birdsandtrees

Quick Sweet Treat

Need a quick sweet bite?  We made these ghosts at school this week using nutter butters, white chocolate, and mini chocolate chip morsels.  I've seen the idea on several websites like this one. 

All you do is dip the cookie into melted white chocolate, then top with two mini morsels for eyes (I also used melted chocolate piped from a ziploc to make the mouth) and let cool until the chocolate has hardened.  Yummy. 

Need another idea for those Halloween parties this weekend?  Try the Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers).  I made them this past weekend and they are GOOD.  Real good. 

Some keepers

Last night I made the Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette from the Barefoot Contessa.  I had wanted to make something fall-ish, and I think this definitely fits the bill.  It's got walnuts, roasted squash and dried cranberries, and this delicious vinaigrette that you cook on the stove, with cider and vinegar and shallots...yum.  While we had this by itself, I think the next time I make it, I'll have a pork tenderloin or roast chicken with it.  But it's a keeper and worth a try in your own kitchen!  

Another keeper is a beautiful blog that I've wanted to share with you- it's from Caitlin, a friend of a friend (her good friend sends her daughter to my school)...it's called Roost and she just has such lovely things posted on there- you need to check it out!  Her applesauce recipe looks delicious! 

A spot of tea and a bit of scone...

Today was our first "tea time on Tuesdays" at school.  And I think it was a hit.  As I was bringing down the tea, one of the girls came up to me and said, "Mrs. Stephanie, I think we need some fancy napkins, don't you think?"  So we went all out - teapots, teacups, "fancy" napkins, pinkies out, classical music in the background, and some scones.  And not just any scones- chocolate scones.  I had these once at my friend Virginia's house and she was gracious enough to let me post the recipe for you! 
I've made scones in the past, and I've had some trouble with them being too tough or with not enough flavor.  But these were perfect, and the girls had a great time making them - it's a great recipe to do with kids. They're so delicious! 

Chocolate Chip Cream Scones
(makes 8)

Ingredients:

2 cups (10 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
5 tbsp chilled, unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes
¾ c. chocolate chips
1 c. heavy whipping cream

   1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
   2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Whisk together.
   3. Using a pastry blender, quickly cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. You might need to use a knife to scrape the pastry blender a few times as you mix. ***I just used my stand mixer for this step, with the paddle attachment.
   4. Stir in chocolate chips.
   5. Stir in heavy cream with fork until dough begins to form. (about 30 seconds)
   6. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. You want to knead it into about a 1-inch thick ball.
   7. Cut scones into 8 wedges. Place wedges onto an ungreased baking sheet.
   8. Bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Resist the urge to eat the scones hot out of the oven. Letting them cool at least 10 minutes firms them up and improves their texture!

Brownie Mix + Cookie Dough Mix = Mixalicious

I'm not a huge fan of boxed mixes for baking, but I do think that there is a certain time and place for them.  I needed a quick sweet treat yesterday, and I found a post that Bakerella did on a Betty Crocker Brownie/Cookie Dough recipe.  After seeing the pictures and reading the reviews, I knew I didn't need to look any furthur.  How can you go wrong with cookie dough dropped into brownie batter?

 Here's the basic recipe:

Make the brownie mix and cookie dough mix like normal, using the instructions on the back.  Put the brownie batter in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, then drop tablespoon-sized dollops of the cookie dough evenly on top of the brownie batter. Like this:

After baking at 350 for 35-40 minutes (make sure it's not too "doughy" in the middle- you want to cook it all the way through so that it won't be hard to cut and take out later), let cool completely. 

In the Betty Crocker recipe, they spread the top with  pre-made chocolate frosting (or whatever frosting you want), but I liked how Bakerella made it a little more special by topping it with homeade ganache.  I knew I wanted to go that route. 
The recipe for the ganache (from Bakerella) is:

Chocolate Ganache
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp butter

• In a small saucepan, heat cream and butter until just before the boiling stage.
• Pour over the chocolate morsels.
• Let stand about 20 seconds and stir until smooth.

So after making the ganache, spread it evenly on top of the brownies and let it set before cutting. 
And voila- so easy, so good, and so what I needed in my life.

For these hot summer days...

James and I just got back from the beach, where we had a great time with my family.  I didn't bring my camera for some reason, but if I had, I would be able to show you pictures of a beautiful beach, LOTS of really good food, Jenga, and how my family likes to have a good time.  Because they sure do know how to have fun. 
So instead of coming back empty-handed, I've got a fun summer drink to share (courtesy of Martha).  It's the perfect treat for these hot summer days! 

Raspberry Lemonade

In a large pot, combine 2 cups of raspberries, 10 lemons (sliced), and 1 1/2 cups sugar.  You could also add some mint at this point if you wanted a stronger mint flavor.  Pound this mixture (with a potato masher, back of a wooden spoon, etc.) until you release all the juices from the berries and lemons.  Pour in 6 cups water.  I let it sit for 20-30 minutes, just to let the flavors really mingle.  Strain the mixture, add ice, a sprig of mint (or slice of lemon), and enjoy! 

You could easily change this into an alcoholic version- Martha recommends adding some tequila, but I'm even thinking some Prosecco might be nice as well.   

If you're in the mood for another cool beverage and you like coffee, check out James's post from this time last year- he's got a great Iced Coffee recipe.  I'm also asking him to share a White Sangria recipe, so hopefully that will be on here soon!

Got cupcakes?

I definitely do.  Since yesterday, I have now baked EIGHT DOZEN cupcakes.  It's in CAPS because I feel like the way I'm saying that in my head deserves CAPS.  EIGHT DOZEN.  I've never baked that many cupcakes in my life, and yet, I can still say that I love cupcakes.  I've always loved them- baking them, decorating them, eating them, etc.  It seems like cupcakes are the new "it" dessert, and I'm all for that.  Making them from scratch is simple, and cleanup is super easy!

  What's not to love?
There are so many great cupcake recipes out there, and sometimes it's a daunting task to even know where to begin.  My friend Lauren gave me a great cupcake book called Cupcakes Year Round that I've used a ton.   I just made their Blueberry Cupcakes with Maple Walnut Frosting, Carrot Cupcakes, Vanilla Cupcakes, and Red Velvet Cupcakes.  All really good!  
The one pictured above is a Nigella recipe- it has a royal icing that I think is beautiful!  I got the daisy topper (it's edible) from Louise's Cakes-N- Things, a place worth visiting if you live in the Birmingham area. 
In other cupcake news, Martha also has a new cupcake book that came out this week that looks like a winner- I need to add that to my cupcake library! 

My kind of breakfast

Today we had some friends over for a birthday breakfast.  And lucky for me, James is really good at making breakfast, which lets me do the fun stuff, like setting the table.  I got this vintage tablecloth at an antique store in St.Louis last week which I was way too excited to use for the first time.  I used to groan when my mom asked me to set the table when we were younger, but now it's something I look forward to.  Is anybody else like that?   

 James has been perfecting this pancake recipe, and trying to recreate what we had at Clinton Street Baking Company in NYC.  We don't have their recipe, but one key thing they do is fold in egg whites (after they've been mixed into soft peaks).  This makes the batter light and fluffy and oh. so. good.  If you want to try to make some, James bases his version off of this recipe (without the lemon, and a little more vanilla and a sprinkling of cinnamon). 

 

But another thing that James makes to go along with the pancakes is a warm, buttery maple syrup.  It is amazing.  We use the good stuff, Grade A Maple Syrup, warmed on the stove on medium heat with some butter mixed in.  Good, real maple syrup makes all the difference, and it's definitely called for to celebrate a friend's birthday. 

Throw on some blueberries and you've got my kind of breakfast. 

Hot Cross Buns

Made these today, using this recipe. 
Happy Resurrection Day!

A Homemade Life

One of the books I read this past week was A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg, the author of my favorite food blog, Orangette.  Saying that I read this book seems a little like a lie...I didn't read it, I practically devoured that thing.  I read it cover to cover- I didn't miss a single word.  I savored every story (excuse the pun) and enjoyed every minute of it. 

If you've ever read her blog (and if you haven't, seriously shame on you), you know that she doesn't just post a recipe.  Every recipe comes with a story, a memory, an event in her life.  And she always manages to write them so beautifully.  In a way that I only wish I could write.  

It's like she invited you into her life, but she didn't just give you a quick tour of the house and ask you to politely leave- she made you a drink, fixed some dinner, and asked you to stay for hours.  And you didn't mind because you didn't want to leave.  Because she's that cool.  She tells you her life story(quite vulnerably, I might add) starting from memories of her parents and her childhood, to her various boyfriends and the love story of her and her husband (which is amazing).  And at the end of every story, there's a recipe that goes with it.   

I can't tell you how much I loved this book.  Because I wouldn't do it justice.  I found myself crying on a couple different occasions (no big shocker there), and then laughing in the next chapter.  The recipes she shares are ones that, for the most part, I've never tried or even heard of before.  But now I want to try them all. 

The only bad thing about it is that now I really want to know her personally and hang out with her.  My friend Azurae once saw her in Seattle and didn't quite have the courage to introduce herself. And I would have been the exact same way.  But now after reading her book, if I saw her, I feel like I would have to say something.  The way she opened up about her life and the recipes she shared with the world deserves at least a hug, or a high-five, or something.  So until I meet her and can do one of those things, I'll just give her the good 'ole A+ book review and share it with as many people as I can.   

---------------------------------------------------

P.S. - We made the Sliced Spring Salad with Avocado and Feta last night (one her recipes from the book) and it was SO good- you can find the recipe here.  It's a perfect light dinner for the start of spring!       

Pavlova, Take Three

I think my cooking curse is officially over.  I made the Mixed Berry Pavlova for third time last night, and man is that thing good.