PLAYING WITH SUGAR

Pinwheel Halloween Sugar Cookies

2013-10-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

Pinterest....oh how I love thee. I remember the days when my children were babies and during late night colic sessions, I would watch nothing but infomercials over and over and over again. After seeing spray on hair for balding men for the 555,000 mind numbing time, I would begin to count ceiling tiles or try to find faces in the wood patterns on my furniture. For you Moms (and Dads) just starting out consider yourself VERY lucky with smart phone technology and Pinterest! Feel blessed that you have these things to entertain and educate you while having late night party time with your little one. Those days have LONG passed for me, however my body hasn't realized it yet and as I approach the second half of my life, I've had the pleasure (insert heavy doses of sarcasm) of developing the curse of middle of the night insomnia. I can not begin to tell you how thankful I am for my iPhone and the Pinterest app! I have learned to do so much from that site! I have learned how to clean shower doors with dryer sheets, how to iron a stain out of my carpet, how to get rid of fruit flies, how to make about a trillion DIY things (including but not limited to cake pedestals from Dollar Tree candle sticks and plates), and how to entertain my children by making slime. The list goes on and on and on and on.... but the one thing I am REALLY grateful for is this sugar cookie recipe that I found on there! It is quite possibly the best sugar cookie recipe that I have EVER tasted. If you aren't into soft, fluffy, melt in your mouth sugar cookies, then this recipe is not for you. It was easy to mix up, easy to work with and I probably didn't even need to refrigerate it prior to baking it! Bonus points! When it comes to cookie making, who wants to have to wait hours and hours prior to baking them? Not this girl over here! They would be great to use as any holiday "pinwheel type cookie", cookies on a stick, decorated cookies, drop cookies (rolled in more sugar of course!), and even cut out sugar cookies! What a great treat these would be for your upcoming holiday party! I can't wait to see what you've done with your own variation of this recipe! Follow me on Instagram (@playwithsugar) or Twitter (@playwithsugar) and don't forget to tag me so I can see your work too! Happy Halloween!
Pinwheel Halloween Sugar Cookies
(thick, soft, easy sugar cookies)
Ingredients:
1 Cup of unsalted butter 2 Cups of sugar 2 Eggs 3 teaspoons vanilla (I used J.R. Watkins Double Strength Vanilla. If you haven't tried this you really should!) 1 Cup Sour Cream 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 5 1/2 Cups Flour
Instructions:
In mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add sugar and vanilla. Next add sour cream. Combine salt, baking soda and flour and add to the mixture.
After dough is thoroughly mixed, divide dough in half.
Keep half of the original color and set aside. Place the other half back into the mixer and add orange food coloring (amount to your liking). I used Wilton Icing Color in Orange. Mix on medium speed until all of the coloring has been incorporated throughout.
Roll out original dough (the one not colored) on a floured surface. I was very precise and cut and measured an exact rectangle (or square if you're fancier than I am at rolling!). I saved any scraps for cookies that I will tell you about a little later. Next, I did the exact same thing using the orange dyed dough. The only difference is I rolled this out on floured pieces of waxed paper (this made it MUCH easier to transfer on top of the original dough).
Once I had both pieces pretty much the same size, I flipped the orange dough on top of the original (basically stacking the orange on top of the white).
Begin rolling the dough tightly until it is all rolled up and in the shape of a log.
Lightly brush with water and roll into sprinkles of your choice. (I found it best to dump out all of my sprinkles onto a cookie sheet and then roll my cookie dough on it in order to try to contain the mess. Gently apply pressure while rolling to make them stick.)
I covered the decorated roll with saran wrap and then placed it in the refrigerator overnight. (You really only need it in the refrigerator for an hour to an hour and a half, but I was short on time so I baked mine the next day.)
Prior to baking, remove roll from refrigerator and slice into 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 7-8 min. Cookies WILL looked under baked, but this DOES NOT mean that they aren't done. RESIST THE URGE TO BAKE LONGER! I made the mistake (on my first batch) of thinking they needed to stay in longer and they got a little too brown on the bottom for my liking. They WILL be pale in color and no browning anywhere. (Remember these are super soft, thick cookies and leaving them in longer will not allow you to achieve that result.)

VARIATIONS: Some of the cookies I placed on a stick to form a cookie type lollipop. Just place the stick under the cookie prior to baking and voila!

As for the other cookies, remember those scraps I talked about? I took the original (white) cookie dough and rolled it out into a small rope like shape. Next, I did the exact same thing with the orange. I stacked one rope on top of the other and began two twist the two colors together (not braid, just twist). Lastly, I began to coil it around using one end as the center wrapping the rest around it. I apologize that I don't have any photos as this was a spur of the moment attempt to not waste dough.

Better Than Sex Cake

2013-10-21T18:12:00.001-07:00

"Let's talk about sex baby, Let's talk about you and me. Lets talk about all the good things and the bad things, that may be. Let's talk about sex"..... CAKE!

Gosh, I'm hoping this doesn't get rated X or filtered because of its scandalous name but it is what it is. I didn't name it but I do LOVE it! Get your mind out of the gutter, the cake NOT the name!

Better Than Sex Cake, Almost Better Than Sex Cake, Better Than Anything Cake. This is a cake by MANY names. If you are under 18, over 70 or if you are speaking to your parents or children that fall into the aforementioned age category, you should probably just go ahead and refer to it in the "better than anything" form. We called it "Better Than Sex Cake" (unless we are asking the kids if they want a piece). Is it really better than sex? Well that my dear readers is up to your taste buds and opinion! According to this website (which I also love by the way!) it says that this cake is "better than sex" because "you can enjoy if for more than 30 seconds, if you're not satisfied you can have another piece. Cake doesn't care if you share, and it won't lead to pregnancy, divorce or alimony". It's seriously one of the most divine, amazing, yet super easy desserts that I have EVER had the pleasure of eating (and making)! If you've ever had it, I'm sure you agree and if you never had, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WAITING FOR? You MUST make this. Seriously. Like NOW!

Better Than Sex Cake

Ingredients:

1 Box of Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

1 jar (14 oz) of caramel ice cream topping (I used Hershey's Caramel Topping)

1 package of Skor or Heath bits (8 oz) or 3 bars of either Skor or Heath finely chopped.

1 container of Cool Whip (I used the 16 oz container)

Small bit of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup for garnishment. (Use as much or as little as you'd like!)

Instructions:

Prepare and bake cake according to the box directions.

After the cake is fully baked, immediately pull out of the oven and poke holes randomly over the entire surface of the cake using a fork, end of a wooden spoon or in my case I used the end of a chopstick.

While the cake is still hot, pour the can of condensed milk over the top of the entire cake. Do the same with the caramel topping (reserving about 1/8 for garnishment on the top of the finished cake)

Place cake in refrigerator to cool ( Approx 2 hours or longer)

Once cake has completely cooled, spread Cool Whip over the entire cake.

Drizzle reserved caramel topping in a zig zag motion over the top of the cake. Repeat the same process with the Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. Garnish with the Skor or Heath Bits (I used about 1/3 of the bag)

DIG IN! ENJOY!

Homemade Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

2013-10-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

I am totally in love with Ken's Honey Mustard Dressing! Then why would I want to make my own you might ask? Well.... have you ever gone to the grocery store with high hopes of buying something, only to get there and find the shelf bare? This was the fate of my latest shopping trip, so I'm pretty sure you can imagine the disappointment I felt when this happened! I frantically scrambled around digging towards the back, hoping to find the one misplaced bottle that got pushed to the side. No luck. I thought about getting another type of dressing, but honey mustard pairs the best with the copy cat version of Red Robin's Crispy Chicken Tender Salad that we were making for dinner last night. What's a girl to do when faced with this kind of life altering predicament? Easy answer.... make your own! I went to work in the middle of the aisle looking for and pinning recipes on my Pinterest board. I got home and went straight to work and what I ended up with is pretty darn close to the Ken's brand dressing! The only difference is the consistency. The homemade version is not as thick and upon closer inspection of the Ken's, I see there is Xanthan Gum in it. The next time I might add a bit of this to help thicken it up, but that is a HUGE maybe. It was still very, very good without it. Thanks to the way this one turned out, I'm now on a mission looking for other homemade salad dressing recipes to try! I can't wait to see what others we come up with!

Homemade Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
Ingredients:
1 1/4 Cup of Mayonnaise (I used Hellman's Real Mayonnaise) 1/2 Cup of Dijon Mustard (I used French's brand Dijon mustard) - I will say a 1/2 cup will make the dijon flavor more distinct than the Ken's. If this isn't to your liking, start with 1/4 cup and increase to your taste. 1/2 cup of honey. 1/4 tsp of salt 3 teaspoons of sugar
Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a bowl or tall measuring cup and blend (or whisk) until smooth and creamy and free of lumps. I used my Cuisinart Immersion Blender and it made the process super easy and was done within seconds! (I absolutely LOVE that thing!) Use for a salad dressing and also great as a dipping sauce as well!

Homemade Hamburger Rolls

2013-10-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

I guess we could call them buns, I mean after all they technically are. But to me "buns" (when it comes to food) just sounds.... I dunno.... gross! Haven't we been over this before where it comes to my weird hang up with food aversions due to the name attached to them? For example in this post when we discussed my refusal to call them cake "balls' and instead I insisted you call them "bon bons". Okay, so some things obviously didn't change and won't change no matter how long I'm gone from blogging. Regardless of what you want to call them, you can call them amazing and I'd be okay with that. I mean how can you go wrong with homemade rolls? Plain and simple.... ya can't. There's just something about a fresh roll that can't be duplicated in prepackaged ones. We used ours for cheeseburgers and I was just telling Brian how freakin' fantastic they'd be as a deli sandwich as well. He and Auden even enjoyed them with just a little bit of butter on them! While cooking them, the house smelled like a bakery and I admit, it made me feel like I was channeling my inner 1950's housewife by making them from scratch. This was the first time using this recipe or even attempting to make a homemade roll from scratch, so I will confess that I'm no expert when it comes to it. It's a work in progress and the one recommendation that I will tell you is that the next time I make them, I will be dividing them into smaller portions and making smaller rolls. The original recipe said to divide the dough into 8 pieces which made rather large rolls which were still delicious but quite substantial in size. Anyway.... enough of this jibber jabber... let me show you my buns! ;)

Homemade Hamburger Rolls

Ingredients:

3 1/2 Cups of King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon of instant yeast (I used Fleischmann's RapidRise Highly Active Yeast.)

1 1/4 teaspoons of salt

1/4 Cup sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

3/4 -1 Cup of lukewarm water - (I started with 3/4 cup and then kept adding as needed using the entire 1 Cup amount. See King Arthur's website for help in determining how much water to use.)

1 large egg

Topping:

3 Tablespoons of melted butter
or

1 egg plus 1 teaspoon of water

Sesame Seeds (to taste) and optional

Instructions:

Mix all of the ingredients by hand, bread machine on the dough cycle or in a mixer using the dough hook and kneading for about 5-7 min until dough is soft and smooth.

Cover the dough and allow dough to rise in a place free of drafts for about one and a half hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Gently deflate dough and divide it into 8 pieces (I honestly think for better results divide into 10-12 piece, however it will produce slightly smaller rolls). Shape each piece into a round ball and flatted to about 3 inches across. Place rolls on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise again for 45 min to an hour and until rolls are noticeably puffy.

Brush the top of rolls with 1.5 Tablespoons of melted butter or I used an egg wash that consisted of 1 egg white and 1 teaspoon of water. Garnish with sesame seeds (optional).

Bake the buns in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-18 min or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter. This will give the rolls a satiny, buttery crust.

Cool the rolls on a rack for 20 min prior to serving.

Don't forget!

2013-10-15T18:09:00.001-07:00

Follow me on Social Media! C'mon! It's fun and all of the cool kids are doing it!
Twitter - @playwithsugar
Instagram - @playwithsugar
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Playing-with-Sugar/289421543378 Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/sjs1474/playing-with-sugar/ Google + - Stacy Thomas Also Don't forget to check out our other blog!
www.lifegonelive.blogspot.com
Twitter - @lifegonelive Instagram - @lifegonelive Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LifeGoneLive Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/sjs1474/life-gone-live/ Google + - Brian and Stacy Thomas

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

2013-10-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

I want to rename this recipe "You betcha I love Bruschetta" (actually pronounced "brusketta" in Italian)! The reason for the desire to rename it you might ask? It was Brian's first time ever having it and I'm pretty sure his taste buds fell in love! In fact, his original request to "only have a bite" ended up in him being pretty happy that I made the rest of our leftover garlic bread! I have ALWAYS been a huge fan of this recipe and I am SO happy that I have converted him over into my little world!

This was somewhat of an impromptu recipe. You see I am somewhat of a veggie abuser. I tend to go grocery shopping for 2 weeks (or more) at a time and it NEVER fails that I buy too many veggies to use in recipes. They end up looking all ugly, sad, shriveled or wilted before I ever have a chance to show them some proper love! I have made an effort to NOT allow that to continue to happen so when I saw 5 little Roma or plum tomatoes sitting in my fridge looking at me in despair, I knew exactly what I needed to do!

This can and probably would be considered an appetizer. I think it is quite common to be served cold on toasted bread, but since I hadn't eaten lunch, I turned mine into a warmed version with Mozzarella cheese and make a little makeshift Bruschetta pizza. The results? DELIZIOSO!

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil Ingredients:

6 Roma or Plum Tomatoes 2 Tablespoons of Minced Garlic 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 5 teaspoons of sugar 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil (although I would have used and preferred fresh if we had it) 1/2 teaspoon of dried Italian Seasoning Bread of your choice baguette French bread, Italian bread or frozen garlic bread. Mozzarella Cheese - optional and to your liking
Preparation Instructions:
Wash and chop into small cubes all 6 of the tomatoes Add Garlic, Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Sugar, Basil and Italian Seasoning to the chopped tomatoes. Mix thoroughly.
Prepare bread by baking in a preheated 400 degree oven. (if using French or Italian Bread, slice 1/2 inch thick slices on a diagonal, brush with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet, oil side down.) Toast for 5-7 min or until bread begins to turn golden brown. Once bread has been toasted, place bread olive oil side up (either side for frozen garlic bread) and add a generous amount of the bruschetta mixture, top with mozzarella cheese and garnish with Italian Seasoning. Place back in the oven and continue baking until the cheese has slightly melted. If you are serving this cold as a side dish or hor dourve at a party, place in a bowl and allow guests to serve themselves so that the bread doesn't becoming too saturated or soggy prior to serving.

White Cake Milkshake - It brings all the boys (and girls) to the blog......

2013-10-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

Darn right! It's better than yours, I can teach you (but I won't charge)..... La la, la la la...

Okay, okay enough of those silly shenanigans! I could have also titled this post "guilt shake" because as I was getting my blender out to make it, Beckett our 6 year old says "I remember when you used to use that to make "healthy" smoothies." Uhhhhh, thanks kid....

I will also tell you that this milkshake won out against its competition, which was going to be a post about a copy cat Starbuck's Vanilla Bean Frappuccio recipe and I promise I will be posting it soon, but for today this milkshake will have to satisfy the craving (and I promise you IT WILL)! I found this on Pinterest and as a lover of all things cake, ice cream and..... well let's just be honest sugar, of course it piqued my attention! I immediately pinned it and went to search for all of the ingredients! You can find the original recipe here. I will say that I learned one thing from this recipe. Quality ingredients DO matter. The original recipe calls for plain frozen vanilla yogurt. I used plain vanilla ice cream and I FULLY confess, (as you can see in the photo) it was NOT high quality ice cream. Because I am a "sweets snob" I could immediately taste the difference between the cheaper ice cream and what would have been had I actually sprung for the higher quality brands (and in reality only spent a dollar or two more). Case in point, I learned my lesson. Now that I got that confession out of the way, I can say I was the ONLY one at my house who even noticed it. It was super delicious despite my picky tastebuds. As a matter of fact, no one else even remotely questioned the brand of ice cream I used. They gobbled it up before I was even done photographing the original! The beauty of this milkshake is, as the title implies you can not only taste white cake flavor but ice cream with every sip! It is amazing and quite an ingenious idea! So without further adieu.... I will introduce you to my new found obsession....

White Cake Milkshake

1 1/2 Cups of Cold Stone Creamery International Delight Sweet Cream Creamer (yes Cold Stone Creamery has International Delights creamers! (if you click on the hypertext you can see all of the flavors they offer and get a .55 cent off coupon!) Isn't that like a dream come true?!?

1/2 Cup of white cake mix (I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme classic white)

3 Medium Scoops of plain vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

1/2 cup of ice (I think I used about 8-10 ice cubes and I would recommend crushing the ice thoroughly first)

Combine all of the above ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Top with some whipped topping and Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast (and a tale of how a former vegetarian learns to cook a big piece of meat).

2013-10-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

This is actually the second time that Brian and I have made this recipe. I will FULLY admit the first time he even mentioned it I was like "Huh? You want to make what?" As some of you know, I had been a vegetarian from 2004 until 2010 (see, I told you A LOT has changed since I first started blogging!) so when Brian mentioned this, I knew it was going to take some research and learning on my part. I allowed him to choose the piece of meat (I still do this most of the time, but I will say I "think" I'm getting better at it and back into the swing of feeling welcomed into the meat department at our local grocery store). We both set out with determination, laptops, Pinterest, Tastespotting, and Foodgawker and of course hungry bellies. We knew we found a good one when we both set our sights on Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast. I mean c'mon, its from The Pioneer Woman! How could it not be the perfect recipe? You can learn more about The Pioneer Woman (although who doesn't know who SHE is???) and you can find the original recipe here. Let me just tell you, neither time we made this were we disappointed! It was delicious not once but TWICE! I think the thing that really surprised me was how easy it was overall. It took very little work (besides impatiently waiting) for what ended up being a very nice meal! We paired it with some mashed potatoes and had a very nice, fancy shamancy home cooked meal! It's definitely a keeper and a recipe we will use for years to come! We hope your family enjoys it as much as ours did!

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast: (Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 3 -4 hours depending on roast size)
1 Whole Chuck Roast 3-4 pounds (for Brian and I we used a smaller 2.5 pound roast) 3 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 medium sized yellow onions 1 lb bag of baby carrots
4 -5 stalks of celery Salt and pepper to taste 1 Cup of Red Wine for cooking 4 Cups of Beef Stock 1 tsp of dried Rosemary 1 tsp of dried Thyme
First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast. Generously salt and pepper your pot roast.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do butter/olive oil split).
Cut 4 medium yellow onions in half and when the oil in the pot is very hot, add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate. Throw the carrots and celery into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned. About 1-5 min or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use either Red Wine or beef broth (about one cup), to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan with a whisk to get all of the flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the original pan or roasting pan (if using a separate roasting pan, pour red wine/beef stock deglazing liquid over it) and add enough beef stock to cover the meat half way (about 3-4 cups).
Add in the onion, carrots and celery (as well as dried thyme and dried Rosemary).
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275 degree F oven for 3 hours (for a 3 pound roast). For a 4-5 pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Homemade Applesauce, A.K.A "Show off applesauce"

2013-10-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

I was craving homemade applesauce the other day and I wanted to run to the farmers market to get apples. However, we were in the middle of making French Onion Soup (you can find the recipe here). If you've ever made it, you know that if you have plans to do anything or go anywhere, you better allow enough time to shower or you will smell like a big, stinky, stanky, gigantic armpit that hasn't been bathed in months! Oh you think I'm kidding? You just try it! You will smell like onions, your clothes will smell like onions, your undergarments will smell like onions, kids, dogs and basically anything else with hair or fiber in the vicinity will also smell like onions. It's well worth it, but my whole point is that if you are trying to get to the farmers market to get apples, it just isn't going to happen people! The next best thing was the apple orchard, but we live in an area where we have to drive 30 minutes (each way) to get to an orchard. The one closest to us was having a fall festival kick off and I didn't really want to fight the crowd to get a bunch of apples, and I honestly didn't feel like wasting the time or gas to get there. I contemplated just going and buying applesauce but lets face it, it's just not as good as homemade. Additionally, I'm a newlywed and as a newlywed, who doesn't like to throw on an apron, try to look all cute and play 1950's house wife by "showing off" your cooking skills and whipping of a batch of....well in my case homemade applesauce! My easiest option (although I admit probably not the cheapest) was to run to my local grocery store and buy apples. I got a variety of three different types, three fuji, three golden delicious and 5 lb bag full of McIntosh apples. I told Brian it would probably make a small batch, just big enough for the two of us (and since I am used to getting a full bushel at the orchard I really had no idea what to expect I would end up with). What it ended up yielding was more than even I had anticipated. We ended up with about 90 ounces or a little over 11 cups. It is delicious and I got two thumbs up from everyone in the family who tried it (even Andy)! The next time I make it I will go to the orchard and I think more than likely I will ask for windfall apples or grade B apples. Sure they won't be as pretty, but as long as I am coming home and making them that day or the next, I think they should be fine and I'm sure much more cost effective. I will also purchase a larger quantity and either can or freeze them so we aren't under pressure to eat quarts and quarts before it goes bad in the fridge. It's really not too hard to make and honestly the biggest pain in the butt is the prepping and peeling of the apples. Many people have fancy peelers, but mine is 5 ft 9 and MUCH better to look at while assisting me in the process! ;) I'll leave you with the recipe, well wishes for a fantastic fall and hopes you enjoy the recipe as much as our family did!

Homemade Applesauce

8 lbs of apples (I used a variety of 3 Fuji, 3 Golden Delicious and a 5 lb tote bag of McIntosh.
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 Cup of brown sugar
1 Cup of white sugar (I used half while cooking and reserved the other half cup after all of the apples had been cooked and blended into the applesauce)
1 Cup of water
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon.

Apples should be prepared by washing, peeling and coring them. Prior to slicing them I added one cup of water and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to the cooking pot I was going to be cooking the apples in. As I sliced them, I tossed them into the water/lemon juice mixture (stirring after adding each apple) to ensure that they wouldn't brown until I had them all sliced. After all 8 lbs were prepped and sliced, I added the brown sugar, a 1/2 cup of the white sugar and the cinnamon. I cooked them on high until they came to a rapid boil and then turned them down to simmer for 45 min. It will look like you have a moderate amount of liquid but do not drain or strain. To make the process easier, I used my Cuisinart Immersion Blender to blend into a smooth sauce (you can either blend or use a masher to achieve the same results). You can always determine the consistency you like best, but Brian and I preferred a smoother type sauce. Once the applesauce was cooled, I added the other 1/2 cup of white sugar. You could also season this to your own taste by adding additional or less sugar and doing the same with cinnamon. Allow the sauce to cool and store in the refrigerator, or if you prefer you also have the option of canning or freezing.

Enjoy!

I'm Back!!!!!

2013-10-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

I can not believe it has been YEARS, yes YEARS since I have posted on here. I am actually ashamed when I am forced to say it out loud. The truth is my poor little blog which I loved so much took the back seat to MANY, MANY life changes over the last few years. When I first started my children were pretty small, they are actually now pretty self sufficient and are now 6 and 8. Back then I was making my first fondant covered cake, I have made A LOT of cakes and have learned a TON about cake decorating since then (I can't wait to show you some of my work)! When I started this blog, I was living in Southern California and since then, I have moved back to my home state of Pennsylvania in 2010. Back then I was married and we had separated and divorced when I moved back to PA. Since then, I met the man of my dreams, my soul mate and my best friend AND..... I just recently got married! Friends we have A LOT to catch up on!!! I have missed you! I have missed blogging, I have missed cooking and baking for you and I have missed reading all of your wonderful blogs as well BUT, the good news?!? I'M BACK! I feel excited, refreshed and ready to get back to doing what I love most! I am making a commitment to post new recipes, tutorials, and whatnot at least 3 times a week on this site. In addition my husband Brian and I have started a daily "day in the life" type blog called "Life Gone Live" which will basically be a potpourri of a little of everything because as the title implies, it's basically our life, gone live on the internet and shared with all of you! You can visit that site at http://www.lifegonelive.blogspot.com/. We also have a fan page for that blog on Facebook which you can find here. You can check out my latest cake decorating projects and catch up on some of my work at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Playing-with-Sugar/289421543378. That's my fan page on FB and I would love if you would join me there as well! We will be having various giveaways on both blogs (and Facebook pages) so make sure you check back often! Thank you so much for continuing to support my blog during my absence! I am so grateful and blessed with the friends that I have made during my blogging journey!

WTH??? - Where The Heck have I been?????

2009-09-14T23:56:00.001-07:00

Seriously my dear readers, I can NOT believe it has been this long since I posted!!! - UGH! I miss you and baking for myself so much! I have (thankfully) had TONS of stuff going on in my life (good stuff). I have been baking cakes for others almost every weekend since my last posting AND a few other things. I hope you bear with me for just a little while longer. I have TONS of fabulous, yummy things to share with you for the fall. In the meantime I wanted to share some of what has been going on with me. The most recent cake I made is this baby shower cake. I can't help but be in love with the teddy bear! He was almost too cute to eat! It was a two tiered cake with a 10 inch white cake and strawberry filling on the bottom topped with a 6 inch strawberry cake with butter cream frosting all of which was covered with fondant and of course this adorable little bear!

This cutie patootie surfer girl was another weekend’s project for a special 16 year olds birthday. She was made out of all fondant and the cake was a chocolate cake with strawberry filling, butter cream frosting and fondant. How cute is she???

Up next was Wow Wow Wubbzy for a sweet little one year olds first birthday party. They told me that she thought it looked so much like Wubbzy that she was slightly scared to eat it! It was as single layer chocolate cake frosted with butter cream frosting and covered with fondant.

Last but not least, we have the soccer lover’s cake! This was a birthday cake for a birthday celebration shared by two little guys who love soccer. I incorporated two colors of their uniforms and of course personalized the jerseys with their individual numbers. I think they really liked it and hopefully it made a good impression with the soccer moms! It was chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. The ball and jerseys were covered in fondant.

I have a fabulous wedding cake that I will be working on this weekend for a very beautiful bride and I will be sure to post pics as it will be a one of a kind!

Finally, here is something else that has been distracting me from my blog (but what a wonderful & beautiful distraction she is)

This is my 18 year old daughter Morgan. When Will got his promotion to California, Morgan decided to stay in PA to finish out her senior year. Well school is done and summer is winding down so I am proud and excited to say that Morgan is coming here to live with us!!! I have been making plans, shipping arrangements, flight arrangements, plans for going back home etc. (if anyone has any advice on shipping just clothing and shoes freight, I'd be so grateful if you'd share your knowledge and info. Thanks!) I will fly back home for a week the end of September/beginning of October to get Morgan and then after that I am all yours! Back full time and baking more than ever especially during fall which is my favorite time of the year! See you all soon!

Stacy

Chocolate Chip Cookie or Cupcake? HAVE BOTH! Chocolate Chip Cookie Cakes

2009-08-17T02:10:00.000-07:00

Some things a girl should never tell…her age, her weight and her favorite recipe that has potential to make money for her someday. For that very reason I wanted to make one of my favorite cupcake ideas, but I’m not quite ready to share my secret recipes for my homemade goodies yet. Wipe your tears from your eyes my friends, this one is just as good and I’ll tell you are secret, come a little closer, shhhhhhhhh, it is all made from boxed mixes with the exception of the frosting. Will came in and said “are those homemade?” to which I lovingly answered “Well they were made in our home!” LOL. But ladies and gentlemen that is as close to homemade as these get. When I can’t or don’t want to use “from scratch” recipes, I like to at the very least try to dress up an otherwise lame boxed mix. That is just what these babies are all about! They are the can’t decide between a chewy chocolate chip cookie and a heavenly cupcake? HAVE BOTH cookie cake!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1 white or vanilla boxed cake mix of your choice.
Water - according to directions
Oil - according to directions
Eggs - according to directions
1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips - plus more for garnishment.
1 TBSP of all purpose flour.
Paper cupcake/muffin liners.

Butter Cream frosting:

2 Cups shortening
2 tsp clear vanilla
7 TBSP of water
2 pounds of confectioner's sugar

Cookies:

1 pkg of Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
1/2 Cup of Butter - 1 stick
1 Egg
Regular size chocolate chips for garnish

Directions:

Cupcakes:
Mix and prepare according to directions on package. Toss 1 Cup of mini chocolate chips with 1 TBSP of all purpose flour. Fold into prepared batter. Bake according to directions. Allow to cool completely.

Butter Cream Frosting:
Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer).
NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.
* For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.
**When using large countertop mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

*Instructions can be found on the Wilton website.

Cookies:
Prepare and bake cookies according to directions.

Once cupcakes have fully cooled, I used a long cake decorator’s tip to fill the middle of the cupcake with frosting. Take the longest tip you have (preferably one with a round open end), insert it into the middle of the cupcake and squeeze. Next frost the entire top of the cupcake with butter cream frosting. Style it according to your choice. (I decorated mine using only a pastry bag with a coupler inside.) Make sure you add an extra bit of frosting to the top center of the cupcake. Next you'll want to shake a good amount of the mini chocolate chips onto a plate, roll cupcake in chocolate chips. The way I did this was dip down and lift, turn slightly, dip down and lift until all sides are thoroughly covered. Next place a well shaped chocolate chip cookie on top of the frosted cupcake slightly tilted to the side. Top with a dollop of butter cream. Last but not least, garnish with a larger sexier chocolate chip and there you have it chocolate chip cookie cakes! Enjoy!

Recycling cake scraps.... Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Balls

2009-08-04T18:35:00.001-07:00

I don't know what to call these, I mean they are essentially cake balls BUT for whatever reason that just sounds so gross to me. They need a more chic name like cake truffles or cake bon bons, something. I should hold a contest to name my personally made ones. Too bad I didn't think of this sooner it would have been a perfect give a way! Bakerella does some FABULOUS things with these little delicious delights! You have to see all of the things she comes up with. Plain and simple, she ROCKS! Check her site out for complete directions and so many fabulous ideas! You can visit her by clicking here. I adapted mine slightly using vanilla frosting instead of cream cheese basically because I usually make my own frosting and therefore do not have usually have a can of store frosting around BUT I did have a can of vanilla that I found for a project that never came to be - ummmm, yeah I have way to many "good ideas" to mention that happen like that. The land of forgotten baked goods. You know those ingredients that end up being used for something other than their original intent. Oh well, all’s well that ends well right? I had cake scraps from a birthday cake that I made over the weekend. (The Steelers jersey birthday cake (for Bryan turning 24 - Happy Birthday Bryan!!!) that I mentioned in a previous post.)

NOTE: For the correct and entire recipe please see Bakerella's blog!!!

I used the cake scraps - or the left over cake from two 13 x 9 strawberry cakes - the crown (or top) which was cut off of both of them and about a quarter of the other 13 x 9 that I used to carve the sleeves. All in all it was probably about half of a whole 13 x 9. Did I lose you yet with all of that?

I crushed up all of the strawberry cake scraps to get them into crumbs and mixed about half of the can (15.6 oz) of vanilla frosting. Once I made sure it was thoroughly mixed, I used a cookie scoop and made approx 1 inch balls. I placed them on a cookie sheet with wax paper and placed them into the freezer for approx 6 hours until set. Once they were set enough to dip, I melted 1.5 bags of Wilton Candy Melts. (for directions on melting chocolate see my post here) (I have used Almond bark in the past). I used a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake ball to dip into the chocolate. Once completely covered I placed on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, drizzled on the opposing chocolate flavor and placed in the refrigerator until it was set. Viola! There you have cake balls (truffles- bon bons- LOL)! Recycling never tasted so good! ENJOY!

Making fondant "pregnant" - the latest addition of Stacy bakes...

2009-07-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

WOW, has it really been that long since I posted anything? Time sure does fly! In short, I have been up to my elbows in frosting and cake batter (and loving every minute of it!) I promise to be back in the next day or two with some actual recipes but for now I will entertain (and distract) you with some cakes that will hopefully make you smile! These were for Will's co-worker. She is pregnant with twins!!! How wonderful!!! Today is her last day before maternity leave and they are having a potluck luncheon for her. I was requested to make two round cakes both with butter cream (UGH - I just can't get used to seeing butter cream after working with fondant! I'm totally obsessed with getting it as smooth as possible to try to resemble fondant). They are both 9 inch rounds - one is white cake the other is strawberry. The figures on top are made totally of fondant. This was the first time I actually tried my hand at making figures. How'd I do?

Here she is from the side -

The colors were lavender and mint green to match the nursery colors.

Next we have the two peas in a pod, pea pod cake. I got my inspiration from this site. I think these are Will's favorites!

Here they are again looking down from the top. I also tried to incorporate the nursery colors in this one by including the little lavender flowers.

If you love that, wait until you see the back! Here it is - a huge pea pod!!! I needed support for the little guys as I knew Will would be driving on the freeway, alone, in a manual transmission car, so I knew it needed TONS of support - hence the giant pea pod.

In addition to these I had an order for a dozen blueberry muffins that I fresh baked at 1 am! Today is my "day off" and boy do I need it!!! I have another cake that is due on Saturday - a Steelers cake - imagine the irony of it all - a Pennsylvania girl living in California making a Steelers cake for a California man! Too funny! Poor Will, tomorrow is our 5th year anniversary and he'll be lucky to get cake scraps for our anniversary dessert. Oh the life of a baker!!! Hope you enjoyed them! Thanks for looking!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups - my latest cookie creation!

2009-07-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

Some things just go to be together: Peanut butter and Jelly, Bread and Butter, Batman and Robin, Movies and Popcorn, Smoke and Fire, Shoes and Socks the list could go on and on, AND now Cookies and Butter Cream Icing! These are two of my favorite things, and what do you do with two of your favorite things? Find a way to put them together to live in perfect harmony, which is just what these little bits of deliciousness are all about. You see one day I had left over cookie dough AND left over butter cream icing. Come on admit it, we've all had the lazy days where we think “you know what I could do with that frosting? No wait that would mean I have to make cupcakes. Or look at that left over cookie dough, but wait we just had chocolate chip cookies.” Out of this dilemma was born the cookie cup! When left in an office without a definition attached to them they have been known to be called “cookie muffins, chocolate chip cupcakes, “Mookies” or Cuffins.”
Will originally thought it would be too sweet but quickly realized the love affair between the two could not be denied. He now loves them as much as I do, as do his co-workers, friends and family.

As for the recipe you can use your own favorite top secret cookie dough, the one found here, or on occasion I have even (gasp) used the Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix. Either way as long as they are a chewier type cookie it will work like a charm. I used the same process that I did with the Cookie Bites with the addition of making an indentation in the middle of the cookie after they are removed from the oven but prior to them cooling (if you wait too long after they begin to cool, they will crack). After they cool completely go back and pipe in butter cream icing into the center cavity. The recipe for butter cream icing can be found here or again you could use your own super secret formula. Auden said they are two thumbs up and she would "give them more thumbs up but I don't have any more thumbs”. :) Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

It might be warm out side but it's "Chili" here! - Vegetarian (and meat lovers) Sweet Chili

2009-07-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Okay readers; please don't hate me for this recipe. I will warn you in advance that this is a "William Original" which means no measuring on the spices. So, it's "to taste" when you get to the spices part of it. Trust me, I know, try living with him. :) On a positive note this chili won second place in a chili cook off several years ago at Will's work. Still to this day he is so proud of his second place finish and dollar store ribbon which he received as his prize. It's the little things in life people...

What makes this chili different is in the fact that is it sweet - but after visiting this blog, would you expect it to be anything less than that? I will type it out both ways for either our vegetarian counter parts or our meat loving friends as well. Either way you go, you won't go wrong with it! But on a side note, I will say that Will's second place award winning chili was made with the Morningstar Farm Crumbles and only AFTER they ate it and voted did they find out who made the chili (as the crock pots weren't marked) did they realize that they weren't really eating meat. The other nice thing about using the crumbles is that it makes it lower in fat, BUT like I said either way - vegetarians or omnivore, I will love you all the same either way you try it, it's not trying it at all that will make me give you the evil eye. :) Okay enough of the mindless chatter and poor attempts at humor, on to the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 pkg of Morningstar Farms Crumbles (ground beef substitue) or approx 1 pound of groud beef *NOTE* I say approx. because I have obviously never cooked with it but on our vegetarian substitute it states that one bag of meatless crumbles is the equivelent of 1 pound of ground beef.

1/2 jar of chili sauce (12 oz jar)- approx 3/4 of a cup

2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 or 3 strips of sweet roasted red pepper strips (approx 1/4 cup finely chopped)

2 TBSP of ketchup

1 Can (15 oz) of red kidney beans - drained

1 Can (15 oz) of black beans - drained and rinsed

1 3/4 Cup of crushed tomatoes

1 can (4 oz) of diced green chilies - drained

1 1/2 TBSP of minced garlic

1/4 cup of finely chopped green bell pepper

1 can (15.25 oz) of Whole Kernel Sweet Golden Corn - drained

5 tsp sugar

Cumin and cilantro to taste - (I warned you!)

Mexican Style Shredded Cheese blend - Optional

Directions:

*In a medium sauce pan brown meatless crumbles or ground beef in 2 TBSP of olive oil

* Finely chop sweet roasted red peppers and green bell pepper. Add to ground beef mixture

* Add chili sauce, ketchup, kidney beans, crushed tomato, green chilis, minced garlic, black beans, corn and sugar.

* Cook on medium to low heat for 30-40 minutes.

* Sprinkle top with Mexican Style Shredded Cheese Blend - optional

ENJOY!

The Power of Fondant - Fondant Attempt - Take 2

2009-07-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

(Cue the dramatics) - I'll just say it, I have issues people! LOL. What is it about fondant that can bring a grown woman to tears? I mean come on, in the end it's just cake people! But yep that was me over the weekend. After my first fondant attempt last weekend, Will showed the cake to one of his co-workers (which is one of the sweetest people you will ever want to meet), and she ask if I could make a cake for her sisters birthday. The butter cream part of me screamed - "Sure no problem" and then I learned she wanted a two tiered fondant covered cake - UGH- the sick in the pit of your stomach feeling took over. The confidence turned from "Sure, no problem!!!!! to sure......no problem.... As you know this would only make this my second attempt at a fondant cake and NEVER have I had to stack heavy tiers on top of one another which meant supporting the cake by inserting dowel rods. I was a mess with worry to say the least. Then on top of all of that, "if" I ended up pulling the whole thing off, I had to worry about carrying it down 3 flights of stairs, and drive pass 5,000 speed bumps to get out of our complex. "If" we made it that far, we were left with driving a half an hour in a manual transmission car, on the freeway to deliver the cake, so sure......no problem.....

But I am happy to report all’s well that ends well. As you can see I pulled it off. Not to say that MANY "heart attack moments” didn't pop up along the way. My first issue, the fondant was sticking to my counter in the worst way. So I added powdered sugar BUT if I continued to add powdered sugar so that it wouldn't stick, it would quickly dry it out (okay and I'm sure the location of the central air vent in our kitchen blowing right on it didn't help matters), but I discovered you MUST make sure you surface is clean and I when I say clean I mean clean, clean. I think I was just wiping the surface thinking it was clean BUT you could feel powdered sugar residue left over from the previous rolling. Plus I needed to roll out a larger piece than I had ever previously done due to the fact that it was a tiered cake. After numerous attempts both cakes were covered. I'm not sure if it's just me but that is the worst part in my opinion. After the cakes are covered I totally love the decorating part of it. The next stressor was the adding of the dowel rods to give support when you stack the cake. It becomes so heavy with fondant that you don't want to have the bottom layer collapse when you place the top tier onto the bottom cake. First, you need to cut the dowels just right, about 1/16th lower than the cake is what I did, and you need to place them just slightly inside the perimeter of where the top cake will be placed. MAN, someone should warn you how stressful cake decorating can be; it was like me being a new surgeon operating for the first time. Will was my "assistant" handing me the dowel rods and cheering me on. Just watching yourself insert the rods into the bottom cake (and therefore destroying the flawless finish you just spent forever creating) and hoping you measured correctly is nerve wracking to the fullest extent. Next came placing the top tier onto the bottom, (or in layman’s terms - waiting for the bottom cake to collapse when you let go.....) My "assistant" had the important job of watching to see if any bulging occurred, and the first sign of it I wanted him to say "problem" and I would quickly remove the top as to save at least one half of the cake from total destruction. But guess what? It didn't happen!!! Next came Will wiping sweat from my brow, and me placing the center dowel rod down through the entire thing. If I made it through this I was going to celebrate with a nice margarita or two or three. Much to my surprise it went much smoother than my nerves would ever allow me to believe it could be. I had to just step back at that point and say "I did it”!!! I was so excited I think I cried happy tears. :) Sure there are a few minor flaws I have to work out and things I really would have been "better" with the cake but overall I guess for the stepping into to virgin cake baking territory (I’ve never taken a cake decorating class in my life) I didn't do too bad, did I?

Okay here is my list of questions for the fondant fans.....

* Other than the counter having some residue, is there anything else that could be making it stick? I am using the Marshmallow fondant recipe as seen here.

* I noticed that I got a few air bubbles even after I smoothed it out, any tips on how NOT to have that happen?

* What do you do it you accidentally mark the fondant after it is on the cake - like a finger nail scrap as you put the decorations on to the cake. Is there a way to smooth it out?

* How do I achieve a more realistic bow affect? I tried and still don't totally like how my bow creation turned out despite following an absolutley AWESOME bow making tutorial here (if you are a baker/cake maker you MUST check out there site for the most amazing software to assist you in running your business.)

* How long do you wait until you put ribbon on the bottom of the cake if you are indeed doing that so that it doesn't appear that it is bulging over the ribbon (and I also think I put it on too tight).

In the end, I did what I set out to do; I baked it, assembled it and transported it all in one piece, AND still lived to write this post. I guess it's true what they say, what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. I promise I’ll be back shortly with an actual recipe. Thanks to all who got this far in the post for my “therapy session”. You can all send me your bill in the mail.

Oh and on a side note - how many times can I say fondant and tiers in one post? I think I just set the record. :)

Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries

2009-07-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

These fries ROCK plain and simple. Funny how one would still call them "fries" when really they are not "fried" in anything. Nope, these fries are too sophisticated for greasy oil, and much like a skinny swim suit model they prefer to be lightly oiled, slightly accentuated by a few minor spices and baked lying on a cookie sheet basking in the golden glow of the oven, BUT the one thing that sets these fries apart from the skinny swim suit model is that you can actually LOVE them instead of secretly hating them :)

When we were still in PA, my neighbors RAVED over them and I mean RAVED! They could smell the wonderful aroma coming from the windows in the spring and would say "Oh my gosh" someone is cooking something that smells delicious! I once made the mistake of calling them "healthy French fries" and very promptly these little fry guys lost their appeal— that is UNTIL they tasted them!!! A few of the "manly men" of the neighborhood were still the naysayers of the bunch and only relented in a feeble attempt to silence my pleas to try them. Then it happened, they liked them, no wait they LOVED them!!! They urged their wives to get the recipe. So I typed it up and before you know it that very familiar smell began filling the air on our tiny little street. I just KNOW you are going to love them too, but whatever you do, don't call them healthy!!! :)

Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries

NOTE: The amounts listed are for every one pound of fries. One pound of fries is the equivelant of appoximately 3 medium potatoes. (I just double or triple the recipe to fit within my needs).

Ingredients:

1 pound of medium russet potatoes (approx 3 medium potatoes)
1 1/2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning
2 TBSP of Kraft Parmesan Style Grated Cheese (I used reduced fat)

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 425.
*Wash and cut potatoes into 1/8ths.
*Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil (I used Reynolds Release foil so that they will not stick, but you could also either use non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease the top of the foil with extra virgin olive oil).
*Mix all of the spices and the parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
*Place all of the potatoes (remember we are talking about one pound at a time) into a gallon size freezer bag, add olive oil and the parmesan cheese/spice mixture to the bag.
*Seal the bag and shake until the potatoes are evenly coated.
*Once thoroughly coated dump onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread in a single layer.
* Bake 30-45 minutes or until tender and lightly golden brown. (Baking times will vary depending on the amount of fries that you make and the size that you cut them). For the ones shown in the picture they were baked at 425 for 45 minutes.

ENJOY!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2009-07-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

I just have to get this out of the way - I'm not sure why but I keep wanting to call these Blueberry Streusel Muffins - Violet Beauregarde style. You may not know the name but surely you remember..... she is the girl from Willy Wonka who turns into a blueberry, BUT the one advantage that these have is that you won't have to worry about swelling up like Violet because these muffins are low fat (although to taste it you would NOT even know it - they are that sinfully delicious)! In fact, I will go as far to say your scale might even thank you for them. My scale has been in so much trouble that I'm have been contemplating selling it on eBay for being so cruel to me. Why can't it just lie to me? Blogging and baking and being in a new area with new restaurant opportunities does NOT make for a happy ending to the weight loss story. Now before you all start deleting the blog from your favorites - HOLD UP, I'm not going all soft on you, this will NOT turn into a low fat blog - oh heck no, I will just throw a "healthy" or "low fat" alternative on here every now and then to make the "Diet Nazi" - a.k.a the hubs happy. Just make sure no one tells him when I cry out for full fat donations smuggled to me in unmarked boxes. ;)

This recipe has been adapted slightly from Weight Watchers and it's listed as being worth 3 points HOWEVER, I saw that there is a typo (they have listed 1 TBSP of sugar and it is really 1 Cup of sugar, as stated later in the recipe)therefore I'm not sure which way they based their points.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins:

Ingredients:
Muffins:
2 Cups of all purpose flour (in the past I used half white whole wheat and half all purpose flour to reduce the points even further)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 large egg
3/4 Cups sugar
3/4 Cup reduced fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup skim milk
2 Cups of Blueberries - washed and picked over

Streusel Topping:
1/4 Cup of all purpose flour - I used slightly more than 1/4 cup
1/4 Cup of Sugar - I used slightly more than 1/4 cup
2 TBSP butter

Directions:
Muffins:
*Preheat oven to 375.
*Place muffin liners in a 12 hole muffin tin - I actually got 14 muffins which also could possibly affect a slight reduction in points.
* In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
*Using an electric mixer, beat egg with 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and milk and beat until thoroughly combined; blend in vanilla extract.
* Add mixture with flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Beat until smooth.
* Fold in blueberries (make sure you coat them with flour so that they don't sink to the bottom of your muffin) and fill each muffin liner about 3/4 full; set aside.

Streusel Topping:
*Combine remaining 1/4 cup each of the flour and sugar. Pour in melted butter and combine with finger tips (if it is too moist add equal parts of flour and sugar until it looks like crumbs).
*Divide crumb mixture over muffins.
*Gently press into top of the muffin batter with finger tips.
* Bake until slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in a center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 to 15 min and then transfer muffins onto racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Super Easy Cream Cheese Brownies and the tale of brownie bribery....

2009-07-15T21:21:00.001-07:00

If we all take a moment of silence you will hear the faint sound of a woman crying, probably all balled up in a corner of her home in a small town in Pennsylvania. That folks would be my mother in law and she would be sulking due to the fact that she knows that I made these brownies all the way on the other side of the United States and she can't eat a one of them (we moved away in January, so I’m sure she has suffered from 6 months of brownie withdraw)! You see these are my mother in laws FAVORITE brownies - like EVER!!!! They are so much her favorite in fact that she once used them to bribe me in order for her to watch my very cranky, needy, hyper, going through the terrible two's toddler while I went into the hospital to have my son (okay so I am a bit dramatic - I know in my heart she would have watched her without me making them), but I knew that there would be some incident of pooping in the bathtub that would send her over the edge unless there was something to keep her in the house - hence the brownies. I quickly learned that these brownies much like superheroes have some sort of power to make grown adults weak in the knees, so of course I did what all good bakers do and decided to use it to my full advantage. I came up with the genius idea that baking a HUGE pan of brownies for the nurses would give me the edge over the "other" patients when it came to midnight snacks and extra visitors during my hospital stay. Oh, who am I kidding I wanted to make sure I was first in line to get my epidural well ahead of all others! :). So with one pan of brownies on the kitchen counter and one pan of brownies in hand, Will and I ventured off to the hospital, and much like I expected the nurses went gaga over them. If I remember correctly the pan of brownies were gone long before the first signs of hard labor pains began. The nurses loved me for them and so did my mother in law!

Lesson of the day folks, the best bribery =baking brownies, and not just any brownies, THESE brownies! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do, and Sandy I promise I will have a pan full of these waiting at the airport with Will. Just know in advance there will be diapers to change, a sink full of dishes to wash and ten loads of laundry when you get here. Oh and did I mention there will be brownies? :)

Super Easy Cream Cheese Brownies:

Brownies:
1 Package of Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownie mix
1/3 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 or 3 Eggs

Cream Cheese Mixture:
1 package of cream cheese softened – 8 oz
1/3 Cup of sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 Cup of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Brownies:
* Heat oven to 350.
* Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.
* Stir brownie mix, chocolate syrup (included in the package), water, oil and 2 eggs for fudge like brownies or 3 eggs for cake like (I used 2 eggs).
*Mix until well blended and spread into pan.

For Filling:
* Beat cream cheese in medium bowl or mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, vanilla and one egg until well blended.
* Pour (or spoon and spread) cream cheese mixture over brownie batter in pan. Cut through mixture with a knife several times (I go zig zag up and down the pan and from side to side as well until you reach a marble affect).
* Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
* Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cream cheese mixture begins to brown and toothpick inserted in brownie2 inches from the side of the pan comes out clean or almost clean. Cool completely. Store covered and in refrigerator if desired.

If you like these, don't forget to vote for these on Foodie Views of the Day!!!!

Enjoy!

Fondant doesn't "bug" me anymore - my very first fondant cake!

2009-07-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Fondant fears be gone!!!! Yep, you are reading this right - I did it, I finally faced my fondant fears head on and made my very first official fondant cake this weekend. Let me tell you at first I was ready to throw in the towel and go back to what I know best - butter cream BUT I knew that in my heart of hearts IF I ever in my wildest dreams want to open any type of baking business that I MUST start to work with fondant. So that is just what I did!

I didn't want to buy that pre-rolled type, as I've read that it pretty much tastes like the package that it comes in (yeah that good huh?), so I decided if I was going to do it, I was going to go all in or nothing and I made homemade marshmallow fondant myself. I found a recipe and quick tutorial here. I was pretty surprised how quickly it all came together and that the clean up wasn't as horrific as I once thought. As for working with the fondant, lesson learned is that you can read and read and read about it BUT you don't really know a darn thing until you actually try to do it yourself. I had a few moments where regardless of using a huge about of both cornstarch and powdered sugar it was STILL sticking to my counter (que the "I HATE THIS!, I'M GOING BACK TO ICING!" moment). I quickly learned that it works better if during the “rolling it out” process you roll it out a bit in one direction, flip it, sprinkle your counter again and begin rolling out the other side. Once I actually had the cakes covered I fell in love with fondant. Decorating it and seeing it all come to life was so cute! I would love to have the "professionals" give me their opinions of the cake and what I could have done to make it even better. Here are the questions that I have for the fondant pros:

How do you make sure that they are no flaws in the fondant - no creases, no dimples, no stray finger nail marks as you smooth it out and what do you do if you happen to have one once it is already on the cake?

How do you use enough icing base under the fondant but yet make sure it doesn't come out under the fondant when you are smoothing the fondant onto the cake?

When you are putting the cake together, do you torte the cake (even if it is a small cake) so that there is plenty of icing along with the marshmallow fondant?

Is there a way to get the fondant to look shiny after you have it all in place? I just used a pastry brush to brush off all of the excess powdered sugar after the entire cake was finished.

Any other tips or suggestions? (I am sure I will think of more once I post this and if so I will come back and edit)

Without further ado I introduce you to the finished product. Drum roll please........

I used a regular 13x9 cake for the base and the Wilton Sports Ball pan set for the lady bugs (instead of putting the pans together to form a ball, I kept them separate). I used various fondant cutters and flower cutters for the shapes and leaves as well as using Wilton decorating tips to create various looks on the lady bugs. But my favorite part was using the fondant to make these little bees. I mean seriously how cute are they????

Thanks for looking and I appreciate any and all feedback that you can provide to me!

Enjoy!

Not the same "chip" off of the old block - Chocolate Dipped, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites

2009-07-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

I won't bore you with a lot of blah, blah, blah about this recipe. The fact of the matter is, I should be cleaning my house but instead I'm baking and blogging. I have been brainstorming this for the past few weeks, and I'm actually still NOT totally thrilled with the outcome, taste (HECK YES THEY ARE DELICIOUS!!), but as for appearance I would like it to look, I don't know - cuter? I would like to have them on a lollipop stick, then dipped and use all kinds of decorations (think sprinkles, nonpareils, etc, etc), but like I said I'm supposed to be elbow deep in domesticated bliss (laundry, dusting and cleaning toilets), but instead I'm baking, so for now this is what I had time (or lack thereof) to pull together. Hope you enjoy them as much as I am!!

Ingredients:

3 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
10 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Wilton Candy Melts in both chocolate and white chocolate
Candy decorations of your choice (optional)

***NOTE*** This recipe will make quite a few cookies so I cut it in half for this project.

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 350.
*Combine first three ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
*In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars with mixer until fluffy.
*Add eggs one at a time and beat well.
*Mix in vanilla
*Add dry ingredients and combine well.
*Fold in chocolate chips.
*Generously grease a mini muffin pan
*Place one scoop of cookie dough into each mini muffin cup - I used a cookie scoop, but you can also use approx 1 heaping tsp full of dough (as I said the muffin cup will be a little more than 2/3 full)
*Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack.
* Once the cookies have completely cooled, melt the Wilton Candy Melts (see directions for melting chocolate here.
*Dip the top of the cookie into the chocolate and garnish with your choice of decorations - another flavor of chocolate, candy decorations, frosting - you're the boss - let your imagination run wild!!!
* Refrigerate just long enough (approx. 5 min) for the chocolate to set.

ENJOY!!!!

Extreme "bakeover" -Pineapple Banana Bread .

2009-07-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Bear with me for a moment. I feel the need to apologize to my bananas. I really had intentions of eating you right away when I first laid eyes on you at the grocery store. I thought for sure someone in my family would gobble you up right away, but when it didn't happen I saw how your ego (and peel) became bruised sitting over there on the counter all by yourself. Today I just couldn't take it anymore. I knew I had to save you from yourself (and my unappreciative family). So I did the only thing that I could think of, I grabbed your friend canned pineapple, my recipe and the rest as they say is history. You have become banana pineapple bread and much like a high school ex boyfriend (or girlfriend for my male readers), I didn't realize how much I liked you until you transformed into something much more beautiful and desirable then you once were. My family is TOTALLY appreciating you and enjoying you now!

Okay now where were we? Oh I was going to give you all the recipe for this wonderful, out of this world, delicious, moistest bread like EVER! I used to buy bread like this at a specialty store, but for $8.00 a loaf? Are you kidding me? Some might say I'm cheap, others may call it frugal but whatever the case may be, I knew I had try to bake something similar myself. It wasn't just similar - it tasted like the same exact thing! I have been making this for a while and it remains one of my families all time favorites.

Pineapple Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1-1/4 Cups vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, drained
2 Cups (4 to 5 medium) mashed ripe bananas

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil and vanilla; add pineapple and bananas. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick remains clean when inserted into the center. If you notice that the tops are starting to get browned, yet the tooth pick does not come clean, cover with a piece of foil and continue baking to prevent top and the sides from getting too dark. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Yield: 2 loaves.

ENJOY!

No "shroom" for dessert - Ravioli di Portobello

2009-07-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have become VERY domesticated this weekend. First, I made homemade ice cream and tonight I made my own pasta ravioli's. Will wanted to try making ravioli for awhile, but I doubted my ability to roll it out that thin and smooth without it tearing or sticking to the counter. I had a taste of doing just that a week or two ago when we tried our hand at making pierogies, and while they tasted totally delicious they were not at all worthy of pictures (hence the reason they didn't make it to the blog). I knew after that, that if we were going to attempt ravioli's that we needed a pasta maker. So, I picked one up at while at Bed, Bath and Beyond last weekend. It was actually less complicated then I originally expected it would be, although Will was the one using the hand crank while I just fed the pasta dough through. What a gentleman!!! Now that we know we can do it, we are anxious to try many other variations on pasta and ravioli. I'd love to hear some of your favorite pasta dishes as well! Oh and by the way - as the title implies, this was so good there was no room or should be say "shroom" for dessert!

Ingredients:

Pasta Dough:
2 1/2 Cups of all purpose flour
3 eggs
Water - enough to make ball of dough smooth and no longer sticky (I think I used about a little less than a half cup)

Filling:
2 large Portobello caps - vents cleaned out
1/2 yellow onion
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 TBSP of butter or margarine
5-8 leaves of fresh cilantro
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp salt

Sun Dried Tomato Sauce:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
8 ounces smoked Gouda cheese
2 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (2 to 3)

Directions:

Pasta Dough:
Pour flour into mixing bowl and make a "well" or pit into the center.
Break eggs into the well.
Slowly blend the flour and eggs until they are well blended.
If the mixture is wet, slowly add more flour; if the mixture is dry, slowly add a little water. (You do not want the dough to be sticky)
Continue kneading until the dough has a consistent color and texture.
Form the dough into a mound shape and place on a floured table or countertop. Cover with a damp towel.
Allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes in order for the ingredients to blend together.
After the dough has rested begin form ravioli's either by hand or using a pasta maker.

Filling:
Finely chop mushrooms. Peel and finely chop onion. Melt butter in a skillet and sauté the onion for approximately five minutes or until transparent. Add mushrooms, garlic, cilantro and oregano and salt. Stir-fry over high heat for about five minute so that all liquid is evaporated. Reduce heat and cook for another five minutes. Remove from heat and let mixture cool. Place mixture inside the dough and create ravioli's. Place ravioli's in boiling water and boil for approximately 20 minutes until done. Melt the remaining butter. Pour over the ravioli, mix and serve.

Sauce:
Heat milk and butter in a sauce pan until the butter melts, whisk in flour and cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until thickened. Add 8 oz smoked Gouda cheese (I think the next time I will only use 4 oz of smoked Gouda. Eight ounces made it a VERY thick sauce) and 2-3 chopped sun dried tomatoes. Mix on med-low heat until cheese is melted. Pour over mushroom stuffed ravioli.

ENJOY!

Ice Cream with "appeal" - Homemade Banana Ice Cream

2009-07-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here it is, my very first ice cream made with my brand new Cuisinart ice cream maker and I couldn't be happier! Banana ice cream is Will's all time favorite, and as I mentioned before he was such a naysayer when it came to getting an ice cream maker (he thinks that I will make 2 flavors and the novelty will wear off - eye roll), that I thought I better try to win him over with his favorite flavor. As I placed the ingredients into the machine Will says "Oh honey, how do you feel? This is your dream come true." - again insert eye roll here - he is such a man. Yes it WAS a dream because I was going back and forth about an ice cream maker for YEARS. Once he started to see the liquid mixture beginning to transform into actual ice cream some of his reluctance began to fade. He said "Oh, it's looking like ice cream!". When it was all finished and before I put it into the freezer for a bit, I gave him a taste and he said "Oh my gosh, this is the best thing you ever made!" I knew at that moment I had him hooked! As I told Katrina at Baking And Boys, I now only have 1,534,000 more flavors to make before he completely eats his words about me buying an ice cream maker! It really is delicious. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Homemade Banana Ice Cream Slightly adapted from the recipe found here on Cooks.com

Ingredients:

2 c. heavy whipping cream (1 Pint)
1 cup whole milk
1 inch split vanilla bean (optional) - I did not use the vanilla bean, simply because I did not have one on hand.
2 eggs (whole)
1 c. sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 peeled bananas (medium)

Add whipping cream, whole milk, and vanilla bean in a pan and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. Stir constantly and do not cover.
In a separate bowl mix the eggs and sugar until well blended.

After the cream and milk has been simmering, take out the vanilla bean (if you are indeed using one) and add the egg/sugar mixture to the pan, maintaining the simmer and the stirring.

When this begins to thicken (approx 3-5 minutes) remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap (tight to the mixture), and put in the fridge until completely cool.

The original recipe asks you to dice the bananas and then put the entire mixture into a blender but with two kids on a holiday who has that kind of time? So I just added 2 ripe mashed bananas to the mixture when it was completely cooled.

At this point place mixture into the ice cream maker and process according to manufactures directions (for my Cuisinart, I let it spin for 20 min). During this time you could add in extras such as chocolate chips or whatever your heart desires, but Will wanted just plain old banana ice cream so I didn’t add anything additional.

Mine was the consistency of soft serve ice cream when it was done in the machine - which was still great, but since I knew I wanted to blog it, so I put it into an air-tight container and placed it back into the freezer overnight (I don't think you would really need to wait longer than a few hours though, I just ran out of time yesterday). Today as you can see in the picture, it is the consistency of hand dipped ice cream.

It will make just less than 2 quarts. Mine is a 1.5 quart maker and I didn't have any problems with it all fitting in.

ENJOY!!!!