Tuesdays With Dorie...Coconut Butter Thins

Don't you find it frustrating when you are trying to make a recipe from a cookbook and there is no picture? I mean, how are you supposed to know if your end product is right? What did women do in the olden days and there were NO pictures at all in their cookbooks?

Maybe they didn't make Coconut Butter Thins.

But that's kind of sad, because these cookies are absolutely loaded with flavor. Seriously - the lime? Oh my. Butter, lime, coconut? Tastes like summer, and that's niiiiccee. But I have no idea what they should look like. Dorie calls them shortbread in her description, but mine bear no resemblance to shortbread cookies. Those fork marks I made so evenly across their tops? Gone. Like, way gone. Cookies that baked for the recommended 18 minutes flattened into lacy little tuile-like thins. Cookies that I yanked at 15 minutes were only a tad thicker. But both tasted really great. So what do Dorie's look like? I'd love to know.

After eating these, the Hub and I decided that these are more "decoration" cookie than "craveable" cookie. They belong on the top of a dessert, garnish for an ice cream sundae. It's hard to deny that flavor, though. Okay, so maybe they are a bit craveable. A bit. Lot.

Aren't you anxious to see how the other TWDers fared with their cookies? I know I am. Let's go check them all out here. Oh, and the month of April? Not going to be good for getting a summer booty in shape with all those calories we're going to be making. Do you think calories count if you eat them while walking on the treadmill?

Someone please say no.

Thanks Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch for choosing this ever so tasty cookie. Visit her blog. Sh'es got two cutie-pies living there, she's started making dolls, and the woman can bake up just about anything she sets her mind to. Oh, and her photos? Top notch.

Oh, there's still plenty of time to win a vacation or two! Just read my older posts...

One trip is to Costa Rica, and one is to Florida. Still time! Read. Click. Enter to win!

The Best Vacations are Free.

That's right...free. Another fabulous vacation, up for grabs, just for registering your name and address in an online drawing. I just did it myself - and let me assure you, they are reputable. Your name isn't going to be sold, you aren't going to be harassed. All that's going to happen is you are going to have to pry yourself away from a website offering information for planning a fantastic vacation adventure.

Kissimmee, Florida. You've all heard of it. Maybe you've even been there yourself. The first time I went, I was 8. And I still remember it. The stroll through the "graveyard" as we stood in line waiting for Disney's Haunted Mansion ride. Twirling in the TeaCups. The look on my Dad's face seeing Abraham Lincoln speak.

I also vividly remember SeaWorld and the way the water felt when Shamu drenched our bleachers. I can still see the pyramid of waterskiers, amazed at their "cheerleading stunts in the water." And the woman who found a pearl in the oyster tank? Yep...etched right there in my brain with my 3rd grade boyfriend and all of the other treasures I keep close at hand.

I am very anxious at the thought of taking my son Seven there...to Florida. I want him to ride One Fish, Two Fish like his older cousins did. I want him to gasp and grin when he gets a good splash from the jumping fountains. I want to see his eyes widen when he sees a dolphin for the first time, and hear him squeal "Again, giiiin" when the dinosaur ride is over. I want to take him to the Luau at the Polynesian and have him learn to hula...I want so much for him. I want to give him the experiences my parents gave me.

Can you even put a price on a giggle?

If you have a child, or were ever a child yourself, you owe it to yourself to take a trip to Kissimmee. Have you checked the rates recently? Hotels and condos are a steal...and the theme parks are really reasonable. Not into theme parks? No problem. Kissimmee has lots more to offer...from nature trails to golfing, fanboats (too fun!) to parks. How about a big blanket and a picnic basket down at Lakefront Park? Dads and Granddads getting googly-eyed over the Saturday Night Cruise, where some of the coolest cars come together to show off? What about a day at the lake in Toho, learning how to fish?


Right now, Kissimmee is giving away three (3) weekend getaways (3 days/2 nights) for two and two (2) weeklong vacations for four. Drawings will be held on or around 4/1/09, 5/1/09 and 6/1/09. The best vacations are free! So enter the sweepstakes for yourself...and your kids.

Check it out here...at the Kissimmee site. No catches...no strings attached.

Just a lot of fun.

Have any special vacation memories of your own you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them!

Product Review & Sale: Pyrex

Everyone who has set foot in a kitchen knows what Pyrex is. Everyone. I guess I got my first set of Pyrex mixing bowls with lids when I moved into my first apartment 15 years ago.

I still have that set...and the lids. I can't say that about any other mixing bowl I have ever owned. Over time, I have added lots more to the Pyrex collection. Why Pyrex?

Pyrex is a brand that you can rely on to be of top quality. Did you know it has been around for 90 years? Plus, they stand behind their product, and that says a lot. And what's not to like about glassware that goes from freezer to oven to fridge?

A couple of weeks ago, I came home to a big box on my front steps. Inside was a 10 piece set of Pyrex Deluxe.

For me to review.

Sweet.

Gotta say, I absolutely LOVE it. Love the ventable tops...no more splatters and spots all over the microwave from exploding leftovers. And of course I love that I can make extra meals, freeze them in the Pyrex, and then take them straight out of the freezer and pop them in the oven.

I love multifunction. Mostly I just love not having to wash extra dishes.

Amazon has these on sale right now, along with many sets of their amazing bakeware and storage. Why keep buying those cheap-o plastic containers at Walmart for your leftovers, only to lose the lid or melt it in the dishwasher...or inevitably stain it with spaghetti sauce? Get a set of the Pyrex for only pennies more than the cheapies, and be set for, oh, at least 15 years. No stains. No melting.

And if you're like me, you'll really feel like a grown up with all of that matching storage. I swear, I get giddy just opening the Pyrex cabinet now. Ditto on the days when I have all clean towels in the linen closet and they are arranged by color and all folded the exact same way.

Let me have my little eccentricities, will you? I don't ask for much.

A big Thank You to the folks at Pyrex for supplying me with these great pieces to review...top notch, really. It's fantastic. Check out their entire lineup here. You'll love it. Really!

Daring Bakers Challenge...Lasagne

More specifically...Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna. Lasagne is always good, if you ask me. Mostly I enjoyed hanging out with Jon in the kitchen (he made the ragu and bechamel while I made the pasta and rolled it into noodles - thanks Kit!) so that was my take-away from it...spending time with the Hub. Well, that and a lot of good pasta! I really like using my new Atlas Marcato Pasta Roller, too. I feel productive. A big Thanks to all of you who helped nudge me in the Atlas direction...it is great and worth every penny!

From the Daring Kitchen Headquarters:

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

With spring around the corner in the northern hemisphere, and autumn descending in the southern hemisphere, the March challenge is a rich dish that we hope will be suitable fare for Daring Bakers around the world and not cause too much heat or stress in the kitchen!
This month’s challenge has global input, with the three hosts living in three continents: Mary from Canada, Melinda from Australia and Enza from Italy. All three of us are very keen bakers for our families and friends and very excited to be hosting our first Daring Bakers challenge!
The recipe we’ve chosen this month is Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (published by William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992).

Lasagne is a dish that has successfully transcended borders and is today made around the world, albeit with many variations from the Italian original. Even within Italy, there are many variations and each region has its own lasagne tradition. But, as Lynne explains in her introduction to the recipe –and Enza, as our Italian expert for this dish, also agrees - the dish should always be a “vivid expression of the ‘less is more’ philosophy of cooking. Mere films of béchamel sauce and meat ragu coat the sheerest spinach pasta. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese dusts each layer. There is nothing more; no ricotta, no piling on of meats, vegetables or cheese; little tomato, and no hot spice. Baking performs the final marriage of flavours. The results are splendid.”

Our Daring Challenge was to:

- make the pasta recipe as follows. Hand-making your own pasta is the main challenge for this month. We could roll it by hand (umm, no, I used to do that before I bought a machine) or use a pasta machine. Hand rolling instructions are provided, are you so inclined.

- a white (béchamel) sauce must be used.

-everything else was up for grabs.

Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
Preparation: 45 minutes
Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)

10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:
Equipment

• A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.
• A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.
• A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.
• Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.
• A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.
• Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough: Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading: With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning: If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Host and Author Links

Enza - http://www.iodagrande.blogspot.com/

Melinda - http://www.melbournelarder.blogspot.com/

Mary - http://www.beansandcaviar.blogspot.com/

Lynne Rossetto Kasper - http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/

Please feel free to check out our new Headquarters...the Daring Kitchen!

See you again next month with our latest challenge!

Cupcake Pop Throwdown

So I am at work today, computerless, bored out of my gourd.

(Note to self - Make sure computer is working again ASAP.)

Anyway, I pull out my beloved iPhone and check my Tweeties. Gotta love that phone. So CB tweets about her weekend plan of making Cupcake Pops for the first time. Decides that maybe she needs to make it more interesting and get the rest of the continent involved. I could have been strong, you see, I have made cupcake pops before. Did a good job with them, too. So good, in fact, that I had to make about 732 of them over the summer for the cafe, at which time I thought I would rather chew my own face off than make another freaking cupcake pop.

But I have been fighting the urge the make them again...why, I'll never know. So seeing CB set up a Throwdown, well, I decided to throw my ring in the hat. Or is it hat in the ring? What does that even mean, Hat in the Ring?

My hat in the ring meant Cupcake Pops and this weeks TWD cookies at the same time.

Sadly, neither turned out all that grand.

I had high hopes, really. Little CB Tweetie Bird let it slip that the CakePop Master, Bakerella, was posting bunnies on Sunday. So Bunnies were out. Can't compete with that chick. She was on Martha, you know. As in, the Martha. And don't bother going to her site, she'll just make you sick at your core with all of her creativity. I'm gagging just thinking about it.

Where was I? Oh yeah...bunnies out. Chickies out, too, because you-know-who made those too. So that left me with grass. Or Easter eggs. For the life of me I couldn't think of a single Easter symbol other than Jesus, and I am not adding "Made Jesus Faced Cupcake Pops in 2009" to the Why-Susan-Shouldn't-Get-Into-Heaven list. Not going there, people. I guess I could have made the big rock that blocked his burial chamber, but I just wasn't feeling it. And so I went back to grass. And eggs.

The eggs won out for reasons I'm sure you can ascertain without my spelling it out for you.

I decided not to go the stick method, as I just wanted a few little eggies all fancied up and looking cute. I got detered at egg 3, since eggs 1 and 2 looked rather lame-o. In the past I have always used almond bark to dip with, but tonight I used candy melts...and added in some shortening to think it down a bit. Maybe it made it too greasy to write on with my Edible Writers? Maybe my hands were to warm to hold the stupid eggs? Maybe I should have went with grass after all?

Oh well, here they are. In all of their non-glory. At least they taste good.

And don't look like rocks.

At least not all of them do.

Vacation Giveaway. Seriously.

I wish I could say that I was giving this vacation away, but I'm not. Caravan Tours is.

I was a travel agent for several years (and can still book trips if anyone is ready to pack) but never made it down to Costa Rica. I still plan on going though- its always nicely priced, and they have a lot of amazing things to do there...pristine beaches combined with jungle/treetop tours...all kinds of adventure travel mixed with quiet times at all inclusive resorts. What's not like? And Caravan Tours was always a great company to work with, so I imagine they are doing top notch things with Costa Rica.

Anyway, this isn't supposed to be an informercial for Costa Rica. It's not really an informercial for anything. I just found that Caravan is hosting a giveaway for a 10 day Costa Rican Tour on their site and decided to pass it on to you.

Honestly, there is no catch - you just click on the link below. If you fill in the limited info (Like name/address), you are in the running. Who knows? You might win. And I might NOT, since I just upped the competition. Oh well...you are good people. Go for it. Have fun. Just buy me a trinket if you win.

Here's your link...


Enter To Win 10 Day All Inclusive Costa Rica Tour

Friday Finds...New Line Digital Scale

I recently had the opportunity to review a digital kitchen scale for Newline. I was thrilled! I had heard some nice reviews about their products, so getting one of my own was a real treat. A digital scale may not be something the average person thinks they need in the kitchen, but I am here to tell you otherwise.


From measuring out your ingredients for a cake (we all know how touchy baking can be), to dividing up meat to freeze (like we did with our ground beef), to simply being on a diet and monitoring portion control - you'll find yourself using your scale more than you ever thought you would. In fact, I think you'll wonder how you got by without it at all.


The scale I reviewed is the Newline Smart Digital Kitchen Scale. It is so simple to use, and is perfect for both wet and dry ingredients. With the push of just ONE button, you immediately know precisely how much of your ingredient you have. Pounds and ounces as well as kilograms and grams. No more crazy calculating from one measurement to another - this scale does it for you! A really nice feature is that the scale is also a clock - and get this- it has a countdown timer and alarm on it. For me, this is perfect because I have learned something the hard way recently...Seven can reach and adjust my oven timer. This is not good for my baked goods, as you might imagine. I also like that the bowl is removable and can be washed quickly in the sink...no problems!

Right now, Newline has this particular scale on sale at their website. Normally $39.00, you can now pick this great product up for half that! $19.95 is more than a deal on a scale of this quality. Try it yourself!




Along with the scale, I was given a 3-in-1 Pizza Utensil to try out. Too cool! One edge is a pizza wheel, the other side cuts, and then the whole thing opens to serve as tongs...pretty ingenius if you ask me. It's also great for pies and cakes...it works as a cutter and the spatula. Best yet is you can get it right now on Amazon for a mere $7.95 - marked down from $18 - and if you buy 3, you get the 4th free. What a great gift idea for a Foodie Friend!





A big Thank You to Newline for allowing me to review these great products...I hope you will take a few minutes to go explore their amazing lineup...there is something for everyone there! Some of their gorgeous scales are almost too pretty to use - check out the Space Saver Model and the Elegant Glass Scales, too! (Would it help to mention that they are on a huge sale?)

Have a great weekend, everyone, and thanks for stopping by! By the way...what do you think of my new look? It's still a work in process, but almost there! I'd love to hear your thoughts....

The Change That Adds Up...Week 5

For the past few weeks I have been showing you the meals we have had here at home instead of going out to a restaurant to eat. A place like Outback, or Applebee's or a steakhouse in general. But what about those weeks when you just want a great burger?

For me, if I think burgers, I think Red Robin. But even a night of burgers adds up...


2 Red Robin Burgers & Fries - $17.90
2 drinks - $4.50
Kid's Meal - $4.95
Tax & Tip - $7.65
Total - $35.00


That's burgers and fries, people. For 2 adults and a toddler. Eeek.


Here's what we did...


I bought chuck roast on sale for $1.79 a pound this week, and Jon ground it. I bought lots of it, actually, and now we have several bags of ground meat just waiting on me in the freezer. I have really started loving that meat grinder. How sad is that? But seriously, it made excellent burger meat. Not too fat, not too lean - just right. I made patties just over half a pound each, and about a 1/4 pound for Seven.


I also found some amazing cheese in Amish country when we were there last week. The flavor I was most eager to try was Vidalia Onion White Cheese. I grated about 3 ounces, and added it to some regular store-bought grated cheddar. It was a great choice.


We carmelized some onions in a frying pan while the burgers were cooking - on the indoor griddle - and added them to the gobs of melted cheese we tossed on the cooked burgers. So SO good. A little spinach, a slice of tomato, some ketchup, mayo - one big, beautiful burger.


Fries are fries if you ask me. Just open a bag of Steak Fries and throw them in the oven. It's healthier than frying them...but if you want to amp them up a bit, throw some cheese on them and dip them in Ranch Dressing. We just used ketchup, though.


Here's how we added up our savings:

1 1/2 pounds Meat - $2.70
Cheese - $1.50
Fries - $1.50 (half bag of frozen french fries)
Veggies - $1.00
Drinks - $1.00
Buns - $1.00
Total - $8.70


Burgers are very easy to make, and I really recommend giving them a shot. If you can get your hands on any of that Vidalia Onion Cheese - get it! I think using it in Mac & Cheese or mashed potatoes would be awesome. The product I used is made by Heini. Please don't stop and think about that. Please. I know it's their name...and yet, I had to giggle every time I stopped to buy Heini Cheese. Heini Cheese. Hiiiiinnnneeeeyyyy Chhhheeeeeesssse.


Oh just grow up and make those burgers already.


Heini Cheese.

(by the way, you can buy their cheese online. It's not cheap, but it's worth it!)

Wordless Wednesday...Always Prepared

Measuring spoons and Daddy's Hard Hat. If Mommy is in the kitchen, it's best to have your bases covered...you never know what you may need.

Tuesdays With Dorie...Blueberry Peach Crumb Cake

When I heard the words Crumb Cake, I thought of Coffee Cake.

And when I think of Coffee Cake, I think of stale. Like, cardboard cake that is sitting out in an office breakroom, who-knows-how-many-days old, brought in by that secretary who saw it a few days ago in the grocery but forgot to bring it in so it's been in the trunk of her car in a plastic grocery bag - not even a reusable bag - and now it's beside the coffee pot that time forgot and yet still manages to get use. And I don't even drink coffee. Yes, really. Don't drink it. Some people don't. And no, I don't really know any others. It's not like we have a club or anything. We aren't the NRA or Mensa.

So let's just say I was not excited about this week's choice. In that vein, I decided to make a half recipe.

That was just stupid on my part.

This cake, while baking, fills the house with the sweetest aroma of anything I have ever made. It's heaven. It isn't stale. Not cardboardlike at all. Just a great tasting cake you'd be thrilled to have at breakfast. Or brunch. Or with coffee, if you were so inclined. Okay, I like the smell of coffee, just not the taste. Give it a rest. Oh, and the topping on this cake? Good Lord. It's almost too good.

The only changes I made to the recipe were to add a bit of cardamom to both the topping and the batter, and to add a few diced peaches in with the blueberries. I tossed the berries and peaches with a bit of sugar and lemon juice as well. Oh, I added nearly twice as much orange zest as Dorie called for...I just can't get enough of that stuff!

A big thanks to Sihan of Befuddlement for choosing the Blueberry Crumb Cake on pages 192-193 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. I doubt I would have ever made this tasty cake on my own. Just think what I would have been missing.

If you don't already have this cookbook, you should. Get it here.

And now go see the rest of the gang. We all made it. Visit our Headquarters at Tuesdays With Dorie. We are a real club. Like the NRA and Mensa. Really.

ChocoBerry Braid for the Pillsbury Bake-Off

Whaaaaa? Susan? Entering the Pillsbury Bake-Off?

I think I almost choked while typing that.

You see, I am not that person. Before Seven was born, well, I couldn't bake my way out of a paper bag. So to sit here and tell you that I, Susan Whetzel, am entering the Pillsbury Bake-Off is kind of, well, otherworldly. I guess people can change after all.

This recipe is simple. It's perfect for brunch, as it's a little fancy, and no one would ever guess that it took you no time at all. This braid is similar to the Danish Braids we Daring Bakers made in June, but take none of the time. Yes, I do like the from scratch Danish better, but saving 12 hours in the kitchen? Well, this recipe wins hands down without sacrificing much of the flavor. Your guests will find you to be a genius, I tell you...genius!


ChocoBerry Braid

1 Can Pillsbury Recipe Creations
1 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Orange Zest
1/4 tsp. Ground Cardamom


Filling:

8 ounces Softened Cream Cheese
1 Egg (EggLand's Best)
2/3 cup Sugar
3/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Orange Juice
1/2 cup Hershey's SemiSweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Blueberries or Raspberries


Preheat oven to 375.




With hand mixer or standmixer, beat all filling ingredients except for the berries and chocolate. Sit aside, preferably in refrigerator until needed.



On lightly floured surface piece of parchment placed on a baking sheet, roll out the Pillsbury Recipes Creation dough. Sprinkle the orange zest evenly across the dough, lightly pressing it in as you go. Next, sprinkle the cardamom powder over the dough.


Along one side of the dough, make 1 inch wide cuts towards the center of the dough, a little less than 1/3 of the way across the dough (roughly 3 inches).



Repeat on the opposite side of the dough, making sure to line up the cuts with the ones you made on the other side.



Sprinkle half of the chocolate chips and berries in the center of the dough, followed by all of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the remaining chips and berries on top.



Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps helps to keep the filling in place. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, braiding until you reach the end. Tuck in the ends as you go. When finished braiding, trim any excess.



Bake for 25-28 minutes, until golden. Remove and allow to cool until warm. Enjoy!



For photos documenting the braiding process, click here.





I have yet to decide if the braid is the way to go for the Bake-Off, or if a simpler presentation is in order. But I still have time to decide. If you are thinking about entering, there's still time for you, too!


Just head over to the Bake-Off Headquarters for all the details - but hurry...the deadline is April 20th!



Now, for the moment you have all been waiting for...the winner of the Emile Henry Pie Dish! Thanks to everyone who entered - I wish all of you could have won. But - only one could win and that was...



Shari...get me your color choice and address and I will get you your prize!

Thanks again, everyone...and stay tuned, I will be having more giveaways in the near future!

Dulce de Leche Samoas

The other day I got a wild hair and decided to make Samoas. Jon loves them, but at $3.50 a box (or is it more now?) it's hard to jusify buying too many. This recipe makes 3 dozen, which is more than 2 boxes worth - and I had all of the ingredients on hand. How sweet is that?

I'll let you in on a little secret...these don't taste exactly like a Samoa, due to the dulce de leche. I suppose using regular caramels would taste more like a Samoa, but these are still really good. Maybe better than a Samoa...kind of like a candy bar. If you can wait a day to eat them, they are so much better. So much. But it's hard to wait, I know. I keep mine in a container in the fridge. Or well, I did, but that didn't last long. :)

Dulce de Leche Samoas

makes about 3 dozen

Shortbread Cookie Base

• 7 Tbsp. Butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together butter and sugar with stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Slowly add in flour, baking powder and salt on low speed, then the vanilla and milk. If dough is too dry, adda teasponn at a time of milk. The dough should not be sticky, so if it is, add a little flour at a time until it reaches a consisitancy that will allowyou to roll it with a rolling pin. Roll the dough to around 1/4 inch and cut with round cookie cutters around 1 - 1/1/2 inches rounnd. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet oSilpat and make a hole in the center with a straw or round piping tip. Reroll any scraps. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until very lightly golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet.

Topping

• 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 can (10-12 oz.) homemade Dulce de Leche
• 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Toast the coconut either in the oven (300 degrees, stirring every few minutes) or on the stove top in a large skillet, stirring frequently. Allow to cool.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat dulce de leche until warm. Add the coconut and stir until well combined.

Using a spoon or small spatula, add the topping to the shortbread cookies. Warning - this is a little sticky and messy, but fairly easy. Once all of the cookies are topped, heat the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals until smoothe. Dip the bottoms of the cookies into the chocolate and place on parchment or Silpat and place in the refrigerator to set. When set, heat more chocolate in the microwave and add to a piping bag. Squiggle chocolate on the tops of the cookies.

Friday Find...

Oh, how I wish that I had been the one to find this originally.
No, scratch that.
Oh, how I wish I had been the one to invent this.

New Metro Design's BeaterBlade.

What an ingenius concept! The blade, being made of a rubbery silicone material on the outside, and yet plastic and durable on the inside means all that gunk that used to sit in the bottom of your mixer bowl is now magically incorporated into the rest of the batter! No scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl every few minutes, no leftover surprises hiding in the bottom under the beater after you've already poured the contents of your cheesecake into the crust.

Heaven! I was thrilled to try this product out for New Metro, and it did not disappoint. I had assumed that the rubber blades would be smoething I kind of finagled onto the existing KA beater, like a glove, of sorts, but I was wrong. The BeaterBlade is a replacement blade...put your old one away. Just the other day I was blogging about the great deal I found over at KitchenAid on an extra mixing bowl. Of course, you'll want an extra beater, too, right? Well, the BeaterBlade comes in every size. And not just for KitchenAid Mixers...Cuisinart, Delonghi, and Viking mixers can use a BeaterBlade, too. Win-win situation for everyone.

Go get one yourself now and you can thank me later!



Ooooh, I almost forget to tell you! Amazon is doing their "4-for-3" Promotion again, which means...you buy 4 items at the Amazon price (which is impossible to beat) and you only pay for 3 of them! Plus - the shipping is free!!! Click on one of the above links to check it out!

The Change That Adds Up...Week 4

Here we are again, another week come and gone in the blink of an eye. Time flies, doesn't it?

For our "Stay At Home Meal" this week we have Orange Glazed Chicken with Herbed Rice and Green Beans. Not that we don't stay home for every meal - well, this is the meal we are eating instead of paying high dollar prices at a restaurant. The meal we make at home to keep a little extra cash in our pockets, I guess you could say.

This one was a good one. Easy, and very very tasty. I love the flavor of orange with the chicken...it's so good! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Orange Glazed Chicken Breast

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 tsp. Thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp. Chopped Basil
Pinch of Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
2 Tbsp. Butter, divided
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
2 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce


Combine the dry ingredients and add over the Chicken. Fry in skillet on each side in 1 Tbsp. Butter until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet momentarily, you will be placing it back into he skillet. In same skillet, combine remaining ingredients and stir over med-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Replace thechicken into the skillet for one minute. Add sauce from the skillet when plating the chicken.

For our side dishes, we had green beans with bacon and onion, and a super simple rice - straight from Lipton. Who said it had to be difficult to be good? For dessert, we had Apple Dumplings with Ice Cream. I promise to provide a recipe for that in the very near future - something THAT GOOD really needs a post of it's own, so stay tuned!!

Okay, okay. So what were our savings? Remember, we base dinner out at $61.

Chicken - $3.00

Spices - $.50

Butter - $.50

Marmalade - $.75

Oil - $.25

Vinegar - $.30

Lipton Rice - $1.00

Green Beans - $.70

Apple Dumplings - $3.75

Total - $10.75

That saves us another $50 this week! Woot! Two weeks in a row! This really is The Change That Adds Up!

Hope this helps you with at least one meal in the future...I know we liked it, and I think you will, too! See you again tomorrow with my Friday Find of the week!

Wordless Wednesday...Boy's Best Friend

Tuesdays With Dorie...French Yogurt Cake

Can you believe it's Tuesday again already??

This week, Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction chose the French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze on pages 224-225 for us to try. It was easy! I was shocked. Anything with the word French in it frightens me a bit. The French, you know, those women spend like, a month's salary on a pair of stilletto boots, and then proceed to walk around in them on cobblestone.... While talking on their cells, simultaneously smoking a cigarette, window shopping for lingerie and avoiding dog accidents. It's amazing. And yet, this French cake was simple. Hmmm. Maybe these same women spent all of their formative years learning to walk in high heels and left the baking to Pierre Herme. That must be it.

Dorie mentioned that this cake is often the recipe used by the French for making Birthday cakes, so in that vein, I made mine 2 ways. First, I made a layer cake by using small 4 inch rounds. The other method was to use that stupid Fluted Tube Pan from The Pampered Chef that I have yet to be successful with. Why do I keep using it? I should have kept the freaking instructions. I must be doing something wrong as I haven't once had a cake actually flute all the way around. Whatever. It tasted really good.

Now, because I tend to use what I have available instead of making that run to the store, I made the following substitutions: Orange Zest instead of Lemon Zest. I also added the juice from half of the orange and used Seven's Vanilla flavored yogurt instead of plain. It was the perfect amount. So sue me. Vanilla is almost plain. Plain-ish. And I figured it would be more appropriate than Strawberry Cheesecake or Key Lime flavored, though you and I both know that one of those flavors would have been used had the Vanilla not been in the fridge.

Glaze? No. I went with the icing option. I whipped up some cream cheese with the juice from the other half of the orange, some regular sugar, and a splash of vanilla. Oh it was good. I tossed some strawberries on it and had a really nice dessert. Kind of like a strawberry shortcake, but a little orangy. Yum. I will be making this again in the summer to have with ice cream or the icing again...just a really great recipe to add to your collection. Very versatile...and that's niiiice.

I'm sure that the other Dorie-gangers came up with lots of great versions of this cake, so take some time and check them out. You'll be pleasantly surprised!

Oh, and if you haven't already entered to win the Emile Henry Pie Dish - go back and read this post...who doesn't want a free Pie Dish??