Eating my Feelings Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

Tags

bakery, baking, butter, cake, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dessert, eat, eating, eggs, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids baking, pandemic, pound cake, quick cooking, simple entertaining, sugar, vanilla, vanilla beans

This rich and buttery pound cake is simple to make but so elegant to eat while wearing jammies and watching “90 day Fiancé” or “My 600 Pound Life.”

Number of Servings: 1, perhaps 8, or even 12 depending how one is feeling that day 😉 This blog is a judgement free zone.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes of drooling in front of the oven

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons milk (skim, low fat, or whole)
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste or a vanilla bean
• 1-1/3 cups cake flour … but seriously any flour you can find during this pandemic (I used AP), spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with a straight edge aka knife.
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 13 tablespoons salted butter, softened (no need to cut it in pieces) 16 tbls is a cup so y’all need to do some math or buy the butter in the sticks. Yes Salted … to be honest I only bake with salted butter. I remember saying it to my French instructor at Le Cordon Bleu and he almost fainted 👀 I’m too old to care anymore.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly grease an 8-in x 4-in x 2½-inch loaf pan with butter like you are in an episode of Mad Men. Dust with flour, shaking off any excess. (Alternatively, use a nonstick cooking spray with flour in it, since we are 6 weeks into a pandemic the 1950s way suited me just fine.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla until just combined.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended. Add the butter and half of the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture, in 2 separate additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to combine. Do not over-mix. (The batter may have a slightly curdled or grainy appearance — that’s okay.)
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a thin wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Then remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap or store in a large sealable plastic bag.
6. The wrapped pound cake will keep for several days (it will never last the long) at room temperature, for one week when refrigerated.
7. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

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Easter Egg Flourless Chocolate Torte

Tags

chocolate, classy dessert, dessert, Easter, entertaining, flourless, Nigella lawson

I love Nigella Lawson, always have, always will. I read her cookbooks like novels. Her cookbooks are fun to read and evoke memories of my own childhood.

I am hosting 12 for dinner tomorrow to celebrate Easter and I wanted to mix it up in the dessert department. I made a carrot cake (my favorite) but I know my husband loves chocolate. Hello flourless chocolate torte! It really easy to make and will be easy to eat I am sure.

If you are looking to try something new tomorrow, try this!

Happy Easter!

 

Bourbon Sables with Chocolate

Tags

bakery, baking, bourbon, butter, chocolate, christmas baking, cookies, cooking, delicious, dessert, eat, eating, eggs, entertaining, food, holiday, holiday baking, sables, simple entertaining, sugar, thanksgiving, vanilla, vanilla beans

A must for Christmas this year 🎄

Rich and buttery shortbread cookies infused with bourbon and chocolate! What’s not to love! Inspired by the lovely Sarah Kieffer.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Refrigeration Time 2 hours

Servings 20 – 24 cookies (I did personally triple the recipe as these fly off the baking sheet)

Ingredients

• 1 cup [227 g] salted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or extract if that is all you have
• 2 cups [284 g] all-purpose flour
• 227 grams of dark chocolate (I used a mixture of bar chocolate cut into chunks and dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons of bourbon
• 1 cup [200 g] turbinado sugar or sanding sugar

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and salt, and beat again on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg yolk, bourbon and vanilla, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the chocolate and mix again until combined.
• Transfer the dough to a workspace and form the dough into a 12 inch [30.5 cm] long log. Place the log on a large piece of plastic, a few inches longer than the log. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over each side of the log, covering the outside of the dough. Gently press the sugar into the dough with your hands. Wrap the log in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. I personally froze all three logs!
• Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a serrated knife, slice the dough log into ¼ inch [6mm], and place the rounds about 2 inches [5 cm] apart on the prepared pans.
• Bake, one batch at a time, until the edges are very light golden brown and the centers are still pale, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Move the pans to wire racks and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

15 minute Holiday Appetizers- Prosciutto Arugula Bites

Tags

appetizers, Boursin, cooking, cranberries, delicious, easy cooking, eat, elegant appetizers , entertaining, food, fresh, holiday, kid friendly, make ahead meals, pecans, prosciutto, quick cooking, simple entertaining

The holidays are busy, prior to this pandemic I would be entertaining hand over fist. Sure entertaining has slowed down, but you should always have elegant, quick and easy appetizers in your kitchen repertoire. Here is one that looks elegant but start to finish takes 15 minutes.

• 12 slices of prosciutto but you can use Serrano ham too
• 1 ball of cranberry and pepper Boursin
• 24 pecan halves (toasted in a fry pan)
• 1 cup of arugula
• 1/2 cup of balsamic (I used a white cranberry balsamic) put it in a pan and reduce it until it turns into a thick syrup- takes about 5 to 8 minutes on low. – you should have 2 tablespoons once it is reduced
• 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries

Now it’s time to put it together. Lay the slices of prosciutto out on a cutting board. Section the Boursin into 12 each portions ~ 3/4 tbls. Put the cheese on one end, top with 2 pecans and a generous pinch of arugula. Roll them up and slice in half. Then drizzle the top with the reduced balsamic glaze and a few dried cranberries.

I’m not going to lie, I could eat all 24 😉

Enjoy!

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

Tags

baking, blueberries, butter, cooking, cornmeal, delicious, dessert, easy breakfast, easy cooking, eat, eating, food, fresh, kid friendly, kids baking, muffins, sugar, summer, summertime, vanilla, vanilla beans

Mixing up the usual … these are gloriously delish 🤤

The slight crunch of the cornmeal make a perfect backdrop for blueberries, which burst as they bake, creating pockets of juice that keep the muffins tender. Serve warm with a pat of butter 💥

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 stick or 1/2 cup salted butter, melted

Set oven to 350, 325 for convection bake.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Place the blueberries in a small bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon of the flour mixture. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter. Stir until just blended; and then stir in the blueberries. Do not overmix. The batter comes together in about 5 minutes.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup very full and please use liners as the blueberries will make everything very sticky. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are set and golden around the edges. Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm with butter or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Enjoy!

These are insanely delish! Braided cinnamon sticky buns 🤤

Tags

baking, bread, bread dough, butter, cinnamon, cinnamon buns, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dessert, easy cooking, eat, eating, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids baking, Nadia bakes, Netflix, simple entertaining, sugar

I was watching a TV show called Nadia Bakes on Netflix this weekend and in one of the episodes she spotlighted a baker named Richard Bertinet. He was born in France but has lived in the UK for more than 30 years now and he is the godfather of breads. I watched his segment and rewatched it 5 times. I was inspired to try them. These are an adaptation of his famous cinnamon buns.

Braided sticky cinnamon buns

These are sweet, sticky and oh-soo delicious little cinnamon buns twisted in beautiful knots. Perfect to enjoy with your favourite cup of tea or coffee.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Proving Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours

Servings 12 buns

You need a scale to make these!

Ingredients

For the dough:

250 ml milk any type

60 g salted butter cubed

500 g AP flour

15 g fast-action dried yeast

100 g granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 large egg

For the filling:

150 g salted butter softened

200 g light brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Place the milk in a small saucepan and heat it up until it is lukewarm. Add cubed butter to the lukewarm milk, swirling the saucepan every now and then to encourage the butter to melt. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a hook attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add milk and butter mixture followed by the egg. Mix on low speed until dough comes together, about couple of minutes, then increase the speed to medium and and mix for 8-10 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and using your hands, roll it into a ball. Place it in a clean, large bowl, lightly greased with some oil. Cover the bowl with clingfilm or reusable kitchen wrap (clean shower cup works great here!) and leave somewhere warm for an hour or until it doubled in size (depending on the temperature in your kitchen, this may take more, or less than 1 hour).

In a meantime, prepare the filling. Place softened butter and brown sugar in a bowl of a freestanding mixer and beat together on medium speed until pale, fluffy and well combined. Reduce speed to low and add ground cinnamon. Mix until combined and set aside.

Remove the dough from the bowl into a lightly floured surface. Gently knock out the air from it, then stretch it into rough rectangle shape. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into larger rectangle, roughly about 15 by 19 inches with the longer edge facing you.

Spread the filling over ⅔ of the top of the dough, leaving ⅓ of the dough clean. Fold the clean part of the rectangle towards the middle, then fold the other end of the dough on top of that. Use a rolling pin, roll it over the rectangle to flatten it out and stretch a bit.

Using a sharp knife trim off the edges of the rectangle. Divide the rectangle into 12 equal pieces, widthways, each strip roughly about 1.5 ish inches across. Next, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut twice down the length of each strip to make three strands. Braid the three strands together, then roll it up along its length to create a knot. Repeat with remaining strips.

Lightly grease 12-hole muffin tin, then transfer the knots into it. Cover and allow to prove for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 or 325 for convection bake and bake in the middle shelf of the oven for roughly 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Don’t worry if some of the filling has leaked. Mine did. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool only for a minute or so, then transfer the buns onto a cooling rack. Do not leave them to cool in the tin, as it will be hard to remove them later. Enjoy them while still a bit warm!

Chloe ate hers in under 2 minutes and Holly and Joel thought they were delish.

Notes!! 

Do not go overboard with the filling! Thin, but even layer is what you are aiming for.

Don’t worry if some of the filling comes out and spill from the sides while the buns bake. This is normal.

Once baked, allow the buns to cool in the tin for only a minute or so. Transfer them to cooling rack while they are still hot, before the leaked sugar and butter sets and becomes hard.

HOLY THESE ARE DELISH!!! They are the perfect blend between a very sticky bun and a cinnamon bun.

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Mini vanilla bean scones

Tags

baking, butter, comfort food, cooking, delicious, easy breakfast, easy cooking, eat, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids baking, make ahead meals, mini scones, quick cooking, scones, simple entertaining, starbucks scones, sugar, treats, vanilla, vanilla beans, vanilla scones

This homemade version of vanilla bean scones is so easy to make. Great for kids and quick snacks.

Prep Time 30 minutes – Cook Time 16 minutes

Makes 16 mini scones

INGREDIENTS

SCONES:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar or vanilla bean sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, grated into pieces
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream (depends on the moisture in your flour and house)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• seeds scraped from one vanilla bean or 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste (I swear by this stuff!)
• 1½ tablespoons milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (I did 350 degrees for convection bake) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the grated butter and rub butter and flour together with your hands. Continue until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Then mix in the cream and the vanilla extract.
• When the dough has gathered itself into a ball and divide the dough into 2 equal portions. I had to add more cream to make this happen… keep that in mind. Flatten each portion of dough into a disc shape, about 1 1/2-inches thick. Score each disc into 8 triangles with a knife, and pull the triangles slightly away from one another (allowing about 1/2-inch in between).
• Brush with cream on top and bake the scones for 16 to 20 minutes, until set in the centers and slightly golden on the bottoms.

ADD THE GLAZE:

• In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and milk together until smooth. Spread a small amount of glaze on top of each scone.

NOTES

These are delish, you can’t eat just one. The recipe makes 16 mini scones, 2 hours after baking I have 8 left. They got a 12/10 for taste. 🙌

Enjoy!

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Sweet and salty energy bites

Tags

almond butter, chia seeds, coconut, coconut oil, delicious, dessert, eat, eating, energy, energy bites, flax seed, food, hemp seeds, honey, kid friendly, make ahead meals, nut butter, oats, peanut butter, quick cooking, salt, vanilla

These are a staple in our house! The kids eat them for snacks after school, on the way to the gym, Joel grabs them for a snack. I make a batch weekly and they are always eaten. If you have 10 minutes you can whip up a batch.

Dry mix.

• 2 1/2 cups oats
• 1 cup hemp hearts
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup milled flax seed
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I use mini)…save for the end

Wet mix 

• 1 1/2 cups nut butter (I usually use 1/2 almond and 1/2 peanut butter)
• 1/3 honey
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 tbls coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp salt (this is key!)

Place wet mix in microwave for ~45 seconds until melted- stir and add into dry mix. Once mixed add in 1 cup chocolate chips and roll into balls.

Makes 32 keep in fridge and enjoy! These are delish!

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Chicken & black bean flautas perfect for Taco Tuesday!

Tags

flautas, Mexican, taco, tacos

This meal is start to finish on the table in 30 minutes!

Who doesn’t like Taco Night? I know tacos are always a dinner favourite in this house, so I think you’re really going to love this Mexican-inspired dish. Flautas are rolled-up tortillas (hence the name, which means ‘flute’ in Spanish) that are baked or fried to golden perfection. I filled my flour tortillas with spiced black beans, ground chicken, poblano peppers, Monterey Jack cheese and cilantro. Served on the side is a homemade salsa and spicy crema! Buen Provecho!

Here is what you need!

• 1 Onion – minced very finely
• 1 Bunch of cilantro – dice up stems finely and reserve leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic – minced or rasped
• 1 Lime sliced in half
• 2 Tomatoes diced
• 1 Poblano pepper seeded and diced
• 1 can / 540ml Black beans
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream thinned out with 1 Tbls of water
• 1 cup Monterey Jack shredded
• 8 flour tortillas (medium sized)
• 1 pkg of Old El Paso chicken taco seasoning OR do what I do and just toss a bunch of seasonings into the mix like garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, onion, paprika, dried ancho, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, chili, Cayenne pepper etc…

Preheat your oven to 450 or 425 if using convection bake. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with some oil (this will make the flautas crunchy, I used garlic oil)

1. In a medium fry pan add 1 tsp of oil and then the ground chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add in 1 garlic clove minced and 1/2 of the onion cook until translucent and season with S&P.

2. In a separate bowl add drained and rinsed black beans, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/4 of the onion, cilantro stems, cheese, 3/4 of the diced poblano pepper and seasoning mix. Once cooked chicken is cool enough to touch add it to this mixture and mush together with your hands. My favourite part! 😉 Taste and check for seasonings… make this your own. Add more garlic or salt, cumin, chili powder anything! This is your dinner… a recipe is just a guideline remember!

3. Now it’s flauta time! Lay out of the eight tortillas on your counter divide the chicken and black bean mixture evenly on the eight tortillas. I put the mixture about a third of the way down onto the tortilla and then I rolled them up like giant cigars. Once rolled up put them on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper brush the tops with oil this will make them crispy and pop these bad boys into your preheated oven for 15 minutes.

4. Now that these flautas are in the oven getting bubbly and crispy now it’s time to make your sides, so take your diced tomato, the rest of the onion the rest of the poblano and put it in a bowl season with salt and pepper and squeeze in half of the lime. Add in cilantro leaves and voila salsa done. The Crema is just as easy. Either use Mexican crema or take your sour cream put it in a bowl add a tablespoon of water use the rest of the lime juice from the other half of the lime and add a squeeze of Sriracha. Done.

5. Pour a glass of wine, or make a margarita and relish in the fact that your dinner is almost ready.

6. Take the flautas out of the oven and slice in half… they will be crispy on the outside and melty and delicious on the inside 🤤 serve with your homemade salsa, crema and I served mine with a side salad.

Buen Provecho!

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Dreaming of backyard pizza parties? Your dream can now be a reality!

Tags

basil, cheese, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dough, easy cooking, easy dinner, eat, eating, entertaining, food, fresh, fresh cooking, italian, kid friendly, Neapolitan pizza, Ooni, ooni pizza oven, Parmesan, pizza, pizza oven, quick cooking, simple entertaining, summertime, tomatoes

I have always dreamed of having a backyard with a huge stone pizza oven. But I’m afraid it’s going to be baby steps for me to get to my dream, so I started my journey on Mother’s Day when I treated myself to an Ooni Koda gas pizza oven from Capital BBQ.

This pizza oven has changed my life. It is portable, meaning I can pack it up and bring it to a friends house for dinner. It weighs 12 pounds, the design is sleek, I can store it in the off-season in my kitchen. It is powered by a propane tank and it only takes 15 minutes for it to come up to 930° and it cooks delicious Neapolitan style pizzas in 60 seconds.

The high temperatures help pizza dough quickly transform to a perfectly chewy-but-crispy crust, all while drawing any excess moisture out of any sauce, cheeses & toppings you have on your pizza. The result? Crispy crust, with no sogginess. A pizza lover’s dream!

I do have a couple of tips I have learned in the 5 times I have used my pizza oven.

• Use only quality ingredients – I make my own dough and sauce and boy does it make a difference!
• Use a wood pizza peel to put the pizza in the oven and the metal one to pull it out
• Do not multi task when you are making the pizzas, they take 60 seconds and every 20 seconds you turn the pie in the oven
• The less toppings the better. Since this cooks quickly you need you keep the toppings light
• Try new things! I created a Flammkuchen style pizza that is the 💣
• It is not just for pizza! With a cast iron pan you can look steaks and chicken in it too!

The cost. My Ooni koda cost me 499$ CDN plus tax. I would say it was the best money I ever spent.

Pizza dough, sauce and recipes coming soon!!

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Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

I don’t know about you but I love a good cheese ball as part of a charcuterie board. I know it sounds bit retro but I don’t care.

They are creamy, and tasty and SO easy to make. You can whip this up in 10 minutes. I prefer letting it set overnight so the flavours come together but I have also been known to eat this straight out of the bowl… this is a judgement free zone 😉

Here is what you need:

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup white sharp cheddar cheese shredded / of old white cheddar
• 1 cup dried cranberries chopped and divided
• 1 cup pecans chopped and toasted 
• 1/4 cup chives or green onions chopped (I prefer chives)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp of seasoning salt 

1. To Toast Pecans: Pre-heat oven to 375F. Place chopped pecans on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes or until aromatic. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ½ toasted pecans, ½ cup dried cranberries, chive or green onion, seasoning salt and garlic powder until well combined.
3. Place mixture in the center of a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper and cover completely with wrap while forming it into a ball shape. Place in fridge until ready to serve.
4. Just before serving, combine remaining ½ cup pecans, ½ dried cranberries, and 2 tablespoon chives on a flat surface or cutting board. Unwrap the ball and roll in cranberry-pecan mixture.
5. Serve with anything and devour!