Cherry Muffins

I've been making my favorite banana bread (posted earlier in this blog) for a while and now that winter is well behind us, banana bread seems too heavy for summer. I tried thinking of something light, fresh, and different than what I have been making. That's when I remembered making cherry muffins for Valentine's Day this year and suddenly really wanted them! I dug out the small cookbook I had with the recipe, and here it is:

The ingredients, but you also have to have milk. The recipe I have for some reason doesn't list milk in the ingredients, so I didn't have it in the picture. 

Batter never looks appetizing to me, but here's what it looks like.

These last two pictures came out more yellow, but the muffins are actually a pink color. The light wasn't very good by the time I took them out of the oven, but they are delicious!

Cherry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup milk (or more depending on the consistency. I didn't measure.)

2/3 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin pan.

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a seperate bowl, blend egg, vanilla, oil, and milk. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients, stirring with several quick strokes until combined and moistened. Stir in cherries. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

5th Birthday Party!

It has been so long since I have updated this blog! It's not that I haven't been cooking or baking, it has just been a stressful time and the blog just got off of my to-do list. I plan on changing that! I have some big plans for this blog and plan on getting much more involved and begin posting things more frequently. To kick-off my new enthusiasm and new look to the page, I want to share the birthday cake my sister-in-law and I made for her son's (my nephew) 5th birthday party. I wasn't there when she actually baked the cake, but she made a red velvet cake, and I was there to help with the decoration. I love being able to be at my nephews' birthday parties and love being the aunt that helps make their birthday cakes. :-)

The cake cut, frosting colored gray, and we're ready to begin. 

Now he's frosted, has fins (that stayed straight!) and a smile.

Now he's in water.

Close-up.

Now he has teeth, gills, and eyes. Really looks like a shark now. 

We added cupcakes that say the birthday boy's name and has fish on the ends. 

The finished product!

It was a great party and the birthday boy really liked his silly shark cake. :-)

New Things

Today in particular has been full of cooking. (One of my favorite ways to spend a day!) I've been trying some new things lately and would like to share them with you.

I received a bread-maker for Christmas and finally broke it in by making "Beer Bread". It wasn't anything special, just the recipe from the recipe book that came with the maker, but it was delicious and made the house smell like fresh bread. Delicious! I can see myself putting that thing to good use!

I also have been having an obsession with my slow cooker lately; maybe it's the cold weather, but I'm really enjoying it. I received a new cookbook for Christmas specifically for the slow cooker and attempted to make salmon in the slow cooker. I was a little nervous, but LOVED it! I got it from my cookbook, but this website is where the author started it all:


http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/07/crockpot-jamaican-salmon.html

The only difference I can see from the website and the cookbook is that there is no cayenne pepper to add in the cookbook. It was sooooo good and the two hour time was perfect! I will definitely make it again and I'm going to try to find more recipes like this because I liked it so much.

I've also tried this recipe:


http://www.bakerella.com/thaaank-you-betty/

Be warned- it was so rich that you don't need much of it to get your fill! I thought it was delicious although I didn't like the idea of making something from a box. I was surprised that with the ganache, it didn't taste like it was from a box.  I didn't take pictures of mine because I couldn't wait for the ganache to cool before I HAD to dive in. Hers look much prettier than mine anyway. One thing I was pleased to find was you don't need to buy one box of brownie mix and one bag of cookie mix because now they put them both in one box specifically for this recipe. The frugal voice in me was extremely pleased to discover that. :-)

Dutch Apple Pie Verdict

Without a doubt, this was the favorite pie I made for Thanksgiving. The two chocolates were close, but nothing says Thanksgiving like an apple pie, and the crumb on top was to die for.

Dutch Apple Pie:

1 recipe Single-Crust Pie Dough, partially baked and still warm (recipe below)

Streusel:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon fine-ground cornmeal

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples (5-6), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 pounds McIntosh apples (4-6), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. After removing the partially baked pie crust from the oven, adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and leave the oven set at 375 degrees. (The crust must still be warm when the filling is added.)

2. For the streusel: Mix the flour, sugars, and cornmeal together in a medium bowl, then drizzle with the butter. Stir the streusel with a fork until roughly combined. 

3. For filling: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the raisins and continue to cook, covered, until some of the apples have begun to break down, about 7 minutes longer.

4. Transfer the apples to a large bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving the apple juices behind in the pot. Add the cream to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the cream is thick and sticky and has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Toss the thickened cream with the cooked apples.

5. Spread the apple filling in the warm, partially baked pie crust. Sprinkle with the streusel. Bake until the crust and streusel have browned, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pir to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.

Single-Crust Pie Dough:

  

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled

4-6 tablespoons ice water

1. Process the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combinde. catter the shortening over the top and continue to process until the misture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces pver the top and, using short pulses, process the misture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula, until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remainging water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does. Form the dough into a 4-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it into a 12-inch circle and fitting it into a pie plate. Trim, fold, and crimp the edges and freeze the unbaked pie crust until firm, about 30 minutes, before filling or baking.

4. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the chilled crust with aluminum foil anf fill with pie weights. Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25-30 minutes. For a partially baked crust, transfer the crust to a wire rack and remove the weights and foil. For a fully baked crust, remove the pie weights and foil and continue to bake until the crust is a deep golden brown, about 12 minutes longer. The pie crust may be cooled completely or used warm, according to the particular pie recipe.

All recipes are from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (Just go out an buy it now!)

Cranberry-Chocolate Tart Verdict

I really liked this pie, but think I made some small mistakes that could have made it amazing. I don't think I added enough butter to the crust which made it stick to the bottom of the pan, and I'm not sure if I followed the directions correctly when mixing the cheese layer. With that said, my first reaction to the pie was: "Wow that's a huge cranberry taste!" and I wasn't sure if I liked that. After eating more, I decided the blend of the chocolate with the cheese layer really complemented the cranberry taste well. I don't know if it was because most people had left the party I brought the pie to or if it was too fancy for the crowd, but not very many people ate it. Anyway, I liked it and would suggest the fancy cooks try it.

Instead of typing the recipe out for you, I thought I would direct you to the bon appetit website so you can surf their collection of recipes even further:

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2007/11/cranberry_chocolate_tart

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake Verdict

I got a bundt pan from dad for my birthday, so I had to find something to make in it. Deciding I was missing a chocolate dessert, I stumbled upon a chocolate peanut butter bundt cake and decided it was perfect. It was fairly simple to make and fun to squirt the peanut butter filling over a small layer of chocolate.

I then put another layer of chocolate to finish it off and baked it. This is what it looked like when it came out.

It looks even prettier when out of the pan! But I wasn't done yet. I saw the picture on my baking addiction blog and decided I wanted mine to look exactly like the picture.

I found a recipe for a chocolate glaze, poured it on top, and sprinkled chopped reeses peanut butter cups over the top. :-) I thought it tasted delicious, but that my peanut butter layer was a little dry. I loved the combination of chocolate and peanut butter though! Who wouldn't?

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bundt
From:  mybakingaddiction.com
Note: the only thing I didn't like about this recipe was that it does not include the glaze, so look below to find the recipe I used and don't forget to pick up some reeses while you're at the grocery store!

For the filling
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the cake batter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
3 ounces quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 tablespoons sour cream
12 tablespoons butter, softened
1 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Method
Preheat oven to 350

To make the filling
In a large mixing bowl, beat peanut butter, cream cheese and butter until combined. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla. Be sure to scrape down the sides. Pour in sugar and flour, mix until combined. Fit a pastry bag with a large plain tip and scoop the filling into the bag. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the batter
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a medium metal or glass bowl, add cocoa and whisk in boiling water. Add in chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Mix in sour cream.

In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. Alternatively mix in the dry ingredients and the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. For example - mix in 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the cocoa mixture, another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the cocoa mixture and finishing with the final 1/3 of the flour. Mixing just until combined with each addition.

Spray a bundt pan with a nonstick spray that has flour included (like Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour). Spoon a little less than half of the batter into bottom of the bundt pan. Using the pastry bag that has the peanut butter mixture, carefully pipe a ring of the filling over the center of the chocolate batter. Pour the remaining batter on top and gently tap the pan to remove air bubbles.
Bake until top springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached - about 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Place a wire cooling rack on top of the cake and carefully turn over - remove the pan and let cool completely.

 If you want the glaze, I found my recipe from American's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

3 tablespoons milk

pinch of salt

Mix all the glaze ingredients together until smooth, then let sit until thickened, about 25 minutes. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake after it has completely cooled, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Let set before serving, about 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Banana Meringue Pie Verdict

I finally found the time to upload my pictures from Thanksgiving and had plenty of time to sample the things I made, so I feel I can give you a good judgment.

I had to run to several different store to find pumpkins the roast in the oven myself, but I finally found some. Having never roasted pumpkins before, I followed the recipe very closely. If I did it again, I would have roasted the pumpkin MUCH longer. I would have roasted it until it was almost mush and I think that would have added more flavor. However, I roasted the pumpkins and bananas as directed by the recipe. Not sure if it is worth the effort as opposed to buying the canned pumpkin, but I was excited to try it completely from scratch.

I then took the pumpkin and bananas together and made my filling for the pie from scratch. It smelled so good! I really liked that part.

I also made the pie crust from scratch. A must! Any pie is so much better when you make the crust yourself.

This is what my pie looked out when taken out of the oven. One thing about the recipe I didn't like was it made way too much filling, so I had a lot left over. I would probably half the recipe next time so I don't have to waste it. Although, if you're creative, you could find other uses for it.

And this is the finished product. I made sure to try a piece of this interesting pie after Thanksgiving dinner and was not all that impressed. It seemed as though it was missing some spices our sweetness. I think roasting the pumpkins more would have helped, but this pie showed me that I am a pumpkin pie purist. When there is pumpkin in the title, I want it to taste like pumpkin. It was a fun pie to make, but I think next time I'm going to stick to the traditional pumpkin pie. Here's the recipe for those who are interested:

Ingredients

Pie Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 5 teaspoons sugar
• Pinch kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 egg yolks
• Ice water

For the filling:

• 2 whole sugar pumpkins
• 6 bananas
• 3 large eggs, plus 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Pinch kosher salt

For the meringue topping:

• 4 large egg whites
• 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Pinch salt

Directions

Crust:

Combine the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Mix in the cold butter with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Work in egg yolks and 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water until the dough holds together without being too sticky. If it's still crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Ease the dough into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing firmly into the bottom and sides. Trim the excess dough, then pinch the edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

Filling:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Split the pumpkins down the middle and scoop out the seeds. Arrange on a roasting tray, cut side up, and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the pumpkins from the oven and lay bananas (in their skins) around and between the pumpkin halves. Return to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before handling, about 5 minutes.

Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and add to a food processor. Peel the bananas and add the flesh to food processor as well. Add the 3 eggs, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons butter, nutmeg, heavy cream and salt. Puree until smooth.

Put a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Pour the filing into the prepared pie shell. Lightly beat the egg white. Brush the pastry edges with the egg white and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Carefully arrange the pie on the preheated baking sheet, lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake it until the pie is set but still jiggles slightly, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Topping:

Beat the egg whites, powdered sugar, cream of tartar, and a pinch salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until glossy medium peaks form, being careful not to over beat.

Spread the meringue mixture over the top of the pie, covering right to the edges. Using the back of a spoon press lightly into the meringue and pull up on the spoon to form peaks all over the surface of the meringue (alternatively you can use a piping bag with a large star tip if you choose).

To cook the meringue, preheat the broiler with the rack in the highest position. Put the pie under the broiler and broil until the meringue is set and golden brown, about 7 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning, as it cooks quickly. Remove from the broiler and cool before serving.

From Tyler Florence on foodnetwork.com