Category Archives: Food

Bacon Cookies

I believe I mentioned I would be making these bacon cookies.

(I believe I also mentioned I would try to post/eat less cookies.  You get to choose:  wedding or cookies.  That’s what I thought.)

Chris and I were invited to our friend Kyle’s party over the weekend and I thought bacon cookies would be perfect.

It was an ugly sweater party…

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So, bacon cookies.

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Recipe courtesy of Eat, Drink and Be Meiri

My comments/observations are in italics

1 1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup bacon grease
2 cups sugar
2 large beaten eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup plus extra for the candied bacon
2.5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
2 lbs bacon
1/2 cup white sugar for coating the dough balls

First things first: the bacon. Line baking sheets with tin foil. Put racks on them, and lay out the bacon. It can overlap some, but not too much. Spread on a healthy amount of maple syrup, spreading it with a brush, if you have one. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Flip the bacon, spread on more maple syrup, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until perfectly crisp. You can turn the oven off, because the dough will need to chill out in the fridge for a little bit.

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*I did not have racks to use so my bacon didn’t get as crispy as Rose’s did.  Also do not put maple syrup bacon on paper towels*

Next, the grease: Pour about 1/4 cup of the bacon drippings into a measure cup, and set aside. You can discard the rest of the grease if you want. Or save it in your fridge for the next time you’re making pancakes. YUM.

Now, the cookie dough! Melt the butter in the microwave and mix it with the sugar in a large bowl. Let the mixture cool (Since the butter will probably still be warm) and add the beaten eggs. Add maple syrup, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Mix it all up. (Note:  also add the bacon grease now)

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Again with the bacon! Set aside about seven strips of bacon. DO NOT EAT THEM. All of your eating bacon should come from the other bacon. Chop the other bacon up into smallish pieces. Eat as much as you want, but remember, the more bacon that goes in your stomach now, the less bacon you’ll have in your cookies later. Mix you chopped bacon in to the dough. Then add the flour and mix thoroughly.

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*This tasted fantastic.  Rose warns you repeatedly not to eat the bacon but I had a harder time not eating all of this dough.  Oddly after chilling it didn’t taste as good.*

It’s chill time! Chill the dough for at least 1 hour in the fridge. (Overnight is fine too.) This is a good time to clean up the kitchen. Alternatively, depending on how much bacon you ate, it’s a great time to take a nap or go for a run. I chose to clean up.

I also chose to clean up.

It’s cookie making time! Roll the dough into walnut sized balls with your hands. Error on the side of small, because these cookies will spread out. Roll the balls in white sugar and place them on parchment lined cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet. Keep them at least an inch apart, but more if you have room to spare. They spread out and will mush together if you do what I did and put them too close together. Take your remaining bacon and cut it into half in pieces. Put a piece of bacon on the top of each cookie. Flatten them with a spatula or potato masher. (I used my hand, and tried the baking mats which were a shower gift from Leslie, but ultimately preferred not using the mats).

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Baking Time!  Put oven rack in the middle position.  Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on the cookie sheets while you clear off a place for the cookies to cool down further. You can shift the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and place it on, say, your washing machine, so you can reuse that cookie sheet.

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Wait a gosh darn minute! The cookies will seem soft, but they will crisp up a little bit. They’re remain sort of soft, though, which is how I like them. (My first batch were too soft and I realized too late they were practically raw in the middle.  Oops.)

Now, eat as many as you want, then pass out in a delicious bacony coma.

Note: If you somehow don’t eat all the cookies right away, you should store them in the fridge, because, yeah, bacon. That goes bad, yo. (I did not read this part until just now.)

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the end of the recipe!!

I found a bacon cookie to be a perfect post-race snack after the Reindeer Run 5k.  Okay, not actually, as then I was absolutely starving within an hour, but MAN it was a tasty post-race snack.  I also found out that Rose has a recipe for sausage cookies.  Seriously, how is that woman not 400 pounds??

Cracker Cookies

I know, I know.  More cookies.  But these have to be blogged about!

Evidently these are also known as "Crack" cookies.  I got them from a friend at my cookie exchange party last year!

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One sleeve of crackers laid out on the foil wrapped pan.

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Nothing is better than butter and brown sugar.

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Unless it is butter and brown sugar, caramelized, and poured over crackers…

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Oh wait!  Topped with chocolate.

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"Cracker Cookies"—courtesy of Betty Hogan

Ingredients:

1 box Club Crackers

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 12 oz package MINI chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line an 11 x 15 cookie pan that has a lip with foil.  Cover foil with one layer of crackers, breaking to fit bottom as necessary.  Heat sugar and butter together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.  Then pour and spread mixture over crackers while hot.  It will seep in and around the crackers and that is okay.  Bake for 5 minutes in 400 degree oven.  Remove from oven and sprinkle mini chocolate chips all over.  As chips melt spread evenly with a spatula.  Place in refrigerator to cool.  When very cold break apart in large pieces peeling away the foil.  Then break into smaller serving size pieces and store in covered container in refrigerator.

Note:  the unevenness of the pieces makes these cookies attractive.  Do not expect to break them into the shape of the crackers.  Also, you must use MINI chips.  Regular sized chips do not melt appropriately.

Hannah’s note:  I only used one sleeve of the Club Crackers.  This means I need to make these again, over and over.

crackercookies

I sent these to Fashion Fitness Foodie as part of the Great Blog Sweet Swap.

You might be asking yourself, why does Hannah complain about her weight, and then complain about having too many cookies around all the time, and yet keep making and eating cookies.  You might be asking yourself that, but if you were, you should stop asking.  You know I’m crazy.

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011: Eggnog Cookies

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

(The premise is this: sign up. Receive the addresses of three other food bloggers. Send each of them one dozen delicious homemade cookies. Receive three different boxes of scrumptious cookies from other bloggers. Eat them all yourself (or, you know, share. If you want. No judgment either way.) Post your cookie recipe on your blog. See everyone else’s cookie recipes. Salivate. Get lots of great ideas for next years’ cookie swap. Rinse and repeat.)

 

I have to say:  by the time I got started on these cookies I was super "cookied" out.  Originally I had planned to send my tri-color cookies for this swap, but there ended up not being enough of them.  The problem was, after slaving over the tri-color cookies and then hosting a cookie party, I really didn’t want to bake anymore!  If I had been able to wait until the following weekend I would have been up for it, but goodness I was busy. 

So I found an eggnog cookie recipe that I had been meaning to try for a couple of years, and since I had eggnog in the fridge, it seemed appropriate.  It also seemed easy enough…

I decided to add a little extra eggnog and use less nutmeg since the reviewers seemed to recommend that.  The dough was very sticky and tough to work with, and the cookies are NOT pretty.  I also didn’t package them pretty, sorry guys.  I just stuck them in freezer bags.  I had originally thought I’d get little holidays tins to put the cookies in…nope.  None of that happened.  I forgot to take a picture too(that’s how you can tell I’m not really a food blogger!) but I posted one that looked pretty similar to my cookies.  (Forgive me, I’m planning a wedding!)

Even with the crappy presentation, I hope my swap buddies enjoy them.  My fiance thought they were quite tasty, very mild flavor, but unique.  (He is a huge eggnog lover, but I think even if you don’t care for eggnog you’ll enjoy these!)  I don’t have a single cookie left at home, which makes me sad and also makes me want to make another batch!

 
Eggnog Cookies, originally from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup eggnog (I used 2/3 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  3. Cream sugar and butter until light. Add eggnog, vanilla, and egg yolks; beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
  4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake 20 to 23 minutes until bottoms turn light brown.

Again, not my picture—the powdered sugar would probably be a nice touch too!  I didn’t do that.

Who did I send these to?

Loy at Grandma Loy’s Kitchen

Brandy at Nutmeg Nanny

Amber at Bluebonnets and Brownies

Go check out their blogs, they have fantastic photography and recipes!  I will stop beating myself up over my lousy cookie presentation ;) 

Here’s what I got in return:

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Chocolate cherry chip cookies from Kristin at Meringue Bake Shop.

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Candy Cane Kisses Cookies from Amber at Bluebonnets & Brownies.

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Snickers Cookies from Brandy at Nutmeg Nanny.

All were delicious!

Want to participate next year?  Go here to sign up for an email reminder.

Remember to go vote for my blog for best personal blog in St Louis!! I don’t think I’ll win or anything, but a girl can dream right?  If you vote for me, tell me in the comments (and you can do this more than once) and I’ll love you forever.

I should have done a test cookie

Remember to go vote for my blog!  I don’t think I’ll win or anything, but a girl can dream right?  If you vote for me, tell me in the comments (and you can do this more than once) and I’ll love you forever.

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I stole this from @slso on twitter.  The irony is someone took the picture, posted it, @slso retweeted…but note the screen!  This is the inside of Powell Hall, before the symphony is about to play for Michael W. Smith.

I had a long day with lots of gigs, but now I’m relaxing at home.  After the symphony concert my friend is hosting a party at her house.  I am baking cookies to bring.  I just burnt the first batch though…oops!  Two cookies were salvageable.   (maybe I shouldn’t be blogging whilst baking?  Meh.)  This is why I should do a test cookie, like my grandmother taught me…the second batch was perfect, and honestly we don’t need that many cookies anyway, right?  It’s fine to bring only a dozen to someone’s house, correct?  I would take a picture, but I’m recharging my camera battery.  Basically they look like 1 dozen cookies arranged on one of the last of the plates from my bridal shower.

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My goodness, I have an odd craving for cheese grits..

Tomorrow we are running the Taco Bell Fitness Course again, then Chris and I are getting a tree, then another party to attend, and a concert to play.

Anyway, here’s the recipe for the cookies I made.  I bought a bag of Andes Baking Chips…um…last December.  I thought tonight it was time! (I hope they don’t kill me…the bag was unopened.)

Andes Baking Chips Recipes Flourless Mint Chocolate Cake

Andes Crème de Menthe Cookies:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter – softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 package (10 oz.) Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips
2-2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed.

Stir in Andes Baking Chips and then flour. Chill approximately one hour in the refrigerator.

Measure out approximately 1 oz. of dough. Form a ball and slightly flatten.

Raise oven rack one level above the middle and bake on non-stick baking pans.

Bake at 350° F for approximately 8 – 10 minutes.

Cool on pans for two minutes before removing.

Yield:

4 dozen cookies.

Notes:  This made just about 2 1/2 dozen cookies for me.  Also, just over 7 minutes seemed to do the trick if you prefer a soft cookie.  However, I didn’t raise the oven rack, maybe that was the problem?  Just be careful, don’t set the timer and leave the room to start a blog post.  These are like a minty chocolate chip cookie, quite tasty!

Cookies and stress

Note to readers:  I just learned that today I was featured on healthylivingblogs.com as the Friday featured blog.  Welcome if you are new!  And welcome back if you aren’t!! 

Oh, and if you want to vote for me for “best personal blog” at the Riverfront Times (local paper here—you don’t need to be local to vote though, I do!) poll, I will be your best blog friend!  I’d love your support!

I haven’t been blogging quite as regularly recently.  I’ve been much busier, and I’ve also been concerned that I blog too much about the mundane minutiae of my life.

Haha!

I’m just kidding about that.

I’ve simply been busier with work.  But I’ve got some time now—let me catch you up on what I’ve been doing!

I’ve been busy with a few blog related activities.  I’m participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011, the Great Blog Sweet Swap, a couple of blog Christmas Card Exchanges, a Secret Santa, and December’s Foodie Pen Pals.  It sounds like a lot, but it’s been fun.  Plus it’s easier as my family is not exchanging Christmas gifts this year due to somebody’s wedding…(oh yes, that would be me!).

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Gooey Butter Cookies!  I made these last night.  There are a ton of similar for recipes for them.  Here’s what I used–

Gooey Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter/Margarine

1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Egg

1 8 oz. Cream Cheese (1 bar)

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

Powdered Sugar for dipping

Non-stick cooking spray

1. Beat butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until light and fluffy

2. Mix in dry cake mix.

3. Chill for at least 30 minutes.  Dough remains very sticky.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5.  Lightly coat cookie sheet with cooking spray.

6.  Drop down teaspoonfuls of dough in a bowl of powdered sugar and roll into balls.  Place on cookie sheet.

7.  Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Yields four dozen.

That wasn’t all I made, but that’s all I’ll mention right now.  Be sure to read all of step 6:  originally I didn’t read the “roll into balls” part of the sentence.

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You can see the difference.  And yes, I need to clean my oven!

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We’ve been getting a bunch of boxes!  The cat loves them.  This one seems too big though…

What general things have I been up to?  Well, it’s been cold, so I decided running outside twice a week was enough.  This means hill repeats and sprints on the treadmill, which is probably great for me!  I’ve been playing a couple choral concerts, teaching (of course!  one more week), and (naturally) wedding planning like crazy.  It’s getting down to the wire here…three weeks from Monday!!!

Week in review:

I was videorecorded playing cowbell for an upcoming youtube video with the ocarina trio.  (Oh yes, this really happened!!)

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I opened a ton of boxes of cookies and wedding presents!

I played a variety of rehearsals for concerts.

I taught a ton of violin students.

I was disappointed by Albert Pujols and was yet again reminded that most people in the world make all their decisions in life based on money first and everything else second, and was saddened by this.

I ate too many cookies.

I had another facial.

I wrote some thank you notes.

I started putting together our wedding program.

I stalked our wedding registry.

I ate more cookies.

I ran, hoping to counteract the cookies.

I went to Frazer’s and Franco with friends.   I’m in love with Franco’s Caesar salad with white anchovies.  So worth the extra $3 for the white anchovies.

I booked a shore excursion for our cruise.  Hard to believe that is coming up soon also!

I emailed/messaged several people trying to track down the remaining RSVP’s.

I panicked.  I freaked out.  I had a few mini-breakdowns due to stress.

I didn’t eat enough vegetables.

I ate some delicious trout.

I had several glasses of red wine.

I bought new workout capris.

I bought chocolate to give to my students next week.

I froze a bunch of cookies to have later.

I think that sums it up!  In a nutshell, cookies, stress, fish, wedding.

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cookies

stress

fish

Funny Wedding Ecard: All that stands between you and cheesecake is your wedding. Congratulations!

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Happy Friday night, readers!  (Or whenever you are reading this…might be another day—)

How is your weekend going so far?

Recipe Round Up

Evidently I have food on the brain recently ;)  Or I’ve just been trying to organize my recipe collection, and thusly, my blog recipe collection as well.

Here’s some more recipes I’ve mentioned on my blog:  Enjoy!  (All pictures are my own!)

Goat Cheese Grits

from Cooking Light

Ingredients
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) goat cheese
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
  • 1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and remaining ingredients.

 

Classic Corn Pudding with Cheddar and Chives

(from the runaway spoon)

2 eggs

1 (16-ounce) can creamed corn

1 (16-ounce can) whole kernel corn, drained

½ cup (1stick) butter, melted

1 cup (8-ounces) sour cream

1 (8 ½ ounce) package corn muffin mix (I prefer Jiffy)

1 ½ cups grated mild cheddar cheese

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then add both corns, butter and sour cream and mix thoroughly.  Fold in the corn muffin mix, cheese and chopped chives.  Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and mix completely.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until puffed and golden and firm in the center.

Serve immediately,

Serves 8 – 10

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

(from Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 pounds broccoli
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Good olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

 

Eggnog Tres Leches Cake

(from the runaway spoon)

Use a good egg nog from the dairy case, and please, it’s Christmas, spare me the “light” version.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 ½ c granulated sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 ½  cups dairy egg nog

1 cup heavy whipping cream for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 – 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.  While the butter is creaming, use a fork to mix the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a bowl.  Add the vanilla to the milk in the measuring cup.

When the butter and sugar are creamed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the flour and milk mixtures alternately in three additions, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl down a few times.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.  Bake the cake for 30 – 35 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the cake is firm.  Bake this cake a few minutes longer than you would normally, as it will soak up the egg nog mixture and soften up. Leave to cool completely.

In a spouted bowl or large measuring jug, whisk together the condensed milk, evaporated milk and egg nog until thoroughly blended.  Poke holes all over the cooled cake with a skewer.  Slowly pour one half of the egg nog mixture over the cake, then leave it for a few minutes to soak in.  Pour over the remaining egg nog, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight.

Cut the cake into squares and serve chilled.  If you’d like to, you can whip 1 cup heavy cream and spread it over the top of the cake like a frosting before serving, or dollop some whipped cream on each piece.  Sprinkle a little nutmeg over the cake as well.

Serves 12

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

From the Smitten Kitchen

Upside-Down Cranberry-Caramel Cake
Adapted from The Perfect Finish (previously from this book)

If you don’t like molasses, I’d use honey or light corn syrup instead because although just a tablespoon, you can taste it (though we found it delicious against the tart berries). If you’re thinking, as I was, that there was no need for a parchment paper circle in the bottom (and later, top) of the pan, you can probably skip it. The “probably” is there because I didn’t get to retest this without it but see nothing to worry about; if a berry sticks, just scoop it and plop it on top of the cake. The cake itself is a little on the shortcake side — sturdier than your average plush layer cake but still quite moist. Still, if you want a more traditional upside-down cake base, I think this one is phenomenal (you might even swap the pineapple juice for white cranberry) as is this one.

Unsalted butter or cooking spray for the baking pan
2/3 cup (5 ounces or 142 grams) packed light brown sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces or 171 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces or 242 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons (9 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (8 1/2 ounces or 242 grams) sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces or 230 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries (you could add a half-cup more, if you, too, can never have enough cranberries)
Optional flavorings: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon zest, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, few gratings of fresh nutmeg or a combination thereof
Whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and cover the bottom with parchment paper (see Note above). In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of the melted butter, molasses and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir well and pour into prepared cake pan. Set pan aside.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together into a bowl or onto a sheet of waxed paper and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment (eh, I just used a handmixer with standard beaters) beat the eggs and sour cream together at medium speed until well blended. Add optional flavorings of your choice. Scrape down the bowl and add remaining melted butter (1/2 cup) and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Add the cranberries to the prepared baking pan and gently press the fruit into an even layer. Dollop the batter on top and use an offset spatula to gently nudge it into place without disturbing the cranberries underneath. Bake on the center rack (with a tray underneath to catch drips… just in case; mine did not overflow but came stressfully close) until golden and a tester inserted into just the cake comes out clean, which took 30 to 35 minutes in my oven but is suggested to take 45. Please,please check yours on the early side. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan then insert over a flat platter that is (Learn From My Mistakes Alert!) larger than your cake pan, to catch any puddling or jumping cranberries. Remove the parchment paper.

Serve warm, with freshly whipped cream. However, this cake wasn’t half bad two to three days layer, kept covered at room temperature.

 

Peanut Cole Slaw

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped salted peanuts
  • 4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
  1. In small bowl, combine the cabbage, celery, cucumber, onion and green pepper. In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and salt if desired. Top with peanuts and Parmesan cheese.

 

Egg and Bacon Bread

from culinary in the desert

6 ounces center-cut bacon
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
pinch salt
16 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough (I used our favorite recipe) (see below!)
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
6 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp – transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. When cool enough to handle, crumble.
In small bowl, stir together mustard, garlic, cayenne pepper sauce, pepper and salt.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a 12" wide by 14" long rectangle.
Add mustard mixture on top and spread over the top, leaving a 1/2" border. Scatter the crumbled bacon, chopped eggs and 4 ounces (about 1 cup) of the cheese over the top. Starting at long side, roll dough up jelly roll–style. Pinch seam to seal. Place roll, seam side down, into a 10" tube pan coated with cooking spray. Cover pan with plastic wrap and set to rise until puffy about about doubled in size, about 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brush loaf with beaten egg. Using a serrated knife, cut a few slashes into the top of the dough. Scatter the remaining cheese over the top. Place pan into the oven and bake until the loaf pulls away from the side of the pan and is golden, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully turn bread out onto a wire rack and continue to let cool for 20 more minutes to allow the cheese to set before serving.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Combine flours, yeast, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine warm water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.
Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise about an hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before rolling.
*If you want to knead by hand feel free – knead for about 10 minutes. As made, this recipe makes about 1 pound of dough.
If you would like to make about 12 ounces of dough, here is the ingredient list to follow – the directions to prepare the dough is the same.
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (may need slightly more)
2 teaspoons olive oil

 

Peanut Butter Brownies

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, beat 2 cups sugar and 3 eggs together until foamy. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into the egg mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Reserve one cup of the batter, and spread the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan.
  3. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 cup of sugar 1 egg and milk until smooth and creamy. Carefully spread the peanut butter batter over the layer of chocolate batter. Drop reserved chocolate batter, by tablespoonfuls onto the peanut butter layer. Cut through the batter with a knife to swirl.
  4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until brownies are set when shaken gently. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Refrigerate until serving.