Daring Bakers: Caramel Cake

After a few months of savory challenges, Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity, Alex of Brownie and Blonde, Jenny of Foray into Food decided to get us back into the sweet life. They choose for our challenge this month, Shuna Fish Lydon’s Caramel Cake.

One thing I love about the Daring Bakers is that they challenge me to bake something such as a layer cake that I normally may not bake because its just me. I don't have a family close by that I can feed my baked goods. Its a challenge sometimes because I feel bad making something that for the most part will be wasted. Some of the recipes are harder to scale down and make cupcake or mini cakes.

But this time out challenge was a caramel cake that looked easy to scale down. Many bakers chose to do cupcakes but I decided to go the mini cake route. I found 4x1 1/4" round cake pans by Wilton at Target. Perfect! I could halve the recipe and get personal size cakes. Half of the recipe made 3 mini cakes. They puffed up a lot during baking but settled down a lot after they cooled. If you were to make a layer cake out of these, you would still have to even out the top a bit.

The cake itself was very tasty but the star of the it all was the caramelized butter frosting. It was slightly nutty, sweet, and oh so delicious! I probably could have eaten alone and been very happy. Some of the frosting was sacrificed in numerous taste tests. I made a quarter of a batch which was enough frosting for two of the mini cakes. The recipe says it keeps well in the fridge for a month so one of the frozen cakes may make an appearance soon.

Many of the other Daring Bakers said that they cake was too sweet so I cut bake on the sugar in mine. I used 1/2 cup for a half recipe. I think that helped because the cake was not overly sweet. I have a sweet tooth but it doesn't take much for it to become too much sugar for me.

This cake is perfect for the holidays. Its simple but delicious. It can be anything from a cupcake to a layer cake with no problem.

To see this months recipe, check out Shuna Fish Lydon's recipe here. She has a great blog with delicious recipes so please check it out! She also has a step by step guide on how to make the caramel cake as well.

Head over to the Daring Baker's Blogroll to see more delicious caramel cake! There was also an optional challenge to make Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert. I didn't have a chance to make them but several DBers did and they look fantastic!!

Barefoot Bloggers: Mexican Chicken Soup

For our final Barefoot Bloggers recipe for November, Judy of Judy's Gross Eats chose Mexican Chicken Soup. This seems to be another take on Tortilla Soup. I love mexican food but I've never been fond of the tortilla soup. The flavors are a little too...intense for me.

I went ahead and made half of a batch of the soup. Unfortunately, when I turned it down to simmer, I turned it down too much and it didn't. The carrots weren't completely cooked through so I had to turn it up and simmer longer. The flavors were exactly like a Tortilla soup. It was okay but definitely not my favorite. I also think this would be better with a rotisserie chicken rather than shredded chicken breasts. Perhaps it was just my chicken but it seemed blah. Rotisserie chickens always seem to have deeper flavors. I dressed my soup with just a dollop of sour cream. I'm sure it would have been better with fresh avocado and cheese (what isn't?!).

So this is another no go for me Barefoot Bloggers wise. Oh well. Maybe next month!

For more Mexican Chicken soup, check out the Barefoot Bloggers Blogroll!

To get this recipe, you can find it on Food Network.com.

CeiMB: Macaroni and Four Cheeses

Macaroni and Cheese has long been a favorite of mine. It is the ultimate comfort food to me. Whether its something fancy or the blue box (you know which kind I mean!) of my childhood. But I've never had the perfect mac and cheese. There have been misses and almosts but nothing perfect. Until now.

Ellie's version has sharp cheddar, monterry jack, ricotta, and parmesean. But it also has a secret ingredient. Pureed Squash. It sounds completely off the wall and weird but trust me. Its good. I actually subbed canned pumpkin puree instead of the frozen squash puree. The pumpkin added a slight sweetness but nothing like a pie. It made the mac very creamy. It also was a very subtle flavor. The different cheeses were the stars but the pumpkin added a little something extra. If I hadn't know what was in the mac and cheese, I would never have guessed pumpkin.

This was very good right out of the oven but I think it got better as leftovers. It was still creamy due to the pumpkin. It makes a lot though. I made the full recipe and ended up with a ton of leftovers. It freezes well so I'll be able to have more in the future!

Supplicious chose this weeks recipe. Thanks for the great pick! I loved it!

To get this weeks recipe, you can find it at Food Network.com.

Check out the CEiMB blogroll for more Mac and Cheesy goodness!

TWD: Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

For our last November Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Vibi of La Casserole Carree chose Thanksgiving Twofer Pie. It came at a perfect time for those of us in the United States as we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday (Nov 27).

In this pie, Dorie combines two Thanksgiving classics, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. The crunchy pecan layer sits on the creamy pumpkin bottom but they meld in the middle to create a delicious pie. Normally I am a pumpkin over pecan pie girl but this pie successfully meets in the middle. I liked the addition of the rum to the pumpkin layer. It added another depth of flavor sometimes lacking in a traditional pumpkin pie.

My only problem with the pie was the crust. That has more to do with me than Dorie's recipe. I decided to make this pie in time for a Tuesday post instead of waiting until Thanksgiving as we were allowed (I have to have a 'normal' pumpkin pie then!) so I substituted a pre-made pie crust. Now I love the pre-mades for lots of things, including pumpkin pies but I didn't pre-bake the crust as Dorie suggests so it was a little doughy on the bottom. But my favorite part of a pumpkin pie is the filling so I usually end up scrapping out the filling and just eating that instead. So the problem really wasn't a big deal unless I was going to give it to others. Even though most say not to freeze baked pumpkin pie, I may end up trying that since I'm going out of town for a few days on Wednesday.

I still prefer plain pumpkin pie (covered in Cool Whip!) but this was a nice change. I can see myself making just the pumpkin filling again. Perhaps doubling it to make a full pie or just to get the 'pudding' ;).

You can see more Twofer pies by checking out the TWD Blogroll.

You can find this recipe at Vibi of La Casserole Carree or by checking out Dorie's Baking From My Home to Yours.

Bananas Foster - Sort of

Last night I got a craving for bananas. Not odd because they are my favorite fruit. But this time I didn't just want a plain banana and I didn't want something that was going to take awhile like banana bread. So off to Food Network I went to find a suitable snack.

After a little searching, I came across Emeril's Bananas Foster. It looked perfect. It was only going to take 10 minutes and I had all of the ingredients (well most of them). Because it was 30ish degrees outside, I left off the ice cream. Instead I topped it with a dollop of whipped cream.

This was delicious. It was very quick and easy. Even without the banana liqueur, the sauce was full of flavor. The rum added a nice touch even though I didn't flambe it. As the recipe suggests, I added the rum and shook the pan gently. The sauce boiled up quickly but I didn't have to worry about the flame or where my fire extinguisher was located.

I'll definitely be making this again. I loved how easy and quick it was to whip up something so tasty. The bananas also held up nicely. They didn't over soften while cooking and become mush. Uck...the only time I like my bananas mushy is when they are in a bread.

Oh and the sauce is great leftover as a topping for pancakes or waffles!

Bananas Foster

4 ripe bananas, peeled

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup banana liqueur (I used milk instead)

1/2 cup dark rum

1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream (optional, I topped with whipped cream)

Cut the bananas in half across and then lengthwise.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add the bananas and turning, cook on both sides until the bananas start to soften and brown, about 3 minutes. Add the banana liqueur and stir to blend into the caramel sauce. Carefully add the rum (using another container! Don't pour from the bottle!) and shake the pan back and forth to warm the rum and flame the pan. (Or, off the heat, carefully ignite the pan with a match and return to the heat.) Shake the pan back and forth, basting the bananas, until the flame dies.

Divide the ice cream among 4 dessert plates (if using). Gently lift the bananas from the pan and place 4 pieces on each scoop of ice cream. Spoon the sauce over the ice cream and bananas, and serve immediately.

Source: Bananas Foster

CEiMB: Oven-Fried Chicken

This weeks recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly was Oven Fried Chicken chosen by Lonely Sidecar. I was particularly excited to hear that our recipe for the week was the oven fried chicken. I haven't had real fried chicken in so long and I was anxious to try a version that would be healthier yet still retain that delicious crispy outside.

Ellie's oven fried chicken definitely fits the bill. It was quick, easy, and very tasty. The chicken is coated in a yogurt mixture that I think adds an extra tasty tang of flavor. The outside...my favorite part...was a delicious mixture of crushed corn flakes and panko (she calls for crackers but I forgot to pick them up). It has a touch of cayenne to give it a bite, a little too much for me but it wasn't overwhelming.

This will definitely be an addition to my must makes. It was delicious especially with a honey mustard dip on the side. The honey mustard tamed the cayenne and added even more tang to the chicken! I used whole chicken breasts but I think this would be even better cut up into strips.



To see more oven fried chicken, head over to CEiMB to see my fellow bloggers!

Sorry for the late, short post. I forgot to schedule it to post ahead of time and last night I was at a Coldplay concert (amazing!!!!) so I didn't check until I was at work this morning!

TWD: Arborio Rice Pudding

Well this week was a massive fail for me. I royally screwed up my rice pudding. I had been keeping up with the P&Q section...that is until the day I decided to make it. I missed the post by Dorie herself saying that the time in the book was wrong. It should have been 55 instead of what was listed. Groan...silly me didn't know that so when my mixture was still soupy after the 30 odd minutes of simmering, I turned the heat up a tiny bit. Here's where the epic fail came in. Instead of watching it, I walked away. yes...I burned the milk. Even though I knew I couldn't save it, I decided to throw it in the fridge, hoping I at least could get a nice picture of it if the pudding thickened as Dorie says during a sit in the fridge. Nope. It was still rice soup after 24 hours.



So because I didn't want to waste anymore ingredients, I only have the soup mess picture to give you. Sorry! Hopefully next week will be better. Oh...and its green because I had added matcha powder to it at the beginning. mmm...it had smelled so good!

To see this weeks recipe, check out Isabelle at Les gourmandises d'Isa.

You can see more (hopefully successful) Arborio Rice Pudding by checking out my fellow TWDers here!

BB: Herb Roasted Onions

(See our new icon? Isn't it cute?!!)

This edition of Barefoot Bloggers is Herb Roasted Onions chosen by Kelly of Baking With the Boys. I was a little wary of this one because I do not like onions. I mean I really, really don't like them. As a kid I refused to eat anything if I knew they were in there. I'll eat something now if they are in there but I'll pick them out. You pulverize them until they're mush and that usually doesn't bother me. Its not just a flavor things with onions, its the texture that really throws me off. I don't know why but it does.

But I was determined to make this recipe and attempt to overcome my dislike of onions. It didn't work. Despite the delicious vinaigrette, I couldn't eat the onion. I tried and even managed to eat few bites but that is as far as I got. I'm glad I only wasted one red onion! Sorry to Kelly for being such a spoilsport! This week was just a fail for me Barefoot Bloggers wise.

But all was not lost. Sensing I would not like the onions (perhaps setting myself up for failure?), I quartered 6 red potatoes to go with them. Let me tell you...those babies were delicious! The lemony vinaigrette was unbelievably good with the potatoes. I also added a sprinkling of grated parmesan on top. So good! They'll be a perfect lunch tomorrow.

To see more Herb Roasted Onions, check out the other Barefoot Bloggers here!

You can find this weeks recipe at Food Network.com.

TWD: Kugelhopf

Sorry guys and gals! I didn't have a change to get the Kugelhopf done. Yolanda of The All Purpose Girl chose the recipe for this week so head over to her blog to see the recipe!

To see some delicious Kugelhopf, check out my fellow TWD bakers here!

I'll be back next week with the Arborio Rice Pudding!

CEiMB: Turkey Roulade

A few months ago, I wanted to make a recipe that called for a turkey breast. Since ground turkey and other bits have become commonplace in the grocery store, I thought that naturally so would turkey breasts. Not so grasshopper. I went to 3 different stores and found not one turkey breast. Fast forward to last weekend and I saw a looooonnng row of them in the meat section at Wal-Mart...right next to the whole frozen turkeys. Ah ha. You can get all the turkey breast you want, as long as you wait until Thanksgiving time. Sneaky grocery stores.

Now what's the need in that whole spiel up there you ask? Well, our chosen recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly is Turkey Roulade. And it requires...you guess it...a turkey breast. I picked up a small frozen breast and put it in my fridge to thaw for a few days. When it was time to make the dish, I took it out and woah...that thing was juicy! Note to self...frozen turkey breasts don't have to thaw as long as whole turkeys. They may be big but they're not that big.

This is definitely not a Wednesday night dinner (of which I found out on Wednesday night). It isn't hard but it has multiple steps that take some time. This would actually be better and easier if made on the weekend or a day where you have more time. At least that should be the rule for me.

I made a few substitutions. I didn't have pecans so I used almonds. I picked up apple juice instead of apple cider by mistake so I used that in the gravy instead.

I had a little issue with the thickness of the breast. I don't think I got it quite thin enough so when I rolled the breast up with the stuffing, it didn't make the spiral shown in the picture. I also needed to tie the twine tighter next time. The turkey shrunk a bit in roasting and the gaps weren't as tight as I would have liked.

The stuffing was delicious on its own! The dried cranberries were a great addition. They are slightly tart and sweet at the same time. It makes quite a bit of stuffing so I had some leftover that I'm sure will find its way onto the menu soon.

All together, this was a very tasty meal. I can definitely see myself making this again. Its a perfect starter into the Thanksgiving season. Actually, it might make a great addition to the Thanksgiving meal. Its faster than preparing a whole turkey and just as juicy and delicious. Plus you don't have to worry about all the icky innards and such that can come with a whole turkey. yuck.

This weeks recipe was chosen by Holly at PheMOMenon. It was a great pick and a perfect way to get me in the Thanksgiving frame of mind! Thanks Holly!

You can see more takes on the Turkey Roulade by Ellie-heads at CEiMB.


Turkey Roulade

Ingredients

* 1 (2 1/2-pound) skinless turkey breast, butterflied
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
* 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups), plus 1 cup sliced onion
* 2 large garlic cloves, minced
* 5 slices day-old whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)
* 1/3 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans
* 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh crumbled sage or 3 teaspoons dried, divided
* 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup apple cider
* 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

Directions

Special equipment: kitchen twine

Place the turkey breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound lightly with a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 3/4-inch. Set aside while stuffing is prepared.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the cranberries in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat, drain and reserve. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook, stirring, until onions are golden but not charred, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add bread, cranberries, pecans, 2 tablespoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dried sage and 1/2 to 3/4-cup chicken stock, depending upon consistency of stuffing; (you want the mixture to be moistened, but not too wet, since the turkey will release moisture when cooked). Cook over low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, remove from heat.

Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the turkey breast. Spread the stuffing on the turkey, leaving about 1 1/2 to 2-inches uncovered on all sides. Roll up and secure tightly with kitchen twine, trying to keep all stuffing intact.

Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large Dutch oven or medium-sized roasting pan until hot. Sear stuffed turkey breast on all sides until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add sliced onion and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, cover tightly and roast in the oven until turkey reaches 160 degrees F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into inner layer of meat, about 60 to 65 minutes. Remove the turkey breast from oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest.

Make the gravy: Add apple cider, 1/2 cup chicken stock, vinegar and remaining sage to the onions, chicken stock and juices in the roasting pan, bring to a boil and cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by 1/3. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly, and cook for 3 minutes more. The gravy should not be thick, just slightly thicker than a jus. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Makes 1 1/2 cups gravy.

Remove twine from turkey breast and slice into 1 1/2-inch thick pieces. Serve with gravy.

Source: The Foods You Crave by Ellie Krieger. Also available at Foodnetwork.com

TWD: Rugelach

ETA: The comments form was not working earlier but it looks like its working now! Sorry to anyone who tried to comment but couldn't!


This post is going to be short and sweet today. I spent most of yesterday in jury duty. Over 6 hours of that was just sitting and waiting. Finally my 'group' was called and we had to wait some more. After all of that waiting, my unlucky butt was chosen. We went through the whole trial and were about to deliberate when the judge decided we should come back the next day. Craaaappppp...now I have to take time off of work again and this time I only get the measly fee they pay us since my office only pays you the first day. Le sigh... I'm just glad I voted early last week.



I made the rugelach on Sunday and used pumpkin as my 'glaze'. It was quite tasty with the chocolate and cinnamon/sugar mixture. I had planned on making the recipe as written Monday night with my second disk of dough but I was too tired from all of the waiting and whatnot. Who knew waiting could be so tiring?

Anyway, the pumpkin rugelach were good, though I was a little disappointed in the dough. It didn't puff up much and was a little greasy. And the picture isn't too hot of the baked rugelach. I thought I'd have time to get some good ones Monday night. Oh well! I'll worry about it next time!


Check out the other TWDers here for more rugelach!

For this weeks recipe, check out Grace at Piggy's Cooking Journal.