Another Peanut Butter Recipe

Besides peanut butter and chocolate, my next favorite combination is peanut butter and bananas.  You really cannot go wrong with a slice of toast, a schmear of peanut butter, topped off with a thinly sliced banana.  It's one of my favorite things to have at breakfast.

Last week I noticed my large bag of ripe banana in the freezer and decided it was time to make some banana bread.  However, this time I was not interested in making my mom's traditional banana bread recipe.  I thought why not use more of the peanut butter I have on hand.  I pulled this recipe from Joy the Baker who adapted it from Cooking Light.  My fellow blogger and friend, Sara Chidester of The Chidester's blog, recently made this same recipe last fall and was a big fan of it so I knew I had to try it out.  I followed Joy the Baker's recipe, eliminating the peanut butter glaze and increasing the amount of roasted peanuts.  The end result was delicious and it did not last long.  Next time I will have to double the recipe and make a second loaf.  To all of my fellow peanut butter lovers, the next time you have some very ripe bananas or like me have a supply in your freezer I beg you to try this recipe out. You will surely be impressed and find it hard to stop at just one slice.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Makes: one 9×5-inch loaf
Recipe taken from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (I used almost 2 cups)
• 1/3 cup plain fat free yogurt
• 1/3 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon and ground allspice.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together  mashed bananas, yogurt, peanut butter and melted butter.  Whisk in eggs and sugars.  Blend mixture until no sugar lumps remain.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients.  Fold together with a spatula until no more flour bits remain.  Fold in the chopped nuts.  Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and cake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before running a butter knife along the edges of the pan and inverting the bread onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. This bread lasts, well wrapped at room temperature,for up to 4 days.  It is also great to store, well wrapped, in the freezer.

It's That Time of Year Again...

I am referring to summer, time for jeans and boots to be hidden in the back of my closet and my summer dresses, shorts, and sleeveless tops to be dusted off.  What is also so great about this time of year you may ask?!  Fresh fruits and vegetables grown from nearby farms ready for picking.  Yes, I know, I am a food dork and I cannot help it. :)

I was in the mood for a fruity dessert and decided to whip up a strawberry rhubarb pie.  With all of the fresh strawberries lately I thought I should take advantage while I could.  In my family this is a favorite of mine as well as my mom's.  My Aunt Susie actually makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie I have ever tasted.  Well, the more I thought about it I realized it's also swimsuit season, which means a heavy buttery crust would not go well with my two piece at the pool.  Never fear, I decided to go with a healthier twist on an old favorite and make Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.  The result, a sweet and slightly tart dessert covered with a crunchy granola like topping.  For those of you also trying to eat a little healthier this season I believe this is the perfect answer for your summer time dessert cravings.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Adapted from this recipe from Joy the Baker
makes 6 1/2-cup size ramekin cobblers

Ingredients:

For the fruit:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb (I could not find any fresh rhubarb so I used frozen this time.  Make sure they are defrosted before mixing with the fresh fruit.)
• 2 Tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• a dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

For the topping:

• 1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not instant oats)
• 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the fruit with flour, spices and maple syrup.  Set aside while you assemble the topping.
3. In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the oats, flour, salt and spices.  In a small bowl whisk together the oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and water.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend with a fork.  Make sure all of the dry ingredients are moistened by the oil and maple syrup mixture.
4. Add half a cup of the topping mixture to the fruit mixture and toss together.  Scoop fruit into ramekins, being sure to fill each cup to the top.  Spoon and pat topping onto each cup.  Sprinkle with an additional dose of ground cinnamon if you’d like.
5. Place the six ramekins on a clean baking sheet and place in the oven.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until bubbly and delicious.
6. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate...Two of My Favorite Foods

Who does not love peanut butter and chocolate?!  Who does not love these two things combined?!  If you are one of the few non-lovers than feel free to stop here but if not please continue reading. :)

Lately, I have been eating peanut butter everyday in some form or another.  I seem to be going through my jar of peanut butter much too quickly.  I buy the organic natural peanut butter so the stuff is not cheap my friend!  My breakfast of choice lately is scrambled egg whites with a toasted whole wheat english muffin and a good schmear of peanut butter on each half.  It fills me up and always sets my day out on the right foot even though I know minutes later my long list of work emails may bring me down again, I at least know I started my day out on a happy note.

Just the other day I was in the mood for some peanut butter (surprise!) and chocolate.  I came across this recipe from one of the blogs I follow and I just had to try it out.  In less than a hour I had a sweet and salty treat that fulfilled my craving and put me in a very good mood.  These are great for an afternoon snack, dessert, or even late at night with a glass of milk...or wine...whatever you have on hand.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pretzels Bites

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites Dipped in Chocolate
Taken from 17 and baking
Makes around 45-60 bite sizes sandwiches


Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used organic natural peanut butter)
• 2 tsp butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• Pretzels (I used Snyder's Snaps)
• 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the powdered sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until well mixed – you may need to add more to get the filling thick and stiff enough to hold its shape.
2. Roll teaspoons of the peanut butter mixture between your palms to form balls. Sandwich between two pretzels and put on a plate or cookie sheet. Freeze the pretzel sandwiches for half an hour.
3. Melt the chocolate chips, using the microwave (30 second intervals) or a double boiler. Dip half of each pretzel sandwich in chocolate. Return the tray to the freezer and chill until the chocolate sets.
4. Store the Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites in the refrigerator until serving time.

Two months too long...

It's been over two months since my last post and I apologize for my long absence.  For the past few months my work life was getting in the way of my social life and I was not doing much baking or cooking.  Fortunately, things have slowed back down and I have time for the things I love and one of my great loves is baking.  Not only has work slowing down helped lower my stress but ever since I got back in the kitchen I am feeling much happier.  These past few months have also made me realize life is too short to be unhappy and let stress, especially work stress, take over your life.  To quote Oprah from her last show...."Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to find it."  I know that my current job is not my true calling and I hope one day I will be able to do more of what I love on a daily basis.

Me, Laura, Sara, MK, and Nina

Now let's get down to what this blog is all about...food!  My dear friend Mary Katherine Byrd (aka MK, Katherine, Kacky, etc.) now Mrs. Mary Katherine Baker recently married her boyfriend/best friend since high school, Nick Baker.  Before the wedding, two of the bridesmaids, Laura & Sara, threw MK a bridal shower and I was lucky enough to bake the cupcakes for the special day.  Laura & Sara did an amazing job decorating and preparing the food but I have to say my favorite thing were the favors they created for the guests.  A bird cookie cutter attached to a recipe for sugar cookies along with an original poem by Laura.  The best line being, "A symbol of our sweet Byrd becoming a Baker!".  The shower was a success and just over two weeks ago Ms. Byrd became Mrs. Baker.  Congrats MK and Nick! :)

 

 

The amazing spread Laura and Sara prepared.

 

The Cupcake Tower

My attempt at creating Magnolia Flowers

I chose to make two kinds of cupcakes for the shower.  White cupcakes filled with chocolate ganache and chocolate cupcakes filled with raspberry jam, both decorated with vanilla cream cheese icing.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. 


Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes (I divided this recipe in half)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used Ghirardelli)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• Raspberry Filling

Directions:

1. Line muffin tin with paper liners.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed for one minute.
4. Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin).
5. Fill liners 2/3 full with batter.  (Use a large measuring cup with a pour spout then pour the batter into the liners.)
6. Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
7. Cool completely on wire rack.
8. While the cupcakes are cooling prepare the raspberry filling.  Over low heat on the stove heat about 2/3 cup of raspberry jam.
9. Using tip 230, fill a piping bag with the raspberry filling, and slowly fill each cupcake.  If you don't have that tip you can use a paring knife to cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake.  Fill each hole with raspberry.  Discard (eat) the scraps.

Basic White Cake
Makes 2 dozen cupcakes or 2 9-inch cakes (I divided this recipe in half)

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Ganache

Directions:

1. Line muffin tin with paper liners.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
4. Beat the butter and sugar at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
5. Beat in the vanilla extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
6. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
7. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is smooth, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
8. Finally, beat the batter for another 2 minutes to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
9. Fill liners 2/3 full with batter.  (Use a large measuring cup with a pour spout then pour the batter into the liners.)
10. Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
11. Cool completely on wire rack.
12. To prepare the ganache:
1. Place a 1/4 pound of chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate in a medium bowl.  Slowly heat a 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring just to a boil then remove from heat and pour over the chocolate.  Let sit for a minute then stir until chocolate has melted and you have a smooth creamy ganache.  Allow it to cool slightly.  This recipe will yield 1 cup of ganache, which should be plenty for 12 cupcakes.
13. Once the ganache is cooled you will use the same method above for filling the white cupcakes.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
This recipe will frost about 24 cupcakes or a two layer 9" cake.

• ½ cup (1 stick/8 Tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)
• 4 cups powdered confectioners’ sugar
• 1 to 4 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cram (or milk)

Directions:

1. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
3. Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don't add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
4. Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
5. Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)

Recipes taken from my collection of recipes I have printed out without the baker's name and/or website so unfortunately I cannot give credit to whose recipes these are but please know I am very grateful for the recipes. :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

While in Ireland I fell in love with all things Irish including the food.  Two foods in particular were Rich Guinness Cake and Irish Soda Bread.  Lucky for me Irish Soda Bread was served at almost every meal.  I loved it plain, with a little butter, or spread with raspberry jam.  I had tasted Irish Soda Bread many times before my trip to Ireland but what I had not had before was Guinness Cake.  In a past blog I mentioned our visit to the Molanna View Dairy Farm, home to Margaret & Paddy Fenton, the sweetest couple you'll ever meet!  While there we were served tea along with freshly baked scones and Guinness cake.  I have wanted to make this Guinness Cake for some time now and with St. Patrick's day just around the corner I thought "What better time to bake up this recipe along with a loaf of Irish soda bread?!".  I hope you enjoy my take on two of my favorite Irish foods.

Rich Guinness Cake

Rich Guinness Cake
Recipe courtesy of Margaret Fenton

Ingredients:
•    ½ lb butter (Preferably Kerrygold butter)
•    ¾ lb brown sugar
•    1 lb flour, sifted (I substituted ½ of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour)
•    4 eggs, beaten
•    About ½ pint Guinness, slightly warmed in the microwave
•    ¼ tsp baking soda
•    ½ lb currants
•    ½ lb sultanas (golden raisins) (I used all 1 lb of golden raisins)
•    ¼ lb orange zest
•    ½ tsp mixed spice (see recipe below)
•    Grated rind of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs until thoroughly combined.
2. With the mixer on low gradually add ¾ of the flour to the mixture.
3. Place the baking soda in a small bowl and pour the warmed Guinness over it.  Then pour mixture into mixing bowl along with the remainder of the flour and mix until just combined.
4. Combine the dried fruit, orange zest, spice, and lemon zest.  Stir into the mixture.
5. Pour into 2 greased and lined 9” pans or 1 greased and lined 8”x11” pan and bake in a slow oven (in the US that is equivalent to about 275-300°) until a deep golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 3-3 ½ hours.  Allow to cool in the pan(s) before turning out on the a cooling rack.
6. To make mine look pretty I cut the cake using one of my fluted cookie cutters.

Mixed Spice
Mixed spice, also called pudding spice, is a British blend of sweet spices, similar to pumpkin pie spice used in the United States.

Ingredients:
•    1 tbsp cinnamon, ground
•    1 tsp coriander, ground
•    1 tsp nutmeg, ground
•    1/2 tsp ginger, ground
•    1/4 tsp allspice, ground
•    1/4 tsp cloves, ground

Directions:

1. Add the spices to a bowl and combine well.
2. Place in an airtight storage container. This recipe will make about 2 tablespoons, which you should aim to use up within 2 months.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread 
Adapted from this recipe
Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I substituted half of the flour with whole wheat flour)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk (I used low fat buttermilk)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

Tuna Salad Nicoise

Back in October when I was in Ireland we had the chance to sample a lot of great Irish food.  Fish and chips, Irish soda bread, Guinness cake, Irish Stew, Irish Coffee, and potatoes prepared numerous ways, just to name a few.  We figured they must be making up for the Irish famine because there was always a side of potatoes with your meal, whether it was mashed, boiled, sauteed, au gratin, fried, you name it and it was served to us.  Despite the amazing Irish food there were a lot of other great restaurants we wanted to try that did not include any of the above.  In the beginning of our trip while still in Dublin we decided to stop at a quaint little corner French restaurant downtown.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of it but I do remember the amazing food.  After a few days of very delicious but very rich Irish food I was in the mood for something on the lighter side.  I decided to go with a traditional Tuna Salad Nicoise.  I wish I had taken a picture because it was almost too pretty to eat.  Each item neatly placed next to each other on the plate.  The whole sauteed baby potatoes next to the kalamata olives, next to the cherry tomatoes, then the haricots verts, and last but not least the tuna all served over a bed of greens.  They served it with a side of anchovy dressing and a few anchovies on the salad as well.  (I know there are lot of people that don't like anchovies but I'm one of the weird ones that love them!) 

Just the other day I was watching Everyday Food and they were preparing their twist on the Tuna Salad Nicoise.  I immediately thought of the meal I had in Ireland and decided I needed to make it myself.  I kept to the recipe except I decided to add my friend Nina's recipe for Roasted Dijon Brussel Sprouts to the mix and instead of making the lemon vinaigrette I just tossed the arugula in some of my lemon infused extra virgin olive oil.  It turned out great and I am eager to make it again, maybe substituting a few new ingredients next time.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! 

Tuna Salad Nicoise

Tuna Salad Nicoise
From Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Serves 4
Prep: 10 minutes Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds small red new potatoes, quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 2 bunches arugula (4 to 6 ounces each), ends trimmed, washed and dried
• 1/4 cup Lemon Vinaigrette (I skipped this and just used my lemon infused olive oil)
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in olive oil, drained
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• Roasted Dijon Brussel Sprouts (See recipe below)

Directions:

   1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place potatoes on sheet. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes to potatoes on baking sheet; toss. Cook until potatoes are tender and tomatoes are lightly browned and soft, about 10 minutes.
   2. In a medium bowl, toss arugula with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Arrange roasted vegetables, arugula, tuna, and olives on platter; drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Serve.

Roasted Dijon Brussel Sprouts
From Nina's blog

• 1 lb brussel sprouts, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil (I cut back on the oil a little bit and used my lemon infused olive oil)
• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Salt & Pepper

Wash the sprouts, cut off the ends, and peel off the outer leaves. Cut them in half and place in a small baking disk. Whisk together olive oil and mustard and pour over the sprouts, and zest an entire lemon right over the dish. Season with pepper and very little salt (the mustard adds extra flavor) and toss together to make sure all of the brussel sprouts are coated. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until done to your likeness.

Thin Mints Are My Favorite, What Are Yours?

Thin Mints with a Healthy Twist

If you haven’t noticed, it’s that time of year again…no, I’m not referring to spring cleaning, I’m talking about Girl Scout cookie season.   Outside almost every Harris Teeter/Walgreens/CVS and inside the mall there is a flurry of girls surrounding tables overflowing with cookies for sales.  Their eagerness to make a sale is endearing and their spirit makes me long to be a child again.  I was a Girl Scout myself for about 5 years and loved cookie season, my favorite cookie of choice being Thin Mints with Samoas coming in a close second.  What I did not love was selling them.  I never had the knack for going door to door, flashing my toothy smile, and attempting to win over the potential customer and make the sale.  I never won any prizes for top sales but I did put in my best Girl Scout effort.

Despite the fact these cookies have been for sale all over Charlotte I haven’t caved in and bought a box or two or three like I usually do.  What I have done is found a great recipe for Thin Mints I can make at home without the preservatives and they taste just as good maybe even better.  But I will let you be the judge of that.  Give these cookies a try and I am positive they will win you over just like the girls out there trying to make the sale.

I’ve only had these on their own but I’ve thought about crumbling these over a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt or maybe even making a thin mint milk shake…yum!

Rolling and Cutting the Dough

Waiting for their turn in the oven

Cooling Stage

Freshly dipped in the peppermint coating

The Final Product

Homemade and All-natural Thin Mint Recipe
From the blog, 101 Cookbooks
Make 3 or 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

Chocolate Wafers:

• 8 ounces organic butter, room temperature
• 1 cup organic powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

Chocolate Peppermint Coating:

• 1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• natural peppermint oil to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Racks in the middle zone.
2. Make the cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract and then the salt and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, sort of like a thick frosting. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking, it might still be a bit crumbly, and that's o.k. You don't want to over mix and end up with tough cookies.
3. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and kneed it just once or twice to bring it together into once nice, smooth mass. Place the ball of dough into a large plastic bag and flatten it into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.
4. Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin, about 1/8-inch. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. Stamp out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter (I used a fluted round cutter). Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes (My oven is a little temperamental so I usually cut baking times short and took these out after 7 to 8 minutes). Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a baking rack.
5. While the cookies are in the oven you can get the coating ready.  Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. (I melted the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water but this can also be done very slowly on a low setting in the microwave.) Stir in the peppermint extract. (I used 2 tsp but I think I still could have added another teaspoon)
6. Finishing the cookies: You are going to coat the cookies one at a time and then gently set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Drop one cookie into the chocolate and (using a fork) carefully make sure it gets fully coated. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. They will set at room temperature, it just takes much longer.

Breakfast For Dinner

Breakfast is absolutely my favorite meal of the day.  Be it something as simple as eggs and toast or a weekend brunch consisting of coconut pancakes topped with sauteed pears in butter and cinnamon and warm maple syrup.  I would be content to eat breakfast for all three meals.  My current breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal cooked over the stove with vanilla almond milk, walnuts or almonds, golden raisins or fresh fruit, and a lot of cinnamon.  However, I'm sure as the weather starts to warm up I will go back to having eggs and toast with peanut butter.  Just the other night I was in the mood for eggs and there was also the fact I was running low on food.  I scanned the pantry and refrigerator and pulled out a jar of tomato sauce, whole wheat bread, spinach, and eggs.  My creation...poached eggs in tomato sauce and sauteed spinach served over toast.

I've seen this dish created by others but had never tried it myself.  I was a little hesitant to poach the eggs in the tomato sauce but it was easier than I expected and they turned out perfect.  Here is my take on eggs in tomato sauce for my breakfast for dinner.  Enjoy!

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Spinach

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Spinach

Ingredients:

• 1-2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 garlic clove
• Tomato Sauce (I used Dave's Gourmet Organic Roasted Garlic & Basil Pasta Sauce)
• 1-2 eggs
• Fresh or Frozen Spinach 
• Optional Toppings: Red Pepper Flakes, Shaved Parmesan Cheese, or fresh basil

Directions:

1. Warm sauce in a saute pan over medium high heat.   Once it comes to a simmer add spinach to sauce and let cook down for a minute.
2. Crack 1 egg at a time into small bowl then gently transfer to the saucepan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and let cook 4-6 minutes.  (I like my poached eggs soft in the middle so I don't go more than 5 minutes.) Once they're done remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
3. While the eggs are cooking toast your bread.  Once done take the toast and rub the toast with the garlic clove.  (This way you get that garlicky flavor without it being overpowering).
4. Gently transfer the eggs and sauce onto the toast.  Finish with toppings as desired.

Chocolate is a Girl's Best Friend

Usually in the afternoon, when I need something to get me through the rest of the day I always reach for something chocolaty.  Most days it's a piece of Dove dark chocolate or dark Hershey kisses but occasionally I like to have something extra special.  This past weekend I decided to try a recipe from my latest issue of Bon Appétit, Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts.  Growing up brownies were another go to dessert in our house.  My mom and I loved making them together, her taking care of washing the dishes and me licking the bowl and spoon, despite the fact there were raw eggs in the batter.  This particular recipe is rich and fudgy and are best enjoyed with a large scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.  I'm sure this recipe would be great as is but I decided to make a couple of changes.  I really like brown sugar so I substituted some of the granulated sugar with brown and I thought I would try out whole wheat pastry flour in place of AP flour.  They turned out amazing and I will be making these again, maybe even next time spreading them with chocolate or peanut butter frosting to make them extra rich.  Enjoy!

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts
From Bon Appétit Magazine – February 2011

Makes 16 Servings

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/4 cups sugar (I cut back on the sugar and used ¾ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup light brown sugar)
• 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, chilled
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour (I substituted whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 cup walnut pieces (I used 2/3 cup walnuts)

Directions:

1. Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
3. Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. (I took mine out after 20 minutes)  Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.

It's Peanut Butter Time!

For as long as I can remember I have loved peanut butter.  Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and bananas, peanut butter on toast, Reese's peanut butter cups, peanut butter right out of the jar, and of course peanut butter cookies.  Growing up I didn't do as much baking as I did cooking with my dad but when we did, it was usually something from a box or bag of cookie or cake mix.  Normally I am not a fan of cookie mixes but there was one that my dad and I made that not only tasted delicious but were fun to make.  Our cookie mix of choice was Betty Crocker's Peanut Butter Cookie Mix.  They were fairly easy to make, just add oil, water, an egg, and mix until combined.  You'll have homemade cookies ready in 20 minutes.  My favorite part was creating the crisscross pattern in the cookies.  They were not complete until that final step.  As we pulled them out of the oven it was hard not to eat them straight off the pan but we let them cool slightly and shared them with a tall glass of milk.

Recently when looking for a new dessert recipe to bring over to a friend's dinner party I found this recipe on Joy the Baker's website...Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies.  It was a new twist on the traditional peanut butter cookie and it reminded me of the cookies I had when I was a child.  They turned out to be a great hit and it was hard to stop at just one.  I think the next time around I will change it up with mixing in chocolate chips to the filling or maybe even strawberry jam to make it like a p&j sandwich.  However you choose to prepare these cookies I know they will be a big hit!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
     from Joy the Baker
     makes about 30 sandwich cookies


Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Filling:

• 2 cups crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
•  1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Optional Coating:

• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup honey roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.  Grease with butter or cooking spray. (Skip this part if you're using a Silpat mat.)
2. Using a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed until well combined.  Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat on low until just combined.  Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.  
4. Scoop out a level tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball, place on cookie sheet about 1 1/2-inches apart.  Use the tines of a fork to press the cookies flat.  (I found that dipping the fork in water after every other cookie prevented the fork from getting stuck to the cookies.)  Bake for 7-10 minutes until the cookies are a deep golden brown along the edges. (Mine were ready after 8 minutes.) 
5. To make the filling:  Use a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment to beat the butter, peanut butter and heavy cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and beat on medium speed until combined.  
6. To make the coating:  Melt the chocolate pieces in the microwave, or over a double boiler.
7. To assemble the cookies:  Use a spatula or small knife to spread generous amounts of the filling onto the flat bottom of a cookie.  Top with another cookie, ridge side up.  Set a wire rack on top of a sheet of waxed paper to catch the chocolate drips if you choose to dip your cookies in chocolate.  Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped nuts immediately after dipping so they stick.  Let stand for 1 hour to harden, or pop them in the fridge for a few minutes.  
8. The cookies last up to 3 days in an airtight container, or 2 weeks in a container in the fridge.

 

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies dipped in dark chocolate and honey roasted peanut

 

 ***On another note I took a trip to Charleston with a few good friends last weekend and we ate at an amazing french restaurant downtown called 39 Rue De Jean.  I highly recommend stopping by for dinner the next time you're in town. 

If you're looking for something sweet...

This week I had the honor of baking cupcakes for a surprise baby shower for two of my old coworkers who are both expecting girls.  I was in the chocolate mood and was looking for something new to try.  I stumbled upon a recipe that promised to be the best moist chocolate cupcake recipe ever.  Well that is a pretty big promise to make so I decided to put it to the test along with my standby vanilla buttercream recipe courtesy of Magnolia Bakery.  After several hours in the kitchen of baking and decorating, and a few small samples of the sugar cookies and cupcakes, the jury was out, this new recipe was now on the top of  my list of Chocolate Cupcake recipes.  I just hope everyone else agrees!  I chose to use vanilla buttercream but I think next time I'll opt for something chocolate, maybe a rich chocolate frosting with chocolate chips mixed in, making it a triple chocolate threat.  I recommend serving these with a large glass of milk.

 

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting and Sugar Cookies

Best Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
Courtesy of The Sugar Bar

Recipe yields 24 regular cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup soft dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tbs coffee granules
• 1 1/2 cup milk (I used whole)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat butter till soft, smooth, creamy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat another minute or two until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa and coffee granules together. Mix the vanilla and milk together in a glass liquid measuring cup.  Add a third of the dry ingredients into batter, mix well. Add half of the liquid, beat well. Alternate till you end with the dry ingredients.
4. Line muffin tray with liners. Fill cups 2/3 full.
5. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and bake 25-30min. (Mine were done after 23 minutes)
6. Let cool completely before icing.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing
Courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 6-8 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk this time but I've used 2% as well as skim in the past.)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of a good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. (I used 6 1/2 cups)
3. If desired, add a few drops of gel food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

***Since this was a baby shower I needed to make them extra special so I tinted a 1/3 of the frosting pink, another 1/3 purple, and kept the last of it white.  After icing them I topped them with a few sprinkles of Luster Pearls I found at Williams-Sonoma.  To top it all off I made "engraved" sugar cookies with my new favorite cookie gadget from Williams-Sonoma  and decorated them with pink and purple icing and more Luster Pearls. 

***Bonus Recipe***

I hosted a game night a couple weekends ago at my house and made a few foods to snack on.  Among the snacks was a recipe I found on the Chex Website.  I did not want to go with the traditional savory mix so I chose a sweet recipe.  It was definitely a big hit and I can't wait for another game night so I can make it again.  This recipe makes a lot so you'll want to share with friends and family because if you don't you may just end up eating it all yourself.  Enjoy!

Chex® Honey Nut Cherry Crunch 

Makes 28 servings (1/2 cup each)

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups Honey Nut Chex® cereal
• 4 1/2 cups Rice Chex® cereal
• 2 cups whole cashews
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup dried cherries (I substituted craisins)
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a large microwavable bowl, mix cereal and cashews.
2. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and honey and salt uncovered on High about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir butter mixture. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
3. Microwave uncovered on High 4 minutes, stirring every minute. Stir in cherries and sesame seeds. Microwave an additional 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container.

Nutrional Information:
1 Serving: Calories 160 (Calories from Fat 60); Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 190mg; Total Carbohydrate 22g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 11g); Protein 2g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 25% 

Keeping the Chill Off

Lately the weather here in North Carolina has felt more like the cold Northeast than the mild weather of the Carolinas.  With this chilly weather in the air I've been on a serious soup kick.  Cream based, broth based, you name it I've made it.  Paired with whole grain bread or a scoop of brown rice stirred in and you have yourself a satisfying winter meal to help keep the chill off.  Some of my recent concoctions include Mom's Zucchini Soup; Campbell's Tomato soup with shell pasta; Navy Bean and Spinach Soup; and Kale and White Bean Soup.  The last two are from one of my new favorite vegan cookbooks, "Skinny B****" by Kim Barnouin. (I like to keep this blog kid friendly so I left the expletive out.☺)

I am only going to cover two of the soups in this blog but with the weather not getting any warmer I'm sure I'll be making several more batches of soup and blogging about them.  A lot of these soups serve 6-8 so I like to freeze half and leave the rest as leftovers for lunch and dinner.  First off, is my mom's Zucchini Soup, which I think can persuade even the non-zucchini lovers into eating a whole bowl.

Zucchini  Soup
Recipe from the kitchen of Mom

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs zucchini
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp white pepper
• 2 (10 oz) cans chicken broth (I substituted low sodium vegetable broth)
• ½ cup water
• 1 ½ cups half & half (I used fat free half & half)

Directions:

1. Cut ends off zucchini, cut into 1” pieces, and place into a 6 quart saucepan.
2. Add salt, spices, water, and broth.  Bring to a boil then cover and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Working in batches pour 1/3 of mixture at a time in blender.  Blend until smooth then pour back into saucepan.  (I have an immersion blender so I was able to blend the soup right in the saucepan.)
4. Stir in the half & half and heat on low until warm.  Sprinkle with freshly chopped chives and serve with warm, crusty bread.

Notes: If using a blender let the soup cool slightly before blending because if the soup is too hot the top can blow right off the blender and your kitchen as well as you will be covered in zucchini soup.  This is a great soup to freeze but do so without the cream and add it when you’re ready to eat the soup.

Zucchini Soup with Chives and Whole Wheat Bread

Just over a year ago, I stopped eating meat.  I still eat seafood but only 2-3 times a week and I try to limit my dairy/egg consumption and choose almond milk over skim milk in most cases.  I was already a healthy eater and loved turning not so healthy recipes, healthy with just a few changes to the ingredients and/or preparation.  For me, going semi-vegetarian/vegan was just another way for me to improve my overall health.  I've read a lot about what a vegan diet can do for you as well as the environment and I wanted to be a part of that.  I know a vegan/vegetarian diet is not for everyone and there are some of you that just can't give up the grilled steak or roasted chicken.  However, I strongly encourage that everyone take at least one day off a week and go meat free, maybe even dairy and egg free too.  Your body and the earth will thank you for it. :)

Kale and White Bean Soup
From Kim Barnouin's Cookbook, "Skinny B****"

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 cup (130g) peeled and chopped carrots
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 cup (75g) peeled and cubed potatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 cups water
• 2 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups (135g) chopped kale, with hard spine removed (I love kale so I added extra.)
• 1 - 14oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• Pinch of pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, and tomato paste, and saute until the ingredients are well combined.
3. Add the water, white miso, cumin, coriander, and salt and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Add the kale, white beans, and thyme and simmer another 30 minutes.  Garnish with basil and pepper before serving.

Cal: 150 / Fat: 5g / Sat Fat: 0g / Col: 0 mg / Carb: 21g / Fib: 5g / Pro: 5g

Christmas 2010

Happy New Year!  I apologize for my month long absence from blogging.  As soon as December arrived, life got a little busier than usual and my blogging fell by the wayside.  I didn't even have a chance to read any of the many blogs I like to follow.  Now it's mid January and I feel like things are finally calming down.  Even though I wasn't blogging I did do a lot of cooking and baking.  Unfortunately I did not take as many pictures as I would have liked so you'll have to use your imagination.  Here are just a few of the meals I enjoyed as well as prepared while home in New York.

We didn't start our Christmas until the 26th so on the 25th my mom, Tom, and I steamed a few dozen clams and three 1 1/4 lb lobsters.  That was it, no salad before the meal, no side of vegetables, just a plate filled with delicious seafood.  Growing up my mom loved having lobsters and clams for her birthday even as young as 10 years old.  Luckily she carried that tradition on with me and we started celebrating my birthdays with clams and lobsters.  I'm a little nontraditional in the sense that I don't like to dip mine in melted butter.  I prefer the distinctive taste they offer on their own.  By the end of the meal I had enjoyed my fair share and was ready for a nap.  We still had our Christmas dinner the next night...how was I going to eat anymore food?!

The next morning we woke before the sun was even up, I believe it was 5:30am.  With two little ones running around, my nephew Ethan 2 1/2 and my niece Addison 14 months, I knew it wouldn't be a day to sleep in.  We started our morning off as we have since I was a little girl, with my mom's homemade Cherry Coffee Cake and a large cup of coffee.  My grandmother was the one that started this tradition many moons ago and my mom and my aunt continue to this day to make this coffee cake for their Christmas mornings.  I have to say I've never had this recipe during any other time of the year.  As much as I love it and usually go back for seconds and sometimes thirds it just wouldn't seem right to have it on any other day.  Despite our very early start I think the coffee cake helped keep me going through hours and I mean hours of opening gifts.  My mom has always had one rule at Christmas, we open our gifts one at a time.  This way she can see what everyone's received and the expressions on their faces.  It did not work too well with my neice and nephew this year but maybe in a few years when their old enough to sit still for more than 30 seconds.  Nevertheless it was a great Christmas morning.

Cherry Coffee Cake
Recipe from Mom's Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk (we use fat free milk)
• 3 eggs, beaten slightly
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (we use walnuts)

Directions: 

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter with a fork or pastry blender like you would if you were making pie.  (You'll want to have pea size pieces of butter).  Save rounded 1/2 cup for topping.
2. Take the remaining mixture and add the milk, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Pour into a greased pan 14x9x2. Spread the cherry pie filling on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup topping and 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
5. I recommend eating this warm with a large cup of coffee.

After a busy morning and afternoon playing with new toys and some of us taking naps it was time for our Christmas dinner.  Another tradition at my mom's is having Prime Rib for dinner.  However, I don't eat meat anymore so my entree of choice was salmon, which I pan seared with just a little bit of EVOO and salt & pepper.  I was also put in charge of preparing the sides and dessert.  I went through my long list of recipes and came up with Roasted Cauliflower with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan, Wild Rice Stuffing, Sauteed Carrots with Sage, and last but not least the traditional Mashed Potatoes.  With all of the rich and decadent foods I had been eating and would continue to do so I thought I should at least make these healthy so I pulled all of these recipes, except the Mashed Potatoes, from Cooking Light.  All of the recipes were fairly easy, nothing too complex, and the end results were delicious!

To top off this healthy meal I decided to go with something decadent, extra sweet, and chocolaty.  With that in mind I reached for my Dorie Greenspan cookbook, Baking: From My Home To Yours, and picked out a recipe I knew everyone would love.  Gooey Chocolate Cakes, known to some as Chocolate Lava Cakes.  They were just what we needed to top off a great meal.  My only complaint and it was my fault for not being more careful with an oven I'm not used to, I baked them just a couple minutes too long so they were not as gooey as I would have liked but they were still very tasty!  Top them off with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream like we did and you have yourself a decadent, extra sweet, and chocolaty dessert!

Gooey Chocolate Cakes
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's dark unsweetened cocoa powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 4 ounces coarsely chopped, 1 ounce very finely chopped (I needed to find a chocolate free of any nut products due to my sister's allergy to tree nuts so I went with Baker's Bittersweet Chocolate)
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 6 cups of a regular-size muffin pan, preferably a disposable aluminum foil pan, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Put the muffin pan on a baking sheet.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together.
3. Set a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted – you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until homogenous. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don’t beat) them into the eggs. Little by little, and using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate and butter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate over the batter.
5. Bake the cakes for 13 minutes. (I would suggest 10 minutes depending on your oven.) Transfer them, still on the baking sheet, to a rack to cool for 3 minutes. (There is no way to test that these cakes are properly baked, because the inside remains liquid.)
6. Line a cutting board with a silicone baking mat or parchment or wax paper, and, after the 3-minute rest, unmold the cakes onto the board. Use a wide metal spatula to lift the cakes onto dessert plates and serve immediately.

Gooey Chocolate Cakes

Fresh out of the oven and patiently waiting 3 minutes for them to cool

Up close and personal with the decadent cakes

The next day was our second Christmas at my dad's house.  Being part of a divorced family at the holiday's can seem difficult to some and I would be lying if I said it wasn't a little hard but it's pretty much all I've ever known and oddly enough something I've learned to love.  Of course, it's not the ideal situation and not every memory is a happy one but since when has everything in life been ideal or everything been perfect.  As a family I think we've all grown to appreciate what we have, though it may not be traditional, it's what I love about both my families.  Now enough about me and more about the food. :)

Traditions seem to be the theme of the blog so I'll continue on with a tradition my dad started, preparing made to order omelets for everyone on our Christmas morning. This year I was his designated Sous Chef and helped prepare some of his best omelets yet.  Before we got started, the ingredients were chopped and divvied up into bowls.  This year's ingredients included green peppers, jalapenos, onions, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, olives, and cheese.  My job was to saute the ingredients in my omelet pan and mix the eggs for each portion.  Once the ingredients were sauteed I passed them onto my dad who poured the eggs over top and had the difficult job of cooking the omelet and flipping it oh so carefully so that it turned out looking like an omelet and not a veggie scramble, which I am known to do.  While he worked that pan I started on another pan of sauteing the next lucky customer's omelet. This process went on for a total of 9 omelets.  To finish off our omelets we had a choice of dad's leftover homemade guacamole and homemade salsa canned just a few months ago.  We ended our Christmas with a big meal of delicious lasagna, one vegetarian version and one for the meat lovers and a night filled with copious amounts of wine and games galore.  I will not get into the details but it was certainly a night to remember!

Overall this Christmas was filled with a lot of good food, fun, and quality family time and it was sad to see it end.  However I was glad to get away from the frigid temperatures and head back to the more mild weather of North Carolina.  My Christmases may not be traditional and they may just be a little crazy but I certainly look forward to them every year.  Here's wishing everyone a very happy 2011 and many more happy years to come!