Bake Your Perfect Man

Although Valentines Day is over the struggle to find the perfect man (or woman) never ends. If only it were as simple as throwing ingredients into a bowl, mixing it a bit, and popping it into the oven for a hot minute. I mean, all it takes is a little sugar, spice, and everything nice, right? At least that’s how it worked for the gingerbread man. In any case, when you’re given the cookie cutter for the perfect man you can’t pass up the opportunity to possibly cook up the best man you’ve ever met. Who knows, it could be love at first bite!

We found a simple sugar cookie recipe online from Allrecipes.com, and we mixed up an original batch and a chocolate batch.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter flavored shortening (we used a mix of butter and coconut oil) 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt We added about a teaspoon of cinnamon to give it some tasty spice. (We also made a chocolate batch, for these we put in about 1/4 cup baking cocoa, a titch less flour, and a pinch more sugar)

Once your dough is all mixed up it’s good to cool it for about an hour (we skipped this step). Preheat the oven to 400. Then roll the dough out on a floured surface and begin shaping your men from the mass. Spread them evenly on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes. Depending on your preference they are tasty frosted or simply nude.

If you’re looking for a tasty treat to accompany you for tea or coffee, these men fit the bill. Not only are they great listeners but their sweetness is the perfect complement to a hot beverage!

December Pie: Chocolate

Now, I know I’ve done a chocolate pie once before, but that chocolate buttermilk pie is nothing compared to the light yet rich, delightful creation that is this chocolate pie. This is hands down my favorite pie. Ever. It’s like a chocolate cloud in a graham cracker crust. And no, I’m not being facetious.

The recipe I use is an old family one that is very similar to this Hershey Fudge Bottomed Chocolate Layer Pie:

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 tub (8 oz.) frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed and divided
• Additional whipped topping or sweetened whipped cream (optional)

• 2 tablespoonsplus 1/4 cup milk, divided
• 1 packaged chocolate crumb crust (6 oz.)
• 1 cup HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, divided

In my recipe we use a combination of milk and dark Dove Chocolates. We also use a graham cracker crust, but I’m sure chocolate crumb would be tasty too.

Directions

1. Place 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons milk in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds at MEDIUM (50%); stir. If necessary, microwave an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Spread on bottom of crust. Refrigerate while preparing next step.

2. Place marshmallows, remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup milk in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until marshmallows are melted and mixture is well blended. Transfer to separate large bowl; cool completely.

3. Stir 2 cups whipped topping into cooled chocolate mixture; spread 2 cups mixture over chocolate in crust. Blend remaining whipped topping and remaining chocolate mixture; spread over surface of pie.

4. Cover; freeze several hours or until firm. Garnish as desired. Cover; freeze remaining pie. 6 to 8 servings.

    –https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=6799&name=Fudge-Bottomed-Chocolate-Layer-Pie

Now once your pie has cooled serve up a slice and enjoy a little piece of Eden.

Peachy Keen Cobbler

Brunch is hands down the best meal on any college campus. There’s just something about a late-morning weekend breakfast meal that complements college life. Not to mention it seems to be the hardest meal to botch. It was at brunch in Shtamps this weekend that Samantha expressed  a sudden desire to make peach cobbler. She quickly pulled up a recipe and that was how we decided to spend our afternoon, back in the good ‘ole kitchen.

Here’s the recipe we used:

Ingredients
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.
Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

I peeled and sliced the fruit, while Samantha prepared the butter, and dry ingredients.

Being out of season the peaches we picked up weren’t the most desirable, but baked with enough cinnamon and sugar you’d never know the difference.

The process was pretty simple, and we quickly had ourselves a sweet and sticky peachy-keen cobbler. A wonderful treat after a long week.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peach-cobbler-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

November Pie: Chocolate Buttermilk

Although Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and I will soon be baking a myriad of pies in quick succession, I still wanted to bake a pie this month while I was on campus; so as to fulfill my plan of baking a different pie every month of my last year of college. As I commenced my deliberations of what pie to attempt this month I was unsure of where to begin. I didn’t want to bake something that I would be popping into the oven again in just a few weeks.

As if I had called to the universe for an answer to this conundrum my mother sent me a recipe from our local newspaper (The Oregonian) the morning I was planning on going to the store. The recipe was for Chocolate Buttermilk Pie, a pie that I have never made before, but the recipe claimed it to be simple so I didn’t fret.
Here’s what the recipe called for:

• 1    9-inch pie crust
• 1 ½   Sticks of butter
• 1/3 C   Cocoa powder
• 1 ½ C   Sugar
• 4    Large whole eggs
• 2 T   All-purpose flour
• 1C   Buttermilk
• 2 t   Pure vanilla extract
• ¼ t   Salt

First, preheat the oven to 350, and fire up the stove to melt the butter over low heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Once the butter is good and liquefied add in the cocoa and sugar, stirring until effectively mixed; then set aside. Next, in a large bowl whisk the eggs until they’re nice and frothy–I would have loved an egg beater for this but me and my minuscule whisk made do. Once you’re eggs are nice and light add in the flour and buttermilk; combine well. Slowly add your chocolate mixture while continuing to stir, then add the vanilla and salt. Once it’s all mixed good and well pour it into your prepared pie crust–I bought a chocolate cookie crust, it turned out quite delicious–then pop your pie into the oven for about 45 minutes. You’ll know the pie is ready once the edges are crusty and the center a bit wobbly. I let the pie cool for a bit then sprinkled some powdered sugar on top. This pie is somewhat rich and decadent, you only need a small slice, but if you love chocolate it hits the spot. The original article served it with ice cream which would have been tasty, but even alone it was good enough to be gone before the day was done. It was a pretty simple recipe that didn’t consume much time; it would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving dessert array.

You can find the original article about Chocolate Buttermilk Pie here:  http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODE/Oregonian/Default.aspx?href=ORE%2F2013%2F11%2F06&pageno=62&view=document

Enjoy!

Banana-Bana-Fo-Fana

Throughout the week as I would leave the dining hall after a meal I occasionally grabbed a banana or two, planning to eat them later as a mid-afternoon snack. Well, the end of the week came and I had a pile of 4-5 bruised and be-speckled bananas lying atop my mini fridge. Now, I like to eat bananas while they still carry a smidgen of  green pallor to their peels; there was just about no way I was going to devour the yellowed fruits, but I couldn’t just waste them. So I came to the conclusion that I wanted to make banana bread, because what else can you do with brown fruit but bake it into something! This idea was cemented into my cranium as my desire for bread grew during a visit to the Hartsburg, Missouri Pumpkin Festival. At the festival, along with piles upon piles of pumpkins, there were vendors upon vendors selling wonderful things from jewelry, to holiday crafts, to delicious home baked goods: including banana bread. After smelling these delicious breads my craving grew, but I knew that I could make my own fruity loaf.

Fall is a great time for banana bread. It just so warm and comforting on a cool crisp day. Around here though things haven’t exactly felt like fall, the sun has been beaming down, warming the air to a near 80 degrees. This unseasonable summery weather reminded me of another favorite bread of mine. The mother of my lifelong friend, who is like family to me, has always made a delicious strawberry bread that is truly divine. Strawberries are definitely a summer fruit, but luckily our dining hall (Stamper, or Stamps as we affectionately refer to it) still had some chilling in our fruit bar. So, I made sure to grab as many strawberries from Stamps as I could along with some chocolate chips (because chocolate goes well with bananas and strawberries alike) as I devised my bread plan.

Instead of inspecting the internet for a basic banana bread recipe I turned to home for this one. My mother has always made top notch baked goods, so I asked her for our Banana Bread recipe. Our recipe comes out of the Betty Crocker Cookbook that we’ve had for as long as I can remember, quite the classic:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar–I use all granulated, but recipe recommends 1/2 cup granulated and 1/2 cup brown
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3  cup milk
1 1/4 cups mashed banana (2-3 bananas)
1 egg
1 cup chopped nuts (or no nuts)

Heat oven to 350
Grease bottom of pan (recipe says grease bottom only , but I have greased sides of pan as well)
Mix all ingredients and beat for 30 seconds.  (or so it says)  Pour into pan.  Bake until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9 inch loaf pan bakes 65-70 minutes

Cool slightly then loosen bread from sides of pan.  Remove from pan and let cool some more before slicing.  To store wrap and refrigerate for no longer than a week.

I followed this recipe pretty closely, but with a couple of adjustments: I used melted coconut oil in place of the vegetable oil (I was all out of VO after the Baking Bandits fiasco), I also added sliced strawberries and chocolate chips, and left out the nuts. 

I also didn’t have a bread pan… Or a cupcake tray… Or any acceptable substitute. So, I got creative.

Using a jar as a base I made aluminum foil containers.

I was quite happy with how they turned out, the makeshift bread cups were quite effective. The loafs made for a delicious sweet bread, satisfying my craving. I suggest slicing it and toasting it, with a little peanut butter. Enjoy! And always experiment, finding your favorite way of eating browned bananas.

Baking Bandits

Today is Break Day, I have officially made it through one quarter of my senior year. After staying in bed until the glorious sunshine seeped under my sleepy eyelids I took my time getting to the kitchen. This week I had a small amount of beignet dough left and thought I would enjoy my morning off by cooking the rest of it up. My friend LeeAnn joined me in the scullery to participate in the beignet breakfast. We got things started: dough rolled and cut, stove on, oil heating. We were a little low on oil now, after using most of it the first time around, but we didn’t think it would be too large a predicament. We started the frying. The dough was cooking quite quickly so I went to turn down the heat. I could just smell the scent of smoke, and didn’t believe it when the fire alarm began to blare. We froze for a heartbeat before hastening to open the window and turn on the vent under the microwave. I turned the stove off completely and moved the pan, but the smoke kept billowing; the cloud had grown out of nowhere. The fire doors in the hall closed and the screeching sound echoed piercingly through the dorm. Freaking out, and laughing hysterically LeeAnn and I made out way outside with the other girls who were confused and disgruntled.

Although there was no actual fire the alarm notified the fire department, who appeared momentarily. LeeAnn and I sat on the bench outside hiding our faces as security and the firemen passed to enter the building. What a wild morning. We were shortly allowed back inside. We waited to re-enter the kitchen until all the workmen had left. All of our baking things were there, except the beignets we had already made; they were nowhere to be found.

The takeaway: You haven’t really cooked in a dorm kitchen until you set off the fire alarm.

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• Beign-yay! (dormbakery.wordpress.com)

BEIGN-YAY!

Beignets beignets beignets. I could live off of only beignets and be a happy, satisfied person, with no wants in life. There is nothing in this world better than a good beignet. My experience with beignets starts at the cusp of my earliest memories… When I was young we would go to Newport Bay Restaurant for brunch on occasional Sundays. They had a wonderful buffet spread full of muffins, cheeses, fruits, breads, cappuccino fudge bars, and any other delicious brunch buffet item you can think of. In addition to this lovely variety they also had standard omelets, eggs Benedict, and your traditional breakfast fare. But the true reason I so fondly remember this wonderful, coastal-themed restaurant, was not the main items on the menu but the baskets of beignets they would bring to your table. I would devour these lightly powdered pieces of deliciousness, with a ravenous delight. As soon as the basket was bare I would call out ‘Beignets, beignets, beignets’; it became my mantra.

As time passed Newport Bay discontinued their brunch buffet, and with it their beignets. I was, to put it simply, devastated. Beignets are not a common menu item outside of the French Quarter. I thought I might never taste a delicious beignet again until I was able to make my way down to their hometown of New Orleans, and I didn’t have hopes that would be happening any time soon. But then a miracle happened in the form of a small cafe down the road from my house. Cafe Beignet was a small little hole in the wall coffee shop with the biggest heart and soul, and the best beignets I have ever tasted. Saturday mornings would find my mother and I walking our dog Cinnamon down to the cafe. We’d sit outside on the patio enjoying mouthwatering beignets, and hearty quiche, along with a tasty German Chocolate Mocha or Italian soda. It quickly became our weekly tradition; no rain or snow would stop us from making our trek. We became close with the family that owned the place; they knew our usual orders, and had a soft spot for Cinnamon. Unfortunately, being a small family owned business there came a time when they wanted to retire, and the cafe closed.

Now, before I go on, I realize there must be some of you who are asking what in the world is a ‘beg-net’?  A Beignet (ben-yay) is a sort of French doughnut. Basically it is a type of sweet bread dough, fried in oil and covered in powdered sugar, they are most famous in New Orleans at the Cafe Du Monde. Now you may be asking what’s so special about a doughnut?  Well, that cannot be put into words.

Since the cafe closed there have been a couple other places that I have discovered deliver the delectable dish, but none so close to home. There is always Cafe Du Monde, which I have yet to visit; then there is Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney, California; and a small place in Helena, MT called Cafe Zydeco.

With my go-to beignet provider gone I struggled to find something to fill the void. Up until now I was extremely timid at the prospect of creating my own beignets from scratch; it seemed a task as daunting as baking for gods. I had no experience frying something in oil. I knew it must take extreme skill and care, of proportions which I did not possess. Recently though I realized the best I can do is step up to the stove and go for it; I know more about beignets than the average amateur baker so why not try my hand at the craft. I also really wanted my friends to understand my obsession with beignets, and that could not be described without actual taste experience.

I started by finding a well reviewed recipe online from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beignets/

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

*I used coconut oil for my shortening, and added 2-3 Tbs of honey, as well as some cinnamon–I think this really helped the flavor of the dough. Others have used vanilla extract, but I didn’t have any.

Directions

1.  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well. Mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
2. Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Fry in 360 degree F (180 degrees C) hot oil. If beignets do not pop up, oil is not hot enough. Drain onto paper towels.
3. Shake beignets in paper bag with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.

We didn’t have too much trouble with the oil. Although we did end up with some burnt flour floating around that we had to spoon out in between batches. Be sure not to get your oil too hot, and don’t try to fry too many beignets at once or the oil will spit like a camel.

These beignets were a huge success. I have not tasted such delights in a long time, and now all of my wonderful friends can understand why I’m so beignet-crazed. I truly believe that everyone should experience the joy and deliciousness of beignets in their lifetime.

You won’t regret it.