My Baking Adventures

I found myself with a few hours free in between loads of laundry, and I asked Sabrina if she wanted to play around with the Hello, Cupcake! book we bought a few weeks ago. I also bought a Wilton instructional book and treated myself to new piping tips, since the ones I have are at least 8 years old and some have rust on them. So armed with fondant, icing, vanilla cupcakes and some imagination (and some ideas stolen from other blogs), this is what we created:

Sabrina’s first try with the piping bag and leaf tip – she was going for a sunflower but came out with a carnation: (the base is an oreo)

Next up – I went to flip the laundry, and when I returned, she had made this:

Now I was really jealous – I don’t think I could have done that on my first try!

Then we moved onto sunflowers – it took a bit of practice to get the rhythm down with the tip:

Then, bears in bikinis – do you have any idea how HARD it is to pipe onto something as small as a Teddy Graham?

A closer look at bears in bikinis:

Then we moved onto the butterflies – of course, I couldn’t find any licorice in the house for antenna:

I tried to make a pool ball – but after I got the green stripe down, I realized I didn’t have any white or clear crystal sugar for the sides:

And last, but not least, a simple fondant flower:

But of course, we discovered who the flower thief was:

So after all of this, Sabrina looks at me and says, “That was so much fun! Can we do it again tomorrow?”

This months challenge for the Daring Bakers group was Danish Braid, also known as laminated dough. Wow. Since overcoming my fear of yeast this year, as well as surviving the Opera Cake fiasco, I was confident that this would be a successful challenge.

I actually remember my mother making puff pastry when I was a child, with the block of butter in the dough, folding it to seal the butter inside, then the 3 turns to create the flaky layers we know and love. This dough was prepared almost the exact same way. And since I was able to make the TWD‘s brioche dough, I knew I could do this.

*pats self on back* And I did! I was so successful, in fact, that I made it twice in one month!!! I eschewed the apple filling and allowed myself to be swayed to the much loved pastry cream / chocolate chip filling, familiar to all who know and love New York style danishes.

My first attempt – I was a little skimpy with the filling, but ultimately that proved to be the way to go -

I had no problems whatsover, the dough was easy, especially since you could stretch the preparation over a 2 day period. I kept it simple, and love love loved it! David and Sabrina took to having a coin toss to see who would get the coveted end piece. And now that I think about it, the braid was the most difficult part of the process. I’ve never braided dough, but the DB’s provided helpful links that demonstrated the process and it really was simple enough to follow.

This is a recipe that I will make again and again – one batch of dough yielded 4 full size braids, which didn’t last too long in our house, so I made another round, and as I am typing this, there are 3 braids sitting in the freezer.

I was much more generous with filling the subsequent braids, which proved to be detrimental to the overall look of the pastry – my braids split open, however, they were every bit as tasty as the first batch. They just look like giant claws coming out of the sides of the pastry.

Ahhh, light, flaky and oh so delicious. Flush with confidence, I went back for round 2:

Notice how the strips are shorter, therefore the seal was lost as the heat expanded the pastry. It didn’t matter in the end – but I definitely learned how and how not to make the braids.

A wonderful challenge, I really enjoyed this! Thanks to Kelly and Ben for a terrific idea. I can’t wait to see what next month brings!

For the recipe in full detail, please visit Kelly or Ben’s blog -

Here’s the recipe I’ve been meaning to post for the fabulous Mediterranean Salad I made a few weeks ago along with my homemade pita bread.

I actually got this recipe from the Los Angeles Times Food Section about 15 years ago. One of the great things about this recipe is that it isn’t ingredient specific, I’ve added artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and whatever else I can find in the refrigerator. I use cannellini beans because Sabrina can’t eat garbanzos, and I don’t care for the strong taste of feta so I use mozzarella. I also use dried herbs, because, well, you know what happened to my herb garden.

Mediterranean Salad

½ lb orzo pasta, cooked and rinsed
1 15 oz can garbanzo or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
¼ lb Kalamata olives, or regular black olives
½ lb. feta cheese or mozzarella cheese, cubed

Dressing:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
2 tbs. chopped parsley
2 tsp chopped marjoram
2 tbs. chopped basil
2 tbs. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine pasta, beans, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and olives. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

In a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients. Cover and chill.

Just before serving, add cheese to salad, and toss dressing through.

David has dropped several hints about peanut butter cookies lately, and since Sabrina has been out of the house this week in art class, I seized the moment yesterday and tried a new recipe. I don’t remember whose I blog I saw these on, but they were adapted from Magnolia Bakery. I usually do the peanut butter, sugar, and egg cookies, but these looked rich, peanut buttery and delicious.

When I took them out of the oven, David was standing right there, waiting for them to come off the tray. I thought I might have underbaked them just a little, but I didn’t hear any complaints!

Well, actually, after David ate 2 of them with his afternoon espresso, he had a tummyache (no surprise). I ate half of one, and they are amazing. Peanut butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. What’s not to like? Oh yeah! Bring it on!!

After they were finished baking, I opened the windows, cranked the ceiling fans to high, and by the time Sabrina got home, there was no trace of pb in the air. Sneaky mom strikes again!! Oh, and in case you think she was shortchanged, I made something special just for her – but you’ll have to come back later to see it. I haven’t figured out what to call it yet!

Peanut Butter Cookies – adapted from Magnolia Bakery

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter – smooth or chunky
¾ cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for rolling
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbs. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup peanut butter chips
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter together until fluffy. Add sugars and beat until smooth. Add egg, milk and vanilla and beat well. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the chips and blend thoroughly, but don’t over-mix.

Form into balls ( I use a #30 cookie scoop), roll in 1 tablespoon sugar, and place on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will appear underdone, but do not overbake! (And this is true, I thought they were waaayyyy underdone, but were just perfect!)

Whew! That was a mouthful. I saw this recipe on Culinary Concoctions By Peabody, and I thought it would be a nice afternoon sweet to take to the vet’s office, since I always want to stay in their good graces. With three dogs, last minute incidents are common, so it never hurts to have the receptionists eager and willing to see you!

Back to the shortbread. I wasn’t overly thrilled with it – the recipe calls for dark unsweetened cocoa, but I think it was too strong. It had a good coffee flavor, but overall, I wouldn’t make it again. The original recipe is from the Food Network, and for Peabody’s version, click on the link above.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Espresso Shortbread

1 ½ sticks butter, softened
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. instant coffee powder
1 ½ tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9” square baking pan

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour, coffee powder and cocoa powder and mix until the dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Press the dough into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the shortbread is set, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Yaaahooo! It’s my week, uh huh, it’s my week!

First, I’d like to thank the Academy for this honor…….. oh, sorry, wrong award. I got to choose this weeks recipe for Barefoot Bloggers, (and did I mention I was STOKED?!) and I chose Parmesan Chicken. It is very similar to my regular chicken cutlet recipe, but I wanted to try this version because let’s face it, anything with parmesan cheese is so much better.

If you saw the episode in which Ina prepared the chicken, Mel Brooks was the mystery guest. I would love to have Mel Brooks as a dinner guest! I imagine that I wouldn’t get to eat too much, as I would probably be laughing too hard. History of The World, Part I, is my all time favorite movie. I would really like the opportunity to ask him how he came up with the idea for such a great movie!

I can’t say enough great things about this dish. I always cook more than I think we need because leftovers never go to waste. We’ve had it with the salad on top, and also with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. If you head on over to the kids‘ blog, they will tell you their favorite way to eat it as well.

This was David’s way, with a Caprese salad:

And just a shot of the chicken, all juicy and crispy -

This is worth every bit of effort, and I highly recommend you try it!

Thanks again to Tara, for deciding to cook all things Ina, and for inviting the rest of us to join along!

Parmesan Chicken – Barefoot Contessa Family Style

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperIn a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.Yield: 6 servings

Well, Dianne from Dianne’s Dishes is numero uno is our house tonight – considering we live in separate time zones and have never met, my kids think she is absolutely the greatest!

Ok, so what caused this love-fest? Every day, she has a cute little post called “What’s For Dinner?”, where she talks about what they are having for dinner and asks what you are having for dinner. And at least every other day, there I am, telling her what we are having that night. Just so you don’t think I’m a stalker, other people leave comments, too.

So I was telling her about my last minute chicken-in-the-slow-cooker to make tacos with, and she sent me the link to her blog with a recipe for mexican rice. I’ve never made mexican rice in my life, but I liked the recipe immediately because it didn’t call for :

1. condensed soup

2. anything pre-made.

For her original recipe, click here. Otherwise, here’s my modified version, only because after bathing three dogs, and spending the better part of the day cleaning the house, I had to make do with what we had:

Mexican Rice – adapted from Dianne’s Dishes

1 cup long grain white rice
1 cup fresh salsa
1 ear grilled corn, cut off the cob
2 cups water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp cumin

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, bring to boil over high heat, then lower heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

We all loved it! It was really a pleasant surprise – the salsa added alot of flavor, I think. It’s a definite make-again dish, so thanks again, Dianne!!

I found myself with an abundance of zucchini last week – but don’t get excited, I had to actually buy them, not grow them.

I was in the mood for quiche again, so I followed the clean-out-the fridge trick. Only I had to recruit the freezer as well. I found the zucchini, Sabrina’s roasted peppers, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and frozen spinach.

I started with the homemade crust:

Then I placed the sliced zucchini in a ring around the bottom, followed by roasted red peppers. Sabrina wasn’t so sure about the addition of the peppers. I assured her that since she made them, they would be outstanding in this dish:

Then, I mixed up 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and some mixed dried herbs (oregano, basil, garlic powder), plus pepper and a pinch of salt and poured it over the top:

In Sabrina’s words: “Oh yeah, this is awesome!” Over 3 days, me, Sabrina and my mom polished off the whole thing. I almost forgot to take a picture, so that explains the half-eaten piece you see:

If you are wondering where the “hug” in the title comes from, Sabrina hugged me after she ate this and said it was so great!

I was quite excited to make this weeks TWD selection – I like cobblers. They are fun to make, and fun to eat.

They are, however, a cool-weather dessert – and with the temperatures averaging 107 degrees, it’s not the first dessert that comes to mind. So with that thought lingering in the back of my head, I asked David which kind of berry he would like in his cobbler – and before I could finish the sentence, he said “peach”.

At first I thought maybe he misunderstood. So I said, “The recipe calls for berries!” And he kept saying “peach”. So guess what? HE WAS GOING TO GET PEACH!

So being the modern-day domesticated girl that I am, I simply walked to the pantry and pulled out 2 cans of sliced peaches. What, did you think I was going to waltz into the spacious orchard in my backyard, pull them screaming off the tree, and peel them? Not in this lifetime. Please, I can’t even keep mint alive – I stand no chance of growing anything else!

I can impress you with the fact that I made the cobbler crust by hand. And I mean literally by hand. I resisted the urge to break out the food processor, and used my old-fashioned pastry blender to get this going.

See, here’s the proof!

It was fun for the first minute, and then I wished I hadn’t been so ambitious. But since it was a half batch, it really didn’t take too long.

Looking good! At this point, however, I realized that there wasn’t any “flavor enhancer” in the dough. No vanilla, no cinnamon, no nutmeg – NOTHING. But I trusted Dorie not to let me down – so I slid the dough onto the peaches, and just for good measure, I sprinkled the top with sugar to make it sparkle.

Oooh, look! You can see the bubbles on the left side – I had just taken it out of the oven! It smelled wonderful and I couldn’t wait to throw it serve it to David.

Well, he was so happy to get his cobbler – I even topped it with a little vanilla ice cream. But much to my dismay, it really was bland. It needed something to give it flavor. I can’t imagine that the berries could do any more for it than the peaches. Was I wrong? Based upon the P&Q’s, it seems everyone had a similar complaint.

Would I make it again? Absolutely – but next time I’ll spice up the dough.

Thanks to Beth for choosing this weeks recipe.

Next week? Apple Cheddar scones.

My mom loves meringue, and several years ago I made a meringue shortcake for her birthday instead of a traditional birthday cake. She still talks about it, and so tonight I’m going to surprise her with another cake just like the she remembers.

Following my trusty recipe from Williams-Sonoma Fruit Desserts, I made my meringue. The rings expanded so much that my 7″ circles are now more like 10″ circles. Oh well, more meringue to love!

The secret to great meringue is low, dry heat. Well, I should have baked these outside, since you can’t get any drier than this weather – the humidity is at 4%. Yes, my skin feels it too! I baked them at 275 degrees for 2 hours, then propped the door open and left them in overnight. They are crisp, light and dry. Perfect! I had so much meringue left over, that I piped a bunch of kisses rather than throw it out.

Well, Alexander had never tried one before, and I think he ate 10 – before telling me he couldn’t believe how great they were! Ha!

Here’s a pic of the kisses – I put three on a plate, put a rosette of whipped cream on them, and crowned the cream with a raspberry. Oh, I put a strawberry in the center, too. Pretty impressive, huh?

Now for the big guns: Here’s the meringue cake. I followed the same format as the cookies, putting whipped cream between the layers and topping it with the fruit. Next time, I will put a layer of pastry cream between the cream and meringue.

Basic Meringue – Williams Sonoma Fruit Desserts

6 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and trace three 7” circles onto the paper. Flip paper over and set aside.

Place egg whites in mixer bowl. Using electric mixer, beat whites until well mixed. Sprinkle cream of tartar over whites and continue beating until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff, shiny peaks form. Total mixing time should only be about 4 minutes.

Pipe meringue into circles on baking sheets. Alternatively, you can pipe kiss shaped cookies.

Bake meringue for 2 hours. Turn oven off and prop door open. Leave meringue to cool completely. Remove from parchment paper. Meringues can be stored for several days on a rack (not the refrigerator).