Be Back Soon

I don’t have the best of luck with computers.  Last fall, I went through three laptops in the same number of months.  I thought I finally had one that could keep up with me until it crashed and burned last weekend.  So it’s off being repaired and I’m going through major withdrawals.  There’s not much internet surfing, no playing with photos, and zero new podcasts on my ipod for the last two weeks. Ugh!

The geeks tell me that I’ll have my laptop back and good as new in a couple days.  That’s good because I have baked goods to share.  Until then, perhaps you’d like to try this tres leches cake that I made last year for Cinco de Mayo.  Wish me luck!

(image from Glam & Graffiti)

Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

I understand that you try to have a healthy breakfast most days.  Really, I do.  Monday through Friday is all about high-fiber cereal and green smoothies.  But when the weekend rolls around and you just want to have cake for breakfast, I’m here for you. 

This recipe for baked chocolate doughnuts is another winner from Tracy at Shutterbean.  Imagine soft, chocolaty cupcakes topped with a rich espresso glaze, and baked in a pan with holes in the middle.  There you have it.  It helps that they’re so easy to whip together.  Perfect for mornings after you’ve slept in (just a little). 

Tomato Soup with Orzo

Ina Garten’s recipes never disappoint me, and her latest collection, Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust, is no exception.  With a name like that, the recipes better work, right?  And it’s true; everything I’ve made from it so far has been a winner.

I chose to make this soup because it reminded me of the comforting tomato soup with elbow macaroni my mom used to make for lunch on rainy Sunday afternoons.  Where I am, the season is just about to make that leap from winter to spring, otherwise known as soups and stews to burgers and salads.  Although we’re close, I’m convinced there are a few soup days left, and this Tomato Soup with Orzo would be a good choice.

Meyer Lemon Curd

I used to wonder what the fuss was about with Meyer lemons.

I would see recipes for baked treats like Meyer lemon bars, Bundt cakes, or muffins, and the author would usually recommend adding a little more sugar to regular lemons for those “not lucky enough to have Meyer lemons.”  I felt so left out.  How different could they be?  As it turns out, they are quite a bit different.  My local Smith’s grocery store recently starting selling these little gems, so of course I was excited to try them out.

The first time I saw them at the store, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see them again, so I bought a large handful.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make with them, but I knew it should be something simple that would highlight the lemon flavor.  I’m already a fan of lemon curd, so I figured that Meyer lemon curd would be a real treat.  I started looking for recipes, and found this one from David Lebovitz.  He’s never let me down before, so I went with it.

Coconut Nutella Surprise Cookies

At first glance, it isn’t obvious that these tasty cookies are made with Nutella.  Even after a bite or two, you will enjoy the delicate coconut flavor enhanced with chewy oatmeal, but you might wonder, “Is there really Nutella in here?”  That’s when the surprise comes in, and BAM, you bite into the smooth and creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread, and it all comes together.
It seems like only a short while has passed since I made these cookies, but since time flies so quickly, it’s actually been close to a couple months.  I wanted to make a Friday treat, and couldn’t decide between two different cookies that I’d seen that week on Pinterest, both from Two Peas & Their Pod.  The first was a coconut oatmeal cookie that practically called my name.  The only hesitation I had about bringing it to work was that not all people are lovers of coconut.  And by that, I mean that the people who aren’t lovers of this ingredient seem to be haters.  The second cookie that caught my attention that week was a giant chocolate chip cookie stuffed with Nutella in the middle.  I was pretty sure this would be a sure hit, since everyone I work with loves them some Nutella.  But I did mention the coconut recipe was calling my name, and so the decision was made to combine the two.  Done and done.

I decided to follow Annie’s method for stuffing her Nutella cookies on Annie’s Eats, and it worked perfectly.  Thursday morning before work, I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and placed scoops of Nutella on the parchment.  I stuck the sheet in the freezer, and left it there until I was ready to make cookies that night.   And just to make the coconut a little friendlier for everyone, I pulsed it in the food processor with the oatmeal just a bit.  My friends, we have a winner.   

Fettuccine Alfredo with Fresh Pasta

May I share a little story with you about the first time I made my own pasta noodles?
Well, a few years ago, my baking assistant gifted me the pasta attachments for my Kitchenaid.  I was pretty excited to make my own fresh noodles, so I quickly got to work online looking for recipes and advice on how to make it happen.  One Sunday afternoon, I had my attachments, recipe, and new fancy flour all ready to go.  From there, things got pretty discouraging.  As I fed the dough through the machine, it was turning into a clumpy mess.  My baking assistant was standing behind me and was just as excited to watch the pasta magic happen, but soon got scolded out of the kitchen.  Soon after that, the mess was thrown out and we picked up a pizza for dinner.

I wasn’t ready to give up on the idea of making my own pasta, so I kept looking, and soon found The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles from the experts at Cooks Illustrated.  If only I’d known how easy it could be.  I didn’t need fancy flour or other ingredients; I only needed flour and eggs.  That was it.  Since trying their formula of 2 cups flour to 3 eggs, I’ve turned out delicious noodles every time.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

I like everything about cookies.  It’s true.  

Cookies are probably my favorite thing to bake.  They are easy to whip together most of the time, they are portable, and they please a crowd.  From the time I was a young person when my mom let me bake Snickerdoodles by myself, I have enjoyed browsing cookbooks for new cookies, and more recently, finding them online to tuck away on the pages of Pinterest.  And for real, who doesn’t love a good cookie? And this cookie is definitely one of my faves.  It meets all the above criteria, and as a plus, you don’t even need a mixer to make the dough.  You could be noshing on these cranberry white chocolate cookies soon after the cookie craving strikes.

Cinnamon Honey Scones

Happy 2013!

I thought it would be fun to start out the new year by baking something from the Bouchon Bakery.  I know the cookbook came out way back in the fall of 2012, but it’s a pretty hefty book with so many recipes to choose from.  Actually, that’s not true.  I woke up one Sunday morning in December with the intention of filling the house with the aroma of cinnamon honey scones, but it didn’t work out.  

You see, when I saw the recipe in Thomas Keller’s new book, I knew they’d be perfect for a Sunday morning, but I didn’t actually read the recipe all the way through.  I should have known better with a recipe from Mr. Keller, because these scones required a little preparation the day before.  Whoops. 

Fast forward a few weeks later when I remembered to start the scones on Saturday.  Despite the list of steps and ingredients, these cinnamon honey scones are no more difficult than other scones to make.  The cinnamon honey cubes are the component prepared in advance, and they are worth it.  Honey, cinnamon, and butter are mixed with flour to make a paste, which is frozen and cut into cubes and scattered throughout the scone dough, where they melt into pockets and ribbons of flavor.

Cherry Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Is it really December?  It really can’t be.  But the calendar doesn’t lie, and neither does my email inbox that’s flooded with subject lines like Hurry Up and Buy Now Because This is the Best Christmas Sale Ever.

So you know what that means.   It’s time to start cranking out the sugar cookies and the pumpkin rolls and the caramels and all that fun stuff.  Maybe you’re on the ball and already there, but I’m not.  Before jumping into the holiday baking craziness,  I wanted to bake something simple.  Something with oatmeal and maybe some dried fruit.  I found this recipe in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook and thought the Cranberry Apricot  would be just right.
I thought I had everything I needed, but when I started measuring out my ingredients, I didn’t have any cranberries.  No worries though.  My baker assistant remembered the dried cherries in the pantry and the recipe was changed just like that.

Green Bean Bundles

Raise your hand if you cook for picky eaters who don’t really care for green veggies.  I have a little secret for you.  Wrap the vegetables in bacon.  I’ve heard it said that an old shoe would taste pretty good wrapped in bacon.  That said, these green beans wrapped in bacon are pretty delicious.  When I purchased the book from Rather Sweet Bakery, I imagined I’d be using it to make scones, cakes, and cookies.  Little did I know that the recipe I’d reach for most often would be for green beans.

Not that you really need to follow the recipe to make them because it’s very flexible.  It says to let the green beans marinate overnight, but more than once I’ve ran out of ambition the night before serving.  I mixed everything together, rolled them up, and stuck them in the oven.  I don’t think anyone cared.  Yes, the ground mustard pairs well with the brown sugar, but if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it.  It’s the long roast in the oven (and the bacon) that makes these green beans taste so good.

First, the beans are blanched for a few minutes, then mixed with a little of this and that and wrapped up in bacon.

Even when they’re only partially roasted, they’ll look good enough to eat.