The Garden of Yum

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

2012-02-11T19:32:00.000-08:00

My daughter, Brianna, is 15. She has been right beside me, baking along with me, in the kitchen since she was about five. I was so happy when she showed an interest in baking. So I began to let her help out and to teach her how to bake. Little by little, I would let her do more and more until eventually she became really good at it. There have even been many times where she has done pretty much all of the decorating of cookies and cakes and more. It was a huge help, especially around the holidays or if we were having company. Suddenly, I had an assistant who was turning out to be better than I was. It was also a great excuse to spend one-on-one time. Then sometime last year, she began to lose interest. All of sudden, she did not want to bake cookies or cupcakes with me. I was really disappointed. She had begun high school and was busy with school and sports, not to mention Facebook and friends. So I did not want to push it. I figured she would come back to it eventually. But the other day when I decided to make Valentine's Day cupcakes, she asked if she could help. I was thrilled to get my helper back. She sat down. I gave her all of the things she needed to frost and decorate the cupcakes. Then I began looking over her shoulder and giving her instructions on how I wanted them to look. She turned around and told me that I was being too much of a perfectionist and that I was taking all the fun out of it. I realized she was right. The cupcakes did not have to look picture perfect. What was really important was that we were spending time together, time I truly do cherish. Sometimes we need to listen to our kids to help us put things into perspective. The funny thing, though, is that I am not usually really that much of a perfectionist. It is just that I wanted them to look pretty for my blog pictures...lol

So here are the cupcakes my Bri and I made. I used this cupcake recipe and this frosting. You will need to double the frosting recipe to have enough to cover all of the cupcakes.

We used gum paste to make the heart shapes. You can also use fondant for these. Working with gum paste and fondant is very easy. First, you need to color it, probably the most tedious part. You use food coloring to do this. You will need the gel paste type coloring like Wilton or Americolor. You color the dough by kneading the food coloring in and adding more color until you get your desired color. Be warned it may stain your hands. I walked around with pink hands the next day, no matter how much I scrubbed. If you are working with gum paste, you should have some zip-top bags ready because the gum paste hardens quickly. So keep any portions of gum paste you are not using sealed in the zip-top bags until you are ready to use them.

To make the heart shapes using gum paste, it is a good idea to make your shapes the day before, so that you give them time to dry and harden. First you need to grease your hands, your work surface, and your rolling pin with vegetable shortening because gum paste tends to be sticky. You will want to keep reapplying the shortening. It will not affect the gum paste. You roll out the gum paste with a rolling pin just like you would a pie crust, only it does not have to be round, until you get it pretty thin. Then using cookie cutters, you cut out shapes like you would cut out cookies. You place all of your cut-out pieces on a wax paper, foil, or parchment lined baking sheet to allow them to dry and harden.

To frost the cupcakes, I used a 1 mm tip. I use disposable bags which make clean up much easier. For these tips because they are big, you do not need to use a coupler. You just cut the top off of the disposable bag and place the tip in and then place your frosting in. Pipe your frosting onto the cupcake in a circular motion starting at the outside and swirling into the center. I did not get pictures of this or of cutting out shapes for the gum paste, but I will with the next batch of cupcakes I make:)

The most important thing, like Brianna reminded me, is to have fun!

We used gourmet writers to make the words on these hearts.

I am linking these up to A Little Birdie Told Me, Sweets For a Saturday, and Themed Bakers Sunday ! Click on the links to see some great crafts and delicious recipes:)

Nonnie Carmella's Italian Rice Dinner

2012-02-01T06:03:00.000-08:00

So we all know I am not the greatest photographer, close to pretty bad, in fact, especially when I am trying to take pictures of food while my family is waiting with their forks ready, two of whom are teenagers who are hungry 24/7, and I live in Massachusetts where this time of year the sun is gone by 5:00 pm, not good for picture taking. Enough with the excuses, anyway, in this case, pictures, especially mine, will not do this dish justice.

This is a dish my mother-in-law makes that I absolutely love. It is made using arborio rice, the rice often used to make risotto. When arborio rice is cooked, it has almost a creamy texture. Here it is cooked in chicken stock giving it extra flavor and then tossed with a tomato meat sauce and mozzarella cheese and then baked in the oven. This is Italian comfort food at its best. It is also one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day, which is a good thing because it makes a lot. Usually, when Italian mothers and grandmothers cook, they make a huge amount. So this recipe makes a big casserole dish of rice. It also freezes really well. So if it is too much for your family, you can put it in two casserole dishes and freeze one. Then when you need it, you can take it out of the freezer to let it defrost a little and then bake it. You may just have to increase the baking time a little.

To make this dish, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet. Add one pound of ground beef.

Cook the beef until it begins to brown a bit. Then add one small onion chopped up and two tablespoons of minced garlic and a little salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is brown and the onions are tender.

I always cut my onions to big, lazy I guess.

Add one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, one cup of water, one teaspoon of dried basil, and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Next, place 2 1/2 cups of arborio rice in a colander and give it a quick rinse. I am not sure if this step is necessary, or not, but this is what my mother-in-law does; so I do it. Maybe, it is to remove some of the starch. Then in a large pot, bring six cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add rice and give it a stir. Cover pot and simmer gently for about 12 minutes or until most of the broth is absorbed and the rice is al dente, soft but still with a little bite but not mushy. Remove from heat.

To the pot of rice add about 12 ounces of shredded mozzarella (about 1 1/2 cups), 1/2 cup of grated cheese, parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano, and your tomato meat sauce, reserving about one cup of sauce to put on top. Mix all the ingredients together well. You can add one cup of peas if you like. I did not because my kids are not big pea fans, but I do really like it with the peas.

Transfer to a casserole dish. Spread remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with more mozzarella.

Here, you can see how much this makes. I used a 9 x 13 inch pan and still had enough left over to put in a pie plate which I froze and cooked a few days later for lunch for my son and me.

Bake in the oven covered with foil at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another ten minutes. Enjoy!

Nonnie Carmella's Italian Rice Dinner
Printable recipe
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 pound of ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups of chicken broth
2 1/2 cups of arborio rice
16 ounces of mozzarella, shredded (use the good mozarella that comes in a block, not the preshredded, and shred or grate it yourself for best results.)
1/2 cup of parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
1 cup of peas, optional

Note: Give the rice a quick rinse in a colander before using it. I am not sure if this is a necessary step, or not, but this is what my mother-in-law does; so I do it.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat olive oil. Add beef and cook on medium heat until it begins to brown. Add onion and garlic and some salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is browned and the onion is tender. Add tomatoes, water, basil, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

In a large pot that has a cover, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add rice. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes or until most of the broth is absorbed and the rice is al dente, soft but still has a bite, not mushy. Remove pot from heat. Add about 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, about 12 ounces, to the pan with the rice. Also add to the pan with the rice, the parmigiano or romano cheese and the tomato meat sauce, reserving one cup to spread on top. Add the peas of you are using them. Mix together well. Transfer to a large casserole dish. Spread remaining sauce on top and then sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven covered with foil for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes. Enjoy!

I am linking this up to A Little Birdie Told Me and These Chicks Cooked! Click on the link to see some delicious recipes and great crafts:)

Chicken Madeira

2012-01-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

This is a dish I had at The Cheesecake Factory when my husband and I went on a rare night out. I absolutely loved it. Ever since then, I have been craving it. I remembered I had seen Madeira wine in the cooking wine section of the liquor store right next to the Marsala wine. I decided to go and get some and try to recreate the dish that I could not get out of my head. It turned out great! My family and I really enjoyed it. It is made with thinly pounded chicken breasts dredged in flour and then sauteed in butter and olive oil and then topped with asparagus, mozzarella, and a mushroom and Madeira wine sauce. Sounds pretty great, huh? It is; believe me.

To make this dish, you will need about four to six pieces of boneless split chicken breasts. Place the chicken between two sheets of wax paper and then pound them thin with a mallet. I don't have a mallet; so I use a pan to pound them flat. In a shallow dish (I use a pie plate), mix together 1/2 cup of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and set aside. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large saute pan or frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add about 1/2 of a bunch of asparagus with the hard ends broken off and cook until the asparagus is tender (about five minutes). Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In the same pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Cook the chicken in batches if more than four pieces in the butter and oil over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Remove from pan and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

In the same pan, add 12 ounces of sliced crimini mushrooms and 3-4 tablespoons of chopped shallots. If the pan is too dry, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan before adding the mushrooms and shallots. Cook on medium, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Season with some salt and pepper.

Add 2 1/2 cups of Madeira wine. Bring to a boil and then simmer ten minutes on medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While the sauce is cooking, place the cooked asparagus on top of the chicken on the foil-lined pan.

Top with slices of mozzarella.

Place in the oven on 375 degrees F about 15 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and the chicken is heated through.

Add 1 tablespoon of water mixed with one teaspoon of cornstarch to the wine sauce to thicken it up a bit. Mix in well. Let simmer for another minute or two. When the chicken is ready, serve topped with mushroom sauce. I served this chicken with mashed potatoes. The sauce tastes delicious on the mashed potatoes too:)

Chicken Madeira The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe

1/2 of a bunch of asparagus, tough ends broken off
4-6 pieces of split boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
4-5 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of olive oil
12 ounces of crimini mushrooms, sliced
3-4 tablespoons of chopped shallots
2 1/2 cups of Madeira wine
8 ounces of mozzarella, sliced
1 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan or saute pan. Add asparagus and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a shallow dish, mix together 1/2 cup of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and set aside.

In the same pan that you cooked the asparagus in, heat 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in batches if needed until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

To the same pan, add mushrooms and shallots. If the pan is very dry, add another 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook the mushrooms and shallots over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan and stirring occasionally.

Add wine to the pan with mushrooms and shallots and bring to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is cooking, place asparagus pieces on chicken on foil-lined baking sheet. Top with slices of mozzarella. Heat in oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chicken is heated through.

Mix together, 1 tablespoon of water with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Add to wine sauce. Cook for another two minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When the chicken is done, remove to a plate an serve topped with wine/mushroom sauce.

I am linking this up to A Little Birdie Told Me and These Chicks Cooked! Click on the link to see some delicious recipes and great crafts:)

Chai-spiced Bread

2012-01-18T07:43:00.000-08:00

If you love cardamom and other chai spices, you will love this quick bread. To me it tastes exactly like the Vanilla Chai served at Dunkin Donuts which I love. It is moist, packed with flavor, and easy to whip up in one bowl. It is very different from any other bread recipe I have tried. The cardamom really stands out and gives it a unique taste that I enjoyed. Cardamom is not something I usually cook with, and to me it is an acquired taste. It is often compared to ginger, but in my opinion, though it may be a little like ginger, it really has a flavor all its own.

I found this recipe while browsing through some cook books at the bookstore. It was in the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook. It sounded so different and yummy to me that I actually bought the cook book just for this recipe and because it was on sale after Christmas. It turns out that it was a very good investment since the cook book is filled with many great recipes.

To make this bread, first you will want to make a cup of tea, regular black tea, plain green tea would probably work too. Do not add any sugar or milk to the tea. Just set it aside to cool. Spray the bottom only of an 8 x 4 inch or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of softened butter and 3/4 cup of sugar until fluffy.

Beat in two eggs. Then add 1/2 cup of the cooled tea, 1/3 cup of milk, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined. It will look curdled; that is okay.

Next, add 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves. Mix together until just combined.

Spread in pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not under bake. Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

To make the glaze for the top, in a small bowl, mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, and 3 teaspoons of milk. Add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it becomes spreadable. Spread on top of cooled bread. Sprinkle top of bread with some ground cinnamon if you like. Enjoy!

Chai-spiced Bread Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook
Printable recipe
Bread:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup of butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup of prepared tea or water
1/3 cup of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves

Glaze:
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
3 to 5 teaspoons of milk
Additional ground cinnamon for sprinkling on top, optional.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom only of an 8 x 4 or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs, tea, 1/3 cup of milk, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla on low speed until the ingredients are well combined (will appear curdled). Stir in remaining bread ingredients just until moistened. Spread in pan.

3. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (do not under bake). Cool 10 minutes in pan. Then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, and 3 teaspoons of milk. Add more milk by teaspoonfuls until spreadable. Spread glaze over bread. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon if desired. Cool completely about 2 hours before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerate up to 10 days.

I am linking this up to Cake Balls, Cookies, and More, A Little Birdie Told Me, and Sweets For a Saturday. Click on the link to see some delicious recipes:)

Champagne Chicken

2012-01-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts about having this blog is that it has helped me to meet many people who also love to cook and bake. Suddenly, people who I never knew were interested in food are sharing recipes and cooking experiences with me. My husband's boss, for example, has given me wasabi from a specialty store and some cook books that he was no longer using. I was thrilled to receive these things. One of the cook books was actually a cook book by Vincent Price. Do you remember him? I was very surprised to see that he had written a cook book. My only memory of him was as the creepy guy in many of the old horror movies. There was a TV show on Saturday afternoons called Creature Double Feature that I would watch with my grandmother when I was young that played the old classic horror movies and some of those awful B movies with things like Godzilla or giant spiders attacking a town...lol We loved watching them. I think I had many nightmares with Vincent Price in them. I always thought he was from England..lol; I somehow heard an English accent from him and pictured that he was just as on the TV screen living in a big old mansion maybe with a raven on his shoulder dressed in a silk robe, but it turns out he was from St. Louis, Missouri and loved to cook. In fact, he travelled all over the world with his wife, who also loved to cook, and went to many famous restaurants. When he would find a recipe he loved, he would ask the chef for the recipe, and they would give it to him. So the cook book he wrote is really wonderful. It is filled with many delicious recipes from chefs all over the world. So thank you to Sergeant Detective and Vincent Price for this great cook book!

This recipe stuck out to me for some reason. Maybe because it has champagne in it and it was around New Year's Eve. It is a delicious and easy to prepare dish that my family and I really enjoyed. So if you have some champagne left over from New Year's Eve, or even if you don't, you might want to pick up a bottle. In the recipe, they suggest using French champagne which I did happen to have that someone gave me a long time ago. The only drawback is that you only use a small amount of champagne. So I think I will have to find some more recipes to use the rest of the champagne this week, as I am not really a champagne drinker. You could also look for a small bottle. I think it would also work with white wine.

To prepare this not so scary dish, first you will need some boneless skinless chicken breasts. Place the breasts between two sheets of wax paper and use a mallet to flatten them nice and thin. (I don't have a mallet; so I use the bottom of a sauce pan to pound the chicken.) In a pie plate or shallow bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan that has a cover, melt one stick of butter. I know that is a lot of butter but you will drain some of it out of the pan later. You could also use 1/2 stick of butter with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the chicken to the pan and cook on medium-low heat until lightly browned on both sides.

While the chicken is cooking, slice up some mushrooms. The recipe calls for 1/2 pound of mushrooms. I used 12 ounces because that is the size of the packages of mushrooms found in my grocery store. Once the chicken is done, add the mushrooms to the pan with the chicken and cover and cook on medium-low for ten minutes.

Drain a little bit of the butter out of the pan. Add 1 cup of cream and cook for another ten minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan. Place chicken on a plate and cover with tinfoil to keep warm.

Add 1/4 cup of champagne to the pan. Bring to a strong boil.

Simmer on medium-low until the sauce reduces. This will only take a few minutes.

Once the sauce has reduced, it will thicken. Slowly add about 1/4 cup of milk to thin the sauce. You can add more milk if you like to make it a nice consistency. I found 1/4 cup worked perfectly. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve. I made some angel hair pasta to go on the side and spooned a little bit of the sauce over that too. Enjoy!

Breast of Chicken Au Champagne from A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price
Printable recipe

1-1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup of butter (one stick)
1/2 pound of mushrooms, sliced (I used a 12-ounce package)
1 cup of cream (any cream, I used light cream)
1/4 cup of French champagne
About 1/4 cup of milk

1. Place chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper and pound with heavy cleaver or mallet until slightly flattened.

2. In a shallow bowl or a pie plate, mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken breasts in this mixture. Shake off excess flour.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until lightly browned on both sides

4. Add sliced mushrooms to the pan with the chicken. Cover and cook on medium-low for ten minutes. Drain off any excess butter. (I just drained a little out but kept most of the butter in.)

5. Add cream to the pan. Simmer over low heat for ten minutes.

6. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with tinfoil to keep warm.

7. Add champagne to pan. Bring to a rapid boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until sauce is reduced to a creamy consistency. This will only take a minute or two. Add milk to thin sauce.

8. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve.

I am linking this up to A Little Birdie Told Me and These Chicks Cooked! Click on the link to see some delicious recipes and crafts:)

Rolo Pretzel Delights

2011-12-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

I hope you had very happy times with your friends and family over the holiday weekend. Now it is time for our bodies and pocket books to recover. Here is a quick and easy treat that I found in a Hershey's booklet, super simple and really yummy.

To make, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Place mini pretzels on prepared cookie sheet. Top each pretzel with a Rolo.

Bake in the oven for three to five minutes or until each Rolo begins to soften but not melt. Remove from the oven and top with a pecan half, pressing the pecan down a bit into the Rolo.

Allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

Rolo Pretzel Delights Hershey's
Printable recipe
Rolo (caramels in milk chocolate) (one to two bags, depending on how many you want to make)
Small pretzels (one to two bags, depending on how many you want to make)
Pecan halves

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet (or two depending
    on how many you want to make) with parchment paper or
    foil.

2. Place one pretzel for each pretzel treat desired on
    prepared sheet. Top pretzel with one Rolo.

3. Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until Rolo begins to soften but not
    melt.  Remove from oven; top with pecan half, pressing
    pressing pecan into Rolo. Cool completely.

I am linking this up to Sweets For a Saturday! Click on the link to see some delicious recipes:)

Candy Bar Cookies

2011-12-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

When it comes to food at Christmas time, to me it is all about the cookies. I love giving them, receiving them, and most of all eating them. Not great for the waistline but very good for the soul. That is pretty deep..lol Okay, so maybe cookies are not life changing but they do make me happy.

Topped with Snickers.

Topped with Almond Joy.

I was so happy with my chocolate cookie that I used to make peppermint bark cookies that I started thinking about what else I could top them with. Seriously, sometimes I lay at bed at night thinking about things like that. What is wrong with me? Anyway, I came up with the idea to top the cookies with melted chocolate and chopped up candy bars. They came out extra yummy.

The one on the left is topped with Reese's.

The great thing about these is that, like the peppermint bark cookies, the chocolate hardens nicely and the candy bars stick to the chocolate; so it makes a great cookie to package as gifts. Also, you can top them with any candy you can think of. You are only limited by your own imagination. I used melted milk chocolate and topped some of the cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, some with Snickers, and some with Almond Joy. You could also use dark chocolate. I also think these would be great with melted white chocolate and crushed up Oreos! The cookie itself has a great chocolate flavor, almost brownie like, and shortbread like in texture.

To make these cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 stick of butter and allow it to cool.

In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup of sugar and 2 sticks of softened butter. Add 1 beaten egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mix well.

Slowly, on low, add 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa.

In a large bowl, sift together 2 3/4 cups of flour, 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Gradually, on low, alternately mix in the melted butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix well.

Take teaspoon-size pieces of the dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls on ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart, and use your fingers to flatten the cookies into 1 1/2 inch circles. They will grow in the oven.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are slightly firm. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for 1 minute. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely.

Meanwhile, chop up some candy bars, any kind you like. I used fun size candy bars, and one fun size candy bar will cover three cookies. Next, melt about 2 cups of chocolate, any kind you like, in the microwave or in a double boiler. Spread a layer of the melted chocolate on top of each cookie.

Then top immediately with chopped up candy bars. Allow the chocolate to harden for about five minutes before serving.

Candy Bar Cookies The Garden of Yum
Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Printable recipe

1 Cup of sugar
3 Sticks of butter (2 softened, 1 melted)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of unsweetened cocoa

2 3/4 cups of flour

3/4 teaspoon of baking powder

3/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 Cup of powdered sugar

For the candy topping:
About 2 cups of chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips or candy melts (any kind of chocolate you like, milk, dark, or white)
Candy bars, chopped up (any kind you like) (I used fun size bars, and one bar was enough for three cookies.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and the two sticks of softened butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add the cocoa on low and mix well.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. The dough will be crumbly at this point. Add the melted butter and the powdered sugar alternately on low and mix well.

Take one teaspoon-size pieces of dough and roll into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten the dough balls into 1 1/2 inch circles. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are slightly firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheets for one minute. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool.

Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Spread melted chocolate on top of cookie. Top immediately, while chocolate is still melted, with chopped up candy bars. Allow the chocolate to harden, about five minutes, before serving. Enjoy!

I am linking these up to Craftastic Monday, A Little Birdie Told Me, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets For a Saturday, and 12 Days of Christmas Goodies - Baking! Click on the links to see some great crafts and recipes:)

Peppermint Bark Cookies

2011-11-28T07:52:00.000-08:00

I had my first taste of peppermint bark when I received it as a gift about ten years ago. I had never had it before. Sometimes you would think I lived in a cave all my life. I was not sure what I would think of it, white and dark chocolate topped with peppermint candies..hmm. It sounded good but not spectacular. That view changed once I took my first bite. The combination of flavors danced on my tongue. From that point on, I was addicted to peppermint bark. I even thought about hiding it from my family so they would not eat it all. My favorites are Williams Sonoma's Peppermint Bark and Ghiraradelli's Peppermint Bark. Each year at Christmas time, I wait eagerly for them to show up on the store shelves. The Williams Sonoma's is pretty pricey, so I usually wait until it goes on sale right before or after Christmas.

Since I had peppermint bark on my mind, I started thinking that I would like to make my own. Then I got the idea to top a chocolate cookie with the peppermint bark. The result is the cookie you see here, a delicious chocolate cookie topped with peppermint bark...yum. The great thing about this cookie is that the chocolate hardens as it cools making it a really great cookie to give as a gift because they stay nice packaged. Give them a try, they are sure to get you in the holiday spirit.

To make these cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 1 stick of butter and set it aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup of sugar and 2 sticks of softened butter.

Add 1 beaten egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mix in well.

Slowly add 1 cup of cocoa on low and mix well. Scrape down the bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift together 2 3/4 cups of flour, 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low and mix well.

Add the melted butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar alternately on low and mix well.

Take teaspoon-size pieces and roll them into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart, and pat down with your finger to form flat circles about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. They will grow in the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are slightly firm. Mine usually take about 11 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for one minute and transfer to a cooling rack.

Crush five candy canes by placing them in a zip-top bag and crushing them with a coffee cup until they are finely crushed.

Melt 2 cups of chopped chocolate, chocolate chips, or candy melts in a microwave or a double boiler. Use either dark chocolate or milk chocolate which ever you prefer. I like to melt the chocolate one cup at a time. I find it easier, but you can melt both cups at once if you like. Using a small spatula or a spoon, spread a thin layer of chocolate on top of each cookie. Allow the chocolate to harden, about five minutes. You can also place them in the refrigerator to speed up the process.

While the chocolate is hardening, melt 2 cups of white chocolate (or one cup at a time). You can add 1/8 teaspoon of peppermint extract per cup of white chocolate if you like. I tried it both ways, with plain white chocolate which gets the minty flavor from the candy canes and with the peppermint extract which gives the cookie a slightly stronger mint taste but not too much. It is just your preference on how minty you want them to be; just be careful not to add more than specified or they might be a bit too minty. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes while the white chocolate is still melted. Allow the white chocolate to harden, about five minutes.

Peppermint Bark Cookies The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe
1 Cup of sugar
3 Sticks of butter (2 softened, 1 melted)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of unsweetened cocoa
2 3/4 cups of flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 Cup of powdered sugar

For the peppermint bark:
2-2 1/2 cups of chocolate (dark or milk), chopped (or chocolate chips or candy melts)
2-2 1/2 cups of white chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips or candy melts)
1/8 teaspoon, per cup of white chocolate, of peppermint extract, optional
About 5 candy canes, finely crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and the two sticks of softened butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add the cocoa on low and mix well. Scrape down the bowl.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Add the melted butter and the powdered sugar alternately on low and mix well.

Take one teaspoon-size pieces of dough and roll into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Flatten the dough balls into 1 1/2 inch circles. They will grow in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheets for one minute. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool.

To make the peppermint bark, melt chocolate one cup at a time in a microwave or a double boiler. Spread a thin layer on each cookie. Allow the chocolate to harden, about five minutes.

Next, melt white chocolate one cup at a time. Add peppermint extract if you are using it. Spread a thick layer on top of the chocolate layer. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes while the white chocolate is still melted. Allow the white chocolate to harden, about five minutes. Enjoy!

I am linking this up to Craftastic Monday, Tasty Tuesdays, A Little Birdie Told Me, These Chicks Cooked, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets For a Saturday, 12 Days of Christmas Traditions - Candy Canes, Crazy Sweet Tuesday, 12 Days of Christmas Goodies, and Holiday Food Blog Hop! Click on the link to see some great crafts and recipes:)

Turkey Cookies

2011-11-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

When the freshman parents at my daughter's school were asked to bring a dessert to the girls' field hockey banquet, I immediately thought I wanted to make a cookie with a Thanksgiving theme since it is just around the corner. A cookie with a turkey on it came to mind right away. Strange how my mind works sometimes, I know. Then I became obsessed with turkey cookies. I googled to get some ideas. What did we ever do without Google? There were some really cute turkey cookies there but just not what I was thinking of. Since I took some cake decorating classes over the past few months, I have been wanting to make things with butter cream. Using some of the things that I learned, I came up with these cute turkey cookies. They were really fun to make and the result was just what I had envisioned.

To make these cookies, I used this cookie recipe. This cookie is a perfect cookie for this type of decorating because not only is it a delicious cookie , it is also a smooth, flat, and sturdy cookie that is easy to work with. You can also use this cookie which is also a great cookie for decorating. Making the cookies the day before will make it easier for you. That way they will be all ready to decorate the next day.

To decorate the cookies, I made two batches of butter cream, one regular butter cream and one chocolate butter cream; see recipes below.

After you make the chocolate butter cream, take about 1/2 cup of the chocolate butter cream and tint it black. After you make the regular butter cream, remove about 3/4 cup to keep white. Split the remainder into three almost equal parts. Tint one orange, one yellow, and one red, making the orange and the yellow ones a little bigger because you need more of these two colors than the red.

To pipe the butter cream turkey onto the cookies, you will need a #104 or 101 tip for the feathers. You use the same tip to pipe three different colors for the feathers. So it will make your life a lot easier if you buy three of the same tips. The tips are fairly inexpensive, and this way you will not have to keep changing the tips each time you use a different color. You will also need a #5 tip for the white part of the eyes, a #1 or 2 tip for the black part of the eyes, a #5 tip for the orange for the beak, and a #5 tip for the feet. For the body, you will need a #12 tip.

If you want to save yourself some time, you could also use candy corn for the feathers which will look very cute. Just pipe some frosting above the body and stick the candy corn on and continue with the rest of the decorating.

Buying disposable piping bags will also make your life a lot easier. They make clean up a breeze and the box contains tons of them so you have plenty for every color. If you buy them at Michael's or A.C. Moore, don't forget to go on the website or look in your Sunday paper for coupons to save money on these.

Using the chocolate butter cream and the #12 tip, pipe a circle on the lower half of the cookie with the tip, starting on the outside of the circle and ending in the center.

Again, for the feathers, you will need a #104 tip. This tip is usually used to make flower petals. This is a flat tip that has an opening that is slightly larger on one end. Hold the tip straight up and down with the larger end facing the turkey body. Pipe away from the body and then curve back down towards the body ending up right next to where you started. Pipe yellow, red, and orange feathers this way. If you have three of the #104 tip, it will be much easier because you can have your three colors in bags with tips and just keep piping on the different colors, rather than having to stop and change the tip.

Next, using the #12 tip and the chocolate butter cream, make the head by squeezing a small circle on top of the feathers above the body.

Using the #5 tip and the white butter cream, pipe little dots for the eyes. Using the #1 or 2 tip and the black butter cream, pipe smaller dots onto the white dots for the eyes. Using the #5 tip with the orange butter cream, pipe on a little beak.

Using the #5 tip and the yellow butter cream, pipe on some feet.

Turkey Cookies The Garden of Yum

You can use either my Nutty Nutella Cookies or Italian Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies. These recipes make a nice, flat cookie that is easy to decorate. If you make the Nutty Nutella Cookies, you will have to make them bigger than the recipe calls for, about one tablespoonfuls, and omit the nuts and the Nutella.

Butter Cream Frosting
Printable recipe
1/2 cup of butter (one stick), softened
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening (Crisco)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 pound of confectioners sugar (about 3 3/4 cups)
1 tablespoon of milk or water

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the shortening. Add the vanilla. Mix well. Add the confectioners sugar slowly on low. As it begins to come together, add milk or water. Mix on medium for one to two minutes until creamy.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting
Printable recipe
1/2 cup of butter (one stick), softened
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of chocolate chips, melted
1 pound of confectioners sugar (about 3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons of milk or water

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and shortening. Add vanilla and mix well. Add melted chocolate chips. Mix well. Slowly add the confectioners sugar on low. Add the cocoa. Add the milk or water. Mix on medium for one to two minutes until creamy.

I am linking these up to Craftastic Monday, Tasty Tuesdays, These Chicks Cooked, A Little Birdie Told Me, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets For a Saturday, and A Themed Baker's Sunday! Click on the links to see some delicious recipes and crafts:)

Popover Apple Pancake

2011-11-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

When I was a teenager, I worked at a restaurant called Bickford's Pancake House. I wore a brown and white polyester dress and my job was to place the silverware and napkins and glasses of water on the tables. Surprisingly, I really liked this job. I think I liked it mostly because I got to eat pancakes on my break.

If you are from my area, I am sure you remember Bickford's. They were known for their delicious pancakes. They had many varieties of pancakes including a popover apple pancake, or baked apple pancake. It was called the Big Apple, and it was delicious. A baked apple pancake is basically an popover that is airy and light on the edges and a little custardy in the center topped with sliced apples and cinnamon. My mom gave me this recipe which she got from a coworker. She gave it rave reviews and loved it so much that she has even served it for dinner. I was thrilled when she gave it to me and could not wait to make it, and let me tell you, it is fantastic, simple to prepare with impressive results. It really brought back memories of that delicious Bickford's treat. It is so delicious that I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I made it. In fact, I just bought some more apples so that I can. The popover part is light and airy, and with the combination of the tart apples and the sweet cinnamon and brown sugar, it is really wonderful. I topped it with some powdered sugar and maple syrup.....OMG....it was sooo good:)

To make this apple pancake, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and grease a 9 x 13 inch pan or two 9 inch pie plates.

In a large bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Add 4 eggs and 1 cup of milk. Whisk together until combined. Add 1/2 cup of melted butter and whisk that in until combined. The batter will be thin. Pour the batter into prepared pan, or pans, and bake for 25-30 minutes until it puffs up and is golden brown.

My pancake came out puffier than normal and thicker in the middle because I used one 9-inch pie plate. As you can see, it puffed up so high that it collapsed a little. So use either a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish or two 9 inch pie plates.

Meanwhile, peel and slice four large apples. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saute/frying pan. Add the apples.

Sprinkle sugar mixture over the apples. Mix and cook the apples on medium to medium-low heat until the apples are soft. Depending on the apples you use, this will take anywhere from five to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

When the popover pancake is cooked. Top with apples and serve topped with powder sugar or maple syrup or like me use both. Enjoy!

Popover Apple Pancake From Nancy and Mom
Printable Recipe
For the popover:
1 cup of flour
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup of melted butter

For the apple topping:
4 large cooking apples, peeled and sliced thin
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish or two 9 inch pie plates.

In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt. Add eggs and milk and whisk until combined. Add butter and whisk until combined.

Bake until it looks like a popover and is golden brown 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Melt butter in a large saute/frying pan. Add apples. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture over the apples. Cook on medium to medium-low heat mixing apples and sugar mixture together until the apples are soft. Depending on the type of apples you use, it can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. This can be made the day before, just reheat.

When the popover pancake is cooked, top with apples. You can also top it with powdered sugar or syrup or both.

I am linking this up to Craftastic Monday, Tasty Tuesdays, These Chicks Cooked, A Little Birdie Told Me, Sweet Tooth Friday and Sweets For a Saturday! Click the links to see some delicious recipes and crafts:)

Halloween Cake

2011-10-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

For the last three months, I have been taking a cake decorating class. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and now that my kids are getting older and I have a little more time, somewhat, I finally signed up for one. It has been really fun. The classes were month long. The first was basic cake decorating, the second more advanced cake decorating, and finally the last class which ended last night was the fondant class. I was reluctant at first to take this class since I have never really been a big fan of fondant. Though it makes such pretty cakes, I just did not think all that work to just throw away the fondant coating, which most people don't like, would be worth my time. My teacher convinced me to take the fondant class, and I am really glad she did. Working with fondant was really fun, definitely time consuming, but very fun, and the results are so cute as you can see with this Halloween cake.

For our last class, we were asked to decorate a complete cake with fondant. My teacher gave me the idea to make a Halloween cake. It did take a few days to complete, because I made most of the decorations ahead of time, but really worth the effort and very simple to do. I enjoyed every minute of it. I was so happy with my result, and as I left the class, I was really nervous that the cake would not make it home. When I walked outside it was raining. I tried to cover the cake with a piece of Tupperware that I was carrying, but I had so much stuff in my hands that I dropped it on the cake and knocked off a pumpkin and the top tombstone. I wanted to cry. Here I was standing in the rain with my hands full, trying to hold the cake and to bend down and pick up the pieces that fell off. All the while, it was raining on the cake. Luckily, the only damage was the pieces that fell off which I put back on. But one thing I learned is that water will stain fondant, at least rain will. You will see little specks on the cake in my pictures. This is the marks from the rain. So lesson learned, cover cakes made with fondant in the rain.

Unfortunately, I was not planning on posting the cake so I did not take pictures of the process. But here is how I did it if you are interested in making something like this for Halloween:

First, I made an 8-inch, two-layer cake. I tinted one layer orange and the other purple with icing coloring. When they were baked and cooled, I leveled both cakes to make them flat, placed a layer of buttercream on the bottom layer and then placed the second cake layer crumb side down onto the bottom layer. I frosted the cake and then placed in the refrigerator so that the icing would be stiff.

I made the pumpkins and tombstones out of gum paste. Gum paste is similar to fondant but dries a little faster and is better to make flowers with it. I just used that instead because I had some extra. You can do all of these decorations with fondant, though.

I tinted some of the gum paste orange with icing coloring, rolled it into balls of different sizes, and then used a knife to score lines from top to bottom all around the ball. Next, I tinted some of the gumpaste green and just used my hands to form little stems and leaves and used gum glue to paste the stems on top. Gum glue is made by just taking a few tiny (about 1/8-inch) pieces of gum paste and mixing it with water (about 1/2 cup) until the gumpaste dissolves to form a watery glue. The gum paste does not have to completely dissolved but will eventually. You apply the gum paste using a small paint brush. Then I set them aside to dry and harden.

Next, I tinted some of the gum paste grey, rolled it out with a rolling pin, and then used a knife to cut out tombstone shapes. I made the one for the top thicker. I used a pencil to write RIP on each one. I also took a paintbrush and some brown icing color to paint a little brown on some of them to give them an aged look. Then I set them aside to dry and harden.

To make the ghost, I rolled some white fondant into a circle, about six inches wide, and then draped it over two marshmallows that I stuck together with gum glue. I shaped it to look like a ghost. I took some fondant tinted black and cut it into little circles for the eyes and glued them on with gumpaste. I then set this aside to harden.

To make the fences, I tinted some fondant brown, rolled it out, and then used a knife to cut out shapes that looked like parts of a fence with pointed tops and then one to look like the piece of wood that goes across the fence. You don't have to be fussy about these because you want them to look old and scaryish.

For the eyes, I used white fondant, rolled it, and then cut little circles. Then I took black tinted fondant and cut smaller circles for the inside of the eyes and glued them to the white with gum glue.

For the bats, ghosts, moons, and cats, I rolled out tinted fondant and used cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.

I rolled out about a 12-ounce piece of purple tinted fondant to about a 16-inch-size circle to cover the two 8-inch cakes I had made. Using a rolling pin, just like you would place pie crust in a pie pan, I laid the fondant over the cake and smoothed the top and sides with my hands until really smooth. This takes a little bit of time but eventually will come smooth. Then used a knife to cut the excess fondant off at the very bottom of the cake.

I used gum glue with a paint brush to apply all of the side decorations.

I used buttercream tinted green and the grass tip (Wilton tip #233) to make grass all around the bottom edge of the cake. I also used this to make grass to stick the thick tombstone I had made on top of the cake then piped grass all around it. I placed the ghost on top with a little gum glue under the marshmallows and placed the pumpkins on top also with a little bit of gum glue. I used the leaf tip (Wilton tip #352) and some green buttercream to make some leaves around the pumpkins.

That's it. I hope this gives you some Halloween inspiration. Happy Halloween!

I am linking this up to Tasty Tuesdays , These Chicks Cooked, A Little Birdie Told Me, Craftastic Monday, Sweet Tooth Friday, and Sweets For a Saturday! Click on the links to see some delicious treats and super crafts:)

Spicy Pumpkin Bars

2011-10-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

I don't remember ever eating anything made with pumpkin as a kid. Even on Thanksgiving, growing up in an Italian-American family, pumpkin never made an appearance at our dinner table. We had plenty of anise cookies, pizzelles, and ricotta pie but never pumpkin. As a matter of fact, I never even tasted pumpkin pie until about ten years ago when my mother started making it. To me pumpkin was a decoration, something you carved or painted a face on. That idea did change when I tasted the pumpkin pie. I loved the creamy texture and delicious spices in the pie.

These bars are filled with all of those yummy pumpkin pie spices that remind us of fall, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves. To me they taste like a cross between pumpkin pie and gingerbread. Though they are called bars, the texture is more like a cake. They are moist and delicious and best of all easy to throw together. If you are looking for something to make with pumpkin, give these a try. They say fall in every bite.

To make these bars, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together with an electric mixer 1 cup of butter (softened) and 1 1/4 cup of sugar until pale and creamy.

Next, add 1 egg and mix well. Then add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and mix well. Add 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree and mix on low speed. It will look curdly; that is okay.

Add dry ingredients and mix well. If you like, you can mix in 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips. I made it with chocolate chips and without and liked it both ways. Spread batter evenly in pan.

If you look closely, you might see a chocolate chip. I made this one half plain and half with chocolate chips. Both ways tasted very good.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Spicy Chocolate Pumpkin Bars The Golden Book of Chocolate
Printable recipe
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of butter, softened
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup of canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter and flour it. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until pale and creamy. Add the egg, beating until just combined. Add vanilla. Mix well. With the mixer at low speed, beat in the pumpkin. It will look curdly. That is okay. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips if using. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares.

I am linking these up to Sweets For a Saturday, Not Baaad Sundays, These Chicks Cooked, Tasty Tuesdays, A Little Birdie Told Me, and Sweet Tooth Friday! Click on the link so see some delicious recipes:)

Chicken Marsala

2011-10-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Chicken marsala is one of my family's favorite dishes. We just can't get enough of that sweet, garlicky wine sauce. Many of you probably have a recipe of your own for this and have made it many times, but I thought I would share with you how I make it. If you have never made or had chicken marsala, it is made with a sweet wine called marsala wine found in most liquor stores that is relatively inexpensive. I usually find a good size bottle for $5.00. It is made with mushrooms and usually garlic and served over pasta. Most of the time you will see it made with thinned chicken breasts dredged in flour. I cut my chicken breast into bite-size pieces. It is always a hit in my house and fairly easy to prepare. When I am really organized which unfortunately is not all the time, I will cut and clean my chicken breast on the weekend so that it is already prepared for my weekday meal. It makes a much easier dinner prep after a long day.

To make chicken marsala, in a medium-size bowl, place 1/2 cup of flour mixed with some salt and pepper and set it aside. Cut 1-2 pounds of chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Place the chicken in the bowl with the flour and toss to coat. Set aside.

Next, you will need a 12-ounce package of mushrooms. Clean and slice the mushrooms and set aside. Take 4-5 cloves of garlic and finely mince them (about 2 tablespoons) and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter. Add the chicken to the pan.

Cook on medium heat until the chicken is browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Place another 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan. Add the mushrooms and heat on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally and also stirring up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan from the chicken. Season with some salt and pepper.

Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 2 1/2 cups of marsala wine. Bring it to a boil. Then reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your pasta. Any type of pasta works for this dish. I especially love it with penne or even angel hair pasta or spaghetti...aw heck there are so many good ones to choose! When your pasta is cooked, drain it and toss it with some butter and set it aside.

After your sauce has simmered for 20 minutes, add the chicken back into the pan and simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir gently to coat the chicken in the yummy sauce. Add salt and pepper if needed to taste.

This is a picture of the chicken when I first put it in. I forgot to take a picture of the sauce completely cooked. I am telling you this because it looks way better when it is done:)

Place pasta in dishes and spoon chicken, mushrooms and sauce over pasta. Enjoy! I know you will.

Chicken Marsala The Garden of Yum
Printable recipes
1/2 cup of flour
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter, plus more for tossing with pasta
1 to 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 12-ounce package of mushrooms, sliced
4-5 cloves of garlic, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 1/2 cups of marsala wine
1/2 to 1 pound of pasta, any type of pasta (your preference), cooked in salted water, drained and tossed with butter

Place flour and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl, mix together and set aside. Add chicken pieces to the flour mixture and toss to coat. Separate any chicken pieces that get stuck together. Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan. Add chicken and cook on medium heat until browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of olive and 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook on medium heat stirring occasionally, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan, for 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine. Bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add chicken back to pan and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken, stirring gently to coat chicken with the sauce. Add salt and pepper if needed to taste. Serve over pasta.

I am linking these to These Chicks Cooked and Tasty Tuesdays! Click the link to check out the delicious recipes:)

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2011-09-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

Yay Fall! I am sad to see summer go but very happy to welcome fall. There is so much to love, crisp fall days, apples, hot apple cider, pumpkins, pumpkin pie, beautifully colored leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving. I love it all!

If you read some of my summer posts, you might remember that I was lucky to receive two packages of Godiva Coffee which I made a shake and a frappe with. Once again, as part of the Tastemaker Program from Foodbuzz, I received two more bags of Godiva coffee, two of their fall flavors, Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Pecan Bark. I have not tried the Caramel Pecan Bark yet, but I have tried the Pumpkin Spice, and this is my favorite so far. What a delicious coffee. It is like fall in a cup, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. It would be the perfect coffee for any fall get together and the perfect ending to any fall meal or beginning for any fall breakfast or brunch.

I decided to make a latte. You can make a latte easily at home that will rival any of the pricey, store-bought versions with this delicious coffee or using regular coffee with some spices added.

To make this latte, first make the coffee. This recipe makes two large mugs of latte or four smaller ones. You only need to make a small pot of coffee, about 2-3 cups. If you do not have Pumpkin Spice coffee, you can make your own pumpkin spice coffee by mixing together 2 tablespoons of regular coffee with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon of allspice, and a pinch of ground ginger. Mix this together. Place it in your coffee filter, add 4 cups of water to your coffee maker, and make your coffee as usual. You will have a little coffee left over.

Next, heat 2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of cream in a sauce pan; bring it to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to build up a froth.

When the milk is simmering, add 2 teaspoons of confectioners sugar. Whisk in the confectioners sugar to make the mixture more frothy.

Fill each mug with about 3/4 cup of coffee, or about 1/4 the way, depending on the size of the mug you are using. Add to sugar to coffee if desired. Pour the milk/cream into mug over coffee and spoon froth on top. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte adapted from The Golden Book of Chocolate
Makes two large mugs or four smaller ones
Printable recipe

2-3 cups of coffee (Godiva Pumpkin Spice coffee, regular coffee, or homemade pumpkin spice coffee; see below)
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of cream, any type, light, half and half, or heavy
2 teaspoons of confectioners sugar
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top
Sugar to flavor coffee, optional

Make coffee.

Bring milk and cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly to build the froth. When the milk is simmering, add the confectioners sugar. Whisk it in to get the milk even more frothy. Pour 3/4 cup of coffee into each mug, or 1/4 of the way, depending on the size of the mug. Add sugar to coffee if desired. Pour steamed milk over coffee, scooping froth on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Homemade pumpkin spice coffee:
2 tablespoons of ground coffee (a little more for a stronger coffee)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of allspice
A pinch of ground ginger
4 cups of water

Mix together coffee and spices. Place mixed together coffee and spices in coffee filter in your coffee maker. Add water to coffee maker and make coffee as per coffee maker instructions.

I am linking this up to These Chicks Cooked, It's a Keeper Thursday, A Little Birdie Told Me, Sweet Tooth Friday, and Sweets For a Saturday! Click on the links to see some incredible recipes:)

Homemade Twix Bars

2011-09-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

I saw these candies on Sweets For A Saturday. They had been linked up by Things that make you say: mmmmm! who found them from King Arthur Flour. This reminds me of that shampoo commercial in the 70's that said, "she told two friends and she told two friends and so on and so on." I am dating myself but does anyone remember the commercial? I had to have that shampoo. I was hoping it would make my hair look like Farah Fawcett's...lol I did like the shampoo, if I remember correctly.

Anyway, since my kids and hubby and I are huge Twix fans and they looked so stinkin good, I knew I had to try them. I did and am very happy to say they were really good.

They are pretty easy and super duper yummy. The only baking involved was a shortbread cookie layer that bakes up simply. Then you melt some caramels and cream, layer it on top of the cooled cookie, cool the caramel, and then top the whole thing with some milk chocolate...oh yeah, can't go wrong with those three layers:) You can also dip these in the chocolate to make them look more like Twix bars. Both ways were very good. I actually started dipping these, but I had just dipped two batches of oreo truffles and it was about ten o'clock. I got tired and decided to just spread the chocolate on top which is how it is done in the original recipe. Both ways were delicious, but spreading the chocolate on top and not dipping was much easier and less time consuming. Though, the presentation was a little nicer with the dipped candies. I cut the bars into little squares and placed them in mini muffin cups,since I was bringing them to my grandfather's 90th birthday. Give these a try. They were a big hit.

To make these delicious candies, first you make the cookie layer. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set it aside. In a medium bowl, beat together 1 cup of softened butter (two sticks), 1 cup of confectioners sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Add two cups of flour. At first it may seem dry but will come together as you continue to beat it at medium speed.

Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan.

Prick the crust all over. This will allow steam to escape and prevent the cookie layer from puffing up and baking unevenly.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is light golden brown and the edges are slightly deeper golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Next, you make the caramel layer. First, you will need 2 cups of caramels that have been cut into small chunks. I cut each caramel into fours. Place those in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. I used light cream because that is what I had and it was fine.

Melt the caramel and cream over low heat until the caramel is completely melted.

Pour the caramel over the cooled cookie in the pan and let set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.

For the chocolate layer, melt 3 cups of milk chocolate or dark chocolate that has been chopped up in the microwave or over a double boiler. If it seems very thick, you can add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it. I did not use the shortening. You can also use candy melts for the chocolate layer. At this point, you can either just pour the chocolate over the cooled caramel and place it back in the refrigerator to set and then cut it into 2 x 2 inch squares.

Or you can cut the cookie and caramel layers into squares and drop them into the melted chocolate in a bowl.

Spoon chocolate over the candy.

Then use a fork to lift the candy out of the chocolate, tapping the back of the fork on the top edge of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.

Place the candies on wax paper to allow to set.

You can also place some melted chocolate in a small zip-top bag, snip off a tiny tip, and use it to drizzle chocolate on top of the chocolate-coated candy. This gives it a nice finished look.

Homemade Twix Bars King Arthur Flour
Printable recipe
Shortbread layer:
1 cup (2 sticks) of salted butter,at room temperature
1 cup of confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups of flour

Caramel layer:
2 cups caramel, cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons of heavy cream

Chocolate layer:
3 cups chopped milk chocolate or dark chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening (optional)

Note: You can also use chocolate candy melts for the chocolate layer.

Directions:
1) For the crust, preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan lightly with cooking spray and set aside.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour. At first, it may seem dry, but it will come together as you continue to beat at medium speed.

3) Take the dough (it will be somewhat stiff) and press it evenly into the pan. Lightly flouring your fingertips will help with any sticking.

4) Prick the crust all over with a fork. The holes will allow steam to escape and the crust will bake evenly with fewer bubbles.

5) Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown on top and the edges are slightly deeper golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Mine took 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen the crust. Set it aside to cool completely.

6) For the caramel layer: Melt the caramel and cream over low heat in a small saucepan. Pour the caramel over the cooled cookie and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.

7) For the chocolate layer: Melt milk or dark chocolate (or candy melts) in the microwave or a double boiler or over very low heat. If it seems very thick, add a tablespoon of shortening. (I did not.) Pour evenly over the chilled caramel layer and spread to cover all of the caramel. Return to the fridge until the chocolate is well set. Cut into 2 x 2 inch squares. It is best to store these bars in the refrigerator.

8) These bars can also be cut and dipped in milk chocolate to resemble Twix bars. After the caramel layer has chilled firm, cut down the length of the pan, splitting the bars into two long, narrow bars. Then cut each long strip into "fingers." Dip the chilled bars into melted chocolate and place on parchment or wax paper to set for several hours.

I am linking these up to Sweets For A Saturday, Not Baaad Sundays,and These Chicks Cooked! Click the links to see some delicious recipes and crafts.

Steakhouse Style Sirloin Tips

2011-09-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

A short and sweet post today. I have been busy getting my kids back to school for the last week. My son is a senior in high school and my daughter a freshman. I cannot believe my kids are both in high school. It seems like just yesterday I was dropping them off for kindergarten. I remember how I felt leaving them at the school under the care of someone else. I was worried, nervous, and thought of them all day. Now I can't wait to get them out the door..lol I really am kidding, though. I still feel anxious every time they start a new year. I guess no matter what age your kids are, you never stop worrying.

If you like steak tips, this is a super delicious marinated tips recipe that is a little sweet, a little tangy, just really, really great. I have tried many, many different recipes for marinating beef and some have been good, others not so much. This one is a winner. My husband actually found this on a message board, and I knew by the ingredients it would be good, and we all agree this is the best one yet, rivaling the beef tips at our favorite steakhouse. I suggest you mix up this marinade and marinate your beef tips overnight if possible for the best flavor or, at least, a few hours. This marinade is also great on chicken!

To make these delicious tips, in a large bowl, place 3/4 cup of ketchup, 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of A1 steak sauce, and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar. Mix well.

Place steak tips in the bowl and stir to coat the tips well. Marinate overnight if possible or, at least, for a few hours. I also like to give the tips a stir at some point to make sure they are evenly coated with the sauce. Grill to your desired doneness and enjoy!

Steakhouse Style Sirloin Tips
Printable recipe
2-3 pounds of sirloin beef tips
3/4 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of A1 sauce
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

Place the ketchup, water, brown sugar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, A1 sauce, and red wine vinegar in a large bowl. Mix together well. Place steak tips in the bowl and stir to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor or, at least, for a few hours, turning once at some point to be sure the tips are evenly coated. Grill to your desired doneness. Enjoy!

I am linking these up to Not Baaad Sundays and A Little Birdie Told Me! Click on the link to see some delicious recipes and crafts:)

Vanilla Bean Powdered Sugar Donuts (Baked)

2011-08-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, my grandparents owned a cottage in New Hampshire. Sometimes on a Friday, my grandmother would take my sister and me up to the cottage for the weekend. I have great memories of spending time there with my grandmother. After all, being the grandmother, she would spoil us and let us do what ever we wanted. There was a grocery store on the way to the cottage, and we would go into the store, and my grandmother would let us pick out what ever we wanted to eat for the weekend including something for breakfast. I would go right for the powdered donuts. I loved them then and I still love them now. In fact, I had to stop buying them because I would eat the whole box in no time flat...lol So what is the first thing I do when I finally buy a donut pan? Well, make powdered donuts, of course!

This recipe is actually a little on the healthy side. So I don't feel as bad. They are made with white whole wheat flour (you can use regular flour if you like) and only one tablespoon of butter. Okay, so they are loaded with powdered sugar, but with a some fiber and only a bit of butter, I won't feel so guilty when I polish them all off tomorrow..lol My daughter, of course, did notice that I used the whole wheat flour, saying, "did you use that healthy flour again?" So if your not a fan of whole wheat flour, definitely use the white flour. Another great thing about these donuts is that you don't need a donut pan to make them. You can use a mini muffin pan which will make them look almost like donut holes. Also, these are super easy and quick to make.

To make these donuts, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a donut pan or a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of white whole wheat flour or regular white flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of salt.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of melted butter, the seeds from two vanilla beans or 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 1 cup of milk, and 2 eggs. Beat together well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until combined.

Spoon the batter into the donut pan or muffin pan almost to the top.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched. The donuts will not brown. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan.

Just before serving, place a few donuts at a time into a plastic bag with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Shake well until the donuts are completely coated. Repeat with the remaining donuts. If you have any leftover donuts, you will have to repowder them because the powdered sugar will eventually melt.

Powdered Sugar Donuts The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe

2 Cups of white whole wheat flour (or regular flour)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of butter, melted
1 cup of milk
The seeds from 2 vanilla beans (or 2 teaspoons of vanilla)
2 eggs
Powdered sugar for dusting
Plastic bag

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease donut pan or mini muffin pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, beat together the butter, milk, vanilla bean (or vanilla), and the eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Spoon into donut pan or muffin pan almost to the top. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched. Note: These donuts will not brown. Alow to cool in pan. Just before serving, place a few donuts at a time into a plastic bag with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Shake until the donuts are completely coated. Repeat with remaining donuts. If you have any leftover donuts, you will have to recoat them with the powdered sugar, as the powdered sugar will eventually melt.

I am linking these up to Sweets For a Saturday, Not Baaad Sundays, and Sundae Shake Up! Click the links to see some great recipes and crafts:)

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (low sugar recipe)

2011-08-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made homemade jam? If you haven't, you might be surprised to find that it is pretty easy to do, and very rewarding because it tastes delicious, much better than store-bough jams. There is nothing like homemade jam made from fresh, seasonal fruits. I love it on whole wheat toast or English muffins.

A few years ago, I made strawberry jam and then raspberry jam and was surprised by how simple it was, and I really enjoyed having the tasty jam each morning and also enough to give away to friends and family.

Since I started blogging, I have been inspired by Tracy from Sugarcrafter who does a lot of canning. Canning, if you are not familiar, is when you preserve foods, such as jam, in glass jars. It is done by using either a water bath method or a pressure cooker method. Tracy has some really great canning recipes and also wonderful instructions on how to do it. If you are interested in canning, I highly recommend you check out her blog. You will find her canning instructions here. Once the summer came, I knew I had to make jam again, and with Tracy's help, I used the water bath method to preserve my jam. Her instruction was excellent and it was really a breeze. You can, however, make jam without preserving it. You just make the jam, place it in glass jars and put the jars in the refrigerator or freezer.

I decided to use a low-sugar recipe since I found low-sugar pectin. Most grocery stores carry this low-sugar pectin. Using low-sugar pectin allows you to use a lot less sugar in your jam with the result being more healthy and naturally sweet. This strawberry rhubarb jam is wonderful, filled with the flavors of the sweet berries and a touch of tartness from the rhubarb.

To make this jam, first you will need a very large pot that has a lid. Wash your glass jars and place them in the pot. Fill the pot with water and bring the water to a gentle boil. Then lower the heat and allow the water to simmer while you make your jam.

Also, place the lids and rings into the pot with the glass jars. Make sure you pot is big enough so that there are one to two inches of water over the jars.

In another large pot, place 1 1/2 cups of diced rhubarb (about two stalks) and 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a boil an then simmer for one to two minutes, stirring occasionally. This will soften up the rhubarb. Remove from heat and allow the pan to cool.

Meanwhile, cut the stems off the ends and wash and cut up your strawberries. You will need 8 cups of roughly chopped strawberries. To get 8 cups of strawberries, I used three 16-ounce containers of strawberries. Drain most of the water from the pan the rhubarb is in. Add your chopped strawberries to the pan.

Mash them with a potato masher. They do not need to be completely mashed, a little bit of fruit chunks in jam is a good thing.

Add 1 cup of orange juice and 4 tablespoons of pectin to the pan. Mix well.

Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of honey. Mix well. Bring to another boil, and boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Skim foam off top if you like. I didn't.

Remove the large pot of water with the cans in it from the heat. Carefully remove your jars and lids and rings from the hot water.

If you are interested in canning, I recommend you purchase these two items. The top one is a jar lifter which will help you lift the jars safely from the hot water. The skinny one on the bottom is a lid lifter which will help you lift the lids and rings from the water. I also found these at the grocery store and they were fairly inexpensive. They make canning much easier and safer.

Ladle jam into jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Place lids on and then screw on rings.

Carefully place jars back into the pot of water, making sure there is, at least, one to two inches of water on top of jars.

Place lid on pot.

Bring water to a gentle, steady boil. Process jars for ten minutes. Remove from heat and let the jars stand for five minutes in pot. Remove jars and let cool. You should hear popping sounds. This is the lids sucking down onto the jars. When cool, check the lids to make sure they have sealed; do this by pressing on the top center of the lids. The lids should not flex up and down when center is pressed. If any jars do not seal, place in the refrigerator or freezer. Leave the sealed jars to set for 24 hours on your counter.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam The Garden of Yum
Makes eight 8-ounce jars
Printable recipe

1 1/2 cups of rhubarb, diced (about two stalks)
1 cup of water, for simmering rhubarb
8 cups of roughly chopped strawberries (about three 16-ounce containers)
1 cup of orange juice
4 tablespoons of low-sugar pectin
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of honey

Place rhubarb and 1 cup of water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer for one to two minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Drain most of the water out of the pan. Add chopped strawberries. Mash strawberries in pan with a potato masher. Add orange juice and pectin. Mix well. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar and honey. Mix well. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle jam into glass jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process using water bath method above or let cool for 30 minutes and then place in the refrigerator or freezer.

I am linking this up to Sundae Shake Up and Sweets For a Saturday! Click on the links to see some delicious recipes and great crafts!

Godiva French Vanilla Coffee, White Chocolate, and Vanilla Bean Shake

2011-08-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

You might think I have gone frozen coffee drink crazy, since lately I have been making a lot of them, but if you read my last post, you may remember that I was very lucky to receive Godiva Coffee as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program and asked to come up with a frozen drink with the coffee. Since I am a huge fan of frozen coffee drinks, I knew this would be no problem.

I received the Chocolate Truffle and French Vanilla flavors. For the Chocolate Truffle flavor, I made a chocolate coffee frappe which is like a chocolaty, frozen ice coffee.....very good. I could have stopped there, since I really only needed to come up with one drink, but when I tasted the French Vanilla, I knew I had to make a drink with that too. But what to put with it was my dilemma. I had some vanilla beans from my friend and one of my favorite food bloggers, Reeni, at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice, and I thought vanilla bean would be a great compliment to the vanilla flavor already in the coffee. I also wanted something else to give it an extra special taste. I had made a chocolate sauce for my last drink. So I decided it might be a good idea to make a white chocolate sauce to go with this shake. The result is vanilla white chocolate heaven. If you like vanilla, white chocolate, and ice cream, with a pop of vanilla flavored coffee, run, don't walk to your local grocery store and pick up the ingredients to make this, you won't be disappointed.

To make this shake, first you make the white chocolate and vanilla bean sauce. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter melt a little.

Then add 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix it together over medium-low heat until the butter melts.

Next, add 1/2 cup of milk, and 1 cup of chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips. Mix together on medium-low stirring frequently until the chocolate melts.

Add the seeds from one vanilla bean.

Simmer for an additional five minutes on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

To make the shake, place 1 cup of vanilla flavored coffee, 1/2 cup of the cooled white chocolate and vanilla bean sauce, and half of a 1.5 quart container of ice cream. Blend well.

Serve in glasses topped with whipped cream drizzled with a little more of the white chocolate and vanilla bean sauce. Yum!

French Vanilla Coffee, White Chocolate, and Vanilla Bean Shake The Garden of Yum
printable recipe

White chocolate and vanilla bean sauce:
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
The seeds of one vanilla bean
1 cup of white chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips

Shake:
1 cup of French Vanilla coffee
1/2 cup of white chocolate and vanilla bean sauce, above
1/2 of a 1.5 quart container of vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream, optional

Note: This sauce is also great on ice cream, hot or cold. You can refrigerate left over sauce. Then just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up when you need it.

To make the sauce: Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt a little. Add sugar. Mix well over medium-low heat until the butter is completely melted. Add vanilla bean, milk, and white chocolate. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the white chocolate is melted. Simmer for an additional five minutes on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

To make the shake, place ice cream, white chocolate and vanilla bean sauce, and coffee in a blender and blend until smooth. Place in glasses. Top with whipped cream and drizzle some of the sauce on top.

I am linking this up to Sweets For a Saturday , Not Baaad Sundays, The Sunday Showcase Party, and Sundae Shake Up! Click the links to see some delicious treats and awesome crafts!

Godiva Chocolate Truffle Coffee Frappe

2011-08-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I both love the frozen coffee drinks that you find at coffee shops. As a matter of fact, we have gotten into a little bit of a bad habit. Every time we go out lately, especially since the summer is here, we get a craving for one. My favorite are the mocha flavored ones. I love the combination of chocolate and coffee. So when I was one of the lucky food bloggers to receive coffee from Godiva Coffee as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program and asked to come up with a frozen drink with them, I was thrilled, and it was pretty easy to decide what I would make.

Did you know Godiva makes coffee? I didn't. Not only do they make coffee, they have some incredible flavors. I received Chocolate Truffle and French Vanilla. Both are delicious. I decided to use the Chocolate Truffle first. I had never seen chocolate flavored coffee before. This one really intrigued me, since my favorite frozen drinks are the chocolate flavored coffee drinks, and I mean Godiva chocolate coffee....wow! "Sounds pretty good, huh? Well it is really good. If you like flavored coffees, you will love the delightful chocolate flavor this coffee has. The drink I came up with is a cross between an iced coffee and a shake. I added some homemade chocolate sauce but not too much because I wanted to compliment not over power the coffee flavor. The combination of the rich chocolate coffee and the chocolate sauce give this drink a really great chocolaty coffee flavor.

To make this drink, first you make the chocolate sauce. You can use a jarred sauce if you like, but the sauce is very easy to prepare. Place two tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat.

Let the butter start to melt, and then add 1/4 cup of sugar.

Mix together until the butter is completely melted over medium-low heat. Mix in 1/4 cup of milk and 3 ounces of milk chocolate, broken into pieces, any kind will do. I used two 1.55-ounce chocolate bars. Chocolate chips will work too. Heat over medium-low, stirring until the chocolate melts. Then simmer on medium low for another four minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside and allow to cool.

Then place 2 cups of milk, 2 cups of ice, 1 cup of coffee (I used the Godiva Chocolate Truffle but you can you use any coffee you like), and 1/2 cup of the cooled chocolate sauce. Blend well.

Serve in glasses topped with whipped cream with a little chocolate sauce drizzled on top.

Chocolate Coffee Frappe The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe

Chocolate sauce:
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
3 ounces of milk chocolate, broken into pieces (I used two 1.55 ounce chocolate bars. You can also use chocolate chips.)

Frappe:
2 cups of milk
2 cups of ice
1 cup of chocolate flavored coffee (can also use regular coffee)
1/2 cup of chocolate sauce, cooled, above (or jarred or bottled sauce)
Whipped cream, optional

To make chocolate sauce:
Place butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat and allow to melt a little. Add sugar. Mix until butter is melted and combined. Add milk and chocolate. Cook on medium-low, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted. Cook on medium-low simmering gently for four minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

To make frappe:
Place milk, ice, coffee, and cooled chocolate sauce in a blender and blend well. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

I am linking this up to Not Baaad Sundays and Sweets For a Saturday! Click on the links to see some incredible recipes and crafts:)

Grilled Sirloin Steak Sandwich With Caramelized Onions And Horseradish Mayo

2011-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a perfectly cooked steak on the grill. My son and husband could eat that for dinner every night of the week. Sometimes, though, I like to change things up a bit. So when I saw a TV show the other day talking about a local restaurant and its best selling sandwich which was a grilled steak sandwich with onions and horseradish mayo, I knew I had to try it at home for myself. This sandwich consists of a grilled steak sliced paper thin and topped with cheese, caramelized onions, and horseradish mayo. The smoky flavor of the steak pairs perfectly, of course, with the cheese and the sweet onions, but the horseradish mayo is what really takes it over the top adding a great flavor punch to the sandwich. My family all agreed this was a keeper.

To make this yummy steak sandwich, first start by slicing three large onions (I used Vidalia) into very thin slices. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add the onions.

Saute on low for about 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are golden brown and soft, making sure to keep the temperature low so you do not burn the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, place 1/4 cup of horseradish sauce and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.

You can find horseradish sauce in the condiment aisle of your grocer store.

Preheat your grill. Pat dry two to four sirloin steaks, depending on the size of your family. It is about one steak per sandwich. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill about five to six minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steak and how you like it done.

When cooked, allow the steaks to cool a bit and then slice the steaks really, really thin.

Slice it as thin as you can get it.

Preheat the broiler of your oven. Spread prepared horseradish mayo on French bread or sub rolls. Place steak slices on the bread or rolls.

Top with American cheese.

Place under the broiler for one to two minutes to allow the cheese to melt, careful not to burn. Top with caramelized onions and serve.

Grilled Sirloin Steak Sandwiches With Caramelized Onions and Horseradish Mayo The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe

2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup of horseradish sauce
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
2 to 4 sirloin steaks, depending on how many sandwiches you want to make. It is about one steak per sandwich.
American cheese to top sandwiches with
French bread or sub rolls

Heat butter and oil in a large saute pan on medium. Add onions. Cook on low heat for about 20-25 minutes stirring often until the onions are golden brown and soft. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small, mix together mayo and horseradish sauce. Set aside.

Preheat your grill. Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and generously salt and pepper both sides. Grill about five to six minutes per side, depending on how thick your steak is and how you like it done. When cooked and cooled a bit, very thinly slice steak. The thinner you can slice it the better. Preheat your oven broiler. Spread prepared horseradish mayo on French bread or sub rolls. Top with sliced steak. Top with American cheese. Place under broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese. Top with caramelized onions. Enjoy!

Butterbeer Shake: A Tribute to Harry Potter

2011-07-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

I started reading the first Harry Potter book when my son was in kindergarten. I had been reading him bedtime stories about dinosaurs, trucks, trains, and bugs. I kept hearing about Harry Potter and decided that would be a nice book for me to read to him. It was not long before he and I fell in love with Harry Potter and his friends and got lost in his magical world. Night after night, we would sit on his bed and read page after page. Then came the second book and we could not wait to see what would happen to Harry next. Then came the movies and we watched as our beloved friends came to life.

Soon my son became old enough to read on his own, and we began reading books three, four, five, six, and seven separately and would have endless conversations about what was happening in the book we were reading. My nephew, Mark, is also a Harry Potter fan, and we would discuss the movies and books with him as well. Each time we would see a movie, I would tell my husband that I felt you really could not get the full effect of the Harry Potter world from the movie and that you had to read the book too. Finally, my husband was on board. He began reading the books and agreed he had been missing out before.

Each time a movie comes out, we cannot wait to see it and usually my nephew, Mark, comes along too. If you have read the Harry Potter series, you know what a brilliant author J. K. Rowling is to have come up with such an amazing, magical world filled with an incredible array of characters. If you have not read the books, I encourage you to. They have brought me many years of happiness, getting lost in this mystical fantasy world, rooting for the characters, sharing their pain and rejoicing in their triumphs. I was really sad to see the series end. The last book was incredible. But I still had the movies to look forward to. Today the last movie came out, and I am really sorry to see Harry Potter coming to an end. I have not seen the movie yet. My nephew, Mark, saw it at midnight last night and said it was great. People showed up in full character dressed as the main characters. We are all bummed that it has ended. So I raise my butterbeer shake glass and say, "Cheers to you Harry Potter and friends and J. K. Rowling!" "Thank you for many years of joy!"

In the movie, Harry and his friends enjoy a drink called butterbeer which is a treat for them. In honor of Harry Potter, I decided to make a butterbeer shake which consists of vanilla ice cream, homemade butterscotch sauce (you can use jarred butterscotch instead if you like), and cream soda. I topped it with whipped cream and drizzled on some more butterscotch sauce. My family agreed it is yummy!

To make this shake, first you make the butterscotch sauce. As I said, it is perfectly fine to use jarred butterscotch sauce, but I have to say this is super easy to make. Place four tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small pan over medium heat. (It is important to use unsalted butter or your sauce will come out too salty.)

Let the butter melt a bit. Add 3/4 cup of light brown sugar.

Mix together over medium-low heat until the brown sugar and butter are well incorporated. Add 1/2 cup of half and half or any cream will do and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Let simmer on medium-low for five minutes, stirring often. It will become bubbly. Just keep stirring and make sure it is on medium-low until five minutes is up. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Next, you will need half of a 1.5 quart container of vanilla ice cream.

Place the ice cream in a blender with 1/2 cup of the cooled butterscotch sauce, and 1/2 cup of cream soda. You can add more or less butterscotch and cream soda to your liking. Blend well.

Place in cups. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of butterscotch sauce and enjoy! It is pretty yummy:)

Butterbeer Shake The Garden of Yum
printable recipe
Butterscotch sauce:
1/4 cup of unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of half and half
A pinch of salt

Shake:
One half of a 1.5 quart container of vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup of butterscotch sauce (recipe above or store bought)
1/2 cup of cream soda (cold)

To make butterscotch sauce: Place butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter begin to melt. Add brown sugar and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add half and half and a pinch of salt. Let simmer for five minutes on medium-low, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

To make shake: Place vanilla ice cream in a blender along with butterscotch sauce and cream soda. Blend until smooth and mixed well. Pour into glasses. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with butterscotch sauce.

I am linking this up to Sweets For a Saturday, the ice cream social at Kitchen Bouquet, A Musing Potpourri's ice cream social, and Lamb Around's Blog Hop! Click the link to see some great treats!

Spicy Jalapeno Green Chile Burgers With Pepper Jack Cheese

2011-07-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

My family and I love to eat Mexican food. In fact, it's probably the only type of food that all of us like. We love to go to the Border Cafe which is a local Mexican restaurant. We all have our favorite dishes and usually order the same thing every time we go. It is really funny because my family is so picky you would not think they would like spicy Mexican food, but they can't seem to get enough of it.

Since the summer is here and I have had burgers on my mind, I started thinking it would be nice to try a burger with some Mexican flavors in it. Since I started blogging, I often become obsessed with coming up with new and exciting recipes for my family to eat and for me to post. So night after night, I would lie in bed and think of the different flavors I could use to create a delicious Mexican style burger. One night while watching television, I saw that McDonald's was offering a jalapeno and some sort of cheese burger. The thought of eating this at MacDonalds made me feel sick...lol But it made more ideas pop into my head. Hmmm...that is good idea to add jalapenos to a burger. Then I thought...how about green chiles? I have seen Bobby Flay on Food network make a burger with green chiles. I love jalapenos and green chiles! My mind went crazy with ideas of what to put in this burger. I felt like I needed to run down into the kitchen and start making burgers, but since it was almost midnight, I decided to wait until the next day..lol

I am very happy to say that I came up with a burger that I think is super delicious, and I am also really happy to say that my family agrees. Everyone loved it. I used ground chuck because I had read that is what Bobby Flay likes to use in his burgers and it was on sale this week at Stop and Shop. And he sure is right, it makes a very tasty burger. I also added some jalapenos and green chiles. The jalapenos give the burger a nice kick, and the green chiles not only add flavor they also add some moisture to the burger. I also spiced the burgers up with some spices like cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. If you have never used smoked paprika before, it is really yummy. It adds a great smoky flavor to food. I also topped them with some pepper jack cheese.

So if you would like to kick your burgers up a notch, give these a try. They are a little spicy but not overly so. If you are sensitive to spicy food, you can leave out the Cayenne pepper.

To make these burgers, place 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef (I used ground chuck) with 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, and some black pepper. Add one small jalapeno that has been finely diced and one 4.5 ounce jar of chopped green chiles. Start mixing with a fork and then finish mixing with your hands until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. If time permits, place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes just to let the flavors mingle.

Chopped green chiles are great. You can find them in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store.

Next, form the mixture into large size patties. I used 1 1/2 pounds of meat and got five really good size burgers. Grill to your desired doneness. When almost done, top with some pepper jack cheese to allow it to melt a bit. Serve on bulky roll buns. Enjoy.

Spicy Jalapeno Green Chile Burgers With Pepper Jack Cheese The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef
1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
Black pepper to taste
1 small jalapeno, finely diced
1 4.5 ounce can of chopped green chiles
Pepper jack cheese to top burgers with
Burger buns

Place ground beef in a large bowl. Add smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, cayene pepper, salt, black pepper, jalapeno, and green chiles. Start mixing with a fork and then mix with your hands until the mixture is thoroughly combined. If you have time, place the beef mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Shape the mixture into over-sized burgers. Grill to your liking. When almost done, top with pepper jack cheese to allow the cheese to melt. Serve on bulky roll buns.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2011-07-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

There is a funny story behind this cookie. I have had this recipe for years. In fact, I have had it so long that I cannot remember where I got it from. It is handwritten on a piece of paper that says Neiman-Marcus cookies. So for years, I just assumed that it was the Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe. This is a great chocolate chip cookie recipe. It makes a buttery, chewy, just delicious cookie. They are made with grinded oats which adds great flavor and texture. Every time I make them, I get requests for the recipe. When people would ask me for it, rather than rewriting it for them, I would go on the Neiman-Marcus website and print out the cookie recipe for them, never looking at the actual recipe because I just always assumed it was the same recipe. The last time I printed out the recipe I printed out a few extra in case anyone else asked for it.

So the other day, I decided to make a batch of these. I took out one of the recipes I had printed from the website and began to start to make the cookies. I noticed that this recipe did not have any oatmeal in it, and I knew that the recipe I always made had oatmeal that you placed in a food processor and ground it up to make it almost like four. That is when I realized it was a completely different recipe. I could not believe it! For years, I have been handing out the wrong recipe!

I felt awful. I am sure the other recipe is great but it was definitely not the same one people were asking me for. Then I was curious. Where did I get this recipe and why does it say it is the Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe when it is not? Things like that will drive me crazy. I did some checking on the Internet, and I actually found the same recipe a few times labeled Mrs. Fields cookie recipe. So what ever cookie recipe this and from where ever it came, if you want to make a really delicious chocolate chip cookie that makes a ton of cookies, unless you halve it, this is one you should defnitely make. And I promise if anyone ever asks me for a recipe, I will take the time to read it and make sure it is the right one..lol

Like I mentioned, this makes a large amount of cookies, about ten dozen, which is great for bake sales or sharing with friends. The cookies also freeze really well. But if you would like less cookies, you can halve the recipe and will still get about five dozen cookies.

To make this cookie, first you will need to place 5 cups of oatmeal in a food processor and mix until the oatmeal becomes the consistency of flour. Place this in a large bowl and set aside. Next, you need one large size Hershey bar (8-ounce) or smaller Hershey bars equalling 8 ounces. Use a grater or a food processor to finely grate the chocolate. Set aside. Sorry not lots of pictures this time. Sometimes I forget to take the pictures when I am baking.

In a large bowl, cream together four sticks of softened butter (I know 4 sticks of butter yikes! But it does make a lot of cookies) with 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of brown sugar.

I halved the recipe this time, so that is why you only see two sticks of butter.

Next, add 4 eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla and mix well.

Add 4 cups of flour to the 5 cups of oatmeal that you have prepared and placed in a large bowl. Also add 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Mix together well. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well.

Add two 12-ounce bags of chocolate chips, the Hershey bar you grated, and 3 cups of nuts. The nuts are optional. Mix together. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.

Extra Good Chocolate Chip Cookies
Printable recipe
2 Cups of butter, softened
2 Cups of sugar
2 Cups of brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla
4 cups of flour
5 cups of oatmeal, blended in a food processor until the consistency of flour.
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
24 ounces of chocolate chips
1 (8 ounce) Hershey bar, grated or chopped finely in food processor.
3 cups of chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. In another large bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix in chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.

I am linking these up to Reeni's Sugar and Spice who is holding a chocolate chip cookie bake-off and Lisa's Sweets For a Saturday who just finished baking up all sorts of chocolate chip cookies to see which recipe she liked best. Click to see which is her favorite and to see all of the other delicious recipes linked up:)

I am also linking these up to Lamb Around's Blog Hop!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza

2011-06-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

Pretty much everyone loves pizza, but sometimes we do get tired of the same old toppings and like to branch out a little. I mean doesn't pretty much everything taste good on top of a crispy pizza crust, well maybe not everything but almost everything. I thought I would try something different on my pizza. The idea for this came from a local pizza shop that makes a similar one. The pizza is topped with a creamy Alfredo sauce and then chicken, garlic, broccoli, and some parmigiano reggiano and fresh mozzarella. The result is a crispy, cheesy, garlicky pizza with even a little healthy from the broccoli tossed in. If you are in the mood for something different, give this pizza a try. Your taste buds will thank you.

This can be a quick weeknight dinner if you prepare ahead of time and make the dough beforehand or buy store-bought. You can also use store-bought Alfredo sauce, though the sauce is pretty easy to whip up. Another way you can cut down on the time it will take this pizza would be to make extra chicken from a meal earlier in the week and set 1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken aside. I also us frozen broccoli florets because they are already cut into bite-size pieces and ready to just throw in the pan.

To make this pizza, first you will need pizza dough. Take the pizza dough out of the refrigerator and set in on the counter to come to room temperature while you prepare the toppings.

Cut about 1/2 pound of boneless chicken breast into bite size pieces. You can use more chicken if you like, but a little goes a long way on top of pizza. Take four small cloves of garlic and finely mince them and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Just before the chicken is done, add half of the minced garlic to the pan and salt and pepper and cook with the chicken for about two minutes. Remove the garlic and chicken from pan and set aside.

Next, cut about 2 cups of broccoli into bite-size pieces or use frozen broccoli florets. Using the same pan the chicken was in, heat another 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add broccoli and cook until just slightly tender. Add the other half of the minced garlic and salt and pepper and cook for about two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter on medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese and mix on medium-low until cream cheese melts.

Add 3/4 cup of cream and 1/2 cup of milk. Simmer on medium-low for about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add 1/4 cup of parmigianno regianno cheese. Mix well. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees F. Prepare your pizza dough by rolling or stretching it to the desired shape on a floured surface. Brush pizza dough with olive oil.

Place pizza dough on a pizza pan or cookie sheet that has been coated with olive oil. If using a pizza stone, prepare pizza as you usually would with your pizza stone on a pizza peel or cookie sheet that has an open end.

Spread Alfredo sauce evenly on pizza dough.

Do not worry if the butter separates from the cream sauce. Just give it a stir before spreading on the dough.

Sprinkle chicken evenly over Alfredo sauce.

Next, sprinkle broccoli evenly over Alfredo sauce.

Sprinkle pizza with parmigianno regianno and then top with chunks of fresh mozzarella or shredded mozzarella. You can also sprinkle on some salt and pepper if you like.

Cook pizza on bottom oven rack for 10-15 minutes, checking after 10 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is melted and a little golden brown too. Enjoy!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pizza The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe
One pizza dough, recipe here or store-bought
1/2 pound of boneless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces (or 1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken breast)
2 cups of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
4 small cloves of garlic, finely minced, divided
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of cream cheese
3/4 cup of cream (heavy or light) (can also use nonfat half N half)
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of parmigiano Reggiano plus more for sprinkling on pizza
4 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced and broken into pieces for topping pizza or about 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Just before the chicken is cooked, add half of the minced garlic and salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat another 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add broccoli and cook until just slightly tender. Add the other half of the minced garlic and salt and pepper and cook for another two minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter on medium-low. Add cream cheese and cook on medium-low stirring until melted. Add cream and milk and simmer on medium-low for about ten minutes. Remove from heat and add parm cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired. Stir well. Set aside.

Prepare you dough by stretching or rolling it into desired shape. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil. Place dough on a cookie sheet or pizza pan which has been lightly coated with olive oil. If you have a pizza stone, use your usual method of making pizza on it. Spread Alfredo sauce evenly over dough. Sprinkle chicken evenly over Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle broccoli evenly over Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with parm cheese and top with mozzarella. Cook on bottom oven rack for 10-15 minutes, checking after 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is slightly golden brown too.

I am linking this up to These Chicks Can Cook! Click on the link. You will be amazed at some of the delicious recipes there:)

Granola Bar Muffins With Pomegranate Fig Nut Filling

2011-06-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

The other morning while eating breakfast, I noticed a caption on the cereal box that my son was eating from. It said, "America's #1 Source of Whole Grains." Now this cereal was not in any way a super healthy cereal. It was one of the usual sugary cereals that my kids love and I loved as a kid. While I commend the cereal company for now making all of their cereals with whole grains, I just thought to myself, "if this is true that a sugary cereal is the number one way Americans are getting whole grains in their diet, that is pretty sad."

Now, if you have been reading my blog for a while, you probably know I love sweets, pretty much any kind, but I do try to eat healthy too. I don't believe in some of the crazy fad diets, the No Carb Diet, the Low Carb Diet, the Cabbage Soup diet, the Grapefruit Diet, the Cookie Diet, etc. Okay, maybe the cookie diet sounds pretty good...lol I like to go by my own diet, the Eat More Healthy Stuff But Still Don't Deny Myself An Occasional Goodie Diet. That sounds better, huh? I mean we need some of that sweet stuff; it makes us happy. But I also think we should try to get as much fruits, veggies, and whole grains as we can too. But you already knew that.

These muffins are a great way to add some whole grains into your diet. As a matter of fact, these muffins are loaded with so many healthy things, they might also almost be considered a well balanced meal. If your someone who would like to try healthy but delicious muffin, this is the muffin for you. I call them granola bar muffins because they have most of the ingredients in them that would go into a super healthy granola bar. They are also filled with a filling made from figs, dates, raisins, nuts, and some POM Wonderful pomegranate juice which is really yummy. I was lucky enough to have the kind people at POM Wonderful send me a case of their POM Wonderful juice. I was thrilled because I knew it would be the perfect addition to the fig filling in these muffins. It adds not only a delicious sweet zing but also added nutrition. I also love to use the POM Wonderful in smoothies. Have one (or two) of these muffins for breakfast with a fruit smoothie and you have yourself one delicious and healthy way to start your day.

POM Wonderful

You can make the muffins with, or without the filling. They taste great both ways.

To make these muffins, in a large bowl mix together 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, 2 cups of oats, 1/4 cup of flax seed meal, 1/2 cup of wheat germ, 1/2 cup of sesame seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I know it is a lot of ingredients to buy, but if you like this type of muffin, you will want to make them over and over again. You can also use a little bit of the wheat germ and flax seed meal in smoothies.

In another large bowl, beat 2 eggs. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and mix well.

Add 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1/2 cup of honey and mix together. Gradually add the flour mixture alternating with 1 cup of buttermilk. If you do not have buttermilk, you can place 1 teaspoon of white vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup and fill it with milk. Let it sit for a few minutes. It works just as well as buttermilk. Once the flour and buttermilk are incorporated in the mixture, add 1 cup of chopped nuts. I used walnuts but you can use what ever nut you like. If you are not going to make the filling, you can also add 1 cup of raisins or any dried fruit that you like. Place the mixture in paper lined muffin pans. You can fill these right to the top. They puff up nice and do not spill over the sides.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to remain in pan for a few minutes and then remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool.

For the fig filling, place 1 cup of roughly chopped dried figs, 1 cup of roughly chopped dried dates (pittted), 3/4 cup of raisins, 3/4 cup of nuts (any kind), and 1/2 cup of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice in a food processor until it becomes a smooth paste. If you do not have pomegranate juice, you can use orange juice.

Dried figs last quite a long time. If you have had your figs hanging around for a while and they get hard, you can soak them in warm water placed in the fridge for a few hours to soften them. Also, if you have them for a while and they get white spots on them, that is just the sugar in them crystalizing.

When the muffins are cool, use a knife to core out a cone shape in the center of the muffin.

That larger muffin in above picture was made using a new product by Reynolds. They are jumbo size and you just place them on a cookie sheet and bake the muffin in the foil liner on a cookie sheet. They work pretty well, no pan to clean and the muffin was bigger. P.s. I am not paid by Reynolds to say that; I just like them and thought I would tell you about them:)

Using a small spoon, spoon the fig filling into the muffin pressing it gently into the muffin. I also topped them with a walnut to make them look nicer because the filling, though it tastes delish, it is not too pretty:)

Granola Bar Muffins With Pomegranate Fig Nut Filling The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe
(Makes about 18 muffins)
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 cups of oats
1/4 cup of flax seed meal
1/2 cup of wheat germ
1/2 cup of sesame seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of honey
1 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of chopped nuts
These can be made without the filling. If you do not make the filling, you can add 1 cup of dried fruit to the muffin.

Pomegranate Fig Nut Filling:
1 cup of dried figs, roughly chopped
1 cup of dried dates (pitted), roughly chopped
3/4 cup of raisins
3/4 cup of nuts
1/2 cup of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice (or orange juice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in cupcake pans.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, flax seed meal, wheat germ, sesame seeds, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat two eggs. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and mix well. Add olive oil, vanilla, and honey. Mix well. Gradually add flour mixture alternating with buttermilk until combined. Add nuts. Fill paper liners to the tops with the muffin mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to remain in the pans for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool.

To make the filling:
Place all of the filling ingredients in a food processor and process until they become a smooth paste.

Assembly:
Using a knife, core out a cone shape in the center of each muffin. Using a small spoon, spoon the filling mixture into the center of the muffin. Garnish the top of the muffin with a nut if you like.

I am linking these up to These Chicks Cooked Link Party, Wow Me Wednesdays, and Sweets For a Saturday. Click the link to see some delicious recipes and crafts.

Summer Recipes Blogger Tag

2011-06-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

My friend, Erin, from Making Memories..One Fun Thing After Another has tagged me in a game of virtual tag. What fun! I love tag. I remember as a kid running and screaming from the person who was it because I never wanted to be it...lol With this kind of tag, I kind of like being it. The way it is played is that when you are tagged you think up a theme and then share your recipes that go with that theme and then tag other bloggers. Since we finally have summer-like weather here in New England and I am enjoying every minute of it, I decided to choose summer as my theme and share some of my favorite summer recipes with you. Here they are!

Hot Dog Cookies

Ice Cream Sundae Cups

Red, White, and Blue (Velvet) Whoopie Pies

Fourth of July Cupcakes

Orzo Pasta Salad

Watermelon Granita

Now comes the tough part. Since I have many, many blogs that I really enjoy, it is way too difficult for me to choose. So anyone who leaves a comment, if you would like to play along, tag your it!

Chicken In Roasted Red Pepper And White Wine Cream Sauce

2011-05-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

Years ago, back before we had our kids, my husband and I went to a fancy Italian restaurant in Salem, Massachusetts, which is the next town over from mine. You have all heard of Salem I am sure, known for its persecution of so-called witches back in the 1600's. Today, actual witches happily roam the streets and no one seems to mind this peaceful lot nothing like their Halloween counterparts. This would have been a good post for Halloween. Maybe next year, I will remember to talk about Salem. I will probably forget, though, since I have mother's brain...lol

Anyway, I digress; I got off the subject. At this restaurant in Salem, I ordered chicken in a red pepper sauce served over pasta. I am not sure what caught my eye about that dish in particular, but once I tasted it, I was so glad that I had ordered it. The red pepper sauce was amazing. I had never had a sauce quite like it. Well life got hectic and we never went back and the restaurant ended up closing down for some reason, but I often think about that chicken dish and wish I could have it again. I thought I would try and recreate it, and I have to say I am really happy with the result. I used roasted red peppers in a jar added some shallots, white wine, and cream. The result is a creamy, sweet, peppery sauce that compliments the chicken really well. Served over pasta, this is an easy dish to put together and something a little different for a change.

To make this dish, you need 1 to 2 pounds of chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

While the chicken is cooking, in a blender puree one 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, just the peppers not the juice. Set aside.

Cook pasta of your choice in salted water al dente. Toss with butter or olive oil and set aside.

Next, add 1 tablespoon of butter to the same pan you cooked the chicken in and saute 2 shallots which have been finely diced. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the pureed roasted peppers to the pan and cook for about one minute.

Add 1 cup of white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for five minutes. Add 1 cup of cream. I used light cream but you can use heavy if you like. Simmer for five minutes. Add more cream if you like it creamier.

Add chicken and simmer for another five to ten minutes. Serve over pasta.

Chicken in Roased Red Pepper and White Wine Cream Sauce The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe

1 to 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
2 shallots, finely diced
1 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, puree just the peppers and not the juice in a blender until smooth
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of cream (I used light cream; you can also use heavy cream)
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 to 1 pound of pasta, cooked al dente and tossed with butter or olive oil

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside. Add butter and shallots to the pan. Cook on medium-low for 2-3 minutes scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add pureed peppers and cook for another minute. Add wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for five minutes. Add cream and simmer for five minutes. Add chicken back to pan and simmer five to ten minutes. Serve over pasta.

White Chocolate Cupcakes With White Chocolate Ganache With (Or Without) Cardamom

2011-05-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

I feel like I gained about ten pounds making these cupcakes. They were so delicious that I kept eating them and eating them. I made two batches so I had quite a lot of cupcakes. I had company on Friday; so I sent everyone home with the rest of the cupcakes so that I would not eat anymore.

If you are a white chocolate fan, you will love these cupcakes. The cupcake itself is a very dense but moist cake and the flavor of the white chocolate comes through in every bite. Then they are topped with a white chocolate ganache making the cupcake pure white chocolate heaven. If you are a fan of cardamom, add a little cardamom to the ganache and you will be quite pleased.

To make these cupcakes, start by melting 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of white chocolate chips in a small saucepan on medium low stirring occasionally until the butter and chocolate are melted. If it gets clumpy or curdly looking, do not worry; that is fine. Set this aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of cake flour, 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat together 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. Mix until creamy.

Add the cooled melted white chocolate and melted butter. Mix well. Gradually add flour alternating with 3/4 cups of sour cream to the wet ingredients. Mix well. It will be very thick. This is a very dense but moist cupcake. If you would like a lighter cupcake, you can use milk. But I felt that the sour cream version was better.

Place batter in cupcake tins lined with paper liners 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degree F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. There may be a moist crumb or two on the toothpick; this is fine. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

To make the ganache, place 2 cups of white chocolate chips in a small bowl.

Heat 1/2 cup of heavy cream on medium low to a soft boil. Allow to simmer for about 1 minute.

Pour cream over chocolate chips in bowl. Start stirring gently with a wooden spoon to allow chocolate to begin to melt. Once mixture softens and chocolate is almost melted, using a whisk, whisk until smooth.

Place in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes to allow to thicken. Then beat for about 1 minute until it becomes the consistency of a thick frosting.

If you like you can add 1/8 teaspoon of cardamom to the ganache and mix in well. Only add this if you are a fan of cardamom. If you are not familiar with cardamom, it is somewhat like ginger with maybe a little citrusy flavor. I really like it. My husband and kids did not. They felt the flavor was much too strong. I really think it is because it is a flavor they are not familiar with. You do not see many desserts made with this ingredient where we are from. So if you are trying if for the first time, you might want to frost most of the cupcakes with just the white chocolate ganache and then add a pinch of cardamom to the rest so you can see if you like it, but beware, it is strong, and a little goes a long way.

This cupcake has the cardamom ganache. If you look closely, you can see the specks of cardamom.

Frost cupcakes. Keep refrigerated. You can take them out an hour or two before serving so that they are not cold.

White Chocolate Cupcakes With White Chocolate Ganache With (or Without) Cardamom The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe

White chocolate cupcakes:
1/2 Cup of butter (1 stick)
1 Cup of white chocolate chips
2 Cups of cake flour (may use regular flour)
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
3/4 cup of sour cream

White chocolate ganache with (or without) cardamom:
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 cups of white chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon of ground cardamom (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in cupcake pans.

Cupcakes:
Place butter and white chocolate chips in a small saucepan and cook on medium low until melted stirring occasionally. Set aside and allow to cool. It may be clumpy or curdly looking; that is okay.

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

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add melted white chocolate and butter. Mix well. Gradually add flour alternating with sour cream. Mix well. The batter will be thick. Place in cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. There may be a moist crumb or two stuck to the toothpick. That is okay.

Ganache:
Place white chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a gentle boil on medium low. Allow to simmer gently for one minute. Pour hot cream over white chocolate. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to allow the chocolate to begin to melt. When the white chocolate is almost melted, using a whisk, whisk until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Place in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes to allow to thicken. Place in a large bowl and beat until the mixture becomes the consistency of a thick frosting, about one minute. Spread or pipe on
cooled cupcakes. Keep refrigerated until an hour or two before serving.

I am linking these up to Sweets For a Saturday and These Chicks Cooked. Click on the links to see some incredible recipes.

Also, I forgot to mention, I won Dessert Wars for the month of April! Can you believe it? I am so happy and want to say thank you to Reeni from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. Check out her blog. It is definitely one of my favorites. I have made many of her dishes and have been thrilled with each one. My family even know about her blog and will ask, "is this from Cinnamon Spice?" If I say "yes", they know they will like it. If you are looking for a great recipe, click on the link. Also, Dessert Wars is now Sugar & Spice. Reeni has turned it into a baking blog where she will share some of her delicious treats. Be sure to check it out:)

Quick And Delicious Homemade Pizza Dough

2011-05-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

Due to the problems with Blogger this past weekend, I am reposting this homemade pizza dough recipe. The original post and all comments were almost completely lost, a post that took two days to complete. There was only one picture and a few paragraphs of the recipe left. So here I am again, reposting because I really think this recipe is worth it. Did any other bloggers lose their latest post?

Anyway, as in the original post, this is a recipe for super easy but also delicious pizza dough. I make pizza usually about once a week, not only because my kids love it but also because it is a pretty inexpensive meal that goes a long way. Now that my kids are teenagers, when they invite friends over, it can get pretty expensive to feed a whole group of teens. So homemade pizza is what I usually serve them because I can feed them for a lot less money than it would cost to order pizza out. And they all seem to really enjoy it.

If you have a food processor or a stand mixer, you can make pizza dough easily and quickly. The dough is so easy to make that you can make it in minutes in the morning, put it in a bowl to rise, and it will be sitting on your counter ready to use for dinner. When you are ready to make your pizza for dinner, it just needs a quick rolling out or stretching, and then you can top it with your favorite toppings and you will have a delicious meal in minutes.

There are three ways you can make this simple dough. If you have a food processor that can fit five cups of dough and has a dough hook, you can make the full dough recipe which will make three medium pizzas or two large pizzas. If you have a smaller food processor and/or no dough hook and just the regular blade, you can still make the dough; you just have to cut the recipe in half; so you will get one large pizza dough. If you do not have a food processor, you can use a stand mixer that has a dough hook. You also will have to cut the dough recipe in half and will get one pizza dough. I will give all three recipes below. If you do not have a food processor or a stand mixer, click on this link to get the recipe for pizza dough by hand.

This is what the food processor dough hook looks like. If you have this, you can make a large amount of pizza dough in minutes.

This is the regular food processor hook. If you have this, you can also make quick pizza dough just a smaller batch.

To make this dough in a food processor that has a dough hook (halve the recipe for a small food processor or no dough hook, recipe below) (stand mixer recipe below), first you will start by proofing the yeast. Place one cup of warm water (105 to 110 degrees) in a small bowl. Sprinkle two packets of active dry yeast onto the water in the bowl. Set aside and let sit for six minutes.

In your food processor, add 5 cups of bread flour and two teaspoons of Kosher salt. If you do not have Kosher salt, regular salt is fine. Place top on food processor and mix for about 30 seconds.

When yeast is ready, pour over flour and salt mixture. Turn food processor on and allow to mix for a few seconds.

Gradually add 1 cup of cool water and mix until the dough forms. This should take about 1 minute.

When adding water to your food processor to make dough, you want it to be cool. Otherwise, it will heat up too much in the food processor due to the friction. The only water that should be warm is the water that you proofed the yeast in. All other water added should be cool.

Mix for another minute or two to allow the food processor to knead the dough. The dough will be slightly tacky and elasticy. If it is too sticky add a little bit more flour.

Do not mix dough for any longer. You do not want to burn out the motor in your food processor.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil. Turn the dough ball to coat all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to sit for one hour to rise.

After one hour, it will have doubled in size.

If you are making the dough the same day, you can just leave it covered in the bowl on your counter. If not wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for later use.

Cut the dough into two or three pieces. Roll or stretch the dough on a lightly floured surface. I like to roll my dough really thin because I like a thin and crispy dough. Any unused dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator or freezer. Top with your favorite toppings. Cook at 475 degrees F on a lightly oiled pizza pan or baking sheet or a pizza stone that has been preheated on the bottom rack for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is light golden brown.

Quick And Delicious Pizza Dough

Recipe to use with large capacity food processor with a dough hook (makes two large or three medium-size pizzas):
printable recipe
1 Cup of warm water
2 Packets of active dry yeast
5 Cups of bread flour
2 Teaspoons of Kosher salt
1 Cup of cool water
Olive oil for coating bowl

Place warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Set aside and allow to sit for six minutes.

Place flour and salt in food processor. Mix for about 30 seconds. When yeast is ready, take top off food processor and pour yeast mixture over flour and salt. Place top back on. Turn food processor. Gradually add 1 cup of cool water through the top of food processor. Allow to mix until dough forms. This will take about 1 minute. Then mix for 1 minute more to allow food processor to knead the dough. The dough will be slightly tacky and elasticy. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form dough into a ball. Place in a large bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil. Turn dough to coat all sides with the oil. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel. Place in a draft free area and allow to rise for one hour. Cut dough into two large pieces or three medium-size pieces. Roll or stretch to desired shape and top with your favorite toppings. Place on a lightly oiled pizza pan or baking sheet or a pizza stone that has been preheated and bake for 10-12 minutes on the bottom rack or until the crust is light golden brown.

Recipe for smaller capacity food processor or food processor with regular metal blade (makes one large pizza dough):
printable recipe
1/2 Cup of warm water
1 Packet of active dry yeast
2 1/2 Cups of bread flour
1 Teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 Cup of cool water
Olive oil for coating bowl.

Place warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Set aside and allow to sit for six minutes.

Place flour and salt in food processor. Mix for about 30 seconds. When yeast is ready, take top off food processor and pour yeast mixture over flour and salt. Place top back on. Turn food processor on. Gradually add 1/2 cup of cool water through the top of food processor. Allow to mix until dough forms. This will take about 1 minute. Then mix for 1 minute more to allow food processor to knead the dough. The dough will be slightly tacky and elasticy. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form dough into a ball. Place in a large bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil. Turn dough to coat all sides with the oil. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel. Place in a draft free area and allow to rise for one hour. Roll or stretch dough to desired shape and top with your favorite toppings. Place on a lightly oiled pizza pan or baking sheet or a pizza stone that has been preheated and bake for 10-12 minutes on the bottom rack or until the crust is light golden brown.

Recipe for use with a stand mixer (makes one pizza dough):
printable recipe
1/2 Cup of warm water
1 Packet of active dry yeast
2 1/2 Cups of bread flour
1 Teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 Cup of warm water
Olive oil for coating bowl

Place warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Set aside and allow to sit for six minutes.

Place flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix well. When yeast is ready, pour it over flour and salt in bowl. Using a dough hook, mix yeast into flour/salt mixture. Gradually add the other 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix until a dough forms. This will take about three minutes. Continue mixing with dough hook for another three to four minutes to allow mixer to knead the dough. The dough will be slightly tacky and elasticy. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Form the dough into a ball. Place in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled. Turn dough to coat all sides. Cover bowl with a towel and allow to rise for one hour. The dough should be doubled in size. Roll or stretch the dough into desired shape and top with your favorite toppings. Bake on a lightly oiled pizza pan or baking sheet (or a pizza stone that has been preheated) on the bottom oven rack at 475 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the dough is light golden brown.

Pot Roast With Porcini Mushrooms

2011-05-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

Finding meals that everyone in my family likes can sometimes be difficult, and I get tired of eating and making the same dishes over and over. So I am always on the look out for delicious meals that will make everyone happy. I saw this on Kim's blog, Stirring The Pot, which is a blog I really enjoy. She makes lots of recipes that are similar to what my family will eat. I knew right away this would be a hit, and it really was. This recipe comes from Giada's Family Dinners which is a cookbook I own, but I guess Kim made it look even better than Giada because it just did not stand out to me before. I am so glad she did too because it is fantastic. The roast is incredibly flavorful and covered in a porcini and red wine sauce which is delicious. We all loved it. It is made by searing the meat in a large pot, making a quick wine and mushroom sauce, and then the whole thing goes in the oven for a few hours. Kim served hers with Giada's herbed polenta which I have made before and it was really good, but since my kids are not big polenta fans, I served it with mashed potatoes. I have made it a few times already, and each time I get big thumbs up from everyone.

Though I have made this quite a few times, each time I have taken all of the pictures of the procedure but then forgotten to take the picture of the final dish. So here we were enjoying the roast, my husband is even commenting about how good it is, and as I am eating, I realize once again I have forgotten to take a picture of the dish. I look in the serving platter, and there is only one decent looking slice of beef left. A picture of one slice of beef will not do. I start eyeing up every one's plates. In my dish, there are just a few pieces of beef left, my daughter has none, and my husband has a sad-looking slice. I look over at my son's plate, and there on his plate is a fine looking slice. Now I know if I ask him if I can borrow his slice of beef for a minute to take a picture he will surely put up a fight. After all taking a piece of meat from a teenage boy is like taking the dog dish away from a dog. He might bite your hand. So what did I do? Well, I did what any self-respecting food blogger would do...lol Without saying a word, I reached across the table, jabbed my fork into his slice of beef, and swiped it from his plate. Now I am sitting on my kitchen counter taking pictures of the roast beef on my windowsill, which is the only place in my house where I get  good sunlight, while he is whining in the background, and the battery to my camera dies. My family, I think, is starting to get used to this scenario..lol Oh well, I got a few pictures anyway.

To make this roast, you will need a large pot that is ovenproof. If you do not have an ovenproof pot, you could probably put it in a covered, large casserole dish.  You would just have to sear the meat and make the wine/mushroom sauce in a separate pan and then place it in the covered casserole dish to cook.

To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then pat beef dry with a paper towel and sprinkle all sides generously with salt and pepper.   Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, ovenproof pot that has a cover or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned all all sides, about three minutes per side. You really want to brown each side. This is what will give it a nice flavor. Remove the beef to a plate and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium.

Add two chopped onions to the same pan and cook until tender about five minutes, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Next, add six garlic cloves that have been coarsely chopped and saute for one minute.

Add one cup of dry red wine and boil for one minute.

Stir in 1 3/4 cups of beef broth and 1/2 ounce of dried porcini mushrooms.

Return the beef to the pan and bring the liquids to a boil.

Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is fork tender, turning the beef over halfway through. The recipe calls for a five-pound roast to be cooked for three hours. I used a three-pound roast which was perfect for the four of us and cooked it for about two hours.

Transfer the beef to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer the pan juices and vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth.

Add the puree back to the pan. Add a sprig of fresh rosemary and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

There should be a sprig of rosemary in this picture, but I forgot to pick some up this time and had to leave it out. Still tasted great, though.

Cut the beef across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon sauce over and serve.

Pot Roast With Porcini Mushrooms from Giada's Family Dinners as seen on Stirring The Pot

Printable recipe

1 (5-pound) boneless beef chuck
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 Onions, chopped
6 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 Cup of dry red wine
1 3/4 Cups of low-sodium beef broth
1/2 Ounce of dried porcini mushrooms
1 Large sprig of fresh rosemary

Note: I have made this a few times. I usually use a 3-pound roast which is enough for the four of us. The recipe also calls for a chuck roast which I used last time and it was very good. This time I used a shoulder roast which was also really good. Most grocery stores will mark on the package which roasts are good as a pot roast; any of these meats would be fine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle all sides generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy, 6-quart pot that has a cover or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. (Don't rush this step, which is what creates the deep, rich flavor in the finished dish.) Transfer the beef to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions to the same pan and saute until tender, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the wine and boil for 1 minute. Stir in the broth and mushrooms. Return the beef to the pan and bring the liquids to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Braise until the beef is fork-tender, about 3 hours, turning the beef over halfway through.

Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pain juices. Transfer the pan juices and vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth. In a medium, heavy saucepan (I just used the same pot), combine the sauce and the rosemary sprig. Bring to a boil, then season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Cut the beef across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the sliced beef on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over and serve, passing the remaining sauce in a gravy boat.

Vanilla Bean Ricotta Pie With White Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Ganache

2011-04-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

The theme for Dessert Wars for the month of April is vanilla. Dessert Wars is a baking competition that I have been participating in where each month they choose an ingredient and we bake something with that ingredient. For this month, we were asked to make something using vanilla, but the recipe had to have three components with vanilla in them.

From the moment I saw that vanilla was the ingredient, for some reason, ricotta pie stuck in my mind. I am not sure why. Maybe, it is because this is the month in which Easter usually falls, and as I have mentioned in some of my earlier posts, it is tradition for Italian-Americans to make many types of ricotta pies for Easter, some savory and some sweet. I decided to make a vanilla bean ricotta pie which has a vanilla bean pasta frolla dough, a creamy ricotta and mascarpone and vanilla bean filling, and is topped with a vanilla bean and white chocolate ganache. Sounds pretty good, huh? Well, I have to say it is pretty darn good. The vanilla beans impart a wonderful vanilla flavor that definitely beats vanilla extract in my opinion. It is hard for me to explain but I guess it is that you can really taste that it is pure vanilla.

If you look closely, you can see the beautiful little beans speckled throughout the pie.

The first 15 of us to comment on the Dessert Wars blog were also lucky enough to receive free vanilla beans from Brett at Beanilla! Thank you Brett! I was very excited because this was the first time I had used vanilla beans, and I have to say I am in love with them. They arrived in a vacuum sealed package, and the minute I opened the package, my house was filled with the most wonderful vanilla scent. And when I used them in my ricotta pie, the vanilla flavoring was sheer deliciousness.

To make this ricotta pie, the night before place one container (2 pounds) of ricotta in a coffee filter or a cheese cloth and place on a strainer over a bowl. Cover it and place in the refrigerator to allow it to drain overnight. This step is not completely necessary, but I think it gives the ricotta a better texture.

The next day, first you will want to make the pasta frolla. Pasta frolla is a sweet dough which is made like a pie crust but tastes more like a cookie. Remember to allow yourself time because the pasta frolla will need to sit in the refrigerator for, at least, 30 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of cake flour, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. If you do not have cake flour, you can use 4 cups of flour.

Next, add 2 sticks of cold butter which has been cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Mix until the mixture becomes crumbly and the butter is fully incorporated into the mixture. This will take about five minutes.

Next, add 3 beaten eggs and the seeds from one vanilla bean. If you do not have a vanilla bean, you can use 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

To use the vanilla beans, using a sharp knife, split the bean down the middle.

I found it easier to also cut the bean in half. Next, open each section of the bean and scrape out the seeds. The seeds are sort of clumpy and oily. Make sure to get out every little bit of the goodness:)

Mix all your ingredients until the dough comes together. Shape into a ball, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for, at least, 30 minutes.

Next, you make the filling. In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese (2 pounds), 1 cup of mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 2/3 cup of granulated sugar, 3 eggs, and the seeds of one vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract).

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Remove your pasta frolla from the refrigerator and cut into two pieces.

On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece out until it is slightly larger than your pie plate or tart pan. This recipe will make one pie and one tart or one pie and one smaller pie.

Using your rolling pin, roll the dough onto your rolling pin.

Then unroll the dough over your greased pan.

Press dough genlty into the pan. If using a tart pan, trim edges.

If using a pie plate, trim edges leaving a 1/2 inch rim around the plate.

Then tuck the edges under and form into a design with your fingers. Repeat this with the other piece of dough.

Fill your pie plate and tart pan with the ricotta filling.

Bake in a 350 F degree oven for 45-55 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. After about 30 minutes, check to see if the edges of the pie are getting too brown, if they are, tent some aluminum foil on top of them to prevent burning. The pie plate will take a little longer to cook that the tart pan. The filling will crack while it bakes which is why some people will cover these with a lattice of crust, but for this recipe, you will cover it with ganache, so don't worry about the cracking. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Here are my finished pies. You can also see my rinsed vanilla bean shells drying. If you rinse and air dry your vanilla beans and then place them in 1 cup or more of sugar in an air-tight container for about two weeks, you will have vanilla sugar that you can use in your coffee or tea or baking.

To make the ganache. Place an 11-ounce bag of white chocolate chips into a bowl.

In a small sauce pan, bring 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and the seeds and shell of 1/2 of a vanilla bean to a gentle boil on medium-low heat. Allow to simmer for a minute.

Fish out the vanilla bean shells and pour the hot mixture over the white chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Place your cooled ricotta pie in the refrigerator too. The ganache will work better on a cold pie. The ricotta pie also tastes better chilled.

To decorate the pie with the ganache, you can either spread the ganache on like an icing or drizzle it on with a fork. If it is not thick enough, refrigerate for longer. If it gets too thick, place in the microwave for a few seconds until it loosens up. You can also just drizzle each slice of pie with the ganache before serving as I have done in the photos at the beginning of this post.

Keep your pies refrigerated until ready to serve.

This is how it will look if you use a pie plate and spread the ganache on.

Baked in pie plate with ganache spread on.

This is how it will look if you use a tart pan and drizzle the ganache on.

Vanilla Bean Ricotta Pie The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe
Vanilla bean pasta frolla:
2 cups of flour
2 cups of cake flour
(If you do not have cake flour, you can use 4 cups of regular flour.)
1/2 cup of confectioners sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 eggs, beaten
The seeds of one vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons of vanilla)

Vanilla bean, ricotta, and mascarpone filling:
2 pounds of ricotta cheese, drained
1 cup (one 8-ounce container) of mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup of confectioners sugar
2/3 cup of sugar
The seeds from one vanilla bean
3 eggs

White chocolate and vanilla bean ganache:
One 11 ounce package of white chocolate chips
1 cup of heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
The seeds and shell of 1/2 of a vanilla bean

Note: The night before, place ricotta cheese on a coffee filter or cheese cloth in a strainer over a bowl, cover and drain overnight in the refrigerator.

This recipe will make one 9-inch pie and one 10-inch tart or one 9-inch pie and one 8-inch pie.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray one pie plate and one tart pan or two pie plates with cooking spray.

To make the dough:
In a large bowl, mix together flour, cake flour, confectioners sugar, sugar, and salt. Add butter and mix until the mixture becomes crumbly. This will take about five minutes. Add eggs and vanilla bean seeds. Mix together until dough forms. Shape dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for, at least, 30 minutes.

To make the filling:
In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, mascarpone, confectioners sugar, sugar, eggs, and the seeds of one vanilla bean.

To assemble:
Cut the dough ball into two pieces. Roll out one piece on a lightly floured surface until it is slightly larger than your tart pan or pie plate. Using your rolling pin, roll dough onto your rolling pin. Unroll dough onto your pan or pie plate. Press dough gently into pan or pie plate. Trim edges and decorate edges if using pie plate. Repeat with the other piece of dough.

Fill your pie plate or tart pan with ricotta mixture. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes, if edges of pie dough are becoming brown, tent aluminum foil over them to prevent them from burning. Remove from oven and allow to cool. The pie will take slightly longer than the tart.

For ganache:
Place white chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, heat cream, butter, and vanilla bean seeds and shell on medium low until comes to a gentle boil. Allow to simmer on low for one minute. Fish out vanilla bean shells. Pour hot mixture over white chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow to thicken. Place cooled ricotta pie in the refrigerator to chill. This will make it easier to cover with the ganache.

To decorate with ganache, you can either spread ganache over the top of the pie like you would an icing or drizzle it on with a fork.

Keep pies refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy!

I am entering this in the Dessert Wars April vanilla challenge! The prize package for this competition includes:
Beanilla sampler pack of vanilla beans
Lenox personalized musical cupcake
1,000 Ideas For Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies, & Cakes
Organic Valley $50.00 gift certificate
Organic Prairie $50.00 gift certificate
Theme Kitchen $50.00 gift certificate
BEKA Cookware crepe pan
Whisk and cupcake necklace from Moon & Star Design
King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion Cookbook

Also, check out the giveaways at Creative Sanyukta and Family Fresh Cooking!