Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding

Adapted from Pop Sugar

Ingredients
1 ½ cups water
3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding mix
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups heavy cream
11 oz. box vanilla wafers
4 bananas, sliced

Directions

1. Using a stand mixer and whisk attachment, combine water, pudding mix, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight to allow time for pudding to set.

2. Again using a stand mixer and whisk attachment, whip heavy cream. Begin mixing slowly, increasing gradually to a fast speed; whip until stiff peaks form, 5-10 minutes.

3. In a large mixing bowl, fold one third of the whipped cream into the pudding until well incorporated. Repeat twice until all whipped cream is mixed with the pudding.

4. In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, layer vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, and pudding mixture. Repeat, creating 3-4 layers until all of the pudding mixture is used. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 6 hours, before serving

Strawberry Pretzel Parfait

Last weekend was action packed, this weekend was the same! On Friday, KK and I went out to dinner at La Carbonara, and then headed to a friend's 30th birthday party.  A lot of my friends are turning 30 this year, including me - my 30th is just over a month away! Along with the good company, the party host served my new favorite appetizer - Trader Joe's Mac & Cheese Bites.  We fully embodied the "married couple" persona on Saturday morning by cashing in a Groupon for a discounted BJ's membership.  The apartment is now fully stocked with toilet paper, cleaning supplies, shampoo, conditioner, and 4-lb. bag of candy corn :) We redeemed ourselves Saturday evening by visiting KK's cousin at his new, fancy apartment in Long Island City.  Casa Enrique, which opened only a few months ago, served up some excellent margaritas, guacamole, and enchiladas! Since work's been crazy the past few weeks, I had a little work to get through this afternoon, but now I'm looking forward to the Paprika Chicken KK has on the menu for tonight!

Speaking of candy corn, you probably know that I have a serious sweet tooth.  In a perfect world, I would be able to eat dessert or candy with every single meal.  Instead, I try to ignore my sweet tooth cravings and reserve dessert for special occasions.  I even ask that KK buy ice cream flavors I don’t like (strawberry or mint chocolate chip are his go-to choices) to avoid the temptation.  But sometimes, that just isn’t enough.  Last week, with a little Googling for “easy desserts for two,” I found this wonderfully quick and easy recipe.  Fresh strawberries would probably make this dish even better, but without any on hand, thawing frozen strawberries under warm water did the trick.  Instead of dragging out my food processor, I crushed the pretzels in a plastic bag.  It might have been a little more “manual” labor, but it made cleanup easier and I know KK appreciated that! This dessert is best served immediately, otherwise the pretzels will become soggy.  If the rest of the recipes on Dessert For Two are this easy and delicious, I think it’s quickly going to become one of my favorite blogs!

Strawberry Pretzel Parfait

Adapted from Dessert For Two

Prep time:  25 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

12 strawberries, fresh or frozen, diced

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup pretzel mini twists

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

¼ tsp cinnamon

Pinch of allspice

¾ cup sour cream

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions

1. Spread strawberries in shallow dish and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place pretzels in a large Ziploc bag and crush with your hands until pretzels are broken into small pieces.  Alternatively, pulse pretzels in a food processor.  Drizzle the melted butter, cinnamon, and allspice over the crushed pretzels and stir to combine.

3. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and brown sugar, breaking up any large brown sugar clumps.

4. In two serving dishes, layer sour cream, strawberries, and pretzel mixture. Repeat until all ingredients are served.  Enjoy immediately!

Nutty Caramel Oatmeal Bars

I have zero motivation to get started on things at work this week, but at least we have a long weekend to look forward to! I did a little baking this weekend for my friend Liz’s surprise birthday.  I’ll get to the baking details in a bit, but first I should do a proper recap of the party! Despite the fact that her mom thought we were childhood friends, Liz and I only went to high school together for 1.5 years.  Nevertheless, she’s one of my closest friends, each a part of the other’s wedding, and I’m even credited with introducing her to her husband (he and I went to college together)! I don’t think she was terribly surprised by the party, perhaps because her sister-in-law had to keep her at brunch well past the time their plates were cleared, but props to her husband for planning such a great party.  There was great food (dips galore, meatballs, roast beef sammies, and more), we played a few drinking games, and I discovered a new favorite drink – McKenzie’s Black Cherry Hard Cider! Since her actual birthday is today – HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ(ZY) :) Feeling very lazy on Sunday evening, KK suggested Oven Baked Risotto with Caprese Chicken for dinner which we enjoyed while watching the Golden Globes.

Now... onto the baked goods. Liz and her husband tend to follow a Paleo diet, so these bar cookies weren’t necessarily Paleo-friendly, but I had some caramel squares I wanted to use up, so I went ahead with it anyway! I have several oatmeal/chocolate/nut/caramel bar recipes in my email archives, so I took inspiration from all of them, but mostly based them off of Blue-Eyed Bakers’ recipe.  I was going to skip the parchment paper step, but decided to double-up with parchment paper and cooking spray to avoid a difficult of melted butter and sticky caramel (you’re welcome, KK!).  I used a combination of milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips this time, but you can use semisweet, white, or even butterscotch chips to add a little variety.  My favorite part of these bars were the salted peanuts – they added just the right amount of saltiness to offset the caramel chocolate filling.  I baked these the night before the party, and allowed them to cool completely before cutting them.  These bars are very dense, so I do recommend cutting them into small pieces.  In an airtight container stored at room temperature, the bars will stay fresh for about a week, but I imagine the party leftovers will be devoured by my coworkers in a matter of minutes after lunch today!

Nutty Caramel Oatmeal Bars
Adapted from Blue-Eyed Bakers
Time: 50 minutes
Makes: 30-40 bars

Crust & Topping Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 ½ cups salted dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
3 cups flour
2 ½ cups old fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
⅔ cups sugar
⅔ cups packed light brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 ¼ cups (3 sticks) butter, melted

Caramel Chocolate Filling Ingredients
24 soft caramel candies
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup mini Rolos
¾ cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate, dark, or semisweet)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a glass 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, and line bottom and sides with parchment paper.

2. Mix together dry crust ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour in melted butter, and mix until combined.  Use ⅔ of the mixture to form the bar crust, pressing the mixture into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Bake 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and soft.

3. Prepare the caramel filling while the crust bakes.  Melt caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir frequently to prevent the cream from boiling.  Once caramels begin to melt, but are still somewhat clumpy, add Rolos to the saucepan.  Continue stirring until both the caramels and Rolos are melted, about 7-10 minutes in total.  Let caramel cool slightly.

4.  Cool crust on a rack for 5 minutes.  Top with chocolate chips and cover with caramel chocolate sauce.  Crumble remaining crust/topping mixture on top of the filling.

5. Bake 20-25 minutes until top is golden brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Red Velvet Butter Cookies

As I mentioned on Saturday, I went to my friend Emily's Holiday Cookie Swap in Brooklyn last night.  I've always wanted to go to a cookie swap, so I was excited to see Emily's invite and I wasn't about to let a few inches of snow prevent me from participating last night! Each guest was asked to bring two dozen cookies to ensure there were plenty to taste immediately, but still enough to bring home for later.  We had ten different varieties of baked goods - mostly cookies, but also some carrot cake cupcakes and chocolate biscotti.  We setup in the lounge area of the apartment building, so we quickly made friends with the other people hanging out there.  We let them taste the cookies, but made them vote! With votes from our new friends and each of the bakers, there were four winners:
              Best tasting: Red velvet (woo!!!!)
              Best presentation: Dulce de Leche sandwiches
              Best overall: White chocolate oatmeal cookies with sea salt
              Most original: Decorated sugar cookies

Emily was such an amazing host, and she even had small prizes for the winners.  I went home with a new spatula and party napkins.  We all left with boxes full of leftover cookies which I know KK is happy about because he's munching on a sugar cookie right now.  The evening was such a hit, hopefully it'll become an annual tradition!

When I first baked these cookies last year (pre-blog), they were devoured by my coworkers in record time.  When I saw a box of red velvet cake mix on sale at the store, I snatched it up and planned to make these again for July 4th.  That, unfortunately, did not happen because I forgot the dough had to be refrigerated for 2+ hours (check out the Firecracker Cookies I made instead).  Since these cookies are red, festive, and delicious, I decided to make them for the holiday cookie swap instead.  I recommend using regular cream cheese, instead of reduced fat or fat free.  Although I prefer fat free cream cheese on bagels, I think it tastes strange in dips and cookies.  If you don't have the time or patience for the butter and cream cheese to reach room temperature, nuke them in the microwave - cream cheese for about 20 seconds, butter for 15.  It is important to have the dough firm up in the refrigerator before baking to ensure the cookies hold their shape.  These cookies can be served by themselves, with ice cream, or even dunked into hot chocolate (try it - it's really good!).

Red Velvet Butter Cookies
Adapted from Taste and Tell
Time: 3 hours
Yields: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients
8-oz regular cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract 
15-16 oz. box red velvet cake mix
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions
1. Cream together cream cheese and butter using an electric mixer.  Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and cake mix.  Mix until thoroughly combined; dough will be sticky.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours.

2. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350.

3.  Roll chilled dough into tablespoon-sized balls.  Roll each ball in powdered sugar.  Place onto an ungreased cookie sheet; alternatively use baking splats or parchment paper.  Bake 10-12 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.  Return uncooked dough to the refrigerator as each batch bakes.

Apple Crumb Pie

Since this is only the second pie I’ve ever made, I didn't have a favorite pie crust recipe to use.  The timing of Mel’s Kitchen post about pies was perfect – she posted about them the same week I planned to bake a pie.  I recommend reading the pie crust instructions carefully before you get started because it’s important to work quickly once you start combining the ingredients.  The less hands-on time you can manage with the crust, the better crust you’ll end up with! Without a box grater in my kitchen, I used my mandolin for “grating” the frozen butter.  It was an excellent improvisation until I cut my thumb on the last tiny piece I was slicing.  Ouch! I was surprised to see sour cream on the list of ingredients, but apparently that’s quite common.  As instructed, I used regular sour cream instead of following my instinct to use a low fat or fat free version.  I don’t know what the sour cream adds to the crust, but I know it resulted in a crust that was easy to roll out and get into a pie plate, and it was perfectly flaky and delicious.  I think this will now be my go-to pie crust recipe!

My original intent was to make a lattice top pie using my Freezer Apple Pie Filling, but this recipe's crumb streusel looked too tasty and easy to pass up.  The crumb topping not only saved me time (didn’t have to make/roll out another pie crust), but it also added some sweetness to the pie.  After about an hour in the oven, the edges of my crust started to brown, but the apples weren’t cooked through.  If you’ve ever tried cutting aluminum foil strips and covering a pie crust in a hot pie dish – you know it’s a near impossible feat to accomplish without burning yourself or damaging the crimped crust.  A little Googling revealed an ingenious solution for this predicament! Following Real Simple’s instructions, I cut a 12-inch square of aluminum foil, folded it in half twice, and then cut a circle out from the center.  After unfolding the foil, I had a piece that covered the edges of my pie perfectly! This pie can be served warm or at room temperature.  I brought this pie to my brother-in-law’s house over the weekend, and I thought it was delicious at room temperature, but KK opted to heat his slice in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Diner’s choice! Enjoy!

Apple Crumb Pie

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen

Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Pie Filling Ingredients
Freezer Apple Pie Filling

Pie Crust Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp granulated sugar

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, frozen

½ cup + 1 tsp regular sour cream

Crumb Topping Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

⅓ cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, refrigerated and cut into small pieces

Directions

1. Thaw Freezer Apple Pie Filling in the refrigerator overnight; drain excess liquid prior to baking.

2. For the crust: Whisk together the flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Grate frozen butter into the dry ingredients.

3. Toss the butter-flour mixture with a fork until the pieces of butter are thoroughly coated.  Using the same fork, mix in the sour cream, mashing down any lumps in the mixture.  Do not overwork the dough, but use your hands to combine the dough and bring it into a rough ball.  The dough can either be used immediately, or stored in plastic wrap for 1-2 days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer.

4. Lightly flour the counter when you’re ready to roll out the pie crust.  Use a rolling pin, and firmly roll the dough from the center outwards, turning 90° every few strokes to prevent sticking.  Roll the dough out as thin as possible, re-flouring the counter if the crust begins to stick.  Roll the dough over the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate.  Carefully lift the edges of the crust and push it into the bottom of the pie plate.

5. Using clean kitchen scissors, trim the crust edges, leaving ¼-inch around the sides.  Fold up the overhanging crust and crimp the edges with your fingers, or a fork.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

6. Make the topping: Combine topping ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a fork or your fingers until coarsely combined.

7. Preheat oven to 375°.  Fill pie crust with prepared/thawed apple slices; top with crumb mixture.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.  Check pie after 1 hour; if crust has started to brown, cover edges with aluminum foil, and continue baking until apples are tender; crust should be golden brown, not burned.

Freezer Apple Pie Filling

I made this freezer apple pie filling back in September after we went apple picking, and am just getting around to using it! After I peeled and cored the apples, KK cut them into slices.  Unfortunately, I can’t remember how many apples we used, but it felt like a lot.  I split the 6 lbs. of sliced apples into four quart-sized bags, but since you need about 3 lbs. for a pie, next time I’ll just split it into two bags (or make more filling!).  I also made this pie filling last October, but it spoiled when we lost power during Hurricane Sandy, so I never got to make a pie out of it.  The original Cooks.com recipe did not indicate whether or not the apples should thaw before baking, but I ultimately decided to thaw and drain them before baking.  Stay tuned for the crust and pie recipe, but I've decided that thawing the frozen filling was a good decision – the apples maintained their shape, and the pie wasn’t too sweet.  If you prefer a sweeter pie, consider adding some sugar back to the filling once it’s drained.  If you decide not to thaw the apples, you’ll need to increase the baking time.

Freezer Apple Pie Filling

Adapted from Cooks.com

Time: 30 minutes

Filling for 2 pies (9.5-in)

Ingredients

6 lbs. apples

1 Tbsp vinegar

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all purpose flour

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp allspice

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Wash, peel, core and slice apples.  Fill a large bowl with water and 1 Tbsp vinegar, and use this as a soaking solution to prevent darkening as you prepare the apples.  After all the apples are sliced, drain and rinse apples; return slices to the bowl.

2.  Combine sugar, flour, spices, and pour over apples; coat with lemon juice and toss to combine.  Let stand until juices thicken, about 15 minutes.  Divide mixture between two freezer containers.  Seal and freeze until ready for use.

3. For baking: Thaw for one day prior to use; drain and place into a pie crust and bake at 375 for 1 hour 20 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

KK and I have not properly celebrated Halloween together since 2010.  We were on vacation in 2011 (Spain) and 2012 (Thailand), and this year we were just lame (masks for Dia de Los Muertos don't exactly count as proper costumes).  That being said, I've started gathering supplies for a costume to wear at my friend's annual Ugly Sweater Holiday party.  Instead of wearing the same old, ugly sweater, I'm getting crafty.  Stay tuned for the reveal next month! In other news, KK and I are visiting our twin niece and nephew this weekend and I could not be more excited!!! They're two months old now, and are apparently growing like crazy.  I'm going to use some apples from apple picking to make a pie for our visit (more for my brother and sister-in-law than the twins).  Since I don't have an apple pie post ready for you yet, I'm posting about a different type of pie instead!

Yum, yum, yum! I made these cookies for giant Jenga night a few weeks ago, and there were plenty leftover for us to enjoy while tailgating at the Jets-Pats game.  Having a hands-free electric mixer, such as a Kitchen Aid, really made this recipe easier.  I love being able to toss ingredients into the mixer’s bowl, and then walk away for a few minutes while the mixture combines.  This is the first time I’ve seen a cookie recipe that requires the baking soda to be dissolved in hot water before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.  After some quick Googling, I learned that dissolving baking soda helps get it evenly distributed in the dough and gets it activated before putting the cookies in the oven.   To  be honest, I don’t really understand why you’d want the baking soda activated early, but I do know that the cookies ended up flattening evenly which led to better sandwiches! My gelatin was very old, so the filling mixture took almost an hour to set; I tried filling the cookies before it set but ended up with a runny mess, so it’s worth the wait to get perfect cookies! Use as much or as little filling as you please; I opted to keep mine fairly thin in an effort to emulate Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Crème Pies.  I was a bit worried because the cookies were quite hard after they cooled, but they softened from the moisture of the marshmallow filling and turned out perfectly!

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Adapted from Beantown Baker

Makes: 20-24 sandwiches

Cookie Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

½ tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

2 tsp baking soda

3 Tbsp boiling water

Filling Ingredients

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp unflavored gelatin (about 1 ½ packets)

⅓ + ¼ cup water (divided)

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

8 oz. vegetable shortening

Cookie Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease baking sheets and set aside.  Alternatively, line baking sheets with parchment paper or splats.

2. Using an electric mixer or Kitchen Aid, cream the butter, brown sugar, and eggs.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together salt, flour, and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture, along with cinnamon and oats.  Mix well.

4. Using the now empty small bowl, combine baking soda and boiling water, then pour into the rest of the batter. Again, mix well.

5. Drop by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake until cookies are firm and begin to turn golden brown around the edges, 5-8 minutes.  Cool cookies completely on a wire rack.

Filling Directions

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over ⅓ cup cold water. Let stand, stirring once or twice until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan on medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, and ¼ cup hot water until blended.  Raise heat to high and bring mixture to a full boil, then stir at full boil for 30 seconds.  Remove from heat, and stir in gelatin mixture until it fully dissolves.

3. Transfer mixture to the Kitchen Aid bowl; stir in vanilla and beat for 20 seconds at medium speed.  Gradually increase speed to high and mix for 5 minutes, until mixture is stiffened, white, and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar.  Add shortening and beat until completely smooth.

4. Allow the filling mixture to thicken 10-15 minutes, or until it sets, before assembling the cookie sandwiches.

Halloween Dirt Pudding

KK and I went to a groovy party last night! My old roommate and her boyfriend hosted a potluck Murder Mystery night.  In all honesty, I was a little skeptical at first, but it ended up being a great night! Thanks to the Saturday Night Cleaver kit, we had proper invitations, disco music, and detailed character profiles.  We skipped the suggested costumes, but there were several faux-New Yawker accents flying around the room all evening.  My "husband," Stan A. Live, was the victim and, by the end of the evening, everyone was accusing everyone of the murder! Along with a cheesy murder mystery, we enjoyed some great food during the potluck portion of the evening: pumpkin muffins, pasta salad, crockpot lasagna, chicken and rice, chili in bread bowls, and apple cupcakes.  To top it off, I also made a spooky rendition of dirt pudding! I'll admit: I had some for dessert last night... and with lunch today... and I'm planning to have some after dinner tonight, too!! As KK said in his contribution to this post, "YUM!"

I don't know why, but dirt pudding reminds me of my childhood.  It's so easy to put together, and it tastes great! I preferred this version of the dirt pudding over the Easter Trifle I made earlier this year; although the trifle was good, it was a little dense because of the brownies.  I used one package of regular Oreos and one Double Stuffed.  It would be interesting to try some of the other Oreo varieties: golden, mint, peanut butter, or birthday cake.  If, like me, you don't have time to let your butter and cream cheese come to room temperature, soften them in the microwave; check every 10 seconds as they soften.  I also nuked the Cool Whip for 15 seconds because it was frozen solid and would've been impossible to combine with the pudding.  You can choose whatever flavors of pudding you prefer - chocolate, dark chocolate, vanilla... the possibilities are (somewhat) endless! I'm not a huge chocolate fan, so I used one package of chocolate and one of vanilla.  I threw a couple of gummy worms into the pudding as I was layering, then stuck the rest into the top layer of Oreos before refrigerating the pudding.  To add a Halloween twist to the dirt, I added the ghost Peeps and candy corn pumpkins when it was time to serve dessert.  Enjoy!

Dirt Pudding

Adapted from Neighbor Food Blog
Time: 25 minutes + 3 hours refrigeration
Serves: A lot!

Ingredients
2 packages Oreos, regular or Double Stuffed
8 Tbsp butter, melted
4 Tbsp butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 1/2 cups milk
2 small boxes instant pudding
16 oz. Cool Whip, lite or regular
Gummy worms, Peeps, Candy Corn for topping

Directions
1. Place Oreos in a large Ziploc bag; use a rolling pin to crush cookies.  Pour melted butter into the bag and shake to combine.

2. Using a Kitchen Aid or electric mixer on medium high speed, beat softened butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add cream cheese and sugar; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add milk and pudding.  Beat on low until partially combined, then increase speed to high and beat until pudding begins to thicken; fold in Cool Whip.

3. Assemble the dirt in a trifle dish or large glass bowl.  Begin and end with a layer of Oreos, alternating with a layer of pudding over top; repeat until both are gone.  Stick gummy worms into the dirt pudding on top.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight; serve cold.

Apple Pull-Apart Bread with Vanilla Glaze

Why, hello there! Sorry I fell off the face of the blogging world for a few weeks - KK and I were on vacation! We spent 12 days in Italy and Portugal on an early 1st wedding anniversary trip, and it was phenomenal.  To kick off KK's first-ever trip to Italy, we flew into Rome and spent a few days exploring the typical tourist sites - Borghese Gallery, the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps.  After Rome, we setup base in Siena, rented a car, and tasted wines at various vineyards in Chianti, Montalcino, and Montepulciano.  We managed to pack 5 bottles in our luggage, so I'm looking forward to enjoying those over the next few weeks! Next up was Bologna where we ate like kings! We ate two gastronomic dining experiences where there was no set menu - the restaurant owners tell patrons what's on the menu each day, and they pair the wine for you.   Being the picky eater that I am, I was nervous at first, but both restaurants had plenty of options, and both KK and I were fully stuffed at the end of each night.  The final leg of our trip was in Lisbon (flights on TAP Portugal led us there), where we spent a few days walking up and down the seven (steep) hills of the city. We did a lot of walking in Lisbon, but also rested our feet while riding the historic Tram 28 across town.  All in all, it was a fantastic trip! Stay tuned for some pictures and more trip details later this week!

Now - going back a few weeks... I bet you can guess why I made this bread.  It was another way to use the apples we picked at Melick's Farm Stand! I used to bake somewhat regularly for my coworkers, but that's slowed down significantly as I've gotten more into cooking dinners, but I decided to treat them before I left for vacation.  I baked the bread at night, allowed it to cool completely in the pan, and covered the pan with tin foil overnight.  I decided that leaving the bread in the pan would make for easier commute since I had to carry it on my 1.2 mile walk and PATH ride.  I also mixed together the glaze ingredients at night, and stored it in spill-proof Tupperware.  I didn't pour the glaze onto the bread until it was time to serve it.  The loaf disappeared quickly, and my coworkers were surprised by how easy the recipe was! This bread would be heavenly if served warm, unfortunately that wasn't an option for me this time.  Nevertheless, I plan to make it again sometime soon (even if it's with a store-bought apple) because KK didn't get a chance to taste it! I urge you to try it because I know you won't be disappointed! 

Apple Pull Apart Bread with Vanilla Glaze
Adapted from The Comfort of Cooking

A quick shot at work with the glaze

Time: 45 minutes
Serves 6-8

Bread Ingredients
Cooking spray

⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg
16-oz. tube Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits
1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced

Vanilla Glaze Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
1 ½ Tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line a standard loaf pan (bottom and sides) with parchment paper, and coat with cooking spray.

2. Mix sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a shallow dish and set aside.

3.  Slice or peel each biscuit in half, creating 16 rounds.  Coat each biscuit and apple slice with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Layer in the loaf pan, alternating between biscuit rounds and apple slices.  Begin and end the loaf with biscuit rounds.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until bread is fully baked.

5. For Vanilla Glaze: Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and drizzle over warm bread.

Caramel Apple Crisp for Two

On Sunday, a group of my friends and I redeemed a Groupon at ArteVino.  In a nutshell: local artists lead 2-3 hour BYOB painting classes for participants at any level.  I love to scrapbook, which might be considered a form of art, but by no means am I good at painting/drawing.  Although it wasn't paint by numbers, the outline of the painting was already drawn for us on tracing paper, and we had to trace the image of Van Gogh's Branches of An Almond Tree in Blossom onto our canvas using carbon paper.  Even after tracing, I was still a little skeptical, but surprisingly the image came together as the instructor explained how we should paint the background, branches, and flowers.  Now I just need to find somewhere to hang it - we're a little short on wall space, but we'll figure something out!

KK and I made this individual-sized dessert after apple picking last year, so it was high on our list of recipes to repeat after visiting Melick's Town Farm last weekend.  I assembled the ramekin crisps while dinner cooked, and baked dessert while we ate dinner.  After letting it cool for a few additional minutes, the timing between dinner and dessert was perfect.  Using two medium-sized apples, I'm able to fill two ramekins from my Corningware set: the 15-oz. oval dish and a 4-oz. ramekin (not pictured below).  If you only have 4-oz. ramekins, this will probably fill to 3-4 ramekins, but KK and I prefer slightly larger portions if we're splurging for dessert! If you have it on hand, serve this a la mode with vanilla ice cream.  With or without ice cream - I promise you there will be no leftovers!

Caramel Apple Crisp for Two
Adapted from Hil's Blog
Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients
2 medium apples
2 Tbsp caramel topping
2 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp quick-cooking oats

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Peel, core, and slice apples.  Place into individual-sized ramekins.  Pour caramel topping over apples.

3. In a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apple slices and caramel.

4. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.  Serve warm.

Easter Treats

Happy Easter!!! Our friends in Weehawken hosted an Easter egg hunt and an early Easter supper yesterday.  They hid ~200 eggs in their basement and backyard, and watched as 10 of their friends ran around, frantically trying to collect the most eggs.  KK had never participated in an Easter egg hunt and, with beginner's luck, he collected the most eggs.  KK won $5, but also managed to pickup one of the reward/chore eggs, and was on bartender duty for the next 1.5 hours.  I think the "punishment" was fair considering he won cash and picked up the most candy! My reward was something from the 21+ grab bag - no chore for me! One of our friends also won the same 21+ reward, but his reward was accompanied with a chore - wearing pink bunny ears for the rest of the evening!

The Easter supper spread was amazing! Unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture of it, but we had salad, rolls, ham, rotisserie chicken, green beans, potatoes au gratin, and a savory pineapple casserole.  My favorites were the potatoes and the pineapple casserole... I hope my lovely friends are willing to share their family recipes with me.

Luckily most of us saved room for dessert! There were cupcakes, chocolate trifle, and cake batter & sprinkles dip.  After devouring the sweet treats, we played LCR and Fast Track.  Our friend's grandfather made the Fast Track game board himself.  KK was on a winning streak, so he of course took home the winning title (no prizes this time) in Fast Track.  

Trifle tips: I made the brownies on Friday night to ensure there was enough time for them to cool completely.  I also thawed the whipped topping in the refrigerator overnight.  The chocolate pudding layer was a bit thick, so be careful as you're layering so it doesn't get all over the sides of your trifle dish.  In a festive mood, I used Easter M&Ms for my topping, but feel free to get creative and use anything that comes to mind - Heath bars, crushed Oreos, sprinkles, fresh fruit - the possibilities are endless! 

Dip tips: After stirring the ingredients together by hand, I noticed the mixture wasn't very smooth.  I wasn't going to, but I'm glad I pulled out the hand mixer because the consistency of the dip was perfect afterwards!

Chocolate Trifle
Adapted from All Recipes
Time: 1 hour + cooling time
Serves: 12

Ingredients
1 (19.8 oz.) package brownie mix
1 (3.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup water
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
20 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
Chocolate candy or candy bar

Directions
1. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions.  Cool completely and cut into 1 inch squares.

2. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water, condensed milk, and 8 oz. whipped topping.  Mix until smooth and no streaks remain.

3. In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the remaining whipped topping (6 oz.). Top with chopped chocolate candy.  Repeat layers, topping off the trifle with the remaining chocolate candy for garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

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Cake Batter & Sprinkles Dip
Adapted from I'm Topsy Turvy
Time: 10 minutes
Serves: A lot!

Ingredients
2 cups whipped topping
1 (18 oz.) package Funfetti cake mix
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
Sprinkles

Directions
1. Place whipped topping in a large microwave-safe bowl; heat in the microwave for 20 seconds to slightly thaw it.

2. Add cake mix and yogurt to the bowl.  Mix until smooth, with a hand mixer if necessary. Stir in as many sprinkles as you'd like!

3.  Chill for at least 1 hour before serving with cookies, pretzels, or fruit.

Parade Day - Carbomb Cupcakes!

We had a great Parade Day - filled with food, friends, and fun! Everyone was decked out in green & orange.  We kept the party going for nearly 12 hours, and there were hardly any leftovers. Thanks to all of our friends for making it a great Parade Day!

I discovered this recipe in 2009, and it's since become a mandatory dessert on both Parade Day and Christmas Eve.  These cupcakes pair perfectly with a glass of port, and that's just what we do on Christmas Eve.  For Parade Day, however, they're more often paired with mimosas or beer.  Not the most sophisticated pairing, but it'll do!

The ingredient list says the whiskey and Baileys are optional, but I'm just not sure the cupcakes would be the same without it.  If you'd like a non-alcoholic version, don't worry about the Guinness because it bakes out.  The whiskey can be omitted altogether, and the Baileys can be replaced with milk.

I do a lot of the Parade Day cupcake prep the night before.  Bake, cool, and core the cupcakes; store them in an air-tight container.  Store the ganache in a Ziploc bag, and the icing in a tupperware in the refrigerator overnight.  Microwave both in 15-second increments to warm them up, but make sure the ganache is still relatively thick so filling the cupcakes is easy.

Carbomb Cupcakes
Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
Adapted from Smitten Kitten
Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes
Time: 1 1/2 hours

Cupcake Ingredients
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling Ingredients
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting Ingredients
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

2. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

3. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend.

4. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine.

5. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way.

6. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, 15-18  minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling
1. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate.

2. Put chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; pour simmering heavy cream over chocolate and let it sit for one minute.  Stir until smooth. If the chocolate isn't melted all the way, put the bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Make the frosting
1. Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

2. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, add the Baileys or milk, and whip to combine.

Fill & frost the cupcakes:
1. Make sure the cooled ganache is thick but still soft enough to be piped.

2. Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. Core  most of the way down to the bottom of the cupcake but do not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way.  A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out.

3. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. Ice and decorate the cupcakes!