Tuesdays with Dorie - Cottage Cheese Pufflets

Let me start out by saying I love cottage cheese.

I think it is one of the most perfect foods and I like to eat it with sweet and savory dishes.

Naturally, I was curious and excited to try the Cottage Cheese Pufflet recipe. Especially since it didn't have a picture.



I'll admit, I was a bit intimidated by the recipe because so many people had issues with the dough being so soft while rolling it out. To be honest, I didn't have any problems. I just let it chill for about 4 1/2 hours and it was great.

However, looking at everyone's results, I'm wondering if I failed to roll it thin enough. Either way mine turned out spectacular. I loved the taste and I loved the filling! I used some homemade peach-raspberry jam made with agave nectar, and store-bought apricot and blackberry jams.

Thanks Jacque for choosing this very cool recipe. I can't wait to bake the second half of my batch later this week! (It's in the freezer) Be sure to check out Jacque's blog, Daisy Lane Cakes for the recipe. And don't forget to check the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see my fellow baker's pufflets.

I have to say--I'm very stoked for our the next five week's of baking. I get to make so many great desserts including: Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart, Split Level Pudding, Allspice Crumb Muffins, Sweet Potato Biscuits and a Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte!

Giada's Lemon-Basil Potatoes

I saw this potato side dish recipe on Everyday Italian the other day and thought it looked good. The recipe calls for baby new potatoes but I didn't have any on hand so I just used red potatoes.

I thought it was a nice change from the usual creamy, fat-infested potato salad. It is light, fresh and nutty. I hope you'll give it a try.


Lemon-Basil Potatoes
by Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

* 16 baby new potatoes, halved ( I used 5 medium red potatoes)
* 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock ( I had to use like 8 cups)
* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 2 teaspoons
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
* 1 teaspoon lemon zest
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Place the potatoes, chicken stock, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes ( I cut mine in 8ths) and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. (I just didn't have any left over so I drizzles a bunch all over the potatoes) Add the lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of the basil. Toss well and garnish with the remaining chopped basil.

Looking for a great coffee table

Looking for a great coffee table or the perfect gift for a fun friend?

Look no further.!

You'll love "The Best Dance Moves in the World...Ever!" 100 New and Classic Moves & How to Bust Them by Matt Pagett
I found this book at one of my favorite shops in SoHo, Pylones.
I used to browse this shop for hours while waiting for my hubs to get off work. :)

This book is dang fun and pretty funny. You'll find step by step instructions and pictures on how to do moves like the macarana, the john travolta, the rogger rabit, the ska, the shower and the time warp. It's awesome!

I know many of my bloggie friends will love this book, including this gal!

BYU Game Day & Tailgate Treats

Football season is in full swing and I'm a happy girl! And my gosh, I love BYU! (said in my totally "oh my gosh" Utah accent...)

I thought I'd share these BYU Football treats I've made over the last few seasons. Even if your not a Cougar fan, I hope you'll be able to gather some football treat ideas for your favorite team!



BYU Football Cake
This cake is by far my favorite BYU game day treat I've made! I made it before I got into from-scratch baking so it was made with a cake mix. It was also my first time using fondant. I purchased Wilton's Ready-To-Use White Rolled Fondant and dyed it with Wilton's Royal Blue Dye. I printed out BYU's stretch Y and then traced it onto wax paper and then used an exacto-knife to cute out the fondant. The pan used was Wilton's First And Ten Football Pan. I used Wilton's Buttercream Recipe and used both the ribbon and star tips.



Helmet Shaped Sugar Cookies
These were probably my sloppiest tailgate treat. But they were still yummy and all decked out in BYU blue and white! I think I bought the football helmet cookie cutter from Sur La Table in Salt Lake.



Football Helmet-shaped Rice Krispie Ice Cream Sandwich
I love cookie cutters because they have multiple uses. This time I used the helmet cookie cutter on rice krispie treats. Though I really only got a couple good ice cream sandwiches from this batch. I will try this again.(I messed up on the order of cutting the shapes out and freezing so i had mega issues!)



Football Cake & Gridiron Kid Cake
These cakes weren't exactly for a BYU game or tailgate--they were for a nephews bday. But still...I did them in BYU colors and had to share! I've got lots of use from that Wilton football cake pan and love it! The idea for the little boy football helmet cake also came from Wilton--it's called Gridiron Kid Mini Cakes. I didn't have the mini ball pan like they suggested. I just used a glass pyrex bowl if I remember correctly.



BYU Y-shaped sugar cookies
These are my latest BYU game day treat creation! I visited my old work at byu and they gave me this to try! It's a Y-shaped Sugar Cookie Cutter and recipe for "Cougar Cookies." I even tried the recipe and I hope to share all the details very soon!!! You should be able to buy the cookie cutters from BYU creamery locations in the next week or so! I made the magnolia vanilla buttercream recipe for my frosting. (with tahitian vanilla!)



Giant Rice Krispie Football Treat
Again, that Wilton football cake pan has totally been worth the seven bucks I paid for it at Robert's Crafts! (gotta love the 40% off coupons!). Anyway, this freaking huge rice krispie treat football got me some media attention at one of our tailgates back when I was still a student there. I just doubled a batch and either added chocolate or dyed it brown, then used the Wilton Buttercream recipe. Read the article or at least see the pix, The reporter cataloged a full day at a BYU game, before he got to our tailgate he apparently was at one that was serving zuchinni bread. Anyway, read it below...

12:00: Finally! Run into group of bona fide non-blue-hair tailgaters. Ask if they have zucchini bread. "This isn't a bake sale," says BYU senior Becky Olsen. "This is a tailgate." Members of Cougar Crazies, they claim to have "raised the bar" on tailgate parties. No argument here. Their spread — on a pickup's tailgate — includes bratwursts, watermelon, fully caffeinated Mountain Dew, fully non-caffeinated soda ("for the lightweights," says Trevor Winn) and Olsen's prized creation: an oblong Rice Krispies treat that's colored and frosted to resemble a football.

12:01: Don't dare tell Olsen her edible pigskin would fetch far more in a bake sale than the zucchini bread.

Anyway, I hope you have a happy football season. I'll be creating more tailgate treats...be prepared for some cute BYU cupcakes! And please, please share what football cookies, cakes, cupcakes or other goodies and treats you've made!

Tuesdays with Dorie - Chocolate Souffle

Let me begin by saying I've had issues with meringue since the first time I tried to spell it. And since that time I haven't successfully made a perfect or beautiful meringue. Is it too much to ask for a light and pillowy yet stiff meringue that holds its glossy shiny goodness?

Granted I'm probably being a little hard on myself since I've only tried like four times spaced out in the last two years. But still. You'd think I'd have it mastered by now. Especially considering I read up on it, watched several instructional YouTube Videos and carefully noted all of Dorie's notes in Baking From My Home To Yours. Alas, this technique is going to take me a while. I think I'll take a weekend afternoon, buy two cartons of eggs and just go at it.

With that said, I absolutely loved this recipe and feel like it tasted great. I had two minor mess-ups: one being the obvious meringue. They weren't glossy and they looked like they would have turned to cream if I kept my KitchenAid on for a few whirls. Second: I forgot the milk. Oops. I totally had it out on my counter, all measured out. I just forgot.

The funny thing was the fact that I thought the chocolate was absolutely too thick and while I was adding the egg yolks in I kept thinking to myself, "This recipe is whacked...it better turn out good!"

But like I said, I loved this souffle. To me it was guilt free cake because of the zero butter and flour factor. (I'll admit, I didn't feel very guilty after eating it...it's leaps and bounds better for me than my usual cupcake that is topped with about a pound of deliciously sweet buttercream frosting) And the big winner--I always have chocolate, milk, sugar and eggs on hand! I hope to make this the next time I have another couple over for dinner, a movie or games. (Of course, I would make sure I mastered the meringue first.)

Two more things you should know: I halved the recipe and it only took 18 minutes. It filled three 3/4-cup ramekins. And the raspberry goodness is straight from my in-laws' raspberry bush. So delicious.

Make sure you check out how the other TWD Bakers did this week! And check out Susan's blog, She's Becoming Doughmesstic. She chose the Chocolate Souffle recipe and I absolutely love her blog! She is very funny, inventive and just a great baker! You'll also remember she hosted the Penny Pinching Pantry Raid that I participated in this summer. (Which reminds me I never posted a final entry about how I did. Hint: I did complete the challenge with only $2.25 left!)

My Birthday Cupcakes

Thanks a million to Cupcake Chic who hand delivered my birthday cupcakes to me on Friday! (as a gift! ahh, how nice, right!)

If you were keeping watch on the poll of what cupcake I should have for my bday then you'll know that Cupcake Chic's Neapolitan Cupcakes won! ...and boy was I happy! These cupcakes are ridiculously delicious.

...and don't you love the little cupcake stands and long candles I had! I can't wait to tell you more about my fabulous birthday. My husband treated me like a birthday queen!

Crocheted Cupcake

Look at my latest little cupcake friend.
It's a crocheted cupcake that my fabulous SIL Ali gave me!
Head on over to Utah Loves Cupcakes to see more pix and get deets!

Thanks again, Ali!

Artichoke, Fennel and Tomato Salad

I've been trying out some more recipes by Jillian Michaels. So far I've had a pretty good experience and have been pleased with most of them. Here's my favorite so far:



Artichoke, Fennel and Tomato Salad
from Making the Cut by Jillian Michaels

12 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained (1/2 c. marinade reserved)
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 head fennel, sliced
3 c. (approx. 16 oz.) cherry tomatoes, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. kalamata olives
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves
1/2 c. slivered red onions
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk 1/4 c. artichoke marinade, vinegar, mustard and garlic.
2. Add fennel, tomatoes, olives, basil, onion, and artichoke hearts to dressing in bowl. Mix gently to coat. Add pepper to taste. Serves 6.

Number of Servings: 6

Give it a try! This was my first time making something with fennel and I think the first time I ate fennel raw. I loved it. It's got this licorice-type flavor that is delicious and really opens up the palate. All the ingredients really played off each other well. I will definitely make this the next time I am supposed to bring a salad to a get-together. ( I even purchased double the amount of canned items so I'd have most ingredients on hand for next time!)

The Cupcase

what up.

i'm currently reviewing this awesome cupcake product! The Cupcase!



it's been fabulous so far. i'll be posting a thorough view. so far i've tested it out on a homemade cupcake and a peach cupcake from salt lake city's So Cupcake! :) read more over at Utah Loves Cupcakes!

The New Food Lover's Companion

I saw this book lying around the test kitchen at Shirley J. I figured if our talented Chef Brian had it I should too.

It's called The New Food Lover's Companion.

It's full of culinary nuggets.

For instance, I can be watching Chopped or Iron Chef and if an unfamiliar ingredient pops up I can check here...and BAM! It's there. Mostly though I can just thumb through it for hours.

You can learn things like the history/lore of why Eggs Benedict are called Eggs Benedict. Cool, right? The book defines over 6,700 culinary terms in its 830 pages, along with numerous conversion tables.

I am enamored.