Garlic Knots

I love garlic. I think I get it from my dad. It is just such a wonderful thing on most types of savory dishes. The first time I experience garlic knots was at a pizza place in Park City Utah. The dough was soft and tender, and the garlic was in abundance on those bad boys. It takes a lot of garlic for me to say that it was too much garlic, but if anything has come close they did. Now don't get me wrong they were fantastic and I might have wanted to eat them more than my pizza, but I knew if I were to make them for myself I would put a little less garlic on them. It has been about a year or so since that experience and recently I ran into this recipe and decided that I had to try them.  I combined a little of what they did at the restaurant with this already amazing recipe and had fantastic results.

Garlic Knots

1 1/2 cups warm water
3/4 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, give or take a few tablespoons

4-6 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Parmesan cheese
Dried parsley flakes


In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour (if you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly before adding the oil, salt and flour). Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough not by the amount of flour called for in the recipe but in how the dough feels. The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch.

Knead the dough in the stand mixer or by hand until it is very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled (this usually takes about an hour). While dough is rising melt butter and add garlic.


Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased counter top. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a four to six-inch rope. Brush rope with garlic butter making sure to get a few small pieces of garlic on each rope. Form into a knot, tucking the loose ends into the center of the knot. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or silpat-lined baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. Let the rolls rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. Brush each roll with extra garlic butter (you might have to make more depending on how much you put on your rolls prior to baking) and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley flakes (mostly just for color). Return to oven for another minute if you want your parmesan melted on top.

Recipe Source:Adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

S'more Bars

I mentioned a while back in my s'more cookie recipe that I would eventually post this recipe. I am so excited to post this recipe! The very first time that I tried these bars I instantly knew it was love. There is so much about these bad boys that I can't resist! They are sweet and chocolaty and gooey and rich! If you eat them when they are still warm it is like taking a gooey bite out of heaven that might instantly sent you into a sugar coma! I am not exaggerating at all when I say that I love these bars. They could be in the running for my favorite dessert (and I like a lot of desserts). This last time I made them with homemade marshmallow cream and really enjoyed the results. I am very grateful to my mom who gave me this recipe and oh so grateful to the wonderful person (whoever you may be) who gave her this recipe so I could have it as well!

S'more Bars

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 1 individual package)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 giant Hershey candy bars (I prefer Symphony Bars myself)
2 cups marshmallow cream (2 small jars or make your own - recipe at bottom)

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture and blend until combined. Dough will look like thick cookie dough. Press 1/2 dough in a greased 9X13 pan. Place chocolate bars on dough. Spread with marshmallow cream. It doesn't have to spread clear to the edge because it spreads while baking. Press small pieces of left over dough between palms of hands to flatten. Lay piece by piece on top of marshmallow cream until the top is covered with remaining dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until light golden brown.

Homemade marshmallow cream

Ingredients

6 tablespoons water

1 1/4 cups light corn syrup

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

4 large egg whites

Pinch salt

Pinch cream of tartar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, bring the water, corn syrup and 3/4 cup sugar to 246 degrees.

In the meantime, in a completely clean, dry mixing bowl, with and electric mixer, whisk the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until creamy and foamy, about 2 minutes. Still whisking, sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and continue to whisk until the whites hold very soft peaks, about 2 minutes. While mixing on slow speed, carefully drizzle in the hot syrup. Turn the mixer to high and whisk until thick, fluffy and just warm, about 7 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and whisk in the vanilla.

Recipe Source: Food Network

French Bread

I am a carb-o-holic. I have admitted this before and if you see most of the things that I post this fact is very evident. The smell of fresh baked bread is one of my favorite smells. Really if I were a candle maker I would be working hard to try and make a candle that actually smelled like baking bread. The only thing I love more that the smell of fresh baked bread is eating it. Taking a nice big slice of warm bread and eating it with or without butter and homemade jam is seriously a small slice of heaven to me!

I have been wanting to make this french bread for a few days now. I ended up getting a headache and what should one do when they have a headache? Well naturally I went for a short run, took a hot shower, and made bread. My favorite part of this was obviously the bread! This bread is so basic yet the taste and texture of it are so amazing. The egg wash makes it slightly crispy on the outside and oh so soft and chewy on the inside. This is definitely a recipe I am going to be making again and again.

*Note: as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. 

2 ¼ c. warm water
2 T. sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
5 ½ -6 cups flour-stirred before measured
Dissolve sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let this proof—or sit for a few minutes until it bubbles. Then add salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and beat well. Add in 2 1/2 -3 more cups of flour. The dough should clean off the sides of the bowl and not be too stick – but be careful not to add too much flour. Knead for a few minutes.
Leave the dough in the mixer to rest for 10 minutes and then stir it down (turn on your mixer for 10 seconds) and then allow to rest another 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times. Then turn dough onto a floured surface and divide into two equal parts. Roll each part into a 9×13 rectangle. Roll dough up, starting from long edge of loaf to seal. Arrange seam side down on large baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for both loaves. Repeat with second part of dough. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at an angle on the top of each. Cover lightly; allow to rise 30 minutes. Brush entire surface with egg wash (one egg beaten slightly with 1 Tbsp of water). If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chocolate Crepes with Raspberries and Almond Cream Sauce

I love breakfast. I love it. There aren't too many things you can eat for breakfast that I don't like. I will admit that I love sweet breakfasts. Who wouldn't want to start your morning off with something sweet and delicious. This is why these bad boys came about. I recently saw a recipe for some chocolate crepes. I had never heard or thought of chocolate crepes, but I love chocolate! I also love the flavor combo of chocolate raspberries and almond. Those flavors are what inspired this delicious breakfast treat. Yes, I did eat it for breakfast, but it could easily be used as a dessert.

Chocolate Crepes:
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 ounces all-purpose flour
1 ounce unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup Milk, 1% or higher

Almond Cream Sauce:
3 oz almond paste
2/3 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs powdered sugar

Raspberries for middle and top of crepes

For the crepes: Combine cocoa, vanilla, and eggs in a medium sized bowl. whisk until combined. Add milk, butter, and flour. Whisk well. Over the stove heat medium skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. You want the pan to be hot so that a drop of water sizzles. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour 1 1/2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of batter into the center of the hot pan an swirl the pan until the batter coats the pan evenly. Cook until the edges release from the pan and the underside of the crepe slides easily in the pan, about one minute. Flip the crepe, or turn with a rubber spatula, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the second side. Place on a plate or I like to keep mine warm in my handy tortilla warmer while I make the rest of them.

For the Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. With a hand mixer blend mixture until smooth and all incorporated.

To assemble crepes you can either fold them in half twice with some raspberries in the middle or roll up the crepe around the raspberries. I enjoyed having a small amount of sauce in the middle with the raspberries and then drizzling more over the top. Enjoy!


Recipe Source: Adapted from Evil Shenanigans

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

Cookie dough is quite possibly one of my favorite things in life. My second favorite thing in life is brownies. When I saw this recipe for both I was sold! I did have to tweak the recipes a little to suite my taste. The original brownie recipe was quite cakey and I am all about the fudgy brownies so this is my spin on the recipe.

The Brownies

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup boiling water

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Cookie Dough:

¾ cup unsalted butter

¾ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons whole milk

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups mini chocolate chips

For the Brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13 inch pan with tin foil. Leave a small amount of tin foil hanging over the edge. Spray the tin foil lightly with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and boiling water. Mix until well blended and thickened. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and remaining 1/3 cup oil. Finally, add the flour, vanilla and salt; mix just until all of the flour is absorbed. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean.

Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a small sauce pan place butter over medium low heat. Melt butter and continue to cook stirring often until it starts turning a light golden brown color. This takes about 10 minutes but make sure to watch it closely so it doesn't burn. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the butter and both sugars. Let mixture rest for a few minutes to let the butter cool. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about an hour. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter (my favorite way to slice brownies!) to cut the brownies. Store the brownies in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Allrecipes and Brown Eyed Baker

Free Yogurt Coupon!

To all my couponing people (or wannabe couponing people like myself) I just found out about these online coupons and had to share them with you all. Dannon Activa has new yogurts out and they want everyone to try them so they are giving people free coupons. Check them out!











Or you Visit the Activia Selects Facebook page to get your FREE coupon now!




This sponsorship is brought to you by Activia Selects who we have partnered with for this promotion.
FREE coupon offer good 8/3 /11 - 8/15/11, up to 1 million coupons, on any Activia Selects Single Serve, up to $3.00. One coupon per household. Offer valid in the U.S only. VOID IN LA, NJ, CA. Coupon valid until 8/15/11.
Residents of LA, NJ, CA will be given a '$1 off 3 Activia Selects' coupon.

Homemade Tagalongs

I love girl scout cookies. My sister and I were both in girl scouts growing up. I think I only made it to a brownie but that's ok I was still a girl scout. Growing up my parents would always keep the thin mints in the freezer. I think part of it was that they liked them cold and I think the other part was that they were trying to hide them from us kids. I have 2 types favorite girl scout cookies. I love both thin mints and tagalongs. Depending on my mood that day I might like one over the other. A while back my husband bought a box of tagalongs. Honestly I hadn't eaten these kind in a few years. They combine my favorite flavor combo: chocolate and peanut butter. We had just finished the box and I decided that I could make something like this. I started searching the internet for good recipes. I found one that looked delicious and went for it. What came of this experience was a delicious cookie that is even better than the boxed variety. These cookies have no preservatives, no artificial anything, just yumminess covered in high quality chocolate!

Homemade Tagalongs

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Adams all natural with great results)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups high quality chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, but semi-sweet would be great too)

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Beat until smooth. Add in egg and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the bowl, if necessary. Add in vanilla. Beat until smooth. With mixer on low, add in salt and flour. Mix until completely incorporated and dough is uniform. Shape dough into a cylinder with a diameter of about 2-3 inches. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze for at least 25 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough into 1/8 inch disks and place on baking sheets, about a half inch apart. Once you have made 30 cookies, wrap up the cookie dough, freeze, and save for another time. Bake for 8 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely.

3. Mix together peanut butter and powdered sugar. Form into small disks and press onto cookies. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30 second intervals, and mix well after each interval. Coat cookies completely in chocolate and lift out with a fork. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let set, or freeze to speed up the process.
Recipe Source: The Family Kitchen