My husband, the baker

I love to bake.  Desserts, casseroles, breads...anything that requires an oven.  So much so that I have an at-home bakery business.  My husband is an electrician.  He can figure out pretty much anything with wires. Computer systems, electrical systems, fiber optics, fire alarms.  He loves that stuff and actually even teaches at a local trade school.

While my husband is great with wires, he doesn't bake much.  Mostly because I love to do it and he just gets in my way when he is in the kitchen.  For Thanksgiving this year, his aunt usually makes a butterscotch pie.  This year, she wasn't able to make it to the Thanksgiving festivities, so he decided to make the butterscotch pie himself.  At 10:00 at night.  After a long day of getting ready for house guests and working.  And after his wife said he could do it but she wouldn't help.

He found a recipe online that sounded good.  Except reading through the directions, he had to ask me to define a couple of terms.  Like "tempered eggs" and double boiler.  It was going to be a long night.

So, the directions said, "In top of double boiler, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk".  He read the reviews at the bottom and saw that if you didn't have a double boiler (or in his case, didn't know what one was) you could use a pan over medium heat.  He took that literally and heated the pan up to medium heat for a few minutes and added the brown sugar.  POOF.  The sugar went up in a cloud of smoke and the entire house smelled like burnt sugar.  I don't know how, but our fire alarms didn't go off.  Guess he will have to check and make sure they are working correctly!

Anyway, needless to say, I ended up helping out a little.  But it tasted good (although several of us were banned from trying it because we were laughing too hard during the entire process).  Maybe now my husband will have a little more appreciation for my job in the kitchen?!

If you are interested in trying the recipe, here's the recipe we used.  We also added whipped topping to it (but you could also do meringue) and butterscotch chips and a crushed butterfinger candy bar.  Enjoy!

Photo: Charles Schiller; Styling: Lynn Miller

Grandma's Butterscotch Pie

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

Directions

1. In top of double boiler, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk. Stir and keep stirring until it thickens.
2. Mix in egg yolks, stir and keep cooking until it thickens.
3. Remove from heat, and add butter or margarine and vanilla. Keep stirring.
4. Pour into cooked pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 minutes or until brown.

Read more...

Low Calorie Pumpkin Pie

Here's my little gift for posting super unhealthy recipes lately!

I have made this a few times and I really like it.  The low-cal version is never going to taste the same as the full fat version, so keep that in mind!  Here's the link for the recipe.  It is from Hungry Girl, who has several cookbooks and a cooking show.

	<> (this is a picture of a random pumpkin pie with traditional crust) Ingredients: For Crust2 cups Fiber One bran cereal (original) 1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown); melted & mixed with 1 oz. water 3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated 1 tsp. cinnamon For Filling One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling) One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk 3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) 1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. salt Optional Topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Combine crumbs with all other crust ingredients. Stir until mixed well. In an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray, evenly distribute mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. (Filling may be taller than the crust -- trust us, this is okay!) Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes, and then remove it and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge for several hours (for best results, chill overnight). Cut into 8 slices, and if you like, top with Reddi-wip before serving! MAKES 8 SERVINGS Serving Size: 1 slice Calories: 133 Fat: 3g Sodium: 236mg Carbs: 28g Fiber: 9g Sugars: 8g Protein: 6g POINTS® value 2*

Read more...

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Maple-Cinnamon Glaze

This year my oldest son is in first grade.  A whole new landscape for us.  He rides the bus, stays at school for the whole day, comes home grumpy as all get-out ready to point out all the things I didn't do right -- forgetting to cut the crust off his sandwich or not filling up the water bottle properly.  All those super important things any mom worth anything knows.  There are new kids, a new teacher, a new building, larger amounts of homework, bigger expectations.  And new after school activities.

This year, my little boy became a Cub Scout.  Primarily because he would get to "shoot guns and things, wear a uniform, and start fires."  Very valid reasons to enlist in the Cub Scouts.  And now, we're selling popcorn for the scouts.  Which brings me to this minor point of irritation -- why do they line all the prizes up at the meeting and say "look kids, you can win this super awesome boomerang if you just sell $400,000 of popcorn!  Or, how about a squirt gun for a measly $1 million in sales?  Or, if you sign over your first born child now, you can win a scooter!!!  And why is a plastic nerf-like gun that you win for selling 2 billion dollars worth of popcorn so much cooler than a similar version which can be purchased for less than $15 at WalMart or Target in your kid's eyes?  Ahh, the mysteries of parenthood.

In happier news, these donuts are cheap and easy!  I had requested a donut pan for my birthday from the kids.  Apparently my oldest son waivered at the store when his dad suggested it because "mom is on a diet".  But, his love of donuts prevailed and instead of a donut pan they brought home a donut making device that looks kind of like a waffle iron.  I found a recipe for pumpkin donuts from Taste and Tell.  I followed the directions with just 2 minor modifications/additions.  I added some nutmeg to the glaze and I dipped them in cinnamon sugar after I glazed them.  And of course I baked them in my fancy contraption rather than the oven.  I am normally not a big fan of donuts because to me they have a taste of grease/oil.  Because these were baked they were more like a cake or muffin.  They were delicious and I'll definitely be making them again!

Doughnuts

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple-Cinnamon Glaze
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a doughnut pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.
• In another bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter and pumpkin. Add in the eggs, mix well, then mix in the vanilla. Stir in the reserved dry ingredients.
• Place the mix in a large zip-top bag. Cut off the corner and pipe into the doughnut pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk.
• When the doughnuts are cooled, dip them in the glaze. Follow by dipping in cinnamon-sugar while glaze is still wet. (mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon to make cinnamon-sugar). Return to the wire rack to allow the glaze to set.

Read more...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Source

I am totally a cookie person.  I mean, what's not to like about cookies?  Other than the fact that they directly deposit on the least preferred areas of my body...

Anyway, I almost never purchase cookies from the store.  The only kind that I like to by are the Pecan Sandies and now that they have a dark chocolate version, it's absolutely my favorite purchased cookie ever.

Back to the home-made cookies.  I get a lot of magazines and most of them have to do with food in some way whether all about food or just a large focus on food.  I've been seeing the McCormick ad for their Vanilla Chocolate Chip cookies, and so I decided to try the recipe.  Here's a photo of their ad that's been in almost every magazine that I've gotten in the mail the last 2 months. You might have seen this ad too, so I thought I would make them and post about it.

As you can tell from the photo, this is also the copy I used while baking.  Geesh...I'm such a messy cook :)  Anyway, I followed the recipe exactly except I used my Mexican Vanilla.  I would never recommend using the cheap imitation vanilla from the store.  Once you've had the real stuff, you can never go back...it just smells and tastes so artificial.  Probably because it is. Ew.

Oh, the other thing I do is use parchment paper and a Pampered Chef baking stone instead of metal cookie sheets.  These were easy and good, but not my favorite chocolate chip cookie.  I would probably rate them 7 out of 10.

As you 

Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 5 dozen or 30 (2 cookie) servings.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes per batch

3 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

4 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

2. Drop by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Read more...

The BEST Apple Cake

Normally, I would hesitate to call something "the best", especially a recipe.  I've seen in my family that one person can think something is amazing and the next can find it so-so (or sometimes even repulsive).  So to claim this is the best apple cake is a pretty strong statement, but I really think it is.  If you make this (as you should) and you don't like it, then get yourself to a doctor. :) 

And because I am a focus-on-the-positive kind of girl, it has lots of apples so it's healthy.  Period.  (We're going to ignore the sugar and butter right now).

The source for the recipe is Taste of Home magazine.  I've made it for years, but always thought it was so good plain that I'd never made the icing before.  Now I will never leave it off.  It takes the cake from really, really good to the best!

Chunky Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 cups peeled tart apples (I used granny smith)

In large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, butter and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in apples until well combined.  Spread into a greased 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until top is slightly brown and springs back when touched. 

Icing:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Cook over medium heat in saucepan, stirring often.  Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Pour over the cake while it is still hot from the oven.  Let cool before serving.

A couple of notes-  the batter is very thick.  I use my kitchen-aid stand mixer to make it easier to mix.  The cake is very moist and it does not cut even because of all the apple chunks.  So you just have to abandon the idea of it looking perfect. 

Read more...