friday links

First congrats to the winners of the Picky Palate Cookbook.
#6 Jodi, #24 Katrina and #10 Amelia--please email me your shipping address!


Have you tried the red velvet cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory?
Do I need to tell you how good it was?

Great idea.  Pricey though, but tasty. (found them at whole foods).

I can't tell you how much this one product: Dahlicious has changed my life in terms of having a healthy digestive system, and a healthy immune system.  It's now in a large (cheaper) size.  Thankfully.

Some of the best chocolate I've had.  I prefer the peanut butter one. Lake Champlain Chocolates.

Do I love this cookbook: The Little Paris Kitchen? I do.  A sweet friend sent it to me.

For us coffee lovers.

Coming to the Cape this summer? Please visit DJ Wings in Hyannis on the railroad tracks.
Literally some of the best wings I've had outside of Buffalo, NY.  Their portions are huge and what makes the wings so tasty are the sauces--unlimited amount of flavors.  I have yet to work up to the "Hurt Me" sauce. And don't forget to check out their "Angry Wings Contest" where you have to eat 10 "wings from hell" to the bone.

PB Boulangerie Bakery on cape cod (wellfleet), ma is back open for the season! A lot of cape codders are happy to see them again after a long, hard winter (myself included).

Their almond croissant is exactly like (if not better) than the ones from Paris. I am not kidding.

A new flavor for San Pellegrino?  It's good, really good. Lime is my favorite.

Easter egg season is in full swing at Stage Stop Candy in Dennisport, MA. (these happen to be my favorite).


There has been a lot of beach erosion damage from the last few storms and blizzards.
This is cape cod national seashore where literally chunks of the cliffs are eaten away from the mammoth waves.  That black is earth, that's how severe the waves were during the blizzard.

If you can imagine, there used to be about 3-5 more feet of this cliff! Location: Le Count Hollow Beach, Wellfleet, Ma.

We did get some long-lasting swells from the blizzards even days after the storm had passed.


Spring fever is at an all time high here on cape cod.

I am very anxious for spring and summer.  Our days of sun lately have been limited.

Around the web:
frosted mint chocolate bars from inspired edibles
jalapeno popper soup from i breathe i'm hungry
how to make caramel sauce & caramel candy from pastry chef online
pb & chocolate swirl cookies from sally's baking addiction
almond butter cookies from not crocker
caramel coated Cheetos from chameleon girls
the importance of Vit D from mindbodygreen.com
liege waffles from zencancook.com
sweet potato-bacon biscuits from running to the kitchen
gluten free croissants! from bobbies baking blog
homemade pretzel rods from serious eats
homemade samoa girl scout cookies! from just a taste
ruby red grapefruit cookies from homesick texan
4 diets scientifically proven to help your heart from mindbodygreen
bourbon banana pudding cheesecake from the candid appetite
irish cheese-bacon cheesecake w/ walnut crust from chocolate moosey
rosemary-parmesan wheat thins from she makes and bakes
whole wheat-apple oat breakfast cookies from prevention rd
blue cheese-walnut cornmeal crisps from strawberry plum
nutmeg-butter biscuits from cook republic
how to spot comet PanSTARRS in twilight from sky and telescope
coffee can date nut bread from serious eats
bok choy-brown rice salad w/ orange-sesame dressing from annie eats
hostess cupcake cookies from bake at 350
informative tutorial on fluid ounces vs. ounces from bravetart
secrets to making croissants from america's test kitchen (very helpful!)

Happy weekend everyone!

homemade nacho cheez it's

Cheez Its are definitely my food indulgence weakness.
To me, they are my potato chip. I will gladly take them over a bag of potato chips.
After a grueling workout I crave those salt-lick like squares with a giant glass of ice cold cherry coke.
Sounds good right?  But I rarely act on that indulgence.
Cheez Its have also given me a couple wonderful recipes.
I've cut way back on the amount I eat since they are loaded with chemicals, flavorings and
other crap.
But the best part of this recipe is the ability to switch out seasonings and flavor the crackers to your liking.  I highly suggest investing in some cheese powder.  A good cheese powder that isn't filled with a ton of fillers, chemicals and crap.  Whole Foods or any natural food store should have a good selection of cheese powders.
In this recipe I used a mexican spice flavoring or a taco mix.  I used about 1-3 TB of seasoning from one of those all-natural flavor packets used in making taco's or beef dishes as well as a cheese powder.
You could also try ranch, pizza seasonings, tomato-basil seasonings, the possibilities are endless.

See the cheese powder dusting on the cracker?
Instead of using flour when I roll out the dough, I used cheese powder (just a little bit).
It's an excellent idea that serves as two purposes.

Please do not overwork the dough.
To do my best to avoid over-working the dough, I mixed everything by hand.
I wanted a crisp, puffy cracker.
Now if you want a thin crispy cracker, roll out the dough as thin as possible.

I'm not the best at rolling out a rectangle to get more uniform squares, but as you do this more you will get better at it.
Next time I will try the rectangle along with a ruler for better accuracy -- just to see if I can do it. HA!

If you want those "lines" just like a real Cheez It, then use a fork to make the indentations.
But the lines got lost in the baking as the cracker "puffs".

Or you can make little holes in the center by using the end of a chopstick.

Truly a tasty cracker with a deep cheddar flavor.
Only downside is they do get stale after about two days.

homemade nacho cheez-its

print recipe

8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 TB unsalted butter, room temperature

1 TB vegetable shortening

¼ ts salt

2-3 TB of taco or mexican seasonings

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 TB ice water

cheese powder for sprinkling the tops of the crackers before baking, optional

Cook notes: if you don’t want to use any seasonings and just want plain cheddar then use a bit more salt in lieu of the seasonings.

I do not have a stand mixer, and did this by hand, which was much easier since you don’t run the risk of overmixing. You want these crackers to bake up light and crisp, so to achieve that you mix the dough until just done.

I HIGHLY recommend investing in cheese powder for use on the crackers just before baking and for using when you roll out the dough.  King Arthur has a wonderful brand, and most natural food stores have cheese powder, even all natural-flavored cheese powder.

If you are making these in a hot kitchen or during the summertime, please use a marbled surface for rolling out the dough. 

This dough you want to keep as cold as possible.

If dough at any point gets sticky, just stick it back in the fridge.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, (or by hand, I’ve done this by hand, much easier) mix the cheese, butter, shortening, seasonings, and salt.

Add the flour and mix on low (dough will be pebbly). Slowly add the water and mix as the dough forms a ball.

Pat the dough into two disks, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour or overnight

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a cutting board, sprinkle the board with a tiny amount of cheese powder. 

Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each into a very thin (1/8 inch or less) 10x12 inch rectangle.

Using a pastry cutter, sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the rectangles into 1-inch squares, then transfer them to the baking sheets.  If it gets hard to lift the dough off, just pop them back in the fridge to harden up.

Appearance-wise, if you want clone like Cheez It’s, take a fork and make indentations around the crackers, and then a sharp knife and make a small indentation in the middle of each cracker. 

This part is time consuming, so it’s up to you.  I just made a small hole in the middle of the crackers, and skipped the edges.

Baking: please bake for only 10-15 minutes. 

Look for puffed and browning around the edges.

These crackers can go from lightly browned to burnt in mere 2 minutes so keep an eye out on them.

Should make about 4-5 dozen depending on how you cut them.

They do not last days.  I’d give it 2 days max before they get stale.

what to do with melted chocolate that has seized up?

What to do with melted chocolate that has seized up?
Make bark!

There has been a few times when I rushed the melting process, or had just the smallest amount of water left in the pan to cause a nice, fast, quick seize of the chocolate.
And the part I hate the most is throwing that chocolate in the trash.
Last week I had a nice (expensive) batch of high quality chocolate that seized up on me because I left the stove for a mere minute.
Cursing the whole way to the trash barrel to toss it, I saw a bag of salty cashews on the counter and instantly thought "hey, why not make a quick batch of bark?"
It worked!
You have to work fast though; move that seized chocolate to a jelly roll/cookie pan, place down some parchment paper, spread out the chocolate (you might have to use your hands depending on how thick or hard the seized chocolate is), then adorn with nuts, candies, fruit or whatever you wish.

The only downfall (if you want to call it that)  it's not a smooth bark.
Seized chocolate after all is funky looking, but tastes just fine.
Unless you've burnt the chocolate then it might taste off.

Why throw away that perfect (and in most cases expensive) chocolate away?

Interview w/ cookbook author Jenny Flake of Picky Palate

So many of my dear friends are working in the food blogging world.
And I love that I get the chance to not only see their dreams of getting published come true,  but also to interview them and see their finished product come to life.
Jenny of the famous family cooking oriented food blog Picky Palate recently published her first cookbook.
I couldn't be happier for her.  How she managed to create this cookbook while pregnant is beyond me.
Jenny is a self-taught home cook and an on the go mom to 3 boys and wife to her high school sweetie. Creating original recipes and capturing food photography is Jenny's passion, and she loves sharing her journey with her readers. Picky Palate has been featured on sites such as Saveur.com, BettyCrocker.com, Finecooking.com and Shine by Yahoo. Jenny was born and raised in AZ but now lives in Southern California with her family.
What is Picky Palate blog all about?
It's a popular food blog that is geared toward parents who need meals in a flash while entertaining those children (adults too!) who have, well, picky palates!
What is The Picky Palate Cookbook about?
All-time favorites from the blog along with nearly 100 exclusive new dishes accompanied by enticing full-color photographs.
About 128 total recipes, both favorites from the blog and brand-new from Jenny's kitchen.
Recipes for your own picky palate, finicky families, and some of the best solutions for dull family meals.

Jenny was also really kind enough to giveaway 3 cookbooks!
See the end of the interview on how to enter.



Jenny, first off congrats on the cookbook.  I loved how its laid out with a binder-like book, easy to turn pages, and the contents are so well laid out with (just like the book says ‘something for everyone’) breakfast, party food ideas, home is where the chicken dinner is, gone fishin, you’ll never miss the beef, sweet tooth, and bake sale ideas! Perfect way to lay out a cookbook when you have fussy eaters in the house.  But what I loved most was the opening line of introduction: “Had no idea I’d become such a foodie!”  Amazing what you learn, grow to love, and want to share once you start a food blog.  And for you, that’s kind of where you started all this?  Was a food blog?

I wanted a place to create recipes after I stopped doing cooking competitions.  Seemed like a perfect transition for me.

What made you do a food blog way back in 2007?

My boys were toddlers, very picky eaters and I LOVED creating recipes since I was doing cooking competitions.  I had no idea what I was doing with the blog, but I didn’t care either, lol!

And what made you start doing the cooking contests?

In 2001 my husband and I moved into our first home in AZ and I realized I didn’t know how to cook anything!  I made it a goal to learn to cook over a year or so and realized in the process that I absolutely loved it.  I started creating my own recipes and decided to enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 2004.  When I got accepted I continued to enter cooking competitions for about 4 years.  Had so much fun.

Do you still do the cooking contests?

I do not still compete, just enjoy the memories.

Which cooking contests did you win? 

My biggest win was winner in my category of the Southern Living Cook-Off for my Coconut Macadamia Shrimp with Warm Tropical Salsa, $10,000.

carrot cake loaf with thick cream cheese frosting pg. 181

Did most of your research for the cookbook come from your family?

You have a couple fussy eaters in your family is that right?  Now that they’ve grown are they still fussy eaters?

Yes, the research for my book was from my family and my boys were very picky eaters as toddlers.  As they’ve gotten older they are better, but certainly not perfect, lol!  It’s a process.

Did you find there was a ‘cookbook niche’ for finicky families?  I would imagine so.

Yes, I feel like so many families struggle with finicky eaters.

I love, and I know a lot of parents will love the part in your cookbook: “Ten great tips for feeding picky eaters”.   With tips like games at meal time that include “let’s see who can take more bites or how many different colors of the rainbow can we eat off our plate”.  Excellent idea.

I’m certain this idea came from your own dinner table?

Yes!  I love to incorporate some friendly competition with my boys J

Do you have a favorite recipe?  I know my favorite is the “tilapia tacos w/cilantro-cream sauce’ pg. 117.

I have so many recipes that are my favorite, but I love love love my Soft Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting on Pg 166

Which recipes were a little bit harder to develop?

I honestly didn’t have too many that were too tricky to develop.  I had to make my Homemade Yellow Butter Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting at least a dozen times to make sure I got it just right.

Now looking back (they say hindsight is 20/20) are there any chapters you wish you included in the cookbook but didn’t?

Nope J

The nights you don’t feel like cooking, what is your favorite quick and easy meal?

Spaghetti! ….or Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough to make a quick pizza.

What made you become such a foodie?  Did you grow up in a foodie family?  Were parents good cooks?

My Grandmother was such a great cook.  She is French and was a great example to me.  I was always cooking and baking with her.

And the most asked question I got from your fans: how did you come up with the idea of the cookie in a cookie?  The infamous Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie?

The cookie in a cookie was just one of those light bulb moments I had when I was visiting my mom and dad over Christmas Break a few years ago.  Who would have thought it would be such a sensation, lol!

Is there a second cookbook in the works?

Not sure yet about a second cookbook, would love to do a dessert book.

I see in your food blog you write a few posts about eating in and around DisneyLand.

How did this come about? 

When we moved to Southern California 4 years ago, one of my stipulations was that we get season passes so we can go all the time.  Since we went to Disney ALL the time, I figured out all of the fun places to eat and get snacks, so I decided to share my tips with my readers.  

On your food blog, is there a favorite recipe of yours? One that you go to time and time again?

I make my Oreo Stuffed ChocolateChip Cookies almost weekly, so I have to go with that one.

I always love to ask every author I interview what kind of time constraints were placed on you to write and finish this cookbook?

If I remember correctly, I had 4 months to develop the recipes.

baby bacon cheeseburgers with special sauce pg 103.

What foods do you have a hard time creating new recipes with?

Seafood is not my favorite to develop.  I love to enjoy it at a restaurant, but not so much cooking it at home.

What foods are your favorite to create recipes with?

I LOVE creating cookies.  They are my favorite by far.  I feel like the options are endless.

Favorite place to travel to just for the food?

New York City is my favorite

Any cookbook authors you’d love to hang out with?  why?

Ina Garten.  Love her style and love her home J

Tell us about the cooking segments you are doing on TV with The Cooking Channel.

I did those cooking shows “From The Kitchens Of” a couple years ago in partnership with Pillsbury.
It was so much fun.  They still play the re-runs.

Jenny if you hadn’t started the popular food blog Picky-Palate.com, what do you think you might be doing now?  Possibly something food related?

Good question, I can’t imagine doing anything else.  This is my dream job.  Maybe I’d still be doing Dental Hygiene and Pilates.  I’d probably have a tighter body, lol!

Is there a second cookbook in the works?

Not yet J

skillet-baked mac & cheese pg 38

Jenny thank you so much for the interview.
For a chance to win a copy of her cookbook The Picky Palate,
please leave ONE comment telling us one of your "go to"meals for your fussy eaters?
PLEASE make sure you have a valid email & name in your signature line or in the comment
field.
Anonymous comments will not be counted.
We'll do the drawing on March 15, 2013.

To order Picky Palate click here.

jacques torres chocolate chip cookies

When I have photos, foodporn worthy photos, I often wonder if anyone will read the accompanying article (besides the recipe of course).
I know I'm guilty of doing just that--I drool over the photos, and hastily scan down to the recipe to see if I have the ingredients on hand.
So to spare you tons of chit chat, let me just get right to it: these are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made.
Jacques Torres knows chocolate chip cookies.  He's also called Mr. Chocolate too!
AND, this recipe is completely fool-proof.
You cannot mess this recipe up.
These cookies lasted 4 hours? I called the next person on the list of "baked goods to receive", they were here in half an hour!

The recipe also states to cover the dough well and refrigerate for 36-72 hours.
I wanted to see if it would make it to 96 hours and it did--perfectly!


Cover well, really well with plastic wrap.

The dough is hard to scoop out, so use a sharp knife to cut into sections.

At this point I can call it a day.




I now know what all the fuss was about from the New York Times.
I totally get it now--the best chocolate chip cookies ever!  You'll see.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Jacques Torres

print recipe

2 cups minus 2 TB (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 ts baking soda

1 1/2 ts baking powder

1 1/2 ts coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 TB (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 ts natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks at least 60 percent cacao content

Sea salt.

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.

Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them.

Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie.

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.

Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more.

Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.

granola thins

Those granola thins by Nature Valley are an excellent idea: thin crispy granola; granola you won't break your teeth eating, all dipped in chocolate or peanut butter.
I've had this on my "recipe clone" create list to make for some time.
Granted these don't look exactly like the granola thins, I'm sure they have precise machines to cut them into little perfect squares.
But with mine you can rest assure there are far less chemicals and far better tasting chocolate.
If you make these, keep in mind the thinner you spread the oat mixture out on the baking sheet the thinner the bars will be.  I made mine somewhere in the middle: not too thin, not too thick.
And thinner means more crunch, thicker means chewier.
I need to work on making a batch with peanut coating.

I must warn you that these are highly addictive.
And you simply must try them with the little bit of heat.
It's a gentle heat...I promise.

Toast the oats! Important step for sure.


Secret ingredient: those coconut chips from Trader Joe's, my goodness those are good.
If you can't find those, then use toasted coconut flakes--just make sure they are toasted a bit to ensure a nice crunch.

Remember spread thin for crispy bars, thicker for chewy.

Do the chocolate coating thin too.  I made mine too thick, but I guess that's a good thing too.


granola thins (with a touch of heat)

print recipe

4 cups rolled oats (not quick oats, not quick cooking, not instant)

1/8 cup canola oil

4 TB butter, melted

½ ts sea salt

¼ ts (or more) of cayenne

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup + 2 TB honey

¼ cup pineapple juice (an oversized ¼ cup)

¼ cups molasses

1 ½ ts pure vanilla extract

1 cup of crushed graham crackers, fairly fine crush

1 cup rice krispies

3/4 cup sweet & spicy pecans from Trader Joe’s, rough chop (you want chunks)

1 cup of Trader Joe’s Coconut Chips, crushed

cook notes: for thin and crunchy-like granola thins spread the oat mixture thin on baking sheet.  If you want chewy granola bars, then spread it thick-like.

If you can’t find Trader Joe’s coconut chips use some toasted coconut flakes. Light golden brown toasted coconut. And you can use any spicy pecans you want really. 

for chocolate coating:

11-12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss the oats with the canola oil, melted butter and salt.

Spread the mixture out onto a baking sheet, in a nice thin layer.  Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until oats turn light golden brown.

You should turn and mix oats around during the baking.

Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the mixture for the bars:

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, mix the brown sugar, honey, pineapple juice, vanilla extract and molasses. Heat the mixture slowly, stirring until all combined. Don’t let it come to a boil—just want to dissolve everything.

Take the toasted oats, place them in a large bowl, add in the crushed grahams, rice krispies, pecans and the coconut chips.  Mix all.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Toss the toasted oat mixture with the sugar mixture, stirring as you pour.

Toss to combine.

Take a baking sheet (large), grease up with nonstick spray even the edges, and place down parchment paper.  If you don’t have parchment paper then use non stick spray on foil. 

Press mixture onto baking sheet . 

For thin crispy granola try and spread the granola as thin as possible on the sheet.  It’s hard, but just keep at it.

For chewy granola, keep the mixture thicker.

Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

It will take about 2- 3 hours for this to harden up.

Once it’s harden, then pour on the melted chocolate, in a nice thin layer.  I did not go all the way to the edges.

Let the chocolate harden and set up. 

Being careful cut pieces with a very sharp knife and remove from the pan.

Makes about 30  2-inch bars +/-