Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Wow. I have been a big fat (literally- you should see the belly I am sporting) blogging slacker. August 5th? Really, that was my last post? Well, I am temporarily back thanks to nesting.

Nesting is right up my alley. The house is crazy clean, the laundry is done, the Christmas decorations are out, the strollers are put together and I made these cookies- all in one day! Only a few weeks to go until our little bundle of joy makes her arrival. I know I will be MIA for a while once she gets here, but for now let the holiday baking commence.

I saw this recipe on The Recipe Girl and knew I had to try them. I am a sucker for snickerdoodles and pumpkin pie. Why not combine them into one? These are great because they are not too sweet and they have wholesome pumpkin in them. This makes them good for you, right?

To get your hands on the recipe, visit Recipe Girl: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.
Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream

It has been forever and a day since I baked, much less posted about it. I never thought in a million years being pregnant would make me so tired, but whoa- did it ever! I am well into the 2nd trimester and what they say is true, you get the most energy in these months. I am so glad! I am up to my old tricks again, cooking and doing creative things. I have been busy making nursery plans and finishing up a print for my sweet friend Allison's new baby's room.

Last week two of my coworkers celebrated birthdays. I decided to come out of baking retirement to make a special treat. These suckers were decadent, sinful and delicious! The cake is the tried and true chocolate recipe I always use. Buried inside the batter was a whole mini Reese's Peanut Butter cup and then I topped them off with peanut butter buttercream and crushed pb cups. Derrick had a spoonful of the buttercream and declared it, "the best icing" saying it tasted like peanut butter cookie dough. That can't be a bad thing. :)

Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients: (slightly adapted from Paula Dean's Dreamy Chocolate Mousse Cake)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used ghirardelli)
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup strong coffee
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (I used a little more)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Throw all the ingredients into a bowl. Using a wire whisk, whisk the ingredients together until well combined.
Pour into prepared or lined cupcake pan.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
**I filled the cupcake liners 1/2 way and then added an unwrapped mini Reese's Peanut Butter cup and then topped with the remaining batter.

Peanut Butter Buttercream
Ingredients: (Wilton recipe which can be found here: PB Buttercream Icing)
1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
4-6 Tbsp milk

Directions:
Blend shortening and butter together until smooth.
Add peanut butter and vanilla.
Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, blending well between each cup.
Scrape bowl often.
When sugar is completely mixed in, the icing will appear dry.
Add milk, one Tbsp. at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Icing should be light and fluffy.
Keep covered with a damp towel until ready to use.

Cooking Up Something Special

I know I have been the worst blogger on the planet and although I have been cooking I have been distracted by a new kind of recipe that is developing. What do you think?

Warm Bean Salad with Fresh Mint, Meyer Lemon and Grilled Halloumi Cheese

The first time I had a version of this salad was in 2007 at my cousin Sarah's house. She had found the recipe in an issue of Bon Appetit. I was instantly in heaven. The sweet of the beans, the tart of the lemon, the salt and grilled flavor of the cheese all tied together with the fresh flavor of mint. Swoon. So darn good. I think I could eat this salad every day and not get tired of it. It's that good. Sarah also served the bean salad part cold with the contrast of the warm cheese. Oh and if you are a cheese lover and have never had halloumi cheese you should run out and find yourself some. You might see ads in your favorite foodie reads that say, "Halloumi Cheese- the Cheese that Grills". They aren't lying. It really does grill. Okay- on with the story.

Unfortunately for me, I have to drive about 30-40 miles to get halloumi cheese. It is not offered at any of the grocery stores in our town. I know, I have checked them all. I even checked the Piggly Wiggly. I'm just saying (you never know). In order to find it, I have to go to Central Market or Whole Foods. It makes me sad, but I'll live. The good thing is you can stock up on halloumi cheese because it keeps in the refrigerator for months. Hurray! Over the holidays I picked up some of this wonderful Greek cheese, telling myself I would make the salad soon. Well, fastforward to March. That's how long it took me to remember it was in the cheese drawer. I also couldn't find fava beans so I substituted lima beans. This worked perfectly. I love this salad because it feels hearty and light at the same time. Perfect for the warmer weather that has been rolling in. Num Num Num.

Warm Bean Salad with Fresh Mint, Meyer Lemon and Grilled Halloumi Cheese
Ingredients: (slightly adapted from Jill Dupleix's recipe in Bon Appetit)
1.5 cups frozen lima beans
1.5 cups frozen peas
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
The zest from 1 Meyer lemon (or regular lemon)
The juice from 1 Meyer lemon (or regular lemon)
2 Tbsp. minced fresh mint
1/2 tsp. kosher salt or to taste
1" thick slice of halloumi cheese per serving

Directions:
Combine lima beans and peas in microwave safe dish with 1/4 cup water.
Cover and microwave for 3 minutes or until beans are cooked through and warm.
Drain water from beans and peas.
Add zest, mint and olive oil.
Toss to combine.
Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste.
Set salad aside.
Heat skillet over high heat for a few minutes to get skillet piping hot.
Place cheese over skillet and "grill" for 1 minute on each side or until edges are golden brown. Spoon salad into bowls and top with warm cheese.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

If the Shoe Fits

My new friend Culinary Wannabe nominated me for this fun award. I want to send a big thank you her way. You must check out her blog because a) she has some pretty great recipes to check out and b) she loves Aussies like me! Gotta love a fellow Aussie lovin' foodie! Thanks CW!

Now it is my turn to nominate some creative peeps out there. I would like to nominate:

Emily from Sugar Plum. I have nominated her for awards before, but she truly deserves these creative snaps. She is always trying new recipes and more importantly she makes her own. I am always impressed. Plus her blog is fun to read and she is always out and about on new adventures. Her blog is a must see.

Prudy from Prudence Pennywise. She is the most creative penny watching every night dinner making chick around. It's really impressive and worth the visit. You won't be disappointed.

Risa from Baked Perfection. She is a new blog friend and a baker to the core like me. She takes great pictures of her sweet concoctions. Check out the peanut butter fudge krispy treats. Um...HELLO!

Bridget from Bake at 350. I don't know how I just found her blog now, but I am so glad I did. I was in a royal icing cookie coma when I first found Bridget's Blog. Are these not the cutest things you have ever seen?

Alright. I have to go study now. PHOOEY! I am taking the LEED AP exam on Monday morning and I still have some major cramming to do. Wish me luck!

Almond Joy Cupcakes

In early February, my coworker Meredith celebrated her annual 29th birthday. Her absolute favorite candy is Almond Joy. I had to make her almond joy cupcakes. I just had to do it. I mean, I felt a little bad. She was really being so good, following her new healthy start for 2009, eating veggies and rice and cottage cheese. Then I showed up with these...and well, how can you resist? I know. It really is a toss up between steamed rice and a moist chocolaty cupcake topping in coconut cream cheese icing, chocolate ganache, toasted almonds and toasted coconut. I was really surprised that she picked the cupcake.

If you love coconut, you will love these. By the way, have you ever just toasted shredded sweetened coconut in the oven for kicks? Man, talk about TASTY! I think I could live off toasted shredded sweetened coconut. Num num num.

So for the recipe, I used the tried and true Dreamy Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe by Paula Deen for the cake only. For the coconut cream cheese icing, I stopped over at I Heart Cuppycakes and borrowed Clara's recipe. I then whipped up a simple ganache, like this (except take my advice and use salted butter) and topped with the toasted nuts. So yummy.

I hope you are all doing very well in blog land. Thanks for stopping by!

Brownie Bottom Caramel Cheesecake- a Tiny Bit of Heaven

As I said in my previous post, there has been some serious cheesecake making "up in here, up in here". I think this may become a trend. Cheesecake offers endless possibilities. Just look at the differences in the last post and this one. Awesome, delectable, delightful differences.

I can't wait to play more with cheesecake and see what else I can do with it. I found this recipe on Allrecipes and it was awesome! One of the nice parts is you can choose to use a box brownie mix or a brownie mix from scratch- your choice. I wanted to save time so I used a box brownie mix. This recipe should come with a warning label. Be warned this cheesecake is sinful, decadent, rich, creamy, caramel-y and possibly the cure to all problems, maybe even diseases. One friend said, "It's like sweet angel babies. Oh jeez." I agree. Sinful angel cheesecake babies. With a brownie bottom, oozing caramel center and caramel ganache top...how can you go wrong?

Brownie Bottom Caramel Cheesecake (adapted from Jackie Meiborg's recipe on Allrecipe.com)
Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix- follow batter directions and divide (used Betty Crocker Chewy Recipe)

1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped (I used Kraft)

1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese,softened

3/4 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 cup chocolate fudge topping or chocolate ganache

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

In a small bowl prepare brownie mix according to directions. Divide batter and pour half into prepared springform pan. Bake 15 minutes. (Use remaining batter for small brownie batch if desired.)

Melt the caramels with the evaporated milk over low heat in a heavy saucepan. Stir often, and heat until mixture has a smooth consistency. Reserve 1/3 cup of this caramel mixture, and pour the remainder over the warm, baked brownie crust. Allow caramel to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour cream cheese mixture over caramel mixture.

Bake cheesecake for 50 minutes. Chill in pan. When cake is thoroughly chilled, loosen by running a knife around the edge, and then remove the rim of the pan. Heat reserved caramel mixture, and pipe over cheesecake. Drizzle with the chocolate topping or ganache. Obviously my work friends dug this cheesecake too. Check out Terri's face. This was the last piece.