the baked life

cheese biscuits

2012-05-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we the husband planted me a herb garden.

I'm not one for plants really. Actually, I kill them. I either over water, under water, too much sun, not enough sun, let them get eaten by cats, amongst other things.

But this year I am determined to keep the plants alive. I'm not going to kill them.

My black thumb will turn green.

Or check back in a month when I've killed them all.

What I am good at, is biscuits.

Fluffy, warm, soft, cheesy, biscuits.

With lots of butter. I can't kill those.

Cheese biscuits
[ from Grazing ]

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the olive oil and buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add the cheddar cheese and fold gently. Be wary not to over mix, it will make your biscuits tough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 times. Pat or roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick, then fold it over onto itself. Roll the dough again and fold it onto itself once more, then finally roll the dough out to be 1/2-inch thick. This creates flaky layers for the biscuits. Cut the dough into circles, or cut into squares like I did. Place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Serve warm with lots of butter.

lemony quinoa, chickpea, + kale salad

2012-05-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Running.

Laundry.

Coffee.

Feed and change the baby. Times a thousand.

Catch up on the t-flo debacle.

More laundry.

Trying to bake in the 25 minute naps my daughter takes. About 5 times a day.

Stuffing my face with quinoa salad, feeling healthy, but then eating some chocolate right after.

Balance people. I'm still trying to figure it out, but it's getting better.

In my search to find balance, I'm always searching for a healthy meal. For some reason, I always seem to think meatless / vegan / vegetarian meals are best. Nothing makes me feel better than whole grains, beans, and tons of veg.

Well, a really big spoonful of cream cheese frosting makes me feel pretty damn good too.

ps. every time I hear about Joy & Tracy refer to mesh panties, I almost pee from laughing.

pps. I need cookie butter.

ppps. Trader Joe's need to be in Canada, ASAP.

Lemony quinoa, chickpea + kale salad

[ adapted from Love and Lemons ]

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups green kale, roughly chopped
4 radishes, sliced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 fresh basil, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon amber agave syrup

In a small bowl, whisk together all of your dressing ingredients. Season to taste with salt & pepper, set aside.

Place the minced garlic in a large bowl, followed by the warm quinoa and kale, toss to combine. Let rest for a few minutes and then toss in the remaining ingredients. You want to give the kale time to wilt a little bit before added all the other good stuff in. Toss in the dressing and season to taste with salt & pepper.

avocado toast

2012-05-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Want a super fast lunch/snack/breakfast that won't take any longer than popping something in the microwave, but it's waaaayyyy healthier?

Of course you do.

Avocado + toast.

And go!

Start with putting a couple slices of your favourite bread into the toaster. Toast until desired darkness is reached. I like whole grain bread and toasted to almost burnt. Yep, I like burnt toast. Weirdo.

Next slice open a ripe avocado.

Eat some chips while you wait for your toast.

Scoop some of the ripe, green flesh on to your toast.

Mash it up with a fork and cover the whole surface.

Now you could eat it just like this OR you could add some salt.

Or a slice of ham.

Or some sliced tomatoes.

Whatever you like.

Eat it up!

quinoa + blueberry muffins

2012-05-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

After carrying, and delivering a small human, I've gained a bit of weight.

I'm back on the fitness wagon and trying to eat healthy, running 3 times a week, eating kale and oatmeal and such.

But sometimes handfuls of chocolate and popcorn end up in mouth. I don't know how it happens. It's like a mental blackout. One minute I'm noshing on a carrot, then darkness, then I'm eating popcorn slathered in butter.

I'm about 15lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight and I know I'm close, I can feel it. I think super foods will help.

Quinoa, blueberries, flaxseeds, maple syrup, walnuts, oats, cinnamon. Mix 'em up, make muffins, gobble them down, scorch those last pounds!

Let's do it! And then eat a whole spoonful of frosting.

Wait.....

Scratch that last part.

Superfood muffins

[ adapted from Bittersweet ]

The original recipe was 100% vegan, but since I don't keep soymilk in the house and ran out of agave, this is not vegan. To make this vegan once again, replace the milk with soy or almond milk.

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon flaxseeds

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with liners, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, flaxseeds, walnuts, and blueberries, stir to combine thoroughly. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the quinoa, oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, milk, and orange juice. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until no dry clumps remain.

Divide batter equally amongst the muffin tin and bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let muffins rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

double chocolate butterscotch muffins

2012-05-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful, sweaty, sunny day in May, we're celebrating moms every where.

This year was different for me, I got to partake in the mom pampering (yay!). I got a batch of cookies made by Avery (with help from grandma), a lovely card, a sleep in, and a homemade breakfast.

Now that I've been a mom for a short bit, I can appreciate my mom in a different light.

Thank you mom for waking up at all hours of the night to care for me.

Thanks for still loving me after I would poop up to my ears.

And throwing up on you.

And treating you like garbage in my teenage years.

Thanks for being there to give me advice in raising this small child.

Thanks for reminding me that there is no handbook when you leave the hospital. They just let you walk right out the door with this thing.

Thanks for helping me be the person I am today.

Thanks for teaching me that you need chocolate to survive motherhood.

For real. All moms know this.

These "muffins" will help.

The recipe was first labelled as a breakfast muffin, which these are not. They are more cupcake-y. Still amazing. You should still make them. And eat them for breakfast.

I'm not going to lie. I did.

A girl's gotta survive 5 am wake up calls somehow.

Double chocolate butterscotch muffins
[ from the Kitchn ]

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons red cider vinegar
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with liners, set aside.

Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Combine the butter, milk, vanilla, and vinegar in a small bowl, making sure to add the vinegar last . Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredient and stir with a wooden spoon until no dry clumps remain. Fold in the chocolate and butterscotch chips. Divide batter equally in the muffin tin.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the tops are no longer shiny and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

wordless wednesday ~ cat silhouettes

2012-05-09T07:49:00.001-07:00

mini pretzel dogs

2012-05-07T14:17:00.003-07:00

Back when I was pregnant, early November-ish, the husband and I attended a charity function with my dad. At this function there was a silent auction with many different things to choose from.

As a gift, my dad purchased an ENORMOUS magnum of french wine. The idea was that as soon as the baby was born, we'd crack that sucker open and all get snackered off the wine.

Well folks, that happened last weekend. It was an appetizer, wine, birthday, welcome Avery party all-in-one. As part of the festivities, you were required to bring an appetizer and really what's better to eat with a classy bottle of french wine than pretzel wrapped hot dogs?

Nothing. These were perfect.

Chicken dogs, halved, then wrapped in homemade salty pretzel dough, dipped in mustard.

Amazeballs.

They were a huge hit, and really simple and fun to make.

Get over your yeast fear and make some pretzel dogs!

ps. Giant wine bottles make babies look tiny.

pps. We didn't give her any, don't be ridiculous.

ppps. I love wine.

Mini pretzel dogs
[ from Joy the baker ]

Makes about 16 pretzel dogs.

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
8 hot dogs of your choice, cut in half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
about 14 cups of water
1 cup baking soda
1 large egg, beaten with a little bit of water
salt & pepper for topping

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, combine the warm water and sugar, sprinkle yeast on top and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Yeast should be foamy and smell, well yeasty, if it doesn't, throw away and start fresh.

Add the flour, salt, and butter, mix on low speed until well-combined. Turn mixer up to medium and knead until smooth, pulls away from bowl, and forms a ball around the dough hook, around 6 minutes.
Remove dough from bowl, it'll be kind of sticky. Lightly coat a large bowl with oil and place dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and brush paper lightly with oil.

In a very large pot, combine the water and baking soda and bring to a boil.

While the water comes to a boil, divide the dough in 16 equal pieces. Roll a piece of dough into a 12-inch rope. Start wrapping dough around the hot dog piece, making sure there are no gaps and pinching the ends when finished. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

Place 6 - 8 pretzel dogs in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove using a slotted spatula and place on the prepared baking sheets, repeat until all pretzel dogs have been boiled. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, or until dark brown and puffy. Let cool slightly and serve.

They are best enjoyed the day they are made.

banana muffins with steel-cut oats

2012-05-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the husband and I's second wedding anniversary.

I thought we were going to keep it low-key since we're going to a fancy night out in a few weeks, but he came home early to take me out for a surprise lunch.

Nice right?

I wasn't home. I was having lunch with the ladies from my baby group.

I felt bad, but then again, I didn't know he was going to come home. Anyways, he gave me a beautiful orchid and a stash of french macarons.

To make up for everything I was going to make a lovely dinner and we were going to have some wine, and just enjoy ourselves at home.

The reality slapped us in the face and we ended up spending the evening at a walk-in clinic (over 2 hours to be exact) because Avery's finger has somehow gotten infected.

After the clinic, getting the prescription, putting Avery to bed, and making a quick dinner, we weren't in the mood for anything but the couch. We watched No Reservations, Vancouver episode (!!!) and then went to bed.

Sounds like a pretty fantastic way to spend an anniversary to me.

Banana muffins with steel-cut oats

[ from the Kitchn]

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour ( or any other whole grain flour)

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large)

1/3 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup cooked steel-cut oats (cooking instructions here)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tin with liners, or grease liberally with butter or non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend completely.

In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the banana, milk, lemon juice, oil, vanilla, eggs, and the steel cuts oats. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Spoon evenly into prepared muffin tin and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until muffins are lightly golden and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

love this guy.

kitchen sink cookies

2012-04-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

Heartbroken.

Yet not surprised at all.

Our Canucks were spectacularly knocked out in the first round of the Stanley cup playoffs.

It's surreal that we can play so well sometimes, yet play like poop other days.

It's going to be a very long summer without them, but thankfully I have a tiny, doll faced little girl to dress up all summer. It evens out.

To all you hockey fans whose teams have been knocked out, consider these cookies to drown your sorrows, instead of the usual ice cream.

Filled with the regular goodies like chocolate chips and oatmeal, there are also a few tasty surprises tucked away in these cookies. Rice krispies anyone?

Kitchen sink cookies
[ from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey ]

This is adapted from the original to be a half batch of cookies. If you want a million of these cookies go ahead and make a full batch, but I warn you, you will need an obnoxiously huge bowl to mix them in. The half batch will fill (to the brim) my 5L kitchenaid mixer bowl.

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces

Position baking racks to the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, or another large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, followed by the vanilla. In another large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined. Add the rice krispies, coconut, rolled oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts, mix on low speed until combined.

Drop 1/4 cup-sized balls onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with fingers. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until outside edges are golden brown and the middles are still slightly soft. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.

friday recap

2012-04-20T17:01:00.002-07:00

I have baked, but no time to post about it yet but let's recap what's being going on behind the scenes in my life.

My new favourite snack, pineapple yogurt. Too bad they don't sell Chobani in Canada....

The babe is growing like a weed and smiling constantly. Melts my heart like butter.

First orzo salad of the year, not to be the last.

New favourite breakfast, eggs cooked in pepper rings.

COOOOOOKIES. and feets.

sigh........

turkey burgers

2012-04-10T14:28:00.002-07:00

After 40 straight minutes of Avery crying in her room, exhaustion finally took over and she fell asleep.

I turn to the husband and say, "Let's go downstairs and watch movies we have on the PVR."

"Nah, let's just go to bed."

"It's 8 o'clock. Isn't that a little early?"

"No, we're parents now. Totally acceptable."

Pausing to think of a response to make him not sound correct I reply, "So what was our excuse before?"

"We were lazy."

True facts.

By 8:35 pm, we were both in bed. And I have to say, it was glorious.

Of course we didn't sleep through the night, turn down the ridiculous. But it did feel nice to get that head start of sleep.

But before our early night, we enjoyed a warm weather favourite, turkey burgers. It was a balmy 21 degrees C yesterday (that's 69 F for my American friends), so the husband cleaned up the barbecue and I made burgers.

I don't eat red meat and I encourage the husband not to, so we always have ground turkey in the house as a replacement. I loosely use my mom's recipe for homemade burgers, I just add a whole head of roasted garlic.

The garlic is very prevalent in the burgers, but not so much that it's unenjoyable. But if you are not a garlic fan, first off I'm sorry, second this is not for you.

Turkey burgers
Makes 4 patties.

1 lb lean ground turkey, preferably a 85/15 split
1 head roasted garlic
1 large egg
3 tablespoons fine bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
dash of worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix with hands until thoroughly combined. Using a spoon would work too, but your hand are much more fun.

Shape mixture into 4 equal sized patties. Place a on hot grill, about 375 - 400 degrees. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until juices run clear and the inside is no longer pink.

Serve on freshly baked kaiser rolls with your favourite toppings. Mine are mustard, pan fried mushrooms, pickles, lettuce and tomato.

chocolate chip cinnamon rolls

2012-04-03T13:46:00.001-07:00

It's another beautiful day of liquid sunshine here in Vancouver, like I should be surprised at this point. It's April, of course it's going to rain in Vancouver.

We're all more concerned about hockey playoffs. The husband swears the Canucks won't make it out of the first round, there's PSA's being shown telling us not to riot, but on the other hand they are still planning for large, group viewings.

I think the city if under a cloud of anxiety and apprehension after what happened last year. We were so good, we won the Presidents trophy, we dominated every team we played, yet we still lost.

Maybe we just don't want to get emotionally invested because we don't want the heartbreak of last year ?

Maybe we're just happy to see the Leafs miss the playoffs once again.

Whether we're out in the first round, or playing Boston for the cup again, I think we need some chocolate to calm our nerves. Maybe some wine as well. But not too much wine, remember last year ?

For Sunday morning breakfast, cinnamon rolls are always amazing. Add chocolate and they are taken over the top. The dough has a couple teaspoons of cinnamon tucked in it to really kick up the cinnamon flavour. I liked these roll, they had all the great properties of a cinnamon roll. Warm, gooey, sticky, sweet, plus with the addition of chocolate, it made them extra messy to eat. But I have to say, the dough was not my favourite. It didn't rise as much as I thought and it was tough. Next time I think I'll use the dough recipe from my cream cheese cinnamon rolls , but change the filling to follow this recipe. They were still delicious and a perfect Sunday morning treat, just not my favourite.

Chocolate chip cinnamon rolls with vanilla glaze

[ from the Naptime chef ]

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 egg

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

filling:

3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

glaze:

2 cups icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons milk, or more if needed

To make the dough, combine the milk and butter in a microwave safe dish and heat until butter has melted, pour into bowl of stand mixer and let cool slightly. Add the rest of the dough ingredient to the milk mixture, mix over medium speed with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes. Change to the dough hook attachment, knead over medium until dough is smooth and slaps the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, you could knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, let rise in a warm, draft free area for about 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the filling. Melt the butter in a small bowl. Mix in the cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.

Once dough has risen, roll out on a floured surface to a 14x12-inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips. Beginning with the longer edge of the rectangle, tightly start rolling the dough. Make sure to roll quite tightly or the rolls will fall apart, pinch seams when done. Slice dough log into 8 equal sized pieces. Place rolls in a well buttered dish, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for at least another hour. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, take the dish out of the fridge and bring to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

While rolls are baking, add all the ingredients for the glaze in a medium bowl, whisk until smooth.

Serve rolls with a heavy-handed swirl of glaze with a fresh cup of coffee.

blackberry white chocolate scones

2012-03-28T10:48:00.002-07:00

After a crazy month, this week has finally started to feel like normal.

Well, if by normal means you have a tiny, pink human attached to you at all times, that requires feeding and changing every hour or so.

I've *kinda* figured out a routine, which *kinda* gives me more time to bake. Still neglecting all the cleaning and laundry I should be doing though...... Also still not sleeping a whole bunch, but who needs sleep anyways?

Totally overrated.

I'll just keep myself going on chocolate and caffeine.

Totally healthy.

Okay, not really.

Kinda figuring out a routine still really hasn't given me much time to eat, so I baked something that's handheld (read: can be eaten while holding her pinkness), somewhat healthy, and involves chocolate.

Stroll on into scone town. Blackberry white chocolate to be exact. Made with whole wheat flour. Three for three on the criteria.

Quickly thrown together in the food processor and dropped onto a baking sheet with a large ice cream scoop, in 25 minutes or so, you'll have freshly baked scones.

Blackberry white chocolate scones
[ from Grazing ]

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup roughly chopped white chocolate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a food processor, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse 3 to 4 times, or until mixture looks crumbly and the butter chunks are not bigger than small peas. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and the egg. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and pulse until just combined. Gently fold in the berries and chocolate.

Using a large ice cream scoop (or 2 spoons), drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the edges are golden and the top are just starting to brown.

Transfer to a wire baking sheet to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

wordless wednesday ~ big cat, little Avery

2012-03-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

digestive biscuits

2012-03-15T10:33:00.002-07:00

There are certain things I never expect the husband to say.

"Of course I'll cook dinner, and do the dishes, and clean up, and feed the baby, and pour you unlimited glasses of wine."

" I think we aren't busy enough, so let's get another kitten."

" No, I don't mind if you spend hundreds of dollars on tiny pink clothes."

" These cookies would be better without the chocolate."

All of these seem far too ridiculous to be true.... Except for the last statement. That sentence was actually spoken after the husband took a bite out of one of the homemade digestive cookies I made.

I turned and looked at him, with complete shock spread all across my face. You, the man who tells me I should put chocolate in everything I bake, is telling me these cookies would be better WITHOUT the addition of chocolate?!?!?!?!?!

If I wasn't holding the baby, I may have fallen over.

While we all recover from the events that just happened, let's go over the cookies shall we?

They taste exactly like the store bought version, but mine were slightly thicker. They are sweet, crunchy, nutty, and coated with the perfect amount of chocolate.

Homemade digestive biscuits

[ adapted from the little loaf ]

1 1/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 - 2 teaspoons milk

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, pulse the oats until they have reached a fine powder, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and butter, blend until a crumbly dough forms. Slowly add milk until the dough comes together in a smooth mass. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Once chilled, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes, I used a quarter-pint mason jar to achieve a round shape. Place shapes onto cookies sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown around the edges. Remove cookies from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate in a shallow bowl. ( I used the microwave, set for a minute at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Any longer in the microwave will burn the chocolate.) Dip one side of the cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, making sure to evenly spread it around. Place cookie back on baking rack, dipped side up, to set.

Store leftovers at room temperature, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

browned butter blueberry muffins

2012-03-10T16:27:00.001-08:00

Mommy brain.

I gots it.

I wrote a blog post two days ago about these wonderful muffins. Planned on publishing it on Friday.

Logged on yesterday morning. Forgot to save it. Totally gone.

I walked to the store with her pinkness this afternoon. I thought I needed all-purpose flour because I had run out. I buy a 5kg bag.

I come home to fill up my container of flour, only to find an UNOPENED 10kg bag of all-purpose flour.

I'm now currently eating chocolate chips out of the bag.

The blueberry muffins are the perfect muffin. They aren't a cupcake disguised as a muffin, they are perfectly sweet, perfectly moist, the topping tastes like a shortbread cookie, and they are even better to eat with one hand when you've forgotten to eat lunch.

Browned butter blueberry muffins
[ from The Joy the Baker cookbook via Shutterbean ]

7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries, I used frozen

topping:

3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners, or butter and flour, set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until butter bubbles and crackles. Keep an eye on the butter until it begins to turn golden brown and becomes fragrant. Remove from heat immediately and transfer into a small bowl to prevent the butter from burning. Let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and the browned butter. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the wet ingredients until mixture is just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide batter equally amongst muffin tin.

To make the topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and using your fingers, mix until crumbles form. Top each muffin with topping.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let rest in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

wordless wednesday ~ pink

2012-03-07T06:14:00.000-08:00

hi.

2012-02-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

Hi.

My name is Avery May.

I arrived on February 23rd at 9:19 pm, to a very anxious and excited Mommy and Daddy.

I'll cry if we don't get to see each other again soon.

chocolate pudding

2012-02-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

Love is a strange thing.

It can be as small as buying a new place mat for the meows food dishes.

Or keeping your hot pink prom dress for ten years before donating it.

It can be overpaying for a dozen roses on a Tuesday.

Pvr-ing Ellen so you can watch Sophia Grace and Rosie talk about the Grammy's.

But mostly in our house, it's about chocolate pudding.

With an impending arrival, we decided to keep it low key in our house for the big love day. We usually don't go out for Valentine's day anyways, but we didn't want to plan anything crazy just in case we were going to be making our way to the hospital.

The husband bought me roses, I made him chocolate pudding. It was a fair trade.

The husband has a small "obsession" with pudding. He loves the pre-made cups of pudding and has been known to eat several each night. But the past few weeks, he's told himself he doesn't need the pudding sand has been on a pudding-free diet. So as my show of affection, I made chocolate pudding for our love day dessert.

If you've never made homemade pudding, or just attempted the powdered mix from a box, don't be scared. It's not different than heating milk on the stove and whisking constantly. The result is better than any box mix or pre-made cup that you are going to find. It's creamy, dreamy, chocolaty, perfectly set, and topped with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and dusted with cocoa powder, it's more fancy than any overpriced cake you'll buy on Valentine's day.

Chocolate pudding

[ from Martha Stewart ]

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk, I used non-fat but you can use any kind of milk

2 large egg yolks

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped or 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

whipped cream for topping (optional)

In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the milk and egg yolks and whisk until combined. Over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, cook mixture for 8 - 10 minutes or until it thickens. Remove pan from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and butter, until completely melted.

Pour pudding mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover the top of the pudding with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, unless you like pudding skin, then leave uncovered. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until cool and set. Divide pudding into 4 servings and top with sweetened whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder.

mascarpone cheesecake

2012-02-13T07:36:00.005-08:00

Well, it's here.

It's baby day, but not unusually, there is no baby. Yet.

Let's just say I am more than ready.

I'm ready to;

Sleep on my stomach again.

Sleep in general really....

Eat an over easy egg with buttered toast.

Walk without waddling.

Be able to put my shoes on without any acrobatic feats.

Wear pants with real buttons.

Drink a very large glass of good red wine.

Have a really long, sweaty workout.

Not worry that if I sneeze, the baby will fall out. ( I know it doesn't happen that way, but wouldn't it be nice?)

I'm also really ready for;

Tiny baby feet.

Being able to finally see what she looks like.

Introducing her to her loving and anxious, annoyingly impatient family.

Being able to start this roller coaster they call parenthood.

In the meantime, while we sit in a holding pattern for baby time. We shall eat cheesecake.
I made this over a month ago for my mom's birthday. I looked for a new cheesecake recipe that involved all of the things I love about cheesecake. Sweet, yet tangy, texture should be fluffy and not too dense, the crust should be buttery and not too firm.

This recipe nailed every one of those. It was so good, my mom had 2 pieces of it for dessert.

Mascarpone Cheesecake
[ from Gourmet ]

crust:

70 vanilla wafers, finely ground in the food processor
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

filling:

20 oz cream cheese (from 2 1/2 8oz packages), softened
8 oz mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup), room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

topping:

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in middle of the oven. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan.

To make the crust, stir together the cookie crumbs and butter until everything is thoroughly moistened. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture for sprinkling on top of the finished cheesecake. Press remaining mixture firmly into the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of the spring form pan. Make sure the crust is spread evenly throughout and pressed quite firmly. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Leave oven on.

To make the filling, in a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar at medium-high speed for 3 - 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt. Mix to combine. Pour filling into cooled crust, bake until filling is set but the centre will still jiggle slightly when pan is shaken lightly, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack, about 20 minutes. Cheesecake will firm as it cools.

For the topping, in a medium bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. Spoon over cheesecake, spreading into an even layer. Sprinkle top with reserved crumb mixture. Bake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and run a thin knife along the edges. Let cool completely on a wire rack and then let rest overnight, or for 8 hours minimum, in the refrigerator loosely covered.

cranberry almond quinoa cookies

2012-02-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

There are few cookies that can be eaten for breakfast.

I've been known to eat more than my fair share of chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, but let's be real, we shouldn't eat those everyday.

So naturally, when I come across a recipe labelled as a "breakfast cookie", my spidey senses go crazy.

Will it be sweet? Will it have chocolate ? Does it involve kale and flax seeds?

Yes, no and thankfully, no.

The ingredient list is nothing super crazy, except the quinoa. I personally love quinoa. It's a super food. Extra tasty for dinner with some butter, black pepper, and lemon zest. Even more crazy delicious for breakfast with some maple syrup and walnuts. So really, could quinoa in a cookie be a horrible thing?

quinoa

It's not. It's probably the best thing ever to happen to cookies.

It makes these cookies, fluffy like muffins. They're more tiny muffin tops than cookies.

The cookies are sweet, but not overly sweet, the honey gives them just the right amount of sweetness, the oats and quinoa make them hearty and chewy and the dried cranberries are a really nice touch.

Cranberry almond quinoa cookies
[ from Bon Appetit ]

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled to room temperature
1 cup large flake oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered, unsalted almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In the bowl of your stand mixer, or in another large bowl, beat together the butter, sugars, and honey for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and the extracts and beat for another 2 minutes until smooth. Slowly beat in the flour mixture, in 3 additions, until well blended. Stir in the quinoa, oats, cranberries, and almonds.

Spoon 2 tablespoon-fulls on to baking sheets, about 1-inch apart. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until cookies are set and golden brown.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

herb & cheese buttermilk quick bread

2012-02-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

Day one of maternity leave :

Wake up, have coffee and cereal.

File for unemployment insurance.

Well, that brought me to 9 am.

Where after that, I was extremely bored.

My sister came over, we dyed her hair, I made soup.

But that only brought me until noon.

WHAT THE?!?!?!

So I made bread. Really easy, simple, deliciously versatile buttermilk bread.

The entire loaf is gone.

It's okay, I got time to make more.

Herb & cheese buttermilk quick bread
[ adapted from the kitchn ]

I adapted this bread to make a savoury herb and cheese version, but the original recipe is for a basic bread. The kitchn has listed a bunch of different variations that can be used with the basic recipe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated cheese

Grease and flour a 9x5-inch standard loaf pan, set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oregano, and thyme. In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and using a rubber spatula, fold / mix gently until just combined. Don't over mix! You might have some floury bits, but it's okay. Gently fold in the grated cheese.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until golden and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let rest in pan for 15 minutes before removing.

Serve warm or at room temperature with butter.

wordless wednesday ~ cookie time

2012-02-01T12:35:00.001-08:00

brown butter chocolate coconut cookies

2012-01-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

I'm only a few days away from something I've never been.

Unemployed.

3 weeks after I graduated high school I got my first full time job and 10 years later, I haven't been without one.

It's strange because I'm going on a leave, I'm going to be busy, but I'm not going to be working.

I'm having a hard time grasping it.

Part of me is ready. So ready I could burst, literally. I'm exhausted, I'm the size of a harbour seal, I feel like I'm walking with a towel between my knees, I just want to stay at home all day in my pajamas.

Part of me isn't. What the heck am I going to do with myself for the 2 or so weeks before the baby arrives? Sure, I'm going to sleep and bake, but what else to do with the other 8 hours of the day?!?!? Play with the cats? Fold tiny clothes? Eat ?

Cookies make big life situations better.

Browned butter smells like how heaven should. It soothes my worries. And this girl will never say no to chocolate and coconut.

I have a feeling this is not the only time I will be using cookies as an excuse.

Browned butter coconut chocolate chip cookies
[ from Joy the Baker ]

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and browned to about 3/4 cup of butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it start to foam and bubble. Start paying real close attention, the butter will start to smell extra delicious and turn golden brown. Once brown, remove from heat and pour into a bowl to stop the butter from cooking. Let rest for a few moments.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, and browned butter for 2 minutes. The sugar will still be grainy, it's okay.

Add the egg and the egg yolk, beat for 2 more minutes. Mixture will look silky smooth. Add the vanilla and beat well. Add the flour mixture and stir at low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the coconut and chocolate by hand.

Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.

Spoon tablespoons of chilled dough on to baking sheets and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until cookies just start to turn golden. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

wordless wednesday ~ 37

2012-01-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

.....I can still see my feet!