S'mores Cupcakes with Kahula

The kid in me is out and raging. Enter the most fantastic of all fantastic treats from childhood with a little grown up injected inside and you have S’mores cupcakes with a hit of Kahula. Somebody pinch me.

I first saw these cupcakes on Annie’s Eats and then it seemed like the S’mores influence was everywhere with S’mores cakes, snack bars, energy bars, candy bars, you name it. So, this has been on my must bake list forever and I finally got around to making them. The cupcakes shown on Annie’s Eats were beautiful and refined and I wanted mine to be more rustic and, for lack of a better term, sloppy. In my mind, that’s what S’mores are, sloppy kid food that are a mess to eat. That’s the fun of them and being a kid, permission to be sloppy and unrefined. I also have to be buttoned up in a corporate office all day so I like to take a more laid back approach to my baking.

So, I used the Annie’s Eats recipe but I put my own spin on it with the Kahula injection. I also made some minor alterations to bits and pieces to suit my palate.

Enjoy! AJ – xo

Pumpkin Bourbon Pancakes

In life, we sometimes have to roll with the deck we have been dealt. For me, that means finding the bright side of a child that sleeps minimally.

I have been told by the teachers at school, fellow parents, books and every child psychologist who has managed to publish something that if your child is not getting 10-12 hours of sleep in a day/night, they will have stunted growth, behavioral problems, learning difficulties, socialization issues, the list goes on and on. So, despite rearranging my schedule so my little guy is in bed by 7:45 p.m. every night, he continues to wake up at 5 a.m., 6 if I am lucky. Of course, this leads to a tired and difficult child in the afternoon who can no longer nap in his pre-kindergarten class. God help me.

So, this morning, after going to bed at a very late 9 p.m. last night, my little monkey was up and ready to go at 6 a.m. Argh! Sleep, my child, please, sleep!! No dice, he was up and nothing was going to change that. So, I did the only logical thing to do at that point, dragged my overly tired tail out of bed, fixed myself an industrial strength cup of coffee and made Hot Chocolate and Pumpkin Bourbon Pancakes with my son. For a brief moment, I am going to block out the criticism and paranoia and enjoy this moment while silently praying that the 9 hours of sleep will not stunt his growth.

I got the recipe here. I added in a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of bourbon. I threw some chocolate chips into a few pancakes to experiment and I thought they drowned out the pumpkin taste. Out with the chips. Then I tried big chinks of cooked bacon on on a fork full of pancake and syrup and I swear, angels did sing. Make sure you top this off with whipped cream, a critical component.

Cheers! xoxo

Cherry Almond Coffeecake Pie

I am attempting to put out of my mind a less than desirable day and come to peace with the fact that sometimes being a parent can test every last ounce of patience I ever possessed. It was one of those days that I told my kid to go left, he went right, I said up and he went down, I said no and he did it anyway. My little man also decided to sprinkle a little back talk, a few tantrums and an overall questionable attitude into an already trying sequence of events. I am working alone and it is times like these when I wish I could morph into a male authority figure with a deep booming voice that always seems to get kids to behave. Instead, my child was in time out today on multiple occasions and Mommy had to break into a bottle of wine earlier rather than later. Note, this child can be one of the sweetest and most charming children I have ever been around but when he has a bad day, I am convinced my life expectancy plummets immeasurably.

Ok, now, about this pie and happier things. The combination of cherries and almonds was amazing and I insist that you make this addictive concoction immediately or while the cherry supply lasts. There is a layer of cherries on the bottom with a sweet almond filling and a bit of a bite from the sour cream. Sweet, nutty and wonderful with vanilla bean ice cream on top. Enjoy! xo - AJ

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies

After two weeks of trying to keep my head above water at work, being a crazed loving Mom, getting my running in, all while trying to cover up stress blemishes and barely being awake enough to make myself presentable in the morning, I need these cookies, badly. It takes a lot of work to put on the, keeping all the balls in the air act. Therefore, there is not enough chocolate on this planet to sooth my worn out soul.

I am not complaining. I am medicating and I believe in chocolate and cocktails to do so and this cookie has a little bit of both. This is a cakey cookie that I hit with some Tia Maria coffee liqueur but you can obviously use whatever you have on hand. I also put in some strong coffee that I had left over from the morning and it really boosted the flavor. Excellent and may I add, moan inducing. xo - AJ

Lime Yogurt Cake with Blackberry Sauce

This is a recipe that I made simply because I happened to have all of the ingredients in the fridge and they needed to be used before funky organisms started growing on them.

Actually, that is kind how I would describe my body right now, very funky with many weird discolorations. Whatever could I mean by that, you ask? Well, over the past month I managed to slice my finger in such a way that the wound required stitches. Then, I ran a half-marathon that completely bruised and discolored three toe-nails, one of which is about to fall off. Ewww, gross. Yes, that is gross and no, I am not apologizing. Right now, I have more cuts and bruises on me than a prize-fighter and a sick side of me is kind of proud of it. So, now, dear reader, that you have a horrified look on your face, the answer to your question is yes, I have had therapy and yes, I probably most definitely dropped out way too early.

So, on that happy note, about this cake. I made a few changes to the recipe that was posted on Smitten Kitchen. The most important modification is that I used olive oil on the first try and found that it completely overpowered the other flavors in the cake. On the second try, I used vegetable oil and it worked beautifully. That white stuff in the picture is creme fresh with a teaspoon of honey mixed in. Excellent! You can also add vanilla ice cream and I am sure that would also be delicious.

Enjoy! AJ

Key Lime Pie

The flavors of summer are so sublime. One of the advantages of living in a four season city, is having the distinct advantage of experiencing a range of seasons and the beauty and feeling that is unique to each one. Just as I love the warm and hibernating quality of huddling in front of the fire with snow falling outside of my window, a glass of Burgundy or Pinot Noir in my hand and a feast of Beef Bourguignon, I also love the feeling of sitting outside with the sun on my neck, a glass of sweet tea by my side and a piece of frozen Key Lime Pie. It really is the simple pleasures that make life so sweet.

So, about this ever so refreshing pie. I have made Ina Garten's Key Lime Pie for a long time and it has always been foolproof. However, because I can never just leave fabulous alone, I went searching high and low through the depths of the web and my piles of cookbooks, for a recipe or recipe combination that would improve a proven winner. I was surprised to find that Ina's recipe is not unique. The ingredients and method for all of the recipes I found were all basically the same. That said, I did find Emeril's recipe that called for sour cream and I imagine that would be an excellent complement and would add a creamy quality to the pie and accent the citrus flavor quite well.

So, try Ina's or Emeril's and remember to eat the pie with the sun on your neck. xoxo - AJ

Recipe adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style, by Ina Garten

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) salted butter, melted

For the filling:
7 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes)

For the decoration:
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Thin lime wedges dipped in sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pyrex pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes until firm and allow to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of a clean electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze.

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with limes dipped in sugar. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb is such an odd vegetable, no? If you use the wrong parts, it's poisonous. When put in pie or used in jam, amazingly delicious with an incredibly sour taste that turns wonderfully sweet and subtle with sugar. Add in strawberries and the flavors play off of each other wonderfully. It's a difficult taste to describe and one of the few that if a person has not had it, I will say they just have to try it.

So, the challenge with liquid laden strawberries and rhubarb in the classic strawberry rhubarb pie is, of course, making a pie and not soup under a crust. Most recipes call for two tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca to remedy the liquid/soup issue. I have also tried arrowroot and flour and they would still come out soupy. I found the recipe below on the blog Smitten Kitchen which calls for a whopping 1/4 cup of tapioca. Ok, that's a lot but nothing else was working so might as well try it. The heaping pile of tapioca got the job done in terms of sopping up the liquid. My one little issue was that I was very aware of the tapioca beads and could feel their texture in the guts of the pie. So, verdict is that it was not perfect but definitely solved the soup issue.

Final note on this post is about the crust. I have always and I mean always used shortening in my pie crusts as I believed that was the only way that the crust would fall like a blanket on the pie filling instead of standing crunchy and dome-like over the filling. A dome over a pie is never good and annoyed me endlessly when it used to happen with other crust recipes that I had used that were primarily made with butter. This recipe has changed my thinking completely on this issue! Not only did this crust taste absolutely delicious, there was no dome action that occurred. This crust fell beautifully over the pie, like aforementioned blanket and had that buttery richness that could only come from an all butter crust. The crust is also from the Smitten Kitchen and it will be the only one I use moving forward or until a better crust catches my attention.

Enjoy! AJ

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 recipe All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough or double-crust pie dough of your choice

3 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds, untrimmed) rhubarb, in 1/2-inch thick slices
3 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) strawberries, hulled and sliced if big, halved if tiny
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon buttermilk (for glaze)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a well-floured counter, roll half of pie dough into a 12-inch circle and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. (I like to fold my gently into quarters, to transfer it more easily, then unfold it in the pie plate.)

Stir together rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, lemon, salt, vanilla and tapioca in a large bowl. Mound filling inside bottom pie crust and dot with bits of unsalted butter. Roll second half of pie dough into an 11-inch circle and cut decorative slits in it. Transfer it to center over the pie filling. Trim top and bottom pie dough so that their overhang beyond the pie plate lip is only 1/2-inch. Tuck rim of dough underneath itself and crimp it decoratively.

Transfer pie to a baking sheet and brush egg yolk mixture over dough. Bake for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the pie is golden and the juices bubble visibly.

Transfer pie to wire rack to cool completely (several hours).


All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough

Makes enough dough for one double-, or two single-crust pies.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces, 16 tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold

Gather your ingredients: Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl — whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Dice two sticks (8 ounces or 1 cup) of very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces.

Make your mix: Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and mix a few times with the paddle attachment on your Kitchen Aid. When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas — stop.

Glue it together: Start by drizzling 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 1/4 cup of cold water to bring it together, but add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling large clumps with the spatula, take it out. Gather the clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.

Pack it up: Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Touch and handle the dough as little as possible. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

Do ahead: Dough will keep in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer longer. If not using it that day, wrap it in additional layers of plastic wrap to protect it from fridge/freezer smells. To defrost your dough, move it to the fridge for one day before using it.