Meyer Lemon Bars

and what do you do when life gives you meyer lemons? mmake meyer lemons bars!!

here is a recipe to try http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/meyer-lemon-bars/

none of my local grocery places have meyer lemons. before christmas we went to costco and we saw lemons, not only normal lemons but MEYER lemons. omg i love this lemon sooo much, we took some of the seeds and we planted them! and guess what? one is growing now!!

went back to costco on thursday and boooom they had them again so i had to make some more bars and take some more seeds!

Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Tart

Just made a pumpkin caramel pecan cheesecake tart... i say tart because i only had 2 packages of cream cheese lol I took my cheesecake recipe, added 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Then made caramel and added pecans! :♥)

Fig "newtons" Bars

Bought some frozen figs and didnt know what to do so ...fig newtons it is!

The recipe I got from here: Fig newtons

Filling:
1 cup finely chopped dried Black Mission figs
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup apple juice (I used a little more apple juice and a little less water)
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon grated orange zest

Cookie Dough:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 large egg white
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

(If I were you, I’d make a batch and a half of dough to go with a single batch of filling…otherwise, you’re going to have leftover filling…which you could use as a spread…kind of similar to apple butter…but with figs.)

1. Make the filling: Combine the figs, water, apple juice and sugar in a medium sauceapan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a bare simmer for 1-2 hours until the figs are so soft that they’re spreadable.

2. Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the orange zest and process until smooth. Remove from the food processor and allow to cool. (I made it the night before.)

3. Make the dough: Cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Add the egg white and vanilla and beat in. Scrape down the bowl and paddle again. Add the flour and beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. (I refrigerated it overnight…it was easier to work with that way!)

4. Place racks in middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12 x 16 rectangle. Cut into 4 equal strips, each 12 x 4 inches. Spoon a line of filling down the center of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges together. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheets, seam side down. (Don’t roll the dough into a rectangle this large if you want your job to be easy…I rolled the dough a little smaller and a little thicker and it worked great!)

6. Using a serrated knife, slice each log on the diagonal into 10 cookies. (I popped them in the freezer for 10 minutes before slicing them.) Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins

I wanted to get to my blueberries before the birds did so I hunted and found this recipe. I added lemon juice to the milk! :♥)

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins 
recipe by just another day in paradise

Streusel Topping
3 Tablespoons white sugar
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 Tablespoons melted butter

Muffins
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/8 cups sugar, plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon water
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 with rack in the middle.

First make the streusel topping. Combine sugars and flour. Then slowly pour in the butter. You may or may not need all of it. Slowly combine with a fork until it comes together in a crumb mixture. Set the topping aside.

Place 1 cup of the blueberries into a small sauce pan. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and the water.
Heat over med high heat and mash potato masher (or a fork). Stir and cook for until mixture reduces and thickens. About 6 minutes. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Whisk sugar and eggs together in mixer. Combine until thick completely mixed. Slowly mix in butter and oil until combined. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla. Using a spatula, carefully fold egg mixture and remaining cup of blueberries into the flour mixture until the batter is just moistened. The batter will be lumpy, there will be some flour spots in there AND it is okay, that is how it supposed to look. Take your muffin pan filled with paper liners and fill up each muffin cup. 

Next, grab the blueberry sauce made earlier. Dollop about a teaspoon in the middle of every muffin. Then swirl it through. Now it is time to top delightful with more delightful. Generously top each muffin with the streusel topping.

Bake muffins at 425 degrees for 17-19 minutes until tops are golden brown. Cool muffins for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and let them cool slightly longer before serving.

That is if you can wait that slightly longer. If you can't...not my fault if you burn your tongue!

Da Cinnamon Roll

my one and only recipe i'll ever use again for cinnamon rolls!

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening until crumble.

Stir in buttermilk to form a soft dough. Roll out dough on a lightly floured into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.

Spread some butter

Sprinkle some brown sugar, cinnamon and a little nutmeg.

Roll up the rectangle, with a sharp knife slice into pieces however thickness you want. 

bake at 350 or 375 until golden brown, about 15-20 mins.

Best Banana Bread

this is a keeper for sure! :♥)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

4 bananas, finely crushed

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and crushed bananas. Combine well.

Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla. Pour into greased and floured or parchment lined loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Keeps well, refrigerated.

Homemade whole wheat Cheese Crackers

man i love love pinterest, there are so many great things on there, including awesome simple delish recipes, like these cheddar crackers! Cheesy with a little kick! :♥) 

1 1/2 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

4 tbsp unsalted butter, soften and diced

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (you can use white)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350˚

Place everything except the milk in a food processor. Pulse the processor, 5 seconds at a time, for about 5 or 6 times, until the dough is in coarse crumbs. Add the milk and process until the dough gathers together in a ball.

Roll the dough out on a floured board with a rolling pin that has been floured until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Place the crackers at least ¼ inch apart on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown.  Place the baking sheet on a rack and let the crackers cool completely. Eat! Or store in a covered container to eat within a day or two.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

sometimes you have to wonder what exactly they put in pet food. most times you are paying for junk filler stuffs. since getting rosco and him getting sick on beneful puppy food, i am more cautious on what i give him. so i found some great homemade healthy doggy treats! :♥)

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 large eggs

2/3 cup pumpkin purée, canned or fresh

3 tbsps peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Place all ingredients in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium for about a minute or until the dough looks like a bunch of little dough balls. If you pinch a piece and it crumbles, add a little water.

 If it’s really sticky, it’s too wet and you’ll need to add a little flour. Gather the dough together and form into a ball. Place on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to about 1/4-inch thickness. You can either use a cookie cutter to cut out cute shapes or use a knife to cut squares or strips.

Place the cookies on a baking sheet. They can be crowded pretty close together since they don’t expand much. Bake 15-20 minutes for softer treats or 30 minutes for hard treats! :♥)

these are Rosco approved!!

found the recipe on pinterest 

the caramel dip

i love love my caramel apple dip! its only three ingredients! Block of cream cheese, 1/4 cup brown sugar and half a can of dulce de leche sweetened condensed milk. whip together. topped with pecans and drizzled with more dulce de leche! that easy! :♥)

French Onion Soup

i made homemade french onion soup and its sooooooooooooooo good!! i used mozza cheese though cause i dont like swiss cheese and gruyere is in the swiss family, also used red wine instead of the cider! lol i saw this being made in a masterclass on masterchef austrailia and talk about drool. 

the recipes at

http://www.masterchef.com.au/recipes/french-onion-soup-with-gruyere-toasts.htm

or below

1 tablespoon olive oil

50gbutter

2kgbrown onions, peeled and thinly sliced (chill to minimise vapours)

200ml dry good quality cider (or sherry or Armagnac)

1Lhomemade beef stock

2fresh bay leaves

2thyme sprigs

2sprigs rosemary

8 x 1cmthick slices of sourdough ficelle (Iggy’s bread) or small baguette, lightly toasted

250gcoarsely grated gruyere

100gfinely grated parmesan

1. Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan over a medium low heat. Add onions, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized.

2. Add stock, the bay leaf, thyme and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to a simmer, simmer soup uncovered for 10-20 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3. Ladle soup into ½ cup capacity oven-proof bowls set on an oven tray. Sprinkle a little gruyere and parmesan onto the top of each bowl of soup. Top each with two slices of toasted ficelle then sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Place under a hot grill for 3-5 minutes of until cheese is melted and light golden. 

Dark Chocolate Pecan Cookies

simple yet delicious cookie! gotta love pecans!

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup pecans 

1 cup dark chocolate chips

cream first three, scrape sides. add one egg at a time. add vanilla. blend and mix in remaining ingredients. spoon on parchment lined pan or stoneware pan. bake at 365 for 8-10 mins or until golden brown!

melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips with 1 tbsp peanut butter, drizzle over cookies! :♥)

topped Whole Wheat Cookies

these turned out really well, i love my simple basic recipe for cookies and do a twist like add whole wheat flour instead! you only need a thin coat of chocolate, they also get softer the next day.

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

cream first three, scrape sides. add one egg at a time. add vanilla. blend and mix in remaining ingredients. spoon on parchment lined pan or stoneware pan. bake at 365 for 8-10 mins or until golden brown!

melt 1 cup dark chocolate chips with 3 tbsp peanut butter, spread over cookies and sprinkle with your choice of nuts! :♥)

Butter Rum Caramels

Caramel Asian Pears

Lemon Blueberry Macaroons

Chocolate Chip Cookies

best cookie there is! :♥)

1 cup crisco golden shortening (chilled)

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 bag dark chocolate chips

cream first three, scrape sides. add one egg at a time. add vanilla. blend and mix in remaining ingredients. spoon on parchment lined pan or stoneware pan. bake at 365 for 8-10 mins or until golden brown! 

Beavertails!

Ever since I had my first Beavertail topped with apple pie filling, I have been wanting to see if I can make it myself! What I made was so finger licking good, soft and crispy with a sweet cinnamon crust, like the brand name! In this batch I had to use bananas instead of eggs, they act like a great binding agent which is what an egg does. You will get a hint of banana but OMG.. bet its better than eggs! :♥)

1/2 cup warm water

5 tsp dry yeast 

1 pinch sugar

1 cup warm milk

1/3 cup sugar

 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs or 2 small ripen bananas(mashed,no lumps)

1/3 cup oil

4 1/4-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water with pinch of sugar, allow to stand for a couple of minutes. In another bowl, stir together sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs or bananas, oil, salt then add to the yeast, blend. Add in 4 cups of flour and knead 5-8 minutes by hand or with a dough hook, adding flour as needed to form a firm yet soft, smooth, elastic dough. 

Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise about 30 minutes. Gently deflate and knead for 30 seconds and then pinch off a golf ball size and stretch into a beaver like tail shape, thinning them out and enlarging them as you go like a pizza.  

In a deep fryer about 375 temp, fry the dough, turning only once until the undersides are golden brown or a little darker.


 Toss the tails in some cinnamon and sugar to lightly dust the dough!

Serve warm! You can try different toppings like jam or apple pie filling or chocolate or whip cream, fruits and nuts for added yumminess! 

Here is the site http://www.beavertailsinc.com/ to get ideas from!

christmas goodies!

For the past 5 years I have been baking my christmas gifts, this year..

..i made brownies, pecan pie bars, pumpkin truffles, its not a snicker but a chuckle bars, peanut butter balls, fudgeeo truffles, almond joy, lemon squares, pumpkin cake balls, nutter balls and nutella meringues! :♥)

turtle almond joy cheesecake

so rich and so good! i made this with my cheesecake recipe, caramel recipe and pecan pie filling recipe, also i spread nutella on the graham cracker crust and toasted coconut for the pecan topping! i love baking, bet these would be great as squares for my dream bakeshop! :♥) 

Edited: It was a hit when I served it at the new years dinner, also made chocolate cake and lemon pie that was good! It was a wonderful fun time! :♥) 

Nutella Meringue Cookies

These are so good, just like eating a ferrero rocher lol I do recommend not adding the fluff unless you want a sweeter cookie or just going to eat one! I personally dont like sweeter-er things! :♥)

1 cup powdered sugar

2/3 cup ground almonds 

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

jar of fluff and jar of nutella to spread 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a food processor, grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps. Using a standing electric mixer and at slow-medium speeds, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, gradually beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag.

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1/2-inch circles. Tap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the meringues, then bake them for 15 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

To assemble, you match up similar sized meringues. Depending on size of meringues, spread 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of nutella on one cookie’s inside and fluff on the other side, and then gently press the matching cookie on top, forming a sandwich. 

You can store in an airtight container or in the fridge for at least one day before serving and the meringues can keep up to 5 days, after that they may be stored in the freezer up to 3 months!

Shortbread Stackers

I had some left over dark chocolate ganache so I baked some shortbread cookies from my "melt in your mouth" shortbread recipe, flattened them and smothered the bottoms with ganache then top another cookie and boom.. instant shortbread stackers, soo good :♥) 

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Made Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes for the first time! You need patience when baking especially these bad boys because you have to have the cake and cream cooled down before you start assembly. Otherwise you get runny cream...even the next day :(  My cream filling turned out so beautiful.. until i assembled in the warm cakes. Lesson learned when making or even baking anything. No wonder there are blast chillers on TV! :♥)

Cream Filling:

4 Large Egg Yolks (save whites for the cake)

1 1/2 cups Milk (whole or 2%)

1/3 cup Sugar

2 tbsp Cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Whisk all ingredients together cold, then add to high heat until thickens (5-6 minutes) constantly whisking. I mean it, dont stop whisking or your eggs will cook and you have a lumpy mess. Switch arms if need be but once you put on the heat, dont stop whisking.. even for a second. It only takes a second to get burnt bottom and nasty lumps!

Cake/Cupcakes:

1 cup Sugar

1/3 cup Butter (melted)

4 Egg Whites

3/4 cup Milk

2 cups Cake Flour 

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 tsp Salt

Mix all in a bowl, Pour in cupcake liners in muffin tin and bake on 350 for about 15-20 minutes or 35 minutes if you are making a cake not cupcakes.

Chocolate Topping:

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

Bag of chocolate chips 

Warm cream and melt chocolate in the cream. Top cake! :♥)

Coffee vs Tea

Fun facts! :♥)

http://greatist.com/health/why-coffee-and-tea-are-amazing-for-you/

Da Brownie!

I am totally in love with my brownie recipe! :♥)

Lemon Cheesecake Cookies

What do you do when you have left over lemon cheesecake squares? hehe I guess the real question is why  would you have left overs?  I suppose I could have frozen it but not when I was craving cookies! So I took  my favorite basic cookie recipe and cubed up the squares smaller and voila, lemony creamy goodness! :♥)

1 cup Butter 

2 Eggs

1 cup Brown Sugar 

2 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp Salt 

1 tsp Baking Soda 

2 cups Lemon Cheesecake (cubed)

In a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar! Add in eggs, one at a time. 

Add flour, salt and baking soda and combine together well. 

Fold in the chopped lemon cheesecake. 

Spoon on baking stone or parchment line cookie sheet, 

Bake at 365 for 8-10 minutes or golden brown! :♥) 

Acorn Squash and Red Lentil Soup

1 large chopped Onion

1 cup chopped Carrots

1 tsp Roasted Garlic paste

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 can Red Lentils

1 large roasted Acorn Squash (cubed)

1 box (900ml) of Vegetable Broth

A pinch or two each of Dried basil, oregano, thyme, black pepper, parsley and sea salt.

Heat oil in a large soup pot, and sauté the onion, carrots and garlic for about 5 minutes or until the onions are tender. Add lentils, squash and broth to the pot. Add the seasonings and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

I modified the recipe from http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/myrecipes/butternut-squash-and-red-lentil-soup/ to what I had available! :♥)

Lemon Cheesecake

When I made the Almond Joy Cheesecake I couldnt wait to make one in lemon! Lemony things have been a craving staple these days and wow.. pucker up cause these is soo good! 

Crust:

2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

2 tbsp Honey

1/4 cup Butter Melted

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. 
• In a bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and salt. Stir in melted butter  and honey until dry ingredients are lightly moistened. Press mixture into bottom of  9 x 13 pan.
• 
  
• Cream Cheese Middle:
• 3 packages of cream cheese
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 3 Large Eggs
• Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and add in sugar until well combined and light. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and beat again until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again. Beat in lemon zest and juice and salt. Pour filling onto crust.  Bake for 30 mins until done.
• 
  
• Lemon Topping:
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 2 large Lemons (zest and juice)
• 1/2 cup Lemon Juice (i like extra lemony taste)
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1 1/2 cup Boiling Hot Water
• 3 tbsp Chilled Butter
• In a medium pot, whisk up the sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon zest and juices with the yolks until well blended. Place on stove, on med heat; whisk in the boiling hot water and whisk until it thickens, remove from heat and add in chilled butter! Top on the cream cheese cake and chill for hours. Best the next day! :♥)