By now, you were probably hoping that I would have some things to say about our new home state of Kansas.  The truth is, I really don’t.  Some days, I absolutely love it (the weather is pretty similar to northern California), but other days I struggle with the fact that everything is new.  I can’t go into a store and find my way around.  My first day of work, they closed the freeway near our house, which put me in panic mode because who bothers to learn more than one way to get to work in a new town?

Enter cupcakes:  the eternal soul-soother.  Hummingbird cake is one of Southern Living’s most popular recipes.  It is a tender white cake full of banana, pineapple, coconut and pecans.  These ingredients were considered special during our grandparent’s time and were saved for the holiday season.  Since ingredients are available year ’round these days, you can make this cake any time of year.  That’s a very good thing, trust me.

The traditional frosting is cream cheese, but I opted for a brown sugar cream cheese here.  I love that molasses flavor paired with pecans.  If you would like to stick to tradition, use the cream cheese frosting recipe from my Red Velvet cupcakes.

I want to say thank you so much for the sweet, wonderful, kind and touching comments on my last post.  I was worried that I was sharing a bit too much of my personal business, but your kindness proved me wrong.  Thanks for reading and thanks for everything sweet you said.  I took it to heart and won’t forget it

Continue reading: Hummingbird Cupcakes

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I originally didn’t think this news was blog-worthy.  However, my Dad caught some great photos of me trying on wedding dresses and I thought y’all might like to see.  I’ll be back later this week with a new recipe.

So back to the news:  I’m getting married.  Now, now, don’t go all overboard on me.  We’re in our very late 20s, and we don’t need all the hoopla that goes along with getting married.  While this is the biggest decision I’ve ever made in life, it’s not the only great decision I’ve made in my life.  No one threw me a party nor did I register for gifts when I moved to California, finished graduate school, or landed my dream job.  For all of those occasions, I celebrated with my favorite bottle of champagne (sometimes alone, sometimes with friends and family), and quietly moved on.  Our marriage is a joyous private decision that we will celebrate every day for the rest of our lives.  Popping a bottle of champagne with close friends and family would be enough for me.  Don’t worry, we are planning a modest Texas wedding, but I’m not interested in having everyone’s attention.  Truth be told, I’m seriously concerned I’m going to faint when the Church doors open and I realize everyone is looking at me before I walk down the aisle.

Most people know they’re marrying the right person because their morals and values are aligned, they share the same intensity of faith, and they have similar life goals.  It’s important to make sure these big things are in place.  But, since the Mr. & I made sure we were aligned on all the big things before our first date (that’s a fun story for another day), the process of falling in love was exciting.  Along the way, these past 15 months, I picked up on some smaller things that made me realize he was the right man for me.

Isn’t my Grandma adorable?  This is the grandma who grew up on a tobacco farm.  I should say Hi to the North Carolina side of her family right here, too!

Four Slightly Unconventional Reasons I Know I’m Marrying The Right Man:

1.  In his family tree exists a man who had a part in inventing Cheez Whiz.  Oh, bless my Southern heart and soul, processed cheese makes my world go ‘round.

2.  He drives slowly and safely.  Much like a dog, I always want to go for a ride in the car with him.  If he’s driving 2 minutes down the road to hook up a trailer to a hitch, I’m in the front seat, rearin’ to go with my head hanging out the window.

Remember the days of your teens when the boys with fast cars got the girl?  I was never that girl.  Trying to kill me in your car by driving fast doesn’t impress me.  Also, my Dad doesn’t appreciate it either.  Don’t make him mad:  he’s got a gun and a shovel…you know the rest.

3.  He tolerates my weird, vegan raw-food worshipping whims.  He willingly sips neon green smoothies packed with vegetables, he doesn’t balk at tofu for dinner, and he reads food labels on everything before he buys it.  If something contains artificial ingredients, it’s not going in our grocery cart (see #1 for some exceptions).  I once dated a meat-and-potatoes carnivore boy.  I didn’t appreciate the 15 pounds I gained during the relationship by eating like him. I tried cooking two separate dinners, but I was exhausted.  I dumped him (and the weight) and was instantly happier.

4.  He is immune to morning breath.  That’s right, his body just doesn’t allow morning breath to happen.  He could eat his famous roasted garlic chicken pizza followed by a sardine sandwich, go to bed without brushing his teeth, and wake up free of morning breath.  That’s weird, right?

Sneak peek of my Mom’s big Texas hair.  Hi Mom, love you!  I use volumizing hair products everyday to try to have hair as thick and gorgeous as yours.

I did not end up purchasing any of the dresses seen here.  Since Mr. Dessert For Two is an avid reader of this site, I want him to be surprised when he sees me walk down the aisle.

© Christina for Dessert For Two, 2012. | Permalink | 57 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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I’ve been making a grave mistake for years.

When I go into a donut shop, I ponder over cream-filled versus plain.  Cake versus fried.  Icing versus cinnamon sugar.  Whole versus holes.  I always skip over the fruit fritters.  Fruit in my donut?  Thanks, but I’ll take sugar glazed with sugar and dipped in chocolate, please.  And stuff it with custard while you’re at it, thankyouverymuch.

But one Sunday, Mr. Dessert For Two and I decided to stop for donuts after church.  We pulled up to our small town’s donut shop and found all the parking spots full—always a good sign.  Inside, we found all of the tables pushed together and old farmers sitting together, eating their donuts and drinking their black coffee.  The Mr. and I looked at each other with a silent smile that said ‘this is the right place’ and bellied up to the window.  I pondered over all the colors and shapes of donuts, but he didn’t.  He barely even looked down.  I thought this was odd, because he is a man who likes to know all of his dessert options before he makes his selection.  (This is because he likes to see if he can combine two desserts into one.  My Mom once offered him brownies, cookies, or ice cream, and he said ‘yes, please, all three!’)

He ordered an apple fritter without any consideration for the multicolored sprinkles, pink glazes, or oozing golden custards.  It was very unlike him.  I finally decided on a classic maple bar and sat down.  I was in stunned silence–he doesn’t normally like desserts that contain fruit.  He groans when he finds out I’ll be testing fruit desserts for this site.  He offered me a bite of his fritter, but I politely declined.  He insisted.  I tasted.  I understood.  Apple fritters bring about peace in your soul.  Quite possibly the world, too.

These fritters have ruined donuts for me.  If you’re going to get the oil hot to fry donuts, why not fry apples in batter?  The apple fritter that made me a peacemaker in this world was as big as my face and full of apple chunks.  It was as if I was eating a donut and apple pie all in one.  Yes, this must be what heaven tastes like.

Continue reading: Apple Fritters

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I’ve been re-living a cringe moment in my head the last few days.  I don’t know what brings these old memories back to the surface, but when it happens, it takes days to shake it off.

When I was in college, I taught yoga classes.  The yoga classes were part of a general fitness program on campus that students could attend at the gym.  Every semester, we held a promotional event where each teacher taught a quick 5-minute segment to introduce their class.  Students were doing 5 minutes of kick boxing, followed by 5 minutes of step aerobics, then 5 minutes of belly dancing and so on.  I was on the schedule to end the event with 5 minutes of relaxing yoga.  I stood on the side of the stage, awaiting my turn and trying desperately to fit the head set on my head.  Nothing labeled ‘one size fits all’ has ever fit me, so why would a head set fit around my petite head on this day?  Suddenly, time ran out and I had to go on stage regardless.  I  teetered the head set on my ears and thought if I could just hold my neck a certain way, it would stay up for 5 minutes.  Mid-pose, the head set fell off my head and crashed down to the floor.  Except, before the microphone hit the floor, it passed briefly in front of my mouth long enough to hear me say “Craaaap!”  Except…I didn’t say crap.  I said, well, you know…starts with an ‘sh.’  Did I mention I went to a Christian college?  It was awful.  The whole room froze: staring at me because I just said an expletive.  So much for relaxing, calming yoga!  My face turned red, and I wrapped up my session early and slipped off stage.

What does this have to do with peanut patties?  Nothing, except that the color of these peanut clusters was the same color as my face that day.

If you’ve never had this chewy Texas delight, it tastes a little like a homemade PayDay candy bar: peanuts encapsulated in a soft, creamy caramel.  Peanut patties are some of the best things found in gas stations in Texas.  This recipe requires a candy thermometer.  Don’t be scared!  Also, the red dye is optional.

Dear friends, thank you SO much for the good wishes on our move!  I have arrived safe & sound in the beautiful green rolling hills of north eastern Kansas.  However, our stuff has not arrived from California, so in the meantime I have baked recipes ahead of time to share with you.  I shared some photos of the house on Instagram if y’all are interested.  Click here.  Also, don’t miss the priceless moment my Dad caught on film last week:  I found my dream wedding dress!

Continue reading: Texas Peanut Patties

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I’ve got a bone to pick with an 8-year old girl.

Look, I’m not the jealous type, but I really don’t like other women cooking for my man.

Sometimes Mr. Dessert For Two takes a break from desserts.  He resists the sweets that come out of my kitchen.  And yeah, it kinda bugs me.  It makes me want to bake triple chocolate, caramel, crunchy, creamy, salty-sweet anything to tempt him.

When he’s going through this strong-willed dessert-resistance thing and a cute little 8-year old girl in a brown vest selling Thin Mints outside the grocery store melts his heart, I get a little jealous.   Yes, I know I’m an awful person.

Last time he bought a box of Thin Mints, he left them in the freezer for 3 weeks while he was out of town.  Can I brag about my self-control, not touching that box for 3 whole weeks? My actions were more out of spite than self-control, though.   He came back into town for a friend’s wedding and practically pushed me over to get to these cookies in the freezer.

I vowed then that I would make homemade thin mints for him.  I wanted them to be easy enough that I could make them at a moment’s notice.  I wanted them to taste EXACTLY like the Girl Scout version.  And trust me, these really do.  Taste, texture, mint flavor, everything is identical.

Take Ritz crackers (don’t use low-fat or low-salt, or I’ll cry), dip them in melted chocolate flavored with peppermint extract, pop ‘em in the freezer and enjoy.  Keep those cookie-pushers away from your man.  Make these instead.

This recipe makes 20 cookies.  It’s a large serving size for Dessert For Two, but they’re that good.  Ten cookies each.  Go!

P.S. As you read this, the movers & packers are here. Please be assured that I am not ignoring your emails or comments, I will just be delayed in my response.  Kansas, are you ready for this big-mouthed Southern girl? 

Continue reading: Thin Mints

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Real tiramisu.  Authentic Italian tiramisu.  Y’all asked, I delivered.

Not only was this dessert highly requested by you, my fabulous readers, but also, when I made a redneck version of tiramisu with apple pie moonshine, you received it so well.  Thanks for not balking at my down-home version.  As a reward, I made you the real deal.  With brandy.  And zabaglione.   I even splurged on mascarpone for you.  However, I made it a few times with cream cheese and it was delicious.  I also made a batch with Frangelico (hazelnut liquor), and I dare say it was better than the version with brandy.  I’m now dreaming of making it with chocolate liquor.

Speaking of Frangelico, Giada has a version of tiramisu made with lemon, hazelnuts and Frangelico in one of her recent books, and it made me a believer in tiramisu.  I used to be lukewarm about it.  But now, I see the light—cookies soaked in alcohol and layered with creaminess is a zen state.  Perhaps this summer, I’ll work on that one for you.  I adore no-bake desserts for summer.

Real zabaglione requires you to stand over a double boiler with a hand mixer.  Check beforehand if your mixer cord reaches the stove.  I was scared of this step because I’ve only made real zabaglione one other time in my life, but I found the process so easy that I’m dreaming up a small batch of 7-minute frosting for you next.

So, put on a pot of espresso (or dissolve some of that instant espresso I’m always calling for in my recipes), grab some lady fingers, and get ready for this one.

Continue reading: Authentic Tiramisu

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This is normally the time of year when I try to score good deals on plane tickets home for Christmas and Thanksgiving.  You would think that buying this early in advance would be cheaper, and it is, but only slightly.   However, I’m just a few weeks away from moving within driving distance of my family.  Hallelujah!, no more flying home for the holidays.  I’m so ecstatic, I can’t stop thinking about it.

All that thinking about the holidays made me crave the pecan pie my Dad bakes every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I hope this doesn’t embarrass him, but my Dad can bake one helluva pie.

Instead of baking a whole pecan pie, I made pecan tassies.  If you’ve never had a tassie, it’s a cookie cup with a custard filling.  It tastes like a bite of pecan pie encased in a rich cream cheese dough.

Pecan tassies are a classic Southern cookie to bake around the holidays, but what do you do when you crave them in April?  Do you make an entire batch of 4 dozen cookies?  No way!  Remember my little portion control problem?

I scaled these down to make only 8 cookies.

In case you’ve never made tassies, I did a little step-by-step of how to get a ball of dough into a cup shape:

After chilling your dough, divide it into 8 balls

Then, using your thumb, press the dough down into the cup and press the dough up the sides of your mini muffin pan.

You just made tassie cups!  Now, pour in your custard, bake 20 minutes, and enjoy!

Continue reading: Pecan Tassies

© Christina for Dessert For Two, 2012. | Permalink | 33 comments | Add to del.icio.us
See more: cookie with nuts, pecan cookies, pecan tassie recipe, pecans, small batch of cookies, small batch pecan tassies, Southern cookies, tassie cups, tassies, whiskey

I like cookie dough.  You like cookie dough.  We all like cookie dough.  But let’s have some portion control, shall we?

This recipe makes only 8 cookie dough bites.  If you are someone who eats cookie dough in secret, in fear of being considered childish for liking it, this one’s for you.  You can eat the whole batch, leaving no evidence behind.  If your heart is big enough to share, that means 4 cookie dough bites each:  no more, no less.

I don’t know about y’all, but when Jessica shared her Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Cups, my heart skipped a beat.  I needed them in my life.

The problem was, if I made 24 cups, I would surely eat all 24 cups.  Wisdom comes with age, and I’ve come to know myself pretty well these days.  I have no regard for portion control; if it’s in my house, I will eat it.

So, what to do?

I scaled them down, of course.  Well, they’re not hers exactly because I have a peanut butter hater in my house (don’t worry, I’ve enrolled him in peanut butter immersion therapy), but they’re pretty darn close.

Continue reading: Cookie Dough Bites

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I’ve been hinting at desserts with moonshine for quite some time. The problem with moonshine is that you’re not likely to remember the things you were doing before you drank it.  It is quite possible that I’ve made ten desserts with moonshine and only photographed this one.  Oh, and this one, too.

Moonshine (also referred to as white lightning or white whiskey) is simply corn whiskey that is not aged in barrels.  Regular whiskey and bourbon (and dark rum, for that matter) get their brown hue from the barrel they are aged in.  White whiskey is corn mash fermented, distilled, and bottled immediately.  Here’s a good explanation of how it’s made.  It’s pretty potent stuff, and it’s safe to say that if you don’t enjoy drinking liquor straight, you won’t enjoy moonshine straight.  Enter apple pie moonshine.  Apple pie moonshine is moonshine that has been infused with fresh apples and cinnamon.  It makes it smooth and drinkable.  Maybe a little too drinkable.

Moonshine has a mysterious history, which is common for most things that come out of the Appalachians. I adore reading and learning about this part of America, and I feel that our most fascinating history stems from here.  Mr. Dessert For Two is reading this book, which outlines the history of the beverage and exposes the shocking truth about who was behind the illegal practice.  I can’t wait for him to finish it so I can read it next.

Tiramisu was one of the top 5 desserts that y’all request for me to scale down to serve two.  I hope you don’t mind that I Southern-ified it.  If you really want me to, I can make a traditional Italian version with the leftover ladyfingers.  Just speak up.

Looking for a good mandolin or these cute mini trifle dishes?  Try my Amazon store

Oh, and the winner of the Keep It Sweet bakery giveaway is…

Continue reading: Apple Cider Tiramisu

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I’ve got a peaceful morning routine ‘round these parts.  I’ve told y’all about it before.

But, once the sun starts to get a little higher in the sky and Spring is in the air, I add another 30 seconds to my routine:  I make us fresh iced tea every morning.

When I reach for my morning tea cup, I also pull out 2 mason jars

I put 2 black tea bags into each jar.

I pour enough boiling water into each jar to come up half-way.

Then, I remove the tea bags, fill the rest of the jar with cold water, cover and refrigerate.

If I’m feeling particularly fancy, I add a splash of peach nectar to make peach iced tea.  It’s Mr. Dessert For Two’s favorite drink in the world (besides moonshine; more of that coming soon!), and I’m more than happy to make it for him.

I have other variations up my sleeve too:

Continue reading: Perfect Iced Tea for two

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Well, hello there!  I want to apologize for the delay in posting a new recipe.  I took a last-minute trip to Kansas to visit Mr. Dessert For Two because I could not bear the thought of him celebrating Easter alone in a hotel room.  Instead, we celebrated Easter together in a hotel room.  We ate pizza, went to the movies, and just enjoyed each other’s company.  I know it sounds silly since he’s coming back to California this Friday for a friend’s wedding, but some things are worth tiny airplanes and mugging attempts in the Chicago airport.

Because I still haven’t unpacked or faced the fact that I have to go back to work this week, nor can I sleep because we put in an offer on a house and are still negotiating things, I can’t bake.  These hands are too shaky.  These nerves are too frazzled.

Instead, I’m giving you something better than a recipe:  I’m giving you actual baked goods.  My sweet, sweet friend Lauren from Keep It Sweet Desserts in New York, has agreed to send a Dessert For Two reader 1 dozen of her famous cookies, cookie sandwiches, brownies, bars, or other baked goods.  Lauren sent me a batch last week, and they are so delicious, I was left speechless.  Her salted caramel butter bars are so good, you just keep cutting off a square and popping it into your mouth…even if you’re overly full of enchiladas and jalapeno margaritas…not that I would know or anything…not that two girls ate the entire box of goodies after said margaritas while watching Bridesmaids on this couch…

Back to the sweets:  her triple chocolate cookies are the best chocolate dessert I’ve ever had.  The flavor is so rich and chocolatey that I paused in silence to take it all in.  Finally, her milk chocolate almond toffee oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter buttercream were divine.  I stashed a few in the freezer, but I ended up eating them cold a few hours later.

Lauren’s creations arrive tied up all pretty with ribbons:

Continue reading: Keep It Sweet Bakery Giveaway!

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Y’all trust me when it comes to desserts, right?  I thought so.

So, believe me when I say that pineapple + buttery bread crumbs + cheddar cheese is delicious.

I found this little gem of a recipe in my Mom’s recipe collection.

My Mom is a little uneasy sharing recipes with me.  Maybe it’s because she’s afraid I’m going to make them better (by adding cheddar cheese) or maybe it’s because she’s worried I will mess up her meticulously organized recipe cards.  When I go home to visit, I always request to look through her files.  She sits right next to me (so close she’s actually pinning me down with her legs and preventing any sudden arm movement) and doles out the recipe cards one by one.  I can’t look at another recipe until I’m done reading the first—not unlike looking at fine jewelry at a store.  My Dad finds this absolutely hilarious, and I’m lucky that he always offers to copy the recipes for me in bulk and mail them to me.

If I haven’t told you before, adding cheddar cheese to fruit is a decidedly Texan thing.  Don’t knock it ’til you try it.  My parents especially love it on canned peaches and pears.

Print this little 5-ingredient recipe, stow it away til the weekend, then pull it out for a slightly fancy Easter brunch side dish.  I think it goes especially well with savory  breakfast sandwiches or my buttermilk biscuits.

Continue reading: Pineapple Breakfast Casserole

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A few things they don’t teach you in college but they really should:

1.  Be charitable.  Give yourself: your time, your money, your thoughts, your prayers to someone in need.  The more you give, the more you will receive, but try not to think about that part too much.  I have a few friends (Seth and Lynn), that are seeking donations these days.

2. Don’t be so defensive.  I’m always wanting to ‘set the record straight’ or ‘get my side of the story out there.’  Don’t do it.  It doesn’t benefit you in the way you think it will.

3. Before making a big decision, get advice from as many people as possible.  You don’t have to take everyone’s advice, but it’s good to understand everyone’s perspective.  If, however, the person is your elder by quite a few years, you probably should take their advice.

4.  Buy whole life insurance (not term).  Just look into it, even if you think you’re too young.

5. If you ever find yourself in Waco, Texas, buy enough Dr Pepper made with real sugar to last you a lifetime.  I had no idea the post-college cravings I would have for this stuff.

Continue reading: Dr. Pepper Cake

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Hold onto your hats, folks, because I’m about to confess something:

I used to not like pie.

I used to think that fruit was best enjoyed fresh, not cooked.  And then I met Esther.

I’ve told y’all a little bit about how I met Esther the first day I lived in California.  I said I would tell you the rest of the story, so here goes:

I moved to California in July of 2006, just months after graduating college.  Since apartment leases didn’t start until September, I had to sub-lease a room in the interim.  I rented a room in a 3-bedroom apartment with two other girls.

My parents drove me to California with everything I owned in my Honda Accord.  (I wish I still owned so few things!)  Three days later, I pulled up to apartment #106 and knocked on the door.  Esther opened the door with a big smile, an apron around her neck and flour on her hands.  I said “nice to meet you” and walked inside.  She was baking an apple pie and watching Paula Deen on TV.  Was it written in the stars that we would be best friends or what?  Any doubts my parents had about leaving me in a strange state disappeared because of Esther’s friendliness.

Esther and I were instant best friends, and we have been ever since.  Actually, everyone who lived in that apartment (including the girl whose room I rented and another girl who took the 3rd roommate’s room a month later) is still good friends.  Over bottles of wine, we laugh about how apartment #106 brought us all together.  Here we are today, in each other’s weddings.

Esther’s pies made me love pie.  Her pies are the kind that drip butter when they are pulled from the oven.  They are the kind of pies that taste even better with ice cream, but you still sneak a few bites without it so you can taste the crust and juicy fruit.  The pie that made me a believer was her mixed berry pie.  It tastes like a triumph.  I asked for her recipe and she replied “oh, I just use a bag of frozen mixed berries and make my own all-butter dough.”  Like that was an easy task!

I did just like she said, though.  I took part of a bag of frozen mixed berries, stirred in some flour and sugar and tucked it into the pie crust.  I dolloped sour cream on top, and crimped the edges of the dough closed.  I put Paula Deen on the TV just to make sure everything turned out right.

And it did.

I used a 5″ mini deep-dish pie pan that Esther gave me for Christmas last year.  Isn’t it darling?  You can use a regular 6 or 7″ pie pan, too.

Continue reading: Mixed Berry Sour Cream Pie

© Christina for Dessert For Two, 2012. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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I’ve made three batches of pudding this past week.

I churned out a vanilla bean pudding (I subbed an equal amount of vanilla bean paste for extract) a cheesecake pudding for lovely friends, and this butterscotch pudding.

Pudding is comforting, and it’s the sort of thing that we’ve needed lately.  Mr. Dessert For Two left for Kansas bright and early yesterday morning.  I’m staying behind in California until I get a job all lined up out there.  Also, I’m staying behind because he’ll be living in a hotel room until we find a house, and I just couldn’t run this website from an extended-stay hotel room.  It would be nothing but microwave mug cakes, no-bake delights, and other things that could be made in a kitchen the size of a postage stamp with minimal appliances.  My devotion to desserts is far too strong to live like that for more than one week.

The good news is that we can delay our big move until we find a house.  This means that I won’t be sleeping on a twin mattress on the floor of an empty house snuggling with my stand mixer instead of him.

I want to say THANK YOU for all the sweet words and kind messages y’all offered when I shared my news.  I called the Mr to share my gratitude and he said “you sure do have some nice readers.”  And I couldn’t agree more.  I read each comment several times, and I even emailed a few of you who had connections in Kansas.  You guys are the best, and I can’t thank you enough.

Continue reading: Butterscotch Pudding

© Christina for Dessert For Two, 2012. | Permalink | 38 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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