Berry Cheesecake

It's time for a potluck! To welcome our new boss, my coworkers arranged a fun vegetarian potluck lunch and I couldn't wait to sign up! For a non-meat dish, I decided on bringing in the family's traditional Artichoke Dip that my mom makes for Christmas almost every year (and sometimes Thanksgiving, and sometimes random parties in between). And of course, I couldn't show up without a baked dessert! Since our potluck was right before the Fourth of July, I decided to make something red, white, and blue. The idea of Berry Cheesecake came to me before I had a recipe, but I'm always up for experimentation. This one's based off of the Sour Cream Cheesecake I made with my friend last April, with a few slight changes to make the cake berry fun!

Ingredients:

For crust:

1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

For filling:

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 ounces light cream cheese (softened)

1/4 teaspoon salt

For topping:

2 cups light sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons strawberry jam

5-6 large strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Crush a box of graham crackers to create crumbs (I crushed mine in a ziploc baggie, or you can buy graham cracker crumbs already crushed).  Mix the crumbs, butter and sugar together, then press the mixture into a round cake pan. Bake about 8 minutes, then remove from the oven to cool.

2.) In a bowl, beat the eggs, then add the sugar, vanilla, cream cheese and salt. Combine all with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth.  Pour on top of the crust and bake another 15 minutes.

3.) Let the cheesecake cool while you make the topping. Mix together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir in the strawberry jelly, then pour on top of the filling and bake another 10 minutes.

4.) Cool the cheesecake completely before refrigerating overnight. In the morning, slice your strawberries very thin, and use the slices to decorate the top of the cheesecake in a pattern with blueberries around the edges. Sprinkle the fruit with just a dusting of sugar and serve cold to keep the cheesecake as solid as possible.

And, though I didn't make it myself, here's my mom's famous Artichoke Dip!

Ingredients:

3 cans whole artichoke hearts
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups powdered Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
Paprika for sprinkling

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Open the cans of artichokes, drain, and cut into small pieces with kitchen scissors. Place pieces in an empty ceramic crock pot.

2.) Add in the mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder, stirring so that all ingredients evenly combine. If the mixture looks too moist, add a little more cheese. If it’s too dry, add more mayonnaise. When you’re done mixing, smooth the top flat with the back of a spoon.

3.) Sprinkle paprika over the top of the dip until it forms a nice and even red layer that’s not too thick but still covers the artichokes. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, watching the dip for the last few minutes to make sure it doesn't brown too much on the top.

4.) Remove from the oven and serve warm or refrigerate overnight. The next day, place the ceramic pot into the electric crock and turn on to heat a few hours before the dip will be served. Tastes best warm.

Spiced French Toast

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe, mostly since the baking I've been doing lately has either been traditional, already posted, non-experiment recipes (like my go-to peanut butter cookies) or else nonexistent (hey, it's been a busy spring). However, to keep things fresh, I thought I'd post a Spiced French Toast recipe that I thought turned out rather well considering it was completely thrown together last Saturday. Here's what you need to make it just a little special:

Ingredients

5 slices wheat or oat bread of choice (a few days old works best since it holds together better)
4 eggs
A splash of milk (all we had was 2%, so that was a change from my regular skim or non-dairy substitute)
A splash of chai tea latte concentrate (for the spice--nowadays you can even find it at Walmart)
A splish of vanilla extract (that's half a splash)
A sprinkling of cinnamon sugar (I make my own without measuring by just stirring cinnamon and white granulated sugar together until it tastes good)
A double sprinkling of cinnamon (I know, this recipe is not scientific at all).
A dash of nutmeg
1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter (or butter substitute--I believe I used Earth Balance).

Directions

1.) In a shallow dish wide enough to fit a slice of bread, crack all four eggs and whip together with a fork. Add in the milk, chai, and vanilla.

2.) Sprinkle in the cinnamon sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the egg mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Dip bread slices into the mixture, letting them soak for about 15 seconds per side.

3.) Grease a frying pan with the unsalted butter and heat on the stove to about medium-high heat. Transfer the soaked bread into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side.

4.) Transfer the French toast into a shallow baking pan and place in the oven for about 8-12 minutes at 250 degrees to stay warm. Serve as soon as your family/friends/guests wake up.

I might get a little more technical with my measurements the next time I try to make this French toast--this recipe really was just for fun so I could treat my family to a nice breakfast, loosely based on the successful French Toast breakfast I made on Mother's Day (the only real changes I made were opting for chai and cinnamon instead of  the powdered sugar topping).

The good news is that with such units of measurement as "splash" and "splish" there's really no way to mess up this recipe, short of dumping an entire carton of liquid into a four-egg batter (be careful not to spill). You can also customize your flavors if you like nutmeg or cloves more than cinnamon or want to try almond extract instead of vanilla. The gears are turning in my mind already, so I might just have to revisit French Toast again soon.

Basic Blondies

Another coworker birthday means another opportunity for baking! And now that Lent is over, I can return to eating the wheat I gave up for a whole 40 days!

While there are so many options both for wheat-based treats and for birthday treats in general, I decided to go with a traditional "blondie," knowing that my coworker has baked these herself before and thus hoping they would be something she enjoyed eating as well.

For those unfamiliar with the term "blondie," it's basically meant to be a brownie-type dessert, but without the chocolate. The end result of these squares is actually a blonde-ish color as well, instead of the traditional brownie "brown." The taste, however, is really similar to the taste of a chocolate chip cookie--just in bar form.

You can add nuts, frosting, or change it up to make this dessert as exotic or customized as you like, but to avoid nut allergies and to have the blondies finished in time before I had to leave for work, I kept this one simple.

Starting with Rosina's Brown Sugar Brownies recipe on Allrecipes.com, I continued to customize the flour, chocolate chips and baking time to meet my needs. The final Basic Blondies product did indeed receive rave reviews from the birthday girl, my fellow coworkers, and my family members who got to try the last few bits before the whole batch was gone!

Ingredients

1 and 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup nondairy chocolate chips (brand: Chocolate Dream)

Directions

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9x9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, sifting each ingredient.

2.) In a separate bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla, beating thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until the dough comes together.

3.) Fold the chocolate chips into the batter until they're evenly distributed. Then pour the batter into your prepared pan (it will be a bit of a thick dough) and spread flat and even so it fills all the corners.

4.) Bake the blondies for about 20-25 minutes, keeping an eye on them toward the end so they brown but don't burn. (Mine started to get a little too brown on the edges after 24 minutes, but I was able to slice that part off without damaging the rest of the bars). Cool the blondies just slightly before cutting into squares or rectangles and serving while still warm.

Quick, easy, tasty, and a little fancier than just a regular cookie, these blondies are a great way to impress your friends or whip up a treat for yourself! And don't forget you can use the base dough with whatever additions you prefer to turn these blondies into the perfect bar for anyone! Next time I might try some of my favorite combinations, like pecans and maple syrup, or maybe coconut and banana chips, or even just make them plain! (Brown sugar is one of my favorites all by itself). Happy Experimenting!

Wheat Free!

I miss coffee.

It's not so much the caffeine I need as the intense flavor, rich aroma and warm breakfast beverage that even the finest green tea just can't seem to replace in my heart. But for 40 days I'll go without, since this is the season of Lent for Catholics, which lasts right up until Easter (this year on March 31). Even if you're not Catholic or not particularly religious, giving up an (arguably) obsessive habit for a certain period of time can definitely make you appreciate things in life you might take for granted. Many give up technologies and ultimately spend more valuable time with family. Others avoid candy or soda to realize just how quickly their waistlines diminish. I'm giving up coffee on a dare, but I'm also giving up a part of my life that's a lot bigger. Or rather, smaller: I'm giving up wheat.

"Did I read that correctly?" you might ask. "Miss Muffin/Cookie/Pastry Baker is going to go without a quite major ingredient needed to make muffins, cookies and pastries?  Is she just not going to bake at all until Easter?"

Well, no, actually. Giving up wheat for 40 days has shown me the kinds of possibilities out there to those with gluten intolerance who must eat GF (Gluten Free) as well as to those who just want to avoid potentially over-processed foods (yes, I'm one of those people looking into the Wheat Belly book by William Davis to lose a little belly fat).

What have I discovered? Corn. Rice. Almonds. Coconuts. Potatoes. Oats. All with the potential to help create delicious baked goods without a single grain of wheat.

My research naturally prompted a new experimental recipe, since I love to experiment almost as much as I love to bake. Craving muffins and thinking about cornbread, I searched the Internet for a GF concoction that might just serve the purpose. I found a Food Forum blog post by writer Margaret Hartley and swiftly adapted her gluten-free cornbread to fit my preferences: muffin tins, brown rice flour, honey and buttermilk in place of skillets, GF flour mix, brown sugar and just milk. Though you could try her original recipe, I am just pleased my own Cornbread Cakes actually turned out edible. They fulfilled my cravings at least!

Cornbread Cakes (Wheat Free!)

Ingredients:

3/4 cups brown rice flour (white rice flour will also work)
1 and 1/3 cups cornmeal (I only had course ground available, so the cakes will be a bit crunchy unless you have fine ground meal)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons melted butter (slightly cooled)
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup chopped or frozen blackberries (optional--I couldn't find the blackberries I wanted)

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal and salt.

2.) In a separate bowl, combine the honey, melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk, stirring quickly so the mixture doesn't curdle. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine (do not overmix).

3.) Pour the batter into a muffin tin greased with nonstick cooking spray and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, until the edges start to brown (the tops might still be light). Then let them cool just slightly before removing them from the pan and serving warm, with or without butter.

Mine turned out just a little more dry than I'd hoped, and crunchy due to the course ground cornmeal, but that's okay for a corn cake side vs. a corn cake "dessert."  Next time I might up the butter and sweetener just a touch, and adjust the oven time accordingly. But these were still quite edible with positive reviews from my mom already (I just baked them this morning). I like the hint of rice flour flavoring and the fact that these are so easy to put together. Just keep in mind, they won't rise (no leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda) because they're meant to be skillet style. But you'll get a descent little cake out of them with a perfect corn taste and no wheat required!

Corn is just the tip of the iceberg, too. With so many great grains, nuts and more out there, I don't miss wheat nearly as much as you might think. My blog posts might be a little infrequent during the month of March because of a busy work schedule, but not because of a lack of resources. I'm happy to appreciate what's out there for baking and focus more on treats that do have more health benefits too. It is nice to know I can make a sacrifice and still enjoy the occasional breakfast pastry or evening dessert with a nice cup of tea.

But I still miss my coffee.

Banana Chocolate Bread

I'll be the first to admit that my Super Bowl treats this year were not exactly your typical Game Day fare--"bananas" and "cocoa" and "bread" are less synonymous with football as "wings" and "beer" and "Doritos," but I wanted to bake something from my new cookbook, Baking: Perfect Cakes & Bakes by Rosie's Pantry. And I knew my fellow football viewers were fans of "fruit" and "chocolate" and especially, "dessert."

The only trouble I ran into with this one was that the recipe I wanted to use called for self-rising flour, of which I had none. After a quick Internet search, however, I discovered I could make my own self-rising flour with just 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for every 1 cup of flour. It must have worked, because this bread rose higher than I expected! I also changed the original recipe from butter to oil in an attempt to make the banana bread just a touch more moist. And again, I took advantage of the mini chocolate chips I had on hand to complete this tasty Banana Chocolate Bread that is practically cake.

Ingredients:

1 and 3/8 cups of self-rising flour (see above)
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas (the brown kind)
2 eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/8 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions: 

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the oil, sugar and eggs.

2.) Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, then add the milk. Beat together until well combined. Mash in the bananas until smooth, then stir in the chocolate chips.

3.) Bake in a loaf pan greased with nonstick cooking spray for about 40 minutes (the original recipe called for 50-60, but please check just before 40 minutes are up as mine still came out a little too "done" for my liking on the edges). Let cool completely before running a butter knife around the edges to loosen the bread. Cut your slices and serve.

I like new recipes, and I've never made a chocolate banana bread before, so I was quite pleased with the results. I was also pleased with the fact that all my slices (divided in half to last longer) were gone before the end of the third quarter. I think football rooting just makes you hungry in general--hungry for winning, hungry for fun, and hungry for snacks that don't have to be chips alone. Unless they're chocolate chips.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another one for my grandma. After tasting my Classic Snickerdoodles, my grandma once again requested I bring her some home-baked cookies on our next visit, and I'm always eager to fulfill a request. With grandmas, sometimes classic is best (nothing super adventurous), so I stuck with a chocolate chip cookie recipe from the back of a bag of Nestle mini chocolate chips (quick and on hand). As usual, however, my adaptations included whole wheat pastry flour and adjusting the amount of chips to my liking. Another adjustment I would make is to bake these cookies for only about 8 minutes (the original recipe said 9-11 minutes!) since the bottoms did turn out just a little dark. But the flavor is there for sure, as classic as a chocolate chip cookie can get.

(Also, keep in mind that the "mini" in Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies stands for "mini chocolate chips" and not "mini cookies." These things spread wider than you'd expect!)

Ingredients:

1 and 1/8 cups sifted whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter, softened
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
6 Tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
Just under 1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.

2.) In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and egg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and beat to thoroughly combine. Then add the chocolate chiops and mix again.

3.) Use a Tablespoon to drop mounds of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving some room between the cookies to allow for spreading. Bake about 8 minutes (or 9 if you want them crisper).

4.) Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool, but enjoy while they're still warm.

Unfortunately, my grandma had to go to the ER before our next visit, so I gave her the cookies in her hospital room. While she wasn't eating much, she made a point to bite into and keep down at least a portion of one cookie, which is not only her own kind of praise for my efforts but a good sign that she can regain her appetite and get more calories in. I hope she heals quickly and is back to her lively, cookie-requesting self soon.

Red Velvet Cuppy Cakes

Another coworker birthday meant another baking opportunity at the end of January! When I asked what kind of treat my coworker would like to celebrate her special day, she was less specific than her predecessor's request for savory scones. Instead, she simply wanted something chocolate. While the thought of brownies did cross my mind, I was hoping to try something a little more adventurous again, and I remembered her ordering a Red Velvet dessert at Claim Jumper for her birthday last year. Though deeply red, Red Velvet cakes are actually made with cocoa powder, and so I hoped a cupcake version would fulfill her craving.

After searching both cookbooks and websites for a tasty (and easy) Red Velvet cupcake recipe, I discovered that the ones calling for cake flour (which I didn't have) usually called for buttermilk (which I did) and the recipes that called for flour that I did have were lacking in buttermilk, and most of them seemed like they just didn't have quite enough cocoa powder to taste like chocolate anyway. Not to mention the fact that vinegar still sounded like an odd ingredient in a baked good to me.

Still, I was determined to produced Red Velvet Cuppy Cakes that morning to take to work that day. It was time to start adapting.

While I tend to stay away from a lot of Food Network recipes simply because they can be fairly complex, I had stumbled upon the famous Paula Deen's Red Velvet cupcake recipe that didn't require cake flour and didn't sound too complicated. Though my cooking tends to be a lot lighter than Paula Deen's (much less butter), I had a feeling I could adapt the recipe to my needs easily enough too. The public comments on the recipe recommended using more cocoa powder (what I had in mind) and less oil (huzzah!) so I didn't dive in completely unprepared. I also halved the recipe--more manageable to make and take in one morning before work. The results:

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 and 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (my staple)
1/2 + 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 + 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 Tablespoon red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

8 ounces Neufchatel (it's what i had in the fridge--cream cheese will work)
1 stick of butter
2 cups sugar (the original recipe called for powdered sugar but I only had granulated baking sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla (be careful that the very red food coloring and resulting mixture doesn't get on your clothes).

2.) Combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients slowly. Stir until well mixed, and then pour into a cupcake tin lined with paper wrappers until each is about 2/3 full.

3.) Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, using a toothpick to test for doneness (watch the time closely so they don't overbake and come out dry).

4.) Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting. To create the frosting, beat the cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth, add the sugar and beat again on a low speed. Finish on a high speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

That's all there is to it! If I were to make it again, I might try cake flour, a little less baking time, and with powdered sugar in the frosting. But all in all, I think this birthday treat turned out quite beautiful, and disappeared from my office break room quite rapidly. With the chocolate flavoring and rich red color, it's also something to keep in mind for Valentine's Day. Which is coming up. In nine days. Just saying. Be prepared....