Homemade Peanut Butter June 18, 2013

So it all started with a bag of Raw Peanuts from Bullseye Marketplace in Vandalia, Michigan.  (Side note:  if you are ever driving around or visiting Southwest Michigan, be sure to stop by Bullseye Marketplace, I love cute stores like these!)  Back to the peanuts, I asked the cashier how to turn them into roasted/salted peanuts, since they didn’t sell any in the shell that way.  She suggested boiling them because her and her husband love them this way…so I did, but because of, I believe, too high of temperature in the oven trying to dry them after the boil, it was unsuccessful…there is a longer story to go along with that, but I won’t get into it. :) So I had a bunch more peanuts left in the bag, and not really wanting to try boiling them again…I went to another option that I’ve wanted to try, PEANUT BUTTER!!  Homemade!  Yes, love it!  The recipe I used is from The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila.  The nice thing about making your own peanut butter is that you can make it exactly the way you like it, texture AND taste.  I added a bit more honey and salt to mine than the recipe asked for.  The one downside to making peanut butter is shelling the nuts…unless you buy them pre-shelled which probably costs a bit more.

Nut Butter

1 pound (3 ½ cups) shelled raw nuts

3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

4 tsp honey (I added a bit more)

3 to 4 T canola or peanut oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Roast nuts (out of shell) spread out on baking sheet for 10-20 minutes until they begin to brown.  Let cool slightly.

Place nuts, salt and honey in a food processor.  Blend for 20 seconds and drizzle in 3 T oil and continue to blend until it reaches your desired consistency (this could take a few minutes).  Add additional oil or salt if necessary and a bit more honey or any other add-ins to your liking.

Store in your fridge in a covered container for 2 month.  Not recommended to freeze.

Recipe Adopted from The Homemade Pantry:  101 Foods you can stop buying and start making by Alana Chernila

Grilled Tomatoes with Parmesan and Herbs June 11, 2013

Here is a super easy side dish to grill alongside practically anything!

Grilled Tomatoes with Parmesan and Herbs

2 medium tomatoes

1 1/2 T olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Cut each tomato in half crosswise and gently scoop out the seeds.  Place in a bowl and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Stir remaining ingredients together and spoon over the tomato halves.

Place tomatoes ona medium-high preheated grill with cheese side up.  Cook until cheese is melted and skins are slightly blistered, 4-5 minutes.

Recipe from The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up

Everyday Bread May 30, 2013

***Update:  So I probably posted this recipe a bit early.  I had just made the bread and tried it only a time or two.  After a few days , the bread was pretty dry and crumbly, it did this much faster than I expected (even with putting it in a plastic bag after one day), especially for bread that can supposedly sit on your counter for a week…I wanted to delete this post because of this but I’m human, I don’t always have successes, and maybe this post will help you in your bread making in one way or another!  ***

I really enjoyed paging through a cookbook called Make the Bread Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese.  It goes through many different grocery items that you should/could or shouldn’t cook from scratch.  Of course, I read through it knowing I would NOT be starting to make every single item in my kitchen from scratch, as much as I would love to, but it was informative as to what was easy to make, like this bread, and what is not worth taking the time to make from scratch.

I love the idea of this Everyday Bread recipe that Jennifer wrote about.  Supposedly it will last an entire week on my kitchen counter in a brown bag (that is if it isn’t eaten first) and it was so easy to whip together.  It is a heavier bread, so don’t expect a light french bread type loaf.  I’ve had a couple of pieces fresh out of the oven and one toasted with tomato and cheese.  I can imagine myself eating it as a sandwich or even toasting it up with some jam.  The other reason I love the idea of making this bread, possibly every couple of weeks, is because I know exactly what is in it and it doesn’t have any crazy ingredients!

Everyday Bread Makes 1 loaf

1/2 t instant yeast

1 3/4 cup water, room temp

2 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup + 2 T whole wheat flour

2-3 T flax seeds (opt)

2 tsp kosher salt

Oil a 9×5 metal loaf pan.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and scrape into pan.  Cover with damp dish towel and let rise 2-4 hours until level with top of pan.

Note:  Original recipe says 2 hrs.  My bread sat on the counter for two hours and wasn’t near ready so I used my dough rise setting on my oven and let it rise in the oven for 45+ minutes until it got level to the pan.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and bake loaf for 30 minutes.  Remove from pan and bake directly on rack for 15 minutes more.

Note:  I did not bake for the remaining 15 minutes, I pulled it out after 30 and was worried that it was already TOO done, so I skipped the 15 minutes.  It was baked through when I cut into it but I may try the extra 15 minutes next time to see what it does to the bread.

As recommended with all breads, cool before slicing.

Recipe from Make the Bread Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake May 22, 2013

Peaches will be in season before we know it!  My family loves peaches.  They are easy to grab along and eat anywhere.  They are juicy and sweet, a perfect healthy snack for any time of the day!

Here is a cheesecake recipe to use up some of those peaches when they are maybe a bit over-ripe or if you are looking for something to bring with to a potluck.  The cheesecake is great.  It has a subtle peach flavor and the glaze and peach topping pairs wonderfully adding just enough peach flavor for the dessert.

I used white peaches for this recipe, but any kind would work great!  Also, I made one-half the recipe which made 4 mini-cheesecakes and I topped mine with fresh peaches to add some color for the picture, but really enjoyed the glaze/peach topping that is included in the recipe below.

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake

Cheesecake:

1 1/4 cups – graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp. – Domino® Granulated Sugar1/4 cup – butter, melted

1 cup – fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup – Domino Granulated Sugar, divided

2 – (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

2 – large eggs

1/2 tsp. – vanilla

Glazed Peach Topping:

1/2 cup – Domino Granulated Sugar

1/2 cup – water

2 tbsp. – light corn syrup

2 cups – fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine in medium bowl, graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Stir to moisten crumbs. Lightly spray an 8-inch spring-form pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press crust into bottom of pan. Bake in oven center for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Puree peaches and 1/4 cup of sugar in food processor until smooth. Set aside. Beat cream cheese on a medium speed setting, gradually adding remaining sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla and pureed peaches. Blend well, but gently. Pour mixture into crumb crust. Place a pan of hot water on the bottom of rack of oven. Place the cheesecake in oven center above the water. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes, or until set. Cheesecake is done when a knife is inserted in the cake’s center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool at room temperature. Cover and chill.

To prepare glazed peach slices, combine sugar with water and corn syrup in a large skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 2-3 minutes, without stirring. Fold in peach slices, reduce heat and simmer 1-2 minutes more. Do not overcook the peaches. Remove peaches from syrup and cool. Reserve syrup and hold at room temperature.

To serve, arrange peaches over top of cheesecake and drizzle well with reserved syrup.

Recipe from the ASR Group

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes May 14, 2013

These cupcakes were devoured at my house extremely quickly, and we only have 3 1/2 table-food eating members in our family (and the 1/2 doesn’t eat sweets yet)!  They were awesome.  I loved the texture and flavor of the cupcake with the oreo cookie pieces mixed throughout.  The frosting was also great, and complimented the cupcake beautifully.  All oreo lovers and cookie and cream lovers, I suggest you get into your kitchen right now and start baking!  As long as you have some oreo cookies in the pantry :)  Enjoy and come bake and tell me what you thought!  Love to hear from my fans…if I have any out there :)

Hey, great idea, here is a question for you, yes YOU, to answer in the comment section…. what are you MOST looking forward to doing this summer in the beautiful weather AND/OR what are you most look forward to baking/grilling/cooking this summer.  Can’t wait to hear!

I need to thank Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction for this wonderful recipe.  She has some other great looking baked goods on her site, please head on over to Sally’s Baking Addicition and see for yourself!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 and  2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2  teaspoon baking powder

1/4  teaspoon baking soda

1/2  teaspoon salt

1 cup  granulated sugar

1/2 cup  (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 egg  whites

1/4 cup  vanilla greek yogurt (or plain; or regular yogurt; or even  sour cream)

3/4 cup  milk (cow’s milk, soy milk, or almond milk)

2  teaspoons vanilla extract

1 and  1/2 cups chopped Oreo pieces (about 14-15 Oreos)

Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 and  1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2  cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2  teaspoon salt

2  teaspoons vanilla extract

3  Tablespoons heavy cream

4-5  crumbled Oreos, optional

Preheat  oven to 350F degrees.  Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.

To make the cupcakes: In a medium bowl, mix together flour,  baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In a large microwave-safe  bowl, melt butter in the microwave.  Stir in sugar – mixture will be gritty.  Stir in egg whites, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix  dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain.  Fold in the  crushed Oreos. Batter will be thick.

Divide  batter among 12 cupcake liners (or 24 mini) and bake for 20 minutes or until a  toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Bake for 8-9 minutes if  making mini cupcakes. Allow to cool.

To make the frosting: On medium speed, cream butter for 3-4  minutes in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This creates a creamy base  for the frosting. Turn speed to LOW and slowly pour in the dry ingredients.  Be  careful so that the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere.  Mix until  sugar/cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Turn up mixer to medium speed and add  the vanilla and salt.  Slowly add the cream and beat for about 2 minutes or  until the frosting reaches a desired thickness. Add the last 1/2 cup of powdered  sugar if needed to increase frosting thickness (I did not need it). Pipe or  spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Top with Oreo crumbles.

Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction  Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Follow us: @sallysbakeblog on Twitter | sallysbakingaddiction on Facebook

Don’t forget to let me know what your exciting summer plans are!!!! 

Grilled Sausage and Peppers May 2, 2013

Grilling season is upon us!  I was trying to come up with a super easy quick meal the other night and threw this together.  It worked out great and was a ‘one’ tinfoil meal!  (and easy clean up, even better!)  Here’s how I did it…

Grilled Sausage and peppers

1 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

3-6 red potatoes, medium cubed

3-6 Italian/Polish sausage, cut into chunks

olive oil/spray

seasoning to taste

Overlap two pieces of tinfoil by about 2-4 inches and place a third piece of tinfoil in middle of the overlap.  Spray that third piece with olive oil or lightly drizzle with olive oil.  (Not to much oil though b/c the sausage will leave off fat and mix in with the veggies also, so I would probably suggest just using the spray)  Spread onion, peppers, potatoes and sausage over the third piece of tin foil and spray a bit more on top of the mixture.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic salt, lawyers, steak seasoning or any other seasoning of your choice.  Grill on med-high for 30-45 minutes until potatoes are tender and sausage is cooked through, mixing and stirring every 7-10 minutes.  I like a bit of burnt-ness to my veggies, so I enjoyed the parts that ended up a bit darker than the others, but if you don’t like charred food, watch carefully and turn off a burner if the grill gets to hot.  Serve and enjoy!

Brownies from scratch April 26, 2013

There is nothing like a good brownie with a scoop of ice cream on top for dessert.  I must say, the box types usually turn out great for this type of thing.  Chewy, fudgy, chocolaty, etc.  But being the baker that I am, I have a really hard time making brownies from a box very often.  I have made a number of brownies from scratch, lately these two and have been very pleased with them.  The first one is a keeper!  I would say better than any box brownie you have ever had!  The second recipe is really good but very different than the first.  *oh and I should say they are great even without the ice cream on top!*  Which one to make first?  I’d say both and compare!  OR here are the differences between them both:

1.  The Sour Cream Brownies are made with bittersweet chocolate.  If you love your dark chocolate, you will enjoy these brownies very much, whereas the Fudge Brownies don’t have that dark chocolate taste to them as much. (although I should mention the Sour Cream also has milk chocolate chips, I believe I used semi-sweet, but milk would give a nice contrast to them).  *I added walnuts to the Sour Cream ones, I love a crunch of nuts in my brownies :)

2.  The Fudge Brownies have a fudge-like texture of a box brownie and are very moist whereas the Sour Cream Brownies are a bit more cakeier with a bit of that fudge texture in the middle (especially in the middle pieces).  I hesitated posting the Sour Cream Brownies because the edges got pretty dry, much more than I like, and I wanted to try to bake them in a bit of a larger pan so they weren’t as thick and hopeful that the edges wouldn’t get as dry, but I ran out of time and wanted to share these recipes sooner!  If I get around to making them again in this way, I will let you know the outcome, in any case, they were really a good brownie, just very different than the Fudge Brownie :)  Hope I didn’t confuse to many minds or chase any of you off by my comparisons…

Click on the links below the picture for the recipes!  Enjoy your brownies!

King Arthur Flour’s Fudge Brownies

Bake or Break’s Sour Cream Brownie