Posted: June 12th, 2010 | Filed under: Cake, Uncategorized | Tags: best peanut butter icing, chocolate and peanut butter, chocolate cake, cowboys cake, peanut butter icing | 1 Comment »
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- Today I’m updating from Humble Texas, where we are celebrating the 1 year birthday of Tristan Jarrell… our cute little nephew! What a doll, all cute and round and amazing. So for the party we contributed some amazing little cupcakes, crowned with little Cowboys helmets. So we’ll update with photos now, and I’ll add a recipe later… here you go.
Barefoot Contessa Chocolate Cake
from Barefoot Contessa
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Scoop into prepared cupcake liners… and bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks for at least an hour before frosting.
Peanut Butter Frosting
Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
Frost your sweet sweet cuppy cakes… and enjoy!
Posted: June 9th, 2010 | Filed under: Vegetables | Tags: cake toppers, cowboys helmets, home grown tomatoes, patio garden, patio produce | 2 Comments »
So this is just a quick mid week update of a few things that have happened (things that caused dancing) and a little preview for later this weekend. As you know, I have been tending to my little patio garden like a good little Dentonite – and while I have been harvesting in on my herbs none of my little veggie plants had ripened quite yet. Until this week… welcome Tomato 1 and Tomato 2 – my first little tiny tomato harvest from the patio! So exciting – and super tasty little guys!
Now for a little preview action… this weekend I’m making cupcakes for a Dallas Cowboys theme 1 yr old birthday party… and this evening I made these cute little cake toppers…
So there you go… anything exciting happening with you mid week?
Posted: June 7th, 2010 | Filed under: Cookie | Tags: best fudge-y chocolate cookies, chocolate cookies, soft chocolate cookie | 1 Comment »
I am not much of a cookie baker. I would love to be. I would. It’s just that… well, most of the time I have problems with cookies… hey hey hey.. lay off me… we all have our week spots. And its not that I’m terrible per say… its just that I’m not amazing, yet. Maybe these little guys are on my pathway out of Cookiesofdoomsville. But here is the thing… it is HOT here in Texas. Really hot. And trust me, I’m not exaggerating. This last weekend had predictable highs of 103 degrees. That is not pretty. That is not even a little bit comfortable. That is stay inside weather… thankfully I’m inside most of the time. However, this blistering heat does call for something cool and creamy… like a nice homemade ice cream sandwiches with some chocolate-y fudge-y deliciously soft cookies… yum!
Cocoa Fudge Cookies
Cooking Light
Mix these little guys right in the saucepan you melt the butter in… less dishes to clean… awesome.
1 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter
7 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c plain low fat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa and sugars. Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies are almost set. Cool cookies on pans 2-3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans, and cool on wire racks.
**I made three batches, one with the plain yogurt, one with vanilla, and one with sour cream… they were all perfect and delicious…. so don’t be afraid to use what is on hand.
Posted: June 3rd, 2010 | Filed under: Breakfast, Entree | Tags: breakfast quiche, breakfast/brunch, brunch dish, brunch entree, brunch quiche, herbed quiche, quiche, vegetable quiche | No Comments »
I love myself a great quiche… I do. It was one of the first “grown up” dishes I learned to make, thanks Mom! And I’ve always enjoyed making it – quick, easy, a crowd pleaser and you can throw in whatever you have on hand. How nice and versatile is that? So I had the pleasure to make breakfast for some amazing people the other morning and this was one of the main delights. I really loved the fact that I got to use fresh herbs cut from my patio, it made me feel so productive. I also love that I could prep almost everything the night before (crusts in the pie plates, veggies cut up, herbs shredded, bacon cooked and crumbled, cheese grated) so it made the morning super easy. And I have to say, I love how light and fluffy and fragrant and satisfying this quiche is. I think you’ll love it too.
Herb-y Brunch Quiche
1 round of pastry crust (use homemade or store bought roll out, both are acceptable)
1/3 c thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 c tomato, chopped
1 c spinach, shredded
1/2 c sharp white cheddar cheese
2 tbsp fresh chives, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped
3 large eggs
1 c heavy whipping cream
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a buttered pie pan roll out crust and press edges. Sprinkle bacon, cheese, veggies, and herbs inside the crust. In a mixing bowl whisk together cream, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the crust. (You may also brush the edges of the crust with egg whites if you would like a little extra shine.) Bake for 30 min or until firm with browned edges. Take out of the oven, and let it rest for at least ten minutes before cutting into it. Enjoy with your favorite breakfast/brunch sides!
(Yes… the pictures have two… I doubled the recipe, and if you would like two quiches, you should double the recipe too!)
Posted: June 1st, 2010 | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: patio garden, patio vegetable garden, small space veggie garden | 1 Comment »
My sweet little patio is a growing and a growing and I spend quite a lot time watering and trimming and watching my sweet little plants. And my oh my… those sweet little tomatoes are sprouting and I have more than a few sweet bell peppers starting to turn bright sunny yellow. And man, I gave my basil and chives and rosemary a sweet trim for a tasty quiche and they are coming back strong! They smell so yummy when I trim them for the kitchen. The mint is so crazy these days its growing in circles around the pot! And then there are my two faves… the desert moss succulents that greet me daily with plenty of bright and happy little flowers in pinks, purple, yellows and oranges. And my precious gardenias, so delightfully fragrant every time I walk out. So here is your update… and hopefully there will be more, praying the Texas sun doesn’t burn them up.
So go and plant something! Or at least take the time this week to stop and smell the herb garden/gardenias.
