Kricket Cakes

I volunteered to make a ‘finger-food’ dessert for a work fundraiser and immediately thereafter, my mind went blank… what kind of ‘finger-food’ dessert could I make? All I could think of was brownies or cookies… boring! So, I started thinking ‘Fall’ and, of course, pumpkin came to mind. But mini pumpkin pies? That sounds kinda crazy! Believe it or not, a recipe was hard to find! I had to piece together a couple of different recipes from the internet. One by R.Lynn on Recipezaar.com is titled ‘Pecan Pumpkin Tartlets’ and the other is ‘Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie’ from Culinary.net. This recipe makes 24 mini pies.

I topped mine with a simple half pecan, but I think they would be just splendid with a dollup of fresh whipped cream! I couldn’t risk it since they need to sit out for a half a day… and it might be sunny! Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, I am well aware that Easter is far away (and so is Spring for that matter). But Melissa brought over these awesome sprinkles that just had to be sprinkled! Once atop the cupcakes, I couldn’t help but think:  Easter eggs! Of course, these cupcakes could be made according to the recipe and decorated differently to more appropriately fit the season… like perhaps orange and black or some leafy color. It sure was nice though to have some Spring cheer after the first rain of the season!

I used a Devil’s Food chocolate cupcake recipe from the Food Network’s website and pizzazzed it up a bit and a simple icing recipe from the Joy of Cooking. This recipe makes one dozen cupcakes. Read the rest of this entry »

My mom and my sister came to visit this weekend and we had a lovely time eating, relaxing, chatting, and eating some more! I wanted to bake something with them, so we browsed through recipes until we hit on one that sounded really yummy: Mocha Mud Slide from the Millennium Cookbook. Espresso + chocolate = good, but espresso sponge cake drenched in rich chocolate espresso sauce + whipped cream = Heavenly!

Mary was a lovely sous chef and my mom took a different type of supportive role, entertaining us with her commentary. We modified the recipe only slightly to make it more espresso-y. The cake took almost no time at all to prepare and the sauce was quite easy as well… quite unusual for a Millennium recipe! Since I don’t have much caffeine these days, the espresso was enough to keep me up later than usual with creative energy. Mary didn’t seem to have any problem falling asleep shortly after dessert!

So, even though this is a vegan recipe, I must confess that I cheated a little bit. Homemade whipped cream sounded too good to pass up! However, if you want to make the whole dessert vegan, buy or make vegan whipped cream or substitute with vegan ice cream or sorbet- vanilla, chocolate or espresso would be great! Also, try any leftover sauce poured on vanilla ice cream… it is delicious!

This cake serves about 10 people. We decided that it would also be good for breakfast with a cup of coffee. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been staring at a bunch of overripe bananas in the fruitbowl on my kitchen counter for about a week thinking… I should make something with those… and banana bread seemed like the obvious choice. But it also sounded a little bit boring to me at the time. So, I dug up a recipe for gingerbread from one of Sarah Kramer’s books and added bananas to it.

I put pieces of candied ginger in mine as the recipe had called for, but I must admit that I did not at all like their texture once cooked. They went from chewy gummy-like to slimy crunchy-like. Yuck! So, I’ve left them out of the recipe below, but feel free to add 1/2 cup of the chopped suckers and see for yourself.

This bread is great for breakfast or dessert and so rich and flavorful, especially considering that it is vegan and sweetend with molasses. It can be made without the frosting, but I recommend it if served for dessert. It makes one loaf, about enough for 10 eaters. Read the rest of this entry »

I like to call this recipe coffee cake because it sounds much more appropriate to eat with coffee! However, I read somwhere that a crumb cake is distinguished by its dough-crumb topping as opposed to a thinner streusel topping that is often used on coffee cake. This cake is a little bit denser than most coffee cakes, kind of like a muffin, but sweeter. It’s crunchy topping is a great contrast to its cakey body… mmmmm…

This recipe is based on the New York Style Crumb Cake from Cook’s Illustrated magazine. It makes enough cake for 9-12 people depending on how greedy they are! Read the rest of this entry »

Lemon bars are one of John’s all time favorites. I am going to a yoga retreat this weekend and I didn’t want to leave John home all alone, so I decided to make some lemon bars to keep him company. When I asked John to name them, he refused, but after eating the first one he said, “all gone.”

I had never made lemon bars before and was a little fearful that they wouldn’t turn out right. However, they turned out pretty good for a first time experiment-very lemony and very tart! I think next time I will reduce the quantity of lemon filling by a third. I also think using meyer lemons when they are in season would be a good idea.

I got the base recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Once again, I reduced the sugar because I don’t like my sweets overly sweet. I added some cornstarch too to help with the consistency. This recipe makes approximately 16 rectangular bars.

Hopefully John will share some with friends as they are pretty rich! Read the rest of this entry »

We haven’t had cable television for a long time. And I must admit that the only thing I miss about it is the Food Network! So, while staying at his mother’s house, John so kindly recorded a bunch of Good Eats episodes on Tivo. I watched one after the next, trying to absorb as many tricks and techniques as possible! One of the episodes was on milk, which is an ingredient that I usually find to be quite boring. But, of course Alton Brown made it interesting! He made this amazing Mexican cake which he poured milk over and let it absorb overnight before frosting it with whipped cream. Something about this process made my mouth water!

After my interpretive post on the Carmelite Monastery, Diana requested that I create something in honor of Taqueria Los Gallos. Well, here it is! It may not represent the rooster well, but it is damn tasty after spicy tacos!

While making this cake, I kept getting the feeling that I was doing something wrong. So, if that happens to you, don’t fret and just trust the process! It feels awfully weird to make a dense and short cake, then poke holes in it and pour milk over it… but that is the beauty in this recipe- it is weird and it works. Just remember it is milk-cake, so it is supposed to be a bit of a mess! Also, this cake has to sit overnight, so make sure to make it a day ahead of your big cake eating bonanza!

I modified Alton’s recipe to make it less sweet by reducing the sugar and added a horchata-like flavor with cinnamon and almonds. I think next time I’d like to make horchata and add it to the milk mixture. Read the rest of this entry »

I get a chocolate chip cookie craving at about 3pm every day… people who have witnessed the craving know that it can be bad! And not just any cookie will do! Unless an exceptional bakery is serving them up fresh, it has to be homemade!

I have been on a mission for a while to create the BEST chocolate chip cookie. Let me be the first to say that this is no easy task. To my fellow chocolate chip cookie lovers, I ask: how many chocolate chip cookies have you had that just aren’t that great? I’ve studied them for long enough now, that I can almost tell whether or not I’m going to like a chocolate chip cookie just by looking at it.

To me, the perfect one is chewy and thick with a slightly crunch on the outside and soft center. It is full of semi-sweet chocolate chips has and an occasional crunchy thing here and there (like maybe a nut). Oh, and I like my cookies to be big! I want one to be enough to satisfy the craving.

This recipe is pretty easy to make and the cookies keep well in the freezer. I like to prepare the dough the night before I bake the cookies so it has plenty of time to chill. Besides, I eat so much dough while making it that I’m good for the day’s craving. I keep the dough in the fridge for about two weeks so I can bake up a fresh mini-batch whenever I want.

Once again, I have Alton Brown to thank for guiding me to a base recipe that I have modified to meet my likes. Enjoy these special treats and be sure to save one for me! Read the rest of this entry »

I baked these in memory of John’s dad who recently passed away. He loved peanut butter cookies “with no nuts.” I fancied them up a bit (just cuz I gotta!) with rich drizzled chocolate. I will miss him and think of him fondly whenever I eat these cookies!

I based this recipe on Alton Brown’s Peanut Butter Cookies from “I’m Just Here for More Food.” These cookies are on the crunchy side and jam packed with peanut butter flavor. I used semi-sweet chocolate for the drizzly top of goodness, but you could substitute milk or dark chocolate to your liking. Makes approximately 30 large cookies. Read the rest of this entry »

I made these cookies per Melissa’s request. She and I took a cooking class years ago at Baumann College where we learned a version of this recipe. Ever since then, Melissa regularly attempts to make them from memory, but ends up asking me to make them or give her the recipe. More often than not, I can’t find the recipe. Well, now it is here for Melissa and you to make whenever you want… the recipe is no longer lost!

I must warn you, these cookies could almost be considered good for you. I would even go as far as to say that they would be an acceptable breakfast (far better for you than a donut!). And, they are excellent for tea time! These cookies are vegan, wheat free and gluten free. But don’t let that scare you away! They are also sweet, nutty, soft, crunchy, and delicious. They are two bite (or maybe one if you like a big bite) cookies that can disappear quickly if you aren’t paying attention.

This recipe calls for quinoa flakes. You probably haven’t heard of these before and most stores don’t carry them. If you live in Santa Cruz, you can get them at Staff of Life. If you live elsewhere, look in a health foods store (where they will also have the rice flour) for a box of quinoa flakes in the hot cereal section. If all else fails, use oats.

I have experimented with different nuts in this recipe and personally like almonds the best. My second favorite version is made by substituting walnuts for the almonds and vanilla extract instead of almond extract. Feel free to do your own expermentation based on your tastes.

I used Rasberry Rhubarb preserves for the decoration. These preserves are a little on the sour side and may not be to everyone’s liking. My best suggestion when choosing what type of jam to use is to pick one with a smooth, thick consistency. You don’t want watery, globby decoration!

This recipe makes approximately 29 cookies, depending on how much of the raw dough you eat and your interpretation of “tablespoon sized balls.” Read the rest of this entry »