Eva Bakes - There's always room for dessert!

Blueberry muffins with Greek yogurt

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:58:00 +0000

I recently got stuck in another breakfast rut. I think I ate toasted English muffins for 5 straight days. I normally don't eat a lot for breakfast, but I do love the occasional muffin. Blueberry muffins happen to be one of my favorite, so I decided to bake up a batch to add a little bit of variety into my humdrum breakfast routine.

During my last trip to the grocery store, I bought a container of Greek yogurt. I am not a fan of eating it plain (it's too tart for me, even with different flavors and brands), but I do like to bake with it. I wanted to use Greek yogurt in my muffins to add a bit of protein and make them somewhat healthier.

I found this recipe on the smitten kitchen website and thought they sounded perfect. I own Deb's book (The smitten kitchen cookbook) but shamefully have not made anything from it yet. I hope to correct that soon.

Deb proclaims that these are the perfect blueberry muffins. I have to agree. They are nice and fluffy and chock full of juicy blueberries. I guess the only thing that is missing is streudel. I'm a sucker for streusel topping and would love these muffins even more if they had it on top. But muffin-wise, yeah, these are pretty much awesome.

Blueberry muffins with Greek yogurt

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani 0%)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I omitted because I didn't have any lemons)
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost or thaw)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F.

Either 1) line a muffin tin with 9 or 10 paper liners or 2) spray a standard muffin tin generously with a nonstick spray (I chose a third option and used my silicone muffin tin. I did not spray it).

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the egg until it is fully incorporated. Then add the yogurt and lemon zest.

In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add half the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients into batter and beat until the flour disappears - do not overmix.

Turn off the mixer and gently fold in your blueberries by hand using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. The batter will be very thick and resemble cookie dough.

Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared muffin tins or liners and fill them about 3/4 full. If you have an ice cream scoop, it would be helpful to use here. I used my medium cookie scoop and portioned about 1 and 1/2 scoops per muffin tin.

Bake in your preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool before devouring.

Muffins will store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. They can also be stored in the freezer for several weeks and reheated as desired.

Yield: About 9 or 10 muffins

Source: smitten kitchen, who originally adapted it from Cooks Illustrated

Skating Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:00 +0000

One of the required elements for the Adult Gold Freestyle test is the axel jump. If you wanted to take a look at one of my landed jumps, check it out (this video was taken one month ago):

Since we've exclusively been working on Gold Moves, Coach B has never worked on the axel with me until now. She's seen the video above, and immediately saw ~~a few~~ a bunch of things that needed improvement:

My back is slightly hunched over in the take-off.
I do not get enough height since I am not jumping off my top toe pick.
My ankles do not make full contact with each other in the air.
And another 5638 other things.

So, Coach B has given me a variety of axel preparation exercises to improve my jump. Note that we are not working in the harness yet. That will come later, after I've gotten some of the fundamentals down. Things like:

Split waltz jump
Waltz jump with ankle taps mid-air
Waltz jump with crossed legs mid-air
Once-arounds, or bell jumps
Other exercises at the board

Here is a video of the split waltz, waltz with ankle taps and waltz with crossed legs. These are amazingly hard to do. There isn't much time to do the ankle tap or leg cross on a waltz jump. But if can't do any of these, then I wouldn't be able to successfully land an axel. The axel jump is only 0.3 seconds of airtime from takeoff to landing so there isn't time to do much at all.

I'm anxious to get in the harness soon and see if I can make some good improvement on the jump. I'll be curious to see if the differences in my jump before and after Coach B's axel prep exercises.

Cinnamon and spice sweet potato bread

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:07:00 +0000

I am a planner - your typical, Type A personality. I thrive on lists, schedules and places like The Container Store (though sadly, none are in my area). When I saw this cinnamon and spice sweet potato bread on Averie Cooks pop up in my RSS feed, I actually had to drop everything I was doing and make it immediately.

After Addison went to bed, I got to working and baked this bread. My kitchen smelled glorious from all the aromatic spices like cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. But because I only had one sweet potato, I halved the recipe below and only baked for 40 minutes. It was perfect.

Lesson learned: it pays off to be impulsive every once in a while because this bread was out of this world (I actually made two loaves in one week because it was eaten so quickly). Addison ate the bread like she was a starved woman and polished off a slice in the blink of an eye and wanted more. My husband loved it. My in-laws loved it. And I did too. So will you. Drop what you're doing and bake this now.

Cinnamon and spice sweet potato bread

About 1 and 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (2 medium or 1 very large)
3 TBSP water
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used Greek yogurt; you can also use sour cream or buttermilk powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
A pinch salt

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray or grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch sized chunks. Put sweet potatoes in a large, (preferably shallow) microwave-safe bowl. Add 3 tablespoons water to the sweet potatoes, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft. Discard any excess water and mash the potatoes with a fork. Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes so they are no longer hot.

Add eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla to the sweet potatoes and mix until well combined and set aside.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt.

Add the sweet potato mixture over the dry ingredients, and gently stir to combine. Do not overmix!

Pour the batter into greased loaf pan and be sure to smooth the top lightly with a spatula.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The bread will be domed, golden and springy when touched.

Cool the bread directly in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store bread by covering with plastic wrap and sealed inside a zip-top plastic bag. Bread will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Yield: One 9"x5" loaf

Source: Averie Cooks

Homemade mini Three Musketeers candy bars

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Sun, 12 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Happy Mother's Day! Since I am now a mom and can celebrate Mother's Day with some of my favorite foods, I figured that I'd continue my love affair with chocolate by making homemade Three Musketeers bars. Although I like snacking on candy bars, I don't eat them very often. And I prefer the fun-sized ones since they are portion-controlled.

Two of my favorite candy bars are Three Musketeers and Milky Ways. Though Milky Ways are my #1 choice, I opted to make Three Musketeers so I wouldn't have to deal with a caramel layer - I know how messy that stuff can get. But, if you prefer to make Milky Way bars, check out this recipe from Beantown Baker.

These homemade candy bars were surprisingly similar in taste to the pre-packaged versions. The nougat layer actually tasted like the light and fluffy interiors from my favorite brand. I had a difficult time cutting and dipping the chocolate bars and even ran out of melted chocolate to dip the last 8 or so bars. Regardless, they were still tasty and satisfying to recreate.This is a winning recipe, for sure, and perfect for my chocoholic self on Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, including mine, of course!

Homemade mini Three Musketeers candy bars

4 cups chocolate chips, divided (can use milk or semi-sweet)
1 (8 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 TBSP vegetable oil or shortening

Directions
Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with wax paper (I used a silicone pan and did not line or spray my pan).

In a medium bowl, melt 2 cups of chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments until it is fully melted. Stir after each 30 second interval. Alternatively, you can melt the chips in a double boiler if desired.

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer on high speed, beat the melted chocolate for about 30 seconds. Add the thawed frozen whipped topping to the melted chocolate and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 30-60 seconds.

Using a spatula, evenly spread the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. Remove pan from freezer and flip the chocolate mixture onto a cutting board and cut into one-inch squares with a knife.

Return the chocolate squares to freezer for another 15-20 minutes.

Melt the final 2 cups of chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or shortening and stir until well incorporated. Dip the frozen chocolate squares into melted chocolate to coat (try using a toothpick to "stab" the chocolate and dip it). Place on a sheet of wax paper to dry.

Candy bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.

Yield: I got about 32 "fun-sized" candy bars. You may get more or less depending upon how large you want your candy bars to be.

Source: Let's Dish; originally adapted from Eclectic Whatnot, who found the recipe on The Open Pantry

Skating Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:26:00 +0000

If you gave me a choice on whether I could jump or spin, I'd definitely prefer to jump. Spinning does not come naturally to me, and I know it might be due to the fact that I was not taught the correct technique as a child. My forward scratch spin has never been good, despite the countless hours I've practiced it. I've had a difficult time centering it, and recently toyed with a forward inside-three turn entrance. It's helping me center it a bit more, but I still have a weird "twist" in my body position that I need to work on.

Cue exhibit A:

My back scratch spin used to be my nemesis, but after 2 years of hard work, it finally came and is no longer one of my bad spins. I had to learn how to push up onto my rocker at the top of the circle and feel like I was sitting on the heel of my blade (even though technically I am spinning on my rocker - it just feels like my weight is farther back). Here is what my back scratch spin looks like today.

I am looking forward to improving many more of my spins and jumps and hope to eventually fix the weird twist in my forward scratch spin. Let me know if you have any ideas to fix it.

Until next week!

Salted triple caramel cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

I recently threw a virtual baby shower for my blogging friend Krystal of Mrs. Regueiro's Plate. As I mentioned in that post, Krystal and her husband (and big sister Elena) are welcoming a baby boy to their family in the next few days. Krystal and Eric nicknamed their baby boy "Cupcake," so we chose a cupcake theme for their online shower.

I happen to know that Krystal is a fan of salted caramel, so it wasn't too difficult deciding what cupcake to make for the guest of honor. I found these cupcakes (and lots of other yummy sounding ones) on Sally's Baking Addiction, who is another blogging friend of mine that creates and develops some amazing cupcakes and other sweet treats.

Although I had a difficult time with the frosting (mine got too stiff - I had wanted to swirl the cupcake using a frosting tip but settled on a smooth look that you see above), I enjoyed the flavors a lot. These cupcakes were gone within a day. If you are a fan of salted caramel, bake these triple salted caramel cupcakes. If you want them super caramel-y, feel free to drizzle some caramel topping and sprinkle with sea salt flakes on top.

Congratulations, Krystal and Eric! Can't wait to see photos of the new little man!

PS. Thanks to all of you who entered my Gearhart's Chocolate giveaway. The winner of the gift certificate is Luanne M.! I will contact you so you can claim your awesome prize!

Caramel cupcakes

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk (or heavy cream or half-and-half, do not use skim milk or 1% milk)

Salted caramel frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
additional pinch of salt, as needed
salted caramel candies for decoration, optional (I used Rolos)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl (if using a hand mixer), cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

Gradually add in the dry ingredients until it is fully incorporated. Gently stir in the milk (can do this part by hand, or put your mixer on low speed to mix). Mix until the milk is fully incorporated and be sure to not overmix the cupcake batter.

Evenly divide the batter among the 12 cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes completely (about 1 hour) before attempting to frost them.

To make the frosting, melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Then add the brown sugar and heavy cream. Constantly stir the sugar is completely dissolved. Add salt and allow the mixture to cook and bubble for 3 full minutes. Quickly remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes (do NOT place this in the fridge or else the caramel will harden).

Transfer the caramel to your (clean) stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Or, if you are using a hand mixer, transfer the caramel to a large clean bowl. On medium speed, slowly beat in the powdered sugar one cup at a time or until you reach your desired frosting consistency.

If the frosting tastes too sweet, add more salt, a small pinch at a time. Add frosting to your cooled cupcakes and top with salted caramel sauce, candies or a sprinkle of additional salt. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Virtual baby shower for Krystal

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

My dear friend Krystal at Mrs. Regueiro's Plate is expecting her second child any day now. I was thrilled to partner with her and make tiramisu together a few short weeks ago. She and I have become online friends, and I wanted to throw a virtual baby shower for her since I'm unable to throw her a real one in person.

I gathered up a few of Krystal's favorite blogging friends to help celebrate the upcoming birth of her baby boy. Since she has nicknamed him "Cupcake," we decided to have a cupcake theme for this virtual baby shower. I don't know about you, but I can always use a few extra cupcake recipes in my repertoire.

On to the cupcakes!

Jen at Beantown Baker made Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes for our guest of honor. You had me at Chocolate (and Nutella, for that).

Becky at Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant contributed Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes for her friend. I love the idea of flourless cupcakes - this would be great for my gluten-free friends.

Brady of Branny Boils Over baked Vanilla Cupcakes for 2. I normally don't need a dozen (or more) cupcakes in my house, so a recipe that yields a small batch sounds right up my alley.

Amy at The Nifty Foodie created Funfetti Cupcakes.Sprinkles make everything better, especially virtual baby showers!

Melissa from Delicious Meliscious made Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes. Now why didn't I think of this? I love pineapple upside down cake, so turning these into cupcakes is a fantastic idea.

I made Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes. Salted caramel. 'Nuff said.

Brandon at Kitchen Konfidence baked Maple Cupcakes. Oh, how I adore maple syrup and maple flavored things. This cupcake might be the next variety I try to bake next.

Sarah, the author of Taste of Home Cooking, contributed Cannoli Cupcakes. I love cannoli, and I can't imagine how awesome the cupcake versions must taste!

Melissa of I Was Born to Cook created White Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. I adore white chocolate and know that I would love these - off to bookmark!

Jessica from Sunny Side Up brought Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes to help celebrate Krystal and Eric's big day. Can you save me some, Jessica?

Nicole at Prevention RD contributed her Watermelon Cupcakes. These are so adorable that I want a plush one!

Carrie at Carrie's Sweet Life made Vanilla Chai Cupcakes for Krystal and Eric. Chai spices always captivate me, and I am smitten by their aroma. I would love to bake these and fill up my kitchen with the smell of chai spices!

Jessica of My Baking Heart baked Sangria Cupcakes. Boozy cupcakes? Count me in!

Cara from The Boys Made Me Do It made Strawberry Mascarpone Cupcakes. What a fantastic way to use up this season's freshest berries!

Stephanie of Macaroni and Cheesecake brought Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes to celebrate the momentous occasion.

Stefany from made The Balanced Baker created Double Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes for her friend. Chocolate and strawberries are one of my all-time favorite food pairings, so I know these cupcakes are awesome!

And finally, Courtney of The Granola Chronicles baked Lemon Coconut Cupcakes. Sounds like the perfect springtime dessert and a perfect way to welcome a baby boy!

A huge congratulations to Krystal, her husband Eric, and big sister Elena for the newest arrival in their family. I can't wait to see pictures of the newest foodie in the Regueiro house!

Dahlia Bakery chocolate truffle cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Sun, 05 May 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Many of you might be eating Mexican-inspired foods and desserts today, but not me. Cinco de Mayo also happens to be my half-birthday, so I am going to eat some of my favorite foods instead. I'm such a rebel, right?

We all know how much I adore chocolate (don't forget to enter my Gearhart's Chocolate giveaway!). I wanted to bake something chocolatey to look forward to since I am definitely NOT looking forward to turning another year older in November.

Then I remembered that my baking friend Kim posted the Dahlia Bakery chocolate truffle cookies earlier this year. And as luck would have it, my husband and I will be visiting Seattle later this summer, and you can bet that I am already trying to find some time to visit the Dahlia Bakery while we are in town.

I was able to bake and cool these as Addison was napping one day. My entire house was filled with the aroma of chocolate, and boy did that make me hungry! I used an entire "Pound Plus" bar of Trader Joe's 72% dark chocolate for this recipe. These cookies also use cocoa powder and chocolate chips. That's 3 different types of chocolate in these cookies, people.

I loved seeing the shiny crackly tops bake up on these cookies. The chocolate flavors were intense (feel free to use the Trader Joe's 54% dark chocolate if you aren't a fan of bittersweet chocolate). And yes, these really did taste like chocolate truffles, but in cookie form. All in all, this was the perfect way to satisfy my inner chocoholic.

Dahlia Bakery chocolate truffle cookies

1 and 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 pound plus 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1⁄2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (1 and 1⁄4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
2 and 1⁄4 cups (1 pound plus 1⁄4 ounce/460 grams) sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (can substitute with semisweet if needed)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Then add in the salt. Mix well and set aside.

Next, you need to melt the chopped chocolate. You can either place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and melt it on high in 15 second intervals (stirring between each increment), or you can melt the chocolate over a double boiler. To do this, simply place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan filled with about 1 inch of water. Make sure the bowl is not touching the water. Turn the stove on medium to high until the water is very hot but not boiling. Melt the chocolate and stir until it is completely melted and smooth. Turn off the stove, remove the bowl of chocolate and set aside for about 5-10 minutes to allow it to cool slightly.

The the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar on medium speed. Individually add the eggs until each one is fully incorporated before adding the next.

Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to mix for another 1-2 minutes or until the egg and sugar mixture is very light, creamy, and pale in color. Be sure to scrape down the bowl as needed.

Turn the mixer down to medium and stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined and be sure not to overmix.

Turn off the mixer and gently fold in the dry ingredients with a rubber or silicone spatula. Use as few strokes as possible to incorporate the dry ingredients. You do not want to overmix these - doing so will result in a dry, tough cookie. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips by hand.

Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to portion out the dough and scoop onto a non-stick baking mat (or a parchment lined baking tray) and leave about 2 inches for each cookie so they will spread. The batter will be soft and sticky but will quickly firm up as it sits. If you are baking in batches, do NOT put the batter in the refrigerator. Leave it at room temperature.

Bake the cookies for 7 minutes and rotate the pan(s) (if you have the cookies baking on two racks, make sure to switch the pans between the racks at this halfway point). Bake for another 7-8 minutes or until the tops are set but still soft to the touch.

Turn off the oven, remove the pans and cool the entire tray on a wire rack. The cookies need to cool completely before you can transfer them.

Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for several days. Or, you can freeze them for several weeks.

Yield: I used a medium cookie scoop and got about 4 dozen (48) cookies

Source: Just Baked

Skating Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:06:00 +0000

It's back to basics for me. I had my first non-Moves lesson with my coach (who I will refer to as Coach B) last week. She and I started working together in September 2012, and the only thing we've worked on together were elements for the Gold Moves test. Now that the Gold Moves test is behind me, I can finally move on and work on the things that I enjoy more - freestyle.

My first lesson was back to the basics. Coach B had me glide across the ice in an "h" position going forwards and backwards. Luckily, this was an exercise I had done many times before, so it came back pretty easily. We also did an exercise called the "magic circle," which I also had learned with a previous coach. For the "magic circle," I do a two foot spin but have my feet pigeon-toed. Then I lift my free leg into an "h" position. The purpose of this exercise is to help me understand how to do a proper takeoff for jumps. I sometimes lead with my heel into jumps, which is incorrect, so the magic circle helps me learn to lead with my toes instead. It also teaches me the correct body positions while in the air.

The most challenging thing for me in my first freestyle lesson was an alternating half loop exercise, which I had to do down the line. I started with my natural jumping side and did a half loop. Then I'd change sides and do a half loop going the other way. I had to continuously do alternating half loops all the way down the line. Holy cow - this was hard! Here is a video of me doing it this week. It is much improved from last week and doesn't seem quite as hard any more.

We also worked on the beginning parts of a lutz. I have been scared to do these, and now I know why. I was taught incorrectly! Now that I understand the proper entrance and takeoff, hopefully they won't be as scary when I attempt one for the first time.

Another coach (whom I will refer to as Coach S) will be choreographing my next program for me soon. So exciting!

Gearhart's chocolate giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:01:00 +0000

It's no secret that I love chocolate. I love chocolate bars, chocolate flavored ice cream (and gelato, water ice and other frozen treats), chocolate covered raisins and just about anything else that doesn't include nuts. That's why I'm excited to let you know that I've partnered with Gearhart's Chocolate for a fabulous giveaway at the end of this post.

Tim Gearhart, Gearhart's master chocolatier, trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and owns and operates two storefronts in Virginia. Gearhart's chocolate uses the finest Criollo Cacao from Venezuela, other top-quality ingredients and infuses it with local butters and cream to handcraft each individual chocolate creation. Their work has been featured on several print publications and on The Today Show. Take a look at the attention to detail in each chocolate - each piece truly is a work of art.

I recently tried 8 of Gearhart's premium line of chocolates, including (pictured clockwise from upper left corner): Kauai, Brown Butter Caramel, Michigan Cherry, Vanilla Bean Brulee, Criolla, Earl Grey, Pistachio Toffee Orange and Maya.

My husband loved the Earl Grey for its bittersweet ganache infused with Earl Grey tea. The ganache is then covered with a dark chocolate exterior and decorated with its signature gold, chocolate and white stripes.

I had a hard time choosing a favorite. I loved the Michigan Cherry for its semi-sweet chocolate interior that had a hint of cherry liquor and garnished with a dried Michigan cherry. My other favorite was the Vanilla Bean Brulee, which basically was a decadent creme brulee in chocolate form.

If you are a chocolate lover like I am, then I hope you'll hop over to the Gearhart's Chocolate website and order some for yourself. Their chocolates would make a fantastic gift for any occasion, like birthdays, anniversaries, promotions and other celebrations.

And now for the giveaway! One (1) winner will receive a mailed gift certificate that is redeemable towards a 16 piece assortment from Gearhart's Chocolate (value of $30). Enter by submitting your information via the Rafflecopter widget below. The widget might take a little bit of time to load, so please be patient.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rules:

Giveaway runs from May 1 (at midnight) through May 8th (at midnight); no late entries will be accepted
Entries are only taken via the Rafflecopter widget (no exceptions)
No purchase necessary to win
Giveaway is valid in the United States only (sorry, no U.S. territories or international readers)
Winner will be contacted via email
If the winner does not respond and provide a postal address after 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen
Gift certificate cannot be redeemed for cash or other items
Winner may incur shipping costs if residing outside the central Virginia area

And of course, some lovely disclaimers from yours truly:

I was not compensated or provided samples of chocolates for publishing this post (I purchased an 8-assortment box at my own expense)
Gift certificate is available courtesy of Gearhart's Chocolates
All opinions and statements above are 100% my own

Good luck!

Mini thin mint cheesecakes

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:01:00 +0000

Time for another What's Baking challenge! Amanda from Our Italian Kitchen asked each of us to bake mini/bite-sized treats for April. Immediately, my head start swirling around for ideas... mini cakes, mini trifles (in shot glasses, no less), and even donut holes. Hey, they're mini, right?

Then the light bulb went off. Mini cheesecakes! My husband and I enjoy eating cheesecake, but we simply can't eat a full sized one between the two of us. Mini cheesecakes would be the perfect individually portioned snack, and we could easily share leftovers with coworkers or friends.

I wanted something chocolatey and minty and remembered that we ordered Thin Mints from one of our neighbors. I found a mini thin mint cheesecake on Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy that sounded good, so off I went to bake.

I loved these mini cheesecakes. The crust was nice and minty from the crushed Thin Mint cookies, and the cheesecake layer was smooth, creamy and chock full of the crushed mint cookies and chocolate chips. My favorite part of these cheesecakes was that they were portion controlled. No need to decide how large to cut a slice!

Mini thin mint cheesecakes

1 box Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies (can substitute with Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's or Mint Oreos)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Two (2) 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Whipped Cream, optional (for garnishing)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

In a food processor or blender, pulse the cookies a few times until coarsely ground and the cookies resemble sand. Or, you can place the cookies in a resealable clear bag and crush them with a rolling pin or another object (like the bottom of saucepan).

In a small mixing bowl, combine half of the crushed cookies with the melted butter and mix until well combined. Using the back of a spoon, press about one teaspoon of the cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of each paper liner. Place in the refrigerator and cool for about 30 minutes.

While the cookie crumb base is chilling, make the cream cheese filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Individually add the eggs and mix well until the first one is fully incorporated before adding the second egg. Beat until both eggs are well combined.

While the mixer is still running, add the peppermint and vanilla extracts and beat for one additional minute.

Stop the mixer and gently stir in the remaining cookie crumbs (you may want to save a few tablespoons for garnishing), and the chocolate chips.

Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared muffin cups and bake for 25-28 minutes or until set. The cheesecakes will jiggle slightly when they are fully baked.

Remove the pan from the oven and transfer each individual cheesecake to a wire cooling rack. Allow cheesecakes to cool completely and then transfer to your refrigerator for several hours until the cheesecakes are fully chilled.

If desired, garnish each cheesecake with a swirl of whipped cream and the reserved cookie crumbs.

Yield: 12 standard muffin-sized cheesecakes

Source: Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

Skating Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I took my Adult Gold Moves-in-the-Field test this week. Before I get to the results, let me share the events leading up to the test.

Surprisingly, I was calm the day before the test. I did a lot of visualization exercises and kept envisioning my test papers with "Pass" circled on the forms. The morning of the test, I was a bundle of nerves but closed my eyes and ran through the entire test in my mind. When I opened my eyes, I was calm and confident.

I finally drove to the rink and was actually feeling OK. Before I knew it, I was on the ice for my warm-up. Those five minutes flew by like it was only 30 seconds. I practiced my forward and backward power circles, and those felt good, but the T-stop afterwards caused me to trip. Then I did my forward double 3 turns, which turned out fine. When I got to the backward double 3 turns, my body just wouldn't cooperate. I accidentally put all my weight on my heels and couldn't do the turns. Then the announcer said it was time to get off the ice. We didn't even get our 1 minute warning so a coach lobbied to give us one more minute (it was granted). I got to do two or three bracket patterns and that was it. I was shaky, and I felt horrible.

Worst. Warmup. Ever.

I didn't stick around to watch the first skater and even stayed out in the hallway when my skating friend K took the ice. I wanted to watch her, but I also needed to warm up my feet and calm my nerves. I closed my eyes and ran through my test again. I kept telling myself, "You can do this." I was so in the zone that when my coach came to talk to me, I didn't hear her initially.

Next thing I knew, it was my turn to take the ice. Power circles went fine (forward and backward). Forward double threes were steady. Backward double threes were another story. I got so nervous on the backward inside double threes that I actually put my foot down on the very last one. ARGH! The ones before the touch-down were OK, but not my best. I cruised through the backward circle 8, and my brackets were actually secure and steady.

The judges did not ask me to re-skate anything so I went to take my skates off. It hadn't been 5 minutes when the test coordinator approached my coach with my papers. My coach came over and told me the news... I passed! Two out of the 3 judges passed me, and the 3rd judge must have been dozing off somewhere because her score was 0.7 points under the judge who scored me the highest (note to non-skaters: most judges are in line with each other plus or minus one to two tenths of a point).

And my skating buddy K passed too! She passed from all 3 judges, which is phenomenal! I am so proud of her...and us! We are excited to become our rink's newest Gold Medalists and can't wait to see our names published in Skating Magazine.

Now onto my Adult Gold Freestyle elements... time to perfect my axel and lutz!

Chocolate cupcakes with mint chocolate chip frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:53:00 +0000

For Addison's party, I made these homemade Funfetti cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. We expected anywhere from 10-17 kids to attend her birthday party (some people didn't RSVP, which irked me) and their parents. I knew that the two dozen Funfetti cupcakes would not be enough so I brainstormed some ideas for a chocolate cupcake that would satisfy the chocoholics in the house (me).

Addison mentioned that she also wanted chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles for her birthday. I have made several chocolate cupcakes before on this blog but wanted to try something new. Again, I turned to my baking friend Sally for some ideas. She recently developed chocolate cupcakes with mint chocolate chip frosting that I had be ogling over for quite some time. Now was the time to make them. And don't you think that the mini chocolate chips look like dark sprinkles?

The result? No leftovers. Although the cupcake base was a bit drier than I had hoped, the frosting was what people were raving about. It was only slightly sweet with a burst of peppermint and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips. I brought 24 Funfetti cupcakes to the party plus 12 of these chocolate cupcakes with mint chocolate chip frosting, and this one easily won the head to head battle. I can't tell you how many times people complimented me on this cupcake, and it may have lead to a potential future cupcake order. Yup, they were a hit, all right.

When I make these again, I may use my tried and true chocolate cupcake base and make a batch of this divine mint chocolate chip frosting to go on top (and possibly inside the cupcakes too, because there is no such thing as too much mint chocolate chip).

Chocolate cupcakes

1 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder(I used Hershey's Dark)
1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mint chocolate chip frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 or 3 drops green food coloring
A pinch of salt (optional)
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Chocolate cupcake directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a standard muffin tin with 12 liners.

In a small saucepan, boil the water over high heat.

In a separate medium bowl, add the cocoa powder. Once the water has come to a full boil, add it to the cocoa powder and mix until smooth and no lumps remain. Set in the refrigerator and allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla and continue to mix.

Turn the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Evenly divide the batter and fill each liner so they are 3/4 full. Bake for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not over bake the cupcakes or they will be dry! Remove the cupcakes from the oven and place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before before frosting.

Mint chocolate chip frosting directions
In the (clean) bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about 30-60 seconds or until smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add 3 cups of powdered sugar, cream, peppermint extract, and food coloring.

Turn the mixer to high and beat for an additional 3 minutes. If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add more cream. If the frosting is too sweet, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Depending on your personal preferences, you can increase the amount of food coloring and peppermint extract as desired. Mix in the chocolate chips by hand.

Generously frost each cupcake with mint chocolate chip frosting and enjoy the extra frosting with a spoon!

Yield: 12 cupcakes and enough buttercream to generously frost 12 cupcakes, plus about 2/3 cup of extra frosting (for snacking)

Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Homemade Funfetti cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:50:00 +0000

When Addison told me that she wanted some vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles, there was no doubt about what type of cupcake I'd make for her birthday. Funfetti! Yes, I know that there are some boxed mixes that I could easily have made, but I honestly don't think I've used a boxed cake mix in years. My little girl's birthday cupcakes had to be homemade. Would you expect anything less?

My baking friend Sally posted these homemade Funfetti cupcakes not too long ago, and it was something that I quickly bookmarked and knew that I would use for Addison's birthday treats. The batter came together quickly and nicely, and the frosting was very easy to whip up.

These cupcakes were a huge hit for her party. Most of the kids opted for the Funfetti cupcakes over a chocolate variety I made (recipe coming shortly). I mean, who can resist sprinkles? As suspected, the birthday girl dove straight into the frosting, which she managed to get all over her mouth and hands. She left some of the cake uneaten, but I can't blame her - the frosting is always the best part.

I was able to sample one of these after we returned from the party and was happy about how these turned out. Neither the cake nor the frosting were overly sweet, and that was one thing that I heard over and over again from the parents of Addison's classmates. They kept complaining about how grocery stores and other local cupcakeries produced cupcakes that hurt your teeth after a bite. But, these cupcakes contained just the perfect amount of sugar. And the sprinkles really made the cakes super fun.

Thanks, Sally, for these sharing your recipe for these awesome Funfetti cupcakes. I'll be sampling many more of your creations soon.

Funfetti cupcakes

1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/4 cup Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla; can sub sour cream)
3/4 cup milk (can sub soy or almond milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sprinkles

Vanilla buttercream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3-4 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream (see note above about substituting milk or half-and-half)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
salt, to taste

Cupcake directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Remove from microwave and mix in the sugar (the mixture will be gritty and sand-like). Place in the refrigerator for 1 minute to chill. Remove from the fridge and mix in the egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined.

Gently and slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth and thick. Gently stir in sprinkles and do not overmix (the sprinkles will bleed into the batter otherwise).

Evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Buttercream directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract. Once all the ingredients have been added, Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes. If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add more cream. If your frosting is too sweet, add about 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt.

Generously frost the cooled cupcakes and garnish with additional sprinkles. Store frosted cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week

Yield: 12 cupcakes and enough frosting to generously frost all 12 cupcakes (I doubled the recipes above to get 24 cupcakes)

Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Skating Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:22:00 +0000

Time has crept up on me. My Adult Gold moves-in-the-field test is next week. Surprisingly, I have not started seriously freaking out yet, but that could easily change the day of the test. My skating friend K and I will be each other's support systems, as we are both taking the same test. She will skate right before me, so I will be there to cheer her on and encourage her. I know she'll do the same for me.

Unfortunately, I have no videos to show you today but instead wanted to share with you my mental preparation. For the past month or two, I've been doing visualization exercises: I'm skating through my entire test in my mind, seeing myself finish and visualizing the test papers. In my head, I see my paperwork and visualize an 18.1, 18.3 and an 18.4 (I need two out of the three judges to give me a score of at least 18.0 to pass). I also envision myself giving my friend K a huge hug as we both celebrate.

Two things I'd like to share with fellow skaters (or anybody who knows a figure skater that tests in the USFSA system) are these great resources that have been invaluable to me:

Fingers crossed that my (and K's) test goes swimmingly and that we both pass with flying colors. I hope to share some good news with you next Friday!

Tiramisu

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

One of my dear friends, Krystal of Mrs. Regueiro's Plate, asked me if I wanted to collaborate with her and make tiramisu. I adore Krystal and wanted to do a joint posting with her. Plus, tiramisu was something on my baking bucket list, so of course I agreed. Tiramisu is a dessert that I enjoy ordering when we eat at Italian restaurants. I always thought that tiramisu seemed complicated so I avoided making this for the longest time. Also, since neither my husband nor I are coffee drinkers, it was the perfect excuse for me to not make tiramisu.

The flavors of my tiramisu were wonderful, but I am ashamed to admit that I made some silly amateur baking errors. I dunked my ladyfingers, so the spongy layers were way too soggy. And I was dumb and used a full cup of cold heavy cream instead of 3/4 of a cup (I was trying to finish off a carton of heavy cream). Therefore, my mascarpone layer was too watery. I thought I could get away with these small changes, but it turns out that my miscalculations resulted in a very watery and soggy dessert. Regardless, I still enjoyed the flavors and would make it again, but next time I will make sure to follow the directions exactly.

If you haven't already, please hop over to Krystal's blog to see how her tiramisu turned out.

Thanks, Krystal, for making tiramisu with me, and I hope to bake many more things with you!

Tiramisu

2 and 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee, room temperature
1 and 1/2 TBSP instant espresso granules
4 and 1/2 TBSP Kahlua
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 and 1/2 pounds mascarpone
3/4 cup cold heavy cream
14 ounces (42 to 60, depending on size) dried ladyfingers (savoiardi)
3 and 1/2 TBSP cocoa (preferably Dutch-processed), separated
1/4 cup grated semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (optional)

Directions
In a medium to large bowl, stir together the coffee, espresso granules, and 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of Kahlua until the espresso granules dissolve; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks at low speed until just combined. Add the sugar and salt and beat at medium-high speed until the yolks are pale yellow. It will take about 2 minutes. Be sure to stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula at least once or twice. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of Kahlua and mix at medium speed until just combined, about 20 to 30 seconds. Then add the mascarpone and whisk at medium speed until no lumps remain, about 30 to 45 seconds. Stop the mixer at least once or twice to scrape down the bowl. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Using the same stand mixer bowl with the whisk attachment (you do not need to clean it), beat the cream at medium speed for about 90 seconds. Then increase speed to high and continue to whisk the cream until it reaches stiff peaks, about another minute or two longer. Using a silicone spatula, fold one-third of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until no white streaks remain. Set aside.

Individually dip (do not dunk like I did) each ladyfinger into the coffee mixture for about 2-3 seconds total. Place the laydfingers in a single layer in a 9x13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Using a silicone spatula, spread half of the mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers and into the corners of the dish. Smooth out the mixture. Place 2 tablespoons of cocoa in a sieve or fine-mesh strainer and gently dust the cocoa over the mascarpone.

Repeat the process and dip more ladyfingers, arrange them on top of the cocoa, cover with the remaining mascarpone mixture and dust with the remaining 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa.

Cover the tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. If desired, grate some chocolate and sprinkle over the top. Cut into slices and serve the dessert chilled.

Yield: One 9 x 13 inch pan

Source: Meggles' Meals; originally adapted from the November & December 2007 issue of Cook’s Illustrated

Flourless chocolate cake

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 22:09:00 +0000

Can you believe that my baby girl is 3 today? It seemed like just yesterday that she was born. She has developed quite the sweet tooth and always asks for a cookie or ice cream after dinner. Of course, I don't fulfill this request very often, but she continues to ask anyway.

When I asked her what type of cake or cupcake she wanted for her birthday, Addison said that she wanted a vanilla one with sprinkles (stay tuned for the recipe). She usually amended her statement and said that she wants chocolate cupcakes as well. So, off I went to find a new chocolate cake recipe that I haven't tried before.

My husband and I have been curious to try a flourless chocolate cake for a while, and I didn't have any reason to bake one for just the three of us. Since my in-laws were coming to town to visit the week before Addison's birthday, I thought that this would be the perfect time to give it a whirl.

I've got to be honest and say that this wasn't fabulous. It was too dry, even though I baked it for only 35 minutes. If I make this again, I will either add some Greek yogurt or reduce the baking time to 25 minutes to see how it turns out. Or, I'll just stick with my tried-and-true perfectly chocolate cake. At least the birthday girl enjoyed it.

Happy 3rd birthday, Addison!

Flourless chocolate cake

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, divided and roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 tablespoons butter, divided and cut into chunks
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TBSP milk
1 TBSP honey
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray, too, then set the pan aside.

Place two-thirds (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup (2 sticks) of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stirring often, melt chocolate with butter until completely blended. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. (Alternatively, you may use your microwave to melt the butter with the chocolate, if desired). Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sift cocoa into bowl and stir until just blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake has risen and top has formed a thin crust. The cake should be just firm in the center when done. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate, removing sides of springform pan. Remove and discard parchment paper and set cake aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze. Melt remaining 4 ounces chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, then stir in milk, honey and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

When cake has cooled, pour glaze onto the center. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, very gently smooth glaze along the top and sides of the cake. Chill cake, uncovered, for 30 to 60 minutes before serving to set the glaze and make the cake easier to slice.

Yield: 12-16 slices, plus or minus a few slices depending on how big your appetite is

Source: Whole Foods

Skating Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:06:00 +0000

Happy Friday!

Time for another edition of Skating Fridays. I just realized that I haven't shown you any of my jumps. Well, you're in luck because I have two videos of the same jump to share with you today - one of what NOT to do, and one that is landed but still needs improvement.

Today I'm featuring my axel jump, which is something I talked about briefly here. As I mentioned in that post, successfully landing the axel is a defining moment in a skater's career. One will almost always remember the date when this glorious accomplishment occurred. I had been working on this jump for several months before finally landing it about two weeks after my 30th birthday.

My biggest problem with this jump initially was fear. I was afraid I'd crack my head open or break a bone. Finally, I decided to stop being afraid and believe in myself. Once I changed my mentality, the jump finally came. My next problem was landing the jump flat-footed, and I have a suspicion that it was due to my previous training in gymnastics.

This jump has come and gone multiple times in my skating career, and it is something that I yearn to perfect. Perhaps one day I will be able to attempt a double axel, but for now, I am thrilled to be landing this difficult element (although imperfectly) in my 30s.

I trained for the axel without a harness and without any padding. My former coach believed that the harness would impede my progress because my body would get used to the harness, so he recommended that I learn it without any training aides. So, it definitely is possible to land without the harness or other "help."

Here is a video of what not to do. You'll see that my left shoulder dropped mid-jump, and that mistake resulted in my entire left side collapsing. Thank goodness for my natural padding!

And here is a jump that I think is fairly good. I need to work on my ankle contact and pull in tighter, but otherwise this is a clean landing.

Until next Friday!

Chocolate covered cherry cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:04:00 +0000

You know how sometimes things were just meant to be? Well, these cookies is a good example of that. I had half a can of leftover sweetened condensed milk and didn't want to waste it, so I researched some recipes that would use up the remaining can. Most people said to just eat it up with a spoon, but I didn't want to do it (at least not this time).

I stumbled across a Cooking Light forum and saw that one of the posters shared a recipe that was popular on that particular board. It was for chocolate covered cherry cookies, and it just happened to use half a can of sweetened condensed milk. Yes, this recipe was just meant to be.

Holy cow were these cookies good! My favorite part was the chocolate cherry glaze that covered the maraschino cherries. I only spooned about a teaspoon over the cookies before they baked. Once the cookies came out of the oven, I spooned the leftover glaze over each cookie. Don't tell anybody, but I ate the remaining glaze with a spoon...!

Chocolate covered cherry cookies

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
18 undrained maraschino cherries (about one 10-oz jar)
1 (one) 6-oz pkg semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl combine flour and cocoa; set aside.

In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter on medium to high speed about 30 seconds or till softened. Add the sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add in the flour/cocoa mixture until it is fully incorporated.

Turn off the mixer and shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet (I used my imitation Silpat). Using your thumb, make an identation in the center of each ball so you have a well.

Drain the maraschino cherries and reserve the juice. Put a cherry in the center of each cookie's well. In a small saucepan set over low heat, combine the chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk until the chocolate is completely melted. Mix in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the frosting over each cherry, ensuring that each cherry is fully covered in the frosting. If needed, you can thin out the frosting using any remaining cherry juice.

Bake cookies in your preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Yield: I used a medium cookie scoop and got 18 cookies

Source: Cooking Light forum; originally from the January 1997 edition of Better Homes and Gardens

Oatmeal raspberry muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 23:08:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I am definitely a creature of habit. I pretty much have the same set schedule every weekday, with the exception of Monday mornings (dang those 6:00 am skating lessons!). My breakfast routine rarely changes - I have an English muffin topped with honey, jam, Nutella or fruit butter. Then I have a glass of soy milk and a banana.

My baking friend Sally recently posted these skinny blueberry muffins, and I was dying to make them until I sadly realized that I had no leftover bananas or blueberries. I didn't have time to run out to the grocery store this week to buy these ingredients, but I did have Greek yogurt and frozen raspberries on hand. So, I found some oatmeal raspberry muffins that I could make instead. They seemed easy, healthy, and sounded like a fantastic addition to my boring and uninspiring breakfast routine.

This batter came together very quickly and easily, and I didn't even need to bust out my stand mixer for this one. I beat the egg white and other liquids with a whisk in a bowl and put the dry ingredients into another bowl. Then I combined the two using as few strokes as possible to prevent hard, dense muffins.

The oatmeal raspberry muffins turned out great. The tartness in the fruit was nicely balanced by the brown sugar and honey. What amazed me about these muffins was that there was no butter, eggs yolks or oil. The Greek yogurt was the ingredient that helped keep these nice and moist. All in all, I was happy with these and was super excited to have something else besides English muffins for breakfast.

Oatmeal raspberry muffins

• 1 cup oatmeal

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (can sub all-purpose)

• 1 TBSP baking powder
• ⅛ tsp. salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt

• 2 egg whites
• 2 TBSP of honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 ¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Directions

Lightly grease a standard muffin tin and preheat your oven to 400°F. Note: Do NOT use cupcake liners - the muffins will stick to them. (I used a Silicone muffin pan and did not grease it.)

In a large bowl, combine the oatmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Mix well.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg whites for 1-2 minutes or until frothy. Continue whisking and add in the milk, Greek yogurt, honey and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Slowly add to the bowl of dry ingredients until just incorporated - do not overmix. Gently fold in raspberries.

Evenly distribute batter into prepared muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Yield: 12 muffins

Source: Coach's Oats

Skating Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:57:00 +0000

TGIF!

This week has flown by. My coach is on vacation this week, so I did not have a lesson. I did manage to go to the rink a few times, and my skating friend K was able to come with me. She has been such a huge support for me. We are both testing in less than 3 weeks (AHHH!), and she knows what my strengths and weaknesses are and can help me see what I'm doing wrong (thank you, K!).

K brought up a good point at one of our practices this week. She said that we needed to make sure we are not overtraining. Although most of my focus in the past few weeks has been on the required elements for my test, I need to make sure I set aside some time to work on other things like jumps and spins.

Case in point: I lost one of my jumps a few weeks ago, and it was probably because I've been concentrating on this upcoming test too much. But, it is slowly coming back and I know it will be there once I practice it more.

On a separate note, I had an awesome layback spin the other day and didn't get a chance to have someone record it for me. Boo. When I tried it again last night, I couldn't center it, so it was a lost cause. So, I decided to a combo spin instead - camel to sit spin. This isn't the best one I've done, but it's not too bad considering that spinning has been in the backburner for a while.

Check it out...

Have a great weekend!

Fudgy 4 egg white brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:07:00 +0000

Week after week, I feel like I am always faced with the same dilemma - what to do with leftover egg whites. I wanted to do something different this time and not create a white cake, angel food cake, meringues, macarons, Swiss meringue buttercream frosting or pavlova. Once again I scoured the internet for something worthwhile to bake.

Amazingly, I found this recipe from LunaCafe that promised a silky smooth yet fudgy brownie. It certainly got my attention. I read the ingredients and noticed that it didn't contain any egg yolks, but it did use up 4 egg whites. This definitely piqued my interest, and I totally had my doubts.

I am pleased to say that these brownies were everything that was promised and more. The tops were perfectly crisp and the insides of the brownies were smooth and fudgy as advertised. The most important step in these brownies is to beat the egg whites with the sugar and cocoa powder for a full five minutes. This technique reminded me of making Swiss meringue buttercream since the egg whites are constantly whisked in a similar fashion.

I am glad that I only baked these for 25 minutes because they would have turned harder than bricks if I had baked a minute further. Although the King Arthur Flour brownie recipe remains my favorite, these are definitely in the top 3.

Also, I just found out that my triple chocolate cupcakes is a finalist in a Food & Wine contest that is being held on Facebook. The photographs are paired up in a head-to-head battle, and the food photograph with the most votes as of April 9th wins. The winner gets two tickets to the Food & Wine Festival in Aspen, Colorado. I've never been a finalist in any type of contest before, so this is super exciting. I would appreciate your vote if you have a few minutes!

Fudgy 4 egg white brownies

¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
6 ounces of 62%-72% bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used two Lindt 70% dark chocolate bars)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1½ cups superfine sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
4 large egg whites, cool room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F and position your rack in the upper middle position in the oven

Grease an 8 x 8 inch, light colored, metal baking pan (I used a silicone baking pan and did not grease).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Turn off the heat, remove the saucepan from the stove and stir in the chopped chocolate, vanilla, espresso powder and salt until the chocolate has completely melted. Allow the mixture to cool until it is lukewarm.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), mix the sugar and cocoa powder.

Slowly add the 4 egg whites and mix on medium speed for a full 5 minutes. The mixture will slightly thicken. Be sure to stop the mixture to scrape down the sides a few times to fully incorporate the dry mixture.

Add the lukewarm butter-chocolate mixture and mix well. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the flour until it is fully incorporated. Beat the batter for one more minute.

Evenly spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for about 40 minutes. Check your brownies around the 25 or 30 minute mark (and every few minutes thereafter; I baked for 25 minutes) to see if they are done. It is better to underbake these than overbake. This is how you can test to see if your brownies are done:

The top will appear shiny and crackled
The brownie edges will be cracking.
The edges may start to pull away from the pan.
The center will no longer be jiggly when you gently shake the pan. (But this occurs about 10 minutes before the brownies are fully baked, so use this indicator only with the others.)
A toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and center will contain moist crumbs when removed.

Cool the brownies on a wire rack and allow to come to room temperature. Cut into squares and serve.

Brownies can be stored in an airtight container (or covered tightly with aluminum foil) at room temperature for about 3 days.

Yield: About 16 brownies

Source: LunaCafe

Raspberry swirl ice cream

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:24:00 +0000

Why hello, gorgeous! Yup, that's me talking to the ice cream. I've got to admit - this ice cream is really pretty. The vanilla ice cream base is a beautiful pale yellow color with pops of bright red swirled throughout. Come to think of it, I feel like I'm describing a sunset - see the beautiful shades of yellow throughout the sky as speckles of red scatter throughout the horizon. Thank goodness I'm not a poet, right?

Well, this ice cream tastes just as good as it looks. The vanilla ice cream base is smooth, rich and creamy. Then add in ribbons of sweet raspberry, and you've got yourself one awesome cool treat. If you are a blackberry fan, you can substitute blackberries instead (just add a squeeze of lemon juice to the mixture to balance it out).

I'm sure I'll have more ice cream recipes to share soon.

Raspberry swirl ice cream

1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
3 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP vodka

Directions
For the ice cream, warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. In a (separate) large bowl, pour the cream and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate small to medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Once the milk mixture is warm, pour a few tablespoons of the warm milk into the egg yolks and whisk constantly. Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture back into the medium saucepan with the rest of the warm milk mixture.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and into the heavy cream. Stir, then add vanilla. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator (overnight preferred).

To make the raspberry swirl, smash the raspberries with a fork (if your raspberries are frozen, wait for them to thaw a bit). Add the sugar and vodka and keep smashing until the raspberries are juicy but are still chunky. Set in the refrigerator until you are ready to use the mixture.

Once the ice cream custard is completely chilled, freeze it in your ice cream maker machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Alternate pouring the ice cream and the raspberry mixture into a container. Freeze for several hours before serving.

Yield: About 1 and 1/2 quarts

Source: The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz, pages 92-93

Skating Fridays

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:42:00 +0000

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Skating Fridays! I had such an overwhelmingly positive response to the inaugural post that I will try to make this a weekly thing. Thank you all for being so supportive and interested in my life outside of baking.

If you are unfamiliar with skating, there are 4 levels that adult skaters can test out of in the United States Figure Skating (USFSA) track - think of it like belts in karate. You start off with Pre-Bronze moves-in-the-field (or MIF), then Bronze, Silver and finally Gold. One must take and pass the corresponding MIF test before testing its equivalent in other disciplines like freestyle (that's the one with jumps and spins) and pairs. Dance is completely separate. If and when a skater competes, he or she must compete at the highest level that has been passed.

Here is a link to the diagrams and some videos that the USFSA showcases on their website for each level of MIF.

Last week I showed you my forward outside and inside double-three turns for my Gold MIF test. Today I wanted to show you one of my weaker moves - backward inside double-three turns. It took me months to figure out how to do these correctly, but they are improving. I'm curious - after viewing the videos below, can you tell which is my weaker side?

Left backward inside double-three turns:

Right backward inside double-three turns (got interrupted by some kids during one of the turns):

The MIF pattern is not on the circle like I have demonstrated above but rather in alternating half circles down the length of the ice. Fun, isn't it?

And just because I can't work on MIF all the time, here is one of my favorite spins... it's a sit spin / cannonball / back sit spin combo. My back sit isn't very low, but it's something I'll keep working on.

Less than a month to go before Test Day!

Chinese "pineapple" (bolo) custard buns 菠蘿包

noreply@blogger.com (Eva) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Redemption. Don't you just love it? After my epic fail in the Chinese custard buns that I made recently, I was extremely discouraged in trying to make Asian bakery style buns again. My yeast didn't rise in the previous recipe, and I was scared to try something similar another time.

Imagine my surprise when I got assigned Christine's Kitchen Chronicles for this month's Blogger's Choice swap, which is hosted by Sarah of Taste of Home Cooking. Although I had been eyeing Christine's bolo bao recipe for a long time, I was hesitant to try it after my baking failure since the bun technique was similar. "What the heck," I thought, "Let's give the bolo bao a try."

My bolo bao (菠蘿包) dough did not want to rise (I'm guessing because my butter was still too cold), so I tricked it. I covered my dough, popped it in the microwave for 20 seconds and let it rest. Then, about 15 minutes later, I zapped it for another 20 seconds in the microwave and put it aside to rise. When I returned 2 hours later, my dough had risen. Success!

These buns were beyond phenomenal. I did not add an egg wash to mine, so I didn't achieve the beautiful golden color on the top of my pastries. However, everything else was spot on. The dough was light and chewy, and the custard inside was slightly sweet. And of course, the best part of the entire bun was the topping, which is something that I could eat plain.

Thanks, Christine, for sharing such a fantastic recipe. I'm happy to say that this was a successful attempt at a pretty intimidating pastry. And in case you're wondering, the bolo bao is often referred to as a "pineapple" bun because of the marks on top of the bread. The diamond pattern resembles the exterior of a pineapple. There isn't any real pineapple in the pastry otherwise.

Dough

2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 TBSP sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 medium egg
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 TBSP milk powder
3 TBSP butter

Topping

6 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 g salt (a pinch)
1 TBSP milk powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Yellow food coloring (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Another egg for egg wash

Custard filling

3/8 ounce custard powder*
1 and 7/8 ounces wheat starch (tungmin flour)*
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter
1 large egg, slightly beaten

*You can substitute with 1 TBSP of vanilla pudding mix (NOT instant) and 1/4 cup corn starch

Directions
Place the dough ingredients in a bread machine according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Set to the dough cycle and start the machine. It takes about two hours for the dough cycle to complete. (I do not own a bread machine and simply kneaded the dough by hand, covered it with plastic wrap and heated it in the microwave for 20 seconds. I then let the dough rest for about 10-15 minutes and reheated it for another 20 seconds in the microwave. I let the dough rest for another 2 hours before it rose.)

While the dough is resting, make the topping. In a large bowl, mix the butter and powdered sugar together. Add in the salt, milk powder, vanilla, and food coloring and mix well. Then add the beaten egg and mix. Finally, mix in the flour and combine. If the dough is too sticky, place it in the refrigerator to firm up.

Prepare the filling. Combine the custard powder (or vanilla pudding mix) and wheat starch (or corn starch) in a non-stock saucepan. Add in sweetened condensed milk, and mix over low heat until combined. Add butter. Bring the mixture to a simmer while constantly stirring. The mixture should turn into a consistency like paste. Remove the mixture from stove and allow to cool slightly. Once the mixture has cooled, add the egg and stir constantly until it has been well incorporated. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, shape them into balls, cover with a damp towel and set aside.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and separate into 12 equal pieces. If dough is too sticky, add a little bit more flour. Using a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough ball into a circle. Thin out the edges more than the center. Add a custard ball in the middle, and wrap to form a bun. Pinch centers to seal and place on parchment paper lined baking pan, seam side up. Repeat for the other buns.

Remove topping from refrigerator and divide into 12 pieces. Flatten topping dough with hands and gently place on top of bun. Using a knife, score the topping 3 times vertically then 3 times horizontally. Repeat for other buns and let dough rise for 40-50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

After final rising, gently re-center topping if needed. Gently brush egg wash over each bun.
Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Then, reduce temperature to 300 degrees and bake an additional 5 minutes. Allow buns to fully cool before storing in air-tight containers. These buns freeze exceptionally well (for several months). Simply reheat them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to serve.

Yield: 12 buns

Source: Christine's Kitchen Chronicles; originally adapted from Chow Times and Recipezaar