Blueberry Pie

Last weekend, I picked up a big container of blueberries at Sam's Club. Not only that they were round and big, they looked so juicy that I had to buy it! So what do I do with 5+ cups of blueberries? Red suggested that we make a blueberry pie to go along our homemade fresh peach ice-cream (will post the recipe later) for our anniversary celebration this weekend! What a great idea! In the spirit of trying to save myself some time, I actually used frozen pie crust this time.

Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cups fresh blueberries

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1 tablespoon butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over blueberries.
Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour berry mixture into the crust, and dot with butter. Cut remaining pastry into 1/2 - 3/4 inch wide strips, and make lattice top. Crimp and flute edges.
Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Oatmeal (C)raisin Cookies

My husband loves all cookies and he thinks that I don't bake enough cookies for him. So when I saw this recipe that promises big crispy raisin oatmeal cookies that are soft-goey inside, I was sold! They were, in fact, as delicious as they looked!

Warning: this recipes makes EIGHT dozens, that's right... EIGHT dozens! If you have extra room in your freezer, this is a great recipe to keep handy for those days when you need a last minute dessert that will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Adapted from: Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

Yield: 8 dozens

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raisins -- I used craisins, since I was too lazy to go out and buy raisins

Preheat the oven to 325 deg F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; stir in the coconut. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy; 3-4 minutes. Add the maple syrup and mix to combine. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until well-combined, about 1 minute, escaping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two batches; mix until just combined. Add oats and raisins; mix until combined.

Shape 3-level tablespoon of dough at a time into 1½-inch balls (or use 2-inch ice cream scoop) and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 min, then transfer parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at a room temperature for up to 4 days.

BB: Peach & Blueberry Crumbles

I was so excited when I saw that Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen selected the Peach and Blueberry Crumbles for our 2nd recipe in June especially since we're in the smack of summer where sweet peaches are plentiful! I made a similar variation of this recipe a while ago, Plum & Raspberry Crumble from Barefoot in Paris and loved it.

We took this dessert to our friends who invited us over for an intimate cook-out on their backyard, while watching fireworks celebrating the Hudson Hometown Days. We all absolutely adored the flavors. It was very light without being too heavy. Although, I was a little bit disappointed that I had brought it over to their house baked (covered with a foil), it was a lot "soggier" than I had expected once we opened it a couple of hours later.

Fortunately, this recipe made a lot more than what I had expected! was able to split it up into a Le Creuset oval dish and 4 Le Creuset ramekins. The one in Le Creuset looked soggy so I didn't take picture of it, and instead took the pretty pictures of the ones in ramekin for the blog!! I used 8 fat peaches and doubled the blueberries (used frozen ones!)--and the sweetness was just right.



For the fruit
2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water.
Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl.
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries.
Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.
For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.
Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit.


Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles int he refrigerator and bake before dinner.

Serves 5 to 6.

Sarah's Pecan Pie

My friend Sarah showed me a picture of her pecan pie on her cell phone when she came to visit me and Red for lunch one afternoon. I was very impressed by the way her picture looked. So I asked her to make this pecan pie when we went to visit her for lunch, and ... I was right! This pie tasted as good as it looked on the picture.

I was pleasantly surprised when she told me that she even made the crust from scratch!! Wohooo!!! The crust was light and buttery, and the filling was hearty, sweet, without being too overwhelming! It was actually a perfect summer dessert. Thanks Sarah for sharing your recipe!

Crust
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
5 tablespoons cold water

Stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender (I use a long fork), cut in shortening till pieces are pea-sized.
Sprikle 1 tbsp of the water over part of the mixture and toss with a fork. Repeat moistening the dough using 1 tbsp of the cold water at a time. Form the dough into a ball.
Roll dough from the center to the edges on a floured surface. (She used wax paper on both the top and bottom of the dough).

Roll the dough to about 12 inches in diameter and transfer dough to pie pan. Crimp the edges or just trim them to the size of the pan.

Pie Filling
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cups pecan halves

Combine eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in pecan halves.
Pour filling into pastry shell.
To prevent overbrowning, cover edges with foil while not covering the top of the pie.
Bake at 350˚ for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!

P.S.: This will probably the only posting I have for June. Red and I are heading to Italy next week, for three weeks. I will not be participating in the Barefoot Blogger recipes! (Bummer!) I will be posting some pictures and info on our trip for anyone who's interested! The plan includes Rome, Florence (Bologna), Venice and Milan.

Espresso Brownies

Red first introduced me to this yummy adult treats when we first met 2.5 yrs ago. All of his friends always requested him to whip up this treat for parties and get together. One even asked if Red could shipped them through Fed-Ex when he moved to Iowa. We made these a couple of days ago to the delight of our friends, Jill and Sarah who drove 2.5 hrs to see us.

This isn't a kid-friendly recipe since kids don't usually like the coffee flavor in the frosting, but adults love since it adds depth to the chocolate flavor.




Espresso Brownies
Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis (Food Network)

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 1 (19.8-ounce) box brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Brownie Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
• Whisk 1/3 cup of water, oil, eggs, and 2 tablespoons espresso powder in a large bowl to blend. Add the brownie mix.
• Stir until well blended.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes.
• Cool completely.

Frosting Directions

• Meanwhile, dissolve the remaining 2 teaspoons of espresso powder in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a medium bowl.
• Whisk in the vanilla.
• Add the powdered sugar and butter and whisk until smooth.
• Pour the glaze over the brownies. Refrigerate until the glaze is set.
• Cut into bite-size pieces.
• Arrange the brownies on a platter and serve.

Snickerdoodles

I have been craving cookies for a couple of weeks now, and decided that I'd like to make these treats so I can enjoy them with coffee. They're perfect and light, and tasted even better the second day. I used Emeril's recipe but made some tweaks.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp of cream tartar
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• a pinch of nutmeg
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cream of tartar and salt into a bowl.

With a handheld or standing mixer, beat together the shortening and butter. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, combine well. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the dough, by hand, into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and line them up about 2-inch apart on a unlined cookie sheets. Bake until light brown, but still moist in the center, about 12 minutes.

Cool on a rack.

Yield: Approx. 3-4 dozens.

Chocolate Butterscotch-Chip Cookies

Regardless of how consistently gorgeous the weather was all throughout last week, we started getting warning for "storm & hail" on Friday night. We ended up getting a cloudy Saturday and I even had to put on my little spring coat when we went for our grocery run. In the up side, however, we thought that this was a perfect baking weather.

Red has been asking for some kind of cookies, plus we're heading to a friend's house for dinner. So we decided that we would try making these chocolate butterscotch chip cookies that I saw from an old Martha Stewart magazine.




We really enjoyed this recipe, but they turned out a little bit thinner than what I would normally like my chocolate chip cookies be. And the amount of butter can also be cut down. But the cookies in overall have great flavor from the combination of chocolate chip and butterscotch chips.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture all at once, and beat until just combined. Stir in chips.
3. Drop tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, two inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool on baking sheet, one minute, then transfer cookies to rack to cool slightly. Repeat until all batter has been used.

Banana Cream Pie

I have been wanting to make a banana cream pie forever. All of the recipes that I have seen used 6+ eggs, some even call for 8-10 eggs! I wanted a simple recipe that produces delicious result, so I thought this Paula Deen's recipe was a good one to use a starting point.

So what was the verdict? This pie has a wonderful flavor, but I thought that the filling could be a little less runny. "But it's not supposed to be firm," Red pointed out. I was wondering if he was right... Here are a few more observations.




We ended up using a 1% milk instead of whole-milk like she called for (and this could have been the reason the pie was runnier than I had expected). I also used 3 large bananas so I could make 2 layers of fruit. My bananas also were very ripe, so next time, I would probably take 2 T of sugar out of the measurement because I want my desserts to be a little less sweet than standard dessert.

Adapted from: The Lady and Sons, Savannah Country Cookbook by Paula Deen
Serves 6-8 pieces

Ingredients
1/3 cup plus 1/4 sugar, separated
3 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 T butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 egg whites
2 bananas, sliced (or more)
One 9-inch pre-baked pie shell

In a saucepan over a medium heat, combine 1/3 cup of sugar with the corn-starch and salt. Blend in the milk, then egg yolks. Cook and stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in egg yolk mixture. In pie shell, alternate layers of banana slices and cream filling. Cover and chill. Top with whipped cream and additional sliced bananas, if desired.

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

I have been eyeing this recipe from Giada since I first saw her making it on Food Network. I have made a couple of Ina Garten's pound cake recipes, all of which are yummy. But I really wanted to test how ricotta can play into this recipe.

I did make three modifications to this recipe... not in purpose, really. But for convenience purpose. I didn't have cake flour on hand, so I decided to just use regular all-purpose flour. I measured 1.5 cups, and took out 2 TBSP out. I also substituted Amaretto for Grand Marnier, which I thought worked out well considering this recipe uses grated orange zest. And it did. Finally, I didn't have the exact pan that she used, so I used my bundt cake pan.

Overall, we really enjoyed this cake. Go ahead and try it, and let me know!!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
2 tablespoons Amaretto
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined.

Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

Plum Raspberry Crumble

As soon as I saw this recipe on Barefoot in Paris, I knew that I had to try it! While the spring is almost here, I can still see snow on the ground-- so I thought something fruity, with light crumble topping would be delicious. What's a better way to get your daily fruit requirement than a big fat piece of this crumble?? But get this--we couldn't find any good looking raspberry in our grocery store! So I had to scramble around to find some "replacement" fruits-- and decided to use up my leftover blueberries and strawberries. Delicious!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 pounds red plums, cut in 1/2, pitted, and cut in 1-inch wedges
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the sliced plums, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour, and the orange juice and toss well. Add the raspberries and toss lightly. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.

For the topping, place the remaining 1 cup of flour, the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the oats, and work it with your hands until it's in large crumbles. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds and mix well.

Spread the topping evenly over the plums, making sure the fruit is covered. Sprinkle with some extra almonds. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings

Shortbread Cookies

Red has been wanting to bake cookies for a while now. He loves cookies. He tells me that he prefers cookies over cakes. Or cakes. Yes, honey, I hear you! We thought about doing chocolate chip cookies, but chose this instead since I prefer non-chocolatey cookies. Yes, there you go, I admit it. I am probably one of the few women who don't have chocolate as weakness.

But I told Red that I'd eat shortbread cookies, or snickerdoodles--which I am sure that we will make in the future. So here we go! This Barefoot Contessa recipe hit our tummy in so many satisfying ways!

Ingredients

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted.

Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.

Carpet Picnic. Part 2.

If you have never tried a homemade caramel sauce.... RUN to the kitchen now, and try them! It was amazing how much better a freshly made sauce tasted! We used this on just regular plain vanilla ice-cream, OMG! Out of the world!

Caramel Sauce
Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don't worry - the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

Indonesian Marble Cake (Kue Marmer)

Growing up in Indonesia, I always had a reservation with baking cake. First of all - everything was made from scratch. No boxes, no shortcuts. And I remember vividly, there were tons of egss involved! Forget cholesterol! Mom or grandma would lovingly whisk the eggs, sift the flour, everything! This particular cake is something that I grew up eating and I never had the recipe for. I searched and searched in the Internet and landed on this recipe.

Of course, as you can see, all of the measurements are in metrics --like most measurements in the world, except the US. Red and I tried to translate it the best way we can, but we think that this would have been more accurate if we had a scale. So here's another gadget that we put on the list to pick up next time!

The verdict: I absolutely adored the subtle and subdued flavoring of this cake. And ... oh the delicate texture was just heavenly. But this was not quiet how I remembered how this cake should taste like. I was thinking that it needed to be a little bit more moist. I told my mom over the phone, and she suggested that I reduce the amount flour. Hell-o! I also thought that batter should have been less dense. This was still a good win for something that I have never baked before. My friends absolutely loved this cake. Her husband's fave cake is... marble cake!! Red also liked this. But I guess the hardest critic was myself - I wanted a journey back to my childhood, and I didn't quiet get there with this one. So here I was, back in my apron, in my kitchen, back to another adventure.



Ingredients/ Bahan:

250 gr or 2 cups of powdered sugar (Gula halus)
300 gr or, 2 and 2/3 sticks of Butter or Margarine (Mentega)
225 gr or 1.5 cups + 2 tsp Self-raising flour
5 gr/ Baking powder
6 Egg yolks
5 Egg whites
5 gr Salt (Garam)
1/4 cup of Cocoa powder (coklat bubuk)
1 tsp Vanilla essence

Instructions

1. Mix the sugar and margarine until turn white and expanded.
2. Put in the eggs one by one and keep mixing it all the time. Add the flour also still keep mixing it. 3. Divide the mixture into 2, and give cocoa powder on one portion and vanilla essence/powder to the other portion.
4. Spoon alternately into baking pan so it will form a marble effect, and bake in 180°C or 320°F for 40 minutes.

Banana Foster

I first discovered this delicious way of cooking banana as dessert probably over 12 years ago in one of the cooking magazines. I don't really remember anymore the actual recipe, because I have since then memorized the recipe, tweaked it here and there and adapted it to suite my taste. I usually skip the liqueur, but use it when I want to be a little bit more fancy. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
• 1 ripe banana, peeled, sliced lengthwise and halved
• 1 tbsp banana liqueur, or and 1 tbsp dark rum - optional
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Directions

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar completely dissolves, about 2 minutes. Lay the bananas in the pan and cook on both sides until they become slightly soft and begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the banana liqueur and then the rum and cinnamon. Tip the pan slightly and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long kitchen match or kitchen lighter to flambe. Put the pan back on the heat and shake it back and forth basting the bananas, until the flame dies out.

Divide the ice cream among dessert bowls. Gently lift the bananas from the pan and place pieces on the ice cream. Spoon the sauce over the ice cream and serve immediately.

Serve 1

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Barefoot Contessa's

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze
nocoupons

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Coconut Macaroons

I tend to crave crunchy and salty snacks instead of sweets. I do, however, have weakness for some certain types of desserts, like ice-cream, which I am now convinced that I inherited it from my mom. If I could have only one dessert in the world for the rest of my life, it would be Haagen Dasz's Light Caramel Cone.

My mom, on the other hand, really loves macaroons, so when I saw this recipe, another Barefoot's Contessa collection, I thought that I should give them a try sometimes, especially since I had some leftover shredded coconuts. She lives about 10 hrs away from me, so unfortunately she didn't get to try these. But definitely, I am keeping this as a keeper in my file.

This past weekend, Red and I were invited to a casual dinner at a friend's house, so I decided to surprise them with a platter of desserts. And this was one of the three desserts that we included a surprise. They absolutely raved about these little delights. So I guess the vote is two thumbs up!

Ingredients

• 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• Whipped Cream or Ice Cream for serving
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Generously butter 6 cups of a standard muffin tin.
• Dust with granulated sugar, and tap out excess. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour and salt until just combined.
• Beat in chocolate until just combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
• Place muffin tin on a baking sheet; bake just until tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when the pan is lightly shaken, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.
• To serve, turn out cakes, and place on serving plates, bottom sides up. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Tips:
When they say "generously butter" the muffin tins, you seriously need to do this, or the cakes will not come out from the pans, like mine did.

Courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Orangettes

I was thrilled to run into this recipe on Smitten Kitchen's website. I am not a chocoholic like my husband is, but I do like good quality chocolate treats. Since I first tried this heavenly treat many years ago, I have been searching to find something similar to this everywhere (at the malls, chocolate shops, upscale bakeries, none!) but haven't run into one yet. The ones that I have found on chocolate shops are usually orange gummy bears dipped in chocolate instead of actual orange peels. This also gets my husband motivated to eat two oranges in one sitting!

Thank God for this recipe.

Orangettes

Ingredients

3 large oranges
1 1/2 cups water
4oz semi-sweet chocolate

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil (not using the above 1 1/2 cups water) and blanche orange peels for a couple of minutes.

Remove the peels, rinse with cold water, and repeat. Drain well.
Meanwhile, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Carefully add the peels to the saucepan. Allow to return to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour.

Be sure to periodically check on the syrup level - you don’t want the peels to burn.
After an hour, remove the peels from the syrup and let them cool on a rack.
Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a double boiler and when peels are cool, dip them in the chocolate. Let them dry on a piece of parchment paper set on a cookie sheet.

When all have been dipped, move them to the fridge for 20 min or so to allow the chocolate to set up.

Starbucks' Cranberry Bliss Bar

My sister is a Starbucks' addict. I seriously think that she needs to go talk to one of my college classmates who work at Starbucks, to see if she can get a job there. I believe it would cut down on her daily commute to Starbucks for her coffee and treat fix. When I saw several recipes on line, I knew that I had to make it for her. I decided to use the one from Mr. Breakfast's website as a starter and made several modifications to the recipe since there are several versions out there.

This version below turned out pretty good, with a good mixture of sweet and tanginess (from the frosting). I did, unfortunately, feel that this was baked a little bit too long because the edges were browned pretty good. The recipe requested 20-25 minutes, but I think mine would have been sufficient with just 20 mins or even less ~ although the flavor was still excellent.

Some of the reviewers on line said that it was too sweet, so when I added cream cheese to the frosting, I only added a little bit of the powdered sugar. I also omitted the melted white chocolate garnish.

For Cake Base
2 sticks margarine (or butter if you want to indulge), softened
1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup minced dried cranberries (I used 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup Lindt or Perugina or other quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup minced candied ginger

For Frosting:
4 ounce cream cheese, softened (I used 6 ounce)
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar (I used 1 -3/4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Gran Marnier (since I didn’t have any orange extract or real orange for some zest, and I really thought that cranberry would go great with orange)
2 tbsp butter, softened (I omitted the butter)

For Garnish:
(I decided to skip the melted white chocolate, so I just sprinkled the cranberries )
2 Tablespoons minced dried cranberries
1/3 cup white chocolate chips (e.g. Ghiradelli or Guittard) -- melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
Beat butter and sugar together for the cake base, and add eggs/vanilla beating until fluffy.
Sift together flour, ginger, and salt and then add to the butter/sugar mixture beating well.
Fold in the cranberries, chocolate and ginger.

Spread thick batter in pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden.
When cake is cooled, mix all frosting ingredients together and spread a thin layer over the cake. Immediately sprinkle with the minced cranberries.
Then use a cake decorating bag of melted white chocolate with a tiny decorating tip (like the size used for writing on cakes) and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.
Cut this into bars immediately because the white chocolate hardens pretty fast and makes cake cutting messy

Red Velvet Cake Balls

My dad is a very picky eater. He doesn't eat chicken, hates cheese unless it's mixed into a lasagna or sprinkled on top of spaghetti or salad. He likes iceberg lettuce and Thousand Island dressing. He's a meat and potato kind of guy. His fave dessert is yellow cake with chocolate frosting and ... you guess it, Red Velvet Cake with seven-minute frosting. When I saw this recipe on Bakerella website, I knew that I had to try it. They were absolutely divine, and lighter in comparison to the other truffle recipes that I tried. We'll see if he likes them or not.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

1 Box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 Can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.) --I used regular white frosting
1 Package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate) --I used regular baking chocolate, since it is easier to work with than the chocolate bark
wax paper

Directions
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

Tip: Melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It's easier to work with when it's hot.