Pineapple Bread

I didn’t wake up today intending to blog about this bread.  (Hence the lack of process shots  you’ll see in the following post.)

However, I couldn’t resist snapping a few quick photos of this yummy bread and sharing the recipe with you on this fine Saturday.  I hope you enjoy…

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Fruity quick breads are kinda my life right now.  Banana bread, carrot raisin muffins, zucchini bread… it’s my current breakfast of choice.  Maybe it’s a pregnancy thing.  I’m already mourning the fact that I’ll have to give it up for one single solitary Tuesday next week so I can go to the doctor for a glucola test.  (To make sure I don’t have gestational diabetes.)  That’s how into fruity quick breads I am right now.

So combine that with the fact that I have about two gallons of canned “tropical fruit salad” leftover from a work event a few weeks ago… I think you can see the obvious solution I came up with!

Pineapple bread!

 

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I tried a piece of this the moment it came out of the oven.  It’s a very wholesome, mildly spiced, and mildly sweet bread.  The pineapple adds awesome texture (if you’re into that sorta thing)… and you can add a myriad of other ingredients to suit your fancy (chopped walnuts, carrot shreds, white chocolate chips… mmmm, why didn’t I think of that before?!?)

So if, like me, you find yourself with an abundance of canned pineapple today… OR if you just think this sounds like the kind of breakfast you’d like to join me in this week… here’s how you make it!

P.S. I think it would really send it over the top if you whip up a little cinnamon sugar butter to spread over a warm slice.

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Pineapple Quick Bread

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3/4 C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 C. melted butter

1/4 C. vegetable oil

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 cups of chopped pineapple (Canned is just fine! But drain the juice if you use canned.)

1-1/2 C. flour (I used mostly white whole wheat flour because it works very well in quick bread recipes!)

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 packet raw or turbinado sugar (for sprinkling over the top)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a standard-size loaf pan with a little canola spray.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a larger separate bowl, mix oil, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and sugar.  Add in chopped pineapple.  Then stir in the flour mixture until just combined.  Pour batter into greased loaf pan, and use a knife or spatula to cut a line into the middle of the surface of the batter (this promotes a nicely domed loaf.)  Sprinkle a packet of raw sugar evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes (cover with foil during the last 15 if crust is browning too quickly.)

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And that’s it!  It’s a little too easy really.

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Really there’s nothing better on a Saturday than smelling a fresh loaf of bread baking in the oven.  I couldn’t resist eating a thick slice while it was still warm.

Happy baking!

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Mini Pies in Mason Jars + How To Make Your Own Pie Filling!

I’m so excited to share this recipe for mini fruit pies with you!

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For one thing, the cute presentation will quickly skyrocket you into “domestic goddess” territory in the eyes of those you serve it to.  For another, being able to make your own fruit pie filling is an awesome skill.  No more relying on that goopy canned pie filling (honestly, it looks like its probably about 90% food coloring!)

This pie filling will work with any fruit you want to use.  And it’s great because there aren’t a lot of spices that mask the natural fruit flavor… just a few ingredients to enhance it and make it thick and delish!  For this particular occasion (my dear friend Kaitlin’s baby shower) I chose strawberry, because Kaitlin loves it and because it’s a little more uncommon and special.  And strawberry turned out to be so delightful and lovely as a pie filling that I’ve decided this is one of my new favorite pies to make.  I plan to do a great BIG strawberry pie for the 4th of July!

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I’m not going to lie and tell you this is easy.  The pie filling is super simple… but stuffing crust into jars is time consuming!  Only attempt it if you’re a truly patient baker and/or you plan to serve these at an event.  If not… I say this will taste just as good made the traditional way.  Let’s make it!

I began with a traditional pie crust (you can use whatever recipe you hold near and dear.)  I used Alton Brown’s recipe, made in a food processor.  I had no lard, so I substituted Crisco.

You begin by pulsing the dry ingredients in a food processor to blend.  Then you add in cold butter and lard (or Crisco) and pulse til it resembles coarse crumbs.  Then comes the really genius part… cold water in a spritz bottle!  It allows you to use as little water possible, while still getting it very evenly distributed.  The perfect solution to keep you from adding too much water or from soaking certain parts of the crust while leaving other parts dry!  I love Alton.  :)

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Spritz water, pulse, and repeat a few times…

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…until the mixture looks like this.

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Then just dump it out onto a lightly floured surface, pat or roll it into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for an hour or so before using.  I had to make about 5 crust recipes for eighteen small jars… another reason why I recommend you make a traditional pie

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While the crust is chilling and melding into a beautiful, tender dough… you can make your filling.  Pick your fruit!  Blueberries are great and require no chopping.  Apple is always popular.  I adore tart cherries.  The options go on and on.

Chop 3 cups of your desired fruit into moderately small pieces…

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Then, in a saucepan, combine 3/4 C sugar,

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3 T. cornstarch,

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1/2 C. (I prefer slightly less) water,

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and the chopped fruit!

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Then bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

It will progress from a thin, watery, pot of fruit chunks…

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…to a clear, thick, fruit compote (see below.)  So cool!!

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Once the filling has thickened, remove it from the heat and immediately stir in 1 T. butter and 1-2 T. lemon juice.

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Set the filling aside and grab your chilled pie crusts out  of the fridge.  Roll them out to about 1/4-inch thickness.  Then, use whatever method you can figure out to stuff and squish it into little jars.  OR neatly and effortlessly roll it into one large disc and transfer it to a standard-size pie pan.  (Can you tell which option I favor?)

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Take another disc of crust, and roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness to make the cute little top crusts.  You can really use anything to cut the top crusts to the size you need.  (The cap of my cinnamon jar ended up being the perfect size “cutter” to cap off these jars!  Just experiment til you find the perfect cutter!)

Then cut little slits in the crust circles to allow steam to escape during baking.

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Lightly beat an egg and brush it onto the circles…

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And sprinkle each with a dusting of sanding sugar.

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Then just place each circle on top of the filled bottom crusts, like so.

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At this point (or even before rolling out the top crusts) you can put the lids on these jars to freeze the pies and bake them another day.  It works out really well if you’re preparing for an event!  All you have to do on the day of your party is thaw and bake them… WAY less stressful.

And freezing them is exactly what I did!  ( I froze mine before rolling out all the top crusts, because I got tired.)

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For baking, just remove the lids and let the pies thaw for a few hours if you froze them ahead of time.  Then preheat your oven to 375.  Place the jars in a glass baking dish (the kind you’d use to make brownies) and pour about an inch of water into the bottom of the large dish.  (I did this as a precaution, to avoid all the hot glass touching and potentially cracking.  I’ve taken no science lessons that taught me this solution… in fact, it may not have done anything at all!  But it gave me peace of mind.)

Then bake for 36-40 minutes… until the crusts are golden brown and flaky!

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Those few spare inches at the top of the jar are the perfect space for a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, or ice cream!

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I’d love to hear about any delightful variations you might make of this recipe!  I know I had a lot of fun making it… and we girls had a lot of fun eating it!

This is one happy momma!

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Vicki’s Chicken Spaghetti

This is probably the first of many posts you will see from me providing the recipe for my latest pregnancy craving.  Hopefully none of them will be so weird as to be unappetizing to you.  I’ll try to publish only the helpful recipes.  (What… you don’t need instructions for how to make the perfect Kraft Mac n’ Cheese with hot dog slices?  Suit yourself.)

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Again, I stand by my statement that so far (at least for me) I have not had any weird cravings for things I used to dislike… everything I’ve wanted has been something I’ve always loved and just needed to re-discover.  :)  Chili and fritos… pickles… etc.  Well, this week it was Chicken Spaghetti.  The kind my mom (and after her passing, my dad) used to make.  It’s a great dish!  Great for feeding a crowd (both because its relatively inexpensive and universally likable.)  And great warmed up for leftovers, which is also a nice plus.  It’s a total “comfort” dish.

And I just plum had to have it!  I gave the craving a few days to go away, and it didn’t… so I demanded that my dad send me the recipe (which he vehemently denied having any ownership in whatsoever.  I’m to give any and all credit to my mom. )  No problem!  So this recipe was my mom’s (there she is in the photo below.)  And following a recipe of hers is always a funny adventure because parts are usually left out and/or confusing to interpret.

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Take this recipe for instance… it calls for one large chicken.  Now, I highly doubt my mom routinely bought a whole chicken and then de-boned it before adding it to this recipe… but she doesn’t really explain that in the written record.  Nor does she say what you’re supposed to DO with the chicken in the recipe.  (How to cook it, when to add it, etc… it’s left completely up to the cook.  So I’ll show you how I did it.)

Here we are cooking together when I was about 10 years old.  I don’t know what we’re making… maybe its chicken spaghetti!

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Here’s what you need!

1 lb spaghetti, 1 bell pepper, some chicken (whatever you have on hand), 5 stalks celery, a few cloves of garlic, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth, 1 can water chestnuts, 1 lb Velveeta (Oh yeah baby!  I think everything in this picture is Kroger brand except the noodles.  And I am SO fine with that.), 1 large onion, 1 can Ro-tel, 1 small can of olives, salt and pepper.

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Oh, forgive me… I also forgot to mention that this recipe makes a TON!  And I didn’t bother to trim it down for our small family of two because I don’t like using half-cans of things.  So, like I said, plan to have leftovers.

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The first thing you’ll need to do is some chopping!

Onions…

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Slide these into a big stock pot as you chop so you’ll have plenty of room.  We’re going to boil them in the broth later.

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Bell pepper…

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Celery…

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And last… garlic.

I learned from Jeff Marrow (aka: The Sandwich King) that sprinkling salt onto your garlc as you chop it helps it not be so sticky.  Man!  Best tip I’ve gotten in a long time.

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Once that’s all in the stock pot, cover it by a few inches with chicken broth.

I had a little less that 1 qt and a half… so I topped it off with a little water, and that is totally fine.  (You want to make sure the liquid level is enough for the noodles later.)

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Now before you start boiling this, the question at hand is:  What the heck are you supposed to do with the chicken?

Well, the answer is:  Get it cooked one way or another.  Here’s how I did it.

Season it reeeeeal good with some salt and pepper (and a little garlic powder or cayenne if you like to get crazy)…

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Then heat a little oil in a frying pan, and throw it in there!  Don’t move it around much.  Let it develop some color and be all pretty-like.

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Flip it after you’ve left it alone for 6 or 7 minutes.

And let it finish!  No need to push it around in the pan.  Just let the magic happen and you stay away.  Got it?

Ok, good.

Now that that’s taken care of… back to those veggies.  Turn the heat to high under the stock pot and bring the broth to a nice boil.  The veggies are going to cook and soften like this for about 10 minutes (and the liquid will reduce a little… which is another reason to start off with plenty.)

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While that’s happening, get to chopping up your olives, water chestnuts, and chicken.  Leave them as chunky as you like them.

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Interestingly enough, I’m not a huge olive fan as a general rule.  But I LOVE them in this dish!  Must be the memories

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Excellent… now grab the pasta, break the noodles in half, and drop them into the broth.  (I turn the heat down to 8 at this point so things don’t boil over.)

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Stir it after about a minute to make sure nothing is sticking… then head over and chop up the Velveeta.  The smaller you get it, the easier it’ll melt.

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After about 6 or 7 minutes, you can tell the pasta is really soaking up that liquid!  This is looking good!

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Give one of the noodles a taste.  (You want to stop boiling them just shy of al dente because they’ll soften more in the oven.)  I also noticed upon tasting that it needed a little salt and pepper.  I don’t recommend adding this early on because some brands of broth are saltier than others and you won’t know until it is reduced if it needs more.

But mine did.

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Now time to add the final yummy touches.  Throw in the chicken, cheese, olives, and water chestnuts…

Yeah… Sorry about my gnarly pumpkins in the background.  The good news is I cooked those today so you won’t have to stare at them in EVERY single picture anymore.

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Mix it around to help melt the cheese.  Then add in your Cream of Mushroom…

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…and the Ro-tel, drained if your liquid level looks good… undrained if you need a bit more.  (I like Original for a little added spice!)

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Pour that glorious goodness into a large baking dish, and pre-heat your oven to 375.

YUUUUUUUM!

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Then just bake for about half an hour.  I recommend covering this with foil for most of the cooking time so your top noodles don’t get crusty.

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Oh and… prepare yourself, because the light in my kitchen around suppertime is reeeeeally appetizing.

Boom baby!

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Come to mama!

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Make this sometime… you won’t be sorry.  In fact, you’ll be mucho satisfied!  And so will your baby (if you’ve got one inside you rumbling around and begging for chicken spaghetti, like I do.)

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Cravings…

Happy Sunday!

I thought today might be a fun day to reveal to my food-blog friends that I am pregnant!!!

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It occurred to me that unless you’re my friend on Facebook or in real life (which you totally should be, by the way)… then you probably still didn’t know!

Factoids

1. I’m just rounding the corner on 16 weeks.  Baby is due August 17th.  My baby bump is finally starting to pop just a bit (which is really exciting because for the longest time no change was noticeable… especially in regular clothes.)

15 Weeks!

2. This is our FIRST!  So Chris and I have no idea what we’re getting into or how much our lives are going to change.  (But we love our sweet little baby already.)

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3. I get to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl in just a few short weeks!  I’m thinking I might have to make some Gender Reveal Cupcakes for our family and friends.

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4. Right now, our baby is the size of a large apple! (Yeah, this picture is kinda science-y and weird… but I still think it’s cool to see the baby’s size in relation to the mom’s body at this point.  Google Images… you rock!)

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5. Cravings are not a myth.  But they’re also not a “Hall Pass” to eat whatever you want at any hour of the day.  It’s more important now than ever to make sure you’re putting plently of good things into your body to support baby’s growth.

That said… I think the reality of cravings is that so many things sound unappetizing at first (due to the nausea) that you latch onto the few things that sound good.  In the beginning NOTHING sweet sounded good (especially cappucinos, cereal, chocolate… all my usual favorites.)  I was, however, loving chili with fritos and sour cream.  Our typical stand-by dinner (Little Caersars pizza and beer) no longer sounded good either  So weird!

After the first ten weeks or so, my sweet tooth started to come back.  (But I can’t claim Ben & Jerry’s as a craving since I ate it religiously long before baby came along.)  Other definite cravings have been American Pie pizza (once that first stretch of nausea ended) and then oddly… salads!  Totally weird (especially for me) but lately, I can’t keep enough bagged salad mix around the house.  I go through a bag every few days and have to march my little booty back to Kroger for some more.  (Ah, but lest you should think I’m some pregnancy role model, please recall the aforementioned Ben & Jerry’s.  I’m off-setting the copious salads by the occasional pint of that and of course a chocolate doughnut whenever someone brings them into the office.)  And last but not least… pickles!  I love em!

***So it may not be the perfect diet plan for pregnancy, but right now it’s working for me.  I try to at least drink a V8 and eat a piece of fruit everyday at work, and of course get plenty of protein.

~(Again… Google Images, you rock!)~

-Also FYI: I’m taking an interesting vitamin called Reliv.  (Mostly because my husband is making me.)  It’s a powder rather than a pill so your body absorbs it much more readily.  That’s about all I can say in support of it… that it’s reeeeally good for you.  But I struggle with taking it because of the taste.  It’s pretty puke-tastic.  (Still, check it out if you’re looking for a really good vitamin and have good mastery over your gag-reflex.)

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So far… this has been a blast.  And our prayers for a healthy pregnancy and baby have thus far been answered.  Even more, we are praying for our child’s developing spirit, and that we can be parents that point him/her toward the Lord above all else.

We’re so looking forward to the next chance we will get to see this little person!  (Which will be at the ultrasound to find out the gender.)

Also, Chris’s wonderful Valentine’s Gift to me was a few extra ultrasounds at Baby Views here in Little Rock.  (I was so dejected when I found out our routine appointments only provide two… 8 weeks and 18 weeks.)  So thanks to my sweet husband, we’ll get a few more views in there before the big day in August.

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So that’s our news!  We’re going to be parents.

Oh, and one more exciting development (for my blog, that is)… is that I’m going to become a stay-at-home mommy!  (Which means lots more home-cooked meals are on the way!)  I am definitely excited about that fact.

Can’t wait to share many more life moments and yummy meals with all of you

 

 

Stuffed Shells with Ground Turkey and Artichoke

I have been SO excited to share this recipe with you!  I absolutely love it!

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This was another delicious dish I prepared for dinner the night of my sister’s engagement.  We had an Italian feast, and this was the main dish!  I had seen it just a few days earlier while watching Giada at Home, and it really burned itself into my brain.  I had to make it the first chance I got!  What I love about it are the ground turkey and the artichokes.  Ground turkey has a very light texture and taste.  And the artichokes were a special treat!

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Raise your hand if you rarely cook with artichokes.  (Raising my hand.)  I might make a hot artichoke dip once a year for the Superbowl… but generally I steer clear.  I’m too lazy to cut up a fresh artichoke, and I don’t prefer the pickle-y flavor of canned artichokes.  Well, never again will I avoid this delicious ingredient for those reasons.  Meet my new best friend… the frozen artichoke!

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That’s right!  These babies are sitting right in your freezer aisle and are completely free of any hint of pickle-y-ness!  And what’s also nice is you can chop up just a few and keep the rest in the freezer for another time!  (Giada, you’ve literally changed my life with this one.)

So here’s what you’ll need to make these stuffed shells.  (You’re also welcome to look up Giada’s recipe… she adds pancetta ham and spicy red sauce.)

-1 box of jumbo shells   -your favorite jarred marinara sauce   -3/4 C. frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed)   -1 heaping cup of frozen artichokes (thawed)   -1 lb. of ground turkey   -1 egg (lightly beaten)   -1 tub (about 12-16 oz.) Ricotta cheese   -fresh Mozzarella cheese   -Parmesan cheese   -salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder

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Start with the filling.  Generously sprinkle your ground turkey with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.  It needs the added flavor.   (You can also sautee some real onion and garlic with the meat, but I didn’t have any on hand.)

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Heat up a few teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet.  (Turkey’s pretty lean so it’s nice to add in some healthy fat.)

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Then add the turkey to the pan.  Season the other side as you let the first side sear against the heat.  Try to let it get a little color before you start breaking it apart.

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Glorious.  Now, begin breaking it up with a wooden spoon and allow it to cook mostly through.  (You won’t cook it fully because it’ll get some oven time later.)

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When it looks almost fully cooked, drain off as much or as little of the fat as you want and remove it from the heat.

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Then grab a nice big pot and fill it with water for the shells.  Add a little handfull of salt.

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Dump in your desired amount of shells.  (My baking dish was able to fit almost this entire box… but the filling is enough for about a box and a half!  So ended up making a small dish with the leftover shells and filling for us to eat another night.  Good decision.)

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Now, these are going to boil until almost fully cooked.  So keep and eye on them and boil for about 7 minutes.  Meanwhile, you can chop up your spinach and artichokes!  When I’m eating an artichoke, I like to know I’m eating an artichoke… so left these pretty chunky.

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Toss these together into a big bowl.  You’ll need room for lots of other ingredients.

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Check your shells.  Are they just shy of al dente?  Then they’re perfect!  (Remember, the oven will soften them more.)  So pull the pot off the heat and empty them into a collander.

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I’m going to let them sit here awhile to cool… so a good spray of cooking oil keeps them from becoming one solid mass.  That’s important.  (You can also lay them out individually on a sheet pan to cool, but I’m not about dirtying up my sheet pans.)

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Back to the filling.  Grate in some nice, tangy Parmesan.  (About 1/4 C.)

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Then add your (already beaten) egg.  My egg is supposed to already be beaten, it’s better that way, really.  But sometimes laziness strikes me with the force of a hurricane.  There is no excuse.

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Next comes the Ricotta cheese.  This adds cheesiness to the filling while also lightening it up nicely… it’s awesome!

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Next we need a good amount (3/4 a teaspoon each) of salt and pepper.  (Garlic and onion powder here would also be great… just a few pinches.)

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Use a fork to blend this glorious mixture together.

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And crumble in the (now cooled) meat.  You can use less meat if you want and save the rest for another use.  I used all of it just because I was feeding a few men and I wanted to dish to be manly.  (Heck… if it had just been me… I’d have been happy enough with just the artichokes and spinach!)

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From here, it’s just assembly.  (This dish is actually pretty easy to throw together!  And yet, it’s such an impressive finished product.)

First… lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  Then spoon a bit of marinara into the base of the dish.  This keeps the pasta moist and helps it not to stick.

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Then, generously stuff your shells with the filling.  I use a spoon to really mound it on and then smooth it into a rounded dome of deliciousness.

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Pack them close together like little sardines in the dish.  The tighter they are, the more they’ll help keep each other facing upright so that the filling doesn’t melt and run out of them.

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Doesn’t that look splendid?  Now it’s time for more sauce.

Really douse the top.  (I don’t like getting a piece of shell that dried out in the oven so I always cover every corner.)

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Once you’ve spooned sauce over every shell, slice up some fresh Mozzarella…

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And layer it on.  Fresh mozzarella is so special.  You can always tell when it’s the real thing!

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Finish with a light dusting of salt and pepper.  (Mozzarella, while creamy and spectacular, can be a little bland.)  You can also add another dusting of Parmesan here too if the mood strikes ya!

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This just needs about 25 minutes in a 375-degree oven.  I like to cover it with foil for the first twenty minutes, then take it off for the last five.  If you want the cheese to brown up a little, just use the broiler for the last minute.  (But watch it close!)

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The newly engaged couple was very pleased with dinner.  (Of course, they probably would’ve been on Cloud Nine even if I’d served them a plate of dog food.  But I digress.)  We all loved the stuffed shells, and I will definitely make these again and again!

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I’m so glad Giada inspired me to make this one, and I hope I’ve given you the itch to go hunt down frozen artichokes in your freezer aisle as well.

Enjoy!

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You may also enjoy…

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My Version of Tiramisu (made especially for my sister’s engagement!)

Tiramisu.

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Do you love it?  Or leave it?

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Historically I’ve been more of a leaver than a lover.  It’s not that I don’t like tiramisu… I DO!  It’s such a light, sophisticated dessert, with layers of custard and a dusting of cocoa.

I guess the problem is you just never know what you’re gonna get from place to place.  In some versions, the custard is rich and delicious… in others it’s not.  Sometimes you get a pleasant hint of rum… while other times you’re bashed over the head with overwhelming boozey flavor.

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So here’s my take on tiramisu: I don’t care for strong rum flavor.  It sorta ruins it for me.  Instead, this tiramisu is made with just a smidgen of vanilla-flavored vodka.  A VERY nice change of pace if you’re a fellow non-rum-enthusiast.

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I decided to make tiramisu because my sister loves it.  (She’s much more refined than me… my favorite dessert is a tie between cookie dough and Ben & Jerry’s.)  See, on Sunday, we recieved a little phone-call from my sister’s boyfriend, with some oh-so-welcome news.  He had plans to propose the following day!  WhooHoooo!  And to add to the excitement, after proposing he planned to end their day together at our house for an Italian meal!  WhooHoooo again!  It was perfect timing.  I had the day off for Martin Luther King day and was able to cook up a delightful Italian feast for the little lovebirds.

I had lots of fun creating a romantic table setting…

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…and LOTS of fun planning out the meal!  Bruschetta, Salad, Stuffed Shells with Artichokes, and of course the TIRAMISU.  I knew it would put her already perfect day over-the-top!

You should totally make it!  It’s super-easy, I promise.

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Start with 4 eggs, two tubs of mascarpone cheese (400 grams total), 3/4 C. powdered sugar, 1 T. brown sugar, 3/4 C. brewed espresso, 2 t. vanilla vodka, 2 packages of ladyfingers, cocoa powder for dusting, & a chocolate bar for shavings (optional.)

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This is vanilla-flavored vodka.  Its very simple to make… simply soak vanilla beans in vodka over a period of weeks.  :)  Thanks for the tip Jamie! It softens them up so that they are easy to scrape when you need them.  And if left alone long enough, the liquid becomes actual vanilla!  Cool huh?  Of course you can also use the vanilla-flavored stuff from the liquor store if you didn’t happen to have a batch of this brewing like I did.

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Measure out 2 teaspoons of this stuff (more if it floats your boat), and add a tablespoon of brown sugar (this helps the vodka mimic the rum-flavor, but in a more subtle way.)

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Now mix the alcohol into the brewed espresso.  This smells YUMMY!

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Now start separating your eggs into two bowls.  Be very cautious not to allow any foreign particles into the eggwhites.  It doesn’t matter so much with the yolks, but the whites need to be free from even the smallest speck of yolk since we’ll be whipping them in a minute.

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Now just grab an electric mixer and start whipping those eggwhites!  Add just a pinch of salt halfway through.  It brightens everything up.

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Keep going until you’ve created stiff peaks like these.

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Now set the whites aside, grab your powdered sugar, and add it to the egg yolks.

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Beat with the electric mixer (no need to wash it off first, the whites wont hurt this!) until you get this lovely creamy yellow mixture.  Add just a half-teaspoon of vanilla here to help flavor the custard.

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Lovely!  Now for the mascarpone.  It’s best if this is room temperature so it will mix easily.  (But if you forgot to leave it out like me, a quick nuke in the microwave at half-power will do the trick!)

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Mix it up. Gorgeous, isn’t it?  So silky!

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 And gradually fold in the eggwhites with a rubber spatula.  I like to do this in two batches.  The first batch gets slightly deflated in the heavy custard, but it lightens the mixture up nicely so that the second batch folds in easily.

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Here’s how you fold.  It’s a very gentle mixing method.

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When you’ve folded in all of the eggwhites, you should have a light and luscious-looking custard like this.  And you’ve accomplished the most complicated part of tiramisu.  The rest is just layering and chilling.

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Now then, grab your lady fingers and pour the boozey coffie into a shallow bowl.

Dip each lady finger in the liquid very quickly.

First one side…

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Then the other.

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And wedge them into the bottom of a dish to create your first layer.  You can use a shallow, rectangular baking dish if you prefer fewer layers.  I went with a taller dish for more layers (more drama!!)

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Spoon a few generous dollops of custard onto the ladyfingers to create the second layer.

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And just keep working your way up, layer by layer.  I really like how this looks in a glass dish because you get the full effect!  (Another neat idea would be to make individual servings in small glass dishes or cups.  How elegant would that look?)

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When you get to the top, its time to smooth out the last of your custard and give it a light dusting of cocoa.  It’s the Italian way  (I might be making that up… I didn’t learn this from an Italian, I just assume its the Italian way.)

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Don’t go too crazy.  Cocoa powder in mass quantities can choke up your wind pipes.

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Tadaaaa!  Make this and you’re guaranteed to impress any guest.  (Most people only ever see this in restaurants so it’s a big deal when someone makes it at home.)

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Oh, and one more touch.  Some shavings of chocolate bar for sweetness and added elegance.  Always a good idea.

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The couple raved about this dessert.  Apparently I’m not the only person bothered by tiramisus with excessive rum.  Everyone agreed that this version was delicious!

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And Mallory and James weren’t the only excited ones!  My husband was, shall we say, a rather zealous participant in the evening’s festivities?  Let’s just say life with this one is never boring.

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Hope you enjoy!

I will add that tiramisu is not recommended for pregnant women or young children (because of the raw eggs and varying levels of alcohol it can contain)… however this one is very low in alcohol, so I wouldn’t worry about that.  (Many desserts that call for vanilla contain about the same amount.)  Just the raw eggs can be a concern for some.  Maybe I can be considered an extreme risk-taker since I’ve already admitted I love cookie dough.

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Buon Apetito!  And Mazel Tov to all the happy couples in your life.

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You may also enjoy…

Chocolate Ganache Cake                                         Pear and Dried Cherry Clafouti

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes + A Family Wedding!

Well, it has been a very merry Christmas indeed!

Not only did I get a nice break from work and a heap of lovely gifts I didn’t deserve (creme brulee mini-torch and a Kindle to name a few!!)…

…My darling brother got married!

Speaking of that “break” from work… I wouldn’t exactly call it restful.  See, I’m not what you’d call an experienced event caterer.  I don’t have a professional kitchen.  I don’t have a delivery van.  I own two muffin tins.  And with these meager supplies, I baked and iced 225 vanilla bean cupcakes for the wedding reception.  It was a labor of love, but one that I was so glad to do!  It was delightful to see people enjoying my creations and to bless my brother with an affordable cake for his wedding.

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Care to see a few pictures of the grand event?  I also want to show you how to make the cupcakes!  They are super simple to bake, and you can ice them any way you like.  I chose an elegant rose design to tie in with the decor.

The wedding was gorgeous!  There were stunning flowers at every turn.  And the decor was a lovely winter landscape of bare branches, twinkling lights, birdhouses, pinecones, and moss.

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It was really quite a collision of the arts.  From the talent of Kelly’s step-father Scott, who selected the gorgeous flowers, to the downright drool-worthy photography of Zach Cheatham, to the beautifully-woven words of poetry offered by Kelly’s brother Michael Gossett… to the decor… to the cupcakes.  I could go on and on.  Like I said, a collective offering of artistic gifts made this one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever been a part of.

Look!  I even got to do my sister’s hair for the ceremony.  Isn’t Mallory gorgeous?

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The bride and groom were radiant and happy.  They’re a great-looking couple and an even better-acting one!  (By that I mean, what you get inside far surpasses their Abercrombie-model-esque beauty.  They are two rockin’ individuals.  They love the Lord and they love people.  Nuff’ said.)

Photo by Zach Cheatham

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I think you get my point.  Wedding = (stunning + perfect) x infinity.

So let’s move on to those cupcakes!

I use the same basic white cake recipe for anything that requires a vanilla cake base.  Why?  Because this recipe is simply the best I’ve found.  It bakes up moist and delicate, with scrumptious aromatic vanilla bean.  There are haters out that who will refuse to make this because it starts with (gasp!) a box… but don’t be one of them.  Be an “Embracer of the Box”, like myself.  I promise we’re happier than the food snobs over on “Team Box-Hater.”

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You’ll need a white cake mix, 1 C. flour, 1 C. sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 C. canola oil, real vanilla extract, vanilla beans or paste, 1 1/3 C. water, four eggs (2 whole & two whites), and 1 C. sour cream.  Also cupcake liners are nice as they minimize sticking when removing the cupcakes from the pan.

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Grab a large mixing bowl and combine the cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt.

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Use a fork or whisk to combine, then set aside.

Grab a smaller bowl, and pour in the oil…

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the water…

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the sour cream…

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…and the eggs (making sure that you reserve two of the four yolks.)  I suppose you could use the extra yolks to make a pudding or something, but I guiltily admit that many egg yolks went into the trash in the making of these cupcakes.  I was in systematic go-mode.  Had to get em’ done!

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Next, please add a teaspoon of vanilla.

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And the paste of one vanilla bean.  YUM!  It doesn’t get much better than this!

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And then grab an electric mixer, and start beating it up!

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Beat until just combined.  Then dump the wet ingredients into the dry.  I do this all at once.  Some say you should gradually combine the two, but I don’t like to “gradually add” things.  I probably should, but I dont.  And since I’m the one sharing this recipe, I’m callining the shots and I say we dump them!

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Beat for about 2 minutes on medium/high.  When you’re done it should look like this.

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At this point, please do me a favor.  Lay a light towel underneath the bowl (to prevent any accidents) and then lift it a few inches off the countertop.  Let it fall gently to the countertop, and repeat this until the bubbles in the batter float to the surface and break free.  This helps create an even texture in your finished cupackes.  (Because despite what Hershey’s Kisses may be trying to promote right now, air bubbles in your desserts do not make them taste better.)

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Now, just lightly mist your muffin cups with cooking spray, and fill each one a little over half-full.  I find a 1/3 C. measure does this job quite nicely!

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Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes.  (Mine needed the full 22, but I always suggest watching them for a few minutes before, in case your oven runs hotter than mine.)  You’ll know they’re done when they’ve lost most of the “shininess” on top and have a few faint golden spots.

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From there, you can decorate them however your little heart desires.

I went with a vanilla cream cheese icing piped in a rose design.  For this, you start with something in the center (a hershey’s kiss or blob of icing works well.  Something you can build the rose around.)  I used bits of white “Bliss” bars because I didn’t want it to show through.

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Sorry I haven’t provided a rose-tutorial.  Time didn’t permit me to do much more than stop for these few pictures.  But I’ll tell you I learned roses at a nearby Michael’s store. They offer cake decorating classes that can be really fun for a group of girlfriends or a mother-daughter outing.  I definitely recommend them, although if you care to read my synopsis of the Cake Decorating Class, you’ll find I’m a bit disenchanted with a certain cake decorating brand which I won’t mention by name.  Still, I picked up some valuable skills.

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And here they are arranged at the reception!  The ride to Memphis was no less dramatic than the hobbits’ journey to Mordor (VERY treacherous, I was a wreck.)  But every cupcake made it safe and sound.  The only accidental smooshes came after they’d already been set up at the tables.  (Go figure.)

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I hope you enjoy this cupcake recipe.  Make them for your next event… they are absolutely that good!  Just don’t ask me to make them  I’m a little cupcaked-out at the moment.

7 Holiday Must-Makes!

Can it really be December?!?  What have I been doing for the last three months?  Beats the heck outta me.  I know what I haven’t been doing… cooking and blogging, that’s what.

Want to know what I’ve cooked most these past three months?

My Cousin Emily’s Delicious Corn-Dip.

(Maybe she’ll even let me share the recipe with all of you sometime soon.  It’s beyond addictive.  I kid you not when I say the husband and I have eaten it as our dinner at least once a week, often more than that, since mid-October when she brought it into our lives.)  Corn dip is where it’s at!

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The holiday season is upon us, however.  And for me that means the time has come to begin madly, feverishly baking cupcakes.  For showers, parties, and other small events, yes.  But the MAIN event… the Big Kahuna… is coming up on New Years Eve.  I’m making cupcakes for a wedding!  (My brother’s, to be exact.)  Click Here if you want to see a sample of the design I plan to do on the fancy cuppies!

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So since I’ve offered ZIP in the way of holiday baking advice and yummy recipes, I thought I’d share with you a few that I consider to be “Holiday Must-Makes!”  These recipes are all truly scrumptious, tested & approved by ME, and decidedly festive.  Try them!  I know you’ll agree.

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1) First off: These Vanilla Bean Cupcakes!  You can’t imagine how good these are.  Nothing this simple should be this delicious!  This cake needs no adornment.

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See the vanilla beans sprinkled throughout?  This cupcake is treacherous!

 And though it needs no adornment, I strongly urge you to make it festive with one of the following variations…

YUM!

Strawberry Vanilla Cupcakes.

And YUM YUM!

White Chocolate Raspberry Vanilla Cupcakes.

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Alright, enough about cupcakes, dagnabbit!

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Let’s move on to…

2)  Cracked Wheat Bread.  The perfect wholesome, chewy, and barely sweet bread for breakfast or snacking.  Make it for guests this Christmas and smear it with jam.

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Next up, another savory.

3)  Delicious Roasted Mushrooms Over Polenta.  Rich, woodsy, cheesy, and delightfully filling!  This is my died-and-gone-to-Heaven dish.  It’s a splurge to be sure (calorie-wise, I mean) so that’s why I say make it around holiday time.

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Back to sweet.  My #4 Must-Make for the Holidays is…

4) Chewy Ginger Cookies Dipped in White Chocolate.  Trying to eat just one is impossible (and that’s saying something since they are softball-sized!)

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5)  Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree this year!  Don’t throw away all those poor little pumpkins from your porch.  Do something usefeul with them… they were originally created to be used for food, after all.

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I’ll end with two recipes I found elsewhere on the internet.  Both are delicious little hand-held snacks (which are a staple at every holiday family gathering.)  Holiday family gatherings simply must have a table devoted entirely to sweet little nibbles, and I insist that these be featured on that table.

6) Peanut Butter Bretzel Bites.

Perfectly salty and sweet.  Perfectly portable.  Brought to us by Two Tiny Kitchens.

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Aaaaand

7)  Nutella Hand Pies.  I made these as part of my husband’s surprise birthday party this year.  They’re a bit of a labor-of-love, which is why they fall into the “holiday” category for me.  But, like other labors of love, the effort shows in every bite.  And it really is nice to have something your guests can pick up and walk around with.  (Translation: You don’t need a plate.  When people don’t need a plate, it’s like they don’t actually have to count it as “dessert.”)  Many thanks to The Showfood Chef for these.

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And there you have it.  My top 7 recommendations for your 2011 Holiday Cooking & Baking Extravaganza!

Please feel free to shout out your own holiday favorites in the Comments Section.  I always love hearing what specials meals and desserts make other people’s holidays meaningful and delicious.  I might even swipe a few from ya!

~Carissa

A Very “Revealing” Dessert!

One word to describe this dessert:

FUN.

Eleven words to describe this dessert:

The most fun I’ve ever had making a dessert… probably EVER!

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These are “gender reveal” cupcakes!!

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I was asked by the amazing and lovely Jennifer and her wonderful husband Jarred to create a very special dessert to reveal the gender of their first baby to their friends and family.  (Oh, and to THEM as well!  That’s right, it was a total surprise.  Chris and I were the only ones who knew ahead of time.)

Right after her 20-week ultrasound, Jennifer drove straight to my office with an envelope containing the big news!  She left it with me and exercised incredible patience all the way up til cupcake time. (Which, if you can believe it, was over a week later!)

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All the party guests got to give name suggestions… (You have Chris to thank for Jeremetria and Jeremetrius.  And he has Will Ferrell to thank. )

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And everybody wore either pink or blue to represent their guess: boy or girl!

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The excitement of this event was just awesome!  Many prayers have been prayed for this child.

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So….

Are you ready to find out what they’re having??

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Its….

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A….

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GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Each cupcake was filled with a yummy pink center.   Everyone took a bite at the same time and then, of course, the tears, smiles, and squeals ensued.

Let me show you how I made them

I found surprisingly few ideas online when it came to the outside of these cupcakes.  I kept coming across the same two or three blog posts over and over.  I guess the gender reveal party is still a relatively new concept.  But when I saw these little pink and blue favors at Party City, I thought they were  just adorable!

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First off… I baked a batch of vanilla cupcakes, using this recipe.  Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes.

Next, take a small, thin knife and cut a small cone-shaped hole out of each cupcake.  Don’t let the knife poke through the bottom!  (It could spoil the surprise.)

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Next, for the filling, I used some cream cheese icing and mixed in fruit jam.  Strawberry or raspberry work well for a girl, blueberry is good for a boy.  Add in a few good squirts of gel food coloring to amplify the color.

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Now just cap each cupcake off with the cut-out piece of cake.  Press it down lightly.

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I sealed each cupcake top with a thin layer of icing next… to assure that no pink could poke through the decorative icing layer.

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Then I swirled on a thicker layer of icing and added decorations!  Try this icing recipe sometime… white chocolate buttercream!  It’s a great go-to if you want something simple and delicious.  For these cupcakes, I did not add the lemon zest to the icing.

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Here’s a close-up of the “girlie” toppers.

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And here we have the sweet little boy toppers:

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Gender reveal cupcakes are a super fun way to find out the sex of your baby… and what a great reason to get together for a party!  I’m a big fan of this up-and-coming trend.  The real chore is going to be convincing my husband to have a party of our own when the time comes.  He has very emphatically told me that he will be finding out the gender of any future children the day of the ultrasound.  Party-pooper.

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I couldn’t be happier for the Crows as they anxiously await their sweet new daughter.  Thanks to God for the miracle he’s daily knitting together in Jennifer’s womb.  The detail of his artist hand is truly amazing… down to the chromosomal level he forms us

I was woven together by you

Secretly being formed.

All my days were counted by you

Before I was even born.

A Few Healthy Subsitutions (for our “perfect” Banana Bread)

Well, it couldn’t last forever!   Nothing good can, I suppose.  I’m referring, of course, to the glorious luxury my husband and I allowed ourselves over the past week and a half to put our usual workout routine on hold and eat whatever we wanted every night.  It was wonderful!  We soaked up every second of the 60-70 degree evenings by going for long walks around the lake by our house.  When we had worked up nice, raving appetites, we’d head on over to Kroger and choose the junk food of our choice and settle in for an evening of blissful relaxation.

My choice?  Oh Baby!

Ben and Jerry’s Cake Batter Ice Cream is one of my favorite splurge-foods of all time!  Yum Yum Yummy.  I ate this Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night this weekend.  And I do mean I ate a pint each time.  Three pints in all.  That’s right.  And it was heavenly!  Pure scrumptiosity!

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My husband’s junk food of choice: these.  He likes to called them D-Oh-Netties (because of the spelling.)

I think these are nasty and that he is weird for liking them.  But hey, he doesn’t knock my snack of choice so I let him buy what he wants!  Chris enjoyed D-O-netties every single night this weekend as well.  And if I’ve left any doubt in your mind as to how glorious the experience was… let me repeat once more that it was glorious.

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But alas, we’re crawling feebly back onto the bandwagon… starting today.  Back to P90X.  Back to plenty of water and way less juice/soda/beer.  Back to edamame and V8.  Back to cooking lean proteins in the evenings instead of pouring a bowl of cereal or wolfing down a box of Mac n’ Cheese (or worse… see above.)

Do I sound less than enthusiastic?  To be fair, I’m actually all for the switch.  You can really only live like a slob for so long before you become one.  And we’ve pulled the e-brake just a few days shy of full-on slobdom.  Back to reality we go!

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So I thought I’d share with you a few of the substitutions I used tonight on our favorite banana bread recipe.

See, we had three and a half bananas that were absolutely going to go bad if I let them sit one more day.  They had to be used tonight!  My banana bread recipe (while delicious) doesn’t exactly fit into our detox plan… so I had to adapt it.

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I’ll make it reeeeeal simple for ya:

  -Less sugar

  -Less fat

  -More banana (to make up for the lost moisture from the decreased fat)

  -A little stevia (for added sweetness)

  -A little bran cereal (this helps with the “detox” part)

  -Bake in muffin tins (built-in portion control!)

And that’s it!  Bada bing!

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First off… grab little bran cereal.  (I really like Bran Buds, they’re not as rock hard as most.)  Pour 1/4 cup into a small bowl and add just a tablespoon or two of milk so that they can start to soften.

I didn’t totally eliminate the chocolate chips (although you could.)  But I did decrease them to a scant 1/2 cup and I used dark chocolate mini-chips instead of regular semi-sweet.

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Mash up three and a half brown bananas…

 

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Then add in a HALF-cup of organic sugar.

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Melt 3 tablespoons of Crisco and 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave… and add it to the banana/sugar mixture.

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Add in about a tablespoon of real vanilla.

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Lightly beat an eggwhite and add it in as well!

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Now in a separate bowl… measure out 1/2 C. whole wheat flour, 1/2 C. soft white wheat flour (also known as White Whole Wheat), and 1/2 C. all-purpose flour.  Also add in 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/3 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. stevia powder.  (Stevia is a great natural sweetener.  Zero-calorie… but not fake like Splenda!  A half-teaspoon may not seem like much but a little goes a long way.  It’s important to add because you’re cutting a lot of sweetness by halving the sugar.)  Sift together or mix with a fork to combine.

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Toss in the (very few) chocolate chips you are adding to get them coated with flour.  (Fewer than what you see here, of course, since this picture comes from the full-throttle recipe.)

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Now just mix the flour and chocolate chips into the wet ingredient mixture gently with a  fork.  It should be lumpy.

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Lightly spray muffin tins with canola oil spray, then fill each muffin cup 3/4 full of batter.  I did sprinkle just a dash of raw sugar and a dusting of cinnamon onto each muffin before baking.  I mean, I literally split one coffee-sized packet of raw sugar among the entire pan of muffins.  It’s negligible but makes ALL the difference.  Bake muffins at 350 for about 28 mintues (for large muffins)… less time for smaller-size muffins.

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There you go!  Healthy snack, healthy breakfast, and (in my case tonight) a light and healthy dinner.  (Comparatively speaking anyway… see above.)

Let it not be said that I’m out to ruin anyone’s diet.  You can enjoy yummy treats AND find ways to trim them down  Enjoy!