Sweetness

For the past few months I've been trying to broaden my horizons by experimenting more in the kitchen.  For many of these culinary escapades, I have had a wonderful partner in crime.  We've had some successes, and we've also had some epic failures (Reese's Cheesecake Brownies?  Ugh.  Such an embarrassing night.).

I wanted to share two successes: one of which I promised to KH forever ago; the other being my most recent epicurean creation, made especially for my dear mother today for her special day.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

This recipe is originally from Sister Kim and has been a personal favorite (and quite the crowd pleaser) for many, many years.  Enjoy, KH!

2 packages of Devil's Food cake mix

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup shortening

Mix the above ingredients together in a large bowl for the cookie dough.  With your hands, form into small balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)

1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)

2 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

Mix the above ingredients together in a medium bowl for the icing.   If desired, add food coloring.  Use as filling to make a sandwich out of two cookies.

Best when refrigerated, better when frozen!

Banofee Pie

"an English pastry-based dessert made from bananas, cream, toffee, either on a pastry base or one made from crumbled biscuits and butter."  Mom and Dad first had this dessert over in England and today I attempted to recreate the deliciousness.  I found a lot of different recipes for this pie - I ended up choosing this one.  There are some steps that I would do differently next time, but over all it turned out to be just as yummy as advertised.  Enjoy!

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 package (half-size sleeve) of digestive biscuits (an English cookie-cracker, can be found at stores like Central Market) or graham crackers
1 stick of butter

2 cups whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 bananas
1 small bar of chocolate

First Step: Magically turn a can of sweetened condensed milk into toffee!  This can be done either hours or days (or months, apparently) beforehand.  Remove the label from the can and submerge the unopened can in a pot of water.  Cover and boil for 2.5 hours, always making sure the can is covered by water at all times.  After the 2.5 hours have passed, take the pot off the stove and allow the can to cool.  Abracadabra!  You just made toffee!  (Warning: be careful opening the can - toffee is prone to splatter and may be hot... and may burn your fingers.  Not that I would know anything about that.)

Second Step: Make the pie crust!  In a food processor (or a blender if you don't happen to be the proud owner of a food processor), grind up the digestives to a fine powder.  Melt the butter in the microwave and pour into the crumb mixture.  Stir until you have a sandy mixture.  Press and smooth mixture into pie plate to make the crust.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool completely. (Alternate Method: simply buy a pre-made graham cracker crust.  Less kitchen-saavy, but way easier.)

Third Step: Make the whipped cream!  Combine vanilla and cream on high until thick and whipped (this may take a while...).  Set aside.  (Alternate Method: skip the mess and just buy a tub of Cool Whip.  I'll most likely be going the store-bought route for this step next time.)

Fourth Step: Put it all together!  Cut up bananas into slices (thick or thin, doesn't matter) and arrange on the crust.  Open the toffee can, mix until smooth, and pour on top of bananas.  Spread the whipped cream on top of the banana-toffee goodness.  Grate chocolate over the top and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Fifth Step: Slice and Enjoy!!!

Hope your day has been as sweet as mine :)

Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches

This one's a keeper.  Enjoy!

Cookie Ingredients

1 c. packed light-brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1-1/2 c. finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)

Icing Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice; stir to combine, set aside.  Combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beat at medium speed until well combined.  Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended.

Mix in oats and carrots. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.

Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

To make icing, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla until combined.

Once cookies have cooled completely, spread cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie.  Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Original recipe found here.

qui-no-a vs. quin-wah

a friend and i made this tonight as we half-paid attention to the lions v. saints game. when i first suggested it as our culinary adventure for the evening, i pronounced it qui-no-a. i was quickly corrected and maybe slightly ridiculed. either way you pronounce it, though, this recipe is pretty fabulous. we liked it so much we ate it standing up, straight out of the bowl.

enjoy!

quinoa and avocado salad with lemon tahini dressing (serves 2)

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa 
• 1 cup water 
• pinch of salt 
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 
• 1/2 red onion, diced 
• 1 avocado, diced 

in a medium saucepan, heat the quinoa and water until boiling. reduce heat to low/medium and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed the water and fluffs up, about 15 minutes. drain any extra water and set aside to cool.

make the dressing while the quinoa is cooking.

lemon tahini dressing

• 2 tbsp tahini 
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 1 clove) 
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 
• pinch of salt 

whisk together the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. add hot water to thin (if desired) and then the salt.

toss the cooked quinoa, cilantro, red onion, bell pepper, and half of the dressing. add more dressing to taste. toss the avocado in last.

notes from the wanna-be chef

• my friend and i made this as a main dish, but if you are making it for a side, then it probably feeds 3-4 people. 
• word of warning: easy on the red onion! don't feel like you need to add it all. however, if you are particularly fond of red onion, then just make sure that a) you don't plan on kissing anyone right after eating, or b) have gum or after-dinner mints handy in case kissing is on the menu. 
• there are probably endless possibilities to the additions that you could make to this recipe: tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, chicken, shrimp, black beans, kidney beans, feta cheese...  all you would have to do is adjust your amount of quinoa and dressing.

(original recipe found here.)

Who moved my cheese?

A couple of months ago I took the following picture of a recipe from a magazine:

I was excited to try it out - I love tomato soup and I love cheese - but after taking a closer look at it, I found a very serious problem:

Do you see the problem with this recipe for a FIVE-cheese tomato basil soup???

THERE'S ONLY FOUR CHEESES.

I'm not crazy, right?  There's only four cheeses, not five?  

It's like they forgot the last line of the ingredients.

Believe me when I say that this has been driving me crazy for the past two months.

So, now that Austin is experiencing an incredibly cold cold front, I'm in the mood for a good homemade tomato soup.  

QUESTION: What type of cheese would make a good fifth cheese for this Sumptuous Five-Cheese Tomato Basil Soup?

Suggestions?  Or should I just let it go and be content with four cheeses?

angels & devils

so there are oreos.  

and there are golden oreos.

and then there are homemade oreos made with devil's food cake.

contrary to (my) previous belief, homemade golden oreos are NOT made with angel food cake.

to recap:

devils = good

angels = bad

for the record, i claim temporary insanity in thinking that the opposite of devil's food cake was angel food cake.

yet another example of why i should not be left alone in the kitchen.

and on that note, i should be getting ready for church.

Spiced Pumpkin Cookie Cakes

Also known as yummy in my tummy.

I was recently called as the choir director in my ward (or congregation), so in order to encourage (or bribe) people to come to choir, I decided to once again do a little experimenting in the kitchen this morning.  Now it is a well-documented fact that my culinary creations usually turn into culinary catastrophes.  But if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.*  And try I do.  So after many disasters, mishaps and a short-lived career as an accidental arsonist, I think I finally succeeded in making something edible.  At the very least, the people who came to choir after church today said they were good.

I think they're quite scrumptious myself.

I found this recipe through TasteSpotting.com (a fun, fun recipe Web site), which eventually led me to the original recipe creator's site... but to save you the trouble of all that hyperlink rigamarole, here is the recipe for this perfect fall cookie.  Enjoy!

For the Cookie Cakes: 
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¼ cup molasses
1 large egg
1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup whole milk
Confectioner's (powdered) sugar for dusting

For the cream cheese filling: 
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 tablespoons cream cheese, softened to room temperature
¾ cup confection's (powdered) sugar
¾ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (about ½ orange)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To make the Cookie Cakes:
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. 

In a large bowl, mix together the brown and white sugars using a mixer on low speed to get rid of any lumps. Add the butter, and beat together until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and egg, and mix to combine.  Add the pumpkin puree, and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk. Mix well after each addition. Blend thoroughly, but do not overbeat.

Drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet (alternatively, use a pastry bag to pipe the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 1 ½" in diameter).  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes**, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cookies comes out clean. 

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

To make the filling: 
In a medium bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, orange zest, and vanilla with a mixer. Start mixing on low speed and then continue on medium speed until just fluffy and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Do not overbeat.

To complete the Cookie Cakes: 
Turn half of the cookie cakes upside down*** onto a freshly lined cookie sheet.  Using a re-sealable plastic bag with one corner cut off, pipe the filling onto each upside-down cookie cake. Place the remaining cookie cake halves (right side up) on top.

Refrigerate briefly until set, about 15-20 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Keep the Cookie Cakes refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

*An alternative to this phrase: “If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.”  I kind of like this one better.
** I only had my cookies in the oven for 11 minutes and 30 seconds.  Adjust time according to your own oven.
*** These cookies can be really sticky.  Handle with care.  If you need to stack them on top of each other, make sure you are putting a layer of parchment paper between each cookie.
  

Katie in the Kitchen...

Invited some friends over tonight to watch Beauty and the Beast.

Made cupcakes, a veggie pizza, and a bacon + cheese dip (yummy recipe from Sister Jen).

For some reason, I can't fry bacon properly.  It always ends badly.  This time, the fire alarm went off because of all the smoke.  And then the bacon grease spilled onto the stove.  Which then erupted into flames.  So while the alarm located on the ten-foot ceiling is blaring, the apartment is filling with smoke, and the flames are rising higher on the stove... so I just started laughing.  And then I started freaking out.  How do you put out a grease fire?!  I quickly found the baking soda and dumped half the box onto the stove.  Doors and windows were opened.  Broke out the step ladder and started banging on the alarm with a wooden spoon.

The smoke cleared, the alarm finally stopped, and the flames were extinguished.

And the dip turned out great.

Homemade Goodness...

Making these never fails to make me happy.

Another Successful Culinary Creation...

I just got home from a wonderful evening with two amazing people - a dear friend from high school and her husband. I am so excited to spend more time with them in the future and get to know their cute little family better (and possibly kidnap their ridiculously adorable babies, but that's neither here nor there).

For my contribution to dinner I provided the dessert, and it turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. For those who know me well, I'm a bit of a spazz in the kitchen (just the other night I flipped my grilled cheese sandwich onto the floor). So when I actually make something that turns out like it's supposed to, it's a small victory and there is reason to celebrate.

Tonight's culinary masterpiece came from a recipe I found in the August issue of Shape magazine. So for all of you who like to get creative in the kitchen, this is a great recipe to try. Enjoy!

(This is for you, Erin!)

Lemon-Lavender Cupcakes

(Serves 12; Prep time: 30 minutes; Total time: 1 hour)

For the cupcakes:

1 cup white whole-wheat or all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons dried lavender buds, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and brought to room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk

For the icing:

1 cup loosely packed confectioner's sugar

5 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Fresh lavender buds to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place cupcake liners in a 12-cup muffin pan. To make batter, whisk together flour, lavender, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, lemon juice, and zest. Beat in one-third of the flour mixture until just combined. Beat in half the buttermilk, followed by another third of the flour, then the remaining buttermilk and flour.

Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds of the way up and bake 24 to 26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the icing, stir together confectioner's sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in zest. Drizzle over cupcakes and garnish with lavender. (Let frosting set for 30 minutes before packing or serving.) Serve right away or store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

(JULIE O'HARA is a writer and recipe developer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)

*Some comments: 1) I used just plain all-purpose flour and it was fine; 2) I found the dried lavender buds at Central Market in their bulk foods area. You don't want the green herb, but rather the purple bud part of the plant. Just ask someone to help you (believe me, it saves a lot of time); 3) When zesting the lemons, be really careful not to "zest" the skin off of your fingers. It is extremely painful and I'm pretty sure the recipe does not call for that particular ingredient; 5) I only baked the cupcakes for about 23 minutes and they turned out great - I think any longer in the oven would have overcooked them; 6) Once drizzled over the cupcakes, the icing sets pretty quickly, so it is important to garnish with the lavender right away so that it actually sticks to the icing.

**If I were more skilled in the art of photography, I would have taken really cool pictures of the whole baking process, maybe a couple of angled shots of the lemons and lavender on top of the counter, and then shots of the final products all lined up on a pretty plate.... but sadly I am not that talented. Maybe next time.

***Ummm, seriously, these were really good cupcakes. You should make them. And then share them with someone you love!