turn me over

there are days when i'm feeling a little "semi-homemade" today was one of them. i used store bought puff pastry to make apple turnovers. they turned out pretty great, even if i didn't make everything 100% haha.

1 package puff pastry
3 apples peeled, cored and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg for egg wash

after you dice the apples, mix them right away with the orange juice to prevent browning. then add the rest of your ingredients to the apples.. set aside.

flour your counter top and roll out each puff pastry sheet until it's about 12"by12". cut into four pieces. put your egg wash along one of the corners.. place your apple filling onto that half of the pastry. fold over and press edges together. use your fork to seal the edges further.

place on baking sheet, put the egg wash on top of the pastry and sprinkle with a little sugar.


bake for about 25 minutes on 400 degrees

eggcellent

my niece absolutely loves pickled eggs. it wasn't until i made them for her a few months back, that i had even tried them. turns out, i ended up loving them too.
after having months without them,i decided to make them for her(and me) today.

one dozen eggs, hard boiled
2 14 ounce cans of sliced beets
1/2 can apple cider vinegar
1/2 can white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/4 can water
10 whole cloves

in a large gallon jar(i used an old pickle jar that is just huge), place all the beets in the bottom.. all the liquid from the cans of beets needs to go into a saucepan.
add the vinegars,water,sugar,and cloves to the beet liquid. have the liquid come to a boil, making sure the sugar is dissolved. then turn the heat off and let cool.

peel your eggs and place them in the jar with the beets.
add the cooled liquid to the eggs and refrigerate. it's that easy!

strawberry fields forever..

so a few weeks ago, i had to go to bed bath and beyond to buy a bridal shower gift.
while i was there, i happened to find a tart pan, one that i've been wanting forever.
to break it in, i made a strawberry and kiwi tart.. it was absolutely delicious.

crust:

1 1/4 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold diced butter
2 tablespoons cold shortening, i used crisco
1/4 cup ice water

pastry cream:

5 extra-large egg yolks, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Cognac(i personally don't like cognac so i added more vanilla instead)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream

pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
put the flour mixture in the food processor.
add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas.
add the ice water and process until the dough comes together.

dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.i found i needed to chill for about an hour.

on a well floured surface, roll out your chilled dough, and transfer to your tart pan.
try to not stretch it while fitting it in your pan, it will shrink while baking.
cover the dough with foil, and pour dried rice or dried beans in the foil. this is just weighing it down so the crust doesn't rise while baking. bake for about 10 minutes like this.
remove foil and beans/rice.. prick the crust numerous times with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown.

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes,
or until very thick. reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.

with the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture.
pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes.
don't be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously.
cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding.
stir in the vanilla,cognac,butter,and heavy cream.
plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.

assemble with any fruit you like, or no fruit at all.

thank you, can i have s'more?

who doesn't love s'mores? graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallow. what's not to love?
i took this classic combination and turned them into s'mores brownies.. take a look

graham cracker crust:

6 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar

chocolate brownie center:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large cold eggs
1 cup flour

marshmallow topping:

four cups large marshmallows

pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
line 8x8 pan with foil

for the crust, lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter.
stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

meanwhile, make your brownie.
put the butter and chocolate in a double boiler.
after the chocolate is melted,stir in both of your sugars, vanilla and salt.
add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter.
add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

pour batter over crust,bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes.

after they come out of the oven, turn your boiler on..
pack the marshmallows on top of the brownies. place under your broiler, this goes super fast, maybe a minute and a half at tops. keep an eye on the marshmallows or they will burn.

pecan please??

wow, it sure has been awhile. sorry for the slacking on the posts.
i had made these pecan squares for this huge party we had for my parents anniversary. personally, i enjoyed them, however i would of used a different crust if i were to make these again. if you like pecan pie, you will really like these!

here's the crust recipe i followed:

1 1/4 pounds butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 x-large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

and the filling:

1 pound butter
1 cup good honey
3 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 pounds coarsely chopped pecans

** now i admit the honey and the zests really threw me off when looking at this recipe. traditionally pecan pie/squares are made with karo syrup. you really couldn't tell too much of a difference, it was sweet and delicious, and the zests made it super flavorful.


pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

beat your butter and sugar in your electric mixer with the paddle attachment, until light,for about three minutes.
add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined.
press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 1-inch baking sheet,making an edge around the outside.
the dough is very sticky,so i floured my hands and the dough while pressing it into the sheet.
bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned.

for the filling, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and zests in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
cook on low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir.
raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes.
remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream and pecans.

pour the filling over the crust,and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set.

allow to cool and then refrigerate until cold.

almonds for days

so there are these cookies my mom and i used to get when we went to the beach. we used to get them from this italian bakery down there. well i decided to hunt them down and re-create them. they're called amaretti cookies; they're super flavorful, and easy to make

3 cups slivered almonds, finely ground up
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

preheat oven to 300 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper

in a food processer, pulse together your almonds and your sugar.
then add your vanilla and almond extracts and pulse together a few times.
one at a time, add your egg whites. and just blend together until your batter is smooth.



place on your baking sheets about an inch apart. you can make them as big as you want, they might just take more time baking.


they took about 35 minutes to cook

welcome to the old country

for those of you who know me, know i really don't have much patience. i had to set all of that aside for baking this bread. it was a two day process, and most of it was just playing the waiting game. i don't recommend this recipe for anyone who doesn't have the time to wait.

the first step is called a pre-ferment, you do this 16 hours before you're ready to combine everything else.

3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

mix the water and yeast together. then in a bowl, mix your flour and salt. then add the yeast mixture to the flour. you may add more water after if it is still not completely hydrated. make sure everything is mixed well, form a ball, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. keep out at room temperature overnight(minimum 12 hours)

here is the next ingredient list:

2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat (or rye) flour
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

in a mixing bowl with the dough hook attatchment, combine all of the above ingredients. after this is mixed, take all of your pre-ferment and cut that up into small pieces, then add this to your current dough. combine all of your dough together.


after everything is mixed, take all of your dough and place it in a greased bowl. cover with a towel and let rise for 2 1/2 hours. during this time, punch down the bowl at least twice, this helps gluten developement, and also helps it from not getting so big.

after 2 1/2 hours has passed, divide dough into two equal pieces, shape them into ball. let them rest again for 5-10 minutes before giving them their final shapes.
shape them into football like shapes, and then cover them with a towel, once again and let rest for 1 1/2 hours.


halfway during your last resting period, start the preheat on your oven. the temperature needs to be super hot, so preheat to 450 degrees. i'm using a pizza stone to bake on, so i need that to be in my preheat too.

when it's time to put them in the oven, you should place a pan with water at the bottom of your oven to produce steam, this helps the developement of your crust.

score(kind of slice into) the tops of your loaves and place in the oven. after 20 minutes, rotate your pizza stone 180 degrees so the bread evenly bakes. these ended up being in the oven for about 45 minutes.

you're giving me a tooth ache

who doesn't love a good brownie?? i honestly cannot think of anyone who doesn't love them.
today was my first experience making them from scratch. much like everyone else, i always just used the box mixes. well my life has changed for the better after making these delicious treats.

one pound butter, unsalted
one pound semi-sweet chocolate chips
six ounces unsweetened chocolate
six extra-large eggs
two tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt



pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 12x18" sheet pan

melt together your butter, 1 pound of the chocolate chips, and all of the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water(a double boiler).then let this chocolate goodness cool slightly.


in a mixing bowl, stir (don't beat) together the eggs,vanilla,and sugar. then stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and allow to cool to room temperature.


in another bowl, sift together flour, the baking powder, and salt. add to the cooled chocolate mixture.



these are supposed to bake for 30 minutes, but you know me, i'm always checking.they ended up taking about 45 minutes for me.when they are done, your toothpick will come out clean :)
allow these to cool completely before cutting and serving

i've gone coconuts

today ladies and gentlemen, i've made for you a coconut cake.i had never made a coconut cake before, so i turned to my favorite chef on food network to give me the advice i needed. ina garten, or as you all may know her "the barefoot contessa", had been a favorite of mine for awhile now, so of course i was going to use her recipe.
i have altered it a little, simply because i thought it might need more coconut flavor. the original recipe, it called for almond extract instead of coconut. you can find her original recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coconut-cake-recipe/index.html

or you can follow the one i tweaked:

cake batter:

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 x-large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

frosting:

1 lb (2 packages) cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks unstalted butter, room temperature
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 lb confectioners sugar
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
* after making the icing and tasting it, i added more coconut extract (probably about 1/2 tsp. more) and more confectioners sugar.

preheat your overn to 350 degrees.

cream the butter&sugar on medium/high in your mixer for 3-5 minutes. make sure you are using the paddle attatchment with your mixer.

add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each one, just to make sure nothing is clumped on the bottom or sides and everything is being incorporated.

add your vanilla&coconut extracts and mix well. at this point your batter may look a bit curdled, but don't be alarmed it's ok!

in a separate bowl, sift together your flour, baking soda&powder and your salt.

slowly add about half of your dry ingredients into your wet mixture.

now add your milk

finish adding your dry ingredients. after everything is mixed, shut your mixer off. do not overmix anything.

divide your batter as equally as possible into 2 9" baking pans ( you want to have these already greased and ready to go)
the recipe says to bake for 45-55 minutes, but i always check after 20 minutes, and every 10 minutes after that. every oven is different and you don't want to burn your cake, so please check it!

after the cake tester has come out of your cakes clean, remove them from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. after 30 minutes, you can remove them from their pans and continue to let them cool.

while the cakes are in the oven, i use this time to clean up from round one, then make the icing.

add everything except your confectioners sugar to your mixer and cream together. then slowly add your sugar(you don't want a huge snow white mess to clean up) until it is nice and smooth.
i'm so sorry because the only picture i remembered to take was the final product.

can i borrow some sugar?

on top of making fried pickles, i also made one of my favorites; sugar cookies.
i've been making these a lot lately, they're pretty popular in my household.

3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks room temperature butter,unsalted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
powdered sugar or flour for rolling

preheat your oven to 375 degrees
sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then set to the side

in a separate bowl, cream together both sticks of butter, and your sugar (this just means to mix them together so there isn't any lumps, and everything is well blended)


to your creamed butter, add your egg and your milk. mix together.

slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients until everything is mixed together.
form a ball with your cookie dough. wrap in seran wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours(i hate waiting that long, so i end up freezing the dough for 20 minutes).

on a clean surface, spread out powdered sugar(it coats the cookies and makes them a little sweeter) or if you prefer you can use flour as well. place your dough on the powdered sugar and with your rolling pin(also coat in powdered sugar/flour) roll out until 1/4 inch thickness. using a shot glass, cut out your cookies.make sure the rim of your glass is also coated in sugar, this just prevents sticking.

place cookies on sprayed baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. bake in the oven for about 10 minutes(every oven is different to i recommend checking them every 7 minutes)
after they're lightly browned along edges, take out of the oven and cool them on wire cooling racks

after cooling, ice (or don't) and decorate to your liking :)