May: A Special Moment

For May I made something for a bridal shower and decided its the perfect time to post it on the blog. I'm always looking for new tasty items to bring to events, showers, weddings, etc. And we are in wedding season so I thought this a good moment to make something I've wanted to try and haven't.

This recipe is sentimental because it comes from an old cooking magazine of Mrs. Gal #1. She always was getting piles of Taste of Home magazines and I would look through them when she was done and pick out some recipes I would want to try. Up until just recently, these mystery recipes were hidden in a file folder of "to be sorted". Well I sorted and found a keeper! Let me introduce you to...Raspberry Peach Cupcakes.

The Cupcakes

1 cup vanilla or white chips

6 TBSP butter, cubed

1 package white cake mix

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup chopped peeled fresh peaches or frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed and chopped

Lemon Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

2 TBSP lemon juice

 Fresh raspberries and peach pieces, optional

Directions

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chips and butter. Microwave at 70% power until melted; stir until smooth. IN a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, milk, eggs, vanilla and melted chips; beat in low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Fold in the raspberries and peaches.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a small mixing bowl, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Top with fruit if desired. Yield: 2 dozen.

These cupcakes were so easy to put together. I did buy frozen peaches since my grocery had none fresh. I was worried about using a cake batter because I felt they might not taste homemade, but they do! The chef had to sample one before the big party and they were fantastic. The raspberry and peach inside is so sweet and with the sweetness from the white chips you might think it would be too sweet for seconds. But the slight tartness of the lemon frosting was a hit! It added just enough punch to make it possible to have seconds and thirds. And you can be so versatile with this recipe. You could do strawberries and blueberries for Fourth of July. Or pineapple and banana for a Hawaiian theme. I would have put the recommended fruit on top but these cupcakes are getting a special bridal touch! These are definitely going in the "go-to" file. I'm so glad I went through my "sort" file and found these winners! Bon appetite! 

Light April

After my March of goodness with stout and rich chocolate I wanted to try something light and spring-like. I decided to go for this Lemon Cream Pie when I saw the recipe in my cooking magazine I love. Its good for me to make these desserts because it gives all the nutrition information and I can stay on course with my currant fitness plan. I guess its not the best time to try and lose weight when our goal of the year is desserts! =D

This recipe only has a final picture because I learned you move fast when making cream pies. There was a mixer, several pans, a mixture on the stove and lots of quick learning moments. So alas there is only one picture. The ingredients weren't difficult my only concern was the milk and cream cheese on the stove. I was so afraid it would burn but that went fine...it was transferring the entire mixture back into the hot pot...that was when I had to be quick.

I have gotten away with trying to find different secret people to share my recipes with...it has just been shared with honest friends old and new. We all like to get together and try it so I think that is the way I'm headed still. This will be shared with some girlfriends at work so we can all have a little yummyness and a break from the everyday. Its good to have tea and pie...so very royal of us for this month!

So the final consensus....very yummy! It was just the right amount of tart lemon flavor with a sweet flaky crust. It would be good with a pre-made crust as well, since mine was a little thick for the cream. Overall both Mr. Gal #3 and myself enjoyed this light and more-healthy treat for April.

Lemon Pie Recipe

Gal #1 Reports In....Finally

Talk about failure - this year's blog theme was all my idea and I have yet to contribute.  I've been....stressed? busy? sleep deprived? LAZY!!!  And indecisive.

I loved my idea...but then couldn't commit to a secret cookie partner!  I entertained and discarded name after name trying to come up with the perfect plan.  Finally...I decided that there are three people who are the perfect audience for my cookies (or anything else I choose to bake) my Mom & Dad and my Mother-in-Law.

During 2011, I've baked and delivered several different kinds of cookies to the parental units - unfortunately, my motivation to bake and my camera weren't in the same room. 

Enough with the excuses.  Here are the cookies I made and sent to Indiana for Easter!

I took 5 pictures of this ingredient - and this is the only one where the label is legible.  Baker's Ammonia - it is this recipe's secret ingredient.  Not essential - but it gives this cookie such a unique texture and this is what makes it my Mom's favorite cookie.

You get the idea...mix the dough, roll the dough.

Whoops!  That's not cookie dough!  That's a delicious beef dip recipe that I was making at the same time.  How'd that get in there??

Dry toasting pecans to crush for the cookie topping.

Melting chocolate chips...also for the topping.

Voila!  Ok, I skipped a few steps...but here they are.  Delicious Vanilla Dreams...all ready to ship to Indiana.  (I kept a few for myself).
Here's the link from King Arthur Flour.  Easy recipe - but purchasing the secret ingredient is highly recommended!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/vanilla-dreams-recipe

Gal 2 - April Cupcakes

Cupcakes

2 ounces cake flour (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup egg whites (about 5 large eggs)
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp grated lemon rind

Lemon Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp 1% milk
1-2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Edible flowers (such as pansies or rosebuds) optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place 16 paper muffin cup liners in muffin tins. Set aside.
3. Lightly spoon cake flour into dry measuring cup; level with knife. Sift together flour and 3/4 cup powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Repeat twice.
4. Beat egg whites and salt with a mixer at high speed until frothy (about 1 minute). Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar a Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. sprinkle flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; fold in after each addition. Stir in vanilla and rind.
5. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. (I used a ziplock bag with a corner cut off. Also be sure you fill the liners from the bottom up without any air pockets as this batter wont settle!) Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. (I found this was too long!! Keep the cupcakes near the middle-top of your oven and watch them closely). Remove from pan, let cool completely on wire rack.
6. To prepare frosting, beat butter with a mixer at high speed until very fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar; beat at low speed until just blended. Add milk and lemon juice, beat until just fluffy. Add more lemon juice as needed to adjust the consistency. Garnish with edible flowers if desired.

I didn't have any edible flowers on hand, but I did have fresh strawberries! There is a little strawberry stand that sits just off the road not far from our house. They grow their strawberries right there beside and behind their stand. it opened last week and I thought fresh California strawberries would be just the right garnish!

These little spring beauties were the highlight of our Bible study the week I had snack!

March: Everyday Brownies

I, Gal 2, had planned on a cookie out of the cookie book for March. However, somehow, again life got busy. Instead I found myself scrambling for a dessert on Friday and made these fantastic everyday brownies. They truly are just the thing in a pinch! They also turned out wonderfully well.

"It's not as if I were short of a brownie recipe or two: I have over the years made them on easy autopilot; but I am no less grateful for this everyday, no-notice version. They are less extravagant - I use cocoa powder in place of the good-quality chocolate, and stud the mixture with a newstand's or convenience store's bar or two of milk chocolate - although to taste them, you would never, never guess. They ooze with such dark elegance and deep, deep chocolatiness.

This is the recipe you turn to when a child or colleague informs you last thing that you're expected to bake something for a bake sale tomorrow. You can just smile serenely and head for the cupboard. If you're working from a more restrained array, so are clean out of light brown sugar, and there's no chance to nip to a convenience store for the chocolate, then just use 1 1/2 cups regular white sugar and up the butter to 1 1/2 and the cocoa to a heady 1 cup.

A final note or, rather, nag: when I say cocoa powder, I do mean unsweetened cocoa; do not under any circumstance ever substitute drinking chocolate." - Nigella Lawson, Recipes from the Heart of the Home 

 

Ingredients

1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

About 6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small nuggety chunks (or 1 cup chips)

Confectioners' sugar, to dust, optional
---

Special Equipment

 Aluminium foil-lined baking pan or foil pan, about 13 x 9 x 2 inches

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a medium-sized saucepan.

When it's melted, add the sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon (still over a low heat) to help it blend with the melted butter.

Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and pinch of salt, and then stir into the pan; when mixed (this will be a very dry mixture, and not wholly blended at this stage), remove from the heat.

In a bowl or jug, whisk the eggs with the vanilla extract and then mix into the brownie mixture in the pan.

Stir in the chopped chocolate and quickly pour and scrape into a foil-lined baking tin or disposable foil pan, spreading the mixture with a spatula, and cook in the preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes (I baked them for 25 minutes; it was too long! They tasted great, but were cake-like.) It will look set, dark and dry on top, but when you feel the surface, you will sense it is still wibbly underneath and a cake tester will come out gungy. This is desirable.

Transfer the pan to a rack to cool a little before cutting into 16 pieces and dusting with confectioners' sugar. I love these gorgeously warm. But then again, I love them cold, too. Actually, when cold they are properly speaking more brownie-like: gooily tender within and moreishly chewy on top.

*Make Ahead Note: The brownies can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in airtight container. Will keep for total of 5 days.

*Freeze Note: The brownies can be frozen for up to 3 months in airtight container, layered with baking parchment. Thaw overnight in cool place.

Kiss Me I'm Irish!

So this month I tried something very out of the ordinary for me-baking with alcohol.  I've used wine and liquors before in some cooking but not much baking. This yummy St. Patty's day recipe is all about being Irish with Guinness Draft beer and Bailey's Irish Cream. Put them together with cupcakes and you have Irish Car-bomb Cupcakes.

The cupcake is made from rich cocoa with some Guiness Draft mixed in. While this bakes it smells awesome and you can't taste the beer taste in the cupcakes at all. The beer really just gives the cocoa flavor some extra bold richness. For the ganache that was inside there was bittersweet chocolate and Bailey's cream. It is slightly sweet but very strong like dark chocolate. Mr. #3 loved this part the best.

To top it off you make a homemade butter cream frosting with Bailey's Irish cream to flavor and it comes out extremely sweet and creamy. It balances the bold intensity of the cocoa and ganache. Needless to say I may experience more baking with some alcohol. These cupcakes were amazing and went the fastest of all the desserts so far this year. It is a great balance of rich and sweet but be careful- if you make these for guests be sure to save some for just you after they leave! :)

Ta-Da! Enjoy this yummy treat!

2010 A Year of Gal 3 Favorites

In looking back over last year's menus, I have discovered the culinary talent that lies in our family is OUTSTANDING! There are so many wonderful memories and experiences from cooking your way through a year with family and so choosing my top menu favorites was flavorsome. :) So many choices, narrowed down to the very best.

APRIL

  This was super fantastic! Still I think this is my HOLY BATMAN! of the year. This Stuffed Flank Steak was so yummy, so savory and just so satisfying. Hasn't been made again but its definitely in the keeper recipe file.

MAY

  I love everything pasta and cheese-Mascarpone Lasagna was super good. I loved the gooey-ness of this dish and with added protein, like some good ground turkey this was a great come-home-to meal for our little family. 

JUNE

 This Baked Alaska was as much fun to make as it was to eat. I think my most favorite part of this dish was getting to make it as a family. Everyone chipped in and out came a masterpiece of dessert that I think should become a June tradition.

JULY

  

This Fruit Crostata was super sweet and melt-in-your mouth buttery! Made with and eaten with a friend this is a must have dessert on hand for when berries are in season!

AUGUST

 Again, sentimental about having family with me to make this Chicken Cordon Bleu...and feeling so Julie & Julia this makes the top list. The discovery of Gruyere cheese and making it with a brother only made this amazingly hearty entree that much more fun to eat.

SEPTEMBER

 September taught me many lessons, and one is to always enjoy the dessert no matter what happened to the main course. Apple Strudel that can be made in a big batch and frozen was a discovery carried on and enjoyed by many Holy Batman followers.

 OCTOBER

 Mr. #3 had a large say in October. The entire meal was delicious, including the pork that goes with the Cherry Brandy Sauce, but the sauce was our star. We have made it several times since to accompany other meat dishes with just as much success as the first time and will now be a sauce staple in our kitchen. Yumm-o!!!!

NOVEMBER

November, not being one of my proudest menus, again proved to be a dessert-centered month. I love desserts, as anyone reading this favorite list can tell, but this Chocolate Pound Cake was a showstopper! What a centerpiece for guests to eyeball as they eat their veggies and clean their plates to get to the main treat at the end.

DECEMBER

Rosemary Breadsticks...so simple and delicious. These could accompany any meal and were a great addition our simple soup night. These can become a once a week bread dish or even a "just bring bread" to a friend's dinner and you can be the favorite dinner guest!

Overall ladies we did a great job and 2011 can only get better!