Every time I try a new brownie recipe, the resulting brownies taste like the best brownies I’ve ever made. This could mean one of two things: either my baking skills are improving, or I just love any type of brownies I can get my hands on.

So when I found this recipe for [...]]]>

Every time I try a new brownie recipe, the resulting brownies taste like the best brownies I’ve ever made. This could mean one of two things: either my baking skills are improving, or I just love any type of brownies I can get my hands on.

So when I found this recipe for olive oil brownies, I was intrigued. No butter? That makes these brownies healthier than their butter-laden counterparts. Right? And yes, these are the best brownies I’ve ever made.

The flavor of the month for February is chocolate! There’s no better way to get a chocolate fix than with a pan of rich, fudgy brownies!

The olive oil imparts a slightly different flavor to these brownies, but not a recognizable flavor. They are incredibly moist. We polished these off in less than 24 hours. We could have eaten them all in one sitting, but then we wouldn’t have had any left for breakfast the next morning. Hey, olive oil is healthy, right?

Olive Oil Brownies
Adapted from Adventures of an Italian Food Lover via The Traveler’s Lunchbox
Yield: 16 brownies

4 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon almond meal (optional)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently. Or melt it in the microwave, if you prefer. Whisk in the olive oil until well blended. Set aside to cool.

Combine the flour, almond meal, and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. Fold in the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. The brownies will be done when the top is dry and crackly, and a toothpick inserted in the center will emerge with moist crumbs. Place the pan on a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

Everything tastes better with cheese, and bread is no exception. [...]]]>
I am continually amazed by how many variations and adaptations of bread exist. You can add pretty much anything to bread and it will taste amazing. Pick your favorite fruit, vegetable, or beverage. I guarantee there’s a bread recipe out there for it.

Everything tastes better with cheese, and bread is no exception. Cheddar combines with chives and beer to create a wonderfully flavorful bread. The chives add a subtle onion flavor, and the beer complements the cheese.

The flavor of the month is boozy! When I saw this beer at the store, I knew I wanted to incorporate it into a recipe. I think perhaps the label drew me in. The “Simpler Times” logo is great branding. Don’t we all want to just slow down and relax every once in a while?

The six-packs of beer were part of a Trader Joe’s display including a beer bread mix. A mix? But I want to make my bread the old-fashioned way! So I picked up a six-pack (at the mighty fine price of $2.99) and went home to find a suitable recipe.

I found it in one of the cookbooks I received for Christmas. Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day takes artisan bread recipes and breaks them down into manageable chunks of time that can fit into most of our schedules.

Let’s get started! For this particular bread, the dough is mixed and kneaded before being placed in the fridge to rise for up to 4 days. This is what my dough looked like after kneading:

And after rising in the fridge overnight:

The loaves are so simple to shape. Once the dough has risen, you just roll it out into a rectangle. Then sprinkle some cheese over the top and roll it up!

Place it into the pan to rise once more.

Here’s where I got distracted and forgot to poke the loaves to prevent air from building up inside the loaf. Since the cheese is rolled up inside, air can get trapped in there and cause a cheese explosion in the oven! Some of the cheese from my loaves ended up dripping down the side a bit, and it left a large gaping hole in the bread.

The huge bubble made the loaf a little bit difficult to slice, but it’s very tasty!

The original recipe calls for bread flour, but since I only had 2 cups of bread flour left I made up the difference with white whole wheat flour. The bread came out delicious, and perhaps it’s even healthier this way!

Beer Cheese Bread
Adapted from Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day
Yield: 2 loaves

2 cups bread flour
4 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 cup lukewarm beer
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1 small bunch fresh chives, optional (I used approximately 0.6 ounces)
7 ounces shredded cheese (I used Kerrygold Reserve cheddar)

The day before you want to bake the bread:

In a large bowl, whisk the flours and salt together. In a separate bowl, dissolve the honey into the lukewarm beer. Add the buttermilk and yeast to the beer, whisking until combined.

Pour the liquid mixture and the melted butter into the flour mixture. Mix by hand with a large spoon for about 2 minutes, or mix with the paddle attachment of your mixer on low speed.

Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes. Continue to mix by hand, or with the dough hook attachment, for another 3 minutes. If the dough is too dry, add some more beer, one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too wet, add some more flour, 1/4 cup at a time. My dough seemed a little dry, and I ended up using an additional 2 tablespoons of beer. The dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky. Add the chives and mix gently for an additional minute or so until incorporated.

Knead the dough in the bowl for a minute or two, and then form the dough into a large ball. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl or rising bucket that is big enough to allow the dough to double in size. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight (you can leave it in the fridge for up to 4 days).

Alternatively, if you want to bake the bread the same day, you can just let it rise at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes (until it doubles in size).

If you’ve refrigerated the dough, remove it from the fridge about 2 hours before you’d like to bake it. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Lightly flour your work surface and roll one piece of the dough into a rectangle 8 inches by 12 inches. Sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded cheese over the dough. Starting with the short end of the dough, roll it up like a rug. Pinch the seam closed with your fingertips, sealing the cheese inside. Pinch the ends closed as well. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Place the dough, seam side down, into two greased 4 1/2 inch by 8 inch loaf pans. Alternatively, you can slice the rolled up dough into 1 1/2 inch thick slices to make rolls (and place in greased round pans instead of loaf pans). Let the dough rise for about 90 minutes, or until it rises 1 inch above the rim of the pans. My dough took about 2 hours to rise.

During the last 30 minutes of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°. Before placing the pans in the oven, poke the loaves a few times with a toothpick or skewer. This will allow air to escape and prevent the cheese from exploding through the crust while baking. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, then bake for an additional 30 minutes. When done, the crust will be a deep golden brown. For rolls, bake for a total of 20-25 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pans immediately and cool on a cooling rack.

I think most people agree that Oreos are some of the best cookies out there.  Chocolate cookies with creamy frosting in the middle.  What’s not to love?

This homemade recipe uses all natural ingredients, producing a result that surpasses the store-bought variety (in my opinion)!

The December Flavor of [...]]]>

I think most people agree that Oreos are some of the best cookies out there.  Chocolate cookies with creamy frosting in the middle.  What’s not to love?

This homemade recipe uses all natural ingredients, producing a result that surpasses the store-bought variety (in my opinion)!

The December Flavor of the Month is Cookies.  Have you been into Trader Joe’s during the holiday season?  They bring out all kinds of holiday goodies, including these:

A whole display full of these boxes greets me whenever I walk in there.  And boy, are these cookies tasty!  They are like Oreos for peppermint lovers, with candy cane pieces mixed into the filling.  I try to resist them, but if I do happen to give in and take some home they usually don’t last more than a couple of days!

So when I decided to make homemade Oreos, I knew I would have to turn them into Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s.  The recipe begins with chocolate cookie dough:

I used chocolate mint candy canes for the filling, but you can use any flavor you desire, or leave them out altogether.

The fun part is crushing the candy canes!

See those larger pieces?  They got stuck in the tip of the pastry bag when I was filling the cookies.  Crush them up really fine, or spoon the filling onto the cookies if you’d like to keep the larger chunks.

This is how I filled the cookies.  I used the largest round tip that I have (Wilton tip 12).  The spiral technique worked really well, and left a smooth look to the filling after I placed the second cookie on top.

They look just like Oreos, and taste even better!

Homemade Candy Cane Oreos
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Yield: About 3 dozen cookie sandwiches

Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat to combine.  Add the flour mixture in three batches, mixing on low speed after each addition.  Mix just until a dough forms.

Divide the dough into two pieces.  Form each piece into a 6 inch square and wrap with plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.  Remove one piece of dough from the fridge and roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper until it is about 1/8 inch thick.  Place the dough and parchment onto a tray or extra cookie sheet and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes or until firm.  Repeat with the other half of the chilled dough from the fridge.

After removing the dough from the freezer, use a 2 inch fluted or round cutter to cut as many rounds as possible.  Chill the scraps to reroll for next batch.  Place the rounds onto one of the prepared baking sheets, 1/2 inch apart.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until baked through and slightly puffy.  Cool the entire pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove cookies from pan and place them directly on the cooling rack.

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 pound confectioners sugar
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon mint extract, depending on taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup crushed candy canes (about 3 canes)

With an electric mixer, beat butter, mint extract, vanilla extract, and water on low speed until combined.  Add confectioners sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in crushed candy canes on low speed until well combined.

To assemble cookies: Using a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off, pipe the filling onto the flat side of a cookie.  Top with another cookie, placing the flat side onto the icing.

The taste of good, homemade macaroni and cheese brings me back to my childhood.  One of my favorite dishes has always been mom’s macaroni and cheese.  Rich, creamy, cheesy, ooey, gooey goodness.  It is definitely our family tradition.

The November [...]]]>

The taste of good, homemade macaroni and cheese brings me back to my childhood.  One of my favorite dishes has always been mom’s macaroni and cheese.  Rich, creamy, cheesy, ooey, gooey goodness.  It is definitely our family tradition.

The November Flavor of the Month is Traditions.  Perhaps after trying mom’s macaroni and cheese, you’ll decide to make it your family tradition as well!  To explore traditions submitted by other bloggers this month, click the logo above.

Even though I now live 2,940 miles (exactly, according to Google Maps) away from my mom, I still use her recipe.  But I do like to change it up a bit.  I usually use a combination of two or more types of cheese.  I just love to walk through the cheese section and select a brand or type that I’ve never tried before.  This time I used Dubliner cheese with Irish Stout and Trader Joe’s Organic Monterey Jack.

The Dubliner cheese is sharp, and the Monterey Jack is the perfect mild complement.  I also threw a little bit of grated Parmesan into the pot.

This recipe uses a roux, which is basically a mixture of fat (butter) and flour that helps to thicken sauce or gravy.  So you will have to stand over the stove for a while, stirring while the sauce thickens.  It won’t take too long (about 10-15 minutes), and it’ll be worth it.  I promise.

Then you can say that you’ve made a roux.  Now doesn’t that sound fancy?  People will be impressed.

This recipe is easily adaptable.  Sometimes I like to add broccoli or ham, or whatever else I can find that tastes good when it’s covered in cheese.  What is your favorite addition to mac n cheese?

Baked Mac N Cheese

10 ounces of macaroni (I like to use elbows or penne)
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced finely [Mom's note: Do not leave this out!!]
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups milk
8 ounces shredded cheese of your choice, plus more for topping

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cook the macaroni according to package directions.  Drain the pasta and set aside.  Adding a little olive oil to the water while boiling the pasta will help prevent the pasta from sticking together as it cools.

Mix flour, dry mustard, and pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add onion and cook until tender and opaque.  Stir in the flour mixture.  Slowly add the milk, and cook until smooth and slightly thickened, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese.  Continue to stir until all the cheese has melted.

Place half of the pasta into a 2 1/2 quart round casserole dish.  Pour some cheese mixture over it.  Cover with the rest of the pasta, and pour the remainder of the cheese over the pasta.  Slice some cheese to place on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and starting to brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes or so before eating.