Completely Delicious

Mini Mushroom Tarts

Annalise — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:59:13 +0000

Bubble baths and sweatpants.

Cherry coke and waffle cut french fries.

Dog kisses and long naps.

Downton Abbey and Pinterest.

These are all a few of my current favorite things. I can’t get enough of ‘em. And because of these mini tarts I’ve got something new to add to the list, mushrooms and puff pastry.

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Dutch Baby Oven Pancake

Annalise — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:18:52 +0000

I’ve been feeling the breakfast vibe lately. That every lazy morning should be greeted with sizzling bacon, crisp hash browns, and fluffy pancakes drizzled with fragrant maple syrup. After I’ve made the food, and my husband has brewed the coffee, we sit down in our pjs to eat while the dog lays at our feet and the morning light streams through the picture window behind us.

It’s a nice way to start the day, no?

On one such morning I had a hankering for something a little different and found just the thing in a dutch baby oven pancake. It had been quite a while since I made one and I was happily reminded that you don’t always need a lot of fuss to create an impressive dish.

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Peanut Butter Blossoms

Annalise — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:10:22 +0000

These peanut butter blossom cookies were an absolute, no-doubt-about-it, pregnancy craving. Ever since my Mom mentioned making them last week I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I wanted these cookies, I needed these cookies. I would go crazy if I didn’t have them.

And so I made some. It’s probably been ten years since the last time I had a peanut butter blossom and they tasted just the way I remembered. There’s nothing fancy about them, just a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey’s kiss in the middle. But sometimes old standby recipes are exactly what hits the spot.

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Chocolate Cola Cake with Toasted Coconut and Pecan Icing

Annalise — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:37:34 +0000

In preparation for my husband’s birthday last week I handed him one of my favorite cookbooks, Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes, and told him to pick any cake he wanted and I would make it for him. He flipped through it, inspecting all of the beautiful glossy photos and narrowed the list down to a handful that stuck out.

It took him a few days to select the one he wanted (I don’t blame him, it’s a hard decision when faced with so many tasty options!) and finally chose this chocolate cola cake with toasted coconut and pecan icing. It’s a long title, but you can think of it as a variation on german chocolate cake.

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Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts

Annalise — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:55:06 +0000

Oh, doughnuts. You and I have had quite the history. I ignored you for the first half of my life, dismissed you entirely actually. I was not a fan. But somehow, and I think a new Krispie Kreme franchise in my town might have played a part, I came around.

I loved you, and you loved me. We enjoyed a few years of bliss before you turned on me. Or rather, my metabolism turned on me. Now you’re a rare treat when I’m feeling indulgent.

These days I’m feeling quite indulgent.

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Handmade Pasta

Annalise — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:32:49 +0000

Have you ever had homemade pasta? Like real freshly made pasta noodles? You can’t even compare it to the dry stuff we get from the grocery store. It’s in a league of its own.

If you think you can’t make it at home because it’s intimidating or because you don’t have a pasta machine or maker, I’m going to show you how you’re wrong. You can make pasta easily in your own home with very basic ingredients.

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Toasted Coconut and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Annalise — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:41:44 +0000

I have a quick and simple recipe for you today. No fuss, no frills, just some really tasty cookies.

I took a basic cookie recipe, one I’ve worked on over the years and grown to love, and added toasted shredded coconut and white chocolate chips. Toasted coconut makes just about everything taste better, in my opinion. White chocolate too.

I know a lot of people look down on white chocolate because it’s not really chocolate. To them I say, who cares? It’s delicious! I would have no problem downing an entire bag of white chocolate chips by myself, which is part of the reason why I thought it best to put the half empty bag in the pantry that was chipping away at my will power into some cookies. How is eating half a dozen cookies better than eating a bag of chocolate chips? I’m not sure, but I somehow felt better about it.

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Ingredient Spotlight: How Flour is used in Baking

Annalise — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:40:23 +0000

Welcome to my first ingredient spotlight as part of the Baking Essentials section of this site. I’ll be highlighting common baking ingredients individually in an attempt to learn more about the science of baking and the role each ingredient plays in the bigger picture. Let me just add a quick disclaimer that I am not an expert. I’m just a gal with a library card and a desire to learn. If you have any insights you’d like to share, please leave a comment!

Flour seems simple enough. We use it all the time in baking and in fact, recipes without flour are in the minority, which is why I chose it for my first spotlight. Do you really know what flour is and why we use it? I’ve learned that it’s anything but basic (in fact I think I started with the hardest ingredient). I’ve done the homework for you, done my best to wrap my brain around the science of it and attempted to sum it up in a concise and accessible format. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started!

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Pink Grapefruit Cupcakes

Annalise — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:47:09 +0000

Happy New Year everyone!

Here’s a simple recipe to start off your baking in 2012. I know this time of year everyone is looking to cut down on the sweets and get back to healthy eating, and maybe this isn’t the best recipe for me to lead off with. But I will continue to be an advocate for dessert and if you ask me, no one should go without it completely.

So go ahead and eat a big healthy salad for dinner, and consider these cupcakes for dessert. I’m not going to tell you they’re good for you, but the portion control is built right in. And thanks to the pink grapefruit, they’re light in flavor and very refreshing.

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Coconut Marshmallows

Annalise — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:16:25 +0000

What could possibly be better than a homemade marshmallow melting into a hot mug of cocoa? On a cold day like today, especially when I’m feeling more than just a little under the weather, absolutely nothing.

And it turns out marshmallows aren’t that hard to make in your own home. Sticky, sure, but not that hard. I admit I was a little intimidated at first, which is why marshmallows have sat untouched on my to-make list for several years now. But Steve and I have been enjoying so much hot cocoa this winter and store bought marshmallows just don’t even come close.

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