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ROLO PUMPKIN PRETZELS

Beyond easy and wayyy too delish!!! Get them out of your house FAST!  

Lay pretzels on nonstick foil.  Top each with an unwrapped rolo. Bake for 2 minutes at 250 degrees.  Remove and immediately push a candy corn pumpkin into the rolo. Let cool.  Mmmmm!
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HALLOWEEN OREOS




Melt chocolate of your choice.  
Dip Oreos and top with royal icing candies.  
These are sold at local candy making stores or you can google them online!
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Cookies and cream blondies and a TV show to eat them with



A couple of days ago I finished watching Hannibal and found it pretty even: it was a very good show from start to finish and I hope the second season stays that way; Cynthia Nixon will be joining the cast and there are rumors of David Bowie playing Hannibal's uncle – I mean, how cool is that? :)

No spoilers here, everyone knows that Hannibal Lecter is a killer and eats his victims, and the
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PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE MONSTER MASH!



1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
9 cups Chocolate Chex cereal (I used a 14 ounce box)
3 cups powdered sugar

mini pb cups, candy corns and candy corn M & M's

Instructions:

1. Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips in a large bowl and microwave until smooth.
2. Pour the Chex cereal in a very large bowl.
3. Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good covering.
4. Place the powdered sugar in a large zip-lock bag.
5. Add the cereal mixture to the bag in batches and shake to coat.  

6. Once the mixture is fully coated, lay on a huge sheet pan to dry.
7.  Stir in mini peanut butter cups, candy corns and candy corn M & M's!

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SKELETON BONES!!!



How simple and adorable are these skeleton bones?!  
3 ingredients only!
1. pretzel sticks
2. mini marshmallows
3. white chocolate for melting (disks work well!!!)

Place marshmallows on the ends of the sticks and dip into the melted chocolate. Let set on wax paper and chill!  Perfect for Halloween!!!
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COLD CHOCOLATE SNACKING CAKE




The name alone on these bars sold me! I knew I had to try them...especially with the ganache frosting!!!  Thanks to Barefeet in the Kitchen for this one!

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4c cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet  chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x10 pan with spray (I used coconut oil spray.). Whisk together the dry ingredients.  In a different mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla to combine. Add half of the dry ingredients.  Add the sour cream and stir again to combine. Add rest of the dry ingredients.

Pour into the pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Cool.

Frosting:  Heat the cream in the microwave until simmering. Add in the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes. Whisk to combine. Add sifted sugar and cocoa powder and stir until completely smooth. Refrigerate for an hour and then spread it over the cooled cake. Chill in fridge at least 2 hours before cutting!!!  Serve cold straight from fridge!

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Spiced roast chicken



As much as I love cooking and baking there are times I want to be somewhere else besides the kitchen –for those times, the oven is my best friend: with a bit of planning food can be cooked without the need of me being around it, which can be very helpful. Roast chicken is a staple at my house because both the husband and I love it and while it cooks in the oven I can do many other things (or
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CHOCOLATE GANACHE & SALTED CARAMEL PANNA COTTA TRIFLE TOPPED WITH WHIPPED CREAM & CARAMEL POPCORN





1. Click here for the caramel popcorn recipe! (Can be made a day ahead and stored in a ziploc bag.)

2.  Bottom Layer Milk Chocolate Ganache:
8 ounces heavy cream
8 ounces chopped milk chocolate

Heat cream in the microwave just under a boil.  Pour over the chocolate and stir to combine.  Pour into the bottom of your trifle dish and chill.
3.  Make Salted Caramel:
2 cups sugar
1 2/3 cups heavy cream (WARM IT IN THE MICROWAVE FIRST)
2 Tbsp salted butter
3/4 tsp coarse sea salt

Method to make the caramel sauce:

1. Spread the sugar in an even layer in a large metal pot, at least 6 quarts. Set over a moderate heat and cook without stirring, until the sugar near the edge just starts to liquify.

2. Use a wooden spoon and begin stirring, encouraging the melted sugar around the edges toward the center, delicately stirring up any sugar melting on the bottom as well. The sugar will start to look pebbly as it cooks, but keep going until it is melted completely and an amber color. If you think it is cooking too fast, lower the heat and keep stirring. Be patient.

3. Continue to cook until the sugar turns deep brown. Once brown, take it off of the heat!!!!

4. Time to add the cream but here is my trick....only add a DROP at a time and stir, stir, stir.  This will eliminate the seizing of your caramel and you will love me for this trick. Keep adding a drop at a time and stirring until all of the cream is mixed in.  Be patient...you have a lot of cream so this will take a few minutes.  Once smooth, add butter and salt. Let cool.  Makes 2 cups
4. Panna Cotta:
3/4 cup plus 1 cup milk
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
Pour 3/4 cup of the milk in a bowl. Sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the milk. Heat the remaining 1 cup milk and the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a light simmer. Pour the milk and cream mixture over the gelatin mixture and whisk until dissolved. Pour 1 cup of the  salted caramel sauce into the mixture, whisking as you pour. Pour over the chocolate layer and chill 3-4 hours.   Once firm, pour on some of the left over caramel sauce to make a thin layer.
 
5.  Make Whipped Cream
Beat 3 cups heavy cream to soft peaks.  Add 3-4 Tablespoons powdered sugar (to taste) and whip a bit more.  Pipe on top of the caramel layer.
6.  Pile on the caramel corn as high as you can and drizzle with salted caramel sauce because you can never have enough!


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CINNAMON SUGAR BUNUELOS TOPPED WITH CHOCOLATE GELATO & HONEY















I JUST MAY HAVE TO MAKE THESE FOR MY FIRST GRADERS THE NEXT TIME WE READ "MAMA'S BIRTHDAY PRESENT" AS THEY MENTION EATING BUNUELOS!!!!!! SO EXCITED!

5 Flour Tortillas
3 Cups of Cinnamon/Sugar (1 part Cinnamon:3 parts Sugar) Honey for drizzling
Chocolate chip Talienti Gelato
Oil for frying

Heat oil in the pan (1 1/2" deep) and fry one at a time on both sides of the tortilla until browned and poofy!!!  Immediately place into the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  I used a roasting pan to have lots of room for shaking it around.  Remove to a plate and pile them up!  Top with gelato and drizzle with honey.  Dig in!!!!!
Recipe adapted from the amazing Oh, Bite It!  Check it out!
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Blackberry and almond upside down cake + a memory from long ago



The first upside down cake I ever saw was a pineapple one made by Ofelia on TV – I believe it’s fair to say that she was be the Brazilian equivalent to Julia Child and I loved her cooking show when I was younger (11-12 years old, to be more precise). Back then, her show was aired weekday mornings, while I was at school, but my brother would tape it every day for me – you might think he did that
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CARAMEL POPCORN





1. Start with 10 cups of popcorn (either air popped or microwave). Lay popcorn on a large jellyroll pan lined with nonstick foil.

2. In a pot, melt:
1/2 cup butter
Add:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt 
Stirring all to combine, bring to a boil and then boil without stirring for 4 minutes. 
Remove from heat and add:
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pour over the popcorn stirring well to coat.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Remove, cool and break into pieces.





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Salty-nougat fudge brownies and the end of the best TV show ever made



Many, many years ago I watched the series finale of my favorite TV comedy and that left a bitter taste in my mouth: to simply put it, I did not like it at all. To this day I cannot believe how something so brilliant could end up so poorly – it seemed like everyone creatively involved in Seinfeld suddenly got lazy about the whole thing (or fed up, I don’t know).

Up until weeks ago that was the
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TURTLE CHEESECAKE SUGAR COOKIE BARS-CHOCOLATE, CARAMEL & PECANS...OH MY!



CHEESECAKE BARS:
1.   Pat 8 ounces of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough into an 8x8 pan lined with nonstick foil. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until just lightly golden. Let cool.

2.  Make Filling by beating:
 8 ounces cream cheese, soft
1/2 cup sugar
Add:
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons flour until smooth

3. Pour filling on cooled cookie crust. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until set.   Let cool to room temp and chill in fridge for a few hours or overnight.

4.  Cut into bars and decorate the top of each with:
*melted chocolate chips
* warm caramel (Click here for my homemade salted caramel recipe that I used)
* chopped pecans


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Raspberry jam rolls and "Hannibal"



After some thought, I decided to put Game of Thrones aside and go for something more interesting: between Bates Motel and Hannibal I ended up choosing the latter, Mads Mikkelsen and the comments left on my blog in Portuguese being the reasons. I’m halfway through the show and loving each and every minute of it: the dark atmosphere, the music, the writing and the great acting are amazingly
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CHOCOLATE & WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE COOKIE BARS






IT'S TIME FOR THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB REVEAL AGAIN!!!
FOR THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB, EVERYONE IS GIVEN THE NAME OF A BLOG (SECRETLY) AND YOU CHOOSE ONE RECIPE TO MAKE FROM THAT BLOG. THEN, EVERYONE POSTS AT THE SAME TIME ON THE SAME GIVEN DAY....TODAY!!!! IT IS FUN TO DISCOVER WHO HAD YOUR BLOG AND TO REVEAL THE ONE YOU WERE SECRETLY BAKING/COOKING FROM ALL ALONG!
THIS MONTH, I HIT THE JACKPOT WHEN I RECEIVED ANNIE'S NOMS! SO MANY AWESOME CHOICES.  I SETTLED ON HER BLACK AND WHITE CHEESECAKE BARS AND SO HAPPY I DID. THESE ARE WINNING BARS!!!!


Black and White Cheesecake Bars

Author:
  • For the base:
  • 2 sticks + 2tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2⅓ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1tsp baking soda
  • For the cheesecake filling:
  • ½ cup, heaping, white chocolate chips
  • 10.5oz full fat cream cheese
  • ⅓ cup icing sugar
  • 1 egg

Instructions

  1. No need to preheat the oven just yet, the base needs to chill. Grease and line a 9 x 13 inch pan.
  2. Make the base first – place the butter and sugar into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on med-high speed.
  3. Add in the eggs and mix until well incorporated. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together into a medium bowl and stir until well incorporated. Add the flour mix into the wet ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms.
  4. Reserve a ¼ of the dough and wrap in cling film. Place in the fridge.
  5. With the remaining ¾ of the dough, press it into the baking pan and then place it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. During this time preheat the oven to 325F.
  6. Once the base is chilled, place it in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly risen and puffy, turn off the oven and allow to cool completely before making the cheesecake layer.
  7. Once the base is cooled it’s time to make the cheesecake layer! Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the white chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl and place over a small saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, then leave to one side to cool briefly.
  8. Place the cream cheese and icing sugar into a medium sized bowl and beat together until light and fluffy, add in the egg and mix until well incorporated, about 1 minute on med-high speed. Add in the melted chocolate and mix on low until well incorporated.
  9. Pour the mixture all over the base and smooth slightly with a spatula. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth! Take out the reserved ¼ of the dough and crumble it over the top of the cheesecake layer.
  10. Place in the oven for 25-35 mins (it took 30 mins in my oven) until the cheesecake is just set and the crumbled topping is slightly firm to touch.
  11. Leave to cool completely, once cooled place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing into 12-15 bars.
  12. Bars will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.


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PANERA COPYCAT COOKIES-HUGE WITH A CRISP OUTSIDE AND SOFT CENTER!


2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter PLUS 1 EXTRA TBLSP.
1¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1-11 ounce bag mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the butter begins to brown.   Takes several minutes.  Remove heat once brown and smelling nutty and yummy and pour into mixer bowl.  Let cool a few minutes.  Beat the butter and sugars.  Add the egg, yolk, vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients.  Let cool or the chips will melt.  Fold in all of the chocolate chips.  Scoop into 4 ounce mounds and chill overnight (or a few hours in the freezer).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (I like to use the convection bake setting.)  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.   To get the cookies thin & huge, flatten each mound into a large circle.  Bake 11-13 minutes. Eat immediately Cool on sheets.
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BEST THICK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!!!!!!








2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter PLUS 1 EXTRA TBLSP.
1¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1-11 ounce bag mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the butter begins to brown.   Takes several minutes.  Remove heat once brown and smelling nutty and yummy and pour into mixer bowl.  Let cool a few minutes.  Beat the butter and sugars.  Add the egg, yolk, vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients.  Let cool or the chips will melt.  Fold in all of the chocolate chips.  Scoop into 4 ounce mounds and chill overnight (or a few hours in the freezer).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (I like to use the convection bake setting.)  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Place the mounds spaced apart on the sheet.  Bake 11-13 minutes. Eat immediately Cool on sheets.
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BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER!

2 COOKIES....SAME EXACT AMAZING RECIPE.....BOTH 4 OUNCES.....WHICH DO YOU EAT....THE THIN OR THE THICK?

2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter PLUS 1 EXTRA TBLSP.
1¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1-11 ounce bag mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the butter begins to brown.   Takes several minutes.  Remove heat once brown and smelling nutty and yummy and pour into mixer bowl.  Let cool a few minutes.  Beat the butter and sugars.  Add the egg, yolk, vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients.  Let cool or the chips will melt.  Fold in all of the chocolate chips.  Scoop into 4 ounce mounds and chill overnight (or a few hours in the freezer).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (I like to use the convection bake setting.)  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.   For the thick cookies just place the mounds spaced apart on the sheet.  For the thinner version, flatten each mound into a large circle.  bake 11-13 minutes. Eat immediately Cool on sheets.


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Frangipane ripple lemon cake and directors I avoid



The posters for “Nymphomaniac” were released days ago and everyone is talking about them; I have zero interest in watching the movie because I did not like “Antichrist” and “Melancholia”. Many people I know tell me I should watch “Dancer in the Dark” because they’re sure I would love it but I really don’t feel like it – those other two movies made me quit Lars Von Trier, if not for good, for a
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Butterfinger Apple Blondies with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting




HAVE YOU BEEN APPLE PICKING? GRAB TWO APPLES AND MAKE THESE SIMPLE AND DELISH BARS!

 APPLE BLONDIES

1 stick (4 ounces) butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large apples, peeled and chopped into tiny pieces

4-5 mini butterfingers, chopped 

Preheat oven to 350º.
Line 8 x 8 inch pan with nonstick foil.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Add all dry ingredients.  Fold in apples and butterfingers.


Spread into pan and bake 25-27 minutes until golden. (Second time I made these mine baked 10 minutes longer for a total of 37 mins so watch the baking time)  Cool and cut into bars. CLICK HERE FOR FROSTING RECIPE.



BAR RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MY BAKING BUDDY LIZ AT THAT SKINNY CHICK CAN BAKE
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SALTED CARAMEL CREAM CHEESE FROSTING



For the Butter cream: (you will have extra)
Electric mix 1 stick softened butter and 4 ounces cream cheese. Slowly add 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/2c. homemade caramel (see below). Whip on high till fluffy. Chill covered until ready to use!  Slather on anything and everything!

Caramel:






BEST SALTED CARAMEL RECIPE-

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 2/3 cups heavy cream (WARM IT IN THE MICROWAVE FIRST)
2 Tbsp salted butter
3/4 tsp coarse sea salt

Method to make the caramel sauce:

1. Spread the sugar in an even layer in a large metal pot, at least 6 quarts. Set over a moderate heat and cook without stirring, until the sugar near the edge just starts to liquify.

2. Use a wooden spoon and begin stirring, encouraging the melted sugar around the edges toward the center, delicately stirring up any sugar melting on the bottom as well. The sugar will start to look pebbly as it cooks, but keep going until it is melted completely and an amber color. If you think it is cooking too fast, lower the heat and keep stirring. Be patient.

3. Continue to cook until the sugar turns deep brown. Once brown, take it off of the heat!!!!

4. Time to add the cream but here is my trick....only add a DROP at a time and stir, stir, stir.  This will eliminate the seizing of your caramel and you will love me for this trick. Keep adding a drop at a time and stirring until all of the cream is mixed in.  Be patient...you have a lot of cream so this will take a few minutes.  Once smooth, add butter and salt. Let cool. Will store in fridge up to one month. HA! As if it will last that long...ever!!!! TOO delicious!! Makes 2 cups
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