Mouthfull Of Temptation

Apple Banana Nut Muffins

2010-10-15T15:26:00.001-06:00

WARNING: THESE MUFFINS ARE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!

It's a banana nut muffin, infused with the flavors of fall. I mean who could resist such a mixture of all those tantalizing flavors?
Apples. Cinnamon. Nuts. Banana. (though it isn't really fall-related, it IS an all time favorite!) ... Need I say more?

Oh, fall. How I love thee. And to make everything better, I'm getting a new puppy. Breed? Rhodegian Ridgeback. Name? Nala. You know, like in the Lion King? She's only three days old in this picture... but isn't she already the cutest?!

But back to muffins. These are easy to whip up and throw in the oven, and they'll disappear faster than you can blink. I must admit, I've already (shamefully) eaten three of them on my own. They won't last long, that's a promise.

APPLE BANANA NUT MUFFINS

3 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 small (or one big) apple
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, mix together the bananas and butter. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.

Mix in the baking soda, flour, and spices.

Peel the apples and cut into tiny squares. Fold in the apples and the walnuts.

Line a muffin pan with baking cups. Fill each so that the cup is full, but not overflowing.

Put in oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle of muffin comes out clean.

Take out of oven and let cool, then quickly hide them away... unless you're caring enough to share the goodness of these muffins.

It's Fall Again! (aka Time Again For Pumpkin!)

2010-09-06T18:54:00.000-06:00

As the weather here in Chicago is not-so-slowly changing from summer to fall, my spirits are rising. I simply adore fall weather. The especially blue skies, the cool breeze, the changing colors of the leaves, the crunch underfoot, the sparkle of the sun on the lake water... Perfection. Truly no season can rival fall.

The downside to all of this is that fall is also when school and swim season happen to start up again. Which means endless hours spent in a stuffy, window-less pool; boring classes; trying to grab a bite to eat sometime in-between, and holed up in my room trying to finish homework before I get to start it all over again. With all these activities going on, there isn't much time left to simply enjoy sitting outside.

But when the opportunity comes, I go right ahead and grab it. And what better way to enjoy being outside than with yet another fall favorite: Pumpkin. I loooovvve pumpkin. Starting when the leaves start to change color until way into winter our house smells of the tantalizing taste of baking pumpkin goodies.

Trust me, you'll fall in love with pumpkin as much as I am soon enough. To start out, why not try some Pumpkin Cranberry Bread (more like a cake than bread!), or a Pumpkin Spice Latte (I swear, it's better than the one you get at Starbucks!!!!)

P.S. :: Talking about loving things, I absolutely love Katy Perry's new song Teenage Dream. So cute! <3

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD
(makes 2 loaves, 5in x 9 in pans)

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups sugar
1 can (15 oz) 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
2 cups cranberries (Dried, fresh, frozen... whatever! I prefer fresh.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 5in x 9in loaf pans.

Mix together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, canola oil, and juice (or water). Stir together the dry and wet mixtures. Fold in the cranberries. Pour into the pans.

Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once done remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Remove from pans and let them completely cool on a wire rack.

That was simple, right? Now while you wait for your "bread" to cool, why not try making a latte that you can enjoy with it later on!

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

1/2 cup coffee (strongly brewed)
1 cup half and half (or make your own by mixing half a cup of milk with half a cup of coffee creamer. I also like using 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup coffee creamer so that it doesn't get too sweet.)
2 tablespoon 100% Pure Pumpkin
Optional: a dash or so of pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and/or cinnamon.
Also optional, but strongly encouraged: Whipped cream (:

In a small saucepan stir together and heat up the half and half and pumpkin, making sure not to burn the milk. Stir constantly!

Pour the mixture into a blender and blend on a high setting for 20 seconds, until it's foamy. Pour into a big mug and then pour the coffee over the top. Top with whipped cream, and then sprinkle the spices over it.

Now go grab a slice of the cooled pumpkin cranberry bread, take your mug of pumpkin spice latte, and sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty of fall.

Irresistible Blueberry Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

2010-09-05T20:11:00.000-06:00

Have you ever...
--Wandered the house looking for something, ended up in the kitchen, look through your fridge, eat something random... and totally forget what it was you were looking for in the first place?
--Been too exhausted to eat, let alone do your homework?
--Wake up early (that is, before 7am) every morning, including Sundays, just because of the fact that you get up that early the rest of the six days in the week?

You too? Happens to me all the time.

Swim season, coupled with school and homework, add to that endless construction within my house, makes for a very overwhelmed person. With barely any free time on my hands and a due date for a painting looming ahead I don't have much time to bake, let alone update this blog. But here they are, the promised blueberry cream cheese cinnamon rolls.

Better than you can imagine. Can we say seconds, please? Yes, yes, yes! That is, if you make it in time for there to even be any left.

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE CINNAMON ROLLS

DOUGH:

1 – 1/4 ounce package active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon, plus 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk (room temperature)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, (sifted)

3/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)

FILLING:

4 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

about 1 1/2 cups blueberries (use more or less, whatever you prefer)

ICING:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 cup water (heated in the microwave for 60 seconds) in a big bowl. Stir to combine and let sit until frothy and foamy (about 10 minutes).

Mix in the milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, flour, and sugar. Knead together.

Add the butter and keep kneading for another five minutes. The dough will be wet and sticky. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let sit in a warm place for 1.5 to 2 hours (it should double in size).

Make the filling while the dough rises. Combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a bowl. Stir in the maple syrup and set aside. Wash the blueberries. Put the cream cheese in a small bowl and stir with a knife to make it more easily spreadable.

Once the dough has risen put it on a heavily floured surface and knead it for about three minutes. Keep kneading in small amounts of flour until it isn't as sticky anymore. Roll out the dough into a 10 in x 10 in square.

Evenly spread the cream cheese over the dough. You will probably have cream cheese left over, since you don't want to put too much on!

Fold the dough into thirds, like you would a letter. Then, fold it into thirds again. Flip over the dough and gently roll it out into a rectangle, about 10 in x 20 in. Pour the filling onto the dough and spread it out, leaving about 1/2 inch around the sides. Place the blueberries over the area of the dough and lightly press the filling into the dough so that it sticks. Tightly roll the dough up. Trim off the uneven edges and divide the dough into eight.

Butter a 9inx13in pan and place the eight separate rolls into the pan side by side. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and let it rise for another hour. (If you want you can refrigerate the rolls overnight, though you'll have to let them warm up to room temperature before baking.)

Heat oven to 375°F. Bake until golden brown, or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, make the icing by whisking together the sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. Once the rolls are done remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before drizzling the icing over the pan. Sit and let cool, or enjoy warm. They're best warm. Take it from me, and several other people present in my house.

Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

2010-08-23T10:51:00.000-06:00

I've made these brownies on several occasions, and they're always a huge hit. Whether it be coworkers, teammates, or just family and friends, a batch is always quickly devoured. When I got the idea that I might want to make my swim team a batch of SOMETHING, my mind quickly wandered to these. Because what could be better than rich, chocolaty goodness combined with the sweet, creamy deliciousness of cheesecake?

Hmm... I can't think of anything. Except for maybe these Blueberry Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls that are currently in my oven. But brownies. CHEESECAKE brownies. Another journey to embark on soon; after I finish these rolls.

Come on, beat me to making them. I dare you.

CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

For the Brownies:

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)

1 cup bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs and one egg white

2/3 cup flour

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (OPTIONAL)

For the Cheesecake:

8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)

2 egg yolk

7-10 teaspoon sugar (depends on how sweet you like it)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease an 8" square pan. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut the butter into pieces and along with the chocolate place in a microwave safe bowl. Melt at 30 second intervals until completely melted. Don't forget to take the bowl out and stir the mixture between every 30 seconds. Chocolate retains its shape as its being heated and you don't want to accidentally burn it. I put the bowl in a little less than three times. Beat in the sugar and eggs until combined, and then mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the vanilla (and chocolate chips). Spread evenly into the pan.

To make the cheesecake portion beat the cream cheese smooth in a bowl. Add in the egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mix over the top of the brownie batter. Using a knife fold the cream cheese into the brownie to create a slight marble affect. Carefully smooth out the top of the batter with a spatula.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. LET COOL. Once cool cut into bars, remove from pan, and let completely cool off. Share with friends and family. Or be greedy and keep the entire batch to yourself. Either one works.

More-Blueberry-Than-Muffin Blueberry Muffins

2010-08-22T09:02:00.000-06:00

Eric is OBSESSED with blueberries. And when I say obsessed, I mean like totally and absolutely crazy about them.

So naturally, I would make him blueberry muffins. It IS summer and they ARE in season! And seeing as there's an overload of them in the market, why not overload them in the muffin as well? Eric's verdict? More blueberries, less muffin! If he had his way, I'd put just blueberries in a muffin pan and bake them for him. Kind of defeats the purpose, but whatever floats his boat.

Which is another thing he's obsessed with. Boats. I don't blame him. Given the choice I would rather spend the next few months on a boat, soaking up the sun, sipping lemonade, eating blueberry muffins... instead of returning to a dark and gloomy school. And yes, it really is dark and gloomy! My oh-so-wonderful high school has decided that in order to "go green" they must turn off all the lights in the hallways. While this might actually conserve energy, it does promote a rather drab atmosphere.

I might just have to get myself a boat, kidnap Eric, bake some muffins, and disappear until spring...

...And seeing as that probably won't go too well with the adult figures in my life I'm stuck here.

At least there's blueberry muffins to cheer us all up. And these, my friends, are DEFINITELY something to brighten up your day. (Figuratively speaking, of course. If they actually brightened... well, then my school might seem a tad more inviting.)

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup (1 1/3 stick) butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 pint blueberries (if you're not that big of a fan of loads and load of blueberries, then just reduce the amount that you add to the batter. A cup shall suffice.)

A bit cinnamon, a bit more sugar...

Heat oven to 375°F. Line about 16 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Cut the butter into pieces and mix together with the lemon zest until smooth. Add the sugars and then blend in the egg and vanilla.

Combine the flour mixture, sugar mixture, and buttermilk whilst blending on a slow speed.

Fold in the blueberries. Be careful though! If you're too rough the juices will escape and dye your batter purple. Unless you don't mind such things.

Fill each cup approximately 3/4 full. Sprinkle a cinnamon sugar combination (half and half is good) over the top of the muffins.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until muffin tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. With these muffins you might not think they are done because of the excess of blueberries, but don't let yourself be fooled otherwise they will burn.

Once fully baked remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before attempting to move them to a cooling rack to fully cool. Be careful, they're hot!

Oh, one last thing. If I were you, I wouldn't want to share these.

Back to Business

2010-08-21T15:25:00.019-06:00

So I have become aware that in the past few months I have been M.I.A.

There are several reasons to attribute to this:

1) I got my first summer job. Working as a Circus Camp Counselor. That basically took over my entire summer, but I DID get to meet some pretty cool people who worked with me there.

2) Off-season swimming. Why I continue to get up at 5:30 every morning to be in the pool at 6, during SUMMER no less, I cannot explain. Swimming is a sport where looking in, you can't understand it, but looking out, you can't explain it. All I have to say on this matter is I am committed, and I love it.

3) My various trips, which include a family vacation in the middle of nowhere northern Wisconsin, a week at Horseback Riding Camp, and another week in Perry County, Kentucky.What is there to do in Kentucky? you might ask. ASP! The best week of my summer.

4) ASP. I believe this deserves its own post. Otherwise known as the Appalachia Service Project, this is a mission trip that my church youth group and I embark on every year to fix houses for those less fortunate than us. Not only is it tons of fun, but you're doing a good deed at the same time! Whilst there we bonded with our families, dug ditches, painted walls, laid down tiles, and worked on various other house repairs. In our free time we proceeded to play "Kool-Aid Pong", pierce our ears, and various other shenanigans. Needless to say, I think this year was another success.

5) Once I was back home, I decided to try and make the best of the one week of summer that I had left and spent my days lying on the beach, shopping, going to Six Flags, and scheming adventures (that aren't going to be mentioned here) with my best friend.

6) And now, in the last few days that I have left of my summer, I have started redoing my room. This includes ripping out all the drywall, and the ceiling, and doing electric work, and yaddah yaddah blah blah blah. Tons of boxes. Tons of dirt and dust. Tons and TONS of allergic annoyances. But in the end, it will be worth it.

Now with the first day of school looming right around the corner (Next Tuesday already!) I am in super freak-out mode.

--That book for English I had to read? No problem, did that ages ago.

--Those 200-something math problems I have to do? Almost done... almost done...

--The 5 painting I need to finish for Advanced Art? What five paintings? Oh, shoot.

Now I'm not saying that I didn't bake at all this summer, because that would be unthinkable. I definitely baked. Even with my mom's loud protests in the background, yelling something about not using the oven when the A/C is on, I stood in the kitchen sweating and baking.

Waffles Waffles Waffles

2010-05-21T16:11:00.004-06:00

So there I was in the kitchen, diligently whisking away at some egg whites. There was a faint burning oder in the air, but I thought nothing of it because my mom was cooking something on the stove. The egg whites were coming along beautifully, and at the point were they were nearing perfection, my mixer died. Just sputtered and went still. Nothing that I did succeeded in reviving it. (Thankfully the egg whites were good enough to be used in the batter.)

Oh, that mixer. All the things we have been through. The highest of highs. The lowest of lows. Raging success. Disappointing flukes. Always there by my side whisking and beating and kneading away.

But every good thing eventually has an end. And today was the the end of this mixers lifespan. Through all the recipes and years it has aided me tremendously. All those yummy treats I've made with its help. I will be forever grateful.

And now I present you with this mixers final, grand creation. Belgian Waffles. Incredibly light and fluffy. One just has to go back for seconds.

WAFFLES

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, separated

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) butter, melted

2 cups milk

non-stick cooking spray or butter to grease the waffle iron

Preheat waffle iron. (i have mine set on medium heat)

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, butter, and milk.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites with a mixer until peaks start to form.

Fold in the egg whites until everything is just combined.

Ladle batter into waffle iron and cook until done. Remove. Let cool. Serve with whatever toppings you like. Eat.

(Side Note: I like to eat my waffles with powdered sugar or maple syrup. Others like them with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Others like nutella or jelly. Or cinnamon and sugar. Or just plain. Whatever suits your taste.)

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

2010-05-18T16:19:00.009-06:00

As school is slowly starting to wind down, teachers seem to want to pile more and more homework and projects on us poor students. But we won't let us bring that down! Three projects to finish in art? No problem! We'll just... stare at the wall. Talk. Listen to music. How do we manage to get anything done? To be honest, no one truly knows the answer to that...

Recently during art, my friend introduced me to some new music. Passion Pit. Crystal Castles. Check them out. While they might not suit everyone's taste, it's something new. Something different that I'm not used to listening to. Time to mix it up a bit! Nothing wrong with that.

On another note, soccer's done with. Over. Finito. Thankkgod. This season had gotten a bit... overwhelming. Time to celebrate our freedom! The freedom to go home after school, or do whatever else you'd like to do. And what better way to do that than bake a cake?

This cake. Holy heck. How to describe it?

Delicious. Scrumptious. Delectable. Yummy. Luscious. Succulent. The-most-tasty-thing-ever.

(No I did not just go all thesaurus on you... okay, maybe just a little.)

You will be drawn in. Captivated. Enthralled. Captured. By the pure beauty and intricacy of this cake. Have one piece and you'll be longing for more.

LEMON POPPY SEED BUNDT CAKE

Adapted from Joy the Baker

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

zest and juice from one large-ish lemon

1 1/3 cup canola oil (yes, you really need that much!)

1 cup buttermilk**

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 (heaping) tablespoons poppy seeds (depending on how much you like them...)

(**if you do not have buttermilk on hand at home, you can make a buttermilk-replacement by mixing one cup of milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice and let it sit for about five minutes, allowing the milk to curdle.)

For the Glaze...

about 3 tablespoon lemon juice (add more/less depending on the viscosity of the glaze)

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 325°F. Thoroughly grease a 10-inch bundt pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a different bowl, whisk together the lemon, canola oil, buttermilk, egg, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredient to the dry ingredients. Whisk until no lumps remain. Stir in the poppy seeds and pour the batter into the bundt pan. Insert into oven and bake for about 45 minutes, i.e. until a toothpick stuck in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Once out of the oven let the cake sit and continue to cook in the pan for another 20 minutes. Wait until it is almost completely cool (important! otherwise when attempting to remove cake it *could* fall apart. i speak from experience...) and then run a butter knife along the inside edges of the form to loosen the cake. Flip the cake unto a wire rack to completely cool.

When the cake is cool (i sped this up by placing it in the fridge. impatient impatient me), it's time to make the glaze. To do so measure out the powdered sugar into a small-medium bowl. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract, and then add enough lemon juice to produce a semi-thick liquid. You don't want the glaze to be too thin because otherwise it will run of the sides of the cake and not settle. On the other hand, you don't want it to be too thick because then it won't spread out, will be chunky and lumpy, and not spread out evenly over the top. Stir stir stir the glaze to get rid of any lumps. Then drizzle the glaze over the cake and allow to set (yet again, i sped this up by placing the cake in the fridge).

Now be ready to get rid of this cake quicker than you can blink. Everyone who had a piece couldn't stop eating and kept going back for more. It's light and fluffy texture and perfect tang of lemon added to an enticing sweetness make it simply irresistible. Your friends will, quite literally, be begging you for more.

Kitchen Karaoke (aka Chocolate Chip Cookies in the making)

2010-05-11T15:50:00.009-06:00

Before we get down to business I just have to point out the rainbow that showed up a few days ago. Though faint in this picture it was beau-ti-ful! And this on my birthday. Thank you Mother Nature!

Occasionally there are those days where everything is just so completely and totally overwhelming. Whether it is good or bad, you just need to let go.

So why not enter your kitchen; turn on your favorite radio station; grab a spatula, a bowl, some eggs, butter, flour, and sugar; and belt out the lyrics along with the (probably more talented) artists. Throw the ingredients into a bowl and make some cookies. That spatula and whisk that you're using? They have multiple uses. You might not have known this until now, but they double as handy-dandy microphones. Embrace your inner superstar. How about you do a little dance while you're at it? Let out all that tension. Go ahead. Be crazy.

Now, about these cookies. I have officially started my quest to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie. The verdict on these? Not too shabby. While they are crisp around the edges they maintain a chewy center (that is taking into consideration that you don't leave them in the oven for too long...). Have I found the perfect recipe yet? Only time will tell. Until then... pour yourself a big glass of milk and chow down!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 sticks butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 - 2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.

Put a stick of butter in a pan and heat on medium-low heat until it starts bubbling and is slightly brown. Add the remaining butter and stir until it is completely melted. Add the sugars, salt and vanilla extract and whisk together until smooth. Whisk in the egg. Let sit for a minute or two and then stir again. You want the batter to be a glossy, smooth mixture.

Stir in the flour until completely incorporated and then fold in the chocolate chips (and nuts).

Roll into little balls, approximately 1 inch in diameter. Flatten them out a little. (this will help them spread out and bake more evenly)

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them! You want the bottom to be a nice light-golden brown. If the centers are slightly undercooked it's okay - this will result in chewy cookies!

Use a spatula to remove from baking sheet and put on a cooling rack to let completely cool. Serve with a glass of cold milk! Mmmm (:

The Story Of The Lonely Lemon

2010-05-07T21:43:00.014-06:00

So there I was one not-so-beautiful night walking into my kitchen... and what do I see? One lemon. ONE. Sitting all alone and forlorn looking atop the microwave in the fruit bowl. Truly a heart wrenching sight.

Now I could not let myself just let it sit there all isolated from its fellow fruits. But a glance in the fridge showed that - very shockingly and depressingly - we were out of fruit! That, my friends, is a catastrophe.

So now there was only one thing left to do: I must use this lemon. This lemon, who has suffered through oppression by its human consumers, had constantly been ignored in favor of other, sweeter fruits. But once I was going to be done with it... no. No longer would that happen.

Which brings me (and you!) Lemon Bars. Sweet, tangy, lemon bars. Truly something that one could not ignore, nor pass up in favor of any other fruit. My testimony to you, oh lonely lemon, is complete.

(BTW- to all those wondering... That very night I sent my dad out to buy more fruit. All is back to normal.)

Look at those countertops... ughh. Yea, I desperately want new ones.

The batter will be crumbly at first...

...But press it down into the pan and voila! All is good.

The Final Product. Scrumptious.

LEMON BARS

Crust:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (i.e., soft. TIP: if you take the butter directly out of the fridge put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power it will produce the desired effect. The 50% power is key for it will heat the butter more evenly.)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

big pinch of salt

Lemon Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

zest and juice from 1 lemon: that's about 2 tablespoons of zest and 1/4 cup of lemon juice

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Start by making the crust. (As is logical...) To do so, preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 8x8 in pan. And theennnn....

In a medium sized bowl beat together the eggs and sugar. Next add the flour and salt and beat until the dough is just combined. It will be very crumbly and look quite dry. No worries. Dump the entire bowl into the pan, spread out evenly and then press down into the bottom of the pan. Make sure not to press down too hard because otherwise you will have slight difficulties getting the bars out in the end. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes, until the edges are a light brown. Make sure to not leave it in too long! Place on a wire rack to cool while you commence to prepare the filling.

Start making the filling by once again beating together the eggs and sugar until it is nice and smooth. Add the lemon zest and juice and beat until a homogenous mixture is made. Fold in the flour (and then beat again slightly to incorporate any leftover dry ingredients). Pour the filling onto the cooled crust. It will be very liquidly but will become more dense while baking. Put into oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the top of the bars have a nice light brownish/golden-yellowish skin on top. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. (I put them in the fridge to help aid speeding up the cooling time.)

Once completely cooled cut the bars into desired sizes of squares and, using a spatula, remove from pan. Place on a plate or cooling rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Then commence to give to people who deserve such a delectable treat. Yum!

Banana Cream Pie

2010-05-06T22:23:00.010-06:00

It's May. The sun is shining. The flowers are blooming. The birds are chirping and everything is just soooo nice right now. Well, it was when this post was SUPPOSED to be posted. I'm a bit of a procrastinator... not to mention all the things that I have going on right now. So let's just ignore all the going ons of life at the moment and just ENJOY ourselves! Time to indulge in a Banana Cream Pie.

Ready? Go!

(P.S. : From the second that I put the finished pie out on the countertop to be consumed until the point that it was completely scarfed down was less than 48 hours. So don't be shy if you want a piece! Go ahead and cut yourself a big slice. You won't regret it.)

BANANA CREAM PIE

Adapted from Joy The Baker

TART CRUST:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons (that's 1 stick + 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, frozen and cut into cubes

2 egg yolks

FILLING:

2 cups milk

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup sifted cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 ripe bananas, sliced

OPTIONAL: if you want you can also add strawberries, in which case downsize to two bananas and add about ten fresh strawberries, sliced.

TOPPING:

Tablespoon cocoa

Whipped cream out of a can

-OR-

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TO MAKE THE CRUST:

Butter a 9-inch pie pan (i used a fluted pan with removable bottom - the removable bottom is the best. It allows for easier removal of the pie from the pan later on. lovelovelove it!! )

Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl. Beat together with a mixer until combined. Distribute the butter over the mixture and blend with the mixture until it is coarsely cut in. Different sizes of butter will be present in the dough. Beat the egg yolk and add it little by little to the mixture. Mix the dough until it starts to form clumps. Knead the dough just enough to incorporate any dry ingredients that may have managed to have not been mixed in.

Evenly press the dough into the pan, making sure to cover the bottom and sides. You want the pieces to cling to one another, but not to combine it all together into one big mass for you want it to maintain its crumbly texture. Freeze for at least 30 minutes before baking.

When ready to bake:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of foil and put the foil (butterside down) tightly against the frozen crust. This is to help prevent the crust from rising. Bake for about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and then return to oven to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust for it tends to brown quickly. When done remove from oven and let cool completely before filling.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. WATCH THE MILK. Milk has a lower boiling point and will therefore boil quicker and tends to boil over if not watched.

While the milk is being heated, whisk together the yolks, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan. The mixture will be very thick. Continue whisking and slowly pour about 1/4 of the milk into the mixture, this is to warm the eggs so that they don't cook and curdle. Continue adding the milk whilst always whisking.

Place the pan on medium heat and continue whisking (just keep whisking just keep whisking just keep whisking whisking whisking...) and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for about a minute and keep whisking and then remove the pan from the heat. (TIP: the custard will start to thicken quickly once it starts to boil. Feel free to remove it from the heat for a little to whisk it smooth before continuing.)

Add in the vanilla extract and let it sit for five minutes. Then add in the butter and stir until it is completely incorporated and the custard is smooth and silky. Put the custard in a medium bowl, cover with a wrap so that the plastic touches the surface, and then put in the fridge until it is completely cool throughout. (Custard can be refrigerated up to three days. Personally, I loved custard. So you can either decide to just make the custard and eat it plain, or to make extra to eat at some later time... or whilst baking the pie!)

When everything has cooled then you're finally ready to assemble the pie! Slice the bananas (and strawberries if you want) and whisk the custard to loosen it up a bit. (Yes, there IS a lot of whisking involved in making this pie! Don't worry, it's totally worth it.)

Add a handful of BANANAS to the custard filling and fold in.

Arrange a layer of banana slices (and strawberry slices) on the bottom of the crust. Pour the custard on top of that. Smooth it out and put it in the fridge until ready to serve, at which point you will be adding whipped cream.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:

There are two possibilities:

1) You can be lazy like me and just use whipped cream out of a can. That works wonders. Simple. Elegant. What more could you ask for?

2) You can choose to be a bit more productive in the kitchen and make your own whipped cream topping. For this scenario you will need to pour the whipping cream into a bowl. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and with a hand mixer whisk (MORE WHISKING! [; ) until it is stiff.

Put on top of pie. Sprinkle with a little cocoa for looks. Put in front of family member/friend/human and be ready to be worshipped. Easy as pie.

This is what the pie should look like before it is frozen...

...And this is what it looks like when it's been baked.

Oh the joyous custard... Yum. Look at that steam! That stuff is legit.

AAAANNNDDDD the final masterpiece. Dig in!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

2010-05-02T18:28:00.006-06:00

It is officially May. I love May. Lovelovelove. The flowers are bloomin' everywhere and it's FINALLY warm enough outside to wear shorts five consecutive days in a row. (Plus the fact that my birthday is in a week... what is there not to love?) Beautiful.

Not only is the weather fitting for the beginning of May, it's perfect for playing soccer. Which is why I was to be found at school at 8:45 on a Saturday morning. Our opponent: some team called Leyden. I'd go on to describe the team, but then all this post would end up saying would be variations of "@#$%!!!". Let's just say that they loved profanity, they loved attacking my sprained ankle, and some girl spat on me.

Now, if this weren't bad enough, the ref decided to give ME a yellow card. Preposterous! Apparently squealing out in pain after having your sprained ankle tackled and then moving back to your position, listening to some opponent curse you out, and going to mark your player is "laughing and then walking away" and "un-sportsmanship like conduct". At first I had thought yes, that girl is getting what she deserves! ...and then the card was given to me. What a moron ref.

After all that, I was prettttyyy ticked off. Not having much appetite, but still needing to eat something, I decided to brighten up my day by sticking with the spirit of spring and making myself a smoothie. So I threw together some fruits and dairy products and voila! A refreshing and delicious drink to quench my thirst, satisfy my stomach, and bring back a dwindling good mood.

STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

1-2 bananas

about 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

a large handful frozen strawberries (approximately 1 1/2 cup) (TIP: if you'd prefer you can use fresh strawberries, be sure to add the 1 cup of ice cubes to the mixture)

OPTIONAL: about 1 cup of ice cubes

Cut the banana into slices. Throw everything into a blender. Mix together until everything is blended and you have achieved a smooth texture. (If you added ice, there should be small chunks of ice in the drink.) Pour into a glass and consume.

My dog Roxy seemed pretty interested in what all the commotion in the kitchen was about. She came to investigate and was eyeing the smoothie... Sorry Roxy, but dogs shouldn't drink this! (Don't worry, I wouldn't just not give her anything: in the end I gave Roxy some treats that she greedily inhaled.)

Simple Yet Extraordinary: Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes (Get Well Ethan!)

2010-04-28T22:05:00.014-06:00

Ohhhh boy. What a week. Does it sometimes seem like the world is out to get you; as if Karma has decided to pay you back for all the bad you’ve done all at once? This week is a continuation of a previous bad week, and has already been filled with raging mothers, raging coaches, raging hormones, and ragingly bad grades and even worse news.

It all started out on Monday with a math test. Who understands those pesky geometric formulas and theorems anyway? I mean unless I want to find the lateral surface area of one of my cakes, I see no reason why I would use them. I don’t need any of those fancy number crunching, life-complicating formulas. Now you may ask yourself: How bad did I do? Well, let’s just say that I didn’t manage to finish most of the problems in the allotted forty minutes time…

After that, the week just kept going downhill. I don’t know what it was, but someone must have slipped grouchy pills into the drinks of all the adult females in the general area. Not only were there unpleasant situations in the classroom, but also on the soccer field and at home. Seems like there’s always something to be reprimanded about. I’m sorry we can’t all always be perfect, ma’am.

The real killer day came on Tuesday. On Monday I had injured my ankle in the soccer game against Highland Park, and when I talked to the trainers they confined me to crutches. I strongly detest crutches… with a fiery passion. Not only do I already hate being injured and unable to play, but crutches add insult to injury. They make me feel vulnerable and useless; everyone is always asking “What happened?”, “Are you okay?”, and the ultimate killer: “Do you need help?”. I do not enjoy being your charity case; I can take care of myself. If I need help then I’ll ask for it. Until then, keep out of my way.

If that wasn’t bad enough, my best friend Ethan had a pole-vaulting accident and was sent to the hospital. He is currently doing relatively okay, he’s resting at home, but of course I was (and still am) worried sick.

After all this, I knew that something simple yet extraordinary was to be made to cheer Ethan (and myself) up. For that is the kind of person that Ethan is: Simple yet extraordinary. The bestest friend anyone can find. Following careful consideration, I decided to make cupcakes. For what’s better than chocolate cupcakes?

These cupcakes are incredibly moist and rich. I recommend finding someone, or several someones, to share these with; otherwise temptation might grab hold of you and lead you to greedily devour a whole batch by yourself. This recipe is quite literally cake batter poured into a muffin pan and then generously frosted so that everyone gets their own individual little cake. Of course if you’d prefer to make this into an actual cake, you are more than welcome to do so.

And once again, GET WELL ASAP ETHAN!

PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

From Hershey’s Kitchen Recipes

For the Cupcakes:

2 cups sugar

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup baking cocoa

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

§ Preheat oven to 350°F.

§ Distribute baking cups into two muffin pans (12 muffins each, 24 total).

§ Combine and mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract.

§ Blend well with a blender on medium setting for approximately two minutes. Add in the boiling water and mix until you get a smooth, even mixture. (NOTE: the mixture will be very thin, this is desired)

§ Pour the batter into the pan, filling each cup about 2/3 of the way. (TIP: To do this I first poured the batter into a measuring cup with a spout so that it was then easier to accurately pour the batter into the cups.)

§ Bake for 20 – 25 minutes; until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

§ Let the cupcakes cool slightly, and then move them to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

NOTE: If you decide that you want to make a cake (which the recipe originally calls for), you can either pour the batter into a 13x9 pan and bake for ≈35 minutes. For a double layer cake butter two round 9-inch pans and then evenly divide up the batter between the two pans. Bake for ≈30 minutes. Let cool completely and then frost. Serve and enjoy, and be forever worshipped!

For the Frosting:

1 stick butter

2/3 cup baking cocoa

3 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (you can also use milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the butter and then stir in the cocoa. Alternating between adding the sugar and cream until it becomes a smooth, light brown mixture. Add the vanilla extract. Use to frost cupcakes or cake. Also take the time to indulge in licking the spoon and bowl clean. One can never be too old to lick clean the baking supplies!

Scrumptious Sugar Cookies

2010-04-11T16:22:00.006-06:00

Sugar cookies seem to be a common favorite amongst the general population. You see them at birthday parties. One will encounter them at meetings. They are spotted at potlucks. I can safely say that a sugar cookie is a simple yet magical creation.

These tasty morsels become quite handy when one is put in tricky situations. Get in a fight with your boyfriend? Why not just bake up a batch of these sugary delights. I assure you that once he has a bite of these babies he’ll be begging for more, and begging for forgiveness (even if it was you that did wrong). It works with Eric every time. ;]

Even if you aren’t in a fight, I assure you that your significant other will love indulging in a batch of cookies made by you. Everything tastes better when made with love by someone special.

SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour  

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder  

½ teaspoon salt  

1 cup white sugar

¹/₈ cup brown sugar

1 ½ sticks butter  

1 egg, lightly beaten  

3 tablespoons cream (if you don’t have cream you can use milk)

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugars, and salt.

Add the butter and mix until crumbly.

Stir together the lightly beaten egg, vanilla, and cream. Add to the dry ingredients and blend well. Gather the dough into a ball and put in the fridge. Let it chill for at least an hour for easier rolling.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

On a floured surface roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness (for crispier cookies make it slightly thinner, for chewier ones slightly thicker). Cut into shapes. Place on a lightly buttered cookie sheet. If desired sprinkle with sugar crystals.

Bake for 6 - 8 minutes, or until lightly brown on the bottom. They might still be a bit uncooked in the middle, but when they cool this will result in them being chewy. Place the cookies on a wire cooling rack.

Once cool the cookies are ready for you to enjoy immediately or to decorate! Have fun!

Fruit Cheesecake Tart

2010-04-06T21:54:00.013-06:00

For every holiday it seems like my mom is practically begging me to supply the family with a dessert.

So when Easter came around this year, sure enough, I was asked to provide some treat to satisfy the sweet teeth of this house.

Going along with the spirit of spring, I decided to whip up this simple fruit-filled delicacy before rushing to get my makeup done in time for church. Enjoy!

FRUIT CHEESECAKE TART

10 graham crackers mashed into crumbs

4-5 tablespoons butter (slightly more than ½ stick), melted 

½ cup sour cream 

8 ounces cream cheese 

Zest and juice from one lemon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 egg 

¼ cup sugar 

Strawberries and/or blueberries and/or kiwis (thinly sliced)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a tart pan (preferably with removable bottom). Combine crumbs and butter in a bowl, and then using your fingers press into the pan until there is an even, thin layer completely covering the bottom and sides.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a blender on medium speed until smooth. Pour into crust and make sure it spreads out evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes; i.e. until the tart is firm around the edges and is slightly browned on top. Watch the crust to make sure that it doesn't get burnt. I eyeballed this, checking every few minutes until I felt it was ready to be taken out. When done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

While the tart is cooling, wash and cut the fruit. You can use any variation of fruits available, I happened to use strawberries and blueberries. Once the tart has cooled, place the fruit on top. And voila! You have yourself a delectable dessert.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes

2010-04-03T13:12:00.003-06:00

I love pancakes. Who doesn't love pancakes?

So whenever tensions start running high I head to the kitchen and whip up a batch of these scrumptious morsels. It’s easy. It’s fast. It brings everyone together, and since they’re too busy stuffing their faces there is no opportunity to bicker. Once every last crumb has been consumed the sugary goodness has drastically improved everyone’s mood.

Lesson learned: a batch of pancakes = one big happy family.

CINNAMON BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Adapted from Joy the Baker

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick melted butter

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Combine buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk in the butter.

In a different bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Mix together the wet and dry ingredients. Let stand approximately 5-10 minutes.

Thinly coat a pan with vegetable oil and let it preheat slightly. Spoon in 3 portions of batter, approximately ¼ cup each. Cook on medium to medium-low heat until the top of the pancakes have formed bubbles. Using a spatula flip the pancakes over and cook until the other side is lightly browned. Repeat this for the rest of the batter, adding oil to the pan as needed so that the pancakes don’t stick.

Serve with maple syrup and/or applesauce.