303 pancake kind of day

It's that famous shade of Chicago winter gray today, cold and I am completely unmotivated to get out and about.  Despite the fact that I have a million places I need to go. So it's going to be one of those domestic kind of days... laundry, cleaning and crap TV (currently watching Bring It On - ha!). What better way to start a cozy day than with homemade pancakes!?!

I saw a recipe over on Rockstar Diaries blog (and Pinterest) and just had to try it.  It's ridiculous easy - took longer for the oven to heat than to mix and cook the pancake!  It came out a lot more dense than I thought - I wonder if you whipped egg whites and folded in if that would fluff it up a little bit?   It's super delicious and I love that it just begs for some kind of filling in the middle.  I only had maple syrup and powered sugar in the house, but berries, bananas, apples or maybe even chocolate would be good.  Think open face crepe fillings!  Go get your pancake on! 

black tea please!

source (http://www.everydayhealth.com/depression-pictures/bad-mood-busting-foods.aspx#/slide-6)

Now when my doctor asks me what I do to combat stress I can say "I drink black tea!"  I love black tea - forget that green stuff!  

salted caramel marshmallows

Oh my gosh I have found marshmallow heaven.  No, really.  I have!  Picked up salted caramel marshmallows at the one of a kind show from Katherine Anne Confections, a local chocolatier.  She makes supberb chocolates - they are even at many of the local Whole Foods - but her caramels are to die for!  Combine that with a marshmallow ... get out!!!  They are the perfect combination of sweet and salt and literally melt in your mouth.  Go order some now!!  I promise you will not regret it.  Oh and the pepppermit marshmallows are delish too!  And while you're at it, try the rosemary sea salt or orange cinnamon caramels too... Oh I cannot say enough good things about Katherine Anne caramels!!!

2 minute Chocolate and Salted Caramel Mug Cake

Did you see our 10 TASTY MUG CAKES IN MINUTES? Well I have another one to add to that incredible collection. It’s a salted caramel chocolate mug cake that takes JUST 2 minutes to make. It’s rich decadent and oh yes delicious. The recipe makes1 mug cake in a regular sized coffee mug. It will take you 5 minutes top to bottom. How’s that for quick and easy. If you can’t find salted caramels you can sprinkle a little fleur de sel salt into the mixture as you’re dropping in the caramels. I like a little sprinkling of it on top of my cake too. I can’t get enough of sweet and salty together.

Salted Caramel Mug Cake
What you’ll need: {makes 1 mug cake}
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg – beaten
3 tablespoons skim milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 salted caramels

What to do:
1. Into a small bowl add: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, egg, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix to combine.

2. Pour mixture into a regular sized coffee mug. Drop caramels into center of mixture one at a time.

3. Microwave on high for one minute and 30 seconds. If needed {if cake batter is still gooey}, microwave on high for up to an additional 30 seconds.

via blogs.babble.com

OMG!!! This could be dangerous...

Homemade Maple Cream

via americastestkitchenfeed.com

Oh I gotta make this....

Makes about 2 cups

Maple cream is a delicious topping for toast, scones, biscuits, and waffles, and it’s really good in a peanut butter sandwich, but it’s a bit too thick to spread on delicate pancakes. If your batch comes out a bit stiffer than you’d like, you can roll it into small balls and coat them with finely chopped nuts—instant confections, perfect for gift-giving. Or, something I’ve always wanted to try: Use it as a filling between two cookies.

The maple cream can be stored for two weeks at room temperature and up to several months in refrigeration. Theoretically, maple products are vulnerable to mold over time, so if you’re not planning to eat your maple cream right away, you should probably store it in the fridge. That said, I have never seen it go moldy. The only way a jar of maple cream would last longer than a couple of weeks in my house would be if I fell into a coma, in which case it is quite likely I would be discovered with a maple-encrusted spoon clutched in my hand.

3 cups pure maple syrup (Grade A or B)

¼ teaspoon vegetable oil (or butter), optional

1 pinch table salt, optional

1. Combine syrup, oil, and salt, if using, in medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until temperature registers 235 degrees on instant-read thermometer.

2. While syrup heats, fill bottom of large bowl with ice. Place second medium saucepan on top of ice; scatter more ice around sides of saucepan. When syrup reaches 235 degrees pour into second saucepan in ice bath. Leave to cool without stirring until temperature reaches 125 degrees.

3. Remove saucepan from ice bath. Stir vigorously with wooden spoon until maple syrup turns thick, pale, and opaque, 15 to 25 minutes. Using rubber spatula, quickly scrape maple cream into clean jar.

30 days of gratitude : thirteen

30 days of gratitude :: Day 13 :: written words ... Unlucky thirteen that is!  These words are for my grandmother's recipe for a parker house type of roll she's made my entire life - heck probably hers too!   She used to bake a pan full and overnight them to me - oh how I loved receiving that package!!  All of my friends and coworkers know about grandma's rolls and give me a hard time because no matter how I try I simply CANNOT make them!  I suck, suck, suck at making any type of yeast based anything and it frustrates me to no end!!  

I babied this batch, but nooooo.  Still no luck.  Jeff actually described them as 'flatbread' when talking with his mother.  WHY OH WHY can I not figure these damn things out?  The photo below is my pitiful attempt.  I am seriously about to toss in the towel.

cake pop!

I finally decided to try my hand at cake pops! I've been admiring them from a far for some time now and after having one at Starbucks not too long ago, I thought I could give it a go. * side note: The one from Starbucks was not good - the cake was super oily and yuck *

So... I grabbed a box of white cake mix and pre-made french vanilla frosting for the cake and then tapped into my chocolate collection for the shell. I melted 4 oz of Scharffenberger 99% and 6 oz 62% with a tiny little bit of edible wax for the shell (should have made 12 oz total, was two pops short). And then sprinkled with Swedish sugar. The only thing I was missing is some kind of holder to keep the upright. They are super tasty and not overly rich because I kept the cake to frosting ratio more in favor of cake. Overall I'd give myself a B. They taste good, but the cake balls are all different sizes and not perfectly round and I feel like I need to add some kind of flavoring to amp them up a bit - maybe a little orange or lemon or coconut. And next time I might make my own cake and frosting to see how a meringue type might work.

recipe:

1 box cake mix
1 can pre-made frosting
12 oz dark chocolate
1 tiny square of edible wax
decorative toppings

tools:
candy sticks
cake pans
silicone baking mats
baking sheets
upright mixer (optional)

Bake cake according to directions on box. Let cake cool completely. Cut into small sections and break apart (either by hand or in stand mixer). Mix in frosting till mixture forms dough like texture. It should easily form a ball when rolled by hand. Roll balls to about 1-1 1/2" and place on baking sheet with silicone mat. Place entire sheet into freezer or refrigerator till balls are cool (not frozen). Melt chocolate and wax in double boiler, remove from heat as soon as it's all melted. Let the chocolate cool just a bit while stirring. Make sure the chocolate is in a bowl deep enough to fully submerge the cake ball. If you need to transfer bowls, make sure to wipe all water from the bottom of the bowl you used in the double boiler - water will ruin the mix. Once the chocolate is cooled a bit remove the cake balls from the fridge/freezer - dip the end of the candy stick into the chocolate and insert into the cake ball about half way. Put the tray into the fridge to let the chocolate set - only a few minutes. Then fully submerge cake pop into chocolate and let excess drip off while tapping the stick gently. Be patient - you don't want the chocolate dripping (or pooling). Sprinkle with decorative toppings (optional) and let set at room temperature. Now you have delicious cake pops!!

jonboy caramels

See the full gallery on Posterous

I read about these on another blog and had to get my hands on some. Called up my coworker in Seattle to hit the market and ship me a box. I was so excited when they arrived today!!

They are rich and creamy with fleur de sel and oh so tasty. The caramel has a really unique flavor too. Mmmmm. Tasty.  Go get some for yourself!

Cupcakes from a van?

Yes!

I have been following Flirty Cupcakes updates on Twitter, hoping they would make it to E-Town on a day that I could actually catch them... Thursday was a horrible day for me.  So when I saw they were headed my way that evening I thought I'd never make it... it was cold and wet and I was all snuggled in for the night.  But... then I thought what the heck.  I bundled up like it was the middle of winter and ventured out.  So glad I did!  I was surprised by the line... 10 people in front of me and 10 behind and everyone bought 4 or more cupcakes.  I'm thinking woah, these must be really good...  And to my delight, they are!  The cake is moist (even chocolate) and the frosting flavors sophisticated, light and airy, and just the right amount.  Bon Appétit!