Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

It just wouldn't be fall without pumpkin bread. Make a double batch and share a loaf with a friend. Or use muffin tins and share with many. (Adjust bake times accordingly!)

PUMPKIN BREAD

One 9 x 5-inch loaf.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Whisk together:

1 1/2 all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

Combine in a small bowl:

1/3 cup non-fat milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat in a large bowl until fluffy: (I love my kitchen-aid mixer!!!)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, softened.

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Beat in one at a time:

2 large eggs

Add and beat on low speed just until blended:

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture, beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Fold in:

1/2 cup dried cranberries

(1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans) - I omit this.

Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.

Ghirardelli Double (triple) Chocolate Brownie Mix

For my parent's 40th wedding anniversary, in addition to an incredible dinner out the night before and a super fun photo shoot, we baked Ghirardelli brownies. There is no alternative here. When you are making brownies, nothing else comes close. Believe me: Ghirardelli brownies are superior to all! In fact, my mom, my sister, and I have experimented with many different from scratch brownies recipes, and I still think that Ghirardelli's Double Chocolate Brownie Mix is the only way to make brownies.

Mad Hatter Cake

This will be the last post for a while, I imagine. I'm shifting my gears back to teaching and learning and away from baking and eating.

This past weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of attending a good friend's wedding. And, boy did she have a cake!

Can you tell from the photo? Those are not rectangular prisms for layers. They are trapezoidal prisms. It gave the whole cake a topsy-turvy, Alice-in-Wonderland feel. The colors and details were over the top, as you can see in the photo. So fun!

Now, I'm not a huge fan of fondant, so thank goodness the cake and filling were excellent! In fact, guess who was the cake's creator... Yes, that's right Rockwell's Creative Cakes in Old Towne Orange on Lemon Street. Kudos to bakery. The cake was a real knock-out!

Blueberry Muffins!

When I see a blueberry sale, I jump. So, with a 2 lb box at $4.99, my first thought was, should I make a blueberry pie?... blueberry jam? ... or blueberry MUFFINS!

This recipe is adapted from the JOY of Cooking's - 75th Addition on page 635.

Blueberry Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 12 muffin tins.

Select and rinse 1 1/2 cups raw blueberries. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In another bowl, whisk together:

2 large eggs

1 cup skim milk

1/6 cup packed brown sugar

1/6 cup sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add wet mixture to flour mixture until just combined. Don't over-mix.

Lightly stir-in blueberries.

Evenly distribute the batter among the 12 muffin cups.

Bake 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.

Let cool 3 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

The Perfect Circle Cupcakery

Old Towne Orange is adorable. I don't need to tell you that. And, today was my first time in The Perfect Circle Cupcakery at 165 N. Glassell St.

The Perfect Circle Cupcakery is decked out in damask print and baby blue with a big print of Audrey Hepburn casually smiling at you as you eat at one of the cute cafe tables. An excellent location and fun atmosphere, you would be remiss not to stop in after a dinner at Cafe Lucca or a breakfast at The Filling Station. Ben and I chose a fun flavor of chocolate cupcake with lemon frosting. What a winning combo! Check out other fun flavors like "Old Towne Orange," "Tuxedo," "Coconut Bliss," and "Cookies and Cream." Yummy!

New England Blueberry Buckle!

We have a guest baker today: My mom, Judy Larson! Here is her Blueberry Buckle recipe which everyone in the family adores!

New England Blueberry Buckle

1/2 c soft butter
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
2 1/2 c flour
1 c buttermilk
1 t grated lemon peel
4 c blueberries

Topping
2/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c flour
1 t cinnamon
4 T cold butter

Butter a 9/13 in pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make topping by blending together in a bowl brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut butter into pieces and cut into flour mixture with a pastry blender and
refrigerate.

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until blended. Sift baking powder, salt, and flour and add to the bowl, alternately
with the milk. Add lemon peel. Pour batter into pan. Toss Blueberries with juice of lemon, then sprinkle evenly over the batter. Evenly distribute topping over the berries. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick pulls clean.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Today I am made Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. I adapted a recipe I found on allrecipes.com to fit the suggestions of other bakers. I used whole wheat flour, but I bet these muffins are even better with all purpose white flour. Enjoy my updated recipe!

LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFINS

Oven: 400 Grease muffin tin (12-16)

Combine:

2 cups whole wheat or all purpose white flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 cup poppy seeds

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt.

Blend in a separate bowl:

2 eggs

2 cups lemon yogurt

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Mix liquid into dry until just combined.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile:

Mix 3 tablespoons of sugar into 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice.

Once out of the oven, prick muffins with a fork

and gently pour (or brush on) 1 tablespoon of lemon sugar over the top.

Cool 10 minutes before removing muffins from tin.

Year-Old Cake

It's tradition, right? You have to eat your wedding cake a year later! But, imagine our surprise when it was actually good! It was actually moist and yummy!

My husband was the brave one, trying the cake first. Then he fed me, without saying a word.

Happy Anniversary, Ben!

The Ultimate Pie Crust

This is my absolute favorite pie crust. I'm not saying its easy, but it is the best. (If you want easy, go make friends with Pillsbury. I do on occasion; it's OK.)

Here we go:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 3 tablespoons sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup cold butter until pieces are pea-size.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 beaten egg yolk, 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel. Gradually stir into flour mixture. (Dough will not be completely moistened.) Gently knead dough just until a ball forms. If necessary, cover dough with plastic wrap and chill 30-60 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.

3. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edge into a 12-inch circle. To transfer pastry, wrap it around a rolling pin. Unroll pastry into 9-inch pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry.

If you only need the bottom and are filling pie with a no-bake filling, follow directions below. If you need a pie crust for the top, repeat steps above and bake as recipe directs.

4. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Prick bottom and side of pastry in pie plate with a fork. Prick all around where bottom and side meet. Line pastry with a double thickness of foil.

5. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 5 to 6 minutes more or until golden, covering edges of pastry with foil, if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool on wire rack.

That's it! The Ultimate Pie Crust!

See you next week! Monday is lemon poppy seed muffins! Yum!

Blueberry Pie!

After the Fourth of July, watery pie crusts debacle, I wanted to prove to myself that I was indeed capable of making a stand out stellar pie. This time, BLUEBERRY! 

I used a recipe out of The Joy of Cooking and adapted it slightly for myself.

Blueberry Pie

Line a 9-inch pan with 1 pre-made dough circle. 

Position rack in lower third of oven

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Combine in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes:

6 cups blueberries

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pour mixture into bottom crust and dot with

1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into small pieces.

Cover with a pricked/vented top crust.

Bake for 30 minutes at 425.

Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes or 

until the juices from the pie start to bubble through vents in crust.

Sensational! This pie was splendid and well formed. 

I was very pleased with this recipe. Try it for yourself!!!

Notes on the Fourth of July Debacle:

I believe I may not have added enough cornstarch to my previous pies, and I may not have allowed the crust enough time to brown at the higher temperature. Additionally, when creating the vents, I removed so much of the crust, that I think I should have followed directions for a lattice top. 

Grandma's Chocolate Cake

It is SO much fun to have a girls afternoon. And, it is even more fun when it is a surprise birthday party. Of course I claimed responsibility for the cake. My grandmother's chocolate cake recipe is pretty hard to beat and pretty easy to make. Who doesn't love a cake recipe that only requires one bowl?

GRANDMA’S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 13x9 in pan. (Or 2 9-inch cake pans.)

Combine:

1 3/4 C un-sifted flour

2 C sugar

3/4 C cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Add:

2 eggs

1 C milk

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Stir in:

1 C BOILING water

Pour into floured pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Oh, I love Grandma's chocolate cake! It is so moist it doesn't need a topping. Traditionally I serve it with a bit of whipped cream and strawberries. But, because it was for a birthday, I made chocolate butter cream. I don't have patience to do it the long way, so I reach for confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) and follow the recipe on the back! So easy! Ha!

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

1 lb box of powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 stick butter (softened)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Beat first 4 ingredients for 2 minutes with an electric mixer. 

Add more milk for a thinner consistency. 

Beat in the cocoa for an extra minute. 

Look at these smiling faces. Can you tell it was a hit?

Cannoli

Well if you're from Boston, you know that there are two bakeries in the Italian North End to seek out for a classic Sicilian cannoli. While Mike's Pastry is constantly packed and often with a line out the door, Modern Pastry, at 257 Hanover Street, will fill your cannoli in front of you as you choose the shell and any extras. Which would you choose? Exactly. 

When I found out that Modern Pastry actually attempts to ship their cannoli, I thought, "Hmm, what special event is coming up?" Sadly, since its summer, they caution not to ship their chocolates or cannoli. But, then I did some more research and found that Mike's Pastry also ships their cannoli... as a kit! A Do It Yourself kit is way more exciting then just getting cannoli in the mail, right? And, they ship anywhere in the US, regardless of hot weather! 

So, if you find yourself in Boston, choose Modern Pastry for a good cannoli. However, if you live in Orange County, where a good cannoli is hard to find, you can DIY some cannoli

in the comfort of your own home with a kit from Mike's Pastry. What an option!

(If you need a cannoli quick when in Orange County, Roma D' Italia in Tustin is a fine choice.)

Banana Bread - A tribute to over-ripe bananas

Oh there are many Banana Bread recipes! Oh so, so very many. In fact if you google "banana bread" you'll see that there is even a http://www.banana-bread.biz/ website. After looking through the 5 featured recipes, I decided that today was the day to make Brown Sugar and Oatmeal Banana Nut Bread.  Now, doesn't that sound marvellous? I think my friends at the pool tomorrow will just love it! Off I go! I'll report back tomorrow.

Golden Spoon v Cherry On Top

   V.   

If you live anywhere near Chapman Avenue in Orange, CA, then you know about the frozen yogurt duel between Golden Spoon and Cherry On Top. For me, the clear winner is Golden Spoon. Here's why:

Golden Spoon has been the long standing favorite low/no fat frozen yogurt. Their yogurt is only 17 calories per oz, but it is packed with flavor. And, they've done a pretty good job keeping up with the times. For example, when Pink Berry came on the scene, Golden Spoon responded with tart flavors and a larger selection of fruit toppings. Even so, I still prefer the classic Golden Spoon frozen yogurt taste.

Cherry On Top's allure is their serve yourself toppings bar and yogurt pulls. Once you've compiled your final dessert combination, they weigh your bowl. Some people love as many options as possible; I do not. Each time I go in, I have to psych myself up to only choose 1 yogurt flavor, which ends of being 2 or 3, and to only choose 1 or 2 toppings, which ultimately becomes almost half of my bowl. I end up eating a candy bar instead of just a serving or two of healthy yogurt. There is nothing healthy about serve yourself toppings! Not for me anyway. 

Golden Spoon charges per topping, and I see this as a good thing. If they didn't charge extra, I would go overboard, like at Cherry On Top, adding toppings upon toppings until I ruin the dessert. Yes, the old-time fro yo standard is tried and true and keeps me coming back for more. And, I can feel healthy about my dessert choice, instead of sick to my stomach. 

Baby Shower Cake - Yummy!

Congratulations to my friend Carol who just gave birth to her new son, Will, on Friday. In anticipation of Will, some friends and I threw Carol a small baby shower, and with every good shower, comes the CAKE! 

Compliments go out to our good friends at Rockwell's in Villa Park, CA. Their butter-cream frosting is absolutely incredible. Rob and Lori Cowle simply know how to do cake right. I recommend the marble cake. Choose your own favorite filling; You won't be disappointed!

Slow Cooked Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

That's right! It is WAY too hot outside today to use the oven. So, what's the alternative? Use a slow cooker/crock pot to make your desserts. It may take slightly longer, but it uses less energy and keeps your kitchen cool. 

The recipe I use is from Simple Slow Cooker Recipes by Better Homes and Gardens. I like this recipe because I usually have all the ingredients on hand except the 3 cups of strawberries and the 3 cups of rhubarb. Another nice feature of this recipe is that you can use fresh or frozen strawberries and rhubarb, which is a real plus! Also, with 10 servings at less than 300 calories each, I don't quite feel so bad making this during bathing suit season.

Here is a video of the entire experience! Enjoy

Orange County Fair Desserts!

Have I caught your attention yet? 

I was SO overwhelmed at the Orange County Fair yesterday. I was there to check on this weeks lemon entries (We won 3rd place this week for best lemons!), when I found myself fascinated by the selection of desserts. From a culinary standpoint, the desserts at the OC Fair are not the classiest, nor the healthiest by any means. However, I have to say, they certainly are creative. Chocolate covered bacon? Deep fried Reese's, Snickers, Oreos, and Twinkies? This trip to the Fair was a quick visit. Next time I may just have to try one of these novelties. But, I'll remember to take it for what it is: A novelty. Last year I tried a deep fried Oreo. Was it incredible? No. But, where else can you get one? Yes! That is why Fair food is so popular! That is why people will let go of their wallet and waistlines! Because, where else can you find chocolate covered bacon? 

Merci Chocolates

Last year on our honeymoon, my husband and I came back to our hotel room from a stroll along a seaside cliff in S'Agarò, Spain (Costa Brava) only to find our room decorated with confetti, balloons, good Spanish wine and fine European chocolates. This was our wedding gift from my sister Jessica. It was such a wonderful surprise! (Thanks again, Jess!)

A word about Merci chocolates: Combinations of dark and milk chocolates with hazelnut creme, praline, dark mousse, dark cream, coffee and cream, and hazelnut-almond flavors. Wow! They are modestly packaged with a two-toned cellophane, but they deliver excellence.  We tasted each variety that evening with our bottle of wine and took the remaining chocolate along with us through Spain, Italy, and the UK so that we would never be without a tasty chocolate treat.

The OC Fair Best Lemons!

It's official! Our lemons are the blue ribbon, A+, 1st place, best lemons in the county!  We also had a lemon place 3rd in the largest lemon competition. 

What to do with all those prize winning lemons? Make lemon meringue pie of course. Here is an easy recipe that whips up quick and tastes like an award winning lemon pie should!

 

A Newport Landing Birthday

For my mother-in-law's birthday this weekend, Newport Landing in Newport Beach made her cake. It was a yellow cake with excellent chocolate fudge frosting. The filling was wonderful: Fresh raspberries! Everyone was very happy with the lunch there and the dessert was, dare I say, icing on the cake. It was a fantastic way to celebrate. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

With only one day left to vote for your favorite dessert, chocolate chip cookies are winning, I just had to make a batch!

Calling all Toll House Purists! I know you're out there! Step away from the yellow bag and try some other recipes. 

Here is my recent adventure: King Arthur's Classic Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

What I like about it? It calls for more chocolate chips, it incorporates whole wheat white flour (fiber!), and it requires less fat (butter/oil/eggs) thanToll House does. Now, they are a different cookie. They aren't gooey but rather crunchy, and in fact the dough seems crumbly and oily all at the same time. But, miraculously, after 14 minutes, the cookie comes together nicely. A wonderful option for chocolate chip cookie lovers!

Lemon Blueberry Bread is Out of the Oven

... and 65 minutes later... pure perfection! The substitutions worked excellently. This is more like a cake than a bread. It is very, very sweet. I brushed on a glaze mixture of 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice and 1/4 cup of sugar. And, wow, Dessert!

Lemon Blueberry Bread

My Lemon Blueberry Bread is currently baking. It smells SO yummy. For the bread and the glaze, I needed the zest of 2 lemons, but the juice of only one. I omitted the walnuts to cut down on fat and calories, and I substituted the all purpose flour for 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour in order to add back in the nutty flavor and to give it more than half a gram of fiber per slice. Nice touch, eh? I'll let you know how it turns out!

Lemons, Lemons, Lemons!

My husband and I are super fortunate to have a very healthy and generous lemon tree. We picked our tree last weekend, and yesterday I entered our lemons in the Orange County Fair. We entered in all the categories: Best Lemons, Biggest Lemon, and Most Unusually Shaped Fruit. We are very hopeful to win at least one category, as we won two of them last year.

So, today is  a lemon themed day. Stay tuned for Fair results and lemon recipes and photos!

Wedding Occasion Cakes

Mmmm... Doesn't that look good? Today is a special post. Today I want to walk you through a very happy time in my life, my engagement and wedding. What better way to commemorate special occasions than with a cake. Let's begin!


On the left is my Engagement cake. My poor nephew Max is patiently waiting for the appropriate time to cut and savor this cake. And with good reason! This is no ordinary cake! It is a masterpiece from Rockwell's Creative Cakes in Orange, California. There is something special about their cakes. I'm not sure quite what, but it is absolutely magical inside and out. 

Yes, that's me with my West Coast Bridal Shower Cake. It's a flourless chocolate cake from 

Zov's bakery and cafe in Tustin, California. Incredibly decadent, and

with the inscription "...and they lived happily ever after...", this cake was just perfect. I couldn't have asked for more... 

My East Coast Shower Cake! The theme was garden party and everyone had to wear a bonnet or floppy hat. Naturally my cake had to wear one too. Mmmm... but this one was made out of cake and white chocolate and frosting. Those cake

 chefs at The Icing On The Cake in Newton, MA sure know how to make a gorgeous and absolutely delicious confection!

Both my bridal luncheon cake and my wedding cake were from Delicious Desserts in Falmouth, MA. Please order your cake from Lisa. You won't regret it! She's amazing. (She even offered to make a gummy bear filling if we really really wanted it!)

For the bridal luncheon, I treated my brides maids, sisters, and mothers to a simple white cake with raspberry filling and white butter cream frosting. Lisa actually baked in wedding charms. This is a photo of us pulling our fortunes from the cake. 

And now, for the grand finale! Our wedding cake. Oh so amazing! The flowers are from All About Flours (ask for Judy) and again the cake is from Delicious Desserts. It has combed white butter cream frosting and a simple pearl edge. It was as delectable as it was beautiful. I'm not sure anything can taste better than your wedding cake at your own wedding! 

A celebration is nothing without its cake. And, here you have probably the four best cakeries in the United States. Two from Southern  California and two from Massachusetts. Which one will you use for your next special occasion? Its hard to choose, I know.

Birthday Pie

Birthday Pie? Only if its Strawberry Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie. And, in fact this recipe is easy as pie.  

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips.

Beat 8 oz of cream cheese and 2 Tbs honey.

Stir in melted chocolate.

Scoop mixture into pie crust. 

Chill for 2 hours. 

Top with Strawberries and chocolate chips.

And, Serve!

I get nothing but praise for this pie. You will too!