There's a First Time for Everything...

When I started this blog, I thought the baking part of it would be balanced with other fun things. Sorry about that, folks. Life has been really busy! I promise, I will try harder to sprinkle in a bit more fun between the baking (especially because the baking stints are fewer and further between now).

I also planned that I would stick close to baking things that I could easily take to others so they wouldn't be in the house. For that reason, I was drawn to a recipe for Cinnamon Chip Scones on one of my favorite baking blogs, My Baking Addiction. If you haven't already checked it out by clicking through the link on the right of my blog, you should definitely click soon. The author, an Ohio gal like myself (except she still lives there), makes all kinds of delicious-sounding things and takes great photos of them. Anyhoo, the scones sounded AMAZING, and I knew they'd be easy to pass around. Too bad that, as you might have guessed, Jay and I have not been so good about sharing the goodies I'm making here. (Too many baked goods = new gym memberships!)

I had never made a scone before in my life. Actually, I'm not sure I'd ever even eaten a homemade scone. I think my previous scone experience has been limited to professional bakeries (and in particular, my love of a white chocolate raspberry scone Cup O'Joe used to have in Columbus.... mmmm). So, this was yet another adventure for the benefit of my faithful readers.

I started off pretty excited to try something new, and quite honestly, to finally use those cinnamon chips I'd bought in anticipation of the project a week earlier (sidenote: Cinnamon chips are addictive. Consider yourself warned!) Instead of my trusty stand mixer, the recipe called for the use of a food processor. Another good sign, as the poor thing hadn't been used in months. And so I dove in.

I should have suspected that something was amiss when cutting the cold butter into the flour mixture didn't result in pea-sized clumps. But, unfazed, I marched forward, dumping the rest of the wet ingredients into the less-than-perfect pastry mix.

That, my friends, is when the trouble began. Being the avid cookie-maker that I am, I know a sticky cookie dough when I see one. And folks, that is exactly what I saw staring back at me from the processor's bowl. Though I was a scone virgin, I had seen enough Food Network shows to know what a kneaded dough looks like, and I knew full well there would be kneading ahead. Sticky was not where it was at. A tad bit fazed, I went ahead and turned the dough out.


This is what happened:

 

I like getting my hands dirty as much as the next guy, but this was ridiculous.

Thankfully, my trusty sous chef was not far from the disaster zone and stepped in to help.

Jay and I worked as a team to add quite a bit more flour (above and beyond what the recipe had told me to add at the pea-sized crumb-making stage). Honestly, I can't even tell you how much we added, only that it was a lot. But it worked. Eventually, the sticky was tamed and I finally had what looked like the dough I had expected.

That's not to say that the final product looked anything like any scone I'd ever seen. But, hey, you gotta start somewhere. Oh, and they were huge. Clearly spacial relations is not my gig.

And, after such trials, I didn't even bother with the cream cheese glaze until the next morning. I needed to recuperate first before baking again.

And yes, I know what you're wondering -- despite my creative way of getting there, these scones tasted pretty darn good. They may have been a little more dense than they were supposed to be (thank you excessive amounts of extra flour), but the cinnamon yummy-ness, only heightened by that addictive glaze, totally made up for it.

If any of you out there feel brave enough to try these, or actually have scone experience and therefore are more qualified than I, please let me know how it goes. I'm determined to have another go at these... but maybe not for awhile. :)

Cinnamon Chip Scones
(from mybakingaddiction.com)

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter; very cold cut into pieces
2 eggs
1 cup *mini cinnamon chips (mine didn't say mini, but they were pretty small, so I just left them as is)

optional egg wash (I didn't bother, clearly)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions
1. In a small bowl, blend the sour cream, vanilla and baking soda, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line with parchments paper.
3. In the bowl of your food processor, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and salt. Pulse a few times to incorporate. Add in the butter and pulse until butter is in pea-sized pieces. 4. Add in the sour cream mixture and eggs into the flour mixture and pulse until just moistened.
5. Remove scone dough from the food processor and into a bowl, fold in cinnamon chips.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll or pat dough into a 3/4 inch thick round. Cut into 12 wedges, and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. You can easily shape these any size you want.
7. Optional: Brush the tops lightly with egg wash.
8. Bake 13-16 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom.

Notes
*If you cannot find mini cinnamon chips, simply chop the standard cinnamon chips to make smaller pieces.
* No food processor? Simply cut the butter into the flour mixtures using a pastry blender.
You can also freeze your butter in whole sticks and grate it using the large holes of a box grater; this will allow you to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture without too much effort.

Cream Cheese Glaze
1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract extract
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
Mix the cream cheese with the butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a bowl. Drizzle over cooled scones in any fashion you choose (I chose the dump with a spoon method).

Pancakes make me happy

One of Jay's and my favorite traditions is weekend pancakes. And not just any pancakes. Banana chocolate chip pancakes. The tradition dates back to our earliest dating days, and still reminds me of falling in love with my husband every time we make them together.

Finally feeling settled into the house, we knew this past weekend was the perfect opportunity to break out some yummy Stonewall Kitchen pancake mix we've been meaning to break into for over a year (thank you, Julie!). And, our patience (or busy-ness) was rewarded in spades. Here is evidence of one of our most perfect pancake batches yet:

Possibly the world's most perfect pancake, courtesy of the master -- my husband.

Oh, and I did a bit of baking too.... more to come soon on that!

The Move, the New and the Tried & True

It's been a week since we moved in. The move went pretty smoothly, thankfully. And now, a week in, the house is coming together very nicely. A few highlights of our new digs:

• After some initial confusion, we have come to love our high-efficiency heating system. Let's just hope those utility bills reflect all those savings we've been told we'll have!
• We have lots of kitchen cabinet space! I think everything has finally found a place (even if it's not its permanent place) AND we still have a few drawers to spare.
• I love our new washer and dryer (thank you Grandma Jackie!). They aren't the fanciest on the market, but I am so enjoying not having a random ring-shaped stain appear on our clothes from the old washer's agitator -- gotta love the front loading washer!
• We have a party tub. Seriously, we have a party tub. It comes fully equipped with programmable air jets AND color-changing lights. As Jay says, it's like living in a house on MTV Cribs. And yes, after taking my first soak the other night, I can report that it is as fun as it sounds
• Verizon FiOS. No words. LOVE IT. Highly recommend it.

As we settle into our new life here, the craziness of the week or two before the move are starting to resurface in my consciousness. Between my job and packing, I completely forgot that I had done some baking. Not that I would have had time to blog about them, of course. But now I have a few moments, so I wanted to share one of my favorites -- my Nana Sara's Butter Balls.

Butter Balls -- The Fall Collection

These nuggets of buttery goodness are the hallmark of my matriarchal line. My maternal great grandmother, Sara, was known as Sara Lee because everything she baked was impeccably yummy. Nana Sara was a big part of my life until she passed just shy of my 18th birthday. We spent many a Sunday visiting her at the nursing home. Sadly, by the time my memories begin, Nana was already under the grip of Alzheimer's Disease. So, it's through recipes like these that I can connect with Nana in her prime.

Of course, I'm far from the first woman in our family line to pick up Nana Sara's talents. My grandmother and my mother are both quite talented in the kitchen. When it comes to Butter Balls, though, well, that's been my mom's territory for years. She can make these things in her sleep. And she makes them for every occasion (except Passover, of course). Every family member and friend has come to expect these little babies at any gathering, from holiday dinners for nearly 30 to Sunday night BBQs for 6.

So, it's been so important to me to master the famous Butter Ball. It's taken me a few tries, but I think I've got it down. I'm almost reticent to post the recipe here, for fear I might be bested at my own genetically-thrown gauntlet. But, I have faith that with a cookie this simple -- and this simply delicious -- the secret is the baker's own flair. :)

Nana Sara's Butter Balls


FOR COOKIES:
1/2 lb. butter (I always use salted here)
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups flour

Combine butter and egg yolks and sugar. Beat well. Add flour.

Form into balls (you may need to keep your hands moist to prevent dough from sticking) and place on nonstick cookie sheet. Make a thumbprint on the top of each ball.

Pre-frosting cookies

Bake at 350º for approximately 15 minutes or slightly golden on bottoms. Cool for 5-10 minutes on sheet before moving to cooling rack. Freeze before frosting for best results.

FOR FROSTING:
1 stick butter (again, salted)
Confectioner's sugar (about 3 cups, but just use what you need to get the consistency you want)
Milk

Beat butter until smooth; add confectioner's sugar a small bit at a time until you get a thick frosting. Add a little milk to thin out. Add more confectioner's sugar to balance if you add to much milk.

Once you have a semi-thick frosting, separate and color as desired. Use spoon to frost frozen cookies (dump and swirl method).

ENJOY!!

Switchin' Kitchens

It's been quite a while since I posted a new recipe, but I promise, there's good reason.

Jay & I finally closed on our new condo!

We are thrilled to be homeowners again, but are currently in the throes of packing up our apartment and taking everything over to our new place.

The whole process -- which for very long and convoluted reasons -- started way back in April and, after fits, starts, and really awful performances by the seller's agent, it finally ended just last week. The place is small (really small), but it's beautiful. It's one unit in a 2-family home that was recently gutted and rehabbed into two condos.

I could list all the benefits of the place, from the party tub (yes, party tub... complete with color-changing lights) to its ideal location less than a mile from our current apartment. But let's focus on what counts: it has a fabulous kitchen!! We sealed the deal just in time to pick out the granite and the appliances ourselves. Keep your eye out for future posts testing the accuracy of my brand new oven...

Today, as we waited for the locks to be changed, the new washer/dryer to be delivered, and the carpet to be installed in the basement, we unpacked our kitchen items into the abundant cupboards. The final piece of the day -- the KitchenAid Mixer. It took its rightful place on the counter. So, it's official folks -- I have arrived!

The Baker Hits the Mill City

Recently I had the rare opportunity to join Jay at one of his many conferences. This time his meeting was in Minneapolis, MN, which is also conveniently the new home of one of my best friends, Jenny, and her family. So while Jay sat in sessions all day, I went to play with Jenny and her almost 3-year-old, Noah.

Jenny is always a great hostess, so she planned some really fun things for us to do. We spent one morning at the Mill City Museum, a tribute to the flour factories that used to be the city's main industry. I didn't know this before my trip, but Minneapolis used to the flour capital of the world -- perfect for the baker in me. It was cool to see how the mill operated, and I really loved the exhibits paying homage to Betty Crocker, Pillsbury and the like! Noah, on the other hand, could have spent all day with the trains and trucks. Boys...

Baking with Noah

In truth, Noah himself is a great baker. In fact, Jenny suggested that instead of bringing him a gift (I make it a practice never to go see a small kid without a trinket in hand) I bring with me something for us to bake together. What a great idea! I loaded up my suitcase with all you need for yummy Funfetti cupcakes (shout out to my Drachler buddies! Funfetti is a key to grad school survival), and Noah was a super helper. We had so much fun making them -- and eating them -- together.

In the midst of all the zaniness that has been our lives lately, it was so wonderful to spend time with close friends. Thank you Jenny, Jon & Noah for a fun weekend! Please come to Boston soon so we can host you.

Double-Edged Sword (Double Dark Dump Cake)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this blogging thing is not easy. Thinking of things to say, finding recipes to share, and all the while trying to be mildly entertaining, these are not easy tasks.

The baking -- and the enjoying the fruits of my labor -- is equally tough. Sure most things are tasty (must be beginner's luck). In fact, they are pretty hard to resist these days. That, in and of itself, is particularly hard for me, a Weight Watcher's success story. For the 4+ years since I started my first stint, I've kept off more than 20 pounds. But with all these yummy concoctions, my well-trained defenses are weakening.

Double Not-So-Dark Dump Cake

So, when I feel like I'm teetering on the edge, I like to take a tried-and-true recipe and lighten it up a bit. My most successful attempt has been with one of my mom's classics, the Double Dark Dump Cake (so named because you just dump all the ingredients into a bowl). Made by the book, this cake is dark, rich, moist, and all around chocolate goodness. But, it also has plenty of potential as a somewhat lighter version of itself. Even with my substitutions, the cake was a crowd-pleaser at our Yom Kippur break fast.

Double Dark Dump Cake
(feel free to make the original or the lighter version -- they are both great!)

1 box devil's food cake (I used Pillsbury sugar-free mix)
1 package chocolate instant pudding (I used sugar-free fat-free chocolate, though sugar-free fat-free chocolate fudge is also a good choice)
1/2 cup oil (I subbed applesauce for half the oil. When subbing applesauce for fat, which is a great sub, never replace more than half the fat or it just gets sticky from the sugar in the applesauce)
1 cup sour cream (I used fat free, but you can also use fat free greek yogurt)
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs
1 small package of chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and pour into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 350º for 40-60 mins, depending on your oven. Cool in pan until you can handle it; turn out and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar immediately before serving.

More Holiday Deliciousness: Savory Bites

Welcome to my first blog post of the Jewish New Year! I hope all who celebrated had a happy and healthy start to the year, and had an easy and meaningful fast. For those who have been following, a quick report: the aforementioned homemade chicken soup and brisket were solid hits, the applesauce cake a little less rich than I remembered (apparently using Coffee Rich instead of milk not only makes it parve, it makes it better), and the time with family very lovely.

In addition to my usual sweet treats, I thought I'd share a few of the more savory highlights of the season this year.

Sweet Potato Pie

For Rosh Hashanah, I made my mother-in-law's sweet potato pie for the first time. It was super easy, tasted great, and even got a nod from Mom-in-law! I was surprised that the recipe didn't call for any particular spices (ie. cinnamon, etc.), but honestly, it didn't need it. As the recipe makes 2 pies, I am just waiting for the next opportunity to take pie #2 out of the freezer.

2 small graham cracker crusts
1 large can sweet potatoes (usually packed in syrup), drained and mashed (I also rinsed mine a bit to take off a bit of the extra sweetness)
1 cup sugar
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Combine last 6 ingredients with mashed potatoes, mix and pour into shells. Bake at 350º for approximately 45 minutes or pie is set.

That's it!

Caramelized Onion Frittata (adapted from CookingLight.com)
We hosted a couple of good friends, and their adorable, well-behaved little boy, for break-the-fast after Yom Kippur. Not only did we have great conversation and the best bagels in Boston (thank you, Rosenfeld's!), I tried my hand at a frittata. I'd only done one before, but this one sounded so delicious and light and hearty, I thought it would be perfect for post-fast. It turned out to be as good as it sounded. In fact, I still have some in the fridge I can't wait to have tomorrow for lunch! The recipe called for a 10" pan, but I wanted something a little bigger, so I used a 12" and upped the ingredients roughly by half.

2 cups diced baking potato
6 tablespoons water
Mister of oil (or just light drizzle of oil)
1 1/2 lbs.  sliced onion (or a little less)
1/3 cup water
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (we used a combination of rosemary and sage)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons fat-free milk
8 large egg whites, lightly beaten
5 large eggs, lightly beaten

Place potato and 6 tablespoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and vent. Microwave at high 4-6 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Set aside.

Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with misted oil (tip: never use cooking spray on nonstick surfaces -- it gums up when heated and ruins the nonstick surface!). Add onion. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Uncover, add garlic and cook 10 minutes,  or until golden brown, stirring frequently. While onion cooks, add 1/3-1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent onion from sticking to pan. Stir in potato, herbs, salt, and pepper. Spoon into a medium bowl; cool slightly.

Combine parmesan, milk, egg whites, and eggs in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add egg mixture to potato mixture; stir well.

Preheat broiler.

Wipe pan with a paper towel; recoat pan with misted oil. Pour potato mixture into pan. Cook over medium heat 7-9 minutes or until bottom of frittata is browned and top is almost set.

Wrap handle of pan with foil. Sprinkle 1 more tablespoon cheese over frittata. Broil 5 minutes or until cheese melts and top is set. Cut into wedges.

You can find the original recipe here.

Applesauce Cake

This time of year is one of my favorites -- the Jewish High Holidays. Not only is it a great opportunity to take stock, make some changes, and get a fresh start (the latter of which I am sorely in need), it's a whole menu full of amazing food.

This year, Jay's parents will be with us here in Boston for Rosh Hashana, which means it's up to me to recreate the holiday staples. For Jay, that means his mom's sweet potato pie. For both of us, it also means homemade chicken soup (on the stove now -- keep your fingers crossed it comes out well!), brisket, and apples and honey, of course. For me, without a doubt, it's applesauce cake.

You know it's gonna be a good year when you get aluminum-wrapped loaves of love from home!

My mom's honey cake may be the longest-standing sweet component of Rosh Hashana meals, but maybe 10-15 years ago, her friend Gail shared a recipe for applesauce cake (thank you Gail!). It has since become my holiday favorite, hands down. No disrespect to the honey cake, but YUM! It's a perfect little quickbread with all the spices of fall. And it's so moist!

Every year, my mom bakes up these babies and sends them off to a few friends and family across the country for the holidays. Whenever I couldn't make it home, I knew I'd get my applesauce cake in the mail. 

This year, it was up to me to whip up my own cakes, and I cannot wait to dig in. The process is so easy and smells so good. What a great way to start off a sweet new year! L'shana Tova to all who are celebrating!!

Gail's Applesauce Cake

For batter:

1 cup applesauce

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable (canola) oil

2 eggs

3 tbsp milk (or non-dairy creamer if you need them to be parve)

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

For topping:

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease 2 medium loaf pans.

Combine applesauce, sugar, oil, eggs and milk. Beat to blend well.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Slowly blend into applesauce mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans.

Turn batter into greased loaf pans (batter will be shallow in pans). Mix topping and sprinkle on top. 

Bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes.

Cool in pans, turn out and cut into slices.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since I've started this blog, a stretch of more than 7 days when the KitchenAid sits lonely and unused has led to baking withdrawal. Not mine, mind you. Rather, my husband's.

Chocolate overload

A cookie fiend and chocoholic, Jay has been spoiled by my latest obsession with this blog. So when he turned to me a few nights ago and out-and-out asked for me to make him cookies, to finally break open the bag of chocolate chips in the fridge that had been mocking him, I couldn't say no. I was his dealer and he needed a hit -- bad.

Feeling guilty, I swung for the fences and sought out a quick chocolate chocolate chip cookie recipe. This time I went to my old standby, Food Network, for help. We were not disappointed. The cookies were an intense dose of chocolate, though they were a little crispy for my taste.

But, really, all that mattered was that Jay got his fix. I think I just officially became an enabler.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Cathy Lowe's recipe on foodnetwork.com)

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups chocolate chips, 2 Hershey's chocolate bars, chopped or M&M'S (I went with standard chocolate chips)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional -- I left them out)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. In another large bowl stir together butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, and stir to distribute evenly.

For cookies: Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on a baking rack.

(Recipe also has instructions for bars. Check it out here.)

Bittersweet

This blogging thing has proven harder than I thought. It's been quite a while since my last post, but as they say, life happens, and so much has been going on in the last few weeks.

In the midst of digging into my new job, and buying a new home, my grandfather passed away. It wasn't necessarily a surprise, as he had been in a nursing home for 6 years and had been declining even more rapidly over the past 6 months to a year. Nevertheless, it was a sad time. Grandpa was a wonderful guy and a very memorable character. My brother and I had a particularly special bond with him; as we were so little when he joined the family marrying our grandma, we were the first (well, second behind Grandma) that Grandpa spoiled rotten.

The quick trip to Cleveland for the funeral was indeed bittersweet. Saying goodbye to Grandpa was hard, as was remembering the other people in our lives who have passed before him. Still, remembering the good times with him, and his larger-than-life personality was so welcome after watching him slip away these many years. We even learned new things about him, like his penchance for writing the White House (and the 2 responses he got!).

Being home with my family and spending quality time with my family and close family friends was really fulfilling. And filling. When you sit shiva, there's nothing to do but welcome people to the home and eat everything they bring you. Not that I'm complaining. I got to have some of my favorite Cleveland things: rugelach from Corky & Lenny's and pizza from Geraci's. A great toast to my grandpa, a former Cleveland restauranteur, to enjoy some of the local fare. We love you Grandpa!

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Bananas are my favorite fruit. We always have them in house. Which means that on busier weeks, when we aren't around as much, we often have bananas that are just past their eating prime -- and perfect for baking.

I had some cream cheese frosting in the freezer salvaged from the Red Velvet Disaster, so my brain immediately went to banana cupcakes. I found a recipe that had only ingredients I already had in the house (lesson learned from aforementioned disaster) on MarthaStewart.com. I feel like Martha's a pretty reliable source for all things baked.

Well, loyal readers, my feelings did me right. These little beauties were delicious! They were tender like a cupcake, but had the rich flavor of a banana muffin.

I added a few of my own twists. Martha's recipe called for honey-cinnamon frosting, but I think the cream cheese was a great match. For the cupcake, I was shy on the 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana, so I filled up the small gap with some unsweetened applesauce. That, and the 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg I threw in, really added some nice flavor notes.

I can't wait to have another one of these for breakfast tomorrow!

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(adapted from MarthaStewart.com)
Makes 12 cupcakes

For Cupcake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (I only had salted butter, so I omitted the above salt)
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas - again I had 3 bananas and supplemented with unsweetened applesauce)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack, then frost with cream cheese frosting

For Frosting:
8 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 stick butter, softened (I added more, and don't remember if I also added some shortening)
1/2 box plus 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional garnish ideas: whole or chopped walnuts or pecans, fresh or dried banana

Red Velvet Disaster

After a week of staycation, there's nothing like a little post-dinner baking to get you back into a groove. Well, usually. Feeling a little more adventurous, I sought out to tackle red velvet cupcakes. Who doesn't like red velvet???

Apparently, when I make red velvet, no one likes it. I mean, the whole process, from start to finish, was a disaster. I MAY have set myself up for failure when I realized I didn't have 2 critical ingredients: cake flour and buttermilk. But, as any good baking blogger would do, I took to the web to find suitable substitutions.

I  already knew that you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a one-cup measure and finishing it off with regular milk and letting the mixture sit for ten minutes.

I found that you can also make your own cake flour by adding a teaspoon of cornstarch to a one-cup measure and finishing it off with AP flour. Who knew?

Baking battle

So armed with my in-the-know subs, I went to work. Actually, it looked like I went to battle. The batter was as thin and red as blood (partly thanks to the full bottle of red food coloring the recipe told me to throw in). Ew.

Even though I knew I was headed for a loss, I soldiered on and baked 'em up. Again, EW.

I won't even bother to post the recipe. I like you all too much.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lots of promise

I am a big fan of white chocolate. Always have been. So, when I started this big adventure, I knew I had to find a recipe that called for white chocolate chips. Way back in the day, I remembered seeing a recipe on the back of a bag of Ocean Spray Craisins, so that was where I went first.

The cookies, Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip, just sound like they're amazing. I mean, oatmeal cookies, yay. Cranberries? Yes, please! And white chocolate, well, see above.

Before...

Even with all that potential, I was feeling a little brave and threw in some sliced almonds after the first sheetful went into the oven. I know, I know, baby steps away from the written recipe. Sadly, my ingenuity didn't amount to much; neither I nor Jay really tasted a difference. :(

After... little golden nuggets of goodness

Overall, these were tasty cookies. Still, I think the next time I make them, I'll try to jazz up the cookie part (it was a little bland), this time with a little vanilla or other yummy extract.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Ocean Spray)

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips
(I added about 1/2 cup sliced almonds to half of batter)
(Recommend: 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

National Underpants Day!

For those of you who were unaware, today was National Underpants Day!

Jay and I celebrated by meeting my good friend Matt in Northampton, MA, where we found these in a funky store:

Underpants for your hands

Some suggestions for wear...

A few months ago, my brother Brian sent us a link to these, and we thought it was hilarious. So, go check it out and celebrate the day in style!

A Lady who Lunches

Since I don't start my new job until Monday, I have an entire week of staycation for myself. To steal a term from my Boston bestie, Alex, I'm a "lady who lunches" for 5 lovely days. And, yes, I've had lunch plans lined up all week. I've also slept late, shopped and caught up on some reading. And it's only Wednesday! There's more fun in store, including some much needed salon time, a concert at Tanglewood (courtesy of my husband's BU hook-up) and a day trip out west to hang out with my friend Matt. 

And, of course, I'm baking. I'm trying to keep it to only 2-3 recipes a week so Jay and I don't become diabetic. At first, I think I'm going to focus on things like cookies and bars, mostly because they are easy to store and easy to give away when I fear my resistance is wearing down. I'm trying to scour the web for recipes that are easy and use mostly easy-to-find ingredients, and I've amassed a few. But if you have any you want to share, please send them along!!

In the midst of all this lunching and baking, though, I am trying to gear up for the new job. They've given me lots of reading material to get up to speed on this high school admissions game. There's a lot to learn, for sure, but I think I can handle it all. At least it's keeping be busy (and away from the cookies in the freezer)!

Hooray for staycation!

Half-baked

So now that I actually launched this blog, I'm a little afraid that I didn't think the whole "I've gotta actually post regularly" thing all the way through. You mean I actually have to post to it regularly? That means I have to actually do interesting things so I have SOMETHING to say.

Speaking of things that are half-baked, I attempted my first baking adventure as a blogger earlier this week. I found a recipe for Levain Bakery copycat cookies (NY bakery famous for their amazing huge cookies) on MyBakingAddiction. These were huge cookies, but they totally delivered on taste!

Yummy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

For size reference... they ain't kiddin' when they say this is a big cookie.

I've never made cookies this big before (4 oz. dough balls!), so I trusted the baking time given on the recipe. I like my cookies a little underbaked, but these were completely raw in the middle. Even after we froze them and nuked 'em quickly the next day. So, next time, I'll make sure to let them cook just a minute or two longer. Still, like a said, these were AMAZING cookies. Even Jay (THE cookie connaisseur) loved them. These will definitely make a repeat appearance in our household.

The recipe I used said the walnuts were optional, and I'm sure the cookies would be delish without them, but I thought they added a nice dimension. But for those who don't like anything getting in the way of their chocolate (ahem, my husband), feel free to go nut free.

Finding a little bit of happy

For months, I've been wanting to start a blog. I just couldn't figure out what I would say. What would I contribute to the blogosphere that would be remotely interesting?

And then, life threw me a curveball, and I was looking at the potential of being "between jobs." Unemployment would have been my nightmare come alive. I worried: What I was going to do for the other waking hours of each day? What was I going to do to prevent my ass from permanently attaching to the sofa? What would I do to remind myself that, even when unemployed, there are still plenty of reasons to smile?

And, that's when it hit me: I would bake (because I love to) and I would blog (because I finally had an excuse to).

Baking was the easy solution. It’s one of my favorite things to do, even though I’m far from an expert. Baking’s even in my blood – a skill passed down on my mom’s side for at least 4 generations. Baking is cheap; groceries for a recipe or two a week wouldn't have broken our potentially stretched bank account. And it would keep me up and moving, whether in the kitchen making (and cleaning up) messes, or at the gym burning off all those extra calories.

The blogging wasn’t something I saw coming. I just thought it would be a fun way to record my journey and share the ups, the downs, and the recipes with friends, family and strangers the world over. It would be something to do each day.

Fortunately, luck was on my side, and I landed a tony new job (one I am thrilled about) just in the nick of time. But I had already hooked myself on this baking/blogging idea; I found something that excited me and couldn't let it go. Who says that, even with a job, I can't contribute a little sweetness to the world??

Spoonfuls of Sugar will be a place I can catalog all those good things in life - one spoonful at a time.

I can't promise it'll all be brownies and pies, but I hope you'll find it satisfying!