Flavor-of-the-Month: Tribute to John Hughes

When this September's Flavor-of-the-Month theme was announced, I added several films to the my Netflix list so I could properly execute the theme: A Tribute to John Hughes (1950-2009). Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, and The Breakfast Club all made it to the top of my queue. I am a child of the '80s. Literally. Pretty in Pink came out when I was what? Three? Four? Needless to say, I can't count myself among those who can say that they grew up watching John Hughes films, and thus I needed a refresher :) After watching the films and brainstorming for ideas, I settled on "Pretty in Pink" cupcakes, mentioned by Bridget of Bake at 350 when she revealed the theme. I 'may' or 'may not' have 'stolen' her idea...

Dreamy Pretty in Pink strawberry cupcakes (with "Duckie" topper* You gotta love the sweet & dorky best friend, although he did border on the stalker-y side... Oh and am I the only one who thinks the dress she made was not pretty?!?!  Even for the 80's!).

*Get your own Duckie toppers over at Bake it Pretty, quite possibly the sweetest baking supply shoppe around!  I can't spend too much time on their website though, because I want to buy EVERYTHING I see. 

 I found the recipe in Cupcakes! from the Cake Mix Doctor. View the cupcake recipe here. I topped them off with a rich strawberry cheesecake frosting, which you can lighten up by using 8 or 12 oz. cream cheese instead of the full 16 oz. (I went whole-hog with this one and used a full pound!)

Click here to visit Bridget's blog and view the other Flavor-of-the-Month participants!

Strawberry Cheesecake Frosting
Enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes with leftovers

• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• 1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
• 2 tsp. strawberry extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 Tbl. mashed strawberries
• 8-16 oz. cream cheese, cold--cut into pieces

In a mixer bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar gradually, beating after each addition until combined. Add extracts and strawberries, and beat until combined. Add cold cream cheese pieces to bowl, and beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed and beat briefly until smooth and fluffy.

Weekend Birthday Celebrations!

Don't you love surprise parties?  I do.  (Not having one thrown for me, but being "in" on the surprise!)  A friend was celebrating the Big Three-Oh on Friday, and her fiancée put together a small gathering of friends to surprise her.  Unfortunately, he could not answer the favorite cake flavor question, so I had to resort to Facebook sleuthing.  Ugh!  Luckily I was able to find a note about the birthday girl's favorite ice cream flavor being mint chocolate chip, so I decided to go on that.  Finally, something good came from those ubiquitous Facebook quizzes/20 things about me/etc.!

Mint chocolate chip cake: A velvety chocolate cake topped with whipped mint chocolate chip ganache (which ended up melting/softening very quickly!  It did not hold its whip.  Tasted great though.) and whipped icing.  Lettering cut from rolled mint chocolate candy clay.

I was also commissioned to make cupcakes and a main cake for a little girl's first birthday party, which had a rubber ducky theme (how fun!).

Golden vanilla and rich chocolate cupcakes are topped with either plastic ducky picks...

...Or molded candy duckys.

• Candy duckys made with candy discs and this mold
• Plastic duckys from Bake it Pretty
• Brilliant blue cupcake liners, also from Bake it Pretty

The centerpiece cake was an almond pound cake baked in a 3-D rubber ducky pan.  In my rush to get everything packaged and ready for delivery, I forgot to snap a picture of him.  It's really too bad, because he ended up "dying" before the party.  After delivery, I was informed that the ducky started leaning at its destination...and then...*gasp* his head fell off!  :(  I'm not sure what happened here; I even made a practice duck the previous week because of my fear of tipping and/or decapitation.  The practice ducky stood proudly for 2 days before I finally cut him up, but he didn't have to endure a bumpy car ride!  I didn't think my driving was that crazy...

My Girl, Paula: Squash Casserole

 

Oh. My. Word.  Paula Deen has done it again with this squash casserole from The Lady and Sons, Too! cookbook, which was selected as this week's My Girl, Paula recipe.  This casserole was delicious and filling; I'd say that it could serve 6 or 8, not 4 as listed in the recipe. 

 

Changes I made:

• Used crushed plain Goldfish® crackers instead of Ritz® (got them on sale for 99 cents!)
• Used diced colby cheese
• Drained and mashed squash in a sieve held over the cooking pot.  A LOT of water came out!  Took 2 lbs. squash to yield 2 cups mashed.  Probably could've used 1½ lbs. if I didn't try so hard to drain the water out. (Using this much squash might be why my casserole is so filling!

Celebrate the Autumnal Equinox!

Please don't be mad.  I've edited the recipe for my "Big Batch Cut-Out Cookies" once more, this time to include a range of sugar amounts to use.  In my original post I listed 2 cups of sugar, but then edited the recipe a few days later down to 1½ cups after realizing that I had amended the recipe to cut down on the sweetness.  Then I made the autumn cookies you see above.  Wanting to try something new and more time-efficient, I decided to forgo the glaze and color the cookie dough.  The result was quite lovely, but the cookies were a little bland and somewhat delicate without the sheet of glaze holding them together.  So... I went back to the original post and included a note to allow the baker to use between 1½ and 2 cups of sugar.  Sorry for the confusion!

To make the cookies seen above, divide the dough into the desired number of portions and knead food coloring into it before rolling out and chilling.  Score fun designs on the dough with a toothpick, brush with an egg white wash, and sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.  Bake as usual.  For some very festive multicolored cookies, take the scraps from each colored dough and press them together before rolling. 

Big Batch Cut-Out Cookies (adapted from Allrecipes)

Makes about 5 dozen 3-inch cookies when rolled ¼-inch thick

2 cups butter, softened

8 oz. block cream cheese (full-fat, please)
1½ - 2 cups sugar, depends on whether you plan to glaze or not

1 tsp. salt

2 egg yolks

1 Tbl. Vanilla extract

½ tsp. other flavoring**

5 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

** This may be almond, orange, lemon, Princess Cake & Cookie, or my new personal favorite: Fiori di Silicia (seems pricey, but a little goes a very long way. You can make 12 batches with a single bottle, which is a great value considering the recipe is technically a double batch.)

Cream butter, cream cheese, sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and flavorings, and mix to combine. Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition to incorporate flour. Dough will be very soft and sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour. Divide dough into 4 portions and roll out to ¼-inch thickness between two sheets of waxed or parchment paper. Stack in refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours. (I do mine the night before or first thing in the morning to give the dough ample time to firm up.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Get out your baking sheets and line with parchment, foil, or one of those new-fangled silicone liners. Or you can leave them plain if you don’t mind washing greasy pans in between batches. No need to grease your pans because trust me--there’s enough fat in the dough! Cut out shapes with desired cookie cutters, place on pans, and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. Cookies will remain very pale. They are done when they are just barely firm (pressing one with your finger won’t leave a dent). Cool before removing from cookie sheets—they are quite tender and fragile when hot! Glaze with Glacé or Royal Icing. Glacé icing dries softer and more translucent than royal icing, and is easier to make. Royal icing produces vibrant colors, can be piped into much finer details, is sturdier for shipping, but can be tricksy for cookie newbies like myself.

Head on over to Our Best Bites for a fabulous tutorial on making and using Glacé Icing.

Happy ITLAPD, Sea Dogs an' Land Lubbers!

That be "International Talk Like a Pirate Day", in case ye didna know.


(Pirate-speak translation brought to you by Sydd Ware)

Rum: th' perfect accessory fer International Talk Like a Swashbuckler Tide. Better yet, let's make that rum raisin. Or chocolate rum raisin. Cobblin' together two o' me favorite recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take O'er th' World gave me yummy cupcakes in record time. If ye prefer, ye can make th' rummy raisins without liquor by substitutin' equal parts water an' rum extract fer th' dark rum. Less shipmatey, still tasty. Now off ye go t' make ye some cupcakes! Arrrr!

Chocolate Rum Raisin Cupcakes (adapted from VCTOTW)
Yields 12 cupcakes

2/3 cup raisins, coarsely chopped
2 Tbl. dark rum (or 1 Tbl. rum extract + 1 Tbl. water)
1 cup milk or soy milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. rum extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Place raisins and rum (or rum extract & water) in a small bowl and heat in microwave until warm, about 30-60 seconds.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while preparing cupcake batter.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F and place 12 paper liners in a muffin pan
3. Combine milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside to curdle. Meanwhile, sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in separate bowl.
4. Add sugar, oil, and vanilla to milk mixture, whisking until foamy.
5. Add half of dry ingredients to wet mixture. Whisk until combined. Add remainder of dry ingredients, and whisk until combined (some small lumps might remain, but that's okay).
6. Drain raisins and stir them into batter.
7. Pour batter into 12 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. It might look like it's too much batter, but they'll be fine. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until cakes test done. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Cupcakes might shrink a bit while cooling.

Vote! Vote! Vote! for the Top Banana!

Cupcake Hero is back, and the polls are open!  Visit I ♥ Cuppycakes! to view the entries and cast your votes.  You can vote as often as you'd like through Sept. 21st, but you can only choose one entry per ballot (meaning you can't pick 5 favorites and hit the "vote" button.  Do them one at time).  Does that make sense?  

Voting Rules Update: You can only vote once, so choose carefully! 

Click HERE to vote!

All the entries look delicious, so it won't be easy for ya (especially if you're hungry!)...

Honey Wheat Buns

Mmmm...

That's the only way I can describe these honey wheat buns, because my mouth is too busy eating them to say anything.  You know those soft, delicious wheat rolls school cafeterias make? The ones you beg the lunch lady to let you swap out your beans/peas/corn/"dessert" for, but she won't let anyone have two until all the kids have been served?  Well, these are it.  Find the recipe here.  This is another one of those "KAF Guaranteed" recipes, so you can be assured that they will be both delicious and easy to make.  I formed 8 patties instead of 16 rolls and baked them for around 24 minutes (no tent needed).  I could've been more dainty and made 10 buns, but I'm just greedy like that :)

My Girl, Paula: Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Did I really need to join up with another blog group? Well if the group happens to be making items from The Lady & Sons, Too! cookbook by Paula Deen, then then answer has to be a whole-hearted "YES!" I've had the book for several years now, and by a wonderful stroke of luck, it's been autographed. Some friends (Thanks, Mr. & Mrs. B!) were guests for what was the precursor to the show "Paula's Party," and they were kind enough to bring my book along to get it autographed. By Paula Deen, her husband Michael, AND brother Bubba no less!

My inaugural item for the "My Girl, Paula" group was an epic fail. I don't know what happened. Really. What began as a gloriously tall chocolate chip bundt cake morphed into an ugly, shrunken brick with a dense and gummy ring throughout. I was so sad, yet 99.99% certain that the cake was baked completely. The recipe was followed exactly--no substitutions, and the cake was even in the oven for an additional 10 minutes for good measure. Multiple toothpick tests came out clean, so I don't know how I could've botched this one. Observe:

No worries though. A quick online search yielded another Paula Deen chocolate chip pound cake recipe--this one used less pudding and liquid, so I was more confident for a successful outcome. I found the recipe here at Perry's Plate. Wanting a cake reminiscent of a chocolate chip cookie, I used butterscotch pudding mix in place of chocolate and brown sugar instead of white. (And only 6 oz. of mini chips, since that's all I had after using the other half of the bag in my first attempt) The result? See for yourself:

Sweet success! So although my first adventure with the My Girl, Paula group had its challenges, I'm glad I will be participating and cooking my way through The Lady & Sons, Too! book. That's right, I said cooking. As in, not just baking anymore! I probably won't be making every recipe for the month, but I'll definitely try to keep up with the minimum two required by the group. Squash casserole is on the menu for this month, and I'm definitely looking forward to that one! ♥

Start Your Day Off Right

Having exhausted my freezer-supply of morning glory muffins, I was looking for something different to bake up for the next few weeks' breakfasts. My parents came to visit last week, armed with a rather large clamshell of blueberries from the warehouse club. Faced with more blueberries than I could possibly eat before they entered Moldsville, I needed to bake them up pronto. Blueberry muffins were an obvious choice, but since I've been eating muffins for two weeks I decided to try out this recipe by Farmgirl Fare. I used a 50/50 mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flour for an added nutrition boost, and they turned out deliciously! Blueberries stuffed between oatmeal and wheat strusel? Tasty!

Key Lime Bars

It takes quite a few Key limes to produce a reasonable amount of juice. Based on my previous experience with the Key lime cream cheese frosting for my Cupcake Hero entry, I estimated that I would need 20 Key limes in order to extract the ½ cup lime juice I needed to make Key lime bars. Knowing that would involve a good deal of squeezing (which I did by hand previously), I did an online search for "tips for squeezing Key limes" to see if there was an easier way. Turns out you can use a garlic press to squeeze halved Key limes (duh, why didn't I think of that?!?)

Actually, it turns out that most people can use a garlic press to squeeze halved Key limes. My efforts with the garlic press produced a fair amount of juice, most of which ended up squirting on my face, on the floor, in my eyes, all over my shirt and arms...you get the point. In other words, everywhere except the target vessel. I tried orienting the garlic press in every which way, but to no avail. Maybe I'm just an idiot (very possible). It works for the vast majority of people, but for me...not so much. However, I will say this: the extra labor of hand-squeezing tiny little limes made the final product all the more delicious!

Key Lime Bars (from Cook's Illustrated)

Makes 16 bars

Crust:
5 oz. animal crackers
3 Tbl. packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
4 Tbl. butter, melted

Filling:
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbl. lime zest
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh Key lime juice

Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a foil sling using heavy-duty foil, and fit it into an 8-inch square pan. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a food processor, pulse animal crackers until fine crumbs form. Add brown sugar and salt, then process until combined. Add melted butter to processor bowl, and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumbs firmly into the bottom of the foil-lined pan. Bake at 325°F for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven to cool while preparing filling. (Leave oven on)

While crust is cooling, stir cream cheese, lime zest, salt, and egg yolk together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk, and stir well to combine. Stir in lime juice until mixture is smooth and begins to thicken.

Pour filling into crust and spread into corners if needed. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until filling is set and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.

Warning: The following images may not be suitable for the faint of heart. Children, avert your eyes.

Okay...everybody in the pool! Time to go for a spin...

KAF Guaranteed Fudge Brownies

Seriously. You have to make these brownies, which bear the proud stamp of "KAF Guaranteed" by King Arthur Flour Company. Check out their promise:

Our guarantee: These brownies, deep chocolate brown inside with a lighter-colored top crust, will be about 3/4" to 1" tall when cut. They'll be ultra-moist without crossing the line into gooey/ under baked. (Link)

And did they deliver? You betcha. This is my third attempt at this recipe but definitely not my final. The first two? Not so good. User error, of course. Not following directions and/or forgetting vital ingredients like baking powder produced brownies that while tasty, did not live up to the guarantee in appearance. I was extra careful to adhere to the recipe this time, even adding the chocolate chips I omitted on my first two attempts. My reward? Beautifully shiny, crackly tops and a moist fudgey interior. It was the general consensus of my co-workers/lucky recipients/guinea pigs that the chocolate chips were superfluous (okay, so I'm paraphrasing here). So...unless you're an uber chocoholic, I'd leave them out. Walnuts would be a welcome substitute though. Round 4, anyone?

Cupcake Hero::September [Banana]

Where was I all of last year, and why am I only now discovering salted caramel, one of 2008's biggest flavor trends? Where was I hiding whilst what seemed like the entire world was fawning over its salty-sweet-creamy sumptuousness? At least I've managed to get myself out from under my rock to come up with ideas for my Cupcake Hero:: [Banana] entry. I really really wanted to make simple banana cupcakes, capped with salted caramel. I even had a name: Salty Caramel 'Nanacakes. It seemed so perfect, so clever...but luck would not be on my side.

Maybe it was the crazy Louisiana humidity. Or forgetting to throw salt over my shoulder (which I never do anyway...should I start?). Whatever the case, my salted caramel never came together. There it was in the pan, fully cooled but still a grainy, sloppy mess that refused to whip up into the silky caramel frosting promised by my recipe. I was so very sad. Cupcakes already 'at the ready,' I turned to an old stand-by: cream cheese frosting. Not just any cream cheese frosting, mind you. My banana cupcakes needed a perfect counterpoint: Key Lime Cream cheese frosting, made from the teensiest, cutest little limes ever.

Banana Cupcakes Makes 24-30, depending on desired size

1 box yellow cake mix
1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup water
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper liners into muffin tins.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer, scrape down bowl, then turn speed up to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Batter will be thin. Portion batter into muffin tins. I filled up 30, partly because I wanted to make smaller cupcakes but mostly because I am terrified of overflow. My cupcakes ended up being shorties, but that's okay. Frosting covers and fixes all! Bake cupcakes for 20-24 minutes, or until they test done. Cool completely before frosting.

Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting (generously frosts 30 cupcakes)

½ cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
2 Tbl. key lime juice (I needed 5 to get this much)
zest from 5 key limes
16 oz. (2 boxes) cream cheese - cold

Beat butter, powdered sugar, lime juice, and zest together until smooth and combined. Cut cream cheese into chunks and add to butter mixture. Beat until just incorporated; overbeating will break down the cream cheese and make the frosting runny. Frost cupcakes, top with a lyophilized* banana, and enjoy!

*Geek Alert!!! Lyophilization, or freeze-drying, is a method of preservation that typically causes less damage to the food item than conventional dehydration. For example: A freeze-dried apple or banana is crisp and interesting, while a dehydrated (dried) apple or banana is chewy and spongy. You can freeze-dry items that you wouldn't normally put through a dehydrator, like ice cream (yay, space food!). I lyophilized a Twinkie® once during my grad school days. It was great fun! And yes, we ate it afterwards.

Here's a quick explanation of lyophilization: foods are frozen in a special chamber. The pressure in the chamber is then lowered to allow the frozen water in the food to pass directly from the solid state to the gaseous state in a process known as sublimation. Science is cool!

Big Batch Cut-Out Cookies

Sorry, No-Fail Sugar Cookie. I like you, I really do. But I don’t love you. I’ve made you many times before, and everyone else loves you…but I’m a big greedy Pig-Hog. Sugar cookie? Yum. Butter cookie? Even better. Buttery cream cheese sugar cookie? Now you’re talking! If you’re looking for a change of pace from your usual sugar cookie, try these cut-outs. The addition of cream cheese and less flour than the NFSC recipe lends a soft, creamy texture to the cookie. While the baked cookies look nearly identical to the NFSC (both hold their shape quite well), these are probably a little too fragile for use in cookie bouquets.

Big Batch Cut-Out Cookies (adapted from Allrecipes)
Makes about 5 dozen 3-inch cookies when rolled ¼-inch thick

2 cups butter, softened
8 oz. block cream cheese (full-fat, please)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 egg yolks
1 Tbl. Vanilla extract
½ tsp. other flavoring**
5 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

** This may be almond, orange, lemon, Princess Cake & Cookie, or my new personal favorite: Fiori di Silicia (seems pricey, but a little goes a very long way. You can make 12 batches with a single bottle, which is a great value considering the recipe is technically a double batch.)

Cream butter, cream cheese, sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and flavorings, and mix to combine. Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition to incorporate flour. Dough will be very soft and sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour. Divide dough into 4 portions and roll out to ¼-inch thickness between two sheets of waxed or parchment paper. Stack in refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours. (I do mine the night before or first thing in the morning to give the dough ample time to firm up.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Get out your baking sheets and line with parchment, foil, or one of those new-fangled silicone liners. Or you can leave them plain if you don’t mind washing greasy pans in between batches. No need to grease your pans because trust me--there’s enough fat in the dough! Cut out shapes with desired cookie cutters, place on pans, and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. Cookies will remain very pale. They are done when they are just barely firm (pressing one with your finger won’t leave a dent). Cool before removing from cookie sheets—they are quite tender and fragile when hot! Glaze with Glacé or Royal Icing. Glacé icing dries softer and more translucent than royal icing, and is easier to make. Royal icing produces vibrant colors, can be piped into much finer details, is sturdier for shipping, but can be tricksy for cookie newbies like myself.

Head on over to Our Best Bites for a fabulous tutorial on making and using Glacé Icing.

Toba Garrett’s Glacé Icing (from Kitchen Collectables)

Enough for one batch of my cut-out cookies

1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted
¼ c. + 2 Tbl. Milk, whole or 2% works best
¼ c. + 2 Tbl. Light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract—clear, if possible
½ tsp. other flavoring (I like orange extract)
Assorted food colorings

Mix powdered sugar and milk together until smooth and creamy (may take a few minutes). Blend in corn syrup and flavoring, but don’t whip or beat vigorously…be gentle! Divide into small bowls and add color, then cover bowls with plastic wrap. Let glaze sit for at least 15 minutes. During this time, the small bubbles formed during mixing will slowly surface to the top, at which point you can gently stir them out. Stirring quickly now will only make more bubbles... which will make you very sad! Use an offset spatula to glaze cookies, but if you're brave you can hold the cookie by its edges and dip them in glaze. Let set until dry and firm, which may take several hours depending on humidity. I leave mine out overnight, and the cookies are still soft & creamy despite being uncovered.

If you want to thicken the glacé icing for piping or creating a dam to separate colors, take a small amount of glaze and add powdered sugar until you reach piping consistency.

Flavor-of-the-Month: Pucker Up!

Something magical happens when you introduce an acidic ingredient to sweetened condensed milk: it transforms and takes on a wonderful custardy texture. Home cooks have relied upon this reaction for years, using it as the basis for wonderful desserts such as lemon icebox pie and key lime pie. For this month's Flavor-of-the-Month round up hosted by Bake at 350, I knew I wanted to make one of those two pies in keeping with the theme of "Pucker up!" (Come to think of it, they would've worked for last month's pie theme as well!) A trip to my local grocer helped hone my decision: limes were on sale for 10 cents each. Lemons were 49 cents. Guess which one I picked?


Head on over to Bake at 350 to check out all the Flavor-of-the-Month entries!

So far I've seen three major schools of thought when it comes to preparing key lime pie:

1. Traditional- egg yolks, lime juice (preferably Key Lime), and condensed milk are whisked together and poured into a crust to chill and set. This crust is usually graham cracker.
   
2. Baked - egg yolks, lime juice, and condensed milk are whisked together and poured into a crust to bake and set.
   
3. Pasteurized, unbaked - egg yolks and lime juice are heated to a 160°F to neutralize any nasties that might be lurking. Mixture is cooled, then combined with condensed milk and poured into a crust to chill and set.
   

I picked option #3 for safety reasons (though people have been doing it the uncooked way for decades without any ill effects) and because it preserves more of the traditional texture of the pie compared to the baked version.

(Key) Lime Pie

• 4 large egg yolks
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, Key limes if ya got 'em
• Grated zest of one lime
• 1 or 2 drops green food coloring, if desired*
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• Crust - graham cracker or shortbread, ready-made or homemade
• Whipped topping - real cream, non-dairy, or from an aerosol can!

*The regular liquid kind you use to dye Easter eggs with, not the super-intense Americolor® gels I love so much!

This first portion is optional. One of my biggest fears is accidentally giving someone food poisoning, so I'm gonna go ahead and do it. In the top of a double-boiler set-up, whisk egg yolks, lime juice, and lime zest together until blended. Heat mixture, whisking steadily, until it reaches 160°F. Strain mixture into a small bowl, and cool over an ice bath. Stir in food coloring, if desired. Purists may scoff at this, but since I strained out the zest, there weren't any visual cues that the pie was lime and not lemon or some other flavor.

Whisk condensed milk into egg and lime mixture until thickened. Pour into crust and refrigerate for several hours before serving with whipped topping.

Passing the Torch

Newer isn't always better when it comes to baking gadgets...

My mom's measuring spoons, acquired many moons ago, passed on to me when I was 18.

I was almost seduced by the sparkle from a measuring spoon set at Sur la Table in Houston last weekend, drawn in by its narrow profile and inclusion of the elusive 1/8 teaspoon measure. Armed with a "$10 off your purchase" coupon, the $12.95 price tag was much easier to stomach. In my hands their shininess and heft were tempting, and the appeal of digging their slim spoons into narrow jars was almost too much. Until I remembered how much I loved the set I had at home. Lightweight yet durable, with spoons too big to fit into most of my spice jars, they served my mom well in the height of her baking days--while she was pregnant with me! ♥

A tidy little nutmeg grater, possibly as old as my mom's measuring spoons, passed on to me last weekend by the very generous Ms. Betty.

I’d been looking for an old-timey nutmeg grater for some time now, having been introduced to such a gadget by the Emeril Live show. A tiny little grater? With a cubby hole to store a nutmeg? What could be cuter?!? I was determined to find one at Sur la Table, but alas…they didn’t have any of that type (despite the salesman’s claims that he “might have seen one in the clearance bins a few days ago”). As luck would have it, I left Houston with an even better nutmeg grater than I could have hoped for: an honest-to-goodness, well-used-and-cared-for, vintage nutmeg grater from my weekend host. Thanks, Ms. Betty!

I was also lucky enough to come home on Sunday with a bunch of well-speckled bananas, and even luckier to find out that very same day that September’s Cupcake Hero theme is…BANANAS! Stay tuned to see my entry for the event hosted by Clara over at I ♥ Cuppycakes!

How to be Distracting at the Lunch Table

1. Pull out a delicious (still fresh!) sandwich roll you baked on Sunday (it is now Wednesday).
2. Proceed to assemble your colorful sandwich on said roll.
3. Consume sandwich, all the while declaring how delicious it is.
4. Bask in the envy of your lunch mates.

Want to make your co-workers jealous? Click here for the sandwich roll recipe. Enjoy!

A Glorious Morning with the King...

...Arthur, that is. Of King Arthur Flour fame. Look what we made:


Click here for the recipe. My muffin pans must be smaller than the ones in the King Arthur Flour Test Kitchens, because I ended up with 18 muffins instead of 12. Use your judgement when filling up your muffin cups--they should be nearly full, about ¼" to the brim.


What's a morning glory muffin, you ask? Well...they're basically a breakfast form of the most amped-up version of carrot cake you can imagine. Chock-full of wholesome ingredients, they're quite satisfying and probably the most perfect morning fuel you can eat on-the-go. Here's a quick run-down of what's stashed inside:

• whole wheat flour: fiber + whole grain goodness
• grated carrots: fiber + beta carotene + sweetness
• grated apples: cholesterol-reducing pectin (fiber) + sweetness
• raisins: fiber + antioxidants + sweetness
• walnuts: omega-3 fatty acids + crunch
• coconut: fiber + texture + sweetness
• sunflower seeds/wheat germ: vitamin E + crunch/texture
• eggs: protein + amino acids + choline
• canola oil: omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) + lower saturated fat
• orange juice: vitamin C + flavor
• pineapple (in some versions): vitamin C + flavor + texture

That's quite some list, you say? Crazy as it may sound, I actually had every ingredient in my pantry and fridge except the apple and carrots. It does take some effort to throw these muffins together, but the result is well worth your time. Tasty, portable, and hunger-smashing! And they can be yours too! Make them.

If at First You Don't Succeed...

...try, try again. After not one but TWO epic fails with King Arthur's Tender White Cake recipe, I accepted defeat and started looking for other options. Experienced baker that I am (ha!), I will attribute the massive overflow and weird goopiness to ingredient substitution rather than user error. Sorry, but my local grocer stocks neither Queen Guinevere Cake Flour nor KAF's new Unbleached Cake Flour Blend. I guess regular grocery store cake flour was too pedestrian for use in a King Arthur recipe. My dreams of plush, pristine white cupcakes topped with a cookie-flecked icing will just have to go unfulfilled for the moment. Dark chocolate cupcakes, however, are another story.

A word about doubling or tripling this recipe: Don't do it. Because these cupcakes get their poof from the vinegar and baking soda reaction (with some help from baking powder), you'll want to get these babies in the oven post-haste! You'll see what I'm talking about when you mix up your own batch--there's a heck of a lot of bubbling going on, so don't waste time trying to fill up 24 or 36 muffin cups. Make a single batch (12 cupcakes) at a time, and mix up more batter when your first batch is almost ready to come out of the oven. I made three batches, which sounds like a lot of trouble but took no time at all. These are so easy you don't even need eggs or a fancy-schmancy mixer--a whisk will get the job done just fine.

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes (adapted from VCTOTW)

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup Hershey's® Special Dark™ cocoa powder
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Cookies & Cream frosting, recipe below
• 1 pkg. chocolate sandwich cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and place 12 paper liners in a muffin pan.
2. Combine milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside to curdle. Meanwhile, sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in separate bowl.
3. Add sugar, oil, and vanilla to milk mixture, whisking until foamy.
4. Add half of dry ingredients to wet mixture. Whisk until combined. Add remainder of dry ingredients, and whisk until combined (some small lumps might remain, but that's okay).
5. Pour batter into 12 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. It might look like it's too much batter, but they'll be fine. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until cakes test done. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Cupcakes might shrink a bit while cooling.

Cookies & Cream Frosting (makes enough for 36 cupcakes)

• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-4 Tbl. heavy cream
• 6 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed finely

1. With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar to creamed mixture in 4 additions, beating well and scraping bowl after each addition. Beat for a minute or so once all the sugar has been added.
3. Add vanilla extract and 2 Tbl. heavy cream, beating until combined. Add remaining cream as needed, depending on desired texture. Beat frosting for several minutes, until fluffy. Fold in crushed cookies.

To assemble cupcakes, use a medium cookie scoop to portion out scoops of frosting. Top frosting mounds with a chocolate sandwich cookie, pressing down to spread frosting out to edges of cupcake. I used a store brand cookie containing 43 cookies per pack, which ended up being the perfect amount: 36 for cupcake tops, 6 for the frosting, and 1 for the baker! Not bad :)

Bake Sale Tip: Colorful Items Sell

We had a great turnout today for Game Day of the Games of Acadiana. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the Games; all proceeds go to the Miles Perret Cancer Center. A popular attraction at the Games is "Mama T's Bake Sale," which I have participated in the last three years. I wanted to offer something a little different this year, something eye-catching among the masses of chocolate chip cookies. And did my items sell? You betcha!


I modified the Easy Monster Cookie I previously made, using less chocolate and fortifying it with raisins and peanuts in an effort to make such a gargantuan cookie more wholesome. I wanted to name it "Trail Mix Cookie," but with peanut allergies so common these days I went the safer route and labelled them "Peanut Monster Cookies." Gotta declare them allergens!

Jumbo rainbow cupcakes in two versions, inspired by the crafty gals over at Our Best Bites:

You could say that I had all the little princesses in mind when I mixed up the pastel rainbow batch. Sugar and spice, and everything nice- that's what little girls are made of. I'd like to think "everything nice" is code for "rainbows, hearts, and unicorns." And glitter.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."

*Added 08/12/09: Today is the 70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz! I think I'll have to watch it tonight :)

Oh, how I do love The Wizard of Oz. Rainbows. Gingham. Pigtails. And a pair of fabulous red shoes. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to dress up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz for Halloween. Wanted to, but never have (there's time yet for that!). I wish I could say that that beloved character is my namesake, but I must sadly report that it's far more likely Olympic gold-medalist figure skater Dorothy Hamill who inspired my parents. Still cool, I suppose.

Anyway, I recently stumbled across this fantastic rainbow cake over at "Conversations with a Cupcake" (love the name!), and I just KNEW I had to make it. Six layers? Each a different color and flavor? From real fruits? Come on, tell me YOU wouldn't be hooked too. This is the perfect, all-around, all-occasion party cake. Don't believe me? Let me count the ways:

1. Wizard of Oz party, naturally
2. Noah's Ark party for Bible camp, CCD, etc.
3. Baby shower Noah's Ark theme, if you go for the pastel route
4. Little girl's birthday or Easter- pastel works here, too
5. St. Patrick's Day Party - garnish with gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins!
6. "Coming out" party - a most fabulous addition! :D
7. Circus or carnival party - decorate with animal crackers
8. 80's theme/Rainbow Brite Party (remember her? Or Lisa Frank?)
9. Monthly office birthdays - with so many colors, you're sure to please all the birthday gals and guys!
10. I could go on and on, but you get the idea!

Here's a shot of all the fruits gathered up before the party. Don't they look dreamy? (Thanks, Photoshop® Elements!)

I know what you're probably thinking--this cake will cost way too much $$$ to make! Fresh berries, when not in season here in South Louisiana, can run you up a pretty dollar. $4.00 for a half-pint of blackberries? No thank you sir! (I'm not lucky enough to have or know someone who has blackberry bushes growing on their property.) Where...to...turn... How about the freezer section of your local mega-mart?

I was fully prepared to be met with disappointment upon opening my berry mix, bracing myself to find a bag of mostly strawberries. Instead I was greeted with an equal mix of all four berries. What an unexpected and wonderful surprise! Sorry I doubted you, Great Value® brand. Nice packaging too--looks like Wal-Mart's stepping it up!

Here's a link to the recipe again. Now go run out and make one for your next party. Don't wait for a special occasion...every day is a celebration! ♥

Notes:

• This cake is tall. I mean really, REALLY tall. Six inches of rainbow glory, tall. Plan accordingly for storage purposes, or use a bigger diameter pan. Or level off the layers to make them flatter. Enjoy rainbow cake scraps before your party guests arrive.
  
• Mashing up the berries a bit will improve cake texture. Unless big soggy bites of exploded berries are your thang.


• If you can find it, Americolor® food color gel will make things easier. The colors seem to be more intense than Wilton® colors, so just a few drops from the squeeze bottle will do ya!

Bakers of Acadiana, Unite!

Mark your calendars! The Games of Acadiana Annual Game Day will be held this year on Saturday, August 15th at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. You know what that means, don't you? It's time once again for Mama T's Bake Sale! Click here to sign up as a volunteer baker. While you're at it, register to volunteer in some other area as well. The more the merrier! See you on Game Day!

The Games of Acadiana was founded in 2001 for the sole purpose of
funding and supporting Miles Perret Cancer Services. The Games consists of Game Day and a series of Stand Alone events.

Game Day, the major event of our season, will be on Saturday, August 15, 2009, at the Cajundome in Lafayette. It will have over 40 fun filled Game Day events for participants to showcase athletic, scholarly, musical, culinary and just plain wacky talents. Admission to Game Day is free, but donations are always welcomed.

How does The Games raise money?
Two ways. First, we enlist local businesses and individuals to generously sponsor each Game Day event and each Stand Alone event. Second, we also accept admission fees (from Stand Alone events) and donations, small and large, from our participants and supporters.

Who decides how the money raised will be spent?
The Board of Miles Perret Cancer Services, which is comprised of a group of individuals from the medical, business, and philanthropic community of Acadiana. The Board is guided in these decisions by a group of medical professionals with the knowledge of the causes, prevention, and treatment of cancer, as well as the needs of cancer patients and their families.

Source: http://www.gamesofacadiana.org/AboutUs.asp

100th Post (Now with Rainbows! ♥)

Not too long ago I made a colorful treat known as Broken Glass Jell-O. Remember? You may also recall that I failed to include grape/violet/purple in the mix, no? This new and improved version is more properly rainbow-colored, though again I've snubbed indigo. Poor indigo. Not many people remember to invite you to the party. If only you were more easily distinguished from blue and violet...

A word of caution if you plan to make this according to my previous recipe: be careful with how much white layer you add to your pan. I had forgotten how perilously full my pan was during my first run, so I had some spillage issues while transporting the whole mess (literally!) to the fridge to firm up. Keep in mind that adding another color to the mix will increase the volume of gelatin cubes by at least 1¼ cups. Either decrease the amount of boiling water to 2 cups (down from 2½ cups), or hold back when pouring the white layer over your cubes. The excess can be poured into a bowl for a deliciously creamy, vaguely coconutty treat later.

Getting Closer to Pillowy Roll Perfection

Knead. Rise. Punch. Rise. Shape. Bake. Drool. Eat. Faint.

I sure am glad I gave The Cupcake Project's rolls another shot. Opting for the all-white flour option definitely yielded better results than last time, and using a 9x13" pan instead of individual muffin cups made for softer rolls. You know that sparkly happy feeling you get when you get to pull apart piping hot, deliciously soft, yeasty rolls? *squeal* Yeah...

Next time I'll probably make smaller rolls...say, 16 or 18 instead of 12? That would probably be a more appropriate size to serve with dinner, instead of FOR dinner like I just did.

Flavor-of-the-Month: Pie

Since I had such a difficult time deciding what to make for July's Flavor-of-the-Month: Pie event hosted by Bridget of Bake at 350, I decided to make two pies. Funny thing is, both of my items are decidedly un-pie like in nature...but just as delicious. Visit Bake at 350 to check out all the yummy pie-goodness from the other participants (at bottom of the peach pie post)!

First up: Whoopie Pies

Find the recipe here on the King Arthur Flour website. If you can't find Dutch-processed cocoa at a decent price, I've found that Hershey's Special Dark® cocoa is a decent substitute. Marshmallow Fluff®, if you can find it, is worth seeking out as well. I followed the mini-pie variation, and ended up making 20 pies instead of 16. Don't worry though, these whoopies were plenty big!

And let's not forget the Boston Cream (Creme? Cream?) Pie:

Boston Cream Pie

• Sponge Cake (Make TWO of these!) adapted from BHG
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 
  
• Cream Filling
• 1 pkg. (4-serving size) French Vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 cup milk
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 
  
• Chocolate Ganache
• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¾ cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10x2" round pan (or 9x9x2" square). Stir flour and baking powder together in a bowl and set aside.


2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs on high speed until thick, about 4 minutes. Slowly add in sugar, beating on medium for 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and flour mixture, beating on low speed just until combined.


3. Heat milk and butter together until butter is melted. Add to batter and beat to combine. Pour into greased pan and bake immediately at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until done. Cake layer will be thin. Leave in pan to cool.


4. Remove cake from pan once cooled, and prepare a second cake layer. While cakes are cooling, prepare chocolate ganache.


5. Make ganache: Place chocolate chips into a medium bowl or large (3-cup) measuring cup. Heat cream to simmering point, then pour over chocolate chips. Do not stir. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir slowly to incorporate. Set aside to cool, until slightly thickened but still pourable.


6. Make filling: Whip ¾ cup cream by hand until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In separate bowl, combine pudding mix and milk. Beat/whisk for 2 minutes to thicken. Fold in whipped cream.


7. Assemble cake: Place one sponge cake layer on serving plate. Spread with cream filling. Top with second cake layer. Pour ganache over cake, letting excess drip down sides. Use an offset spatula to spread ganache around sides of cake.


8. Chill to set ganache before serving. Store in refrigerator.

Whoopies and Bostons and Pies, Oh My!

More details around noon on Friday...stay tuned!

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Ever dream about those pillowy-soft rolls you get at chain restaurants and buffets?* I do (all the time!), and I'm on a quest to re-create their piping hot, plush goodness at home. I have a few dinner roll recipes in my arsenal of yet-to-be-tested items, and one of them was the dinner roll recipe I found on The Cupcake Project. I especially liked that they were baked in muffin tins. Not only are they cute, but the tin will contain a dough that is more slack (meaning you can use less flour and not have to worry about dough blobs spreading all over your pan. Less flour = softer, fluffier rolls) As you can see, I followed the wheat variation but ignored the words "whole wheat pastry flour" and opted for regular whole wheat flour. Bad call. While still wonderfully risen and delicious in its own right, using the wrong flour gave it a weird texture. Maybe there's a reason it calls for the pastry flour after all! This definitely calls for a "do over," but maybe this time I'll stick to plain white flour and see what happens.

*Like Texas Roadhouse and Ryan's, for example. Not that I ever go there. :D

My First Ever Round-Up!

I'm pretty excited about joining the Flavor-of-the-Month round-up hosted by Bake at 350. This month's theme is PIE--something I rarely make or even eat, for no other reason than just plain laziness. And impatience. You have to wait several hours for a fruit pie to cool down before you can cut it. Oh, the agony! Anyway, I was thinking of something more along the lines of an oatmeal pie (like the pre-packaged ones...you know which ones!) or a whoopie pie. Oooh, a homemade version of a Moon Pie® would be good. Decisions, decisions.

Check back at the end of the month for my entry. In case you're unfamiliar with round-ups/blog carnivals (as Bake at 350 calls them. So cute!), they go something like this: Someone (Bake at 350 in this case) hosts the event and posts a theme, such as "pie", along with a deadline. People wishing to participate post their entry on their own blogs, along with a link to the host's blog. That way, you can visit the host's blog and browse through the links of everyone who joined in that month. Fun, huh? It's a great way to see everyone's handiwork and find blogs you wouldn't otherwise stumble across!