Pillsbury….mmmm….brownies

A while back, quite a while actually, Pillsbury sent me a goodie box.  They had contacted me and said that they “saw that I like sweet things” (tee hee) and would I enjoy some of their treats.  Yes, please.  I had no idea what they were sending me, and that was part of the fun of it.  I was happily surprised when the package arrived.  I seriously love getting mail – it’s kind of obsessive for me.  Not bills, but packages and letters….make me happy.

Now, understand that I usually like to make all my desserts and treats for my boys from scratch, but there will always be times when I need a little help. I may cut corners on a pie crust, crescent rolls for a meal, or pick up a bag of treats for my boys when I know I am going to be super duper busy.  So when I opened the box to find two bags of their new Sweet Moments Brownie Bites….I realized that they do know that I like sweet things.  I decided that night that dessert was on Pillsbury!  I hate to admit that we almost ate a whole bag in one sitting…the boys liked them.  Jason liked them.  Even I liked them…and I am a tough one to win over with bought desserts.  These were good.  A good substitute for homemade for those days when I just can’t get in the kitchen.  (I would like to point out here that we do NOT eat brownies, cake, or pie for dessert every night…that would be ridiculous)

Have you tried these?

(Image from Pillsbury.com)

You should….trust me.

A Big Thank You to Pillsbury for thinking of us, and for sharing your delicious Sweet Moments with us.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy National S’Mores Day!

 

Show me your pie!

Today is the Pie Party!  Time to show me your pie!  Seriously…..show me your pie!  Pretty Please?

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a lot of talk of pie, and a pie party….on twitter of course.  And then a Pie Party event on FB….realized I must participate.  I bake enough pie.  And I had a couple of pie recipes that I wanted to try out too.  So the wheels started turning.  Thank you so much to Shauna, Gluten Free Girl, for starting the Pie Party….hope we have more of these!

First, I made this Blueberry Cream Pie….and damn was it good.

Then, I got the idea of making a S’Mores Pie in my head.  And couldn’t shake it.  Canada Day was coming up, 4th of July right behind it….and what says summer celebrations more than a S’More??  Not much. 

Attune Foods was kind enough to send me a box of their Organic Honey Graham Crackers a few weeks back, with hopes that I would make something delicious with them.  And I sure did.  This pie is incredible. At first I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough of the Attune Foods graham crackers left to make the crust…the little mice that are my children seem to have been making their way into the box and helping themselves!  Luckily after turning them into crumbs in the food processor I measured….and voila…enough.  whew.  minor crisis averted.

I love a baked Graham Cracker Crust…I think baking it just gives it a nuttier flavor and tends to be more stable when slicing.

Graham Cracker Crust:

Measure 1 1/3 cup of graham cracker crumbs, mix with 1/4 cup of sugar, add 5 tbsp melted butter, mix together to coat all the crumbs with a bit of butter.  Press into pie dish.  Bake at 350 for 8 – 10 min.  Let cool completely before pouring in pie filling.

Easy Peasy right?

Now I have a love of all things pie, but lately a GOOD chocolate cream pie has been creeping its way to the top of my list lately.  And this recipe makes a GOOD chocolate cream pie!

Chocolate Cream Pie Filling:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
• 3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Instructions:

In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, milk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (it will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Once the chocolate mixture is cooled.  Whip the 1/2 cup of whipping cream with powdered sugar until you get stiff peaks.  Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.  Pour the chocolate filling into the graham cracker pie crust and chill in the fridge for about 3 hours.

Now….for the Marshmallow part of the S’more….the most important part! (in my book)  You can’t just throw on a marshmallow and all it good.  It MUST be toasted.  right?  So I cut marshmallows in half, covering the chocolate layer with them….then let Jason take the torch to them to “toast” them for me…..he did such a good job…look:

And then….you have this:

Beautifully toasted marshmallows, creamy rich chocolate filling, amazing graham cracker crust….S’MORES PIE!!!

Perfect for any summer night. 

Did you make PIE for the pie party??  Show me your pie….leave me a comment with a link…would love to see what you made!

Stop the Search….I found it.

I have always talked about the search for the best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  And I have no idea why I haven’t tried this recipe sooner.  I have heard about it often from friends.

Cook’s Illustrated did some serious work testing for this recipe.  And I think they NAILED it.  They are just what they claim. “A chocolate chip cookie that’s moist and chewy on the inside and crisp at the edges, with deep notes of toffee and butterscotch”  These cookies TOTALLY live up to the hype.

Cook’s Illustrated is kind enough to have their recipe on their website without having to be a member to their site.  (Thank you very much!)  Also instead of chocolate chips, I used Trader Joe’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups….couldn’t resist.  I put them in the freezer for a bit so that they wouldn’t entirely melt while the cookies baked. FYI.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (Source: Cook’s Illustrated)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 14tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
• 1/2cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note)
• 1teaspoon table salt
• 2teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note)
• 3/4cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

Instructions

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. 2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. 3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. 4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

5. 5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

I had to take a picture of the perfect scoop before I baked them!

I also think that this is a great cookie base and look forward to trying it with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and any other goodies I can think of.

Tuesdays With Dorie….MY choice!

 

I have been trying to write this post for over two weeks.  Seriously, two weeks.  And I had hoped to have something clever, something inspiring, but alas….my writer’s block continues.  I was hoping to get my mojo back once Jason got back from Iraq.  Having him home on vacation this past month has sent me into a bit of a tizzie….my routine was pretty much turned upside down.  Not that I am complaining (well, maybe a little), we are SUPER happy to have him home.  It has been nice to have someone to cook for, and to bake for….especially breakfast treats on the weekend, which brings me to this week’s Tuesday With Dorie goody….Devilish Shortcakes! 

I was perusing the TWD website the other month looking for my name to see when I would be making my choice and noticed that my name was NOT on the list.  I tweeted Mrs. Laurie lickity split and she quickly rectified the situation and let me know that my turn would be in November!  WHOO HOO….then came the challenge of choosing the right recipe, a daunting task.  And after choosing a couple of recipes that had already been done (before my time, and coming up the next week – duh) I chose the amazing, chocolatey goodness of the DEVILISH SHORTCAKES!

These shortcakes are fantastic.  They are light and airy, and have JUST the right amount of chocolate in them….enough to call it a dessert….but not too much that you can’t indulge and have them for breakfast – which is what we did.  I whipped up some cream, defrosted some mixed berries….and voila…breakfast.  All three of my “boys” were delighted.  They were quite the treat.

Thank you Dorie for providing me with a recipe that I can use as a weekend indulgence!

Devilish Shortcakes, from Baking; From My House to Yours  by Dorie Greenspan

For the Biscuits:

1 1/3 cups Whole Milk

1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Large Egg

3 1/3 cups All-Purpose Flour

2/3 cups Cocoa

2 tablespoons Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Sugar

1 1/2 Sticks (12 tablespoons) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

To Make the Biscuits:

Whisk the milk, vanilla and egg together.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a large bowl.  Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour.  Quickly, working with your fingertips (Dorie’s favorite method), or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly.  You’ll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, and pieces in between – and that’s just right.

Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and toss and gently turn the ingredients with a fork until you’ve got a very soft dough.  When the dough comes together, you’ll probably still have dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl – just use a spatula or your hands to mix and knead the dough until it’s evenly blended. Don’t overdo it; it’s better to have a few dry spots than an overworked dough. Even with all the flour mixed in, the dough will be soft and sticky.

Spoon out about 1/3 cup of dough for each shortcake onto the baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches of space between the mounds. Pat each mound down until it is between 3/4 and 1 inch high. (The shortcakes can be made to this point and frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake without defrosting – just add at least 5 more minutes to the oven time.)

Bake for 15 – 18 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back at the midway point, until the shortcakes are puffed and give just a bit when prodded.  Pull the sheet from the oven and transfer the shortcakes to a cooling rack.

Then you can do with them what you please….we chose to cut them open and fill them with mixed berries and LOTS of whipped cream….see?  like this:

They are light, airy and oh so delicious.  Plain and simple.  We ate them later in the day plain, with large glasses of milk.  Thumbs up from the WHOLE family.

I hope you all enjoyed making them.  Everyone needs to check out all the others on the Tuesdays with Dorie Blogroll. 

Thank you all for your patience.  I will be doing my best to get back my blogging mojo….and have fun things starting in the new year.  2011 is going to be MY year.  I can feel it.  Do you have anything planned for 2011?  Tell me…maybe we can inspire each other.

Fixation Friday.....Chocolate Cheesecake

Jason left today for NTC, a lovely training center in the middle of the Californian desert. He will be gone for the entire month of August and probably the first week of Sept. BOO! But before he left I wanted to make some yummy food for him. This week we have had Greek Steak with Orzo and Feta, Pad Thai, Chicken Pasta, a Lasagna kind of dish....and some sweets of course! I decided that he needed a treat, so I made him one of his favorite desserts - cheesecake....more

specifically Chocolate Cheesecake! I was scrounging through the cupboards for some oreo crumbs but couldn't find any (must have used them and don't remember!) so I used plain old graham crackers for the crust (my fav!) and of course used Dorie's recipe for her uber creamy cheesecake. I love making mini cheesecakes. The little four inch springforms that I bought months ago have been getting a lot of use! I love them. And Dorie's recipe is so easy to quarter and it makes two perfect little cheesecakes.

Here is the cutest slice of cheesecake ever...

For reference....the plate fits in the palm of my hand!!

Recipe.....

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking, From My Home to Yours

For the Crust

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 Tbsp Sugar

2 Tbsp Butter (Melted)

Mix all the ingredients together until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Divide the crumbs between two 4 inch springform pans that you have already buttered. Press the crumbs up the sides and evenly over the bottom. Wrap the pans in double layers of aluminum foil. Then put the pans in the freezer while your oven preheats to 350 F. Bake the crusts for about 8 minutes - keep an eye on them so they don't over bake. Set aside the crusts while you make the cheesecake batter.

For the Cheesecake Batter

1 four ounce box of cream cheese - at room temp.

1/3 c Sugar

1 tsp vanilla (I like a lot)

1 large egg

1/3 c sour cream or heavy cream (I like using sour cream for a bit of extra zip)

Beat the cream cheese for a couple of minutes in your stand mixer until soft and creamy. With the mixer running, add the sugar and continue to beat for a few more minutes. Beat in the vanilla. And then the egg. Let it get nice and aerated...makes for a light fluffy cheesecake. Then on low, blend in the sour cream or heavy cream.

To make it a chocolate cheesecake I melted 3 oz of semi sweet chocolate and added it to the batter after the sour cream.

Divide the batter between the two pans. Put the pans in a baking dish that is big enough to hold them both and then surround them with boiling water - up about half way up the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake at 350 F for about an hour. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon, leaving the cheesecakes in their water bath.

After the hour pull them out of the oven, remove the foil carefully, and let them come to room temperature on a cooling rack. When cooled to room temp, cover with wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours - the longer the better - the more the flavours meld.

Then.....eat them with someone you love!

So this Chocolate Cheesecake kills two birds with one stone - my two favs - in one amazing dish!

Make them, you will love them!

Take care,
Tania

Love Big, Bake Often

Sundae Sunday

It's summer. It's hot in Georgia. Ice Cream always makes the heat so much more bearable. And what better way to eat ice cream than in a sundae?? We haven't been eating too much ice cream around here. We have always made it a special treat for all of us. When the boys get ice cream they always make such a big deal about it and ooohhh and awwww and there is always a "Thank You Mama" after eating it.
Alot of my blogging friends have been making their own ice cream and I have been drooling over their blogs lately! We don't own and ice cream maker. (boo hoo) And I recently made it without one, but I really really want one.

So for the rest of the summer I am planning on featuring a homemade ice cream and some kind of sundae topping. This week is store bought ice cream....I could have waited til next week to launch this idea, but I really really wanted to make some Hot Fudge Sauce! So we had Edy's French Vanilla in the freezer and went with that! Next week....who knows....leave me a comment and suggest an ice cream for me to make (I might have a new maker by then!!)


But in the meantime look at this Hot Fudge Sauce!


It is lush, rich, thick, shiny, and absolutely delicious! Thank you Dorie Greenspan!
I made her recipe from her book "Baking, From my home to yours".

Here is the recipe,
Courtesy of Dorie Greenspan

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter cut into pieces
6 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used choc chips!)
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, put the butter in the bowl, top with the chocolate and heat, stirring once or twice, until the ingredients are melted. Keep the heat very low - you don't want the mixture to get so hot that the butter and chocolate separate. Transfer the bowl to the counter when the mixture is smooth.

In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together the cream, corn syrup, sugar and salt, then bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and remove the pan from the heat.

Pour about one quarter of the hot cream over the chocolate and, with a rubber spatula and starting in the center of the bowl, stir the two mixtures together in ever-widening concentric circles. When it is smooth, pour over the remainder of the cream in 2 additions, stirring gently until the sauce is shiny and smooth again.

Allow the sauce to cool for about 10 minutes.

Store the sauce in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Warm it gently in the microwave to bring to pourable consistency.

Ok...I have to say that I will never by jarred hot fudge sauce again. Why? When in ten minutes you can have this?!?!? I'm hooked.

I have lots of sundae toppings in my head. Need to write them out so that I can get them out of my head and onto recipe cards. For next week I am thinking caramel...but caramel ice cream or sauce? hmmmmm.....

Hope everyone had a good weekend...and that you were able to end yours with a sundae too!

Take care,
Tania
Love Big, Bake Often

Better Than Starbucks?...you know it!

I never liked Starbucks' scones....they were always dry and crumbly. So I was kind of turned off of scones for a very long time....but I decided to give them another try. This yummy recipe comes from Sur La Table's The Art and Soul of Baking. I give you a buttery, chocolatey, toffee chippy, scone.... Chocolate Toffee Scones!

These are the easiest to make, the dough shapes with ease, cuts perfectly and doesn't stick at all. Make them...you wont regret it.

Chocolate Toffee Scones

Recipe courtesy of The Art and Soul of Baking

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup toffee baking bits

2 large eggs

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F and position an oven rack in the center. Line the baking sheet with parchement paper or a thin silicone mat. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process for 10 seconds to blend well. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse 5 times a 1 second intervals, or until the butter is cut into medium pieces. Add the mini chocolate chips and the 1/2 cup toffee baking bits but do not blend them in. In the small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla until well blended. Pour the egg mixture into the processor and pulse another 25 times, or until the dough holds together in large thick clumps.

2. Use a spatula to scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently squeeze or kneed the clumps together until they form a cohesive dough - it may seem a bit dry at first, but will come together with a few kneads. Pat the dough into a circle 7 inches in diameter and about 1 inch thick. Use a chef's knife to cut the dough into 8 equal wedges and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Like this:

3. Lightly press the remaining toffee baking chips onto the tops of the scones, dividing evenly. Bake for 14 - 17 minutes, until fully risen and golden brown, especially around the bottom edges. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the scones warm or at room temperature.

That's it, easy peasy. These were so yummy...they didn't last long at all. And you don't need butter or jam or honey with these...they are nice a sweet on their own..but not too sweet. Just right!

Make them. You will not be disappointed. These will go in the rotation for weekend breakfasts for sure. Jason loved them...ate two in no time!

Take care,

Tania

Love Big, Bake Often

Tuesday's with Dorie...chocolate cream pie, my way!

Chocolate Cream Pie with a Layer of Caramel

in a Pretzel Crust!

I was really looking forward to this week's recipe. I love chocolate cream pie. I love Sonic's chocolate cream pie blended thingy....

When looking at the recipe I decided that a chocolate pie crust was not what I wanted to do...I needed to mix it up a little. So I went the salty sweet way....I decided to make a Pretzel Crust! I food processed up some pretzels, mixed in a little salt and sugar and some melted butter to bind it all together. I baked it and was happy when the second time around it held together as a nice tart crust! I also decided to 1/4 the recipe and make two little tarts.....better for my figure and I think they are just cute as can be! A whole chocolate cream pie has no place in my kitchen! And friends are too far away to be taking treats to them every week....so I plan it into my diet these days. It seems to be working.

Back to the pies..... I also decided that to go with the salty pretzel crust that there needed to be a layer of caramel. I think I made it a little too think...but we will see. This was the perfect chance for me to use some of the AMAZING Askinosie chocolate that I got in the mail a couple of months ago.....it is a Mexican 75% dark chocolate....do dark....see?

The chocolate cream in this pie is so rich...I LOVE IT! And I used some of my fantastic vanilla sugar to sweeten the whipped cream just a touch! Absolutely perfect. This pie is rich, creamy, chewy, salty, chocolatey and absolutely phenomenal. I will be making it over and over again.

Be sure to check out the other TWDr's here, and see all their wonderful creations.

And thank you to Kim, from Scrumptious Photography, for choosing this wonderful dessert.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Take Care,

Tania

Love Big, Bake Often

Fixation Friday meets Cheesecake!

Nutella Marble Cheesecake!


I have always loved Nutella! It has been a staple in my married household. Though I can't really remember having it too much growing up. It was more of a treat for us when we were young, probably one of those things you beg your mother to buy while you are out grocery shopping together. I remember being preggers with Jakob and craving it bad! We ended up buying the big container of it because we were going through it so much. I was loving having a slice of lightly (had to be lightly) toasted WONDER BREAD(!!!) slathered with Nutella. That chocolate hazelnut goodness! Jakob would kick inside me with absolute approval of Mama's snack! I ate it with Aiden in my belly too, but not like I did with Jake. Jakob and I had many similar cravings for chocolate, coke, and really bad for you stuff. I think I ate a lot better with Aiden - not so much junk food.

So today for fixation Friday I bring you Nutella Marble Cheesecake! Jason has been asking when I would make another cheesecake as he dreams of the cheesecake I made for Easter. So I quartered Dorie's Tall and Creamy Cheesecake and made two 4 inch mini cheesecakes. I heated up some Nutella to thin it out and swirled it into the creamy vanilla cheesecake batter. It was so easy. And it smells so yummy. Jason and I are looking forward to enjoying it with some more wine tonight after the little men have rested their weary heads. It has been a busy and fun day today. Daddy was home for the day so lots of playing and fun to be had.

Hope everyone gets their "fixation" this Friday, whatever that may be.....leave me a comment and let me know what that is.....

Take care,
Tania

Love Big, Bake Often

Bread Pudding Letdown

Let me start by saying I LOVE BREAD PUDDING!!! But I don't like this one! Maybe I am a bread pudding purist...I like the original - raisins, cinnamon, rich bourbon sauce on top. And yes, I could have made bourbon sauce to go on top of this....but I didn't. I was expecting to love this recipe, it combines two of my favorite desserts - chocolate and bread pudding! But no. No, I do not like it. And I tried...I ate a huge chunk last night. Even after I decided I didn't like it I still continued to eat it until the huge chunk was gone!

I also am not going to have a chance to try to make this dessert into something that I would eat either, you see I managed to forget to put the bread pudding into the fridge before going to bed last night. So it sat on the counter spoiling as I snored in bed. Dumb, right? Couldn't believe it when I got up this morning and was making a pot of coffee and there it was...just sitting there. Who does that? I have no excuse, I wasn't super busy, super stressed, super drunk, super anything..... just plain forgot. I am kicking myself - SO hard. I had dreams of the ways that I would resurrect this bread pudding, vanilla bean cream sauce, bourbon sauce, chocolate orange ganache to drizzle on top to make it more enjoyable..... so many plans dashed by my inability to put a simple dish in the fridge. Seriously kicking myself hard. All those yummy sauces I want to make and nothing to put them on.....

But back to the bread pudding. Dorie's recipe is super simple. Since I love bread pudding I decided to make a whole recipe rather than halve it...also since I couldn't figure out how to halve 3 eggs! (Suggestions on how to do that would be greatly appreciated!)

I took some great photos of things before I baked it, and planned to take some pics today (in the beautiful sunshine) of the finished product since I baked it last night and not very photogenic in my fluorescent kitchen! Note to self....change bulbs to make nicer photos!

Here you go...

So that is it for the photos...sorry...no after shots....check out the other TWDr's for their posts and some awesome "after" shots! And thank you to Lauren, from Upper East Side Chronicle, for picking this weeks treat...I really thought I would like it!

Better luck next week....Chocolate Cream Tart coming right up!

Take Care,

Tania Love Big, Bake Often

TWD Slacker, but with good reason

I want to preface this email with a warning that there are gross details about dogs, and poop, and stuff...... read at your own risk!

We were so busy this weekend and the desserts were set weeks ago, so no baking TWD cake for Easter. I had all intentions of baking today, no other plans on my agenda. But my lovely chocolate Lab Toby had other plans for me. She started vomiting Sunday afternoon, and then didn't stop til late last night. I took her to the vet yesterday and after explaining her vomiting and her history of eating random things; socks, plastic toys, onesies (which I had to pull out of her throat as she vomited it up), dryer sheets and paper towels. She usually eats things when we aren't around, as she is very sensitive and anxious. So with her history they wanted to take some xrays and give her some fluids (she was dehydrated from throwing up so much). So I left her there and headed home for a few hours. Jason went to pick her up and they showed him the xrays and said that they were suspicious of a few spots but couldn't really tell what or if anything was stuck. So they sent her home, no food or fluids and we would come back in today to recheck with some more xrays and see what's up. So today I took her in and she was doing much better, more energy and I thought she was doing great. But when I went to pick her up the Vet wasn't so sure. She thought that there was still a couple of patches that she was worried about. ACK! But she also said that she was confused by the fact that Toby seemed well, no fever, no more vomiting and quite energetic. So the Vet wants us back tomorrow. She sent us home with decisions...barium contrast with xrays to determine blockage and then possible surgery, or jump straight ahead to surgery. DOUBLE ACK! Cost: Barium Contrast = $400 - 500, Surgery = $800 - 1200. OMG - not exactly in the budget this month. But she also sent us home with a goal : GET HER TO POOP. They really wanted her to poop. She hasn't gone in a couple of days now, and she needed to see if Toby could get it through. So I brought her home and immediately we went for a walk. You see, Toby loves to poop on walks. She likes to make me pick it up. But she didn't want to poop just then. But she did poop once we got home!! She pooped and it stayed there, hanging... I ran out (I was watching her) with some napkins and yanked it out. And out came about a foot and a half of some kind of string, maybe a shoe lace? Something that stretched itself into this rope like thing? Who knows.... But I am so glad that she pooped. I was so happy to call the Vet and let her know. Unfortunately this doesn't necessarily mean we are out of the woods, but this is a step in the right direction, and a step towards not needing surgery. She is still off food, but she is allowed some water and has managed to keep it down and is peeing normally. Sorry, I told you this would be too much information!


Back to Tuesdays With Dorie......

Holly, from Phemomenon, (and she is a phenomenal Mom) chose this weeks yummy cake - the 15 Minute Magic Chocolate Amaretti Torte. She did a fantastic job. Hers look so yummy. Hop over to her blog and take a look at all the yumminess. And check out the TWD blogroll for other yummy versions of this yummy cake.

Also on Holly's blog, please read about Little Maddie Spohr. Last week Maddie passed away. Her life, from conception on was blogged about by her parents, on The Spohr's are Multiplying. There are blogs across the internet changing their colours to purple in memory of Maddie, donations of over $20,000 have been collected in her name, a blog to remember her has been created - Remember Maddie. It is so sad to hear about little babies losing their lives. It is heartbreaking. I just heard about Maddie, this wasn't one of the blogs that I followed, but seeing the outpouring of condolences and donations in the name of this little girl and her poor parents has touched me. I had already planned on walking in the March of Dimes walk in a couple of weeks, but I will be pledging my walk to her. Please donate if you can.

So I am sorry that I didn't get to bake this week....I hope you all understand.

Take care,
Tania
And Remember...LOVE BIG, Bake Often

Easter Treats....

Wow.... what a day of treats. My boys being the sweetest treats of all!

We got up early, the boys had their usual breakfasts, Jason and I didn't eat, and then around snack time we went out for brunch. But before heading to brunch, I managed to get this into the oven:

Can you see the specks of vanilla bean in this amazing cheesecake? I used a WHOLE VANILLA BEAN! And you can really taste it. It is delicious.

Then I had to marinate the lamb...I found the recipe here. It turned out fantastic! I managed to cook it to a perfect medium.

Once those two tasks were done we could leave the house and have a nice brunch together. I had an omelet filled with chicken, mixed peppers and feta - YUM. Jakob and Aiden shared some fantastic french toast that made me wish I had ordered it!

When we pulled into the driveway after brunch, Jason jumped out of the car to "check to see if the Easter Bunny had come" and laid out the eggs that I had filled last night. The backyard was littered with them! Like a rainbow! The boys came out into the backyard with their baskets in hand, and huge grins on their face. Aiden let out one of his only words...WOW! They gathered up the eggs fairly quickly (thank goodness since they were filled with chocolate!), Jakob helped Aiden again - so cute.

Then it was time for a quick nap before another Egg Hunt at Miss Mary's house. That was a blast too. There were 16 kiddos there....Chasity had numbered the eggs, each child had a number and they had to find the eggs with their number on it. There was face painting, lots of sports to play, and lots of yard to run around in. I didn't pull out my camera for this event, but several of the other moms had theirs out and are going to send me lots of pics! I do, however, have pics of the treats that I made for the kids...

We weren't able to stay at Mary's for as long as we wanted to since I needed to get that leg of lamb in the oven! So the boys played with Daddy while I cleaned up the kitchen and put together all the fixings for dinner. Dinner was awesome. Except for the asparagus - I over cooked it...but oh well. The rest was great.

But the best treat I made today...sweet treat that is - the lamb rocked!, was the cheesecake...check this out....

Jason wanted some chocolate with his so I made him some chocolate ganache and we drizzled some on top. I thought it made it too rich, but he loved it.

I am sorry there are no recipes here today. I am tired and my back is killing me so I am going to go lie down and take a break...it's been a loooooong day!

Hope you all had a fantastic Easter.

Take care,

Tania, Love Big, Bake Often

Fixation Friday....Askinosie

So as many of you may know Askinosie contacted me about sending me some of their amazing chocolate. I had mentioned them in a previous blog post, one about the differences in chocolate. I am working on recognizing the differences and the qualities of some fantastic chocolates. So when Askinosie sent me this email, I jumped at the chance. Free Chocolate??? Sign me up. You can imagine my surprise when just a few days later this big box arrived at my door. I literally squealed when I saw it. I was so excited to open it up and see what was inside. I could not believe my eyes...they had sent me three, yes three, bars of chocolate and a container of cocoa!

Here they are...the bars were wrapped up together so nicely. I am in love with their packaging!

I hate to admit that we have yet to open it up. Jason and I are planning a tasting session. (but he has been in the field for most of the month of March!) Since all three bars are from different parts of the world (one from Mexico, one from the Philippines, and one from Ecuador) we figured a proper tasting session was in order. A great bottle of wine, small deliberate bites of chocolate, deep intellectual discussion of every bite. And I am not being sarcastic here...I am being truly serious. This is serious chocolate that deserves to be treated properly. I thought about baking with it, but really want to experience it first. So the cocoa will be for baking. I have a brownie recipe that is calling for it...Or maybe Dorie's World Peace Cookies....those are worthy of it for sure.

If you have any tips for our proposed tasting session, please send them along in the comments section...I would love some!

So until then I look at my beautiful bars of chocolate in their delightful packaging and wait....but not for long...my will power is only so strong.

Good night for now.

Take Care

Tania

Love Big, Bake Often

Ok, Fixation Saturday...

Sorry I have been a little lax with getting my posts on the right day. Blame it on the killer cold I am fighting!

So, today I want to talk about the wonderful combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Whoever came up with this amazing pairing is genius. I love it. I love that it can come in several forms. Reese's has banked on it by making it into so many different kind of bars/cups. But then I think my favourite combination of these two is ice cream. I love chocolate ice cream laced with peanut butter. YUM.
But I digress... so last night after going out for mexican with some amazing friends, we went to one of our homes to watch a movie. The original plan was to go to the movies, but things had changed. But I had come prepared. I rarely buy chocolate at the movies and am usually known to carry some in my purse with me. Last night was no exception - I had raided Jakob's deserted Halloween candy, and my stash included mini reese peanut butter cups. We were watching the movie and I pulled out my bag of goodies and offered some to my friend. She was excited about the idea of a peanut butter cup. But when she didn't see that familiar orange package she got upset with me But it all ended well when I showed her that I had the mini ones in the gold wrapper. Peanut buttery goodness.

Ok - that last paragraph makes no sense - my brain is scattered. Forgive me.

More later.

Love Big, Bake Often
Tania