on a happy note

My mixer died just around the Thanksgiving holiday. I was able to borrow my mothers Kitchen Aid for the season but knew I was going to have to give it back soon. Christmas day I was given by my SWEET husband a brand new BOSCH mixer! I was so shocked, I cried. I am very spoiled and I love it.

My first thing to make was baguette bread! It went well though it was a small batch so I had to tweak it to make it work in the mixer! Will be posting more on it later.

It has been too long....

There is much to say about food in these the holiday weeks, however I must stop for a moment and say something. Life is a precious gift from God. Please love your family and friends, take time with them to let them know. You never know when it will be the last time you see them.


I know 2 people who have passed on unexpectedly. They were both extremely young. So take a moment and go hug your kids, love your spouse and call your parents. Tell them how much you love them.

BOMB!

I am on the warpath to find a recipe for a dense thick chewy brownie. I have a local cafe here in town that I go to and LOVE the brownies there. I know they use very special chocolate and though I myself am a chocolate lover I still hold the belief that I can in fact make a brownie like theirs without the spendy chocolate! After my failed attempts to take my cake like brownie recipe and tweak it for a dense brownie I found my self searching the net for a new recipe. Yesterday I came across a site that went through ALL the trouble to differentiate between the three brownie types, cakey, chewy, or fudgy I thought that since they had so much info I would look at the recipe. Well one of the things I know is that melted chocolate instead of powdered cocoa seems to make a denser brownie so when I saw this site had melted chocolate I thought....YAH! I was missing an ingredient so I zoomed to the store to buy my unsweetened chocolate and began immediately. I was so excited that I could almost feel my teeth sinking into the moist decadence! As I popped the pan into the oven I felt confident that I had indeed found my recipe. I waited. And WAITED. Then the prescribed time had passed and I opened the door to a blissful smell. As I took them out however I noticed they didn't look as I expected they would. No matter, they would be SURE to taste divine. WRONG! WRONG wrong. REALLY wrong. I wish I could describe for you the texture/taste. They were both SO off that I cant even eat them. Disappointment reigns! BUT despite the epic failure, I will try again and I will conquer! It may take a few more tries but that's the fun of it!!!

Sugar Cookies

This recipe is seriously the best ever for rolled sugar cookies, THEN you dip them in melted white chocolate and think you are eating at the heavenly feast! The dough is easy to work with!

1 Pound butter~ thats why they taste so good
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Add eggs one at  a time incorporating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. On low speed, mix in flour til well combined. On a well floured surface roll out a third of the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out cookies and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 min till cookies are baked through and edges are slightly browned. Cool on a wire rack and then dip in warm melted white chocolate and food coloring that is oil based. Carolyn's Cake is the best in town for these supplies!

Cranberry Almond Granola

I have an amazing Granola recipe. Its just the perfect amount of water and oil, though I do play with it! Today I am going to add roasted almonds and dried cranberries.

12 cups oats
1 1/2 cups wheat germ or flaxseed or both
2-4  cups nuts or fruit or both
2 cups brown sugar
1-1 1/2 cups oil
2/3 cup water
1T salt
2 T vanilla


Mix your dry ingredients together and mix your wet ones, then mix both together and bake at 350 for 30 min. Stirring the mix at 10 min intervals!

I am adding my fruit and nuts after its baked because I dont want to over bake them! Enjoy!

Truffles

These are the truffles I made for the party and they were so amazing! Think I will go enjoy one now! 

Truffles:

8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate cut into small pieces

3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream 

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons alcohol (Cognac, brandy, Grand Marnier, kirsch, rum, bourbon, or Kahlua to name a few) (optional)

Different Coatings for Truffles:

Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder

Confectioners Sugar (Icing or Powdered)

Toasted and Chopped Nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts)

Toasted Coconut

Shaved Chocolate

For Truffles:  Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside.  Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.  Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.  If desired, add the liqueur. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the truffle mixture is firm (this will take several hours or overnight). Place your coatings for the truffles on a plate. Remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator. With your hands, or else a melon baller or small spoon form the chocolate into round or mis-shaped bite-sized balls. Immediately roll the truffle in the coating and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or tray. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm. Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple of months. Bring to room temperature before serving. Makes 30 small truffles.

exhausted...

I have been CRAZY busy for this first part of December! We celebrated my oldest daughters 14th birthday! Seriously cant believe that she is that old when I myself am only 21! Normally I am a frustrated baker come round birthday time. I LOVE baking and some of my family members want things like Ice-cream cake. I could get creative and MAKE the ice cream and thus feel more fulfilled but at the prices of cream these days may as well just buy a cow for all the cream it takes to make. Kyla wanted Cream Cheese ball and while that is a step up from ice cream it still isn't as fulfilling as I would like. THIS year however her birthday fell on a weekend where I had to have 3 parties in 3 days (1 party for Kyla and 1 for Chris and Kyla and one Sower reunion party) and HAD make alllllllll the desserts! HAD to....well ok I didn't HAVE to I wanted to. Glutton for punishment I may be, but I LOVE to bake. Here is a list of all I made this week alone....not including dinners.

90+ Truffles (my BEST ever!)
67 Sugar cookies (think cookie bouquet with white chocolate frosting)
Coconut cake (2)
7 layer bars
Cream Cheese Ball
Chocolate Cake

So I guess it boils down to one realllly exhausted Kyrsi! A WHOLE lot of leftovers too because that's not something I am good at. I overdo it and figure it will be ok, I can give it to the neighbors all except the pan of 7 layer bars which I single-handedly devoured.  Not feeling much like making those again soon!

Will post recipes soon!