SimplySweeter

The Croquembouche Project

2011-12-31T21:37:00.003-05:00

I received my first Martha Stewart book from my sister Kathy in 1988. Since then, the traditions of Christmas have never been the same. Let's face it.....Martha raised the bar on Christmas. Once upon a time, I was content making a batch of toll house cookies and serving them on a festive snowman plate for the holidays. Until Martha.

The first book that I received was all about the holidays.....lots of recipes and decorating ideas.

I was mesmerized.

I slept with the darn thing under my pillow. Since that time I think I have recreated almost every single item from that book. Except for one. The Croquembouche. Martha's Croquembouche from the book would feed 100 guests and was made with spun sugar "glue" to hold the puffs in place. It was stunning.

(sigh)

That Martha.......aside from the fact that she has a staff of about 100 people to help her.......How does she do it? From that moment, I secretly resolved to add this one to my bucket list..............and this was the year that I was going to do it.

When I announced my plan to my sister Kathy, she roared with laughter.....especially since I have been talking about making this Croquembouche for about 20 years. Herein lies the problem with making that type of declaration..... YOU. HAVE. TO. DO. IT. CRAP. What did I get myself in to? Every year I spend Christmas Eve at my sister's house with lots of friends and family stopping by, so I knew that the Croquembouche would be one of the highlights on the buffet table.

No pressure.

First, a bit of history on the Croquembouche. Croquembouche is a French dessert made by stacking cream puffs in a conical shape and cementing them together with a toffee. The dessert is typically ornamented with sugared almonds, or other ingredients, and it is designed to be displayed as the centerpiece of a table. This dessert has been used at French weddings, christening and celebrations for centuries, and it is served outside of France to add a French flair to an evening's events. It appears to have been invented by French pastry chef Antoine Careme (1783-1833) in the late 1700s, when it became very popular as a wedding cake. Many of the individual components such as the cream puffs date to the 1500s, illustrating the long history of fine pastries in France.

Since it was Christmas Eve and I was really pressed for time, I was a bit remiss in my photography. Sorry...next time I will be better prepared, I promise. :)

The first thing I did was to make the creampuffs, alias profiteroles. Kathy and I got this recipe from the former head baker of a famous North End Bakery.............so we know it works.

Cream Puff Recipe

1 cup water

2 sticks of butter

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Using a large pot (I used my favorite Big Blue), bring water and butter to a vigorous boil, then remove from the heat and add the flour, quickly stirring with large a wooden spoon until the mixture coagulates and pulls away from the side of the pot. Transfer to a mixing bowl and using the wooden spoon, spread the mixture out along the sides of the bowl to help it cool down. After about 5 minutes, start the mixer and add one egg at a time, beating vigorously in between each one. After adding the fourth egg, you will notice that the mixture has taken on a smooth and thick consistency. When this happens, it's ready.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (or pipe with a pastry bag) onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between each one. You want to keep the portions on the smaller side for the Croquembouche. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven quickly and set on a rack to cool off completely.

Cream Puff Filling

1 box Vanilla Pudding, follow the directions on the box and place in the fridge to cool.

When pudding mixture is cooled, I used a piping bag with a 1/4 inch tip and injected about 1 tablespoon of the cream into the center of each puff. Then I put them on a large baking sheet in the fridge until I was ready to build the structure.

I made a mold for the Croquembouche out of poster board, packing tape and parchment paper, then I used a fat glass vase to hold it upright.

Now, a traditional Croquembouche uses carmelized sugar to "glue" the puffs together............but since when have I ever been "traditional"? Since I was working against the clock, I decided to use a more familiar medium. Or should I say, "Medi-YUM"!

In my research I discovered that there are a couple of different ways to construct a Croquembouche. Some pastry chefs use a Croquembouche mold and stack the puffs outside the cone. It's the easiest method of construction and if you are making the dessert to bring to someone's house, your chances are considerably better that you will arrive in one piece. You can also freeform the cone, but this means that you will need to have many more creampuffs on hand to make the foundation. Of course, if you like to live on the edge, you can build the tower inside of the cone too. A little trickier, but much more fun I think. Guess which way I did it??

Working quickly, I dipped each puff in melted chocolate and placed it inside the cone along the outside. The idea is to attach each puff along the inside of the cone. The center of the cone is supposed to be hollow. When I got to the top, I tried to make it as level as possible. Okay, I'll let you in on it...... I had to squish down some of the creampuffs to level it out. Then I put the whole thing in the fridge for about an hour to chill and harden up.

Once it was was chilled, I placed a plate on the widest part of the cone and carefully inverted it. After a few strategic taps on the side of the cone, the croquembouche unmolded itself.

It's not as pretty as Martha's, BUT with the exception of actually baking the creampuffs, I finished the whole thing in just under an hour. Seriously.

A few red raspberries dipped in chocolate and fresh whipped cream piped in between the puffs and I was ready to go. Kathy whipped up a small crockpot full of hot fudge so guests could help themselves to dessert.

It was a Christmas Eve show-stopper!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Homemade Oreos!

2011-10-10T09:35:00.004-04:00

When I was a kid, nothing was better than a ~~stack~~ couple of Oreo cookies with a tall glass of cold milk.

There was only one problem, my mother wouldn't buy Oreos. Something about them being "too rich or too heavy" (insert rolling of the eyes here)....I don't know. Knowing my mother.....I'm sure that the price of Oreos had a lot to do with it. She bought Hydrox cookies instead. But she couldn't fool me. Even at the age of ten, I always knew that the Hydrox cookie was simply a cheap Oreo "knock-off". It looked the same, but was light years away from that rich chocolate Oreo taste and creamy white filling.

Since my Oreo mainline was cutoff at home, I was forced to get my Oreos on the outside. Bus stops, school lockers, the cafeteria. But seriously, what kid in their right mind wants to swap an Oreo for a Hydrox cookie at lunchtime? I instead preferred to befriend those who had small stacks of of them tucked into the crevices of their lunchbox's. Who were willing to share.

Everything's changed now. Now that I have that recipe, I don't have to behave like that anymore. Er.....I mean, people won't have to behave like that anymore. Anyway, where was I?.........ah yes.

The oreo's that are sold at Flour Bakery are phenomenal. Colossal. They are oversized deep, dark chocolate dreams. And after taking a baking class at Flour Bakery, now I know how to make them.

(cue the diabolical laugh)

Oh wait. By the end of this post.............you will too. Curses. Keep in mind that this is not a quickie recipe. But if you do all the leg work the day before, you ~~and your family and friends~~ will be munching on homemade Oreos the very next day.

Flour Bakery's Homemade Oreos

2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla
1and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1 egg

1 1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine the melted butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Whisk in the melted chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until combined.

Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda until thoroughly mixed. Add flour mixture to butter/chocolate mixture and stir until fully combined. It will have the consistency of playdough. Cover the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight. If you leave it overnight you will have to let it soften for a bit to work with it....a few hours at room temperature.

Divide the dough in half and place each half on a 15-inch square sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Shape each half with your hands into a rough log shape, about 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Place the log on the edge of the parchment square and roll the log up. Refrigerate the logs until firm about 2-3 hours.

Note: You can prepare the dough up to this point and refrigerate it (wrapped in plastic) for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month (if frozen, remove the dough from the freezer the night before you want to bake it and defrost in the fridge)

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Remove the parchment from the logs of dough and slice the logs into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the slices about 1 inch apart on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm to the touch. Check them frequently after 16 or 17 minutes by poking them in the middle. When they feel firm to the touch, pull them and let cool on the baking sheet.

Oreo Filling

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 2/3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon milk

In bowl of a stand mixer, soften the butter until pliable. Add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the milk and beat until smooth. Scrape well and remix. The filling keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.

Use a tablespoon to scoop out a rounded tablespoon of Oreo filling and place it in the middle of one of the Oreo cookies. Press another cookie on top to distribute the filling toward the edges.

Remember to organize and pre-measure all of your ingredients. It really does make the task SO MUCH easier!

Combine the melted butter,

...with the melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and the vanilla.

Whisk it all together,

...add the egg and continue to mix...

Then add the baking soda,

flour,

...and cocoa powder. Try to use the very best cocoa you can find. It really does make a difference. I used Valrhona that I purchased at Whole Foods.

After combining all the ingredients, the mixture will look like this. Keep mixing and turning until it almost has the consistency of Play Dough.

Then you are going to form it all into a loaf and wrap it in plastic wrap. Yes, I know. I have enough plastic wrap for the entire crew of Biosphere 3. But...... it is so easy to use. No more fighting with that little metal jaggy thing on the outside of the carton. With this commercial sized container, you just pull out the amount that you need and slide a little knob (a hidden blade) across the wrap....and voila! I love it!!

Now, as I said earlier, this recipe is either an all-day event OR a two day event. But once the dough has been sufficiently chilled, you may proceed to the next step.

Remove from the fridge and slice the dough in half.

Then shape each section into a chocolate log. Keep in mind that this is easier said than done. It should be perfectly round. Please note that mine was not. All part of the learning curve.

Then, wrap each section in parchment paper, then plastic wrap,

....then put them back in the fridge to chill some more.

See what I mean? Not a perfect log. What I neglected to do was to re-open the log packages halfway through the chilling process and re-shape them. Hint. Hint. If you do this, it will make the rest of the process much smoother and you will have a much rounder cookie.

I like to line my cookie sheets with parchment paper. It makes your clean-up a snap.

Slice each log into 1/4 inch slices,

...and place them about an inch apart on the cookie sheets.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. Check them at 22 minutes. You want them a little on the firm side, but not hard. Watch them as they can burn quickly.

Place them on a rack to cook completely. Did you hear me? I said "cool completely".

That means no nibbling!

While they are cooling, you can whip up your filling. Trust me....it will take your mind off of the cookies.

Add vanilla and softened butter to the confectioners sugar...

...then add the milk..er, um...except that I used Half and Half.

Then mix it all furiously together.

Take a cookie and spread it with some filling.

Gently press another cookie against the filling.

I refridgerated the cookies until the filling firmed up,

...but it's totally up to you.

So now it's just you, the cookies and a big glass of milk.

Big sigh.

What should you do first? Dunk the whole think in milk? Unscrew the top and scrape off the yummy vanilla filling with your teeth??

How do YOU eat an Oreo?

Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats.

2011-10-03T10:44:00.002-04:00

My sister Kathy and I recently took a fabulous baking class at Flour Bakery in Boston, MA. Our amazing instructors, Sarah and Rona, demonstrated five different cookie recipes right out of the Flour Bakery cookbook and these Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats were one of them.

Upon reading these in the class agenda, Kathy wrinkled her nose up and promptly declared, "I've never liked them very much".

Ha!

These may seem like the recipe from the Rice Krispy box, but TRUST ME....it is not even close. These are the epitome of an "adult" rice treat. Make a batch today and you will see what I mean. Or..........just ask my sister Kathy.

BROWN BUTTER RICE CRISPY TREATS

Flour Bakery

2 sticks unsalted butter

two 10-ounce bags of regular sized marshmallows

1/2 vanilla bean

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 cups rice crispy cereal

In a large pot, place butter over low heat. Scrape the seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod directly into the butter. Reserve the pod for another use. Let the butter melt. Once it has melted it will start to bubble and crackle. Watch it very carefully and you'll see the butter slowly browning; as soon as the bubbling subsides (about 5-6 minutes) the butter will be fully browned and it's ready for the addition of the marshmallows.

Turn the heat down to low and use a wooden spoon to stir in the marshmallows and salt. Stir well until the marshmallows are completely melted and the vanilla seeds are well distributed. Remove from heat, add the cereal and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pat into a greased 9x13 pan. Let cool to room temperature (or you can speed it up by placing in the fridge) for about an hour and cut into generous squares. These treats are at their best when served within 2 days. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Assemble your ingredients...or as we learned in class, mise en place, which is a French term meaning, get organized!!! We learned to measure out all or most of our ingredients and place them in labeled containers so it's easy to quickly assemble a recipe.

This recipe called for vanilla bean, but I was plum out. Instead I used an extra shot of bottled vanilla. You will want to use the heaviest and largest pot you own. Melt the butter over low heat until it starts to bubble and crackle. This is where the magic begins......

You want the butter to actually turn brown. When it reaches this color....

it is not ready. Does that look like brown to you??

It's getting there...... The brown butter adds a depth of taste that I can't quite describe. It takes these treats over the top and I can't wait to use it in other recipes too.

BROWN!!!

Then dump in your marshmallows...

..and the salt.

Roll up your sleeves and flex those muscles.....then mix it all up!

You may see little brown bits from the melted butter in the marshmallow.

It's all good, trust me.

Then pour in the rice mixture and mix it all up.

Make sure all of the rice is completely covered with the marshmallow!

Then grease a 9 x 11 dish OR use parchment paper. This mixture is sticky, sticky, STICKY! I suggest spraying your hands with PAM or using the backside of a giant wooden spoon.

Now, you want to "coax" the mixture into the corners of the dish. DON'T PACK IT DOWN! I know that the traditional Rice Krispy Treats indicated that you should pack and stomp that mixture down as tight as you could. Although it looked neat and tidy, it made for a really solid and albeit heavy treat. Um...think hockey puck. Remember? Okay, with this recipe, you don't want to do that.

Let the treats cool at room temperature for a bit....forty-five minutes to an hour should do it. Then cut them into generous squares and prepare yourself, because after that first bite......

...you'll never look at Rice Krispies the same way again.

FLOUR!

2011-09-12T22:56:00.003-04:00

My sister Kathy and I took a baking class this week. It was actually a baking demonstration held at Flour Bakery in Boston.....

....and it was fabulous.

The sold-out class was conducted by Sarah and Rona (Rona, I'm so sorry...I hope I am spelling your name correctly). Sarah is a Pastry Chef at Flour Bakery and although Rona acted as her assistant for the class, Rona's daily duties at Flour include training the bakers. Can you imagine?? She actually gets to train the bakers! These girls were so much fun to watch! It was abundantly clear that they are totally and completely passionate about what they do.

By the way....the pics were taken with my IPhone, so if the quality is a little "rough".....I know you'll get over it.

The class was held inside the main room of the bakery after it had closed for the day. Our original date was supposed to be at the end of August, but Hurricane Irene rearranged that for us.

The last recipe I made from the new Flour cookbook were unbelievably decadent brownies. A couple of years ago, I tried to re-create their double chocolate cookies. Both times, I thought I died and went to heaven. For this class, five delicious, mouth-watering recipes from the Flour cookbook were demonstrated.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Raspberry Crumb Bars, Brown Butter Rice Treats, Ginger Molasses Cookies and Homemade Oreos. Sigh. Samples were freely passed around and for those that wanted to take their treats home, little white bakery boxes were provided. My samples made it to the car but after that I can't recall what exactly happened, Your Honor.

So now, I know their little secrets.

And I'm not telling anyone.

..and neither is my sister Kathy.

Of course, bribery might work....but only if there's chocolate involved.

Or maybe a sticky bun or two.....

...but we can't wait that long.

After class was over, Rona proudly showed us around the bakery kitchen. This girl loves what she does.

You can just tell.

If only I had a pick-up truck and a gaggle of strong men....this baby may have found it's way home with me. So what if I have to build a new room onto my kitchen......can you imagine how many cakepops I could crank out with this 80 quart bowl?

Yowsa!

All in all, I'm pretty excited to ~~taste~~ try these new recipes.

.......are you?

Bailey's Hot Fudge Sauce

2011-09-01T00:44:00.003-04:00

Although you would never know it to look at her, my mother was the Queen of Ice Cream.

Quite simply, she loved it and never turned down an opportunity to sit and savor it's cold, creamy sweetness. When it came to ice cream choices, my mother always declared that James McManus Ice Cream was really delicious, but Bailey's was by far her favorite.

When I was a kid, a trip to Bailey's Ice Cream Parlor was a special treat. Bailey's set the bar pretty high as far as ice cream was concerned. No matter what Bailey's we visited in the Boston area, there were always people sitting around at little metal tables and chairs, happily eating ice cream from silver pedestal dishes. I remember that the outside of the dishes glistened with icy condensation as the long handled silver spoons scraped every last drop. (Insert drooling here.)There was a long marble counter with high round stools and there was always a small water fountain with little white paper cups. Why was it that a cup of cold water tasted so good after a dish of Bailey's ice cream?

For those who chose to add hot fudge sauce to their ice cream selection, the iconic silver dishes were always placed on top of a white saucer to catch any blobs of hot fudge or butterscotch that may drip over the side. I can see it like it was yesterday. And if I concentrate hard enough............I can taste it too. Go on and try it.

You know you want to.

Bailey's Hot Fudge Sauce

1/2 cup butter

2 unsweetened chocolate squares

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3/4 cup evaporated milk

Over medium low heat melt butter and chocolate squares, take off heat.

Add 1/3 of the sugar and 1/3 of the evaporated milk, mix with a whisk until smooth. Add remaining sugar and milk, stir until smooth.

Return to heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.

Pour into canning jars or an other type of container, let cool and close jar. Note: This is not a canning recipe, the canning jars are just a cute way to give it as a gift. Recipe can also be doubled.

Then, only thing left to do is take a quick look around to make sure no one is looking.....and..........

.....................scarf down a spoonful or two.

I'll never tell.

Rescue Me

2011-08-27T23:42:00.000-04:00

I didn't get Gracie from a breeder....................exactly.

And I didn't get her from a Rescue, which according to popular opinion is the ONLY way to acquire a new dog these days.

I don't know what it is lately....but if I had a dollar for everytime I was asked if Gracie was a rescue dog, I could retire tomorrow.

I am a volunteer for Boxer Rescue and had all intentions of "rescuing" a boxer in need...or any dog in need for that matter.

But I was completely derailed by this face.

This sweet, little face.

So when did owning a Rescue Dog get to be so chic?

I do think it's fabulous that they are making T-shirts and bumper stickers now so people can tell the world about how they rescued a dog in need.

Indeed.

If only I hadn't seen those cute little hamster feet, or that cute little bum.

And the tail attached to it.

No, I did not get Gracie from a Rescue.

but does it count that I think she rescued me?

Peanut Butter Pie

2011-08-16T23:41:00.002-04:00

This peanut butter pie was made with someone specific in mind.

I didn't know them, but Mikey was the other half of Jennifer Perillo, a fellow food blogger. Jennie unexpectedly lost Mikey last week, and through her heartbreak and sorrow she asked the food blogging world to remember her husband by making a peanut butter pie. His favorite. So Mikey, this one's for you.

Peanut Butter Pie

Filling: 1 can evaporated skim milk (12-ounce)

1 envelope plain gelatin (1/4-ounce)

1 package low-fat cream cheese (8-ounce Neufchatel), softened

1/2 cup confectioners sugar (10x)

3/4 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Crust:

2 packs low-fat chocolate graham crackers

3/4 stick of butter

Topping:

3 cups Marshmallow Fluff

3 cups mini marshmallows

1/4 stick of butter

Semi sweet chocolate chunks

Reese's peanut butter cups - mini's

Whisk milk and gelatin together in medium-size heavy saucepan set over low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture boils and gelatin dissolves completely (about 2 minutes). Transfer to heatproof bowl and cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and 10X sugar at low mixer speed in large bowl until smooth (about 1 minute). Scrape down sides of bowl, add peanut butter and vanilla, and beat 1 minute more. Again scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer still at low speed, slowly add milk-gelatin mixture and beat until very smooth (about 2 minutes.) Don't forget to scrape down sides of bowl at half time.

Set pie crust in 10-inch pie pan or on small baking sheet (this is to catch any spills), then carefully pour in peanut butter filling (it will come right to top of crust). Set uncovered in refrigerator and chill several hours until set. Cut into wedges, drizzle with hot fudge sauce and serve.

Gather your ingredients...

Crush the chocolate graham crackers....

and mix them with the softened butter.

Make sure you crush the crackers as much as possible.

Then use the back of a spoon (or your fingers) to push it into the pan. I used a tart pan, but any pie plate will do nicely.

Pretty.

Whisk milk and gelatin together in a saucepan over low heat.

Whisk it constantly while on the stove until the mixture boils...about 2 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cool for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners sugar until it's smooth. Scrape down the sides of your bowl, then add peanut butter and vanilla and beat about another minute more.

With the mixture at low speed, slowly add the milk-gelatin mixture and beat until very smooth.

Slowly pour the peanut butter mixture into your graham cracker crust.

Put it in the refrigerator (uncovered) to set for several hours. Please note that you may need to hire an armed guard at this juncture.

Place the Marshmallow Fluff, mini marshmallows and butter in the top of a double boiler and bring to a boil. If you don't have a double boiler, DON'T PANIC! Simply place the ingredients in a bowl and set the bowl over a pan of boiling water. Stir the mixture until it is almost smooth. Be careful because you don't want all of the mini-marshmallows to melt.

When the marshmallow is soft enough to spread, then carefully smooth it over the top of the peanut butter

pie.

Sweet Moses! I just turned that cute little peanut butter pie into a giant Fluffernutter!

Roughly chop the chocolate chunks and Reese's cup minis and sprinkle across the top of the pie.

Then take your favorite blowtorch and roast your marshmallows!

Gulp.

Jennifer, I made this pie for Mikey....

but I saved this slice for you.

The Best Red Wine Sangria on the Planet!

2011-08-14T13:31:00.168-04:00

In the summer of my freshman year in college, after a long day of working at Jordan Marsh, my friends and I would pig-pile into someones car and head down the road to the Ground Round restaurant for a little food and refreshment. Our "food" was baskets of popcorn and our "refreshment" was almost always a few icy cold pitchers of Sangria. Now, before you go gettin' your dander up.....it was once upon a time when the legal drinking age was 18. Yes, do the math......

I'm 90 years old.

Anyway, it was the first time that I tasted Red Wine Sangria. From the first icy cold, fruity sip, I was hooked. I hadn't had a glass of Sangria in years, when I happened to see it on the menu at Bertucci's quite recently. It was fabulous! Even better than I had remembered. I immediately knew that I had to re-create it, so after three completely different recipe attempts, this is it. Fasten your seatbelts.

The Best Red Wine Sangria on the Planet

2 large juice oranges, washed; one orange sliced; remaining orange juice

1 large lemon, washed and sliced

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup Triple Sec

1 (750 ml.) bottle inexpensive but fruity red wine, chilled

When you're buying the red wine, be sure to buy the cheapest kind they sell...you know, like we did in college. Before we had real jobs.

Add sliced oranges, apples, lemons and sugar to large pitcher; mash gently with wooden spoon until fruit releases some juice, but is not totally crushed, and sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.

My mouth is starting to water.

Stir in orange juice, Triple Sec, and wine, then refrigerate for at least 2, and up to 8, hours.

Then just stand and stare at them. Aren't they pretty??

Before serving, add a dozen ice cubes to each pitcher and stir briskly to distribute settled fruit and pulp. Serve immediately.

Warning: Once you taste this Sangria, you will want to keep it for yourself. I am here to tell you that no good can come from this. You will become a Sangria Hoarder. TLC Network will make a reality show about you and with the cameras rolling, they'll hire counselors to talk you out from under the front porch, clutching your half empty pitcher of Sangria. It's not a pretty picture, is it? Maybe you should just call your friends to come over and help you drink it. We'll just keep the Sangria Hoarding thing between us.

Mums the word.....

unless she likes Sangria too.

Roasted Banana Pudding

2011-08-13T09:46:00.000-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of bananas.

Unless they are dunked in chocolate, of course. But I found this recipe in Cooking Light magazine and I just had to give it a whirl. They always make their recipes SO appealing, don't they? I'm a sucker for great food photography. But Roasted Banana Pudding? I was intrigued. Roasting intensifies flavor...........as I quickly found out after just one bite of this absolutely scrumptious dessert. Try it once, and you'll go bananas too!

I used a large footed trifle bowl.........for presentation of course, but that's just the "Martha" in me. Really, any deep bowl will work. Here's the "hijacked" recipe....

5 -7 ripe unpeeled medium bananas (about 2 pounds)

1 box Jello Vanilla or Banana Pudding

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (12-ounce) container frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed and divided

45 vanilla wafers, divided

Mini chocolate chips (optional)

Butterscotch or caramel topping (optional)

Take six or seven large bananas (skins on) and place them on a cookie sheet, then cover them with a piece of parchment paper. Place them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove three bananas from the oven and let them cool down. They will be blackened and very very HOT! Hot bananas everyone! Get your red-hot bananas! See? That doesn't work....it just doesn't even sound good.

Unless you're a monkey.

Peel the bananas and slice into 1/2 inch slices.

Bake the remaining bananas for an additional 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them slightly cool, then peel them and mash them with a fork in a small bowl with the vanilla.

Here's where the Cooking Light recipe hits the skids. I cheated. Instead of making the pudding from scratch.................I used Jello brand Banana pudding. Yea, yea, I know. I've always taken the road less traveled. you experience so many fun things that way! Where was I? Oh yes. The pudding.

Prepare the pudding as directed on the box and refrigerate. When it's cool, mix the pudding with the mashed banana mixture and the entire container of whipped topping. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes then roll up your sleeves and get ready to layer it up! I should have used a smaller bowl, because technically speaking, it really should be filled right up to the tippity-top. So maybe the next time I'll double the recipe. You can never have too much.

Start the first layer by covering the bottom of your bowl with some of the banana custard mixture.

Then cover that layer with about 20 Nilla (or your favorite brand) Vanilla Wafers.

Breathe.

Then cover that layer with more of the banana custard and sliced bananas.

Then repeat.

Breathe.

Repeat.

Breathe.

Repeat.

Exhale.

Wait!

"When did she slip in those chocolate chips?", you ask?? Hey, I'm a risk taker and a rule breaker....especially when it comes to chocolate. I also used ginger snaps to garnish the top layer. Then before I served it to "my peeps", I drizzled each portion with some warm caramel sauce.

So good.

I have no regrets.

And neither will you.

Day Trippers

2011-08-11T22:53:00.007-04:00

We missed the boat.

Literally.

We did.

You see....it all started like this. We had a plan, my friend Sandra and I. It was an awesome plan. On one of the days in my vacation week, we were to take a day trip on the high-speed ferry from Boston Harbor to Provincetown. What a great plan, right? A boat ride, a little shopping, a little lunch, a little people-watching, then home again on the boat.

I suppose you could say that we became somewhat derailed the night before. At Girl's Night. With lots of good food. Like Honey Stung Drummies, and fresh fruit , and yummy cheese and crackers and Marbled Brownies and Sandra's "Secret Satanic Dip", and Smoked Turkey with Cilantro mayonnaise on Cranberry Walnut Bread with Roasted Banana Pudding, Pie Fries and icy cold pitchers of fruity Sangria and Mike's Hard Lemonade. Whew. What can I say? When my "peeps" get together, there's always too much food.

We always complain and vow to never do it again. Until the next time....when we inevitably do it again. Don't worry. I'll share those recipes with you soon.

Since Sandy and I were headed out early to catch the 9am ferry out of Boston, she stayed over my house.Thinking that 90 minutes would be more than enough time to travel the 21-mile route into the city, we left my house early, happily chatting about the day ahead. After sitting in stop-and-go traffic for more than an hour however, we grimly realized that our proverbial ship had already set sail for Provincetown.

Without us.

Crap.

Now what? A Whale Watch cruise was initially thrown into the mix....until we realized that we would both have to buy sweatshirts before we boarded the boat. After all, even though it is late July, the air temperature five miles off the coast can be brrrrisk! Um...do they make sweatshirts that say, "We missed the boat to P-Town and all we got was this *;%# sweatshirt" ? Should we go to Gloucester? Rockport? Or should we just continue with our original idea and make the 3 hour drive to Provincetown? No. No. No. Wait.................what about.....................

Newport. As in Rhode Island.

Although it's a mere 1 hour and 15 minute ride from where I live, I have never been there. I know. I know. Insane. But I've been in a deep, deep relationship with Cape Cod most of my life....and as you know, when you are in a committed relationship, you have no need to look elsewhere. Until you break up. Then you're free to roam. And explore.

....and so we did.

...and I think I'm in love again.

Luckily, Sandy spent happy summers in Newport as a child, and was quite familiar with our surroundings. It was a good thing, as I was just too awestruck to be of any help. We visited one of the famous Newport Mansions...........The Breakers. It was the Vanderbilts summer "cottage". See it there in the picture?? With the red roof? First castle on the left. (Name that movie!)

Photography was not allowed anywhere inside the house, but this is the view from the upper balcony.

I was awestruck.

Sandy was overwhelmed. :)

Even as she lay flat out on the ground, doesn't she look fetching in my new hat?

We followed up our mansion tour with a simply delightful lunch at a restaurant on Bowen's Wharf, located on Thames Street in downtown Newport.

Sigh.

It was simply charming. Seated at an outside table, the pedestrian activity gave us something to watch while we waited for our lunch to be served.

We saw lots of hats.

And dogs. And dogs wearing hats. At one point, Sandy even thought she saw Oprah......but when it turned out to be just a maintenance worker with dreadlocks, we chalked it up to the heat of the day.

And the beer.

We also saw lots of people on mopeds and scooter-cruisers with the words "Rent Me" blazed across the fenders.

Yup.

We did.

In fact, we couldn't believe how much we crammed into our day. Funny how things have a way of working themselves out sometimes, right? I left Newport thinking that I couldn't wait to go back. I couldn't wait to explore more of the city, stroll through another mansion or two, or just stare at the incredible views.

All you have to do is pull up a chair.

Pass the Pie Fries, please!

2011-07-26T09:41:00.001-04:00

Did you ever see or taste something so delicious and painfully simplistic, you wonder how in the heck you never thought of it sooner??? Yeah. Me too. That's how I feel about these.

Pie Fries.

I saw them in a magazine and instantly thought, "What a freakin' fabulous idea!" and wondered why I hadn't thought of it sooner. My Nana used to bake the scrap pie dough for us when my sister Kathy and I were little....and we sat at her kitchen table and happily munched on them with a glass of cold milk. But it ended there. So, how could I forget about them? So simple. So fun. But then again, the best things in life usually are, right?

Although I would usually make it from scratch, I cheated and used refrigerated pie dough.....so shoot me.

Unwrap and roll out each pie dough section, then cut them into "Fry-sized" pieces. I wanted to use a fluted pastry cutter, but was horrified to discover that I DON'T OWN ONE. How did this happen??

Then I sprayed the cut sections with butter (or you could just melt butter and brush it on), and sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon.

Then break up the sections and place them on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

Pop them into a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for between 12 and 20 minutes (depending on your oven) You want them to be golden brown and a little crispy.

Isn't this the silliest thing you've ever seen?? I used canned apple pie filling as a dipping sauce and it was absolutely scrumptious! Like a little bite of apple pie. Only cuter. You could use any type of pie filling really.....pumpkin, lemon, blueberry, cherry, etc.

Pie Fries.

So simple.

So good.

Thanks, Nana.

I Did It Again.

2011-07-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

It's true.

I didn't think I'd ever be ready.

I didn't think I'd ever get over the heartbreak of losing Emily,

......but this may help.

I wasn't going to do it. But I could feel my protests gradually weaken under my sister's patient and persistent voice saying it was "the right thing to do". She's an 11-week old Boston Terrier who's sweet and spunky. I named her after one of my favorite people......a special aunt with whom I share a special bond. And now I get to say her name everyday.

Meet Gracie!

Peanut "Butta" Bread. Um.....Yum.

2011-05-23T22:16:00.002-04:00

I have been on hiatus.

It was not meant to be a long break. But looking back, I guess it was. It's just crazy how life gets in the way sometimes, isn't it?

But I am coming back. Because I've missed you. However, don't be surprised when my posts are not always about baking treats and sweets anymore. Maybe I'm going to throw in something fun like a Potato Bacon Bake..............or a creamy Mushroom Risotto, or I could go completely off the charts and just talk about the groundhog (who is the size of an adult Cocker Spaniel) that has taken up residency under my "pool-less" house. (I'll explain later) I don't really know, but I wanted to warn you in advance.

Life is changing and to keep up with it, I may have to do a little song and dance now and then instead of my usual stroll. You're all okay with that, right?

My list of "recipes to try" continues to grow. Everytime I hear about something new...or I try something new in a restaurant or at a party, I mentally add it to the list. There just are not enough hours in the day, so I am starting on something easy....but spectacular none the less. Peanut "Butta" Bread. Not the typical dessert-like bread, but the real deal, REAL bread. With yeast. Like the kind of bread you use for a sandwich. Are you following me?

Keep up with the class now.

This is an easy, easy recipe. In fact, you may already have the ingredients in your pantry. Do yourself a favor. MAKE IT RIGHT NOW. You won't be sorry. In fact, you'll want to be my best friend. You know....BFF. (Best friend forever).

PEANUT "BUTTA" BREAD

1 cup lukewarm water

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) white whole wheat flour

1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Assemble your ingredients!

2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast..

one tablespoon of brown sugar and one cup of lukewarm water. Put them in a bowl and lightly stir. Set aside until the yeast looks a little foamy. About 10 minutes or so....

In a separate bowl, combine one cup of the bread flour,

and one cup of the white whole wheat flour.

Add one teaspoon of salt,

....and one half cup of peanut butter.

Did you ever wonder what people use those little tiny spatulas for? I got this one at Stonewall Kitchen and as you can see, it is the PERFECT kitchen helper.

Combine all the ingredients until mixture sticks to itself.

Roll the dough into a ball and place in the bottom of a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes. Then smack it down again. It will feel good.

Trust me.

Lightly coat the inside of a loaf pan with cooking spray, re-roll the dough into a log that will fit into the bottom of the loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for about 45-50 minutes. At this time you can heat the oven to 325 degrees. When the second rise is complete, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.

This loaf should have risen alot higher, but just as I was getting ready to time the first rise, someone dropped in for a visit and I got distracted. See this flat bread? It is the direct result of a drop-in. Just sayin. :)

Where was I? Ah yes. My favorite part. I found this evil looking stuff at Whole Foods. It's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter. My hands are sweating just thinking about this. My B.F.F. Sandra sampled some today and promptly referred to it as the "Satanic Spread". Why? Because when it's spread on top of a piece of toasted Peanut Butta Bread.........it's positively evil.

So now it's time to wipe the drool from your mouth, get up from your computer and make some.

Are you still sitting there?

The Road To Heaven is Paved With Brownies!

2011-03-12T07:37:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't like Brownies??

I am always on the search for the perfect brownie. You remember, don't you? Like when you were a kid......a little crunchy layer on the top, rich cocoa flavor and ooey-gooey chocolate on the inside. I just may have found the best brownie recipe in the world! Joanne Chang, author of the best-selling book, Flour, has a kick-ass brownie recipe. Seriously. It's a brownie from the past.....like the way brownies are supposed to be. I purchased Joanne's cookbook about a month ago and I've slept with it under my pillow ever since.

INTENSE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

5 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (62 to 70 percent cacao), chopped

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 and 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

5 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 and 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.

Place the unsweetened chocolate and bittersweet chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Place over (not touching) barely simmering water in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter until well mixed. Let cool slightly.

Place the eggs in a stand mixer with the whip attachment (or use a handheld mixer). On low speed, slowly beat in the sugar for about one minute total or until frothy and somewhat thick. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate mixture.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using the spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg-chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. (If the bowl you used for the egg-chocolate mixture is too small for folding, transfer the mixture to a larger bowl and then fold in the flour mixture.) Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread in an even layer with the spatula (the batter will be thick).

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (but check every few minutes starting at 20 minutes to make sure the brownies don't overbake) or until a knife slipped into the center of the pan comes out with a few wet crumbs on it. If the knife comes out with the liquid batter on it, the brownies need more time in the oven; if the knife comes out with nothing on it, the brownies are probably a bit overbaked and no longer fudgy, but they will still be delicious. Let cook in the pan for at least 2 hours, or until completely cool. (Because these are so moist, they need time to cool and firm up enough to cut.)

You are going to start your journey to heaven with fresh unsalted butter,

....and good quality chopped chocolate.

You've already met my boyfriend...

Scharffen Berger right?

Fresh eggs,

Sugar,

Baking Powder,

...a little sifting....

Mixing together.....

Please keep in mind that there will be an excessive amount of

salivation by this time....

....not to mention a ridiculous amount of "spatula licking".....

...but it is SOOOOOOO worth it.

You must trust me on this.

When the brownies come out of the oven, you will have to physically restrain yourself from throwing yourself on top of them. But you mustn't disturb them. Why? Because Joanne Chang said so, that's why. You have to let them cool completely before taking that first decadent bite.

Unless your self-control is tied up in the closet and you can't stand the suspense and just have to "take a peek". Just a teensy one.

Are you seeing this?? This is what makes this brownie recipe unique. And in my opinion....perfect. The batter is thick and rich....you have to spread it manually into the pan. During the baking process, the batter rises up twice as high, so when you take the brownies from the oven, they will appear to be huge....almost threatening to explode from the pan. While they are cooling is when the magic happens. The brownies sink. The entire pan will compress , leaving the crust crispy, but the inside is moist and fudgy. They almost look underdone.

But they're not.

Trust me.

It's quite a mouthful.

Even for me.

Well, almost.

Isn't this the most gorgeous shot you've ever seen??

I'm putting this one in my wallet.

2011-02-14T13:13:00.002-05:00

I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day.

Never have been.

But that has never stopped me from joining in the celebration with lots of chocolate sweets. Because as we all know, it's easy to fall for "the dark master".

The Cocoa Bean.

(Quick! Can you name that T.V. show?)

Well, I made a few heart-shaped cakepops. What would you call "a few cakepops"? Would that be considered "a gaggle"......a gaggle of pops? Or is that term only reserved for geese? Anyway, I only made a few of them in red velvet and dark chocolate and they were promptly devoured by my nephews and niece.

Gone.

So I had to have a back up recipe. It's a simple one too. It's just your basic recipe for Chocolate Cutout Cookies by Martha Stewart. They're rich, chocolate-y, chewy and delicious!

They are frosted with decadent Chocolate Ganache. I love that name. Ganache. Do you know how to make it?? Using a double boiler, melt about 8 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate with about half to three quarters of a cup of heavy cream and a tablespoon of corn syrup. Stir it well, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Sweet Maria.

Yum. Like I was saying.....this chocolate heart of mine.

~~Pursing my lips, I sucked the ganache out of the pastry bag first, then~~

I piped a border of ganache on each cookie.

Then I used a small frosting spatula to fill in each heart.

Then a knife with a wide flat edge to spread the ganache over the entire surface of the cookie.

Let 'em dry completely, then use Royal Icing to decorate.

Um. Yeah. Have a great Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes.....It's a good thing.

2011-02-07T16:25:00.014-05:00

Guess what? I recently found a new baking pan. For mini cakes.

Specifically, Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes.

(Deep breath here)

Do you SEE this?? Gulp.

Have you ever had the teeniest taste of Molten Lava Cake? If you haven't, I highly suggest that you do as quickly as possible. Better yet................MAKE THEM. They're as easy as pie. In fact, they're easier than pie because you don't have to peel or chop any fruit.

I usually try to use the best quality chocolate I can get my grubby little hands on.

You all know that I have a "past" with Scharffen Berger. It's a deep, dark, sordid past with a bittersweet ending.

In fact, I don't want to talk about it.

Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

6 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate (preferably high quality)

cut into small pieces. Do not use chocolate chips.

3 eggs

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt until smooth in either the microwave or double-boiler on the stove. Make sure you stir the mixture frequently, so there are no chunks. Once melted, put aside. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix until combined. Slowly pour the chocolate/butter mixture into the egg mixture, stir until combined, cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours. (or overnight). Scoop the batter (which will be quite thick by now) evenly into the six baking wells OR six small baking ramekins. Bake 25 - 30 minutes. They will be done when the outside has risen slightly above the sides of the pan and the center is all puffed up (but still soft to the touch).

Let cool slightly (if you can resist)....although these babies are at their very best when served warm. Unmold, place on serving plate and garnish with whipped cream and fruit. Or you can dust them with cocoa. Or cinnamon. Or dredge them in chocolate syrup.

Go on. No one is looking....... Go crazy!

I used a heaping cup of chocolate squares and chopped them roughly. Then melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter over simmering water in a double boiler and add the chopped chocolate.

Try not to drool.

This Measuring Spoon set is a gift from my sister Kathy. Isn't it adorable??

In a separate bowl, add the sugar,

........ Vanilla,

Salt,

Eggs,

...and beat it all together like mad! Then slowly add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and combine. Refrigerate this mixture for at least two hours.....or better yet....

overnight!

So here's the new baking pan..

Pretty cool, huh?

Each baking well is about 2 inches deep with a removable base.

After refrigeration, the batter will have the consistency of warm fudge.

Um....yeah.

Use a light non-stick baking spray in each well, then use a medium sized scoop to divide the batter.

Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes. This recipe will contradict all of your knowledge about knowing "when the cake is done". You want the outside to look like the top of a pan of brownies, but you want the inside to be oooey and gooey.

Can you stand this?

Wait until you taste it.

Consider yourself warned.

Singin' the Birthday Blues!

2011-01-31T23:42:00.001-05:00

My sister Kathy had a little milestone birthday last week.

I won't tell you exactly..............but if you double that number.............

......you're 100.

(Sorry Kath)

Please keep in mind that this mutant little fondant woman was initially sculpted to be a tall, svelte sexy figurine. Somehow......overnight, she morphed into a ~~chubby~~ voluptuous little stripper. Truthfully, the fondant just compressed into itself and I ran out of time.

Respecting her "absolutely no party" ~~wishes~~ proclaimation, myself and a small group of close friends and family surprised her with an overnight Girl's Weekend. It was 24 hours of fun, food, drink, manicures, pedicures and shopping. We had a blast!

So, Happy Birthday to my little sister Kathy!

See you in the pasture!

Cakepops for the Cure!

2010-11-02T09:31:00.000-04:00

October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I have participated in "The Walk For The Cure" several times over the

last twenty years......but this year, I wanted to do something

a little different.

So I made Cakepops.

In fact, I made a hundred of them.

Decadent chocolate cakepops with "pretty in pink" candy coating.

Then I wrapped each of them up,

and tied them with cute little "pink for the cure" ribbons.

And I donated the proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

Because we HAVE to find a cure.....

Need I say more?

The Shoes

2010-10-01T22:44:00.005-04:00

Sometimes,

it's just all

about.....

the shoes.

(even if I spelled it wrong. I'm sorry, Manolo.)

DROUGHT!

2010-07-28T09:35:00.001-04:00

~~I haven't baked in weeks~~ It hasn't rained in weeks. Sweet Moses, it's a drought of epic proportions! Combine this with scorchingly high temperatures in addition to the sudden onset of my flaming, raging hot flashes and you'll know why I have taken a little "blogger" vacation. My once beautiful expanse of green grass has been reduced to something from the Dust Bowl, while most days you can find me with my head in the freezer (literally). For those that have never experienced a "hot flash".............let me set up a visual for you. Imagine that it's wintertime. You are bundled up in a nice thick, warm coat. You're comfortable and life is good. Then you enter a crowded department store. You're wedged shoulder to shoulder with other people. It's getting hot. You suddenly have a tremendous feeling of claustrophobia and heat starting to creep up your back. You know you need to remove your coat as fast as possible to cool down. But you can't. Back to reality now......YOU CAN'T REMOVE YOUR COAT BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT WEARING ONE....THAT'S A HOT FLASH, BABY! Now, imagine this scenerio occuring about 15 - 22 times a day. While I'm working. While I'm baking. While I'm sitting still.

I think you get the picture.

The business of moving is time consuming........ athough it's almost three months later and I know I still have six boxes left to unpack. Although, it's a little like Christmas when I open them up, and all the while I wonder, "How have I managed to live all these months without all of this CRAP?" It's amazing what we think "we need", isn't it? But other than that, my new house is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! My family is now only a four minute car ride away. Or 14 minutes on my bicycle. Or a 32 minute walk. Anyway, as a result, I get to see Kathy, John and the kids ALOT. Like everyday.

Sometimes ~~three times a~~ twice a day.

My nephew Cameron is going to be fifteen this week. Gulp. Fifteen?? Didn't I just make that kid a cake? What? It was a year ago? This is such a freaky age for boys, isn't it? They struggle to act like adults, but somehow don't quite pull it off. It's all about being cool.....and I don't mean in temperature. It's hard to get a reaction out of him, at least the type of reaction that I want to see. You know, like when he was little, I'd pull up to his house in the car, he would immediately run and jump and hop and clap his hands.

I just don't get that reaction anymore. It's a little depressing. Now, if I'm lucky, I may get a small smile and a head nod. But I get it. It's just not "cool" to jump and hop and clap when you're fifteen.

So I roll my eyes and ignore the reaction. At least I try to. Because he's fifteen. Compared to what alot of kids are doing at fifteen (insert rolling of the eyes here), this kid's pretty boring. Um....moving right along...

Anyway, Cameron loves sushi, which I find unusual for a kid his age. In any case, even though I've done it before, I incorporated the idea into a birthday cake.

He loved it.

I think.

A Memorable Memorial Day

2010-06-01T17:14:00.005-04:00

I lost my girl Emily this weekend.

I am heartbroken but I know that it was time to let her go. I miss her terribly and will treasure my memories of her forever.

My girl.

I'm Back In The Game!

2010-05-25T21:43:00.009-04:00

I love baseball.

Something about a warm summer night under the lights, a light breeze blowing in, the faint smell of hotdogs and popcorn in the stands, happy, smiling faces.................and a bunch of ~~hot~~ athletic-looking guys running around on a field. Sigh.

I was recently asked to make a cake for a Nursing School graduation, but it also had to acknowledge the graduate's favorite Red Sox player. In short, the cake had to reflect a nurse taking care of Josh Beckett. No problem I said confidently. It was only after I hung up the phone did I look at Emily and say frantically, "I can't do this! Why did I say I could do this?

~~Once I came in from the ledge,~~ I sat down and sketched a plan, then I assembled my tools and started working. I used an ample supply of Rice Krispy Treats and "glued" them together with chocolate frosting. Ummmmmm.

Don't you just love these little things? I like the homemade version better, but the commercially prepared ones are the most convenient when you're building a structure.

Next I had to mold people. Egads!!!! Since this was my first attempt, I knew the figures had to be more like caricatures, meaning that the facial and body features would be out of proportion and grossly exaggerated.

Easier.

More fun too.

While this head was drying I had to face it towards the wall. The dog kept barking at it. I was afraid that during the night it was going to come to life and kill me in my sleep.

What a cutie pie....or is the term "hottie" more appropriate?

Poof! You're a cake Josh! It's been beaten with an ugly stick, yes.

But it's a cake none the less.

I used "Jimmies" a.k.a. "Sprinkles" to make the chest hair. LOL

Aside from some obvious skin grafting on his shoulder, giant mutant chest hairs and freakish man-breasts, it's pretty funny, isn't it?

Please note that this look can only be achieved with implants.

Fondant implants.

I tried to capture the little details.....note the shamrock "tat" on Ashley's foot.

I hope she liked that and wasn't put off or insulted by the sparkly red stillettos.....that I know all my nursing friends secretly wear.........while they're caring for Red Sox Pitcher, Josh Beckett.

......in their dreams.

The cake itself was a half sheet in size. One side was a rich chocolate and the other a golden vanilla. It was filled with a fluffy vanilla buttercream.

So congratulations on your graduation Ashley!

Now go play ball.

Someone hit the "Play" button please!

2010-05-14T22:06:00.008-04:00

So, where was I? Ahhh, yes. A couple of weeks of baking literally hundreds of French macarons everyday....I finally mastered the technique. Just in the nick of time too, as my family and friends were starting to speak French fluently. So if anyone needs any advice in baking Macarons, please ask. I can make them in my sleep.

Then, I moved.

Yes. After years and years, I finally sold the house with that beautiful brand new kitchen with the stainless steel appliances and shiny black granite countertops. You see, it was all in the plan. My master plan....and it worked. I needed change in my life on so many levels that I started with the biggest. The other changes are a work in progress. It was a great feeling to ~~unload~~ sell that house and I haven't looked back once. I think that means that I was really ready to go, doesn't it?

I know that I have been so-o-o-o lame about posting to my Blog but all I've been doing is unpacking. Although I'm getting tons of emails commenting about my absence, rest assured I am working on a new baking project and plan to return very soon. I promise.

From a new kitchen.

In a new house.

In a new town.

Just 4 minutes away from my sister, Kathy.

Ahhhh....You're Nuthin' But A Creampuff.

2010-04-12T00:29:00.022-04:00

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

I mean......other than me?

Okay, okay. Seriously, my sister Kathy asked me to make something for our annual Easter family gathering. I mean, aside from the usual cupcakes and cakeball pops. She gave me this recipe saying that she had sampled it at a friend's house and it was a show stopper. And as you can see from the photo.......................it is. It is so easy and quick to make it's almost ridiculous. In fact, I had to re-read the recipe twice just because I thought I missed something. But I didn't. So fasten your seat belts, because this one is going to change your life.

I used my large Creuset, a.k.a. Big Blue and followed the painfully SIMPLE instructions.

CREAMPUFF:
1 c. water

2 sticks OR 1 cup of butter

1 c. flour

4 eggs

FILLING:

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk
1 large pkg. vanilla instant pie filling

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING:
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate

2 tbsp. butter

1 c. confectioners' sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4-5 tbsp. hot water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, then heat water and butter to boiling in 1 quart saucepan; stir in flour. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add eggs, beat until smooth. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet to form about an 8" ring. Smooth top with spatula. Bake until puffed and golden, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool ring, cut off top with sharp knife. (Pull out any soft dough) Beat heavy cream until it forms a fairly firm peak. Combine 1 cup milk, pudding/pie filling mix and extract in medium mixing bowl on low speed until blended, about 1 minute. Combine heavy cream and vanilla pudding mixture and fill cream puff ring. Replace top of cream puff ring. In a double boiler or small saucepan over boiling water, blend chocolate and butter, stirring until chocolate melts; remove from heat. Blend in sugar and vanilla, gradually stir in enough hot water until glaze consistency is reached. Drizzle over top of cream puff ring.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Then add 1 cup of water....

and a cup of butter (2 sticks) and bring to a boil in a large pot or heavy pan.

Once the butter is melted,

Add 1 cup of flour...

...and stir vigorously together until the mixture forms a soft ball, then remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 eggs and add to the flour and butter mixture.

I usually always crack the eggs in a separate bowl so I can catch any rogue shell pieces. Did you ever eat a piece of cake and all of a sudden crunch down on a piece of eggshell?? Ahhhhhh! Gag me.

This is where an electric hand mixer comes in handy. You can whip the everlivin' daylights out of a batter in a flash!

Once the batter is thoroughly combined, you can either drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto a lined cookie sheet OR you can pipe the batter on with a decorative tip. Can you believe I just said that?? I just gave myself chills. I sounded just like Martha Stewart................NOT.

I am a huge fan of parchment paper. It's neat and it's clean. No fuss, no muss.

Bake your Creampuff Ring for 45-50 minutes or until it is golden brown. If you see the tops getting a little too brown, you can cover it with tinfoil.

It's a thing of beauty, isn't it?

Once it was completely cooled, I used a serrated knife to slice it in half horizontally. Now pull out all of that doughy pastry inside and throw it away. Why? Because we all know that the middle is the fattening part, that's why. Geez, some people. Anyway, when you slice the ring in two, some of the cream puffs may break off , but it's easy to hide once the chocolate sauce is on. Haven't I always taught you that chocolate sauce solves many problems???

Moving on.........I used my big mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the heavy cream, while in another bowl I mixed 2 cups of very cold milk with one large box of vanilla pie filling/pudding.

Then, I added them together.

The mixture should thicken up almost to the consistency of soft-set pudding. Once the Creampuff is refrigerated, the filling will finish setting up really well.

Again, I have to be difficult, right?? I usually use a glass vase to hold my piping bag open while I fill it.....but keep in mind that it's just as easy to spoon the filling into the Creampuff. This is just my obsessive-compulsive baking side rearing it's ugly head. Please ignore me when I get like this.

See? Spooning the filling works just as well.

Moses, I am such a fanatic sometimes.

If some of the Creampuff breaks apart, DO NOT BREAK GLASS. DO NOT PANIC. DO NOT CALL 911.

You'll be fine. Once you replace the top half, no one will know. Except the dog, of course.

And she's not telling anyone.

So now comes the really fun part. The chocolate.

Be still my heart.

This is yet another deadly chocolate recipe. Seriously, it's heart-stopping. Quick! Go and make some right now. I'll wait.

2 squares of unsweetened chocolate

2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of confectioners sugar (powdered)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

4-5 tablespoons of hot water

Heat the chocolate and butter over a double boiler.......or just use a small pan over another pan of boiling water. Once it's blended, remove from the heat and add the confectioners sugar and vanilla and stir it well. Add the hot water gradually to get the consistency thick enough to adhere to the Creampuff, but so runny that it falls off the top.

Think Hot Fudge Sundae.

In fact........wouldn't that be a great saying for a bumper sticker? Unless of course you are a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. Then..........I could see how you may run into some problems at the annual convention.

Um, what was I saying?

Oh yes. Of course. THE CREAMPUFF. Once I finished drizzling and dolloping the chocolate fudge sauce over the top of the Creampuff, I reserved a little extra whipped cream to make some decorative little toppers.

Then I added some beautiful little red raspberries which had been dunked in a "smidge" of the chocolate. You know................for color. Then I filled the centers with fresh strawberries. I was going to dip them in chocolate too, but that's another post for another time.

The end result of this CreamPuff was heart-stopping. See? Aurelie doesn't know whether to slice into it or just karate-chop it with the serving knife.

It was all so exciting. And delicious. And when all of the screaming was over..........there was nothing left on either plate except the crumbs.

And maybe a couple of tears of joy.

So are you still sitting here reading this?

Jeepers. You could have made two of them by now.

Crazy For Macarons!

2010-03-30T22:42:00.024-04:00

Macarons.

It has taken me a few months of intensive blog reading to decipher what in the heck the hubbub was all about. So I finally made them.

And made them.

And now I know why everyone is crazy for them. They have rendered me almost speechless. Wait. Let me have another bite and I'll try and explain them to you.

Macarons are not to be confused with Macaroons.

These are Macarons.

This is a Macaroon.

Let's break for a brief phonics review. We all know how to pronounce the word Macaroon. It's easy. The sound rhymes with so many words. "Hey! If you're looking for me soon, I'll be in the saloon, singin' a tune, lookin' at the moon, eatin' a Macaroon. (Dang, I feel like a goon.)

Whereas the word Macaron is slightly different. It's pronounced like the word macaroni......only without the "i". Wait, maybe this rhyme will help. "Please leave me alone , I'm on the phone, eating my Macaron.

There seems to be a frenzied craze lately about these lovely little cookies. Trust me when I say that they are simply delicious, but more importantly is the fact that they are technically challenging to make. That was all I needed to hear. After scouring the internet for baking tips, I decided to head for Barnes & Nobles to purchase a book on Macarons. Note that it is named appropriately.

The book provided tips, pointers, recipes and beautiful photography.....and you all know what a pushover I am for a beautiful cookbook. I just couldn't help myself.

I ended up making this Macaron recipe a total of three times over the weekend. They are not easy to make. Everything has to be perfectly measured, in fact, most recipes suggest using a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients. Macarons have only five ingredients. That's it.

3 egg whites that have been aged for 24 hours

2/3 cup ground almonds

1.5 cups confectioner's sugar

5 Tablespoons of Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

Combine ground almonds and powdered sugar, sifted in a bowl. Put egg whites in the mixer and beat until foamy, then add granulated sugar and beat until it is stiff. Add vanilla and beat until just blended. Add almond/sugar to egg whites and fold to blend. Pipe batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets (or just use a Silpat), rap cookie sheet on the counter to settle batter then let sit on the counter for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put cookie sheet in oven and bake for 12-18 minutes (depending on your oven) Remove and completely cool before filling.

I can hear what you're saying. "What are "aged" egg whites?" They're egg whites that have been sitting in a covered container on your counter for 24 hours. The room temperature increases the elasticity of the protein in the egg whites, so they whip faster and higher.

I don't have a food processor so I ground up the almonds in a coffee grinder. Yes....I cleaned it out completely before I used it.

Combine the ground almonds with the confectioner's sugar.

Blend together gently with a wire whisk.

Then sift the mixture together. I love this old sifter. My Nana had one just like it when I was a child. My sister Kathy bought this one for me several years ago and I use it all the time.

See what's at the bottom? Almond carnage.

Set your sifted bowl aside. Now would be the time to add a powdered food coloring to the almond/sugar mix. I didn't have powdered color, so I used a bit of color food gel mixed with a tiny bit of water and mixed it into the meringue mixture. Sigh. It didn't work quite the way I wanted it to. You'll see what I mean in a second.

Whip the egg whites on high until they are foamy, then gradually add the granulated sugar. Turn the mixer on high and beat the daylights out of it until it's about as thick as shaving cream. When you remove the beater, the meringue should stand up straight.

Isn't this lovely? Now add the almond/sugar mix to the egg whites.

Using a large spatula, first slowly blend the mix together making sure to incorporate the dry with the wet. Once that is done, begin scooping and turning the mix in the bowl about 15 times.

Ahh.....lovely macaronnage.

I put a large metal decorating tip inside of a 14 inch pastry bag and then put it into a medium-sized container...in this case, an 8-cup measuring cup. When you turn the pastry bag outside of the cup, it makes it as easy as pie to fill with Macaron batter.

Using the large end of a decorating tip, I traced 1-inch circles onto paper and slipped it underneath the silpat on the baking sheet.

This was used as a guide for piping the Macarons.

These were actually a tad too big, but that was because this particular batch was too runny. Why?? Because I decided to challenge the recipe and use Color Gels instead of Powdered Food Color as I was directed. They ended up tasting great, but it was back to the drawing board.

Of course that didn't stop me from whipping up a chocolate ganache to sandwich in between those crunchy meringue layers.

For the next batch I used Matcha Powder. These.....came out perfectly.

Don't they look beautiful?? After they were piped, I slapped the bottom of the pan on the counter a couple of times to help settle the batter....not because I'm insane, but because most recipes tell you that this sharp movement is what gives the Macaron it's initial structure to develop "feet'. The piped batter should then sit out on the counter for 30 minutes before baking.

This batch made it all worth the effort. They didn't raise up quite as high as I would have liked, but since this was my third attempt in one day, I wanted to kiss each and every one of them......but don't worry......I didn't.

The ruffled bottom edge on each Macaron shell is called a "foot"....or in Francais, un pied. If you don't get the feet....it's not a Macaron.

Dark Chocolate Ganache. Heat heavy cream in a double boiler until the milk starts to hiss, then turn off the heat. Add semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until melted. Allow to cool to thicken. Any questions?

I peeled this little guy off of the Silpat too quickly and he left some of his guts behind. I hate when that happens. Poor little dude. Tragic......but nothing a little Chocolate Ganache can't hide.

I was so embarrassed about showing you my "unmanicured blacksmith man-hands" all the time, so I Photoshopped myself a hotpink manicure. Sigh. If only all things in life were this easy. Isn't technology grand?

Now if only if I could Photoshop myself into a Size 2.

Aren't they pretty?

Matcha Macarons with Cocoa Ganache filling.

I used bright yellow food coloring for this batch. Um. I wouldn't advise it. The liquid food coloring upsets the balance of the recipe. The batter is too runny and the Macaron didn't rise. It still tasted great but it really didn't have very good Macaron characteristics.

But I filled them up with lemon buttercream and brought them into work anyway.

One, two, three.......GONE!

The Cocoa Macarons were my favorite.

They all puffed up perfectly and they all had "feet".

I filled them with a nice rich peanut butter cream.

Then I put all the batches out on the table together so they could mingle.

And secretly whisper in French to each other.

And so I could sit for just a moment and stare at them....and bask in their glory.........and photograph them........and stare at them again while humming the French National Anthem and really just felt pretty darn smug about my first French pastry accomplishment.

Class dismissed.

Ides of March

2010-03-25T22:39:00.013-04:00

Our family celebrates two birthdays in March, and my brother-in-law owns one of them. Remember his cake last year? It is no surprise to hear that he is a lover of chocolate. In our family, who isn't?

I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe (psssssst! The same one I used for my niece Brenna's birthday last month) This was the first time I used it in a cake recipe. It turned out to be rich, dense and delicious. You might want to have a giant ~~gallon~~ glass of cold milk ready when you eat this one. I'm just sayin'.......

After the cake had baked and was cooling, I made some yummy marshmallow cream to fill the layers of the cake. Try it! The directions are easy!

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

3 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar in heatproof container or the top of a double boiler with at least a 2-quart capacity and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed about 1 minute. Put the bowl over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water or the bottom of the double boiler. Beat on high speed until the mixture forms a stiff peak that stands straight up if you stop the beaters and lift them out of the mixture, about 12 minutes (be sure to keep the cord of the mixer away from the burner). The frosting should register 160°F on a thermometer. Remove the container from the water, add the vanilla extract, and continue beating for 2 minutes to further thicken the filling.

Oh....the times when you wish you had a jar of peanut butter! Fluffernutter anyone??

This is my decorating wheel. My cake carousel. My assistant. Anyone who decorates cakes should have one. I purchased this from a wholesale bakery supply and it is a good one. The base is cast iron which makes the whole thing extremely heavy and very durable. So if anyone tells me to go "sit and spin"...........

I can.

Put a good sized dollop of icing under the first layer to secure it to the cake board.

Then I started filling the layers with the Marshmallow.

Pressing lightly!

Once the layers had been filled, I refrigerated the cake for about an hour.

Note to Self: Do not use Marshmallow filling for this cake again unless you plan on serving it the same day. The Marshmallow seems to dissolve inside the layers overnight and tends to leave the areas inside the layers a tad gooey. Of course, if you like goo.........please........use it again.

Now......on to the strawberries!

Make sure the strawberries have been washed and completely dried. I usually melt a 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet morsels with 1/3 cup vegetable oil in a double boiler. Then holding the stem, carefully dunk 2/3 of the strawberry and place it on waxed paper to set.

Now for the good part. The frosting.

(Dear Lord, help me).

This is actually Martha Stewart's recipe for Dark Chocolate Frosting. It is as wicked as she is.........and I do mean that in a good way.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
2 1/4 cups (4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds best-quality semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions: Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month, in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

Frost. Lick. Frost. Lick. Oops, I mean I frosted it smoothly along the top and down the sides, then I put it back in the fridge to firm up.

I piped a nice fat (hey, who are you calling fat?) border around the top of the cake and then sunk some chocolate covered strawberries around the edge. Um.......(swallow) yeah.

If this isn't a chocolate overload, I don't know what is.

but......

I served John his birthday cake along with some Matcha and Cocoa cupcakes . It was one of the quietest birthdays on record. For about 10 minutes all you could hear at the table was the sound of forks scraping the plates and the occasional sigh.

But then again, I sometimes think that my family (including myself) would eat shoe leather if it were dipped in chocolate, so maybe we're not the best judge.

You are going to have to try it for yourself.

...and if you're even able to speak after eating this, let me know what you think, okay?

What's a Matcha you?

2010-03-19T08:19:00.011-04:00

I was inspired.

There are just so many fun and interesting recipes out there for St. Patrick's Day, it was mind-boggling. Cakes made with green tinted coconut, fondant shamrocks, Chocolate Irish Cream, Pistachio Pudding Cake and cupcakes made with stout. (hiccup) The ingredients sounded so intriging, but it was the brilliant green color and mysterious ingredient that totally won me over on this one.

Matcha.

I know, right? What the heck is it? About the closest I could come to it was singing a verse from the Village People, "Macha, macha man.....I want to be a Matcha Man". What? Oh right..... it's Macho Man. I stand corrected. Thank you Sister Mary Elephant.

Anyway, Matcha is a green tea powder from Japan, and guess what? IT'S GOOD FOR YOU TOO. Ignore the fact that there is cocoa, sugar, butter, etc., in these cupcakes and repeat after me. "It's good for me". Yep. That's why I can't be a model for Victoria Secret anymore. (wicked grin)

Matcha comes in a small bag (which runs about $9 by the way). I purchased this one at Whole Foods, but I know you can order it from Amazon.com as well. I found scores of different recipes on the internet and ended up literally combining and modifying two different ones and the result was fabulous! Here's the recipe:

Cocoa Matcha Cupcakes

Chocolate Mixture: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Matcha mixture: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2-3 Tbsp matcha powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

3 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3 eggs, room temperature

1 3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. If you're not using cupcake liners, grease the cupcake pans and dust with cocoa. With a wire whisk, mix the dry ingredients for the chocolate mixture in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, do the same for the matcha mixture. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide the creamed mixture evenly in two separate bowls. Slowly add the chocolate mixture to one half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. Then, add the matcha mixture to the other half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. Drop alternating spoonfuls of each mixture into each cupcake liner. For a marbled effect, gently run a knife through the two batters in a swirling motion. (Just once around will do the trick.) Bake for about 30 minutes.

I used a plethera of ingredients for this recipe.

(I just love that word!)

It's this gorgeous green color that gets me every time. Use one bowl for the Matcha Mixture.....

....and the other bowl for the Cocoa Mixture.

Grease the cupcake tins and dust with cocoa powder. I didn't use cupcake liners for this recipe because I wanted to be able to see the green and cocoa marbled all together once they were baked.

Linda Blair.........paging Linda Blair?

Looks scary. Tastes delicious. You must trust me on this.

Now drop the batter by tablespoons, alternating the Matcha with the Cocoa. End by running a knife through each one to "swirl" the two colors together. Just do it once though, otherwise your colors will blend and that won't be good....because when you mix bright green and brown together you get something that resembles swampwater. Um....yum.

See how pretty?? I almost hated to frost them. Well...almost.

The Matcha Frosting was my own creation. So easy. I used two sticks of butter, softened. I added 5 cups of confectioner's sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla,1 tablespoon of Matcha, 1/2 - 3/4 cup of milk and beat the living daylights out of it with my Kitchen Aid Mixer. I mean I really whipped it up. When it was light and fluffy, it was ready.

For the chocolate "scrolls", I melted a cup of semi-sweet morsels over a double boiler. Then I slowly poured it onto a clean and perfectly dry cookie sheet and used a spatula to spread it out to cool. If there is even the hint of moisture around chocolate, your recipe will go over a cliff really fast. Have you ever seen chocolate seize? (shudder) It's an ugly, ugly situation, trust me.

When the chocolate was just about dried (but not totally solid), I used a pastry cutter to shave up the chocolate.

Look! Scrolls!!!

Okay, so they're not perfect scrolls. C'mon, in the World of Scrolls, who is? But they're close. They're very, very close.

I had a half pint of fresh raspberries in the fridge, so I used the excess melted chocolate and dipped their little bottoms in it. They I perched a nice fresh chocolate-bottomed raspberry on top of each cupcake.

I purchased these little paper ramekins from a baking supply outlet and thought they'd be a nice change from the usual cupcake liner. Plus, since the cupcakes were baked right in the pan, the ramekins were now more of a cupcake "holder". Hmmmm...makes for easy cupcake removal to take that first great big BITE!

These turned out to be the most delicious cupcakes..... ever! I highly recommend them.

And of course, when I added the chocolate scrolls it suddenly went from being a delightful-looking little cupcake to a complete show-stopper.

So, are you ready to take on a cupcake challenge?

Go on. You can do it.

When was the last time that you stopped the show?

Wicked Irish

2010-03-12T20:20:00.037-05:00

Yes, I am of Irish descent.

That's it. I'm a descendant of Ireland. I have an Irish last name that most people can't spell or pronounce correctly, my grandparents both had an Irish last name and their parents both had Irish last names. That's as much as I know. Or care about for that matter......because on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish anyway, right?

I remember when I was very young, we would visit my paternal grandmother every weekend. She lived in an elderly housing community in the same town that we lived in. Her apartment was on the top floor of one of the residential buildings, accessible by one open staircase just inside the main door. Her one and only upstairs neighbor would always greet us first, because she left her inside door open all the time. This always annoyed my grandmother to no end. Her neighbor's name was Mrs. McGoldrick and everyone called her Goldie. She was short, she was tough, and yes........she was Irish. She also had a brogue so thick I could barely understand her. Which didn't matter of course because she always had candy for me and my sister Kathy. Who needs words when there's candy involved? This weekly ritual was accompanied by a rapid-fire line of questions as to where we were "goon" that afternoon and what "weeed" be "eat'n." When we finally were allowed to walk the remainder of the hallway to my grandmother's apartment, Goldie would stand at her doorway, arms folded, and watch us until we walked inside. My grandmother would glare at her and snort under her breath, "Busybody...mutter....mutter...mutter". We'd say, "What did you say Nana?" and she would reply brightly, "Nothing...just talking to myself. Now what shall we have for dinner?. " This was a moot point because she hardly ever cooked. But I do remember that she did make a mean Swansons T.V. dinner.

On the other hand, my maternal grandmother was always baking something delicious. I never saw the woman read a recipe. It always amazed me how she could go into the pantry and literally throw flour, sugar, eggs, and butter in a bowl and make the best bread you've ever tasted. But she did. Her recipes were simple, but oh so delicious! I can remember begging her to make me a soft boiled egg. Are you listening to this?? A soft boiled egg? She would serve it to me in this old cracked coffee mug, all mushed up with a piece of toasted homemade bread and salt and pepper. If she was out of bread, she used Saltines. When I was 8 years old, there was nothing better. Nothing. I would sit in my Nana's chair at that creaky kitchen table in complete bliss and eat it all. All the while, my sister Kathy stood as far away from the table as possible and gagged. Literally gagged.

She still does.

Anyway, one of my favorites was my Nana's Irish Soda Bread. Yum. I loved it best when it was toasted, then slathered with butter. ( Of course I did).

It's a snap to make and I'll bet if you look hard enough, you'll find that you have most of the ingredients already on hand. Go ahead. Look behind that old can of B & M Baked Beans with the freshness stamp from 1983....you might find the baking soda.

Line up your ingredients and get ready to jig.

Nana's Irish Soda Bread

4 cups all purpose Flour

4 tablespoons of white Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 egg

1/2 cup Margarine, softened

1 1/4 cup Buttermilk

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Set aside 1/4 cup of the buttermilk and 1/4 cup butter.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet.....or use a Silpat.

You'll notice that I suddenly threw some raisins into the dough. Most Irish Soda Bread recipes do not include raisins.....because according to some European cookbooks, when you add raisins to Irish Soda Bread, um........it is called something else. Okay, okay. I'll say it. It's called Spotted Dick. I swear on my Kitchen Aid Mixer, that's what it's called.

My goodness, it's warm in here. Is the heat on? Who turned out the lights? I know my Nana never made a Spotted Dick........not on purpose anyway, but I have. I mean........she never put raisins in her Irish Soda Bread, but I do......oh sweet Moses. So now if anyone ever asks you how to make a Spotted.......um, oh never mind.

And now.....back to our regularly scheduled broadcast...

In a large bowl (preferably with a mixer), combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of the buttermilk and the egg. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Take a small knife and make an "X" in the top of the loaf. Then, in a small bowl, combine the melted butter with the remaining 1/4 cup of buttermilk and brush it all over.

When it starts to run down the sides onto the baking sheet, that's enough, but make sure you cover the entire loaf.

Bake in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool the loaf then slice and devour.

See how moist it is?? Is Buttermilk really nectar from the baking gods?

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go eat a soft boiled egg and crackers at my sister Kathy's.

Erin go Bragh!

It's Time To Bake The Donuts!

2010-03-05T22:10:00.010-05:00

Baked Donuts?

Has she gone MAD??

No. I haven't. Yet. This month's cover of Family Circle Magazine was intriguing. Baked Donuts? I mean, why not, right? We have baked potato chips and baked french fries....why not a baked donut?

It's in interesting concept. A regular donut, which has been deep fried in oil, has about 300 calories with 12-18 gms of fat per serving. A Baked Donut, minus the chocolate and sugar toppings, has about 135 calories with only 6 gms of fat per serving. So to the donut connoisseur, they may not live up to classic donut standards, but to a Weight Watcher.......they are bliss. True bliss. With a hole.

I ordered a couple of donut pans from Target and surfed the internet for donut recipes. The Family Circle recipe was a little too much like cake, and if I was going to bake a donut, then it had to taste like a donut too. The recipe I ended up with was adapted from three different recipes that I found, all on different websites.

So phone the neighbors and wake the kids, because you will definitely want to try these. They're easy to make and fun too.

Baked Donuts

1 1/3 cups warm milk

1 packet active dry yeast or about 2 1/4 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 pinch or two of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast. Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. This is where you are going to need to make adjustments - if your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball. Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place (I turn on the oven at this point and set the bowl on top), and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. Then, using a smaller circle cutter, I cut the doughnut "hole" out in the center. (Ah-ha! The "munchkin" is born!) Transfer the circles to the donut pan. Then cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two. Coat with your favorite toppings like a dip in melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl.

So, let's go over it again step by step.....just in case you weren't paying attention the first time.

Add the warm milk to the bowl.
Add the yeast, stir and let sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast will get all warm and bubbly and happy.

Then add the butter,

flour and sugar.

A healthy pinch of nutmeg. Um, yeah. Please don't mind my giant stumpy blacksmith hand.

Two spanking fresh eggs

Mix this all together with a wooden spoon, just until all the flour is incorporated.

Then, using a bread hook, knead the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.....but don't walk away ...it will be ready in about 2 minutes.

Loosely shape the dough into a ball and put into a bowl that has been sprayed or wiped down with vegetable oil.

Cover it with a clean dishtowel and go do laundry for about an hour. By the time you're finished, the dough will have doubled in size.

Now comes the fun part. Make a fist and pretend it's your old high school math teacher.....remember the mean one? Yes, that one! Take aim at the dough, focus on that image and PUNCH. IT. DOWN! Then turn it out onto a floured countertop and using a rolling pin, roll it out to about 1/4 inch high.

Even though I have the donut pan, I used two cookie cutters to form the donut shape.

Then I plunked them down in the Donut Pan, covered them with a dishtowel. Ahem, a clean dishtowel, and let them rise for another 45 minutes. If you don't have a donut pan, just place the donut rings on a cookie sheet and follow the same instructions.

Then I baked them at 275 degrees for about 8 - 10 minutes. And they will come out looking all fat and happy.

Like this.

My friend Frank says that donuts are nothing more than "fat pills".

I wonder why.

Of course when you glaze them with sugar and chocolate, all bets on the "low fat" thing are off.

Oh and coconut. And chocolate sprinkles.

Did I already mention the chocolate? Um, ya. Easy to make. Mix about 2 cups of confectioners sugar with about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of dark unsweetened cocoa powder and stir it all up. Now take a warm donut and give it a little dunk. Um, ya.

I feel faint.

I almost forgot the best one. Cinnamon and Sugar Donuts! I used a pastry brush to coat the cooked donuts with melted butter. I know. I'm wicked. Then I sprinkled cinnamon and sugar all over. Moses.

Baked Donuts?

Go on. You can do it.

2010-02-28T14:55:00.031-05:00

For the first time in my life, the basement in my house flooded last week.

Yes, I'm serious. It did. This past week's Nor'easter dumped 2 inches of rain PER HOUR late Thursday afternoon. Most of which ended up in my back yard......on top of the frozen ground......then into my basement via the ground level laundry room window. Sigh. What a "bleepin" mess, but thankfully the water never reached the carpeting in the adjoining room. Thank god for my neighbors, Bob and Doreen! After using their Wet-Vac to remove ~~hundreds of~~ gallons of water from the floor, I was able to divert the continuing flood in my yard and keep it from flowing back into my basement by running two borrowed submersible pumps every 25 minutes throughout the night. Yes. All night long. Me. In my giant zebra-striped rubber rain boots and bright orange rain slicker. In the yard. All night. Alone. I want to go home. Oh wait, I am home. Crap. "Auntie Em, I'm frightened". I felt like Kate Winslet in Titanic. Only not as beautiful. The only thing missing was my life jacket.

And Leonardo DiCaprio.

........and come to think of it......maybe Noah.

Because just as I was getting ready to assemble the animals in pairs.......the rain finally stopped. Actually, it was 2 am and it slowed, then the temperature dropped about 15 degrees and it changed over to snow.

Perfect.

Anyway, the following day, after ~~self-medicating with Ibuprofen and a giant cup of coffee~~ I had both of my "oars" finally back in the water, I was ready to do some baking. Something fun. Something to take my mind off of anything to do with WATER. Hmmmmmm, something chocolate.

Enter Chunky Chocolate Monkey Bread!

Now, before I tell you the long version of this recipe, I have to tell you that this bread can be just as easily made with a couple of tubes of refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. But since I was still feeling the "high" of working off my narrow escape from going down with the Titanic, I was feeling a little more adventurous than usual. Hence the long way 'round......

This recipe was adapted from Lara Brody's fabulous cookbook, Chocolate American Style. It's a fairly easy recipe to follow with a mouth-watering result. You'll see.
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
3 extra large eggs
20-30 Hershey's Kisses
Cinnamon Sugar for rolling
1 stick butter melted and cooled slightly for dipping

Mix the flour,

sugar and salt,

yeast,

three extra large eggs,

..and 2/3 cup very warm water.

This measuring cup belonged to my mother. Although it's very worn and cracked, I love it. It makes for the coldest drink of water ever!

I used the bread hook attachment for my Kitchen Aid.

Start the mixer out on slow speed, just until everything is combined,

then turn it to high until the dough is moldable.

Form it into a ball. I know....it looks like something else here, doesn't it? Anyway, shake that image from your mind and leave it in the bowl, covered tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate anywhere from four to twenty-four hours.

After about four hours, I took the refrigerated dough and split it into four sections. Then I floured an area of the counter and rolled out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.

Now comes the fun part. Hershey's Kisses. You know them. You love them. So unwrap them. A bunch of them. Milk chocolate please!

...and because I'm a rebel, I unwrapped a few Dark Chocolate Kisses too.

Then mix them all together.

I used a two-inch round cookie cutter and placed a Kiss in the center of each one. Then pinch the sides together, making sure the chocolate Kiss is completely sealed inside.

Then melt some butter and coat each little ball of dough.

Then roll each little ball in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Then stack them in a loaf pan. Or an Angel Food pan.....if you're feeling angelic. I was able to stack them about 2-3 layers high. I finished by pouring what was left of the melted butter (not alot) over the top and shaking the last of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake in a 275 degree oven for about 60 minutes. If it looks like the tops are getting too brown, lightly cover it will foil while the bread is finished baking.

Then take the bread out and let it cool a bit. But not too much. This Monkey Bread is best when it's eaten warm from the oven, or at the very least the same day that it is baked. Yeah, right.

I have willpower. I think I can wait it out.

Can you?

The Year of The Blog

2010-02-21T16:34:00.009-05:00

Today is the one year anniversary of my Blog.

Since I didn't bake anything this weekend, I thought it would be appropriate to mark the occasion by posting on the same subject matter that I began with one year ago. I hope this doesn't bore you. If it does, go get a piece of chocolate to eat while you're reading it. What have I always taught you? That's right.......chocolate always helps.

You've been introduced to Emily several times over the past year. She's good girl and thankfully, she's still with me. But like everyone else (including me) she's another year older. Her bones hurt a little more, and some days, she only has one speed. S-L-O-W.

But she's still here.

And she's still fiesty. Did you know that when Boxers are mad or upset, they will sit and turn their back on you. See this?? This is what she does when I'm on the phone.

I wouldn't say that she completely rules the roost though, would you?

(Please note the print hanging over the bed..would you call this life imitating art or art imitating life? )

Although she'll be twelve years old in May, she's still pretty sharp.

Except on those days when she misplaces her glasses.

Boxers are "people" dogs. They like nothing more than to follow you around and gaze at you with THESE pathetic little eyes.

Her favorite thing to do (besides eat) is lay on the carpet in the sun.

Doesn't matter where that patch of sun is, so long as she can stretch out and bask in it.

And sometimes that sun feels so good, she flips herself over, gyrates back and forth and scratches her back for about 5 minutes.

"Oh I'm such a happy dog!"

In 1988 I brought my first Boxer home. Her name was Bridget. I remember people commenting on my particular choice of breed because in 1988, there weren't too many Boxers around.

I've learned that they can be extremely needy, they love people, they love children, they love to stomp on bugs then eat them, they love the sun, they love popsicles in the summertime, they are unbelievably stubborn, fiercely protective and once you get past the farting, they are undeniably sweet.

Although the breed has short hair..............they shed. Seriously, they do. They shed a lot. And when their "winter coat" begins to shed, look out. Don't let anyone tell you differently on this subject. I can't begin to tell you how many people have commented to me how Boxers "don't shed". To those people I say this.........

Trust me,

They do.