this is an ode to cheese and fresh tomatoes

that's all.
love,
ck

this time with pictures

and i'm back. i'm all unpacked and pretty much all done getting settled. it feels so good. i christened my kitchen this weekend by baking sugar cookies, granola bars and more homemade bread. finally i get to have homemade bread again. it's been too long. i posted this recipe a while ago but didn't have pictures to go with it. but i made some for my friend hailey's belated birthday present and documented them to share. i was hoping the orange frosting would entice the sun to come out, but no such luck...

moving day

ok, so i'm lacking in baking and posting because i'm moving tomorrow and i've refused to cook anything in the oven i just cleaned and i pretty much have no food so that i don't have to move any. so please be patient and check back in a week or so, once i get settled, i aim to make a molten cupcake recipe my oldest sister passed on.

oh, and my other sister made the oklahoma corn rolls and did 3 T. of sugar for more flavor rather than the 2 t. and we tried a few stuffed with cheese and it was super good. they were a huge hit with both kids and adults.

wish me luck and sanity...

xoxo
caroline

birthday bundt cake

my old roommate, julia and i used to always make this recipe for birthdays. i haven't made it in a while and i decided to make it for a friend's birthday–but a little bit more fancy. i even added a sort of frosting to drizzle on top.

1 cup fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. warm water
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 eggs, one at a time
1 (18.25-oz.) package devil's food cake mix (we normally would use a yellow cake mix for a less rich cake)
1 (3.9-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (i'm pretty sure what i put in was more than that)

Coat a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour; set aside. Combine the sour cream and next six ingredients (sour cream through chocolate pudding mix) in a large bowl, and beat mixture at medium speed of a mixer for three minutes. Add the chocolate chips and beat the mixture for 30 seconds. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake cake at 350º for an hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Invert cake onto a wire rack and cool completely.

then i made up a frosting that sorta went like this:

2 T. melted butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. low fat cream cheese
powdered sugar to taste (maybe 1/2 c.?)

et voila! birthday bundt cake–fancified.

cornbread and buttermilk biscuits had a baby

and they named it: oklahoma cornmeal rolls

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (i ended up having to add about 1/2 c. more)
3/4 c. cornmeal
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
2 T. shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 c. buttermilk

sift together dry ingredients. cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. add egg and buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 3 or 4 times. roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness; cut into 2 1/2 inch circles. make a crease across each circle, and fold one half over. gently press edges to seal. place on a greased baking sheet. bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

yam wontons

i know this is more cooking than baking, but i just loved these so much and was so proud of myself that i took pictures and want to share.

i saw a recipe for this very thing in a cooking light in a doctor's office and felt too bad to rip it out but figured i could find it online. no such luck. i found a bunch of different recipes but none that matched what i saw in cooking light. so basically i just made this up based on a few different ideas from those different recipes.

ok, so i took two medium sized yams and peeled them and cut them into french fry sized pieces. i cooked them in coconut oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (i do this a lot when i just eat yams plain, but not to the point where i can mash them easily, like i needed for this recipe) once i could mash them, i added a bit of goat cheese and made sure there was enough flavoring from before. i put them in wonton wrappers, sealed 'em up and browned them on both sides in a little bit of olive oil (just enough so the pan isn't dry). and that's it. super easy to make, just a little time consuming with stuffing the wonton wrappers. but they are super good and pretty healthy with the minimal amount of oil i used and basic seasoning.

ultimate sticky buns

i made these on sunday. i've been wanting to make them since i started researching sticky buns after seeing them on "throwdown with bobby flay" on the food network (the winning recipe is here). however, you need about 4 hours to make them so it's a big commitment. and while they are good and got a lot of compliments, i still feel that the easy recipe is better. which is basically like this. sorry no pictures, but there are plenty on the first recipe link and i'm pretty sure hers looked better than mine. besides, i spent four hours making the rolls, give me a little break, eh?

lemon bars on brown butter shortbread

this recipe is from the tartine cookbook my friends juliann and kathryn gave me. tartine is an amazing bakery in san francisco the city that is my one true love. these lemon bars are the best lemon bars i've ever had. ever. they recommend you eat them chilled, but i honestly love them still a little warm. cut a piece and sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar on top individually.


crust:
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 c. pine nuts (optional - i chose not to add them)

filling:
1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. + 2 T. lemon juice
lemon zest from one lemon
6 large whole eggs
1 large egg yolk
pinch salt (whisking eggs with salt helps to denature (relax) the protein in the eggs and breaks them up more quickly and thoroughly.)

confectioner's sugar to top

preheat the oven to 350° F. butter a 9x13" baking pan.

to make the crust, sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. add the flour and stir to mix. add the butter and pine nuts (if using)and beat on a low speed just until a smooth dough forms. transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. it should be about 1/4 inch thick. to help even out the crust, use the flat bottom of any type of cup, pressing down firmly. line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (i used beans cause i didn't have any weights). bake the crust until it colors evenly to a deep golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. rotate the pan 180 degrees if the crust appears to be baking unevenly.

while the crust is baking, make the filling: sift the flour into a mixing bowl. add the sugar and whisk until blended. add the lemon juice and zest and stir to dissolve the sugar. in a separate mixing bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolk with the salt. add the eggs to the lemon juice mixture and whisk until well mixed.

when the crust is ready, pull out the oven rack holding the crust and pour the filling directly into the hot pan. (it is easiest to pour the custard into the pan if the pan is in the oven.) if the crust has come out of the oven and cooled before you have finished making the filling, put it back in for a few minutes so that it is hot when the custard is poured into it. reduce the oven temp. to 300° F and bake just until the center of the custard is no longer wobbly, 30 to 40 minutes.

let cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill well before cutting. using a sharp knife, cut into 12 squares, or as desired. if you like, dust the tops of the squares with confectioners' sugar. they will keep in an airtight container or well covered in teh baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

banana bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped (i don't really believe in nuts in bread, so i excluded these)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional, i never really do this part)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve. (toasted banana bread is one of the most brilliant things i've ever heard of. so good!)

also, the top of my bread was getting too brown, so i'd place a piece of foil on top after about 45-50 minutes. this bread is so good cause of the crispy edges and soft and moist center (yes, i said moist, even though i loathe that word.) these pictures are from a time when i made this before and substituted toasted slivered almonds (finely chopped) for the pecans. i think i prefer my bread sans nuts. but that's just me.

toll house pan cookies

whenever i make these, they are always a super-hit. i've been making these since high school and they are still my favorite basic chocolate chip recipe.

1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 375° Grease a 9x13" pan.
2. Beat butter, both sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
4. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
5. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Spread into prepared pan.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.