Cookies with Boys

TWD--Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake

2009-12-29T00:05:00.001-05:00

This decadent recipe was chosen by Margaret of Tea and Scones.

I decided to make this dessert for Christmas Eve, when we were entertaining about 20 people for dinner. It was very simple to put together and I think it was the first cheesecake I've ever made that only had cream cheese in it. Usually, there's some sour cream in there, but this was pure cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and chocolate. I used Nilla wafers as my crust, since we always have plenty of those around the house.

There were no cracks in my cake and although it felt heavy and pretty dense, I was looking forward to sampling it.

On Christmas Eve, as I set out the desserts, there were 3 different cheesecakes on the table, along with an ice cream cake for a birthday and the Cran-Apple Crisp we made a few weeks back. Marc's Dad brought a small, plain cheesecake from his favorite bakery. It was very creamy. Aunt Claire brought this mouth watering creation of cheesecake stuffed with chocolate wafer cookies and covered in ganache, cradled in a chocolate crust. YUM!

My Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake went through the evening with only a sliver or two taken out for sampling. I must admit...with all of those cheesecakes on the table, it was a tough choice. I loved Aunt Claire's cake! So good.

Anyway...back to my cheesecake. It was dense, but very creamy. The chocolate and cheesecake combo aren't my first choice, but it was pretty tasty. I have to pat myself on the back though and say that I've been very good about keeping away from the left overs.

Thanks Margaret for choosing this recipe. This is one of several in the book that does NOT have a photo. Without TWD, I know I would've skipped it.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T00:05:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Here is a look at how our family has changed over the last few years...

2004
Vincent's First Christmas

2005

2006
Welcome, Christian! Merry 1st Christmas.

2007

2008

From my family to yours, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! See you soon!

CEiMB--Crab Cakes with Smarter Tartar Sauce

2009-12-24T00:05:00.001-05:00

It's Christmas Eve! I'm so excited!! I don't know if anyone will be reading this blog entry today, so I am going to make this a short one.

This very easy Ellie recipe was chosen by Lauryn of Bella Baker, which is just a great blog. Stop over and pay her a visit, as I know she will have the recipe posted.

So...crab cakes. I made these on Sunday afternoon while the boys hung out with Marc by the fireplace and they all played endless games of Memory and Zingo.

By a stroke a luck, or perhaps it was the holidays, crab was on sale this week. Yeah!! I wasn't sure if I would make the tartar sauce, since I realized a little late that I didn't have any yogurt in the house. I subbed reduced fat sour cream and chopped up some dill pickles in place of the sour ones that Ellie suggests and I left out the capers.

I loved it, even my crazy mixed up version of the tartar sauce. I thought that there was lots of flavor with none of the added fat. Marc thought they were tasty, but I'm really the crab cake fan in the house.

I have several left over, so I tucked them into the freezer for some quick dinners when he's not home.

Thanks Lauryn!! Terrific recipe choice.

Crab Cakes with Smarter Tartar Sauce

CEiMB-Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs

2009-12-17T00:05:00.001-05:00

Well, this week I have some sad photos of a simple and tasty dish. Seriously, I have to stop being so negative when trying new recipes, or I am going to run out of food content for my blog.

The reason for the negativity is the lack of good lighting for pictures of my food. But then again, I know I am not alone on this one.

So...on to the food! Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs was chosen by Tessa of Handle the Heat. It was very easy to pull together and lucky for me, I had just the 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup that the recipe called for. I only had boneless, skinless thighs and they were quite tasty. Also, I didn't have the grainy French mustard that Ellie called for, so I filled the 1/3 cup measuring cup half full with Dijon and half with spicy brown mustard.

Christian wasn't feeling good, so he had only a single bite of chicken and called it a day. Vincent enjoyed it, and so did both Marc and I. I served the chicken with Ellie Krieger's Zucchini Parmesan Crisps, calling them "crispy rounds" so the kids would eat them.

Again, Christian passed on dinner, but Vincent enjoyed them. I thought they were great, and Marc thought they were too crispy.

Man, this crowd is picky, picky, picky! Well...you can't please everyone all of the time, right?

For the chicken recipe, please check out Tessa's blog.

Gingerbread House, 2009

2009-12-13T21:42:00.010-05:00

Although I had dreams of grandeur, our Gingerbread House was interrupted by a phone call and the roof got very heavy with candy.

I had gotten a door and a couple of windows onto the cookie house as the boys sat patiently and drooled over their candy options. There was a fire in our fireplace as the rain fell outside and it was a perfect day for Gingerbread House building.

These two were house hunting, but decided the deal seemed a little too sweet for them to believe.

But like I said, the phone rang as the boys began their roof alterations and when I stepped out of the room, nothing on the dining room table was safe.

Not even the chocolate teddy bear cookies. It all ended up on top.

Even my lovely door with candy awning and the window that I created by cutting gum drops. It all got renovated.

Clearly...a good time was had by all.

Here is just one beautiful and inspiring house of gingerbread that I found today. Fabulous job, Jill.

Black Pepper & Molasses Pulled Chicken from Cookign Light

2009-12-09T00:05:00.001-05:00

So, I made the Black Pepper & Molasses Pulled Chicken recipe from Cooking Light back in late October. Ugh! I've been a little lazy in my blog posts, and I apologize!

Anyway, speaking of lazy, when I made the recipe I didn't pick up rolls and then I was too lazy to shred the chicken. So, I just cooked it up in the pan with the sauce and served the boneless, skinless thighs as they were.

Quite a tasty and simple little recipe. I served this along side Ellie Kriegers amazing Dirty Broccoli. Seriously, if you haven't had Dirty Broccoli yet, you've gotta try it. So good!!

Black Pepper & Molasses Pulled Chicken
Cooking Light

TWD-Orange Sables

2009-12-08T00:05:00.002-05:00

Here is another recipe I wasn't overly eager to try and that I have fallen for. Barbara, of the blog Bungalow Barbara, chose the Sable cookies for this weeks TWD recipe.

In the playing around section of the recipe, Dorie talks about Lemon Sables and they sounded quite dreamy to me. However, when it came time to make the cookies, all I had was one giant orange in the house. Since Dorie suggests using any type of citrus zest for the cookies, I went with the orange. Now, orange isn't my favorite flavoring in a cookie. I was really looking forward to Lemon Sables, but I was simply too lazy to make a trip to the store for lemons.

I made the dough on Friday and left it in the fridge over the weekend. I stumbled upon some pretty multi-colored sugar during the weekend that I was excited about using in these cookies.

After getting the logs coated in a little egg yolk and rolled in the sugar, I put them in the oven and baked them for about 12 minutes. I think my cookies might have been smaller than what Dorie states in the book, but they were perfect.

Once they were cooled, I was having a difficult time resisting the urge to have a glittery Orange Sable, so I gave in. Yum! Very tasty. As a matter of fact, they were so much tastier than I thought they might be. Turns out I liked Orange Sables. Who knew??

Thank you Barbara, for presenting me with a chance to expand my horizons.

For the recipe, please visit the lovely Barbara's blog.

Alton Brown's The Puffy Chocolate Chip Cookie

2009-12-04T12:36:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Jennifer, I am now aware of the fact that today, December 4th, is National Cookie Day. Who knew?? Not me.

But now that I do know, it gives me just the push I need to get this post up about Alton Brown's The Puffy Chocolate Chip Cookie.

I can now say that I have made all of the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes that Mr. Brown has from this episode of his show. Hands down, my favorite is The Chewy. I love a chewy cookie and it has seriously become my go-to Chocolate Chip cookie.

However, there are people in my life that I like to bake for who prefer textures other than The Chewy. For instance, my sister and her husband prefer thinner, crunchier cookies. So, I made them The Thin recently. Not my favorite style, but I still ate 'em.

And then there is The Puffy. This cookie is made with cake flour, which I don't think I've ever used in a cookie recipe before on it's own. It also calls for butter flavored shortening, which I don't normally use, but I did use it for this recipe. I did make a small error when getting the dry ingredients ready. After checking the recipe over several times to make sure it was baking POWDER and not baking SODA, I added 1/2 teaspoon of baking SODA while looking directly at the recipe. DOH!

Well, I scooped a 1/2 tsp of flour out where I thought I dumped the baking soda and then added a single teaspoon of baking POWDER and decided to see how it worked out. I decided to make these cookies smaller to get more bang for my buck, and I checked them after around 8 minutes in the oven. They came out of the oven around 9 to 10 minutes.

The result? Although they were nice and puffy when they came out of the oven, they slowly sunk into themselves, leaving me with a not very puffy cookie. No biggie! The cookies had a slightly metallic taste to me and they tasted sorta cakey. Still good, but not my favorite. Also, I tried to under-bake them a little to get a softer, chewier texture, but these were on the crunchy/crispy end of the spectrum. I think most Chocolate Chip Cookies deserve a try, but until I find another winner, I will always go back to The Chewy!

The Puffy

Corn Bread Muffins from Cooking Light

2009-12-04T00:05:00.002-05:00

This is a very simple and basic cornbread recipe I made to go along with Ellie Krieger's Confetti Chili. I must admit that I was a little disappointed in the blandness of this recipe. I like a little bit of sweetness to my cornbread, but this one really didn't have it. Actually, I should have paid closer attention when I was making the recipe. Maybe then I would have noticed that there wasn't ANY sugar at all in there. I would've done something about that! :0)

So, the recipe is titled Corn Bread Muffins, but I made these into little mini loaves for variety. It was a okay with the chili, but I don't think I would make it again. Well....they can't all be winners, can they?

You can find the recipe here.

CEiMB--Confetti Chili

2009-12-03T00:05:00.004-05:00

This weeks CEiMB recipe was chosen by Lauren of I'll Eat You. Look at Lauren! A recipe for TWD and CEiMB all in the same week. Be sure to check out Lauren's blog for this recipe and to see the gorgeous Rosy Poached Pear Tart she chose for Tuesdays with Dorie.

We really enjoyed this chili.

I actually made it in late September to use up some fresh corn we had in the fridge. It was a little too spicy for the boys, but Marc and I really enjoyed it. I'm sure we will be making this one again during the coming winter.

Thanks, Lauren for a terrific recipe choice. I'm glad I was able to cook along with you!

Christmas Time Mean Cookies...

2009-12-01T00:05:00.002-05:00

Yes, sir. Around here, Christmas definitely means cookies. (Among other things, of course!)

I have started thinking about the variety of cookies I would like to make this year. Usually, I give cookie trays to 3 or 4 of closest neighbors and friends, and I also take a tray to the library. I make treat bags for the kids at the pre-school party that contain cookies as well. I'm also a member of my local Lions club. And this year, I am once again making 50 treat bags for a holiday shopping tour that we are hosting for some under-privileged children.

So, that means...it's time to start BAKING!

While flipping through magazines and cookbooks and my folder filled with cookie recipes, I was happily surprised by an email from the friendly folks of Domino Sugar.

They were thoughtful and generous enough to send me a $20 Visa Gift Card to aid me in stocking up my holiday baking supplies. Thanks to them, I loaded up on some Domino Sugar products. Here is just a small amount of my loot.

Now that the pantry is stocked, I have started stock piling some dough. So far, I've made the dough for Gingerbread Men from the Domino website. I also made dough for Sugar Cookie Cut Outs from King Arthur Flour. And then, this afternoon, I tossed together the recipe for Alton Browns The Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

It was a rainy afternoon here, so it was a perfect day to be in the kitchen. Fear not! I was not lonely in the kitchen.

I had help.

Christian was kind enough to watch over my shoulder and offer practical advice, such as "You should taste it now, Mommy."

He's so good.

And he doesn't mind the Christmas music that I keep playing during my bake-a-thons.

Back to my cookies. So, mostly I have just made dough and tossed it into the freezer to bake off next week. But I did find time to make Ellie Kriegers Triple Chocolate Cookies.

I baked them up to have them around as part of my Thanksgiving dessert table. However, these little chocolate buttons of pleasure did not last very long around here.

Tender and brownie-esque, I would definitely make them again!

You can find the recipe here.

I would like to offer my sincere thanks again to the Domino Sugar people. Your generosity is truly appreciated by me. And please know that so much of what I bake will be going out to my friends and family, so they will be appreciating it, too!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T10:45:00.004-05:00

I wish all of my friends a very happy and bountiful Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day!

No TWD Here This Week

2009-11-24T00:05:00.001-05:00

The last remaining TWD recipe for me to bake in November is Dorie's Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake. The cake, which looks insanely good by the way, was chosen by Katya of Second Dinner. Unfortunately, even with plans to scale down the cake and use a less expensive nut in place of chestnuts, I just could not get my act together.

We are celebrating two Thanksgivings this week, and the cake would be a welcome addition to either dessert table. But with all that's going on this week and the calorie count looming in my mind, I'm putting this one on the back burner for a while. I will just have to oggle Katya's photos and the many others from my TWD friends.

And speaking of friends, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who baked the Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies with me. I loved the cookies very much. I've just finished making my third batch of the dough and plan on baking smaller cookies for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know they will be great for the holidays.

I also wanted to thank everyone for the great comments and feedback I received on the recipe choice. I feel so lucky to have so many great friends and supporters in the blogging world! You all make it such fun. :o)

---------Shameless photos of my children---------

Two boys on the morning of Halloween
Dancing around like jumping beans
They happened upon some goodie bags
That had no candy...what a drag.

But when they pushed the loot around
A little ghost stamper was what they had found
They stamped some paper all over the place
Then turned those stampers onto their face

I walked into the kitchen and was startled to see
Two ghost covered faces staring at me
Sure I was surprised, but what could I do?
Wouldn't you have taken their pictures, too?

All Work and No Play? Not around here...

2009-11-20T00:05:00.001-05:00

Autumnal fun...

We've been working on getting the leaves raked up and enjoying some great fall weather around here. I just thought I would share a few pictures of our back yard adventures in yard work.

My boys....all 3 of 'em.

Vincent shows off his raking skills.

And now, his precision at getting the leaves IN the bag.

...and speaking of getting IN the bag...

Ah...I just love these pictures. Just a few more of my ever changing and growing, beautiful, first born son.

Sure, it's all fun now. Someday, when he's like 13, he will spend hours in the backyard like this during raking season. He will complain more than he rakes. It will be here far to soon.

I could eat him. Goodness, I am blessed!

CEiMB--Peach French Toast Bake

2009-11-19T00:05:00.000-05:00

Here's something we haven't had yet! (Or at least, I haven't had yet.) A breakfast choice.

Yum! Peach French Toast Bake was chosen by Liz, who hosted this weeks Craving Ellie in My Belly. You can find the recipe here, or on Liz's blog, The Not So Skinny Kitchen. Love that title, Liz!!

Peaches. Now, I've never really been much of a fan. I want to like them simply because they smell wonderful. Also, I would like to be the sort of person that can just kinda live on fruit. But I think I've always been put a little put off by the fuzz on the outside of the peach. And in all honesty, while I certainly enjoy my share of fruit, I would definitely chose a cookie over a fruit any day. That's just who I am.

My first real experience with peaches was when I made Bears Peach Cobbler with the Sweet Melissa baking group back in June of this year. I remember being very nervous as I took my first bite of the warm peach dessert. And I remember the flavors dancing my mouth and thinking that I couldn't believe that I let my 41 year old self had miss out on peaches for so long.

Fast forward to last week, when I was planning my menu. I looked over Ellie's recipe and thought about subbing all berries in for the peaches. But then, frozen peaches were on sale when I went to the store and I decided to live on the edge and actually use them. I tossed a handful of blueberries in for good measure. I made half the recipe in an 8x8 pan, which was just the perfect size for us.

Served on Sunday morning with side of crisp bacon and a little maple syrup, it was a wonderful breakfast. I am now a confirmed lover of warmed peaches. I've even been adding them to my oatmeal in the morning. So good! Better late than never, right?? :o) Thanks again, Liz for a truly gratifying and enjoyable choice. Don't forget to check out Liz's blog for the recipe. This was delicious.

My Turn to Host Tuesdays with Dorie

2009-11-17T00:05:00.001-05:00

Well, here it is! My week to host Tuesdays with Dorie. Even after joining 17 months ago, I was just shocked to see that email sitting in my in-box, telling me to please choose a recipe for the week of November 17th.

At first, I felt like I had forever to decide. So, in true procrastinating Pam fashion, I waited a while before even opening the book to take a look at the choices. About a week or so went by and I finally started going through the possibilities. And I was overwhelmed!

I saw the All in One Holiday Bundt Cake and considered it a contender. But then I saw the Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice cookies and I thought, how fitting, Cookies with Boys chooses a cookie recipe. I probably would have chosen the bundt cake, but Brit from The Nitty Britty got her in email in before me. Um, yeah...I was the last one getting the recipe choice in. Told ya, I'm a procrastinator! So, the decision was made. Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice cookies it was.

My first attempt at these cookies resulted in some seriously thin cookies. I knew that Dorie said they would melt and spread. But these things were see-through in some places. They were super buttery, somewhat lacy and flimsy out of the oven of course, and then firmed up a bit. They were very crispy on the outside and nice and chewy in the middle. But they looked nothing like the picture.

I began to think I forgot to add one of the cups of flour, as it was rather busy in the kitchen when I was assembling the dry ingredients. So, I decided to add 1/3 cup more flour to the recipe, since I was sure I had left it out. I remixed the dough and did 1 test cookie and the result was the same as the first time. So...I added another 1/3 cup and got a beautiful cookie out of the oven. It looked just like the picture in the book and was absolutely delicious.

Sure of what I thought were my mistakes, I mixed up a new batch of dough a couple of days later and was ready to try again. I was excited, but nervous as well. The dough seemed the same as it was during the first run at this recipe. And the results were the same. A thin cookie that melted away and looked nothing like the picture.

I tried freezing the dough before baking and still had the same results. So, I softened the dough once more and added a little bit of flour, so my cookies wouldn't spread. I baked them for about 10 to 12 minutes, because I like a softer cookie. They had a little crunch around the edges and lots of chew in the middle. Perfect. Oh, and I rolled the dough in raw sugar, for a little sparkle and extra crunch.

Even with my dough issues, I loved this cookie. LOVED IT. I will definitely be making it again for Christmas, but this time I will make them a little smaller to make more cookies so we can share more.

Thanks to all of the members of TWD who have baked along with me in the month of November. I'm working hard to pay attention and visit every body's blog. The general consensus seems to be that everyone has enjoyed the cookie, and that just makes me feel great! Thanks for baking with me!

Please look for the recipe on this post!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2009-11-16T00:05:00.001-05:00

WAY back in early October, I sat at the computer reading through some Twitter posts. Several people (Nancy, Tracey, Cathy and Kayte and a few others) were talking about making a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll recipe they had found on the King Arthur Flour blog.

I didn't even know there was a KAF blog until I read the tweets. I immediately went to check it out and was smitten by the photo of those rolls. I had to make them. But really...did I need pumpkin cinnamon rolls lolling around my kitchen all morning and afternoon, calling my name and begging to be eaten?? No.

However, Marc had planned a full day of climbing for a Sunday morning that was just days away. He was picking up a friend and meeting a couple of other friends for a long day of rocks and guy talk in Connecticut. I decided to bake these up early for him on Sunday so they would be nice and warm for the ride.

I made the dough on Saturday night and found it to be very sticky. I made it work though. I cut 9 large rolls out of the dough after it was all assembled and stuck the pan in the fridge to rise. The rolls baked up so nicely on Sunday morning and smelled like a little bit of Autumn in my kitchen. I glazed them and cut 2 roll out for myself to photograph, and taste. I mean after all, a girl shouldn't do all of that work and then NOT have a bite, right?

These were just okay for me. I found myself wishing that I had jazzed up the dough a bit more or gone heavier with the spices. Also, I noticed that my cinnamon/sugar filling had slipped out the dough once the rolls were cut and placed in the pan for that final rise. I should have used more butter, but I was trying to lighten it up.

I wasn't sure if the guys were going to like the rolls. But later on, as I checked Facebook for a minute, I found that my friend Doug posted a picture of the rolls, saying that he loved me. :o) The guys loved the rolls and they all had great things to say. And really, I made this for them, so I couldn't be happier.

Guess I'll have to give these another try.

Sneak Peek at Dorie's Cookies...

2009-11-13T08:35:00.001-05:00

Since we are posting out of order this month, I feel like I should post the recipe now for Dorie's Sugar-Topped Molasses Cookies. This was my pick for Tuesday, November 17th. I wanted to post the recipe now, since people may be looking for it. I have a feeling it can probably already be found out in blog-land, but this gives me a chance to sneak a picture of my cookies up.

Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies
Dorie Greenspan

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
pinch cracked or coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and pepper.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat for 2 minutes or so to blend, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. If some flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, to avoid over-beating the dough, mix in the last of the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula. You'll have a smooth, very soft dough.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Put the sugar in a small bowl.

Working with one packet of dough at a time, divide it into 12 pieces, and roll each piece into a smooth ball between your palms. One by one, roll the balls around in the bowl of sugar , then place them on one of the baking sheets. Dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar and use it to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops feel set to the touch. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, if the cookies have spread and are touching, use the edge of a metal spatula to separate them while they are still hot.

Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Yield: about 24 fairly large cookies (I got a few more)

Storage: The cookies will keep for at least 1 week in the cookie jar. Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

TWD--All in One Holiday Bundt Cake

2009-11-10T00:05:00.001-05:00

This week, I present to you Dorie's All in One Holiday Bundt Cake. The recipe was chosen by Brit of The Nitty Britty for the week of November 24th. However, since November is a busy time, the bakers from TWD have been given the flexibility to bake the recipes in what ever order works best for them. So, even though this recipe has been chosen for Thanksgiving week, I am posting about it now. And I am here to tell you...Make this cake! It could be for Thanksgiving or any day of the week!

It doesn't have to be for dessert on Turkey Day, though it would look lovely on the dessert table. Studded with cranberries and nuts ( I used walnuts) and full of pumpkin and spices, it's great anytime and it's the picture of fall.

I baked this at the very beginning of the month and although the presentation of a bundt is lovely, I wanted an easier way to share the wealth. I was able to get 4 mini loaves and 3 mini bundts out of the recipe. I shared some with my sister and stuck the remaining little cakes in the freezer, for Thanksgiving, of course!

It smelled heavenly as it baked in the oven and when I sliced one of my little loaves to taste it, what a delicious surprise. It was so tender and moist, and I think I was sort of expecting it to be a bit more on the heavy side. I'm so glad I was wrong.

Thanks, Brit for a perfect choice for the month. You can find the recipe on Brit's blog, since she was wise and posted it early! Be sure to stop in next week for Dorie's Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies. That's my pick!

CEiMB--Linguine with Shrimp & Vegetables

2009-11-05T00:05:00.001-05:00

Oh, Farah!! What a delicious choice this recipe was.

I'm getting ahead of myself. This weeks CEiMB recipe was chosen by the lovely Farah from the blog Confessions of a Novice Baker. The picture in the book looks pretty delicious, but the taste of this dish is divine.

Ellie does it again. This will be a definite repeater in our house, thanks to Ellie and Farah! Other than extra clove of garlic and using fettuccine instead of linguine, I followed the recipe exactly.

My apologies for the bad picture. With the time change, I am having a difficult time getting nice pictures of dinner. There's just not enough light or time. Anyway, it was delicious!

If you would like the recipe, you should be able to find it on Farah's blog or you can click on the link below.

Linguine with Shrimp & Vegetables

TWD--Cran Apple Crisps

2009-11-03T00:05:00.001-05:00

There were a lot of yummy recipes chosen this month. I even got to chose one myself! Thanks to Laurie, the organizer of TWD, we were given the opportunity to bake out of order for the month because of Thanksgiving. I decided to make Dorie's Cran-Apple Crisps this week, which were chosen by Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef.

I made 1/2 the recipe and some how ended up with only 3 ramekins instead of the 4 I thought I would get. Guess my ramekins are bigger than I had expected.

Anyway, with daylight running out, I baked these up and my house smelled INCREDIBLE during that process. As soon as they came out of the oven, I grabbed one and ran outside to catch the last of the natural light for a picture.

The verdict? I didn't eat one yet, but Marc is like putty in my hands when I make him Apple Crisp. He really enjoyed this, with some vanilla ice cream, of course! Thanks, Em for a pretty easy, awesome smelling dessert! Please go to The Repressed Pastry Chef for the recipe.

Dorie's Coconut Tea Cake with Lemon

2009-11-02T08:28:00.000-05:00

In honor of Mary, The Food Librarian, I am posting a bundt cake. In all honesty, I've had these pictures laying around since late August and I have just been too lazy to write a post. But now seems like the perfect time to share this post. I'm sure many of you know that Mary is hosting 30 days of Bundt cakes over at her blog. Yes, Mary Likes Big Bundts...don't we all?? I mean, really.

Anyhoo...I made this cake late in the summer and it was delicious. I loved the added lemon with the coconut. Unfortunately, I'm not as crafty with the cakes as Mary is. Therefore, I didn't get a shot of my whole cake out of the pan. I do recall that I cut the cake in half and shared with my favorite librarians, though!

Seriously, I had a tough time keeping my hands off this one.

Dorie has many options for playing around with this cake, and I would love to try a few more and the lemon again, as well. So yummy!

In honor of Dorie and TWD, I've decided not to post the recipe. But I think you can find it out there.

Go bake a Bundt!

CEiMB--Pumpkin Pie Muffins

2009-10-29T00:05:00.001-04:00

Yum! This Autumn treat was chosen by Oddball Oven Mitt for our weekly installment of Craving Ellie in My Belly.

Pumpkin Pie Muffins. The recipe made enough for me to get a single mini loaf as well as my dozen muffins. I froze all of the muffins to enjoy at my leisure and we ate the mini loaf right away. I had to have something to write about!

I really like that the recipe has whole wheat flour as well as all purpose flour, but since this is Ellie, I'm not surprised. I didn't have any pumpkin seeds, so I skipped them. The molasses and all of the spices were just wonderful in the recipe. Of course, I tasted the batter after getting my pans loaded up and was pretty surprised at how much it actually tasted like a pumpkin pie.

It probably goes without saying that these would be AMAZING with some cream cheese frosting, but that would taking away a lot of the healthy aspect, wouldn't it? Oh, but it would so good!

Please check out Oddball Oven Mitt for the recipe or click here.

TWD--No Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte For Me...

2009-10-27T08:15:00.005-04:00

My apologies to April of Short & Rose for not baking along this week. I had every intention of making this recipe, because it sounds like a sumptuous one. Earlier in the month, several of my Twitter friends were talking about it and my mouth was watering. I decided I would do half a recipe just to try it.

But I know me and everyone in my house. I knew that Marc would have only a bite or two, and that the boys probably wouldn't want it since it doesn't at all resemble a Nilla wafer, and that I would be faced with a small torte, begging me to eat it.

After stepping on the scale several times this month and being greeted each time by a slightly higher number, I decided to sit this one out. That's when I realized that I have gained over 15 pounds since starting TWD! Yikes! Anyway, I've been having an on again/off again fling with Weight Watchers and I think it's time we became exclusive.

I'm not taking myself out of the baking loop, I'm just going to have get a little more selective, I guess. Or I'm really going to have to hunt down more people to take the goods off my hands!!

Anyway...since I have no Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte for you to drool over today, I leave you with these two pictures. By the way...these boys are in no way, shape or form excited about Halloween.

Please go to Short & Rose for this weeks TWD recipe.

Hello, Meatball...

2009-10-25T00:05:00.001-04:00

This soup may very well be the hardest thing that I have ever tried to photograph. How do you make grayish looking meatballs and dark green Escarole sitting in chicken broth look as good as it tastes??

You don't. Well, at least I don't.

Good soup, though!

Italian Wedding Soup
Giada DeLaurentiis