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the bacon chunks. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  I did NOT do this, I went ahead and baked them and it was fine. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (I like to spray them with nonstick spray too). Spread the batter out fairly thick, not too thin. I would wet my fingers or spatula with water and press cookie dough down. Don’t worry about making an even square or circle, this is bark and its supposed to look rustic. Remember, don’t press it too thin!
Bake for 12 - 17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the edges of cookie bark are light brown. We don’t want to make this crispy; we want it still soft.
As soon as the pans come out of the oven this is when you want to sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot cookie bark. In a few minutes the chocolate will melt and you can easily spread it around with a spatula. Then top with the smokey almonds and press them down in a bit to make sure they stay when dry. It’s not advisable to put this in the fridge to set as you will lose the glossiness of the chocolate. Takes a couple hours for chocolate to harden.

gingerbread cupcakes w/ white choco-cream cheese ganache

Holiday gift? Quick and easy? Yes and yes. Or done and done! I know I've told you I've gotten a lot of emails asking me to please write up more quick & easy recipes. And lately I've been giving them out. I'm a proud to show you yet another one that happened as a matter of quick thinking. AND this is a fabulous holiday treat to give to friends, family, co-workers. My hubby brought these into work and they were gone in ONE hour. Crazy vultures! And I got an email from someone at hubbys' work saying how much she enjoyed them--I love that; that is exactly why I love to bake.

If any of you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you know I love to cruise the aisles of Trader Joe's with iphone in hand and snap up photos of the latest new items. I love Trader Joe's, I think they have good priced frozen meals, but are lacking on the fresh produce and breads. Their snacks, cookies, candies are pretty good and decently priced.
On a previous trip to TJ's I sampled their pumpkin bread and was blown away at how good it tasted; definitely didn't taste like it came from a box. So when I saw the new gingerbread mix I had to give them a go too. And yes, that is how the gingerbread cupcakes came about. Instead of baking them in a bread/loaf pan I made them into 12 cupcakes. They came out fabulous. I mean no one ever knew they were from a box--well until now. Next time you go try them. Let me know how you kicked them up. I kicked mine up by adding a white chocolate-cream cheese ganache. I just think white chocolate and gingerbread are a match made in heaven if the white chocolate has a bit of savory to it. You feeling me people? Are you with me? Good because you are going to LOVE these lil beauties.

gingerbread cupcakes with white chocolate-cream cheese ganache
print recipe

1 box of Trader Joe’s Gingerbread mix

Bake the cupcakes according to the package, but instead of using a pan use 12 cupcakes. Mine were done baking in about 17- 20 minutes. Let cool completely and start on the ganche.

White chocolate-cream cheese ganache
½ - ¾ cup of high quality white chocolate
Good splash of heavy cream
4 ounces of room temp cream cheese
Pinch of sea salt

In a saucepan, over very low heat, melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. When the chocolate is just melted, add in the room temp cream cheese and start mixing. You will be mixing for a while to get it to a nice glossy, smooth texture. Add in the sea salt. Taste test.

When the Ganache is just about combined, take off the heat and finish mixing. Make sure your cupcakes are ready to go and be frosted as the white chocolate Ganache does NOT stay melted for long—it dries up fast.
Pour the Ganache over the cupcakes on a wire rack (or on wax paper).

frito salad

More quick and easy recipes? You got it. Here is one of my favorites when I have zero time and ZERO willpower to create a meal. This one might come in handy for everyone during this busy holiday season? It's a snap to make, literally minutes to make. And if you layer the ingredients as I did, it is very appealing to the eyes. It's not so appealing when it's mixed--tasty though. So if you have fussy kids and want to get them to eat more veggies, trust me this will work. Once they see how colorful and appealing it is I guarantee they will dig into it, Plus it has Fritos in it.
Remember eating this as a kid? When did it first come out? 1973?

Cook notes: you could easily swap out the Fritos for a more healthlier chip like multi grain corn chips, add in corn, add in peppers, etc...the possibilities are endless. Leftovers don't keep well as the chips get soggy

Frito Salad
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1 – 2 bags of chopped mixed greens (or iceberg)
Grated carrots
1/2 bag Fritos, Regular size (or jumbo size crushed a bit)
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of black olives, drained, rinsed & chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 pound of hamburg cooked and seasoned with taco seasonings
1-2 large tomatoes, diced
1-2 Avocados, sliced
1 btl. Catalina Salad Dressing

Cook hamburg until done, add in a taco seasoning packet along with the required amount of water. Let cool a bit.

Then layer your individual salad plates as such:
Lettuce
carrots
Corn chips
Kidney beans
Black olives
Onions
Hamburg
Tomatoes
Avocado, layered on the side so it can be seen.
Just when you are ready to serve add on the Catalina dressing.

Add in whatever you want really. Leftovers do not keep well. But I’m sure this will be gone in one night.

top chef dessert cc cookies by eric

These cookies have been making the rounds in the food blogging world. It was my turn. I love that each time someone makes them they add in something new. That's the best part of baking--being creative.
Clearly I can see why the judges on Top Chef Desserts loved them. They are good, very tasty with a distinct butter and chocolate flavor (duh). And what makes them good is the high quality chocolate. I'm certain Eric used semi-sweet chips, but I of course wanted to take a different route and wanted to use up the multiple bars of chocolate collecting dust in my cupboard. I used a nice trio of chocolate: semi-sweet, milk, and bittersweet. And to be honest, it really was a nice combo when baked. On the show, when Eric made them they weren't as thin. They were a lot thicker, but I'm kind of glad they turned out thin because I've been looking for a thin cc cookie recipe. So I don't know what happened to make them so thin, but I'm sure it was because I let them sit overnight and/or baking powder was supposed to be used.

Regardless, this is a good accident; if you truly dig thin cc cookies then this is your recipe. I don't think I've ever had cookies so thin before. That second photo of the cookies is almost like a work of art--how thin they are you know?
Who am I kidding, I'm the only one that saw them as a work of art, a thing of beauty, no one else did, they saw them as 'must devour now'. And POOF, just like that, these cookies were gone in half a day people, half a day.







Top Chef Desserts CC Cookies by Eric
Print Recipe
Cook Notes:
I used a combo of 3 diff types of chocolate in this; feel free to use semi sweet as Eric did in the recipe. These cookies spread out when baking, so leave at least 3 - 4 inches for cookies to spread. I did make these and leave them to sit in the fridge overnight (in case someone asks). You really need to let these cool and harden ON the cookie sheet pan as these are extremely fragile when hot. I added in an extra egg yolk for richness, you don't have to. Place the cookie dough as balls on the sheet--do not flatten! Please note my changes in orange below.
340 grams butter (3 sticks) (12 oz)
200 grams sugar (7.14 oz)
400 grams light brown sugar (I used 1 cup packed)
21 ounces flour (I sifted)
1 TB baking soda (this maybe be powder in order to get them thin; check out bravotv.com)
1 TB salt
2 eggs and 2 yolks (I used 3 yolks)
21 ounces high quality chocolate chips (semi sweet) (I used an even combo of semi & bitter)

Melt butter, cool slightly.
Paddle sugars with melted butter.
Whisk together dry ingredients.
Add eggs slowly.
Add flour, mix, add chips.
Bake at 350 for 14 min or until golden brown. (I baked them on parchment paper).

pumpkin and vanilla oreo ice cream

Are you tired of pumpkin yet? Can I squeeze in one more recipe? I have to be honest, back in early October I was so not into pumpkin at all. Then I made that fabulous pumpkin cheesecake with nutella ganache and there in started the pumpkin cravings. So I guess I'm way behind all of the other food bloggers who are already onto egg nog, peppermint and mocha. Mocha eh? Hmm what can be made with mocha that is seasonal? Has to be a mocha-peppermint cheesecake in there somewhere right? Gosh what a fabulous idea. I'm on it people!


This ice cream came about from J.P. Licks infamous ice cream joint in Jamaica Plain, MA. They had made a pumpkin ice cream with oreos. There is a video of the place J.P. Licks here wandering foodie. They don't mention what flavor Oreo they use, but to be honest I just thought the chocolate Oreo's would be a little overpowering in the gentle pumpkin flavored ice cream, so that's what made me choose its vanilla twin. This ice cream is very rich, hence a custard-like taste. Using the 5 egg yolks create this nice custardy taste. You could easily serve this for a thanksgiving dessert, with or without the hot fudge sauce on it.
Notes: I hate storing ice cream in plastic in the freezer. I much prefer glass has a better flavor, but that's just me. Should you not want to use the Oreo's you could easily use mini chocolate chips or even white chips. Experiment is key here and have fun.


pumpkin & vanilla oreo ice cream
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1 ½ cups half-and-half
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup buttermilk
5 regular egg yolks
4 ounces sugar
1 ts pure good quality vanilla extract
½ ts cinnamon
3 dashes of pumpkin spice
2 good pinches of sea salt
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 – 2 cups of crushed vanilla Oreo’s (depends on how much cookie you want in ice cream)
A candy thermometer

In a pot, over medium heat mix the half-and-half, heavy cream and buttermilk. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Add in the sugar and whisk well to combine thoroughly. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about ½ of the cream mixture has been added. Once added then pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Keep stirring, not whisking. You want to cook this until you have a temperature of 170 -175 degrees F. Also the mixture should, by now be thicker and will coat the back of a spatula and/or spoon nicely. Recipe by dawn finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Add this point add in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt and dashes of pumpkin spice. You may or may not need more pumpkin spice—go ahead and taste test and see if you like it.
Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for about 30-40 minutes uncovered.
Place the mixture into the refrigerator and cover tightly. Store in fridge for at least 5 to 8 hours (I’ve done this overnight and it’s fine). When you are ready to pour mixture into ice cream maker get your pumpkin and crushed cookies ready. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. At the last 5 minutes of churning I add in the pumpkin puree and crushed cookies.
Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.
Should make little over a quart.

ham and egg cups

I get emails requesting more recipes on making easy, fast, yet tasty meals and desserts. Good idea, right? Here is one such very easy and very versatile meal that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Why is this versatile? Well if you deconstruct it, you will see that you can add in, and/or replace new ingredients each and every time you make this.
For example, you can add in hash browns (precooked of course), you could use crumbled sausage, you could use brie cheese, you could add in sliced apples with the brie cheese with the ham (with or without the egg). See? The list is endless and fun. So your kids could get involved too. I'm sure your kids would love to have the opportunity to make their own ham & cheese cup? Might also be a great way to get them to eat their fruits and veggies?

ham & egg cups
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Notes: I used giant muffin tins. I’m sure regular size would work too, just reduce cooking time. You can’t see in the photo, but there is a bottom layer of sourdough bread. It might be fun to use pre-cooked hash browns as the bottom too. Just make sure the pre-cooked hash browns are at room temp or warmed up before placing in muffin tins.
Best advice: play with the ingredients; this is a very versatile dish that can easily be used to swap in new ideas.
Yummy Ideas: brie, ham & apples; salsa, egg & cheese; sweet potato hash, sausage, & egg; pizza style eggs; french toast & bacon; mini omelets inside the ham...oh the endless possibilities.

Toasted sourdough bread, cut into circles to fit into bottom of muffin tins
10-15 medium sliced, slices of ham (don’t use really thin, they will burn)
6 large eggs, room temp (they cook faster if room temp)
Salt & pepper
freshly chopped parsley or tarragon, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tins with nonstick spray. Place the ham in the muffin tins and flute out the edges, then place the cut out sourdough toasted circles in each muffin tin. (if you want to add in precooked hash brown chunks this is where you add them in in place of the bread).
Carefully crack each egg into the muffin egg, making sure not to break the yolk. Immediately bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the egg is done to your likeness. (Remember I used giant muffin tins; if using regular size muffin tins reduce cooking time a bit).

homemade pumpkin pop tarts w/ buttermilk glaze

"crack tarts" that's really what these should be called as they are hard to put down and walk away from. These were just lovely to make. They lasted a mere day in the house--record breaking. I will admit they were time consuming, but oh so worth the effort. In reality what perfect tasting pastry isn't very time consuming? The expressions on people's faces when they bit into them for the first time--oh how I wish I could just bottle that up. My favorite part? Those crispy, buttery, sugary edges! Whoa Nelly those are addicting. One could easily just make "edges", sell them and make millions. You know?



I have to say I am not good at measuring out the dough into rectangles. You need a ruler and stuff for that. Did I follow it? Of course not! I had to go my own dysfunctional way. But they still came out mighty fine. Other notes: of course I did some changes, you'll see them in colored parenthesis. The original recipe comes from King Arthur, I think. Always keep that dough nice and cold.






Pumpkin pie pop tarts with buttermilk glaze
Adapted from joy the baker & king arthur flour
print recipe

For the Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes (I used a cheese grater)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, beaten (for brushing the dough)

For the Filling:
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
1 large egg (plus 1 large egg yolk)
(1 ts cornstarch)
1/8 ts ground cloves (I omitted)
1/4 ts ground ginger (I omitted)
1/2 ts cinnamon (I used 1 full teaspoon)
(Dash or 2 of pumpkin pie seasoning)
1/4 ts salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Buttermilk Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 (plus or minus depending on thick or thin you want glaze) cup buttermilk
Dash or 3 of cinnamon
Dash or 2 of sea salt

For the crust:
I like to use a cheese grater on my butter, keep it in the freezer until ready to use. In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together. In a food processor, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add in the cold butter, pulse until you have nice crumbles. Pulse in the beaten egg with milk until just mixed—no overmixing! Lightly dust a clean counter with flour and knead the dough on the floured counter for a few turns until it really starts to come together. Divide the dough in two, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling:
In a bowl mix all of the ingredients, well. Store in fridge till ready to use.

Assembly:
This next part is where you need to pay attention; I was horrible at this. Get your baking pans ready (2 – 3 pans) by lining with parchment paper, set aside. On a well floured work surface, press dough into a 3x5-inch rectangle, roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness. The dough should be slightly larger than 9x12-inches. Trim dough with a pizza cutter, creating a rectangle that is 9-inches tall and 12-inches long. Using the pizza cutter, cut each side into thirds, creating 9 squares. Place dough squares in the fridge while you roll out the second piece of dough in the same way.

Brush one set of 9 squares with beaten egg. This will act as the glue for the top layer of dough. Spoon about one tablespoon of pie filling into the center of each brushed dough square. Top with a piece of dough and use a floured fork to crimp the sides closed. Use the tines of the fork to create vent holes in each tart. Recipe from dawn finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Place the pan in the fridge to let it get firm again; you don’t want to bake these with warm dough, they won’t crisp up. Keep in fridge at least 30 minutes. When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes or until the tops and edges are nice and golden brown. Cool tarts on wire racks. You can let them cool before glazing or not, I didn’t wait. But if you glaze them straight away, you do need to let the glaze harden before serving.

For the buttermilk glaze:
Make sure to sift the powdered sugar, you don’t want any lumps in the glaze. Mix all the glaze ingredients really well and apply with a spoon over the racks. Let glaze dry on the tarts before devouring.

halloween candy bundt cake

This isn't the fanciest of posts, but the photo was kind of wild and funky--the colors and all. I had crazy amounts of halloween candy leftover! Not knowing how much to get this year because we are living in a new area, I, of course over-bought AND OVER ATE. I tweeted that I was finished polishing off the peanut M&M's and was going to move onto the Twix.
I did not have dinner Halloween night but am certain I ate a few cups of candy. I had to take probiotics yogurt an hour after. LOL
As of today, the halloween candy, just like Elvis has left the building.

A good friend of mine Scary Mommy said on twitter yesterday: "&#$%@ Halloween Candy!" I couldn't agree more, and I am so glad it's all gone. Now we have to deal with the eating festivities of thanksgiving and christmas. One down, two to go....

If you have leftover candy and want to make a fun bundt cake then head over to Cathy of Noble Pig for the recipe.
I added on a white chocolate ganache to the top of mine.

white chocolate-pumpkin pound cake

The winner of the Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented is Liz of Little Bitty Bakes. Congrats Liz, this is a stellar cookbook!! I wish I had more to give away, I really do. I had so many comments, and I could tell you all wanted to win this. Let's do more giveaways....I will make this happen. Promise.
As for this pound cake, well it's interesting.

As I've stated before I am not a huge pumpkin fan. So if you like the taste of pumpkin this maybe be the loaf for you--it's very pumpkin-ey if that's a word. The white chocolate middle is very delicate, not overly sweet at all; overall loaf is very mild, hence the reason I put the nutella-cream cheese frosting on there. Lately I've been really drawn to nutella.....have you seen those super sized jars of it they sell in the grocery stores? I got one! Seriously. What have you baked with Nutella? Possibilities are endless aren't they? Sorry the photo isn't that bright...we've had nothing but rain and dark gloomy days here on cape cod.

white chocolate-pumpkin pound cake
by dawn finicane
print recipe

3 large eggs and 2 egg yolks, room temp
2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup high quality white chocolate (like Valrhona)
1 stick of salted butter, melted
¾ cup white sugar
1 huge pinch of sea salt
A couple dashes of cinnamon
½ can of pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin not flavored)
2 TB canola oil
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter and dust with flour a rectangular pound cake pan.
Melt the butter, let it cool slightly.
In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; then sift and set aside.
Mix the sugar, canola oil and eggs with stand mixer until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in batches (of three) until just combined. Don’t over mix.
Separate the batter in 2/3 and 1/3. We are going to add the pumpkin puree to the 2/3 batter by just folding it in; we don’t want to over mix at this point.

Place the white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and let simmer until the chocolate is melted. Add this melted chocolate to the 1/3 batter. You have to work quickly as the white chocolate does not stay melted for long.
Pour half the pumpkin batter into the pan, then pour in the white chocolate batter making sure to keep this batter in the middle, not to let it go to the sides so the nice swirl stays even in the middle. Recipe by dawn Finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Pour the remaining pumpkin batter on the top. You may have to use your fingers to push the batter down, as the batter is quite thick.
Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (mine was done at the 40 minute mark). Remove from the oven. Let cool before frosting.
If you wish to frost this (some say it was good without the frosting) all I did was add a block of 8 ounces of room temp cream cheese to about ½ (or more) of Nutella. Mix really well and frost.

pumpkin cheesecake w/ nutella ganache

When you go to bed at night, as soon as you hit the pillow, do you get all these pop up bubbles of thoughts of the day of what you didn't do or what you should have done? I hate that. Well, most nights I hate that. But last night I didn't hate. The perfect pop up bubble on how to make this cheesecake (2 tries) become better.
When I first made this cheesecake days ago I just wasn't happy with the ganache--it wasn't nutella-ly enough. And after days of trying to figure out what to do to change it before I posted it, it finally hit me in a pop up bubble last night (just after watching Top Chef Desserts too). I realized the chocolate I used was too strong; I should have used a milk chocolate instead of a bittersweet chocolate. So keep that in mind should you want to make this. A couple notes on this cheesecake. I am not a big fan of pumpkin cake or pie. So this cheesecake has a very mild pumpkin flavor; I used very little pumpkin spice flavoring and more cinnamon. But feel free to adjust however you like it--for some it might be too mild for you.



I am back to kind of loving Top Chef Desserts. Well, I was really happy that Yigit won last night. I just love him--he's so cute, so adorable, not to mention super talented. Did you also see that a Top Chef All Stars is coming? I wish Bravo would think about doing a "common Joe" type Top Chef for amateurs with mad skills. It would fly, I know it would. I should pitch that shouldn't I? They they'd listen? Eh.

pumpkin cheesecake w/ nutella ganache
recipe by dawn finicane
print recipe

crust
1- 10 oz box of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies, crushed fine (I used all 2 sleeves)
1 stick salted butter, melted
Tiny pinch of sea salt
1 ts vietnamese cinnamon

cheesecake filling
4 - 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temp
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup heavy cream (maybe a little less)
3 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks
1 cup plus 3 TB pumpkin puree
1 ts of pure vanilla extract
1 ts cinnamon
Couple dashes of pumpkin pie spice mix (use as much as you like; I’m not fond of it, so I used very little)

Nutella ganache
½ cup (maybe a little more) of milk chocolate chips
4 TB nutella spread
A couple of splashes of heavy cream
2 TB room temp salted butter

cook notes:
as I said above I should have used the milk chocolate chips instead of the bittersweet chips. I truly think the milk chocolate will meld better with the nutella. Depending on how thick or thin you like your Ganache use more or less of the heavy cream. This makes a lot of crust for the 10-inch pan, but I like to have it thick, so if you don’t like it thick you could probably halve it. But with the remaining leftover crust I just put it in a bag and freeze or make a mini cheesecake. There will also be leftover cheesecake batter—haven’t figured out how to scale it down yet. But with the leftover crust and batter you can easily make 2 mini cheesecakes if you have the mini springform pans. Also, I do not have a mixer, I know, everyone always ask how I do it, but I do, been that way for decades. So I just use a food processer, works perfectly. But use what you feel comfortable with.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
In a measuring cup, crack open the eggs and egg yolks, set aside until ready to use.
Spray a 10-inch springform pan with non stick spray. In a food processor grind up the cookies into a fine crumb. In a bowl, combine the cookies, a pinch of salt, and the melted butter. Mix, then press into the bottom and partially up the sides of the springform pan. (I use a flat bottomed glass to press it in evenly). Note: there will be some crumbs leftover; I normally use more crumbs than the average cheesecake because I love a thick crumb.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is just lightly brown around the edges, set aside and let cool. Reduce the oven heat to 300°F.
In a bowl combine the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract until mixed well, set aside. I used my food processor to make the cheesecake batter—I suppose you could use a mixer, but I don’t have one. With the food processor, mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and lump free. Add in the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the eggs one at a time until all is mixed well; add in the heavy cream. Then add in the pumpkin puree mix slowly. Process until all is well mixed.

baking:
Most people like to do a water bath for their cheesecake. I never do, I find all too annoying. But if you want to do this please feel free; it’s best to bake your cheesecake how ever you feel most comfortable.
I baked this cheesecake at 300°F for one hour and a half; turned off oven and left it alone for a couple hours. By then your middle should be nice and set. Recipe & photos by Dawn Finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Just before you’re ready to serve this, add on the Ganache. The cheesecake tastes best when the Ganache is nice and warm.

to make ganache:
Over low heat, melt the milk chocolate chips with the nutella, and a few splashes of heavy cream. To get it nice and glossy, just keep stirring being careful not let chocolate burn. Once it’s all melted and combined add in the 2 TB of salted butter to get it nice and glossy. Pour Ganache over the top of cheesecake or over individual slices.

new york style crumb cake and a giveaway

I was thrilled to bits, no thrilled to the moon when the new Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented arrived from the publishers. Even more thrilled that they sent me an extra copy. It is so time for a giveaway! I love to share happy happy good things.
I have to say a HUGE congrats to Matt & Renato on their second book. As soon as I opened the book, going straight to the back index to see the list of recipes first, I instantly grabbed my cell phone to send Matt a text at how AMAZING this new book was, how I love it way more than the first book but in a progressive-honest way. I mean seriously this second cookbook is really packed with a whole new family of sweet treats. Later I asked a friend if it was rude to say to Matt that the second book is better than the first--she said no; be careful how you word it though. True, because their first book had me hooked and to be honest their second book is amazing. Some people when they do a second book it doesn't measure up to the first. You think second books, they should should be as good as if not better than the first book; more recipes along the same lines as the first book but better. You with me? This second book they made recipes based on perfect food combinations--food combo's you WANT to eat/devour; recipes that foodies like us can truly use; actual recipes you want to make, and/or use for entertaining. Another excellent feature of their book, just like the first book is it's user friendly, very easy to follow along and make at home. Nothing too fancy or too unusual to do or buy. A few of their recipes? Like baked cheese grits, malted waffles, almond joy tart! Are you kidding? They speak my language! Wait till you see the photographs. There is this one photograph of a cake called "caramel apple cake". The cake is apple, it's thick and the frosting is caramel buttercream. Ohhh please. But the photo is so perfect; I need to learn how to frost the cake just like that. Then there is this recipe for chocolate-peanut butter fondue--this is what I will eat with a spoon, period.
There is also a recipe for chocolate coffee cake with dark chocolate ganche. Hello? Where do I begin on this one? I don't know how many more times I have to ask Matt to marry me before he says yes. Ha ha! Last winter I remember Matt telling me how he was secluded in a kitchen baking and testing away, and how tired he was. Well Matt it truly paid off. This book is a winner--I'm so happy for you and Renalto. Congrats my friend.
If you want to try and win this cookbook, just leave me a comment before October 27, 2010. Tell me what are your favorite cookbooks of all time? I draw one name on October 27, 2010. Good luck!
**And if you win, do you promise the book will go to a good home? You promise to love, honor and cherish it? **

new york style crumb cake
Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented
print recipe

Crumb topping
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted, and warm
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Cake
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 ts baking soda
¾ ts baking powder
½ ts salt
12 TB unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cups sour cream
1 ts pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the rack in the center. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass 9 x 13-inch pan. You can use a metal pan, but the edges of the cake may turn crispy (although that is not traditional, it is not an altogether bad thing).

Make the crumb topping
In a medium bowl, stir together both sugars, the salt and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and whisk until combined. Fold in the flour until it is absorbed and set the mixture aside.

Prepare the Cake
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.
Using electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy; add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until blended. Add flour mixture in 3 parts, beating just until incorporated after each addition.

Assemble the cake
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spread batter evenly. Use your hands to scoop up a handful of the topping and make a fist. The topping should hold together. Break off in chunks and drop them over cake. Repeat to use all the topping. Remember the topping with look very thick.

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Rotate the pan two times during the baking process. Cool entire pan on wire rack for about 30 minutes before devouring.
The cake will last 3 days, tightly covered, at room temperature.

brownies w/ espresso-cream cheese frosting topped w/ salty shortbread crumbs

Yes that is a very long title for brownies isn't it? But I wanted to really dress up a good batch of brownies. I love brownies with frosting on them--sweet on top of salty-sweet. Killer cavity making material I know, but if you're gonna indulge you might as well make it grand. The topping came about when I had leftover crumbs from my creamsicle cheesecake; had stored them in the freezer for future use. Those crumbs are just so good I hate to waste. And I have used my espresso-cream cheese combo before on my espresso-cream cheese rice krispie treats which were to die for good. I had kept that combo in the back of mind to use again hopefully on a cake or cupcake. I need to make a cupcake with this frosting combo STAT.
These brownies are really good. I mean they just satisfy that sweet & salty craving instantly. I ate a fair share of them and yes, ate the frosting with a spoon; to taste test--a few times.

brownies w/ espresso-cream cheese frosting topped w/ salty shortbread crumbs
print recipe

Brownies:
(use your favorite brownie recipe or you can use what I used from alton brown)

Soft butter, for greasing the pan
Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter
11/4 cups cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.

Frosting:
1 – 8 oz pack of cream cheese, room temp
½ Starbuck Via, regular roast
¼ - ½ cup of sifted confectioners sugar (use more or less depending on your sweetness preference)
Sprinkle finished brownies with remaining Starbuck Via, (optional but wonderful)

Salty shortbread crumbs:
(I had leftover crumbs from when I made the creamsicle cheesecake, but I think this amount below would be enough for the topping?)
1 sleeve (more or less) of Lorna Doone cookies, crushed fine
A pinch or two of sea salt

Assemble:
Once brownies are cooled, spread frosting nice and thick, sprinkle with salty shortbread crumbs, then sprinkle with remaining Starbucks Via for decoration.

creamsicle cheesecake with buttery shortbread crust

I looked and looked to see if someone had done a creamsicle cheesecake. Couldn't find anything, so there in lies my homework assignment. After a few attempts I think I nailed it. Creamsicle and cheesecake just screams to be together doesn't it? And I wanted to add a layer of 'almost saltiness' to it (don't I always), so I used those Lorna Doone shortbread cookies as the crust. Do I even have to tell you how good this was? It was light and creamy with a hint of orange just like a true creamsicle. Please forgive me on this, for I did not write down the recipe. I am certain though I got it all down word for word though. Just taste-test it before you bake it to make sure it tastes, well, like a creamsicle. The only areas I might have been forgetful was the amount of chopped orange slices and heavy cream. So you might need to add or subtract these--that's why I say taste test as you go along. I promise you I will get better with writing down the recipes straight away. :-)
Can we talk about Top Chef Desserts for a bit? I mean since I have you here? I want to like the show I really do because I just love the concept, but the drama is such a huge turn off. I know a lot of chefs, and none of them have tempers, flare-ups, crying fits, etc... like those on Top Chef Desserts. Chefs and pastry chefs alike pride themselves on being cool, calm and INSPIRING in the kitchen (and out of the kitchen as well).
It was also shocking to see on the wedding cake episode how many of the pastry chefs didn't make a decent wedding cake. Sure the flavors were there in some of the cakes, but the overall stacking and presentation was lacking. I was asking my friends if these were indeed classically trained pastry chefs. Love the show, just wish there wasn't so much crying. Just like there's no crying in baseball, there's no crying in baking. What do you think of Top Chef Desserts? Is it what you thought it would be? I honestly thought it would be like Top Chef with, well, desserts--where everyone behaves and puts forth their very best creations.





creamsicle cheesecake w/ shortbread crust

by vanillasugarblog.com

print recipe

crust

1- 10 oz box of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies, crushed fine (I used all 2 sleeves)

1 stick salted butter, melted

Tiny pinch of sea salt

cheesecake filling

4 - 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temp

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup heavy cream (might need more)

3 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks

½ cup (or a little more) of orange candy slices, chopped very fine (the jelly-like ones coated in sugar; a sort of half moon shape)

1 ts of orange zest

A splash of vanilla extract

cook notes: as I said above I might be off on the amount of chopped orange slices and heavy cream used. So please taste test as you go along and before it goes in the pan for baking. This makes a lot of crust for the 10-inch pan, but I like to have it thick, so if you don’t like it thick you could probably halve it. But with the remaining leftover crust I just put it in a bag and freeze or make a mini cheesecake. There will also be leftover cheesecake batter—haven’t figured out how to scale it down yet. But with the leftover crust and batter you can easily make 2 mini cheesecakes if you have the mini springform pans. Also, I do not have a mixer, I know, everyone always ask how I do it, but I do, been that way for decades. So I just use a food processer, works perfectly. But use what you feel comfortable with.

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

In a measuring cup, crack open the eggs and egg yolks, set aside until ready to use.

Spray a 10-inch springform pan with non stick spray. In a food processor grind up the cookies into a fine crumb. In a bowl, combine the cookies, a pinch of salt, and the melted butter. Mix, then press into the bottom and partially up the sides of the springform pan. (I use a flat bottomed glass to press it in evenly). Recipe & photos by Dawn Finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com

Note: there will be some crumbs leftover; I normally use more crumbs than the average cheesecake because I love a thick crumb.

Bake for 12 minutes, set aside and let cool. Reduce the oven heat to 325°F.

cheesecake batter:

I used my food processor to make the cheesecake batter—I suppose you could use a mixer, but I don’t have one (I know, weird). With the food processor, mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and lump free. Add in the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. .

Add in the eggs one at a time until all is mixed well; add in the heavy cream. Then add in the vanilla extract, and orange zest; then add in the chopped orange candy slices. Process until all is well mixed.

baking:

Most people like to do a water bath for their cheesecake. I never do, I find all too annoying. But if you want to do this please feel free; it’s best to bake your cheesecake how ever you feel most comfortable.

I baked this cheesecake at 325°F for one hour then at 300°F for an additional 40 to 60 minutes or until the center is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Top with freshly whipped cream and I used all natural sprinkles form Whole Foods. These orange ones taste like orange.

ham and cheese stuffed buttermilk pancakes

Ham and cheese buttermilk pancakes just in time for the weekend. How in the world did this creation come about? I am the type of food eater that loves a little bit of everything in one bite. Let's say it's thanksgiving: I'm going to put on my fork a little bit of turkey, some sweet potato, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and dip it all gently in a bit of gravy while having a bite of those buttered rolls. Yeah. See now that's how it's done. That's how all the chefs do it too. Next time you watch Top Chef watch the judges when they go and taste the dishes. They take a little bit of food from all that is on the dish in ONE bite; not only to see how it all tastes BUT to see if it all melds nicely together.
Any meal I eat I have to have various food flavors going on and eat them all at once. I am not one of those people that eats the meat first, then the vegetable, then the whatever.... That's eating to eat. I eat to savor, to mix, to meld, to satisfy every single craving I have in a day in one meal---if I can.
Get to the darn pancakes already! OK. We all know I love my sweet & salty fix--on an hourly basis, and breakfast is the most important meal for savory right? LOL. But I love pancakes with salty, fried ham, drenched in syrup!
So just like my love of having a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with a nice slab of sharp cheddar in there (try it, it's really good) I wanted to try and add a layer of cheddar cheese to the pancakes. So why not just make a nice thick, fluffy, greasy pancake with a little bit of ham and melted cheese in the middle? It's good to experiment right? Even the fussiest of fussy food eaters on the planet (my husband) loved it. So there.

ham & cheese stuffed buttermilk pancakes
print recipe

use your favorite buttermilk pancake recipe (this is a good one from alton brown)
a few slices of thinly sliced ham
a few slices of thinly sliced mild cheddar cheese
a few TB of butter for pan and for topping pancakes
pure maple syrup

make your pancake batter as you normally would. when you get ready to pour them onto the griddle: pour a little bit onto griddle, spreading out just a bit and quickly place a couple slices of the ham, then a slice of the cheese. top the pancake with just a little bit more of pancake batter to cover. you will have to spread the batter over and around the ham & cheese to make sure it's nice and covered. when bottom side of pancake is done carefully flip over. this takes some skill as you don't want to break apart the middle part.
serve with the butter and warmed maple syrup.

chocolate ganache cupcakes

Does the Barefoot Contessa ever let you down? I think not. I remember back last winter when I was sick in bed, all day, watching horrible daytime TV. But thankfully the Food Network saved the day! The Barefoot Contessa was on twice during the day! Thank goodness--I was feeling better already! So if you're sick in bed, remember the Barefoot Contessa is on not once, but twice in one day; midday then at dinnertime (I think it's still that way). Nothing like watching Ina to cheer you right up. She had made these gorgeous chocolate ganche cupcakes that were topped with bright candied violets. Of course she breezed through them with ease; they came out perfect, and then she topped them with stunning purple candied violets. I saved this recipe to create when I found candied violets. Never found them, don't even know where to look unless you go to a big city? Have you ever seen candied violets? So very pretty, and make the simplest of things like cupcakes into stunning little works of art. How fabulous is that? (I just LOVE when she says that).

chocolate ganache cupcakes
by barefoot contessa
print recipe

1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup (recommended: Hershey's)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
Candied violets, for decoration, optional

Line muffin pans with 12 paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough.
Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly in the pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache. Decorate with candied violets, if desired. Do not refrigerate. I decorated with toffee bits and coarse colored sugar sprinkles.

broiled prosecco-scallops w/ panko crumbs

We eat a lot of scallops here; seafood I never tire of. My local fishmonger is wonderful, patient (because I ask way too many questions) and always knows what's the best catch of the day. He has the best and biggest scallops, as well as the best lobster around. I'm a huge fan of the big scallops not so much of the bay scallops. Although bay scallops are perfect for a seafood sherry bisque. This broiled prosecco-scallop dish came about by the mere fact that I had no white wine in the house, nor any lemons!. And refusing to freeze the scallops because I just think they freeze awful unless you vac-seal them to perfection, I searched the cupboards for something to use. Not finding anything I remembered the bottles of champagne and prosecco I have stored in the garage for special occasions. Perfect! I knew instinctly champagne might be too bitter when cooked, but prosecco is perfect because of it's sweetness.
What a hit these were. I was shocked at how super moist the prosecco kept the scallops while broiling, as well as lending a gentle extra sweetness to the scallops. The best part was how easy and fast this was to throw together. A recipe keeper for sure. Keep this one in mind when you what to impress friends and haven't a lot of time.

cook notes: lemon will not go so well with this. you can try it, but it doesn't taste right and overpowers the sweetness of the prosecco. i love using panko crumbs because the stay nice and crispy. serve the remaining cold prosecco when serving this dish. PLEASE make sure you know your oven broiler well, as these are scallops and they cook fast! i think adding a pinch of tarrgon to the panko crumb mixture might be nice next time.

broiled prosecco-scallops w/ panko crumbs
print recipe

about 10 - 12 large scallops, washed, nibs removed
1/4 cup of cold prosecco (or so)

fresh chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

in a large (high heat) casserole dish spray the dish w/ olive oil or coat with butter. place scallops in a single layer not too close to each other. salt & pepper the scallops. then pour 1/4 cup or so of the ice cold prosecco over the scallops. let them soak all that goodness in for a few minutes. prepare crumb topping. most important: don't walk away from broiler when scallops are in there!

crumb topping:
about 3/4 to 1 cup of panko crumbs (more or less?)
1 stick of melted butter

combine both in a dish; season with a hint of salt & pepper; set aside.

Preheat oven broiler to 450/500 degrees. bake the scallops till just done maybe 4-5 minutes? recipe by dawn finicane of vanillakitchen.blogspot.com. add on the panko crumb mixture and put back under broiler until panko crumb topping is nice and brown--maybe 2 minutes? watch it, it cooks quick