Honey Beer Bread.

So what do you do when you have food items you want to get rid of?  You look for recipes using those same items!  And that is how this next recipe came about.  It's a simple, easy to make bread.  It uses no yeast so you don't have to wait for it to rise.  You can tell by the pictures that even without the yeast, it had no problems rising pretty high! 

The taste?  In a word: YUMMY!  I know this sounds silly, but you can really taste the beer and the honey together.  It's such a nice flavor combination.  Actually, I thought it was a rather interesting taste; biting into a piece of fresh bread and encountering the unmistakeable beer flavor, softened slightly by the honey.  So good.

And of course, the original recipe can be found here.  Well done!

HONEY BEER BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar

1 bottle (12 ounces) beer

4 Tbsp. (half stick) butter, melted (**You can double this if you’d like**)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9″ x 5″ x 3″ inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed. (I recommend popping your honey in the microwave for a few seconds beforehand to make it easier to stir in!)

Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. (Use a pastry brush to spread it around if you’d like.)

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.


PERSONAL NOTES:

I ended up using only 2 tablespoons of melted butter which I put into the dough directly.  You can brush the top of the dough with the butter as the directions suggest, but I didn't see any difference from when I used the butter on top from when I didn't (yes, I made the bread twice :)

As I said, it's super easy to make and just delicious.  Especially warm!

Baked Quinoa and Cheese

You got that right. Baked QUINOA and cheese. Delicious AND (a little bit more) healthy.

Again, I have to credit the peeps at Pinterest for this recipe. Although of course, I re-modeled it to fit my needs :)

This a great dish to make if you want to have lunch ready for the week or for leftovers.  If you have a family, this might go pretty quick.  It makes 8 servings but you may want seconds.  It's super easy to make too.  Just bring together all the ingredients and bake.  Plus, using quinoa instead of pasta adds a different dimension to it (as well as protein!).

YUM!

 

BAKED QUINOA AND CHEESE

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

Veggies of your choice (optional)

good pinch of salt

a few grinds of seasoning salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large eggs

1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk

1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling

Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping

Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

DIRECTIONS:

Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish.

Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned.

PERSONAL NOTES:

I thought the idea of adding vegetables was great.  Since I had some frozen chopped broccoli on hand I decided to add that.  Now, the recipe says any vegetable and that you can lightly saute them.  I went with what was quick.  At first I thought the 10oz package of broccoli would be too much, but it turned out perfectly for the amount of quinoa I made. 

Also, I didn't have cheddar so I used Monterey Jack cheese.  Frankly, it tastes fine.  Better than fine, actually.  But I think deep down, cheddar would probably be the way to go.  The Monterey Jack cheese is just milder.  Although the texture is still creamy.

Oh, and I decided to add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Since the flavor was mild without the cheddar, I thought (and rightly so) the Paresan would add a little more kick. 

Snickerdoodle Muffins. Oh yeah.

There's something about cinnamon and sugar together that makes me smile.  Actually, I smile about a lot of different food combinations but these two take me back to my childhood.  To the good things in my childhood.  It's probably safe to say I'll always enjoy these two flavor combinations. 

Naturally, this looked too good to pass by when I saw it on Pinterest.  Ever since I joined that site a couple weeks ago, I cannot stop trolling for all kinds of yummy goodness that people have to share.  A lot of what I find I call "food porn".  It's just that good - at least to look at.  That said, I had to give this recipe a test drive. 

I've made snickerdoodle cookies and blondie bars so it only makes sense to try these guys out too.

Original recipe can be found here. 


SNICKERDOODLE MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

2 ¼ cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup buttermilk

For the Topping:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line muffin cups with muffin liners. (Do not use cooking spray.)
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tarter, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in half of the dry ingredients. Beat in the sour cream and buttermilk. Beat in remaining dry ingredients until just incorporated (batter will be soft).
To make the topping, in a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

Using an ice cream or large cookie scooper, drop the scoop of batter into the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the dough with the mixture and roll it around until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar. Place the ball into the muffin liner. Repeat with remaining batter. Sprinkle the leftover cinnamon sugar onto the tops the muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and serve warm.

Makes 16 muffins.

PERSONAL NOTES:
I made a few changes to these.  For starters, I didn't have any buttermilk so I improvised. In place of the buttermilk I used cream cheese.  It worked out great!  The muffins are still light, fluffy and soft.

The directions state to drop scoops of batter into the cinnamon/sugar mixture but I found this very difficult.  I dropped in a scoop and it kinda went all over the place.  So instead, I scooped batter into the paper liners then I scooped smaller amounts of cinnamon/sugar and placed them on top of the batter.  I made sure the batter was covered and that was that.  I put them in the oven.  Of course, coming out the other end, some of the sugar topping baked off onto the muffin pan.  It made it a little challenging to clean, but no big deal otherwise.  The muffins looked and tasted great.
Oh - I also substituted brown sugar for the granulated sugar.  I like it better that way.

The Best Fudgy Brownies Ever!!!

For starters, I'm not on my home wireless connection and this one at my mother-in-law's is dodgy. Apparently. I've already lost my post once.  Fingers crossed it doesn't happen again.

Getting back to what I originally came here to do... these fudgy brownies are incredible!  I made them for my husband for Valentine's Day so he could enjoy his favorite treat.  It doesn't hurt that brownies are among my all-time favorite goodies too ;')

So back to trolling online I went in search of THE recipe that would deliver me decadent, chewy, gooey brownies.  I found them here on allrecipes.com

They're easy to make and the longest part of the process was actually mixing it all together.  No biggie.

FUDGE BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, melted

3 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars with Pink Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

I know, Valentine's Day was yesterday.  So that meant I was busy baking for my sweetie... yesterday.  Today I post the yummies.  This time it was Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars with Pink Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting the recipe for which I found here.  Unfortunately, my pictures weren't all too sexy, but you get the idea...

Major YUM!!!  Although I made the cookie bars in the same size pan that the recipe calls, so they came out really tall.  Since they're so good though, I don't think pan size matters. 

And probably because they came out taller than they should have, their consistency is more like brownies or a dense cake.  With the cinnamon in there, OMG, these are just delicious. 

Essentially, I baked these for myself (well not really for me since I give them out at whatever yoga studio I'm teaching at that day).  Meaning, my husband prefers fudgy brownies rather than anything too vanilla.  Don't worry, I made him his favorite brownies for Valentine's Day.  Me, I can go for both :')

SNICKERDOODLE COOKIE BARS

INGREDIENTS:

(For the bars)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour

(vanilla cream cheese frosting)

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 1/2+ cups powdered sugar
splash of milk or water, if needed
(pink) food coloring, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375F and prepare a 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan by lining it with foil and then spraying it with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and mix until combined. Add the baking soda and flour and mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. The batter will be very thick and sticky, like cookie dough. Use your hands if necessary to spread it evenly. Bake at 375F for 19 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean. While the bars are baking, prepare the frosting.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and cream cheese until combined and it begins to fluff. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar (one-half cup at a time after 3 cups) and mix until desired frosting consistency is reached. Carefully add the food coloring, one drop at a time, until desired color is reached. After the bars have cooled, frost them. Optionally, garnish with sprinkles, candy bits, sanding sugar, or any optional garnish of your choice. Consider storing the bars in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese and butter in the frosting; the bars freeze well and will keep in the freezer for up to three months.

 

Valentine's Truffles

I began experimenting with this at Christmas time.  You can find those results (and recipe) here.  These are some of the yummiest and easiest treats you can make.  And with Valentine's Day only 2 days away, you don't need a ton of time to put these together.

Well actually, that's not entirely true.  The Red Velvet Cream Cheese Truffles required baking in order to make the Red Velvet Cream Cheese-iced treats. 

RED VELVET CREAM CHEESE TRUFFLES

The recipe for the Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Bars can be found here.  You'll need these in order to make the Red Velvet Cream Cheese Truffles.

DIRECTIONS:

Melt down whatever chocolate you want to use to create the shell for these truffles (ie; milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white, etc...).  Be sure to use baking chocolate as it will melt and coat the truffles best.  I use Callebaut morsels.  They're on the pricey side but so worth it.

Mix red velvet cream cheese swirl bars together in a large bowl. But do NOT overmix.  You still want to be able to see the cream cheese bits.  Using a tablespoon-sized scooper, scoop out some of the mix into the melted chocolate.

Use a fork to remove the truffle from the chocolate and place it on wax paper to harden.  Once the batch is done you can allow them to chill in the fridge.  If you want afterward, melt some additional chocolate and drizzle on top of the truffles to make some fun designs.


VALENTINE'S COOKIE TRUFFLES

These are so easy to make you don't even have to bake!  They just require a little bit of love and patience (so they come out all pretty :)

Again, recipe and directions for the Oreo Cookie Truffles are here. 

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Bars

A great Valentine's treat right here.  What a great excuse to bake more goodies.  This is a new recipe for me; never made anything "red velvet".  Can you believe it?

Of course there are more I want to get to (cookies, truffles, cheesecake...nom, nom, nom), but frankly I don't know that I have the time before Tuesday comes around.

Regardless... here are the red velvet cream cheese swirl bars.  Recipe is courtesy of Big Fat Baker.  When I saw those pictures I caved immediately.  Weak in the knees.  Mixing two of my favorite things: cream cheese and brownies.  OY!

RED VELVET CREAM CHEESE SWIRL BARS

INDREDIENTS:

Bar layer:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbl red food coloring
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cream cheese layer:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 8"x8" baking dish with parchment paper or foil and spray with cooking spray.

In medium bowl, combine melted butter with sugar and mix well.  Add vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar in that order, mixing between additions.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each.  Fold in the flour.  Pour all batter excet 1/4 cup into prepared baking pan.

To make the cream cheese layer, blend together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla.  Spread the cream cheese on top of the brownie batter.  Drop dollops of remaining brownie batter over cream cheese layer.  Using a knife, swirl through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern.

Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

PERSONAL NOTES:

While these dessert bars taste wonderful, they didn't turn out like your typical fudgy brownie.  These ended up more cake-like.  So just know when you get started that this is what to expect.  They're still super moist and chewy, just not as dense as a brownie.

Up next... I use some of these red velvet cream cheese swirl bars to make cake truffles!  NOM NOM NOM!