Caramel Bars

Do you every get bored with the same thing over and over again and agian? Ever feel like you are on  the movie Groundhogs day waking up to Sonny and Cher's "I got you babe"? No... OK,  just checking. But if you did, these little gems may get you out of your funk and into a groove!

There is a new blog I came acrossed in my readings, called Baked Perfection and it was here that I found this recipe. I really wanted to make something new, no cupcakes, no brownies, no cookies, no chocolate. I wanted, well I wasn't sure, but I thought these bars would be a good start and trust-you-me they were. I brought them over to my friends BBQ and left with less than half the tray, which is saying a lot because there was only 6 people there, 4 if you don't count me and RJ. 

I love going to BBQ's. I love the socialization that happens. Everyone is so at ease and relaxed, especially on holiday weekends, it's just fun. Anytime I go to a cookout I like  to bring something, anything that may help out the host. Sometimes it's dessert, sometimes it's a side dish and sometimes it's just the buns for the burgers. Anything I can do to help out, I like to try and do. I don't host many get togethers,our place isn't really big enough for it, nor do we have the sitting space to make people comfortable. That is something I would like to do.

Do you like to do cookouts/BBQ's? What are your favorite dishes to bring or make? Might I suggest these for your next one, you won't be dissapointed.

Caramel Crumb Bars
recipe slightly adapted from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Caramel Filling
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit with a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray, then line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment and spray again with cooking spray.

To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until soft and light, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, add 2 1/4 cups of the flour, beating just until the dough is smooth and the flour has been absorbed, and stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle as necessary.

Transfer 3/4 of the dough into the prepared baking pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan to form the bottom layer. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator while you make the filling and top layer.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour to the remaining dough in the mixer bowl and work it in with your fingertips until 1/8 - 1/4-inch crumbs form. Set aside.

To make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally. When the mixture begins to boil, whisk frequently until it begins to thicken and darkens in color slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the refrigerator and pour the filling over the bottom crust. Use an offset spatula to spread it evenly then distribute the crumb topping over the filling.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is gently bubbling and a dark caramel color. Cool the bars in the pan on a wire rack until lukewarm, about 15-20 minutes. Use the foil (or parchment) to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Once completely cool, cut into 2-inch squa

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Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

What do you do with super ripe bananas? Do you eat them? I do not. I make cupcakes with them and then share the recipe with you!

Alight, you caught me... I also make banana bread with overly ripe bananas. BUT! Not this time. You see, I just made blueberry-peach buckle and I really didn't need another breakfast bread around the house, so cupcakes. Also I make things with browned bananas because I can't stand to actually bite into one. I'm not sure what it is maybe it's their overly sweet taste or extra mushiness, but I won't eat one.

Do you like your bananas on ther verge of browning or with a little green on them? Here's a fun little fact, my great-grandpa liked eating completely green bananas... gross have you every had a fully green banana? Don't do it, it's not worth the calories wasted. But you could do like my great g-pa and eat fruit loops with creamer...

Back to cupcakes. I found this recipe on a cool blog where the blogger only makes recipes using peanut butter and/or chocolate. She used a peanut butter cream cheese frosting, I used a peanut butter buttercream. Fabulous.

It's a really super fun combo because who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter, or chocolate covered bananas, or peanut butter and bananas? I figured since they all pair well as seperates, why not together?!? Try it, bring them to your friends, you friends may like you more for it...maybe or maybe they already like you since you are super awesome...however you want to see it.

But for really-o, I dig these bites.

Banana Chocolate-Chip Cupcakes:

2 1/2 C. Flour
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 C Banana Mashed (about 2 bananas pureed)
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
3/4 C. Buttermilk
1  C. Butter
3/4 c. Sugar
3 Eggs
3/4 C. Mini Chocolate Chips (dust with a little flour before addind)

Preheat oven 375*Line 12 muffin wells

In a bowl sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.Set aside.
In another bowl whisk together the mashed bananas, milk and vanilla. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl begin to fluff the butter, then add the sugar until butter is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the edges as you go/ as needed. Alternately add the lquid mixture and the flour. Once those are combined fold in the chocolate chips.
Evenly distribute amongst lined muffin wells. Bake for 18-23 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool for a few minutes inthepan thenlet them rest one a rack until sufficently cooled. Frost and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Butter Cream:
1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. Peanut Butter (Creamy)
1 tsp Vanilla
3 C. Powdered Sugar
2 Tbs Milk

In a bowl mix butter and peanut butter unntil combined. Add Vanilla. Alternately added Powdered Sugar and milk until both are gone. Depending on how you like you frosting you will need more or less powdered sugar. Frost the cupcakes when they are cooled.

NOTE: This frosting tatses awesome,but it's hard to spread... if you have any suggestions,let me know!

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Birthday Cake Popcorn

Yup, no baking. Just a really fun and delicious snack that you could sneak into a movie theater if you didn't want to pay their ridiculous popcorn prices share with everyone at a movie night! I was blog reading yesterday and found this blog, which has a lot of really fun and creative recipes. It was here that I found this awesome-ness. I changed it up a little bit, partly because I didn't really read her recipe, just the ingredients and I had no idea what I was doing.

My melted white chocolate seized because I added the cake mix to it, so I tried adding milk and honey to un- seize it. It worked, kinda. It worked in my favor because I decided to add this to the popcorn anyway. I mixed it up with the popcorn and it turned into little balls of cake flavored white chocolate (yum!) I then poured the mixture onto wax paper sprinkled with M&M's and sprinkles. Then I drizzled a new batch of melted white chocolate over the whole mixture. Swirled it around a bit to get everything stuck together. Allowed it to firm up for and hour or so, then ate it.

Yesterday RJ and I decided to watch Dexter, have you seen it? If you haven't I would recommend it. The humor is twisted (obviously he's a serial killer) but the juxtapositions crack me up. We started watching the TV-DVD's this past weekend so we just started season 2 and so far so good.

I like to have a small snack when watching movies, so I thought this recipe would be acceptable. Not time consuming and a lot of fun. I bet this would be a fun dish to bring to a kids birthday party. But maybe you don't bring dishes to a party, I don't know. I don't have children, maybe the host parent would appreciate it. But then again I don't know. I'm going to stop talking about kids.

Here's the recipe.

1 Bag Kettle Corn, (you could use whatever flavor popcorn you like here.)
1 C. melted white chocolate
2-3 Tbs Cake mix  (I used funfetti)
1 C  M&M's
2-3 Tbs. Sprinkles

Pop your popcorn in the microwave. Remove all un-popped kernels and any burnt ones if you cooked your corn too long. Pour into a large air tight container with cake mix and shake it up. Hopefully the butter on the corn will still be sticky enough for the mix to stick.
Sprinkle in your M&M's and sprinkles.
Melt your chocolate in 30 second intervals or over a double boiler.
Once completely melted pour over popcorn mix. With a wooden spoon, mix everything together. Pour onto wax paper and allow everything to cool and set up. Once cool, feel free to eat as much as you want.

This recipe is sweet so you probably won't be stuffing your face, but if you do, I won't judge.

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Peach Bourbon Cupcakes

I know, I know, you thought I fell off the face earth and didn't even leave you with an awesome recipe! But alas, I am fine and well, sweltering in the NC heat. I've just been too hot to blog...OK, fine, I haven't but I have been very hesitant about turning my oven on, it really is just that hot.

When I first moved to Raleigh I was told the summers down here were sleepy hot (awesome..) Turns out, it was a very true statement (bummer)  Let me explain sleepy hot to you, it's when it's literally to hot to do anything, inside or out, they only thing you can do to survive is sleep a few hours away. It's when you get exhausted walking from your air conditioned house, to your air conditioned car, to the air conditioned store and back. Folks, I kid you not it really gets like that here. Do you remember that scene from Gone With the Wind, when they are at Ashley's house having the Barbecue and the ladies take a nap in the middle of the day? That's really what it's like here... minus the huge dresses. Absurd. Alright, enough about the ungodly heat, onto cupcakes.

This past weekend RJ and I met up with some old high school friends of mine, Paul and Amanda. They just started a blog, go check them out at 2lovesfood, it's pretty awesome. We met up at the NC farmers market and had lunch there too, it was nice to see familiar faces.

After lunch we went our separate ways but I hope to meet up again sometime soon! Before RJ and I left I bought some local peaches and blueberries. I LOVE fresh local produce, that is one really nice thing about the South, all the great summer produce. I purchased way more that I needed, so I will probably have a few good recipes soon...maybe, my track record hasn't been great lately, but we'll see.
Anyways, last night while watching Beauty and the Beast, one of my favs, I had the hankering to use up some of my peaches. But what to make? Remember when I bought Bourbon for my pecan pie? Well I still have like a whole bottle of it. Turns out Bourbon is NOT a shot taking drink, it is a sipping liquor. I bet the men were drinking Bourbon while the ladies had their afternoon nap in Gone With the Wind. So, I wanted to use some of that and TA-DA Peach Bourbon Cupcakes were born.

Naturally, I had to google a few recipes because I had never made these before, and wound up making my own version. Peaches have a very delicate flavor that can easily be lost when baked. I put peaches in the cupcakes, in the frosting and I added a dollop on top. I think the dollop really added a nice flavor to the overall experience. I also think it made it look like an over-easy egg... The cupcake is very moist, maybe a little too moist, but maybe not, let me know what you think.

Pre-heat: 350*   Bake time: 22 minutes

Cupcake:
1 1/4 C. Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 C Butter
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 TBS Bourbon (Makers Mark)
1 Egg
1/2 C. Milk
1/2 C Peach Puree* (1 - 2 peaches)
1 tsp Orange Juice (optional)

In a mixer start whipping butter and sugars until fluffy.
In a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
In yet another small bowl, (or cup) combine peach puree, milk and OJ, set aside.
Add vanilla and bourbon to butter and sugar, combine then add egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then begin alternating flour mixture and milk mixture, start and end with flour.
Line 12 muffin wells and fill 2/3- 3/4 of the way full, these cakes don't rise a lot. Bake for 22 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. As noted before, these cakes run a little moist, so you may need to adjust your bake time.
Remove from oven and allow cakes to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan then remove them to a wire rack to finish their cooling. Once cooled Frost!

* To make a peach puree, remove the skin from the peaches and pulse in a blender or food processor until liquefied.

Frosting:
2 1/2 TBS Butter
1/3 C. shortening (Crisco)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Bourbon
1/4 C Peach Puree (1 peach)
3 C. Powdered Sugar

Mix first 5 ingredients together. Add and mix-in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Adjust the powdered sugar as you see fit. If you like a stronger bourbon flavor, add more bourbon and less vanilla. You can also omit the bourbon altogether.

When frosting I created a little well for my extra peach puree to sit in. I mounded up the edges and spooned a little puree into the center. I did this to add a little more peach flavor. You could drizzle puree over the top or fill the cupcake with it. The choice will be yours.

Until next time. Piece!

Very good Young Grasshopper

What?! Eww grasshoppers.. bleck.. No seriously I think grasshoppers are gross and they wig me out, totally. We dissected a huge grasshopper in high school freshman biology, I thought I would...bleck. But NO this post is not about the insect grasshoppers, but rather a delicious chocolate mint cupcake (grasshopper cupcake.)

I wonder how minty chocolate things got the name grasshopper, doesn't make much sense to me. I mean chocolate and mint = awesome, hopping grasshoppers = bleck (as I've mentioned.) So do you know why?

A few days ago I started getting the cupcake itch, you know that inkling you get when you haven't made cup cakes in a while and you really need to make one or you'll burst. No?.. that's just me?... hmmm. But I did. I hadn't made cup cakes in ages and I knew it was time to bust out those cupcake pans and fill them with delicious-ness. I thought about vanilla cupcakes but I wanted something more exotic, something more than vanilla.

When you think mint chocolate, do you think exotic? I don't usually, but apparently I did the other day. Luckily for you I did, these are super duper good, seriously. Just the right amount of mint. Just the perfect chocolate-ness. It's like a thin mint in cupcake form I could have call then thin cakes...*Sigh* I look forward to eating another one.

Not many people like the mint chocolate combo, or maybe they are super picky about what type of mint chocolate they like. Do you mind? Do you like Peppermint patties over Andes Mints? I like peppermint patties when you stick them in the freezer and the mint gets super cold, it's awesome. These cupcakes are awesome. You are awesome.

I think you should make these just because. For a just because occasion or maybe for Fourth of July? Sure make them for that.

Chocolate Mint Cupcake:
2 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
1/2 C. Butter (1 stick)
1/2 C. Cocoa powder
3/4C. Flour
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 C. Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Mint Extract
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C. Sour Cream

Pre heat oven to 350* Line 14 muffin wells.

Either in a double boiler or in a microwave, melt chopped bittersweet chocolate and butter together
In a medium sized bowl sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a mixer or mixing bowl start beat eggs until slightly fluffy. Add sugar until combined. Mix in butter/chocolate mix, making sure to scrap the bowls edge as needed. Mix in vanilla and mint. Alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream until all are combined.
Once mixture is made spoon mixture into muffin wells until 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Allow cakes to rest for 10 minutes before removing from pans to finish cooling. Once completely cooled top with mint frosting.

Mint Butter cream:
1/2 C. Butter
1/4 C Shortening  (Crisco)
2 3/4  C Powder Sugar
1 tsp Pure Mint extract
2 Tbs Milk
3-5 drops of green food coloring

Combine butter and shortening in a medium sized bowl until smooth. Alternating add 1 cup of powdered sugar to 1 table spoon of milk until both are incorporated. Next add the extract and food coloring. You may add as little or as much as you would like for both of these ingredients.

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Bourbon Pecan Pie

Hey!
Hi.
Did you miss me? Did you even know I was gone...? I knew I was gone. I missed you dear readers. But if I missed you, why didn't I post? Well short story long, I didn't have the motivation to type and upload pictures. I mean I liked some of the things I made, but obviously I wasn't motivated to post them. BUT! Now I am back, so miss me no longer.

 I recently purchased a bottle of vanilla bean paste. Have you ever used this? This was my first time using it, I've never even used a vanilla bean pod before! Apparently vanilla paste, is the a mixture of the vanilla seeds and some other things. It's sticky, but pretty and smells wonderfully of vanilla. I knew it was something special and I had to bake something special when I used it.

My first idea was a vanilla cupcake with a vanilla bean frosting with a bourbon pecan drizzle. Sounds super yummy right (?). But then I kept thinking bourbon pecan... Bourbon Pecan Pie! Fabulous. Do you pronounce it Pee-can or Pe-con? I say Pe-con. Do you get what I'm saying, like tomato, tomato, potato, potato? Maybe it doesn't make sense in words, only in saying?

Anywho, I had never made a pecan pie before, so I was up for a challenge. Only to find out the filling wasn't the tough part, it was the pie crust. I made a recipe using pecans in the crust which I thought was fancy because it was for a pecan pie. I guess you're not suppose to pre-bake a pecan pie, pie crust. Note to all of you, you are certainly welcome that I found this out and am now sharing with you.

Pecan pie reminds me of my oldest sister. She used to make it when we were growing up. I think she made it a time or two for my dad, because he liked it. So naturally, when my crust became ruined in the oven I called her in a panic. She saved the day, told me I was an idiot that I didn't have to pre-bake the crust. Ha! Sometimes older sisters are so wise. I'm lucky I have two older sisters to tell me everything I ever need to know.

Even talking (typing?) Here is the recipe. Make it. Eat it. Eat it with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.

Crust:
I used store bought, so use your very favorite recipe. Then send that recipe to me so I can use it. Thanks!

Filling:
2 C. Toasted Pecans
5 Tbs  Browned Butter
1 C. Brown Sugar
3/4 C Light Corn Syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla paste or extract if you don't have paste
2 Tbs Bourbon ( I used Maker's Mark)
3 Eggs lightly whipped

Over medium heat toast pecans until their scent starts enveloping your nose... or until they taste right to you. I stood watching shaking them every so often so they didn't burn. Remove nuts from heat and lay out on a plate. Using the pecan pot or pan, heat the butter until the bubbles start turning and brown. Remove from heat.
In a medium sized bowl combine brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Mix together. Add butter. Whisk out all lumps.
In another bowl whisk eggs slightly. Add to sugar mixture and mix in bourbon. Finally mix in pecans.
Pour filling into pie crust and bake. I put my pie pan on a cookie sheet in case anything over flowed.

Bake for 55 minutes. The center will be jiggly, that's fine, you don't want a solid center. Allow pie to rest for at least an hour before serving.

Oh, also when I baked this, I under baked it by about 10 minutes, but that's OK because I just threw it in the fridge and now it's firm, not runny. SO I am recommending baking for at least 55 minutes, not the 45 I did. But like I said, serve it with ice cream and none will be the wiser, except you!

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Birthday Cherry Cheesecake

This is my second typing of the this post. I didn't like the first version, too lame. But I'm not really feeling a good story on this version either. Oh well... I am very glad it is Friday, it has been the LOOOONNNNGGGEEESTTT week for some reason, ugh.

I'm also super excited at the prospect of doing a Sprint Triathlon in August. I'm not a strong swimmer, but I have 2 months to work on that, besides I only need to master 250 meters, piece of cake. Or more appropriate for this blog piece of cheese cake. And even more so cheesecake with cherry topping, yum. Maybe I will make cheesecake to eat after the triathlon, or maybe I will eat something good for me... who knows.

What do you like to eat after working out? Are a person that likes to eat whatever you want after a workout because you just burned a lot of calories, or are you the type that prefers to eat healthy after working out, keep the good going? I think I go both, some days I like staying healthy and some days I say, it's OK to have a second piece of of dessert after all you just burned at least as many calories in that little slice...

Have you ever made cheesecake before? I had one other time, like 10 years ago. So I will count this as my first time. It's trickier than I remember or thought. By that I mean, if you want it to look a certain way, you have to do a lot to ensure that. I didn't do that, but it's OK. My cake tasted great and I think it looked nice, in a ugly red-headed-step-child kind of way. (no offense if you are red-headed step child)

I made the cheesecake for RJ's birthday. I was impressed, so was he, it only took 6 days to eat the whole thing. Now it makes sense why I want to do a triathlon!
The cherry sauce was a nice topping. But you can top the cake with whatever you like.

Do you see how the top of my cake is brown and crackled, that is as No-No in cake. Well now I know-know (ha!) how to fix that...maybe. I will let you know the outcome next time I make a cheesecake.

Cheesecake: Adapted from Food Network

Crust:
2 C. Ground Graham Cracker

5 TBS sugar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

6 TBS Melted butter

Filling:

24 oz Cream Cheese (3 packs)

1 C. Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

5 egg (separated)

1/4 C. Light Cream

2 TBS Sugar

Topping:

1 Bag Frozen Cherries

1/4 C. Sugar

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

2 TBS Amaretto liquor (if desired)

1 TBS Cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350*

Mix the graham crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and butter together in a mixing bowl. Pour the mixture into the spring form pan and using a mixing cup press the crumbs into the base. Using your fingers gently press crumbs into the sides of the pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Let cool.


Filling:
In a food processor, or with a mixer, cream the cream cheese and the sugar together. Add the vanilla, blend until smooth. Add 5 egg yolks and heavy cream, pulse until smooth. Pour into a large clean bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until a soft froth forms. Add 2 tablespoons sugar slowly to the egg whites and continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Fold into cream cheese, a little bit at a time until fully integrated. Pour into the prepared spring form pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until firm. Let cool for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small sauce pan over medium low heat combine cherries with their juice, sugar and cinnamon. Allow to simmer. Combine Amaretto and cornstarch to make a slurry then pour into cherry mixture. Allow sauce to thicken. Remove from heat and cool. Serve or cheesecake slice.

This is pretty good stuff, don't pass it up.

Piece.