March 8, 2008
Mmm...Cupcakes!
A favorite co-worker of mine celebrated her birthday this week - so you know I had to bake something special to contribute to the party. :)
Yes - I went back to one of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks... I can't help it! I had been dying to try out the recipe for her coconut cupcakes.
The verdict? I have to tell you - in all modesty, as this was not my skill, but the recipe which stood out - THESE WERE THE BEST CUPCAKES I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. Delicate cake, flavored with vanilla, almond and shredded coconut topped with a mound of the most delicious cream cheese frosting I have ever tasted. You top it all off with shredded coconut... OMG. As soon as I hit "publish" on this bitch, I am running to the icebox - I have a couple left... but not for long. :)
Go. Make them. Like, now.
Posted by Sarah at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
February 4, 2008
Mmm... Cookies!
Ginger Cookies from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home for a visit to Jennie's house on Saturday.
I heart baking. :)
Posted by Sarah at 9:59 PM | Comments (3)
January 27, 2008
The Barefoot Scissorina
I awoke yesterday with an inexplicable desire to spend the entire day in my kitchen. I had originally planned to sew a few items up for my new (yet to be opened) Etsy shop, but there was no denying my urge to try out some recipes from one of the cookbooks I received for Christmas... Barefoot Contessa at Home! I told SteveKam to plan on coming to my place that night for dinner and I set out to plan my menu.
I've been dying to make some bread and just haven't gotten around to it yet this Winter. (The smell of fresh baked bread rivals that of the finest French perfume - my personal opinion...) SO, when I saw there was a recipe for a simple, honey white bread in the BC cookbook, I immediately decided it would be a good warm up.
I made 2 loaves and they came out deeeeeelish! SteveKam took one home with him.
Next up? Time to placate my sweet tooth. I went with Ina's recipe for Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars. (The entire time I worked on these, I was singing "it's peanut butter jelly bars! peanut butter jelly bars!". Who could resist?) The dough for these was irresistible even before making it to the oven. Soooo yummy. The finished product was quite tasty! One change I will make next time (because you know there will be a next time, bitches!) will be to contain the jelly a little bit. Because I spread across the entire bottom layer of dough, it bubbled out the sides and hardened up. Easily fixed after the fact - just trim it back like you are cutting off the crusts! But, I'm always up for improvement....
We haunch-haunch-haunched these down after dinner! Time for Sarah to get a gym membership...
Next up? Dinnertime! I went with "Eli's Asian Salmon" and "Broccoli Rabe & Garlic" (there was no broccoli rabe at the market, so I went with plain ol broccoli). I also fixed up a blend of basmati, brown and wild rice... The result?
I love the way the salmon was cooked - panko crusted and then roasted in the oven at 500 degrees! It came out so moist - perfectly cooked. However, SteveKam and I found the panko topping (soaked in a soy based marinade) a bit too strong and salty. We both ultimately scraped off 75% of the topping - a lesson for next time! The broccoli & garlic and the rice (which I infused with toasted sesame oil) both came out perfecto!
So, after a successful day in Cucina de Scissorina, it's time to break out the sewing machine and get back to work. :) I love weekends.
Posted by Sarah at 11:21 AM | Comments (3)
March 19, 2007
Necessity is Yo Mama, Part II
Continuing in our series of inventive solutions, I offer this query:
What do you do when you bake a delicious chocolate bundt cake that refuses to turn out of it's lovely little pan?
The short answer is swear. Loudly.
The more complete answer is put on your thinking cap and salvage your should-have-been-masterpiece.
The culprit.
I have used this pan a million times without incident... It seemed the Featherlight Chocolate cake recipe proved to be too much for it to handle. The darn thing wouldn't turn out and after some less than gentle prodding, what came out of the pan in no way resembled a cake....
So, I rolled up my sleeves, gathered some additional calorie filled ingredients and set out to create a kitchsy little dessert reminiscent of 1950's housewivery... I give you - a trifle.
I crumbled up that SOB and layered it with chocolate pudding, Cool Whip (does anyone else hear that Cool Whip jingle whenever they see Cool Whip? Do the Cooooooool Whip! Cool Whip! Shoot me...), and dulce de leche sauce. I topped it off with some strategically placed dollops of whipped creams and *of course* cherries.
Mmmm....fattening....
It was received well by my fellow gorgers and made me feel tres clever. No such thing as a dessert that can't be fixed, folks. Trifle me up!
Posted by Sarah at 10:20 PM | Comments (4)