TWD: Brrrrownies!!

Short and sweet this week just like the recipe that Karen from Welcome to Our Crazy Blessed Life chose for our Tuesdays With Dorie recipe this week!

If you love Junior Mints...if you love York Peppermint Patties then this is THE brownie recipe for you! I know it's up my alley--I welcomed the excuse to have to buy Peppermint Patties! Half the bag is now in fridge for snacking!

Dorie explains in her book that her son's liking of YPP ( forgive abbreviation, but I'm posting this from my iPhone... Tricky keypad)

the recipe came together so easily--though when I baked it, some of the white mint made like lava and bubbled up to break the surface... But regardless of looks, these were indeed refreshing as the old peppermint patty ad claimed ("when I bite into a York peppermint patty, I get the sensation of cool gale force winds whipping through my hair!!"...or there was another ad with a guy pretending to ski jump on his coffee table...anyone remember??)

anyway, these were awesome!!! Great moist texture...I'd make them again in a heartbeat!!

NOTE: how can I upload a photo from iPhone to blogger???! I can't seem to get my brownie photo into thus post !!! Grrrrrrr....(grrrownies!)

TWD: Raisin Swirl Bread

Susan of Food.Baby chose this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe--(a club dedicated to baking and blogging through her book Baking: From My Home to Yours)--and what a choice she made! (ok, let's face it, it's not like any of the Dorie recipes are bad choices...) I guess I always especially like the ones that make me feel connected to childhood/young adulthood spent in the kitchen.

Nothing does that for me--as I'm sure with so many others--than the smell of bread baking. I was excited to try this recipe--and it came together so easily!! I made the dough Saturday night...up to the 'freeze for 30 min' which is when I put it in the fridge to hang out for the night. I left it in a nicely shaped rectangle....

And Sunday morning I found this

Ya, that dough goiter hanging off the left side of it wasn't there the night before...but it rolled out nicely and after some shoving I got it into the pan!

I have made bread before, but never made raisin/cinnamon swirl! So festive...Here is where I admit I'm a raisin snob at times. In fact, I used less than half the raisins called for in the recipe--just enough to complement every piece cut, but not enough to overload it. (I'm always on the lookout for the ever elusive "cinnamon" bagel...no raisins, just cinnamon. I have only rarely found it!)

I froze half the loaf for making Father's Day French Toast! Dear Husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest..."this is awesome" was the exact phrase from DH..and our little one even had some, and from the flailing hands and feet from the high chair, and the hands opening and closing to beckon for more, I think it was a thumbs up!

It was a pleasure to make--and to bring the smell of my mom's kitchen into my kitchen, which I just love doing. Music and smells are what brings me back to a moment in time..how I measure my history. (Which is why I just emailed my high school reunion committee a whole playlist of songs from 1986-1990...our 20 yr reunion is this fall and they asked for song suggestions...I gave them everything from that era from B-52 Love Shack to Young MC It Takes Two to Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer..and everything in between (that means you Milli Vanilli, MC Hammer, Ton Loc, and Paula Abdul!) I hear some of these songs and I'm immediately in a car with my best friend from high school, and we are driving to football games...or basketball games.....or dancing at school or CYO dances ---looking for whomever was Crush Boy at the moment to make an appearance....and when I hear songs like The Lady in Red or Hold onto the Night, I have an urge to go blend into the wall or run off to the bathroom for fear that I'd be the loser without the dancing partner!)

And so with kitchen smells it's the same. As the bread was baking I was transported to the kitchen in our house I grew up in....Mom would make multiple loaves of bread usually at Thanksgiving and Christmas..she'd make enough to cover us through dinners, the leftover turkey sandwiches, morning toast (we so loved our toast in our house! Both French and good ol' toast-r-oven kind!) And any snacks in between. I love when I bake yeast recipes because I smell it, and Mom, who has been gone over 12 years now, seems to be no further away than just the other room...maybe in the dining room trying to find the "good tablecloth", or counting out silver, or in the Breakfast Room setting up the "kids table", and all the while singing along with Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra or the Carpenters or show tunes....I hope one day my Littlest Baker smells bread baking and thinks "Home. Mom." I may not ever know about it, but I hope it's a connection made one day over time and space....(though I fear it won't be nice as the picture I have in my head ...My son will probably say something like, "I smell bread baking -- you know, that almost-burned smell--and I think of my mother...swearing that she left it in the oven too long..or not long enough...and in the background--I hear her singing along to bad 80's music....ahh, home. Mom..."

TWD: Tender Shortcakes

First a story about this week's recipe host/selector, Cathy of The Tortefeasor...

Cathy and I met 1990 (aka freshman year of college) and have been great pals ever since...now going on (gasp) 20 years??! Wow, ok, that really makes me feel old...many beers ago...

Cathy and I have been through a lot together--including (I think) at least 1 class together (right Cath, or am I imagining you were in an English class with me--the British female professor...the one who'd make us put the chairs in a circle and discuss the book of the month/week/semester/whatever..the one who called on that guy "Mahhrk" a lot? (aka "Mark"...but not the way she said it!)

Anyways, so regardless of curriculum, Cathy and I have gone through ups and downs....we have shared laughs and tears both good and bad...during college I can't begin to say how many belly pains I have had because of Cathy and I building upon each other's jokes and stories and putting us into hysterics with our housemates...I came out of college with a tight group of friends...friends who I know will have forever. Friends who I know I can call (or tweet...or text...or Facebook 'friend') and know they will be there.....Cathy is one of those few who I know I am bonded to forever. Let's face it, you don't go through the rise and fall of Zima together and not become bonded for life.

And after college, we have seen each other through questions like 'what will you do after graduation" to "where will you live.." to "who will you marry"...to "what will your baby be named"...and now that she introduced me to TWD questions like "did you bake this week?" or "could you find that ingredient in Alabama, because I could not in Connecticut..." And I know years from now the question will be "so where do we all retire to?" I can't wait until I am sitting next to Cathy at Bingo one day when we are old and grey....then catching the Early Bird Special somewhere...and then reminiscing for the 1000th time "remember the time we cooked Thanksgiving dinner for our parents senior year??"

And in between now and then, Cathy and I are now going through a new curriculum together: Tuesdays with Dorie. Cathy told me all about the club and her blog two summers ago--no more than a few weeks after I decided to start baking more, and tried my hand at my first scratch cake (recounted on my now-defunct first blog). Though let's face it, Cathy is ten times as dedicated as I am with it and 20 times as witty and interesting with her posts! I always look forward to them. Whereas the miles between her and I are far, TWD keeps us in closer touch than usual, and brings us closer together. So I thank this blog for that.

So back to baking--this week was Cathy's choice. Tender Shortcakes. What a perfect selection to kick off Summer! We have had wonderful sunny weather recently (with some gross humid days mixed in) here in the Northeast....and Sunday after the humidity lifted with a passing thunder storm, I dove in and made the shortcakes.

They came together easily--Cathy, I can't thank you enough for an easy-peasey recipe! (obviously, thanks to you too, Dorie!) I didn't even have to plan to get the butter to room temperature! (love the "chilled butter" recipes!)

I opted to add the cinnamon and nutmeg, called for in the sidebar of the recipe....if I see any spin on recipes that adds those spices, I tend to go for it immediately. I started forming them...and then I forgot that it said if you go for the cinnamon route, to add some vanilla into the dough...."Doh!!" I forgot! So I tried to get it back into the cakes not yet formed...so I start to blend it in then, "doh!" I panicked thinking if I add to it and remix the dough, it means I would have over-handled the dough..Dorie says not to do that...You can see here the first row has pre-vanilla cakes, the bottom row has 'post-vanilla' cakes....and since I was at the bottom of the bowl, the unmixed flour started appearing...(I did half the recipe by the way, and it yielded six cakes) Forgive yellow hue to all photos...with my flash it was too bright, without it, it looks like this...darn energy-efficient bulbs...

So onward...and when they came out after 15 minutes, give or take--Voila!!

So here's the confession...I don't like strawberries...growing up, when we would have strawberry shortcake, I would opt for the spongecake and whipped cream, hold the berries. I decided to use the lesser of the berry evils for me, and went with raspberry and blueberry (I love blueberries, but better when they are baked in a cobbler or crisp. I know these 2 berries do not get as juicy as the strawberry, so not as perfect for shortcakes, but I had to go with what I thought I would eat! Dear Husband prefers those two berries as well, so it made it easy--and quite patriotic I might add.)

These cakes are AWESOME. Tender, indeed--and I love the added dimension the cinnamon provides. Especially since I mostly was eating just the cakes and whippped cream. Easy recipe+yummy recipe=repeated recipe!!

I know I'll make these again a few times this summer--even if I don't get into strawberry shortcake,I know guests will love it with these shortcakes!

Cheers, Cathy! Thanks for introducing me to Dorie! Thanks for a fabulous recipe pick!! Miss ya, babe!

TWD: Coconut Banana Ice Cream Pie

"See you in another life, brotha"

Well I've made just about as many resurrections on Dorie as....the man in black/smoke monster on Lost.

But here I am, trying again to work a little slice of baking into my little world filled with my ever-growing Littlest Baker. I must admit, I get selfish of my free time and ensuring that it goes to him...working all day I usally count the minutes til I can shut down and drive home and the weekends are all about either playing (or taking turns with daddy playing with him so we can clean the house!)

Yet I do so enjoy making new things and this Tuesdays with Dorie group, and carving out some 'me' time in between nap time will be good for me...so I'm back...again!

So this week Spike of spike.bakes (who is super cool in my book by the mere fact that there is a photo of Buffy and Spike in last week's post) chose Dorie Greenspan's Coconut Banana Ice Cream Pie...page 350 of Baking..From my Home to Yours.

What a perfect dessert this was to assemble as it had to be done in phases...quite inducive to napping schedules. No baking involved. You need only melt some butter and brown some coconut (which took longer than I thought it would to brown by the way...maybe I had it too low for fear of it burning too fast..oh ya, or maybe because I had it in a little saucepan, not a sautee pan as called for ..had to switch about 5 min into staring at still white coconut). So you get the crust together (coconut/butter/butter cookies) and press into pie plate and freeze for at least 30 min...then later on during naptime #2 I was able to blend the banana and ice cream and rum

I made this on Sunday--in preparation for the finale of Lost....I was so happy that this week was a tropical flavored dessert as it went so well with the Hawaiian location and all! Thanks, Spike! Anyone who knows me knows I'm into my tv shows (what few I have these days)...and who doesn't like a good 'theme' night. So in honor of the end of Lost, I made Shepherd's Pie (rather than go a tropical dinner route, I went the "pun" route as Jack Shepherd is a main character). After dinner Dear Husband and I enjoyed a slice o' banana coconut---and chocolate (a main flavor left out of the title, by the by) pie! Down the hatch it went! Though it was hard to get past the lump in my throat from tearing up the entire episode....It was a worthy finale of the show, I thought. Lots of hub-bub about disappointed fans...but I was not at all.

Sorry for the awful photography...but it's Monday night, I did not take photos when I first served this, so that's the pie without the banana top garnish..in awful artificial lighting...I'm keeping it frozen and serving one slice at a time, so I decided to forgo the sliced banana topping....If there is an award for worst photo, I think I just won it this week. Thus I had to open with a more attractive photo.

So with that, I hope to continue on and be here next week for white chocolate brownies...

See you in another (blog), brotha

oh, speaking of brothers...one of mine has a birthday today! Happy Birthday, Bri!

TWD: Swedish Visiting Cake (aka Gimme Gimme Gimme a Cake After Midnight)

And here I thought ABBA was the best thing to come from Sweden!!

Thank you, Nancy, from The Dogs Eat the Crumbs who chose Dorie's Swedish Visiting Cake as this week's recipe! I'd like to think I would have baked along this week no matter what, but the fact that one of my very very fave TWD bloggers chose it led me to know there was NO WAY I was skipping this week! Nancy/n.o.e I was SO happy to bake along with you this week! :) I always love visiting your site-even though unfortunately I've not visited m/any TWD sites lately due to time working mommy constraints...but look at this face...HERE'S why I don't post or read so much anymore..forgive me, fellow bakers??)

but truly, I always find myself relating to Nancy's posts and thinking "I think she and I would get along so well!" :)

Back to the Swedes: This cake is amazing. It's perfect in its simplicity. It is supposed to be made in a cast iron skillet--and I bought a dark blue/white glazed one not to long ago (it's so much nicer than the terrible photo shows...) But I realized that mine is a bit over the 9" called for in the recipe, so you'll see my edges were well done...but the texture in the middle? Spongy without being soggy...perfectly moist (thanks to a melted stick o' butter!)..the almond flavors are so full, yet not overpowering (gotta love anything with almond extract!...Or I do anyways!) Perfect for tea/coffee in the morning...or in the afternoon, or over after dinner conversation!

The story here is you can start it when you see folks coming up the street, and the cake will be ready by the time you get around to having dessert. Love that kind of story behind a traditional recipe!

You start with a great little tactic that Dorie uses in one of my other fave recipes, the French Yogurt Cake, wherein you blend the lemon zest with your hands into the sugar to make the sugar fragrant prior to adding in other ingredients (oh, and by the way, this was a one-bowl, no electric mixer needed recipe--another reason to love this!!) Once you do that you've done the "heavy lifting" of this recipe--all else you have to do is add the eggs, extracts, flour and melted butter.

Nancy, you are the reason I have another top Dorie recipe! I know that when I go visiting, or expect visitors, this will be one of those things I can whip up (I already know the recipe by heart, which is even better!) THANK YOU THANK YOU! I needed another "French Yogurt Cake" type dessert and found it!

Dear Husband thought it was fabulous--but asked "so I don't suppose this is good for me in any way?" Once I shared there is a cup of sugar and stick of butter his fears were confirmed...so we may have to freeze half of it to prevent the 2 of us from eating this whole thing in record time!

I can't wait to make this and impress folks with it! I will try different pans next time--or adjust recipe to fit properly into a 10" skillet...

I have awful photo this week...it was either snap and post, or no post at all...and considering 2 weeks ago I took extra time to snap photos in the daylight, and then did not get my act together to write the post on the coconut cake we all baked--ugh..meant I missed a Tuesday posting...So even though it does not count, just for the record, here is my dandy coconut cake from a couple of weeks ago! Anytime I can take out the Kugelhopf pan is a good time!

For more on the Swedish Visiting Cake, including recipe, visit Nancy's blog...and for more takes on the cake, visit the sites listed in the blogroll of us Dorie Greenspan faithfuls!

TWD: Thumbprints for us Big Guys

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Mike of Ugly Food Dude, who picked a great hazelnut-based cookie filled with raspberry jam...

Question: mine came out anything but a cookie I would call for a 'big guy'--they were super miniature..I took a teaspoon of dough, used the end of the wooden spoon, all as detailed in directions, and yet I can't say that they looked anything like the picture in Dorie's book...were there camera tricks..smoke & mirrors?? Or is the 'big guys' supposed to mean some sort of grown up recipe/flavors, not the size of the cookie? (but still..the photo in the book seem much larger)

Regardless, I was happy to try something I never would have done otherwise on my own--my problem is that I overbaked the dough...so I have the other half of the dough in the freezer for a rainy day--when I will reduce cooking time by enough to not have the cookies come out with a burn sort of taste....

Mike, thanks for picking a great recipe--even overdone they were pretty good and I'm looking forward to making the 2nd batch soon!!

Oh--and I tried raspberry jam in some, blueberry in some others...some, as you see in the photo cracked, but the jam was thick enough that it did not leak out too much!

Apologies for a lack-luster boring post..I am half-asleep, dead tired right now..just wanted to be sure I got this posted on Tuesday!! Even though I ruined them, I was glad to bake along this week!

My first "occassion" cake

We had my son's baptism this past weekend...finally...and I am happy to report that I faced down the scary "special occassion cake" demon and I went ahead and made the cake for our 30+ party myself. (How can I look anyone in the face and tell them I have a baking blog--and then ORDER a cake from a bakery? Just could not bring myself to do it)

I knew that it would come out looking quite home made--which it did...but it TASTED AMAZING! I used Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate Cake, and my dear friend Cathy gave me the link to use for the buttercream frosting! I had the ultimate one-two knockdown punch going..everyone loved it! And I think it looked rather charming--if only because you can tell that it was home-made. It was a labor of love--I had so much fun planning this very special day and am still smiling at what a perfect day it truly was.

TWD: Honey-Wheat Cookies

Wow, three weeks in a row with a Tuesdays with Dorie recipe completed and posted!

This week, I was happy to do the recipe for a few reasons-

1. It was chosen by Flourchild, whose blog I try to keep up with (but apologize that I have not lately, but now that I'm back posting--I hope to follow through and be back READING other blogs as well!) She is one of about 4 'followers' I have for my blog...and I can't help but think she meant to bookmark someone else's--but I truly appreciate her willingness to "follow" me on this poor excuse of a blog!

2. It did not have chocolate. I wanted to know I could branch out and enjoy a cookie that did not involve chopping, melting, or otherwise using (let alone eating) chocolate

3. It would be three posts/recipes in as many weeks...after a very long "maternity leave" (if only my maternity leave at work was as long as the one I took from this baking club!)

So...I put the dough together over the weekend and baked the Monday night. I was so proud of myself to be baking something that seemed very much un-Lisa like. I must admit reading the recipe I had hesitation....honey...wheat germ (I mean really, "wheat germ" and "cookie" in the same breath?)

My expectations were varied. One minute I thought "why am I doing this recipe" and the next I would think "wow, what if this becomes a new favorite!"

And so I baked 2 dozen, froze the rest of the dough for a rainy day....

tried them....

and as it turns out....

I have not found a new favorite.

I promise I'll bring them to work so I can try them with some tea in the afternoon, and maybe their appeal will change. They are not bad, they just are not for me. I know many will like this recipe, and my hats off to them, and I wish my taste buds have evolved past the age of about 11, but when i comes to sweets, I don't think they have! (Case in point: I thought to myself how much the rolled out dough, once rolled in a bath of wheat germ look so much like small Dunkin Donuts Munchkins--the coconut ones! But that very well could be because I gave up all things Dunkin for lent and I tend to see munchkins and donuts now in everything I see (see: "Whatever it is I think I see becomes a Tootsie Roll to me")

So here's what I keep thinking...it's the whole letter of the law/spirit of the law routine. Are these a 'cookie' --sure, in that they are a round baked good, made with flour, sugar and other add-ins, and they can be eaten in 1-3 bites....but these fall short in that I'm not stealing tastes of the batter, nor thinking "wow, I can easily eat a whole cookie sheet of these" or "I better buy more milk." Am I glad I made them? Yes. Will I eat most of them? Of course, because really even a so-so cookie is still a cookie! And some day I'll circle back to the dough in the back of the freezer and give it another try and maybe feel differently.

Thanks, Michelle for picking this recipe!! It was fun to bake along with you and all the other folks once again this week!

TWD: "My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies"

Short post so I can get it posted before Tuesday becomes Wednesday.

This week's recipe for us Tuesdays With Dorie bakers were Dories Best Chocolate Chip Cookies....and wow were these ever good....I love a crispy cookie--and chocolate chip to boot? Bring it.

I made mine with store bought chips---but only because I really wanted to size up the cookie--and to me I need to try all batters with the same chips to really measure up which 'cookie' I like.

I did however use the finely chopped walnuts called for, and I am not one for nuts in my cookies--but using such finely chopped walnuts was a welcome addition!

I would make these again...and again....the only caveat is to chill the dough prior to baking-I had not done that and these suckers spread out BIG time...I think I'd gain a chewier cookie if I chilled the dough for awhile first, but like I said I loves me a crispy cookie, so I had no problem polishing off way too many of these!

Thanks to Kait of Kait's Plate for this week's recipe pick! :)

TWD: Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia

Hey, check it out folks! Dorie is opening up a cookie bar in NYC!! Right now she and her son have a pop-up shop within Mizu Salon, but plan is for their own storefront in NYC! Sigh...I never missed working in NYC more than I do right now!

I can't tell you how glad I am to be finding some little time to myself in the kitchen during the weekend napping of the Littlest Baker. And to have Brownies be one of the very first returning recipes I get to do for Tuesdays With Dorie?! Perfection! Thanks to Tanya of Chocolatechic for picking this recipe!!! Her blog is one I love to visit--and look forward to reacquainting myself with now that I'm back among the living/blogging! Her photos and write ups are both equally fabulous!!! It's no surprise she would pick such a classically chocolate recipe! You can't make brownies without chocolate, so perfect choice for our 'Chocolatechic' gal!

Brownies have crept up there in the line of 'favorite desserts' for me...they are neck and neck now with the simple, classic, chocolate chip cookie (and hello, take 2 guesses what next week's recipe is for the Dories?! Yep. That's right....I'm so excited!!)

Back to brownies-to me, no one had better home made brownies than my beloved great-aunt Margaret. She was the baker in our extended family, and although we lost her in the early 1980's, in our family her name is often mentioned whenever we speak of apple pie, brownies, tapioca, and any number of other yummy goodies she would drop off. As a kid, nothing was better than playing outside, and seeing her vanilla colored Duster take the ride up our driveway.

If it was an unexpected drop-by, we always knew it meant Aunt Margaret had something warm and gooey and tasty to share with us that was just baked. To this day I can't see a pie basket without thinking of her. My gram (her sister) gave me Aunt Margaret's cookbook and I cherish it to this day.

It's pages are worn--or more specifically the dessert pages are well worn/spilled on/etc. There were recipes stuck in side clipped from old Redbook magazines, or ripped from the newspaper, and even some things written in pencil inside the front pages....(Gotta love a cookbook from the 40's that uses lard in some cases--and talks about the "new" product on the market (Crisco) that could be used in its place! ha!)

Tangent, thy name is Lisa.

Ok, so bottom line, my Aunt Margaret made the best brownies.

I've been striving to find recipes that stand up to hers (because what I don't have is the recipe she used--it must have been done by heart, or by some other recipe card long lost...) I thought the ones we did with the espresso coffee added (Katherine Hepburn Brownies) were great in texture--to me they were not right in taste as I don't want coffee interrupting my way to finding the chocolate. (note to self I meant bake these again to try without the coffee).

So far, my favorite was a recipe for super duper fudgy brownies that I was told about last year that hit the ball outta the park...across the street, and probably broke a window somewhere.... They were for any fan (like myself) of that fudgy/moist texture...that you can break open, then stick back together, hold upside down, and they'll stay. Not wet and gooey-but between that stage and the cakey brownie.

The brownies we made this week--Rick Katz's recipe--are just as delightful. They are for those who like an inbetween of fudge-vs-cake. I think the 9x9 pan helps them keep a fudge-cake balance..(fakey? cudgey? what would you call that?)

What I can't tell is exactly how long I need to bake them next time. The baking time called for yielded soupy middle...so I kept putting it back for a few minutes...then Dear Husband wanted to get AT&T on the horn to get us signed up for DirecTV....but the baby needed attention, so then I took the phone to talk to the gal and I ended up turning the oven way down, and walking away for a good 15 min...then I just turned the oven off (because I was STILL on the phone with them) and let them stay in the warm oven. I thought they'd be in ruins, but when I was (finally) off the (half hour+) phone call, I took them out and tested the middle...seemed ok. And come to find out these were done to perfection! It will be tricky trying to time it next time, and I'll have to consult the other Dorie bakers to find out what time worked for them. (Also-no greasing was called for?? I threw parchment paper into the pan b/c I wasn't sure what to do-if it was a forgotten step in the cookbook, or if they really did not need greasing..having never made brownies without some sort of liner or butter in the bottom of the pan, I took the cautious route)

All in all a great week---made brownies, enjoyed them while watching one of the best episodes yet of Lost....and now officially have posted a 2010 TWD recipe!!

Having limited time, I only took the finish photo--and that was about 3 days after I baked them...so forgive me the lack of a good 'play by play' blog this week!

Thanks, Tanya!

Is this thing on?? (a.k.a "Is There Anyone Out There?")

So...every week for the past several months, I think "this is the week...." and Tuesday comes and goes so fast (let alone the other six days of the week!!) and I admit defeat...and then think "maybe NEXT week..."

Turning the page on yet another month made me think "now or never"--let alone feeling the worry of being deleted from the club's blog roll! (Maybe I already am??) But I'm going to give it the college try...I'm back among the Tuesdays with Dorie throng! I knew it when I read the February recipes that February will be the month I get back into the swing of it!!

But understand it's been with good reason that I made such a break from the kitchen and our TWD baking club! And here he is!!

So since I'm not making this comeback on a Tuesday, I AM still posting a Dorie recipe-but not one from our 'bible' "Baking: From my Home to Yours"--instead I'm sharing one of her recipes that she wrote up in the Dec 09 issue of Bon Appetit, and one that I tried over the holidays! It was amazing!! In the issue, she made Pecan Sticky Buns with a spiced dough base--a dough that she describes is just as luxurious as brioche dough (brioche being the norm for her pecan sticky buns), but not as rich, and amped up with some spices. If you are even THINKING about trying this-do it. It was the first time I attempted Pecan Sticky Buns, and although it was a longish process, it was so.worth.the.ride....oh my Goodness...not since the French Pear Tart have I felt that feeling of "wow, did I REALLY make this??!"

Here's the play by play!!!

Once made and risen, here is the spiced dough all rolled up and nowhere to go!

wow, they could be twins....

Rolled up and cut up....ready for next rising....

the dough was all nestled, snug in their beds-while visions of sticky buns danced in their heads...
Above is post rising, pre baking...

....and here is post-baking, pre 'flipping' (and I really need to learn a graceful way of flipping a 9x13 glass dish upside down onto a cookie sheet..)

Post the stressful flipping...

Voila! mmmm...these were so amazing..I can't even begin to tell you. I felt SO PROUD to have made something so involved.....We did not finish them all only because I KNEW that they must have a week's worth of sugar/fat content in just one...(ya, one what? One BITE maybe?!)

Heaven on a plate!

THANK YOU DORIE! I'm loving that spiced dough and will use it for more things for sure!!

TWD: Flaky Apple Turnovers

Quick post as I am taking the Littlest Baker to the doctor today...2 month check up and (gasp!) shots!

recipe: Flaky Apple Turnovers from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours (via baking club Tuesdays With Dorie (aka TWD).

chosen by: twd club member Julie of Someone's in the Kitchen

verdict: delicious!!!!! love these...love the dough-though it was super crumbly maybe I did not do the cutting in of butter too well?? I had to add some H20 to it.

photos: as seen below...I tried to add a cut-out apple shape to the tops of these, but it puffed up..hopefully you see what I was going for...


Ok, off to get the apple of my eye (pun intended) up from his nap...if only he was old enough to have some of these sweet treats as a way to console him after the 4 vaccinations! Someday....

TWD: Chocolate Souffle!!

Well I did it...albeit the post is not appearing until late Tuesday--I actually baked one of our Tuesdays With Dorie weekly recipes!! Feels good to be back...at least for now! once I am back to work i am not sure how well I'll keep up.

This week I give a shout-out to my nearly 8-week old who let mommy run around like a maniac in the kitchen this afternoon whilst he played on his play mat, staring up at his favorite toys hanging from above him. He loves that play mat ALMOST as much as the ceiling fan in his room...Now the fan--there's his favorite thing in the world. They always seem to have a great dialogue together...the Littlest Baker stares up at the fan, 'talks' and laughs...the fan whirring around back at him...they really do get on famously. If only he looked at me the way he does Hunter Douglas....sigh..(What is it with kids and ceiling fans? I am beginning to think there are some sort of hidden subliminal messages, known only to infants transmitted by these fans.) Here is the li'l guy:

I must admit it was this weeks Tuesdays With Dorie recipe totally lured me back in...this week the recipe was chosen by Susan of the blog: She's Becoming Dough-messtic. (Chocolate Souffle, page 406 in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours) What self-respecting baker wouldn't want to try their hand at making a chocolate souffle?! I am happy to report it came out absolutely decadent, fabulous...it was "beyond'..it was 'bananas" (as Rachel Zoe would say Anyone? anyone?)

Dear Husband and I feel it shoots up to the top of the Dorie list of recipes I have done-the French Pear Tart and banana cream pie have a rival for SURE! I was the only one who enjoyed it warm as I had to make it during the window of opportunity I had earlier in the day. But "fallen souffle cake" was enjoyed by us both tonight after our dinner!

It came together easily...my only hiccup was I burned the top of it. I tried to take a photo of it risen right before I took it out but it didn't come out as I did w/ the door closed, so you see more of MY reflection than the darn souffle! But if you look carefully, you see the nice dome I was able to get on it...it started deflating by the time I took the photo that is at the beginning of the post! (FYI the light you see is not my flash--the flash was off..it's the light in the corner of the oven).

FYI, for the foodies out there who are fans of Food TV-I've made some pretty darn good dinners here and there during maternity leave...not many, and Dear Husband has been my hero when it comes to him arriving home after painting all day and still cooking up dinner for us as my day and nights are spent totally tending to our son...My intentions are always there, but I am at the beck and call of our Little Baker--who at 7 weeks seems to have developed some sort of digestive issues...gassy...spitting up..things that we have dodged until now but add more time to the feeding process--and to the 'calming down' process as he is mr fussy these days due to the aforementioned issues.

When I nurse him I seem to always be tuning into Food TV...so here are recipes I have tried over the past 7-8 weeks! ALL of which I recommend!!

Ina's Asian Grilled Salmon

Melissa D'Arabian's (the newest Food TV star) Salmon Cakes and Lemon-Thyme Orzo

Melissa D'Arabian's Chicken A L'orange with Fennel Cabbage Slaw and Crispy Potatoes

Then one day in the mail came my Bon Appetit...and I realized that I had all the fixins for one of their "Fast-Easy-Fresh" recipes--and I gave it a whirl! Can I just say there is nothing more satisfying to me than going through a recipe and realizing that I had all the ingredients?! So Dear Husband was surprised when he came home to Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Pan Sauce

Speaking of Bon Appetit, FYI Dorie has a "brioche-made-easy" recipe in this months B.A mag! I can't wait to try!)

I hope to return for next week's recipe Flaky Apple Turnovers! Fall is around the corner!! My favorite time of year!! (only this year my least favorite..Oct 12 I return to reality and work...and try not to have a breakdown over leaving the Petit Baker with daycare....)

Bingo!!! THE definitive chocolate cake recipe!

OK, so I have not been doing much blogging in light of the birth of my our little one--five weeks old this past Wednesday! I will say I DID make the banana bundt cake that everyone made a few weeks ago and LOVED it...but did not take photos...so I never made it an official posting!

Long before joining Tuesdays with Dorie baking club--and since joining--I have often lamented that I have not found 'THE' chocolate cake recipe that offers a 'box cake' moistness...

NOTE; this in no way is to offend Dorie Greenspan--my take is I am just not making her recipes for chocolate cake up to her standards! So THIS recipe I have found is super easy, (i.e. "dummy-proof") and gave me the cake texture I've been seeking....so just to be sure I point out that I'm sure if I had the exact technique that Dorie has, I would deem HER chocolate cake recipe the 'one'!)

The search is over (cue Survivor), I found the recipe today and I AM SO EXCITED! Well, actually I did not find it today, I had heard of it for some time..

Fellow TWD blogger, Nancy, of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs, told me in a comment in February to try Martha Stewart's 'One Bowl Chocolate Cake. It's taken me until NOW to do so.

The occasion was Dear Husband's birthday. He LOVES chocolate cake--problem is he does NOT love frosting..therefore, it leaves little room for error when doing scratch cakes. When a cake lacks moistness--I just slather on more frosting and drink more milk. He, on the other hand, has been stuck with many a dry mouthful of chocolate cake, and I'm sure has wished on many an occasion that I just do the 'box cake' and be done with it. And I almost did this year..almost!

Knowing the Birthday Boy does not enjoy frosting on cake-and knowing we were having our friends over for dinner led me to determine that cupcakes would be best--I could frost some, and leave others as they are.

I found Martha's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes, which is basically taking the cake recipe and halving it. It's not only the BEST texture and moistness--it's the simplest recipe! Sift all dry ingredients in the mixer bowl..then add the liquid ingredients, mix until blended and presto! Cake batter! Indeed its simple nature made this a very "baby-friendly" recipe! I stopped and started about 3 times and never worried that I lost my place in the recipe! Plus, if needed I could do some of it with one hand while I held him in the other arm (I actually cracked 2 eggs with one hand with no shrapnel!)

And so now I've got it--THE recipe for a perfect chocolate cake--and in plenty of time for Jason's first birthday!

Next time I think I'll branch out and fill some with whipped cream a la "Hostess" and maybe do some peanut butter frosting/filling a la "Funny Bones." But for now, I'm just thrilled with having a go-to chocolate cake recipe! Thank you, Martha--and thank you Nancy for turning me onto it!

TWD --a bit on hold for now in light of the new arrival!

Here he is...our first born...Jason!
Born July 15
9 lbs 1oz
22"

We're doing GREAT but I am just not sure when I'll get back to the next recipe--but I intend to be back in the Tuesdays with Dorie fold as soon as I can!

In the meantime, in lieu of a food creation, I give you a photo of our blessed creation! So in love with this face..I can't even tell you...!!

:) Lisa