Kricket Cakes

I saw a picture of these pretty desserts on the Food Network’s website and I just had to make them! Fortunately, we were planning to attend a potluck holiday party that week, so I had an excuse to make them.

As I was making the recipe, I remembered that I don’t like cheesecake. I fooled myself into thinking these would turn out like chocolate mousse or chocolate brownies. But, no, they are quite cheescakey (and chocolatey too). So, if that is your thing, then these are quite delicious and unique! If not, then you can join me in plans to make a similar recipe in the future with brownies or chocolate mousse in place of the cheesecake. Some people also liked these more without the candy cane topping… which makes them more of a year round treat.

I couldn’t find chocolate wafer cookies, so I used Newman’s O’s and removed the filling. Also, this recipe requires chilling overnight, so plan ahead!

This recipe makes 16 bars. Read the rest of this entry »

I have just recently taken an interest in bread making. It has always seemed like quite a mystery to me- yeast+flour+water+magic=bread. While I absolutely love fresh baked bread, making it can be pretty intimidating for a beginner.

I decided to take it slowly and follow a simple recipe very closely. I found a white bread recipe on the Food Network that called for using the stand mixer to knead the dough instead of by hand. I liked the idea of this since one of the parts of bread making that I find intimidating is all that kneading business… how much flour? how much pressure? how long? why do the recipes often say, ‘you’ll just know’ when it is ready? The test used in this recipe to tell when the dough is ready is to pinch off a small piece and stretch it with your hands and then hold it up to the light. If you can stretch it very thinly and see the light coming through without tearing it, then your dough is ready. This test worked well for me, so I hope it works for you too!

I added garlic, parmesan cheese, and rosemary to this basic bread to spice it up a bit. It is quite fragrant and delicious. The smells coming from the oven while it was baking were absolutely fabulous. And, I was so pleasantly surprised when it tasted good and had a great texture.

I recommend starting the dough the night before as the ’sponge’ needs to sit in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.

This loaf stays fresh for about a week. After it got stale, I sliced it and made amazing grilled cheese sandwiches! Read the rest of this entry »

John’s family does Thanksgiving up big… his mom has 8 siblings that all convene at grandmother’s house, each with a dish in hand. We flew down for the holiday, but I still wanted to bring something to the feast, so I had to get creative and find a recipe to fit the circumstances. All of the basics were covered: turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, potatoes, yams, green beans, salad, rolls and lots of pie pie pie (I counted 14 desserts). And, I would be cooking in someone else’s kitchen, which poses its own set of challenges: unfamiliarity, different tools and equipment, and the need to purchase many ingredients. After much internet research and feedback from friends and family, I decided to go with a carrot cake. It did not fit the seasonal theme I was going for, but it is a Jessee family favorite. And besides, how can you go wrong with homemade cream cheese frosting!!!

Carrot cake is actually pretty easy to make. Besides grating those carrots, it is pretty much like making a muffin. The most important trick is to not over beat the batter. As a result, you will have a light, fluffy, moist cake. I made this one in a bundt pan, but you could also use a regular cake pan, as long as it is deep enough or split it into 2 pans and reduce the cooking time. If you make a layer cake, you probably will want to increase the frosting to have enough to fill the middle.

I got this recipe from my trusted source, Alton Brown, and adjusted the spices slightly. I chose hazelnuts to top the cake with because John is allergic to walnuts and pecans. Plus, hazelnuts sounded like something different and interesting to try with cake. I liked them, but you could substitute just about any nuts that you prefer. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently had a sweet craving, but didn’t want to dive into a huge, messy, involved project, so I scanned my recipes for something simple and easy. I came across a recipe in Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” called “Jam Bars.”

Now, I expected these to be like the buttery, sugary, crumble-top, berry-filled bars that you see in bakeries. But they turned out to be less sweet and with a granola bar-like flavor. Perhaps it was the oats or the nuts that made it taste so, but whatever the case, I determined that these bars are more of a breakfast or snack rather than a dessert (unless of course they are served crumbled over vanilla ice cream- which I tried and enjoyed very much). These bars are not too sweet, but are flavorful and chewy. I made mine with homemade blackberry jam (courtesy of Rachel and Susan) and cut them into 9 large bars. Read the rest of this entry »

Once upon a yoga retreat, we were sitting around talking food (as usual) and the subject of baking with pumpkin came up. Perhaps it was the fall season or the fact that I’ve had a can of it in my pantry for a year, but whatever the reason I was really excited to try a new pumpkin-something recipe. My friend Nils swore by his pumpkin chocolate chip muffins… he went on and on about how really really really good they were. So, of course, I had to follow up and make sure I got that recipe! He emailed it to me a week or so later and then I tucked it away because I was in the process of moving and pumpkin was the last thing on my mind.

Upon getting settled in Portland, I was brainstorming what kind of seasonal treat I could bake for my new neighbors when I remembered Nils’ pumpkin muffins. Aha! Instead of using a muffin tin, I bought recycled disposable mini loaf containers for a more gifty presentation. I had to double the original recipe (I’m not sure of its source- Nils, if you know, will you please post it?) and I omitted the suggested nuts because I wanted more chocolate chips.

These loaves, I must say, are absolutely fabulous! They have the perfect ratio of spice to pumpkin to bread to chocolate chip. And they have a divine texture. They are quite versatile and can be served as breakfast, snack, or dessert. Plus, they are oh so cute! They keep well in an air tight container for 2 days or can be frozen for a couple of weeks. The following recipe makes 7 mini loaves. Read the rest of this entry »

I had the pleasure of eating this cake, on more than one occasion, before actually making it myself. My former boss used to make it with fruit from her backyard and bring it warm to staff meetings. I loved the unique presentation and the crispy, sweet brown-sugar top. I begged her for the recipe for months and, as a going away present, she gave me the book with the recipe in it: “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison. I have since tried a few other savory recipes from this book and have found them all to be quite unique and delicious!

This cake is baked in a cast iron skillet… and I’m not sure that it would turn out as good in another type of pan. There’s something about that thick, seasoned, iron skillet that creates a great crust and depth of flavor.

We always ate it in the morning, but I think it would be excellent served with ice cream or whipped cream as a dessert. This cake can serve quite a lot of people, depending on how you slice it! If you cut it into gargantuan pieces, you could feed at least 8. Read the rest of this entry »

I love the idea of combining two different desserts to make a different tasty creation. For example, combining chocolate sandwich cookies and white cupcakes with chocolate frosting…yum!

I made these for our going away party and they were quickly gobbled up! My friend Karen sent me this photo of her niece and nephew (Lucy and Evan) very seriously enjoying them.

The recipe is based on Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s “Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.” If you haven’t checked out their cookbook, “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World,” I highly recommend you do! This recipe makes 12 cupcakes. I think next time I would put a cookie on top for added flair and cookie flavor! Read the rest of this entry »

What on earth is a cream horn? After months of John begging for me to make cream horns, I still wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about. I figured out that it was a pastry filled with cream. But I was imagining an eclair or cream puff. What I learned, after extensive internet research, is that a cream horn is made with a puff pastry exterior and filled with any number of creamy pastry fillings- pastry cream, custard, sweetened whipped cream, or butter cream. They can be topped with fruit, chocolate sprinkles, or sugar crystals. I also discovered that they are sometimes called lady locks or clothespin cookies. I did not find an accurate history of the cream horn, but I got the impression that they have been around for a while.

In making my first cream horns, I discovered that they are simple to prepare, but take long time. They are best made when you have a whole day at home and lots of other things to do! They also are best eaten the same day they are made. You can, however, freeze the dough after cutting and wrapping it around the molds. The baking and filling part takes relatively little time compared to the dough preparation.

You can purchase metal molds for the horns to hold their shape while baking. I got mine at the cooking store for $3. This recipe makes 6-8 cream horns depending on how thinly you roll the dough and how sparsely you wrap the cones. I pieced together this recipe from various sources- including The French Pastry Chef, Gale Gand, and Scandicrafts.

These pastries are so light and  crispy and creamy and delicious! They disappear quickly… and John is already begging for more! Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing magazines in the airport when I came across a special party food issue of Sunset. Flipping through it, not much stood out to me besides this amazing skull chili chocolate cake. Yum! I refused to spend $10 on the magazine for one recipe, so I diligently wrote it down on a small scrap of paper.

When I got home and actually made the recipe, I was a little concerned that maybe I had left out at ingredient or wrote down the amounts wrong. But it turned out splendidly!

Despite all the chilis, this cake actually isn’t that spicy. It has a subtle kick that hits you about a minute after you start eating it. A subtle, good kick. It is soooo chocolately and dense which makes the whipped cream a perfect companion.

I had a hard time finding a skull stencil, so with the help of Melissa, I made my own. We used an outline from the internet, adjusted it in photoshop, transferred it to cardstock and cut it out with an exacto knife. I know that seems like a lot of work, but I’m holding onto that stencil for future cakes!

Make sure you have friends to share this one with because it is rich! I would say it makes at least 12 large or 18 small servings. Read the rest of this entry »

While out to dinner with friends last week, a special request was made by my friend Wendy for a peanut butter chocolate dessert. The only successful peanut butter chocolate recipe I’ve made is a cupcake recipe- and Wendy has already had those- so I wanted to try something different. Fortunately, Karen came to the rescue with a decadent recipe from fincooking.com called Chocolate Glazed Peanut Butter Tart. It looks like a big peanut butter cup sliced into pie wedges. Mmmmm!

I opted for individual bars instead of a large pie, so I baked mine in a 9x 13 inch glass baking dish. Soon after I spread the peanut butter mixture, I realized that my pan was too big, so I precariously cut the dessert in half and placed one half on top of the other for two layers. In the future, I would use a 9 x 9 inch square cake pan or a 9 1/2 inch round tart pan (as the recipe called for). You can substitute chocolate or vanilla wafers for the graham crackers. My variation made 16 small bars.

Beware- these are quite decadent and addicting! Susan is allergic to chocolate and it was hard to keep her away from them! Read the rest of this entry »