Happy Anniversary to Us!

Tomorrow is our one year anniversary!! It's been a very busy year, but a fun one for sure.



To celebrate, I was going to make us a cake, but instead we found these cupcakes that Shane really wanted and ran with them instead. I didn't try these yet, but Shane had two and really liked them so I'd say they were a hit!



Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted temperature, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

For the Glaze:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces



Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a muffin pan by lining with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until it is blended into the butter. Add the egg, then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix it in with the rubber spatula. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds.

Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are dry and springy to the touch and a knife inserted into their centers comes out clean. Transfer the muffin pan to a rack and let the cakes cool for 5 minutes before unmolding them. Cool to room temperature on the rack before glazing.



To Make the Glaze:
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let stand for 5 minutes.

Using a small whisk or rubber spatula, stir the confectioners' sugar into the chocolate, followed by the pieces of cold butter. The glaze may be very thin at this point, or it might be perfectly spreadable. If it is too thin to spread, stir it over ice water for a few seconds (less than a minute). With a small metal icing spatula, give each cupcake a crown of shiny ganache and let the glaze set at room temperature.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

S'more Bars

These were another recipe I found on the Williams Sonoma site. They're actually one of the kid's recipes, which was good for two reasons. One, they were really easy to make. But almost more importantly, since they were kid friendly, I suspected they might also be Shane friendly! Neither of us was disappointed. Shane loved them!

S'more Bars
from Williams-Sonoma



3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
6 whole graham crackers
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2 whole graham crackers or 1 cup
mini-graham cracker shapes

Line an 8-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil so that the foil hangs over the sides. Grease the foil with butter.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 3 tablespoons butter. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Put the 6 whole graham crackers into a zippered plastic bag. Press out the air and seal the bag. Using a rolling pin or your hands, crush the cookies to make tiny crumbs. You should have about 1 cup. (Alternatively, use your food processor to crush the cookies into crumbs.) Add the crumbs to the melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Scrape the crumbs into the baking pan.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap loosely over the crumbs. Use your hand over the plastic wrap to spread the crumbs to coat the bottom of the pan. Press down firmly to make a solid even layer.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the condensed milk and chocolate chips. Heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and salt until blended. Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust and spread evenly with the spoon.

Scatter the marshmallows evenly over the chocolate filling and press them in gently. Break the 2 whole graham crackers into little pieces and stick the broken crackers or mini-cracker shapes into the filling among the marshmallows.

Cover and refrigerate the bars until they are firm, about 4 hours. To serve, lift the foil from the pan and set the smore square on a cutting board. Peel the foil away from the sides and cut the square into rectangles. Keep refrigerated until just before serving.

Serves 12.

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

Yesterday I was browsing Williams Sonoma for recipes and saw these. The picture looked amazing and I knew I really wanted to try them. I've never made cheesecake, but these were surprisingly easy! Best of all, they tasted so much better than I expected they would. I will absolutely make these again!!

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

from Williams-Sonoma

For the topping:

1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the filling:

1 1/4 lb cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs, at room temperature

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

To make the topping, in a nonreactive saucepan, combine 1/2 lb. of the strawberries with the sugar. Using a fork, gently mash the strawberries. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the strawberries are softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 lb strawberries and the lemon juice. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool completely. (The topping can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 24-cup mini muffin pan with mini paper or foil liners.

To make the filling, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat until combine. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and beat until combined.

Divide the filling evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until the cheesecakes are just set in the center, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cheesecakes cool in the pan 5 minutes. Transfer the cheesecakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Refrigerate the cheesecakes in an airtight container for at least overnight or up to 3 days. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the strawberry topping onto each chilled cheesecake and serve immediately.

Makes 24 mini cheesecakes.

Today I learned...

Tonight I tried to make biscotti for the first time. I don't eat biscotti so I've never had a strong desire to make it. That said, I wanted to bake something tonight and knew I'd be giving it away to someone as it wouldn't get eaten in our house. This biscotti recipe jumped out at me so I gave it a shot.

I wouldn't say it was a complete failure, but as far as appearances go, it definitely wasn't entirely successful! Even if I tried the biscotti I wouldn't know if it was any good since I don't have any basis for comparison. Therefore, I really can't comment on taste. I'll have to post an update when an opinion is rendered...

This recipe is from a new cookbook I picked up last week called Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. It's an absolutely gorgeous book with beautiful pictures and tons of recipes! The recipes are fantastic in that they do more than provide the ingredients and instructions. There are tips and hints as well as serving and storage advice. I can't wait to try more recipes from this book.

Lenox Almond Biscotti
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan



1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3/4 cup sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the cornmeal and whisk again to blend.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. The dough will be soft and will stick to your fingers. Scrape down the paddle and bowl, toss in the almonds and mix just to blend.

Scrape half the dough onto one side of the baking sheet. Using your fingers and a rubber spatula or scraper, work the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. The log will be more rectangular than domed, and bumpy, rough and uneven. Form a second log with the remaining dough on the other side of the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board and, with a long serrated knife, trim the ends and cut the logs into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet and slide the sheet back into the oven.

Bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes, or until they are golden and firm. Transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets

I found this recipe in my most recent issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. It looked incredibly simple and quick so I marked the page to try it the next time we needed a dinner idea. I was a little disappointed with the final product when we made it tonight. Despite my love of panko, the panko in this recipe sort of overwhelmed the pork. Admittedly, I overcooked the panko a bit, which I think had something to do with it. So, we'll probably give this recipe another shot and see how much of a difference it makes to the recipe if the panko is cooked properly.

Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets
from Everyday Food



1 1/2 cups panko
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless pork loin chops
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss panko with oil. Bake, tossing once, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 400F.

Meanwhile, one at a time, place chops between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, pound to make 1/4-inch-thick cutlets.

Dividing evenly, coat pork with mustard; season with salt and pepper. One at a time, dip cutlets into panko, pressing firmly to adhere.

Place a rack on a rimmed baking sheet; place pork on rack, and bake, without turning, until opaque throughout, 10 to 15 minutes.

Update: Buffalo Wings

Last month, I made buffalo wings for the Super Bowl. At the time, I forgot to take pictures. However, I made the wings again this weekend for Shane and remembered to take some pictures!! I didn't try these as they aren't very diet-friendly, but Shane really liked them. I'm sure we'll make them again for a get-together with friends.

Happy Easter!

Ever since I received cute cupcake liners and toppers for my birthday last month (see pics below), I've been wanting to make cupcakes. Since spring finally arrived this week and tomorrow is Easter, this seemed like as good a weekend as any. Originally, I was planning to make red velvet cupcakes, but I couldn't find a recipe I really wanted to use. Instead, I decided to make yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. While I've made these from a box many times in the past, I've never made either the cupcakes or frosting from scratch. Both of these recipes were great to follow. My favorite part was actually frosting the cupcakes. This frosting was super easy to work with and really went on the cupcakes easily. I haven't tasted either the cupcakes or frosting yet (saving them for tomorrow), but Shane was a huge fan of both the cupcake batter and the frosting. We're definitely looking forward to trying the cupcakes!!



Yellow Cake
from Blonde Ambition in the Kitchen

2 ½ cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract



Preheat oven to 350F. Line the cupcake pan with liners.

Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar and, using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed to blend. Cut butter into 4 or 5 chunks and drop into the bowl with the flour. Blend on low speed until mixture looks sandy and no large chunks of butter remain, 1-2 minutes.

In a large measuring cup, combine eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat lightly with a fork until combined. With the mixer on low, pour 1 cup of the egg mixture into the bowl. Turn speed up to medium and beat for 1 ½ minutes. Reduce speed back to low and pour in the rest of the egg mixture. Continue to beat at low speed for an additional 30 seconds, until liquid is fully incorporated.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds, if necessary. Pour into prepared cupcake tins, spreading batter evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.



Chocolate Frosting
from Hershey's

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

Makes about 2 cups frosting.

Dry Rub Ribs

Shane and I actually watched an episode of Dave Lieberman together and saw him make these dry rub ribs. Shane immediately asked me to make them at our house. Last night, I had the perfect opportunity to do that. Every year around this time Shane and his friends get together and everyone brings a different meat concoction. Sometimes they're "normal" meats like ribs and other times they're very unique (for example, in year's past, meat ice cream has been made and this year there was chocolate covered bacon).



Anyway, I figured I would try making the ribs for this year's gathering. Everyone raved about these ribs, including Shane! They were super simple to make though since they take over 2 hours to cook, they're not a quick meal. I prefer sweeter flavors versus spicy flavors and even I liked these. I only cooked mine for 2 hours as other people were waiting to use the oven, but I think they would have been even better had I left them in for another 30 minutes.



Dry Rub Ribs
from Dave Lieberman, FoodNetwork.com

2 pounds baby back ribs

For the rub:



1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
25 grinds fresh black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat over to 300 degrees F. Mix the rub ingredients together well in a small bowl.

Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs, then rub the vegetable oil onto the ribs. Pour the rub over the ribs and work the rub fully and evenly into the ribs. Spread the ribs out evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

I think it would be fair to say that we tend to eat a lot of the same things over and over again. The same is true for meats. We have a few favorites we gravitate towards and we rarely try anything new. That said, Shane loves meat and is always up for trying something different. So, the other day we found pork tenderloin on sale at the store and grabbed some. I think we've made it one other time in the past few years but clearly it wasn't memorable.

This was a nice easy dinner to get on the table. Really the only challenge was remembering to take it out of the freezer far enough in advance to let it defrost so we could then marinate it. I let it marinate for almost 24 hours before we cooked it tonight. The pork was very yummy....good and tender and not at all dry. I think we'll definitely make tenderloin again, though maybe we'll give a different recipe a shot, just for variety.

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
from Allrecipes.com



5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and discard marinade. Place the tenderloins in an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 25-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. (Based on a few other recipes I read, I only kept it in the oven until about 148 F and then it rose to about 155 F while it stood for 5 minutes) Serve with pan drippings.

Update: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

A few months ago, I blogged about these chocolate peanut butter cup cookies. At the time I didn't have a mini muffin pan so I'd made these on a cookie sheet. While they were really good, I knew they'd hold their structure better in the mini muffin pan.

Well, for my birthday last month I received a mini muffin pan and tonight Shane needed me to make some cookies for him to bring to work for lunch. So.....I gave these cookies another shot! Same recipe as before except this time I stuck the balls of dough in the mini muffin pan. When they came out of the oven I pressed a mini peanut butter cup into each one. The results were much better this time. The muffin pan allowed the cookies to develop the depth in which to put the peanut butter cup. They retained their shape and looked great when they cooled enough to come out of the mini muffin pan! Here's the evidence:

Turkey Enchilada Pie

This recipe was an attempt to create something healthy that wouldn't taste healthy. The reviews were mixed. Shane wasn't crazy about it and thought it was rather bland. I added some sour cream to mine which definitely helped with the flavor some, but even I wasn't a huge fan. It might be ok if I played around with adding some additional spices and things, but I'm not that motivated, so I probably won't be making this again.

Turkey Enchilada Pie
adapted from Weightwatchers.com



cooking spray
3/4 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
1 medium onion(s), chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free skim milk
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 large burrito-size wheat flour tortilla(s)
2 cup tomatoes, chopped
9 Tbsp low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Place turkey, onion and chili powder in skillet and cook until turkey is browned, stirring occasionally to crumble meat, about 8 minutes. Remove turkey mixture from skillet and set aside.

Place skillet over medium-high heat and add flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat; stir in turkey mixture and cumin.

Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave on high until softened, about 15 seconds. Place 1 tortilla in bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Spread 1/3 of turkey mixture over tortilla. Spoon 1 cup of tomato on top and sprinkle with 4 1/2 tablespoons of cheese. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients.

Cover pie plate with aluminum foil and cook until cheese melts, about 15 minutes. Let stand, covered, 2 minutes before cutting.

Another Birthday!

Last week was Lauren's birthday and I decided to make her a cake to celebrate! Truth be told, I had been wanting to make a cake for a while and this was the perfect opportunity! I'd seen different versions of coconut cake made a few times on the Food Network so I knew I wanted to try one of those recipes. I eventually decided on this one because it was the simplest. Some of them called for more exotic ingredients and difficult techniques.

I only had two bites of the cake, but it was wonderful! As you'll see in the recipe, there's an awful lot of butter in this cake so it's not terribly healthy. However, I figure everyone's allowed a little fun on their birthday :-)

Also, there's a little tip at the bottom of this post for creating parchment paper circles for cake pans. It's worth checking out!

Coconut Cake
from Ina Garten, Foodnetwork.com



3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. (I found that my cakes were finished by about 32 minutes so I'm not sure how accurate the cooking time is for this recipe) Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.



Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Joy of Cooking

The recipe below yields about 2 cups of frosting. I had to make 2 batches to frost the layers, top and sides of the cake.

8 oz cold cream cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla on low speed just until blended in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Then add the confectioners' sugar one-third at a time and beat just until smooth and the desired consistency. If the frosting is too stiff, beat for a few seconds longer; do not overbeat.




I saw this great tip on Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats recently and tucked it away in my mind hoping I would remember to give it a shot when I made Lauren's cake. I sat down to make two rounds for my cake pans and will admit I was skeptical that it would be as easy as it looks. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that it was! I definitely recommend this trick as an alternative to tracing the bottom of the cake pan and then cutting out the circle.

I'm not going to post all of the steps here, but if you're interested, just click the link to Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats above. Her site has the tips along with corresponding pictures to help you the first time you give it a shot. I will include my "finished" shots to prove it worked for me!

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you've been reading the blog for a while now, you might have noticed that things have gotten a little boring around here lately. My apologies. I've started a diet and am still figuring out different ways to make low cal versions of our favorite foods. Hopefully things will pick up again soon. I don't want to imply that the only recipes I'll be posting going forward are diet recipes as this won't be the case. At the very least I'll still be baking plenty of treats and either me or Shane will bring them to work for others to enjoy :-)

Tonight I wanted something sweet and chocolate so I found this recipe for mini chocolate chip cookies. I was skeptical that they'd be any good but I really can't tell the difference from other chocolate chip cookie recipes!



Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Weightwatchers.com

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup



Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare two baking sheets.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil and sugar. Add the egg white, salt and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly to combine.

In a small bowl combine the flour and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients; stir just until combined. Add the chocolate chips to the batter and mix to distribute evenly throughout.

Drop rounded half teaspoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden around the edges, about 4-6 minutes. Cool on wire rack.