Banana Nut Waffles

Possibly my new favorites waffle recipe!

Banana Nut Waffle

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 4

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons sugar (cane sugar or brown sugar)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup whole almonds
• 2.5 oz  coconut oil
• ¾ cup milk 
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat waffle iron on high heat, about one notch down from the highest setting. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt and nutmeg. 
3. In a blender combine oats and whole almonds. Grind until they resemble a coarse flour. Add to flour mixture
4. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the coconut oil and milk. Microwave for 60 seconds, or until the mixture is warm and the coconut oil has mostly melted. Whisk in mashed banana, egg, and vanilla extract.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to over mix. Tiny lumps may remain. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area. Once the iron has stopped steaming and the waffle is deeply golden, transfer it to a cooling rack or baking sheet. Don't stack your waffles on top of each other, or they'll lose crispness. Place in oven to keep warm. Repeat.
6. Top with sliced bananas and 100% pure maple syrup, and serve. Save leftovers in the fridge and reheat by placing the waffle back in the griddle or in the toaster on a light setting.

Adapted from: Cookie and Kate

Lemon Curd Bars

I found this recipe last month when I was searching for desserts that didn't use sugar. This recipe intrigued me. I have always loved lemon bars, but these didn't look like your typical lemon bars. These bars are completely gluten and grain free. Now if you have ever looked at my blog you know that I am addicted to breads and most my recipes use some sort of grain in it. I considered changing the crust portion and make them with flour, but I decided to try them first just the way the recipe was given. I was a little nervous to try them. Of course the first time I make them I make them to serve to people. I always have this nervous moment right before we all try them. I just hope and pray for those few moments before I bite in that they actually taste good. Well much to my surprise they were great! They are very lightly sweetened, not heavy or greasy. They are a perfect little snack. Since that first night that I tried these I have found myself craving them! Desserts like this made not eating sugar a cinch!

Tangy Lemon Curd

This is a more frugal version of curd, because, like the Joy of Cooking’s version, I use whole eggs instead of just the egg yolks. However, you could substitute 6 egg yolks for the whole eggs for a super rich curd. 

3 large eggs
1/4 -1/3 cup of honey
Grated zest of one lemon (I used about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup of lemon juice
6 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or you could use ghee or butter).

1-In a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan, whisk together the first three ingredients until light colored.

2-Add the the coconut oil, breaking it into small clumps as you drop it into the pot for even melting. Then add the lemon juice.

3-Cook, whisking over medium heat until the coconut oil is melted. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and you start to see a few bubbles popping at the surface.

4-Remove from heat, and scrape into a fine sieve set over a bowl. Strain the curd, gently stirring if needed.

5-Refrigerate for several hours to thicken. Will keep about one week in the refrigerator.



Lemon Curd Bars
Makes 16

1 recipe of tangy lemon curd (Recipe above. Save extra zest for the the cookie base).
1 cup of raw almonds
1 cup of raw cashews
1/4 cup honey (These are very lightly sweetened. If you want the bars sweeter, you could up this amount)
1/2 cup of melted virgin coconut oil
2-4 teaspoons lemon zest
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sea salt

1-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make the lemon curd (recipe above) Place the curd in the refrigerator to cool.

2- Place the almonds and the cashews in a food processor. Grind them into a medium fine “flour”. You don’t want to turn it into a nut paste, so don’t over do it. There will still be little chunks here and there.

3-Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined.

4-Evenly spread the nut batter into a greased 8 by 8 pan. Place in the middle of the hot oven. It will take between 15 to 18 minutes to cook. It may puff up as it cooks, but don’t worry, it won’t stay that way once you take it out of the oven. When the top is lightly brown, and a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle, it’s done.

4-Cool completely, then spread one recipes of lemon curd on top. Let set in the refrigerator for at least several hours. The curd will continue to set, and we liked it even better the next day. When ready to serve, take them out and cut into squares (16 bars worked well for us), and serve.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: The Nourishing Gourmet

Strawberry Salad

I always love a good salad. I will be honest though, this salad with the dressing is more like a dessert. The combination of strawberries, Craisins, and the fabulousness of the dressing is just heavenly.  Its probably not the most healthy salad, but is absolutely to die for! If you are looking for a crowd pleaser of a salad this is it! This is another delicious recipe courtesy of my wonderful mother.

Strawberry Salad

 

1 head of romaine lettuce

10 Strawberries sliced

1/2 cup Craisins

8 oz Feta Cheese

Candied Almonds or plain pine nuts

 

Wash and cut lettuce. Place in a large salad bowl. Top with remaining ingredients and toss lightly to combine.

*To candy the almonds, place almonds in frying pan.  Pour a lot of sugar to cover over the top.  Stir over medium heat until the sugar melts and coat the almonds.  It seems like it takes forever for the sugar to melt but it does!

 

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

 

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup rice vinegar (I have also used apple cider vinegar with good results)

4 tbl. red onion

4 fresh strawberries

1 tbl. water

1 1/2 cups canola oil

4 tsp. poppy seed

  

Throw all ingredients in the blender and puree.

Sans Rival Cake

Catherine of Munchie Musings was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of Jun-blog.

This cake is quite delicious. It is not too rich, but still has a delicious flavor. I think my favorite part of this cake was honestly the frosting. This frosting has a subtle sweetness and is oh so smooth and creamy! It seriously melts in your mouth! I think this recipe is definitely a keeper for me! The only thing I changed is that I used almonds instead of cashews and loved it. I'm not a big cashew person so feel free to use them if you prefer.

Sans Rival Cake

Preparation time:  
Batter prep: 20 minutes
Baking: 30-60 depending on layers
Frosting: 30 minutes
Assembly: 15 minutes

Ingredients
10 large egg whites, room temp
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) cream of tartar
¼ cup (60 ml) (20 gm) (2/3 oz) Dutch processed cocoa
(optional and not traditional) 
2 cups (480 ml) (240 gm) (8½ oz) chopped, toasted almonds 

Directions:
Note: You will need four layers which will mean that you might have to bake in two batches. Be sure to use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch.

1. Preheat oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3.
2. Line cake pan bottoms with parchment paper and butter and flour the sides really well. 
3. In a large clean, dry glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium until foamy (2 mins.).
Sprinkle with cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time, continuing to
beat now at high speed until stiff shiny peaks form.  (about 7-10 mins.) 
4. Fold in nuts, reserving enough to use for decoration. 
5. Divide meringue into four equal parts. Spread in pans, evenly to edges. If doing batches, use fresh
parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch.  
6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the meringue from the
baking pans while still hot; allow to cool slightly. Peel off the parchment paper while it is still warm,
it is difficult to remove sometimes when they have completely cooled.  
7. When cool, trim edges so that all 4 meringue layers are uniformly shaped. Set aside.


French Buttercream:

Ingredients
5 large egg yolks, room temperature 
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz)  white granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) water 
1¼ cup (300 ml) (2½ sticks) (285 gm) (10 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature 
Optional Flavorings: 2 oz (55 gm) unsweetened chocolate, melted, or 1½ teaspoon (7 ½ ml) almond extract,
or 1½ teaspoon (7 ½ ml) vanilla extract, or any flavor you like

Directions:

1. Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until the yolks have doubled in volume and
are a lemon yellow.
2. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan and cook over medium heat, stirring the sides down only
until all the sugar is dissolved and the syrup reaches 235°F/112°C (or thread stage). 
3. With the mixer on high, very slowly pour the syrup down the sides of the bowl, until all has been
added. Be careful as the very hot syrup could burn you if it splashes from the beaters. Continue
beating on high until the mixture is ROOM TEMPERATURE (about 15 mins). Still on high, beat in
the soft, room temperature butter a tablespoon at a time. Add flavoring after you beat in the butter.
Refrigerate the buttercream for at least an hour, and whip it smooth just before you use it. 

Assembly: 
Set bottom meringue on cake board with a dab of butter cream to hold it in place. Spread a thin
layer of buttercream and then place another meringue on top. Repeat with a thin layer of 
buttercream, meringue, thin layer of  buttercream, meringue, and finally buttercream the top and
sides. Decorate with reserved nuts.

Povitica

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat! I really had never heard of a povitica. Povitica (pronounced po-va-teet-sa) is traditional Eastern European dessert bread that is traditionally served during the holiday season. It is also known as Nutroll, Potica, Kalachi, Strudia, just to name a few. Family recipes, and the secrets on how to roll the bread so thin, was passed down through generations of families. I was really excited to try this recipe. The bread looks so pretty. I also loved how she uses a sheet (or tablecloth) to roll out the dough. I have never thought of this and it worked like a charm! One of the hard things about being a food blogger is trying to restrain myself from eating all of this bread before I took a picture of it. Luckily there was more than one loaf! A traditional Povitca is made with walnuts. I unfortunately am not a fan of walnuts, so I used almonds instead. Feel free to use whatever nut you wish!

Povitca

Preparation time:
To make Dough: 40 minutes
Rising: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Rolling and Assembly: 20 minutes per loaf, a generous total of 1 hour
Baking: 1 hour
Cooling: 30 minutes
To Make the Filling: 15 minutes, including the grinding of the nuts

Dough Ingredients (Makes two loaves each 1.25 lbs/565 grams)
To activate the Yeast:
1 Teaspoon (5 ml/4 ½ gm) Sugar
½ Teaspoon (2½ ml/1½ gm) All-Purpose (Plain) Flour
¼ Cup (60 ml) Warm Water
1 Tablespoon (15 ml/7 gm/¼ oz/1 sachet) Dry Yeast

Dough:
1 Cup (240 ml) Whole Milk
6 Tablespoons (90 ml/85 gm/3 oz) Sugar
1½ Teaspoons (7½ ml/9 gm/1/3 oz) Table Salt
2 Large Eggs
¼ Cup (60 ml/60 gm/½ stick/2 oz) Unsalted Butter, melted
4 cups (960 ml/560 gm/19¾ oz/1¼ lb) All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided

Topping:
1 Tablespoon (15 ml/14 gm/½ oz) Granulated Sugar (Optional)
Melted Butter

Filling Ingredients (enough filling for the two loaves(
3½ Cups (840 ml/560 gm/1¼ lb/20 oz) Ground almonds (I just stuck my in a food processor)
½ Cup (120 ml) Whole Milk
½ Cup (120 ml/115 gm/1 stick/4 oz) Unsalted Butter
1 Whole Egg, Beaten
½ Teaspoon (2½ ml) Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup (240 ml/225 gm/8 oz) Sugar
1 Teaspoon (5 ml/4 gm) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon (5 ml/3 gm) Cinnamon

Directions:
To Activate Yeast:
1. In a small bowl, stir 1 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon flour, and the yeast into 1/4 cup warm water and  cover with plastic wrap.
2. Allow to stand for 5 minutes

To Make the Dough:
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below  boiling (about 180°F/82°C), stirring constantly so that a  film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot  enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110°F/43°C.
4. In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, 6 tbs (90 ml/85 gm/3 oz) sugar, and the salt until combined.
5. Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz) of flour.
6. Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl.
7. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until
smooth and does not stick.
8. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (they will each weight about 1.25 pounds/565 grams)
9. Place dough in 2 lightly oiled bowls, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.


To Make the Filling
10. In a large bowl mix together the ground almonds, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.
11. Heat the milk and butter to boiling.
12. Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.
13. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
14. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.
15. If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk.

To Roll and Assemble the Dough:
16. Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.
17. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)
18. Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10-12 inches (25½ cm by 30½ cm) in diameter.
19. Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons (5ml to 7 ½ ml/4 gm to 7 gm) of melted butter on top.
20. Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling pin, if you prefer.
21. As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it
out, but also to make sure that it isn’t sticking.
22. When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath.
23. Spoon filling (see above for recipe) evenly over dough until covered.
24. Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.
25. Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced.
26. Repeat with remaining loaf, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan.
27. Brush the top of each loaf with melted butter and 2 tablespoons (30ml/28 gm/1 oz) of sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this.
28. Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.
29. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.
30. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
31. Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done.
32. Check the bread every 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown. You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if you need to.
33. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes.
34. It is recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated knife.

Chocolate Crepes with Raspberries and Almond Cream Sauce

I love breakfast. I love it. There aren't too many things you can eat for breakfast that I don't like. I will admit that I love sweet breakfasts. Who wouldn't want to start your morning off with something sweet and delicious. This is why these bad boys came about. I recently saw a recipe for some chocolate crepes. I had never heard or thought of chocolate crepes, but I love chocolate! I also love the flavor combo of chocolate raspberries and almond. Those flavors are what inspired this delicious breakfast treat. Yes, I did eat it for breakfast, but it could easily be used as a dessert.

Chocolate Crepes:
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 ounces all-purpose flour
1 ounce unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup Milk, 1% or higher

Almond Cream Sauce:
3 oz almond paste
2/3 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs powdered sugar

Raspberries for middle and top of crepes

For the crepes: Combine cocoa, vanilla, and eggs in a medium sized bowl. whisk until combined. Add milk, butter, and flour. Whisk well. Over the stove heat medium skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. You want the pan to be hot so that a drop of water sizzles. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour 1 1/2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of batter into the center of the hot pan an swirl the pan until the batter coats the pan evenly. Cook until the edges release from the pan and the underside of the crepe slides easily in the pan, about one minute. Flip the crepe, or turn with a rubber spatula, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the second side. Place on a plate or I like to keep mine warm in my handy tortilla warmer while I make the rest of them.

For the Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. With a hand mixer blend mixture until smooth and all incorporated.

To assemble crepes you can either fold them in half twice with some raspberries in the middle or roll up the crepe around the raspberries. I enjoyed having a small amount of sauce in the middle with the raspberries and then drizzling more over the top. Enjoy!


Recipe Source: Adapted from Evil Shenanigans

Raspberry Frasier

This is my second month of being a part of the Daring Kitchen's Baker's challenge. This month was another fun one.  Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to
make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the
beautiful cookbook Tartine. I have to be quite honest I had never even heard of a Frasier before. The more I looked them up the more I decided they are beautiful. This is my first attempt at making a Frasier. It was a fun experiment. There are a few things I will change next time I make one (for the look of it only, the taste was fabulous). A traditional Frasier is made with strawberries, but I love raspberries and have lots on hand!

I am going to give the recipe in sections and then explain how to assemble it at the end. If you are making the whole thing in 1 day it will take several hours. You can make parts of it ahead of time and then assemble it closer to when you are ready to eat it.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (195 ml) (4 oz/110 g) all purpose flour
Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) (3/4 oz/20 g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (4 gm) baking powder
3/4 cups (180 ml) (6 oz /170 gm) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) (1½ gm) salt, preferably kosher
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) vegetable oil
3 large egg yolks
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (3.17 fl oz/95 ml) water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
5 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1 gm) cream of tartar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to moderate 325°F (160°C/gas mark 3).
2. Line the bottom of an 8inch
(20 cm) spring form pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the
sides of the pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add in all but 3 tablespoons (45 ml.) of sugar, and all of the salt. Stir to combine.
4. In a small bowl combine the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk thoroughly.
5. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly for about one minute, or until very smooth.
6. Put the egg whites into a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed using a whisk attachment on a
medium speed, until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on a medium speed until the whites hold
soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat on a medium-high
speed until the whites hold
firm and form shiny peaks.
7. Using a grease free rubber spatula, scoop about ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture and fold in
gently. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the
center comes out clean.
9. Removed the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
10. To unmold, run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake from the pan and remove the spring form
sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to four days.

Pastry Cream


Ingredients:
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) whole milk
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon (1/2 ml) (¼ gm) salt, preferably kosher
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (10 gm)cornstarch
1/4 cup (60 ml) (2 oz/55 gm) sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (1 oz/30 gm) unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon (3¾ ml) (4 gm) gelatin
1/2 tablespoon (7½ ml) water
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) heavy cream
Directions:
1. Pour the milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy sauce pan. Place over medium high
heat and scald,
bringing it to a near boiling point. Stir occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer add the cornstarch and sugar. Whisk to combine
3. Add the eggs to the sugar and cornstarch and whisk until smooth.
4. When the milk is ready, gently and slowly while the stand mixer is whisking, pour the heated milk
down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture.
5. Pour the mixture back into the warm pot and continue to cook over a medium heat until the custard
is thick, just about to boil and coats the back of a spoon.
6. Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for ten
minutes stirring occasionally.
7. Cut the butter into four pieces and whisk into the pastry cream a piece at a time until smooth.
8. Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream to prevent a
skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for up to five days.
9. In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a few minutes to soften.
10. Put two inches (55 mm) of water into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
11. Measure 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 ml) of the chilled pastry cream into a small stainless steel bowl that will sit
across the sauce pan with the simmering water, without touching the water.
12. Heat the cream until it is 120 F (48.8 C). Add the gelatin and whisk until smooth. Remove from the
water bath, and whisk the remaining cold pastry cream in to incorporate in two batches.
13. In a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until it holds medium stiff
peaks.
Immediately fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula.

Simple Syrup

Ingredients:
1/3 cup (2⅔ fl oz/80 ml) (2⅔ oz/75 gm) of sugar, flavored or white
1/3 cup (2⅔ fl oz/80 ml) of water
Directions:
1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. Stirring is not
necessary, but will not harm the syrup.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat and cool slightly.
4. Transfer syrup to a lidded container or jar that can be stored in the refrigerator. Simple syrup can be stored
for up to one month.

Fraisier Assembly:

Components:
1 baked 8 inch (20 cm) chiffon cake
1 recipe pastry cream filling
⅓ cup (80 ml) simple syrup or flavored syrup (I used double what was called for)
2 lbs (900 g) Raspberries
confectioners’ sugar for dusting
½ cup (120 ml) (5 oz/140 gm) almond paste
Directions:
1. Line the sides of a 10inch
(25 cm) spring form pan with plastic wrap. Do not line the bottom of the pan.
2. Cut the cake in half horizontally to form two layers.
3. Fit the bottom layer into the prepared spring form pan. Moisten the layer evenly with the simple syrup. When
the cake has absorbed enough syrup to resemble a squishy sponge, you have enough.
4. Hull and slice in half enough strawberries to arrange around the sides of the cake pan. Place the cut side of
the strawberry against the sides of the pan, point side up forming a ring.
5. Pipe cream in between
strawberries and a thin layer across the top of the cake.
6. Hull and quarter your remaining strawberries and place them in the middle of the cake. Cover the
strawberries and entirely with the all but 1 tbsp. (15 ml) of the pastry cream.
7. Place the second cake layer on top and moisten with the simple syrup.
8. Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar and roll out the almond paste to a 10inch
(25
cm) round 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pastry cream on
the top of the cake and cover with the round of almond paste.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
10. To serve release the sides of the spring form pan and peel away the plastic wrap.
11. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Oriental Chicken Salad

I know many of you have probably had this salad before. It is a great easy salad to through together and is always a crowd pleaser. This was one of the only things I requested to be served at one of my bridal showers. I absolutely love it. The thing about this salad is that I forget about it for a while but when I remember it again I am so excited and love every second of eating it!

I must be honest I have one other reason why I was really excited to make this salad. Do you see the bowl that the salad is in? I don't think the picture does it justice but it is the coolest bowl. My sister in law gave it to us last year and I enjoy any excuse to use it. Really I should have just taken a picture bowl so you all could enjoy the beauty and color of it! I guess you will just have to use your imagination, but just know that it is awesome.

Oriental Chicken Salad

1 lb shredded cooked chicken
4 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 head raw cabbage, chopped
2 pkgs chicken flavored Top Ramen (broken and uncooked)
4 stalks green onion, chopped (optional)
4 tablespoons sugar
1 cup oil (I used mostly olive oil with a few tbs sesame oil)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons vinegar

In large bowl mix together the chicken, almonds, sesame seeds, cabbage, broken Ramen noodles and onion. In a separate bowl whisk together sugar, oil, salt, pepper, vinegar, and seasoning packets from the ramen noodles. Pour mixture over salad. If you like the noodles crunchy then serve immediately. If you prefer soft noodles then store in an airtight container overnight stirring occasionally.

Recipe Source: Adapted from CD Kitchen

Baklava With Homemade Phyllo Dough!

I found out about this website called The Daring Kitchen. This website gives you a challenge each month as to something to make. Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava. Never in my life did I ever imagine myself making my own phyllo dough, but I did! I had actually been wanting to make baklava for quite a while. This challenge gave me the perfect opportunity. I had a lot of fun making my own phyllo dough, but it was quite time consuming. The baklava turned out just as good as I had hoped!

Phyllo Dough:

*Note 1: To have enough to fill my 9” x 9” baking dish with 18 layers of phyllo I doubled this recipe.
*Note 2: Single recipe will fill a 8” x 5” baking dish.
*Note 3: Dough can be made a head of time and froze. Just remove from freezer and allow to thaw
and continue making your baklava

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups (320 ml) (185 gm/6½ oz) unbleached all purpose (plain) flour
1/8 teaspoon (2/3 ml) (¾ gm) salt
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) cider vinegar, (could substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar, but could affect the taste)
Directions:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine flour and salt

2. Mix with paddle attachment

3. Combine water, oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

4. Add water & oil mixture with mixer on low speed, mix until you get a soft dough, if it appears dry add a little more water (I had to add a tablespoon more)

5. Change to the dough hook and let knead approximately 10 minutes. You will end up with beautiful smooth dough. If you are kneading by hand, knead approx. 20 minutes.

6. Remove the dough from mixer and continue to knead for 2 more minutes. Pick up the dough and through it down hard on the counter a few times during the kneading process.

7. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover with oil

8. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest 30-90 minutes, longer is best ( I let mine rest 2 hours and it was perfect)

Rolling your Phyllo

** Remove all rings and jewelry so it does not snag the dough**

Use whatever means you have to get the dough as thin as you can. You may also use a pasta machine if you have one, or a normal rolling pin whatever works for you.

1. Unwrap your dough and cut off a chunk slightly larger then a golf ball. While you are rolling be sure to keep the other dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.

2. Be sure to flour your hands, rolling pin and counter. As you roll you will need to keep adding, don’t worry, you can’t over-flour.

3. Roll out the dough a bit to flatten it out.

4. Wrap the dough around your rolling pin/dowel

5. Roll back and forth quickly with the dough remaining on the dowel (see attached video for a visual, its much easier then it sounds)

6. Remove; notice how much bigger it is!


7. Rotate and repeat until it is as thin as you can it. Don’t worry if you get rips in the dough, as long as you have one perfect one for the top you will never notice.


8. When you get it as thin as you can with the rolling pin, carefully pick it up with well floured hands and stretch it on the backs of your hands as you would a pizza dough, just helps make it that much thinner. Roll out your dough until it is transparent. NOTE: you will not get it as thin as the frozen phyllo dough you purchase at the store, it is made by machine

9. Set aside on a well-floured surface. Repeat the process until your dough is used up. Between each sheet again flower well. You will not need to cover your dough with a wet cloth, as you do with boxed dough, it is moist enough that it will not try out.


Baklava Recipe

Adapted from Alton Brown, The Food Network
30 servings

Honey Syrup

Ingredients

For the syrup: (I think I could have halved this recipe and it would have been the perfect amount for my 9X9 pan that I made)

· 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) honey
· 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
· 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) (280 gm/10 oz) sugar
· 1 cinnamon stick
· 1 (2-inch/50 mm) piece fresh citrus peel (lemon or orange work best)
· a few cloves or a pinch or ground clove

When you put your baklava in the oven start making your syrup. When you combine the two, one of them needs to be hot, I find it better when the baklava is hot and the syrup has cooled

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved

2. Boil for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.

3. Once boiled for 10 minutes remove from heat and strain cinnamon stick and lemon, allow to cool as baklava cooks

Ingredients for the Filling:

1 cinnamon stick, broken into 2 to 3 pieces or 1 teaspoons (10 ml) (8 gm) ground cinnamon
7 to 10 whole allspice berries ( I just used a few pinches)
8 oz almonds
1/3 cup sugar
phyllo dough (see recipe above)
1/2 cup (1 cube)  melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.

2. Combine nuts, sugar and spices in a food processor and pulse on high until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor chop with a sharp knife as fine as you can. Set aside

3. Trim your phyllo sheets to fit in your pan

4. Brush bottom of pan with butter and place first phyllo sheet

5. Brush the first phyllo sheet with butter and repeat approximately 5 times ending with butter. (Most recipes say more, but homemade phyllo is thicker so it's not needed)

6. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

7. Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times

8. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

9. Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times

10. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

11. Continue layering and buttering phyllo 5 more times. On the top layer, make sure you have a piece of phyllo with no holes if possible, just looks better.

12. Once you have applied the top layer tuck in all the edges to give a nice appearance.

13. With a Sharp knife cut your baklava in desired shapes and number of pieces. If you can't cut all the ways through don’t worry you will cut again later. A 9x9 pan cuts nicely into 30 pieces. Then brush with a generous layer of butter making sure to cover every area and edge

14. Bake for approximately 30 minutes; remove from oven and cut again this time all the way through. Continue baking for another 30 minutes. (Oven temperatures will vary, you are looking for the top to be a golden brown, take close watch yours may need more or less time in the oven)

15. When baklava is cooked remove from oven and pour the cooled (will still be warmish) syrup evenly over the top, taking care to cover all surfaces when pouring. It looks like it is a lot but over night the syrup will soak into the baklava creating a beautifully sweet and wonderfully textured baklava!

16. Allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled cover and store at room temperature. Allow the baklava to sit overnight to absorb the syrup.

17. Serve at room temperature

Velvet Almond Buttercream Frosting

My sweet husband made me an amazing cake for my birthday. The cake was delicious but my favorite part was the frosting! I am not a fan of store bought frosting, but I LOVE homemade frosting. This frosting has such a great flavor. It is a perfect frosting for most cakes. It was light and creamy with an amazing almond flavor. I thought I would share the recipe for any of you frosting lovers out there.

Velvet Almond Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 1/2 cups confectioners' Sugar
3/4 Tsp. Vanilla ext.
1/2 Tsp. Almond ext.
6-7 Tbsp. Milk

1.) Cream butter in mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in confectioner's sugar 1-2 cups at a time with mixer. Add extracts.

2.) Add milk 3 Tbsp. at a time until the desired "frosting" consistency is achieved.

**This recipe can also be easily doubled and frozen- I always have a batch in the freezer!

It is also versatile and can be added to/ changed to make:

-Chocolate buttercream frosting (replace 1/2 cup of pwdr. sugar with cocoa),

-Lemon (replace milk with lemon juice and add 1 Tsp. lemon peel),

-Peanut Butter (1/2 Cup peanut butter instead of regular butter)

-Peppermint (Replace Vanilla ext. with peppermint)

Recipe Source: Bake Space