Valentines



I've had on my To-Try-List, a brownie mix I pinned a few months back, and with Valentine's Day approaching I thought it would be the perfect time to give it a whirl. My three-year-old helped me combine the dry ingredients, and then I pretty much did the rest, but if your kids are older, they would probably love to be involved in all of the steps.

Step 1)
Mix and bake brownies from here or of course just use boxed mixes. I doubled the recipe and lined 2-9x9s with foil and pan spray.

Step 2)
Half-way through baking, around 10 minutes, sprinkle your pink and red hearts over partially cooked batter. (I was afraid that if I put them on in the beginning, they would sink to the bottom and disappear into the batter, but if I sprinkled them on at the end, they wouldn't stick and just fall off. Half-way through was perfect.)

Step 3)
Cool completely and stick in the freezer until firm.

Step 4)
Using a greased cookie cutter, make heart cut-outs. You may need to wash  the cutter to keep the lines crisp and clean.

Step 5)
Bag and tie with ribbon and crinkles.

 

 

If you are making these ahead of time, store in freezer.

Brownies are extra chewy partially frozen!

 To keep them from cracking or breaking,

I froze them on a cookie sheet until they were solid

and then transferred to Ziploc bags.

You should have no problem getting rid of the scraps,

brownies taste good even if they are in weird shapes.



Chocolate Mint Sandwiches

I made these beautiful, rich cookies last year for my chocolate/mint loving family. I'm pretty particular about my chocolate and peppermint duos, for example, I don't like Peppermint Patties, Peppermint Bark or Junior Mints (sorry Kramer), Andes mints are...okay, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, now you're talking, Starbucks White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha--oh yeah and objectively speaking, these cookies were pretty awesome, the peppermint is not overpowering, it's mostly about the ganache  and chocolate glaze for me.

For the Cookies:

1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

Confectioners' sugar, for the work surface

For the Ganache:

1/4 cup heavy cream

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped ( I just used chocolate chips)

3/4 tsp. peppermint extract

For the Glaze:

6 oz semisweet chocolate

1. Make cookies: Whisk together cocoa powder and flour in a medium bowl; set aside.  Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in egg until well blended.  reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.  Divided dough in half, and shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or overnight).

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Transfer dough to a work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick.  Cut out cookies using a 2 inch round cookie cutter (you can see I used a small snowflake cutter); space 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Repeat with remaining scraps of dough.  Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 10-12 minutes.  Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

  

3. Meanwhile, make ganache: Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add chocolate.  Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate is smooth.  Stir in peppermint extract.  Let cool slightly, 10-15 minutes.

4.  Spoon 1 tsp. ganache onto the bottom of 1 cookie; sandwich with another cookie.  Repeat with remaining cookies and ganache.  Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.

5.  Make glaze: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly.  Let cool slightly.  Dip 1 flat side of each sandwich into melted chocolate to coat; gently shake off excess. Place sandwiches, chocolate side up, on wire racks set over baking sheets.  Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.  Sandwiches can be refrigerated in a single layer in airtight containers up to 2 days (2 days? Whatever, we had them for at least a week and they were fine, I did keep them in the fridge, because of the heavy cream).

Not gonna lie, these cookies were some of the most time consuming 

I've made, but it's kind of fun once a year to spend time in the kitchen 

making special treats. They really are beautiful.

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the finished product! Thankfully Martha still has a link for hers, click here for the complete look.

Enjoy!

Coconut Macadamia Shortbread

This recipe comes from a 2005 Holiday Cookies magazine from Martha Stewart. I've been making them for a couple Christmas seasons now, and look forward to them all year. Coconut is one of those things, like cilantro, you either love it or hate it, I personally love both, so if you too are one of those coconut lovers out there, you might want to give these a try.

1 cup macadamia nuts (about 3 oz) toasted
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 Tbsp. cream of coconut or unsalted butter ( I have always used butter, I mean who has heard of cream of  coconut??)
2 tsp. pure coconut extract
2 cups flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Process nuts and 2 Tbsp sugar in food processor until finely ground; set aside. Process 1 cup coconut until coarsely ground; set aside.

2.  Put butter, cream of coconut, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in coconut extract.  Reduce sped to low.  Add flour, salt, nut mixture, and ground coconut; mix until combined.

3. Halve dough.  Shape halves into disks, and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.  Let soften before rolling.

4.  Roll out each disk on lightly floured parchment to 1/4 inch think.. Cover with plastic; refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes.

5.  Cut dough into squares using a fluted 2 1/4-inch square cookie cutter ( Use whatever you like, as you can see I used a heart cutter, snowflakes would be pretty cute too).  Reroll scraps; continue cutting out shapes.  Space about 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment.  Lightly brush tops with egg white; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut.  Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.  Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week (they also freeze great! We snacked on them for a couple months.).

 Before they go in the oven...

and after.  So delicious served with tea.

For a picture of Martha's square cookies in their cute paper cups click here.

Enjoy!

Glazed Pumpkin Bread

One of my favorite indulgences this time of year is fresh from the oven Pumpkin Bread. This recipe was the first one our family tried years ago, torn out of a Family Fun magazine and it continues to be my favorite. It is so simple to make and sure to please the whole family.

Bread
In mixer, beat until well combined:
2 cups (16 oz) canned pumpkin
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
(Careful, it's a lot of liquid for your mixer to take, start on low.)

In separate bowl, whisk and add to pumpkin mixture:
3 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves

Beat 2 minutes. Divide between two greased and floured (I just use pan spray) loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out mostly clean (but still a little soft) in center. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans.

Some Tips:

• Set your first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pans. Then check in 15, 10, 5 minute increments until bread is almost, but not fully firm in center. 
• Bake on lower middle oven rack. I learned this from my America's Test Kitchen Baking Book. It helps the bread cook more evenly without getting too brown on top.
• A new thing I'm trying is baking breads and cakes at 325 degrees instead of 350. My husband's Aunt told me about this trick, which helps things rise slowly, cook evenly and yields a moist, dense bread or cake.
• For quick breads, I use 1 large bread pan, like this Wilton Aluminum Loaf Pan instead of 2 traditional 9x5 loaf pans. I learned about these amazing pans when I baked for Olympic Coffee Roasters. You get more center pieces, which we all know are the best!

 Glaze
I use two different glazes depending on my mood.

Cinnamon Sugar Glaze
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2-3 Tbsp. warm water

Whisk powdered sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, add 1 Tbsp water at a time until desired consistency is reached. I like a thick glaze that stays on the bread. Drizzle over cool bread, if it's too warm, the glaze will just run off onto the counter.

Vanilla Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine in saucepan. Boil for 3 minutes. Poke warm bread and brush slowly with glaze allowing to seep into the holes.

For more nutrition and seriously no difference in taste or texture, 

I've been using this awesome whole wheat flour 

from Wheat Montana. It's a fine sift, non GMO, great product 

with 6 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup!

I buy this 5lb. bag at Super Wal-Mart for around $4.50.

It's also cool, cause it reminds me of my sister Angie, from Montana. 

There is actually a Wheat Montana Bakery in her hometown--lucky.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Caeser Salad

During the summer I find it challenging to come up with menu ideas for hot days (or warm days in Seattle). Husbands don't seem to get excited about salads the way us wives do, but classic Caesar Salad seems to be a crowd pleaser for everyone and every occasion. This is my go-to side salad with any Italian dish all year around.

Dressing

My sister Mandie found this gluten-free recipe a few years ago in an Every Day Food cookbook. This makes for a great dip for veggies and pizza as well.

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup parmesan

2 anchovy fillets (optional, in fact I've never used them)

1 small garlic clove

1-2 tsp sugar

1/8-1/4 tsp. pepper to taste 

1/2-1 tsp garlic seasoning (like Johnny's from Costco)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.  Refrigerate.

Chicken

I made up a marinade that went a little something like this:

1 Chicken breast

1-2 tsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp white cooking wine

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Salt and Pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

Store in ziploc in fridge for a couple hours.  My sister, Molly taught me about filleting chicken breasts to make the meat go farther and cook faster, so now I always cut the chicken breast in half. Place chicken on hot grill, rotate after a few minutes to get crossed searing lines. Turn, cook for a few more minutes until no longer pink in center or until thermometer reads 160-165 degrees. 

Salad

Romaine - diced or torn 

Greens - you want mostly Romaine which holds up better to creamy dressings, but greens add a touch of elegance.

Mandie is convinced torn lettuce tastes better than cut. I worked at a cafe in Normandy Park and learned that cutting lettuce was so much faster than tearing. I dice it first right off the core, then give it a rinse and put it in the salad spinner. It's important to get the excess water off, otherwise salad will become soupy.

Croutons

Olive oil or Pan Spray

Garlic Seasoning

Bread heels, cut into bit sized squares (I keep a Ziploc bag full of heels from every loaf of bread we eat and save them for making croutons, the more variety, the better)

Spread cubes over baking sheet, drizzle with oil or for lower cal, spray with any kind of pan spray. Sprinkle with seasoning.  Toast in oven on a low Broiler for 5-10 minutes, not too soft and not too crisp. Remove from oven; cool for a few minutes.

To assemble:
Toss romaine and greens in dressing. (Start with a little, you can always add more.)
Slice chicken into strips, keeping shape intact. Place on top of dressed salad.
Top with croutons.
Sprinkle with Parmesan, Asiago or Romano cheese. I always buy the big bag of Parmesan at Costco, but for a real gourmet touch, use a potato peeler to get generous shavings from a block of Italian cheese.
And always...fresh ground pepper.

Enjoy!

~ Julie

Homemade Laundry Soap

I owe this post entirely to my Mom, who found this recipe, gathered all the ingredients and brought it to my house.  We made a batch of each: one with Pink Zote (the prettiest), one with Fels Naptha (the best-smelling in my opinion, but they're all a close tie) and one with Ivory (makes clothes and towels the softest). This is a very economical laundry detergent and you won't have to buy laundry softener anymore.  My Mom has replaced all her Tilex and harsh chemical cleaners with this non-toxic soap and as my Mom would say "it works like a charm".

Base

• 4 lbs. Borax
• 4 lbs. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
• 4 lbs. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Soaps (one kind per batch)

• 3 bars Fels Naptha Bar Soap (each is 5.5 oz)
• 1 1/3 bats Pink Zote Soap (14.1oz each)
• 3 bars Ivory Soap (4.5 oz. each)
• 4 bars Castile Soap (4 oz each)

Slice bars of soap into 1/4" slices, (this makes it easier on the food processor).  Pour a handful of each powder into food processor along with several slices of soap, pulse until a fine meal.

Continue working in small batches until finished.  Mix and store in airtight container...preferably a cute one.

1 to 2 tablespoons per load. Remember: it makes no suds, but cleans super!

 Pink Zote

 Fels Naptha

Sometimes you have to get dirty before you can get clean.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Several years ago, I began a short lived quest to find the best recipe for my favorite cookie: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.  After a couple tries, I found this one on TopSecretRecipes.com.  I love the minced coconut which makes them extra chewy.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut flakes, finely minced
1 egg
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped (these are so expensive, I use 1/2- 3/4 cup)
8 oz. white chocolate chips or bar cut into chunks ( I used 6 oz.)

Cream butter and sugar in mixer on high speed.  Add coconut, egg, milk and vanilla; mix well.  Combine dry ingredients, including nuts and chocolate.  Add to wet mixture until dough forms.

Let dough rest 30-60 minutes in refrigerator.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

For regular sized cookies: drop onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Press to flatten slightly.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.
For giant sized cookies: measure out 2 1/2 Tbsp. of dough and form into a ball.  Drop onto ungreased cookie sheets, 3 inches apart. Press to flatten slightly.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Cookies should come out of oven appearing slightly browned, yet undercooked.  When cooled, cookies will be soft and chewy. Let cool a few minutes on cookie sheets, remove to rack.

Yields: About 3 dozen regular or 16-18 giant cookies.

Fettuccine with Bacon and Peas

I got this recipe from an Everyday Food issue a few years ago which has become part of my repertoire.  I've made a few changes here and there, this is my version:

Serves 2 plus leftovers for lunch

Salt and pepper
4-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4-1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion (the original recipe calls for a shallot)
5 oz frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup half-and-half
9 oz fresh or dried fettuccine
Parmesan cheese

Set a large pot of salted water to boil.  In large skillet, cook bacon over medium until crisp. Remove to paper towel to drain (leave fat in skillet for making sauce).

Add onion to skillet; season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 1-2 minutes.  Add peas and half-and-half; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and return to pot.  Pour sauce over pasta; toss to combine.  Sprinkle with bacon and parmesan; serve immediately with a side salad or artisan bread.

 This is a great springtime dish. I like the simple flavors
of just a few ingredients; it takes Italian to a more

authentic level than your basic Spaghetti and Lasagna. 

I use these noodles which are cheaper than fresh and 

much easier than making myself. They really soak up the sauce, 

unlike other dried pastas. You can buy a big bag of these at Costco.

I buy this more suitable size for our family at Wal-Mart.

Bon Appetit!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches

Our son just had his 2nd birthday (yay!), and I was very excited to plan his birthday cake. However, I quickly ran into a dilemma, my husband doesn't like chocolate, but everyone else loves it. I contemplated carrot cake, vanilla cake, the family favorite rainbow chip cake...what to do, what to do?  And then, thanks to all the cook books and magazines I have searched over the years, my subconscious emerged with a win-win-win scenario: Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, who wouldn't love that??

Cookies:
1. Prepare your cookie dough, just use your favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

2. After you scoop onto baking sheets, flatten dough with your fingers or bottom of a glass, this will make the finished cookies thin and flat.

3. I usually under cook my cookies (about 7 minutes), but for these, I wanted them to be crisp, so I baked them according to directions (8-10 minutes). It doesn't take much longer, they bake quicker because they are flattened.

4. Remove to wire rack, cool. I made the cookies 2 days before the birthday party and froze them in Ziploc bags.

Ice Cream:
1. Buy cheap-o ice cream that comes in the cardboard box.
2. Destroy the box

3. Make a 1/2 inch slice lengthwise.

4. With your trusted biscuit cutter, press into ice cream to get filling for 2 sandwiches.

 5. Remove excess. Using a spatula, place onto bottom of one cookie. Place remaining cookie on top.

6. Wrap in plastic wrap, I gathered the four corners and twisted tightly to get a taut surface on one side. You could wrap in individual bags and tie with a ribbon for a more professional look. The birthday boy got sprinkles on his sandwich!

7. Place in freezer. I assembled the sandwiches the day before the party. This made last minute preparations a breeze. These were a hit, everyone loved them!

Work quickly, the ice cream melts fast...hence, the sub-par photos. : /

Enjoy!

Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies

The secret to these cookies is 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening. I use this method in a lot of my cookies.

Cream in mixing bowl:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
Add:
2 eggs
Add:
1 cup creamy peanut butter, or crunchy if you prefer
1 tsp vanilla
Combine in separate bowl:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and stir until blended.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Recipe says to lightly grease cookie sheets (I never do, I use a Silpat liner). Scoop cookies and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool on baking sheet 1 minute. Place on wire racks to cool.

Some Hints:
 * http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?sku=pg_sparklingsugars
I buy this sparkling sugar at Wal-Mart for $2, you can also buy it at Joann Fabrics.
* I like well defined criss-crosses on my peanut butter cookies, so I spray my fork with pan spray in between pressing each cookie. You can probably skip this step if your dough has been refrigerated.
* I'm sure you have figured out the trick to chewy cookies is pulling them from the oven before they are done. I still have a hard time knowing exactly when to pull them, but for my oven 7 minutes is about perfect for regular sized cookies. You want the surface to look done, but if you were to touch them with your finger, they would feel very underdone.
* Remember to remove from hot pans after a minute, leaving them on pans to cool, will overcook them and make them crunchy the next day. If the bottom of my cookies take on the grid of my wire racks, I know they are perfect!
* I freeze my empty pans between baking, using an already hot pan will affect cooking time. I have found this keeps baking times and cookies consistent throughout the whole batch.
* Don't be afraid to freeze leftover cookies or if you want to make them ahead of time for an event. They thaw very well. I used to always keep dough in my freezer, but now I bake them all at once. It is so nice to have cookies on hand for a treat in the evening or for having company.
* I've never done it, but these would be so delish dipped half in chocolate.

 Who doesn't love cookie dough?

The sparkling sugar gives it that real bakery touch.

Banana Streusel Muffins

I pulled this out of Better Homes and Gardens a few months ago. The original recipe is for a loaf, but this morning I made them into muffins.

Muffin Batter
2 cups flour (I used a fine ground whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (4-5 medium, I used 3 large)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/4 chopped walnuts, optional


Streusel Topping
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, combine dry ingredients; set aside.
In mixing bowl, combine eggs, mashed banana, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in walnuts.
To make streusel: combine brown sugar and flour, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, sprinkle over batter.
Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.
Scoop batter into pans two-thirds full.
For mini size muffins, bake about 13-15 minutes. For regular size muffins, around 18-20 minutes.
Remove from oven, let sit in pans for a couple minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool.

Some Hints:
* I keep a bag of frozen bananas in my freezer, they thaw well, and I've read they add more flavor.
* Use a cookie scoop to fill tins two-thirds full, for my scoop that's 1 scoop for mini size, 2 1/2 for regular size. This makes for even cooking and is so much easier than trying to pour it in.
* If you want the streusel to have more crunch, try adding streusel five or so minutes into baking while batter is still thin, if you wait too long, it will just fall off.
* I always err on the side of underdone, rather than overdone, muffins will continue to cook out of the oven, but I must admit, I've had my fair share of sunken muffins.
* Remember to remove muffins from their tins after a few minutes, they can get overcooked sitting in hot pans.
* Use light colored pans. Dark, non-stick pans will yield dark pastries. I read this a long time ago and as weird as it sounds, it is true.
* Whatever is not eaten immediately, should be put in the freezer the same day. Baked goods thaw really well,  in fact, I think it seals in the moisture, I don't have the science to back it up, just something I've noticed.
* If you want to make this into bread, increase cooking time to 55-60 minutes, may need to cover with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning.