Thanksgiving Pies

What would Thanksgiving be without them? A pie-less Thanksgiving? Perish the thought!

So, here are two that you may want to try... one is a recipe that I have used countless times from allrecipes.com and is often requested, and the other is a recipe I've posted previously but stands to be re-shared. I hope you enjoy them both!

Apple Cream Pie

Dark Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie

The pecan pie is a great one to let little ones help with. My 3-yr old daughter made it almost entirely by herself, her first made-it-all-by-myself-well-maybe-Mommy-helped-a-little pie.

I am so proud!

In all seriousness, I love Thanksgiving and what it stands for: a day to remember to be thankful for all that we have and for the people in our lives. So, thanks be to God for His great love and mercy and how he has cared and provided for us over the years, for my beautiful family, for creativity, and for chocolate. Amen. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Take that french toast and stuff it!

I stayed at a bed and breakfast recently, and the innkeeper made french toast stuffed with fruit filling... inspiration!

So, for this Saturday's breakfast I decided to relive the experience and share with the family:

French Toast stuffed with Caramelized Bananas

Let me just say, it was waaaaaay better than I thought it would be - the warm buttery sweet caramel flavor with bursts of banana, cinnamon and vanilla, encased within fluffy french toast... NOM NOM NOM... It was also incredibly simple and quick.

A couple of notes:

1) I would definitely use a large, crusty loaf of French bread cut into slices of 1-inch thickness, makes the splitting/stuffing much easier.
2) I intentionally did not use super ripe bananas, as I find overly-ripe bananas tend to overpower every other flavor in a recipe. But to each his own.
3) I did not use as much sugar as a similar recipe called for, so it was just lightly sweet - increase amount of brown sugar for extra sweetness (but to no more than 1 cup).
4) Use a bread knife or some kind of serrated knife to slice the cooked french toast - it was still a little difficult, so if you have any suggestions on how to do this without burning fingers, let me know!

So, here it is - let me know how it turns out, and anything you would do to improve it.

French Toast stuffed with Caramelized Bananas - Serves 4

French Toast:
- 8 thick slices French bread cut into 1-inch thickness
- 3 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon/sugar mixture
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, for frying

Caramelized Bananas:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 bananas, diced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of cinnamon

1) Heat a large skillet and small skillet on medium heat. In a medium sized bowl, combine eggs, milk, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, cinnamon/sugar mixture, and salt and whisk until well combined. When large skillet is hot, melt butter to grease the pan. While the butter melts, begin dipping pieces of bread into the egg mixture, allowing a few seconds for the bread slice to absorb the egg. Immediately place in hot skillet to cook, cooking each side for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.

2) While french toast is cooking, begin cooking the bananas. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in the smaller skillet, and let the butter heat until very lightly brown. Add the bananas and vanilla and stir constantly until the banana pieces sizzle and begin to caramelize (about 5 minutes). Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon, and stir gently until the sugar melts.

3) Slice hot french toast in half lengthwise (see photo). Spoon bananas into center of french toast and close. Serve hot, and with a sprinkle of powdered sugar if the spirit leads.

Homemade Granola Bars

So, I used to spend a small fortune in commercial granola bars. No longer! A couple of years ago I found an incredibly easy recipe on allrecipes.com, and I will never go back. It's easy, economical, and endless in possibilities!

Granola bar day at the Shaw house is always a happy day. It begins with a quick rummage of the pantry for any nuts and dried fruits that will inevitably go into the bars. I've used peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit bites from the baby snack aisle (prechopped, can it GET any better??), you name it.

Today was a very good rummage day... because Gracie and I made these:

Cranberry chocolate hazelnut granola bars.

I know. Shut. UP.

This is too good of a recipe NOT to be shared, so here it is. Just a note for today's featured bars: I omitted the cinnamon and vanilla, and for the "mixin's" I just used 1 cup chopped hazelnuts, 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, 1 cup dried cranberries, and 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Just a note: in case there are those who aren't thrilled with the idea of using sweetened condensed milk (FYI: it literally only has two ingredients - milk and sugar, who knew??), I've heard that honey works well - haven't tried it yet, will probably alter the flavor a bit. Just be sure to substitute something sticky (and sweet!) to help give the granola bars form and flavor.

Basic Granola Bar Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups quick cook oats
1/2 cup butter (one stick), melted
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc)
1 cup sunflower seeds (sometimes substitute pecan bits)
1 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, chopped apricots or apples, etc)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1) Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Line large cookie sheet with foil and lightly grease foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Pour oat mixture onto greased cookie sheet and press flat into pan.
3) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.

Happy granola making, and remember: silence can be bought.

Pancakes = Happiness

For almost as long as we've been a family, we've had a tradition of making Saturday a special morning where Jason or I prepare a hot breakfast for the family.

This morning, I decided to put a pitiful, lonely, almost too-ripe banana out of his misery by making him a part of the breakfast festivities. Here is what I came up with:

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a medium/large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
2. In second smaller bowl, combine milk, egg, vanilla, oil, and banana. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine until just moistened. Fold in pecan bits and chocolate chips.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Virginia!

Frozen Buttercream Transfers: The New Frontier

It's been a while since I've posted. It's been pretty busy around here with two kids, and with the summer quickly approaching we have a lot of celebrations, birthdays, and travel coming up. Time for blogging is scarce and often used to wash dishes and potty train, but I wanted to be sure to post about a recent cake decorating revelation that I hope will inspire a few of you to try in the meantime: frozen buttercream transfers.

A FBCT is a way to trace a design with icing and after it freezes can be transferred to a cake. This is great because it doesn't require drawing freehand on a cake (can we say anxiety attack?) and you can also make it a day or two in advance and keep in the freezer until you need it.

I was actually pretty worried that it wouldn't work or that it would be incredibly difficult. I was wrong on both accounts: It was one of the fastest cakes I've ever decorated with some pretty impressive results.



I won't hash out all of the details, but I will post a link to some great instructions that I found very helpful on Cake Central:

How to Create a Frozen Buttercream Transfer

Some tips I would want to share:

1) Definitely purchase a tube of Wilton black icing along with a #2 Wilton icing tip (very small circle) and coupler. This will probably put you back about $5-7, but it will give you a cleaner image and will be the biggest investment for the project. Plus, the tubes last a long time so you can reuse it for more projects.

2) I just used canned frosting to fill in the image instead of making my own FBCT icing. I guess the benefit of making your own is that the fat content is so high that it doesn't stick to the wax/parchment paper, but I found that the generic canned stuff worked just fine.

3) After filling in the color to the image, gently but firmly tap the image a few times on a flat surface to help remove air bubbles in the icing. I didn't do this and ended up with little air bubbles in the image - not a big deal, but it would have helped clean up the finished product.

4) When you are done tracing/filling in your FBCT image, be sure NOT TO SKIP re-covering your image with more white icing (or whatever color is going to match your cake), and be sure that the extra icing extends a good 1/4 to 1/2 inch past your image on all sides. The edges of the transfer will stick a little and this will keep you from distorting the image that you just worked so hard on.

Good luck! I would love to hear if you try your own transfers!

The happy birthday girl

Outback Bread

Okay, last night I had another epic bread making FAIL while trying to make Outback Steakhouse bushman bread. This is what it's supposed to look like:

Can't you just taste the slightly sweet, warm, pillowy softness?

Aaaaaaaand this is what I got:
Bland, hard, and only fit for propping the door open.
(Please note poised position above the trash can, where it now lies)

Okay, in defense of the recipe I've tried to make, I only was able to use half the called for amount of molasses (I ran out). When I usually make it, the taste is pretty good but it is still hard and has the darndest time rising to a nice fluffy loaf.

So I now pose a challenge: I am going to post three Outback Steakhouse recipes. The first is the original recipe that I have been trying to make work for three years but never seem to be able to cooperate for me (I am fully aware that it could be solely that I am still not a seasoned bread maker). The second is almost an identical recipe, but calls for more yeast. The third is a completely different recipe.

Now, my challenge to you is this: try your hand with at least ONE of these recipes and tell me what happens. Does it come out soft and tasty? Or is the recipe defunct? Did you do anything differently? Does rye flour need added gluten to rise properly? Do I need to hire a priest to exorcise the bread demons out of my oven?

Recipe #1:
http://www.bigoven.com/119219-Outback-Steakhouse-Bread-recipe.html

Recipe #2:
http://restaurantrecipesbook.com/outback-steakhouse-bushman-bread-recipe/

Recipe #3:
http://www.lickthespoon.org/?p=203

I await your responses, bread masters!

Remembering

Today marks the one year anniversary for the passing of a dearly beloved friend and mother-like figure. Lynn McGary was and is one of the most beautiful women you will ever meet, inside and out. She was called home after a long battle with cancer, but her impact on the ones she knew and loved still continues to radiate like a star even after it dies out. My husband Jason posted a beautiful memorial to her and I want to share it with you all.

Ancient Lyric: In Memory of Lynn

Last January I posted something about Lynn that I wrote in her final days on this earth. You can read it here to know more and understand what she has meant to me and to so many others:

A Reflection on a Remarkable Woman

We still miss you and love you, Mama Lynn, and look forward to seeing you again.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

...but muffins are so delightful!


I was inspired this morning to whip together some warm muffins to fend off the winter chill. What I love about muffins is that they are really quick and easy to make, and that you can add almost anything to them (fruit, nuts, cheese, meat... you name it).

This morning, I had pecans and dried cranberries on hand so... surprise! Cranberry pecan muffins - lightly sweet, more like fruity bread loaves. Here's the recipe in case you need some help fighting the brrrrs.

Cranberry Pecan Muffins
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk (or rice milk)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted, or oil
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
dusting of powdered sugar (optional) - gives a little more sweet

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease twelve muffin cups or line them with paper bake cups.
2) In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture.
3) In another medium bowl stir together egg, milk, brown sugar, and butter/oil. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy - stirring too much will make your muffins tough). Fold in dried fruit and nuts.
4)Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done (if a toothpick is inserted into center of muffin and toothpick comes out clean). Dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm. Makes 12.

The Yeast and I: Friends Again

Well, thank you so much to everyone who posted thoughts, suggestions, and encouragement. After using the kids' entire nap time to try every trick suggested, there was a satisfactory result:


What was I doing wrong? A couple of things:

1) Cold bowl that wouldn't warm up. It's important to make sure the bowl you use to let the dough rise is pre-warmed. A cold bowl = bored yeast. I was also told that warming the measuring cup for the warm water is also important. Since my Kitchenaid mixing bowl wouldn't warm up, I put a greased Pyrex bowl in the oven on low for a few minutes and transferred the dough. Much better.

2) It's possible I didn't have the water warm enough - apparently 130 degrees F is the best temperature for bread (warm enough to get the yeast excited but not too hot to kill it).

3) The kitchen wasn't warm enough. Following good advice, I preheated the oven to 175 degrees F and turned it off before putting the dough in to rise.

I was really starting to wonder if my dough was EVER going to rise after sitting so long in an inactive state. Let this be a lesson to all of you aspiring bread makers: don't give up on the dough too quickly! Try everything before giving up - it's worth the effort to have that smell of freshed baked bread permeating your house.

So thanks again to all my friends with their bread wisdom to share - it won't be another six months of despair before I attempt another loaf of bread. :)

And I must give kudos to Lisa - that sweet bread is AMAZING! It tastes very much like the rolls at O'Charley's. In case you need the link again to her recipe, here it is:

Lisa's Amish Sweet Bread Recipe

Yeast, why do you despise me?

So I have been trying for almost three years now to master the art of bread making. And I have to admit that the majority of my bread attempts have ended in disappointment. The only recipe that I have managed to complete with any real success has been Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls - everything else either doesn't rise, doesn't rise enough, or rises and then flattens out to an unattractive, hard loaf.

My most recent attempt was this morning: I am attempting to make my friend Lisa's recipe for Amish sweet bread. I proofed the yeast, and followed the rest of the recipe to a tee. I covered the dough over an hour ago to let it rise. When I went back to check on its progress, this is what I found:

It's enough to make you want to weep.

So I am sending out a cry for help into my cyber-hood and see if anyone can explain to me what I'm doing wrong. Here is what I have ruled out:

1) The yeast being old - I just used it a few weeks ago to make cinnamon rolls.
2) The water too cold - I made sure it was warm but not too hot.
3) Didn't rise long enough - I just checked it again, and after almost 2 hours, it STILL hasn't risen.

And here is what I want to ask about:
1) Do I need to warm up the bowl before I set the dough in it to rise? The metal bowl was a little cold but I hoped the water would warm it up.
2) I stirred the yeast this time since it's what the recipe said to do before I proofed it. Should I just sprinkle it in the water and leave it be until it bubbles?
3) Am I just yeast-challenged?

I await your wisdom.