And the winner is...

(the time is reallly off, anyone know how to change that on random.org?)

Cindy of Hungry Girl Por Vida!



Congrats, Cindy, I hope you like your bowls!

my first daring bakers challenge - cheesecake!

I'm not good at making food pretty. Actually, I’m not all that interested in making food pretty. I understand why people do it, but I just don't care enough. I'm never going to be one of those people who spends hours draping a cake with fondant. I love the idea of it, but it's soon to be devoured! I want the food to taste good, and at the end of the day, that's what matters, right? Plus, most food is pretty on it's own, I think.

Well, for this months Daring Bakers, my first ever challenge, I decided to give it a go The recipe was cheesecake, I LOVE cheesecake, and think it's pretty great on it's own, but this time I actually put in some effort and tried to decorate it.



We were given a very basic cheesecake recipe and asked to jazz it up a bit. There is this recipe in Baking From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan I’d been wanting to try for a while now, but just hadn’t gotten around to it, so I decided to combine the recipes. I used the gingersnap crust, apple cider, cinnamon and brown sugar from that recipe and added them to the recipe given.



It turned out GREAT. The taste was awesome. My only problem was it had a soggy crust - I’d never done the water bath thing before and I didn’t realize you needed to wrap the bottom of your spring form pan with aluminum foil, I’ll be sure to do that next time.

When it came to decorating, I drew a complete blank. How do you decorate a cheesecake that isn’t fruity or carmel-y or chocolate-y? I couldn’t just throw some berries on top and call it a day.



So I asked on the daring bakers forum and someone mentioned drying some apples in the oven. It was the perfect idea. Sure, it still looks a little “rustic”, but I like it. Plus, the apples tasted really good with the cheesecake, the crunch really added something.



I’m really glad I joined daring bakers, it’s been a ton of fun, and I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Here’s the recipe (with my modifications in ( ))


Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake (or Cinnamon-Apple Cider Cheesecake!):

crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs (ginger snaps)
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted (1/2 stick)
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar (light brown sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each, room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar (1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar)
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice (3 tbsp. apple cider)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (2 tsp. vanilla extract)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional (2 tsp ground cinnamon)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

P.S. Don't forget about my giveaway.

Giveaway!

I really love pinch bowls. As you can see here, here, here, and here. They are pretty much a necessity in my kitchen, perfect for measuring out extracts, spices, baking powder and all of those little things too small to put in a big bowl. They also work really well to scoop flour. Seriously guys, these things are great.



So today I’m giving away some of my new favorites, this cute set of 4 1/4 cup le creuset green pinch bowls.

What to do to enter:
Enter once by leaving a comment on this post and a way to contact you if you don't have a blog.
Enter a second time by twittering about the giveaway to @honeyandjam AND leaving a ANOTHER comment on this post.
Enter another time by posting about this giveaway on your blog AND leaving ANOTHER comment on this post.

No entires after 10 pm EST next Wednesday, April 29th.

I’ll select one winner through random.org next Thursday Morning.



Good Luck!

flourless peanut butter cookies and parmesan pull apart rolls

Today has been a long day. Or at least it’s felt like it. I got up early this morning, watered all of the plants, whose numbers seem to grow everyday. Then I quickly got to work on these cookies. Yet another Joy the Baker recipe that I absolutely love.



I don’t how anything with only 4 ingredients can be so delicious. They are nice and crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside. I’m thinking these will probably become a staple for me. And start to finish, they only take about 15 minutes!



The recipe recommends using all-natural peanut butter, but all I had was Jif. At about 9 minutes in I checked on them and they weren’t holding together at all, I thought I was just going to have a bunch of blobs of hot peanut butter. I was cursing poor Jif’s name, sure that I should have run out and got some expensive brand. But after about 12 minutes, they were perfect. And oh so tasty.



As soon as those were out of the oven, I started these parmesan pull apart rolls. I’m determined to work with yeast as much as I can, and it’s going really well. These were AMAZING. Soft and light, with a strong parmesan taste. It’s perfect, expect that I couldn’t get them into roll shape. The dough is super sticky and after 3 tries, I just gave up and threw all the dough in the cake pan. It came out great, although I think I’m going to have to rename them parmesan rip apart rolls.




Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
From The Gourmet Cookbook via Joy the Baker


1 cup all-natural chunky or smooth peanut butter

1 cup sugar (1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar)

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with butter and set aside. In a mixer combine peanut butter and sugars until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg and baking soda and mix for another 2 minutes. Roll into walnut sized balls and create a cris-cross pattern with a fork. If you’d like, add a few chocolate pieces to the top of the cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a baking sheet for two minutes, then transfer to… your mouth.


Parmesan Pull Apart Rolls
From Gourmet Magazine via Picky Cook

2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
1 teaspoon mild honey or sugar
2/3 cup warm milk (105–115°F), divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 Tbsp for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups grated (with a rasp) Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/3 oz) (I used pre-shredded parmesan from the grocery store)
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into Tbsp pieces and softened
1 tablespoon water

Stir together yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup warm milk in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.) Whisk together flour (2 1/2 cups), cheese, and salt, then mix into yeast mixture along with remaining 1/3 cup warm milk at low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat in 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, until a very soft dough forms, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 Tbsp at a time, until dough is elastic, about 2 minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.)


Scrape dough into center of bowl and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down dough (do not knead) and turn out onto a floured surface. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball by cupping your hand and pushing dough against work surface as you roll in a circular motion. Arrange rolls 1 inch apart in a buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth). Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and dough fills pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
*
Whisk together remaining egg with water and brush on tops of rolls. (You will have leftover egg wash.) Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Loosen edges of rolls from pan with a sharp knife and invert rolls onto a rack, then reinvert and cool at least 20 minutes.

Rolls are best the day they're made but can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.

My design...style?

I've been tagged by Hillary at The Gleam of Rose Tea to find one picture that demonstrates my design style. This is a hard one for me, seeing as how I don't really think about it all that much. Because if I do it get all flustered and want to redecorate immediately.

So I had to take some time, look around and really think about it.

I like homey things. I don't like houses to look like you can't live in them, sit in the chairs, or cook in them. So when I came across this picture from Design*Sponge, it really struck a chord with me. The chairs! The floorboard! Oh, the floorboards. I really wish I had those in my house. I love the vase on the table too. And that little table at the end of the counter. And the towel hanging on the cabinet! You get the picture. haha Of course I would pick a picture of a dining room/kitchen, since that's the first room I tend to look at in someones house.

Now, please don't be fooled into thinking that any room in my house actually looks like this, they don't, but I would happily decorate them like this.



And sadly, I'm not going to tag anyone. Because I'm so bad at it! But if you'd like to participate, feel free!

By the way, thanks for all your great suggestions for breads to try in my last post. I can't wait to try some out!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Last October my mom, sister and I started selling bread at our local farmers market. We caught the market right at the end, we only got to do it a couple of weeks. But this year it starts on May 22nd and I’m trying to get ready. We made fall type breads last year, pumpkin and apple cinnamon. But who wants to buy pumpkin bread in May? So I’ve been trying out some new recipes.



I have a good banana bread recipe, lemon poppy seed, maybe a blueberry, but I was looking for something new. I found this recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Bread in Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.



I almost talked myself out of making it. It has yeast! and I didn’t have any raisins! But I’m glad I didn’t. This was delicious, and not too hard. My only complaint is how long it has to rise. But I'm thinking that I can get several other loaves of different types done while it’s rising.

Do you have any suggestions/recipes for bread I could sell at the farmers market? Let me know!




Cinnamon Raisin (or just Cinnamon Swirl Bread)


1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk (about 110 degrees)
6 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 stick butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for pans
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, plus 1 egg, lightly beaten
2 ½ tsp coarse salt
1 cup raisins
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

filling:
1 ½ cups sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon


1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and whisk to combine. Add the flour, butter, sugar, 2 eggs, and salt. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until all the ingredients are well combined, about 3 minutes. Raise speed to medium-low, and continue to mix until the dough is completely smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes more.

Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Pat out the dough into a big round. Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon and knead and fold until they are just incorporated. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and pat into a round. Fold the bottom third of the dough up, the top third down and the right and left sizes over, pressing down the seal. Return the dough into the bowl and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes.

4. Make the filling. Combine sugar and cinnamon with 2 Tbsp water in a small bowl.

Generously butter two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans set aside. 6. Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and divide in half. Roll each half out to a large rectangle, a bit bigger than your loaf pans - about 10 inch. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle each with half of the filling.

7. With the short end of the rectangle facing you, fold in both of the long sides of the dough in. the roll the dough towards you, gently pressing forming a tight log. Roll back and forth to seal the seam. Place loafs in the prepared pans. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F.

Brush the tops of the loafs with beaten egg, and transfer pans to the oven. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until loaves are golden brown, about 45 minutes. If the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminium foil.) turn out the bread onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. The bread can be kept, wrapped in plastic up to 4 days.

Note: I halved this recipe and it worked great for just one loaf, but I did have to add a little more than the flour recommended.

note, January 1st, 2010: A concern has been raised over what temp you should bake this bread. It's been so long since I've made it, but the temp does seem high. I'd suggest turning your oven down to 375-400 and just watch it. Let me know if this works for you!

A girl and her flower.

Easy Cinnamon Bun Muffins

I’ve always wanted to make cinnamon rolls. I love cinnamon rolls. They are gooey and delicious and a totally perfect baked good.

But I’m afraid of yeast. I don’t like baking with it. It never seems to work right for me and it just grosses me out in general. I had seen Joy the Bakers recipe for these cinnamon bun muffins a while back and bookmarked the page, hoping some day I’d conquer that fear.



That day was today. Well, not completely. Me and yeast aren’t bff’s yet or anything, but I’m starting to understand it better.

I’m totally glad I did too, these little things are delicious. It’s a cinnamon bun without all the hassle. The dough is super simple to throw together, as is the topping. I think next time I'll make them in a mini cupcake pan so they are bite size. You can’t really eat more than one full size muffin at a time.



Easy Cinnamon Roll Muffins

from Joy the Baker

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp active dry or rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup warm milk (100-110F; low fat is fine)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

Filling/Topping

2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk, then stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the flour mixture. Mix well, until very smooth. Let rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough rests, mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl using a fork until all the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly. Divide the batter between 12 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or swirl in with a spatula.)

Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350F.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling.
Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzling it onto the bread.
Serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.

note: this recipe only gave me about 9 muffins, not 12.

Blood Orange Yogurt Cake

I made this cake yesterday. Well, a slightly different recipe, one with more oil.

I dropped it on the floor. When I dropped it on the floor, I realized it wasn’t even done in the middle.

So, that was my day yesterday. But today I tried it again. I found a new recipe through the lovely Joy the Baker. Hers called for pink grapefruit, but I was set on using blood oranges. I LOVE blood oranges. To me, the flavor is a combination of grapefruit and orange. And totally delicious.



I really liked this cake. I’m a big fan of citrusy things in general. It was moist and flavorful, and the glaze was amazing. Plus I LOVE when you have to combine citrus zest in with sugar. It's so much fun to get your fingers in there and watch the sugar change color and start smelling good.

It's the little things. haha

You should totally make this soon. Just don’t drop it on the floor.



Blood Orange Yogurt Cake
adapted from Joy the Baker

makes one 10-inch cake, about 12 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Juice and zest of 1 pink grapefruit. This ends up being about 1/2 cup of juice and 1 Tablespoon of zest.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar


Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan and line the pan bottom with a parchment paper round and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt to blend.

On a clean surface, or in a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and zest. With the back of a spoon or a flexible bench knife, rub the grapefruit zest into the sugar. (I just threw it in a bowl and used my fingers to get it all combined. It’s fun!) The essential oils will release into the sugar creating a beautifully fragrant sugar.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and grapefruit sugar until the eggs are thick and pale yellow. Add the yogurt, oil, 1 Tablespoon of grapefruit juice and vanilla extract. Stir well to combine. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted near the center. Place the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake Release and remove the pan sides. Cool completely on the wire rack.

In a small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar and the remaining grapefruit juice and bring to a boil Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, or until the glaze is slightly thickened. My glaze didn’t thicken significantly, but still seemed to do a great job on the cake. Remove from heat.

To finish the cake, invert the cooled cake and remove the pan bottom. Carefully peel away the parchment paper if you used it. Reinvert the cake onto a serving plate. Pierce the cake all over the top with a skewer and pour the warm grapefruit slowly over the cake. I did this with the help of a pastry brush.

Store at room temperature, wrapped well for 2 days.

easter and blueberry pie.





This has been a very good Easter. I woke up this morning to blue skies and warmer temperatures.

Then church service was fantastic. I love church on Easter, there is so much joy and happiness.



When we got home, I started working on my contribution to Easter lunch - blueberry pie. It’s something I hadn’t actually made before, even though I love blueberries and blueberry cobbler. Mine wasn’t perfect, the crust was over done a bit and the inside was too wet, but I liked it. It was both tart and sweet, a little too tart for some people (yes, you sarah!), so I’ll probably up the sugar next time.



After lunch my family drove out through the national forest, it was absolutely gorgeous. Rhododendrons were everywhere, they catch the light so beautifully. But, just let me say this: it not good to have a fear of heights when you are driving through the mountains. I’ve lived here for 8 years now and I still don’t like the falling off side. It’s not pleasant to look through the window and picture your eminent death careening down the side of a mountain.

But the views are nice.



Blueberry Pie
from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.


2 ½ pints fresh blueberries
1 cup of sugar, or a little more, to taste, plus more for dusting
½ cup all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Coarsely grated zest of ½ lemon
Squirt of fresh lemon juice, or a little more, to taste
¼ cup dry bread crumbs (you can use packaged unseasoned crumbs)

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp of water, for egg wash
Sugar, for dusting

Getting Ready: Butter a 9-inch pie plate (Dorie uses a standard Pyrex pie plate).

Working on a well-floured surface (or between wax paper or plastic wrap), roll out one piece of the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 – inch. Fit the dough onto the buttered pie plate and trim the edges to a ½ inch overhang. Roll the other piece of dough into a 1/8 inch thick circle and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Cover both the circle and the pie plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you pre-heat the oven and prepare the filling.

Getting Ready to Bake: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Put the berries in a large bowl and gently stir in the sugar, flour, salt, zest and juice; let sit for about 5 minutes. Taste the filling and add more sugar and/or lemon juice, if needed.

Remove the pie shell and top crust from the refrigerator. Sprinkle an even layer of the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the shell. Give the filling a last stir and turn it into the crust.

Using your fingertips, moisten the rim of the bottom crust with a little cold water. Center the top crust over the filling and gently press the top crust against the bottom. Either fold the overhang from the top crust under the bottom crust and crimp the edges attractively or press the top crust against the bottom crust and trim the overhang from both crusts even with the rim of the pie plate. If you’ve pressed and trimmed the crust, use the tines of a fork to press the two crusts together securely. Using a small, sharp knife, cut 4 slits in the top crust crust and cut a circle out of the center, then lift the plate onto the baking sheet. (If you have time, refrigerate the pie for about 30 minutes. The pie can also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months. Glaze and sugar it before you put it in the over and add at least 15 minutes to the baking time).

Brush the top crust with the egg wash, then sprinkle the crust with a little sugar, just to give it sparkle.

Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and bake the pie for another 30 minutes or so (total baking time is about an hour) or until the crust is a beautiful golden brown and the filling is bubbling up through the slits. If the crust seems to be browning too quickly, make a loose foil tent for the pie.

Transfer the pie to a rack and let it cool and settle for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Springtime!

All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.

Psalm 66:4

I really, really love spring. It's quickly overtaking Fall's top spot on my favorite seasons list. I love the transition period of everything going from grey and dreary to bright and green. Everyday I walk outside and a new tree has bloomed. Today, I looked down at my garden and my carrots had sprouted!

I'm constantly in awe of the beauty all around me, and I try to remember to thank God for it every day. When I see the very top of the tree highlighted with the green of new leaves, it takes my breath away. And it makes me a much happier person.

I'm even in love with those gorgeous blueberries up there. I've popped a few in my mouth and they are delicious. I'm planning on baking a blueberry pie tomorrow to go with Easter lunch. I hope it's good!

I've got these in the oven for dinner tonight, I can't wait to try them out!

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life." - John Burroughs

Shortcake in the Afternoon.

It's been a shortcake kind of day - even with all the snow. These were simple, not too sweet and delicious. Homemade whipped cream is the best.

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar (I used 7)
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using our fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working your fingers or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly.

Pour the cream over the dry ingredients and toss gently turn the ingredients with a fork until you’ve got a very soft dough. When the dough comes together, you’ll probably still have dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl - just use a spatula or your hands to mix and knead the dough until it’s evenly blended. Don’t overdo it; it’s better to have a few dry spots than an over worked dough.

Spoon out about 1/3 cup of dough (i just stuck mine down in a 1/3 measuring cup and then rolled it in a ball to get even cakes) onto a baking sheet, leaving about 3 inched of space between the mounds of dough. Pat each mound down until it is between 3/4 and 1 inch hight.

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, until the shortcakes are puffed and giver just a bit when prodded.

To make the filling: Just put the strawberries, cut, in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar to taste. Let sit for about 10 minutes or more, until they are juicy.

For the whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Place whipping cream and vanilla in mixer bowl beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Scrape down sides, add powdered sugar, beat until sugar is dissolved. Chill until serving.


note: I cooked mine for just 15 minutes and I burnt the first batch. Watch these carefully, at such a high heat, they tend to get too brown too quickly.

Mom's Birthday.

Today is my mom's birthday and my siblings and I decided to throw her a little party. It was just dinner and cake, but we had fun.





I made her a cake using this cake recipe, this frosting recipe (it's her favorite!) and spread some raspberry jam and some frosting in between the layers.



We made decorations using this tutorial for the pom poms and we wrapped some twine around styrofoam balls. My sister and I had a ton of fun making them, and it was so easy.



Happy Birthday Mom! You are the best mom anyone could ask for, and I thank God for you all the time. I love you!

pomegranate cupcakes.

I have a love/hate relationship with pomegranate juice. It’s pretty good when it’s flavored with other juices, such as blueberry, but I just can’t drink it on it’s own. It’s much too strong for me. But I wish I could!


When I first found this recipe I was a little apprehensive, it didn’t have any butter or eggs (OH NO!) and it just straight up pomegranate juice. I printed it out and it sat in my recipe book for a couple of months.



Then, when I was in the grocery store the other day, trying to figure out what I wanted to bake for the week, I saw all those bottles of POM wonderful, calling out to me. It was destiny.

These are pretty good, but not knock-your-socks-off good, if you know what I mean. They are good for being totally vegan, and the frosting is VERY good. But it’s not vegan. I used the Pioneer Woman’s frosting recipe from her chocolate sheet cake and used pomegranate juice instead of milk. The frosting is actually more pom-y than the cupcakes. Overall, a pretty good cupcake, I’d definitely make them again.



Pomegranate Cupcakes
adapted from here.
Cupcakes:
1 cup POM Juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water, heated to boiling
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (not wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon vanilla


Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the center.

Place a paper baking cup in each of 24 regular sized muffin cups.

Whisk together the dry ingredients to combine well.

In a large measuring cup, combine pomegranate juice and boiling water.

Add oil, vinegar and vanilla to the pomegranate juice mixture.

Add to the flour mixture all at once and whisk to combine (batter will be lumpy).

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (about half full).

Bake 25 minutes (mine only took about 19 mins.) or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


For the icing:

Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons Pom Juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Pour over cupcakes


NOTE: I halved this recipe and it gave me a lot more than 12 cupcakes!

banana pudding

I love Banana Pudding. I love it’s retro, deep south feel. I like that it’s far too sweet for its own good. It’s one of those things I have vivid memories of eating as a child, at church pot lucks, family dinners, chinese restaurant buffets (oh yes.). Its natural place in life is in a big bowl right beside the jell-o and the congealed salad. You know the one, with the pineapple chunks and marshmallows?



And it doesn’t get any better than home made stove-top pudding. No instant pudding packets should be let near banana pudding, it's just not right. And it’s so easy to make it yourself, you really have no excuse.



So last night, to go with our first chicken cooked on the grill of the year, I made banana pudding pie. And covered it cool-whip. It was delicious.

Ingredients:
2 cups vanilla wafers
3 bananas, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with a layer of alternating vanilla wafers and banana slices.

To Make Pudding: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with flour. Mix well, then stir in half the milk. Beat egg yolks and whisk into sugar mixture. Add remaining milk and butter or margarine.

Place mixture over low heat and cook until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour half of pudding over vanilla wafer and banana layer while still hot.

Make another layer of alternating vanilla wafers and banana slices on top of pudding layer. Pour remaining pudding over second wafer and banana layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Chill before serving.