Stephanies Kitchen – 2009 March

Lemon Lime Baby Cakes with a Lemon Lime Drizzle

March 31, 2009 By Steph 26 Comments

Can you even believe that today is the last day of March? I am absolutely baffled. This year is flying by so fast. It seems like Christmas just barely came and went and now it’s almost Easter. Oh where oh where does the time go? I remember the good old days when I was just a little girl and the days and weeks seemed to go so slowly I thought I’d go crazy. I remember wishing to be older and now I am turning 30 this year and it totally blows my mind. Anyways, maybe I’m crazy but I feel like I should hold on to every second or it will get away from me again.
mini_cheesecake_pan

So now onto more important things..like dessert. Jenny at Picky Palate had me at hello with these little beauties and I just had to run out and get me this Mini Cheesecake Pan at Williams Sonoma. I couldn’t wait another second. I immediately tied the recipe for their basic mini cheesecakes they had on the back of the box and they were fantastic. And then I had to try a recipe of my own. I came up with these baby cakes. I don’t know why I call them that other than the fact that they are cute and they had to sound cute too. These moist mini pound cakes are filled with fresh lemon and lime juice and of course the zests too. The drizzle puts them over the top. I love the shape that the mini cheesecake pan gives them, although you can use a mini muffin tin too, or even a regular size muffin tin if you must. Your choice.

And now here is the recipe for the Baby Cakes! Have a great week friends!

Lemon Lime Baby Cakes with a Lemon Lime Drizzle
recipe by Steph
makes 18 mini pound cakes using the mini cheesecake pan
or 18 mini cakes using a mini muffin tin or 12 cakes using a regular muffin tin

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt

For the drizzle:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
lemon and lime juice

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add lemon and lime juice and zests, vanilla and almond extract and yogurt. Mix just until combined and creamy. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Grease the pan of your choice and fill the cups half way. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or baked through and when cooled, transfer to a wire rack. In a small bowl combine the confectioners’ sugar and enough lemon and lime juice to make a nice consistency for the drizzle. Drizzle over the baby cakes and enjoy!

Filed Under: cakes, desserts, lemon

White Bread Loaf

March 25, 2009 By Steph 10 Comments

I know the whole world is in carb-conscious mode right now and probably will be forever but every once in a while I just crave a warm fresh loaf of white bread. There is nothing quite like it. Fresh and hot out of the oven slathered in butter. Mmmm. So this is the easiest recipe in the world and in an hour and thirty minutes you have hot fresh bread. Of course you can substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose but this is just the way I like it. A little white bread once in while isn’t going to hurt you, it might just make you so happy you’ll be making it every week.

Happy Baking!

White Bread
makes 2 loafs

6-7 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 .25 ounce packets of Active Yeast
2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter

Using a small saucepan, heat water, milk and butter until hot to the touch. Using a mixer, mix 5 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add hot liquids and mix until well combined. Add in the remaining flour and any extra you might need to make a soft dough that does not stick to the bowl. Either knead in your mixer or knead on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut dough in half and shape into 2 loaves. Place in 2, greased 9X5 loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40-50 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. (For the last 5-10 minutes I cover my loaves with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too brown) Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: bread

Lace Cookies with Milk Chocolate Drizzle

March 18, 2009 By Steph 18 Comments

Hello everyone! Are you having a good week so far? I am! We have had the most amazing weather this week. I’ve finally been able to take my kids to the park everyday and I can’t believe what a difference a bit of warm weather makes on the mood of the house. Everyone has been so happy and cheerful and it’s been heaven!! It’s been like night and day. Winter weather in Utah can be such a challenging thing when you have kids who love to be outside. They tend to get a bit grouchy and the tempers flair until it seems unbearable. So I’m crossing my fingers that the worst is over and mostly sunshine is in the future.

So let me tell you about these cookies. These are so delicious. Different than anything you’ve probably had unless you are no stranger to Lace Cookies. They are thin as paper and so buttery, crisp and chewy and they taste amazing. Â The drizzle of milk chocolate makes the perfect touch and you will find yourself eating way more than you ever anticipated. So if you have no self control (like me) than you probably don’t want to attempt these, but if you are the person who can eat 2 and give the rest away, than go for it! You’ll be glad you did! These are also so simple to make, you only need one bowl and you don’t even have to use your mixer. The trick is to use parchment paper (or you will never be able to scrape them off your pan) and only cook 4-6 at a time because they spread like crazy. Good luck and have a great week everyone!

Lace Cookies with Milk Chocolate Drizzle

makes 3 dozen

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup oats, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Using a measuring teaspoon, drop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (very important) 4-6 at a time (depending on the size of your baking sheet) and bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and transfer to wire racks. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies and enjoy!!!

Filed Under: chocolate, cookies, desserts

Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

March 12, 2009 By Steph 18 Comments

The smell alone of these decedent almonds could make me die a happy woman. I wish I had a candle that smelled like roasted cinnamon almonds. I need to work on that. If you know of one that already exists be sure to let me know. I would buy them in bulk.

I first fell in love with roasted cinnamon almonds walking along the streets of New York City. You can smell them at almost every corner and I bought more than enough while there many years ago. I experimented three different ways of making these, and this was by far the easiest and most tastiest way. The only problem with making them is eating way to many of them without even realizing it. They are so good fresh hot out of the oven. Yum!

Have a great weekend everyone! I’ll be back next week with more yummy treats!

Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup honey
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole natural almonds

1. Spread the almonds out on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly roasted. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they do not burn. Stir occasionally.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the butter and the honey to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add the almonds and simmer for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds from the saucepan to the sugar mixture. Mix until the almonds are well coated.
4. Transfer the almonds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put under the broiler for just a few minutes, just until sugar melts and caramelizes.
5. Let cool and break apart if necessary.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: candy

Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Cheesy Toast Dippers

March 10, 2009 By Steph 5 Comments

Wow, I was trying to see on my blog here the last time I posted a savory recipe instead of just desserts and sweets. It’s been a while. Welcome back savory. I guess since I’ve been pregnant, I’ve just been making simple dinners, which means I’ve been using the recipes I’ve already posted about. Sweets are just what I love and I think I get carried away sometimes.Â But I wanted to share this delicious soup recipe because it is to die for. I had never tasted a Leek before I made this soup, but I’ve seen so many recipes lately I wanted to try it. In fact I craved it. So I just went for it. I threw in a little bit of this, a little bit of that. It is perfect! I’ll definitely be making this again and soon because it was good. I was so surprised that my kids, ages 2 and 4, were licking their bowls clean. (They never do that.) You have to make the cheesy toast dippers to ‘dip’ into the soup, because it was the perfect touch (in my opinion).

Have a great week and I’m sure I’ll have something sweet to share very soon! :)

Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Cheesy Toast Dippers

6 slices bacon, sliced
3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
6 or 7 potatoes, cubed
44 ounces chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup fat free half and half (you can use heavy cream if you’re feeling daring)

In a large soup pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, but keep the bacon fat in the pan. Saute the leeks in the bacon fat for about 6-8 minutes or until soft. Add potatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and soft. Using a blender or food processor, puree half of the soup and add back into the remaining soup. Add the half and half (or cream) and mix until smooth. Use the bacon as a crispy topping.

For the cheesy toast dippers:
Slice a baguette into thin pieces and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with shredded cheese(I use cheddar) and sprinkle some dried parsley on top of the cheese. Place on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for just a few minutes or until the cheese is melted. Dip into the hot soup!

Enjoy!

Filed Under: bread, main dishes, soup