Stylish Cuisine « Peanut Butter Cup Bars My cousin Greg from DC stayed with us last night. It was great to see him. When we have company, what’s one of the first things that I think of? Dessert! I LOVE Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and this recipe produces an unbelievable tray of them in bar form. I’m including the recipe as I found it on the Internet. Using a pizza cutter is a brilliant way to cut these bars after they’ve chilled. All four boys loved the bars, which surprised me because one of the boys has claimed for years that he doesn’t like peanut butter. Peanut Butter Cup Bars Recipe from Michelle at One Ordinary Day1/2 cup butter 1 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar 1 cup peanut butter 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips(Line a 8×8, 9×9, or 7×11 pan with foil for easy removal of bars later.)Melt 1/2 c. butter of low heat. Print This Recipe
frites & fries - Garlic Knots Most of my early food memories had to do with all the garlic dishes that my grandmother made. Preschool-me was so fascinated by the fact that Grandma smelled like garlic 24/7 and I was always so amazed that something so small could create so much flavor. My grandmother’s native Shangdong province uses a lot of garlic in their cooking so it wasn’t surprising to see my mom or my grandmother use up an entire bulb of garlic for a small dinner. Loving garlic is in my blood. When I make something with garlic in it, I tend to go nuts and use way more garlic cloves than necessary because I love using it. Every time I make these garlic knots, I usually use six to eight cloves rather than the four stated by the recipe. You don’t have to use the same amount of garlic I used in these garlic knots but here’s a rough guideline. Guide to Garlickyness (based on number of cloves used for these garlic knots): For 40-50 knots (adapted from White on Rice Couple): Dough: Garlic Coating:
evil chef mom: cheese fritters with balsamic sun-dried tomato dipping sauce Don't these look better than fried mozzarella sticks that you get at T.G.I. McFuglies? Come on they have fresh thyme sprinkled all over the top. And while I am writing about these make sure you use whole milk ricotta. Make sure to do this assembly line style. Then dip the cheese balls (teehee, I am well aware I have the mentality of a 12 year old boy) into flour. Then into the egg. Then have them take a roll in the panko crumbs. Viola! cheese fritters: adapted from everyday italian 1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs) 3 large eggs 3/4 cup all-purpose flour vegetable oil, for frying a few sprigs of thyme lemon In a small bowl combine the ricotta, mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Scoop a 1 1/2 tablespoon ball (between the size of a ping pong bowl and a golf bowl) of the cheese mixture into the flour and roll to coat. Sprinkle fritters with thyme and salt. ShareThis
Killer Peanut Butter Mousse Brownie Pie I can think of worse ways to die... We’re eating a chilled “pie” made of layers of fudgy coffee brownies, rich airy peanut butter mousse, crumbled Reese’s peanut butter cups and finished with a drizzle of ganache. It’s a well-known fact that sweets are not really my cuppa beer. (I don’t really do “joe” either!) That being said, T-dog loves him some sweets so from time to time I give in and make him something decadent. Going into the this dish with the concept in my head, I had no idea how wildly popular it was going to turn out to be! Killer Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie For the Brownies: 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped 1 stick butter, cut in cubes 1 tbsp instant espresso or coffee (optional) 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 3 fingered pinch of salt 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup all purpose flour For the Peanut Butter Mousse: 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, (do NOT use natural or crunchy!) For the Ganache: 1/3 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
bethany actually» Blog Archive » Make your own vanilla extract Wouldn’t you be happy to get this as a Christmas gift? I read Catherine Newman’s post about making homemade vanilla as Christmas gifts and thought, Brilliant! I’m gonna do that this year! So we did. I bought a dozen 4-ounce clear Boston round glass bottles and 20 organic Tahitian vanilla beans (I actually received 23 beans). [UPDATE 12 October 2011: The company I originally bought vanilla beans from seems to be on hiatus. I also gathered my two lovely and capable assistants, Annalie and my mom Debbie. For each bottle of vanilla, you’ll need 2-3 beans and 1/2 cup of vodka. First, we used the scissors to cut each vanilla bean in half lengthwise and then again crosswise. We stuffed all the bean pieces into the bottles, seven or eight pieces per bottle. We got vanilla-bean flecks and sticky juice on our fingers, but it washed off easily and as a bonus made our hands smell yummy. After we’d distributed all the beans into the bottles, I poured a half-cup of vodka into the measuring cup.
Apple Cider Doughnuts ~ Recipes by Amanda's Cookin I realize that the calendar is counting down and it won’t be long before apple cider (the good stuff anyway) is no longer available in stores. We have an apple orchard here that sells gallons of homemade apple cider and you can freeze it if you have room. I sadly, don’t have enough room! I made these because my beloved teenage daughter asked me to… but she hasn’t had any yet! The two younger boys have tried them and gave them a thumbs up, and man are they good warm! One tip I will pass on is that when you heat up your oil or shortening, place a candy thermometer in place, then when it reaches 350 F, WAIT. Now speaking of the recipe, I originally saw this on Smitten Kitchen, she found it on The Washington Post, and I also saw them on my friend Katrina’s blog, Baking and Boys. By the way, I used shortening and melted it in my cast iron Dutch oven. One more note before I give you the recipe. Apple Cider Doughnutsprintable version Eat warm or at room temperature!
Lemon Bars This is the part of winter I hate the most, the wasteland between late February and the end of March where spring seems so close and so far away. Each sunny day feels like hope, only to be followed by another 6-inches of snow. It can be discouraging. I’m generally not a fan of lemon bars. The Ultimate Lemon Butter Bar by Rose Levy Beranbaum Shortbread 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold) (5 ounces = 142 grams) 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (0.5 ounce = 14 grams) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (0.75 ounce = 25 grams) 1 1/4 cups bleached all-purpose flour (dip and sweep method) (6.25 ounces = 180 grams) Lemon Curd EQUIPMENT: 8-inch by 8-inch by 2-inch baking pan, preferably metal (if using a glass pan, lower the oven temperature 25°F), bottom and 2 sides lined with an 8-inch by 16-inch strip of heavy-duty aluminum foil. FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes, wrap it, and refrigerate. Dump the mixture into a plastic bag and press it together. Preheat oven to 325°F.
Jessica's Dinner Party » Buttery Croissants While I was browsing through Gourmet recipes I came across one for croissants. I immediately tagged it, knowing that I would never come up with the nerve to make them. It would be a reference, in case I ever wanted to know how to make them, or if someone wanted a link to a sound recipe. I really didn’t think I would be baking croissants any time soon, but I guess I surprised myself. I’ll be honest with you, it’s a long process. However, it is not a difficult process. Next time, and there absolutely will be a next time, I want to make each layer thinner. Croissant Dough Adapted from Gourmet Makes 24 croissants 1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated warm, about 105-110 degrees F 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast or two 1/4 ounce packages (I used instant dry yeast) 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 tablespoon kosher salt 3 sticks or 1 1/2 cups cold, unsalted butter In a bowl, mix warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast. Assemblage/Shape