Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread with Raisins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2c. raisins
Directions
1Heat oven to 450°F.
2In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, salt and baking soda.
3Using your fingertips, work the softened butter into the flour mixture. Add raisins.
4In a small bowl, whisk the egg.
5Add the buttermilk to the egg; mix well.
6Make a well in the flour and add most of the buttermilk/egg mixture - reserving about 1/4 cup.
7Use your hands to combine the dry and wet ingredients until it forms a loose dough.
8If the dough will not come together, add some or all of the remaining buttermilk/egg mixture.
9On a well-floured surface, turn out the dough.
10Sprinkle the dough with flour and shape it into a 7-8 inch circle.
11Flatten it slightly with the tips of your fingers.
12Place the loaf on a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper).
13Score (criss-cross) the top of the loaf with a bread knife, cutting about 1/4 inch deep, and making three cuts in one direction and 3 more cuts crossing them.
14Bake for 15 minutes at 450°F.
15Reduce the heat to 400 F and continue baking another 20 minutes.
16If you have an instant read thermometer, insert it halfway into the bottom of the loaf.
17The thermometer should read 190/195 F when baked.
18Let cool for 15 minutes; then serve.

Honey -Glazed Corn Bread

This a a great tasting corn bread recipe. The texture is not very typical of most corn breads, it feels similar to a mixture of grits and polenta, but with alot more flavor. Its also a very dense rich cornbread, very good with a BBQ chicken salad, or for breakfast! We also love it because it already has the butter and honey on top, so that cuts on extra dishes on the table( we love honey and butter on our cornbread) Bon appetite!

Corn bread

1c. yellow cornmeal

1c. flour

1/4c. cake flour

1c. sugar

2T. baking powder

1 1/2 t. salt

4 eggs

30z. unsalted butter melted

1/3c. veg. oil

1c. milk

1/2c. buttermilk

For The Glaze

3 oz. unsalted butter

1/4c. honey

1/3c. water

For the Corn bread: 1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Line a 13x9in. pan with greased aluminum foil.

2. Sift together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt, 2 times. Set aside.

3. In a med. bowl, whisk together the eggs. Melt the butter and immediately whisk into the eggs in a slow stream. Whisk in oil, milk, and buttermilk. Whisk in the dry ingredients just till combined.

4. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 30min. Rotate the pan from front to back and continue to bake for 10min. or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Make the Glaze: While corn bread is baking, melt the butter in a med. saucepan. Add the honey and water and whisk until blended.

6. When the corn bread is done, remove from the oven and poke holes all over the bread, about 1/2in. apart, with a toothpick. Brush with the glaze and allow to cool.

Yields one 13x9in. pan

Creative veggie cutting tips

Choose the vegetables. Good choices for creative cutting include carrots, cucumber, radishes etc.
Scrub and wash the veggies until they are clean.


Using a cutting board, slice the veggies. Some suggestions include:

Cut star shapes for carrots


Cut celery into small lengths and then cut slices in the top of each piece so that it splits apart and looks like cartoon hair


Cut a radish rose;


Cut cucumber slices and cut a little triangle at each quarter of the circle, to form a flower shape overall


You can also use cookie cutters, but you will have to press quite hard, or at least steam the veggies first. This can be quite good for larger veggies, such as a potato


Try combining veggies to make a veggie sculpture.


Cook the veggies as desired. The choice is yours - steamed, broiled etc. Or, you may prefer to use them raw in a salad or added to a hot Asian-style broth.


Serve at your dinner party and watch friends and family bombard you with compliments on your creativity.

TWD ~Mixed Berry Cobbler

We're back! Tuesdays with Dorie is back into action....................for this Tuesday we made a Mixed Berry Cobbler, very yummy after changing it around a bit.

Esther and I were reading all of the negative comments on the Tuesdays with Dorie Blog, and decided to add a few things to the so called "boring" topping.

2t. of Almond extract and the zest of one orange was perfect. The topping had a wonderful texture and baked great. For the filling we mixed some strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and blackberries. The cherries added a wonderful flavor that we really enjoyed!

Looking forward to next weeks recipe of Cheddar Apple Scones...................................

Oh please everyone, excuse the styrofoam bowl. Still in that unpacking process :)

Ah nothings better then a warm scone and coffee or tea!

Spicy Orange Scones

Scone Dough:
2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (72 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup (50 grams) drie canberries
1/4 cup (30 grams) toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans
2T. grated orange zest

1/2-3/4 cup (80 - 120 ml) buttermilk

1 1/2c. powdered sugar and juice from the orange mixed to a right consistantcy for spreading on the scones. You may need more powdered sugar.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients till coarse crumbs. add the cranberries, nuts, and orange zest. Make a well then add the buttermilk just till blended. Knead a few times to gather dough into a ball. Press into a 6 in. circle and cut into 6-8 scones. Round or triangular. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Cool then spread with the glaze.

Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Muffins

6T. unsalted butter

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate chopped

2c. flour

2/3c. sugar

1/3c. cocoa powder unsweetened

1T. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/4c. buttermilk

1 egg

1t. vanilla

Butter 12 muffin tins, or line with muffin papers. Preheat oven for 375 and center you oven rack.

Melt the butter and 1/2 of the chopped chocolate, either in the microwave or on the stove. Remove.

In another bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In another bowl whisk the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla together till well blended. Add the wet ingredients to the dry till just blended. Don't worry if there are a few lumps in the batter!

Fold in the remaining chopped chocolate.

Distribute the batter evenly into muffin tins. Bake for about 20min. Cool for 5 min. before removing from tins.

Peanut Butter Torte

Peanut Butter Torte
1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)

24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Small pinch of salt2

½ c. heavy cream1

¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)

2 tablespoons whole milk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Spring form pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Spring form pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

~Yummy dessert, though I would suggest cutting these into smaller pieces then what the recipe says. ...........................probably 12-16 instead of 6-8

What do you think these are??!?!

TWD~ La Palette's Strawberry Tart

We did really like these, though we did make a few changes! Instead of putting the dough in a tart pan (we're moving and couldn't find it!) we used muffin cups.............then filled them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and drenched them with plenty of berries we had on had. To top it all off what would make your mouth go yum? Orange zest! All these changes are not quite what Dorie had in mind I am sure, but sometimes you have to change things around! Makes life more interesting I think :)

Hannah and Esther

Clone of a Cinnabon

I have been told that these don't taste like a Cinnabon, but that they are 100 times better!

***Dough***

2 packages active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

2/3 cup sugar plus 1 tsp.

1 cup warmed milk

2/3 cup butter

2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs, slightly beaten

7 cups flour, or more if needed

***Filling***

1 cup melted butter, divided

1 3/4 cup sugar, divided

3 tablespoons cinnamon

1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

1 1/2 cup raisins, optional

***Creamy Glaze***

2/3 cup melted butter

4 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

6 tablespoons hot water, more as needed

***Cream Cheese Glaze***

4oz. cream cheese

2t. lemon juice

2c. powdered sugar more or less

2T. milk

Directions:
In a small bowl mix together warm water, yeast and sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, mix milk, remaining 2/3 Cup sugar, melted butter, salt and eggs; stir well and add yeast mixture. Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky). Turn out onto a well-floured board; knead 5-10 minutes. Place in well-buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover and let rise in warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 1-1 1/2 hours. When doubled, punch down dough and let rest 5 min. Roll out on floured surface into a 15x20" rectangle. Filling: Spread dough with 1/2 Cup melted butter. Mix together 1 1/2 Cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins, if desired. Roll up jellyroll-fashion and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12-15 slices. Coat bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan and a 8 inch square pan with remaining melted butter, then sprinkle with remaining sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in pans. Let rise in warm place until dough is doubled in bulk, about 45 min. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned. Cool rolls slightly. Creamy Glaze: Meanwhile, in med. bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla; add hot water 1 Tablespoon at a time until glaze reaches desired spreading consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

*** For cream cheese glaze, beat all the ingredients together till well combined and to desirable consistency.

Hannah just made these this morning for my brother Jonathan's 11th birthday. They were so good she has made the many times before but they seem to get better every time. She told me that I'm not allowed to make them until she is gone out of town or until till she gets married because she is afraid that they might turn out better then hers:) Tonight for his dessert I'm going to make the Peanut butter Torte from the TDW cookbook, I will try and get some pics and post them soon. Can't wait to taste it, I made it this morning and it is in the refrigerator right

know!

Cooks note: The cream cheese icing I created to go with this recipe after finding out that "real Cinnabon's " have lemon juice in the icing. But you can use the other icing as well, both taste great!

TWD ~ French Chocolate Brownies

Hannah and Esther have recently joined TWD ( Tuesdays with Dorie). What is TWD you might ask? Well its a community blog bakers club.............we all try the same recipe every Tuesday from a book by Dorie Greenspan, the name of this fabulous cookbook is "Baking from My Home to Yours" If your interested in joining go to http://www.tuesdayswithdorie.com/

French Chocolate Brownies
- makes 16 brownies -Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours.
Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sugar
Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.
Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.
Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula.
Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.
Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Serving: The brownies are good just warm or at room temperature; they're even fine cold. I like these with a little something on top or alongside—good go-alongs are whipped crème fraiche or whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate sauce or even all three!
Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Wow! these were great! We especially enjoyed the interesting crumb they made.......................rich, yet not so fudgy as to be gooey..................................! We did make a few changes to the original recipe, extracting the rum soaked raisins from the recipe since neither of us like the smell or the flavor. And turned out simply heavenly without it.

Au Revoir!

Chefs Hannah and Esther DeLadurantey ( doesn't the title of the recipe go great with our last name?!?)

A Cup a Coffee Muffin

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspsoon sea salt

1/3 cup(packed) dark brown sugar

1 cup Strong coffee, cooled

1 stick (8 Tablespoons butter) unsalted, melted and cooled

1 large egg

1/ 2teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 regular muffin cup pan. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and slat. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. In another bowl whisk together the cooled coffee., melted butter and vanilla, until combined. Pour liquid over the dry, with a whisk or rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being thorough a few lumps are better than over mixing the batter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for about 20 min. or until knife inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Cool 5 min. before removing from pan.

Scrumptious Pumpkin Coffee Cake

We enjoyed this scrumptious coffeecake Sunday morning...............it originally called for 1/4c. of pumpkin, but I didn't that was enough so I added 1/4c. extra. Still great even though a little tweaked..............

Chef Hannah

INGREDIENTS
TOPPING:
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped pecans
CAKE:
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 or 1/2c. depending an the amount of pumpkin flavor you want!

canned or cooked pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the sour cream, pumpkin and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture. Beat on low just until blended. Spread the batter into two greased and floured 8-in. round cake pans. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 325 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.