Homemade Graham Crackers with Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes

I saw the idea of Homemade Graham Crackers a couple of months ago and decided I would give them a try. I have mentioned my unfortunate "problem" with graham crackers here before, just that I like them a lot, so can't have them around.
I guess I was just curious to see if the homemade version had the same effect.
I used a recipe I saw on Smitten Kitchen and the dough came together easily. I realized when I was getting ready to roll out the dough that I had forgotten the +2 Tablespoons of flour and that is probably why my dough was so extremely sticky.
I still managed to get some of it rolled out and cut. My crackers were done in about 15-18 minutes, so watch these.
I didn't bake all the dough. I rolled some up and put it in the freezer for a later date.

Now, about the taste and texture.
Did these remind me of store bought graham crackers? Not really. The texture wasn't the same and the flavor wasn't really that close, in my opinion.
Were they yummy? Yes. Just not really what I would call graham crackers.
I slliced some of the frozen dough into rounds and baked those, which produced a chewy cookie. My kids preferred the round cookies, which I didn't photograph.
So, final answer on these- they don't really taste like graham crackers, but they are tasty.
Bake them yourself and see what you think!

Now, these graham crackers weren't alone. This wierd looking shake was the accompaniment.
Have any of you seen The Best Thing I Ever Ate, on the Food Network?
I don't watch a lot of tv, but this is one show that I really like. Basically it is just chefs and other food personalities talking about the best thing they have ever had in a certain category. It is pretty fun to watch.

On one of the episodes- I think it was about sweets, someone mentioned a Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake and how it was so good, they immediately ordered a second one.

I saw a recipe for this milkshake in Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine and once again, curiosity got the best of me.
It is so simple and broiling jet-puffed marshmallows might just be the best idea ever. (I think you could easily do indoor s'mores using this method).

I used slow churned vanilla ice cream and skim milk, and it turned out really good.
My husband even requested that I make him another one the next night after dinner.

The Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake stole the show!


Recipe for Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes


Recipe for Homemade Graham Crackers from smitten kitchen who adapted from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery and 101 cookbooks

Happy 2nd Blogiversary! Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes with Fluffy Vanilla Frosting

Happy Blogiversary to Meet Me in the Kitchen!
2 years ago I started this blog as a way to share great recipes. It has been a really fun way to share what I love and a great outlet for me.

Now about these festive cupcakes, with a little detour about cookies first.

A little over a month ago my girls wanted to decorate cookies. I wanted to use up 2 egg yolks that I had hanging out in my fridge.
I remembered that Dorie's Sugar Cookie recipe called for an extra yolk and I also knew that it was a wonderful recipe (I have made it multiple times), so I mixed up a double batch. I put half the dough in the freezer ( We used it for Valentines Day cookies) and the other half in the fridge to rest overnight.
Too bad I did this on a Friday night and promised my kids we would cut the cookies out in the morning. They woke up super early!! It was really fun cutting out millions of shapes with them. We made a big batch of frosting and made 3 colors- Neon pink, blue and greenish/yellow.
Why am I telling you all of this?

Well, we had leftover frosting and my daughter wanted to make cupcakes for her Sunday School teacher.
So, we threw together these Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes and used the leftover frosting.
My daughter was proud of the frosting and sprinkles, so I am sharing the recipe again. You can go to this older post to see how we enjoyed these cupcakes last time!
Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes from a Woman's Day Cookbook
makes 20-24 cupcakes

12 Tbls unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup buttermilk
2 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Melt butter in a saucepan or in the microwave. Pour into a large bowl and when cool add buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk until blended (The mixture may look curdled, but it will come together smoothly, as you whisk in the dry ingredients.)

In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and add to buttermilk mixture. Whisk until smooth. Fill muffin cups about 1/2 full and bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on rack. Remove from rack and let cool completely.

Recipe for Fluffy Vanilla Frosting

Cranberry and Vanilla Bean Sorbet

This is my last recommendation for your Thanksgiving meal. I saw this recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appetit Magazine and the picture left me with no excuse not to make this sorbet.

I love cranberries. I started hoarding bags of them weeks ago, as soon as they appeared in my local Publix. I love how tart they are and their bright red color. They are so beautiful and good for you. I really don't think that cranberries get the attention that they deserve.
Anyway, I thought that the combination of cranberries and vanilla was very interesting and definitely something I would never have thought to combine.

The great thing about sorbets is that they are quick and easy to make. This one basically just combines all the ingredients and cooks them over the stove and then when the mixture has cooled you puree it in the food processor and then churn it in your ice cream maker. I reduced the sugar by about 1/4 cup.

I love what Bon Appetit had to say about this sorbet- "Here's a clean, bright dessert that makes a great finish to any meal and can be prepared days ahead. Plus, who knew that mellow vanilla would go so beautifully with tangy cranberries?"
I really think the words clean and bright are great ways to describe this sorbet. It would be the perfect ending to a Thanksgiving meal. Light and delicious. Tangy and sweet.

My girls, who are 5 and almost 3, loved, loved, loved this sorbet.

*note- the recipe says to strain out the cranberry-vanilla bean mixture before you churn it, but I opted not to do this. I like seeds and skins and they really were not that noticeable in this sorbet.
Recipe for Cranberry and Vanilla Bean Sorbet


Happy Thanksgiving!

Celebrating National Bundt Day: Buttermilk Bundt w/ Spiced Vanilla Icing and Chocolate Zucchini Mini Bundts

(If you are looking for a MSC Cupcake, it is posted below this post, I promise)

So, how many of you know that today is National Bundt Day?
I wouldn't have known if it hadn't been for The Food Librarian.

30 Days ago she started her "I like Big Bundt" countdown to National Bundt Day, which means that for the past 30 days, leading up to today, she has posted a different bundt cake everyday. She started with the Pumpkin Spice Bundt with Buttermilk Icing, which I couldn't resist. I saw that bundt on day 1 and made it immediately.

The past 30 days have brought lots of delicious looking bundts. I really really wanted to make this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, ok, well, obviously, you get the idea.
I love Holiday Baking Magazines and I saw this bundt cake recipe in a special edition of Fine Cooking called Sweet Cakes. The link to the recipe is at the very bottom of this post.
I was very intrigued because this bundt cake contains shredded butternut squash. I have never seen a baked good that called for shredded butternut squash, so I decided I would make this bundt for National Bundt Day.

This bundt was a basic buttermilk cake with nutmeg and ground ginger, both of which I doubled because I like spices (ALOT). The shredded butternut squash is folded in at the end, right before you pop it in the oven. The icing also has buttermilk and nutmeg (doubled again) and I added ground ginger, for a little extra zing. Crystallized ginger is finely chopped and sprinkled over the icing.
I don't have a review on how this one tastes, yet. I wrapped it tightly and shipped it to my family in Utah, because I knew my younger brothers (17, 21) would be able to devour the entire thing in a matter of minutes and their bodies would never know the difference. And because my mom always said that sharing makes it taste better.
I did taste one tiny little crumb and it was good.
My girls were dipping their fingers in the leftover icing that had drizzled down the sides onto a piece of foil and they LOVED it
Of course I had to overdo it on National Bundt Day and make some baby Bundts to join in the fun. I really wanted to make the Chocolate Zucchini Bundt that Mary featured a couple of weeks ago and I happened to have a bunch of zucchini that needed to be used asap. I tried talking myself out of it and finally decided that I would just make 1/2 recipe and make some mini bundts.
When I was flipping through my copy of King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, I saw a recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake which only used whole wheat flour and which could also be made in a bundt pan, so I went with that recipe instead. The whole wheat made me feel better about making it and eating it.
I made 1/2 of the recipe and it made 5 mini bundts. I skipped the glaze since I was going for a healthier treat anyway and just made a simple powdered sugar/milk glaze instead.
My kids really, really, really liked these mini bundts. I was going to send some to work with my husband, but they just didn't last long enough.
You can tell that they have whole wheat in them, because they do taste a little bit heartier and healthier than normal cake, but it really goes with the whole zucchini thing anyway. Very, very good.

I hope you have a wonderful Bundt Day! Bake someone a bundt and share the love!


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Chocolate Zucchini Cake from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking
use 9*13-inch pan or a 10-cup Bundt
Cake:
2 1/2 cups traditional whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (I used dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, or vegetable oil (I used butter)
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
Glaze: (optional)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chocolate chips
2 tsps corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the pan of your choice. (I used baking spray w/ flour)
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, powder and salt in a medium bowl (I added 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon to this mixture).
Stir together the sugars and butter (or oil) in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla; mix well.
Add half the dry ingredients. stirring until evenly moistened. Stir in the zucchini, then the remaining flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched, 45 to 50 minutes. (My mini bundts were done in 23-25 minutes). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
If using a bundt pan, remove the cake from the pan and cool completely.
If using 9*13-inch pan, you can serve from the pan of invert cake onto a platter and drizzle with the glaze.

To make the glaze: Heat the heavy cream to a simmer, and pour over the chocolate chips in a bowl. Stir in the corn syrup, and keep stirring until there are no more lumps and the mixture is smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake, if desired.

Recipe for Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Spiced Vanilla Icing

Rainier Cherry Crumble and Vanilla Ice Cream- Philadelphia Style

My daughter loves fruit.
Recently, she has been begging for these beauties- Rainier Cherries.
They are a little expensive, but I like it that she wants healthy foods, and I saw a buy 1, get 1 free sale, so we got 2 containers.

There was a recipe in the July issue of Cooking Light for Rainier Cherry Crumble. In the back of the magazine, at the bottom of the index, there is a little section where the magazine lists the "Greatest Hits" of that particular issue. The Rainier Cherry Crumble was a greatest hit, so I went for it.

I decided that since there are just 2 adults and 3 kids at our house, we really didn't need the full crumble, so I made 1/4 of the recipe. I also had these really cute mini dishes I wanted to use, so making a smaller amount worked perfectly.

Well, if you are having a warm fruit dessert in the summer- you have to have vanilla ice cream, right? (I love my vanilla beans)
I unpacked my ice cream maker, and remembered a great post by Nancy about David Lebovitz's Vanilla Ice Cream-Philadelphia Style- which means, no egg yolks involved. You steep the vanilla bean in the cream, meanwhile dissolving the sugar, and then it cools in the fridge for awhile. 30 minutes later, you have this stuff.

One of the other great things about this recipe, is that you don't add any sugar to the filling- just a little cornstarch and fresh lemon juice.

Sometimes warm fruit desserts, like crisps, cobblers and crumbles are too sweet for me. This one was perfect. The cherry filling was slightly tart, with the topping adding the perfect amount of sweet and crunch. The ice cream was fabulous. I used some of the leftover ice cream to make root beer floats- Yum!

The ice cream recipe says that you can use either all cream or a mixture of cream and whole milk, which is what I used.

I highly recommend both the crumble and the ice cream.

My husband ate an entire little pink dish full, so the kids and I split the other one 4 ways.
I figure eating 1/16th of a Cooking Light recipe really can't do that much damage. I hope.
And if it does, it was worth it.




Nancy's post about this ice cream

Recipe for Rainier Cherry Crumble

Please locate the recipe for David Lebovitz's Vanilla Ice Cream-Philadelphia Style here

TWD- Perfect Party Cake

(Photos updated July 2009)
Dorie's Perfect Party Cake. It is what it says.
I made this for my brother's birthday last summer

Last year I made it with blueberry preserves and added a layer of fresh bluberries and sweetened whipped cream in the middle.

I made it for Father's Day last weekend, but I can't download any of my pictures yet, since my computer is not set up. I will update this post with pictures in a couple weeks when I am able to get my pictures downloaded.

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Perfect Party Cake, was chosen by Carol of mix, mix, stir, stir,.
It was also done by the Daring Bakers last year in March, so you have probably seen some version of it. You can find the recipe on Carol's blog, from the post I did last year, or on just about any other food blog out there. I promise.
I made it again because my sister-in-law wanted a white cake with raspberry filling for our Father's Day dessert.
The cake is flawless. I haven't had trouble with it and I always use buttermilk, which goes well with the lemon flavor.
This time I used a different frosting because the original frosting is too loaded with butter for me and last summer when I made it, none of us really cared for the frosting.
This time around, I used this basic Vanilla Buttercream from Southern Living. I also made up my own raspberry filling and everyone really loved the results. Go check out the TWD Blogroll to see the other party cakes!

Coming Soon- An Olive Garden pasta recipe

2 more Rice Puddings- Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding and Ellie Kriegers Rice Pudding

We have a rice pudding problem around here. We love it. My younger brother requests it daily. When I find a new recipe and try it, the stuff just doesn't last very long. I found the Vanilla Bean recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appetit. It is actually from a section of the magazine that is written by a food blogger, Molly Wizenberg- her blog is Orangette (I am sure most of you already knew that). She recounts her fathers love for this pudding. Just one look at the recipe and I was in.
This is a delicious rice pudding. Plus, don't all those little vanilla bean flecks look cool? This recipe is going in the remake pile.
The second recipe is from Ellie Krieger and it is a lighter version of rice pudding that gets some vanilla flavor from soy milk. It was good too, considering it was lightened up, but if you put these two head to head- the vanilla bean recipe wins out.
Now, I just need to make Dorie's rice pudding again and see who the real winner is.
Not a problem. I know the stuff will be devoured.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding Bon Appétit March 2009
by Molly Wizenberg
This rich, creamy pudding is delicious served warm or cold. If you feel like dressing up the dessert a bit, add a cinnamon stick while the rice is cooking, or top the finished pudding with a sprinkling of raisins and a little freshly grated nutmeg just before serving.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup basmati rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Bring 1 1/2 cups water, rice, and salt to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add milk, cream, and sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Increase heat to medium; cook uncovered until rice is tender and mixture thickens slightly to a soft, creamy texture, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.
Remove pudding from heat and discard vanilla bean. Divide pudding evenly among small bowls. Serve warm or press plastic wrap directly onto surface of each pudding and chill thoroughly.

DO AHEAD: Pudding can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated

Rice Pudding 2006, Ellie Krieger
2 cups water
1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium sized, heavy, ovenproof saucepan. Add the rice, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is nearly cooked. In a large bowl, whisk the soymilk, sugar, and salt. When the rice is cooked and still hot, add the soy milk mixture and cinnamon stick. Cover, place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven, uncover, and remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pudding will be slightly liquidy; the liquid will continue to absorb into the rice and thicken as the pudding cools. Dust with cinnamon and nutmeg, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.



Coming for Easter- Asparagus Salad

TWD- Arborio Rice Pudding- White, Black, and Pumpkin Pie

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Arborio Rice Pudding, White, Black (or both), was chosen by Isabelle of Les Gourmandises d'Isa. If you are interested in the recipe, which you should be, go visit her blog. In the recipe, Dorie suggests that you can make vanilla, chocolate, or both flavors of this rice pudding. Since I haven't ever made rice pudding and I don't really remember ever eating it, I decided to try both and why not throw another flavor combo in there as well. A couple of weeks ago over at Picky Palate, Jenny made Spiced Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding. Since I love pumpkin anything, I decided to use her idea for 1/3 of this rice pudding. I followed Dorie's directions and luckily read after she commented on the TWD P&Q page, so I knew the book had a typo. You have to keep this bubbling on the stove for 55 minutes, not the 30 mentioned in the book. After it had done it's time, I divided it into 3 as equal as possible portions and stirred 1 oz. finely chopped bittersweet chocoate in 1 bowl, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract into another bowl, and 2-3 Tbls. pumpkin puree, a large dash of cinnamon, a small dash of ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice, into the third bowl. I divided the contents of each bowl in half and put the pudding into little dessert dishes, covered them carefully with plastic wrap, and put them in the fridge to wait the 6 hours.

The pudding thickened a bit, I don't know if it was enough? Maybe it was a little soupy- I think it appears soupier than it was?, but it still tasted good. All of the flavors were wonderful, although I think the pumpkin flavor was my favorite. I don't know if it ended up being as thick as it is supposed to be, but my mom approved and she used to have rice pudding alot growing up. She said her mom always baked it in the oven- hmm? Anyway, she preferred the vanilla flavor. My daughter loved all the flavors, so basically you can't lose with whatever combination you decide to go with!

Go to the TWD Blogroll to see what other flavor combinations the rest of the TWD crew came up with!

Up Next- Mini Calzones and Italian Seasoned Roasted Veggies!

Vanilla-Nutella Swirl Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream

I saw this recipe on Clara's blog- I heart cuppycakes and knew this cupcake would be making an appearance in my future. My family loves Nutella and cupcakes are always fun for everyone. They start out with a vanilla cupcake and you swirl Nutella into the batter. They bake up beautifully and then comes the Nutella Buttercream.
Be warned- these cupcakes are not for the faint- they are intense and might require a little sophistication on your palate. They are dense and wonderful. I doubled the recipe because I thought it would be nice to share these with others and it was. The buttercream recipe makes alot, but the leftovers will be coming in handy soon, I guarantee you that. Besides, aren't they pretty?

Vanilla-Nutella Swirl Cupcakes from I heart cuppycakes who adapted them from Amber's Delectable Delights

For cupcakes:

10 tbsp butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups sifted flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

12 tsp Nutella

For nutella buttercream:

1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, softened

4 cups confectioners sugar (or more to taste)

1/4 cup whole milk or half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup of Nutella (or more to taste), softened

Preheat oven to 325F.

Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

To make cupcake—Cream together butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs on at a time, until fully incorporated. The batter may not look smooth, this is fine. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder until batter is smooth and all flour is blended. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter. Cups should be 3/4 full if you’re not using a scoop. Top each cake with about 1 tsp Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, folding a little batter up and over the Nutella as well. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove to wire rack and allow to cool before frosting.

To make buttercream—In your stand mixer with flat beater, cream butter. Add 3 cups of the confectioners sugar, then milk and vanilla and beat until the mixture is smooth, about 3-4 minutes.Add the remaining confectioners sugar, beating about 1-2 minutes. (You can add more sugar to get a thicker consistency if you want.)In a microwave safe bowl, soften the Nutella until it has a spreadable consistency, about 15-20 secs.Add the softened Nutella to your buttercream and fold into the frosting until well blended.

Up Next- Fried Green Tomatoes and Green Tomato Bread