Quick Mini Pie Bites

I love tiny desserts! I love them even more when they are super simple. I was having a craving after dinner and needed something easy and sweet.  I pulled a couple of ingredients together and figured the results couldn't possibly turn out bad.

I was right!  I'll be honest and say that I could have easily eaten all of them by myself but I'm so nice I shared with my husband.  He loves raspberry so I let him have most of the ones with raspberry jam.  I ate most of the pockets with cherry jam.  They tasted like little cherry pies. Yum! These would also be good with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. 

1 sheet of puff pastry
Jam of your choice (cherry, raspberry, apricot)
sugar for sprinkling
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Butter a cookie sheet. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside.  Fold out pastry and cut along seams to get 3 long strips. Then cut each of those twice so you get 3 squares. I used a pizza cutter as it the easiest and cleanest way in my opinion. Place the squares onto prepared cookie sheet.

Spoon about a tablespoon of jam in the center of each square of pastry. Pull up 2 opposite corners and pinch together, then the remaining corners and pinch corners closed in the center so it forms a little pouch. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle a pinch of sugar over the top of each pouch.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until golden and puffy.  Makes 9 small bites.

Welcome Fall with an Apple Braid

I try to take shortcuts as much as I can while in the kitchen to save time.  It's worth it to have more time to spend on another dish or to visit with friends and family.  I've learned over the years that the last thing I want to do while I have visitors is to slave away in the kitchen, sweating and stressing out while everyone else is relaxing and enjoying the meal.  I'll still slave away as needed but where I can cut it out, I go for it. 

For a shortcut, one of my favorite ingredients to use in a recipe is crescent roll dough. You can make a lot of things with this little tube of pre-made dough. Adding fruit to it to make a Danish-type dessert is so easy and the results are delicious. I used apples since fall is here and I love the homey smell of baking apples with cinnamon. The scent filling the house reminds me how much I’ve missed the cooler weather. It also makes me daydream about all the delectable treats I want to make for dinner, dessert and holidays. I love it!

Crescent Rolls are usually on sale or you can find coupons online to save money but they aren't ever that expensive.  You can find it in the refrigerated section with the pie crusts and pre-made cookie dough.  

1 tube of crescent roll dough

1 medium apple, sliced thin or diced (I used Granny Smith)

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp sugar + 1 tbsp for topping before baking

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add in apples and stir until coated with dry ingredients. 

Press out the rectangle of the crescent roll dough onto a cookie sheet.  Make sure to press all seams together.  Pour apple mix down the center of dough, leaving a half finger length on each side.   

With a small knife, make slits down each side of dough.  Braid or fold dough over the filling so it makes a braid.  For the ends, I try to fold up and pinch the sides together so the filling doesn't run out onto the pan.  You can use the photo as a reference to how mine looked.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar over top of dough.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  This is perfect served warm with a maple glaze.  Or you could serve with vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Chocolate, caramel and salt go so well together. Anytime I see a treat with these ingredients featured, I must taste it. (And yes, I even got the glazed doughnut from 7/11 one day that was topped chocolate glaze, drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with sea salt. It was so good and so bad for me! I couldn't resist) Forget I told you that. If I see a recipe I must make it. My husband and I both love this flavor combo and have been addicted to a Fleur de sel caramel ice cream we discovered one day at the grocery store. Fleur de sel is a potent and delicious sea salt.


I think the first experience I tried where I actually fell in love with this flavor combination was when my husband made these Espresso Caramel Bars for my birthday one year. His favorite chef is Giada De Laurentiis so most of his dishes are using her recipes. Wow, they were amazingly delectable and addictive. Beware and be prepared when you make them. Your friends and family will request them from you often.


This cake is easier to make in my opinion. If you haven't had the awesome experience to try the chocolate-caramel-salt combo, you're missing out. Take the leap and enjoy!


Chocolate Bundt Cake
1 c brewed coffee
1 c butter, unsalted
1/2 c Guinness Beer
1/2 c cocoa powder, plus some for dusting the pan
1 1/2 c sugar
2 c flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Caramel Sauce
1 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/2 heavy cream, warm
2 tbsp butter, unsalted, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coarse sea salt to sprinkle over top of cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.


Brew 1 cup of coffee. Set aside. Butter the bundt pan and sprinkle in a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder and shake around to coat the pan evenly to prevent sticking.


In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the coffee, Guinness and cocoa powder stirring with a whisk. After the butter is melted, incorporate the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.


In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a smaller separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Whisk the egg mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture.


Slowly add the flour to the chocolate mixture and whisk until all ingredients are combined.


Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.


When cake is done, let cool for one hour before attempting to remove from pan. Run a rubber spatula around the edges to loosen from pan and gently flip pan over onto a wire rack. It should remove easily.


While cake is cooling, make the caramel sauce. To a medium saucepan, add sugar and water over medium-high heat. Place cream in a separate small saucepan and heat until warm.


Stir the sugar and water until sugar has melted. Let the sugar it without being stirred. The caramel will start to boil and turn a golden brown color. When the coloring happens, remove from the heat. Stir in the warm cream and whisk. Add salt, vanilla and butter and continue to whisk until everything is combined. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Drizzle caramel sauce over the cake and sprinkle the sea salt. Enjoy!

Sausage and Carmelized Onion Bread Pudding

Most bread puddings I've had are sweet. They were either for breakfast or dessert. I was in the mood for something savory and it was lunch time but I still wanted bread pudding for some reason. I can't decipher the reasoning behind my stomach and tastebuds sometimes but I just go with it. So I decided to go for a savory bread pudding.

A friend was coming to visit and I wanted to surprise her with something different. I turned it into a brunch. I went with this Sausage and Carmelized Onion Bread Pudding as it was light, yet filling.



4 oz pork sausage
1/2 c water
1 1/3 c milk
1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
8 slices french bread, day old, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and cook for about 10 minutes or until carmelized into a beautiful brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in water and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove onions from pan to a small bowl and set aside. Coat pan again with cooking spray. Crumble sausage into pan. Stir and cook until browned. Add onions back to pan and stir to combine. Once combined, pour onto a paper towel covered plate or bowl. This will help soak up any additional grease. Set aside.

Whisk together, milk, salt, eggs and egg white. Add bread and gently toss to coat all pieces.

Stir the sausage and onion mixture into the bread mixture. Spray a 8-9 inch baking dish. Add the combined mixture. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Apple Monkey Bread

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but I absolutely love the smell of cinnamon and sugar!  Make a dessert using the heavenly ingredients as a main feature and put it in the oven and I'm done for!  Some of my favorites: Cinnamon Rolls, Snickerdoodle cookies, Coffee Cake.  I have been itching to try out a semi-homemade monkey bread for months now.  I had some energy and luckily the ingredients and decided it was time to give in to the temptation.  I made 4 individual servings which was really convenient.  I'll admit, if I made just one big one, I would have just eaten it all by myself in one sitting with no regrets.  None!

The caramel sauce that pools at the bottom of the dish is sinful but soooo good!  You can also make your own glaze or caramel sauce to add on top.

1 can biscuits (I used Grands flaky layers)
1 c sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 small green apple, cored, peeled and finely diced

Melt the butter in a small bowl.  In a separate small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar.  Cut the biscuits in quarters so you'll have 4 pieces from each biscuit.  I set piles of 6 pieces aside for each ramekin.  I worked in batches and dipped biscuit pieces in butter, then rolled in the cinnamon and sugar.  Add to ramekins.  Then rolled the diced apple pieces in cinnamon and sugar and sprinkled about 1 tablespoon in each ramekin.   Bake for 16-18 minutes or until biscuits are cooked through.   Serves 4 individual ramekins.

Cheers to a New Year and Brunch

Cheers to all!  I hope everyone had a safe celebration while ringing in the new year of 2012! 

Here is a delicious breakfast/brunch recipe I wanted to share with you to kick off the new year on the right foot.   My husband introduced me to the Dutch Baby.  Honestly, I had never tasted or even heard of it before I met him.  His parents served this delectable eggy dish for breakfast the first time I met them about 9 years ago for Christmas.  A few wonderful firsts for me happened during that visit: First time meeting his parents, first trip to New York and first time to try Dutch Baby. 

I'll give my sweet man props for being the main reason my eyes and tastebuds are now open in the culinary world.  Unlike me, at an early age, he was fortunate to be encouraged to try interesting foods and is still open to anything.  {By the way, have you heard of Porcupine Meatballs? That was yet another dish I had not heard of or eaten until I met him.  That was another interesting first I when I met his parents that same visit.  I loved it!  He laughed at me because he said it was more of a nostalgic dish his mom wanted to make but not really something he enjoyed.  I'll have to make it with my spin on it and share with you.}

Back to the focus of the post.  He and his family like to serve Dutch Baby with apple sauce and sausage links over the top.  It's a very light and versatile dish so I wanted to make it a little different.  I had a pear on hand so thought I'd try to incorporate that into it.  We loved it! 

Pear Dutch Baby
1 pear, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
1 tbsp brown sugar
6 tbsp butter, divided
4 eggs
1 c milk
2/3 c flour
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the eggs, milk, flour, 4 tablespoons melted butter, sugar and vanilla to a medium bowl and whisk until combined.  You can also use a blender or food processor if you prefer.  The batter may have a few flour chunks in it and blending will break those up.  Blend or whisk until well mixed.  Set aside.

Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat in cast iron skillet.  Then add the pears and brown sugar. Stir to coat the pear slices in butter until the sugar is melted.  Then add the batter over the pears and immediately place the skillet in the oven.  No stirring necessary. Bake for about 30 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown and the middle is cooked through.  (Note: It will sink down once you take it out of the oven and cut into it.) Sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Strawberry Scones

 

I don’t know about you but I love when strawberries are in season!  It’s even better that they are on sale most of the time.  Double bonus!! I buy several packages at a time of these fresh ruby red gems and then come up with tasty ways to use them in recipes.  As I hull and clean them, I can’t deny that I steal a few nibbles for myself.  There’s nothing like biting into a ripe and juicy strawberry.  This fruit definitely says summer to me and it is officially here in Texas!

For a quick treat, hull and clean your preferred amount of strawberries.  Fill a piping bag with homemade or store-bought no bake cheesecake filling.  Pipe the filling into the middle of the strawberries and you have Strawberry Cheesecake Bites.  Enjoy as many as you want for breakfast or a snack!

I decided to make scones one evening to take to work the next day for breakfast.  I thought it would start everyone’s Friday off right.  I’ve made scones in the past but these have been the best by far in my humble opinion.  Each one was fluffy and perfectly golden just the way a scone should be.  It helps that it has a lot of butter.  Please disregard that last little fact and enjoy them.  You deserve it!

Strawberry Scones

1 c hulled and finely diced fresh strawberries

4 c flour

¼ c sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling

2 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly ground

¾ c (3 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut in small cubes

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 c cold heavy cream

1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp water or milk, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

Place diced strawberries on several sheets of paper towels to absorb their juice.  Meanwhile, mix 4 cups of flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.   Using your fingers or a fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the flour-coated pieces are about the size of peas. 

Add the strawberries, tossing them gently to coat them.   Make a well in the mixture.   Stir the eggs, heavy cream and vanilla in a measuring cup until the eggs are lightly beaten.    Add the wet mixture to the well of the dry mixture.  With as few strokes as possible, gently stir the dough until just blended.  You should still see lumps of butter in the dough. 

Flour your hands and turn dough onto a lightly floured counter or a large cutting board.   Roll out the dough to a 3/4-inch thick rectangle.   Cut with a sharp knife into squares.  Then cut the squares in half diagonally to make triangles. (Or whatever shape you desire) 

Carefully place scones on the lined baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart.  Brush the tops with egg wash.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes about 16 large scones.  **They are best served warm.  If cold, zap them in the microwave about 15 seconds. 

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I was in the mood to bake this weekend. My husband loves peanut butter and I love the combination of peanut butter and bananas together. So I found this recipe with the best of both worlds. I added cinnamon to bring out a better flavor. I didn't think to put it in and it felt like it was missing something. So that is my suggestion that I added to the recipe below.

1/3 c butter
4 tbsp creamy peanut butter
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare one loaf pan by coating with butter or cooking spray.

Place butter and peanut butter in a large microwavable safe bowl and microwave until melted (about 1 minute). Add the mashed bananas and stir together with a spoon until combined. Add both sugars, beaten egg, vanilla and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Then add flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir just enough to combine but be sure not to over mix.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes and test by sticking the center with toothpick or knife to see if it comes out clean. If not, cook in 5 minute intervals until done.