Lost and Cookies

I know, I know, I know.  Every time there has been a post, which have been far and few between, I have some excuse as to why I’ve been away.  Sickness, sickness and more sickness have been the main reasons. Another reason I feel comfortable in saying now is that I am pregnant.  And all that comes with pregnancy has come and has left me quite miserable.  I have had no desire to cook or bake let alone eat anything that I would cook or bake.  So I do apologize my poor blog has been neglected for the last couple of months.  I’m hoping that I will be feeling better soon, but I have no idea when that will be. Please bare with me and don’t give up on me quite yet.  Please don’t take me off of your must read lists or anything. I can feel the sun right around the corner and I will be on a roll again here shortly.  And I am starting right now.  

This morning I had something pop in my head, and I couldn’t resist attempting this idea and I indulged! Boy was it worth it.  Molton Chocolate Lava Cake is one of my favorite treats of all time.  That ooey gooey center gets me every time.  Well, I thought, why couldn’t I turn it into a cookie? So I did.  What I got was a deliciously chewy chocolate cookie with an oozing center of chocolaty goodness.  My oh my.  I have had 4 and it’s not even lunch time yet.  I’m in trouble.  You must eat these warm.  Mine haven’t even cooled off yet to see how they will be when cooled, but I’m guessing these are cookies that you must eat fresh. I’ve put a dozen in the freezer just so I can make some fresh for my hubby, because I know he will love these! So, give them a try, they will be a perfect holiday cookie!  

And again, please, please, please, don’t give up on me!  I appreciate every single one of my readers and I don’t want to disappoint anyone.  I am trying my hardest right now.  And before long, I will definitely be back to my old self.  Have a great week!  And Happy Thanksgiving!

Molton Chocolate Lava Cookies
makes 3 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups cocoa
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Add vanilla. Slowly add cocoa and mix until well combined.
3. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture.
4. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Use your thumb and press a hole in the center of the dough. Fill with a piece of chocolate and fold the dough over to cover the chocolate completely.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar. Serve warm.

Baked on November 24, 2008 | Recipe Card: cookies | 36 Bites 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Also seen on Cafe Zupas Blog

Also seen on Cafe Zupas Blog

 I found these beautiful fresh cranberries the other day and couldn’t help myself.  They were looking so photogenic so I had a little photo shoot.  Than I decided to make some homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving.  It’s sneaking up on us pretty quickly here and I need to get prepared.  I am having the festivities at my house this year and I have to get organized.  I’m doing all but the turkeys, so if you have any great suggestions, my ears are open.  Every year my awesome Father-in-law deep fries two turkeys and my lovely mother roasts one in the oven.  Needless to say, we always have leftovers.  But that is the best part of Thanksgiving in my opinion.  What is Thanksgiving without leftovers I ask you? 

So, I’ve never been a fan of the canned cranberry sauce.  It’s like a big blog of jelly and I don’t care to put that on any of my deliciously prepared delicacies.  So, I attempted this homemade version and it is absolutely delicious! It will go perfectly with my feast and if there is any leftover I will certainly be trying it on some cheesecake.  So knock yourself out.  It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, so much easier than trying to open those terrible metal lids on the can anyways!  I’ll be back with some stellar desserts! 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1 12 ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

1. In a saucepan, mix water and sugar and heat on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and bring to a low boil. Stir frequently and reduce heat to keep the sauce at a low boil for about 10 minutes. When the sauce begins to thicken and the cranberries begin to burst remove from heat. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Baked on November 18, 2008 | Recipe Card: cranberries, holiday | 14 Bites 

Buttermilk Biscuits

What a week!  I’m ready for it to be over, how about you? I am getting so excited for the holidays, though. It is my all time favorite time of year! The hubby is putting up the Christmas lights this weekend (don’t worry we don’t turn them on until after Thanksgiving).  But it is safer to put them up when there is no snow, and I’m sure we will be getting loads of snow the next couple of weeks.  Welcome to Utah.  It certainly is a beautiful time of year here.  The snow glistening on the high mountains…you can’t help but be filled with excitement.  So beautiful.  Anyways, something I love during the cold months are hot, fresh out of the oven buttermilk biscuits.  I love them anyway I can get them.  I love to slather them with butter and homemade strawberry jam.  I love biscuits and gravy.  I love biscuits, period.  This recipe is amazing.  They puff up so high and are so moist and delicious! 

Hope you all have a great weekend!  There will be more delicious recipes coming next week!  

Buttermilk Biscuits

makes 6-12 biscuits depending on how thick you cut them

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons chilled butter

1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Add buttermilk, tossing with a fork until a dough forms.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead lightly a few times just until smooth.  Pat the dough to desired thickness, 1/2 inch to 1 inch (I like thick biscuits).  Using a round cookie cutter, cut out biscuits. 

3. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden.  Brush some melted butter over the tops to make them even more delicious!

Baked on November 13, 2008 | Recipe Card: bread | 10 Bites 

I’m Back! and Apple Banana Muffins

I just want to apologize for my absence.  It really has been a terrible last 2 weeks and it’s still not over, but I can’t stay away any longer!  I’ve got to get back into the swing of things or I’ll go crazy!  We’ve had so much sickness in our home and it seems to keep lingering and changing into new sicknesses.  Insane!  It started with croup, turned into a cold, then the flu and now we all have those nasty colds that hurt you deep down in your chest.  Hopefully, one day we will feel human again, but for now we are just taking one day at a time.  Thank you for all of your nice comments and get well wishes!  It is very much appreciated!

So, obviously I have been obsessed with muffins this year.  I am a muffin freak.  I will admit it, I’m not too proud.  There is just something about that warm, delicious smell that peaks from the oven and fills your home with sweetness.  It just makes you feel warm and cozy.  I love that feeling, so I make muffins a lot. There is nothing wrong with that, right? So this recipe is similar to my Pumpkin Spice Muffin recipe.  Very similar in fact.  That is the great thing about this recipe.  I have tweaked it and messed with it and now it is perfect.  You can add any seasonings you like, switch out the fruit and make it to your own liking.  Instead of the pumpkin puree, I used bananas and I added sauted cinnamon apples.  These muffins cook up high and are very moist.  You can add streusels to the top, but this particular recipe I just sprinkled some sugar on top. Delicious!!! I hope you like them! 

In other news, check out my magazine debut.  I had a recipe featured and it was so exciting!  Check out Deborah from Taste and Tell’s recipe here too!  Utah Valley Magazine is a local magazine here in Utah Valley, but you can check it out here online.  Have a great week everyone!

Apple Banana Muffins

makes 12

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash nutmeg

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

3 cups apples, chopped and sauteed in 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until soft

 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time until well incorporated.  Add vanilla.  

3. Mix the milk and cream together.  Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk and cream to the mixer.  Do not over mix.  Add the bananas and apples and combine using a wooden spoon.  

4. Divide batter evenly between the muffin tins, filling to the very top and a little over. Sprinkle tops of muffins with sugar.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Baked on November 10, 2008 | Recipe Card: Muffins, Uncategorized, bread | 12 Bites 

Has she fallen off the face of the earth?

I bet you’ve been wondering where in the world I’ve been.  I wish I could say I’ve been on a wonderful family vacation.  I wish I could say I was just having too much fun to blog.  But I’ve got other excuses.  Not so fun excuses. We’ve had the crud going around our fun little house.  Along with croup and colds, my son got the flu and than decided to pass it on to me as my early birthday present. So I’ve been too sick and weak to bake or cook let alone sit up and do anything. But I’ll be back soon with more delicious recipes, I promise. Stephanie’s Kitchen will re-open before you know it.  Have a great week!

Baked on November 5, 2008 | Recipe Card: Uncategorized | 13 Bites