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Chewy Lemon Basil Cookies

Carroll 6 Comments

On The Second Day of Christmas Cookies….

It tis’ the season for Christmas Cookies!  The last few years I have been baking the Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies and I thought I would share the recipes this year.  There are always a few cookies I love and repeat each year- this recipe is definetly a keeper!!

Chewy Lemon Basil Cookies

Inspired by How Sweet It Is , these just looked so mouthwatering, and I am a sucker for all things lemon!

2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 1 stick ( 1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

 1 cup granulated sugar

 1/4 cup brown sugar

 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest/rind

 ½ Vanilla Bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon finely chopped basil

Glaze

½ cup confectioner sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice, milk or water

Super Light and Refreshing!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, add cooled, melted butter and add sugar, mixing until creamy. Add in egg and egg yolk, mixing to combine, and then blend in vanilla and lemon extracts, lemon juice, lemon zest and basil. Slowly stir in dry ingredients, mixing until a dough forms.

Using an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop the dough into rounded balls and place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 14-15 minutes, or until middle is just set an edges are slightly golden.

While cookies are cooling, mix glaze and add into a pastry bag with a fine tip.  If you don’t have a pastry bag, put the glaze in a small ziplock and snip a tiny corner.  Carefully stripe the cookies with the glaze and allow to set for 1 or 2 hours.

Basil adds a great twist to a typical pile of Christmas cookies

These little guys are so light and lemony! The basil flavor is an unexpected surprise!

Chocolate Ginger Cookies- The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Carroll 5 Comments

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

I was so excited to participate in the first ever Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, hosted by Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen.  It was fairly simple, I made and sent a dozen cookies to three participants and three other food bloggers sent a dozen to me!  Pretty easy, once I was finally able to decide on which cookies to send!!   Convinced by Sir Wes, I picked his favorite, Martha Stewart’s Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookie, these little guys have a lot of punch and are delicious! 

The kick in these cookies warm you up!

 They don’t last long in our house!!  If you prefer a lighter ginger flavor, you can cut the fresh ginger by half!

Chocolate Ginger Cookies Mise En Place!

Ingredients

  • 7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate chunks
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (cut by half if you want a mild ginger kick)
  • 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

    Little Balls of Dough, dropped in sugar before baking.

Directions

  1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
  3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
  4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Warm and Decadent! Packed with Punch!

We look forward to these cookies all year! 

Sir Wes says these cookies "Have moves like Jagger!"

To ship cookies, check out this link, which offers great tips to keep your little gems safe and sound.  I packed up my cookies with plenty of cushion, using tissue paper and filler from the paper shredder. 

Ready to be shipped across the country!

Many thanks to Lindsay and Julie, the hosts of The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, who spent many hours orchestrating  food bloggers across the world!!!  I hope  Also, the cookies I received from Kate, Eleana and Mackenzie were sinfully delicious, just amazing!!  If you would like to partipate next year in the swap, sign up for notifications here!

Let the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies begin!!!!

Maple Bacon Chocolate Cupcakes

Carroll 15 Comments

We had a breakfast a few months ago at work and served these decadent bakery treats!  I was so impressed I brought the idea home to Sir Wes, with the help of a recipe from The Novice Chef.    I have to confess, I am not a bacon eater, which is just a personal preference but my taste testers all agree- they soooo good!  They are kind of ridiculous, the kind of breakfast that stays with you all day.

Just a "little" sinful!

Here is the how the Novice Chef told me to make them-

Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Recipe Notes: There are two important ingredients for this cupcake. First being the bacon, of course. Don’t cheat yourself by using turkey bacon…or worse…pre-cooked bacon! Use good, quality bacon. Trust me, it is worth it. And also spend the money and buy the pure maple syrup. I promise you that Aunt Jemima just ain’t gonna cut it in this recipe!

Ingredients:

For cake:
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
3/4 cup bacon, cooked and chopped

For Maple frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter; room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup pure maple syrup; plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon salt

As Sir Wes says- "Bacon Makes Everything Better"

Directions:

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Remove from stand mixer and gently fold in bacon.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Frost as desired.

For the frosting:
Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and pure maple syrup and combine well.

Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more maple syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.

Garnish with chopped bacon and a drizzle of pure maple syrup if you wish.

Maple Bacon Chocolate Cupcakes

Pretzel Bread Pudding – A Ballpark in Your Oven!

Carroll 5 Comments
Not to long ago I posted a bread pudding made with eggplant, and explained that we are loving savory bread puddings at work this year.  A few years ago I made Caraway and Shallot Pretzel Bread Pudding Kebabs with a Honey Porter Cheddar Sauce for a Tail Gate themed event and they were fabulous!   We switched it up a bit recently at work and brought the Ballpark to the Bread Pudding , which has become a house favorite! Apparently there are a lot of pretzel bread fans at work. 

Ball Park Bread Pudding

 

Mustard, Onion and Pretzel Bread Pudding

  • 26 oz frozen soft pretzels
  • 1 large yellow onions, sliced and caramelized
  • 5 whole eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 2 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

    Frozen Unbaked Soft Pretzels, cut into large bites

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut unbaked pretzels into large bites and put into a cooking spray coated 9×12 baking dish.  Spread caramelized onion evenly over pretzel pieces.  In a mixing bowl combine remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour over pretzels and onions and gently stir so all is coated.  Bake in oven for about 45 minutes, until center is done.

Cream, egg and mustard whipped up, ready to pour in!

The best part is how simple and very little prep it takes to prepare this fun dish!

Ummm, it's going to be good!!!!

I think this would be a perfect dish for cookouts, it will feed about 8 friends, depending on what else you have on the menu.

Pour it evenly and then follow up with a good stir, making sure all the bread is coated!

The smell that fills the house is kind of amazing, definitely got my stomach growling!

Mustard, Onion, and Pretzel Bread Pudding!

Honestly, I’ll take anything pretzel bread, because my love of it, but this dish goes way beyond being delicious! Enjoy!
 
 

 

Pumpkin Waffles with Homemade Pecan Butter

Carroll 10 Comments

Anyone else waiting for Turkey?  Anyone else wondering what to do with the leftover pumpkin from your pumpkin pie recipe?  Anyone else wishing they had more room in the refrigerator?  I was!

I made more room in the refrigerator by getting rid of a Tupperware and a crate of eggs with decision to make breakfast this morning and that alone makes it a win! Not to mention the smell in the air! 

Pumpkin Waffles with Home Made Pecan Butter

I found this quick recipe for Pumpkin Waffles at Taste of Home and adapted it as I didn’t have a ton of pumpkin left.  Then I glanced over at the bag of nuts and decided to dress up the waffles with Pecan Butter.  Easier than you think- took me 15 minutes! Just in time to start on the Black Friday Ads!

Pumpkin Waffles

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1-1/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 4-1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, seasonings and salt. Whisk the egg, milk, pumpkin and butter; stir into dry ingredients until well blended.  Follow the directions on your waffles maker- Should serve about 4 pp!

Pecan Butter

  • 1 cup fresh pecan (toast them if you think they are stale)
  • 1 tablespoon soft butter
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • pinch of salt

    Chopped Pecans

     Grind all ingredients in a food processor until blended.

Pecan Butter

 
Doesn’t that look good??

Want a bite?

 
 
Turkey is on, got the paper in front of me, parade is getting ready to start, the family is gathered around the table and have a delicious waffle in front on me!  What a great Thanksgiving!!  I hope everyone’s day is just as special!  Happy Thanksgiving to all!
 
 

Cranberry Salsa!

Carroll 8 Comments

I have an admission to make- I like canned cranberry jelly, ridges and all.  This is how I grew up-which is probably why I am ok with having the good old sliced cranberry jelly every so often.   HOWEVER- as long as time permits, I would much rather make my own cranberry relish or chutney.  This year’s planning session led me to find a recipe in Southern Living featuring a Cranberry Salsa, which I knew must be great being that all things “salsa” are always delicious.  It’s the cilantro I love, not to mention usually there are chips, and maybe a cerveza. This is a great alternative to a typical relish, or even the lovely canned cranberry jelly! 

Fresh Cranberry Salsa Mise en Place
Another great thing about this dish is that you can do it pretty far in advance, I made it on Sunday and the flavors are melding together already. 
 

Ingredients 

  • 1 (12-oz.) package fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 navel orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

  • 1. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
  • 2. Pulse orange zest and next 5 ingredients in food processor 3 to 5 times or until orange, ginger, and pepper are finely chopped. Stir into cranberries; cover and chill 2 before serving.

 

Into the food processor!

You can chop everything by hand or use a blender if you are without a food processor or time! 

Can you see all that delicious cilantro!

 From start to finish it took me about 15 minutes- super easy!

The longer it sits the better!

 

I actually could eat this by the spoonful, out of the jar!

 
The last perk of this recipe is that I am guessing by adding a little cream cheese to it after Turkey Day is done, you will have a tasty tortilla chip dip!

Cranberry Salsa! Ole!

  Happy Holiday Cooking!!!!!!! And Happy Leftover Eating!
 
 
 

Forget the Oven- Grill that Turkey!

Carroll 7 Comments

We have come to love grilling our turkey!  The last few years for Thanksgiving and Christmas we moved the bird from the oven and to the grill and found it to be amazing!  The weather is typically still in the high 70’s or even 80’s here in Florida so it is nice enough to be outside.   With the grill going in the backyard, the oven isn’t heating up the house,  and best of all there is plenty of room for all my sides and desserts to bake! 

The turkey cooks perfectly even, and is the moistest bird I have ever had- EVEN the breast!  Strangely when I tell friends that we grill our turkey no one seems to believe us, so last year we documented it for the non believers.  Thought it would be a good time to share as we are all in the midst of planning our feasts!

Here is the bird, with a creole rub on it!
You can use traditional herbs and garlic, a brine or any other way you are compelled!

Sir Wes, aka- The Grill Ninja!

 We buy about a 12-14 lb turkey and it takes between 2.5 and 3 hours over slow coals. 

We basted the turkey, just like you would in the oven.

We had to crinkle up the pan so it fit on the grill- but it was so nice not worrying about messing up my nice roasting pan!  I made pan sauce on the stove when the bird was done. 

Some snacks while we waited- the Blue Cheese Pecan Gougeres were delicious!

Nice part of grilling the turkey is that you feel ok if you open a beer or make a margarita while you wait for dinner!  

The turkey was a little big, so we covered it loosely with tin foil so the top of the grill didn't sit right on it.We used a disposable pan for easy clean up AND so we could make sure it fit on the grill!

My mouth is watering now just looking at it! 

Nice color, super moist and ever so tasty!

Turkey Leg Cart anyone??  

Incase you are wondering what we had for dessert- Pumpkin Meringue!

No matter how delicious the turkey is- at our table there is always room for dessert!
 
So for all the non believers out there- it is true- you can grill your turkey!  And it is incredible! 
 
Happy Turkey Cooking!
 
 
 
 
 

Party For The Senses 11/5/11- From Behind The Scenes!

Carroll 4 Comments
 
Party For The Senses!
The Party For The Senses is a hard ticket event that happens every Saturday night during Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival.   Chefs from across the world come to participate as well as many of Disney’s talented Chefs.  It is an event that guests look forward to all year, as well as the Disney Cast.  The planning for these events is extreme and detailed, starting before the final event of the year is even finished. 
I was lucky to get my press pass for the event!  .
The prep of each chefs dish starts a few days prior to the event, we started cooking the Wild Boar in plenty of time to get it tender enough.

Seth and Melanie are doing a bit of prep for the event.

 

The Wild Boar is slowly cooking, soaking up a ton of flavor!

 
Here is Dave cooking the tortillas before we leave our kitchen
Over 1000 guests are expected each Saturday so planning is key in delivering a great dish! 
We travel in Reefer Trucks to our events.
Trucks are in and out of the backdock area all afternoon, unloading trams, hotboxes and coolers filled with the chef’s mise en place.

Chef Joe directs the team in setup to create a good flow of cooking and building plates.

 
The back hall of the World Showcase Pavillion was peaceful before the hustle and bustle started!
 I look forward to going to The Party For The Senses each year, it’s always fun to see old friends and meet new people!  Not to mention to see and taste what other Chefs are doing! 

The Catering Kitchen was full of energy!

 
Chef Orlando was able to take a moment to say hello to his old friend! 🙂
Some of the guests are lucky enough to be welcomed into the Wine View Lounge.  For a little extra money, these guests are brought into the event earlier and have a lovely lounge to enjoy.  Every week the Chefs of Park Events Operations come up with a new, trendy dishes to offer these guests.

The WIne View Lounge offers guests an early entrance, extra seating, a few extra surprises from the Chefs!

 

An intimate WIne View Lounge table in the midst of a premier event! Wow!

 

WIne View Lounge guests enjoy mouth watering cheese offerings.

 

Chef Dale prepares for the Wine View Lounge guests.

In the Wine View Lounge the buffets float!
Before the event starts each week the Chef de Cuisine of Park Event Operations and Executive Chef of Epcot welcome all the chefs and their teams, and recognize the Events Team that spent all year planning.  Each Chef then introduces themselves and briefly describes their dish of the night.

Chef Leonard, the Chef De Cuisine of Park Event Operations welcomes the chefs and their teams and goes over the flow of the evening.

 

Chef Celina Tio describes her dish and passes the microphone off to Chef Ken Vedrinski.

 
Here is a group shot of all the guest chefs- that is a TON of talent!  
 Chefs bring a demo plate to the center stage so everyone can see what will be served before the event starts. The dishes had a huge range and offered so many choices.

Chef Noah French of the Sandy Lane Hotel was back this year with a Molecular Gastronomy inspired dish!

 
 
Chef Ken Vedrinski of Trattoria Lucca in Charleston, SC brought his renown talent to the Party For The Senses! Charleston Chefs are World Class!
The event would start soon and it was time for all the Chefs to organize their teams so we would be ready for the crowd of 12oo. 

Chef Damon coordinates with all the guest chefs each week and ensures his team is ready to help create an amazing night for all!

  

Chef Jim of the Magic Kingdom instructs his team before service starts.

 
Chef Celina Tio guides her team before the guests arrival.
There are a ton of Winery’s and Vendors at the event, for every dish there is different beverage pairing.  The drinks were flowing for sure! 🙂

Star Tree Winery would be a popular table amongst the guests!

 

Sam Adams offered their Boston Lager, Octoberfest and Latitude 48 IPA.

 

Not a bottle would go "unpopped"! Cheers!

The Party For The Senses made Green efforts this year, giving guests the options to rinse and reuse their wine glasses!

 

The moments before an event start can be the most satifying for a chef, all the work is done and the chefs take a breath and wait to delight guests with their insprired dishes!

 

The Chefs of the Contemporary Bakery created a breath taking chocolate sculpture to display!

 

This chocolate flower is AMAZING!

 

Chef Ben of the Contemporary was going to be a popular table!

Before the Party For The Senses guests arrive, all is set and ready!

 

Chef Joe's Wild Boar Carnita with a Watermelon Radish and Pepperdew Slaw and Tequila Foam

 

George and Pete of Park Event Operations were nice enough to taste test!

 

We waited all night for this gentlemen to come to our table so we could get a good look at his hat- Fabulous!

 

As every year we had a great time at The Party For The Senses and had so many delicious dishes by talented chefs across the world!

Party For The Senses is an event looked forward to all year.  Each year world class wineries, and vendors are there offering a range of wonderful wines and beers.  The Chefs bring their most creative and seasonal dishes and ensure that even the fussiest diner has something to remember!  If ever a chance to attend the Party For The Senses Event, I highly recommend it!  

 
 

Honey Ginger Root Vegetables

Carroll 5 Comments

I was lucky enough to get a thank you package in the mail from a farm, full of greens, roots, and a ton of other veggies from a dear friend! We have been having a smorgishboard of vegetables this last week, and are loving it! 

Surprise!!

 

Farm on my counter=AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

 A great “accessory” to vegetables will even turn the biggest vegetable haters into fans!  Adding a nice sauce, butter or flavor profile to your veggies is a great way to change it up and get those nutrients into your diet. 

Beautiful Roots!

 

 Below is a great method for cooking beets and other roots, no need to peel, which is the most time-consuming, pain in the butt part of beets. 

  • 1/2 pound root vegetables (turnips, beets, rutabegas)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

    Out of the oven!

Preheat oven to 425.  Place whole, washed and scrubbed vegetables in oven proof baking dish and add water, oil and seasoning, stir a bit and cover with foil.  Roast in oven for 60 minutes.  Allow to cool to the point you can handle the vegetables, the skin should peel off very easily.  After the skin is removed cut into bite size pieces. 

Easy to peel!

  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger
     

Stir honey, oil and ginger together.  Toss the cut roots with the honey ginger sauce and saute over medium high until they start to get nice caramelized color.

Saute until nice and caramelized

 
Honey Ginger Root Vegetables- Dig in!
And ENJOY eating your veggies~ 

Raspberry Oreo Truffles- And one last reminder about Breast Cancer Awareness!

Carroll 6 Comments

Raspberry Oreo Truffles

I was looking for a way to wrap up a successful Breast Cancer Awareness Month and stumbled upon this recipe from the Mod Housewife.  Brilliant! I have to say- it is hardt to go wrong with Oreo’s, not to mention I had half of a pack left from some cupcakes I made a couple of weeks ago.  These are super fast, really easy and fun for the whole family to get involved in! 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pkg. (4 oz.)  cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 pkg. (16 oz pack) Oreo cookies, finely crushed
  • 1/8 cup raspberry jam
  • 1 pkg. (8 squares each) Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Mix cream cheese, Oreo’s and raspberry jam until well blended.  Chill in freezer for 15 minutes then scoop into 1 inch balls.  Place back in freezer and melt chocolate, following package directions.  Remove balls from freezer and dip into the melted chocolate, placing on wax or parchment paper to set. 

Decorate as you wish, I melted a bit of white chocolate and added a couple of drops of pink food coloring.  Topping the truffles with a bit of the pink chocolate and then dunked them into pink sanding sugar.  The same could be done with any color or even a simple white chocolate drizzle.  Whatever’s clever- more fun the better!

Raspberry Oreo Truffles- Messy but delicious!

A tip from the Mod Housewife

HOW TO EASILY DIP COOKIE BALLS

To easily coat cookie balls with the melted chocolate, add balls, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Use 2 forks to roll balls in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove balls with forks, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place balls in prepared pan; let stand until chocolate coating is firm

Raspberry Oreo Truffles, one is good, but two is better!

Enjoy!  And remember to get your check ups!