Vegetable Lasagna

I had some friends come over to watch So You Think You Can Dance last night. If you don't watch the show you should, because there are some fierce dancers on it! And if you do watch the show...who do you want to win? I am rooting for Kayla...she has A-Mazing extensions and control, not to mention miles of personality!

Anyways, I made lasagna for dinner. I admit it. I was a lasagna virgin. I was nervous, but pushed through. It was worth it. Yum! I will be eating these leftovers happily for the next several days!

Vegetable Lasagna
Adapted from All Recipes

1 package whole wheat lasagna noodles
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper (I used red)
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup sliced zucchini
3/4 cup sliced carrot
Spinach
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar pasta sauce (I added basil, garlic, pepper and cayenne to my store-bought sauce)
1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese



Cook the lasagna noodles according to directions on box. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large saucepan, cook and stir mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, zucchini, carrot, garlic and oil. Stir in pasta sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 15 minutes.

Mix together ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella and eggs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread tomato sauce into the bottom of a greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Layer 1/2 each, lasagna noodles, ricotta mix, spinach, sauce. Repeat layering and top with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.

Bake for about 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Like I said before, I am doing a major pantry clean out. How exciting! I just stuffed whatever add-ins I had left in these cookies. They turned out yummy. Definitely not a recipe I will make over and over again, but they were still good, and I am sure they would be good with anything you decided to throw in!

Our cookie jar is now overflowing...

Kitchen Sink Cookies
Martha Stewart

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee bits
1 cup unsweetened flake coconut
1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and blend until completely combined. Fold in the oats, chocolate chips, toffee bits, coconut and almonds. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes.

Oreo Mint Ice Cream

It's national ice cream month! Plus it's uber hot and humid here. Put the two together and you get lots of ice cream made by Sugar. I think my favorite kind of ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip. Spice hates anything minty, though, so I haven't made it since I got my ice cream maker. The time has come my little friends.

I got this Ben and Jerry's recipe for Oreo Mint from their Ice Cream and Desserts Book. I think I much prefer Mint Chocolate Chip to the Oreo's in this....although I'm not complaining! I did really like the mint base, though. Very creamy and delicious. And perfect after a long night of rehearsal!

Can I also say how frustrating it is trying to photograph ice cream during day light hours? I don't want to put it in a bowl in the morning just to photograph it before I leave the house, and then it is always dark when I get home at night! Grrr!

Oreo Mint
Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Desserts Book

2/3 cup coarsely chopped oreos (I put in about 1 cup cause I likes da chocolate!)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
(and I added 10-15 drops of green food coloring for the loverly pale green color)

Place the cookies in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minutes more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend. Add the peppermint extract and food coloring and blend again.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

About 2 minutes before ice cream is done, add the chopped cookies and continue freezing until ready.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I made two kinds of cookies this past weekend in attempts to get rid of some random stuff I had in my pantry. Actually, I don't really have a pantry. It's New York. I have a cabinet with food in it. ANYWAYS, these cookies were a HUGE hit in our apartment. Spice said the cherries were such a pleasant surprise when you took a bite and a house guest dared Spice that she couldn't eat just one. I think she lost the dare =)

Cherry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies
Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup dried cherries
4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup toffee pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the egg and combine. Add the vanilla and combine. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the oats, cherries, chocolate and toffee. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.

Classic Whole Wheat Bread

Spice made whole wheat bread the other day from the recipe on the back of King Arthur's Whole Wheat Flour.

The bread as great. I think it would be great sandwich bread because it could be sliced fairly thinly. We also enjoyed it with butter on it. Yum. Spice said that she put in all molasses, but next time she would do half molasses and half honey. I think you could make lots of changes like that to this bread, and it would still work out.

Classic Whole Wheat Bread

From King Arthur's Flour

1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey, molasses, or maple syrup

3 1/2 cups wole wheat flour

1/4 cup nonfat dried milk

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, until dough becomes smooth and supple. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow dough to rise, about 60 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and shape into an 8-inch log. Place log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after about 20 minutes.

Vegetable Pasta

When I was in college, my roommates and I lived on pasta, Totino's frozen pizza (they're $1!)and ice cream. Everyone had always told me college would probably be my most unhealthy phase in life. I didn't think so at the time, but looking back, it couldn't be more true!

Although I am still crazy poor, I budget to get as many fresh vegetables in as possible. That is not to say that I still don't sometimes subsist on pasta and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I have learned to add whole grain to the bread, natural peanut butter and vegetables with pasta.

This is one of those dishes I can put together in a snap, is fairly cheap and gets my veggies in! I based the recipe on this one on All Recipes. I add whatever vegetables strike me at the store (or whichever ones are on sale!)

Vegetable Pasta

Whole wheat pasta (I use everything from linguini noodles, to penne and bowtie)

1 large tomato, chopped

Chopped spinach

Fresh basil leaves

2 cloves of garlic

Asparagus, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as instructed on box.

Combine the tomatoes, spinach, basil, garlic and asparagus in a large saucepanover medium heat. Cook until vegetables are tender.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and milk. Stir into the saucepan with the vegetables along with the cheese. Reduce temp and allow sauce to thicken.

Top drained pasta with vegetables and sauce.

World Peace Cookies aka Chocoalte Nirvana Cookies

My friend whom I lovingly refer to as Butthead is getting married this September. I was lucky enough to be asked to bake her some chocolate desserts for the night before the wedding. How excited am I?!?! Not only was I so ridiculously excited to be asked to bake, but Butthead and I compiled a list of desserts she may want and then I did some investigative research and found recipes for all of them!

Needless to say, if I wasn't Queen of Nerdville before, I sure am now! And what's worse (or more amazing), I'm totally excited about the whole thing!!!

Now, I am in the phase of trying all the desserts out, making sure they taste good and that they will look gorgeous! Too bad Butthead and I live far away because she wont be able to test with me, but I have a good idea of what she likes because we did live together for 2 years in college. Plus I have roommates that will gladly be testers, I am sure!

First up: Dorie Greenspan's famous World Peace Cookies. From what I hear, she named them these because after a friend ate one, she said that if everyone had one of these cookies a day, there would be world peace. That's silly. But these cookies certainly are delicious. I didn't even use quality chocolate and they turned out amazing. So I am naming them for myself: Chocolate Nirvana Cookies. I think these are definitely a keeper for the party, but I may dip one end in white or dark chocolate and cover it with nuts or shaved chocolate. We'll see what Butthead thinks!

World Peace Cookies
Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Cream the butter and sugars together in a separate bowl, followed by the salt and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix to incorporate.

Turn the dough onto a work surface, mold it together, and cut it in half. Shape each half into logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the logs into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Arrange rounds onto greased baking sheets and bake about 12 minutes.

Ice Cream Mud Pie

Spice told me this is by far her favorite thing I have ever made before. Everytime she sits down with a piece she raves about how delicious it is and then scolds me for making something so delicious and that I should never make it again. Too bad, Spice, cause I like it too and of COURSE I am going to make it again! Duh!

Tah dah! This is what the white chocolate ice cream went towards. I told you you wouldn't be disappointed! It was perfect. It perfectly set off the chocolate of the oreo crust and the chocolate topping. If you don't home make the ice cream, this dessert will come together in a snap. You do need to make sure you freeze it well before you serve it, but it is really easy to make. I'm not exactly sure where this recipe came from originally, but I got it from LadyJayPee at Eating, etc.

Ice Cream Mud Pie

Crust:
1 large bag oreo cookies (finely crushed: put them in a ziplock bag and run a rolling pin over them)
3/4 cup melted butter

Pat oreo's into the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch glass pan. Put in freezer 30 minutes.

Place 1 quart to one-half-gallon ice cream over crust, laying it out in slices.

Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 egg

Combine butter and cocoa powder in saucepan on very low eat on stovetop until butter is just melted. Don't let butter bubble or brown.

Combine the sugar, milk and egg and add it to the butter and cocoa powder. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until thick. Remove from heat and beat with hand mixer for 1 minute.

Let cool COMPLETELY at room temp before spreading over pie, covering with foil and freezing.

White Chocolate Ice Cream

Hands down. The best ice cream I have made so far. So creamy and white chocolatey! Kind of perfect. White chocolate is apparently growing on me. I used to hate it. But now, as long as it is REAL white chocolate, I have come to enjoy it. A lot.

That being said, I thought this ice cream would be perfect for my next endeavor, which you will have to wait for my next post to hear about (but let me assure you, it is utterly delish). I think this ice cream would be perfect just as it is, though, because it is so flavorful! And, lets be serious, anything David Leibovitz makes is bliss.

White Chocolate Ice Cream
From David Leibovitz The Perfect Scoop

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
5 egg yolks

Put the white chocolate in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together, then add the milk and sugar. Warm egg mixture in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the saucepan until the custard thickens enough to stick to the spatula. Strain the custard into the white chocolate and stir until it is completely melted. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Chill mixture thoroughly and then freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Coffin Brownies

When will I get over my awe of Martha's genius creativity? Probably never. Look how cute these brownies are! I made them for the same Twilight party as the Vampire Cookies. PS: Have you started reading Twilight, yet? I think it is time. Seriously.

These coffins were so cute! Well, not cute, really, because coffins aren't cute, but they definitely fit the purpose for the party! I wasn't a huge fan of the actual brownie...I thought it was too salty or something. But they definitely cut and decorated well! Plus I got lots of compliments. That's always a good thing.

I changed the recipe a little because I didn't want almonds in my brownies, couldn't find marzipan, didn't have fleur-de-lis, and wanted to use a 13 by 9 inch pan.

Speaking of geniuses, I also used Alton Brown's recipe for Royal Icing. Martha + Alton = Overwhelming Geniusosity, or something.

Coffin Brownies
Adapted from the Brilliant Martha Stewart

1 cup plus 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour2 teaspoons salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
Royal Icing

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan.

Combine flour and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Sift in cocoa powder and whisk to combine. Let cool 3 minutes before whisking in the eggs and vanilla, followed by the sugars and flour mixture. Stir until just combined.

Bake about 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting. Martha gives you a coffin stencil you can use, but I just drew my own. When brownies are completely cool, use a sharp knife to cut around the stencil.

Royal Icing
From Alton Brown

3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add confectioners' sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired. For immediate use, transfer icing to pastry bag or heavy duty storage bag and pipe as desired.

Vampire Cookies

It's Halloween in July! No, it's a Twilight party! And what's wrong with celebrating some sexy vampires?!

These cookies turned out perfect for the party and I will definitely be making them again for Halloween! The only trouble I had was that the holes closed a bit after baking, so I would suggest pulling them out of the oven about 2 minutes before they are done and re-poking the vampire bite holes.

Vampire Cookies

From Baking Bites

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Red Jam (I used strawberry)

Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and extracts. Mix flour and salt together and then add to sugar mixture until dough is just combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Divide dough in half (keep the half you aren't using in the refrigerator). Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 2-inch rounds.

Place rounds on a greased baking sheet and put a teaspoon of jam on each of them. Cover with another round of dough. Press edges down and into cookie sheet. Use a toothpick and poke two small holes in the top of each cookie.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are set.

Pepper and Mushroom BBQ Pizza

I'm afraid I've become a bit obsessed with pizza as of late. Of course, pizza is delicious, but on top of that, it is great as leftovers.

One of my favorite questions to ask people is "if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?" I know. Weird thing to ask, right? One of my answers is always pizza because there are just so many kinds! You can have it with marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, cream cheese, pesto...the options are endless! How awesome!

Pepper and Mushroom BBQ Pizza

Dough from Epicurious

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cups white whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whisk warm water and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand until yeast dissolves, 5 minutes.

Mix flours, wheat gluten and salt together. Whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil into yeast mixture. Gradually add yeast mixture to flour mixture, kneading as you go. Knead until dough will form ball. Brush large bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Separate dough into 2 balls, place one in a plastic bag and put in freezer for next time! Roll out dough ball into a pizza shape and place on a pizza stone coated with cornmeal. Place BBQ sauce over dough. Sprinkle white cheddar and parmesan cheese over pizza, followed by chopped peppers (any color) and mushrooms. Place pizza in a 400 degree oven and bake for about 15 minutes.

Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Truth: The Olive Garden is delicious.
Truth: I always eat way too much when I go there.
Truth: My meal usually consists of approximately 10 bread sticks and a small plate of salad.

I have reached nirvana. Spice found a clone for the Olive Garden's famous bread sticks last week and we made them. Probably not exactly like the real thing, but gosh darn it, they were close!

Next time I think I will add more garlic. The only problem I had with these was that they were really hard the next day! No problem-o though. I just stuck one in the microwave!

Olive Garden Bread Sticks
From Recipe Zaar

Dough:
1 1/4 ounce package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fine salt

Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch dried oregano

Make the dough:
Place 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of mixer. Sprinkle in yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water. Mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes.

Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until very smooth and soft, about 3 minutes. Roll into a 2 foot long log. Cut into 16 1 1/2-inch pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7-inch long breadstick. Arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the topping:
Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.

Bake until slightly golden, about 15 mintues.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with flavored salt.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I had a craving for pie. I didn't know what kind. Just a craving. I like pie a lot. My favorite kind is lemon. No meringue. Just lemon. Odd, I know. But the rhubarb at the fruit stand was calling my name. And the strawberries.

True story. I have only made 2 kinds of pies in my life; lemon and apple. Both were great when I made them, so I wasn't too nervous about this adventure into pie-dom. I got my recipe from Smitten Kitchen. The pie turned out delicious. I had some issues, though.

I really didn't like the crust dough. I had such a difficult time rolling it out and getting it into the pan. Not to mention the lattice pattern. I think perhaps it needed more flour....but I think I will be going back to my old favorite: Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee. The filling was good, but was a little watery for me. Until the 2nd day. Then it was solidified to my content.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
From Smitten Kitchen

For crust
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
10 tablespoons ice water

For filling
3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed)
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water, beaten (for glaze)

For Crust:
Combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening and butter until course meal forms. Blend in enough ice water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until moist clumps form. Form dough into a ball and then cut in half. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for about one hour.

For Filling:
Preheat oven to 400 degress F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Mix to combine.

Assembly:
Roll out one dough disk on floured work surface into a 13-inch round. Transfer to a greased 9-inch pie pan. Trim off extra dough, leaving about 3/4 inch overhang.

Roll our second dough disk on floured work surface into another 13-inch round. Cut into fourteen 1/2 inch wide strips. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange 7 dough strips across filling, spaced evenly. Followed by the other 7 strips going to opposite direction. Trim ends to be even with the crust. Brush glaze over lattice pattern.

Place baking sheet under pan and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees and bake for about 25 more minutes, until golden brown.

Chocolate Banana Bread

Spice made this Chocolate Banana Bread the other day. She found the recipe on Sweet Savory Life blog, which I think she reached through Tastespotting. Have you ever been to this site? It is like food porn. I go on religiously every day at work and just think of all the delicious things I could be making/eating. It is also a great way to find new blogs and recipes!

This recipe was very moist and very banana-y. It uses two whole bananas! Get out of town! The result was pure deliciousness, since I really like banana. However, if the banana flavor gets to you, tone it down a notch and kick one of the bananas out of the baking fun. This bread was great, but I think it could have used a bit more time in the oven, as it was pretty gooey.

Chocolate Banana Bread
From Sweet Savory Life

1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 large ripened bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 inch pan.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add the egg, mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Mix until blended. Add the baking soda, cocoa and flour and mix until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Pour batter into pans and bake for 50 minutes to one hour.

Whole Wheat Berry Pancakes

As I have said before, I am not much for pancakes or waffles in the morning. I feel like it isn't worth the few bites of yumminess to feel kind of sluggish all day. Enter whole wheat and berries.

These pancakes definitely have some sugar in them, but it is nothing like a bisquik pancake because of the whole wheat and the blueberries and strawberries I added to them! So have a great morning and make some of these for yourself!

Whole Wheat Berry Pancakes
From Whole Grain Gourmet

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fat free milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
Blueberries
Strawberries

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt together. Set aside.

Combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and orange zest and then add the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the berries. Heat a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray and pour 1/3 cup batter into pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the top. Flip pancake and cook until baked through.

No Bake Cookies

It has been HOT here. Knock on wood...not as hot as it could be here, but definitely hot. Needless to say, I really don't feel like turning on the oven. Hence, my chocolate cravings call and I landed upon No-Bake Cookies. An old roommate I had hated chocolate (crazy, right?!) and she taught me once how to make these without chocolate. Of course, I would never make them sans chocolate, but maybe you would! These are great and are definitely sweet up the wazoo!

No-Bake Cookies

From All-Recipes

2 cups white sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1 pinch salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring sugar, cocoa, butter, milk and salt to a rapid boil for 1 minute.

Add quick cooking oats, peanut butter and vanilla. Mix weel.

Working quickly, drop by tablespoons onto waxed paper and let cool.

Ricotta Vegetables

I made this this week for dinner. I got the idea from a pasta dish on Simply Recipes. I didn't use pasta because I didn't have any, but if you are up for a heavier dinner, I say go for it! I love how the ricotta coated all the vegetables. Simply delish.

Ricotta Vegetables

Adapted from Simply Recipes

1-2 lbs asparagus, cut

1 large zuccini, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 carton cherry tomatoes

15 oz. ricotta cheese

2-4 tablespoons olive oil

Nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute asparagus, zuccini and pepper until tender.

Meanwhile, Combine cheese and olive oil. Add the vegetables, including the tomatoes and mix until coated. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

On top of the fact that my photography skills are A+ (please read with copious amounts of sarcasm), I tried to decorate these blondies with leftover frosting I had from my Sugar Cookie Bars and it was so warm out that it melted and looks like it is just blobbed on top. Don't get me wrong...these were still delicious, but definitely did not have the presentation quality I was going for!

In my state of dorkiness, I was reading about blondies and found some interesting tidbits. I always just thought blondies were a cookie in bar form, but no! They are technically a brownie without the chocolate and should have the same texture and density. Woah! That blew my mind a little. And I am pretty sure these guys were a tride and true blondie recipe as they were fairly dense like a brownie AND used melted butter like a brownie (not that cookies never use melted butter, but every brownie I have ever made has).

I used chocolate and butterscotch chips on these, but I think they would be great with white chocolate or toffee, too. The original poster used chocolate chips and cinnamon chips, which sounds amazing but I can't find cinnamon chips anywhere in the city.

Chocolate Chip Blondies
From Culinary in the Desert

14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips of any kind

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat when melted and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars, followed by the eggs and then vanilla. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in the chips.

Scoop the batter into a greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

Pizza Pizza

Is Little Caesar's Pizza a chain restaurant? I remember a commercial for them when I was little and this little dude with a long nose would always say "pizza, pizza!" Random, I know.

I made some pizza this weekend and it definitely hit the spot! With all the yummy pizza to be found in New York, plus being spoiled by my Stepmom's pizza on the grill when I go home, I don't attempt my own very frequently. I stepped it up (PS: have you seen the movie Step Up? It's fabulous and you should watch it) this weekend and went for it. Yum! I decided on a pineapple, grilled onion and ricotta pizza and made it on my pizza stone in the oven. It wasn't as good as a grilled pizza, but I have never been known to not enjoy a pizza and this bad boy was no exception! (I think I said the word "pizza" about a million times, approximately, in the last paragraph)

Pizza Dough
From Eating, Etc.

1-2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cornmeal

Combine one cup all-purpose flour, one cup whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in food processor. Pulse to mix.

Add warm water and olive oil and press until a ball forms. Add more flour as needed and knead until smooth, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover and let rest on a floured surface for about 10 minutes.

Shape into desired shape of pizza and transfer to a pizza stone drizzled with cornmeal.

My Pizza Pizza

Olive oil
Marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese
One onion, chopped and sauteed
Pineapple chunks
Parmesan cheese
Ricotta cheese
Basil leaves

Place a light layer of olive oil followed by your favorite marinara sauce on to dough. Sprinkle with a layer of shredded mozzarella. Place the chopped onion and pineapple on top of cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan and dot with ricotta. Place basil leaves on top.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Happy 4th of July! (or I guess Happy 3rd of July as I am posting this a day early). I made some sugar cookies and decorated them red, white and blue for the occasion. Actually, I got some new decorating tools and wanted to try them out. Guilty.

These turned out delicious, though. Not as delicious as the recent Snickerdoodle Blondies, but still good. I used a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and they turned out HUGE! And rich, especially with the Magnolia frosting I used. I wanted to shove all of them in my mouth, so I had to send them with Spice to work so others could partake!

Sugar Cookie Bars

from stylishcuisine.com

1 cup unsaled butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl. Stir to combine.

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Spread into greased baking sheet (I used a 9 by 13, but the original recipe calls for a 13 by 18).

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely and then frost.

Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream Icing

From Stylishcuisine.com

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat butter until fluffy. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then themilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until icing is thick. You may not need to add all the sugar. Add a few drops of food coloring if you so desire!

Chocolate Caramel Tart

This tart and I had some issues. I think it was me, though, and not the recipe, so I wanted to post it so I can try again.

In theory, it sounds delish! What is better than a buttery crust, caramel and chocolate...together?! Nothing I can think of beats that! The crust was easy enough. I had to make the caramel twice, though! How frustrating. I think I know how to do it, so next time it wont be as disastrous. I left out the peanuts, though, because I didn't want something to get in the way of the delicious caramel consumption. The chocolate layer never came out right, though. I think it was the cream I used. Anyways, I think you should make this and tell me how it turned out for you. And by you, I mean all 4 of my readers =D

Chocolate Carmel Tart
From Annie's Eats

For tart crust:
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons very cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks

For caramel:
Scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons salted butter

For chocolate ganache:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

To make crust, combine egg yolk, water and vanilla. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and beat for several minutes. Add the egg mixture and beat again until combined. Make into a ball and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Unwrap dough and place on a well-floured surface. Roll out evenly to about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a greased tart pan (I used a pie pan), and press into sides, getting rid of any excess dough. Cover with foil and place baking beads on top. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Remove beads and foil and poke holes in dough with a fork. Return to oven and bake 15-20 more minutes. Let cool completely.

To make caramel (and I wish you luck here), bring heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet and sprinkle in about 3 tablespoons of sugar. When it melts, stir and add in another 3 tablespoons sugar. When that melts, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir in the corn syrup and let boil until it reaches a caramel color. Stir in the butter and then the cream. Lower the temperature and let it boil for 2 minutes. Let caramel cool slightly before placing in the completely cool tart crust.

To make ganache, put chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and pour half of it over the chocolate. Gently stir the chocolate and cream together. Pour in the remainder of the cream and stir. When ganache is smooth, stir in butter, piece by piece.

When caramel has thickened in crust. Pour the ganache over the top. Place entire tart in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove and let sit at room temperature until serving.