The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 24,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 6 Film Festivals
…and I’m back and with a replacement fridge, HOO-RAY! It is also the early morning hours and I am coming down from my work high. The job is not important at the moment however let’s just say it’s a blow to the ego. Whomp. Whomp.
Today’s post is all about cookies. It’s the holidays and welp,cookies and holidays go hand in hand. As soon as Thanksgiving hits it’s serious baking time. Every cooking website is releasing their top cookie recipes and there are tips for better cookie baking, cookies that ship well … you get the drift.
Well last year there was this cool thing called FB (Food Blog) Cookie Swap and of course I was a day late and a cookie short. This year though, I was able to participate thanks to getting an email notifier. I had until December 5th to ship out my cookies and of course I waited until the last minute. I should call this blog “Last Minute Jenn”, for reals. I am always putting off what can be done and doing it later, much later. I know I have discussed this before yet let me say it again – I am a procrastinator. My motto is “Just Do It … later.” This is why I am typing this post at this exact moment (it’s due today). It’s like college all over again.
So, I had to send Cookie Mail to three bloggers and they all had to be the same cookies. I thought, and I thought, and I thought. I changed my mind like 50-11 times until I decided to make Chocolate Oreo Peppermint Bark cookies. These cookies are filled with the holiday spirit thanks to the Oreo cookies with the red creme centers and Peppermint Bark. My recipe is an adaption of Triple Chocolate Oreo Chunk Cookies from the e-cookbook, “Cookie Cravings” by Maria Lichty of Two Peas and Their Pod.
My cookies did not turn out as planned but they tasted great. I let my cookie dough chill overnight and I should not have done that. These cookies should be baked as soon as they are mixed other wise you will get some dinky cookies as my picture illustrates. Dinky but tasty.
If you are looking for a gift for that baker in your family/friends then I would advise getting “Cookie Cravings”. It’s cookie heaven. There is a cookie for everyone and BONUS you don’t have to go into a store to purchase the book and can be delivered in time for the holidays!
I enjoyed participating in FB Cookie Swap and I look forward to doing it again next year. Thank you to Lindsay and Julie for organizing the fun! It’s a great way to be introduced to new bloggers and puts a different spin to “Secret Santa”.
If you want to add additional blogs to your RSS reader then let me introduce you to the bloggers I sent cookies to and the bloggers I received cookies from:
3-BethsBluePlate.wordpress.com
So much creativity from all of these bloggers; I am simply in awe and I am not sure I would have heard their voices without FB Cookie Swap. Seredipity.
I posted all the delicious cookies I received on Instagram, so if you want to check it out – click on the link.
Until Next Time,
Chocolate Oreo Peppermint Bark Cookies
Adapted from Triple Chocolate Oreo Chunk Cookies by Maria Lichty
Makes 3 1/2 dozen
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups Cake Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dutch cocoa
1 cup butter, unsalted and room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon coffee liquid (2 parts instant coffee to 1 part hot water)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup Peppermint Bark, roughly chopped
1 cup Holiday Oreos, roughly chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375-F degrees.
Sift All Purpose Flour, Cake Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, and Cocoa; set aside. Roughly chop the Oreos and Peppermint Bark; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl cream the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until mixed together, no sugar lumps! Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add coffee liquid and vanilla and mix into the creamed ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the “wet” mixture until mixed together; no dry spots. Stir in the Oreos, Peppermint Bark, Chocolate Chips (White and Semi-Sweet) to the dough.
Scoop dough ( I used a small cookie scoop) onto either a greased or parchment paper cover cookie sheet and bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool before inhaling.
Happy Halloween!
I am not a big Halloweener. This holiday does nothing for me. Where is Thanksgiving? That is my jam.
You know what makes me happy? On sale candy!? Cadbury Halloween Eggs I am coming for you along with Snickers, Kit Kats, and possibly Candy Corn. I will eat this candy and also use it for all these after Halloween recipes I have. Candy Corn & nuts are exquisite – the sweet & salty (yum to the E)!
Sugar makes me hap-hap-HAPPY! My sugar craving is my inner Fat Bastard saying, “get in me BELLY!” If I am truthful and since it’s the wee hours of the morn, and I am not quite awake… It’s also me eating my emotions. Sugar soothes the doubts that float through my head along with a 1000 other things. I am not saying it’s right but it is the truth.
That’s enough confessions from Jennifer today. (Yes, I just referred to myself in the third person.) Let’s chat about Rice Krispy Treats. You can’t just have one. I prefer making them from scratch than buying them store bought. I may like sugar but the store bought ones are like a sugar overload plus they are not crispy enough. Know what I mean, Vern? What I am saying is that there is something (good) about making them from scratch.
A blog entry always starts with a thought. My thought was what would caramel and apple taste like wrapped in a Rice Krispy Treat? Frakkin’ Awesome! The apple is just a hint. It lends some tart to the sweet. It’s a treat that is great once in awhile since the original Rice Krispy Treat is the best. It’s not scientific fact just this blogger’s opinion.
Until Next Time,
Caramel Cider Rice Krispie Treats
Adapted from Classic Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons of butter, salted
1 -10 oz. package of Jet-Puffed Swirl Mallows Caramel & Vanilla Marshmallows
2 1/2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Reduction*
7 cups of crispy rice cereal
Directions
Grease a 13×9 pan and set aside.
In large saucepan melt butter. Add marshmallows and melt until it is in a liquid state. Remove from heat. using a greased whisk add the apple cider reduction and whisk into the melted butter/marshmallow mix. Make sure it’s incorporated. Lastly add the crispy rice cereal. Incorporate the cereal with the marshmallow mixture fully using a greased cooking spoon.
Spoon the rice krispie mixture into the greased pan. Using a greased spatula press the rice krispie treats into the pan until it’s fully spread and level.
Let them cool for at least 20-30 minutes before serving. If you want to add some “drama” use a cookie cutter to cut out your treats. Make sure the cutter is greased, too. Grease is a great combatant to sticky.
*Apple Cider Reduction – pour two cups into a saucepan and reduce until it is a syrup. It can take anywhere from 30-45 minutes and will result in approximately a 1/4 cup of syrup once finished. You can make the apple cider reduction a few days ahead and simply refrigerate or you can just buy apple cider reduction through King Arthur Flour Company.
Autumn is here! Well sometimes Autumn is here and sometimes it’s not. So needless to say I have been alternating between heat and air conditioning. I am looking for that happy balance, well at least inside the house but I don’t think that will happen but this girl can dream. Virginia weather can be so unpredictable at times. Today I am lucky not be using either the heat or a/c. Electricity and Gas can be a biznitch to pay.
I am ready to get in the kitchen to bake and cook but oh what’s that Mr. Refrigerator? Oh, you decided that enough is enough and you don’t want to cool properly. Of course, you don’t. I swear I am being tested but I am over being tested. I want to finally reap some rewards from all this testing but do I think that is going to happen … uh, no. So I continue to pull up my big girl panties and will go forth- upward and onward.
That was the bad so let me tell you about the cool! A few weeks back I attended my very first afternoon tea that was thrown by my friend, Teresa. It was soooo fun! Heck, anytime I can get outside and socialize it is a great thing. The tea was so relaxing and the food was extremely good. It was my first time sampling the delights of a scone and enjoying those dainty tea sandwiches and a variety of teas. The afternoon tea was to celebrate the launching of my friend’s mobile tea service, A Time for Tea. The premise is quite simple; it’s a tea party that comes to YOU with all the bells and whistles. It can be for one or it can be for more. Do you have a special one who could use some “tea therapy” then this would make a great gift! So if you live in the metro Richmond, Virginia area be sure to get in contact with A Time for Tea.
Ok, on to baked spaghetti – it can’t compare to Momma June’s “sketti” from “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”. Yes, I watched and I was amazed and appalled, I was am-palled. It’s BETTER than Momma June’s Sketti – I am quite confident in that statement since the thought of Country Crock and Ketchup is not my idea of tomato sauce. BLECK!
This baked spaghetti is saucy, a requirement for me. I don’t care for dry pasta and I am sure you don’t either. It also has a great cheese filling that is a combination of ricotta and cottage cheese and of course pasta. I found this recipe initially on Pinterest and I made a few minor tweaks. Baked Spaghetti is a great casserole dish that freezes beautifully. It’s meant to be shared with family and friends. This dish is a “stick to the ribs” type that I typically crave in the fall and winter seasons. Baked Spaghetti – it’s what’s for dinner.
Until Next Time,
Baked Spaghetti
Adapted recipe from Salad in a Jar’s Scooter’s Spaghetti
Ingredients
8 ounces whole grain spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 pound ground turkey
1 large container of spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces)
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup green peppers, chopped
1/3 cup onions, chopped
8 ounces of Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons of milk
2 cups/ 1 8 oz package of Shredded Italian Cheese Blend
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 fahrenheit
Cook pasta according to box instructions; drain and set aside.
Heat skillet and melt butter and saute the onions and green peppers. Remove from skillet.
Brown and crumble ground turkey. Drain liquid from the turkey and add spaghetti sauce and let simmer.
While meat, veggie, & sauce is simmering you will need a large mixing bowl. In bowl you will mix the Neufchatel (low fat cream) Cheese, ricotta, onions, and green peppers, and milk. Combine until is thoroughly mixed (You can either mix by hand or use a mixer).
In a 12×8 or 13×9 inch greased baking pan you will begin the layer process. You should end with sauce and a layer of cheese, so my advice is to divide the meat sauce into three equal portions. Noodles divided into two equal portions. Cream cheese mix divided into two equal portions. Shred cheese into two equal portions. I know you all are smart people and know how to layer but I just wanted to write it out, just in case.
First Layer: Meat Sauce mixture. Second Layer: Noodles, be sure to cover the pan when laying out the noodles. Third Layer: Cream cheese mix, spread evenly. Fourth Layer: shredded cheese. Repeat Layers.
Bake assembled masterpiece in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Let casserole sit for approximately 10 minutes before serving.
Serving suggestion: a nice side salad or green beans and perhaps some great garlic bread. Spaghetti and green beans reminds me of school food- ahhhh, memories.
It’s that time again … yep, I am talking about my birthday. Another year older and all that jazz. Happy to be alive and such but the getting older not so much. Father Time and I have a love/hate relationship.
I know it shouldn’t be about gifts but I do love them so! Hi, my name is Jennifer and I love gifts, lots and lots of gifts. Big surprise. My birthday was a couple Fridays ago and I spent it going to a second job interview while also doing nothing. On the positive, I did not cry hysterically and mope in the bed. I’m known to do that. This year hasn’t been what I expected but when does life ever go according to plan? Seriously.
Let me tell you what did go according to plan, these cupcakes. In my Dave Chappelle voice, “It’s rich, bitch!” Can you tell I watch alot of tv? I do, I totally do. I own it.
The cake portion is dark chocolate and moist, great flavor. When coffee is added to chocolate you know it’s going to be a great thing. The next step in this “wasted” glory is dark chocolate cheesecake filling – thanks Kraft Philadelphia Dark Chocolate Indulgence! Finally topped with a Caramel Chocolate Ganache. Oh. Em. GEEEEEEE. This Ganache is the Holy Grail of Goodness and possibly “diabeetus”.
Cooking Fail alert! The caramel the first time was cooked too long so when I added the cream it turned into a “hard crack”. I lost a good whisk to the Hard Crack Tragedy of 2012. RIP. Cooking on electric sucks at times. Feels like Goldilocks trying out the three bears’ porridge; “It’s too hot”, “It’s too cold”, and sometimes I get “it’s just right.”
Chocolate Wasted Cupcake is worth all the trouble and then some since the taste had me talking in tongues and exclaiming to myself, “damn, I’m good!” Modest Mouse that’s me. 
So to all my fellow Virgos, “Happy Birthday!”
Chocolate Wasted Cupcakes
Makes 12
Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Sweetapolita Classic One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder ( I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon Birds Custard Powder (if no custard powder, cornstarch)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ounce Unsweetened Chocolate, melted
1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon brewed coffee, hot
3 tablespoons vegetable Oil
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Melt your unsweetened chocolate in microwave. Line your cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners, set aside. I typically set my microwave to power level 5 aka 50% and start with 1 minute and 30 seconds and increase by 10 seconds until melted. Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl or your stand mixer bowl(Flour to Salt). Add all wet ingredients to dry mix and mix/blend with your mixer until incorporated, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Place batter into the cupcake liners; fill the batter half way. Bake cupcakes approximately 14 to 17 minutes. Once you start smelling Chocolate goodness check them to see if they are ready. I use the toothpick trick to test my cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool; approximately one hour to one-half hour.
Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Recipe from The Boy Who Bakes
Ingredients
8 ounces of dark chocolate (60-70% Cocoa Content), chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup unsalted butter, chopped/cubed
Directions: In a large glass or metal bowl (heatproof) place chopped chocolate and set aside. In a small saucepan add sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook until it starts to bubble or registers 350F on candy thermometer (5 to 8 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool for one minute. While stirring the sugar syrup mixture add the whipping cream and stir for additional two minutes. Pour caramel cream mixture over the chocolate. Let the chocolate melt; approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Stir caramel and chocolate together until mixed well. Using either your hand mixer or stand mixer whip butter into the chocolate caramel. It should resemble mousse; a light and airy texture. If you can’t get that airy texture place the ganache creation to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and then try whipping it to get that mousse like texture.
Assembly of Cupcakes
1. Core the center of cupcakes out. Keep the cored pieces to either use as garnish (cake crumbles) or just add it back to the cupcake once you pipe the cheesecake filling into the cupcake.
2. Take the Philadelphia Dark Chocolate Indulgence and place into a sandwich bag. Snip off a corner and pipe the cheesecake filling into the cupcake.
3. In a large pastry bag with your favorite tip add the whipped ganache and pipe onto the cupcakes. Voila! Serve promptly or refrigerate until ready to eat. These cupcakes will need to be refrigerated!
Notes: Room temperature sour cream. I simply take out the measured sour cream and set on counter 30 minutes prior to baking. Room temperature egg – I place egg in hot tap water for five minutes prior to baking.
I proudly present to you a perfect dessert for summer – Lemonade Pie! This pie is a sweet tart cloud party in your mouth. Refreshing and smooth, a great finisher to your summer meal. Did I mention … there is no baking involved?! WINNING!
I would like to say that I am the genius behind this creation but I’m not. It’s a recipe from a restaurant where I first waitressed, Bob Evans. It’s what I like to call the good ole days. Those were the days when I didn’t have a care beyond college and spending money.
Bob Evans is a restaurant known for great country style cooking but just be prepared to wait for it (I’m just saying). Writing about it now makes makes me want to go and chow down. It’s been a long while since I have visited my old stomping grounds.
The great thing about Bob Evans is that they prepared their desserts on site, at least when I worked there . No pre-frozen dessert or from a bakery for them. I still dream about their Oreo Ice Cream Pie (which isn’t served)! Besides Oreo Ice Cream Pie, my next favorite was this – Lemonade Pie. Luckily, I “knews” a guy who gave me the recipe and today I will share it with you. Your welcome.
Lemonade Pie
Recipe from Bob Evans
Ingredients
1 premade graham cracker crust, 9 inch shell
1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
4 cups whip cream or cool whip
3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon yellow food color
Directions
Combine sweetened condensed milk and whip cream in a large bowl. Add lemonade concentrate and food coloring and mix well. Pour/scoop mixture into graham cracker crust and chill for at least 2 hours to set and then serve.
Serving suggestions: Top with fresh whip cream, crushed Biscoff, or for an extra bit of tang a lemon sauce. I combined some store bought lemon curd along with some lemonade concentrate to make a lemon sauce for the photo above.
Music and Food, that is where my memories are. This chicken salad has been on my mind and in my memory since last September. It. Was. That. Good!
The memory is tied up with meeting my online friend, Jessica, and adding a slew of new friends by way of Jessica. It also brings to mind that my previous job told me shortly before going on this trip that my job would be ending at the close of that month. Good times.
So confession time … I am a nerd but not in your typically brainy nerd fashion; I am a nerd that helps man message boards while also posting and creates fan sites. I have made great friends through this. Friends that I have actually met. I have also met my celebrity crushes du jour and actually co-hosted a fan event. I know crazy, like seriously cray cray. You should hear my Mom when I tell her what I am going to do and have done. She thinks I am touched in the head. I say she just doesn’t get the power of social media.
I went to NYC last September to finally meet Jessica for this thing called “CosmoCon”. CosmoCon is a fan initiative that just steamrolled. Fans of the Sirius XM Cosmo Radio Station decided to meet up and make a weekend of it in New York where subsequently the radio shows are hosted. I knew of Cosmo Radio and would listen when I would rent a car yet it was not an every day thing by no means. I wanted to meet up with my friend Jessica that I would chat with on the “board” (that’s the cool lingo, for message board) and Facebook. Let me just say, I had a great time (and I plan on doing it again this year). They made this stranger feel very welcomed and launched a new thing for me to get all nerd like about.
CosmoCon had a welcome reception with passed h’ordeuvres. One h’ordeuvre was this tasty Cilantro Chicken Salad that was served on a tortilla chip. It was delightful and delish! I wanted to be a pig and eat every single one and not share with others. I could have just have been hungry but I think it was just greed.
I am all about salads and fruit in the summer and this chicken salad is totally perfect for summer. The cilantro comes through with every bite. That bitter/smoky hit that is cilantro. This is my own recipe based on that memory since I didn’t ask for a recipe. It’s simple and easy; another staple for summer recipes. So I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do! Below you will find the recipe and a video that was taken during CosmoCon thanks to Tara the Foodie .
Cilantro Chicken Salad
A Licious Original Recipe
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups skinless cooked chicken, (rotisserie chicken is my go to so this was half a rotisserie chicken for me)
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon of a salt seasoning (like a seasoning salt)
2 teaspoons of sour cream
1/4 cup light or olive oil mayonnaise
juice of a half lime (approximately 1 Tablespoon)
Directions
Chop cilantro, onion, and garlic and set aside. Juice half a lime and set aside.
In a food processor add chicken, cilantro, onion, garlic, seasoning, sour cream, mayo, and lime juice (essentially add all ingredients into the food processor). Pulse food processor until mixed and chicken has been chunked. I like to get my chicken somewhat fine so it’s easier to place on bread or crackers.
Empty mixture from food processor into a bowl of your choice and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before eating, need to give it time to set up and marry.
Serving suggestions: Sandwich, wrap, with crackers, with pita chips, in a pita, or with tortilla chips.
