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! :♥)

Eating Bird Food!

http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/myrecipes/

This place has a few pretty awesome recipes for healthy eating... i`m dying to try these! Click on the picture if you like to try them yourself! :♥)

Pumpkin Spiced Nutty Granola

Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter

Spiced Banana Bread

No Sugar Added Apple Butter

Butternut Squash & Red Lentil Soup

Quinoa Leek Corn Chowder

The Green Elvis

Southwestern Quinoa

"Almond Joy" Cheesecake

mm mm What has chocolate, coconut and almonds with cream cheese? Like the candy bar "Almond Joy" and cheesecake? With the toasted coconut, crunchy almonds and a creamy center, You'll L♥VE this recipe of  "Almond Joy" Cheesecake!!  :♥)

• Crust:
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Filling:
• 3 packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar 
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned cream of coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Topping:
• 1/2 cup canned cream of coconut
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• Toasted coconut
• Sliced almonds
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. 
• CRUST: In a bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, coconut, almonds and salt. Stir in melted butter until dry ingredients are lightly moistened. Press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  Bake for 10 minutes then set aside for filling!
• 
  
• FILLING: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and 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 vanilla, cream of coconut and salt. Pour filling onto crust. 
• 
  
• Bake for 1 hour, until filling is set but still a bit jiggly in center (it will firm up as it cools). cool on a wire rack for 1 hour
• 
  
• TOPPING: Pour cream of coconut and heavy cream into a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until mixture is just simmering. In a bowl, pour mixture over chocolate and whisk until melted and mixture is smooth. Let it cool. Pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup topping over cheesecake, spreading. 
• 
  
• Garnish with toasted coconut and sliced almonds. Chill until chocolate mixture has set, about 10 minutes. Run a sharp paring knife around inside of pan; release sides. Slice and serve.
• 

Ciabatta Bread

This is a rustic rectangle like bread with big, airy holes in it and a crisp crust surrounding its soft interior. It requires a preparation of a starter which has to rise overnight. The remaining ingredients are then mixed with the starter and then rise for several more hours. This is my first time making it! Here is where I found the recipe! :♥)

For Starter (Biga)

1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 cup water, at body temperature
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

~For starter, mix yeast and water to dissolve. Mix in flour by hand and stir just until blended (no lumps). Mixture will be very wet and sticky. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. One cup of this mixture will be needed for the bread.

over 12 hours later

For Bread
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
3 tablespoons 2% milk, at room temperature
2/3 cup water, at body temperature
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt cornmeal, for baking 

~Stir yeast and milk and mix in the bottom of the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add yeast, water, oil, starter and mix with the paddle until blended (or dough can be mixed by hand in a bowl with a wooden spoon).

~Switch to the dough hook and add flour and salt in, kneading on low speed for 2 minutes, then increasing to next speed up, kneading for 3 minutes. Slap the dough with your hand in the bowl, until it feels stretchy and springs back. Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover bowl with plastic and set in a draft-free, warm area to rise for about 60 minutes. The dough should have lots of big air bubbles visible when ready. 

not alot of airy bubbles but there are some there!

~Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll up into a cylinder (like you would for a loaf or bread), but then stretch and pull the flexible dough into a rectangle about 20 inches by 8 inches. Cut dough in half (so that each piece is about 10-x-4-inches) and place each on 2 parchment-lined baking trays sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover loaves gently with a slightly damp tea towel and let rise another 90 minutes.

I made buns from mine :)

Raising again, I was too impatient and only did 45mins

~Preheat oven to 425 F and place a baking tray upside down in oven to heat. Remove hot tray from oven, and slide parchment with bread onto hot tray and return to oven quickly. Spray tops of loaves with a little water, close oven quickly and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, spraying again with water after 10 minutes.

These were used for hamburgers! I didnt know how big they would get, so I could have made 8-10 buns instead of 6! Not bad for my first time but I think I'll follow the rising times of the recipe and not be so impatient. This recipe is sooo good, a keeper for sure! :♥)