Bake 52: Week 39

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

 I simply cannot express in words how much I LOVE fall!  I love it! The cooler weather, the leaves, the approaching holidays, football season...it is the best!

I made this bread Monday, which turned out to be the perfect fall day!  It began by waking up to "sweater-weather" for the first time this year. Oh how I love wearing sweaters!  Then I enjoyed my house smelling like amazing pumpkin bread baking all afternoon.  After having soup for dinner, we took our kids to a gorgeous park to play.  We ended the night by stopping at Starbucks for a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. I. LOVE. FALL.

I love pumpkin bread too and because the pumpkin is so moist, it usually makes for incredible gluten-free bread!  So I had to try it with this recipe.  I decided to make gluten-free pumpkin muffins.  Of course half had to have chocolate chips, because pumpkin+chocolate is like peanut butter+jelly!

Shockingly (seriously, I was shocked!) I found myself enjoying the plain ones even more.  Don't get me wrong, the ones with chocolate were fantastic, BUT there was something simple and delicious about the plain ones.  The results were incredible!  Best gluten-free muffins ever!  I will definitely be making these A LOT!  

I'm sure this bread is great with the nuts and cranberries too, but this was more my family's style.

(I subbed Pamela's Baking Mix for the flour and omitted the baking soda and baking powder.  It was that easy!)

Great Fall pick, Talesha! Check out her blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 38

Make Ahead French Toast Casserole

I'm not a big fan of breakfast - but I love breakfast for dinner.  So yesterday morning I put this together while getting the kids ready for school and it was super easy to have ready and just throw into the oven.  I love recipes like this on Tuesdays...between scouts, football practice, homework, and about a gazillion other things that hit on that night, it is wonderful to not worry about dinner as well!

It smelled delicious cooking! I loved the topping (though I didn't add the nuts because my kids won't eat them).  Overall I actually really liked the flavor, but it was a little too soggy and eggy for me.  What I really loved about this recipe, though, is that surprisingly my kids really did love it! They all ate multiple servings last night, and this morning my son even asked if I could pack it in his lunch today!  Wow!

Was really good with fresh peach syrup!

Check out Valerie's blog for this week's recipe!

Bake 52: Week 37

Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza....Yummmm

 This week I totally felt like I was back in elementary school (yes, Durrant...) and got a "Book It" award for the personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.

This deep dish pepperoni pizza was AMAZING! Seriously tasted just. like. pizza. hut.

Crisp bottom (although the sound of boiling olive oil while baking grossed me out, it totally paid off!), soft inside - loved it!  I was surprised that you were able to bake these in 9" cake pans. I did laugh that it made two small pizzas and said it fed 6-8 people.  Apparently these people have never met my children!  It was delicious and I will definitely try it again!
Check out Amanda's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 36

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

This was an excellent choice this week!  Tunnel. of. fudge. cake.  YUM! I really don't know what else I can say.  Except that I literally ate too much cake and made myself sick. 
Really sick.  My hubby was making fun of me for eating so much cake, but it was too good, I couldn't stop myself.  Easy and lovely, I will make again! (and I will share!)

Check out Janet's Blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 35

This week's pick was

Crunchy Granola Bars

 This was a fun and easy recipe to try.  I added coconut and peanuts, but definitely want to try it again and add chocolate chips, dried cranberries, etc.  I don't know that I love how crunchy they turned out, as I was spreading them on the baking sheet and tasted it I absolutely loved the flavor.  I couldn't wait til they were done, and was a little disappointed because I liked them better pre-baked.  Next time I think I will just bake for a few minutes and have chewy granola bars.  And there will be for sure be a next time -  my kids loved these.  They are easy and make a lot and they stay good for two weeks when wrapped in saran wrap.  Great for lunch boxes and snacks!

Check out Emily's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 34

This week was my turn to host again and I choose to bake

GLAZED LEMON COOKIES

 Honestly, I'm not sure why I chose something without chocolate.  But I did.  I had been eying the lemon bars in this book, but we did raspberry bars last week, so I thought maybe a lemon cookie would lend enough variety.  These were good. I wouldn't say I'm in love, but they all got eaten, nonetheless. My seventeen-month-old especially loved them!

They did have just the right amount of lemon to them and were soft and moist.  Maybe if they were covered in chocolate chips I would have adored them a little bit more.

Here's the recipe if you're up for a new lemon recipe!

Glazed Lemon Cookies - The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book, pg. 167

Makes about 30 cookies
You will need a food processor to make these cookies.  For the brightest flavor, use fresh lemon juice.  Be sure to mix the lemon juice and egg yolk together in step 2 at the last minute - it will curdle if mixed together in advance.
Cookies:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. For the cookies: Process the granulated sugar and lemon zest together in a food processor until the sugar is pale yellow and damp, about 30 seconds.   Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine, about 10 pulses.  Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal, about 15 pulses.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, egg yolk, and vanilla together.  With the machine running, add the lemon juice mixture through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, about 10 seconds.  Continue to process until the dough begins to form into a ball, 10 to 15 seconds.

3. Transfer the dough to a clean counter and roll it into a 10-inch log, about 2 inches thick.  Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

4. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch-thick cookies.  Lay the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart.  Bake the cookies until the edges begin to brown, 13 to 16 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
(Enter lots and lots of screaming and kid drama - hence no pictures here...)
6. For the Glaze: Whisk the cream cheese and lemon juice together in a medium bowl until smooth, then whisk in the confectioners' sugar.  Spoon a teaspoon of the glaze onto the center of each cookie and spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon.  Let the glaze dry completely, about 30 minutes, before serving.

Bake 52: Week 33

This week we baked 

Raspberry Streusel Bars

These were OK for me, this is not my typical type of dessert, so for the first time I was able to not eat the entire pan :) That in itself was a good thing for me!
The crust and topping had a really good flavor, I think I just don't love the baked raspberry in them.  I think I would love them with apple filling...and maybe a little glaze on top - I think that would definitely suit me more!

Check out Jennifer O's Blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 32

This week we made Cheddar Cheese Bread

 This was a really easy, fast recipe with yummmmmmmy results!  

We all loved this recipe! It tasted like a gourmet bread you would get at Kneaders...

I will definitely make this again!

Check out Betsy's blog to get the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 31

Monkey Bread.

Oh Monkey Bread, where have you been all of my life?  Saying I'm a huge fan of cinnamon rolls is downplaying it. They're the greatest.  Or so I thought. Move over cinnamon rolls, monkey bread has quickly replaced you!  My kids baked with me and their chitter-chatter turned from "Ramseys is number one" to "Monkey Bread is number one" and yes, in the same Nacho accent.  It was awesome!

I loved that my little monkeys could bake with me!  It was such a fun recipe to make together!

Although not the best "helper" she sure looked cute using those measuring cups!

After rolling in cinnamon and sugar

Raised and ready to bake

Right out of the oven

Perfection!

You MUST try this! Check out Jenn Z.'s blog for the full recipe.

Bake 52: Week 29

Cinnamon Rolls

Oh Cinnamon Rolls.  What is it about cinnamon rolls that I can't resist?  My willpower doesn't stand a chance against a good cinnamon roll.  And these were good!  I always make mine in a muffin tin, so I guess it's kind of a cinnamon roll muffin!  Anyway, fabulous and easy recipe!  Check out Valerie's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 28

This week Amanda chose to bake a 

FRESH FRUIT TART

 YUM!  Tart crust, pastry cream, and fresh fruit! This was awesome!

My friend, Talesha, and I decided it would be fun to bake together this week - we had a blast and I am glad we could split the tart so I didn't eat the whole thing - it's always good to share!

We couldn't find raspberries, so we used fresh peaches and they were delicious!  We also subbed in caramel syrup for the jam.  You can't go wrong adding a little caramel, right? Mmmmmm.

Check out Amanda's blog for the full recipe!

Bake 52: Week 26

Black and White Cookies.

I have been dying to bake these! Not only were these cookies also featured on one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes (see Babka post - yes, same episode!), but they are so cool looking!  I had no idea what to expect flavor wise - based on reading the recipe I was expecting a very lemony crunchy cookie.  And that still sounded good to me.  So what a treat it was when I tasted the most delectable SOFT, thick, just-the-perfect-amount-of-sweetness cookie with a hint of lemon AND vanilla and chocolate glaze.  YUM!  

I am so excited about this recipe and I am sure I will be making it quite a bit - these are so good, they are easy, and would be so fun to give as a gift or take to a party.  

I loved that the glaze was so thick that you could actually spread it and have it stay where you wanted it, and it also firmed up very quickly.  

 Oh and did I mention these are BIG cookies?  

LOVED this recipe, love these cookies!! Please try them!! Visit Janet's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 25

I have weird fascinations with numbers, so I will just admit how nerdy I am that I got totally excited that this week it's 52:25 - cool, huh?  :)

So for this cool week we got to bake Southern Skillet Cornbread

I was really excited about this pick because it is a gluten-free cornbread - and looked oh-so-delicious in the book!  We love cornbread around here and I've been on the search for years for the perfect GF cornbread - the flour substitutes usually make it dry and crumbly.

This one was great!!  I learned from the book that the difference between Northern and Southern cornbread - apparently Southern is less sweet but with no flour and Northern is sweeter and with flour.  I do want to bake this again and add a little sugar - just to give it a little bit of a sweeter flavor, but even without, it was really good.  And the texture was great - really love this recipe!

Who can resist warm cornbread with honey?  Mmmmmm!

The only thing I was baffled by is that my bread wouldn't come out of the pan after I baked it.  I thought with as much oil and butter as we put in the pan, it would fall right out.  I will have to try a different pan next time, I'm anxious to see what everyone else baked it in and how it worked out.

 I served it with soup for dinner and the fam loved it!  Can't wait to try again!

Check out Jen's Blog for the recipe!

inlinkz codes for the week 1

Bake 52: Week 24

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

 What is not to love here?

This was a pretty simple recipe and I loved that it was made with all pantry items - I didn't have to shop for anything this week. My biggest dilemma was after rolling the dough up to put in the bread pan...it took a lot of willpower not to cut it up and move forward with actual cinnamon rolls. 

My kids and I melted some white chocolate and drizzle over the top - REALLY delicious!! As far as a sweet bread goes, this was great!  Overall I would prefer an actual cinnamon roll (bring on the cream cheese frosting!).  Oh - and obviously I am going for the tasty choice here, not the healthy one! Give this one a try for sure!

Check out Rebekah's Blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 23

This week's baking selection was

Coconut Macaroons

Upside of this week was that these are gluten-free cookies. That is always a bonus so that I have someone else that eats what I make so I don't eat the whole batch.  It's just not right to be wasteful!  Although I really like coconut, macaroons are just not among my favorite cookies.  My husband really enjoyed these. I thought they were a pretty typical macaroon.  But they were fast and easy, so I could see myself making these again sometime.

Pulse the coconut in food processor until fine:

Then mix together egg whites, sugar, salt and almond extract:

Stir both of those together and form into balls, bake on cookie sheet with sprayed parchment paper:

 There was a variation for Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons.  Add a little chocolate?
Yes, please!

I tried dipping and also drizzling...either way I think the added chocolate was a
definite plus!

Check out Emily's Blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 22

This is my week to host!

Last time I hosted I didn't really introduce myself, so I'll start with that...

A couple of (maybe) unknown facts about me:
*I grew up in Price, Utah (thus how I know Amanda and became part of this group.  Actually she, Jenn Z. and I went to school together from kindergarten to graduation!)
*I now live in Eagle Mountain and am the proud mommy of four - two boys and two girls - in that order.
*My oldest is 8 and my youngest recently turned 1.  They keep me busy! They really love being my "test monkeys" for this baking group!
*I love to shoot guns and am working on getting my Concealed Carry Permit.
*Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) landed on my lap at a Jazz game once. Just sayin'...
*I love horror movies.
*I can never think of fun facts about myself when I am trying.
*I enjoy reading, cooking, crafts, shopping, photography, and spending time with my family.
*I have been married almost 11 years and my husband is an Illustrator.  Which is ironic, because I can't even draw stick figures.  I'm not kidding! Maybe I can't draw, but he can't bake...so... onto the recipe!

I chose to make the 

RUSTIC CARAMELIZED ONION TART WITH BLUE CHEESE AND WALNUTS.

 I'm really hoping that this sounded good to someone besides me...I know it's a strange pick in a book full of delicious baked goods, but when I came across it I knew that I simply had to try.  And I'm glad I did! I really loved the combination of these flavors together!

Rustic Caramelized Onion Tarts with Blue Cheese and Walnuts:
The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book pgs. 422-423
Makes two 14 by 8-inch tarts
Serves 6-8
These tarts are not made in a tart pan; instead they're baked free-form for a rustic appearance.  Note that the parchment paper is a must for this recipe.  You can either make your own pizza dough, use store-bought dough, or buy some from your favorite local pizzeria.  You will need about 3 tablespoons of additional oil for brushing.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 pounds onions (about 4), halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 pound pizza dough (see note above)*
Pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse
1 cup blue cheese, crumbled (4 ounces)
2 scallions, sliced thin
*I used the Basic Pizza Dough from the book - you can get the recipe on Betsy's Blog

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, place a baking stone on the rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees.  Let the baking stone heat for at least 30 minutes (but no longer than an hour).

2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering.  Stir in the onions, brown sugar, and salt.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and have released their juices, about 10 minutes.  Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are deeply browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

 Test Kitchen Tip:  Caramelizing Onions

The most important part of this tart is proper caramelization of the onions.  We had to take a good look at how best to caramelize them.  Most recipes subscribe to one of two methods - low and slow or fast and furious-yet neither works.  Low heat and slow cooking dries out the onions before they have a chance to darken, while cooking fast over high heat leaves the onions crunchy and burnt tasting. The solution? A combination of low and high heat.  We started the onions over medium-low heat so that they released their juices and softened and then increased the heat to medium-high until they become caramelized.  Also, a nonstick skillet works best for caramelizing-the slippery surface ensures that no caramelized bits are left in the pan.

 3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, divide it into 2 equal pieces, and cover with greased plastic wrap.  Working with one piece of dough at a time (keep the other piece covered), press and roll the dough into a 14 by 8-inch oval on a lightly floured counter.  Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and reshape as needed.  Gently dimple the surface of the dough with your fingertips.

 4. Brush the dough liberally with additional oil and season with pepper.  Scatter half of the caramelized onions, walnuts, and blue cheese evenly over the tart, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge.  Slide the parchment paper and tart onto a rimless (or inverted) baking sheet, then slide the tart (still on the parchment) onto the hot baking stone.

With the caramelized onions...

and the walnuts...

and the blue cheese

5. Bake until the tart is deep golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating it halfway through baking.  (Prepare the second tart while the first bakes.)  Remove the tart from the oven by sliding the parchment paper back onto the baking sheet.  Discard the parchment paper, slide the tart onto a cutting board, and sprinkle with the half of the scallions.  Let the stone reheat for 5 minutes before baking the second tart.  Serve warm.

Right out of the oven

and with the scallions, which are really green onions.  Who knew?

 Yum! I was the only one in my house that actually liked this...oh well, more for me!

Hope you all enjoyed it!