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!

Bake 52: Week 21

This week we baked

Multigrain Bread

 Bread. Why bake bread when I know it won't turn out great? AND multigrain bread? I like to say that I like healthy bread. I figure if I say it enough I will start to like it. But it just tastes too...healthy. Not really my thing.  You could probably guess I wasn't super excited to try this bread, right?

This is why Bake 52 is genius! I would NEVER have chosen to make this bread - but I LOVED it! It didn't have that overly wheaty taste.  It was light and soft and everything that you want homemade bread to be.  Plus healthy! SO YUMMY!

The dough rose really well and I was thrilled when I took the bread out of the oven, it was BEAUTIFUL!

I tried this plain, with butter and jam, and as sandwich bread - it was perfect all three ways! I will definitely be making this again.  Thanks to Jennifer for hosting and making me try something different.

Hey, different IS good.

Check out her blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 20

This week's pick was

French Macaroons

I have never made (or eaten) a Macaroon cookie that wasn't made out of coconut - I guess this is how they roll in France.  Bonus of this pick is that it is a gluten-free cookie that uses almond flour.  My husband was super excited about this!  And he LOVED these! He is already asking when I will make them again.  They are a meringue-type sandwich cookie (though not as airy) with a butter-cream frosting in the middle. I liked the nutty flavor that the almond flour gave them. I thought these cookies were really good - of course can't compare to a good old chocolate chip cookie, but for something new and different, I did enjoy them.  My kids also really liked them, so it was a great pick for my family! 

 It looks like we will be baking these again!  

Check out Betsy's Blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 19

This week we baked
New York-Style Crumb Cake

This recipe looked good when I checked it out.  In my mind I thought "OK, we are going to make a coffee cake".  Then for some reason I decided to try and figure out why this is New York-Style and not just Crumb Cake.  Well, I honestly don't know, other than they say the first recipe came from Germany to an ancestor in New York and that's where it started...as you can tell I didn't research too hard.  HOWEVER, I did find out that you NEVER confuse a coffee cake and a crumb cake! Why?  The crumbs, I guess.  Apparently it is offensive.  Glad I know now!

Anyway...this cake was delicious!  Not too sweet or rich, but moist, sweet enough and seriously addicting!! I couldn't stop eating it. I really like cakes with this cinnamon flavor, but have never made a crumb (or coffee) cake.  So glad we tried this, I will definitely make again. Would be fun to take to a breakfast or brunch! 

Check out the recipe on Jenn's Blog!

Bake 52: Week 18

Classic Pancakes with Berry Maple Syrup

These pancakes were delicious.  Not one of those recipes that makes me commit to only using this recipe from now on, but they were definitely light and fluffy and delicious - enjoyed by everyone.  I did like the tips of making the perfectly cooked pancake. I also liked the syrup - again, nothing to write home about, but still very good.  I didn't get many pictures, because making them went something like this:  First off - I'm not a huge breakfast fan, I only cook breakfast for dinner. So it was dinner time, the kids were starving, I was trying to get them to do their homework and they wouldn't sit down, my baby was sitting on the floor holding my legs crying to be held, I had two pans of pancakes going (this one and another one with gluten-free pancakes) and bacon in another.  Oh, did I mention I was also cooking the syrup?  Yes, using all 4 burners at once (my pancake griddle broke).  I felt super lucky to even get a pictures of these before they were devoured!  Check out the recipe on Jesse's Blog!

Bake 52: Week 17

This week Talesha's pick was Baklava!

 I was super excited for this week.  Any mention of Baklava brings back fond memories of the Greek Festival we had in Price every year growing up. I never imagined that was something I could make - that was just something you buy!   It was so fun to see how it is actually put together. 

After LOTS of layers of phyllo dough and LOTS and LOTS of butter, some nuts, cinnamon, cloves and a honey syrup, here is the Baklava.  It was absolutely delicious!

Check out the recipe on Talesha's Blog!

Bake 52: Week 16

This week we baked Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  Only I couldn't find any rhubarb at the stores yet, so I baked a Strawberry Pie! I don't think I've ever had a baked strawberry pie - only the cold ones, you know, with all the red gelatin around the strawberries in an already made crust? Yep, that one.  Well I was dying to have a strawberry pie in a real pie crust so I was really excited for this week.

I loved that I finally learned how to make the edges of the pie pretty - and it was so much easier than I have always thought! However, I wish I would have sealed the edges better because some of the filling leaked out during baking - just added a little color though, nothing too devastating.

The recipe also had you soak the strawberries and sugar for an hour to let the extra juice drain out so the pie wouldn't be soupy.  I saved this juice to pour over the finished product with ice cream....YUM!

Check out Valerie's Blog for the recipe!  I would definitely recommend trying out this pie crust!