CIA - Cooking In an Apron

October Brings Fall Leaves

2008-10-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

I just had to show you what I did tonite. I was inspired by flickr surfing and landing on TesoroCookies photostream! I made the fall leaves with plain sugar cookies (sorry I used Betty Crocker Mix...I was in a hurry!! Besides...those are some awesome cookies!!!) I really liked how they turned out!!!

Cupcakes You Can Lick!

2008-10-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

In preparation for Halloween, I've been waiting and waiting for some dedicated time to concentrate on studying the art of Bakerella's Cupcake Pops! Of course after watching the 2nd presidential candidate debate tonite, I needed the diversion!!!! (Obama nailed this one!)

I give high props to Bakerella. Not only is she just plain awesome, she makes this process look sooooo easy. Good god almighty its not!!!! Its not rocket science either, its just a lot of steps for an itty bitty bite!!! But soooooo worth the time and effort. I won't write the recipe here because you really have to go to Bakerella's site to check out the very detailed instructions. You'll also have to excuse the weird camera photos as I'm trying out my new homemade DIY photo box. Its totally awesome but seeing I'm not a photographer and also had already made 4 runs to Target and STILL didn't get all the materials (yes I left the list at home EACH TIME and didn't realize it until I got to the store--darn it!!!!) I had to make do with a few missing materials (aka flood light). The photos will get better with age/time!

Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies

2008-10-05T22:26:00.001-07:00

So of course as I'm surfing Flickr browsing around and looking at all the amazing pics of cake and cupcakes (or cuppies as our Aussie friends call them), I come across the picture of a beautifully decorated shortbread cookie that is made with cream cheese and pistachios. This intrigued me, so OCD kicked in (as usual) and I found myself hunting around for the perfect recipe on the internet. I came across one on epicurious and tweaked it a little. Verdict? Great cookies! I used the cookie presses that I bought some time back but have never used and they came out but not as detailed as I would have liked. I think next time I will add a little more powdered sugar to make the batter a little more stiff but other than that, this is definitely a keeper!

Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies with Pistachios
Adapted from Epicurious

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325*F. Cream butter and cheese. Add vanilla. Stir in flour and sugar. Fold in pistachios. Roll into balls and flatten with a glass. Can also be used in a cookie press. You can decorate with sprinkling with sugar. Bake for 18 minutes. Cookies will be pale.

Rake in the Treats

2008-10-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

We got our first rain last night so fall has officially arrived. The weather woman said that this is the first rain since February!! Wow! We really needed it even tho personally I hate rain. I'm on of those that need sun for my mood! So today is overcast and I needed something to cheer me up! My BF's mom is diabetic so he's always asking me to make things 'sugar-free' or with Splenda for his mom and I play around with different recipes. I used the same recipe that I made my other banana bread recipe but switched a few things (not much ironically!). Then I followed another recipe to make the below recipe. I think it really turned out good...and its healthy! Two birds with one cupcake!!!

Diabetic Friendly Banana Muffins
Adapted from Moi!

2 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ or ground flaxseed
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4-5 ripe bananas, mashed (2 cup)
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup butterscotch chips (or mini chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare regular size muffin pan with cooking spray. Whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt. Combine bananas, eggs, sugar, oil, milk and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry; stir until moist. Stir in nuts & chips. Spoon into pan and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 30 muffins

Cream Cheese Frosting (Diabetic)
Adapted from Diabetic Network Community

1 - 8 oz. pkg. Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese
1 Tbsp sugar substitute (Splenda)
1/2 cup Sugar-Free Cool Whip
1 tsp. Vanilla flavoring

In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese with a spoon until soft. Add sugar and vanilla. Gently fold in Cool Whip and GENTLY mix to combine. Spread mixture evenly over cooled cake.

ASSEMBLE
Adapted from Wilton Cupcake Fun!

Make leaves in advance: Mix 1/2 tsp Gum-Tex with 6 oz fondant (makes 30+ leaves); tent golden yellow. Roll out 1/8 in. thick. Cut oak and maple leaves using cutters from set. Let dry on small flower formers dusted with cornstarch; use both sides of flower formers to vary shape. Draw vein lines with FoodWriters. Ice cupcakes smooth. Position leaves.

TIP: to get burnt orange coloring, combine orange & brown icing colors.

2nd Annual Blogging by Mail Returns

2008-10-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I hope I convinced those that did not have a blog to start one (you could be featured on Martha Stewart's blog---how cool is that?), because today's post is all about Blogging by Mail. This 'blogging' event is a fantastic global care package swap for bloggers.

I remember seeing this blogging event last year and was sooo disappointed that I missed the cut off date!!! Don't be like I was last year!! Commit and then sign up now!!! For inspiration, check out the last Blogging by Mail for ideas.

Martha Stewart Blog Contest

2008-10-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

OMG! Martha Stewart has set up a really cool contest. Its real easy (no baking involved---now how unMartha is that? LOL), all you have to do is leave a comment (with your name and blog address) on her blog post "How to create your own blog and enter my blog contest!" Then go write a post on your own blog and link back to Martha's blog (thanks for the heads-up Dozen Flours!) Martha will then select several bloggers, from those that posted, to be featured on her blog. Good luck!

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

2008-09-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love it when you try a new recipe and it goes 150% beyond your expectation and even surpasses excellent? That's this recipe!! Seriously, gotta try it!

I was in a hurry yesterday to make something for my friend, seeing that I had just come back from my weekend board meeting so I whipped up these bad boys real quick. I've been wanting to make these cookies for some time. When I saw them, I knew I couldn't go wrong with Rolos...all that yummy caramel and chocolate...MMMMMM. That nice surprise you get when you bite down into this cookie....mmmm...YUM-O! And yes, these cookies are DEFINITELY better if slightly underbaked. This is going in my 'TDF' pile of cookies! Awesome!

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from Barbara Bakes

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
48 Rolos, unwrapped (from 13-oz. pkg.)
1 Tbsp sugar
4 oz. vanilla-flavored candy coating, if desired

Preheat oven to 375*F.

In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; mix well.

In large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add flour mixture; blend well. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pecans. If necessary, cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes for easier handling.

For each cookie, with floured hands, shape about 1 tablespoon dough around 1 caramel candy, covering completely.

In small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press one side of each ball into pecan mixture. Place, nut side up, 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes or until completely cooled.

Melt candy coating in small bowl in microwave, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

Birthday Cake

2008-09-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks! I'm back. Its been a whirlwind but I'm back (for now). I had a big board meeting that I just finished this past weekend and it was just a really busy September.

I had to show you the cake I made for my cousin's birthday two weekends ago. I really liked how it turned out. I need help with the writing part, but other than that, it was really very good. But I will say that I'm not into making big cakes. Not my thing. I used my mocha cappuccino recipe and tripled the recipe to make a 12x18in cake. I then made the chocolate fudge frosting that I had made before. The combination of them all was fantastic. (yes, we had cake for DAYS...there were only 19 people-including kids that showed up!) I had never heard of "Little Pet Shop" until my cousin suggested I make her kids 8th birthday cake. I used a template from a coloring book and bought the rest of the figurines as her gift. It was a total hit.

Fluffy Nana Nutters

2008-09-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid, I used to L O V E bananas and peanut butter sandwiches or heck just plain would work too. To this day, you can give me a ripe banana and a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter and I'm in heaven. These remind me of that.

These bad boys are good. I first saw this recipe when I was blog surfing on my regular weekend routine. I had been waiting for an opportunity to make them and it finally came! This is definitely a keeper!

Banana Cake
Adapted The 90/10 Rule

2 1/3 C + 3 T unsifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup mashed (not pulverized into soup) ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup buttermilk

1 recipe Brown Sugar Meringue Buttercream (see below)
1 jar marshmallow crème/fluff
Creamy, salted peanut butter – about 1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare cupcake pans

Sift dry ingredients. Cream butter & shortening at moderate speed for 3 minutes.
Add 1/2 of the sugar. Beat 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining sugar. Beat 1 1/2 minutes.

Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, combining well. At low speed, add vanilla and bananas and mix just till combined.

At low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients. Stir just till combined. Add all of the buttermilk. Stir just until combined. Add the last of the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined.

Spoon into prepared cupcake pans.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Yield: approx. 20 cupcakes

Brown Sugar Meringue Buttercream
5 egg whites
8 oz brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
2 oz shortening
1 tsp vanilla

Heat egg whites and brown sugar at medium low, stirring constantly, just until you start to see steam rising from the surface of the mixture. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and whip at high speed until a meringue forms and bowl is cool to the touch.

Whip in the butter & shortening a bit at a time. The mixture will separate & look curdled at some point, but keep whipping. It will come back together again. Whip in the vanilla.

YIELD: 3 cups

To assemble cupcakes:

Make a well in the cupcakes & a spoon to pop the plug out.

Fill with marshmallow fluff (I *HIGHLY* recommend using a piping bag to do this because the fluff is a sticky/gooey mess otherwise).

Add about a 1/4-1/2 tsp of peanut butter to the well. Place the lid back on the cupcake. Ice with brown sugar meringue buttercream.

All-Purpose Buttery Yellow Cake

2008-09-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been a little delinquent on posting these days. I've got a lot going on at work and then with the Wilton classes on the weekend, it just throws me off for blogging! Oh well, excuses, excuses, but hell, I'm stickin to that one today!!

So as I told you I've started the third and final Wilton Course for cake decorating. Last week was the first class and we dove right in making 4 different types of flowers on the first class! Yesterday's class was really an introduction to fondant and covering the cake we brought in for class 2. Last week our instructor gave us a recipe to make which he highly recommends. He also indicated that when you make a cake that will be covered with fondant, it should be a little more dense an the light box cakes or cakes that are iced with buttercream.

So I made the recipe and when the cake came out of the oven, I was completely disappointed as it appeared that it had not risen. I checked my baking powder, CHECK, the check the oven temp, CHECK, and I had remember that our instructor had made a big deal about letting us know that all the ingredients should be room temperature. All my ingredients were room temp EXCEPT the milk (I forgot to put it out) so I figured that I would have to scrap these two cakes and make it again. I did, however, decide this was the perfect opportunity to taste it. OMG OMG OMG OMG it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!! So I was energized to make the recipe again, feeling confident that it was because my milk was not at room temp and that this time the cakes would rise to the occasion!

Disappointed AGAIN!! DAMN! But at this point I was running out of time and butter! LOL So I went ahead and prepped the cake for class. I remember from taking the fondant & gum paste class that it really doesn't matter what the LOOKS LIKE because the fondant will hide any imperfections! So I forged ahead. All in all, the cake is very good. I MEAN VERY GOOD. Its like a lighter version of a pound cake. SOOOO GOOD. I frosted it with Chocolate flavored Pastry Pride that I get from Smart & Final. My instructor informed me that maybe I had left the cake in the pan too long after removing it from the oven (more than 10min) which is key, otherwise the cake will start to deflate and cave. Trust me, it didn't bother the taste AT ALL and with double layers under fondant, it looks darn good and no one would ever know what trouble I had if I wasn't 'spilling the beans' here!!! LOLAll-Purpose Buttery Yellow Cake

2 3/4 cup cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs, room temp
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup whole milk, room temp

Adjust oven rack to middle and preheat to 350*F. Butter and flour two 8" or 9" round pans or one 9x13" pan, or butter and cover bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in vanilla.

Reduce the speed on mixer to low and beat in one third of the flour mixture, then add half of the milk. Repeat with half the remaining flour mixture then the remaining milk, and finally the remaining flour mixture. Make sure everything is well incorporated.

Give the batter a final stir using a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the top (batter will be thick). Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake(s) come out with a few crumbs attacked, 20 to 25 minutes for the round layers or 25 to 30 minutes for the sheet cake, rotating the pans half way through.

Let the cake(s) cool in the pan(s) on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake(s) to loosen, then flip out onto racks (if desired for decorating). Flip the cakes upright, discard parchment if used. Let cool completely before frosting.

Boobie Bake Off

2008-09-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

Another food blog event!

Check it out over at Baking Delights. She's raising money for the Susan G. Komen foundation. So put on your thinking caps get to baking between Oct 1-15! Its for a good cause people!

THINK PINK!

Mojito Pound Cake

2008-09-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

There have been several bloggers out there talking about Warren Brown's cookbook, CakeLove. I had seen his show Sugar Rush on the FoodNetwork in the past and had liked it. So of course Curious George over here (aka moi!) wanted to know what all the 'fuss' was about and went to Border's and bought the book. Boy, I was completely surprised at the goldmine I had found. This book is awesome and I don't know where to start. Well, since I bought the freakin book for a specific recipe, I decided to make THAT recipe. One thing I found funny about his recipes is that they have pages and pages of instructions. I will admit tho that I have found that reading the entire recipe then making the recipe has come in handy but COME ON...2 pages of instructions??? LOL Also, the instructions called for fresh mint dried in the oven, but I didn't do it that way and used store bought pre-dried mint. The flavor probably would have been better the other way, but quite frankly I forgot to buy it and didn't want to get back in the hot car to make another grocery store run!

This cake turned out awesome. It was moist and very flavorful! And yes, it really does taste like the drink, the Mojito...just in cake form! I used anew method of making buttercream and it came out sooooo good. YUM-O. I found the instructions on YouTube from Dyann Bakes. Soo easy! Definitely my go-to buttercream from now on and DEFINITELY a 'will make again' cake!

Mojito Pound Cake
Adapted from CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch

Dry
2 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 whole cloves
1/3 cup dried mint, crumbled

Liquid
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup half-and-half
3 Tbsp dark rum
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp limoncello
1 lime, outer rind removed and segmented

Creaming
2 sticks butter, unsalted, room temperature
2 1/4 cups extra-fine granulated sugar
2 tsp lime zest (1 lime)
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Prepare 2 9-inch-round cakes, line the bottom of each pan with parchment.

Pulverize the cloves into a fine powder using an electric coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Sift all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Mix all of the liquid ingredients into a bowl, whisk briefly, and set aside. Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, and yolks into separate bowls and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) cream together the butter, sugar, and lime zest on the lowest setting for 4 to 5 minutes.

With the mixer still on the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolks, fully incorporating after each addition.

Add the dry ingredient mixture, alternating with the liquid mixture in 3 to 5 additions each, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Move swiftly through this step to avoid overworking the batter. Don’t wait for the dry or liquid mixtures to be fully incorporated before adding the next. This step should take a total of about 60 seconds.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds to develop the batters structure.

Prepare the cake pans. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and smooth out with an offset spatula, making sure the pans are two-thirds full. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and cool to room temperature on a wire rack, about 25 to 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Loosen the cake gently from the pan with a small offset spatula and invert onto a flat surface. Remove the parchment from the bottom of each cake and wrap the layers tightly in plastic. You can refrigerate the layers overnight or up to 5 days before frosting.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Adapted from Dyann Bakes

1/2 cup egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Pinch of salt

Combine the egg whites, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and place over simmering water.
Continuously beating with a whisk, heat until egg whites are hot and all the sugar is dissolved (~140 degrees). If the sugar is not completely melted, your final product will be grainy, so make sure!

Remove from the heat and place on the mixer. Whisk on medium speed until meringue is stiff, and the mixing bowl is cool to the touch. The meringue will be white with a bright sheen, and very sticky!

Switch to the paddle attachment, and on medium speed add the butter a few cubes at a time. Please note, if the meringue is not completely cool, the butter will melt instead of combining evenly.

Continue beating until all the butter is incorporated. At one point it may appear as if the mixture has broken, looking watery and separated like curdled milk. Continue mixing--it will all come together, I promise!

Increase speed to high, and beat until smooth.

Add flavorings of your choice and tint with coloring paste

Wilton Cake Decorating Class Course II - Class 2-4

2008-08-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

So the Wilton Class Course 2 I've been taking this month took us thru the art of making several different types of flowers. We fooled around with color flow (which is actually cool---btw: the birds are made with those) and then we learned how to make several different kinds of flowers with royal icing. The class sessions were on Saturdays this time which actually kinda threw me off my schedule of writing about it. The other thing is that we didn't make any cakes in this class, only flowers, well except for this finale cake. Co-workers and friends missed that part!! LOL All in all, each class we did was prepping us for the finale cake. It was really fun, some of the flowers I aced and make like a champ but other flowers I couldn't get the technique down (enough to my liking) but to know how to make them is still of great value. Maybe one day I'll sharpen those skills, but until then, I'll just go with the ones that I could ace! HA! Anywho...totally worth the time and money for this class. I'm glad I took it. I'm off to take Course 3 yipeee!!! Its another Saturday class and this time it starts at 12:30p -- right in the middle of the day!! so basically my Saturdays are shot! Oh well, its not like its the end of the world.....

You Say Doughnut; I say Donut Muffins

2008-08-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

Have you even heard of such a thing? I hadn't but it seems to be all over food blog land, so curiousity got the best of me. At first the thought of a muffin that tastes like a doughnut was kinda appealing but I immediately thought I would have to deep fry the muffin and was just about to pass on the recipe when I found out that you don't!! Awesome (and the fact that I don't have a deep fryer....)! And besides, deep-frying (even frying!) is a lot of work, and I definitely wasn't in the mood to knead dough, wait for it to rise, then shape, let rise again, fiddle with the temperature of oil, and (finally!) cook the damn things.

Well, these bad boys are sooo much easier to make than regular donuts. And quick!! They really do taste like cake donuts. I saw a blogger that made rolled them in powdered sugar and I did that for about 1/3 of the finished batch. I'll definitely be making these again.

Donut Muffins
Adapted from Fine Cooking

For the muffins:
1 1/2 cup (12 oz.) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
1-3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1-2/3 cups milk
1/4 cup buttermilk

For dipping:
1 cup (8 oz.) unsalted butter; more as needed
2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*F and put a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease and flour 2 regular-size muffin tins.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Combine the milk and buttermilk. Mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't overmix.

Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. (A #16 ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 min.

To finish
Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Makes about 24 muffins (I got 30 outta this recipe!!)

Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake

2008-08-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

I've attempted to make cheesecake again. As you know, I struggle with making cheesecake. Don't tell me that its simple, because its not...at least for me! Don't ask me what's soo hard about it...its just hard. This round, this recipe had a different spin...chocolate **AND** Oreos....what a YUM-O combo! Sooo creamy and delicious! The purest of cheesecake lovers might think there are too many things going on here, but for the rest of us....BRING IT ON!!!!

Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake
Adapted from YumSugar

12 Oreo Chocolate Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed
4 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pkg. (8 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate baking squares, melted and slightly cooled
4 eggs
20 Oreo Chocolate Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, quartered

For Crust:
Press crushed cookie crumbs onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325*F for 10 minutes if using a silver or light- colored springform pan. (Bake at 300*F for 10 minutes if using a dark springform pan.)
Tip: Use bottom of straight-sided glass to evenly press cookie crumb mixture onto bottom of springform pan.

For Filling:
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Blend in melted chocolate. Add eggs, mixing on low speed just until blended. Gently stir in 1-1/2 cups of the quartered cookies. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining quartered cookies. Bake at 325*F for 1 hour or until center is almost set if using a silver or light-colored springform pan. (Bake at 300*F for 1 hour or until center is almost set if using a dark nonstick springform pan.) Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Store any left-over cheesecake in refrigerator.

Makes 12 servings.

Light Pasta Salad with Chicken

2008-08-25T23:42:00.000-07:00

Summer has officially come to an end. Ok, let me rephrase...school's officially back in and commuter traffic is back to being a complete bit**h!!!!!! On my way to pick up my carpoolers every morning I pass by three schools. Its soo funny because I can totally tell if school is out, or if school is closed for parent-teacher conference, etc etc...all by the traffic flow. So instead of it taking me 22min to get to my first carpooler, this morning it took me 33min!! Aaaah the first day of school and folks trying to figure out timing, drop offs, etc.

So of course if the commuter traffic is bad GOING into work, you can only imagine the commuter traffic HELL I go thru to get home everyday. Let's just say it takes me 1:30 minutes on a GOOD COMMUTER DAY to get home! I really need to find a new job or find a house closer to work!!!

So of course with my nightmare-ish commuter woow's, you must know that I am always thinking of ways to doing all the following things before 7:30p (understanding that I get home no earlier than 6:30p on a workday!!!).

1) walk the dog
2) prep dinner

BF and I don't like to eat late and so we try to eat BEFORE 8pm so you can see from my schedule that I really need to think of quick 30-minute or less meals that are also healthy (I'm not doing too well on my so-called diet...fell off the wagon this weekend...grrrrrr). So when I found this recipe from Melanie's blog, I just knew I had found gold. And yes, this recipe is laced with gold because it is soooooooo freakin simple yet soooooooooooooooooo freakin good. I can see why Melanie made it numerous times in one week. This recipe is freakin addicting! Its soo good that I didn't even have a chance to take a picture to blog about. So you'll just have to go over to My Kitchen Cafe to see her pic of this recipe....trust me, her pic is worth a thousand words!!!! The only think I did different was add chicken which put it over-the-top-good! The freshness of the deseeded tomatoes and the crunch of the fresh basil just make your mouth sing with joy! And to think this is a light recipe....no, it can't be, not with all these bursts of flavors going on...but yet sometimes these types of recipes really amaze me! It was definitely a one-dish meal and I was completely stuffed with just one bowl. Oooh I'll definitely be making this again and when I do, I'll update with a photo (hopefully BF won't get to it first like he did this time!!).

Light Pasta Salad with Chicken
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

1 lb very thin pasta (angel hair or cappellini)
1/2 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
2-3 fresh heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced (not Romas)
handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
2 cup chicken, cooked and diced
1/2 cup pine nuts, dry roasted
1 tsp coarse salt, and more to taste

Boil water for pasta. When water starts boiling, salt water heavily. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain pasta and place in serving bowl.

While pasta is boiling, saute garlic in olive oil until sizzling and lightly browned (don't burn the garlic or it will taste bitter). Pour garlic and olive oil over warm pasta and toss. Sprinkle a teaspoon or so (to taste) of coarse salt over the noodles and add 1 cup of the parmesan cheese. Toss again. Let noodles cool slightly.

Right before serving, top noodles with diced tomatoes, pine nuts, torn basil , chicken and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Very lightly toss, being careful not to let all the toppings go to the bottom. Serve.

Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

2008-08-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

When I signed up for August's Taste & Create, I knew I had PLENTY of time to browse through my partner's blog. Bellini over at More than Burnt Toast has tons of good recipes and I think my bookmark button is hot from all the recipes I want to make! Oh man! Where did the month go? I've had extremely busy weekends (now that my cake decorating class is on Saturdays) and completely forgot that I needed to make something from Bellini's blog. So I jumped onto and BINGO...something easy and EXTREMELY delicious and perfect for the office tomorrow!!

I have always been real reluctant to make cinnamon rolls in that they are soo time consuming and finiky! The past times I've made them I had to wipe my sweat beated brow and continue on to finish the product that only made half-way decent rolls. Nothing to write home about. But this recipe was different. It was too easy (dump everything in the Cuisinart!! YES!) and walla...then dump it out on your counter and flatten it out a bit, dump some melted butter mixture, throw some raisins and pecans (totally optional) and cut them up, stand them up on their side in a greased pan and VA VOOM! Done! I mean really, how simple is that? But the best part of a cinnamon roll has GOT to be the icing...that cream cheese icing is sooo....soooo.... OMG SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! Ooozing down and inbetween the cracks of the cinnamon roll.....mmmmmmm...... Ok sorry I'm back....!! But I think you get my point!!! LOL

This recipe is not a 'doughy' as most cinnamon rolls (not like cinnabon) but that's why I like it. I made them like traditional cinnamon rolls which included making the cream cheese icing. Thanks so much Bellini for sharing your find!

Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from More than Burnt Toast

2 cup flour
3 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400*F. Grease 9-inch baking pan and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in food processor bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. (Or prepare by hand with a pastry blender.)
Whisk egg and milk together. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and whirl briefly to combine.Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll or pat into a 9 or 10 inch square. Brush with melted butter. Spread filling over, and roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into 8-12 slices.
Arrange rolls in a greased baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan.

Filling
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans

Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with pecans, or raisins if desired.

Cream Cheese Drizzle
3 oz package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp margarine or butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla

In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat above ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cinnamon buns.

Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

2008-08-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

My assistant's fiance becomes an American citizen tomorrow. I remember when my BF became an American last year. It was a celebratory event. I remember he really tried to down-play the whole thing but I made a really big deal about it. One can really take advantage of the being an American when you are born one, but having lived overseas for many years, it makes you take stock in the simpliest thing of 'just being an American.' I saw on the news that most of the people that are becoming Americans this year are doing it so they can sign up for the Democratic party and vote for Obama. They want change!! Quite frankly I think all of America wants change.

So of course its my excuse to make cupcakes! I decided that I was going to do the typical red/white/blue theme but this time dye the vanilla cupcake batter two different colors (red & blue) and make the frosting white. I also knew I had these leftover US flags from 4th of July and so I knew I was set.

I had the hardest time coloring the batter. I knew that I would have a little problem because of the yellow in the butter but I didn't realize how MUCH trouble I was in store for. All in all, I turned half the batter more a 'raspberry' red than 'christmas' red and the other half of the batter turned out more 'kool-aid blue' than navy but I guess we're gonna have to go with the saying 'its the thought that counts!!!!!
Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
Adapted from justJENN recipes

1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2-3/4 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350*F and line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one.

Add the vanilla to the milk. Beat the butter mixture on low, alternately adding the flour mixture and the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed.

Split into two bowls. Dye each with desired food colorings; fill muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of each, side by side and bake for about 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Use a cake tester to make sure the center is moist yet comes out clean. Cool and frost.

White Chocolate Frosting
Adapted from Chockylit

7 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup powdered sugar (more if needed)

1. Place white chocolate in a microwave dish and microwave for 1 minute, then stir well. Continue to microwave for 30 second intervals stirring well after each interval until smooth. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Beat in the melted white chocolate.

3. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat at low speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like. 2 cups was the right consistency for me.

Neopolitan Cupcakes

2008-08-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today is my friend's Alex's birthday. The ironic thing is I had absolutely no clue it was her birthday today until I was talking to her in passing during our playdate this morning! The ironic thing about it all is that the cupcakes are kinda decorated in a celebatory theme (with the sprinkles and all) so it was quite appropriate that they were given to the birthday girl.

I love how this recipe looks. The traditional neopolitan theme is soo very distinct: pink (strawberry), white (vanilla), and brown (chocolate). I remember as a kid when I was served neopolitan icecream and I wasn't a fan of strawberry so I'd eat around it. Now if you give it to me I love the taste of all three flavors.

I used a standard cupcake recipe and then tried to make it neopolitan. From the testers, they seemed to like it. It has a slight hint of strawberry but I think next time I'll make it even more distinct with some strawberry liquour. Overall, I like this recipe and and its presentation.

Neopolitan Cupcakes
Adapted from justJENN recipes

Vanilla Batter

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Strawberry Batter

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup milk (or 1/4 cup milk PLUS 1/4 cup strawberry liquor)
1/2 tsp strawberry extract

1/2 tsp red food coloring

For each recipe follow same instructions below.

Preheat oven to 350*F and line muffin with cupcake liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one.

Add the vanilla to the milk. Beat the butter mixture on low, alternately adding the flour mixture and the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed.

Prepare both vanilla and strawberry batters; fill muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of each, side by side and bake for about 20 minutes (use a cake tester to make sure the center is moist yet comes out clean). Leave them in the pan to cool, then transfer to a rack. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, frost them with chocolate fudge buttercream frosting.

Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes

2008-08-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make these forever....and of course I do it when I start my diet (OF COURSE!) But I'm taking them to the office tomorrow for their 'Sugar High Friday' critique!! Wish them luck!!

The instructions for this recipe really threw me for a loop and for a minute there I thought the instructions were wrong, but in the end it all worked out quite well so FOLLOW THE RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS AS IS...that means you AUNT HOPE OOH AND MELANIE TOO!!!! ;-P

The buttercream recipe was perfect because it made EXACTLY enough for 12 cupcakes (even tho the cupcake recipe made 24 cupcakes) so next time I make these I'll remember to double the recipe. I also decided not to go with the norm and mix the cookies crumbs into the buttercream frosting but rather sprinkle it ontop. I like that affect but its totally up to you. I also did the chocolate transfer method and made a freehand pattern to add a little finale pazazz!

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes
Adapted from justJENN recipes

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large egg whites
1 cup lightly crushed Oreos (about 12 Oreos more if you like!)

Preheat the oven to 350*F and line a baking pan with cupcake liners.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl mixer, cream together the butter, milk and vanilla, about 3-5 minutes. (YES! You read that correctly, this recipe is super weird but do as instructed -- trust me it'll be worth it in the end!! TRUST ME!)

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until integrated. Stir in the sugar. With an electric mixer on low, beat for 30 seconds. Turn the mixer up to medium and beat for 2 minutes.

Add the egg whites, Beat for 2 more minutes. Stir in the crushed cookies until incorporated.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. When you insert a toothpick, the tops will look wet, but the toothpick should still come out clean. Leave them in the pan to cool, then transfer to a rack. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, frost them.

Frosting
Adapted from Dulcedo

Yields about 2 cups

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies

Beat the butter until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla, and half the sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the remaining sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in the crushed cookies.

New York Style Crumb Cakes

2008-08-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

YUM-FREAK-O! That's how I'm describing these bad boys. I made coffee cake before but this is different. This is above bar! (no pun intended) These are just simply To_DIE_FOR!!!! They are light and fluffy and full of that yummy butter cake flavor....ooh and super messy which is the whole point of crumb cake!!! I'm telling you now, you've gotta make this!!!

I've been dying to use my new square muffin pans I got on sale at Target and when I found out that Peabody had used them for making this recipe, I jumped on the bandwagon and did the same. I love the fact that they make individual portions which is perfect rather than having to figure out the math and cutting them into equal squares, yadda yadda.

This recipe makes TONS of crumbs and just enough cake for 12 square muffins. So I made another batch of just the cake portion to use up the remaining crumbs and it worked out PERFECT! So in the future I will just double the cake portion (because quite frankly who wants to half 1/3 cup!!!)New York Style Crumb Cakes
Adapted from Culinary Concoctions

Crumb Topping
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and still warm
1 ¾ cups cake flour

Whisk sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter in medium bowl to combine. Add flour and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture resembles thick, cohesive dough; set aside to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Cake
1 ¼ cups cake flour
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 6 pieces, softened but still cool
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325*F. Grease muffin pan and lightly flour.

In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine. With mixer running at low speed, add butter one piece at a time; continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no visible butter chunks remaining, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk; beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping once if necessary.

Transfer batter to baking pan(or muffin pan if you are doing individual); using rubber spatula, spread batter into even layer. Break apart crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces and spread in even layer over batter, beginning with edges and then working toward center. Bake until crumbs are golden and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean about 22 minutes…but watch them closely. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan or from muffin tins.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

2008-08-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. Doesn't matter that I'm on my diet (FINALLY) and have lost 10lbs, I was gonna make these suckers this (past) weekend. I mean really, I love tiramisu in general, so to find it in a cupcake form (individual portion) was just the perfect thing. There's just something about the combination of spongy lady fingers and smooth melt-in-your-mouth mascarpone cream filling that is irresistible to me. MMMMMM, then throw in some chocolate and that hint of coffee, oooh ooooooooooh (eyes rolling in back of head)...I'm in heaven! So anyways, back to reality....

So I set my OCD kicked in (again :-P ) and I was on the hunt for mascarpone cheese. Well thankfully this (OCD) episode was not as bad as it could have been. Ok, well don't even get me started on how much THAT stuff costs at a regular grocery store...I have no idea why I didn't go to TJ's first, I think my OCD was on overdrive because I paid over $5 for 8oz at a grocery store which will remain namely (safeway...oops!! :-P ) ...but I know the end result will be well worth the OCD episode! So I used Macy's boyfriend's mom (aka my friend who has a dog that Macy loves) as my 'taste tester'. We met at the dog park, ran the dogs until they were soo tired (thank god) and then exchanged 'gifts' (I got some awesome Meyer lemons, roma tomatoes and plums....do you see a plum tart in the future???). I swear I got the better deal outta that exchange but I'm sure she'll beg to differ (well, let's hope)!!

They came out absolutely gorgeous (if I don't say so myself)!! My willpower was definitely testing me (I mean really...can *YOU* resist 24 of those damn things on your dining room table and not think of trying just one? COME ON!!!!!) but I stood fast to my guns (I'm soo gonna win the biggest loser contest at my work!!!) I will say tho that the next time I make them I will do a couple things different...I'm going to make them in a different type of cupcake liner (they came apart from the liner after sitting for a couple hours) and also I will not put (accidently) 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in the 'frosting' --- OOOPS! But they still turned out great.

Tiramisu Cupcakes
Adapted from cupcake culture

Cupcakes:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Tiramisu Glaze: (prepare when cupcakes have cooled)
1 cup espresso
1/4 cup Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate syrup
2 oz Kahlua
1/2 oz Myers Dark Rum or Brandy
1/3 cup sugar

Icing:
16oz Mascarpone Cheese (2 pkgs)
1 Box Confectioners sugar
1 Vanilla Bean finely chopped in mini food processor or 1 tbs pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch sea salt

Garnish : Cocoa Powder and 24 chocolate covered espresso beans and/or chocolate shavings

Cake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F. Line 2 - 12 cup muffin pans with muffin paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 24 minutes, or until tops spring back. Let cool for thirty minutes. Then remove cupcakes from pan and let cool an additional 30 minutes.

Icing:
While cupcakes are cooking, combine heavy cream, and mascarpone cheese in a large bowl and mix on low speed. Add vanilla and salt. Then slowly add confectioners sugar, allowing each sugar addition to throughly mix with the cheese mixture until all of the confectioner's sugar is gone. Put icing into a piping bag.

Glaze:
Prepare the glaze by melting the sugar into the hot espresso in a large mixing bowl with a whisk (by hand) Then add syrup, kahlua, and rum/brandy. Take a straw or kabob stick and poke a small hole in the top of each cupcake. With a spoon, ladle some of the glaze into the hole. Then I like to dip the top of each cupcake into the glaze to ensure that it is evenly covered with the glaze. It shouldn't be soggy - just covered enough that the cupcake looks light brown. Then pipe the icing onto each cupcake. Lightly dust cupcakes with cocoa powder and top with espresso beans/ chocolate shavings.

Flower Instructions on YouTube Who Knew?

2008-08-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ok this is too funny! I was doing my normal Sunday afternoon internet surfing and I came across this flickr picture that told me to go to YouTube to find out how she did her flowers. Well, as I'm sure most of you know, while I'm pretty computer savvy, I have absolutely no interest (or knowledge) of howYouTube works...nor do I want to. But with this video below, I'm a convert! I had one left over cupcake and I just had to see if it was as 'easy' as the CIA instructor claimed. Yep, she was right!!! This is sooo my new decoration for a cupcake!!