chocolate banana crepes This past Friday night was meant for celebrating. The weather was sit-out-on-the-deck-in-the-cool-evening-breeze perfection. Friends gathered from all around the city with chips and salsa and salads and popcorn and laughter and stories to share. The fire pit was aflame. The candles were lit on this (gluten free and vegan) carrot cake. And a very special birthday girl turned the big 3-0. Friends, meet Stacey. Read more TGIF, friends. Hope that you all have had a lovely week, and that a relaxing weekend lies ahead. Did I mention on here that I’m leading an Easter choir at my church?! I’m kind of over the moon about it. Anyway, warm wishes coming your way for a good weekend ahead. Read more Ever since my friends and I met for a tapas happy hour at our neighborhood Spanish restaurant a few weeks ago, I’ve had sangria on my mind. Read more But amongst the thousands of recipes out there using coconut oil, I think I have discovered a new favorite. Read more That recipe is coming on the blog tomorrow.
Blackberry Cobbler Waffles Waffles are totally underrated. They get a bad rap as pancakes’ not-quite-as-fluffy and not-quite-as-simple ugly cousin, with nooks and crannies just deep enough that the glob of butter won’t melt and a front left quarter that frequently hogs all the syrup. I mean, really. Yes. I would’ve been positively devastated if I didn’t get that asparagus pot, by the way. Pancakes were much more accessible and commonplace when I was younger, so when it came time to register for wedding gifts, I was over the moon to spy a waffle iron and add it to the list. Not only did I envision lots of waffle making, but I had grand plans to make waffle cones and maybe even cheese-soaked sandwiches and whatever else you could use a waffle maker for. Which is what I’ve used the waffle maker for. When I came across a dying pint of blackberries in our fridge, I decided it was high time to break out the iron. FYI: These waffles aren’t terrible for you. Blackberry Cobbler Waffles serves about 4 1/3 cup rolled oats 2 eggs
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever Yeah, yeah, I know! Everyone has a recipe that they say is the best ever. Well, this one is mine. This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time. I’ve made lots of different chocolate chip cookie recipes, but this one, in my opinion is the bestest of the best. I’ve literally made hundreds of cookies using this recipe. I’ve used chocolate chips, mint chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chunks, among others. I’ve made these and sold them at my daughter’s high school soccer games. So without further ado, here is my all time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’ve also included instructions for freezing these babies so you can have some on hand whenever you feel like it. TIP: This is important, probably the biggest misconception in baking in my opinion. The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Everprintable version Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Use a spoon or sturdy rubber spatula to stir in chocolate chips. (Linkup closed) NEW!
Pumpkin Monkey Bread September 23, 2011 | Print | E-mail | Filed under bread, pumpkin Monkey bread. It’s almost as much fun to say as it is to eat, and with the arrival of autumn, I couldn’t stop thinking about taking my usual recipe and kicking it up a notch with the addition of pumpkin – so, of course, I did. Making monkey bread has always brought with it feelings of nostalgia for me, which makes it one of my favorite sweets to share with family and friends. For the dough: 3 1/4 cups flour, plus extra for kneading1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp cinnamon1/4 tsp nutmeg1/8 tsp cloves2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted1/2 cup warm milk1/4 cup warm water2/3 cup pumpkin puree1/4 cup sugar2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast For the coating: 1 cup sugar2 tsp cinnamon3/4 stick butter, melted For the glaze: 2/3 cup powdered sugar2 Tbsp pure maple syrup1-2 tsp milk In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and spices. In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, water, pumpkin, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Leave a Reply
Celebration Cake (Yellow Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache) When it comes to yellow cake, fluffy and moist are where it's at in my book. But sometimes I just can't deal with all the crumbs that break off the second I apply frosting. Especially in planning my first ever multiple-tiered cake, I knew I'd need a yellow cake endowed with a touch more strength and structure than my current go-to. I get enough baking anxiety without adding collapsing cake tiers to the not-so-little list of horrors! Luckily my favorite white cake recipe had a yellow cake (egg yolk) variation built right in! A double batch was just right for the 2 tall tiers pictured above (5 x 4 inches and 8 x 5 inches), and the cake came out nicely firm without sacrificing moistness or flavor. Yellow Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache and Covered in Fondant Surrounding each cake layer was a generous coating of milk chocolate ganache (I used Trader Joe's Pound Plus bars, which are just $5 for 17.6 oz. and taste seriously amazing). Making Ganache for Decorating Cakes by Inspired by Michelle
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip - What Megan's Making Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip It’s time for a little confession. I realize this may get me shunned (especially in my hometown of Pittsburgh!), but….I don’t like football. I don’t like to watch it, I never liked playing football with my friends, I don’t even like playing catch with a football. I saw this recipe on Jessica’s blog and made it the very next day. *Note: Jessica also has variations of this dip on her blog. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip Ingredients:1/2 cup butter 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened 3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar (*to taste) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinklingDirections:In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
How To Make Creamy Ice Cream with Just One Ingredient! | Apartment Therapy... Yes, that's right; you heard us. Creamy, soft-serve style ice cream with just one ingredient — and no ice cream maker needed! What is this one magic ingredient that can be whipped into perfectly rich and silky ice cream, with no additional dairy, sweeteners, or ingredients needed whatsoever? If you guessed BANANA, congratulations! What? "That's the sort of thing you discover," she sighed, "when all your friends are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-allergic, and you're on a sugar-free diet." It turns out that frozen bananas are good for more than just dipping in chocolate. Some bananas, depending on their ripeness, have a bit of that green aftertaste. Have you ever tried frozen-banana ice cream? Want more detailed instructions and step-by-step photos? → Step-by-Step Instructions for One-Ingredient Ice Cream Now try more flavors... → Magic One-Ingredient Ice Cream 5 Ways: Peanut Butter, Nutella, and More (Images: Faith Durand)
Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread I’m sorry. I know it’s Monday morning and you probably came here for some pretty pictures of food that you could glance at, and then move on with your day… and here I go thrusting warm, soft cinnamon sugar bread in your face. It’s not fair. I know it’s not fair. I know that now you’re craving cinnamon rolls, and cream cheese frosting and chili fries and hot dogs. You don’t deserve this sort of torture. This bread hits all the comfort spots in my soul. I’m sorry and you’re welcome and I love you. Let’s start at the beginning. I did this all without the use of a stand mixer and dough hook. This dough can be made and left to rise , then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning. This is the dough just before it’s left to rise. After the dough has rested and risen for an hour, I knead it in a few tablespoons of flour. This is the part in the bread process where you can wrap the dough and place it in the fridge to rest overnight. I worked with my dough right away. I can’t even deal.
Web’s Tastiest: Pancakes Recipes Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So of course you want to get off to a good, healthy start. However, anyone with kids knows that some mornings are just too special to worry about a properly balanced meal. Spending time in the kitchen as a family, whipping up something absolutely decadent and definitely too sweet, is the stuff that memories are made of. The Web’s Tastiest Pancake Recipes are here to turn Saturday into Whattaday! Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Cinnamon rolls are fantastic all on their own, so infusing them with pancake goodness is a recipe for a heavenly morning. Lemon Blueberry Pancakes Lemon and blueberry are about as perfect a pair as Sunday morning and pancakes. Apple Pancakes An apple a day will keep the dentist away, so when you shred them and throw them into a pancake batter, you’re really making a healthy choice. Nutella Pancakes Need we say more? Apple Cider Doughnut Pancakes Cake Batter Pancakes Red Velvet Pancakes Gingerbread Pancakes
Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe I love it when I can easily make something at home and it turns out to be just as good or better than the more expensive store-bought kind. I’ve been wanting to try some homemade chocolate syrup. The basic recipe is very simple, but there are a few variations of it, so the other day I decided to experiment with them and have a chocolate syrup taste test. Not a shabby way to spend the afternoon! The one I liked the best was from Amy Dacyczyn’s The Complete Tightwad Gazette. ½ cup cocoa powder 1 cup water 2 cups sugar ⅛ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon vanilla Mix the cocoa powder and the water in a saucepan. The result is very rich, so I only use a teaspoon for a glass of chocolate milk. I poured the chocolate into a flip-top glass bottle and added a label. I’ve been gradually learning how to replace some of the foods we used to buy. Small Notebook is full of practical ideas to simplify your life and home.
not martha - Leprechaun Trap Cake This may look like a perfectly innocent cake meant to lure a leprechaun to the top but it has a few secrets. Secret #1: Beneath the pile of gold coins are fragile bars, when the leprechaun approaches to grab the coins he’ll fall into the pit and be trapped. Secret #2: There is a rainbow hiding inside the cake. Have you heard of Leprechaun traps? I decided that my angel food cake pan, with the hole in the middles, would make an excellent shape for a leprechaun trap. To read the complete how-to for this cake please click on MORE. To form the rainbow in this cake I used the method shown here at Omnomicon which is very simple — separate your cake batter, color each section, then pour it into your cake pan one color on top of the next. The trouble: Usually when one makes a cake like this you divide the batter into equal parts but that results in the color that went in first spreading out more as it cups around the colors that come on top. So this is what I did. This makes for pretty dishes.
Easter Cupcakes Baked in Real Egg Shells I watched my Grandmother’s face when she realized that I hadn’t handed her a hard boiled egg but rather a cake baked inside a real egg shell. Her eyes were filled with wonder and I could envision what she must have looked like as a tyke the very first time she saw a red balloon float across the sky or the the trunk of a giant elephant spewing a stream of water. “Crack it on the table,” I told her. Eggs were cracked, cupcakes were eaten, and I was perceived as a cupcake Houdini. Update 3/19/2012: For the basic instructions on these Easter cupcakes, keep reading. To see another example of them with dyed eggs and cream cheese “yolk” filling, see my latest version of these Easter cupcakes. I modeled my cupcakes in egg shells after Nicky’s egg shell cupcakes from Delicious Days. Yield: 10 large egg cupcakes What you’ll need: 9 large eggs (Only one will get used in the cake. To prepare the eggs: Carefully poke a small hole in the top of each egg. Turn the egg upside-down and dump out the contents.
Cookie Dough Dip Go put on your stretchy pants. Seriously. Do it now. Some days, I find that certain recipes speak to me. This is the situation I found myself in late Monday evening. Or the couch from which I was laying on after eating 16 snickerdoodles. You can only imagine what I did first thing yesterday morning. So let’s hit all the major points: 1. 2. 3. Or you can do dirty things like eat it with a spoon. Cookie Dough Dip makes about 1 1/2 cups 1/2 cup butter 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cups chocolate chips Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar for 60 seconds. Garnish with additional chopped chocolate. Oh! I think I love this girl.