The Pastry Affair - Home - Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread I once made the driest pancake in the world. I can see you sitting at home, staring at your computer screen, and scoffing at my bold statement. Driest pancake in the world? Yeah, right. How would you even know? Let me share my story with you. A few years back, I made chocolate chip pancakes. Quickly flash to the next morning. Still cold. Confusion. Was the microwave broken? I got angry, as one will when they want food and want it now. When I took it out, the pancake was slightly less cool. It took me a few hours to realize what had happened. It only stands to reason that my pancake was so utterly dry that there wasn't enough water in it to be absorbed by the microwaves. Thus, the world's driest pancake was born. And to think I took a bite... Luckily, this Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread is definitely not dry. One Year Ago: Chocolate Orange Miniature Cakes Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread Yields 1 loaf In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast and water. Punch down the dough.
Lime-Mint Spritzer First of all, we get to announce the winner of our FINAL Feta Friday giveaway! The winner is The Stace who likes them on her fish tacos (and I can’t disagree with her there!) Congrats! Please email us asap at general (at) ourbestbites (dot) com so we can get your prize mailed out. So after all my whining in Monday’s post, I decided I needed to suck it up and find a way to enjoy what’s left of my summer. Sara and I aren’t drinkers, but I have long admired the mojito from afar, kind of like Nestor Carbonell, only in a glass–Cuban, classic, un-aging, and just as, if not more appealing now than 10 years ago. I mean, how could I not love the idea of a mojito–it involves three of my favorite things: fancy drinks, lime, and mint. These were super easy and pretty darn inexpensive. All in all, I spend a little more than $4, although really, it was less because I only used a bit of the mint and have other plans for the rest of it later this week. Then all you do is finely chop the mint…
12 Tastes of Christmas :: Gingersnap Shake Are you drooling yet? ‘Cause I have been, ever since I laid eyes on these Gingersnap Milkshakes that Lisa sent over for her installment in our 12 Tastes of Christmas series. Lisa is not only an amazing cook, food stylist and photographer…I’m lucky to get to call this incredible girl a friend. We bonded at Alt Summit last year, and I got to hang with her during my San Fran trip earlier this month. I love this time of year when we gather at holiday festivities, share family recipes, toast the New Year and celebrate being together. When entertaining during the holidays, I like to change up the dessert course by serving these mini gingersnap cookie milkshakes. Serve in little glasses with a cookie crumb-coated rim, drop in a colorful straw and you’ve got yourself a festive treat. These can be altered to accommodate allergies (will be sharing ideas on my site later in the week!) Happy Holidays! Gingersnap Milkshakes Cookie Rim 1/4 cup agave nectar10-15 small gingersnap cookies, crumbled
Chinese Tea Eggs Eggs, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee soft-boiled with some kaya toast dipped into the runny yolk. And scrambled with some herbs and melty cheese. And simply cooked over-medium in melted butter. I love eggs any way, any time of the day. Tea eggs are a common street snack and even sold in convenience stores in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. - 6 eggs - 2 bags of black tea - 4 star anise - 1 cinnamon stick - 1/4 cup of soy sauce Place the eggs in a pot and fill with water until just covered. Place the eggs back into the pot of water and add the tea bags, spices and soy sauce. Alternatively, you can simmer the eggs for about 2-3 hours instead of soaking them overnight. (Ru ware image from here) zp8497586rq
Iced Mocha That’s me. Yep yep yep it is. Love mocha cake. Tiramisu is my BFF. Give me coffee ice cream and a spoon. Chocolate coffee cookies? Hot coffee? But I want to like it soooooo bad. The truth is, after a few sips of coffee I feel like I’m hyped up on Speed or something. And just because I really need to tell someone, I’m super annoyed right now because it seems there is maple syrup on my laptop. Anyway. I don’t feel that I have a sufficient number of sugary sweet recipes on this blog and that needs to be remedied. Before you go unsubscribing from the feed, let me just tell you… it really helps if you use something like this. Buuuut… it tastes nothing like fudge brownie. Until you add lots of stuff to it so it tastes like a big ole’ glass of fun and Ben and Jerry’s Buzz just had a baby. What’s that you say? Unless you save most of the mocha sugared rim for last. Homemade Iced Mocha serves 1 5 ounces brewed coffee, cold 1/2 cup milk 1 tablespoon heavy cream 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup P.S.
Detox Foods | Detox smoothies Toxins-free for life Looking to increase your energy levels, to lose weight, get clearer skin, prevent premature ageing and to help preventing diseases? Then look no further! This 5 days step-by-step detox will help you implement long-lasting healthy habits that yields results. Price: $47 Price: $27 Smoothies are a great way to boost your fruits and veggies daily intake. Flat Tummy Rich in digestion supporting ingredients, this smoothie will help prevent bloating and digestive stress that can sabotage your tummy flattening efforts. 3/4 c. papaya 3/4 c. sliced peaches 1/2 pear, sliced 1 tsp fresh ginger 2 mint leaves Water to thin Skin Saver Antioxidants in berries are known to help to fight wrinkles and other skin ageing signs. 3/4 c blueberries 3/4 c pitted cherries 5 strawberries 1/4 avocado, peeled and pitted 2 tsp wheat germ (optional) 2 tsp ground flaxseed Water, to thin Peanut Butter Energy Booster This protein-rich and minerals-filled smoothie will give you long-lasting energy. Bone Lover
Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries Call me easily amused, but these little torch-topped cupcakes delight me. Besides being a cute novelty item for a party, I think they would add a little drama to the end of a romantic meal. I've been looking for something different to serve for Valentine's dessert, and this is definitely different. The strawberries are hollowed out and filled with a bit of liquor, then ignited with a match. For the cake portion, I chose a One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe because 1. it's quick 2. it is easy, and 3. it fits my prerequisite for a light ending on date night. I should say, a light ending provided you don't eat too many. The cakes are just sweet enough, and have a light, fluffy crumb - the perfect vehicle for rich chocolate buttercream. Notes for flaming strawberries:Any alcohol below 80 proof will not ignite well. Shaina made a margarita version of this on Babble Food. Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries Yield: About 20 cupcakes [click to print]Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Frozen White Chocolate Hot Chocolate It is no secret that I love sweets. In fact, when Lent rolls around each year and I see people giving up sweets, I hide… I don’t want those kind of crazy thoughts to invade my brain. I can tell you straight up, me without sweets, would not be a pretty sight. When the folks over at The Motherhood asked me if I would like to be a co-host for a virtual Cooking Connections class surrounding all things sweet, I jumped at the chance. You can join in the virtual chat based class as well, this Wednesday 1pm EST on The Motherhood. Kid Friendly Desserts & Desserts on the GoYour Favorite Desserts, Lightened UpDesserts Worth Indulging & Special Occasion Desserts In the meantime, I am doing my best to diligently research sweet treats prior to the Cooking Connections class. I know there is still a chill in the air, but I am anxiously awaiting spring and summer, which means sweet treats of the frozen variety. Recipe: Frozen White Chocolate Hot Chocolate (Adapted from Epicurious)
Not so much a recipe… More of a “why have I not been doing this for years?” post. Remember back when I made caramel sauce? For some strange reason, I haven’t made it since then. I know, right!? The other day, I decided to make caramel sauce. I’d also been pouring the leftover coffee into an ice tray and freezing it in the off hand chance I’d have time to make iced coffee. See where I’m going? I didn’t have time to cold brew, so I made coffee in the french press, poured it into a pitcher, and let it rest in an ice bath. Once it was chilled, I took the caramel sauce and drizzled it in some glasses. Totally fancy, I know. Then I added the coffee cubes, my favorite creamer, then the coffee. Lovely. For this batch, I didn’t let the coffee cool enough, so the caramel drizzles disappeared when I poured the coffee in. So, now that I have the power of delicious iced coffee, you’ll find me out in my back yard, chillin’ with a book and sippin’ on love. Pioneer Woman’s Caramel Sauce Like this: Like Loading...
The Infamous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies Now, I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I swear by. I love it, I think it is incredible, and I haven’t changed my mind about that. However, as much as it pains me to say it, these chocolate chip cookies by Jacques Torres are absolutely, without a doubt, the best chocolate chip cookies that I have ever made or tasted in my entire life. I guess that’s why they call him Mr. Either way, I made these and everyone that tried them went nuts. Edit: For more Jacques Torres deliciousness, check out my Jacques Torres Chocolate Mudslide Cookies! Your ingredients. Whisk together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat together the butter and sugars, until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add in the flour mixture, very gradually, until just moistened. Fold in your chocolate. Milk is, in fact, an essential component to enjoying these amazing cookies. The Infamous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
Watermelon Mojito Pops May 31, 2011 | Sweet Recipes | Comments Can you believe that tomorrow will be June 1st!? I’m pretty darn excited and wanted to start it off right… with some watermelon mojito popsicles!! Yesterday we went to a BBQ/first birthday party and Zan brought some ingredients to make watermelon mojitos. They were enjoyed by many and as I was sipping mine, I thought of a great idea! A mojito popsicle! Mojito PopsiclesIngredients (makes about 10 medium size popsicles) 3 1/2 cups cubed watermelon Handful fresh mint leaves 3 Tablespoons Agave (or you can sweeten them with regular sugar) 1/2 lime 2 oz. light rum 1/2 cup club soda Directions In a large mixing bowl, muddle the watermelon and mint together until the watermelon is a juice consistency with some small chunks.
Homemade Coffee Creamer My friends tell me the one thing they can’t give up is their flavored coffee creamer. I can understand. Creamy, sweet, smooth, with all sorts of different flavors to choose from. The problem is the ingredients. So if you’re hooked on store-bought creamer then today’s your day. Next time you have friends over for a gathering, make a few batches of homemade coffee creamer, put them in cute bottles and have a coffee bar. A great alternative to regular coffee is herbal coffee. *Since posting these recipes in September 2010, I have developed a few new recipes: Caramel Coffee Creamer and Honey Vanilla Coffee Creamer, Sugar Free and Dairy Free Coffee Creamer **Teeccino contains barley, so if you need to avoid gluten an organic decaf would be a better option. Homemade Cinnamon Strudel Coffee Creamer I prefer to strain each of the creamers through a fine mesh sieve to prevent any spices floating in my coffee. Homemade Chocolate Almond Coffee Creamer Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer