Sweet Tooth: Take 5 Bars

Whew! It's been a few since I've had a post...but don't worry, I still have been baking and munching since my last post :)  In college, the most amazing candy bar was created: The Take 5 Bar.  This puppy had a pretzel with caramel and peanuts all surrounded by chocolate.  It clearly has it all: The sweet, salty, chocolate-peanut buttery treat that makes you feel like a million bucks! Sadly, I don't think they make this any more :(  But luckily I was so hooked I made a bar version to fill the void!  These puppies are so gooey and delicious and easy to make...just promise me you'll try em!

That's right, these puppies are so caramel-rific and gooey that my spatula is literally dripping caramel :)

Take 5 Bars
Approximately 3 cups slightly crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 T packed brown sugar

1 package caramels (or go the easy route and get the caramel drops for easy melting!)
2 T water

Roasted Peanuts
1 package chocolate chips
A generous dollop of creamy peanut butter (about 1/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.  Gently crush the pretzels into the baking pan.  Mix the melted butter and brown sugar together and pour evenly over the pretzels, stirring slightly to coat.  I don't bother to try and get the butter and brown sugar completely combined, I just drizzle the more buttery portion evenly over the pretzels and then the more brown sugary portion and stir it up :)  Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

While pretzels are still in the oven, melt the caramels and water together in microwave according to caramel package directions.  The water helps the caramels from hardening up too much later on so use it!  Drizzle caramel over pretzel crust.  Sprinkle peanuts over caramel.  Combine chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt for 1 minute, stir.  Microwave and then stir at 15 second intervals until just melted, being careful not to scorch chocolate.  Drizzle over bars and spread slightly with a spatula to cover bars.  Note: These directions will make a somewhat thinner bar with a thin chocolate frosting...by all means you can use a smaller pan and more of whatever you want to make them your way!

Let these puppies cool! Pop em in the fridge a little if you like, but let the caramel and pretzel crust calm down a bit.  Then dig in!

Grilled Pineapple

There is a local Brazilian restaurant in town where they have gauchos come to your table with giant skewers of rotisserie-cooked meat in an endless parade of awesomeness.  Everyone, of course, has their favorite that they get a few times over the course of the evening, but there is one selection that I think everyone goes crazy for: the rotisserie pineapple.  That's right, they put 3 pineapples on a skewer and bath it in butter and cinnamon and then watch you beg for more of it as they go around the room.  It is seriously amazing people!
Now I can't go fork out $25 every time I want this delicious pineapple (but I dare to dream)...so, my husband and I came up with a super easy way to grill your own pineapple at home.
Get a napkin, you're about to start drooling :)

Grilled Pineapple:

1 pineapple
Tin foil
Butter
Cinnamon

A grill :)

1.) Cut the skin off of your pineapple and cut into pineapple "steaks" - about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick.
 Note: if you want to buy a pineapple that is already cored out for you that would work too!

2.) Lay out a large sheet of tin foil and then fold the edges in so that you have a baking "dish" that will hold in all the butter and pineapple juices.  Spray the tin foil lightly with oil.

3.) Lay your pineapple steaks out in 1 layer on your foil, sprinkle generously with cinnamon and then flip pineapple over and sprinkle opposite side with cinnamon.  Melt about 4-6 tablespoons of butter (per your preference) and drizzle over the top of your pineapple.

4.) Grill pineapple at about 350 degrees for 5 minutes, then flip and continue grilling for another 3-4 minutes.

Enjoy!

Flatbread Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I LOVE pizza!  I know I'm all grown up now, but I'm pretty sure that pizza is still my favorite food in the entire world.  That and peanut butter :)  Lately I've had a craving for buffalo chicken flatbread pizza from our favorite restaurant and so I thought that I'd give it a try at home. YUM!


The flatbread recipe that I used is from Williams Sonoma, and now that I've tried it out once I  have a couple of tricks for making it right the first time.  The recipe makes 2 flatbreads - so you can use both at once, refrigerate half to use within the next day, or freeze half to use within a month or two.  To thaw they recommend letting the dough sit out at room temperature until the dough begins to rise again, about 3 hours. 

Flatbread:
3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 t (or 1 packet) instant yeast
1 T sugar
1 T salt (I used a little less)
1 1/4 c to 1 1/2 c warm water (NOTE: I used 1 1/4 c water and still had to knead in extra flour)
2 T olive oil, plus more for bowl


1.) You can combine all dry ingredients in a food processor or a bowl to blend together (IF using instant yeast).  Then add the warm water and olive oil and pulse/stir until the dough comes together.  If using active yeast simply activate the yeast by adding it to the warm water and sugar and letting it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Then add this active yeast mixture to the dry ingredients along with the oil.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 2 minutes until dough forms a smooth ball.   Oil a large bowl and place the dough in it, turning the dough to coat it with the oil.  Cover your dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

2.) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, punch the dough down and knead lightly.  Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and knead again to form each piece into a smooth ball.  Cover each ball with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.  At this point you may choose  whether you want to store some of the dough to use later.

3.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  I greased a cookie sheet to bake my flatbread on but you may also sprinkle cornmeal on your baking sheet instead of greasing.  Stretch/ roll the dough out onto your sheet -- Be careful not to overstretch your dough in the center.  It was very easy to do this if you try and stretch your dough too thin -- and then your dough will not rise and will burn into a little cracker in the center :(  Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 15 minutes.  Use fingertips to make several impressions in the dough, drizzle with olive oil and either bake as is or top as desired with sea salt/herbs.  Bake in prepared oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

PIZZA!
Now for the good stuff.  For my buffalo chicken pizza I kept it really simple...
Ranch dressing (would also be good with blue cheese dressing)
Shredded Mozzarella cheese (can also add blue cheese here!)
1 large chicken breast, baked/grilled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 jalapeno, diced/sliced
Hot buffalo wing sauce

For a creamy base I drizzled a little ranch dressing on the crust.  Top this with the chicken breast and celery.  Drizzle a heavier amount of the wing sauce over your chicken and celery and then top with cheese.  Add jalapenos to the top of your pizza and give just a sprinkle more cheese.  Broil pizza on the lowest rack of your oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and begins to brown.

I also made a quick traditional pizza with the other crust using a little pizza sauce, sauteed onion and green pepper, pepperoni, mozz cheese and some crushed red chili pepper flakes.  But the options are endless!  Next on my list is to do a tomato, sliced mozzarella and torn basil flatbread...doesn't get any more summer than that!  


Link to the Williams Sonoma flatbread recipe

Sweet Tooth: Triple Threat Pan Cookie

Sorry friends -- it has been way too long since my last post!  I hope that I can make it up to you by sharing one of my favorite recipes in the entire world.  These cookie bars are the absolute best!  That's right, you heard me, the BEST!  They developed out of my obsession with the toffee almond bars that they used to have at Starbucks, but these little guys are so chippy and fantastic that they have won me over to barely even remember those almond bars of the past :)  I hope you try these and find your next baking obsession.

2 1/4 c flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt

1 cup crisco shortening
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 large eggs

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces white chocolate chips
4 ounces toffee bits
1 chocolate bar
2 heath bars

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prep a 9 x 13 baking pan
2.) Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside
3.) Beat crisco, sugars and vanilla until well combined.  Add in eggs 1 at a time until combined.  Gradually incorporate flour mixture until blended in.  Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits.  Scoop dough into your prepared pan and pat out using your hands.
4.) Chop candy bars up into nice hunks and press gently into the top of the cookie bars.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden on top and all around the edges.  Let cool slightly before digging in and devouring the whole pan :)

Teething Necklace

So Evangelyn is teething...and she loves jewelry...and she chews on everything she can as it is.  So! I was super impressed when I found an idea (on pinterest, of course!) for a teething necklace.  I totally loved this little project on Rebekah Gough's blog (link at bottom) and wanted to try my hand at this sewing project.  That's right, me sewing :)  I mean, I did a little sewing back in middle school so this should be no problem right?  It looked as if this would be about the easiest way for me to try my hand at sewing again... you know, beginner stuff.  Well, let me just say that if I got this much sewing done, so can you.  It might take 10 times as long as someone who knows what they are doing, but you can get it done!

Enough yabbering on about my lack of sewing skills...here's the how to!
The basic idea is to create a really really long tube of fabric to tie wood beads into so that your little sweet pea can chomp on em a bit.  What I did was buy 1 yard of a fabric with a fun print and then cut 2 5-inch strips as long as I could make them.  Then you sew the 2 strips together so you get one strip that is twice as long.  Next, you sew your fabric right sides together (aka print-sides facing in), trim the seams if needed, and flip your tube right-side out so you have a long open-ended tube of fabric.
Now you're ready to make your necklace!  First, I tied a knot in the center of my necklace, where my seam was from sewing the two strips together.  Next, I would drop a wooden bead into the tube and tie a knot right after it.  Just keep adding beads evenly on both sides of your center knot until you have your desired look, finishing with a knot.  After the last knot that you tied, cut the remaining length of your fabric into 3 equal strips so that you can braid them together.  Then you can just tie your ends together in the back to complete your new accessory!
This really is that simple - I promise.  If you are a tad better at sewing than I am or want to give this as a gift, you could even sew the ends of your braids and then add a cute closure to your necklace.  Maybe next time :)  For now, I'm going to call this project a success!

Just for giggles...here is the teething necklace on Evangelyn's ball popper :) 

Link to Rebekkah's original project design

Cocoa Roasted Almonds

So my mom brought me some cocoa roasted almonds when she shared some Christmas goodies with me this year (thanks mom!).  Needless to say, I devoured them and almost thought about hiding them from my company to hoard them for myself.  So when my little bowl of almonds was empty I started looking for some recipes to make them myself.  What I discovered was that a few people have been disgusted that something as simple as almonds covered in cocoa end up being made with so many extra ingredients that no one but scientists can pronounce!  I tried their recipes and thought I would experiment a little bit more... what I came up with is a delicious and super simple way for you to get that super addictive cocoa roasted almond at home with just a few ingredients, all of which you know and love.

2 T honey
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T water

1/4 c cocoa powder
1/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 T flour
dash of cinnamon
1 heaping cup of almonds (raw or roasted)

1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
2. Mix the honey, vanilla and water in a bowl or measuring cup.
3. Mix the cocoa, powdered sugar, flour and cinnamon in a resealable plastic bag.
4. Place your almonds into the wet ingredients and stir to coat completely.  You may want to put your almonds through the wet ingredients in batches to make it easier.  Use a slotted spoon (or your hands) to scoop out the almonds and drain excess liquid and put almonds in cocoa mixture.  Once your almonds are all in the bag of cocoa, shake them up until they are completely coated.
5. Use your hands, or another slotted spoon, to take the almonds out of the bag and place onto the prepared baking sheet.  You don't want a lot of extra cocoa powder on your baking sheet, but some is no big deal.  Bake in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes if using roasted almonds, bake for about 15-20 minutes if using raw almonds.  I would just pull out one almond and taste-check it to test for 'doneness' :)  Stir your almonds about halfway through baking.  Remove almonds and let cool. Enjoy!

This recipe will make a heaping cup of roasted almonds and is easy to double -- you don't need to double the wet ingredients, just the dry.  I discovered that the trick to these is that you need extra of the cocoa mixture so that the almonds are completely coated.  If  you don't have enough the whole batch gets sticky and turns out kinda goopey.  If this happens to you, I recommend tossing your almonds in a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar to help them get a little cuter.

Sweet Tooth: Tiramisu Cake

What I've been baking!

So my mom just had her Birthday this week and came to stay over and play with Evangelyn while I worked a couple of days...so of course we had to celebrate and have some cake!  I love this tiramisu cake -- it is super easy to put together, stays fresh (and not mushy!) a little longer than the original, and can feed a whole party.  I only made 2 tiers for this cake but the original is a classic 3-tier.

Cake:
Your favorite white cake mix or white cake recipe - enough to make 3 9-inch cakes
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder (2 Starbucks Via packets also work great)
1/4 cup coffee
1 T coffee flavored liqueur

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 T coffee flavored liqueur

Frosting:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 c powdered sugar
2 T coffee flavored liqueur

Garnish:
Unsweetened cocoa powder (for dusting)
Semisweet chocolate shavings

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare 3 cake pans

2. Prepare the cake mix/recipe per directions.  Pour 1/3rd of batter into 1 cake pan.  Stir instant coffee powder into remaining batter and then divide into remaining pans.  Bake 20-25 minutes at 350, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans to cool completely on wire racks.  In a bowl/measuring cup, combine brewed coffee and 2 T coffee liqueur - set aside.

3. To prepare the filling: In a small bowl, use an electric mixer set on low to combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and liqueur until smooth.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

4. To prepare frosting:  In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer set on medium-high to beat the cream, powdered sugar and liqueur until stiff peaks form.  Fold 1/2 cup of whipped frosting into the filling mixture. Prepare frosting shortly before assembling the cake and refrigerate.

5. To assemble the cake: Place 1 coffee flavored cake onto your serving dish.  Poke approximately 15 thin holes into the cake and then pour half of coffee-liqueur mixture over cake.  Spread half of the filling mixture on top of the cake.  Then add plain vanilla cake and spread the 2nd half of the filling on top of that.  Add the remaining coffee flavored cake, again poking holes and pouring the 2nd half of the coffee-liqueur mixture over the cake.  Finally frost your cake and garnish to suit your tastes -- Some lovely ideas include using cocoa powder in a small sieve for dusting, and adding chocolate curls or chocolate covered espresso beans.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes or more before serving.

Happy Birthday Mom!  Hope you loved the cake as much as I did!  Enjoy everyone!

I must thank bettina for submitting this recipe (well, almost this recipe) to allrecipes.com