Sticky Buns at Dana’s

March 16, 2019February 12, 2016 by Michel

Sticky Buns at Dana’s

Wait until you taste these decadent sticky buns first hand! Such an easy recipe to follow making these homemade gourmet sticky buns that melt in you mouth! PERFECT for VALENTINE’S DAY morning or any occasion for that matter. The dough is light and chewy. The glaze is soft and caramel like and the cream cheese icing is the best I have ever had. The cream cheese icing has a tablespoon of lemon juice giving it the perfect balance. If you don’t have lemons you can always substitute the citrus with pineapple juice. It’s nice to have the different options with these two toppings to offer to your family and guests.

The dough recipe for these homemade gourmet sticky buns couldn’t get any easier. You can literally make it in 8 minutes including the five minutes of kneading with the dough hook. Although, you do have to wait for eggs and buttermilk to come to room temperature. There isn’t any worrying about activating the yeast in a 105º-110º because we use RAPID RISE yeast.

These sticky buns are so easy to make. The most time spent here comes with the first 2 1/2 hour proofing. The glaze and cream cheese frosting could be made a day or two ahead. Once you make these for your family and friends you will become the honorary sticky bun chef!

You may want to whip up some other breakfast items if you can get that homemade sticky bun dough made ahead of time and try my kale or spinach-mushroom frittata, or my energy smoothies. Then again you could always do more of a brunch theme with salmon BLT sliders, or homemade gourmet salmon gravlax! Hope you enjoy the show 🙂

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Ingredients for the Dough:

3 lg eggs room temp
3/4 cup butter milk room temp
1 pkt of INSTANT – RAPID RISE yeast or 2 1/2 tsp if measuring
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled until WARM – not hot and not cold
4 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Directions for the Dough:

Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk gently with a fork
With paddle attachment add the eggs to a Kitchen Aid mixer and begin to mix
Add in the buttermilk and mix to combine
Then add in the yeast and sugar
Mix in 2 cups of flour, butter and salt to combine
Switch the paddle attachment to kneading hook
Add in last 2 cups of flour and knead for 5 minutes
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured counter
Briefly knead to form a dough ball – 1 minute
Spray a large glass bowl with Pam or similar
Place the ball of dough into the greased bowl, spray the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap
Put in a warm place if available until it doubles – 2 1/2 hours
While the dough is rising make your glaze
Turn out risen dough onto a lightly floured counter
Begin to roll out dough into a lg rectangle with a rolling pin – approx 20″ x 15″ size
Sprinkle 1 3/4 cup of dk. brown sugar all over the rolled out dough leaving 1″ border around the edges
Spread sugar with your fingers for an even coating
Sprinkle the cinnamon over that – it may seem like a lot but it won’t be once you roll up the dough and bake it
Begin to roll up the long edge of the dough keep a tight roll all the way
Lay rolled up dough with seem side down and begin to slice into rolls
Slice the dough roll with a serrated knife right down the middle, then slice each of the sides into 2 more equal patrs, then those into 2 to make a total of 8 equal – 2″ rounds
Place the rounds onto the pan or pans with 1/4″ glaze on the bottom and let proof for 45 minutes (no need to cover with saran)
After proofing I take a spoon to scoop up the glaze on the bottom and pour over all the sticky bun rounds before baking
Place into a 350º oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until a golden brown around the edges
Take out the buns and let rest in the pan(s) for 10 minutes
Run knife around the perimeters of the sticky buns
I do not invert the pan as we did in the show, I just remove sticky buns to a platter and cover the tops with the cream cheese frosting while warm so it melts slightly to give a nice coating
OPTIONAL: Sprinkle some with toasted pecans …enjoy 🙂

Ingredients for Glaze:

6 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
OPTIONAL: 1 3/4 cups chopped toasted pecans – Toast pecan halves on a cookie tray in a 375º oven for 8 minutes until fragrant and lightly toasted

Directions for Glaze:

Add all the ingredients into a medium sauce pan whisking to break up sugar on medium heat
Bring to a boil and immediately turn down and simmer for 4 minutes, the sauce should NOT be in a rapid boil, should have a tiny bubbles
Take off heat and pour 1/2 – 2/3’s of the glaze into the bottoms of your baking pans with 1/4″ coating
Place your rolled and cut up sticky bun rolls on top of the glaze and let proof 45 minutes
Then scoop some of the glaze on the bottom on top of the sticky bun rolls before baking

Ingredients for Filling in Rolls:

1/4 cup unsalted melted butter
1 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients for the Delicious Cream Cheese ICING:

2 oz. cream cheese – softened
4 tbsp unsalted butter – softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice OR pineapple juice
1 tbsp light Karo Syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions for this Delicious Cream Cheese Icing:

Put butter and cream cheese into the foo processor and pulse to combine
Add in the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth
You can then warm this a little to drizzle over the sticky cinnamon buns or smear with an offset spatula or knife

Amazing German Pancake!

March 15, 2019December 10, 2015 by Michel

Amazing German Pancake!

This amazing German pancake is an awesome dish to make for your holiday guests! It’s festive and quite spectacular when your guests see how your pancake has puffed to enormous heights when you take it out of the oven. Not only does it make for a wonderful presentation but it’s made with little effort and can be served for breakfast or as a dessert!

A German pancake is really a giant popover. “Dutch baby” is another name for this pancake and rumor has it that the reason behind this name came about when a chef’s young child couldn’t pronounce the German word for German, “Deutsche”. Supposedly, this mis-pronunciation lead German Pancakes to the alternative name “Dutch Babies”. A couple other names that this German pancake has been called are “Dutch puff” and “Bismark”.

My kids get very excited for that moment when this amazing German pancake comes out of the oven! It has a bit of a custard like texture inside yet very light. We love eating these pancakes and have come to the conclusion that they taste like something in between a pancake, french toast and a crêpe!

My Vermont friends turned me on to this recipe years ago and I have been making them ever since. It’s fun for me to play around with recipes and see what works best so to this recipe I have added another egg, some vanilla and a little cinnamon. You can add grated nutmeg instead if you prefer. Originally, these homemade pancakes were served with lemon and confectioners sugar. I like to served them with confectioners sugar, real maple syrup, fresh blue berries and a dollop of my favorite “Wild Blueberry Preserves” by Bonne Maman, a product of France (sold right in our local market at Stop and Shop). German pancakes are so easy to make, taking on the same amount of time as making ordinary pancakes. The wonderful thing here is you are not glued to the stove pouring batter every few minutes.

Using cast iron is the way to go here because it holds in the heat evenly distributing it throughout the pan but I have made them in other oven proof pans and it comes out great. Some recipes have you pre-heating the pan in the oven, pulling out the rack, pouring in the batter, then pushing the rack back into the oven and in my opinion, this is a disaster waiting to happen since the batter can easily swoosh over the sides causing the oven to smoke ! The easiest way to start these homemade German pancakes is on the stove top and then into the oven for the duration. The finished product will make you will feel like a french pastry chef all day. This could also make for a great dessert to an impressive dinner with entrees like turkey stuffed peppers, pulled beef tacos & mango salsa or yogurt-chicken kabobs & tzatziki. Enjoy!

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Ingredients for Traditional German Pancake:

5 extra LG eggs (or 6 large)
1 cup Milk – cold
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/4 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp butter -cut up into 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) COLD

Ingredients for savory German Pancake:

5 extra LG eggs (or 6 large)
1 cup Milk – cold
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/2 cup swiss cheese OR cheddar
1/2 cup thin diced ham OR sauteed mushrooms
1/3 cup green onion OR sauteed sweet onion
NOTE: If you are going the cheddar, sauteed mushroom & onion route add 1 cup fresh baby spinach too!
4 Tbsp butter -cut up into 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) COLD

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425º
In a medium bowl whisk dry ingredients together
Begin to whisk in milk, vanilla and eggs into dry ingredients just until combined …Note : it puffs more if your milk and eggs are cold!
Put 10″-12″ cast iron pan on stove top on low heat for 1 minute –THIS WILL WORK IN ANY 10″-12″ OVEN PROOF PAN –
Turn heat up to high on cast iron pan, wait 1 minute til pan is hot but not smoking, then add 4 Tbsp of cut up cold butter
When the butter gets frothy add the batter, do not stir
Immediately take off heat and put into oven for 22 minutes until golden and puffy
NOTE: if you are doing “SAVORY German Pancake” …after you remove from heat top with your extra ingredients, do not stir, and place into oven for the 22 minutes
When you take it out of the oven transfer to a plate with a spatula and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
Slice into wedges and serve with maple syrup, warm fresh strawberry jam/sauce (Recipe BELOW) and whipped cream! …mmm!

Ingrediesnts and Directions for EASY STRAWBERRY JAM/SAUCE:

1 lb. hulled and chopped fresh stawberries
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup fresh sqeezed lemon juice

Finely dice strawberries and add to a wide 8″ sauce pan with 1 cup sugar and lemon juice
Over med/high heat bring to a rolling simmer
Keep an eye on the mixture, keep simmering for 15 min. – make sure it doesn’t boil over
Skim off white foam that accumulates around the edges while simmering as this will make the jam cloudy (its just air bubbles that form in the jamming process)
Remove from heat and serve warm with German pancake
Jar the remaining strawberry sauce and refrigerate as it will thicken into a jam as it cools! It will stay good for 2 weeks in the frig.

Best Blueberry Pie!

March 15, 2019November 24, 2015 by Michel

Best Blueberry Pie!

There’s nothing like fresh blueberries simmering in a buttery, flaky pie crust with aromatic fruit juices getting bubbly and syrupy. It’s tough to let this mouth watering concoction cool for three hours when all you really want to do is scoop some vanilla ice cream over a slice letting the cream melt onto the crispy crust and gooey berries submerging oneself into pie heaven! This might just be the perfect dessert bite!

There are recipes out there that have you use flour as a thickener in some fruit pies but with this best blueberry pie recipe I think it’s important to use cornstarch. Blueberries release so much juice the best one for the job is cornstarch. You can add orange zest or lemon zest to brighten up the flavors and then there’s always cinnamon or nutmeg. Blueberries happen to be one of my favorite fruits and I feel that they are already flavorful enough so I only add one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to balance everything out. Blueberries are also considered to be one of the healthiest fruits out there offering up one of the highest levels of antioxidants of all fruits and vegetables so I think it’s a win-win here!

Cutting out decorative leaf shapes (or what ever shape you like) from the top sheet of pie crust is a no brainer for me because it’s so gosh darn easy to do, it looks like you spent all day on it and it’s very forgiving. When it bakes in the oven getting golden, crispy and slightly shiny from brushing on the egg wash it’s going to look and taste amazing no matter what!

This best blueberry pie recipe might just become your decadent dessert ritual for your holiday dinners! Making the “perfect pie crust in 5 minutes” a week or two ahead of time and popping it into the freezer until you need it is a great way to cut down on some of the work that’s involved in throwing a Thanksgiving dinner or any holiday feast for that matter. If you get ambitious you can always add a chocolate pecan pie into the mix. To help save some time with the side dishes you might try these roasted brussel spouts. They are so delicious roasted like this you’ll never eat them any other way. Have fun and enjoy 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

4 1/2 cups blueberries (that’s after you have sorted thru bad berries…start with 5 cups to have enough)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 corn starch
1/8 tsp salt
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tbsp cut up cold butter
1 egg
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 “Perfect Pie Crust in 5 Minutes!” recipe
Parchment paper for rolling out pie dough
1 1/2 ” – 2″ pie leaf cut outs or what ever shape cookie cutter you want to dress the top of the pie with instead of using a whole sheet of pie crust dough

DIRECTIONS:

Trace the edge of the pie plate onto both pieces of parchment paper
Roll out 1/2 of the pie crust at a time in between two pieces of parchment with circle drawing on the outside
When the dough is rolled out to approx 1/8″ thick and the proper circle size flip pie dough over with parchment paper into pie plate
Gently fit pie dough into dish without pushing down hard and place into the fridge
Wash and dry blueberries, picking through them to remove any under and over ripe berries and stems
Place berries in a large bowl and add 1/4 cup corn starch, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt and juice from 1/2 lemon and toss until coated
Put the bowl of blueberries into the fridge
Roll out the other pie dough disc and cut out leaf shapes or what ever shape you want to be the top layer of the pie
Lay down a piece of parchment on a cookie sheet with a sprinkle of flour and place leaf cut outs onto the cookie sheet
Put leaf cut outs into the fridge
Take out pie dish with pie dough from fridge and crimp edges
Pour the blueberries into the pie dish and back into the fridge
Whisk 1 egg with 1 tbsp of heavy cream
Take the leaf cut-outs on the cookie sheet from the fridge and brush with the egg wash
Take the blueberries in the pie dish out of the fridge and dot the pie with 1 1/2 tbsp of cut up cold butter
Begin to place leaf cut-outs on top of the blueberries. Go along the edge of pie all around and then work your way in (you only need to gently push a couple of the edges of the leaf to crimped edges of the pie and to each leaf
Put the pie back into the fridge for 15 minutes while you pre-heat oven to 400º
Place blueberry pie on the cookie sheet that has a piece of parchment covering the bottom in case of spillage and pop into the oven for 30 minutes
Turn the oven down to 350º and bake for another 40 minutes until a golden crust and juices are bubbly
You must let cool 3 hours so the blueberry juicy can thicken properly
Serve with your best vanilla ice cream and you will be one happy camper! 🙂

Perfect Pie Crust in 5 Minutes!

April 20, 2019November 14, 2015 by Michel

Perfect Pie Crust in 5 Minutes!

Who would ever think you could make this buttery, flaky, homemade pie crust in 5 minutes? After eating many of my Grandma Reilly’s pies when I was little I was inspired to come up with a recipe that tasted just like hers. Unfortunately, I never got her recipe but have been making pie crust’s for over twenty years and I’m happy to say I came up with a pie crust recipe that is spot on to what my Grandma used to make . Granted, there are some pretty decent pie crusts available at the market and if you are making many pies it totally makes sense to go that route. If you are only making a couple of pies you really need to get busy and make this homemade pie crust!

Homemade pie crust in 5 minutes is just that but there two tricks to this amazing pie crust. First, all the ingredients must be very cold. Refrigerated butter cubes are already firm enough but to firm up the soft Crisco pieces it’s wise to put that into the freezer before adding it to the food processor. Second, you MUST NOT OVER WORK the dough! Over working the dough will build gluten’s like you are make a bread dough and we don’t want that for making this perfect pie crust in 5 minutes. We want our pie crust to be flaky in texture not tough and hard.

In my opinion, a couple of the best bakers in the world are the French and the Southerner’s. One loves butter and the other loves Crisco. So why not take the best of both worlds using both butter and Crisco to achieve these wonderful results. Not to mention, as I always do, I have tested many pie crusts recipes to come to this theory.

You need to try out this perfect pie crust in 5 minutes recipe just once to be convinced to start making your own. In fact, you will wonder why you haven’t been making your own homemade pie crust your whole life when it’s that easy to make and tastes like this! Enjoy the show and don’t forget to make this ahead of time popping it into your freezer until you are ready to roll it out for a pie or a quiche. I would transfer the dough from your freezer to your refrigerator couple of days before you are ready to use it in order for the dough to come to the proper workable temperature. Once you make your dough you really ought to try making an amazing Chocolate Pecan Pie or Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie for your holiday. Don’t forget to watch Thanksgiving week when we roll out this dough and bake a pie together! For the Best Blueberry Pie ever recipe this is one that shouldn’t be missed. Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

10 tbsp cold butter cut up each tablespoon into 4 pieces and into fridge until you are ready to add to flour
1/2 cup cold Crisco cut into small pieces OR 1/2 cup REAL LARD from FIREFLY Farms OR 1/4 cup Crisco & 1/4 cup lard
1/2 cup, plus 2 tbsp cold water, (keep in fridge until you are ready to add to flour)
3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
NOTE: I even keep food processor container with medal blade in it in the fridge until you are ready to pulse ingredients
Chocolate Pecan Pie Recipe OR Best Blueberry Pie Recipe OR Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe

Directions:

Be sure all items above are completely chilled
It’s easiest to freeze first, especially for crisco or real lard, then take out of freezer and cut up or grate before adding to processor
Add dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse twice to combine
Drop the freezer cold, firm Crisco or lard pieces onto the flour
Then add the butter pieces helping the pieces to separate with a butter knife as you drop them onto the flour
Pulse 5-7 time until the Crisco and butter are pea size
Now turn processor to “on” and slowly add water through opening – Note: this will take about 12-15 seconds for the dough to come together
The moment you see the dough begin to come together, STOP, and PULSE 2-3 times to finish into a ball
Take dough out onto floured counter surface – you will see little specs of butter and Crisco in the dough which will make for a buttery, flaky crust!
Cut dough into two pieces, cover with Saran Wrap and into fridge for at least 30 minutes or freezer until you are ready ( If you freeze it allow 2 days back in fridge to come to proper workable temperature)

Homemade Applesauce

March 15, 2019November 8, 2015 by Michel

Homemade Applesauce

Playing at my childhood friend Karen’s house growing up and smelling her mom’s homemade applesauce simmering on the stove with aromas of apple and cinnamon in the fall air are one of those nostalgic memories that will stay with me my whole life. That’s where the inspiration for this show and recipe came from. I contacted my friend Karen about her mom’s recipe and she was happy to share.

Karen’s mom, Pat, used a food mill to pass the apples through smoothing out the consistency and removing the peels . For those of you who don’t have a food mill I am simplifying that process having you peel the apples prior to simmering. Even though the peel does offer a little extra flavor we will take the middle of the road for convenience purposes. For that smooth texture that I like I put the simmered apples in my food processor in small batches. You can skip this step completely by using a potato masher, whisk or even a fork to work out the lumps to your desired texture.

The only addition to Pat’s recipe is that I add in a couple of tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice for a subtle brightness to the sauce balancing out the sweetness. Actually, I add the fresh lemon juice while I peel, core and slice the apples into eighths so they don’t turn brown. I want those cinnamon-apple aromas to permeate the house as soon as possible so I add her spices in the beginning of the simmering. Some recipes even add in orange or lemon peel when simmering the apples but I think that’s a matter of preference and you can get as creative as you want.

Making homemade applesauce is really easy to make filling your kitchen with so many wonderful seasonal aromas you may wonder why you don’t do it more often. You may find your self starting a crackling fire to get the full effect while your apples are simmering on the stove. Be careful if a window is open you may just find a neighbor or two dropping in to “borrow” a cup of sugar.

Fall is the perfect time to make this homemade applesauce with apples in abundance at the stores and local orchards. A wonderful thing about making applesauce is it stays well for months in your freezer. One of my favorite ways to have applesauce is with grilled pork chops, caramelized onions and a little crumbled Gorgonzola. For a simple, gluten-free dessert that’s out of this world you can top vanilla ice cream with this warm homemade applesauce, whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce and a sprinkle of toasted apple crisp topping made with oats! This just may be my new favorite dessert! I buy our local Ashley’s vanilla ice cream and their caramel sauce when I make this incredible Applesauce-Caramel Sundae. So get into the holiday spirit and create those nostalgic memories for your kids, family and friends filling the house with simmering apples and cinnamon, a similar aroma to hot apple cider, that will stay with them forever. Hope you enjoy the show 🙂

Ingredients:

4 lbs. (10 apples) – an assortment of apples for well rounded flavors
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash of cloves (optional)
1 1/4 cup water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

FOR Applesauce-Caramel Sundae:

Your favorite “apple crisp topping” recipe made with oats toasted up in the oven on 400º in a bake dish until golden
1 Quart of your favorite local Ice creamery Vanilla and 1/2 pint of their caramel sauce
Whipped cream (1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tbsp confectioners sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, bourbon or whiskey)
Toasted apple crisp topping with oats

Directions:

Peel, core and slice apples into 8ths and place into large pan
Squeeze lemon juice on them slices as you go to prevent them from turning brown
Mix the brown and white sugar together
Sprinkle 1/2 the sugar on the apples
Add all of the cinnamon, nutmeg, (cloves -optional) salt and the water
Mix with a spoon and put on the stove over med/high bringing to a boil
Turn down and keep simmering for 20-25 minutes until softened
Taste and check sugar content, add the remaining sugar if you want sweeter
If you add the rest of the sugar simmer for a few more minutes til it melts
Remove from stove and let cool 5 minutes
Mash the apples with a potato masher, fork, whisk or add to food processor til you get the texture that you want – If you are using a food processor only fill 1/2 way then puree
Serve with a big grilled pork chop, topped with caramelized onions, and crumbled Gorgonzola or do up dessert with the Applesauce-Caramel Sundae…enjoy! 🙂

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

March 16, 2019October 18, 2015 by Michel

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

These homemade chocolate crackle cookies will make you feel like a baker of fine cookies. The snowy white confectioners sugar and the chocolaty brown cookie dough make a beautiful contrast when the cookies bake in the oven and make all those crackle lines. Now the inside is some what of a surprise when you first bite into it. By the looks you might think its a crunchy cookie. Then you sink your teeth in and that velvety texture hits your tongue, feeling lighter then you thought and then the chocolaty silkiness just melts away.

I have been baking these incredible chocolate crackle cookies for at least ten years and for the life of me I can’t remember where I got this recipe from. All my life I have always written down recipes that looked irresistible whenever I was in a waiting room with an assortment food or cooking magazines. So I unfortunately cannot give credit where credit is due. I did of course change the recipe a pinch with the baking time and chocolate used. It originally said 12-15 minutes but I only bake them for eight minutes with a five minute waiting period before I move them off the cookie sheet to a cooling rack this way they can solidify a bit more. Shortening the cooking time gives them softer, gooier center that melts in your mouth rather then a slightly firmer cookie. I use the confection on my oven because the bottom of my oven runs really hot on “bake” not being conducive for even cooking. The hot air circulates in confection mode in my oven giving a more consistent outcome. As for the chocolate, the recipe had called for Verona chocolate which might be difficult to find last minute so I have been using my Ghiradelli bittersweet or Perugina chocolate bars and those are both scrumptious!

This homemade gourmet chocolate crackle cookie just may become a holiday tradition for you and your family too. Easy to make, oh so chocolaty and melts in your mouth! What more could you ask for in a cookie? Hope you enjoy the show 🙂

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick of butter softened to room temp
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 lg eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 oz. bag of a bittersweet chocolate chips- Ghiradeli

Directions – Pre-heat oven to 350º to bake cookies :

Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and set aside
Place bitterswewet chips in a pan over double boiler and melt – you can use a microwave – heat 20 seconds and stir and 10 more seconds and stir but be very careful not to burn the chocolate in the microwave
Cream room temperature butter with light brown sugar in your Kitchen Aid mixer
Add in 2 eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition
Add vanilla and melted chocolate and beat briefly til combined
Alternatively, begin to add dry sifted ingredients and 1/3 cup of milk all awhile mixing
When completely mixed turn out dough onto 3 pieces of saran wrap
Fold up in saran wrap and shape dough into disks, chill at least 2 hrs. – overnight
You can also freeze at this point for a later date
Take dough out and cut into 1″ pieces
Roll each of the pieces into balls
As you shape the dough into balls place them into a bowl full of confectioners sugar and roll around to completely coat
After the balls are coated place them onto cookie sheet 2″ apart
You will need to periodically rinse you hands to remove the dough accumulating on them
NOTE: The dough rolls into balls the easiest when your hands are rinsed and a little damp
Bake for 8 minutes on 350º
Remove and let cool on the cookie tray for 5 minutes before you transfer the cookies to a cooling rack
Let cool completely before to stacking on serving plate

“Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake”

March 16, 2019August 17, 2015 by Michel

“Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake”

ghostpeepstwo The name “perfectly chocolate chocolate cake” pretty much sums it up right there although you won’t know how easy it is to make this homemade gourmet chocolaty cake until you give it a go! This incredible cake and frosting made from Hershey’s Cocoa Powder I have been making for almost 20 years now! Once you see how easy it is to make these moist and chocolaty homemade cakes you’ll never go back to the box again! Besides on my blog you can find these recipe’s right on the back of the Hershey’s Cocoa canister.

I was first turned on to the recipe by a mother-daughter baking team that I met about 20 years ago. They were professional baking contestants from the Midwest who had won numerous times. My quest at the time was to find the “perfect” chocolate cake and their answer was the Hershey’s Cocoa recipe. Not that the name itself on the back of the Hershey canister for this chocolate cake recipe wasn’t “perfect” enough I just couldn’t take the irony of it all so off I was trying out the recipe and baking this cake! It had such a lovely texture without being too dense or heavy. It was oh so chocolaty and moist to top it off. The amount of steps and effort put in to making this cake is pretty much equal to that of making a box cake so why would you ever resort back to making box ever again. You know me, I test other recipes to make sure I have the best and I always go back to the Hershey Cocoa recipe!

The Hershey’s “perfectly chocolate chocolate frosting” is one that should not be over looked either. The frosting is amazing and one of my favorite go to recipes totally blowing away that “canned” stuff with the plastic lid. I am really excited for these recipe’s to become a couple of your favorites too. You may find your friends and family requesting “your” perfectly chocolate cake for their next visit! I hope you enjoy the show!

You should check out my Green Goddess Dip & Sweet Potato Fries for an appetizer! what ever you do DON’T FORGET TO ROAST your PUMKIN SEEDS! And how about some green ghoul Best Guacamole Guacmole Ever! Or be creative with another dessert placing eatable eyballs on top a homemade Chocolate Meringue Pie!

guaca

ghostpeepstwo

Ingredients for Cake:

1 3/4 cups white sugar -(Hershey recipe calls for 2 cups white sugar)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey Cocoa
1 1/4 tsp baking powder -(Hershey recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda -(Hershey recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp)
NOTE: I like to use 1 1/4 tsp baking powder & 1 1/4 tsp baking soda instead of the “Hershey” recipe that calls for 1 1/2 tsp for both because this produces a cake that is a little more moist because it doesn’t rise fully, and sometimes I even use 1/2 tsp baking powder & 1/2 tsp baking soda for a cake that has more of a pudding texture (not too dense or heavy either …just pudding like) Have fun!
1 tsp salt
2 lg. eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

TO MAKE GHOST CAKE THIS IS WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Find at “Michaels Stores” No. 1-3 Find at “Fresh Market” No. 4

Ghost peeps
Eatable eyballs
Cookie Icing to write on small Hershey chocolate bars for tomb stone’s “RIP”
Spider web stretchy candy (stretchy cotton candy-like) – stretch all around base & in between chocolate bar tomb stone’s
Confectioner’s sugar sprinkled on top to look like a dusting of snow!
Hershey chocolate bars-small ones-write on back “RIP” with Icing in bottle SHOWN ABOVE
Glue candy eye’s and anchor tomb stone’s to cake with the cookie icing

Directions for Cake…NOTE- I Bake My Cake On Convection:

Pre-heat oven to 350º
Grease and flour 2 – 9″ round baking pans
Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine
Add in eggs, milk vanilla and oil and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes
Stir in 1 cup boiling water til combined (batter will be thin)
Pour evenly into cake pans
Bake for 30-35 minutes –NOTE: I ALWAYS take the cake out at 30 minutes!
Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes
Remove cakes from pans, place on cookie racks to cool completely before frosting
I cool for 1 hour then immediately frost the cake

Ingredients for Frosting:

1 stick of butter melted
2/3 cup Hershey Cocoa
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1/3 cup plus 1-2 tbsp milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions for Frosting:

Melt butter and add to lg bowl
Add in Hershey Cocoa and vanilla and whisk til smooth
Alternate adding in a tbsp of milk and 1/4 powdered sugar while beating on medium speed til smooth
When texture is smooth add in more milk and powdered sugar until all is gone and it’s the thick creamy consistency you want

Homemade Berry Granita

May 4, 2018July 17, 2015 by Michel

Homemade Berry Granita

Homemade berry granita is similar to a sorbet or an Italian ice and gives you the same happy feeling as eating ice cream but can be made with out all that hard work. Granita is made in three simple steps – purée, freeze and scrape. How simple is that? Most recipes for granita have you making a simple syrup by boiling the water and melting the sugar but I find that unnecessary. Instead, I substitute the sugar with Agave Nectar this way you add it right to the berries in the blender! Yeah!

Granita actually originated in Sicily and is a frozen treat made all over the world. In Quebec they call it a slushy or a slurry. This frozen treat can also be made into a after dinner dessert for adults by adding in a jigger or two of rum to give it a little kick. Another great idea is serving granita between meals as a palate cleanser to clear the taste buds for next course as an elegant presentation to your dinner party.

In my homemade granita recipe I have also simplified the freezing steps. Instead of scraping with a fork every 45 minutes just wait the three hours or so until the entire dish is frozen and then scrape with a fork at the end like we do in the show. This way it’s less time consuming and a smoother, easier surface to work with all awhile still coming out fluffy and delicious! I think you and your family and friends will really enjoy the simplicity of this delicious frozen treat.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup cold water
2 tbsp agave nectar or honey (Optional)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Juice from 1 lime
1 bunch fresh peppermint leaves

Directions:

Wash and dry fruit
Squeeze juice from lemons and lime
Hull strawberries and slice in half
Place all berries into blender
Add citrus, H20 and agave
Blender for 20 seconds til pureed
Pour into a Pyrex dish
OPTIONAL: Add in 1-2 jiggers of rum, stir and freeze
OPTIONAL: You can give a stir before its frozen around the 45 minute mark BUT this is not a necessary step (as you see in the show we did not get around to this)
Freeze for approx. 3 hours
Pull out from freezer and begin to scrape with a fork until fluffy
Spoon into martini glasses and top with fresh mint

Homemade Chocolate Pecan Pie at Barbara’s

April 20, 2019June 16, 2015 by Michel

Homemade Chocolate Pecan Pie at Barbara’s

Barbara’s homemade chocolate pecan pie is like nothing you’ve had before. Not only do you get that gooey texture with a hint of nutty caramel because it’s a pecan pie but a chocolaty finish slides right on in and makes you say wow! Gooey, nutty, caramel, chocolate …need I say MORE? In fact, it is plenty chocolaty so if you wanted to nibble on those “special dark” Hershey’s chocolate chips while you are making the pie feel free it wouldn’t make the pie any less delicious.

When Barbara first delivered her scrumptious homemade pecan pie to my house I was beside myself. I just couldn’t believe my eyes and with an invitation to her Christmas Eve party to top it off which she also cooks for. I later found out that she makes seventy pies that get hand delivered with the invite to her party. It all began fifteen years ago at a surprise party her husband Peter threw for her where stories evolved of first meetings with Barbara and her gifts of homemade chocolate pecan pie. From that point on the pie numbers grew and it now totals out at around 72 pies.

This gourmet chocolate pecan pie of Barbara’s has become a tradition for many of the families on her pie list that wait in anticipation of her delivery in order to take the pie to their relatives on Christmas Day. This pie freezes extremely well and slicing it before freezing making for easy removal without having to thaw the whole pie is ideal. I must say though eating my slice right out of the freezer before it thaws is my new favorite way…wait til you try it!

Barbara is very busy in the month of December when all the pies get baked and delivered. She does get things going back in September though putting in an order for a twenty-two pound box of pecans from Georgia which arrive around Thanksgiving time. Then the whole process takes off from the chopping of the pecans in the food processor, measuring exact amounts placed into baggies and stored in the frig , to purchasing large bottles of Karo syrup that are shelved until needed and so on until December is upon her and the baking begins.

This truly is a labor of love for Barbara and I’m very grateful to have become a part of this amazing tradition and see first hand how inspirational she is. You can see for yourself and hear some of the extremely funny stories that go along with Barbara’s pie making in my “Homemade Chocolate Pecan Pie Show” above. I hope you enjoy the show and now you too can make this blueberrypie homemade chocolate pecan pie part of your family tradition. If you have the time and are only making a pie or two you can check out my “Perfect Pie Crust In 5 Minutes Recipe” or even my “Best Blueberry Pie!” recipe if you are looking to have a second pie 😉

Ingredients – Pre-Heat oven to 375º:

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (on the finer side but NOT a powder)
handful pecan halves for decoration
6 oz. HERSHEY’S Special Dark chocolate chips (full bag for 2 pies)
1 cup light Karo corn syrup -NOTE: Spraying the inside of measuring cup with Pam vegetable or coconut oil will help the Karo syrup ease out (full bottle of Karo for 2 pies)
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup melted butter and cooled to ROOM TEMPERATURE or LUKE WARM
1 1/2 Tsp pure vanilla
4 lg eggs lightly beaten (WITHOUT any frothiness occurring)
1 pkg. Pillsbury Prepared Pie Crusts ROOM TEMPERATURE@ (2 crusts inside)
1 tsp all purpose flour
1 – 9″ deep dish pie plate

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375º
Place out rolled out pie crust in the deep dish pie plate
Form edges like a scallop shell as shown in show above, then put into the refrigerator until its needed
In a large bowl mix cooled-melted butter & sugar with a spatula, you are NOT CREAMING the two just stir to combine
Add in Karo Syrup and stir
Then add in vanilla and whisked eggs, don’t want froth so just stir to combine
Mix in chocolate chips, stir
Then add in ground pecans, mix with a spatula
Pour into pie shell
Decorate the top of the pie with pecan halves
Add rim covering on top of pie so crust does not burn if using A Prepared Pie Crust from the store
NOTE: No need to cover my HOMEMADE PIE CRUST with rim covering because it won’t burn
In a 375º pre-heated oven, place the chocolate pecan pie on the lowest rack so the top doesn’t burn and if the top begins to get too dark towards the end place a piece of foil over the pie for the duration
Let cool slightly, slice and serve with bourbon, scotch, wine, coffee or milk…oh and also great with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream 😉
Freezes incredibly well- make sure to cut into slices before you freeze for easy removal. In fact, I love the texture of having the chocolate pecan pie right out of the freezer without thawing! – you should try it this way 🙂

Energy Smoothies 101 VIDEO

March 16, 2019March 10, 2015 by Michel

Energy Smoothies 101 Recipe and VIDEO

Making homemade smoothies is such an ideal way to get so many wonderful nutritients into one beverage and not compromise on taste! These gourmet energy smoothies are absolutely scrumptious! Who doesn’t love a smoothie and now with all the high tech appliances available out there just for puréeing vegetables into drinks you can’t go wrong. Those juicers can get a little pricey though and an average Waring blender can get the job done too! So don’t feel like you can’t join in if you’re a novice to all this and start making your own homemade gourmet energy smoothies if you haven’t spent the dough…no pun intended 🙂 Yes, you can make your own!

My energy smoothies 101 recipes and video start you off with some basics on how to create these delicious energy smoothies. I make it easy for you with a proven lists of ingredients that taste incredible and help your body to feel good too. Granted, there’s always that afternoon cup of joe that you can grab for a boost and let me tell you I do love my caffeinated beverages! Standing by my coffee pot in the morning in anticipation of pouring that first cup is how I begin my day. Then there’s mid-afternoon when we all seem to need that extra zing to keep us going and that’s when I usually go for my cup of tea which has sentimental reasons for me as well reminding me of my Grandmother and I having tea and crackers together when I was very little. BUT when I add an energy smoothie into my day I definitely feel the difference with more of a long lasting energy and good feeling surge!

Making these energy-power smoothies will give you that “feel good” energy surge and when we are feeling up it puts us in a good mood! There are studies that show an anti-inflammatory diet that is high in protein really does have an effect on our moods and increases our stamina… who doesn’t need that!

While doing some research on high protein and anti-inflammatory diets I was recently turned on to Muscle Milk. Muscle Milk is a product that a lot of athletes use because it’s great for after work out recovery. It’s also formulated for people who are lactose sensitive, it’s gluten free and they do carry a line of Muscle Milk Light too. Best of all, while offering up all that great protein it taste scrumptious in my first “tropical vanilla energy smoothie”! The vanilla Muscle Milk compliments the vanilla Greek yogurt making for a creamy tropical flavor. It’s truly a tropical vanilla flavor that’s luscious.

My second smoothie is called the “green zinger” because the spinach turns it green and the fresh grated ginger gives it that underlying needed zing. This may me one of the most unique and delicious smoothies I have come up with. Maybe it’s because I absolutely adore the taste of fresh ginger and honey together and if you haven’t had this combo yet please put it on your bucket list! Fresh grated ginger and honey with a little squeeze of lemon will send your tea through the roof in flavor…please try it 🙂

And last but not least is my third smoothie called “the berry-beta bomb” where the color alone is enough to make you smile. There is a small amount of beets in this smoothie which give you a unique source of that wonderful nutrient called betaine. Betaine is like a power nutrient that protects our cells from stress which help fight inflammation and at the same time caring more iron than even spinach…woo hoo I say who’s better that you! I have you baking the beets for a no fuss way to cook them. If you are not big on beets try the golden beets or chioggia striped beets which you can find at Whole Foods or our local Bishop Orchards because they are definitely milder in flavor and it’s important to have them in this smoothie.

When you make your homemade batch of smoothies don’t forget to freeze a small amount in containers. That’s take some of the work out of your next round and makes for refreshing little energy snacks in the afternoon. I take them right out of the freezer and eat them like an Italian ice. Make sure to watch my show on how to make these babies! Enjoy and stay healthy!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TROPICAL VANILLA SMOOTHIE W/ MUSCLE MILK:

1 cup Muscle Milk
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 cup frozen cut-up mangoes
1 cup frozen cut-up peaches
2/3 cup frozen cut-up bananas
3 tbsp honey

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GREEN ZINGER SMOOTHIE:

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 cups unsweetened apple juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup frozen cut-up mangoes
1 cup frozen cup-up peaches
2/3 cup frozen cut-up bananas
1 heaping tbsp fresh zested ginger
3 tbsp honey

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BERRY-BETA BOMB SMOOTHIE:

1 1/2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup roasted beet – diced up (If you are not a big beet lover use lighter colored beets like golden beets, or Chioggia beets – the striped beets because they are more mellow in flavor
TO COOK BEETS: Cut stems off of beets 1/2″ up on stem from actual base of beet, wash and dry the beets, place them in a small shallow baking dish like a pie plate, cover with foil snugly and bake for 1 hr. When beets are done, let them cool and then peel off skin with your fingers.
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen cut-up peaches
3 tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS FOR ALL SMOOTHIES:

Place ingredients into blender and puree til smooth.
You use frozen fruits in these energy smoothie 101 recipes but feel free to add crushed ice as well to add in volume and help keep them frosty.
Keep in the frig if you are drinking right away or put into several small containers and freeze to have at a later time.
If you do freeze them in containers just take out from freezer when ready and let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes and stir to drink or eat them right out of the frigerator scrapping with a spoon like an Italian ice! Enjoy!

(Note: Muscle Milk is not a paid sponsor at this time I just happen to really like the product 🙂