Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
i am only slightly late here...but my weeks of creativity in june continue to go well. and yes, i promise to blog separately about the ice creams and crafts and such that can be replicated by others. it's just that finding time to be creative is hard on it's own when you have a 15 week old, a house to keep semi-livable, and a busy summer and getting in these creativity recaps is time consuming!
june 8/working on a photobook (lol, screen shot of my desktop)
june 9/edited a photo i took (bw conversion)
june 10/made oreo and chocolate chip cookie dough truffle balls
june 11/painted toes and creatively added (heat backed...) rhinestones and white dots
june 12/coconut cachaca sorbet
june 13/revised invitations for an anniversary party
&
june 14/finished anniversary invites
(they're ready for print, so i added in the off-white background for visual effect for the .jpg file - the lace holes will match in real life)
Monday, June 7, 2010
week one of my 30 days of creativity is complete! i had no trouble being creative. here's the roundup:
june 1/birth announcement poster for finn (outline added for white background)
june 2/birthday card for someone special (maybe she's not reading...)
june 3/long exposure photos using finn's baby monitor
june 4/edited photos (black & white conversions of my friends little girls)
june 6/photo of my umbrella on the beach
june 7/polka dot baby gear (paci leash, toy leash, burp cloth)
i'll blog about the goods in future posts, but i wanted to be sure to post this week's creative endeavors all in one.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
our last valentine's day as a couple without children was spent at home, relaxing and cooking. we decided to do dinner in, similar to last year but without the multi-course meal. i can't stand for that long and can't fit that much food in my already stretched to capacity belly. (as a recap, i am 35 weeks pregnant)
the dinner post is coming after the dessert post because these little tarts are too cute not to share right now. (and already they are late, since valentine's day was over a week ago) i knew i wanted something chocolate and i really wanted to use my tart pans for the first time. i figured little fudgey cheesecakes with chocolate crusts and berries on top fit the festive theme.
(poor teddy graham had no idea what was coming...)
i wasn't concerned about the crust. chocolate grahams, butter, and a touch of sugar. to be honest, i didn't fully measure. plus, the grocery store carries no chocolate graham crackers, so i was forced to chop up teddy grahams for the cause.
chocolate graham crust (for 8-10 mini tart pans)
1 c chocolate grahams, pulsed to crumbs in a food processor
1/8 c melted butter (give or take)
1 tbsp sugar
1. mix together - should stick together slightly and hold shaped when pressed (adjust graham and butter ratios to reach this consistency)
2. scoop into tart pans and press around bottom and up sides
3. bake at 350F for about 5 minutes, cool
chocolate graham crust (for 8-10 mini tart pans)
1 c chocolate grahams, pulsed to crumbs in a food processor
1/8 c melted butter (give or take)
1 tbsp sugar
1. mix together - should stick together slightly and hold shaped when pressed (adjust graham and butter ratios to reach this consistency)
2. scoop into tart pans and press around bottom and up sides
3. bake at 350F for about 5 minutes, cool
for the filling, i found a basic cheesecake recipe on allrecipes.com and adjusted to fit my smaller servings. i used about 1/3 of the original recipe and skipped the sour cream topping.
chocolate cheesecake filling (adapted from mary walker on all recipes)
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp strong brewed coffee
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c baking cocoa
1/3 c semisweet chocolate chips
1. beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth
2. add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined
3. stir in coffee and vanilla then beat in cocoa just until blended
4. stir in chocolate chips
5. using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop filling into prepared tart pans
6. place on a baking sheet and bake at 375F for 12-15 minutes or until center is almost set
7. cool on a wire rack, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill
8. best served with berries
this is an extremely rich little dessert. it really was like cheesecake fudge with a crumbly chocolate crust. it's so rich that the berries were a must - a bit of fresh flavor to cut the chocolate. but oh so good! and everything is better when cutely packaged - these tart pans (the round are from william's sonoma and the ovals are from a local antique shop) are perfect for individual desserts.
as a note, they were best after being in the fridge overnight (day 2), but by day 3 they had hit their max. i can't imagine anyone making it longer than that ;)
as a note, they were best after being in the fridge overnight (day 2), but by day 3 they had hit their max. i can't imagine anyone making it longer than that ;)
Friday, January 22, 2010
i have loved the blog tartelette for a long time. she makes gorgeous food and takes insanely beautiful photos. when i see her blog, and others of her caliber, i know that my little old thing is just for fun and that i have years of practice (and possibly some schooling and maybe some time, like a childhood's worth, in france...) before i reach that level of either of her talents.
that being said, for as much admiring as i do, i've never once tried a recipe. many because i just don't want to be let down when mine doesn't come out looking like hers. many others because i would be 200 pounds bigger (she posts a lot of delicious desserts and i don't have many people around me with which to share...).
so this white tea jelly appealed to me. it's easy to make with very few steps and i happened to have all ingredients on hand when i read the post.
that being said, for as much admiring as i do, i've never once tried a recipe. many because i just don't want to be let down when mine doesn't come out looking like hers. many others because i would be 200 pounds bigger (she posts a lot of delicious desserts and i don't have many people around me with which to share...).
so this white tea jelly appealed to me. it's easy to make with very few steps and i happened to have all ingredients on hand when i read the post.
for the recipe, here is the direct link. i had less grapefruit than she used, but i think the fruit part is a general idea rather than specific amounts. i just layered as much as i had into the little white bowls (more than the picture on the bottom left shows).
this was so refreshing. a perfect, light dessert that i enjoyed at midnight the day i made it. it was so good, in fact, that i made it again while i was home for christmas. my family was pleasantly surprised by this grown-up version of "fruit and jello salad".
and speaking of jello "salad", stay tuned. i have more gelatin up my sleeve...though the next one uses j-e-l-l-o right from the box ;)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
i've been searching for these elusive hershey's cinnamon chips for nearly 6 months. i never found any in pittsburgh and i hadn't found any in evanston (3 chain stores checked). but i went to appleton, wi for thanksgiving and wouldn't you know it, a random grocery store had more cinnamon chips than i could ever use. i bought two bags (and not on sale) and practically peed my pants in excitement.
if you haven't heard of them, please go out, find them, and put them in your cart. they aren't spicy cinnamon, more like cinnamon white chocolate, but also not like white chocolate. if you can't find the hershey's brand, i did see that king arthur flower sells mini cinnamon chips - i can't vouch for them, but it might be worth a try. and hello, they have cappuccino baking chips there, too.
if you haven't heard of them, please go out, find them, and put them in your cart. they aren't spicy cinnamon, more like cinnamon white chocolate, but also not like white chocolate. if you can't find the hershey's brand, i did see that king arthur flower sells mini cinnamon chips - i can't vouch for them, but it might be worth a try. and hello, they have cappuccino baking chips there, too.
i made the cookies from the back of the hershey's bag. i'll include it here in case you get the online kind and don't have access to this basic recipe.
oatmeal cinnamon chip cookies (hershey's)
1 c butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 c packed light brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 c quick cook oats
1 2/3 c cinnamon chips
3/4 c raisins (i had, like, 13 raisins and threw them in - more would be better, but they are fine without)
1. beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy
2. add eggs and vanilla and combine
3. add flour and baking soda to butter mixture, beating well
4. stir in oats, chips, and raisins
5. drop spoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheet (i used a small cookie scoop), a few inches apart
6. bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned
7. cool 1 minutes, transfer from cookie sheet to wire rack
8. eat 4 dozen
seeeriously. cinnamon chips in oatmeal raisin cookies are amazing. i am pretty sure i had 4 right out of the oven. at once. husband shared with his coworkers and they also raved about them. people like cinnamon chips! you hear that, dominick's...jewel-osco? stock the chips!!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
happy new year! it's not too late to blog about peppermint things, right? still winter...at least it is here.
and speaking of here, i'm in my new place! after a move at 28 weeks pregnant, across town, i live in my "home" for now, a condo on lake michigan. and after a week without internet, i am connected again and can resume blogging. for once, i've got posts ready to go and am starting the new year fresh. my biggest change, besides actually blogging on a regular basis, is no more rounded corners. did you notice? it just takes too much time to edit every photo and then go in and do the 5 step process of rounding the corners on each one. i have had so many people email me about them so i felt like i had to keep doing it, but it got to be too much...and isn't this interesting? this topic of rounded or square corners? more so than meringues? no.
i love meringues and i make them every december. i wanted peppermint this year and found this simple recipe to try out.
peppermint meringues (slightly adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 c white sugar
2 peppermint candy canes, crushed
1. preheat oven to 225F and line 2 cookie sheets with foil
2. in a glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to soft peaks
3. gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks
4. fold in crushed candy canes
5. fill a piping bag (or ziplock bag) with mixture and pipe 3-swirl dollops 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets
6. bake for 1 1/2 hours, until meringues are completely dry on the inside
*do not allow them to brown*
7. turn off oven, keep door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool
yum! these were just as i had hoped. crunchy, light, and airy and full of peppermint flavor. you do need to make sure they are completely cooked, so test one (by peeling it off the foil and checking the under/inside) before shutting off the heat. they'll continue to dry out in the cooling oven, but sometimes the insides stay sticky and you don't want that.
husband brought some of these into work and it seems his coworkers enjoyed them. many had not had meringues before, so it's nice to introduce new foods to people.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
ok, after posting my woeful pity party for one, i'm back. i have lots of posts and i'm going to stop complaining now :)
thanksgiving came and went, but not without mountains of food (many of those mountains consumed by 23 weeks pregnant me...). i had a delightful holiday at my sister's apartment (with it's tiny kitchen and easy bake oven), where husband and i spent quality time with my parents and sister. we all brought a few dishes and i was in charge of snacks, cranberry sauce (i made a simple one with orange segments and orange juice), and the dessert.
i don't like pumpkin pie (and neither does my sister), so i tried to come up with a pumpkin alternative. i had made a version of this trifle a few years ago using paula dean's recipe. because we were on location and my cooking space and supplies were limited, i made the gingerbread in advance and decided to stick to basics for the rest.
supplies and half of the layers (photos on location!)
the big change in the recipe came from homemade gingerbread. paula dean's calls for prepackaged, which is totally fine, but i was craving something at least partially from scratch. after searching, i came across this gramercy tavern gingerbread from gourmet, whih i made in a baking dish rather than a bundt pan.i'm not posting any of the recipes, since i've linked above and it's pretty simple. yes, i used cool whip, pumpkin pie filling, and boxed pudding mix...but it doesn't matter because the gingerbread is out of this world good (i mean, it has guinness in it). to trifle it up, layer half of the gingerbread (crumbled) into the bowl, top with half the pumpkin mixture, then top with cool whip. lather, rinse, repeat. or just repeat, and you'll be left with an easy, pretty dessert.
and a tasty one, too. the pumpkin seeps around the gingerbread and the cool whip balances all the fall spices. i would prefer whipped cream, but i can't complain too much. if you don't have anywhere to take a trifle, or are done with pumpkin for the season, please go ahead and make the gingerbread. so worth it.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
quick, simple apple cranberry sauce
in my quest for all things cranberry, one thing i need to have is a lot of cranberry sauce. i don't save this treat for thanksgiving - i make it about once a week during the late fall. before i could get my hands on fresh cranberries, i ate at least one can of whole berry sauce every week for the past few weeks... you could chalk it up to a pregnancy craving, i guess, but really not, because i do this every year :) however, that canned stuff is loaded with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup! i feel guilty about that and really, it's cheaper to make my own and i enjoy it more.
this is a super easy recipe from the november 2009 issue of real simple. just 4 ingredients and about 15-20 minutes of prep and cook time.
apple cranberry sauce (real simple)
1 lb cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 c apple cider
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1. in a small saucepan, combine all ingredients
2. simmer until berries burst and sauce thickens (12-15 minutes)
3. cool a bit before serving (if you can wait!)
apple cranberry sauce (real simple)
1 lb cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 c apple cider
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1. in a small saucepan, combine all ingredients
2. simmer until berries burst and sauce thickens (12-15 minutes)
3. cool a bit before serving (if you can wait!)
from whole berries to sauce
have i mentioned the time i made cranberry sauce using orange juice (a favorite of mine) and forgot the OJ and sugar were boiling...for like an hour?! i'm pretty sure i blogged about it, but if not, suffice to say i burned the sauce to a blackened crisp and had to practically crawl on the floor to get to the kitchen because the smoke was so thick and strong. it was bad. so don't forget you have something like this on the stove!
luckily, i made no errors while cooking this sauce and it came out delightful. the apple cider is subtle, so much so that i might add some cinnamon next time, but the overall flavor was great. i ate this straight from the bowl, but also used it on some turkey, cranberry, lettuce, and cheese wraps for husband's lunches. who needs leftovers when you can get it fresh whenever you want?
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