friday links

Here in the new england we've had a lot of rain and cloudy days. Starts to take it toll on one's sanity. On the horizon though summer is right around the corner--which I hope means more sunny days. Other signs of spring here on cape cod mean the swans have had their babies. I was lucky enough to get these photos as both the mommy and daddy are fiercely protective. Even coming within 20 feet of them they start to hiss and charge. So with my handy little iphone I was able to snap these photos.
And if you look closely at first photo (left swan) there is a baby on the back, hidden under the feathers; the head is sticking out. I watched the baby climb up onto the wing, the swan (the mom I think) then lifted the baby up to her back and the baby swan snuggled in. It was one of the most touching moments I'd seen in a while.





This is chatham, mass, down by the chatham fish pier market. Boats are beginning to resurface.



A clammer heading over to Tern Island to dig up some steamers.



Cape Cod National Seashore is just breathtaking when the sun finally does shine on cape cod.





One lone surfer going to a surf just before sunset at Nauset Lighthouse Beach.



Another clammer digging away at Corporation Beach in Dennis.



Ice cream season has begun! And I'm already indulging, a little too much lately. We have a new ice cream joint in Sandwich, The Shipwreck in Sandwich, MA, down by the sandwich marina. Prices and ice cream aren't too bad. This size, in the photo is a small! On sunny days the lines are long, but that comes with the territory of good ice cream. The Shipwreck Ice Cream (no website) 2 Freezer Road, Sandwich, MA down just before the entrance to the sandwich marina.



Found a new love for energy bars. This one is by Bonk Breakers. Really good, and does not taste like a chemically energy bar. All wholesome ingredients too. The best one was the almond butter-honey. Tried contacting them for a product review and giveaway, no response yet. Fingers crossed!



Next Organics new chocolate covered ginger are ok. Really sweet in the middle. I think if they did not use as much sugar in the middle with the ginger it would taste good.



My latest Trader Joe obsession are the vegetable pakoras smothered in tzatziki.



Heard really good reviews about the new Stonewall Kitchen coconut curry sauce. Anyone tried it yet?



Recipe fail. I tried using nutella inside a berry pie. It came out horrid tasting. The nutella when baked with the fruit had a taste of burnt nutella. Not good.



Need to recreate these little gems. Oh these are good. From Lark Fine Foods.



From around the web:

Found a wonderful recipe for homemade vegan ice cream bars from veggie-wedgie.com. Wait till you see the photo!

Lays potato chips now has BLT flavored chips? That sounds so good. I love anything bacon flavored. Anyone tried them?

Cornflake crumbles from Serious Eats. Like little crunchy type muffins. Don't these look good?

Son-in-law eggs -- Thai style.

The classic Coca-Cola cake. I never tire looking at it.

Summer cocktail season will soon be here. Here is a rhubarb-ginger drink that's already bookmarked. (isn't that color fabulous?)

Waffle furniture (edible). Love this.

Small scale remodeling to help you plan out your next remodel. Yay or nay? Not sure.

Garden hose storage that's easy to do for non-DIY'ers like me.

And this is my favorite, when I first showed this to my friends on facebook, they all screamed in horror. I love this idea for a bathroom. You?

There are times when I get asked to review a cookbook and I simply cannot wait.
This would be one of those times.
Received this little gem in the mail and fell in love with it because it's all about quick and easy baking with a huge dose of creativity, as well as the option to be make it healthy. I mean the ideas are endless on what one can do with a muffin pan.
Muffin Tin Chef is a very creative look at making meals, snacks, and even desserts using a muffin pan! I highly recommend this book--very creative and not full of fat.





You can make everything from peach stuffed french toast, lasagna rolls, taco cups, and no-bake mini cheesecakes! All with a muffin tin! With summer heat just around the corner, this little kitchen staple cookbook will be a lifesaver for fast and easy meals that aren't boring. And the best part, is that most of the recipes are semi-healthy, not a lot of fat or junk is used. The author Matt Kadey is a registered dietitian who has done a few articles for Mens Health, Womens Health, Shape, Prevention, Eating Well, etc... So you know he took the time to develop good recipes with a healthy edge. His mission was to make you see that muffin tins are not just for cupcakes and muffins.



Have a great weekend! Don't forget to watch the supermoon this saturday night (may 5, 2012). It's going to be a beauty.

double chocolate-butterscotch muffins

Everyone raved about these double chocolate-butterscotch muffins when they first came out on thekitchn.com. And now a couple years later I'm finally trying them.
They are good, a tiny bit dry on the inside. I think it was the baking times that made them dry though. My gut tells me to have taken them out sooner (amazing how the baking gut always knows right?). But the overall flavor is really good. The butterscotch takes it right over to a good flavor edge. I'm certain that on the next batch I need to lessen the cooking time and that should make them less dry on the inside. So if you do make these, really watch the baking time; says to bake them 17-20 minutes, but I'd check them at the 14 minute mark.
Best part? Very quick and easy to whip up! Plus we all know, almost every baker has leftover butterscotch chips in the cupboard waiting to be used up--this is it.







For the recipe, head over to thekitchn.com.

cookie butter swirl cheesecake

First off, congrats to the winners of the Baked cookbook and brownie giveaway: #42 Beth and #76 Pam. Please email me your shipping address!

Did anyone try my cookie butter cookies? Weren't they good?
Since I was so thrilled at how many uses one can use for baking with cookie butter, I made a cheesecake with it. The possibilities of this cookie butter are endless.
What have you made with it?
So far, all I've tried is the cookie butter from Trader Joe's. I know there is a biscoff spread too? Have yet to find it. Does it taste just like the one at Trader Joe's? Are there different types of cookie butter out there? I would imagine so. Where is the Oreo cookie butter? :-)




You'll need two packs of cookies. Or use one pack mixed with a combo of another hard cookie. Be as creative as you want.





Gently plop down 2-3 giant globs of cookie butter, spaced apart. Then use a chopstick to gently swirl the cookie butter around. Easy peasy.



cookie butter swirl cheesecake
print recipe

crust
2 cups of crushed Trader Joe’s Bistro Biscuits (or any type of hard-cinnamon cookie)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Generous pinch of sea salt

cheesecake filling
4 - 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temp
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
3 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks

Cookie butter swirl
½ - ¾ cup of cookie butter

½ cup of warm caramel, for garnish, optional but wonderful

cook notes: This makes a nice thick crust. If you don’t like a thick crust then use less cookies crumbs (maybe 1 & ½ cups?).

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 9 or 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 by vanillasugarblog.com
Bake for 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 food processor or mixer, mix the cream cheese, with the eggs, eggs yolks, sugar and heavy cream. Mix until you have a nice custard-like consistency and no lumps are visible.
Pour cheesecake batter into cooled crust pan. Take your cookie butter, and GENTLY place down three or four glops/piles, spaced evenly, around the batter. Using a chopstick (or other small, pointed stick) gently swirl the cookie butter around until you have a nice array of swirls.

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 feel free; it’s best to bake your cheesecake how ever you feel most comfortable.
I baked this cheesecake at 300°F for 50-55 minutes; turned off oven and left it alone for a couple hours. You know the cheesecake is done when there is no jiggle in the middle and the middle batter has set up.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, and then you need to cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
When cheesecake is baking try not to open the oven door a lot, if at all.
You might need a wet knife to slice cheesecake.
When ready to serve, slice with a wet knife and drizzle slices with caramel sauce (optional).

cookie butter-peanut butter cookies

Something like months (and more months) before I finally broke down and bought a jar of cookie butter? I was way behind. Had no clue with the heck this stuff was. Honestly? I thought it was like an applesauce type butter--all gooey and overly sweet with not much to do with it.
Then one day, while at Trader Joe's, they had these chocolate bars stuffed with the cookie butter. That filling was so good! It was nothing like I thought it would be. It was like someone had grinded up peanut butter with a bunch of cinnamon cookies, and added a hint of salt. Super tasty and cheers to the person (or company) that started this craze. The uses for this butter are endless.....trust me I have more recipes coming.

So with these cookies I used the base recipe, my 'go-to' recipe for the 'almost flourless' peanut butter cookies and used peanut flour instead. If you can't find peanut flour, you can use regular flour, just not as much.
I went ahead and drizzled some melted chocolate on the cookies, but in all honesty, they didn't need them--they were so good on their own. Tasty little creatures.





cookie butter-peanut butter
print recipe

1 cup all-natural chunky or all natural smooth peanut butter (oily is OK)
¾ cup cookie butter
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 ts baking soda
3 TB peanut flour if no peanut flour then use 2 ½ TB of flour
1 ts sea salt

semisweet chocolate chips, melted for drizzling over cookie tops (optional)

Cook notes:
This recipe makes a small batch (about 12-15), if you want more, just double all the ingredients. I used semisweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Milk chocolate was just too sweet.
The cookies have to sit in fridge for at least an hour to come together; don’t let them sit in fridge overnight as they become very dry. Since this is a dry cookie it will be a tiny bit hard to roll in balls. Also they are delicate and tend to break apart if you make them too big. So try not to make the dough balls bigger than a tablespoon size.

In a small bowl add the peanut flour, baking soda, and salt; mix, set aside.
In a small bowl crack egg open and beat.
In a mixer or by hand, combine peanut butter, cookie butter and dark brown sugar until well combined.
Add egg to the cookie mixture, mix well.
Add in the flour mixture, by sprinkling it over the cookie dough, not just depositing it in one large dump. Mix till just combined.
Cover bowl and let it sit in fridge for about an hour. Do not let this sit overnight as the dough becomes very dry!
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll into tablespoon (or smaller) sized balls and place on non-stick cookie sheets or greased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. These cook up very fast, so I really wouldn’t go past the 10-12 minute mark. Cool on a baking sheet for a while. The cookies are very fragile and tend to break if you take them off the cookie sheet too early.
When cookies are completely cooled and harden, temper some semisweet chocolate and drizzle over cookies—optional of course.
Should make about 12-15 cookies (small batch). If you want more, just double all the ingredients.

guest post: matt lewis of BAKED NYC (plus giveaway!)

Have I been excited for weeks on end when I heard Matt Lewis co-owner of the infamous Baked NYC bakery in Brooklyn, NY AND cookbook co-author of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking AND Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented said YES to a guest post for moi?
Ohhhh you betcha.
I've known and adored him for years. He thinks I'm super creative (blush) and I think he's god-like creative! I've lost count on how many times I asked him to marry me (but I think he's kept count, sadly).
You have to be living under rock or hanging in Tibet, not to have seen the creative duo that is matt lewis and renato poliafito: aka modern day bakers with ingenious twist on modern day baking. Have you seen them on The Cooking Channel Unique Sweets? Oh they are so cute--talking heads. OK, I know they're guys, but they are just so fun to watch; I mean they are so at ease, chill kind of guys with a huge passion for baked goods. Who doesn't love a man with a huge passion for all things cake, cookies, pies, etc...?
And book 3? There is a book 3? Yes. Thank goodness! Book 3 is almost done, I've asked him about it in the interview (below). These guys never stop to rest. Where their energy comes from I haven't a clue; they must have a fountain of creative youth stashed away in the Baked Laboratories, somewhere in Brooklyn....I am heading to NYC this summer and I will report back on where that fountain of youth is. Promise.
Matt was kind enough to answer some really good, inquisitive questions I had and a couple from the fans. Shall we? (and there is a giveaway too...read on thru to find out about it!)


click me will ya?

Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito left their day jobs in advertising seven years ago to open their bakery, Baked, in Brooklyn, NY, to immediate praise from fans across the country. The authors have been featured on Oprah, the Today show, the Food Network, and Martha Stewart. Their first book, Baked, was an IACP award nominee.
And recently they’ve teamed up with Williams Sonoma to sell their infamous baked brownies, brookies, sour cream coffee cakes, and red velvet whoopie pies—all in ready, simple, luxurious ready to make mixes.

How do you sum up their style/twist on baking? Classic American desserts reinvented with a modern/kicked up twist.
I love that they think of themselves “dessert experts” as stated on their “about us” page at bakednyc.com. Stating they “…are blessed with a highly (almost holy) developed sense of taste and smell….”
A little history of Matt and Renato:
“….. Matt, a producer, spent his days hidden away in a cubicle stuffed with spreadsheets, post-its, and relentless voice mails, while Renato spent his time in the more rarefied field of graphic design (i.e. making things look beautiful so people would buy them). Their thoughts were never too far from cake and coffee. Coincidentally, Matt and Renato met at a glitzy, high-profile ad agency, and slowly (even unbeknownst to them) the idea for Baked was born.
Matt wanted to open a bakery that celebrated American desserts beyond the cupcake, and Renato had always been hankering to open a neighborhood cafe, so together they scoured New York City for the perfect location. They found a small, storefront church in the largely industrialized section of Brooklyn, and together with Rafi Avramovitz, set about building their inspiration. Finally, after many long delays, they opened Baked in 2005 on the shores of Red Hook, Brooklyn with just a few ovens, some mixers, and an espresso machine…”


click on us too!

Interview Questions:

So I hear Book 3 is done, passed in and soon will be in print? Is this true?

Well, almost done. Unfortunately, we like to tinker right up to the last moment (and it drives our editors crazy) but for all practical purposes it is finished and it will be out in September or October.

Tell us a little about Book 3, and how can you ever top your first two books? I mean those were just amazing—one can only imagine what book 3 will be like?

Book 3 is a slight departure for us in terms of design, styling, etc...It is still very much a "Baked" book, but it centers more on our favorite ingredients as opposed to bakery best-sellers. And yes, there is a chapter devoted to boozy sweets.

You know I’ve been dying to know for a while now, what was the feeling you had when Oprah dubbed your brownies as one of her favorite things? It must have felt amazing.

I guess, in the food world, being included in Oprah's fave things is like winning an Academy Award. It still makes us giddy.

And you’ve been on the Martha Stewart show a few times; do you get nervous, still?

I could barely speak the first time we met (dry mouth, shaky hands)- I wanted to work for Martha right after I moved to the city, so in a sense it was like meeting an idol. Honestly, Martha is kinder and funnier and smarter than one can imagine. She really knows the ins and outs of baking...like REALLY KNOWS...and she has a wicked sense of humor.

The new talking/reporting gig you have on The Cooking Channel’s “Unique Sweets” has got to be fun? What’s not to love: travel, eat and report.

It was so much fun to be part of, though I really had a craving to go on a juice cleanse post-wrap taping.

I know you’re going to roll your eyes with this one, since I ask you all the time when we talk, but how do you stay so thin with all the baked goods that you sample, and all the recipes you try?

We get asked that a lot. Honestly, I have learned to sample and disburse. I take one bite, Nato takes one bite, then we wrap what is left and give it away to customers, neighbors, friends and if it is bad...enemies :). I still gain about 15lbs during book testing, but work hard to shed the weight as soon as I am done.

Coming up with new recipes: do they just come to you, or do you do a little research to get some inspiration going?

We get most of our inspiration from fever dreams, old magazines and books, travel, and grandmas. Grandmas in the mid-west happen to have the best recipes in the world IMHO. At the moment, all I can think of is something called a Kermit Cake. Not sure what it is going to be yet, but that is the perfect idea of a recipe we start riffing on when all we have is just a name.

Where do you think your love of creating good food stems from?

I have always had a rabid sweet tooth...heavily skewed towards chocolate desserts. Blame my mom.

Did you grow up in a “foodie family”? Were your parents foodies? Or in your case “sweet tooth aficionados’?

My family was not a foodie family. My mom's mom is an amazing Italian cook, but my mom never really took after her. We ate out a lot... Much later in life, my dad become really interested in food, but growing up it was all about "where we going to eat tonight"?

If you were stranded on a desert island with fresh water, and only had a choice of one of your favorite comfort foods, what would it be?

A jar of peanut butter and good bread.

If you could go to any country just for their food which one would you choose?

I love Paris, but I think Rome is hands down a better food destination. It’s an overused stereotype but true - You can't get a bad meal in Rome. And anyone that says otherwise, is a snob.

If you could invite any three people to dinner (living or dead) who would they be and what would you make?

I know I should invite a bunch of interesting, artistic and impressionable historical masterminds, but part of me just wants to invite Ryan Gosling, Carol Burnett, and Charles Dickens.

In your downtime, when you’re not researching and testing new recipes what do you do to relax?

I love the beach.

I gotta admit, what drew me to you and Renato was your devotion to ALWAYS use quality ingredients and to never ever cut/trim your creations for the sake of saving money. I can’t tell you how many bakeries do this over time, to save a buck, and then wonder why they went out of business. I imagine this was a dual-promise you and Renato had from the beginning: quality ingredients, equals quality products. Right?

Absolutely. We figured our bakery was all about quality ingredients. The best cocoa powder, the best chocolate...If we couldn't use what we wanted, our vision just didn't make sense.

Any tips or advice for people that want to open their own bakery? I know location is key, having a good product is utmost as well, anything else?

Hire great people. Be aware that you won't make as much money as your friends at Facebook or Apple or etc..- EVER! And treat your customers with respect.

See what I mean? They are just fabulous people. I love them. Thank you so much Matt and Renato! You both are a huge inspiration not only to me, but to many others out there, starting out in the baking/bakery industry.

I also wanted to mention, if you've been following along with my blog lately, I've been taking the Baked Brownie mix and creating new recipes with them.



You can find this brownie mix, along with their infamous "Brookster" mix, red velvet whoopie pie mix, and the sour cream coffee cake mix--all at Williams Sonoma.

So far with the Baked brownie mix (which btw is VERY versatile to create "kicked up" brownies) I made:

Peanut butter cookie crusted brownie

Peanut butter & Fluff swirl fudgy brownies with salty cookie crust

Brownie bundt with coconut-cream cheese filling (Yes, you can bake a brownie in a bundt pan!)

And lastly, my personal favorite, is a mocha-almond ice cream with brownie chunks. I've waited for the right time to try and recreate a childhood favorite of mine: Brighams Mocha Almond ice cream. Always wanted to do it with a twist. And this was my lucky chance.







You have to know, I did have all intentions of freezing little brownie chunks for this ice cream, I truly had no idea how well they tasted when frozen. Never ever had brownies taste so good frozen. Most were always too hard or too gummy like. Not these. Perfect little frozen treats, even if you don't make the ice cream, just make the brownies and freeze them into little chunks for snacking.

mocha-almond ice cream w/ Baked brownie chunks
print recipe

1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
Just under 3/4 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
A tiny pinch of salt
½ TB of double dutch cocoa powder
1 Starbuck Via (Columbia or other “mild” flavor) Can use espresso powder, maybe ¾-1 TB
1 – 1 ½ cups of frozen Baked brownie chunks (cut in ½ inch cubes/squares)
½ - 1 cup of salty, roasted almonds, rough chop (use as little or as much as you desire)

Cook notes: if you don’t have a starbuck via, you can easily use espresso powder, maybe ¾ - 1 TB? Do ¾ TB first then taste test, see if it needs more. Remember that using double dutch cocoa powder is strong, so you only need a little bit ( ½ TB) if you feel it needs more then by all means go ahead.

Make up a batch of the Baked Brownies. When they are cooled take about half of the brownies, ut into little chunks of ½ or so, and freeze them. Of better yet, freeze them all, these brownies are amazing frozen!
In a medium size saucepan, over medium heat, heat up the milk, sugar, and salt; stirring occasionally. You want this hot, but not boiling.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until well combined. Slowly add (a couple tablespoons at a time) of the hot mixture to the egg yolk mixture, all the while stirring/whisking constantly. Keep doing this until all the egg yolk mixture is well combined with the hot milk. (you’ll use about half the hot milk mixture).
Then pour the warmed up yolks into the saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat; constantly stirring until the mixture thickens up a bit. Add in the dutch cocoa powder and the Starbuck Via. (taste test, and see if you need more of anything, might need a pinch more salt, but when we ad the salty, roasted almonds to the mixture the salt from the almonds will fix that).
You know the ice cream custard is done when the custard thickens, and easily coats a spatula.
Might take about 15-20 minutes to get to this point; make sure to keep stirring!
Take off heat and pour into a bowl, cover tightly and chill at least a few hours (or overnight) before churning.
When ready to churn, use your ice cream manufacturer’s directions to churn. At the last 5 minutes of churning add in the brownie and almond chunks.
Remove ice cream from churner and place into glass or ceramic bowl, cover tightly and into the freezer to continue setting up.
Makes about 1 & ½ quarts.

The giveaway! The Baked Boys are very generous. And thank you guys for this!

They are giving away TWO SETS of:

Cookbook 1: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Cookbook 2: Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented
2 boxes of Baked Deep Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix

Seriously! I kid you not. All you have to do to enter is:

o leave ONE comment telling us if you think the Baked Boys should venture on to a cookbook #4 AND what baked treats would you like to see new or old or kicked up?
Be creative here kids!!

o please have a valid email in your signature or comment.
o No anonymous comments please.
o It would be nice to LIKE Baked NYC on Facebook, to stay in top of the arrival of Book 3 and other events. They might have more giveaways when Book 3 arrives!

We'll do the drawing on Friday April 27, 2012! Good luck!
And lastly, congrats to the winners of the Nick Evans cookbook "Cornerstone Cooking" drawing: #16 JRoberts and #43 WinterSundays. Please email me your shipping address!