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Black & White Wednesday - Kaffir Lime Pannacotta with Finger Lime Syrup

I found this picture when looking for my next photo for posting in Black and White Wednesday run by Susan from the Well Seasoned Cook

The pannacotta lended itself to black and white with the black flecks of vanilla bean contrasting with the white of the smooth pannacotta.

Kaffir Lime Pannacotta with Finger Lime Syrup

I found this picture when looking for my next photo for posting in Black and White Wednesday run by Susan from the Well Seasoned Cook

The pannacotta lended itself to black and white with the black flecks of vanilla bean contrasting with the white of the smooth pannacotta.

Kaffir Lime Pannacotta with Finger Lime Syrup

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Snickers Cookies


"Hey Sarah, why don't we try these Snickers cookies from Safeway?  They could be nice!"

Now that sounds like a challenge.  Fret not, dear readers, I'm not blogging about some dodgy cookies from Safeway.  Well, not just blogging about some dodgy cookies from Safeway.  When those homebrand Safeway Snickers cookies mysteriously found their way into our shopping basket, I knew I just had try and make a better version at home.  What's with the huge list of ingredients?  I don't even know what half of those things are: emulsifiers (322 from soy!), compound dark chocolate, shortening blend... blergh.

And here is my version. Just good quality unsalted butter, brown and caster sugars, vanilla extract, an egg, flour, some bicarb, some salt, toasted peanuts and milk chocolate.  And of course, some chopped up Snickers bars.  Aaah...

I based these cookies on Nigella Lawson's chocolate chip cookies (from Kitchen), but you can use your favourite chocolate-chip cookie recipe.  I chopped up a couple of 65g Snickers bars and added them to the dough with the chocolate chips and the peanuts.  (I reduced the volume of chocolate chips and peanuts accordingly so that the total volume of add-ins remained the same).

Here are the Snickers bars... yum yum.  Don't forget to taste test!


All the add-ins.  I used unsalted roasted peanuts, but I think that salted peanuts might work well too.  (Although if that were the case, I'd avoid putting any salt in the dough itself).

Mixing the dough...

And with the nuts and chocolate...

Nigella says to use a quarter cup measure to portion out the dough.  This resulted in evenly-sized cookies, but they were huge!  (Insert gratuitous joke about how Nigella has big cookies, har har).  I think somewhere between quarter-cup and one-tablespoon would be perfect - I should stay on the lookout for a 30 ml mini ice-cream scoop.


And here's one of mine, next to one of Woolworth's.  In all fairness, the Woolies' ones weren't completely terrible, they were just very average.  I don't get why anyone would buy something that calorific, when you could easily bake something.  (Or, you know, just buy a Snickers bar!)

They were unpleasantly tough and chewy, with all the add-ins cut up so small that the texture was uniformly soft - you could barely detect the presence of peanuts, chocolate chips or Snickers pieces!  (Although the inability to detect it is a good thing when it comes to compound chocolate.)  Nope, definitely sticking to home made!!

Mmm... melty...

"Hey Sarah, why don't we try these Snickers cookies from Safeway?  They could be nice!"

Now that sounds like a challenge.  Fret not, dear readers, I'm not blogging about some dodgy cookies from Safeway.  Well, not just blogging about some dodgy cookies from Safeway.  When those homebrand Safeway Snickers cookies mysteriously found their way into our shopping basket, I knew I just had try and make a better version at home.  What's with the huge list of ingredients?  I don't even know what half of those things are: emulsifiers (322 from soy!), compound dark chocolate, shortening blend... blergh.

And here is my version. Just good quality unsalted butter, brown and caster sugars, vanilla extract, an egg, flour, some bicarb, some salt, toasted peanuts and milk chocolate.  And of course, some chopped up Snickers bars.  Aaah...

I based these cookies on Nigella Lawson's chocolate chip cookies (from Kitchen), but you can use your favourite chocolate-chip cookie recipe.  I chopped up a couple of 65g Snickers bars and added them to the dough with the chocolate chips and the peanuts.  (I reduced the volume of chocolate chips and peanuts accordingly so that the total volume of add-ins remained the same).

Here are the Snickers bars... yum yum.  Don't forget to taste test!


All the add-ins.  I used unsalted roasted peanuts, but I think that salted peanuts might work well too.  (Although if that were the case, I'd avoid putting any salt in the dough itself).

Mixing the dough...

And with the nuts and chocolate...

Nigella says to use a quarter cup measure to portion out the dough.  This resulted in evenly-sized cookies, but they were huge!  (Insert gratuitous joke about how Nigella has big cookies, har har).  I think somewhere between quarter-cup and one-tablespoon would be perfect - I should stay on the lookout for a 30 ml mini ice-cream scoop.


And here's one of mine, next to one of Woolworth's.  In all fairness, the Woolies' ones weren't completely terrible, they were just very average.  I don't get why anyone would buy something that calorific, when you could easily bake something.  (Or, you know, just buy a Snickers bar!)

They were unpleasantly tough and chewy, with all the add-ins cut up so small that the texture was uniformly soft - you could barely detect the presence of peanuts, chocolate chips or Snickers pieces!  (Although the inability to detect it is a good thing when it comes to compound chocolate.)  Nope, definitely sticking to home made!!

Mmm... melty...
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Tuesdays At The Table - Saltine Sweeties

Hi, ladies!  Is everyone getting in the holiday spirit? I am!! 

In fact, I'm so in the spirit - that I'm extending the discount on my Etsy site!  I'll have a few more things up tomorrow, and you can use coupon code: SANTAPAWS2011 to get 10% off.  Right now, I'm planning to extend it to Thursday night at midnight EST.  :-)


Photobucket


I'm sharing this recipe with you for the second time.  I love it that much!!  The first time around, was two years ago...and most of you lovely ladies hadn't meandered onto my blog yet.

It just isn't Christmas without at least one batch of these suckers.  They are so addictive, that I only make them if I'm going to a party or can eat a few and leave them at someone else's house. :-)


Saltine Sweeties

1 sleeve (approximately) of Saltines
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (chopped)


Line a large (12x18) cookie sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place saltines in a single layer to cover the bottom of the pan.

Melt butter and sugar together in a saucepan & pour over saltines.

Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes (until saltines start absorbing the liquid mixture). Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crackers. Return to over for a minute or so - until chocolate chips are melted. Use a spatula to evenly spread the chocolate chips over the saltines and scatter the nuts across the top of the chocolate.

Cool in refrigerator for about an hour, remove foil from the bottom of the bars and break into chunks.

What's cooking in your kitchen?









Hi, ladies!  Is everyone getting in the holiday spirit? I am!! 

In fact, I'm so in the spirit - that I'm extending the discount on my Etsy site!  I'll have a few more things up tomorrow, and you can use coupon code: SANTAPAWS2011 to get 10% off.  Right now, I'm planning to extend it to Thursday night at midnight EST.  :-)


Photobucket


I'm sharing this recipe with you for the second time.  I love it that much!!  The first time around, was two years ago...and most of you lovely ladies hadn't meandered onto my blog yet.

It just isn't Christmas without at least one batch of these suckers.  They are so addictive, that I only make them if I'm going to a party or can eat a few and leave them at someone else's house. :-)


Saltine Sweeties

1 sleeve (approximately) of Saltines
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (chopped)


Line a large (12x18) cookie sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place saltines in a single layer to cover the bottom of the pan.

Melt butter and sugar together in a saucepan & pour over saltines.

Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes (until saltines start absorbing the liquid mixture). Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crackers. Return to over for a minute or so - until chocolate chips are melted. Use a spatula to evenly spread the chocolate chips over the saltines and scatter the nuts across the top of the chocolate.

Cool in refrigerator for about an hour, remove foil from the bottom of the bars and break into chunks.

What's cooking in your kitchen?









reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Favorite Gifts for Christmas...

I love finding the perfect gift for someone.  Do you?  Here are a few of my favorites, PLUS a chance to win the *perfect* gift for the blogger in your life (maybe yourself?)...a blog BOOK from Blog 2 Print.


A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg...

Molly from the blog Orangette wrote this beautiful book.  It's not a new book this year, but new to me.  It's now one of my all-time favorites.  Molly combines her recipes and stories in a way that pulls you right in.  I loved it so much that I only allowed myself two chapters at a time so it would last longer.  The stories of her dad had me crying in the school parking lot, and the recipes left me ready to run to the kitchen.

Candy Apple Red KitchenAid Mixer with glass bowl...

I've loved my trusty red KitchenAid mixer; it's been in a workhorse for me for 14 years.  I did not *need* another one.  Until I saw this one.  Yes, I needed it.  I treated myself.  If you have a baker on your list...or maybe just want to gaze at this beauty on your kitchen counter...go ahead.  You won't be sorry.



Girl Hunter by Georgia Pellegrini...

On our drive to Phoenix for Thanksgiving, I read Georgia's book.  Normally when I read in the car, I fall asleep.  Not with Georgia's book.  I was captivated.  Even if you're not interested in hunting, Georgia's journey is beautifully written and one you won't be able to put down.  Bonus...she's a real sweetheart.


Munchstaches (Mustache Cookie Cutters) from Paper Source...

Need I say more?



Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal...
This is one in a series of adorable kids' books.  Each one uses baking and sharing cookies as an example of a trait, such as "Trustworthy means, If you ask me to hold your cookie until you come back, when you come back, I will still be holding your cookie."   Darling.  Perfect for the little (or big) cookie makers in your life.


Cake Pop KIT by Angie Dudley...
You might know (you should) Bakerella; she's the creator of the cake pop craze sweeping the country (world).  I had the pleasure of meeting her last weekend.  I loved her before...I love her MORE now!  She's just as adorable as her cake pops are...maybe even more so.  If you don't already have Cake Pops (the book), you need it.  If you already own it like I do, you need the kit! 
 


BuckyBalls...

I know these have nothing at all to do with baking, but if you have a boy in your life like I do...say 7-14, these BuckyBalls will be a hit.  Kiddo recommended.

Now...how about YOUR very own book?
 Blog 2 Print offers such a fun service...they help you print YOUR blog in book form.  I love that I have a book to pass on to kiddo someday.  One really cool feature is that you can choose a label from your blog and just print those posts.  Say one of your labels on your blog is "cupcakes."  You can format your book to be *just* your cupcake posts.  Cool, right?

Blog 2 Print is offering a  $40 credit on their site to print a book of your very own....yay!  To enter, leave a comment on this post, answering this question...



"What book or toy would you recommend as a Christmas gift?"

Random winner will be selected Friday, December 9th at 9pm CST.  Good luck!


Giveaway closed....congrats, Jen! Enjoy your book!

{PS...some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. All pennies received from affiliate links will go to support my sugar habit. Thank you.} :)
I love finding the perfect gift for someone.  Do you?  Here are a few of my favorites, PLUS a chance to win the *perfect* gift for the blogger in your life (maybe yourself?)...a blog BOOK from Blog 2 Print.


A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg...

Molly from the blog Orangette wrote this beautiful book.  It's not a new book this year, but new to me.  It's now one of my all-time favorites.  Molly combines her recipes and stories in a way that pulls you right in.  I loved it so much that I only allowed myself two chapters at a time so it would last longer.  The stories of her dad had me crying in the school parking lot, and the recipes left me ready to run to the kitchen.

Candy Apple Red KitchenAid Mixer with glass bowl...

I've loved my trusty red KitchenAid mixer; it's been in a workhorse for me for 14 years.  I did not *need* another one.  Until I saw this one.  Yes, I needed it.  I treated myself.  If you have a baker on your list...or maybe just want to gaze at this beauty on your kitchen counter...go ahead.  You won't be sorry.



Girl Hunter by Georgia Pellegrini...

On our drive to Phoenix for Thanksgiving, I read Georgia's book.  Normally when I read in the car, I fall asleep.  Not with Georgia's book.  I was captivated.  Even if you're not interested in hunting, Georgia's journey is beautifully written and one you won't be able to put down.  Bonus...she's a real sweetheart.


Munchstaches (Mustache Cookie Cutters) from Paper Source...

Need I say more?



Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal...
This is one in a series of adorable kids' books.  Each one uses baking and sharing cookies as an example of a trait, such as "Trustworthy means, If you ask me to hold your cookie until you come back, when you come back, I will still be holding your cookie."   Darling.  Perfect for the little (or big) cookie makers in your life.


Cake Pop KIT by Angie Dudley...
You might know (you should) Bakerella; she's the creator of the cake pop craze sweeping the country (world).  I had the pleasure of meeting her last weekend.  I loved her before...I love her MORE now!  She's just as adorable as her cake pops are...maybe even more so.  If you don't already have Cake Pops (the book), you need it.  If you already own it like I do, you need the kit! 
 


BuckyBalls...

I know these have nothing at all to do with baking, but if you have a boy in your life like I do...say 7-14, these BuckyBalls will be a hit.  Kiddo recommended.

Now...how about YOUR very own book?
 Blog 2 Print offers such a fun service...they help you print YOUR blog in book form.  I love that I have a book to pass on to kiddo someday.  One really cool feature is that you can choose a label from your blog and just print those posts.  Say one of your labels on your blog is "cupcakes."  You can format your book to be *just* your cupcake posts.  Cool, right?

Blog 2 Print is offering a  $40 credit on their site to print a book of your very own....yay!  To enter, leave a comment on this post, answering this question...



"What book or toy would you recommend as a Christmas gift?"

Random winner will be selected Friday, December 9th at 9pm CST.  Good luck!


Giveaway closed....congrats, Jen! Enjoy your book!

{PS...some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. All pennies received from affiliate links will go to support my sugar habit. Thank you.} :)
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Guest Post: Mrs. Joneses Holiday Season Top 5

Last week, I promised you all a guest post today.  And here she is - the fabulous Mrs. Jones!  I just adore this woman, and I think you will too.  :-)  Today she's sharing with us her holiday season top five!

_____________________________________________

Sweet Cole is letting me kick off this work week by guest posting on her blog, and I couldn't be more excited. I'm Mrs. Jones from Keeping Up with the Joneses. I've been blogging for a few years now, and I've made some fabulous friends through it. A writer by trade, I'm grateful for a place I can just be me - my words, my thoughts, my little place in the blogosphere.

I admit to being a little scatterbrained today. My Crimson Tide is officially BCS Championship bound, and I'm still walking on air JUST a teensy bit. :-)

Today I wanted to share my holiday season top five. You know, the things you'd never skip. The things you love. The things it's not Christmas without?

1) Trimming the tree. I love Christmas, and my house isn't complete without our big tree - and my little tree. Mr. Jones, my wonderful husband, indulges me and let's me put the little one trimmed in pink in our room. It's been my tree since I was a little girl, and I love seeing it as I fall asleep.







2) An extra special day. Dec. 20 is our anniversary. This year, we'll have been married for three years. Time is flying by. It's also our little puppy's "coming-home-aversary". She came home two years ago, on our first anniversary.

3) Family time. Spring is the busiest of seasons for my family, so the slow time we get to celebrate is always extra special.

4) Down time. I'm a lucky girl, and I get around 10 days off at Christmas each year. I love making some extra special meals, hot lunches, and getting our home back in order for the new year.

5) Pulling out the china. My Lenox Holiday china is a sentimental staple. My grandmother passed away when I was in middle school, but she left me a beautiful legacy. Each Christmas, from the time I was little, she gave me a place setting of this beautiful china. While I love Christmas, and china - the love that went into putting my set together makes me smile every time we use it. I leave our little kitchen table set for two all December, because it brightens up the house - and life.


And, of course, I get to pick this Christmas song of the day, so I leave you with Celine Dion's O Holy Night... a favorite song by a favorite artist.






Merry Christmas lovelies! What is your favorite thing about the holidays?

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

____________________________________


Last week, I promised you all a guest post today.  And here she is - the fabulous Mrs. Jones!  I just adore this woman, and I think you will too.  :-)  Today she's sharing with us her holiday season top five!

_____________________________________________

Sweet Cole is letting me kick off this work week by guest posting on her blog, and I couldn't be more excited. I'm Mrs. Jones from Keeping Up with the Joneses. I've been blogging for a few years now, and I've made some fabulous friends through it. A writer by trade, I'm grateful for a place I can just be me - my words, my thoughts, my little place in the blogosphere.

I admit to being a little scatterbrained today. My Crimson Tide is officially BCS Championship bound, and I'm still walking on air JUST a teensy bit. :-)

Today I wanted to share my holiday season top five. You know, the things you'd never skip. The things you love. The things it's not Christmas without?

1) Trimming the tree. I love Christmas, and my house isn't complete without our big tree - and my little tree. Mr. Jones, my wonderful husband, indulges me and let's me put the little one trimmed in pink in our room. It's been my tree since I was a little girl, and I love seeing it as I fall asleep.







2) An extra special day. Dec. 20 is our anniversary. This year, we'll have been married for three years. Time is flying by. It's also our little puppy's "coming-home-aversary". She came home two years ago, on our first anniversary.

3) Family time. Spring is the busiest of seasons for my family, so the slow time we get to celebrate is always extra special.

4) Down time. I'm a lucky girl, and I get around 10 days off at Christmas each year. I love making some extra special meals, hot lunches, and getting our home back in order for the new year.

5) Pulling out the china. My Lenox Holiday china is a sentimental staple. My grandmother passed away when I was in middle school, but she left me a beautiful legacy. Each Christmas, from the time I was little, she gave me a place setting of this beautiful china. While I love Christmas, and china - the love that went into putting my set together makes me smile every time we use it. I leave our little kitchen table set for two all December, because it brightens up the house - and life.


And, of course, I get to pick this Christmas song of the day, so I leave you with Celine Dion's O Holy Night... a favorite song by a favorite artist.






Merry Christmas lovelies! What is your favorite thing about the holidays?

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

____________________________________


reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mint chocolate chip ice cream (for Annie)


I found out recently that a well-loved and popular blogger on one of my cooking forums lost her dad on Thanksgiving day.  I cannot even begin to imagine what that is like and what emotions she must be feeling right now.

A group of us decided to create a virtual shower featuring comfort foods for Annie. My contribution is mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Ice cream is comfort food in and of itself. My ultimate favorite flavor, without hesitation, is mint chocolate chip. It has always been and probably always will be. I love the refreshing taste of mint paired with one of my favorite things (chocolate), and together they are just the perfect combination. I made a batch of it this week and hope it will help calm me down before my upcoming figure skating test.

Annie, although this ice cream is chilly, it really warms my heart and gives me comfort. I will be thinking of you and your family during this difficult time and wish I could send some of this ice cream your way. Virtual hugs to you, and please know that many of us are here to support you.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • A pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract (I usually eyeball it and don't measure this)
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup of mini chocolate chips (regular sized chips would work too)
Directions
Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan.

In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks and gradually pour some of the warm milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

Strain the custard into a separate bowl with the heavy cream. Add the peppermint extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly - preferably overnight.

Once the mixture is completely chilled, mix in the chocolate chips and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Source: Adapted from David Lebovitz

I found out recently that a well-loved and popular blogger on one of my cooking forums lost her dad on Thanksgiving day.  I cannot even begin to imagine what that is like and what emotions she must be feeling right now.

A group of us decided to create a virtual shower featuring comfort foods for Annie. My contribution is mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Ice cream is comfort food in and of itself. My ultimate favorite flavor, without hesitation, is mint chocolate chip. It has always been and probably always will be. I love the refreshing taste of mint paired with one of my favorite things (chocolate), and together they are just the perfect combination. I made a batch of it this week and hope it will help calm me down before my upcoming figure skating test.

Annie, although this ice cream is chilly, it really warms my heart and gives me comfort. I will be thinking of you and your family during this difficult time and wish I could send some of this ice cream your way. Virtual hugs to you, and please know that many of us are here to support you.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • A pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract (I usually eyeball it and don't measure this)
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup of mini chocolate chips (regular sized chips would work too)
Directions
Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan.

In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks and gradually pour some of the warm milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

Strain the custard into a separate bowl with the heavy cream. Add the peppermint extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly - preferably overnight.

Once the mixture is completely chilled, mix in the chocolate chips and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Source: Adapted from David Lebovitz
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I'm Soooo Late!

**Update: It's taken much of the day to wrangle the pups and work through a Shutterfly problem (shout out to Mrs. Jones), but the cards are D-O-N-E!  I'll unveil the front of them in a few days.  :-)**
________________________________________________________

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I haven't ordered my Christmas cards yet.  Doing so is my only objective for the day!!! 

Wish me luck!  And that my dogs hold still long enough for some good pictures...  :-)





**Update: It's taken much of the day to wrangle the pups and work through a Shutterfly problem (shout out to Mrs. Jones), but the cards are D-O-N-E!  I'll unveil the front of them in a few days.  :-)**
________________________________________________________

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I haven't ordered my Christmas cards yet.  Doing so is my only objective for the day!!! 

Wish me luck!  And that my dogs hold still long enough for some good pictures...  :-)





reade more... Résuméabuiyad