Marshmallow 101 A few months ago, I promised a marshmallow tutorial –WITH PHOTOS! – to Laura and Karen, to prove that, YES!, they can make marshmallows at home. Big, soft, happy, puffy marshmallows that taste much better than any you’ll find at the grocery. Marshmallows that actually MELT in hot chocolate instead of bobbing around looking stupid. Are you ready for the challenge? Let’s go! There are many marshmallow recipes out there, but my favorite comes from the December 1998 issue of “Gourmet.” So, let’s get started! Adapted from Gourmet (December 1998)1 cup confectioner’s sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar)3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin1/2 cup cold water2 cups granulated sugar1/2 cup light corn syrup1/2 cup hot water (You want it to be around 115°F, which takes about 15 seconds in the microwave. )1/4 teaspoon salt2 large egg whites (or meringue powder reconstituted according to the manufacturer’s directions) 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1. 2. 3. 4. .
Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread I’m sorry. I know it’s Monday morning and you probably came here for some pretty pictures of food that you could glance at, and then move on with your day… and here I go thrusting warm, soft cinnamon sugar bread in your face. It’s not fair. I know it’s not fair. You don’t deserve this sort of torture. This bread hits all the comfort spots in my soul. I’m sorry and you’re welcome and I love you. Let’s start at the beginning. I did this all without the use of a stand mixer and dough hook. This dough can be made and left to rise , then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning. This is the dough just before it’s left to rise. After the dough has rested and risen for an hour, I knead it in a few tablespoons of flour. This is the part in the bread process where you can wrap the dough and place it in the fridge to rest overnight. I worked with my dough right away. I can’t even deal. I sliced the dough, vertically, into six long strips. After 30 minutes in the oven… oh man…. bread heaven.
“Homemade Fruit Leather” | The Official Site of Chef Georgia Pellegrini | Food, Travel, Lifestyle, Hunting and Redefining Slow Food Fruit roll-ups were a big thing when I was growing up. There were so many iterations at one point that I was in pure fruit candy bliss. Then there were the healthy versions that we’d always find at the health food store. They were called “fruit leather,” because they were thicker and made out of pure fruit I suppose… not the other nasty bits that were probably in the fruit roll-ups. My editor told me that they needed a few more recipes for my book Food Heroes a little while ago for “layout” reasons. And I’m so glad I did. I may or may not have eaten the entire tray. I may have. I did. You start by dicing up the strawberries into small pieces. Then in a pot they go, with a bit of water. And a squirt of lemon juice. Then you stew them. Next you place some plastic over a sheet tray and brush it with olive oil. The stewed fruit should look like this, at which point you transfer it to a blender. Taste it and if you think it could be a lot sweeter add some sugar. Like so. It will peel right off.
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies « Betchacanteatjustone's Blog This just may be my new favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie. It’s made with butter AND cream cheese. It’s dense, chewy, chocolatey and very delicious. I had half a package of cream cheese that needed to be used up and I really wanted chocolate chip cookies so I figured surely there must be a recipe… a quick google blog search led me to baking blonde and a really delicious recipe that’s definitely being added to my regular cookie repertoire! Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe from BakingBlonde 4 oz cream cheese, softened (recipe called for 5-6 but I only had 4)3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled1 cup brown sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar2 tsp vanilla extract1/2 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt2 cups plus 3 tbsp all purpose flour1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment Cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugars until light and fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients and then add them to the butter mixture. Enjoy!
Fruit Rollups I am not one of those people that eat strictly organic, natural, and whole foods. Just check this, this and this. Overall, I am not a very healthy eater. My diet consists of mostly bread, pasta, cheese and sugar. Oh, and heavy cream. That’s a staple these days. Even though these fruit roll ups cannot be considered healthy I think they can be called healthier. Here is what you'll need. Add the strawberries to the food processor And the sugar Puree Transfer to a sauce pan Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 1 hour Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat Spread evenly Bake for about 3 hours and then let dry Cover with parchment paper and then roll Slice as desired and enjoy! Ingredients4½ cups strawberries, halved (about 1½ lbs.) ¾ cup sugar DirectionsCombine strawberries and sugar in a food processor and puree until smooth. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with a nonstick liner, such as a Silpat. Source: Just a Taste
Pizza Swirl Bread I have good news and bad news. The good news is… I made you bread. It tastes like pizza. It’s swirled with piles of grated provolone and spicy pepperoni and a nice little mixture of Italian seasoning [...that came out of a tube]. Yeah. We all do it. The bad news is that it disappeared. Like… all of it. At best I could dig the foil out of the trash for you that enveloped this loaf for a full 13 minutes before complete domination took over. See, bread if my favorite thing to make. I want to dive headfirst into this pepperoni roll on steroids and doggy paddle through every cheesy swirl. Pizza Swirl Bread [adapted from martha stewart.com] makes one loaf 4 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup milk 1/4 cup warm water 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 1 large egg 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 garlic cloves, minced 6 ounces provolone cheese, freshly grated 4 ounces grated parmesan cheese 20-30 slices pepperoni, or however much you would like 1/3 cup tomato sauce, or more if desired 1.
Cookie Dough Pie It’s a trick actually. There is no cookie dough in this pie at all. Just cookies made so they seem like cookie dough. Magical really. My little niece, Mia ate this and said, “Hey did you put cookie dough in here?” Cookie Dough Pie 15.25 ounce package Chips Ahoy Cookies- Original kind8-12 ounces Cool Whip- I used 8 ounces2 cups milk* Quickly dip cookies in milk, shake off excess liquid, and layer in 9 inch pie plate, breaking cookies to fill any gaps. *Last night I used 1 C. strong coffee mixed with 1 C. milk for dipping instead of plain milk. Note- You must dip quickly or your pie will be very soggy. Can you imagine other cookie combinations? Top photo courtesy of Rob Klause (my brother.) Want another great pie…try this Banana Split Pie- WOW!
How To Make Croissants [Chocolate Croissants, Pumpkin Spice Croissants, and Cinnamon Sugar Croissants] I hope you’re ready to see a billion underexposed photos of the same exact dough over and over and over again. Please say yes, because you will be rewarded with this. This was a… project. To say the least. I have been dying to try homemade croissants for ages, but after mention of them when I made almond joy scones, I could hardly wait. I have a very nostalgic reason for loving croissants: since I was young, each summer my grandma would always pick up a croissant from the Bread Box Bakery in Boyne City. But I also have a superficial reason for loving croissants: It’s Complicated. Too bad they don’t mention that it takes like 14 hours to really make croissants. I’m not about to tell you “oh! Oh… and I made four flavors of croissants: traditional, chocolate, cinnamon sugar and pumpkin spice. Easy enough… it all starts with some yeast and flour. I know you have all of the ingredients in your kitchen, which means you should probably start right now. No. Then you fold it up like a letter. 1. 2.
Frozen Banana Bites Frozen Banana Bites are coated in healthy things like peanut butter, ground flax seed or trail mix and then dipped in chocolate. A recipe that represents equilibrium: a perfect balance between health and flavor. All the ingredients are healthy. And all the ingredients rank high on flavor, especially when combined! Do you know the saying implying we should avoid “form over function”? The idea behind the message is to choose what’s practical over what looks good. We need a little form, don’t you think? I’ve been mulling a new saying lately, health over flavor. And I’ve tipped the scale when I’ve opted for too much flavor. I like it when I can find that perfect balance in a recipe. The inspiration for this one came from my mother-in-law, Diane. I elected to add a little bit of peanut butter to my sliced bananas. And then I started getting creative. Then I got really creative. A few years back in my non vegetarian/non vegan days, I used to love Skittles combined with M&Ms. Ingredients
Better than Robert Redford... With the recent engagement and impending nuptials of Robert Redford to his long-time girlfriend, Sibylle Szaggars, I guess we can say Robert is officially off-the-meat-market. Sorry ladies. Those of you who have been holding out for a date with this handsome, iconic, movie star, are going to have to look elsewhere for love. However, if you feel the need to wallow in your grief this cake is for you! Although I cannot vouch for the original, this version is decadence with a capital “D”. It’s perfect for the upcoming summer, served cold, and perfect for a warm evening. If Robert Redford is not your heartthrob of the moment, maybe we could call it, “Better Than Johnny Depp Dessert” or “Brad Pitt” even. It’s so good, it just might work. Now let’s put these celebrities out of our minds and get to work! Here’s what you’ll need: All-purpose flour, walnuts, unsalted butter, cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar (not granulated sugar as is mistakenly shown in the picture!) Heat oven to 350 degrees.