It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas...

I'm embarrassed to tell you that it's December 22 and I haven't done ANY Christmas baking yet. Will I do any? I'm not so sure. Scratch that. Sailor Boy has recently discovered Almond Stick and it's become his latest obsession. Which means I'll be baking that yummy stick of Dutch Christmas goodness and mailing it to him as he sails the high seas.

Anyway... what did I make? Only the yummiest coffee/cocoa drink EVER.

Fireside Coffee, how I love you. I wish I had a picture to share with you, but really, how exciting is a picture of a steaming mug of liquid joy? You'll have to make it for yourself to see (and taste) how great it is. Here's the recipe:

Fireside Coffee

Recipe from www.food.com

Makes 20 servings

2 c. powdered cocoa mix (or 8 packets)

2 c. powdered coffee creamer

1 c. instant coffee

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

(I used the Safeway brand for all the ingredients-- you don't have to buy the best of everything for this recipe.)

Mix all ingredients together.

Add 2 heaping Tbsp. to 2/3 c. hot water.

Tastes great with whipped cream on top!

You can substitute 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon and nutmeg.

I gave individual jars of this mix to my mom and sisters for an early Christmas present, and I've been drinking gallons (okay, maybe not THAT much) of it at home.

Have a very Merry Christmas! :)

Dear Readers...

Here it is, the 23rd of November, and I am keenly aware that I haven't posted any new recipes since September 12. I know. I'm as disappointed in myself as you are. This time I can't say "the baking is done!" The baking is, in fact, NOT done. Yes, I've baked here and there, had a few successes and also a few failures... and yet no blogging.

All I can tell you is that I haven't forgotten about you, dear readers. I am thankful for those of you who have asked if I'm still baking, what I've baked lately, and if I will ever blog again. I promise you that I will return to the blogosphere-- sooner rather than later, I hope-- but I can't promise a specific date. Sailor Boy and I have been busy with some pretty important stuff lately, and frankly, these other things have taken precedence over baking and blogging.

It makes me sad to realize that I have failed at the initial "one new baked item per week for a year" plan... and maybe one day I'll try it again, but at this point in my life there are other things that need my attention. Please keep checking back for updates though, as I hope to return with semi-regular posts soon. Thank you again for being faithful and encouraging friends!

Week 15: Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

Mmmmm... pizza. Love me some pizza. I thought I knew pizza until I met Sailor Boy. He grew up near Chicago and let me tell you, these people know about pizza. It's not just the deep-dish thing. The main differences between regular pizza and "oh my goodness, this is the most heavenly thing I've ever eaten" pizza (a.k.a. Chicago-style pizza) is that there's a cornmeal crust and the sauce is on top. I know. Wrap your brain around that one.

Sailor Boy's all-time favorite place for pizza is Gino's East. They have 14 locations, but you're gonna have to go to Illinois, Wisconsin or Indiana if you want to find one. Which you should. Really. Plan a trip to the midwest just for the pizza.

Now you're wondering what all the talk about pizza has to do with baking. Um, hello. Pizza is baked. And this pizza is so worth the effort. Seriously. Do it.

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

Makes 1 9-inch pizza

Recipe from Annie's Eats

For the dough:

1 1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. yellow cornmeal

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 1/8 tsp. instant yeast

1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. water, at room temperature

1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

For the sauce:

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. grated onion

pinch of dried oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (I used 2 cloves b/c we like garlic)

1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

pinch of sugar

2 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

ground black pepper

(I didn't use the fresh basil. I didn't have it in the house. I don't think the sauce suffered for it.)

For assembling and topping:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

8 oz. mozzarella, shredded (about 2 cups)

1/4 oz. parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 Tbsp.)

1 lb. Italian pork sausage

pepperoni

The toppings are completely up to you. Use the cheese though. All of it. The special thing about the sausage pizza at Gino's East is that it's put on the pizza as a giant sausage patty. Oh yeah. What I do is flatten it out into a big patty in a frying pan, then split it down the middle to make it easier to flip. Cook the sausage, then put it on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up some of the grease. We'll get to the rest of the assembly instructions later.

Directions:

To make the dough, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook on low speed. Mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the water and melted butter and continue mixing on low speed until fully incorporated, 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is glossy and smooth, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 4-5 minutes.

Coat a medium bowl with 1 tsp. of the olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled, about 45-60 minutes.

While the dough is rising, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, oregano and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups (about 25 minutes). Off the heat, stir in the basil and oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To laminate the dough, turn the dough out onto a dry work surface and roll into an 8x6 inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. With the seam side down, flatten the cylinder into a 9x2 inch rectangle. Fold into thirds like a business letter, pinch the seams to form a ball, and return to the oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator until nearly doubled in size, 40-50 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. To assemble, coat a 9-inch round cake pan (I used a springform pan) with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Transfer the dough ball to a dry work surface and roll out into a 13-inch disk about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the pan. Lightly press the dough into the pan, working into the corners and up the sides of the pan. If the dough resists stretching, let rest 5 minutes before trying again.

Okay, here's where you start putting it together: since I used sausage and pepperoni, I placed the sausage on top of the dough, then arranged pepperoni on top of the sausage. Then sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the surface of the pepperoni. Spread the tomato sauce over the cheese and top with parmesan. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

This pizza is not for the faint of heart. It's ridiculous how good this pizza tastes, and is completely worth all the time it takes to make the dough. Sailor Boy says while it's not Gino's East, it's still pretty good. And that's good enough for me. :)

Week 14: Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

I'd really like to make donuts someday, but I really don't want the smell of deep frying in my house. Reminds me way too much of freshman year home-ec class. Yep, quality education complete with a unit on deep frying and how to cook an entire meal (including dessert) in the microwave. Oh, the memories.

But I digress. Back to the donuts. Who doesn't love a cinnamon sugar donut? Sailor Boy's parents (who he affectionately refers to as "Einstein & Dizzy") were here for a week-long visit, and they planned to leave on his mom's birthday. Birthday breakfast muffins! They were super easy to make and tasted wonderful... just like a cinnamon sugar donut. Mission accomplished.

Unfortunately... no pictures. I know. I'm sorry. You'll have to make them yourself to see what they look like. Here's how to make them:

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

Makes 1 dozen

Recipe from cooks.com

1/2 c. butter

1 egg

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 c. milk

Mix together butter, egg & sugar. Stir in dry ingredients alternating with milk. Bake in greased muffin tins (or paper-lined muffin cups) for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Topping:

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Dip muffin tops in butter and roll in cinnamon sugar.

This is where you should see a picture. Notice there is no picture. My deepest apologies. You should make these for someone you love.

I promise there will be pictures next time.

Week 13: Pretzels

Yes folks, you read that right. Pretzels. Who makes their own pretzels? I do! After a few weeks of sweet treats, I decided it was time for something more savory. Don't you just love that word? Savory. Makes my mouth water just saying it. Or typing it. Oh, you know what I mean.

These are super easy. When was the last time you baked something with only 5 ingredients? Plus, they don't take all day to make. You should try this.

Pretzels

Makes 8

Recipe from thedaringkitchen.com

DOUGH:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 1/4 tsp. yeast

7-8 oz. warm water

TOPPING:

1/2 c. warm water

2 Tbsp. baking soda

coarse, kosher or pretzel salt

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

The recipe I used had all kinds of variations for mixing the dough, but really, how hard is it to throw 5 ingredients in the mixer for a few minutes? I know there are people out there who love their bread machines, but I'm a snob and I refuse to use one. I'm old school that way. So here's what you do:

Combine all dough ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat until well combined. Knead the dough by hand (or use the dough hook attachment on your mixer) for approximately 5 minutes, till it's soft, smooth and quite slack. Flour the dough, put it in a ziplock bag, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Hindsight being what it is, I would advise against making pretzels on a day when you could just as easily fry an egg on the sidewalk. 500 degrees will heat your house up nice and toasty. Take it from me.

Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with nonstick cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface (a little vegetable oil on the kitchen counter will work well), and divide it into 8 equal pieces (if you're into using your kitchen scale, they should weigh about 70g or 2 1/2 oz each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine baking soda and warm water in a shallow bowl. Make sure the baking soda is completely dissolved; if it isn't, it'll make your pretzels splotchy.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (28-30 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash-- this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color. I had to whisk the baking soda wash every time before I dipped. I really don't think it's possible to completely dissolve the baking soda. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8-9 minutes, or until they're golden brown; reverse the baking sheets halfway through baking.

Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing until you've used all the butter. I know it seems like a lot but in my family, butter and salt are practically their own food groups, so keep on brushing that butter. :) Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat in the microwave.

(pay no attention to that little guy up in the right corner. quality control, ya know.)

I've gotten pretty lucky so far in this project, in that there have only been two recipes that I wasn't crazy about. It seems like I say "this is SO good" every week, but it's true. I promise to be very honest with you, and if I'm not into something I've made, you'll be the first to know.

And I know this is a pretty big claim, but I'd almost go as far as to say that these pretzels are just about as good as that pretzel place at the mall. For real. I'm looking forward to trying some cinnamon raisin pretzels drizzled with a powdered sugar icing. Doesn't that sound SO good? (There I go again!)

Week 12: Zucchini Chip Cupcakes

You know that scene in the movie "Armageddon" where Ben Affleck & Liv Tyler are laying on the ground and Ben is talking about the difference between crackers and cookies... how the defining characteristic of a cracker is whether or not you can put cheese on it, thereby determining that animal crackers are not really crackers, but cookies instead?

That's how I feel about this week's recipe. The author of the recipe calls them "cupcakes"... but in my opinion, the defining characteristic of a cupcake is whether or not you can put frosting on it. I would never in a million years put frosting on these. Therefore, I am renaming them (for the purpose of this blog) "Zucchini Chip Muffins".

Zucchini Chip Muffins

Makes 24

Recipe from allrecipes.com

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

(Is there really a question here? Always choose butter.)

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. baking cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 c. shredded zucchini

1/4 c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 c. chopped pecans (I left these out)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, milk and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; add to the creamed mixture. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Top with pecans. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

I'm ashamed to tell you that although I always insist on real butter (I grew up on a dairy farm and will always be a farm girl at heart), I do not drink milk. Sailor Boy likes soy milk (gasp!), so sometimes we have that in the house, and I use it for baking. However, Sailor Boy isn't home right now, and there's no milk in the house. What to do, what to do...

Then I had a lightbulb moment (you know, like on cartoons when someone has a great idea and a lightbulb appears over their head): fruit juice! I used the juice from a can of peaches. Actually, I misread the recipe and thought I needed 1 cup of milk/liquid. So I opened 2 cans and used the juice from both of them. These muffins are so good. I had to bake them for the full 25 minutes (probably due to the extra liquid), but they are super moist and yummy inside.

This is a great way to use some of the zucchini that's bound to make it's way into your home at this time of the year!

Week 11: Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes

Finally... this post will get me all caught up so I can try to stay on top of things!

So, last week we got together with some family members we don't get to see very often. Most of them live nearby, but we're all busy with work, family, etc... Anyway, I made a dessert to share with everyone and as my cousins are tasting my latest tasty treat, one of them mentions a blog that she heard about. Her description of the blog sounded strangely familiar. Then I realized she was talking about me! People are talking about my blog!

Who are you people? I'd love to hear from you... maybe make some suggestions. What would you like me to make? If I make something you request, I could probably arrange to deliver it to you. I'm just sayin'. Or you could just tell me how amazing and inspiring and beautiful I am. I know, there's no picture of me on here. You can just imagine. :)

Okay, enough silliness. Let's get down to business. As mentioned in the previous post, I am among the minority in America who doesn't like cream cheese. It tastes sour and icky. But who am I to keep cheesecake from the masses? Plus, I'd just picked blackberries a couple days before, and they were begging to be baked into something. Thus, I bring you blackberry swirl cheesecake cupcakes. Oh, and once again there are very few pictures in this post. I promise to take more next time!

Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes

Makes 32 (random!)

Recipe from Annie's Eats

For the crust:

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

3 Tbsp. sugar

For the topping:

6 oz. fresh blackberries (the recipe I worked from called for raspberries-- any fresh berry would work well)

2 Tbsp. sugar

For the filling:

2 lbs. (32 oz.) cream cheese @ room temperature

1 1/2 c. sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 eggs @ room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Stir together with a fork until well blended and all the dry ingredients are moistened. Press 1 Tbsp. of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. A small drinking glass works well to press the crust down evenly. Bake until just set, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pans to a cooling rack.

To make the blackberry puree, combine the berries and sugar in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Press through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.

To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy. Blend in the sugar until smooth. Mix in the salt and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

To assemble, spoon 3 Tbsp. of the cheesecake batter over the crust in each cupcake liner. Dot 1/2 tsp. of the berry puree in a few dots over the cheesecake filling. Use a toothpick or wooden skewer to lightly swirl and create a marbled effect.

Bake until the filling is set, rotating the pans halfway through baking (total baking time is approximately 22 minutes). They will look puffed up at first, but will return to normal quickly. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

My cheesecakes came out of the oven looking quite puffy, then some of them caved in. I have since learned that there are two reasons why that may have happened:

1) I didn't bake them long enough. They got rave reviews, which leads me to believe that even if they were slightly underbaked, they were still edible.

2) I should have baked them in a water bath. I have no excuses, other than the fact that the commentary on the recipe I used said that a water bath is unnecessary for these cheesecakes. Plus, I've baked full-size cheesecakes in the past without a water bath, and they all turned out fine. Whatever. I'm told these tasted great, even if they were a little caved in.

Make these with some fresh summer berries! Let me know how it turns out. :)

Special thanks to my sister Bobbi for her superb hand/cheesecake modeling skills. :)