NO-KNEAD CASSEROLE BREAD

Apparently I missed this trend on the blogosphere.  Being sans-stand mixer, the thought of baking bread hasn't even crossed my mind; my forearms can't handle ten minutes of kneading.  But after a co-worker opened my eyes to this hassle-free recipe, I may become an avid bread baker!  This no-knead, make-it and leave it style bread is remarkably similar to a crusty ciabatta.  The dough is pulled together the day before and left to rise for at least ten hours.  No need to punch it down after two hours or worry about over-proofing.  When it's time for dinner just shape into a boule, wrap in a tea towel and wait for the final rise while the oven comes to temp.  Pop it in a pre-heated casserole, bake covered for thirty minutes, then remove the lid and let it crisp for a final fifteen.  Looks pretty impressive for such little hands on time... and for using expired yeast.  Excellent for sopping up leftover tomato sauce or a heartt soup/stew.

There are plenty of versions online for Jim Lahey's no-knead bread.  I used this one.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

What to do with leftover chopped peanuts?  Well, make peanut butter cookies of course. This version from Dorie Greenspan has the perfect consistency: crisp, light and tender, not overly crunchy or sandy. One thing I've learned by baking entirely too much, is that the key to a fantastic cookie is making sure you thoroughly cream your butter and sugar.  I'm not talking one minute with a hand mixer.  It's more like three minutes of beating until the mixture is light and smooth.
Tailoring the recipe to my own taste, I chopped up and tossed in semi-sweet morsels and peanut butter chips.  They add the perfect contrast in texture without being too large that the classic crisscross adornment is indistinguishable.  Definitely a cookie jar staple.

PEANUT BUTTER CRISSCROSSES
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup smooth peanut butter (I use Skippy)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped salted peanuts
1/2 cup finely chopped semi-sweet morsels
1/2 cup finely chopped peanut butter morsels (I use Reese's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Working with a stand-mixer or hand mixer, beat butter on medium speed for one to two minutes until creamy.  Add peanut butter and beat for another minute.  Add sugars and beat for three minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.  Mix in the chopped nuts and morsels. The dough should be light, soft and easily mush-able.

Working with approximately a tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball and drop into a bowl with approximately 1/2 cup of sugar.  Roll balls around in the sugar to coat, then place on cookie sheet two inches apart.  Flatten slightly with your palm, then create the crisscross indentation with the tines of a fork dipped in sugar to prevent sticking.

Bake for 12 minutes, roatating sheet half way, until the cookies lightly colored and still a little soft.  Let cool for five minutes then transfer to a wire rack for to cool to room temperature.  Makes about 40 cookies

LUCK O' THE IRISH

Before we get into the festive fare, like to give a big congrats to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks for the thrilling upset Friday night.  Super proud of my alma mater!!!  They put up a good fight against Xavier last night but sadly luck was not on their side and the shots just wouldn't sink.

St. Patrick's day was spent as it should be in the Talbot household, with a black and tan, corned beef and cabbage soup and a decadent Guinness chocolate cake with Bailey's cream cheese frosting. The soup was festive and tasty but a bit on the bland side; I found the healthy recipe here.  The cake, however, made up for the lackluster soup.  Looking like a frothy pint of Guinness, this chocolate stout cake was given an extra Irish touch by my addition of 8 teaspoons of Bailey's Irish Cream to the frosting in place of the 1/2 cup heavy cream.  Thanks Nigella Lawson for the delicious recipe! 

CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKES

Yes, it tastes as good as is it sounds. The main ingredients say it all: CHOCOLATE, STOUT BEER, and BREAD... these are a few of my favorite things. Did I mention this is a Chuck Hughes recipe? It is super simple and a great comfort dessert. Let me try to describe this dish as best I can: the bread adds sponginess to the texture of the dish; the chocolate has a custard-like consistency and absorbs into the bread, yet the extra chocolate mixture turns into custard around the bread; and the stout is very present, adding notes of coffee and alcohol, which enhances the chocolate flavor.

This is essentially a bread pudding; but, Chuck can call it a cake if he wants, he's the boss. The Chocolate Stout Cakes are served warm with whipped cream. I personally enjoyed it best when it was closer to room temperature or cold (I'm weird like that, not always a fan of warm/hot desserts). I was 2 for 2 this weekend with recipes. As Matt would say, "I knocked it out of the park." Now I need to go to the gym.

FRESH BAKED CROISSANTS

Any french pastry, when warm from the oven, is well worth the effort to create it.  Seeing as croissants require a 14 hour window to produce, I had been waiting a while for the right day to dedicate. So I knew that on Saturday, after a days of balmy winter weather we finally had snow in the forecast, it was time to spend the day in the kitchen.  Yes, there was a lot of dough rolling and a giant brick of butter.  No, it was not the only thing I did that day.  But popping into the kitchen for 5 minutes every hour is not that cumbersome.  The hardest part is waiting!! But after they're baked, all fluffy and buttery and steaming ... oh boy.  The French got something very right here.

And you guessed it, half of them were filled with chocolate. Sinfully delicious.

If you're feeling bold and want to give it a go, do! I followed the recipe here.

BRIOCHE THREE WAYS

I love butter.  Well, really who doesn't.  I may not have a Paula Dean level obsession where I top every creation with a giant knob, but in my eyes few things are as delicious.  Any carbohydrate, be it pasta or a biscuit, spaetzle or pancakes, is always better topped with butter.  Now if butter on carbs is always tasty then a butter packed loaf of bread has to be a no-brainer.

Enter Brioche.

Golden brown and so rich your hands have a nice oily sheen after you've inhaled a slice (I like mine toasted with a smear of raspberry jam).  I grabbed my trusty Baking cookbook by Dorie Greenspan and pulled together the simple recipe (p.48 , stand mixer with dough hook a must).  After baking one loaf I decided to use the second half of the batter for another sinful treat, a batch of Honey Pecan Sticky Buns (p.51)!  And since our small household couldn't kill the entire loaf before it going stale ... Four-Star Chocolate Bread Pudding (p.410) came to the rescue.   The waistline may not have been happy but my butter loving stomach sure was!

SAVORY MUFFINS - BUTTERMILK, CHEESE & BACON MUFFINS

When you think of a muffin, what type of muffin generally pops into your mind? Was your answer blueberry? Mine was. Well muffins aren't just for breakfast anymore. I am here to introduce you to a savory muffin. This Christmas, Meredith and I each received the cookbook Cupcakes & Muffins cookbook from our dad. This tiny book is jam packed with 100 recipes so I decided it was time to get started. My first muffin was the Buttermilk, Cheese and Bacon Muffins. What doesn't sounds good about that? This little baked delight is reminiscent of a biscuit, but so much easier. No rolling or cutting required. What makes this an extra special treat is the gooey, melted cheese in the middle. It is an unexpected element that ads depth and flavor. I would pair this muffin with a good soup, stew or even on its own.

Buttermilk, Cheese & Bacon Muffins
{Courtesy of Cupcakes & Muffins}

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 chopped cooked bacon
4 tsp snipped chives
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 oz, camembert, cut into 12 pieces

Makes 12 Servings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin pan. Sift flour & baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir in parmesan, bacon and chives. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. Combine buttermilk, butter and egg. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined. Spoon into each muffin cup until each cup is 1/3 full. Add a piece of the camembert to each muffin and top evenly with remaining mix. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center of the muffin springs back when pressed. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or reheat gently before serving.

PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS ...

with cream cheese filling ... and a stuessel topping ... you can thank me later.

There is no better way to kick of Autumn 2011 than with a little pumpkin spice.  The trees may not be as colorful as by Jess, but I've taken her little pumpkin's older brother and made something delicious. These moist muffins hold a surprise inside, a dollop of sweetened cream cheese.

Words cannot describe, you just need to venture forth and back a couple dozen.  I'm sure your friends and family will happily taste test.

I made this recipe last year and immediately added it to the recipe box, but forgot to note where I grabbed it from online.  I was able to hunt down the original over at annies-eats.net.  Check it out –> here.

  

GRAMMY'S CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Confession: my grandmother never made these cookies.

But whomever's g-ma figured this recipe out should be given an award. I'm thinking one of those ceramic "World's Best Grammy" mugs.

With their deep chocolate flavor and sugary coating, these cookies bring you back to preschool. More precisely, to the package of cellophane wrapped, giant chocolate disks that some unassuming mother would bring for snack day, making the 3pm nap a pipe dream. There's something nostalgic about the flavor and texture combination that makes these a favorite for all ages.

Rolling each cookie into a ball is a pain. However you will notice the lazier you get, the larger the cookies become.. and the more delicious. Make sure you buy a fresh gallon of milk before baking!

GRAMMY'S CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookies, but can also be found online –> here

CINNAMON RAISIN SWIRL BREAD

Time to up the culinary game.  How you ask?

Yeast.

That's right, no banana quick bread here; I brought out the big guns (well, more like the unicellular).  Sure, it doesn't go from bowl to belly in less than an hour. Sure, you're working with a fickle, living, breathing organism. But nothing makes a house smell more cozy and inviting than fresh baked bread (close second: roast chicken or roaring fire). Tossing in raisins and cinnamon just ups the comfort level by a factor of 10!

Fresh out of the oven, this loaf is killer. Toasted with butter - whole new experience. Home made is so much heartier than those flimsy Pepperidge Farms slices you buy at Costco. Make it yourself and you can saw off giant slabs, unraveling the fluffy goodness from the napkin on your lap. Getting out a plate is wasted effort because this won't be eaten at a leisurely pace. 

But be warned: this bread disappears fast. I had grand plans for Saturday morning french toast, but little did I know this bad boy would only survive a couple of days on the counter of a busy kitchen. Oh well, guess I'll have to make it again!  

CINNAMON RAISIN SWIRL BREAD

(Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Raisin Swirl Bread)

INGREDIENTS:

For The Bread - 

1 packet active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar, plus a pinch

1 and 1/4 cups just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk

3/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1/2 and orange

Pinch of fresh nutmeg

3 and 3/4 to 4 cups flour

For The Swirl - 

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tsp cinnamon (I made mine heaping)

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa (this is optional, I added only 1/2 tsp)

1 cup moist, plump raisins 

3 Tbl unsalted butter, softened to spreadable consistency

DIRECTIONS:

Make the Bread -

Put yeast in small bowl, toss in the pinch of sugar and stir in 1/4 cup of warm milk.  Let rest for 3 minutes, then stir.

With a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine remaining 1 cup milk, the butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  Mix on low speed for a minute or two.  Add the salt, egg, vanilla, orange zest and nutmeg and mix for a minute; mixture will look curdled.  Add the yeast and beat on low speed for 1 minute more.

Turn the mixer off and add 2 and 3/4 cups of the flour, mix on low until you work the flour into the liquids.  Now is the time to switch to the dough hook attachment.  Add another cup of flour and increase speed to medium, beating dough for a couple of minutes.  If the dough does not come together and clean the sides of the bowl, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour, 1 Tbs at a time. Keep the mixer at medium speed and kneed the dough for 3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and has a nice buttery sheen.  The dough will be very soft, much too soft to knead by hand. 

Butter a large bowl, turn the dough into bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1.5 hrs.  

Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap it and but in freezer for 30 minutes to firm enough to be rolled easily (I instead refrigerated the dough overnight because there was not enough time for the second rise and baking ... also it meant fresh bread for brunch!)

Shape the Loaf - 

Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Whisk together sugar, cinnamon and cocoa. 

Roll dough into a 12x18 inch rectangle on a lightly dusted surface.

Gently smear 2 Tbs of butter over the surface of the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle over cinnamon sugar mixture then scatter the raisins over the surface.  Starting from short side, roll the dough up jelly-roll fashion, making sure it is nice and snug.  Fit dough into buttered pan, seam side down, and tuck ends under loaf. 

Cover pan loosely with wax paper and set in warm place; let dough rise until it comes just a little above the edge of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Bake the Bread -

When dough has almost fully risen, center rack in oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment.  Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and brush on the top of the loaf. Put the pan on baking sheet and bake bread for 20 minutes.  Cover loosely with foil tent and bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when the bottom of the pan in tapped.  Transfer the pan to rack and cool for 5 minutes, then unmold. Invert the bread and cool to room temperature right side up on rack. 

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Good Morning! I don't know about you but sometimes I am craving something more than a bowl of cereal or some eggs. As these brisk mornings approach I want something satisfying and hot out of the oven. What better than a warm homemade blueberry muffin. I've struggled to find a decent recipe for your basic blueberry muffin. Alas, I stumbled upon one on the world wide web. It was, however, missing what I find to be some of the key ingredients in a muffin. Spices! After a few tweaks this recipe is ready for all those brisk mornings and a hot cup of coffee. Enjoy!


The Best Blueberry Muffins
(Adapted from food.com)

Servings: 18

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of room temperature butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk

For Topping:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg

Directions:
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. In a bowl, mix butter until creamy. Then add sugar and mix until fluffy and pale. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Then mix in vanilla, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. With a spoon, fold in half of the flour then half of the milk into the batter, repeat. Fold in the blueberries. Then distribute the batter into the 12 muffin cups. You may have extra batter. Top each muffin with the topping. Bake 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. Add a little butter and enjoy!

This recipe makes 18 servings and most people only have a single 12 cup muffin tin. I decided to experiment with my extra batter and found another fun way to bake these muffins up to make them extra special. I baked the extra batter in single serving ramekins and added old fashioned rolled oats with a little bit of butter to the topping before baking. The presentation looks great and it tastes amazing!

PEANUT BRITTLE and VANILLA ICE CREAM

As I awaited Irene's overnight visit this Saturday, I decided to keep myself busy with a new challenge - Peanut Brittle.  Considering my candy thermometer is tucked away in a storage facility I am not sure why I thought this was in intelligent time to venture into the world of sugar boiling, but miraculously I was able to gauge the appropriate time and temperature with the help a meat thermometer (please note the thermometer's highest temperature was 75 degrees colder than the maximum temperature suggested in the recipe, plus I halved the recipe so all times were significantly shortened - there was some serious guess work going on).  One part estimation to two parts dumb luck seems the perfect recipe for success... next time I'll unpack my thermometer to be safe though.

{Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle recipe from Bon Appetit - via epicurious.com}

But I didn't stop there. What would go well with the crispy, salty-sweet treat? Cold and creamy vanilla ice cream of course! I made a basic custard compliments of David Lebowitz, froze the concoction and voila, a perfect post hurricane dessert for Sunday.

{Recipe from David Lebovitz via www.epicurious.com}

BANANA BUNDT

I don't know what it is about bananas, one day they're not ripe enough to enjoy then the next they're a spotted mess. I can't complain though because the surplus of blackened fruit makes for whole host of baking opportunities. Last week's crop of past-prime bananas ended up in this basic Banana Bundt Cake. No fancy icing, chocolate chips or lemon zest, this recipe made sure that the banana flavor was front and center, the texture was a nice tight crumb and each slice was light and super moist.  I may have added the chopped pecans as a little surprise but this recipe needed no helping. My search for the perfect banana bread, one with big flavor but not as heavy as a brick, may be a wasted effort because this banana cake blows any bread I've had out of the water. Perfect for brunch or late night with a cup of tea, next time your fruit bowl is burdened with stinky, black bananas this is a must bake - trust me.

CLASSIC BANANA BUNDT CAKE

(Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

About 4 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 and 1/2 to 1 and 3/4 cups)

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I used greek style yogurt)

optional - 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans but walnuts would be delicious too!)

Directions:

Center rack in oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Grease a standard 12-cup bundt pan.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside.

With stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until creamy.  Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating about 1 minute after each egg. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas.  Finally, mix in half of the dry ingredients (batter may look curdled), and all of the yogurt, then the rest of the flour mixture.  This is when you add the nuts if using.  Spoon the batter into the pan and rap on the counter to de-bubble and smooth the top.

Bake the bundt for 65-75 minutes or until a thin knife inserted deep into center come out clean.  Check the cake after 30 minutes - if it is browning too quickly cover loosely with a foil tent (I know my bundt needed the tent, I would suggest doing so as well).  Transfer cake to rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding.  Cool to room temperature.

Tip - wrap up cooled cake in plastic and wait a day before enjoying.  Time is this cake's friend, the flavors intensify and the inside gets super moist.  

CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

In the words of my father, "Chocolate and nuts, of course they're good."
Biscotti have gotten the unjust reputation of being a treat only purchased at the coffee shop register, not baked from scratch in your own kitchen. I'm here to amend the misconception... it is easy to make biscotti. Your morning cup-o-joe and afternoon mug of tea will thank you.

Yes, you do need to bake them twice, however those of you skeptics who have sliced and baked a toll house tube of dough should be old pros. The easy batter is shaped into flattened logs, plopped onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and baked for 25 minutes. After a 20 minute rest to cool down, you slice and space the cookies, lining them up like an army of Italian soldiers. Back in the oven for 10 minutes to ensure the crusty exterior and you're finished - the perfect dunkable cookie. Laced with chopped bittersweet chocolate, infused with espresso powder and speckled with walnuts, these beauties beat the bland, Starbucks counter offering in both flavor intensity and texture. Note to self, next time make sure these little soldiers put on a coat of dark chocolate before leaving the house.

Chocolate Biscotti
(Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, Baking)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp instant coffee or instant espresso powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, coffee powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla; beat for another 2 minutes. Decrease the speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead a few times just to incorporate any dry ingredients that didn't get mixed in before. Divide into two portions; on the baking sheet, shape each portion into a 12 inch log, then flatten with the palm of your hand so the rectangle is only 1 inch high. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the sheet from the oven and let it cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Then, with a serrated knife, slice the logs into about 3/4 - 1 inch slices and leave the slices standing up on the baking sheet, making sure they do not touch. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes of baking.

Transfer biscotti to a rack to cool. Once cool, feel free to make a pool of melted chocolate for the biscotti to take a dunk in.

WEEKEND UPDATE:
Rain or shine was no lie this past Sunday when I competed in and completed my very first sprint-length triathlon! After a 1/4 mile swim, 10.5 mile bike ride and 3 mile run in a steady down pour I crossed the finish line, still breathing and surprisingly first in my age group. The reward? An awesomely kitschy bobblehead, complete with silver ponytail and bronze nikes. Add in some chocolate biscotti and I'd call that an excellent end to the weekend.

FRIDAY IN FRANCE

What language did you study in high school? My fellow francophile and friend of over 15 years, Jill, joined me for an evening of Parisian treats! On order were some petit lemon madeleines (my new pan's maiden voyage) and Lillet on ice with orange.

For those of you new to Lillet, it is an aperitif wine with hints of citrus. Traditionally served over ice with a slice of orange or lemon, it has a slightly thicker consistency than white wine with a gentle sweetness.

My attempt at madeleines was not as daunting of a task as one might assume. To add depth I browned the butter but other than that I kept to the detailed recipe found in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours cookbook. The result were dainty, cake like cookies that are a perfect pop-able size, best served along side a cup of tea, coffee or glass of Lillet!

{Madeleine recipe via: doriegreenspan.com}

BEACH TREATS

The acclimation back into the daily grind is never easy after a low-key week at the beach. As you already know, the Talbot Family Vacation in RI was a smashing success; there were plenty of books read, skin burned and salt water unintetionally ingested.  But what is a vacation without a few treats?! So as we loaded up the car with towels, chairs and enough clothing to dress the entire town I made sure there were some sweet (and potent) treats packed as well.

LEMON SABLES: France's version of a sugar cookie, these are delicate and light, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Dorie Greenspan (just bought her gigantic Baking cookbook, uhoh!) has an ingenious method of working the zest into the raw sugar with your fingertips to pull out just enough essence of lemon without being over powering.

{Dorie Greenspan's Lemon Sables via: The NY Times} 

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE COFFEE CAKE: I know, the title's a mouthful... and so is this decadent cake! Essentially a coffee cake base toped with cheesecake filling covered in a blueberry compote and finally sprinkled with almond crumb, this treat is both decadent and delicious. The real confusion though is with it being so rich (yet surprisingly not as dense as one would assume), is this a dessert or a breakfast item?  

Well just eat it twice, problem solved! 

{Recipe via: Sugar N' Flour}

GIN & TONICS: A Summer Staple. This year we made them with fragrant Hendrick's Gin, a splash of tonic and a slice of cucumber. The perfect pre-lobster dinner cocktail.

CHOCOLATE WAFFLE COOKIES

Last weekend was hot... unbearably so.  Sticky, gross, and in no way the appropriate environment to turn on an oven.  So what was a girl to do when she wanted to bake up a batch of cookies for her best friend down in D.C.?  Whip out the waffle iron of course!

This recipe wasn't quite as simple as a no-bake option.  The prep time took just as long as a regular drop cookie but instead of popping them in the oven and walking away, you had to plow through 4 cookies at a time, about one minute per batch.  In hind sight, skipping the oven did make the house cooler, but I was boiling, perched over a searing hot waffle iron for 20 minutes. The results, however, were delicious! The cookie tastes like the offspring of chocolate cake and a brownie.  Substantial enough not to crumb and to support the light coating of icing but at the same time so incredibly tender.  The healthy dose of cinnamon in the batter really warms up the chocolate and reminds me of babka or rugelach.  Not your average cookie and perfect for sharing with my fabulous friends and whoever else joined in the weekend festivities!

{Recipe from Martha Stewart}

BELATED BIRTHDAY

It's never appropriate to arrive at a guest's house empty handed, even if it is your sister's.

So of course when visiting up North last weekend a Belated Birthday cake was in order.  Knowing that Jess had undoubtedly indulged in something extra chocolaty on her big day, I thought a lighter option would hit the spot.  

Cue the Cappuccino Chiffon Cake.  

Three, that's right three, layers of chiffon cake soaked with espresso and Kahlua syrup, topped with fluffy whipped cream and dusted with a touch of cocoa powder.  

Somehow this caffeinated concoction survived a 4+ hour car trip and it was well worth the risk.  Full of delicate coffee flavor (although I'd double the syrup recipe to make sure the layers are extra moist) the final product tasted like Tiramisu's American cousin.  But what beat the cake was being able to enjoy it with Jess, Matt, and my mom... while watching Harry Potter and the Women's World Cup of course!

{via: smittenkitchen.com - the Cappuccino Chiffon Cake variation}

NEW JERSEY BLUEBERRIES

When I came home to find six pints of plump, NJ blueberries sitting on the counter, I knew something had to be done before they were sentenced to a year in the freezer, only to be released when a bowl of oatmeal or batch of pancakes were in need of a little sweetness.

Muffins? Been there, done that.

Waffles? They fair better with the tiny, Maine variety.

Pie? Perfect.

Although my crust needed a little extra TLC and the crumb topping could have used an ingredient ratio adjustment (everything's better with a little more butter), I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  The filling came out firm and chock-full-of blueberry flavor with only a little flour as the thickening agent.  Next time I pick up fruit at the farm-stand, I'll make sure to tell Maybelle you say hello... maybe feed her an ear of corn or two.

Amazing how these...

can turn into this!

Dig in.

{Recipe via MarthaStewart.com}