Rate.Bake.Create.

Rate: Quiki Post

2011-05-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for the lack of posting this past few months. Life gets to everyone and I've been distracted here and there with different activities and such. But I do want to continue posting, I want everyone to know my love for food and sweets. Even if it's been harder than usual for me to eat those things.

I'd like to think I was cured from my eating disorder but the truth is, I'll never be 100% and I never have. I have to adjust to my disease and cope with it. Some days are harder than others but I'm managing. The positive thing right now is that I'm alive and trying my hardest everyday to combat this disorder.

In any event, I have some quiki reviews for you guys! While I haven't been able to take pictures of my test foods, I've been able to make some clear reviews. Here's the low down,

Let's start off with MiO: Blueberry Pomegranate.

When I heard of the choices I had in MiO flavors, I was excited. Fruit Punch, Peach Mango and Blueberry Pomegranate? Sounds good to me! But I did notice when I saw this at the store (Target), it was more expensive than I thought. On sale it was 3.50. Pricey! Not when I can get 'Market Pantry' drinks for 2 bucks. But I sucked up by penny-pinching ways and picked up a bottle to test. Blueberry sounded best, so I went with that one.
When I brought it home, I wasted no time in testing it! I grabbed a cup and filled it with water. I opened the package and sniffed. I have to admit, it smelled a bit...chemically. But I squirted twice into my cup anyhow. When I drank I have to admit it tasted quite a bit like Nyquil. Is it supposed to taste like that? Not to mention it tasted like WATERED DOWN Nyquil. Needless to say I gave it a third squirt and it made little difference. I wouldn't waste my money on another bottle of Blueberry Pomegranate or any other flavor.

Mc Donald's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade.

When I saw that Mickey D's had a new creation at there Mc Cafe I was in such a good mood! Frozen lemonade, my favorite! So yesterday I took a trip down to my local restaurant to get a taste. I ordered a small and was amazed at the pretty yellow and pink colors in my cup. Then I tasted it. At first it was a lovely blend of tartness and sweetness, just how lemonade should be. But then I allowed the liquid to settle in the back of my mouth. What did I taste? Utter bitterness. It made me gag, really it did. It was a terrible taste. So I thought this might be do to the strawberry flavoring at the bottom of the cup so I swirled my straw around in my cup and took a second sip.

Terrible. I gagged for a second time. This was just awful, the worst lemonade I'd ever had. But I tried to look on the bright side, when I got home, I tried adding a bit of Sweet 'N Low. It did change the bitterness a tad but not enough for me. My Dad finished the rest off for me. To quote him he said, "Does this have vodka in it?"

Enough said.

All in all I have to give both of these items a 0 out of 5. The only thing good about the MiO was that it was sugar-free. The lemonade? It was pretty to look at! Not a great way to start off the month but I'll keep trying new foods and reporting on them!

Much love,

Cat

Rate: Lean Cuisine: Chicken Parmesan

2011-03-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

So, right now I'm eating Lean Cuisine, Chicken Parmesan. Its something random I know, but I had to try it. Let's get the low down.

It takes about 6 and half minutes to cook this bad boy in the microwave. The smell that enters the air is heavy. I can smell the basil sauce, for sure. So it smells promising.

When I get it out of the microwave, I see very thin noodles. Okay, I can dig that. The piece of chicken is huge which is a plus. Also, a bit of cheese is sprinkeled on the top for my pleasure. I pull off the plastic and begin to chow down.

There isn't alot of tomato sauce in this meal. In replacement, there is a lot of tomato chunks. Am I a fan of this? The kid in me would say 'no', but I'm willing to try it. I wrap a small bunch of noodles on my fork and manage to grab a tomato chunk in the process. Hm. The noodles are cooked perfectly. Nice. But there isn't a lot of depth to the sauce. The basil I had smelled while it was cooking? I tasted more basil in the air then I did in the sauce. Although I am surprised by the amount of flavor in the tomato chunk. A pleasant surprise. Not for the chicken.

I take a chuck of chicken and place it in my mouth. Wow, why does this taste deep fried? Whatever it is, I like it! It is a tasty, juicy piece of chicken, something I wasn't expecting. Although on the downside, I notice that this chicken is a bit hard to cut and a bit chewy.

Overall a nice dish. I'm sure I'll be hungry again in a few hours. Not bad but I've had better in the frozen section of my grocery store. I wouldn't buy it again. I'll give Lean Cuisine: Chicken Parmesan a: 2 out of 5.

Much Love,

Cat

Bake: Oatmeal Scotchies

2011-03-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

Tryin' it on new grounds.

I love oatmeal cookies. Who doesn't?When I saw Hershey's Butterscotch chips at the store, I had to give them a try. On the back of the package was a recipe, THIS recipe! I was nervous about making it at first, but then I gave it a try! And let me tell you, they were superb. The best cookies I've had in a long time. Now, the recipe's cookie doesn't turn out very big or very fluffy. Its a dense, small cookie. But it is SO good. You have to give it a try, even if you don't like Butterscotch. I didn't, but I gave it a shot anyway. And boy was I surprised! Here's the recipe,

Hershey's Oatmeal Scotchies
-3/4 cup: butter
-3/4 cup: granulated sugar

-3/4 cup: packed light brown sugar

-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 1/4 cups: white flour
-1 teaspoon: baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon: ground cinnamon

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-3 cups: quick cooking or regular rolled oats

-1 3/4 cups: Hershey’s butterscotch chips

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line your baking sheet with tin foil.~

In a smaller bowl, sift together your dry ingredients. Set aside. Then in a larger mixing bowl, cream together your sugars and butter. Add in your eggs and vanilla, mix well. Then add in your dry mix, a little at a time until it is completely combined. Add in your oats and butterscotch chips. Bake in your oven for 8-10 minutes.

Much Love,

Cat

Rate: Snickers Peanut Butter Squared

2011-01-31T15:04:00.000-08:00

Testin' out the square.

So, at my local Walgreen's I saw a special on the new Snickers Peanut Butter Squared. This is a Snickers bar, cut into to halves, and filled with a layer of creamy peanut butter. Is it worth it? Well, I'm here to fill you in! Here's my low down.

When I first open the package I see two pieces of candy. The serving is, of course, one piece. Would this be enough to satisfy my chocolate/peanut butter craving? It wasn't looking so good for the Snickers bar! I was very tempted to eat the whole thing and hey, why not? I deserve it. Before I take my first bite, I slice the candy bar in half. I wanted to see how much peanut butter I was getting in to. Here is what I saw.

I can see that a large amount of this candy bar is indeed peanut butter. (Its the the stuff in the center.) I can also see that they use whole peanuts in this small candy bar. Hm, this should be interesting. When I take my first whiff of this candy bar I don't smell anything out of the ordinary, it smells like a Snickers bar. When I take my first bite I notice the caramel and whole nuts. Crunchy, that's good. But wheres the peanut butter? I chew and chew and begin to notice that this candy bar is very, very chewy. Not so good with my jaw. Its popping all over the place! I begin to taste the very faint flavor of peanut butter. Then the nougat. You know, for as much peanut butter that appears in this candy, I can hardly taste it. This disappoints me. The nuts have more flavor then the peanut butter itself!

So what do I do when I finish this first piece of candy. I find that the single piece has satisfied my hunger. It's just the right amount of sweetness for me...for now. So I put my Snickers Peanut Butter Squared in the freezer for later eating.

But I notice when I go back later to eat my candy bar, it actually tastes better! When frozen, the peanut butter flavor is enhanced. Whatever magic my freezer did to this bar, it was nice.

Over all would I recommend this? No, not really. I wouldn't buy it again so I can't really recommend it. It had little peanut butter flavor and even when it was frozen for a long period of time, it wasn't enough peanut buttery goodness for me. The whole peanuts do add a good crunch but its not enough for me. Since I wouldn't purchase this again, I can't give it a high score. Sorry.

Snickers Peanut Butter Squared gets a 2 out of 5.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Strawberry Shortcake

2011-01-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Out of season

At a recent trip to Japan Town, I tried a small slice of strawberry cake. While I was eating it, I discovered that it had little to no taste at all. At three bucks for a single slice, I was saddened. Then I was inspired to make my own! Although, I wanted to try making a shortcake. This was my result. I found this recipe and modified it just a tad.

When I went to cut this cake in half (to place the berries inside the cake) I noticed that this cake was very dry. It began to crumble and fall apart in my hands. I was sad at this sight. My cake had fallen apart before I had a chance to taste it! I continued and placed my shortcake on a plate and topped it with strawberries. It wasn't pretty, but it was done.

The taste. It was alright. Like I saw from cutting the cake, it was dry, but this IS a shortcake. It did taste better once I allowed the strawberry juices to sink into it. It was better but not what I expected. Would I try this again? Maybe, if I had more strawberries. (And of course, I wouldn't attempt to cut it this time.) Its a basic recipe that is simple to make. Worth the time if you don't have a lot of extra ingredients or time.

Strawberry Shortcake

-1lb of sliced strawberries

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-2 cups: all-purpose flour

-2 tablespoons: white granulated sugar

-3 teaspoons: baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: butter

-1 egg

-1/2 cup: milk

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Then in a medium sized bowl combine the sliced strawberries with the 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside. In a larger bowl sift together the flour/sugar/baking powder/salt. Cut in the 1/2 cup of butter until the mixture's texture is crumbly. In a small cup break the egg and beat t. Add the milk after and slowly combine it with your dry mixture. Place in a greased 8 inch baking pan and bake it for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before releasing it from the pan and letting it cool on cooling rack. Add your berries and sugar and serve with whipped cream.

Much love,

Cat.

Create: New Items At The Shop!

2011-01-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Start off 2011 with style!

I'm sorry for the lack of updates, the holidays were killer on me. How was yours? I've decided to start off the year by selling some of my old felt foods! I must say, they're adorable and they're just waiting to be loved and played with! So if you're interested visit my shop here. I think my prices are pretty reasonable.

AND! I also promise that this year I will start posting my patterns on this blog so you can all learn how to make your own felt foods! First, I'm going to start off with simple sewing techniques. Whether they'll be videos or not has yet to be decided.

Be sure to comment and fill me in on all your holiday adventures. I'd love to hear them!

Much love,

Cat

Rate: Starbucks VIA: Mocha

2010-12-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

Still brewin' it at home.

So I've been on a rampage since first trying Starbucks VIA. So far I've tried Caramel, Vanilla and now Mocha. Allow me to share my two cents on this ready brew coffee. So when I make my coffee I always add a teaspoon of Sweet 'N Low to it. Yes, I like my coffee semi-sweet. So please note that this coffee will be reviewed with sweetener added to it.
I boil my water and wait like an eager child. I tear open the package of mocha coffee and pour it into my mug. I can smell the sweetness first. It was a chocolate-like smell that got my sweet teeth to chatter. I add my sweetener and pour my hot water into my mug. I'm ready for my first sip.

I can taste the bitterness first. It tastes very much like average coffee at first tasting. I swish the warm coffee in my mouth for a bit before swallowing. I can taste the chocolate bitterness soon after I swallow. It's like drinking dark chocolate. Do I like that? I'm not sure. There isn't a whole 'lot of other flavoring that I really say I like. Its just simply coffee. Now my second tester says he really likes this blend. More then the Vanilla and Caramel. See, I like my coffee sweeter so this blend doesn't really tickle my fancy. I haven't tried the coffee without sweetener yet and I don't think I will. This is just boring for me, something I could totally live without. Not to mention this coffee, for whatever reason, has a tendency to collect at he bottom of the mug. Like it didn't dissolve all the way? Strange.

All in all I could live without this one.
I give Starbucks VIA: Mocha a 2 out of 5.

Much Love,

Cat.

Rate: Starbucks VIA: Caramel

2010-11-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Brewin' it at home.

Good chilly evening to you coffee lovers! So I was finally able to pick up a six-pack of Starbucks VIA Caramel Flavored Coffee. I was so ready for this. I love coffee. I love caramel. Put 'em together, and its heaven in my mind. I often go to Starbucks to get myself a caramel frap but add up the prices and after awhile it becomes a pricey habit. It's also chilly here, so why not try a warm cup of caramel joe?

First thing I notice about this instant coffee is the price. At just under 7 bucks, it seems pretty expensive. Then again I work the math out in my head. For six fraps, its cheaper to go this way. It better be worth my time. So, I go to my stove to boil some water for my coffee. I read on the box that this coffee requires 8oz (or 1 cup) of water. Hm, this doesn't seem like enough to satisfy my tastes. But I carry on. After my water is done boiling, I pour the warm water into my fancy Hello Kitty mug. I add my packet of coffee. The sweet aroma of caramel hits my nostrils. Oh, it smells delightful.

A few blows to my hot coffee and I'm ready to try it. I take my first sip. Hm, its coffee alright. At first taste, I taste the bitterness of the coffee. After I let the liquid sit in my mouth for a short period, I taste the caramel. It's good. Now, I want to clear this up, I like my coffee sweet with JUST enough bitter taste to compliment it. I have to admit, I have quite the sweet tooth. (Actually I have sweet teeth.) So after a few more sips of my coffee I decide that its time to add some sweetness to it. I have to, its just not like me to drink something that tastes more bitter than sweet, forgive me. So I add about a teaspoon of Sweet 'N Low to my cup. And let me tell you, this just enhances the flavor of caramel. It is heavenly, Godly even. I sip and sip, it is so good. Now remember me saying earlier that I thought that this mere cup of coffee may not be enough? Well, I was proven wrong. This coffee was just the right amount. Its satisfying and yet it leaves me wanting more. And at 60 calories a packet, it makes me MORE then willing to go back for seconds. (or thirds!)

All in all this IS cheaper then buying myself a frap from Starbucks. It also is feels better caloric wise. Although I have to admit, on its own I will give it a lower rating. But with a dash of sugar it is superb. I will drink this again and I look forward to it.

With sugar I would give it a 4 out of 5 but without I would give it a: 3 out of 5.

Much love,

Cat.

Tips: The Perfect Pie Crust

2010-10-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Testing, testing...

So, there has been a nagging thought that has been bothering me the past few months. Can I make a flaky pie crust with room temperature vegetable shortening? The short answer would be 'yes' but wait! I'm not finished. I wanted to know, can I make a flaky pie crust with room temperature vegetable shortening, but with an added step. I would make the dough, with warm shortening then refrigerate it for 24 hours before rolling it out to make a pie crust. Would it work? Would it produce a flaky crust?

When I usually make a pie crust I use the Crisco recipe but this time I decided to go with this recipe, found at Allrecipes. I cut the recipe in half as well.

The reason why I decided to test this theory was because I usually don't have chilled shortening on hand, so if I wanted to make a pie on a whim, I wouldn't be able to. It would make things easier for me.

After testing this, I made my dough and chilled it for a complete 24 hour period. I rolled out my dough the next day and saw that this dough is thin, probably because I cut the recipe in half. Ah well, I'm not doing this to please anyone, its merely for science!

After baking my pumpkin pie (what better to experiment with?) I tasted my first slice. Success! It worked. I had a flaky pie crust. It worked just as I thought it would. I couldn't be more proud of myself. In fact my test subjects, Dad and sister, say that the crust is very flaky. In fact, my Dad says that it was the best part of the pie. Oh my! So, if you want to make a pie on a whim, you can use room temp butter/shortening. Although, you must chill the dough for at least 2 hours.

All in all I'm very happy with the results. Next post, I'll update with my findings on the taste of Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2010-10-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Bakin' with squash.

So I've been trying to find thee perfect pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe. I've been looking all over the internet but I have only tried one recipe so far. This recipe looked promising, it didn't require any wheat flour, something I don't keep on hand. So I tried it. Here are my results.

I acquired the recipe from Taste of Home. I have a few footnotes before you should attempt to make this. First off there is not enough flour in this recipe. To make the dough, I was surprised with the small amount of flour used. I had to add handfuls of flour to my dough just to make it work-worthy. I'm not sure how much More flour I added to my rolls, but it was at least half of a cup.

Secondly, there was no pumpkin flavor. I was so disappointed in this, I was really expecting to get some pumpkin flavor in my rolls. What did they taste like then? Well, they tasted like your average cinnamon rolls. Good, but I still want my pumpkin!

So if you're thinking about making this recipe, you can read it here. I wouldn't really recommend it, but give it a try and add more (or less) pumpkin if you'd like. If you do give this a shot, be sure to fill me in on your results! I'd love to hear it.

Much love,

Cat

Rate: Jamba: Vanilla Strawberry Jubilation

2010-10-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

Jamba at home.

So, I've been wanting to try Jamba Juice's new line of frozen novelties for awhile. When I was at my local Safeway, the only place I could find these products, I had to pick up a few. They had a collection to choose from so I decided to go with Vanilla Strawberry Jubilation. Vanilla and strawberries, how could you go wrong there?

There are four bars to a package. So I rip out a single bar for myself. I'm alittle surprised at how small the bars are. Then again, this bar only weights in at 80 calories so what more do I expect? Opening the package, I see that the bar appears the same as it does on the package. Hm, pretty cool. Pink base color with a swirl of white (The vanilla I assume) ice cream. I look at the bar before giving it a good whiff. I can smell the vanilla first. It takes me back to my 'ice cream truck' days. It's a strong aroma and it overshadows the strawberry scent. Time to taste!
I take my fist lick. I can taste the strawberry first. Oh how sweet and tangy it is. I'm surprised that this strawberry is very fresh-tasting. It doesn't taste artificial at all! Coolbeans. As I consume this Popsicle further, I taste the white swirl, the vanilla. Oh! How creamy. I adore the strawberry/vanilla combo. Now, the vanilla does have a bit of a artificial flavor, compared to the strawberry. But, the fresh taste of the strawberry counter acts it. It almost tastes like Strawberry lemonade. I have to say, I dig this.

All in all for 3.99 a box, I would buy this again. It's good. I can even see strawberry seeds in ice cream. That is an awesome point. It can be a bit pricey, but I think this flavor is worth it. Give a shot if you come across it.

I give Jamba: Vanilla Strawberry Jubilation a: 4 out of 5.

Bake: Pumpkin Loaf

2010-09-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Better late then never.

So I've been absent from you all and my favorite foodie blogs as of late. A lot of things have happened in the period since my last post but I'm not going to drag my feet anymore! Getting over my recent bout of bronchitis, I decided that it was time to make something festive. Something with pumpkin. A pumpkin loaf sounds like the perfect way to start of the fall season. I found this recipe at Allrecipes and I think it's superb.
This loaf is moist and dense, exactly what I was looking for. Although, I think next time I might add more cinnamon or maybe even some white chocolate. Hm, my mouth is watering already. This bread is great on it's own but it's even better with vanilla ice cream. (I tested this) Give it a try if you have some extra canned pumpkin hanging around.

Pumpkin Loaf

-1 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 1/4 teaspoon: baking soda

-1 teaspoon: cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoon: nutmeg

-1 teaspoon: salt

-1 cup: canned pumpkin

-1 cup: brown sugar

-1 egg

-1/2 cup: milk

-2 tablespoons: unsalted butter

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.~

In a large mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients: flour/baking soda/cinnamon/nutmeg/salt. Then add your brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, milk and butter into your dry mix. Mix until just combined. Pour batter into your loaf pan and bake for at least an hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let your loaf sit in it's pan for at least 10 minutes before removing from the loaf pan. Enjoy with butter or cream cheese.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Almond White Chip Bars

2010-08-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Vanilla + almond sittin' in a tree

I can admit, I have never used Almond Extract in my life. Yes, it is true. I have never enjoyed the rich flavor that almond extract had to offer, until now. See, I had run out of vanilla extract and was desperate for sweets. So, I put my almond extract to work. This is what I came up with. Almond White Chip Bars! They are so good. With just a hint of almond flavor, the vanilla melts in side this bar cookie. It's a great combo. And the result is a light and flaky bar cookie. I adore this recipe. You should give it a shot! It's a great new taste you will enjoy.

Almond White Chip Bars

-1 3/4 cup: all-purpose flour

-3/4 teaspoon: baking powder

-3/4 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: brown sugar, packed

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/4 teaspoon: almond extract

-1 egg

-1 tablespoon: water*

-1/2 cup: white chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x9 pan.~

In a large bowl, sift together your flour/salt/baking powder and set aside. In a second larger mixing bowl, cream together your unsalted butter/brown sugar/white sugar. Then add your egg and almond extract. Beat until smooth. Add 1/3 of your flour into your creamed mixture. Then add in your tablespoon of water. Add the rest of your flour mix. A stiff dough should form. Press into your pan and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until it is light brown. Leave on the counter until it is COMPLETELY cooled. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Much love,

Cat

*=Use more water if needed.

Create: Mini Trick Or Treat Bags

2010-08-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

Sellin' myself out!

I wanted you guys to know that I've been working very hard to make some really cute trick or treat bags for Halloween 2010! And I've officially put one of my bags on sale at Etsy.com. So if you're interested, please check out my shop, Catty Crafts! The mini bags are perfect for littler treaters with little hands. It's also a super cute storage container too. On the front, my artwork is featured. Bunny is all dressed up like a witch along with her pumpkin and ghost friends.

Thanks for listening to my horrible plug. Haha, I must get back to baking!

Rate: Market Pantry Drink Mix: Strawberry Orange Banana

2010-08-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Sugar-free but oh-so-sweet.

I love juice but I hate the sugar that it usually contains. It makes my teeth ache, is that unusual? So a while back, I tried Market Pantry's Lemonade Drink Mix. It was tasty, yummy, fantastic! And best of all, it was sugar-free. So after trying that, I decided to venture out and try different flavors. This is a Target exclusive, so when I headed down to my Target I was pleased to see all the different types of flavors. Grape, Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry Kiwi! But one flavor caught my eye, Strawberry Orange Banana flavor. Hm, curious. How would this taste? I picked up a tube of the drink mix which contained a few tubes of powder that would make 2 quarts of juice.

I pour the powder into my pitcher and some of the dust whisks into the air and into my nostrils. Oh my! This smells wonderful. A fruity sent enters my nose and rushes down my throat. If this is the way this juice is going to taste, I'm in for a treat. After adding my 2 quarts of water I stir my drink mix together. Hm, the color is light pink similar to what I think Strawberry Kiwi or Strawberry Lemonade would look like. I pour my juice into my favorite tumbler and take a single sip. What did I taste? Upon first taste it seems to resemble fruit candy. Jolly Rancher like, actually. I can taste the strawberry for sure but the orange and the banana take a backseat. I can taste the banana secondly and it flows very well with the strawberry flavor. The orange is very subtle but after extensive tasting, I can find it.

All in all, I really REALLY enjoyed this drink mix. It far surpassed the Lemonade Mix I first picked up. I could drink this warm, frozen or chilled. To be honest, I drink this straight out of the pitcher when I first make a batch. However, I would not suggest this to people who dislike one of the three flavors; strawberry to be exact. This holds a heavy strawberry flavor to it. Also, when I asked my two sisters to give this a try they did say that it holds a 'diet-like' aftertaste. I drink only diet drinks so I suppose I did not pick up the aftertaste. However, this is an excellent choice for those on a diet or those who want to cut back on their sugar intake.

I have to give Market Pantry Drink Mix: Strawberry Orange Banana a: 5 out of 5.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: White Chocolate Wonderful Cookies

2010-07-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

My white chocolate loves your peanut butter.

I have been dying to try Peanut Butter Co.'s White Chocolate Wonderful spread since I first heard about it via QVC. Luckily, I found a jar at my local Raley's grocery store. I was so excited, I could hardly hold in my excitement and when I got home, I ripped open the jar and gave the peanut butter a taste. Because this isn't a review entry, I save my say for the actual peanut butter for later. I did however think this peanut butter would be great in a batch of cookies. So here is what I came up with. It was a crisp, crunchy cookie. Next time, I might add more peanut butter. But for those who just want a hint of peanut butter flavor, this is the cookie for you! Here's the recipe.

White Chocolate Wonderful Cookies

-2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1 teaspoon: baking powder

-3/4: teaspoon: salt

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-3/4 cup: unsalted butter

-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1/2 cup: White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter

-1 cup: M&M's

-1 cup: walnuts

~When you are ready to bake, perheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheets with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a large bowl sift together your: flour/salt/baking soda/baking powder and set to one side. Then in a second mixing bowl, cream together your brown sugar/white sugar/peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add in your eggs and vanilla. Then gradually add in your dry mixtures until a dough forms. Stir in your candies and nuts last. Chill for two hours or overnight before baking. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Big Fat A@! Cookies

2010-07-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Thin cookies are totally last summer.

I like my cookies thick. Yes, I will admit it. Thin crispy cookies are a alright but it's the thick, fat ones I really enjoy. My oldest sister makes the BEST thick cookies. (The kind that are burnt on the bottom, yum!) I remember once asking her what kind of recipe she used to bake her cookies and she told me, the Tollhouse cookie recipe is what she uses. Hm, interesting. Usually when I use that recipe, my cookies turn out too thin. I assume that the amount of butter in the cookie causes the cookie to spread out too much during the baking process. So, I made very, very minial changes to the recipe and I got what I was looking for! Here's my version using white chocolate and walnuts.

Big Fat A@! Cookies

-2 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: salt

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-3/4 cup: unsalted butter

-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 cup: chocolate chips

-1 cup: walnuts

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees when your dough is ready for baking.~

Sift together your dry mix: flour/salt/baking soda and set to one side. Then in a larger mixing bowl cream together your sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add in both eggs and vanilla and combine. Gradually add in your dry mixture until a dough forms. Add in your chips and walnuts last. Cover your mixing bowl with tinfoil and place in the refrigrator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Once properly chilled, preheat your oven and scoop out a small handful of dough about 2 tablespoons and place on the baking sheet for about 10-13 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. But if you like your cookies burnt like me, keep 'em in longer. Place on a cooling rack and enjoy!

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Coffee Cookies

2010-06-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

Lovin' me some mocha.

I love coffee. There isn't a doubt about that. But can I incorporate that into my baking? I say: 'yes I can!' So, I set out on a mission to add a little bit of mocha to my daily cookie. What do I have to work with? Well, I had a big tin of Caffe D' Vita Instant Cappuccino at my disposal and I also had Guittard Cappuccino Baking Chips. The flavor of this cookie was very good. Not too much mocha aftertaste to it, which is wonderful for those who aren't too crazy about coffee. The chocolate really balances out the coffee flavor and gives the chocolate more punch. Now, the cappuccino chips give this cookie a almost 'woody' flavor. It makes this cookie seem whole. Although if you cannot find these chips at your local store I would advise using a white chocolate chip? It would really give some good vanilla flavoring to the party. Now let's get baking!

Coffee Cookies

-1 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/4 cup: unsweetened baking cocoa

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1 tablespoon: Caffe D' Vita Instant Cappuccino Mocha Flavor*

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 tablespoon: milk

-1 egg

-1 teaspoon: vanilla

-1 cup: Guittard Cappuccino Baking Chips**

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheets with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a mixing bowl, sift together your: flour/baking soda/salt/mocha powder and set aside. Now in a second, larger mixing bowl cream together your butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in your egg/vanilla/milk after you have creamed your butter and sugar. Gradually add in your sifted flour mix until a dough forms. Stir in your chips last. Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of dough out on to your baking sheet and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Let hot cookies rest on your cooling rack before enjoying.

Much love,

Cat.

*= If you can't find your Caffe D' Vita Instant Cappuccino mix anywhere, I would suggest just using regular 'old prepared coffee. Although add the prepared coffee to the creamed butter and sugar along with the egg/vanilla/milk.

**= Use any baking chips at your disposal if you can't find any cappuccino chips. They can be hard to find. So don't blame yourself if you can't find them. Experiment! Use dark chocolate chips, or even butterscotch. Every experiment is worth the rewards.

Bake: Raspberry Danish

2010-06-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Because I want to prefect the perfect.

I love Entenmann's Raspberry Danish. It is stunning, delicious, marvelous and outstanding. But I question, can I make my own? Well, the short answer is: yes, I can. But is it as good as Entenmann's? Short answer: HELL YES. It's pretty simple to make really, you should give it a shot! It's so wonderful. I found the recipe on the internet alittle over a year ago and I wish I could find it again so I could credit the proper owner. But if I find it, I'll be sure to give credit where it is due. Here it is for you!

Raspberry Danish

-1 1/2 cups: warm milk

-2 packets active yeast

-4 cups: all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-2 teaspoons: salt

-1 cup: cold unsalted butter, cubed

-4 egg yolks

-Raspberry jam, (I use the 'low sugar' kind)

~Perheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x12 inch baking pan with baking release.~

First you want to heat up your milk. So after properly measuring out your liquid, place in your microwave for about 40-45 seconds. (lower if you're microwave runs hot) After it has come out lukewarm, add you yeast to your milk, let sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, combine your flour/sugar/salt. Add your chilled, cubed butter and blend it into your flour mix with a large fork or pastycutter. Blend until the chilled butter seems to be in pea-sized lumps. Once your yeast is ready, make a tiny 'well' in your flour/butter mixture and add your yeast. Next add in the yolks and combine. You will notice soon after you combine that your mixture is very, very sticky. Add flour as needed until a dough is formed. Make sure that you do not add too much flour or else you will have a dry dough. Knead out the dough on a clean surface until smooth.

Now, you divide the dough in half, this recipe makes two servings of danish so you can refrigerate the other half until further use. With the half you already have, roll out your dough into five long strips that fit into your pan. Line them in your pan and gently press them together. Between the lines of dough you should have a small concave groove in which to line your jam. Now, make sure that your strips of dough come together so you do not have any open spaces between the grooves. You want the jam to lay on the dough not on the baking dish. (as seen below)

After you are done lining your pan, take a spoonful of jam and gently fill the small spaces between your strips of dough. Add as much or little as you like. The next step is optional, with the left over egg whites you have, brush the danish with it. This will give you a nice browning effect that is tasty eyecandy. Doesn't do much in the flavor department but sure does feed the eyes.

Place in your oven for about 30-40 minutes. You may use a toothpick to test it, when it comes out clean it's done. And if you used an eggwash, you know its done when it's nice and golden brown.

Vanilla Glaze

-1 1/2 cup: powdered sugar

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-3/4 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-3-4 tablespoons: milk

In a large mixing bowl, combine your powdered sugar and salt. Add in your vanilla extract and milk. Pour over your warm danish. You may use extra milk to for a thinner glaze. I like my glaze extra thin and runny but please, add as much or little as you like. This glaze recipe makes two servings...but I use it as one!

Enjoy your danish. Makes a perfect side to a cup of coffee.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

2010-06-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

Because I had some poppy seeds layin' around.

I can remember a few months back, taste-testing a sample of lemon poppy seed cake at my local grocery store. It was fabulous. I had to recreate it! So here I am. But alas, I am without actual lemons or lemon zest. So, I had to improvise. Use lemon juice and lemonade! Mwhaha. So what did I come out with? A fluffy, sweet muffin with a slight crunch from the seeds. I must say it was very good. Although, I would have liked it to have a bit more lemon taste. Next time, I will up the dosage of lemon juice/lemonade. Perhaps add a glaze? Sounds good to me.
All in all this is a worth-while summer treat. I will be revisiting this recipe for my Grandmother's upcoming birthday. But for now, here is the original recipe brought to you by the Food Network website.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

-2 cups: all-purpose flour

-2 teaspoons: baking soda

-1/4 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-2/3 cup: white granulated sugar

-2 teaspoons: lemon juice

-2 eggs

-1/2 cup: milk

-4 teaspoons: poppy seeds

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease your cupcake tins well.~

In a bowl, sift together your flour/baking powder/salt. Then in a second larger mixing bowl, cream together your sugar and butter until it is light and fluffy. Add your eggs. Fold in your flour and alternate with your milk until it is fully combined. Pour in your lemon juice and poppy seeds last. Stir to combine. Do NOT overmix here. Use a ladle to pour your batter into the muffin tin. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Much love,

Cat.

Rate: Butterfinger Snackerz

2010-06-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Leggo my finger.

The other day I woke and walked out into the living room to greet my Dad. When I looked down at our living room table, I took notice of two small bags of Nestle Butterfinger Snackerz. Curious. I've seen these before on other food blogs and I was surprised to discover that my local Walgreen's was giving out free sample bags. So of course I had to give them a try.

Okay, so when I open the bag the fumes of artificial butter slaps me in the face. It smells like a Butterfinger, okay nothing unexpected there but that back-hand butter slap? Not exactly pleasant.

After the scent abuse I was victim to, I looked deep into the bag to see a few square bite-sized pieces. There had to be about seven or eight squares in my pouch. Not much of a SNACK if you ask me. More like two bites of a regular-size Butterfinger bar. The small squares have a 'peanut butter drizzle' on them which is cute, but I'm not expecting a big blast of flavor from them. The bites themselves seem to be 'puffed' in the center. Hm, wonder what that could be?

The taste. I place a small bite into my mouth. The crunch is loud. I believe my dear sister heard my crunch from across the room. It was different than a regular Butterfinger candy bar. It was thinner therefore the crunch seemed flakier and louder. Almost like puffed pastry, except not as awesome. The chocolate is typical Nestle chocolate, nothing out of the ordinary there. Sweet with no real backbone. I now discover that the 'peanut butter drizzle' indeed adds no real flavor addition to this bite. Disappointing.

The center, now that is a good subject. I'm not sure what they filled this Snackerz with but it's not exactly a filling. It seems more like they halved a Butterfinger and recoated it in chocolate. It's not really creme either or smooth peanut butter. The fillings' flavor was so buttery. And not in a good way either. It seems like they want you to taste the Butterfinger so desperately they throw in a lot of artificial flavor. I have to admit, I wasn't too fond of it. The whole thing lacked desire and honest Butterfinger-goodness.

I'm giving Nestle's Butterfinger Snackerz a: 2 out of 5.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Zebra Bar Cookies

2010-05-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

Now that my gummies say yummy.

I am very happy to report that my gums have made a almost 100% recovery from their trauma last week and that I can more foods now. I have to say, missing out on my cookies for the past week was torture. I would rather be put in time-out next time! The horror I went through was even worse because I had some remaining cookie dough left in my freezer. I can remember gently sucking on the dough as my mouth healed. (sob, sob)

Well, I'm back on my feet now and with a wicked recipe. It's a recipe that I mortified from the back of my Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening tub. I call them: Zebra Bar Cookies! They are so good. I must say, this has to be my new favorite recipe. They have a great buttery flavor with a hit of vanilla. They are superb in bar-form very moist and tasty but I wonder how they'd be in single cookie-form? I'll have to do some kitchen work next time on that. I'll be sure to report my findings when I do. Enough chatter! Here's the recipe:

Zebra Bar Cookies

-1 1/3 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: salt

-3/4 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter (butter-flavored shortening)

-1 cup: white granulated sugar

-2 teaspoons: vanilla extract

-2 tablespoons: whole-milk

-1 egg

-1/2 cup: white chocolate chips

-3/4 cup: mini-semisweet chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9x9 baking dish.~

In a bowl, sift together your flour/salt/baking soda and set aside. In a second larger mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in your vanilla/milk/egg. Next, gradually add in your dry mix until a dough forms. Stir in your chips and press into your prepared pan. Let bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center.

Let cool before enjoying.

Much love,

Cat.

Rate: White Chocolate Showdown

2010-05-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

On a quest to find the best.

Well, as you may have noticed I love white chocolate. I love it more than I love any other type of chocolate, in fact. I may be strange but what can I say? White chocolate (in my mind) is thee best. So, I sent myself out on a quest to find the best white chocolate baking chip I could find. To begin with, I found the three most common white baking chips. Hershey, Nestle, and Ghirardelli. Here is the run down: Let's start with Hershey:

At first glace I notice that this chip is off-white in color. Not a bright white like the Nestle chip. It's also a bit 'dumpy-looking' compared to the Nestle chip. The curl on the top lays a bit flatter than any of the other chips. How 'bout the taste. As I put the chip into my melt it melts on what seems to be contact. I press the chocolate against the roof of my mouth. I taste a heavenly thick vanilla flavor. It it quick to melt away, however. The after taste is milky. This chip has an excellent melting factor. The milky after taste my not be suited for all, I must admit. This chip seems like it would be excellent in a cookie that contained little flavor of it's own. Say like a sugar cookie. This way the chip can get more of it's own spotlight.

Now let's continue with Nestle. Now upon looking at this chip, I take note that it is very, very pale white. Compared to the other two contenders, this chip looks like a ghost. I have to admit, seeing a baking chip this pale in color makes me wonder if it's flavorings are artificial. I also take second note that this chip stands much higher than the other two. This makes for a chunky cookie. The curl is set high and this chip almost appears 'Peep-like'. I put the chip into my mouth and wait. The sweetness hits me like a ton of white chocolate bricks. This one is awfully sweet. It melts smoothly as did the Hershey chip but all I can taste is sweetness. The aftertaste to this chip isn't milky, it taste artificial, as I expected. This chip seemed to melt alot quicker than the Hershey's chip. Is that a good factor? Perhaps. That way, you can get passed the sweet and head for the cookie. I think this chip is more directed toward a brownie. Or something that is made with cocoa powder/semi-sweet chocolate. The sweetness of this chip would make a blondie way too sweet. You need to balance when you are baking!

Last but not least we have Ghirardelli. Now, I have high expectations for this chip, seeing as it's from Ghirardelli. These chips are usually, at least in my area, is a bit higher in price. Usually about a dollar or so, therefore I expect more for my money. Let's see now: this chip is alot flatter than the first two. Almost in disk-shape with a very low curl on the top. This makes for more chocolate in every cookie. With a wider area, you get more chip in your cookie; nice but how does it taste? Milky at first taste. It begins to melt without hesitation. But I wait for a different flavor, nothing comes...nothing. BAM! There it is. The flavor seems to hit you at the very end of your taste. It tastes very similar to Hershey in the fact that they both have a very silk milk-like flavor. But this seems to have a lasting effect. But there is a slightly tangy aftertaste here. It's that same sweetness that the Nestle seemed to have. Overall a good flavor but it seems to take too long for me to really realize that it is there. And because it is flat, unlike the other two, this makes my cookie product less 'chunky'. That could go either positively or negatively depending on what type of cookie you want to produce. I would use this type of chip in a flatter, crisper type of cookie. That way the texture is just right. Texture is important!

All in all I have to chose one favorite for me. One that I would bake with no matter what. One that is a 'for-sure, go-to' white chocolate baking chip. If my life depended on it, I would have to choose: Hershey's white chocolate chips.

Hershey's had a sweet, milky, mellow flavor that did not over power anything like the Nestle chip did. The overpowering sweetness of Nestle's made me want to drink some water. Nestle is more of a 'brownie' type of chip. And as for the Ghirardelli? I think it was nice, but it did not have the bulk like the Hershey's had. If Ghirardelli had the same thickness as the Hershey's chip I would say that we more than likey had a tie. The two tasted very, very similar. But the texture and size of the chip makes a big difference. (At least for me it does.)

So here are our guys all lined up next to each other. The bags in the background indicate which chip is which.

Horray for Hershey!
Much love,

Cat.

Rate: Pretzel M&M's

2010-05-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hoping this isn't a limited time offer.

I have been on the hunt recently for the rare and wild Pretzel M&M's. I looked down my Walgreen's candy aisle for weeks now with no luck. But leave it to Wal-mart to have them in stock. I have to say, when I saw the bags on the shelf I flew at them, mouth open and threw them into my cart. I looked like an animal, but I don't care. My hunt had finally come to an end. I had found my white whale.

So, when I got home I was very excited to not only try these bad boys but to give them a shot in my oven as well, if you know what I mean. I wanted to bake with them.

I have to admit upon opening the bag I was hoping that these little candies would taste like the once plentiful Crispy M&M's. I miss them so. They have been discontinued as we are all sad to know. But with this installment in the M&M's line, I was praying that they would taste at least similar.

When I ripped open my bag, with my teeth, I found that these candies were very round in shape. Curious, I continue to look into the bag and pull a single candy out. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

I bit down into the candy to savor it's taste. I was taken back by the huge crunch that I actually got from this little guy. The pretzel stood out alot more than I had expected. I could even taste the salty-bits from the rounded pretzel bit. Okay, I tasted the pretzel but where was my chocolate? After a moment or two of crunching away I noticed it. There it was, my sweet milk chocolate! But sadly I found that the ratio for chocolate to pretzel was way out numbered. If I had to use percentages I would say that it was about 10% chocolate compared to 90% pretzel. Nice for pretzel-lovers but I need my chocolate-fix with my salty! That was the whole point in buying pretzel M&M's, right?

But did it taste like my beloved Crispy M&M? I have to say in some ways it did. At first bite it felt like a Crispy M&M but it was not. After a few chews you come to realize that you are not eating a Crispy M&M, you are eating a pretzel ball. Sad but true.

All in all, I did enjoy this little bugger. I did experiment with it in a cookie and it turned out pretty well. Next time I think I will add chocolate chips to my cookie to help out in the sweet department. I also enjoyed this candy over some cold ice cream. It was tasty but having the M&M cold did do a number on my jaw. It became very hard to crunch on a cold pretzel.

I think I'll give Pretzel M&M's by Mars a: 4 out of 5.

Much love,

Cat

Happy Birthday Rate.Bake.Create!

2010-05-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

Celebrating you and me.

May is the birthday month of Rate.Bake.Create! Can you believe it, it's been a full year already?! I wish I could bake a huge cake and shared it with everyone. I want to thank a few people for helping me along the way.

First, I would like to thank all of my Followers. You guys have really honored me by following my blog. That really touches me. Thanks guys.

Second, I'd like to thank my very loving and caring family. Without you all I couldn't have done it. I wouldn't be here right now tap-tap-tapping away at this keyboard. Without you all I'm sure I would be 6 feet under. Thank you all for putting up with my and my issues. You all have given me the strength to carry on and continue to eat. And because of that, I can become a better chef. I love you guys.

Third, Brad. Thank you for everything you have done for me. Whether its coming up with some crazy food idea or laughing about failed experiments, you're always there for me. You are my ear when I'm feeling down and I love that about you. You really know me for who I am and I feel I can tell you anything in the world because I know you'll never judge me. So thanks for being with me through everything. I couldn't do this without you either.

Fourth, all the great bakers and chefs out there who provide their recipes for me to try. Thank every one of you for sharing your recipes with not only me, but the world!

And last but not least, all of you readers. Without you all I would be sitting here typing to myself. But I know I have people who read the crud I write. If you don't comment I don't mind much. I just care that there are people out in the world reading. Thank you guys so much. I promise to continue my cookie quest and become the Queen of Cookies.

Much love,

Cat.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes

2010-05-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

So call me crazy...

...but I am in the mood for some pumpkin lovin'! I don't know what it is, but as of lately I've been craving pumpkin! Pumpkin cookies, pancakes, anything pumpkin! It's kinda early in the season, don't cha think? But oh well, you can buy pureed pumpkin year-round! So why not?

It all started when I was walking down one of the many aisles at Target. I saw a mix for Monster Pancakes, interested I looked on to see a box of Pumpkin Pancakes. Oh my gawd. It happened right there. I got a craving for pumpkin. And no, I had never experimented with pumpkin pancakes before, so I had to give it a shot. OF COURSE I would make my own, thank you very much. So, I found a recipe online here, and gave it a go. The pancake was nice but it could use some improving. So here is my version:

Pumpkin Pancakes

-1 cup: all-purpose flour

-1 tablespoon: sugar

-2 teaspoons: baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1 teaspoon: cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoon: nutmeg

-2 eggs, beaten

-1 cup: milk

-1 cup: pumpkin puree

-2 tablespoons: vegetable oil.

~Heat a skillet over a medium-high flame with some butter.~

In a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients: flour/sugar/baking powder/salt/cinnamon/nutmeg. In a separate bowl crack both of your eggs and beat them lightly then add them to your dry mixture. Now add your milk/pumpkin/oil until just combined. You do NOT want to over mix here.

Take a ladle and fill it about half way with your batter. Drop the batter onto the hot skillet and allow the cakes to cook. You will know when they are ready to flip when small bubbles begin to form. Once flipped, let the cakes cook for just a minute and move them to a plate. Serve with hot syrup. (I like mine with cinnamon syrup!)

Much love,
Cat.

Recipe: Strawberry Ice Cream

2010-04-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

Makin' it at home for Daddy

My Dad loves strawberry. I asked him once before what his most favorite flavor in the world was and his answer was simply: Strawberry. So with my fancy new ice cream maker I decided to make him a fresh batch of Strawberry ice cream. So, I went on my search for the perfect recipe for my Daddy-o. I stumbled upon this recipe and made a few of my own adjustments.

First adjustment: I used milk instead of half & half. I had none. (insert sad face)
Second adjustment: I only used 1/2 cup of sugar. Why? Because I was too stupid to write the original amount down before I got into the kitchen. So, I used only 1/2 cup.
Third adjustment: I did not use any other extract then vanilla AND I used 1/2 teaspoon.
Fourth adjustment: I used 1 1/4 cup of whipping cream, this made the ice cream fluffier and more like whipped cream than anything.
Fifth adjustment: I used about 1 3/4 cup of strawberries, finely minced. See, I don't have a food processor so I had to mince my berries. (insert second sad face.)

Future adjustments? I think I will try adding a bit of salt and for sure more sugar. It just wasn't sweet enough for my taste. But then again that was all my fault. (insert final sad face.)

Give this one a shot if you've got the time and berries. It's a nice treat.

Strawberry Ice Cream

-2 eggs, beaten

-2 3/4 cups: strawberries, pureed

-2 cups: whole milk

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/2 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 1/4 cups: heavy whipping cream

~Perfeeze your canister 24 hours before making your ice cream.~

In a large bowl crack two eggs and beat then with a whisk until thick and custard-colored. Gradually add in your sugar until it is dissolved. Add in your milk/vanilla/whipping cream next. Finally, stir in your strawberries.

Chill in the fridge for a good two hours and place in your per frozen canister. Now make your ice cream according to the directions of the manufactures. Freeze over night in the freezer and enjoy your ice cream the next day!

See, even Waffles likes my ice cream. You should give it a shot!

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Dotted Cookies

2010-04-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Dots are yummy.

As you know, I've been trying out new recipes for yummy, tender cookies. I've been messing around with types of flours and brown sugars. For today's recipe, I tried using no white sugar and used bread flour verses all-purpose. The result was a very, very nice cookie. I also added some of Peanut Butter Co's The Bee's Knees peanut butter. The amount I added wasn't very much. This turned out to benefit me because the faint taste of peanut butter and honey did the cookie justice but it was not over powering. It was a slight taste but you couldn't make this cookie as perfect without it. I recommend giving it a try if you have it on hand.

I have to report, I did have 2 outcomes with this cookie. The day I made these cookies, I did not have a lot of time on my hands, so I decided to make 9 cookies then refrigerate my dough for later baking. A day later I rescued my cookie dough from it's chilly prison and decided to bake with it. When I began scooping the dough into ball-form, I found that my dough had become very dry in texture and cumbled upon touch. A bit of handiwork from a pair of warm hands made the dough firm enough to bake but afterward when tasting time came I found that the texture of my cookie had changed greatly. Now, I had a very crisp, crunchy cookie. So, if you'd rather have a tender chewy cookie I would recommened NOT chilling the dough. Otherwise, you will get a very (yummy) crunchy cookie.

Dotted Cookies

-1 1/2 cups: bread flour

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: The Bee's Knees Peanut Butter

-1 cup: light brown sugar, packed

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 egg

-1/2 cup: semi-sweet chocolate chips

-1/2 cup: white chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheets with tin foil, dull side facing up.~

In a large mixing bowl, sift together your flour/baking soda/baking powder/salt and set aside. In a second bowl cream together your sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in your egg and extract to your creamed mixture. Then gradually add in your sifted dry mixture until fully combined. Next stir in your chips. Take tablespoon-sized mounds of dough and place them on your baking sheet. Now, these cookies will not spread much so if you would like a flatter cookie I recommened pressing down on the dough after you place it on your baking sheet.

Let bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Much love,

Cat.

Recipe: Nutella Ice Cream

2010-04-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

Sticky, chilly Heaven is Nutella ice cream on a cold day.

I stumbled upon a recipe recently on Nutella ice cream. It was so simple, so easy so WONDERFUL I had to give it a try. My fancy new ice cream maker was very pleased to give it a try as well. I found the recipe on this site. I did make a few tiny adjustments to the recipe itself, but nothing I can really take credit for.

The ice cream itself tastes like Nutella and we all know how great that is. But it also tastes very similar to a dark ice cream. Very sticky and gooey. It has a wonderful chocolate taste with a heavenly hazelnut after taste. You must give this recipe a try! It is so wonderful, simple and only requires two ingredients! Please, if the pictures don't do it for you nothing will.

Nutella Ice Cream

-1 1/2 cups: Nutella spread. (or one small jar.)

-1 12 ounce can of Evaporated milk

~Per freeze your ice cream maker insert for at LEAST 24 hours before making your ice cream~

Place your measured Nutella spread into a large microwave-safe bowl. Place that bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds. At this point your spread will be nice and warm so you can easy add your milk. Once you pour in your milk, stir until it is fully combined.

Place your bowl in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or well-chilled. Then pour into your ice cream maker and make your ice cream according to the instructions from the manufactures. After one hour, pour your ice cream into a air tight container and freeze over night. The next day, enjoy your ice cream!

Much love,

Cat

Requests

2010-04-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

It seems I have some news...

Well, I'm sad to report that tonight's post won't be about a recipe or a wicked cool review. However! I am very happy to report that I have been experimenting! It seems that this broke blogger got enough cash to buy herself a ice cream maker! I have had so much fun playing around with recipes and trying different things. I will be updating with new ice cream recipes as well as a review on the ice cream maker I purchased. Sounds like fun, no?

But the whole point to my updating with this post is to warn everyone ahead of time that on May 12th I will be getting my wisdom teeth removed. (Yes, all four!) I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to chew anything for a while afterward so I don't know how much updating I will be doing. Perhaps that would be a good time to review on some different flavors of yogurt? Or perhaps trying out some different ice cream recipes.

I also wanted to ask a request of you all, if you'd be so kind, do any of you have any good soft food recipes? Perhaps a frozen yogurt or other soft food? It would be great if I could get some suggestions! I would happily try out a recipe, if suggested, and give my POV on it. So, if you have any soft food recipes, please, leave a comment or send my a line! My e-mail is: Linkluver65@aol.com

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Chewy Walnut Bars

2010-04-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Chewy, crunchy and sweeeet.

I came up with this bar because I just love walnuts. I also used a new vanilla extract that may have altered the taste a bit. I used a generic brand of vanilla and it almost made my bar cookie taste like a granola bar. Is this a good change? I suppose so. I also added a bunch of walnuts to give my cookie a great crunch. I have been uber obsessed with Hershey's semi-sweet chips as well. If you ask me, I'd say they taste almost like a dark chocolate more than a semi-sweet one. Oh well, it's great either way. Make, eat and enjoy.

Chewy Walnut Bars

-2 1/4 cup: bread flour

-1 teaspoon: salt

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1 teaspoon: baking powder

-1 1/4 cups: brown sugar, packed

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1 egg

-1 tablespoon: vanilla extract

-2 tablespoons: milk

-1 cup: semi-sweet chips

-1 cup: walnuts, corsely chopped

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 pan.~

In a large mixing bowl, sift together your flour/salt/baking soda/baking powder and set aside. In a second larger mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in your egg/vanilla/milk to your creamed mixture. Then gradually add in your dry mix to your wet mix until a firm dough forms. Stir in your chocolate chips and nuts last.

I like to knead my dough a bit with my hands before I press it into my greased pan, just to make sure that the flour is completely incorporated. Bake in your oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Much love,
Cat.

Bake: White Cinnamon Peanut Butter Bars

2010-04-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Oh the salty-sweet goodness.

I'm a lucky girl. I live in an area where lots of unique foods are sold. I'm lucky enough to live next to a grocery store that sells Peanut Butter Co. products. I have so far bought every jar they have in stock. And I've experimented with my favorite one so far, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl. I wanted to use it in bar form, so here's what I came up with: White Cinnamon Peanut Butter Bars.
Now, because this bar cookie does not contain any baking soda or powder, it doesn't 'puff up' much and stays pretty thin. But let me tell you, this bar cookie is RICH. It's almost like cheesecake in my view. Very rich and salty. If you don't love salt as much as I do in baked goods I might consider omitting the salt. This is a divine treat. But it can be messy, the chips don't like to stick to the bar after it's done baking. All in all, fun to play around with. I have two more jars of Peanut Butter Co's peanut butter to experiment with! Let's see what I can come up with.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/2 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 egg

-1 1/4 cup: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: salt

~Perheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9x9 baking pan.~

In a large bowl sift together your flour and salt, set aside. In another large bowl, cream together your white/brown sugars, butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add in your egg and extract. Now, gradually add in your dry mixture. A firm dough will form. Press your dough into your perpared pan and before you place it in the oven to bake, sprinkle your white chocolate chips over the top. Now bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Much love,

Cat.

Rate: Wonka Exceptionals Chocolate Waterfall

2010-04-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Two combos get twisted.

Last time I went to the store, I swore to myself that I would walk out with something new and review on it. So here it is, Wonka Execptionals: Chocolate Waterfall.

Now, this little treat comes to us from Nestle. I had high expectations coming into tasting this, because I love white chocolate so much. The idea of blending both milk and white chocolate was just a great idea to me. So once I got home, I ripped open my bag awaiting the surprise inside.

Upon tearing through the tinfoil covering, I place the candy up against my nose for a passionate whiff. The smell reminded me instantly of Halloween. Mostly because in my childhood, many-a-Crunch bar was eaten at Halloween. And because Crunch is made by the Nestle company there isn't much of a surprise here that the chocolate smells the same. Interesting enough, so how's the taste?

The square itself it thick. Thicker than I imagined. It has a depth to it when you take your first bite. The first taste that comes into my mouth has to be the milk chocolate. I wait for a moment to see if the chocolate will smoothly melt in my mouth. It takes a few moments but it does begin to melt. Now, it doesn't melt as smoothly as I would have hoped but it's chocolate and it's gotta melt. As I move the chocolate around in my mouth, I search for my white chocolate. It's obviously white chocolate on the outside but I taste nothing on the inside. It seems that the milk chocolate overpowers my white chocolate. I must say in it's defense though, it is not gritty. It can be a little dry on the last few bites but that is to be expected with Nestle chocolate.

All in all this little treat isn't bad...it isn't superb either. It's basically a Crunch bar without the crisp rice. I can live a long happy life without it. If I wanted to taste Nestle chocolate, I'd rather have a Crunch bar. I didn't get my white chocolate like I had been expecting. But I did enjoy the thickness and the smooth bite of this square. I don't think I will be buying this again, I'm sad to report. I don't even know if I can bake with these... we'll have to see.

I'll give Wonka Expectionals: Chocolate Waterfalls a: 2 out of 5.

Much love,

Cat.

Recipe: Crunchy Chocolate Pretzels

2010-04-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Salty, crunchy, sweet? Yes please.

This is a quick little recipe that makes one great sweet! It requires little ingredients and is a snap to make. Although, it can get a little messy! This salty treat gives you the best of THREE worlds. Salt, sweet, and crunch! It's like having a Crunch Bar on a stick! Make them...now.

Crunchy Chocolate Pretzels

-1 bag: light cocoa candy melts

-1 bag: pretzel rods

-2 cups: crispy rice cereal

~On a baking sheet, scatter your 2 cups of cereal. This will be your 'dipping' station.~

Place half of your bag of candy melts in a large, deep cup. Melt in the microwave according to the directions on the back of the package. Once your chocolate is melted, begin to dip your pretzels in to the chocolate. Be sure to shake off any excess. Now roll your pretzel in the cereal. Again, shake off any excess. Repeat the process with a new pretzel rod. Do this a number of times before placing a plate full of rods and place them in the fridge for about 10 minutes. After they have become hard, remove your rods from the fridge. Remelt your chocolate if it has gotten hard. Re-dip your cereal-covered rods in the chocolate. Place them back in the fridge for about 15 minutes or completely hard.

Try using white chocolate or peanut butter candy melts! You can also drizzle some colored candy melts on your crunchy rods! It'll make them super pretty! Experiment with some other types of cereal too. Fruity Pebbles, perhaps? Or how about a Cocoa Krispy combo with white chocolate? OR: Cocoa Krispies with peanut butter chocolate! The possibilities are endless. I'd love to see what you come up with! If you want share with me, I'd love to see new combos.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Chocolate Chip Cake Bars

2010-03-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

Comin' up with my own style

Yesterday I tried out my own recipe. It's loosely based of Alton's Brown's: The Chewy but with a more 'cake-like' texture. I really enjoy this one it has such a great buttery flavor. The richness of the semi-sweet chips also brings this one to a whole new world. You have to give one a try!

Chocolate Chip Cake Bars

-2 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: salt

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1 teaspoon: baking powder

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 egg

-1 egg yolk

-2 teaspoons: vanilla extract

-1 tablespoon milk

-2 cups: semi-sweet chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease your 9x9 pan lightly with baking release.~

In a large mixing bowl, sift together your flour/salt/baking soda/baking powder and set aside. Now in a second larger mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugars. Add in your egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to your creamed mixture. Gradually add in your dry mix until corse mixture is created. Add in your milk now. (You may need to add in more milk if you mix is too dry.) Stir in your chocolate chips last. Now place your dough into your baking dish and press it into the sides. Put into the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Much love,

Cat

Create: Easter Sugar Eggs (Day 2)

2010-03-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Making the holidays pretty.

Today begins phase 2 of our Sugar Egg project! Decorating! First, we need to make the Royal Icing. This icing isn't really for eating, and dries out very hard. It's like sugar glue. I hope you sanded down your egg to get rid of all the rough edges!

Royal Icing

-2 cups: powdered sugar

-1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon: meringue powder
-2-3 tablespoons: water

Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl with a handmixer. Be careful not to add too much water or else your icing will be runny. I made the mistake of making my icing a bit to runny here. So please be careful.

Divide your icing, depending on how many colors you're going to be using. I will only be using white and green, so I'll only be dividing my batch in half.
After you are done coloring your icings, prepare your icings, by placing them in either a ziplock bag or a piping bag. Fold back the bag a little bit, so you can get all the icing inside your bag. Using a large cup helps this. When you have the icing in the bag filled unfold your bag and press the icing downward with your hands and twist. You do not want to leave the bag open while you are piping. This will cause an icing mess. You're ready to pipe!

First, we want to pipe on the backside of the egg, to make our scene! I have acquired chick figures to place in my own but you could always use candy like jellybeans or even mini chocolate bunnies. I want my chicks to sit on a bunch of grass, so I tined my icing green and iced some grass for them to sit on. Placing your egg inside a smaller dish may make this step easier for you; it did for me.

This is the step when you want to add any background details you desire. Clouds, flowers, ect. After your masterpiece is finished, let it sit in the fridge for about 10 minutes. This will let your icing stabilize so that you can work around it with no issue. Oh and yes, please excuse my messy fridge.

While that is sitting, let's work on the window! I personally like to pipe around the edges of my window. This does 2 things for me: covers up any imperfections and makes it look PRETTY. It doesn't need to be perfect, mine isn't. I made the mistake of making my icing too watered-out.

When you are done with this border, place it in the fridge like you did the pervious half. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, take both pieces out, it's time to glue them together. Place a thin layer of icing along the back half of your egg. Then place your window half on top. This should glue up perfectly. Return to the fridge for about 10-20 minutes. Take it out when the icing is firm.

You can now decorate as you please! I like to pipe again around the edges with white icing. I also like to do little flowers. To make little flowers, you'll want to take your flower icing tip and pipe in once place. As the icing gathers, gently pull upward.

Now take a smaller different colored tip and dot a small bit of icing in the center of your flower.

Let your egg harden either in the fridge or out on the counter. It should be completely hardened the following day. Now just find a place to present it and there you go! A perfect Easter Sugar Egg! I plan on giving this one to my Grandmother! It makes a great gift too.

Much love,

Cat.

Create: Easter Sugar Eggs (Day 1)

2010-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

Making the holidays sweeter.

Today I've finally added a post about creating. It makes the circle of rating, baking and creating! Today I'm posting a two day project. The posts will be done in two parts.

Our first project is: Sugar Eggs. A perfect Easter center piece. I'm going to warn you this project is very tricky at first. This project requires a lot of patience and sugar. It even took me several attempts while making this tutorial. All I can say is NEVER GIVE UP. It is way worth the time and effort to make. It's a fun project as well. You can even impress a few friends!

Pamoramic Sugar Egg Project Materials:

-4 cups: fine white granulated sugar, divided

-1 teaspoon: meringue powder, divided

-4 drops: desired food coloring, divided
-8 teaspoons: water, divided

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with a silicone baking mat.

Now measure out 2 cups of sugar. Place the sugar into a large mixing bowl along with 1/2 teaspoon of meringue powder. In a small glass mix the 2 drops of the food color of your choice with 4 teaspoons of water. Add the colored water to your sugar and stir to combine. You now have your sugar dyed.

Next you will next an egg-shaped mold. This can be difficult if you aren't near any hobby shops or craft stores. I, myself had to imperivise and use a candy tin, seen in the first photo below. After you're done mixing your sugar together, being to press the sugar into your mold. Now don't go easy on your mold when you do this. It must be packed very soildly, or else it will crack later.

Unmold the egg on a lined baking sheet. At this point your egg is very delicate, so be very careful. If you see any cracks you MUST repack your sugar and try again. If you continue with cracks in your egg, it will fall apart later. You will have to do this step twice, to make both sides of the egg. Use the divided amount of sugar to make the other half.

Before you place both eggs in the oven to harden, get a egg-shaped cookie cutter and GENTLY place it over one of your unmolded sugar eggs. You just want to make a outline, so do not press too hard.

Now place both sugar eggs into your preheated oven to bake. You will have to keep a steady eye during this process. You do not want your egg to OVER HARDEN but you do not want your egg TOO SOFT because you will be hollowing out your eggs. *remember to keep your cookie cutter on your egg while it's in the oven*

Keep your cookie cutter sugar egg in the oven for about 4-5 minutes. You will know when it is ready when it is hard to the touch and does NOT give way when you gently press. Remove it from the oven and place on the counter, you are now going to hollow out the 'window'. Take a small teaspoon-sized spoon or melon baller and gently scoop out the sugar to form a 'window'.

Now this step is the most delicate. It took me about 8 times during this tutorial alone. Your egg can very easily break during this step. So be careful. No worries if it does though, you may always repack your sugar into your mold and try again.

Be sure not to leave your other half in the oven too long, about 8-10 minutes should do it. Remove the back half of your sugar egg from the oven and place on a counter. Take your melon baller and scoop out the back half. Only scoop out enough sugar to make a little cave. You do not want to scoop too much of your egg with fall apart. Leave about 1/3 inch thickness. Now place both hollowed-out pieces back into the oven for another 10 minutes or until rock hard.

Once they are rock hard, place on a cooling rack to cool overnight. Now, your egg will be rough around the edges but no stress! You can sand that down with sandpaper tomorrow. Just be sure to keep this badboy in a nice, dry place for the night. Tomorrow, we'll decorate him!

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Oatmeal Raisin Bars

2010-03-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Chewy and messy.

I've been addicted to bar cookies as of late. I've also wanted to expand my cookie advantures from just basic blondies and brownies to an oatmeal raisin bar. Now, I didn't feel much like making up my own recipe so I looked around the internet and found a great one at one of my favorite baking blogs. Baking Bites.

This recipe was a easy to make and required little ingredients. The longest part was the actual baking time. Now, I think next time I think I might try adding quick-cooking oats or less of the old fashion. The amount of oats in this recipe may be too much for some. And I have to admit it is quite messy. But it is a great chewy fix. I espcially love how it almost tastes like a blondie. Perhaps next time I'll add some chocolate? Although the addition of the raisins might be a turn off for some. If you're not into the raisins, I would suggest adding some kind of chip. Cinnamon chips would be divine. Although if you were to add cinammon chips I would suggest that you omit the ground cinnamon in this recipe.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

-1 cup: all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 teaspoon: cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon: nutmeg

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter, melted

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/2 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 egg

-2 cups: oatmeal

-1 1/2 cups: raisisns, soaked

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 baking pan.~

In a small bowl soak your raisins and set aside. In another bowl, sift together your flour/cinnamon/salt/nutmeg, also set this aside. In a large mixing bowl, melt your butter in the microwave. Then add your sugars and combine completely. Add your egg and extract. It's now time to add in your dry mix. Add in gradually until completely combined. Return to your soaking raisins. Drain the water off of them and add them to your dough. Stir in your oats next.
Now press your dough into your perpared baking pan. Place in your oven for 22-24 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cut into slices and enjoy.

Much love,

Cat

Tip: Baking With Larger Candies

2010-03-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

Ask my opinion.

If your like me and tried baking with 'regular' or 'peanut' M&M's before, you'll notice that they have a bad habit of sinking to the bottom of your cookie/cake/bar cookie and burning. There ARE ways around this.

Number one: Bake with the mini's. It's a great way to bake, and I use them whenever I get the chance. But they can be hard to find if you do not know where to look.

Number two: Toss your M&M's with flour before adding them to your batter.

Number three *and my most favorite*: After you are doing mixing your batter, place it in your desired pan/shape them into balls ,if you are making cookies without the candy. Just before placing your cookie/cake into the oven, sprinkle the candy-coated chocolates atop the batter. Like so:

(Press the dough into the sides of the pan.)

I've made a bar cookie in the pictures above. but this works the same with cookies and some cakes. While I haven't personally tried making a cake with Peanut M&M's I'm sure the result will be the same. For extra careful measure, I might even toss the M&M's in flour and STILL sprinkle them atop the cake just to be safe. Bar cookies are wonderful, though. I'd stick with them.

Give it a try. I think it's a great little tip, especially for the pastel Easter M&M's. The ones shaped like eggs? It's divine. The big chunks of chocolate really give the 'Ol Tollhouse recipe a good punch.

Much love,

Cat

Easter Is On It's Way

2010-03-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

And the Easter Bunny is comin' to town.

When I perfect the tecnique of making these sugar eggs I shall report the recipe.

Much love,

Cat.

Recipe: Homemade Pizza

2010-03-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

Makin' it from scratch

My Dad loves my cooking. If you ask him about my Margarita pizza he will go on and on. Me? I always think it could use improving. The other day, he requested that I make him my Margarita pizza w/salami. I never refuse a tasty request! Especially not from my favorite costumer. So, I decided to make the crust from scratch. I found this recipe and modified it. I also discovered
that I had no permade sauce left so I went out and found another recipe for homemade sauce. Here are my results.

Homemade Pizza Crust

-1 package of active yeast

-2 teaspoons: light brown sugar

-1 1/2 cups: warm water

-1 teaspoon: salt

-2 tablespoons: olive oil

-3 1/3 cups: all-purpose flour

In a small bowl dissolve your yeast with the sugar and warm water for 10 minutes. Combine your flour/salt in a large bowl. Once the yeast has bloomed, combine it with your dry mixture. Add in your olive oil as well. You will begin to form a dough from this mixture. You may need to add more flour during this process, I did. Knead your dough on a floured surface until it is smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl and let it rise for one hour or overnight.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip it out onto a well-floured surface. Form the dough into your desired shape and prick the top of the dough with a fork before placing in an oven to bake in a preheated 425 degree oven. * For about 15 minutes.* Don't worry if you don't think the dough isn't completely baked. You will be baking it again with the sauce and topping placed on top. So if it's a little underdone, it will be alright.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

-1 Regular-size can of tomato sauce

-1/4 teaspoon: salt

-2 1/2 teaspoons: white granulated sugar

-1/2 teaspoon: garlic powder

-1/4 teaspoon: basil

-1/2 teaspoon: Italian seasoning

-Pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Taste to add anything extra like: salt/sugar/ect.

Margarita Pizza

-1 Cooked crust

-Pizza sauce

-Mozzarella, cut into chunks

-Basil, to taste

-Olive oil

-Salt and pepper, to taste

-2 slices of salami, cut into fours (optional)

On your premade crust, drizzle on a bit of olive oil before spooing on the desired amount of pizza sauce. Then assemble your mozzarella chunks on the crust evenly. Sprinkle on basil/salt/pepper to taste. Top off your pizza with the salami and another drizzle of olive oil. Bake in a perheated 425 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has begun to melt and brown.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Tuna Noodle Casserole

2010-03-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

Takin' up my Mama's kitchen skills.

This recipe is a recipe that my Mom has been makin' since she was in college. I adore it. It's something great to make on FRIDAYS too. Since it is Lent. I can remember my Mom making this dish when I was young and it's a great thing to eat when you need some TLC. It's a filling dish that make winter nights very warm. I proudly give this recipe out to the world. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

-2 boxes mac 'n cheese (plus ingredients called for on the package.)

-2 12oz cans of light chunk tuna (in water)

-2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

-milk

-salt, pepper

-potato chips, crumbled

~In a large stock pot, boil lightly salted water. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.~

After your water has begun to boil make your mac 'n cheese as directed on you package. When noodles are done cooking, drain them from the boiling water and add in your cheese/other ingredients called for. Once your mac 'n cheese has been made, add in your two cans of cream of mushroom soup. Now, fill both cans about 1/4 of the way with milk and add it to your casserole. Stir to combine. Drain your tuna of all it's water and add it to your mix. Try to break up the tuna as much as possible while you are doing this. Taste for seasoning. After fully combined, pour your casserole into a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan. Take your package of potato chips and take handfuls of chips and crush them over your casserole. This will be the crunchy topping. Add as much as you like! Bake in your oven for about 45 minutes. Note: For a crunchier topping, wait until the casserole is finished cooking in the oven then add your chips.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: White Chocolate Nutella Cookies

2010-03-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

What could make Nutella any better?

I love Nutella, adore Nutella. I can't get enough of the stuff. Ever since trying it eariler this year I have to have it, every night. It's the best of both worlds: chocolate and hazelnuts. It's like having your cake and eating it too. Usually when I eat my Nutella it's on a piece of white or wheat bread but I've been wanting to experiment with it for sometime now. I know it can be used in cooking/baking but, up until now, I haven't gotten a chance to use it...because I kept running out.

So, after buying a super-size jar of it, I decided it was finally time to give it a shot, in cookie-form. I scanned the Internet and various blogs until I found this recipe by The Biscuit Pusher. It was very tasty. Salty goodness. This is a delightful, light cookie. The texture of this cookie was unexpected, gritty almost. Chewy all in all. I recommend this one for sure, but only if you like the taste of Nutella. Obviously. It is a salty treat, maybe too salty for some. If you don't love salt as much as I do I would recommend cutting the salt by half. The cookie itself almost has a 'roasted' hazelnut flavor which is great. I did however add my own addition of white chocolate chips. Without these chips I'm certain that the flavor wouldn't be as sweet. I recommend either using white or milk chocolate along with this cookie. I would also like to say an addition of walnuts might have been nice too. Next time I will surely throw them in.

White Chocolate Nutella Cookies-1 cup: butter-flavored shortening
-1 cup: Nutella

-1 1/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1/4 teaspoon: baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-3 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 cup: white chocolate chips

-1 cup: nuts (optional)

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking pan with tin foil, dull side facing up.~

In a large bowl sift together your dry mixture: flour/salt/baking soda/baking powder. In a second larger bowl cream together your brown sugar and butter-flavored shortening. Add your eggs and vanilla to the creamed mixture. Now gradually add in your sifted dry mix until fully combined. Stir in your add-ins before taking tablespoon-size balls of dough and placing them on your baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying.

Much love,

Cat.

Rate: Special K Fruit Crips (Starwberry)

2010-03-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

Crispy goodness...

Today is a review day! And today I wanted to give you my input on Special K's Fruit Crisp bars. Now I first saw these bars at my local grocery store about two weeks before I saw the actual commercial. Intrigued by the fact that each pouch holds two bars, I decided to get 'em a shot.

Upon opening the small pouch, I discovered that these bars are quite thin. Much thinner than what I was expecting. Both bars about 4 1/2 inches in length and are covered with a white drizzle. It is very hard to detail the strawberry filling inside the crisp. So as I look at this crisp, I wonder how much 'strawberry flavor' I'll actually be getting. I also begin to wonder how 'crispy' these bars will be. From their appearance the bars don't seem to be at all crispy. The aroma is defiantly strawberry.
So I take my first bite. I am taken back by the crisp sound effect this bar gave me. The bar gave way to a pleasant crunch, one I was not expecting. As chewed my first bite I was humbled by the sweet strawberry flavor. The outer 'shell' of the bar didn't have much flavor; not even the white drizzle held MUCH flavor. But you have to remember that you are going to eat this fruit crisp not for the outside but for the inner strawberry filling. So how was the filling? I have to say, I really appreciated the ratio of strawberry flavor to crust. It was a nice punch of strawberry. Almost tasted like strawberry jam and upon looking at the ingredient list I noted that it was made with strawberry puree concentrate. Although I could see the flip side to this arguement and say that the strawberry flavoring outstands the crust. Some might find this strawberry filling to taste slightly artificial. But you have to remember that this is considered a 'diet' food. With the name and label: Special K it isn't out of the run for this bar to have an aftertaste. Those who consume diet drinks and sugar-free goods may not taste this aftertaste at all, which makes this bar a good choice for a snack.
What is also nice about this bar is that you get two per-package. And in a box you get ten...crisps. So all in all you get a total of five pouches. The label 'ten crisps' can be misleading so buyer beware. I found these on sale at Target for around 2.99. Is this a good price for me? Eh, I think so. For the amount of nice flavor and the crispy crunch I find it worth while when it is on sale.
I really enjoyed this fruit crisp after all is said in done. I find it to be a nice little snack food to have on hand when you have the munchies. I like it so much, I am considering trying the blueberry version. Of course, there are some cons to this bar. First off, these babies are thin. Not something you're gonna grab when you're seriously hungry. They also may have a slight aftertaste to some sensitive taste buds. The crust of the crisp really doesn't have a whole lot of flavor compared to the strawberry inside.

I would buy this product again. 4 out of 5.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: The Chewy

2010-03-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

Still in the test kitchen...

Well, as I've previously reported, I was trying my hardest to come up with a great chewy, fat cookie recipe. I decided to test out Alton Brown's Chewy Recipe to give myself more inspiration. The outcome? A few interesting tid-bits. At first bake, these cookies were nice. Chewy, of course, but it seemed to be lacking something. What that was? I'm not quite sure. So, I saved after half of the dough for a future baking. Today, I went into my fridge and decided to bake the remaining dough. The result this time? A superb cookie! I suppose these cookies get a great deal of flavor and texture if you allow them to sit overnight in the fridge. I must say, these cookies are very good.

I did use milk chocolate chips in this batch and I found that the cookies almost tasted like Mrs.Fields' cookies. They had the same soft texture. (with the exception of the crispy edges) I still feel as though these cookies could have used an extra 'something' perhaps more vanilla or brown sugar? I shall experiment with it in the future.

All in all, its a worth-it recipe if you ask me and I highly recommend giving it a try.

The Chewy

-2 1/4 cups: bread flour

-1 teaspoon: salt

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1 teaspoon: baking powder (my own addition)

-1 cup: unsalted butter

-1/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 1/4 cups: brown sugar, packed

-1 1/2 teaspoon: vanilla

-1 egg

-1 egg yolk
-2 tablespoons: milk

-2 cups: semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk)

-1 cup: walnuts (my own addition)

~Preheat your oven to 375 and lightly grease two baking sheets.~

Melt your butter either in a sauce pan or microwave oven until just melted. Then in a large bowl, sift together your flour/salt/baking soda/baking powder. Now in larger bowl, cream together your sugars with your butter. Add in your egg, egg yolk and vanilla to the creamed mixture. Now gradually add in your dry mix until fully combined. Stir in your chips/nuts.

Chill the dough overnight before taking tablespoon-sized balls of dough and baking them in the oven for about 14 minutes or until brown. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying!

The cookie hunts continue...

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Chewy Whitechip Walnut Cookies

2010-02-27T21:44:00.000-08:00

Trying to make a name for myself.

As of lately I've been wanting to make my own perfect cookie recipe. I wanted to create a truly scrumptious cookie that would one day become my: 'go-to cookie'. I wanted a chewy, thick, puffy cookie that I could just gnaw on for MINUTES. Savor all of it's brown-sugary goodness. The cookie was referencing from was my half-sister's chocolate chip cookie. Believe it or not, she told me the recipe she normally uses is just plain'ol Tollhouse Cookie recipe but for some reason, her cookies always turn out puffy, chewy and gigantic. Which I love.
This cookie has to have some difference from the original Tollhouse recipe. For me, the Tollhouse recipe turns out flat and thin. So, I got to thinking...perhaps I could modify that recipe and try to recreate that chewy, puffy, goodness. So this is what my mind came up with.

=Trying to use less butter-flavored shortening.
=Adding baking powder.
=Try using bread flour.
=Using a non-greased baking sheet/no silicone.
=Using light brown sugar.
=Upping the measurement of brown sugar.
=Lessing the measurement of white granulated sugar.

This is what I came up with. Although I did use white chocolate chips. I must say this recipe is pretty good. I did enjoy the tenderness of the cookie although, I believe I can make these cookies bigger, fatter, and better!

Chewy Whitechip Walnut Cookies

-1 cup plus 2 tablespoons: bread flour

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: butter-flavored shortening

-1/2 cup: light brown sugar, packed

-1/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 egg
-1/2 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 cup: white chocolate chips

-1/2 cup: walnuts (optional)

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.~

In a small mixing bowl sift together your bread flour/salt/baking soda/baking powder and set aside. Then in a separate larger mixing bowl, cream together your sugars and shortening until smooth. Add in your egg and vanilla. Slowly mix in your dry flour mixture until fully combined. Stir in your chips/nuts. Take tablespoon-sized balls of down and arrange them on your cookie sheet and place in your oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying!

Next time, I believe I will take more information and advice away from Alton Brown's Chewy Recipe. I think using an egg yolk will be beneficial; perhaps I will try a lesser amount of butter-flavored shortening and use dark brown sugar instead of light. I think I will also use semi-sweet or even dark chocolate chips as well to give the cookie more of a savory flavor. The walnuts I think I may toast beforehand. I think I shall also play with the temperatures too... All these notes have been taken into consideration next time I experiment. Of course, I shall report on this results.

Much love,

Cat.

Rate: AlmondJoy Pieces

2010-02-07T18:20:00.000-08:00

New Product, Old Recipe

Today I thought it would be a good idea to review on AlmondJoy Pieces, a new brand of candies from Hershey's. Hershey has also introduced along with AlmondJoy Pieces are: Hershey's Dark Pieces, York Pieces. I had tasted these tasty treats before I baked with them and here's what I have to say about them.
Upon first bite, I note the crunchy texture and milk chocolate outside. Like an M&M. (photo below is a comparison; the M&M is on the right.) It took a few moments for the crunchy texture to become that of a coconut one. I can clearly taste the coconut and I have to say, it's a bit overpowering compared to the chocolate candy coating. When I first tasted the candy piece, I was at a loss of where my almond was. After all this is an AlmondJoy piece, isn't it? I chew and chew and come upon a small crunch. It turns out that THIS is my almond. A small, sad, lonely piece of almond. This piece of almond can't be larger than my pinky fingernail. I enjoyed the piece fairly well on it's own but I noted that alone, I wasn't too interested in eating them on their own. Since the overpowering flavor of coconut, I felt that this candy needed something else. Perhaps it needed to be placed inside a cookie? Yes, the master pastry chef is at work.

So I headed out to bake with the AlmondJoy Pieces. I scanned the Internet looking for a cookie recipe where I could easily throw the candy into the batter. I looked and looked and alas I could not find a recipe that suited me well. Good old faithful: Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
The result? A very interesting cookie. With the great flavor and texture of the cookie recipe helped, I know but the candy pieces gave the cookie an extra punch. It gave the cookie a great coconut flavor with a slight (VERY SLIGHT) bit of nutty crunch. I really enjoyed throwing this candy into a cookie and would like to further experiment with different sorts of cookie batters. This experiment also made me ponder something else: what if I were to add coconut shreds, chocolate and almonds to the original Tollhouse Cookie recipe? That would be interesting. I shall try that...then report on my findings.

-Overall this candy piece is decent. I really enjoy the unique texture and flavor of the piece. But I didn't not like the overpowering taste of coconut. I would have enjoyed if the candy had more than a TID-BIT of almond inside of it. I don't think I would eat this candy on a regular basis but I will admit, this candy piece does add an interesting punch to your average cookie recipe.

I'd hafta give AlmondJoy Pieces by Hershey a: 3 out of 5.

Much Love,
Cat

Bake: White Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

2010-02-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

Most Wonderful Combo

I know it's been since forever since my last update and I have to apologize for it. Major computer and personal troubles have kept me away. But not anymore. In my absense I have NOT stopped baking, instead I've been searching for new and interesting recipes. I've also been pondering the thought of posting more reviews on this blog. Those are to come later on.

For now, I leave you with this wonderful confection, White Chocolate Gingerbread Bars. I found this recipe while recipe hunting on BakeBakeBake. I have to say, this recipe way surpassed all my expectations and left me stunned with the flavors it provided me. I highly recommend this recipe, these bars are wondrous. I will be sure to make these again and again!

White Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

-2 cups: all-purpose flour (reserve 2 tablespoons)

-2 teaspoons: ground ginger

-1 teaspoon: ground cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoon: ground nutmeg

-1/4 teaspoon: ground cloves (I omitted this)

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: dark brown sugar, packed

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar (reserve 2 tablespoons)

-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1/4 cup: molasses

-1 cup: white chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a 9x13 pan~

In a large bowl sift together your dry ingredients: flour/ginger/nutmeg/cinnamon/cloves/baking soda/salt. But be sure to reserve 2 tablespoons of your flour, keep it in a small bowl and set aside. Then cream together your unsalted butter/sugar/brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Be sure to reserve 2 tablespoons of your white granulated sugar in the same bowl as your flour. Once you're done creaming together your butter and sugars, add your eggs one at a time. Then pour in your vanilla and molasses. It is time to gradually add in your dry mix. Once fully combined, stir in your white chocolate chips. Pour into your baking pan. Before you bake, sprinkle your reserved flour and sugar over the top of your bar cookie. Now place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. (or until a toothpick comes out fairly clean when inserted.)

The recipe suggests that you add a white chocolate drizzle over the top of the bar cookie once it has cooled, but knowing me, I am too stingy with my white chocolate so I omitted it. But I don't think it mattered. In fact, I believe that adding the drizzle may have taken away from the great ginger flavor. Either way this cookie is a winner.

Much Love,
Cat

Bake: Banana Bread

2009-11-24T20:20:00.000-08:00

Babysitting has its perks.

I found a few ingredients while babysitting and put them together to make an awesome banana bread, which I have been craving for more than a week now! Even though I did not have any walnuts to throw in this bread was WONDERFUL. I WILL be making this again when I get back home. It is way worth making and only requires ONE banana! Give it a try!

Banana Bread

-1 ripe banana

-1 egg, plus enough milk to make the liquid come to 1 cup in liquid measurement.

-1 stick unsalted butter

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your baking pan (loaf pan)~

In a small mixing bowl, mash up your very ripe banana. Then grab a large mixing bowl and combine the remainder of your ingredients. Add in your banana before mixing it all together. Make sure that you do not OVER MIX your batter. A few lumps is quite alright. Mixing too much could result in a tough loaf of banana bread. Pour your batter in to your loaf pan and bake in your oven for 55 minutes or until a knife/toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy.

Much love,

Cat

10/31/09

2009-10-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

Was Halloween a success for me?

I think so.

I hope you all had a safe evening.

Much Love,

Cat

Bake: Graham Crackers

2009-10-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

When you have the ingredients, make it at home!
Today's recipe was a dozy of a recipe. And while it required a day or two to make and alot of elbow grease, it was way worth my while.
I happened across this recipe for graham crackers a few months ago and just last week I decided to set down and make them. I originally made them so I could create a 'from-scratch' graham cracker crust for a cheese cake I was going to make for my baby sister. The batch for this recipe is so huge however, I decided to make a few crackers as a treat for a family-friend who just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
I also had to use my fancy new Halloween cookie cutters somewhere! I found these cookie cutters at my local Target and they are just down-right adorable. I had to have them! I will enjoy using them for years to come.

I urge you to make these wonderful crackers if you have the chance, time and ingredients. They are so worth it. Oh and it does make a lovely crust! I will just be posting a link to the original recipe because I'm too lazy at the moment to write out the list of ingredients and directions. I had a long day.

Graham Crackers

Recipe and directions. Thank you Smitten Kitchen!

Much Love,

Cat

Bake: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

2009-10-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

More uses for leftover candy

Today's recipe comes from Jenn's Baking Chamber! I saw this recipe and instantly knew that I had to give it a try. I had some Reese's baking chips in my fridge so why not?

The result of these cookies were not exactly what i was expecting. Perhaps next time I will change the amount of sugar used in this recipe or add in some peanut butter. This cookie seemed a bit gritty and too sweet. (Perhaps some extra salt would help too.) All in all, these cookies tasted better after a few days of sitting in a tin container. Would I make them again? Most likely not. Not without some tweaking.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

-3/4 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1 egg
-1 egg yolk

-1 teaspoon: vanilla

-1 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/4 teaspoon: salt

-2 cups: Reese's Peanut Butter Chips (or frozen Reese's chopped)

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a large bowl, cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in your vanilla, egg and egg yolk and combine fully. In a second bowl, sift together your flour/baking soda/salt and add it gradually to your creamed mixture. Stir in your chips last. Then take tablespoon-size mounds of dough and place them on your baking sheet before slipping it in the oven for 12-14 mins. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying!

Much Love,

Cat.

Bake: Chocolate Reese's Pieces Cookies

2009-10-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

Because orange and black go together like chocolate and peanut butter.

I obtained today's recipes from One Ordinary Day's blog. And while this recipe calls for M&M's and not Reese's Pieces, I thought using a peanut butter candy would flow better with the cocoa. I really enjoyed the results. This cookie was tender and chewy. I adored the rich chocolate flavor and the crunch of the Reese's Pieces. Plus, the colors of the candies also went very well with the season. I would be more than happy to make these again! In fact I was shocked to see that this afternoon there was only one left! Haha, guess that means this one is a winner.

Chocolate Reese's Pieces Cookies

-2 cups: all-purpose flour

-3/4 cup: unsweetened cocoa powder

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1 cup: unsalted butter

-2/3 cup: white granulated sugar

-2/3 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-2 eggs

-2 cups: Reese's Pieces (or M&M's)

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a mixing bowl sift together your flour/cocoa/baking soda/salt then set aside. In a second larger mixing bowl cream together your butter/white sugar/brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in your vanilla and eggs. Gradually add in your flour mix until it is fully combined. Stir in your candy of choice last. Take tablespoon-sized mounds of dough and place them on your baking sheet before slipping them into the oven and baking for 9 minutes. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about a minute before transferring to a cooling rack and enjoying!

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Pigs In A Blanket

2009-10-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Because when it's cold outside, you need a blanket.

I don't know about you, but when I'm feeling chilly I love to eat warm food. Whether it's soup or mashed 'taters it's gotta be warm! So the other night while watching the BYU program, Culinary Creations with Mary Crafts, and seeing her make Pigs started stirring my older sister's taste buds. She requested I make them for her. Now, I have made many a Pig before in the past but I have always used...a can biscuit. Yes, I am ashamed to admit it but I DID *shutter* Semi-homemade it.

BUT being the 'from scratch' chef I am today I set out on a journey to make my Pigs...with FROM SCRATCH biscuits. With a little help from Mrs.Crafts of course. This biscuit recipe belongs to her. Now when choosing a dog I always use Hillshire Farms Cocktail Links. (Lit'l Beef Smokies to be exact.) If you cannot find these little links in your store, I would advice just using plain 'ol cut up hot dogs. They'll work just fine.

Pigs in a Blanket

Biscuit Dough

-2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 tablespoon: baking powder

-1 teaspoon: salt

-4 tablespoons: shortening

-3/4 cup: milk

-1 package miniture hot dogs

-1 egg white

~When you are ready to bake preheat your oven to 450 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a large mixing bowl sift together your flour/baking powder/salt. Next, add in your tablespoons of shortening and cut it into your sifted flour with either a pastry cutter or large fork. Mix until your flour has become the consistincy of cornmeal. Now add in your milk, a little at a time until you have formed a dough. Now transfer this dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead. Only knead until all your flour is incorperated, otherwise your dough will be tough. Roll out your dough until it is about an 1/2 inch thick.

Drain your miniture dogs and place on a plate beside your rolled out dough. Cut your dough into small rectangles (1 inch high/3 1/2 inches long) Place your dog at the end of your shaped dough and roll it up, pinching the ends when you are finished. Place on your baking sheet, seem side down. Once you have lined your sheet, crack open and egg and seperate the yolk from the white. Brush your Pigs with the egg white and place in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with ketchup or mustard.

Keep warm!

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Judy's Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-10-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

What to do with left-over Reese's Pieces...

What am I most looking forward to this Halloween? Using my candy to create wonderful new sweets! Here's one cookie I found at Cookie Madness that seemed superb. Just the photo looked great so I had to give them a try. Although I did omit the chocolate chips and honey-roasted nuts and just used Reese's Pieces. Lemme tell you, these cookies are fantastic. Soft, sweet with just a hint of cinnamon flavor. A wonderful fall cookie treat.

Judy's Peanut Butter Cookies

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: brown sugar, packed

-3/4 cup: creamy peanut butter

-1 egg
-1 egg yolk
-1/2 teaspoon: vanilla

-1/2 teaspoon: cream of tartar

-1/4 teaspoon: salt

-3/4 teaspoon: cinnamon

-1 cup plus 2 tablespoons: all-purpose flour

-Reese's Pieces*

~When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheets with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a large mixing bowl, cream together your brown sugar/peanut butter/unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add in your egg/yolk/vanilla and stir in completely. Set aside. In a second bowl sift together your tartar/cinnamon/flour. Gradually add your dry mix to your wet mix until it is fully combined. Stir in your candy. Once dough is completed, move to a ziplock bag (or wrap it in wax paper) and refrigerate over night.

When you are ready to bake, place tablespoon-sized mounds of dough on to your baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes. Wait about 2-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack and enjoying!

Much love,

Cat.

*=Add in candy as desired.

Bake: Chocolate Chipper Champs

2009-10-01T20:42:00.001-07:00

Happy fall, ya'll!

Today marks the first day of my favorite time of year, Halloween! It's not just about the candy *or what cookies you create from what you've collected* but it's about the spirit of it all. I adore this time of year and I just cannot keep myself from baking. I'm hoping that this month, I can bake Halloween-themed treats. You know, for the spirit of things!

Anyway, today's cookie came from Cookie Madness, Chocolate Chipper Champs. They are basically an M&M cookie although they don't require any white granulated sugar, which interested me. I decided to decorate this up with some Halloween M&Ms and vah-la! Halloween M&M cookies. I must say these cookies were quite good, the extra amount of brown sugar gave the cookies more depth flavor-wise. I am very willing to make these again, especially when I have some toasted walnuts around.

Chocolate Chipper Champs

-1 1/3 cups: brown sugar, packed

-3/4 cup: unsalted butter
-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-2 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: nuts (optional)

-1 cup: M&Ms

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a large mixing bowl, cream together your brown sugar/unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add in your egg/vanilla completely and set aside. In a second mixing bowl, sift together your flour/baking soda/salt. Add this dry mixture to your creamed mixture gradually until fully combined. Stir in your nuts of choice and candy last. Then take tablespoon-sized mounds of dough and place them on your baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of your cookies are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying.

Enjoy the fall, ya'll!

Much love,
Cat.

Recipe: White Chocolate Cinnamon Chips

2009-10-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

When ideas become reality...

Interesting story, one night a very special friend and I were discussing white chocolate and cinnamon chips. He then pondered the idea: what if you made white chocolate cinnamon chips? I thought about this concept for a moment; how I could make it work. Then it hit me! Melt a baking bar and add ground cinnamon to the melted chocolate! What a wonderful idea! But would it work? There was only one way to find out for sure...test it!

The completed work was more than what I could have imagined. It was creamy, it velvety...it was heaven. When I first placed a piece of the candy into my mouth I was taken back by how smooth the chocolate tasted. Perhaps it was because I used Ghirardelli? I dunno, but it was WONDERFUL. Now, the cinnamon was not instantly noticible, only after I chewed the chocolate could the spice be tasted. It was perfect! Not too much, and not too little. The perfect combo. Although if you were to make this at home, I would advise that this recipe falls under the 'to taste' category when it comes to the cinnamon.

This confection can be eaten as a piece of chocolate OR added to a cookie (0r even brownie) for added punch. I've already experimented with a chocolate cookie and pumpkin cookie and both were superb. Although I do want to mention if you are to throw these chips/chunks into a cookie that already contains some cinnamon, to cut back on the spice in the original cookie batter. Perhaps by half.

White Chocolate Cinnamon Chips

-1 (16oz) bar of Ghirardelli Candy Making & Dipping Bar*

-1/2 teaspoon: ground cinnamon (or to taste)**

First, take a baking sheet and place in an open area and place a large sheet of wax paper on it. (you may want to use some butter to ensure that the wax paper sticks to the bottom of the baking sheet.) This is what your chocolate will be resting upon when it done melting.

Now measure out your cinnamon and place in a small bowl and set aside. Remove your baking bar from its package and carefully chop the chocolate into chunks. Don't be too anal about chopping the chocolate evenly, just be sure that they're in the same size range. Place all of your chopped chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and place on a double-boiler. (simmering water) Begin stirring your chocolate, and do not stop. The chocolate may take some time to melt but do not leave it's side. It can burn easily. Once the chocolate has melted 75%, add in your ground cinnamon and stir. Remove from heat when the chocolate has melted about 90%. The remaining chunks will melt off heat.

Once completely melted, pour your melted chocolate on to the wax paper. Try to make sure the chocolate is spred out as evenly as you can get it. Gently move your melted chocolate to a safe place in your fridge to set up. I let the chocolate set up over night before chopping it. Once ready to chop, remove from your fridge and with a sharp knife, chop into your desired-sized chunks. Eat as is, or add them to a dessert!

To creation.

Much love,

Cat.

*= You may use any type of White Chocolate Baking Bar.

*= If you cannot find a 16oz bar of white chocolate, you can down size the amount of cinnamon. I used 1/8 of a teaspoon for every 2oz of white chocolate.

Bake: Pink Panther Cookies

2009-09-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

Sweet cookies for a sweet guy...

With recent news that my Poppy needs to lower his consummation of sugary foods and drinks, I've decided to experiment with sweeteners for him. I don't want to take away the pleasure he finds in oatmeal cookies, so why not learn how to bake sugar-free?

My favorite sweetener happens to be Sweet'N Low, so I advised it to him as a replacement for sugar. He agreed and together we purchased a box of Sweet'N Low for me to bake with. I found today's recipe on the back of the box and while it is not completely, 100% sugar-free it has at less than your average sugar cookie.

I was worried about aftertaste with this one, but I was delighted when I took a nibble and discovered there wasn't any! So, I handed the cookie over to my Pa and waited for his reply. He really liked them! The perfect crunchy-ness with just a hint to sweetness. He too found there was no aftertaste and dashed off to share with my Ma. She liked it as well and agreed with the fact that she did not get an awkward aftertaste. She did although, say that she would have liked to add a tiny bit more salt to the cookie batter.

All in all, I really enjoyed making this cookie. The batter was a breeze to work with and was the easiest sugar cookie dough I've ever rolled! I would recommend this to anyone, not only people with specific diet needs.

Pink Panther Cookies

-2 tablespoons: Sweet'N Low granulated sugar substitute

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/4 cup: unsalted butter

-1 egg

-1/2 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-3-4 drops: red food coloring*

-1 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 1/4 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/4 teaspoon: salt

~When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a mixing bowl, cream together your Sweet'N Low/sugar/butter until light and fluffy. Add in your egg/vanilla/food coloring and set aside. In another mixing bowl, sift together your flour/baking soda/salt. Gradually add your flour mix to your creamed mixture until it has formed a dough. Wrap your dough in wax paper and place it in your fridge for three hours or overnight.

When you are ready to bake, remove your dough from the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out your dough and begin to cut them into your desired shapes. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Move to a cooling rack before enjoying.

An icing is recommended for this recipe, but my Poppy believes these cookies are superb alone, so I did not make the icing. If YOU would like to make an icing for your cookies please feel free to via recipe here.

Much love,

Cat.

*= I omitted the food coloring.

News & Bake: Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-09-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

Because everyone deserves a cookie...

Today I have some great news to share with you all. As of today, September 24th 2009 I have officially found myself one complete year into my recovery. Recovery from eating disorder that almost claimed my life. The eating disorder that gave me an expiration date. Yes, it all sounds very dramatic but it is very true. This day one year ago, I took the first steps to eating again. My first meal? Happy Meal, of course. And while this past year hasn't been exactly easy I can say that it has been well worth any hardships. Later, I will be posting more on the matter via my DeviantART account, feel free to read. :)

Anyhow, I would like to leave you all with a great recipe that I stumbled upon a few days ago. A wonderful Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie that I found here. The cookie turned out to be a great combo of white chocolate and toffee chips! Soft, chewy and buttery! A great snack to add to a great day. :)

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

-2 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-2 eggs

-1 cup: Health Baking Bits

-1 cup: White Chunks

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a mixing bowl, sift together your dry mixture: flour/baking soda/salt and set aside. In a second, larger mixing bowl, cream together your wet mixture: butter/white sugar/brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in your eggs and extract and stir. Then gradually add in your dry mix until it is fully combined with your wet mix and forms a dough. Stir in your chips in last. Now take tablespoon-size mounds of dough and place them on your baking sheet and place in your preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying.

To a long, full, delicious life.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Toffee Bits Cookies

2009-09-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Stick to your teeth good.

While I was still experimenting with Hershey's Baking Toffee Bits, I looked on the back of the package I saw that this recipe. A wonderfully buttery, crispy cookie was created. I have to say, I was not expecting the cookie to be so thin and crunchy but it works so well. I think I could eat these all day if I wanted! I urge you to make these if you can, they are well worth it.

Toffee Bits Cookies

-2 1/4 cup: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-2 eggs

-1 1/3 cups: Hershey's HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a mixing bowl, sift together your flour/baking soda/salt and set aside. In a second, larger mixing bowl cream together your unsalted butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in your eggs and extract to your wet mix. Then gradually add in your sifted flour mix until it's fully combined. Then stir in your toffee bits. Place tablespoon-sized mounds of dough on to your lined baking sheet before placing it in the oven. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies

2009-09-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Because toffee smells like the holiday season...

The other afternoon I caught myself staring at a bag off Hershey's Baking Toffee Pieces at my local grocery store. Intrigued, I bought myself a bag and decided to experiment. And boy, am I glad I did. To my surprise these baking pieces were rather small. Of course, huge pieces of toffee would not exactly agree with my teeth. So, that evening I set out for the perfect cookie recipe. I ended up stumbling upon Martha Stewart's Peanut Butter Toffee Cookie recipe.

I must say these smell HEAVENLY while they were baking up in my oven. It was as if Halloween came running up to my house and jumped into my oven. I cannot explain how wonderful these smelled. The taste? Superb. Crunchy, salty, light. The texture of the cookie was soft while the toffee added a great crunch. It was an amazing cookie and I cannot wait to experiment with this baking piece again!

Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies

-3/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/4 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/8 teaspoon: salt

-4 tablespoons: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/2 cup: peanut butter, smooth

-1 egg

-1 cup: toffee baking pieces or 2 chocolate-coated toffee bars, chopped

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

In a mixing bowl, sift together your flour/baking soda/salt. In a second larger mixing bowl, cream together your butter/sugar until smooth and creamy then add in your peanut butter and egg. Next gradually add in your flour mix until it's fully combined. Stir in your toffee last.

Take a tablespoon-size mound of dough and place it on your baking sheet and place in your oven for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Cinnamon Rolls

2009-09-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Because everyone deserves a cinnamon treat.

Today I wanted to make my family a treat they would enjoy both smelling and eating. The best cinnamon roll recipe, ever. And of course, its thanks to Paula Deen, my cooking idol.

Cinnamon Rolls

Dough

-1/4 ounce: packet yeast

-1/2 cup: warm water

-1/2 cup: scalded milk

-1/4 cup: white granulated sugar
-1/3 cup: unsalted butter

-1 teaspoon: salt

-1 egg

-3 1/2 cups-4 cups: all-purpose flour

Filling

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter, melted

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-2 tablespoons: ground cinnamon

-3/4 cup: nuts/raisins (optional)

Glaze

-4 tablespoons: salted butter

-2 cups: powdered sugar

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-3-6 tablespoons: hot water

~When it is time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and butter your baking dish with butter.~

First, take your yeast and combine it with the hot water in a small bowl. Set aside to let it bloom.

Now in a large mixing bowl mix together your milk, sugar, melted butter and salt. Add 2 cups of flour to this mixture. You then want to add your yeast mixture before adding in the remaining flour. Knead for about 5 minutes before returning it to your mixing bowl. (make sure that it is well-greased) Place in a warm area with a towel placed over top for about 1 1/2 hours.

After the proper amount of time has passed, punch down your inflated dough and move it to a well floured surface. Roll out your dough with a rolling pin into a 15x9 inch rectangle. Now take your melted butter and spread in on to your rolled-out dough. Add in your sugar/cinnamon mixture on to the dough and roll up. Be sure to pinch the sides of your dough before slicing. With a sharp knife, slice your dough into 12-15 slices.

At this point you can do a few things. I, like to make half a batch of rolls and freeze the remaining half of my dough for later use. But either way, you want to let the rolls that you are going to bake rise for an additional 45 minutes. Before you let them rise, place them in the desired baking dish (well-greased) and cover them with a towel. Bake in your oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

While your rolls are baking away, make your glaze. You can of course make a cream cheese icing if desired but I like this recipe for icing. It's simple and I always have these ingredients around. In a bowl, combine your butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add your hot water until its the thickness you want. (I like to heat my icing in the microwave to get rid of any 'lumps' of sugar there might be in the icing.) You will want to use either a fork or whisk to combine.

Once your rolls have come out of the oven, drizzle your icing over the top. Allow them to cool before eating and enjoying.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Black & White Slices

2009-08-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

Because you cannot have one without the other...

I adore this recipe. Not only because it takes a skilled hand to make, but because it's a cookie that is so creative. You can make it totally your own! I really like the traditional 'slice' form but I wouldn't mind trying a pinwheel shape next time. This recipe is also very handy because its a 'make ahead' recipe. One that can be made two whole days in advance. It is also a slice and bake cookie, so you can always slice off as much dough as you want to bake and freeze the rest for later use. Wonderful. And the taste? Very light. I love how the chocolate portion of this cookie does not over power the vanilla. Defiantly worth the time it takes to make this.

Black & White Slices

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 egg yolk

-1 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 1/2 teaspoons: baking powder

-1/8 teaspoon: salt

-3 tablespoons: milk

-1/2 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened baking chocolate*

~When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil. (dull side facing up.)~

In a mixing bowl, sift together your flour/baking powder/salt. In a second larger bowl, cream together your butter, white sugar and egg yolk until light and fluffy. Now, in a small mixing cup combine your milk and extract. Gradually add your dry mixture to your creamed mixture alternately with your vanilla/milk mixture. Mix completely until your dough forms.

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt down your baking chocolate. Once it is completely melted, set aside to cool.

Now, divide your vanilla dough in half and place one half of the dough into a separate mixing bowl. Take a tablespoon of dough from one half and add it to the other. This dough will be your vanilla dough. Now, in the smaller dough mound, add your melted baking chocolate and combine fully, until your chocolate dough is completely brown.

Now take two sheets of wax paper and set aside. Form both mounds of dough into small logs. (About 1 1/2 inch in diameter.) Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Once your dough is firm enough, unwrap the logs take a very sharp knife and begin to cut your logs length-wise into Fourths. Assemble the logs together: one vanilla slice aside to a chocolate slice and press together gently. At this point, I put my log back into the fridge for an extra 2 hours but you may bake them off now if they are firm enough. Cut the logs into 1/8-inch thick slices and place on your baking sheet for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to cooling racks before enjoying!

Much love,
Cat.

*=If you do not have any baking chocolate, you may use unsweetened baking cocoa. For once 1 oz. take 1 tablespoon of cocoa and add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the powder. Stir to combine. Add it just the same to the dough as if it were melted chocolate.

Bake: Marbled Chocolate Cookies

2009-08-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Cookie art

The other day, I was craving something new, as usual and decided on this recipe. I have to say, the outcome was excellent! I really enjoy this recipe and look forward to using it again.

Marbled Chocolate Cookies

-2 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-3/4 teaspoon: salt

-1 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed
-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-2 teaspoons: vanilla extract

-2 eggs

-1/4 cup: cocoa powder

-6 oz.: white chocolate chips

-6 oz: semi-sweet chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil. (dull side facing up.)~

In a mixing bowl sift together your flour/baking soda/salt. Then in a larger mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add your extract and eggs to creamed mixture. Gradually add in your dry mix to your wet mix and combine completely. Now, divide your dough in half and place one half of your dough in a seperate bowl. Add your 1/4 cup of cocoa to this dough and combine fully. Combine the two 6oz of chocolate chips together and divide them between the two doughs; this way each dough has it own amount of chips. Now, take a half tablespoon from each dough and combine them together. Place on your baking sheet and place in your oven for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and enjoy!

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal and white chocolate mix very well.

I'm always on the look out for new recipes that use white chocolate and when I stumbled upon an old recipe in my Grandmother's very old Sunset Cookies recipe book I was very excited. The recipe seemed easy enough so I eagerly got baking.

The result I was given was a light, airy, crispy cookie. It held a nice buttery flavor and the oatmeal gave the cookie a superb crunch. I do want to warn, these cookies are quite crumbly when bitten into, so be wary of a delicious mess.

White Chocolate Chip Cookies

-1 cup: unsalted butter

-1 1/2 cups: white granulated sugar

-2 teaspoons: baking soda

-1 egg

-1 cup: all-purpose flour

-2 cups: quick-cooking oats

-1 1/4 cups: white chocolate chips/chunks

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil. (dull side facing up.)~

In a mixing bowl, sift together your flour/oats and set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat together your butter/sugar/baking soda until light and fluffy. Add your egg to the creamed mixture before gradually adding in your sifted dry mix. Stir in your white chocolate. Now take small tablespoon-sized mounds of dough and place them on your baking sheet and place in your oven for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying!

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Chewy M&M Cookies

2009-08-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Premium product, premium cookies.

The other day while strolling down the aisles of my local Target, I happened upon M&M's Premium Triple Chocolate candies. Now, these are nothing new to my eyes, but the fact that they were in a large bag rather then a small box was new to me. So I happily scooped up a bag! Thoughts of what I could do with these puppies filled my mind as I stared at the bag. Of course, I would have to try a M&M cookie but which one? I finally chose this recipe. It seems good enough! But I did have one concern: because these candies are a bit larger than the traditional M&M, would they sink to the bottom of my cookie dough and burn? Trusting fate, I went along and made the cookies. They were great! They did not sink, in fact they stayed nicely at the top of the cookie as it baked. Now, because these candies are large, they did pack quite the punch once you bit into the cookie. The strong candy did not over power the dough by any means but I would rather have had a smaller candy to use. Perhaps this cookie would be better adjusted to a bar cookie, were the dough raito would have been different. All in all, good and worth my time.

Chewy M&M Cookies

-2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/4 teaspoon: salt*

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar
-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-2 eggs

-1 1/3 cups: M&M candies

-1 cup: nuts (optional)

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheet with tinfoil. (dull side facing up)~

In a mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour/baking soda/salt and sift them together. Now in a second larger mixing bowl cream together your wet ingredients: butter/brown sugar/white sugar until light and fluffy. Add your eggs and extract to your wet ingredients. Gradually add in your dry mixture to your wet until the two are fully combined. Next stir in your candies and nuts. Place tablespoon-sized mounds of dough on to your lined cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack before enjoying.

Much love,

Cat.

*=I added a bit more salt.

Bake: Banana Cookies

2009-08-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

Because wasting a good banana is never right...

Well, after a lengthy, stressful week I found myself left with a nearly completely black banana. I know of a great banana brownie recipe but I wasn't in the mood for brownies. I found myself again being a cookie snob and making a banana cookie. I have never attempted this before and was slightly nervous going it to it. I did not want a cookie that had an overwhelming banana taste but I also did not want a cookie where the banana was nonexistent. So, I stumbled upon Vanilla Garlic's Grandma's Recipes #1: Banana Cookies. I was pleased to see that this recipe had a few ingredients that I had not thought of using: cinnamon/nutmeg. So I decided to give it a try! What did I have to lose besides a black banana?

When making the dough I was slightly confused by how 'wet' it was. It was almost as if it was a bake batter rather than a cookie dough and as I transferred small mounds of the dough to my baking sheet I was worried about the outcome. Perhaps I had copied down the wrong amount of flour? As I waited for the cookies to bake up in the oven a delightful smell hit my kitchen. Such a wonderful banana scent! I adored the scent but would the cookies match up? I am very happy to report that yes, they do. A nice, light, cakey cookie was the product of that wet dough. I am so very pleased with this cookie! Not too much banana flavor but just enough to know that it is there. I will be making this cookie again!
I do however have some suggestions. Instead of just using semi-sweet chips, I used a combination of white and semi-sweet. Just for some added flavor. And I suggest that when the cookies are pulled from the oven that they sit on the hot baking sheet for a good 2-4 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Because this cookie is very cakey, if you attempt to transfer them straight from the oven to a cooling rack, some of the cookie may stick to your sheet.

Banana Cookies

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 egg

-1 cup: banana, mashed

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-2 cups: all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon: cinnamon

-1/2 teaspoon: nutmeg*

-1/2 teaspoon: cloves**

-1 cup: add-ins (nuts/semi-sweet chips/white chips)

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil. (dull side facing up.)~

In a large bowl, cream together your unsalted butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add your egg to your creamed mixture. Mash your banana(s) in a smaller bowl and add your baking soda to it and let the mix stand until frothy. In a third mixing bowl, sift together your dry ingredients: flour/cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves. Once frothy, add your banana mix to your wet mixture and combine. Now gradually add your dry mix to the wet mix. Fold in whatever add-ins you desire. Drop small tablespoon mounds onto your lined baking sheet and back in the oven for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Much love,

Cat.

*=I used 1/4 of a teaspoon

*=I omitted the cloves

Bake: Nestle Toll House SWIRLED Cookies

2009-08-09T21:17:00.001-07:00

For the love of white chocolate...

I was very pleasantly surprised to find these, Nestle SWIRLED semi-sweet & premier white morsels at my local Wal-mart. The idea of a 'swirled' baking chip was quite interesting but more so because of the white chocolate/semi-sweet mix. How would it taste? My first thought would be the stronger taste of the semi-sweet over the white chocolate. But I was willing to give them a try. Of course, I gave the chips a taste before adding them to my prepared dough and I was surprised. It didn't taste too much like either! Instead, it held it's own unique taste that I found myself fond of. I like this baking morsel and look forward to using them again in the future. Next time, I would like to experiment with a chocolate dough rather then a basic Nestle Toll House dough.

Nestle Toll House SWIRLED cookies

-2 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1 teaspoon: salt

-1 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-2 eggs

-1 2/3 cups: Nestle Toll House SWIRLED semi-sweet & white morsels

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil (dull side facing up.)~

In a mixing bowl sift together your flour/baking soda/salt and set aside. In a separate larger mixing bowl cream together your unsalted butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add your vanilla extract and eggs to your creamed sugar mix. Gradually add in your dry flour mix until fully combined. Stir in your baking morsels last. In tablespoon-size balls, fill your baking sheet and bake in your preheated oven for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Set on your cooling rack and enjoy!

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: French Bread

2009-08-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

And I thought It Would Be Difficult...

Today, I finally put that 10lb of flour I bought to work. I finally did it: I made my first loaf of French bread. I have to say I was very nervous going into the recipe but came out so pleased! It was easy, fun and it turned out great! This recipe will forever be a keeper in this house, for sure. I love this recipe and cannot wait to make it again.

I do warn though, this is NOT a sourdough French bread; because without a sourdough starter, I could not give my loaf a 'sour' taste. But DON'T let that keep you from trying this wonderful recipe! It is so good. And in the end, you'll feel like a pro.

French Bread

-1/4 cup: warm water

-1 package: dry yeast

-1 cup: water

-1 teaspoon: salt
-3 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 tablespoon: cornmeal

-1 egg white, beaten

~When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil, dull side facing up.~

First off, in a small bowl, dissolve your package of dry yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water. Let stand for a few minutes until the yeast is bubbly. Then transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the other cup of water and salt. Then gradually add in your flour until it forms a dough. Once flour is completely combined, kneed for an additional 2 minutes. Now you want to place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl and let it rise for an hour. When an hour has passed, punch down your dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll out your dough into an 8x12 rectangle and roll it up jellyroll style until you have a baguette. Turn to your baking sheet and sprinkle down your cornmeal. Place your dough on top of the cornmeal, seam side down. Let the dough rise for an additional 45 minutes. When your dough has risen, brush it with your egg white all over and make small cuts down the baguette with a sharp knife. (about 1/8th inch deep.) Bake in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes. (I rotated the baking sheet after 15 minutes.) Make sure that your bread sounds hollow upon tapping on the outside. Allow the bread to cool before cutting.

Perfection.

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Cinnamon Crinkle Tops

2009-08-04T20:18:00.001-07:00

The wonders of powdered sugar...

Today's recipe came from an old recipe card that I found. Apparently my Mom had sent away for a set called Great American Recipes and this was one of the cookies featured in Grandma's Cookies.
A delightful cookie but not too different from a traditional Snickerdoodle. I do however like the use of powdered sugar instead of white granulated for the rolling. A keeper in my book.

Cinnamon Crinkle Tops

-1 cup: solid vegetable shorting

-1 1/4 cups: white granulated sugar

-2 eggs

-2 teaspoons: cream of tartar

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-2 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/4 cup: unsifted powdered sugar

-1 tablespoon: ground cinnamon

~When they are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.~

In a large mixing bowl, cream together your vegetable shorting and sugar. Add in your eggs and beat until smooth. In a second mixing bowl sift together your dry ingredients: flour/cream of tartar/salt/baking soda. Add your dry mix to your wet mix gradually until fully combined. Refrigerate for about one hour or until your dough is firm. Then in a small cereal bowl, mix together your powdered sugar and cinnamon. Roll out small tablespoon sized balls of dough and roll them into your sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place on your baking sheet and bake in the oven for 7-8 minutes. Transfer to your cooling rack and enjoy!

Cinnamon = Love

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Puffy, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

Because I've never used cream of tartar in a chocolate chip recipe before...

Today's recipe comes from Bakebakebake and I am so happy I found it. Lately, I've been in quite to stump when it comes to finding new and interesting recipes to experiment with. So, I went on the look out for a classic recipe with unique ingredients. I found a keeper this time! A wonderful, puffy, soft cookie. This cookie basically melts in your mouth after the first bite. It is so worth the time to make this one. I can only hope this cookie will pass the test with my older sister, who has a bad case of TMJ and has specific guidelines when it comes to food.

The unique ingredient in this recipe is the cream of tartar. I usually only see this ingredient used in Snickerdoodle recipes, so it was a pleasant surprise to see this used for your classic chocolate chip cookie. Next time I would like to experiment with white chocolate or nuts, but for the first time I went by the rules and used semi-sweet chips. I also added a hint of salt because the original recipe did not call for any. Feel free to leave it out if you like.

Puffy, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

-1 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 cup: brown sugar, packed

-2 eggs

-2 teaspoons: vanilla extract

-2 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-2 teaspoons: hot water

-2 cups: semi-sweet chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with tinfoil. (dull side facing up.)~

In a mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour/cream of tartar and sift them together. In a second, larger mixing bowl cream together your sugars and unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Now in a smaller bowl combine your hot water and baking soda and let it dissolve. Add your dissolved baking soda to your creamed mixture and stir in. Next throw in your eggs and vanilla extract to the wet mix. Gradually add in your dry mix until fully combined. Stir in your chips last and place small tablespoon mounds on to your baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the sides are golden brown. Set on a cooling rack and enjoy!

Much Love,

Cat

Bake: HERSHEY'S Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

Because dark chocolate is good for you...

It occurred to me the other day while I was pacing down my grocery store aisle, I have never baked a cookie using dark chocolate chips. Hm, curious. That is when I decided to buy a bag and bake up a batch. Choosing a cookie recipe was the toughest part I found because I wanted to try a recipe that did not contain cocoa powder because I did not want to make a cookie that was too chocolaty. So, I settled on a recipe I found at HERSHEY'S Kitchens.
The cookie ended up spreading out further than expected which left me with a crisp cookie. Don't get me wrong! I looove crisp cookies, I was just not expecting these to spread as much as they did. Perhaps next time I should not use any type of tinfoil of silicone baking sheet and let the cookies bake on an ungreased baking sheet. The taste: wonderful, buttery goodness. The dark chocolate adds a kick to the sweet cookie and balances well. I really enjoyed this cookie and would gladly make them again. BUT I did use Ghirardelli dark chocolate rather than Hershey's because I found Ghirardelli, even though it can be more expensive, has a fuller richer taste to it's chocolate chips.

HERSHEY'S Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

-2 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: brown sugar, packed

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract
-2 eggs

-2 cups: dark chocolate chips

-1 cup: nuts (optional)

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees~

Sift together your dry ingredients: flour/baking soda/salt in a small mixing bowl. In a second larger bowl, cream together your sugars and unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add your eggs and vanilla to your wet mixture and combine. Now gradually add in your dry mix until fully incorporated. Stir in your chips and nuts last. Scoop out small mounds of dough, about a tablespoon in size, and place them on an ungreased baking sheet.* Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

Much love,

Cat.

*=For a crisp cookie, bake on a tinfoil lined baking sheet or silicone lined baking sheet.

Bake: ATK Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

Experimenting is important.

Now, today I was very excited to try this recipe. This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen and I trusted that this cookie would turn out very well but the results of my cookie were not as I had hoped.
Now that does not mean that it is a BAD cookie, I was just hoping for something better. The cookie I was left with was a very grainy, sugar-like cookie. Now I am very glad I only made half a batch. My sister said she rather enjoyed the cookie, but I found myself disappointed. The dough was extremely stiff and I had a very difficult time rolling them and placing them on my baking sheet to bake. They continued to fall apart and crumble. I tried using both my hands and my trusty cookie scoop but neither really did a great job. All in all I would not make this cookie again unless my sister requested them. I really disliked the grainy sugar taste. Though, I would not discourage YOU from trying this recipe if it interests you.

America's Test Kitchen Chocolate Chip Cookies

-2 cups plus 2 tablespoons: all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-12 tablespoons: unsalted butter, melted

-1 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

-2 teaspoons: vanilla extract

-1 1/2 cups: semi-sweet chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line your cookie sheets with tinfoil. (dull side facing up)~

In a mixing bowl combine and sift together your dry ingredients: flour/baking soda/salt. Now place your unsalted butter in the microwave and just melt it. Let it sit for a moment and become warm. Add your sugars, vanilla extract and eggs to the butter mixture and combine thoroughly. Add your dry mix gradually until fully combined. Stir in your chips. Roll out dough into small balls about tablespoon-size and place them on your baking sheet and place in the oven to bake. My oven took about 14-16 minutes but watch them carefully. You will know when they are done with the edges are golden brown. Place them on a cooling rack and enjoy!

Much love,
Cat.

Bake: Reese's White Cup Cookies

2009-07-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Because I wanted to be creative with old candy.
All yesterday and last night I was on the Internet and scanning through all my cookie recipes, trying to think of something to create today. It wasn't easy. I wanted to do some unique and I was also craving some white chocolate and peanut butter. So, I went out searching for a nice peanut butter cookie for a base. Then, I went out and chopped up all my Reese's White Chocolate Cups that I had left over from Easter (stored in the freezer) and threw them into the batter.
After they had baked up, I was very excited about what the results would be. Creamy, salt, peanut butter-goodness. I have to say the base of the cookie tasted a bit like a sugar cookie but with a hint of peanut butter. They edges were crunchy and chewy and the inside was nice and soft. It was a nice cookie but I think next time I will add more Reese's White Chocolate Cup pieces. Definitely worth the effort if you like peanut butter and white chocolate!

Reese's White Cup Cookies

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/3 cup: creamy peanut butter

-1 egg

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1 1/3 cups: Reese's White Cups, chopped

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with foil. (dull side facing up.)~

In a mixing bowl, sift together your dry ingredients: flour/baking soda/salt and set aside. In a second mixing bowl, cream together your wet ingredients: butter/sugar/peanut butter until light and fluffy. Now add your egg and vanilla extract to your wet mix and combine. Now begin to add your dry mix to your wet, gradually until fully combined. Add your chopped White Cups and stir in. Place small mounds of batter on to your baking sheet and place in your oven. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Set on a cooling rack and enjoy! Recipe found at Bakebakebake!

Much love,

Cat.

Bake: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-07-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Soft, warm, peanut butter? What could be better?
Earlier this week, I found myself wanting to try a new recipe. While scanning through a small recipe booklet, I found this recipe. I was very intrigued and ready to try it but then...our oven broke. It had locked itself shut and took a day or two before my Mom and Dad could fix it. I was so overjoyed to see my BFF oven back in working order that I had to try these. I was a bit worried about the amount of peanut butter this recipe had because I don't want the peanut flavor to overpower the chocolate or cinnamon. Luckily, it did not and I was left with the softest, cookie I've had in a while. These should really be enjoyed warm; right from the oven when the chocolate chips are still melty...so good.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

-1 1/4 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 teaspoon: ground cinnamon

-3/4 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/2 cup: brown sugar, packed

-1/2 cup: creamy peanut butter

-1 egg

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-2 cups: semi-sweet chocolate chips

-1/2 cup: nuts (optional)

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line your baking sheets with tin foil, dull side facing up.~

Combine your dry ingredients into a mixing bowl: flour/baking soda/salt/cinnamon and sift together. Then in a second, larger bowl, cream together you butter/sugars/peanut butter until it is light and fluffy. Add your egg and vanilla to your creamed mixture and combine. Then gradually add your dry mix to your wet mix. Now, stir in your chocolate and nuts. Place small mounds of dough on to your cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the edges of your cookies are golden brown. Let cool on a rack and enjoy!

I would love to recommend using chunky peanut butter also, that way you don't have to add any additional nuts. It will give your cookies a great crunch! Recipe found at Nestle Toll House.

Much love,

Cat

Recipe: Pumpkin Cookies

2009-07-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

If pumpkin pie was portable.

I have to say, I was very skeptical when I first used canned pumpkin for this cookie recipe. I thought that the pumpkin would taste like anything BUT actual pumpkin, for whatever reason. But I was delightfully surprised to discover that this soft, light cookie is perfect for snacking. It taste almost like small slices of pumpkin pie! *without the crust of course* In the original recipe, a vanilla drizzle is used but I rather like the cookies without it. They are so wonderful, a must for the pumpkin lover in your house!

I must say however that this recipe can be quite messy and tin foil is a MUST for removal from the cookie sheet. I use a silicone baking mat, and it works great. I also used a cookie scoop for easy scooping.

Pumpkin Cookies

-2 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1 teaspoon: baking powder

-1 teaspoon: ground cinnamon

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/4 teaspoon: ground nutmeg

-1 1/2 cups: white granulated sugar

-1/2 cup: butter

-1 cup: pure pumpkin

-1 egg

-1 teaspoon: vanilla

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheets with tin foil (dull side facing up)~

In a mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour/baking soda/powder/cinnamon/salt/nutmeg and sift together. Now in a second bowl, cream together your sugar, butter and pumpkin. Your mix will look VERY LUMPY but it is fine. Now, add your egg and vanilla and combine. Time to add your dry mix. In small amounts, add in your dry until the two are completely combined. With either a spoon or a cookie scoop, place small mounds of dough on to your cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are firm.

Original recipe found at Bakebakebake.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

2009-07-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

A unique chip makes a wonderful cookie.

I have to say when I first came across Hershey's Cinnamon Chips at my local Lucky's I have to say I was a bit worried that they would taste...well...bad. But I decided to give it a chance and bought a bag. When I had prepared myself to finally bake with them, I ripped open the bag and took a whiff. Such a wonderful scent! Cinnamon! It smelled great but how did it taste? Great if not better than it's scent. Almost like pumpkin spice, it had a great depth to it's flavor. I loved it! Now, how would they taste in an oatmeal raisin cookie? Fabulous. My Dad and I (who are the only people in our house who appreciates oatmeal cookies) just feel in love with this great recipe and now they're one of my favorites.
I do have some bad news I have to own up to: Last time I checked at the store, these cinnamon beauties are on 'Close Out' so they may not be in production any longer. But I'm sure if you check online stores you can find a few. They're worth the price. (although I bought at least four bags at the 'Close Out' price!)

Now the recipe I use these chips for are right on the back of the package, and wow are they super. I do have to say they yield a lot of cookies so you may want to cut the recipe in half. That is what I did today.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

-1 cup: unsalted butter

-1 cup: light brown sugar, packed*

-1/3 cup: white granulated sugar

-2 eggs

-1 1/2 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-2 1/2 cups: quick cooking oats

-1 2/3 cup: Hershey's Cinnamon Chips

-3/4 cup: raisins, soaked

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheet with foil. (dull side facing up)~

Fill a small cereal bowl with water and your raisins and let them soak while you make your cookie dough.

In a mixing bowl, sift together your dry ingredients: flour/baking soda. Then in a larger bowl, cream together your sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add your eggs and vanilla and stir. In small amounts add your dry mix until it's completely mixed it. Return to your soaked raisins (5 minutes should be plenty of time.) and drain out the water. Now add your oats/chips/raisins and stir. Your dough will be stiff. Drop desired amounts on to your baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the sides of your cookies are golden brown. Place on a cooling rack to cool and enjoy!

*= I used dark brown sugar.

This is a wonderful holiday cookie. The hint of cinnamon that this special chip adds is amazing. So if you are able to find these chips are your store I highly recommend this recipe. It will definitely take oatmeal cookies to a new level! Recipe and more can be found at: HERSHEY'S Kitchens.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Soft Pretzels

2009-06-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

The toughest recipe to make in Home-EC class.

I remember when my older sister was in middle school, that she was tough how to make this recipe. For days afterward, she would bake and bake these. Such a wonderful scent of yeast. It filled our house for hours. I adore this recipe. This recipe is nice to make because you can make it a day in advance. You also have many topping and shape choices. Creativity is great, isn't it?

Soft Pretzels

Yeast Mixture

-4 teaspoons: dry yeast

-1 teaspoon: white granulated sugar

-1 1/4 cup: warm water

Dough

-5 cups: all-purpose flour

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1 tablespoon: vegetable oil

Before Baking

-1 egg

-sea salt

-cinnamon sugar

~Bake at 450 degrees until golden brown~

To make your yeast mixture, warm your water until it's about 110 degrees. Too warm and it will kill the yeast, too cold and your yeast will not come to life. When your water is warm enough, pour in your yeast and sugar. Whisk with a fork until dissolved. Let rise for about 10 minutes.

While your dough is rising, combine your dry ingredients: flour/sugar/salt in a large mixing bowl. Once 10 minutes have passed, create a well in the center of your dry mix and pour in your yeast mix and oil. Stir to combine. Once your dough begins to form, take it out of the bowl and on to a clean counter. Knead your dough until it is smooth in texture.

At this point you will be left with to two choices: Let the dough rise for one hour or let it rise overnight. If you are short on time, my advice would be to place into a large plastic bag and place in the refrigerator for the night. If you want to cook this right away, grease the original mixing bowl with a little bit of vegetable oil and place the dough back into the bowl. Throw a towel over the bowl and set in a warm spot in your kitchen for one hour.

Once an hour has passed (or the night has passed) punch down your dough and place on a lightly floured surface. You can now shape your dough into any shape you want. Traditional pretzels, criss-cross, letters, etc. Once you are all done shaping, place on to your baking sheet. Before placing in your oven to cook, you want to crack open an egg and beat it. Then brush the egg wash on to your pretzels. This will help your toppings stick and help your pretzels brown! After adding your desired toppings, pop your baking sheet into your preheated oven and bake until golden brown.

Enjoy and be creative.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Chocolate White Chip Cookies

2009-06-28T21:32:00.001-07:00

Another reason to love white chocolate.

Even though it's 92 degrees out, I couldn't resist making these. I love the combo of white chocolate and cocoa. I think one of the reasons why I love this recipe so much is because when I first made it my baby sister helped me. She's my favorite Sous Chef! A little tip for this recipe though, I prefer to use Ghirardelli Classic White Chips because I feel like the white chocolate as a fuller, richer taste than Nestle.

Chocolate White Chip Cookies

-2 1/4 cup: all-purpose flour

-1/3 cup: cocoa

-1 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt
-1 cup: unsalted butter

-3/4 cup: brown sugar (packed)

-3/4 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-2 eggs

-1 1/2 cup: white chocolate chips

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line your cookie sheet with tin foil. (dull side facing up)~

In a bowl sift together your dry ingredients, flour/cocoa/baking soda/salt, and set aside. Then in a separate, larger bowl, cream together your butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then add your eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract. Combine thoroughly. Then in small amounts, add your dry mix until fully Incorporated. Add in your chips. Place small mounds of dough on your cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Give white chocolate a chance.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Lemon Merignue Pie

2009-06-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

A secret surprise for my Daddy.

Weeks before the worry of Father's Day arriving, my Mom and I secretly planned for me to make my Poppy his favorite dessert, Lemon Meringue Pie! I was excited about the idea of making this for my only Dad, but that slowly changed when the day finally began to approach. I had never, EVER attempted anything like this. The worry of messing up the pie struck me hard. Here are the results.Please excuse the bad lighting. Yes, I over estimated the work involved. It was quite easy making the custard. The meringue though, was a different matter. I was so worried about the pie 'weeping' that I actually cried a bit before my Dad came home from the trip he took with my sister. *Today happens to be her birthday* Luck enough for me, I did more weeping then the pie! It was perfect! Not bad for a first-timer!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Custard

-1 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/4 cup: cornstarch

-3 tablespoons: all-purpose flour

-1/4 teaspoon: salt

-2 cups: water

-3 egg yolks, beaten

-1 tablespoon: butter

-1/4 cup: lemon juice

-1 pre-baked pie crust, 9 inches

Meringue

-3 egg whites

-1/4 teaspoon: cream of tartar

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees~

In a saucepan, sift together your dry ingredients. Gradually add in your water; it reduces the chance of lumps. Stir over medium heat until the mixture has thickened and bubbles slightly. Reduce heat and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of your hot mixture into your egg yolks. (This is called tempering. You don't want your eggs to scramble, so just whisk a small amount of your hot mixture into your eggs.) Once completed tempered, add the egg mix back into the saucepan and return to heat. Bring to a boil and stir for another 2 minutes. Pour custard to your prepared crust.

For your meringue, place your egg whites and tartar into a metal bowl. (Make sure your bowl is clean and dry.) Beat your whites in the bowl, whisk attachment please, until soft peaks form. You then want to slowly add in your white granulated sugar. Wait until stiff peaks form and the sugar is completely dissolved. Now, with your custard still hot, place your meringue over the pie and spread it about. Making sure to tightly seal ALL THE EDGES. Place in the oven for about 13-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

You want this to cool on the counter for about an hour then in the fridge. It helps the pie set and reduces weeping. Recipe was found at Kitchen Scrapbook.

Hope you enjoyed this Father's Day! And happy birthday to my big sissy.

Very much love,

Cat

Bake: Oven Fries

2009-06-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

Because my Mom requested them.

A few nights ago, my Mom requested that I make her some oven baked fries. I had made them on a previous account and she adored them. I was so pleased when she asked me to make them tonight and jumped right up to do it for her. This recipe I obtained from one of my food idols: Emeril.

Oven Fries

-2 large potatoes

-olive oil

-1 egg white

-salt & pepper (to taste)

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line your cookie sheet with foil (dull side facing up)~

Drizzle your oil on the cooking sheet and spread out to lube up your cooking area. In a small bowl, crack your egg and separate it, leaving the white in the bowl. Next, cut your potatoes into short thin wedges and dip them into your egg white. Place them on the sheet and sprinkle on your salt and pepper. Throw them into the oven and wait 20 minutes. Flip your fries and cook again for another 20 minutes or until fork tender. Add more salt or pepper if desired.

Much Love,

Cat

Bake: Peanut Butter Pinwheels

2009-06-12T15:27:00.001-07:00

Who knew that cinnamon and peanut butter were such good friends?

Lately, I've been pretty stumped on what I should bake due to the fact that my last recipe, the blueberry crumble cake, was so great I've been a bit intimidated by it! My whole house really liked it so I've been feeling a little beat down by it. So, I decided to bake an old stand-by, Peanut Butter Pinwheels! These wonderful cookies are just a peanut butter cookie that are rolled with semi-sweet chocolate into a cute 'lil pinwheel but I like to experiment with different types of chocolate and included white chocolate with this batch.

Peanut Butter Pinwheels

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: creamy peanut butter

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/2 cup: dark brown sugar (packed)

-1 egg

-1 1/4 cup: all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 teaspoon: cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoon: nutmeg (optional)

-6oz: semi-sweet chocolate chips/white chocolate chips

~Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line your cookie sheet with tin foil. (dull side facing up)~

In a mixing bowl, sift together your dry ingredients: flour/baking soda/salt/cinnamon/nutmeg. Then in a second, larger bowl, cream together your wet ingredients: butter/sugars/peanut butter, until light and fluffy. Add your egg. Then slowly add your dry mix until fully incorporated.

Now, with some wax paper, place your dough in the fridge and let set for at least TWO HOURS. Once firm, take your dough out and divide it in half. Roll both halves of your dough out to your desired thickness. Make sure that it is not too thin, because your dough will tear. Now, melt down your chocolate in the microwave; being careful not to burn it and spread it over your rolled out dough. Now carefully roll up your dough, make sure you don't roll it up too tight, or it will crumble. Wrap back in your wax paper and refrigerate it for another two hours or over night. When your dough is ready, unwrap and preheat your oven. Let your dough sit on the counter until your oven is ready. (This way the dough will come somewhat to room temp and you can cut it easily. Otherwise you'll find it very hard to run your knife through hard chocolate!) Slice the dough and place them on your cookie sheets. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges of your cookies are golden brown.

It is important to let your dough firm up in the fridge for the whole two hours or else your dough will be very crumbly. I learned this the hard way. It took me sometime to learn how to roll the dough just right as well, so don't get discouraged if it does not go right the first time. If not, you can always just make mounds of cookies the traditional way, they're just as good!

Oh and if you plan on using white chocolate, please be careful when you are spreading it over your dough; the chocolate tends to set up quicker than semi-sweet and has a tendency to chip and crumble, so be quick when rolling up your dough. It took me several attempts to get it just right with the white chocolate!

Much love,

Cat

Oh and please visit one of my favorite blogs, Candy Yum Yum! The loves were kind enough to interview me!

Create: Felt Cookies

2009-06-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

The Make in the Make.Bake.Create.

I've finally picked a felt creation to post! This is actually a felt cookie set that I made last year.

These here are actually frosted heart cookies. They come in vanilla and chocolate! Cute right? Especially on that Hello Kitty comforter...

I love to create cute felt foods, it's been a long-time passion of mine that began when my ED began. As strange as it sounds, I began missing food so much that I began to create felt foods.
I would love to sell my creations but I've never found a potential buyer and I would love to be given the chance to sell my babies. So if any one's interested! *hint hint*

In the future, I will be posting patterns and tutorials on my felt creations. So stay tuned for that!

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Blueberry Crumb Cake

2009-06-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

Because fresh blueberries taste so much better...

Since the end of last month, I've been dying to make some good old fashion blueberry muffins, based around this great recipe I found online several months ago. But, I had forgotten to buy some paper cupcake liners. (because I can never seem to get the cakes out without them) So I used this muffin recipe and turned it into a cake. It turned out great!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

-1 1/2 cups: all-purpose flour

-3/4 cup: granulated white sugar

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-2 teaspoons: baking powder

-1/3 cup: vegetable oil

-1 egg

-1/3 cup: milk

-1 cup: fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping

-1/2 cup: granulated white sugar

-1/3 cup: all-purpose flour

-1/4 cup: cubed butter

-1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan~

In a bowl, sift together your flour/sugar/salt/baking powder. Then in a 1 cup measuring cup, pour in your vegetable oil. Add your egg into the measuring cup and pour in your milk until you hit the 1 cup measurement. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir. Mix until flour is no longer visible. DO NOT OVER MIX; LUMPS ARE ALRIGHT. Then gently mix in your berries. Pour into your greased pan and bake. You will know when your cake is done when you stick your toothpick in and it comes out clean. Usually about 30 minutes; but my oven is stupid.

Much love,

Cat

Rate: Walden Farms Pancake Syrup

2009-06-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Because Too Much Sugar In The Morning Is No Good For Me. Recently, I've been searching for a pancake syrup that was lite or didn't contain any sugar. So, when I went looking about on the Internet I found Walden Farms. Walden Farms, specializes in zero calorie condiments and I was surprised to find their products at my local Lucky store. So, the next time I had the chance, I picked it up.

When I first looked over the bottle and gave it a shake, I noticed how loose or thin this syrup was but I still gave it a try. When I first poured this syrup over my homemade pancakes, I noticed the scent. A light maple scent filled my nose and I was delightfully pleased. I quickly took note of the thin consistency even further when I saw the syrup run all over my pancakes as if it were water. The pancake was quick to absorb most of the syrup and I felt stumped. I then folded my cake like a taco and took a bite. I tasted a wonderful maple flavor. I have to say I was surprised by the light fragrant taste. It did have a small aftertaste that quickly went away after a moment. I actually like the fact that this syrup was so prone to absorbency and it gave my pancakes and waffles a nice heavy taste.
After I was done tasting this product, I turned the bottle around to look at the ingredient list. I saw that this product was made with Splenda. Now, if you know me personally, you will already know my hate for Splenda. I think the artificial sweetener is way too sweet and gives it's products an awful aftertaste. BUT this product, while it did have a slight aftertaste, was not overly sweet and held a great maple flavor.

All in all, I would buy this product again and again. It may not be every one's cup of tea but it's mine. Just remember that this product is worth the try if you are on a sugar-free diet. It's a great alternative to real maple syrup. I would have to give this 3 out of 5.

Much love,

Cat

Bake: Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

Always try variations on the old.

Today, I was finally able to buy some good 'ol Crisco Butter Flavored Shorting and you all know what that means! Baking time! Today I decided I wanted to bake a soft chocolate chip cookie. Here's how it went down:

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

-2 cups: all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon: baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon: salt

-3/4 cup: melted butter

-1 cup: brown sugar (packed)

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1 tablespoon: vanilla extract

-1 egg

-1 egg yolk

-1 cup: milk chocolate chips

~Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line your cookie sheet with tin foil. (dull side facing up)~

Measure out your dry ingredients (flour/baking soda/salt) and sift them together in a small bowl. In a second, larger bowl, cream together your melted butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk along with vanilla. Then, slowly add your dry mixture to your wet; small amounts at a time. Once fully Incorporated, stir in your chips. Place in your oven. Once the cookie edges are golden brown, they are ready to come out and be placed on a cooling rack!

Much love,

Cat

Ice Cream Cake

2009-05-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Because a special birthday deserves a special cake.

Yesterday was my little sister's birthday and I worked all morning on a special cake. In our family, we usually get Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Cakes for our birthdays (even the cats got one for their first b-day) but unfortunately this year, we didn't not have enough money to buy one for my little sister, so I decided to make her one myself. It couldn't be that hard could it?

I used Hershey's "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake as a base then topped the cake with Dryer's Chocolate Chip ice cream. For the border icing, I used a simple buttercream recipe, which froze wonderfully. Here's what the finished product looked like:

I have to say, not bad at all for my first attempt! I will post the complete recipe for this cake once I get the measurements right. The whole recipe actually makes a rather large cake and I only used maybe a third of the cake batter for the base. I actually have a whole other cake sitting on the kitchen counter.

Much Love,

Cat.

Recipe: White Chip Peanut Butter Cookeis

2009-05-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else but me love the combination of White Chocolate and Peanut Butter?

Today, I decided to make one of my most favorite cookies...with what remained of my Crisco. It's a pretty simple recipe, with few ingredients and easy-to-remember measurements. It was originally a traditional Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, but I decided to add a few White Chocolate Chips to the dough and BAM! A wonderful, soft, salty treat was created.

White Chip Peanut Butter Cookie

-1/4 cup: all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon: salt

-1/2 cup: white granulated sugar

-1/2 cup: dark brown sugar (packed)

-1/2 cup: unsalted butter

-1/2 cup: creamy peanut butter

-1 teaspoon: vanilla extract

-1 egg

-1/3 cup: white chocolate chips*

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and prepare line your cookie sheets with tin foil. (dull side facing up.)~

Measure out your flour and salt and mix the two together in a small bowl. Then in a second, larger bowl, bring together your wet ingredients: sugar, brown sugar, butter and peanut butter. Cream the wet ingredients until light and fluffy. Once creamed, add your extract and egg and stir until well Incorporated. Now, take your dry mixture and in small installments, add it to your wet ingredients. Dough will be stiff. Once all the flour has been mixed in, add your chips.

Roll cookies into small balls, about a half a teaspoon in size. Place on to your cookie sheet (nine per sheet) and grab yourself a fork. One at a time, press the fork down on to the balls to create a criss-cross pattern on your cookie. Bake for 6-9 minutes or until the sides are golden brown.

*= You may use less if desired.

Much love,

Cat

The 8th

2009-05-24T21:23:00.001-07:00

So today officially marks my 8th month in recovery for my eating disorder. I have to say it feels more like eight years rather than months. But recovery takes time, so I've heard.

At the moment, I wish I could share a great recipe or new felt food creation but for the time being, I don't have either. Currently my house is lacking in the Crisco department, so baking cookies is out. But I do have a rather interesting post coming on the 28th. It is my younger sister's birthday and I am making her an ice cream cake! I'm so excited about it.
I do have a felt food coming up as well, right now I'm in the process of sewing it up. I have all the pieces cut out and glued it, so it should take very long to finish it.

Until that time comes, I'll leave you with this image of my pomeranian, Snickers. (Bug)

Much love, Cat.

About Rate.Bake.Create

2009-05-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to Rate.Bake.Create. My name is Cat and I'd like to introduce you to myself and tell you what this blog is about and why it came to be.

The idea behind Rate.Bake.Create came from my love of food. Like many people, I love to eat. It's something I look forward to each day and I treat it as a blessing. I have a love/hate relationship with food because I was diagnosed with anorexia in late 2007.

This disease lead me to a awful abusive relationship with food and at one point I hated it. But after a 7 months of recovery, I've come to a conclusion. I love food. I love savoring the sweetness in pastries, the tang of custards; I want to heal my relationship with food. So, I think venting with this blog will help. But please, let me explain the name of my blog.

Rate: I want to rate different foods, yes reviews. I want to review different types of food and give readers my input about what is good and what is...forgettable. I've always wanted to be a candy critic and what a wonderful way to start?

Bake: Of course, bake! I love to bake anything sweet. It's something that I lacked so much when I was ill, I want to make up for it. I love cookies, mainly. I always want to try different things and experiment on what makes a great cookie. Combining flavors and textures is something that interests me and I love reporting on any good findings.

Make: I love to sew and draw. These things are dear to me and I have to include them when I mention food. I love to sew fake felt foods. It's something that I would love to share with others and teach them how to do themselves. I will, in the future, post patterns and tutorials on how to make your own felt foods.

This blog is my outlet for my relationship with food and my stages in recovery. I love to share it with all of you! Please, if you have any questions at all feel free to comment below or send me an e-mail via my AOL address: Linkluver65@aol.com
It shouldn't take me long to reply.

Please enjoy your stay with me! I'll enjoy being here with you.