East to West Bakers

Cake batter blondies

2012-06-23T22:03:00.002-07:00

I saw several variations on this recipe before I found this one - one I preferred because it seemed to be the easiest and for the most part, I had the ingredients readily available.

These blondies are just as good as you would imagine them to be. Mine didn't turn out gooey in the middle like I imagined - next time I make them I'll take them out of the oven a few minutes sooner. But they were extremely delicious and super easy to make. I think the white chocolate chips really make this dessert.

The only variation I made to the recipe was to use a Funfetti cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix, and since it has sprinkles in it I reduced the amount of extra sprinkles.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 egg

1/4 -1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sprinkles

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the milk slowly. You want to cake batter to be as dense & thick as possible.
Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips.
Pour into 8 x 8inch baking pan, sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown. The blondies will still be gooey in the middle just out of the oven but after they've completely cooled they will be perfectly chewy and soft.
Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets, before cutting into squares.

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Crock pot Honey Sesame Chicken

2012-06-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

My crock pot and I are good friends. I rely on dump meals for dinners several times a month. Tim throws everything in the crock pot, I come home, we eat. It's pretty awesome, really.

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, so when I saw this one on my Facebook feed, I knew I wanted to try it. It was delicious and super easy to make. The only "trick" of this recipe was I made it on a weekend since it really only needed to cook for a few hours.

I'll definitely be making it again - adding rice and some steamed veggies made a quick, complete meal.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 onion, minced

2 1/2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

In a small bowl combine the honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir well.

Place chicken in the crockpot. Pour the sauce over top. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken, but leave the sauce, either shred or cut into pieces.

Stir the cornstarch into the sauce and cook on high for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken back into the sauce. Toss well. Top with sesame seeds.

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

2012-06-09T22:20:00.005-07:00

I realized a few weeks ago that while I have pinned many a things on Pinterest, I have done very little with any of them. I haven't crafted, read, fashioned, traveled, redecorated, cooked or baked anything from my boards.

I vowed to change that, and when the urge to bake struck me last weekend, I turned to my "Yummers" board. I found a few recipes that looked good and narrowed them down to what I had the ingredients for in my kitchen.

Enter these beauties. They were easy to make, wowed Tim and won over my coworkers. To describe them as "melt in your mouth" does no justice, and while I originally thought they'd be best serve chilled (as chocolate tends to melt in 5.7 seconds in the Florida summer), I strongly encourage you to try a melt-y bar.

Ingredients:
1 (18.25) package plain yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used reduced-fat)

2 eggs

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup coconut (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine cake mix, melted butter, peanut butter, and eggs in a large bowl using a mixer or spoon. Press this into a 9X13 pan reserving 1 1/2 cup of the mixture to crumble on top.

In a small pot, melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and coconut.

Spread chocolate mixture over the mixture pressed in the pan and then crumble the 1 1/2 cups of reserved cake mixture on top evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars

2012-03-12T09:03:00.002-07:00

Helllllllloooooo amazing new dessert. I saw this pop up in my Google reader and made it three days later. The butter taste is strong, and the bars melted in my mouth. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but the original post mentioned using any kind of chips. I have visions of white chocolate and butterscotch chips dancing in my head.

I had to get these out of the house quickly, so when I met with a friend for dinner and drinks, I sent them with her to give to my former coworkers. (And the few I kept for Tim and Elle were gone so fast I neglected to take a photo!)

These were simple and took an extremely short amount of time to prepare. I had all of the ingredients on hand, and the preparation and clean up were a cinch. Do yourself (and your family and friends) a favor and make these :)

Ingredients:

2 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour (10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup light brown sugar (7 ounces)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Place another piece of parchment paper in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugars until combined. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Transfer to prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake until top is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 27 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove bars from pan by lifting parchment overhang and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Source: Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Golden Gate Lasagna

2012-03-05T22:42:00.001-08:00

I'm not a big lasagna fan. I've never really gotten the appeal of ricotta cheese, and it just seems like a lot of work to make a big pan of lasagna, especially for two people. Tim, on the other hand, loves lasagna.

We remained a lasagna-less household until a year or two ago, when I found this recipe. I've have made it several times since, and we love it. It's simple, it's a great size for two people (including one who doesn't eat leftovers ::shoots death glare at husband::) and it's easy to make during a toddler's nap time for baking at dinner time. I also love the fact that I can customize it so that Tim can have his ricotta side, and I can have my ricotta-free side. It's easy to clean up and we don't waste a ton of food.

This recipe calls for cottage cheese, but I use ricotta. Sometimes I buy the tomato sauce with oregano and basil in it, other times I buy plain tomato sauce - either way, I can adjust the amount of spices and seasonings I want to include in the meal. Bottom line, this is an awesome recipe.

The inventor of loaf pan lasagna is a genius. If you have picky eaters in your family but love lasagna, or if you're cooking for a small household and hate wasting food, this is perfect for you.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 (8-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 of a 10-ounce package wide lasagna noodles, uncooked
3/4 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Brown beef. Stir in garlic salt, onion, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook noodles as package directs until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. (I make 10-12 noodles, but I usually only use nine.)

Place 1/3 of noodles in 8-inch loaf pan (you'll have to trim the noodles). Layer with beef sauce, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. Repeat, making two more layers.

Bake in 375 degree F oven 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

NOTE: If prepared ahead and refrigerated before baking allow 10 more minutes oven time.

From: Recipelink.com

Click here to view: http://www.recipelink.com/cgi/msgbrd/msg_script.pl?getmsg=1&board=16&thread=1279

Peaches and cream coffee cake

2012-02-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

Somehow, a few weeks ago, the conversation in my office turned to the fact that I hadn't baked in a while. And then there were suggestions of what I should bake. The end result stemmed from a comment about the coffee cake at a local restaurant, Peaches.

I love finding recipes for things made at restaurants (more on those later, like Chipotle's cilantro lime rice). So when I did a quick search and found this pretty coffee cake on the Betty Crocker website, I was sold.

I made it for my coworkers, and it was easy and delicious. And got gobbled up FAST. The only complication I had was when it came to overlapping the strips of dough ... I don't think I really succeeded at that part. I ended up just kind of pulling some pieces over other pieces and crossing my fingers that it would all work out. But I can tell you that it didn't really matter - the peach pie filling covers it up, and it tasted amazing.

The cake part of this recipe was light and buttery, and the cream cheese filling and peach pie filling added just the right amount of sugary sweetness. I usually don't taste subtleties like lemon juice, but in this recipe, I did, and it added a perfect touch of tang and tart to the doughy, sweet rest of the cake. I can't wait to make this with other flavors of pie filling, too - I'm thinking cherry might be next :)

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Filling
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Coffee Cake
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening. In small bowl, beat all cream cheese filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; set aside.

2. In medium bowl, cut 3 oz cream cheese and the butter into Bisquick mix, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are the size of small peas. Stir in milk. Place dough on surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix; roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into ball; knead 8 to 10 times.

3. Roll or pat dough into 12x8-inch rectangle. Place on cookie sheet. Spread cream cheese filling down center of rectangle. Make cuts, 2 1/2 inches long, at 1-inch intervals on 12-inch sides of rectangle. Fold strips over filling, overlapping strips. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over top.

4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden; cool 10 minutes. Carefully place on serving platter. Spoon pie filling down center of coffee cake. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Source: Betty Crocker

Peppermint Bark

2011-12-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

I bring you this recipe post-Christmas because I a) made my best batch of peppermint bark four days before Christmas and b) feel the need to give you a new use for all of the candy canes you can buy on clearance right now.

I had seen peppermint bark in a magazine recently and decided I needed to conquer my fear of melting chocolate and make it this year. When I was living with my parents, we had a double boiler and would melt chocolate to make buckeyes each year. Out in the real world, I have yet to purchase a double boiler and instead use a make-shift one when I make this cheesecake for my husband and think I just closed my eyes and crossed my fingers when I made the cake batter bark earlier this year.

But the chocolate-melting-without-a-double-boiler for this bark? Sooooo easy. I used Nestle morsels and followed the directions on the back for melting them. (The directions for the semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips vary slightly from the white chocolate instructions.) This didn't take long, and aside from messing up one batch because I was distracted by an extremely chatty husband (I didn't mix the candy canes in with the white chocolate and ended up sprinkling it over the melted chocolate), I was very pleased with the results. I made three batches, and my favorite by far was a milk chocolate/white chocolate combination. All of them were well-received.

Ingredients:

12 ounces (about 2 cups) dark chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
12 ounces (about 2 cups) white chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips
8 peppermint candy canes (I used 7-9)

Directions:

1. Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a food processor. Pulse on/off several times for 5-10 seconds each, until the canes have been crushed into small pieces. Alternately, place the candy canes in a large Ziploc bag and seal tightly. Use a rolling pin to roll/smash the candy canes until they are the size you desire. (I double-bagged them and experimented for each batch, using a rolling pin, hammer and stapler to smash them. The stapler was by far the most effective.)

2. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with smooth aluminum foil.

3. Melt or temper the dark chocolate. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet and use an offset spatula or knife to spread it to an even thickness, a little more than 1/8" thick. The chocolate does not have to reach all sides of the sheet, as it will be broken up later anyhow. Place the tray in the refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the white chocolate (I left it in for at least 20 minutes each time).

4. While the dark chocolate hardens, melt or temper the white chocolate. Stir in most of the candy cane bits, reserving about a quarter of the mixture to put on top. (I stir all of them in unless Chatty McHusband is around.)

5. Remove the tray from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate in an even layer over the dark chocolate.

6. While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces over the entire surface evenly. Press down very slightly to ensure they stick. Place the tray back in the refrigerator to firm up for 30 minutes.

7. Once the peppermint bark bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand.

Source: about.com

Apple crisp

2011-10-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Covered in apple crisp.

It's fall, even in Florida, and the apples on sale at the grocery store. I had the urge to make something fall-ish this weekend, and I've already made and frozen several pumpkin goodies, so my next thought was an apple dish. I made this one a few weeks ago and we gobbled it up, but I decided Elle needed to experience the joy that is apple crisp ... but little did I know what a hit it would be with my husband, too. He was upset when I gave the last of it to the baby, haha. I've made two batches in four days and I don't see any end to that pattern in sight :)

Delicious, easy and not the most unhealthy thing in the world - this is a keeper.

Ingredients:

Filling
5 medium apples, peeled and diced
1.5 oz raisins (small box)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)

Topping
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar (not packed)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine apples, raisins, cinnamon, agave nectar and lemon juice in large bowl. (After reading the comments on Gina's post, I found out that you can substitute honey for the agave nectar, but it's recommended to add some extra sugar to compensate for the lost sweetness without the nectar. I added about 1/8 cup granulated sugar.)

Sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss until fruit is coated. Place fruit in an ungreased baking dish.

Mix remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over fruit.

Bake about 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a scoop of low fat ice cream or fat free frozen yogurt.

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 7/8 cup • Calories: 222 • Points: 4.5 pts

Source: Skinny Taste

Oreo Cupcakes

2011-09-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

Mommy brain+new job+a huge delay in posting=I don't remember exactly why I made these. I do remember they were well-received, and I remember finding them especially yummy myself. I also recall that they made "plain cupcakes" a little fancier or looked like I went to a lot of trouble.

My family gave me some tidbits to remember about this creation, too. My daughter discovered she loves herself some Oreos in the process of making these beauties. My husband went on and on about how lame I was for not using name-brand Oreos for this dessert. But I'm a girl who is always looking for a deal, so generic it was, and I don't think any ounce of deliciousness was sacrificed :)

Ingredients
1 box of white cake mix, prepared by the directions on the box (original recipe used 1 can of diet Sprite and the packaged cake mix to make it less calories)
1 box of double stuffed Oreos
Frosting (store bought or homemade)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners.

Break 24 Oreo cookies apart, trying to keep all of the filling on one side. Place the cookies filling side up in the center of each liner.

Place the tops of the Oreo cookies in a bag and crush until they form crumbs. Toss about 1/2-1 cup of the crumbs in with the prepared cake mix batter. Stir well to combine.

Fill the liners 3/4 of the way.

Bake according to the package, about 15 minutes.

Allow to cool. Frost the cupcakes and top with remaining crumbs and/or halves of Oreos.

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-09-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

I usually don't rush to blog a recipe, but after posting this camera-phone photo:

to Facebook last night, I was bombarded with ~~demands~~ requests for the recipe, so I am posting it now. (And seriously - the quality of the photo is AWFUL, but the awesomeness of the cookie still comes through.)

We had a work potluck yesterday, so I made these and another dessert that wasn't nearly as popular :)

I found the recipe for these on Pinterest, but the link I had pinned wouldn't load, so I googled it and found an adaptation of the pinned recipe on another baking blog. I followed some of the suggestions in the comments - most notably, I reduced the flour to three cups. I also used double-stuffed Oreos, which was kinda insane.

My batch yielded 20 substantial cookies. These puppies were H-E-A-V-Y. I baked nine on each sheet, as opposed to my usual 12-16.

They taste absolutely fantastic. I expected the Oreo (or generic Oreo, if you're me) to get kind of soggy or break apart, and it didn't. The chocolate chip cookie recipe is so good that I might just might make it my go-to recipe (sans Oreo cookie).

I had one. It felt like I'd eaten four cookies. I wanted to curl up with a glass of milk and take a nap. Alas, I had to work, but you get the idea.

Do yourself a favor. Do your friends and family a favor. Make these easy-yet-impressive cookies. Just don't make them all the time :)

Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.

Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.

Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE cookies.

Source: Becky Bakes

Mini-cheesecake brownie bites

2011-08-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on a new-to-me cooking and baking blog a few months (it's one of the ones I recently added to the blog roll) ... and watch out, blog world: I'm hooked.

I had promised a co-worker that I would bake - I hadn't baked in a while, and I have a reputation to uphold. I wanted a recipe that would be different but easy to make with ingredients I had on hand, and I had several of Joelen's recipes to choose from. I heart this recipe further because it was super easy to modify in to a reduced fat version. The boxed brownie mix that I had - Duncan Hines - provided a way to make the brownies lower fat by using only one egg and reduced water, as well as substituting unsweetened applesauce for vegetable oil. I also used reduced fat cream cheese.

I LOVE these bites, and I was not alone in my assessment. I will make them over and over again - they're a great snack or party food, and they're a nice size for a touch of rich, chocolate-y goodness without a load of calories.

Ingredients
1 package fudge brownie mix
Ingredients for brownie mix
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare muffin pan by spraying the inside of each well with cooking spray.

Pour prepared brownie mix in each well.

In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients.

Carefully top each brownie well with the cream cheese mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until done

Source: What's Cooking, Chicago?

Cake Mix Snickerdoodles

2011-08-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

I had almost all of a cake mix leftover from making the Cake Batter Bark, so as the bark was chilling, I put the oven to work and made these easy, moist and tasty Snickerdoodles. It was a nice, simple alternative to something super chocolate-y, and a neat way to create a version of a classic cookie I often forget about.

Ingredients
1 box cake mix
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Mix and roll into balls and into sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.

Source: Makes and Takes

Scalloped Apples Dessert (in the slow cooker)

2011-08-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of the crock pot. It's kind of like having a personal chef - cooks while I'm not around and makes my home smell delicious. Sure, I still have to prep the meal and clean up after, but I haven't met a slow cooker meal that I didn't like, and there's something about making a meal cooking itself while I'm off ~~drinking margaritas by the pool~~ running errands that appeals to me.

I've never made anything dessert-y in my crock pot, though, until this recipe. I loved these apples, and so did my daughter (in fact, this reminds me I need to make this again!). They were good warm or cold, and I actually never even ice cream with them, which sounds A-MAZ-ING (again, another reason to make them soon!).

This recipe was super easy to make and didn't take long, thanks to my trusty peeler and apple corer/slicer. It made a lot, but we enjoyed them for days, including as a topping to waffles ... mmmmm ...

Channeling IHOP at home with waffles,
leftover scalloped apples and whipped cream.

Ingredients
4 Granny Smith apples
4 Golden Delicious apples
1 cup sugar (feel free to cut back)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup butter, sliced
vanilla ice cream and/or sweetened whipped cream (optional, for serving)

Directions
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. If you've only got a 6-quart, that's okay, just check on your apples after 3-4 hours on low.

Peel, core, and slice the apples.

Plop the apples into your slow cooker and toss the slices with sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and butter slices.

Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or until apples have reached desired tenderness. If you cook too long, the apples will turn into applesauce.

Source: A Year of Slow Cooking

Housekeeping

2011-08-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hi all! *dusts off blog cobwebs*

I have a few new recipes to share, but truth be told, my food-making and recipe-sharing days have been extremely limited. There just aren't enough hours in the day, and the hours that do exist go primarily to my family, my job and my sanity (pretty much in that order, haha). Meghan is no longer posting on the blog, so basically, you're stuck with me and my meager offerings.

I love having the blog and enjoy referencing old recipes and cataloging new ones, so the blog is in no way going any where, and since Meghan contributed many of the recipes for so much of the blog's existence, the name won't change. But (as I'm sure you could already tell) new posts might be few and far between in the future.

If you're in search of some good blogs to follow, I have added three new blogs to the "Baking Blogs" blog roll on the right sidebar. They're some of my new favorites to peruse and bookmark new recipes to try. Also, if you're on Pinterest, follow me and we can share the yummy goodies we find!

So, dear readers, if you're still hanging with the blog, do you have any recipes you'd like to share? Any other food blogs I should add to the blog roll?

Sweet Potato Fries

2011-07-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Elle's loving the sweet potato fries.

I've mentioned before that until recently, I've considered sweet potatoes to be the evil relative to my beloved pumpkin. But when we started solid food with my daughter, Elle, I was desperate to expose her to as many fruits and vegetables as possible. I'm much more of a fruit person myself, and I usually get my veggies from heaping salads - heaping salads that aren't exactly the best food for a young baby.

We've followed baby-led weaning to introduce solids to Elle, which means table foods - no purees. In my quest for "ways to give my child veggies," I found an easy recipe for sweet potato fries. They're a great food for baby led weaning, and they've got plenty of flavor. Elle loves them - and so do I :) I must admit that not all of the fries make it to her high chair. I like this recipe because it is easy to tweak the amount and types of spices - some times I use nutmeg instead of ginger, and I almost always omit the coriander and cardamom.

The verdict: Excellent, healthy vegetable options for both babies and adults.

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, cut into french fries
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons light olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Rinse the sweet potato fries with cold water and drain. Spread onto a baking sheet.

3. Stir the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, coriander, and brown sugar together in a bowl; sprinkle over the fries. Drizzle the olive oil over the fries.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to serve.

Source: allrecipes.com

French Toast

2011-07-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I have been craving French toast lately. I think it started when I went to a bridal shower brunch and one of the girls made this amazing French toast. But I've always been intimidated by French toast - it isn't always the healthiest breakfast food, and for a lifetime calorie-counter like myself, it was considered off limits. I also had this vision of a complex, super-involved preparation that should be reserved only for the most special of guests and occasions.

But then I got over that. And when I was struck by this craving, and coincidentally presented with a surplus of bread (it was whole wheat, although the recipe calls for white) and eggs, I decided to go for it.

It. Was. So. Easy.

And soooo good.

I'm hooked. I've got two other French toast recipes already bookmarked to try, and I think I can safely say that Elle and Tim are definitely willing to act as my test-tasters on this mission.

In fact, I might have to make this again just to take a photo, because I neglected to do so the first time I made it :) I attempted to make a half-batch but only ended up with enough coating for five pieces of bread, which worked fine for the three of us.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 slices white bread
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, brown sugar and nutmeg; stir well to combine (I added cinnamon as well, but I didn't sprinkle it at the end).

2. Soak bread slices in the egg mixture until saturated

3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Brown slices on both sides, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve hot.

Source: allrecipes.com

Strawberry cake

2011-06-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Around the time that my daughter was born (almost 11 months ago, eek!), I started social networking with a lot of other expectant moms and new moms. The connections you can make via blogs, Twitter and Facebook are astounding, and I love the virtual community/sounding board/friendships I've had access to - these people are truly amazing.

One of my favorite new mamas (her absolutely adorable son was born a few short weeks ago) is an extremely crafty lady who Tweeted a few months ago about making her husband a strawberry cake. Elizabeth has an amazing sense of humor, is a great writer and is insanely creative and stylish. She and her husband have an amazingly sweet love story, and I relate to their May-December pairing. I've followed her pregnancy via her blog and Tweets, and I was instantly intrigued by her mentioning of the cake, as *my* husband is a big strawberry fan.

She e-mailed me the recipe, which looked easier and yummier than I had initially imagined. I worried only that I might not be able to find the strawberry nectar, but lo and behold, it was super easy to find in my grocery store - it came in a soda can-type container and came in many other flavors.

Having secured the necessary ingredietns, I vowed to make it soon.

Soon came when I co-hosted a bridal shower for a friend (and Tim was promised the leftover cake). It was the perfect cake for the occasion, and it was absolutely delicious. It was simple, flavorful and moist - all winners in my book. And after Elizabeth pointed out the candy-like flavor, it totally jumped out at me, and I've started mixing all of the fruit-y flavored frostings that I buy with a vanilla or cream cheese frosting. This is a cake that isn't drastically complicated or crazy different, but it tastes great and has the amazing touches of the preserves and the strawberry nectar.

The recipe, from Elizabeth:

Use a boxed strawberry cake mix and add strawberry nectar in place of the called for water (like Jumex strawberry nectar - you can usually find it in the Hispanic section of the grocery store).

Instead of icing between the layers, use strawberry preserves.

To ice the outside, mix a container of strawberry icing with vanilla or cream cheese icing so it doesn't taste like candy. The vanilla seems to drown out the fake strawberry flavor in pre-made icings.

Then cut up fresh strawberries and arrange them on top.

Source: E Tells Tales

Orange Chip Muffins

2011-06-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through one of my little books full of clipped-out recipes for a dinner recipe a while back, and I flipped past this little gem. I came back to it, realized I had all of the ingredients except the coconut, and I left it out to make the next day.

Simply put, I heart these muffins.

The orange flavor really comes through, and the coconut adds a crunchy sweetness. I'm pretty sure you'd still have a tasty treat if you omit the coconut, but for our family, it was a hit. Most of the time when I make muffins or cupcakes, there's waaaayyyy too much batter and I end up making more than the two dozen the recipe in question is *supposed* to yield. But these were spot on. We froze a dozen and have been munching on them occasionally - and I will definitely be making these again!

Ingredients:
3 cups of four
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained and coarsely chopped
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Topping:
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of butter, melted

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375. Place 24 paper or foil liners into 2 muffin pans.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In another large bowl, beat together sugar, orange juice, oil and eggs. On low beat in the flour mixture until combined. Fold in the oranges and chocolate chips. Beat on medium for 1 minute. Spoon batter equally into the lined muffin pans, about scant 1/4 cup into each.

4. Topping: In a small bowl, stir together coconut, sugar and melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over each muffin.

5. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool slightly on wire rack before removing from pan.

Source: An old magazine recipe clipping

The things we do for love

2011-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

I found some photos from my great Christmas Baking Adventure of 2010, which yielded such yummy gems as Brownie Crackles and Chocolate Caramel Cracker Candy.

While I am fully aware these were taken months ago, it's not the first time a late-night baking session has occurred in our home, and I'm certain it won't be the last. I had agreed to bake up a few plates of cookies for Tim's holiday work potluck, and I also needed some cookies to send out with gifts we were mailing the next day.

I came home from work around midnight, and Operation Bake All Night commenced. Tim was working days back then, so he went to bed hours before I was done with this project. I think I made five or six different kinds of cookies and had a pretty good routine down by the end of it. But I was exhausted. And tired of washing dishes, particularly my mixing bowls and baking sheets. And if I remember correctly, minutes after I finished the last batch, washed the dishes and covered and packed everything up appropriately, my daughter woke up. She'd been sleeping through the night for months, yet apparently the little Betty Crocker in her woke up that night and decided she wanted to party with Mommy ... at 4 a.m.

After getting Elle back to sleep, I stumbled to bed for a few hours - no time for sweet dreams, I just wanted sleep.

Ah, the life of a Baker.

Some of my creations.

Ugh.

Oven on, and it's 3:40 in the morning. Kill. Me. Now.

What's the craziest baking adventure you've had? Stayed up all night to finish a birthday cake? Promised to make dozens of cookies for a work or school function and then finished them at the last minute? Share your stories, folks - just remembering this night makes me feel a little nuts, and I'd like to know I'm not alone :)

Lemonade Party Cake

2011-05-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

I have promised myself that I must catch up on all of my blog posts (because I've been cooking and baking stuff that has been sitting at "Draft" status for months now) before I bake anything new - so I'm glad that I snuck in some yummy summer-y desserts before I made that vow :)

The photo I took of this delicious cake doesn't really do much - it looks like any regular cake with frosting. (Actually, the lightning and angle of that particular photo don't even make it look like a cake at all, which is why there is no photo with this post, haha.)

But the way it tastes? Amazing. It's crisp and tart and refreshing and so, so moist. It *is* any regular cake ... until you add the powdered sugar and lemonade concentrate mixture, when it becomes a sweet, moist dessert. It's easy and would be perfect for a summer picnic or party.

Ingredients:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 can (6 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate - thawed
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tub soft Whipped Fluffy White Or Fluffy Lemon Ready To Spread Frosting
Yellow colored sugar -- if desired

Directions:
Bake cake as directed on package for 13x9 inch pan. Cool 15 minutes.

Mix lemonade concentrate and powdered sugar. Poke long-tined fork into top of warm cake every 1/2 inch, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking.

Drizzle lemonade mixture evenly over top of cake. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. Spread frosting over top of cake. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover loosely and refrigerate any remaining cake.

Source: CDKitchen

Strawberries and Cream Dessert Squares

2011-05-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

These bars taught me that I need to stop baking when I get home from work late at night. I was rushing to get the crust part done and misread the instructions, overcooking the crust by a few minutes. Alas, they were still yummy, and they were a super easy way to make a tasty dessert with one of Florida's seasonal fruits.

Layers of deliciousness.

Ingredients:

Crust
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg

Filling
1 cup white vanilla baking chips (6 oz)
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

Topping
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
10 to 12 drops red food color, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 15x10x1- or 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. Press evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

2. In small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips uncovered on High 45 to 60 seconds or until chips are melted and can be stirred smooth. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in melted chips until blended. Spread mixture over crust. Refrigerate while making topping.

3. In small bowl, crush 1 cup of the strawberries. In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in crushed strawberries and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in food color. Cool 10 minutes. Gently stir in remaining 3 cups strawberries. Spoon topping over filling. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set; serve within 4 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.

Source: Betty Crocker

Cake Batter Bark

2011-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe at the beginning of the year. I didn't make it until this month, though, and I'm posting it today because it's my birthday (eek, I'm 30!). What better recipe for a birthday than one involving cake batter?!

I vowed to my coworker I would make it and share with the department. I had been waiting for a special occasion, thinking it was fancy and involved. But then we had a rough patch at work last month - one of my coworkers had her gall bladder removed (she was admitted to the hospital on her birthday!), I unexpectedly missed a few days of work for the funeral of my grandmother, and our boss took a new job and moved away. This was all during our busiest month of the year, so to say we were stressed is a bit of an understatement.

This bark was just the thing to bring a little light back to our downtrodden souls. It was amazingly easy, very quick and was an absolute hit in the office. The only downsides? It's a tad expensive after you buy the bars of chocolate. It melts quickly - for our purposes at work, presentation was sacrificed for taste as we kept the bark in a bag in the fridge. And to be honest, maybe my "heaping 1.5 teaspoons of cake batter" wasn't heaping enough - the cake batter taste really didn't come through to me. But the sprinkles? Those were cute. And I'm a sucker for white chocolate, so this was a winner for me.

Ingredients:
7 ounces good dark chocolate
12 ounces good white chocolate
1.5 heaping tsp. yellow cake mix
Colored sprinkles

Directions:
1. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, over a double burner, or over low flame. Spread thinly over parchment paper of a silpat. (I just used parchment paper on a cookie sheet.)

2. Cool in the freezer for 20 minutes.

3. Melt the white chocolate. Add the cake mix, stir well. Spread over the dark. (Do a little bit at a time because it will melt the chocolate and it won't look as pretty.)

4. Top with rainbow sprinkles. Freeze for 20 more minutes.

5. Break into pieces and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat it.

P.S. I'll share what I did with the remainder of my cake mix in an upcoming post!

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Butterscotch Chip Pumpkin Cookies

2011-04-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

I *think* this is the last of my Christmas cookie recipes. (Better late than never, right?) And once again, this was one of those pumpkin recipes that felt familiar as I was making it ... and then I realized it was pretty much the same thing as the Pumpkin Cookies I always make - except with the addition of butterscotch chips.

Ah well.

They were delicious, and since they have a cake mix base, they stayed extremely moist, which was great considering I was shipping these to various friends and family members across the country. And once again, ease to the rescue! The fact that this one batch made a ton of cookies was perfect for Christmas, too.

Ingredients

2 packages yellow or spice cake mix

1 can (29 oz.) pumpkin

2 cups butterscotch chips*

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees. With a spoon, stir cake mixes and pumpkin together in a large bowl. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes.

Cool 2-3 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to a nonstick rack to cool completely.

*Milk chocolate chips can be substituted for butterscotch chips.

Source: 101 More Things To Do With A Cake Mix by Stephanie Ashcraft

Easy Pepperoni Rolls

2011-04-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Drool ...

Shock of all shocks, we had a work potluck a while ago. I wanted to make something in additional to my usual dessert contribution, so I started brainstorming what I could make with the leftover pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese from this recipe. Initially, I thought "pizza rolls" - but I was thinking I'd do something time-intensive and elaborate, like making the dough myself, making the large, cheesy rolls almost as big as biscuits.

But then reality hit - I don't have time, or really, patience, for that. So I found a recipe for something that would require ingredients that I had on hand, aside from the packaged pizza crust, and not a ridiculous amount of time or effort. And then I modified the recipe a bit - the first batch I made was in a 9x13 pan and I used two packages of dough. Since then, I've made them a few times with one package of dough in a round 8- or 9-inch pan and half of the rest of the ingredients. I tried to make note of my changes below, but really, I kind of wing it and haven't failed yet.

In summary, my version of these rolls is very unscientific, but the end result is still easy and delicious. We've had it as a snack or paired with a salad to make more of a meal. They're fantastic warm but also good cold. You can't go wrong with these, and they're great to serve at a party!

INGREDIENTS
2 cans (13.8 oz each) refrigerated classic pizza crust (I used Pillsbury's thin crust)
8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 48 cubes (I used about 1/2-1 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese)
48 slices pepperoni (3 oz) (I usually only use 16 or 32 depending on how many cans of dough I'm using.)
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning (I put together a mix of seasonings and combine it with a dash of EVOO)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce, heated (I don't heat it)

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 400°F. Spray two 9-inch pie pans or one 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Remove dough from both cans. Unroll dough; starting at center, press out each dough rectangle with hands to form 12x8-inch rectangle. (I just unroll the dough.) Cut each rectangle into 24 squares. (I usually get 16.)

Sauce!

Pepperoni!

Cheese!

Top each square with cheese cube and pepperoni slice. Wrap dough around filling to completely cover; firmly press edges to seal. Place seam side down with sides touching in sprayed pie pans.

In small bowl, combine oil and Italian seasoning; mix well. Drizzle over filled dough in pans. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400°F. for 16 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm pizza bites with warm pizza sauce.

Source: Pillsbury

In training

2011-04-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the recent quiet on the blog. I have a few recipes to share but need to find the time to blog about them. Work, life, etc. have been crazy - well, crazier than usual, anyway - and last week my grandmother passed away, so my daughter, Elle, and I flew north for a whirlwind trip to be at the funeral.

While we were at my parents' house, though, my little brother and I decided we wanted to bake. He brought out all of my mom's cake mixes so we could pick our poison - and Elle found them to be quite entertaining.

"Mom, if I had been a boy,
would you have named me Duncan Hines?"

"I'm soooo not in a spice cake mood."