Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (2 Versions)

The Sweeter Version: A clean unadulterated oatmeal flavor. Crisp edges and chewy center

Makes 16-20 big cookies

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cup oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

1. With a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars X 2 minutes
2. Add the eggs
3. Sift the dry ingredients together, then add to the egg mixture.
4. Stir in oatmeal and raisin by hand
5. Roll into 2 TBSP balls
6. Bake at 350 degrees X 22 minutes. Reduce time for smaller cookies

The Brown Butter Version: Lower sugar version

Makes 18 big cookies

• 4 TBSP browned butter
• 3/4 cups (5.25 oz) brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (3.5 oz) sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 egg + 1 yolk
• 1 cup (5 oz) flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups (9 oz) oatmeal
• 1/2 cup raisins

1. Beat the butter, sugars and oil
2. Add eggs
3. Sift the dry ingredients, then add to egg mixture
4. Stir in oatmeal and raisins
5. Roll into 3 TBSP balls, then press into 2 1/2 inch round
6. Bake at 375 degrees X 8 minutes

Summer Meal to Beat the Heat: Sausage and Peppers Sandwich, Burrata with Tomato, Grilled Nectarines

Menu:

Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches with Red Pepper and Basil Mayo

• Saute Sliced Onions + Red Bell Pepper + Yellow Bell Pepper + 2 cloves smashed garlic till softened (about 30 minutes)
• Grill 3 Sausages till warmed through (for 4 servings).  Slice on the diagonal
• Puree roasted red peppers, garlic, basil, combine with Mayo + Red Wine Vinegar + Salt & Pepper
• Toast Ciabatta Bread
• To build sandwich:  Spread Mayo, then spoon sausage and veggies

Heirloom Tomato Caprese with Burrata

• Slice tomatoes 1/3 inch thick.  Season with salt, pepper and olive oil.  Let marinade about 20 minutes
• Arrange tomatoes on platter and tuck burrata around the tomatoes
• Sprinkle basil and finish with more olive oil, salt and pepper and perhaps clear vinegar (I don’t like the cheese getting dark from balsamic)

Grilled Nectarines with Cinnamon Sugar or Herbed Balsamic Reduction

• For balsamic reduction: reduce 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar with chosen herb (rosemary or thyme) to about 4 tablespoons.  Add brown sugar and salt to taste
• Brush nectarine halves with oil, place cut-side down on grill set on high till cooked through and slightly soft
• Drizzle with the balsamic reduction or
  • Spoon mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Place in grill to melt sugar
• Serve with ice cream and granola

Gail’s Citrus Olive Oil Cake with Marscapone Whipped Cream Frosting

My friend brought over the absolutely stunning and delicious cake for CNY. Had to ask for the recipe. Although she used two different citrus infused olive oils and skin of home grown oranges, hopefully, the result will just as good with a light olive oil. I’ll just have to remember to do it during citrus season. This cake apparently sinks in the middle and get better with time, so could be make ahead of time. This makes one-layer. Double the recipe for a two layer cake.

• 1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups (380g) sugar
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 2/3 cup olive oil

1. Butter a springform or 9-inch cake pan. If using a cake pan, line the bottom with greased parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients
3. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs, then gradually add the sugar, beating until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the orange zest till well combine
4. In a measuring cup, combine the orange juice and oil.
5. Add the dry ingredients and the oil to the egg mixture, alternating and in thirds.
6. Bake at 375 degrees. Check after 30 minutes and cover if it’s browning too quickly. Should bake for about 50 minutes.
7. Try opening the oven and leaving the cake in there to minimize the falling.
8. Let cool and top with powdered sugar or the frosting below

Marscapone and Whipped Cream Frosting (for 1 layer)

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2-4 TBSP cup powdered sugar
• 4 oz marcapone cheese
• few TBSPs of citrus curd or jam
• orange zest

Doctored TJ’s Cake Mix-Raspberry

One box of vanilla cake mix probably would be been just enough to make a two-layer 6-inch cake. Made this cake for V’s first birthday cake. I was intrigued by this cake mix because the ingredient list is very similar to a homemade cake and not full of artificial ingredients and stabilizers. This would be great with fresh raspberries and whipped cream frosting

• One box of TJ’s vanilla cake mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 bag of TJ’s freeze dried raspberries
• 1/2 cup of whole milk raspberry or whole milk Greek yogurt or plain sour cream
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs

1. Pulse raspberries in a food processor to make a fine powder. Let soak in the milk.
2. Beat in eggs, oil, butter and yogurt into the milk. Then add cake mix.
3. Pour into pans and bake at 350 degrees until the center is done

Red Velvet Cake (2022)

• From Sally’s Baking Addiction
• 3 cups (345g) cake flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons (10g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240ml) canola or vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs, room temperature and separated
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• liquid or gel red food coloring
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
2. Make the cake: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil, egg yolks, and vanilla extract and beat on high for 2 minutes. (Set the egg whites aside.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions alternating with the buttermilk. Beat in your desired amount of food coloring just until combined. I use 1-2 teaspoons gel food coloring. Vigorously whisk or beat the 4 egg whites on high speed until fluffy peaks form as pictured above, about 3 minutes. Gently fold into cake batter. Combine baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter. The batter will be silky and slightly thick.
5. Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 30-32 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cakes need a little longer as determined by wet crumbs on the toothpick, bake for longer. However, careful not to overbake as the cakes may dry out. Remove cakes from the oven and cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

Red Velvet Cake from Divas Can Cook

BEST Southern Red Velvet Cake Recipe

https://divascancook.com/the-best-red-velvet-cake-recipe-easy-homemade-moist-with-southern-flair/

My friend made me this cake to congratulate me on my job promotion in 2022. I was impressed that she remembered that this was one of my favorite flavors, and this cake was amazing!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened, cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil or canola
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2 oz. red food coloring, more or less depending on how deep you want the color
• 1/2 cup plain hot coffee, prepared (don’t skip this ingredient)
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Generously grease and flour (2) 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vegetable oil.
• Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and red food coloring until combined.
• Stir in the coffee and white vinegar.
• Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing after each addition, just until combined. (Batter will be thin)
• Pour the batter evenly into each pan.
• Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake as the cake will continue to cook as it cools.
• Let pans cool on a cooling rack until the pans are warm to the touch.
• Slide a knife or offset spatula around the inside of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan.
• Gently remove the cakes from the pan and let them finish cooling. (The warm cake will be very delicate)
• Frost the cake with cream cheese frosting when the cakes have cooled completely.

Earl Grey Shortbread

Delicious and fragrant, light and crisp, these cookies don’t really impart a lot of tea flavor, but are a perfect pairing with a cup of tea. Made these for C’s baby shower. Can be made ahead of time and stored wrapped in parchment in the freezer of refrigerator. Yields 2 dozen cookies.

• 2 cups flour
• 2 TBSP Earl Grey tea
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea and salt till the tea is well distributed.

Add the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Pulse until the dough forms

Form into a log and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for at least several hours.

Slice into 1/3″ slices and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet

Bake at 375 degrees X 12 minutes until golden on the edges

Carrot Pineapple Cake

Made this for dad’s 71st birthday and is my favorite version to date.  I made this recipe in two 6-inch pans to make a small layer cake topped with cream cheese frosting.

From Ina Garten: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/carrot-and-pineapple-cake-recipe-1953437

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 pound carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Beat the sugar, oil and eggs.  Add vanilla cinnamon, baking soda and salt

Spoon in flour and Beat till combined

Stir in carrots, raisins, walnuts and pineapple

Spoon into a buttered and lined 8 inch cake pan (double the recipe for a two layer cake) at 350 degrees for 50 minutes

Monkey iBread

I’m trying my hand at breads that contain milk to introduce little E to baked products containing milk.  He failed his oral milk challenge, so now the task is to provide him with baked milk proteins to develop tolerance.  Thought that monkey bread would be popular and fun to make with little S.

Makes one small Bundt pan

Dough

• 1 TBSP warm water
• 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup room temperature milk
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 2 TBSP softened butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

• 1/4 cup brown sugar + 1/2 TBSP cinnamon + pinch salt all combined in a bowl
• 4 TBSP melted butter in a separate bowl

To make the dough, combine warm water and yeast in the mixing bowl.  Let foam.

Add bread flour, brown sugar, egg, milk, salt.  Mix with the dough hook attachment until a smooth ball forms, adding butter a little at a time (about 8- 10 minutes)

Cover and let rise for 1 hour.  May use an oven that has been heated to 200 degrees, with the oven off.  If time permits, do a second rise.

Once proofed, turn dough out on to work surface. DO NOT flour the surface.  Pat dough into a square and cut into fourths.  Then cut each fourth into eight pieces.

Roll each dough piece into a ball, dip into melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place into a very well oiled Bundt pan.  Let rise for another hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until the top is deep brown.

Let cool 5 minutes, then tun monkey bread out.  Best served freshly made.

Coconut Cake with Mango Filling

This cake was made to celebrate mom’s 70th birthday.  Although, the cake came about 3 weeks late.  There were so many celebrations going on that I decided to wait a bit and make the cake during her next visit after our trip to Mammoth.

Adapted from http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/six-layer-coconut-cake-passion-fruit-filling.  I cut down the sugar a bit.

Ingredients-Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 TBSP water
• 8 TBSP butter, softened to room temperature
• 10 TBSP coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp coconut extract
• 3 egg whites
• 1 fresh mango, for garnish
• Coconut chips for garnish

With a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until soft peaks (about 2 minutes).  Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Change to a paddle and combine butter, water, coconut milk, vanilla, coconut extract until well combine.

Whisk dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a bowl, then add to the butter mixture.  Mix on high for about 2 minutes until the batter is smooth.

Fold in egg whites until not white streaks remain.

Pour evenly into 2 heavily buttered 6-inch cake pans (2 inches high).

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until golden brown.  *NOTE: I tried spreading this batter over two 8-inch pans with then intention of making a 4 layer cake, but they turned out flat, thin and too crisp.  They also didn’t spread well.  I don’t recall this the first time I made this cake.  I noticed that the batter was pretty dry before adding the egg white.  Perhaps needed more coconut milk or there just wasn’t enough batter.

Let cool on rack for about 10-15 minutes, then invert cake and allow to cool completely.

Split the cakes in half (we will only use 3 layers for the cake)

Add about 1/4 cup filling (recipe below) between each layer.  Pipe a ring of whipped cream around the perimeter of the top layer about 1 inch wide.

Frost remainder of the cake with whipped cream (recipe below).  Decorate the top with fresh mango.  Cover sides with coconut.

Ingredients-Mango Filling

• 3 TBSP sugar
• 3/4 cup mango nectar (I used Naked Juice’s Mango Madness)
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2q TBSP butter
• Squeeze fresh lemon juice

In a small saucepan, add about 1/2c mango nectar and sugar.  Heat over medium heat till warmed.

In a bowl, add cornstarch and egg yolks.  Add heated mango puree to the eggs to temper, then add eggs to the saucepan and cook until bubbling.  Mango should be thickened and cornstarch cooked through.

Stir in vanilla and butter.  Stir in lemon juice to taste. Chill.

When ready to use, stir in remaining mango puree for desired consistency and fresh fruit taste.

Ingredients-Whipped Cream (enough to frost one cake)

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 TBSP sugar
• few drops of coconut extract

Beat till soft peaks

NOTE: I tried using a coconut cream filling (like what I use for coconut cream pie, with just a tad less cornstarch).  I found that it was too rich, and prefer the contrast of the tangy and bright mango instead.

Pineapple Coconut Cornbread

I visited a friend in Seattle and had dinner at a local spot in Capitol Hill.  The restaurant served a slightly sweet version of cornbread that was just perfect for dessert.  I was inspired to make a similar version and headed to the internet to find a recipe.  Adding pineapple to cornbread was a new idea to me, but it apparently is not as novel as I had thought.  There was a good collection of this tropical cornbread, and after just a few minutes of searching, low and behold, the restaurant’s recipe was actually featured in a local newspaper.  It was a hit at our annual Independence Day BBQ

http://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/plain-or-fanciful-cornbread-is-tasty-either-way/

The salty-sweet contrast and the texture are the highlights of this dish.  There is just a slight aroma of pineapple hiding behind the more predominant toasted coconut.  Next time, I think I will try a twist on the pineapple upside down cake.  Caramelized pineapple in addition to pineapple throughout the cake with boost that pineapple flavor.

For square baking dish.  Use 1 1/2 times recipe for 9X13 dish

1 cup all-purpose flour

11/8 cup medium-grind cornmeal

¾ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1¼ teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

4 eggs

1½ cups frozen corn, thawed (or canned corn, drained)

1 packed cup crushed canned pineapple, drained

¼ cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)

4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

Shredded sweetened coconut to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Grease and flour a 2-quart baking dish.

3. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.

4. Beat butter on high. Add eggs; beat well.

5. Beat in flour mixture on low speed just until combined.

6. Stir in corn, drained pineapple, creme fraiche and grated cheese.

7. Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

8. Pile a generous amount of shredded coconut on top and bake at 400 degrees F for several additional minutes to lightly toast the coconut.