I have heard this called several different things, Monkey Munch, Puppy Chow, whatever you want to call it, it is really good!! And it is very easy to make.
Monkey Munch
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Butter
Melt all the above ingredients. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, microwave another 30 seconds until smooth
Add 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla.
Pour over 9 cups of cereal (corn chex, rice chex, cripix something along those lines) and toss until coated.
Pour cereal into a ziploc bag. Pour 1.5 cups of powdered sugar into bag and toss until coated.
***If you eat the whole bag, make sure you check your shirt for the evidence or it the powdered sugar will give it away!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thanksgiving Post Mortem
So Thanksgiving has come and gone and it was pretty darn good!! We had a lot to be thankful this year, and the food was amazing. Here is a quick re-cap
Turkey- I did a couple of things differently this year, and it was well worth it. First, I ordered a fresh, organic turkey from Whole Foods. It is a quite a bit more expensive, but I think it was worth it. I also brined the turkey. We have all been hearing about brining over the last few years, but I was always afraid of doing it. Let me tell you, brining more than lived up to the hype. It was juicy and glorious, it looked like a turkey out of a magazine!!
Stuffing-I made a ciabatta bacon stuffing that was also very popular. I usually don't even eat stuffing, but this stuff was stinkin good!!
Green Bean Casserole-Homemade green bean casserole (not with condensed soup) with bacon and a yummy creamy cheese sauce. It was fantastic. It had all the joy of a traditional green bean casserole, but with a little kick
Mashed Potatoes-You cannot have Thanksgiving without them!! They were creamy and I added fresh thyme and they were GOOD!
Rolls- I made homemade yeast rolls and they were pretty good. Not the best I have ever had, but my quest continues. We did have some dough left though so I made a pan of cinnamon rolls for the next morning, and they were pretty decadent.
Dessert-We had a snicker cake (which is exactly what it sounds like, a chocolate cake with caramel and nuts..yummo) Pumpkin butter cake, it is a gooey pumpkin cake with LOTS of butter in it, very rich, and delicious. My sister is against pie (she is a little goofy) so we didn't have any, I am a little distressed about this, and I might have to make an apple pie just for myself. I haven't decided yet.
I hope that you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and that you reveled in all your thankfulness!!
Now, onto the Christmas Baking season, MY FAVORITE Stay tuned for LOTS of recipes
Turkey- I did a couple of things differently this year, and it was well worth it. First, I ordered a fresh, organic turkey from Whole Foods. It is a quite a bit more expensive, but I think it was worth it. I also brined the turkey. We have all been hearing about brining over the last few years, but I was always afraid of doing it. Let me tell you, brining more than lived up to the hype. It was juicy and glorious, it looked like a turkey out of a magazine!!
Stuffing-I made a ciabatta bacon stuffing that was also very popular. I usually don't even eat stuffing, but this stuff was stinkin good!!
Green Bean Casserole-Homemade green bean casserole (not with condensed soup) with bacon and a yummy creamy cheese sauce. It was fantastic. It had all the joy of a traditional green bean casserole, but with a little kick
Mashed Potatoes-You cannot have Thanksgiving without them!! They were creamy and I added fresh thyme and they were GOOD!
Rolls- I made homemade yeast rolls and they were pretty good. Not the best I have ever had, but my quest continues. We did have some dough left though so I made a pan of cinnamon rolls for the next morning, and they were pretty decadent.
Dessert-We had a snicker cake (which is exactly what it sounds like, a chocolate cake with caramel and nuts..yummo) Pumpkin butter cake, it is a gooey pumpkin cake with LOTS of butter in it, very rich, and delicious. My sister is against pie (she is a little goofy) so we didn't have any, I am a little distressed about this, and I might have to make an apple pie just for myself. I haven't decided yet.
I hope that you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and that you reveled in all your thankfulness!!
Now, onto the Christmas Baking season, MY FAVORITE Stay tuned for LOTS of recipes
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thanksgiving!!
I LOVE Thanksgiving. I look forward to it every year. I love all the basic Thanksgiving foods, I try not to get too crazy. Turkey (of Course) mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing (for my hubby, I could do without it, but he would reevaluate our relationship if I didn't make it) green bean casserole (for my sister) my grandmother's homemade rolls (I have not perfected these yet, but I will save that for another post) Dessert is always my downfall, I want to make several different ones, and we end up eating pie for the next 2 weeks. I am going to try and limit those this year. This year I am going to make homemade green bean casserole, instead of the one with condensed soup. Here is a link to the recipe, it looks fantastic. I will keep you posted!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/not-your-mamas-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html
Gobble Gobble!!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/not-your-mamas-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html
Gobble Gobble!!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Apple Fritters
This post is a lot about my dad. My dad LOVES doughnuts! When I was a kid he took me and my sister to get donuts almost every Saturday. I remember one time we all thought he was at work and we went to pick up something at the dry cleaners, which happened to be right next door to his favorite doughnut shop. When we pulled his car was outside and he was sitting in there eating his doughnuts and drinking his coffee. There were 2 that he frequented, one by our house, and one by his office. So, if he wasn't around, you could usually find him at one of those.
So, Dad, this is for you!! I made apple fritters and they were awesome! You can dust them with powdered sugar, or make a glaze for them, either way, they are yummy.
Apple Fritters (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)
FRITTERS
Finished Product, dusted with powdered sugar!!
So, Dad, this is for you!! I made apple fritters and they were awesome! You can dust them with powdered sugar, or make a glaze for them, either way, they are yummy.
Apple Fritters (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)
FRITTERS
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- ½ cups Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2-¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1-¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 2 whole Large Eggs
- ¾ cups Whole Milk
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
- 2 whole Granny Smith Apples, Peeled And Diced
- Powdered Sugar (optional, For Dusting)
- GLAZE (optional)
- 1-½ cup Powdered Sugar
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- ¼ teaspoons Vanilla
- ¼ cups Milk
Preparation Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add milk, melted butter, and vanilla.
Gently fold dry and wet ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix.) Fold in apples. Add enough apples to make a very chunky batter. You want the apples to shine though!
Heat a couple of inches of canola oil over medium to medium-low heat. When it gets hot, drop a little drop of batter into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and rises to the top, the oil is ready; if it burns quickly, turn down the heat.
Drop teaspoons of batter into the hot oil, six or eight at a time. Sometimes they’ll flip over by themselves; sometimes you have to flip them. Just watch them and make sure they don’t get too brown, but cook them long enough to make sure the batter’s cooked through, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes total.
Remove and drain on a paper towel. Dust very generously with powdered sugar, or dip fritters in a light doughnut glaze (mix all glaze ingredients together, then dunk warm fritters).
Serve warm!
**May be heated up the next day in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes.
Finished Product, dusted with powdered sugar!!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Lemon Cupcakes with Blueberry Buttercream
These were a yummy summertime treat. The lemon cupcake was just the right amount of lemon flavor and the blueberry buttercream was a great color, and soooo yummy. I found a similar recipe for the buttercream with blueberry preserves, but I wanted to use fresh blueberries, so I made a blueberry syrup. I added the syrup to a basic buttercream and it turned out fantastic!! I realize this is not seasonally appropriate now, but you can save it until next Summer
Blueberry Syrup
11 oz Blueberries (mashed up)
1/2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup water
Boil until it reduces and it is a thick syrup (about 15 minutes), cool until ready to use
This makes a TON of syrup, so you can freeze it and use it something else later
Lemon Cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes)
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest (or 1 tsp lemon extract)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract.
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350, grease or put liners in 24 muffin cups
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl
Cream together the butter and sugar, add eggs 1 at a time. Add the lemon zest and the vanilla.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk in 3 batches until combined.
Bake for 16-19 minutes and let cool on a wire rack before frosting
Blueberry Buttercream
3 C confectioners' sugar, sifted (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency)
1 C butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
4 Tbs blueberry syrup (you can add more if it is not enough blueberry
flavor, but you might have to add more powdered sugar to stiffen it up, just play it by ear)
Beat butter until fluffy, add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add vanilla and whipping cream. Add blueberry syrup until desired blueberry flavor and color.
Look how pretty it is!! :)
Blueberry Syrup
11 oz Blueberries (mashed up)
1/2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup water
Boil until it reduces and it is a thick syrup (about 15 minutes), cool until ready to use
This makes a TON of syrup, so you can freeze it and use it something else later
Lemon Cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes)
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest (or 1 tsp lemon extract)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract.
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350, grease or put liners in 24 muffin cups
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl
Cream together the butter and sugar, add eggs 1 at a time. Add the lemon zest and the vanilla.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk in 3 batches until combined.
Bake for 16-19 minutes and let cool on a wire rack before frosting
Blueberry Buttercream
3 C confectioners' sugar, sifted (add more until it reaches your preferred consistency)
1 C butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
4 Tbs blueberry syrup (you can add more if it is not enough blueberry
flavor, but you might have to add more powdered sugar to stiffen it up, just play it by ear)
Beat butter until fluffy, add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add vanilla and whipping cream. Add blueberry syrup until desired blueberry flavor and color.
Look how pretty it is!! :)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Let me start out by saying that yeast is my nemesis. I have always struggled with it, and a few years ago I swore it off completely. When I was a kid my grandmother always made rolls that were amazing and I tried for years to duplicate them and I was unable to. After last Thanksgiving, I decided that I would never be able to, so I QUIT. But, I have a weakness for cinnamon bread, I think it is delicious!! It is sweet, but not too sweet. I went through 3 rounds before I was successful, but I was determined. I had trouble getting it to rise, probably because I keep my house pretty cool, but I researched and found a few tricks. The way that worked the best for me was putting a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil and then place the water on the bottom shelf, and put the dough on the top shelf, and VOILA! The moisture gets trapped in the oven and makes it rise beautifully.
Here is the recipe!!
(Look how pretty it is)
Ingredients:
(dough)
1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra
(filling and glaze)
1/4 cup sugar
5 tsp ground cinnamon
milk for brushing
1 large egg
2 tsp milk
Instructions:
Begin with the dough. Heat milk and butter together in a small saucepan until butter melts. Cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir slowly in a circular motion while adding sugar, eggs, salt and lukewarm milk mixture. Continue stirring a bit more quickly, and add 2 cups of flour until mixed thoroughly, then add remaining 1 1/4 cups flour until mixed through. Add more flour if dough seems extremely sticky. Remove dough from bowl, and knead on a floured surface for about 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in covered, greased bowl to rise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until doubled in size. Once risen, punch dough down once in the center, and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cinnamon and sugar together for filling, and grease 9x5 inch loaf pan. Roll dough into an 8x18 inch rectangle, with the 8 inch side facing toward you. Brush milk over dough, and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over it, leaving a 1/2 inch edge on the side farthest away. Beginning with the side closest to you, roll dough into a log shape, pressing ends together to make sure that it does not become more than 8 inches. Pinch dough ends together to form a tight seam, and push ends of dough toward the center. Pinch outside dough edges together to form a seal. Place the dough seam-side down into the loaf pan, and press down evenly. Let the dough rise more until it is about 1 inch above the edge of the pan (30-60 minutes). Preheat oven to 350, and combine milk with egg. Before baking, brush this mixture over the top of the loaf. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown, and let cool for 45 minutes before serving.
Here is the recipe!!
(Look how pretty it is)Ingredients:
(dough)
1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra
(filling and glaze)
1/4 cup sugar
5 tsp ground cinnamon
milk for brushing
1 large egg
2 tsp milk
Instructions:
Begin with the dough. Heat milk and butter together in a small saucepan until butter melts. Cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir slowly in a circular motion while adding sugar, eggs, salt and lukewarm milk mixture. Continue stirring a bit more quickly, and add 2 cups of flour until mixed thoroughly, then add remaining 1 1/4 cups flour until mixed through. Add more flour if dough seems extremely sticky. Remove dough from bowl, and knead on a floured surface for about 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in covered, greased bowl to rise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until doubled in size. Once risen, punch dough down once in the center, and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cinnamon and sugar together for filling, and grease 9x5 inch loaf pan. Roll dough into an 8x18 inch rectangle, with the 8 inch side facing toward you. Brush milk over dough, and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over it, leaving a 1/2 inch edge on the side farthest away. Beginning with the side closest to you, roll dough into a log shape, pressing ends together to make sure that it does not become more than 8 inches. Pinch dough ends together to form a tight seam, and push ends of dough toward the center. Pinch outside dough edges together to form a seal. Place the dough seam-side down into the loaf pan, and press down evenly. Let the dough rise more until it is about 1 inch above the edge of the pan (30-60 minutes). Preheat oven to 350, and combine milk with egg. Before baking, brush this mixture over the top of the loaf. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown, and let cool for 45 minutes before serving.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Bacon, Bacon, Bacon
Saturday, September 4 is National Bacon Day!! If there is any food that deserves a day it is definitely bacon. So, in honor of this day I made bacon cupcakes. These cupcakes were born from several different things. A while ago I was watching the Food Network, as I usually am, and they had a show dedicated to bacon, imagine that. And on that show someone made an apple bacon maple doughnut and it looked freakin amazing! I have always been a little against the combination of sweet and salty, but that changed my mind. I made an apple bacon maple cupcake with maple buttercream and garnished it with a little chopped bacon. The result was a yummy salty, mapley (I am not sure if that is a word) cupcake with a great texture. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and when you bite into it you get a little crunch from the bacon and the sweetness from the apples. I know that this sounds weird to some of you, but take it from me, I had my doubts, but they are really good. And, I think because they have bacon in them I can eat them for breakfast too!!
Happy Bacon Day!
Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Apples
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and then cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup milk
10-12 slices bacon (chopped)
1 medium apple diced into small pieces (I sauteed the apples in the same pan that I used to cook the bacon, you need to cook the apples first or they will not cook all the way)
Preheat the oven to 350 and line 12 muffin cupsCombine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl
Beat the sugar, eggs, and butter until light and fluffy. Whip in the maple extract. Alternate adding the flour and milk in 3 batches and mix until everything is blended. Fold in the apples and 3/4 of the bacon.
Scoop batter into pan and bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool on wire rack
Maple Buttercream
2 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon maple extract
Pinch of salt
If the frosting is too thick you may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of milk
Beat butter until light and fluffy, add confectioners sugar, maple extract, and salt. Blend until desired consistency, you may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of milk if the frosting is too thick.
Frost cooled cupcakes with maple buttercream and garnish with the remainder of the bacon
Happy Bacon Day!
Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Apples
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and then cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup milk
10-12 slices bacon (chopped)
1 medium apple diced into small pieces (I sauteed the apples in the same pan that I used to cook the bacon, you need to cook the apples first or they will not cook all the way)
Preheat the oven to 350 and line 12 muffin cupsCombine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl
Beat the sugar, eggs, and butter until light and fluffy. Whip in the maple extract. Alternate adding the flour and milk in 3 batches and mix until everything is blended. Fold in the apples and 3/4 of the bacon.
Scoop batter into pan and bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool on wire rack
Maple Buttercream
2 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon maple extract
Pinch of salt
If the frosting is too thick you may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of milk
Beat butter until light and fluffy, add confectioners sugar, maple extract, and salt. Blend until desired consistency, you may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of milk if the frosting is too thick.
Frost cooled cupcakes with maple buttercream and garnish with the remainder of the bacon
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