Menus, Methods and Musings: Desserts: Salted Caramel Cheesecake (Updated with A Note on Salt) N.B. It was brought to my attention that if this recipe is made with regular salt, it is WAY too salty. I always use kosher salt. Don't use table salt or this will be truly inedible. Here it is at last. I made this for Thanksgiving in 2010. I could have taken numerous pictures of my friends eating it, but when the dust settled, once again, I was left with no model. So, rather than make you wait until November for this recipe, when I might actually be able to get a decent picture of it, I’m giving it to you now and you can make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas and your husband’s birthday and your anniversary. Salted Caramel Cheesecake Serves 2 Ha ha! For the crust About 15 graham crackers 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 stick unsalted butter, melted 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (note: I reduced this from 2 teaspoons. 1. 2. 3. For the cheesecake 3 8oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature 1 13-14 oz. can dulce de leche 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 3 teaspoons kosher salt 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
» Beating the Macaroni Blues - great baby shoes, baby clothes, baby toys, cloth diapers and parenting tips! If you are anything like me, you are sick to death of the answer from your toddler to the age old question “what do you want for lunch”. Macaroni, macaroni, macaroni. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind it every now and again, but I do think that I can provide something a little more, how should we say, , the rest of the time. In addition to the macaroni and grilled cheese sammy repertoire, my toddler will also tolerate soup, for the most part, as long as it doesn’t have anything yucky in it. So with that I took to making some toddler friendly soup that I could freeze and re-serve in toddler size portions. Chicken breasts or pieces (raw or cooked) 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional) 1 clove of garlic mined (optional) 1 litre chicken broth 1 cup of diced carrots (or whatever veggie your little one eats) 1/2 cup of diced celery 1 cup of egg noodles If using raw chicken, place diced chicken in your saucepan with onion, garlic and a couple tablespoons of water. Enjoy with your picky toddler!
Red Velvet Brownies - freutcake This weekend I temporarily lost my baking mojo. I burnt a batch of caramel, ruined shortbread and my pizza dough was a disaster. What was happening? Why did my favorite past time turn on me? …Sunday night rolled around and I felt the need to redeem myself with one last recipe for Red Velvet Cream Cheese brownies. I crossed my fingers, said a little prayer and made a batch. photo by Freutcake Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies Red Velvet: 1 stick unsalted butter, (8 Tbsp) melted 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup cocoa powder Pinch salt 1 tablespoon red food coloring 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 2 eggs 3/4 cup all purpose flour Cream Cheese: 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brownie layer: Add melted butter to a large bowl and add sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar, mixing after each addition. To store: wrap remaining brownies in saran wrap and keep in fridge.
Rolo TURTLES. (Not the bastard holiday M&M kind) | {So Wonderful, So Marvelous} I make these Rolo Turtle Candies every year, usually multiple times, but always at Christmas. They're a huge favorite with our peeps and they are SUPER easy to make. There is also a bastardized version made with a holiday m&m, but if I ditched the pecans, I'd have an angry mob on my hands. Without further ado, here is the recipe: 1. The key here is to put them pretty evenly spaced in rows, it will make the pecan step MUCH easier. 2. 3. 4. **There have been some fantastic reader comments about toasting the pecan first for a few minutes in the oven. 5. 6. I store in the fridge to keep them longer, but remove them an hour or so before eating so the caramel softens up a bit. Oh, and one last thing, a REALLY helpful hint...
Twix Caramel Popcorn Recipe Twix Caramel Popcorn Every Fall we make caramel popcorn, it is a tradition in our house. Over the weekend we were hanging out at home with the baby and watching football. I thought it was the perfect day to bust out a batch of caramel corn, so I asked Josh if he could watch the baby while I went to work. Of course, he said yes:) I decided to surprise him by jazzing up our traditional caramel corn recipe. This time I made Twix Caramel Popcorn. I got out our trusty air popper to pop the popcorn. I chopped up Twix candy bars into bite size pieces and mixed them into the caramel popcorn. If you are looking for a fun way to jazz up your caramel corn, try our Twix Caramel Popcorn. Twix Caramel Popcorn Yield: Makes a lot! If you like this Twix Caramel Popcorn, you might also like:
Maple Roasted Bananas with Cinnamon Whipped Cream I have begun a lifelong love affair with maple syrup. It started with pancakes, gravitated towards desserts, and found its way to savory foods (maple syrup is just fantastic on asparagus). But today we aren't talking about pancakes or savory foods. We are talking desserts. When I set out to make these maple roasted bananas, I had no idea of the surprises in store for me. The fire alarm forced me to stop my experiment. My bananas turned out perfectly despite this. The cinnamon whipped cream keeps the sugar in check, so it is not overwhelming. (Don't worry, I adjusted and tested the recipe so your baking venture will be a little less exciting).Maple Roasted Bananas with Cinnamon Whipped Cream Yields 4 servings Roasted Bananas4 ripe bananas1/2 cup maple syrup3 tablespoons brown sugar1 tablespoon lemon juice (or dark rum)1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the bananas crosswise and then lengthwise. Roast in the oven for 5 minutes.
Recipe: Banoffee "Danger" Pie Do not adjust your sets - you haven't tuned into the wrong blog. Its still culinarily challenged me but this pie was so amazingly delish I had to share it. We had a chance encounter with its gooey yumminess in Africa. Luckily the camp manager was nice enough to share the recipe. I've made a few slight adjustments to account for American markets. Meet Banoffe "Danger" Pie. Why "danger"? Still with me? 3 bananas 1 tin of sweetened condensed milk 2 cups whipping cream 1 package of digestive biscuits or graham crackers1 stick of butter 1 tsp vanilla 1 small bar of chocolate If you don't mind using store bought ingredients you can cut down a lot on the steps but since I was posting it I figured I would make a proper version entirely from scratch just for you. Your first step can be done way ahead of time (at least hours but can be as much as months before). After requisite time has passed, take pot off the stove and allow the can to cool. Grind up digestive cookies in food processor.
Double Chocolate Bread with Peanut Butter Spread & Buns In My Oven I’ve been wanting to making this chocolate bread with peanut butter spread for a long time now and for a couple of reasons. The number one reason, obviously, is because it rhymes. Say it with me – Chocolate Bread with Peanut Butter Spread. That’s just fun. The second reason is because it sounds yummy. The one thing holding me back, however, has been my husband. Every couple of weeks I’d mention this bread. Yes. Today, I told him that I just couldn’t live like this anymore and I made the dang bread. I’m sorry. The original recipe called for dark chocolate chunks to be mixed through the bread, but I used half dark and half semi-sweet. Either way, this was yummy. Double Chocolate Bread with Peanut Butter Spread Ingredients For the bread: For the peanut butter spread: 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 3 tablespoons peanut butter 1/3 cup powdered sugar Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together all ingredients until well combined and fluffy.
Lemon-Lime Sugar Cookie Truffles… No doubt you’ve heard of cake balls, and Oreo truffles, and cookie dough truffles; and most likely, you’ve even made your own cake balls, Oreo truffles, etc. I know I’ve definitely made my fair share of all kinds. And that’s exactly what these are- more ‘dessert balls’. But these are oh-so much better than the run-of-the-mill Oreo truffles or cake balls! You all know how Oreo truffles work- crushed up Oreos, cream cheese and chocolate coating. Lemon-Lime Sugar Cookie Truffles 1 batch of sugar cookie dough (I used a store-bought mix, but you can use any recipe you like!) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When cookies are cooled, using your hands, remove from the dish and crumble into the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor (small chunks are fine). When the balls are thoroughly chilled, melt the white chocolate candy coating in the microwave, or over a double boiler. Share:
Black Sticky Gingerbread Recipe I'm going to revisit a recipe I posted in 2005. I've experimented with a good number of gingerbread recipes in the years since I highlighted Regan Daley's Black Sticky Gingerbread. There were single, double, and triple ginger gingerbreads. Cakes that were spice-kissed, and others with experience at first and second base. They're all good, really. But hers is the one I keep coming back to when it counts. Back then, here's what I said, "...The Black Sticky Gingerbread comes together like the cake that it is - straight-forward, unfussy, with a bit of kick and attitude. It all holds true. Just a quick mention that I like Wholesome Sweeteners or Plantation Organic Molasses, both are unsulphered organic, blackstrap molasses. Preheat the oven to 325F / 165C, with a rack in the center. Combine the butter, water, molasses, honey and brown sugar in a medium non-reactive saucepan and place over low heat. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for ~45-60 minutes. Serves 12-16. Print Recipe
Friday Favorites - Lauren Conrad Happy Friday everyone! I hope you had a lovely week (and an even lovelier weekend). As always, here are a few of my weekly favorites… Favorite Fall Dress (If you know where the dress is from, let me know! Favorite Shoes: Favorite Dessert Idea (It’s a cake made from ice cream sandwiches! Favorite Necklace (It’s available on ModCloth.com!) Favorite Color Scheme (courtesy of good old Mother Nature): What are your favorites this week? P.S. Photos: pinterest, stylemepretty, realsimple, modcloth, afinidades-eletivas Pecan Pie Cake Ok people, you've been warned! This cake will make a grown man drop to his knees, birds will sing, and your children will ask you to let them wash the dishes. I'm tellin' you, this cake is good enough to make you sass your grandma (and we all know you won't get away with that without some serious discipline from your mama, right?) I found this in an older Southern Living, and so glad I did! Pecan Pie Cake It's best to make the filling the night before, because you want this to chill really well. Pecan Pie Filling 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 3/4 cup dark corn syrup 1/3 cup cornstarch 4 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 1/8 tsp salt 3 TBSP butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the real stuff) Whisk together the first 6 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until smooth. Now for the cake.... Pecan Pie Cake 3 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1/2 cup shortening 2 cups sugar 5 large eggs, separated 1 TBSP vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour
10 Tasty Mug Cakes That You Can Make in Just Minutes By bellalimento | I’m sure you’ve heard of cakes that you make in a microwave in MINUTES. I have to admit the first time I saw a recipe for one I was skeptical. I mean how can you make a cake in just a few minutes in the microwave? So I set out to test the theory. nggallery id=’120007′ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake Chocolate Fluffernutter Mug Cake Strawberries and Cream Mug Cake Read more from bell’alimento {Paula} on her Food Blog, Twitter & Facebook. Want to whip up dessert in a flash? The 25 healthiest foods for under $18 breakfast recipes to make in a crockpot15 sinfully sweet dessert recipes in a jar8 homemade Girl Scout cookie recipes — Samoas, Thin Mints, and more17 drinks you wouldn’t guess are non-alcoholic More on Babble About bellalimento bellalimento Paula Jones started her blog, Bell'alimento, in 2009 as a place to share her recipes with her friends and family.