A Quarter Century

So on Monday, Jared turned 25. GASP!!

We celebrated with lots of family, two days in a row. We got to see WWZ, which was extreme, frightening, and intriguing. Neither of us are really into the zombie scene, but we were entertained and pleased at the end. Some die-hard zombie fans wouldn't like this movie though since the zombies move uncharacteristically fast. I just thought it gave them an added frightening edge. I did get REALLY good as zombie impressions. Ask me to do it for you. I make Jared jump every time.

We finally had a chance to celebrate the way I had planned, on Wednesday. Although frustrated at the time, at not being able to make a special dinner and dessert on his actual birthday, good things come to those who wait. Check out the good things we ate.


 Jared loves pie. So we, meaning I, made a raspberry apple pie for dessert. While that was baking, we made dinner. Chicken cordon blue. Another of Jared's faves. He kept saying I could just buy the box kind, but seriously? No. I always opt for homemade when possible.

 Apple Raspberry Pie

Crust
Mix 2 1/2 C flour, 1/3 C sugar, 1/4 tsp salt. 
Cut in 1 C cold butter until it makes pea sized lumps.
Add 1/4 C ICE water until mixed, again use cutting technique to combine.
Roll out into 2 crusts.

Filling 
(adapted from Sur la Table)
8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 C frozen raspberries
2 TB fresh lemon juice
4 TB unsalted butter
1/2 C sugar
3 TB all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon


Toss the apples and raspberries with the lemon juice in a large bowl. In a large skillet, melt 2 TB butter over medium high heat. Add half the fruit mixture and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Cook, stirring often for about 7 minutes, or until the apples are barely tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl or baking sheet, and add the remaining fruit, butter and sugar to the skillet, cooking for 7 minutes until barely tender. Let the filling cool completely, then sprinkle the flour and cinnamon over the filling and toss well to coat. 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour your work surface and first roll crust out. Using the rolling pin, transfer the first crust into the bottom of the pie pan and pierce with a fork. The crust should hang slightly over the edges. Next, gently spoon the filling into the crust. Roll out second crust, and again using the rolling pin, gently lay the second crust on top of the filling. Trim the edges of the crusts and press them together using a fork. Slice a few holes in the top crust to let steam escape as the pie bakes. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 375 with foil around the edges. Then turn the heat down to 350 degrees, remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. 

Let cool before serving. This allows the pie to hold its shape, and it wont ooze as it does in the above picture (we didn't want to wait). 

Note. We made this pie on Wednesday. Today is Saturday and there is only one piece left. Jared last night said, "I love pie for every meal." And that's how he's been having it.

 Chicken Cordon Blue
from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook
adapted to make 2 servings and fit our needs

2 chicken breasts
2 slices quality ham (about 1/16 in thick)
2 slices swiss cheese (about 1/24 in thick)
butter

IKEA gravy sachet
Fresh steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Lay out a piece of plastic wrap, put the chicken breasts on it, and cover with an additional piece of plastic wrap. Pound the chicken breasts flat, and attempt to do this into the shape of a rectangle, with the smooth edge of a meat mallet. If you don't have one, a wooden spoon also works. 
Remove plastic wrap and place ham and swiss on top of flattened chicken.
Roll chicken up and secure with a toothpick. Note, if you don't have a tooth pick, pieces of raw spaghetti noodles also work. 
In a hot skillet, melt some butter and cook the chicken breasts until the juices run clear and there are no pink spots left in the chicken. Note, we cooked on low-med heat covered with a lid for the first 10 minutes. Then we removed the lid and turned up the heat to give it a nice brown crisp, about another 10-15 minutes. 

Serve with veggies and gravy. Don't forget to remove the toothpicks before eating.  If you use spaghetti noodles, you can eat them. 

Those Pretty Pumpkin Cakes

I made them twice, once to experiment and take pictures, the second time for the shower. My husband was delighted both times, since he has the title of Taste Tester # 1 in our household.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
From SmittenKitchen

1/2 C Butter at room temperature
1 C dark brown sugar
1/3 C white sugar
2 eggs (large) at room temperature
 ******
2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

*******
1/2 C buttermilk + 1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 C canned pumpkin
 *******
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place cupcake liners in pan.


1. Beat butter and sugars together until fluffy.

2. Sift all the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.  

3. Add eggs one at a time to sugar mixture, making sure each is fully incorporated. 

4. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture to the sugar mixture. Make sure to begin and end with flour. 

5. Beat in pumpkin until smooth.

6. Scoop batter into liners until they are 3/4 full. 

7. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. 

8. Cool completely before frosting. I saw this decorating technique on another website and decided I had to try to replicate. I was personally proud of the results.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

12 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 C butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp maple extract
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2-3 cup powdered sugar

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Try not to eat too much of it so you have enough to frost with. 

My favorite cookie

Fall is here and winter is around the corner, I can feel it on the night air. One of the very best things about this season is cookies and hot chocolate.

These cookies are my personal favorite chocolate chip cookie. Not too thin, chewy, buttery, and filled with rich morsels of dark chocolate, high quality ingredients make the best chocolate chip cookies. All together, PERFECTION. Another reason they are my favorite, they are the ones mom always made on those cold afternoons while we kids were playing in the snow.

Argue if you will, but I'm sticking to it. I have made many other chocolate chip cookie recipes, as most people have done, and while I believe there are many recipes out there better than others, I also firmly believe that everyone has their own personal preferences. For example, my sister likes her chocolate chip cookies thinner than thin. Also, I think making chocolate chip cookies with shortening is a sin. I NEVER do that, even if the recipe calls for it. Gasp, oh no! She said she hates my favorite cookies. I'm not sorry. You can have more to yourself.

Do your own chocolate chip cookie hunt to find your favorite. I have learned in my research that the cookies taste better when your butter and eggs have been allowed to reach room temperature naturally. I also know that allowing the dough to rest overnight either in the fridge will help the flavors to soothe into eachother, making a richer and more flavorful cookie. Usually, I can't wait that long, and these cookies are delicious regardless. In your hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, if you start here, you definitely will not have far to go.

From the tattered pages of my mom's Betty Crocker's The Cooky Book
revised to my preferences and presented for your enjoyment, ladies and gentleman!

THE Chocolate Chip Cookie

2/3 C Butter at room temperature
1/2 C Turbinado sugar
1/2 C packed dark brown sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1 tsp high quality vanilla
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)
3/4 package Ghiradelli 60% cacao baking chips (Not optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, Blend butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until well blended. In a separate, smaller bowl, stir the dry ingredients together, then blend into the sugar mixture slowly. Stir in the nuts and chocolate with a wooden spoon (better for licking later :) 

Drop by teaspoons full onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, until delicately browned. I like mine at just 8 minutes, but this changes of course, depending on the size of your cookie. 

 

Makes 4-5 dozen 2 inch cookies. (According to the recipe. I must make mine too big because we usually get 3 dozen out of this recipe.)

Feeding the hard working and studious husband a well deserved late night snack.

Tira My Sue

Birthdays are special in our family. They always have been, and they always will be. I have many fond memories of birthdays. Ice blocking when it failed to snow when I was 9. A tube party at Discovery Zone, dressing up like puppies and having a dog party (that one was my sister's but I imagined it to be mine...except I never got any presents...)

The last few years, I have thrown myself my own parties. When you get older and live away from home, sometimes you need to treat yourself. Or other people--we had a Bieber party for a roommate of mine a few years ago.

Since I love birthdays so much, I tend to go a bit overboard. Last year I made my husband (my then fiance a birthday cake extraodinaire. It cost me over $30 dollars to make, but eating it was worth every penny.

Yesterday we celebrated my MIL's birthday. The treat? Tiramisu. The food of the gods.

It took awhile to find the right ingredients, and we adapted the recipe a bit for budget purposes. Still. Heavenly. And it's currently in my fridge, calling out my name..."Alex, put a spoon in me and dig in. You ran home from the bus today. No worries. I'm delicious. EAT ME! "

TIRAMISU
Serves 6 (definitely not true. If you budget wisely, you can feed over 10 people)

2 egg whites
4 egg yolks
1 1/ cups powdered sugar
1 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese*
7 ounces lady fingers
3/4 cup freshly brewed, extra strong coffee, cooled**
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated
unsweetend cocoa powder, for dusting

Stiffly whisk the egg whites in a grease-free bowl. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar in another bowl until pale and fluffy. Gently fold in the mascarpone, then the egg whites. Make a layer of lady fingers on the base of a deep, rectangular serving dish and brush them evenly with coffee. (NOTE: we dipped the lady fingers and then placed them in a 8x 8 in glass baking dish)
Cover with a layer of the mascarpone cream and sprinkle with a little grated chocolate and cocoa powder. Continue making layers until all the ingredients are used. Ending with a layer of mascarpone cream. Dust with cocoa and chill in the refrigerator for about 3 hours, or overnight.

(Note: since this cream is made of raw egg and cheese, make sure you keep it refrigerated as much as possible; don't let it sit out too long or you may increase the risk of getting sick)

*we are poor college students. So we broke the Italian rule and used cream cheese blended with 1/2 cup fresh whipped cream. My husband nearly choked at my barbaric and monstrous suggestion. I think it still tasted great, but next time, I'll try it with the mascarpone.

**for those of you who are non-coffee drinkers I suggest using PERO. This is a non-caffenaited beverage popular in Europe, and less popular in the States. It is made of roasted chicory and barley rather than coffee beans. Similar in taste (I assume from the smell, since I've never drunk coffee myself) and I frequently use it as a substitute in the recipes I make that call for the stronger stuff.

Family Funnin and Foodin

This weekend marked the return of my sister to school at Utah State. She and my dad arrived after their cross-country drive from Maryland. We celebrated with dinner in Logan at the Beehive Grill. It was fairly good food, their special fry sauce was unique and delicious. I hear they have a rootbeer brewery, but we didn't sample. After an attempted barbeque with GPA and GMA, who had come down from Idaho to camp over the weekend, we returned to my sister's apartment discouraged: we had spent the last half hour driving around the campsite in the dark, looking for their camper. No luck.

It was not until the next day that we tried again. Saturday we ate and ate and ate. Episode 1. hotel breakfast; Dad apparently loves hotel eggs...why? No idea. I guess he likes the chewy, rubbery and runny feel of them in his mouth...? Gross. I like my eggs well done.

Episode 2. Kneaders. Hubby and I split the homemade pancakes. The girl at the register wrongly told us they were sourdough. They were buttermilk. Any pancake lover could have told the difference. And trust me, we are all pancake lovers. I do admit, these were pretty good for a restaurant pancake. Larger than the plate they come on, a grand 3 stack of hotcakes and caramel (pronounced car-mel) syrup (sir-up) not (care-a-mel sear-up) with whipped butter and strawberries (on the short side) was a cozy way to warm up in the crisp Logan air. Naturally, being fall in Utah, it was 90 degrees F by 11 am even though in the early morning, it was only about 60 and glorious.

Episode 3. Old Grist Mill apple puff pastries. We get these every time we drive to Logan. They are delicious. This time, ours were so fresh that the icing was still running down the sides! MMMMMM boy! That's good eatin.

Episode 4. Lunch. Grandpa and Grandma, who we did eventually find nestled away in the woods, had prepared a dutch oven feast. My Grandpa is quite the character; he owns every size dutch oven but two: the 11 inch and the 13 inch. What makes them different? You would have to ask him that. The straightest answer he gave me is that the odd sized ones are deeper and thicker than the average dutch oven. For this event, I think he used the 22 inch and the 20 inch, or somewhere thereabouts. We had ribs with homemade barbeque sauce, and green beans with bacon. The yellow jackets enjoyed the meal almost as much as we did: they love meat, and the smell of the sweet, meaty ribs drew in a whole colony to the point that J had to scamper off and eat by the fire pit. Uncle and aunt brought fresh veggies, mostly from their garden, and I brought our family favorite chocolate cake.

Episode 5. We drove home to Provo after a delightful, hours long, food and laughter filled luncheon and concluded that lunches in the woods are 100 times better than luncheons in restaurants, at least as far as family gatherings go. Dad and J munched on the amazing new bread recipe we created. (more to follow)

All in all, an awesome weekend.

If you need the recipe for this cake know this:  you can't have this recipe and eat it too. If you want it, you'll have to ask for it.  It's a SECRET :)