my recipes,

Swedish Dammsugare

2011-04-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a special treat for Easter - classic Swedish "dammsugare". The name means "vaccum cleaners", and that's a very strange name for a cookie indeed. The reason? Well, traditionally these are made with lime-green marzipan and chocolate dipped ends, and maybe there was an early vaccum cleaner model that looked like that..? I really don't know, and there doesn't seem to be a simple answer out there, so it'll have to remain a mystery.

And it has many names, "dammsugare" just happens to be most widely used one. "Punschrulle" is also quite common, getting it's name from the liqueur used to flavor the filling. Punsch, as I've written before, is made from arrak and very sweet. If you can't find it, try using something like Amaretto or Frangelico instead - won't be the same, but it'll be really good.

It's impossible to give exact measures here. A lot depends on the type of crumbs you use. I had biscotti crumbs, but if you use something like pound cake, you're getting a much softer texture and might need less alcohol and more sugar to firm it up. My advice is to have extra of everything, and add more as you go along to get a good, firm, rollable texture.

I made marzipan from almond paste, some glucose and powdered sugar, but it's easier to buy ready-made and ready-colored marzipan. You will need about 300-350 g - I ran out and had to throw out the extra filling.

Swedish Dammsugare
about 40 cookies

200 g cake or cookie crumbs (as long as they're neutral in flavor, use anything)
150 g butter, softened
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp punsch liqueur

marzipan, see above
150 g dark chocolate, melted

Start by placing the crumbs in a bowl - a regular bowl if you're doing this by hand or with handheld beaters, or in the bowl of your Kitchen-Aid if you have one. Mix in the butter, and then cocoa, powdered sugar and punsch. You need a fairly firm dough, that can easily be shaped, so add ingredients accordingly - and taste it, too.

Roll out thin logs of the dough, and place in the fridge to firm up. Roll out the marzipan and shape it around the dough logs. Place them with the seam-side down, and cut into smaller lengths.

Dip the ends in melted chocolate, and something more if you like - I used some colored sugar, but sprinkles, crushed nuts or coconut would also be nice.

Keep them in a cool place. And if you can stand it, they're better the day after they're made...

Caramel-Coconut Cheesecake with Pineapple-Rum Topping

2011-03-30T01:27:00.000-07:00

Crust: 2 cups/180g graham cracker crumbs, crushed (may substitute 1/2 cup crushed macadamias if desired)
1 stick butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar
pinch salt
1/4 tsp lime zest

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients together, and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan or cake pan lines with parchment. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool. Lower oven to 325.

Filling:
3 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese
1 cup /180g golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup coconut milk (found on the ethnic aisle, NOT cream of coconut you use for drinks)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp coconut rum (recommended: Malibu)
1 tbsp flour

Filling:
Beat softened cream cheese until very smooth. Add sugar, and beat again, scraping bowl as needed. Add eggs, and coconut milk, scraping well after each addition. Add extract, rum, and flour, and mix until well-blended.
Pour into crust, and bake for 50-60 minutes, until cheesecake is mostly set but center still wobbles like jell-o. Internal temperature should read about 165.
Set on a rack to cool at room temperature for one hour, then refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Unmold, slice, and top with Pineapple Rum Topping:

Pineapple Rum Topping:
2 cups fresh chopped pineapple
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp rum pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in saute pan and heat until syrup has reduced to a syrupy consistency. Serve over cheesecake.

Daring Bakers January--Tuile Cookies

2011-03-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Custard-Filled Tuiles with Chocolate Ganache

Batter
Recipe:
Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.1/4 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly. (You can also spread the batter very thinly with a small offset spatula, but they won't be as thin or even unless you're way better at it than me.)

Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a baking sheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

Custard:
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 egg yolks
2 cups milk plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 vanilla bean, optional
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp rum or vanilla--I used Meyer's Dark Rum
Make the custard:
Prepare a bowl in an ice bath. Combine sugar, cornstarch and yolks in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice open vanilla bean and scrape out seeds, add both to saucepan. Slowly add egg yolks and milks, whisking to prevent lumps. Turn heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly until mixture has thickened. Turn heat to medium, and continue to cook for one minute longer. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla, and place into ice bath, stirring frequently to cool. Pour through a strainer, pushing with a spatula, into a shallow container set in the ice bath. Refrigerate until cookie have cooled, then pipe in with a piping bag.

Choclate Chip Yogurt Cake

2011-03-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Cake
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
5 oz (1 1/4 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour
6.25 oz (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups nonfat yogurt or buttermilk (see Tip)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp Frangelico
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Chocolate Drizzle
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
2 tablespoons low-fat milk

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick spray.
Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and 1 cup of the sugar together in a large bowl.
Mix yogurt, vanilla and Frangelico and oil together in a small bowl.
Beat egg whites in a medium bowl, gradually adding sugar and cream of tartar, until soft peaks form.
Add yogurt mixture to dry mixture, stirring together only a few strokes. Add a generous spoonful of the whipped whites, and stir a few more strokes. Add remaining egg whites and chocolate chips, and fold very gently until mixture is mostly combined--it's okay if there are a few streaks left, take care not to overmix here.
Pour into Bundt pan, spread batter evenly, and place in oven. Bake 40-50 minutes, until skewer inserted comes out clean. Place pan on a rack and let cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto rack and allow to cool completely.
For Drizzle: Melt chips and milk in a microwave at 30-second intervals until smooth and melted. Drizzle over cake. Chocolate will set in about 30-45 minutes.

2011-03-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Spinach and Bacon Fritata

This is good cold, hot, or room temp, morning afternoon, or night. KC was even a little sneaky when he was taking some for breakfast the morning after we ate it for dinner. I don't know why he thought he had to sneak around. I'm not a food Nazi.

So I stated by browning the bacon and onions in a non stick 10 in skillet. When they were started to brown, I added diced potatoes and cooked until the potatoes until they were tender. Lastly I added fresh spinach and let it wilt for about a minute. I whisked together 6 eggs, and about 1/3 cup half and half ( I don't ever have this, but for come reason I did this time. Milk is fine.) and salt and pepper. With the skillet on medium, add the egg mixture and let a nice crust form on the bottom. When it is about half way cooked. Sprinkle on your favorite cheese, and place under the broiler until cheese is browned and eggs are cooked through. Let is cool a few minutes, and slide out of skilled onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges and enjoy.

2011-03-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

Grilled Chicken and Spinach Lasagna Rolls

When I feel like I have nothing to make dinner with, I am always surprised at what my fridge and cupboards hold. This is why I hold off grocery shopping for long periods of time. This time I decided to use my finding to make lasagna rolls

Here's the deal:
Start you water boiling to get your lasagna noodles softened up. Boil until they are al dente. Start your chicken grilling on the George Foreman, or however you want to grill it (this is where those pre-grilled strips from Costco come in handy). I put a little Italian dressing on it for fun.
Then I brown up a couple strips of bacon and drained them on a paper towel. In a bowl combine about 16 oz cottage or ricotta cheese, one egg, a couple cup of chopped fresh spinach (frozen also works great) chopped marinated red pepper(optional, I just happened to have an open jar in the fridge.), about 1/4 c chopped red onion, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash and the chopped grilled chicken (I used Cami's advice to chop the chicken with my Pampered Chef chopper) and mix. Lay the cooked noodles flat promptly after straining. Divide the filling between 9-10 noodles. Spread on the entire noodle leaving about 1 inch on each end. Gently roll them up and lay them in an oiled 9x13 pan. This recipe can of course we altered to whatever amount you want. Top them with a little marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. I did an Italian blend of cheese so I didn't add extra Parmesan. Bake on 375 for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and turning golden. I'm realizing now that I should've added minced garlic to the filling, but it was still delicious.

2011-03-26T02:16:00.000-07:00

Past breads

These are rolls I made for easter with my cinnamon rolls recipe.

Irish soda bread: We had this on St. Patrick's Day with out Irish stew.

Bran muffins: I love these in the morning. I wish I would have the freshly baked every day.

Banana bread: I believe this was given to friend who'd just had her baby. I like to glaze things a lot.

2011-03-26T02:15:00.000-07:00

Past breads

2011-03-26T02:14:00.000-07:00

Whole Wheat rolls

I made these rolls for the barbecue pork sandwiches. Here is the recipe. They very hearty, sweet, and perfect for sandwiches.

2011-03-26T02:09:00.000-07:00

Sandwiches

Sandwiches are so good an often times under rated. The possibilities are endless. I love a good juicy sandwich.

Turkey cherry sandwich: I had this for lunch everyday for a week, I liked it so much. It was cream cheese, spicy brown mustard, cherry preserves, turkey, spinach and cheese, on an onion bagel, broiled until the cheese was melted. I only had it this way this one time. The other times, I had it cold without the cheese on top. Delicious both ways. Whew, long explanation.

BLT: I think I used pepper jack in this one which added a whole new element to this classic.

Egg salad: Ah.... I love a good egg salad. Curly fries make it even more delicious.Except, I usually would choose salt and vinegar chips as my side dish.
Turkey Burgers with baked sweet and russet potatoes: I researched on how to make these potatoes just like The Outback. They were nice a crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
Turkey mushroom burger: Similar to the above but tons of mushrooms in these bad boys. KC loooooooooooooves mushrooms.
Bagel breakfast sandwich and roasted potatoes:
Bagel and eggs: I suppose this is a sandwich. An open faced one. It looks like spinach and turkey eggs on a toasted and buttered bagel. We love breakfast for dinner.

2011-03-26T00:52:00.001-07:00

Shepherds Pie

This and all Turkey meat Shepherds Pie. It pretty much followed this recipe, except I used about half sweet potatoes and half regular potatoes for the topping. It is a great winter meal and we'll probably be making it with our Thanksgiving leftovers as well.

2011-03-26T00:51:00.001-07:00

Tuna Casserole

There is actually a funny story about this meal. We had just gotten home from our cruise and wanted something really simple and quick. We were so used to eating rich meals constantly on the cruise so we were pretty hungry. We had hardly anything in the fridge so I was lucky to have the ingredients for anything. I like to think that I could go into anyone's kitchen and no matter how few ingredients they have in the cupboards, I can make a decent meal. This is what I made in a pinch.

It is super simple so I understand if you are not impressed. Here is the recipe

2 cans White Albacore Tuna in water (I know it's more expensive, but it's worth it.)
About 1/2 c sour cream. I didn't really measure.
About 1/2 c low fat Mayo. Same as above. I just added until I liked the texture.
About 1/4 c bread crumbs.
Shredded cheese
Any kind of pasta, cooked. I used the colorful curly ones.
Salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash to taste
Marinated red peppers (optional)

Mix the Tuna, sour cream, cheese, bread crumbs, mayo, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, and pasta in a
bowl. Spread into a baking dish and top with marinated peppers, more bread crumbs, and more cheese. Bake at 375 until it is warmed through.

Of course you can really dress this meal up, but again, we didn't have ANY fresh groceries due to all the traveling, so that fact that we ate that night was pretty impressive. The leftovers we good too.

2011-03-25T11:18:00.001-07:00

Ravioli Lasagna

I know this is a trend going around lately, so I thought I'd take a whack at it. It really was so simple, and does accomplish the same thing. Of course, nothing can replace that lovely flavorful gooyness that regular lasagna has, but it's a nice replacement as a simple form of the comforting dish.

This ended up being vegetarian, but brown up some beef or turkey if you'd like.

Frozen cheese ravioli
frozen broccoli (it's what I had on hand, but you could, of course, use fresh)
one small onion
about 1 c sliced mushrooms
a sprinkle dried basil
s&p
a sprinkle paprika
3 cloves minced garlic
about 1/2 jar marinara sauce ( I added a little water to it so the ravioli would be nice and tender)
Italian blend cheese, or any cheese you want to sprinkle on.

Turn over onto 375. In a hot skillet saute the onion, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, paprika, basil, and s&p with a little olive oil. Let cook until onions are translucent, and broccoli is becoming tender. Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Place a single layer of ravioli over that and sprinkle half of the vegetables over that. Add a thin layer of cheese, and repeat the process. Add one more layer of ravioli and top with the rest of the sauce, a little more cheese, and some Parmesan and basil to finish it off. Top with foil ( I like to spray my foil with cooking spray so the delicious cheese doesn't stick.) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. I like my cheese a little brown so I like to take of the foil stick it under the broiler for a minute or two after it's cooked. Try it out.

2011-03-25T11:17:00.001-07:00

Chicken Cordon Bleu-wiches

These were DELICIOUS. I used sour dough bread, rotissserie chicken, thin shaved ham, and aged white cheddar. That cheese is to die for. It is from Costco and I totally recommend it. I put the open face sandwiches under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Man, I want one of those right now.

2011-03-25T11:15:00.002-07:00

Orange Ginger Chicken, with Maple Walnuts

I started by marinating chicken breasts with orange juice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger and salt/pepper for at least 3o minutes, up to overnight (reserve marinade). In a heated pan, drizzled with olive oil, brown the chicken on both sides and then take it out of the pan and cover with foil. Slice the mushrooms, broccoli and carrots and saute them with olive oil and salt/pepper for about 1o minutes. Mix a couple tablespoons of corn starch to the reserved marinade along with enough orange juice to make enough sauce for all the veggies. I also added sugar since I was using fresh squeezed oj. Put the chicken back in the pan with the sauce and let it simmer covered, stirring occasionally/turning the chicken occasionally until the chicken is fully cooked. While it's cooking place about 1/4 cup or chopped walnuts, and a couple tablespoons or maple syrup in a pan and cook for a few minutes until syrup is very thick and coating the nuts. Stir as they cool so they don't stick together. Serve chicken over rice, and sprinkle walnuts on top. I could snack on those nuts all day.

2011-03-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Chicken and Red Pepper Cream Sauce with Pasta

On this day I was really aching to make something really comforting since for various reason I hadn't cooked a decent meal in about two weeks. This satisfied my need to cook, and our palates.

Place a deep skillet over high heat, add about 2-3 T of olive oil. Salt and pepper 2-4 chicken breasts and place them in the hot skillet to sear. Let cook for about 2 minutes per side just to caramelize. The don't need to be cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and turn it to medium high. Roughly chop one red pepper, and a medium onion. Add those and 2 cloves of finely minced garlic to the skillet. Then add about 1/2 t of each paprika, curry power. mustard seeds, and dried basil. Saute for about 5 minutes until they are starting to brown and onions are becoming translucent. Add about 2 c of chicken broth and let simmer another 5-10 minutes until veggies are very soft.

Start cooking any kind of pasta using the manufacturers instructions. It's good to use one that can really hold the sauce like penne or rigatoni, but we used basil fettuccine since I was in the mood.

When the peppers and onions are soft, pour into a blender and add about 1/4-1/2 c of cream, or half and half, and blend until smooth. Milk works fine, it just won't be as thick and I happened to have cream when I made this. Or you can omit the cream/milk. Pour back in the skillet and let come back up to a simmer. Add the chicken and all the juices that have accumulated back into the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through, 170 degrees.

Slice the chicken, place over the pasta, and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with mustard seeds and crumbled bacon for a nice crunch. I would've loved to have some nice green herbs like parley or basil for garnish, but not having any on hand, dried had to do. We also put Parmesan, a must with most pasta dishes. Some crusty bread, or good quality croutons are good for soaking up the rest of the juices as well.

KC now asks for this all the time.

2011-03-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Past desserts/sweets of any kind.

These are not in any particular order. I was just getting everything on.

Strawberry moussed filled coconut bundt cake: This was Jefferson and Jackson's combined birthday cake. I still get requests.

Stuffed french toast and smoothies: I made this for Melody for breakfast when I surprise her in Utah.

Chocolate Lava cake: Don't be confused by what the dish says. It was a gooey on the inside type of cake.

Mixed fruit biscotti: I was trying to use up a bag of dried fruit from Costco so I wouldn't keep eating it. This was a great use for it.

Cinnamon rolls: We had these on conference weekend. I think it is a tradition now.

Scone assortment: I had some friends come over for a scone night and I made a plate with all the toppings we had.
The next seven things were made for a party I catered.
Lemon curd and fruit platter.
Caramel cheese cake with an almond crust: I deleted my only good picture of this so here you go.
Raspberry almond shortbread bars
Chocolate dipped coconut macaroons
Fresh mango frangipane tart

Chocolate raspberry truffle cake
Coconut bundt with roasted pineapple

Heart attack Cake: Another one of Jake's birthday Cakes.

Fruit Cheesecake with almond crust: I made this for a friend picnic when I was still single. A boy, not KC, proposed when he saw it. Sorry Joe.

Chocolate mint Cheesecake: Very rich. This was Cortnie's birthday cake. I should make it again sometime.
Pina coladas: We made these many times in the course of a week. After this batch we make them with strawberry sherbet. Much better.
Pineapple Cheesecake: This was for Ethan's birthday and he didn't really eat it. I remember it not turning out as well as I had hoped. There's always next time.
Lime pound cake: I made this on Memorial Day. We had friends over and I made it to go with pina colada strawberry ice cream that KC made.
Orange bundt with vanilla bean peaches: This was Cami's birthday/Easter cake. Itcould've used more orange flavor, but it was cake right.
Creamy banana cake: This was a hit at a ward function. Can you tell I'm a fan of using the bundt pan.
Mini strawberry mandarin cheesecakes: I made these from the left over batter of the one below. They were too easy to pull out of the freezer and pop in my mouth.
Berry shortcake: I made this for Mother's day. It's the kind that tastes even better the next day.
Homemade oreos: These are one of my faves.
Strawberry pie cookies: I had extra pie dough left so I made these for fun. They turned out pretty good.
Fruit platter: I do enjoy the healthy natural sweets as well. A friend invited us for dinner and we brought this.

Chocolate mouse and peanut butter cup filled chocolate bundt cake: What a mouth full. Jake was a happy 29 year old.
Key lime pie: I have made this many times this summer. Always seems to be a crowdpleaser.
Strawberry mandarin cheesecake tart: Given as a gift to some friends who were moving.
Strawberries and cream: The whipped cream is also sugar free. Just happened to have it on hand. The go lean crunch was great on top and it was paired perfectly with chocolate soy milk.

Caramel popcorn: This was an adventure. I didn't have the ingredients for the caramel corn I wanted to make so I made it up. And I jazzed it up with quite a few things-honey bunches of oats, pistachios, raisins, and toasted coconut, and chocolate chips. The caramel sauce have coconut milk in it so it was pretty rich.
Cinnamon spice cheesecakes bites: We dipped these in chocolate fondue for a baby shower.
Coconut truffles: I saw them on a Brazilian recipe website and made them for a friend going on a mission to Brazil.

Sugar free flourless chocolate cake: I made this for a friend who couldn't eat a lot of sugar at the time. I made it later so I could try it and I have to say it turned out pretty well for a sugarless dessert.
Tea Party: This was a spread a friend and I put together to pracitce for a business we were going to start. That is kind of put on hold. But we had fun making bluberry scones with lime curd, cucumber and salmon tea sandwiches, shortbread cookies, and peanut butter and lime meringue tartlets.

Avocado Shake: This rasied many questions. It wwas pretty good and isn't as unusual as you think. It's the kind of thing people will feel cool telling you about because you've never heard of such a thing.

2011-03-25T11:05:00.001-07:00

Strawberry Lime crepes

So I was cleaing out my fridge and found many limes needing to be used right away. So I made lime curd which freezes very well if needed. But I decided to use it right away on these crepes we had for breakfast on New Years Day. I spread a thin about of lime curd over the whole crepe, put a little fresh whipped cream, and strawberries and folded them in fourths. A little lime zest always adds a nice elegance as well. Lime Curd is very easy to make and is one of the most decedent things. You should try it some time. Here's the goods:

La'Cademie de Cuisine's Lime Curd (this in only one rendition)
Zest and juice of 6-8 limes (about 1/2 cup juice)
8 oz. butter
4 eggs
12 oz. sugar
1. In a medium saucepan heat the butter and lime juice to a boil.2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together.
3. When the lime juice come up to temperature, add a little to the eggs to temper them.Add a little at a time until all is mixed in.
4. Return to saucepan. Add zest and put over medium heat Whisking constantly.
5. When the mixture comes to a boil and becomes thick, strain, cover with plastic and chill until ready to use.

I like this as a fruit dip, with shortbread cookies, or as a tart filling. Soon there will be a picture, but it's in the freezer now and wouldn't look so appetizing.

I made a crepe cake by layering the same ingredients that I made the crepes out of and letting it chill before cutting to let it set up a little. It was delicious.

2011-03-25T11:04:00.002-07:00

Date Raisin Walnut Rice Pudding

Melody were on the phone one morning as usual and somehow we got on the topic of rice pudding. It sounded like a good snack so I made some. My mom makes with with leftover rice, which I LOVE, but since my rice wasn't pre-cooked, I tried another way.

Place 1 1/2 c of rice in a large pot, along with 1 can of evaporated milk and about 3-4 c water. (I'm not completely sure on the water because I was adding it as I went along. I think the milk doesn't really absorb into the rice so you still need the full amount of water to cook the rice. You can add more water as you go if you find the rice is still a little crunchy.) I also whisked in about 1/2 t cinnamon, a pinch of salt, 2 eggs, and about 1 c sugar (or to your taste). Cook over medium heat stirring almost constantly. The bottom will burn if you are not careful. Cook until thick, bubbly, and the rice if fully cooked and soft. It will take about 15 minutes or something like that. I wans't timing, sorry. Add a little more cinnamon if desired and stir about 1 t vanilla and any dried fruits or nuts. I like to top mine with whipped cream if I have some on hand.

2011-03-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

German Chocolate Trifle

KC requested German Chocolate Cake for his birthday and I hadn't used my new trifle bowl yet, so I came up with this. The construction:

Chocolate covered cookies crumbled
fresh whipped cream
German chocolate coconut filling
German chocolate cake cubes
chocolate covered cookies
whipped cream
German chocolate coconut filling
German chocolate cake cubes
chocolate covered cookies
whipped cream
German chocolate coconut filling
German chocolate cake cubes
chocolate covered cookies
whipped cream

Everything is just repeated like 4 times. It turned out pretty well. I think it gets even better the next day. We decided now we will just put one candle for every decade.

2011-03-24T02:46:00.001-07:00

Chocolate cereal cups

These were another babysitting project. We are all familiar with peanut butter cereal treats, but instead of spreading them into a pan and cutting them into bars, we pressed them into buttered muffins tins, and filled them with ganache. They are very rich, but very good. The youngster I was babysitting said "They make my teeth surprised". Ha ha!

Cereal part: (in case you haven't made them before)
3 c corn flakes
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c corn syrup
1/2 c peanut butter (I like crunchy, and we also used half almond butter and it was great.)
a little cinnamon and vanilla

In the microwave or over the stove, heat the sugar and corn syrup to boiling and boil about 10 seconds. Stir in the peanut butter, and then stir in to the cereal. Divide mixture between 12 muffins tin sections and press up the sides a little with your fingers, putting butter, oil , or water on your fingers periodically to keep them from sticking. Let them set up while you make ganache.

Ganache:
1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c dark chocolate chips
pinch of salt
vanilla

Heat cream to simmering. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and shiny. Pour into cereal cup and let them set up in the fridge.

You'll probably have to pry the cups out with a knife or fork.

2011-03-24T02:45:00.001-07:00

Orange Cranberry Scones

This scone recipe has become a favorite of mine. I have tried many and this seems to be what I always go back to. I made these for a play group/any girls that are home during the day. A great brunch item. I've also made them with raisins and pistachios. There are many varieties you could make. Here is the recipe straight from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.

In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)

Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry-Orange Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried cranberries for the raisins.
Lemon-Blueberry Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried blueberries for the raisins.
Cherry-Almond Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the sour cream mixture and substituting dried cherries for the raisins.

2011-03-24T02:44:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Banana Bread

I doubled this recipe and made it into a pound cake. It weighted a TON, and was so moist, dense, and delicious. If I was feeling extravagant that night, I'd have put a white chocolate ganache glaze, and served it with ice cream and fresh whipped cream, but for a stake function, they just got a powdered sugar dusting.

2011-03-24T02:41:00.001-07:00

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

I made this on a whim to use up some sweet potatoes I had been looking at for weeks. I found this recipe and it turned out pretty well. Expect I omitted the pecans and added dried cranberries and chopped dates. And I made it in two loaf pans instead of a bundt, for no particular reason.

A tip: instead of peeling, boiling, then mashing the potatoes, just prick them and put them in the microwave. Cook until very soft, cut in half and scoop out perfect mashed sweet potatoes.

2011-03-24T02:40:00.001-07:00

Mulitgrain Bread Pudding

This is another odds and ends type recipe since it was purely to use some things taking up space in my fridge. I had milk that was toward the end of it's drinkable life, and yolks left over from my meringue adventures, so this seemed like the thing to make. I also had a loaf of multi-grain French bread that always seems a little dry if it's not eaten a few days after purchasing. So here's the procedure:

Cut one loaf of bread into cubes and place into an greased 9x9 baking dish. Whisk together about 10 yolks, or 4-5 eggs (I just happened to have a container full of yolks, but whole eggs will work fine. The yolks will just make it especially rich.) in a bowl. Whisk in about 3 1/2 cups of milk (about 1/2 cup of this was evaporated milk that I also was sick of looking at in the fridge, but again, regular milk is fine.) Add about 1 1/4 c of brown sugar, about 1/2 t of cinnamon, 1/4 t nutmeg, and any dried fruit or nuts you want to add. This one had walnuts and dates. Pour over the bread and then preheat the oven to 350. While the over in heating let the milk soak into the bread, pressing down to make sure all is soaked. Bake for about on hour. Check after 45 minutes and if the top is getting too dark, but the custard is not cooked, cover with foil and continue cooking until it is completely cooked through. You can tell by inserting a knife and prying the bread apart checking to see if there is any liquid. If there is, it is not done. It must be completely solid throughout. It will be puffed up and golden. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or a nice vanilla sauce. It's good at any temperature, but I like it right out of the oven. I served ours with a maple glaze.