**This giveaway is now closed.**

How about another giveaway? Could you use a little extra something to do something nice for yourself? The kind folks at CSNStores.com are at it again, and will be sponsoring another giveaway for a $35 gift certificate, redeemable at any of their stores. You can find just about anything you need among their multiple stores; modern bedding, coffee tables, kitchenware...you name it.  Obviously their kitchenware gets the most of my attention.  If you'd like to enter, you can find the details of the giveaway at the end of this post, where you can leave a comment to enter.  Now for the recipe...

I picked up some giant tomatoes at the store the other day, already knowing what I had in mind for them.  These modest 'maters were destined to become a scrumptious concoction of herbs, cream cheese and fried goodness.  I present:  Fried Cream Cheese Tomatoes.

I love experimenting with different pizza toppings.  Given the chance, I would eat a spinach artichoke pizza over the trusty ol' pepperoni any day.  My pizza making skills are still developing however, and I've yet to make the perfect pizza crust.  My tastes lean toward a thinner crust with a little bit of chew, just the right amount of soft and crispy combined.  I've been wanting to try Peter Reinhart's Napoletana pizza crust for a while now, and since I had some plums, onions and bacon just lounging away on my refrigerator shelf, I decided to try the crust with my plum pizza. 

I previously posted this recipe, but used a crisped up tortilla crust for convenience.  While the tortilla crust worked fine, it lacked the chew that a real pizza crust can add.  The crust I used is an adapted version of Peter Reinart's by 101cookbooks, and the result was pretty good.  My dough was a little too sticky, even though I weighed the flour exactly, so I think I will follow the original version of the dough, which calls for a half cup more of flour.  I caramelized some red onions, cooked up some crispy bacon, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar sets it all off.  This is a favorite of mine.  Since there are a lot of tips and instructions for this crust recipe, I'll leave it for the pizza pro's to explain.  You can find the adapted version of the Napoletana crust here.

Plum Pizza with Caramelized Onion and Crispy Bacon

1 pizza crust, homemade or store-bought
2 ripe plums, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced and caramelized
4 strips bacon, cooked crisp
shredded mozzarella
dried oregano, to taste
sea salt, to taste
balsamic vinegar, to taste
grated parmesan, to garnish

Preheat oven to 500F for one hour.  If using a pizza stone, put it in the oven now to warm up.

For the onions: In a large heavy bottom pan, add some olive oil to cover the bottom and about 1 teaspoon of butter. When butter is simmering, add the sliced onions and stir to coat. Cook on medium high for 5-10 mins, stirring occasionally. Lower heat and continue to cook for about another 5-10 mins, stirring just when the onions start to stick to the pan, but not burn. If you stir too often the onions will not brown. You can add some sugar if needed to help the onions caramelize. When the onions are a deep caramel color, remove from heat and set aside.

For the pizza: Place the prepared circle of pizza dough on the pizza stone or cookie sheet.  You can use a pizza peel or the back of a cookie sheet, sprinkled with cornmeal, to transfer the pizza.  Since I was making individual sized pizzas, I just used my hands to carefully place the pizza dough on my hot pizza stone.  Top with mozzarella cheese, onions and crumbled bacon, then arrange the sliced plums on top. Sprinkle some dried oregano and sea salt over the top. Place pizza in oven and bake for about 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden. Remove from oven and let cool. If desired, garnish with some freshly grated Parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  Enjoy!

I love fall recipes. There's something about the seasonal ingredients - apples, spices, toasted nuts, pumpkins and those tiny versions of grown up squash - that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. They remind me of long, dark nights sitting at home beside a crackling fireplace, sipping hot cider, and the soft glow of a chair-side lamp, as I eat the last crumbs of a fall inspired dessert.  Mom's apple squares, spiced pumpkin bread, or these Harvest Apple Cookies that I came up with are perfect for such nights.

This recipe was inspired by those little cookie kiosks in the mall. You know, the ones with rows of perfectly round, delicious looking cookies, which cost an arm and a leg for the pleasure of just one. As a kid, I used to think that these cookies were the best in the world, but as a grown up my opinion has changed. We stopped by one of these kiosks the other day, as my son eyed the sprinkle topped cookies strategically placed at his eye level. Don't you love how they do that? He got his sprinkle delight - Note: He would eat a piece of cardboard if it was covered in sprinkles - and I decided to go with something filled with apples and spice. My hopes of a fall cookie love affair were dashed, as I bit into a dry, crumbly cookie, that was bland at best. The sprinkle covered cardboard might have tasted better:)

So, still craving what I was hoping to find in that cookie, I went home to make my own. I started thinking of everything that I could put in it, and had to hold myself back from throwing in everything inside my cabinets . I ended up keeping it simple: An oatmeal based cookie with spiced dried apples, rum soaked raisins, and toasted walnuts. I decided to "fancy" a few up and drizzled them with a brown butter glaze. The result was an autumn explosion of flavor. Yum!

Harvest Apple Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze

Dried Apples:
4 tart apples - peeled and cored
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
lemon juice
3/4 cups raisins
1 tsp rum or rum flavoring
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
hot water

Cookies:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
3 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cups toasted walnuts, finely chopped

Glaze:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp water

For the rum soaked raisins: Place the raisins in a small bowl, cover with enough hot water to cover them. Add the vanilla and rum flavoring. Let the raisins soak for about 3 hours or overnight. When ready to make the cookies, drain the raisins and set aside.

For the spiced dried apples: Preheat oven to 275F. Peel and core 4 medium sized apples. Slice them into circles about 1/4 inch thick, and place them in a small bowl with some lemon juice. Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice over the apple slices. Stir and toss with a spoon to evenly coat. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet, and arrange the apple slices on the wire rack. Put in the oven and bake for about an hour, until the apples are dried but not crisp. Remove from oven and cut into small pieces. Set aside or store in an airtight container for later use.

For the cookies: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugars and cream  together. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in the oats, apples, raisins and walnuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350F, drop cookies by heaping tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack.  In the meantime, put the 4 Tbsp of butter in a medium skillet, cook and stir over medium high heat until the butter begins to turn golden. It will begin to foam, then turn from pale yellow to golden, and small brown flecks will form in the bottom of the pan. As soon as you see the butter begin to form flecks, remove from heat. Add the powdered sugar to the brown butter, and whisk to incorporate. Add vanilla and enough water to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the brown butter glaze over the slightly warm cookies. Let cool. Serve and enjoy!


Note: I prepared the dried apples and raisins the day before I made the cookies.  This makes less prep work for when you are ready to make your cookies.

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

September has been an eventful month for me.  Amid the back to school activities for my son, my parents visiting from out of the country, and near blinding myself, I also joined the Daring Bakers.  This month is my first time participating in the challenges, and I'm excited to be a part of the baking fun.  The challenge this month was to bake decorated sugar cookies, with the theme being September - and whatever that symbolized to you.  Since the posting date was for the 27th, which also just happens to be my 7th wedding anniversary, my theme was a no brainer.

I have never decorated cookies with royal icing before, and while it may sound like a simple challenge, there is more skill involved in using royal icing than you would believe.  After three hours of outlining, flooding, drying, and randomly decorating cookies with no design scheme in mind - my feet were throbbing, my back resembled a hunchback's, and my fingers were permanently cramped into claw-like talons.  But at least my cookies turned out pretty.  I used the color scheme from my wedding, which was different shades of purple, and was pleased with my experiment in the world of royal icing.


Makes Approximately 36 / 4" Cookies

200g / 7oz / ½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
400g / 14oz / 3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour
200g / 7oz / 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
5ml / 1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions
• Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.
• Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during
baking, losing their shape.
• Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
*Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
• Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.
• Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)
• Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.
• Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an
hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and
then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.
* Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
• Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.
• Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.
• Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
• Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.
• Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in
some cookies being baked before others are done.
• Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.
• Leave to cool on cooling racks.
• Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.
• Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated
cookies can last up to a month.

Royal Icing:
315g – 375g / 11oz – 13oz / 2½ - 3 cups Icing / Confectioner’s / Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
10ml / 2 tsp Lemon Juice
5ml / 1 tsp Almond Extract, optional

Directions
• Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined.
• Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and
grease free.
• Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.
• Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.
• Beat on low until combined and smooth.
• Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.
• Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.



My husband couldn't tell they were owls, but my three year old could.  So either my drawing skills are on a level with a preschooler - or my three year old has an eye for art.  I choose to go with the latter :)

My post today has a decidedly red theme, beginning with a trip to historic downtown Branson, MO, where I bought a checkered red apron, a speckled red ladle, and fresh red raspberries.

My parents visited us last week, they live out of the country and only get to visit every few years.  Consequently, I'm always trying to think of fun things we can do when they visit, but it always ends up with each of us staring at the other saying, "What do you want to do?" Then the other replies, "I don't know, what do YOU want to do?" Then we sit around trying to decide what to do until we've wasted half our day.  I come from a long line of Indecisionators.  Indecisionator: A person who, lacking the ability to make a decision in a reasonable amount of time, brings about the destruction of order in the day, thus creating chaos.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when my dad has a clear plan of wanting to go Branson, eat at "that little place that has the good pies", and "go to that shoe store".  Obviously we have done this enough that I am able to decipher his vague references, and we hop in the car for the trip.  Note: I only live 30 minutes from Branson, MO.

Upon finding a parking space in the historic downtown area of Branson, we head to "the place with the good pies", also known as the Farmhouse Restaurant.  Here, you can order good, homestyle southern food; chicken fried steak, fried chicken, sandwiches, blackberry cobbler, pies, fresh lemonade and sweet tea, etc.  After lunch we head over to Dick's Five & Dime, an old fashioned five and dime store with an eclectic mix of odds and ends.




I ended the day buying some fresh raspberries since they were on sale really cheap.  I've had an idea floating around in my head for a raspberry dessert for a while, and decided this was a good time to play around with it.  So these little berries were turned into Spiced Raspberry Curd, which I then turned into Spiced Raspberry & White Chocolate Truffle Tarts. I added a little cinnamon and allspice to the curd, which gave just a tiny bit of spice, but you can always add more if you want more of a spiced flavor. The first tart I ate was chilled in the refrigerator, and I froze the second one.  They both turned out delicious and will be on my make again list :)

Spiced Raspberry & White Chocolate Truffle Tarts

Raspberry Curd
10 oz raspberries
3 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
3 Tbsp sugar
4 Eggs
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice

White Chocolate Truffle Filling
(adapted from Epicurious)
1 cup heavy cream
4 Tbsp butter
16 oz good quality white chocolate chips
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Tartlette Shells
(from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
9 Tbsp unsalted butter, very cold
1 large egg yolk

White Chocolate Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
remaining white chocolate truffle filling

For the Curd:  Set aside six raspberries. Combine the rest of the raspberries and lemon/lime juice in a blender, cover and process until smooth.  Press the mixture through a strainer to remove seeds.  In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Reduce to low; add the raspberry puree, sugar, eggs and spices.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until mixture is smooth and thickened, and reads 160F.  Remove from heat.  Press plastic wrap over the surface of the curd.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

For the Truffle: Bring one cup of cream and butter to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.  Remove from heat.  Add white chocolate and stir until smooth.  This may take a few minutes.  Whisk in the vanilla.  Pour 1 1/2 cups of the white chocolate filling into a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until chilled.  Let the remaining white chocolate mixture cool to room temperature for about 15 minutes.

For the Whipped Cream: In the bowl of an electric mixture, pour the remaining 1 cup of cream and beat until soft peaks form.  Pour in about half of the lukewarm white chocolate mixture; continue whipping until stiff peaks form.  Cover and refrigerate.  Pour the remaining white chocolate mixture into a resealable bag; cut the tip off the corner of the bag, and use the filled bag to pipe filling into the raspberries.  Take the 6 berries you set aside earlier, and pipe the white chocolate filling into the center of the berries.  Place the berries in the freezer until set up.

For the Tart Shells:  Put the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl or a food processor.  Stir or pulse to mix.  Scatter the butter pieces over the flour and cut in with a fork, or use your fingers until you have coarse crumbs; if using a food processor then pulse until coarse crumbs form.  You should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, and some the size of peas.  Stir the egg yolk to break it up, then add it to the flour mixture and pulse in 10 second intervals until clumps form.

Turn the dough onto a work surface, and very lightly knead just until any dry pieces are incorporated.  Butter 6 small tart pans, and using your fingers press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pans.  Freeze the crusts for at least 30 minutes before baking.  Center a rack in a 375F oven.  Butter the shiny side of 6 pieces of foil, big enough to cover each tart shell.  Fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly over each tart crust.  Put the tarts on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and gently remove the pieces of foil.  If necessary, use the back of a spoon to push down any areas that have puffed up.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Once the crusts have cooled, remove from the pans, and pour some of the chilled white chocolate filling into the bottom of each tart crust.  Enough to fill the crust about 1/3 full.  Place the tarts in the freezer to let the filling harden.  Once the filling is firm to the touch, spoon enough of the chilled raspberry curd into the shells to fill them up.  Top with a little of the white chocolate whipped cream, and garnish with a white chocolate filled raspberry.  Serve and enjoy!  These are also delicious served frozen.

I am back in business with a mostly healed eye, and I wanted to share this recipe with you, the same one that caused me so much trouble yesterday.  I picked up a carton of little sugar pears at Sam's Club the other day, the tiny versions of grown up pears were too cute for me to resist.  Pears are a perfect fall fruit, and I just had to turn these little guys into Caramel-Chocolate Dipped Pears.  What better way to welcome the upcoming new season.

The first day of Fall is quickly approaching and the crispness in the air is easily recognizable. This time of year is like reacquainting myself with an old friend, as I pull out chunky sweaters, patterned rain boots and my favorite pair of jeans.

The dappled sunlight glinting off the burnished leaves, and the lengthening darkness of the cooler evenings, makes me switch gears from the energy and excitement of summer, and slow down for the simple pleasures of this season. Visiting the pumpkin patch in a favorite knit sweater, sipping warm apple cider, or roasting marshmallows over a roaring fire. It's a time for scarves and cozy hats, pumpkin pie lip balm and spiced lattes, reading a new book in that oversized stuffed chair in the corner, and sniffing the calming scent of the crisp, new pages.

Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year, as I get to relax, unwind and let the pleasures of this season wash over me. For me, it's about slowing down and enjoying the little things in life, spending time with my family and building memories for my son. If I could, I would make it fall every day of the year, with the exception of one snow filled day for Christmas. What do you love about this season? Do you have a favorite activity or a family tradition? Apple picking, canning preserves, making pies, camping, making Smore's over a bonfire, falling into a pile of golden leaves with your kids? I'd love to hear what fall means for everyone.




Caramel-Chocolate Dipped Pears

15-20 ripe sugar pears
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup corn syrup
1 cup cream
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil

In a large heavy bottom pan, mix the sugars, butter, corn syrup, cream, salt, and vanilla.  Cook over medium-high heat until the butter melts and mixture reaches 246 degrees (Fahrenheit) on a candy thermometer.  Stir constantly to prevent burning the mixture.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Holding the pears by the stem, dip them into the caramel and twist until they are evenly covered.  Let the excess drip off into the pan, and quickly roll the caramel dipped portion in garnish of choice; nuts, sugar, sprinkles, etc.  This caramel will set quickly, so the garnish needs to be applied as soon as possible.  Place the pears on waxed paper and let dry.  Refrigerate until completely set, before drizzling with melted chocolate.

Put the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small microwavable bowl, microwave on low in 10 second intervals until the chocolate has melted and is a pouring consistency. You can add more coconut oil to get the right consistency if needed.  Place chilled pears over waxed paper, and using a spoon drizzle the chocolate over the pears.  Return to the refrigerator to allow chocolate to set up.  If desired, you can remove the stems and cut a little slit in the top of the pear.  Firmly insert a cookie stick into the slit and push into the pear to form a handle.  Serve and enjoy!

Hi there.  Did you wonder where I had disappeared to?  Are you confused about my crazy post title?Besides having my parents visiting which left little time for posting, I had the good fortune to acquire a corneal abrasion, which has left me half blind. As a bonus I have three burned fingers - from boiling hot caramel.  Word to the wise - don't try to make homemade caramel while you are half blind - it's that easy.

It all started so simply, I was standing in my kitchen minding my own business, when out of nowhere an evil speck of who-knows-what landed in my eye.  Thinking nothing of it, I rubbed my eye and went merrily on my way, with a slightly more watery eye.  Well, slightly more watery turned into a burning, stinging, swollen eye which I continued to ignore - I like to think I'm tough (ignore the fact that spiders make me squirm and the dark void under my bed still gives me the jeebs.)  Trying to sleep that night was a hoot, imagine trying to sleep with buckets of sand, soaked in acid, and lit on fire, under your eyelids.  Think I'm being dramatic?  I'm not.  7:59am came around with me holding the phone, just waiting for one more minute to tick by so I can call my eye doctor.  Long story short, she saw me, she treated me, and put me on the road to recovery.  I really need to bake her a cake, or cookies, or something, right?

Well, after being told to try to keep my eye closed as much as possible, I got really bored.  There's only so much sleeping a person can do.  Boredom tends to lead to people doing stupid things - like deciding to make homemade caramel with one working eye - and accidentally sticking three of your fingers in the pot containing all of that thick, sticky, gooey, boiling hot caramel.  Do I really need to tell you that I have not had a good day today?  I had decided that I was not going to write a new post until my eye was completely healed; a dilated eye has me sitting inside a dark house with sunglasses on, so staring at a bright computer screen is not exactly comfortable.  My spell check was my best friend today, otherwise I might have written some very questionable things.  The main reason for this post was to share with you something that made my whole day, blinded eye, burned fingers and all.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Tasty Kitchen website, done by The Pioneer Woman.  If not, you really need to check it out.  It's a fun community to share recipes, and a great source of inspiration.  They feature a few recipes each day on their main page, and then the editors also dedicate a post to a new recipe.  What made me smile was my Cinnamon Chai Cream Pie being featured in their latest post, and my Caramelized Pineapple Cinnamon Creme Brulee was also a featured recipe on the main page.  This may not be too big a deal for all you veteran bloggers, but for this newbie, it made my day.

Well, thanks for listening to this blinded and maimed rambling girl, and sorry there was no recipe today. I'll be posting a yummy recipe tomorrow though, the same culprit that wounded my poor fingers today.