Jellybean Ideas

Jellybeans are one of my favorite candies. I love the bubble gum flavored and pineapple flavored jellybeans. I was watching a television show were someone was eating a bag of jellybeans and it got me thinking. I know jellybeans making great toppings, but can you actually bake with jellybeans? I decided the answer was yes. It is a great and simple way to get a variety of colors and flavor into your baking without using a variety of candies.

So how can you utilize jellybeans in your baking? Here are a few of my ideas:

• Put approximately one cup of mixed jellybeans (or one flavor if you prefer) and stir them into your cookie batter. They go great with peanut butter cookies and oatmeal cookies.
• Makes Rice Krispie treats more flavorful and colorful. Add one to 1-½ cups to your Rice Krispie treats recipe.
• Cakes, especially plain cakes, can always use some spicing up. Add some jellybeans for an interesting twist. I recommend using ¾ to one cup of jellybeans.

I’m sure there are several more ideas that I have not mentioned. If you think of any, feel free to post a comment with your thoughts or ideas.

What is Biscotti?

Biscotti have become a staple in my house. We have so many different flavors it’s hard to pick just one to eat. So what exactly are biscotti? Similar to large biscuits, biscotti are twice baked cakes made dry and crunchy by cutting the dough while it’s still hot and put back in the oven to bake. Coming in a variety of flavors, these treats make a great snack or dessert. They are best served with coffee or tea to soften the cakes if dipped in, making it easier to eat. My personal favorite is a chocolate biscotti served with green tea and honey.

Depending on the recipe you decide to use, the complexity of making biscotti can vary. I have found recipes that call for mixers or can take well over an hour to bake and prepare.  Looking for a simple recipe that did not require too much time or effort and still had great taste was harder than I thought. After much research, I manage to come across a great recipe. It takes 40 minutes to prepare, and bake and does not require a mixer.

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup white sugar

3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 table spoon anise extract or 3 drops of anise oil (or ½ teaspoon almond extract and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and anise (or almond and vanilla extract) flavoring until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder. Stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.

This recipe came from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=17241&origin=detail&&Servings=42

Desserts in a Hurry

Having dessert the other night got me thinking about how when we want dessert during the work week we usually have to bake the dessert on the weekends. Making dessert during the work week can be extremely difficult considering the time and effort it takes to bake cookies, brownies, cakes and cupcakes. If we want dessert most of us usually go without or go to the nearest ice cream parlor during the summer months. The good news is that there are desserts that are quick and simple to make with only a few indigents.

Coffee Cream Pie is something very popular in my house and only takes minutes to make. The recipe calls for graham cracker crust with instant coffee, Cool Whip and instant Jell-O sprinkled with espresso shavings. All of these ingredients can be bought in advance and stored for future use.  I recommend making this recipe once you have dinner in the oven to give it time to chill before serving. 

Chocolate mousse tastes best when it is homemade. However, this can take up to two hours to make and prepare, requiring about one hour to chill.  Quick chocolate mousse can be prepared with one package of instant pudding with the flavor of your choosing, Cool Whip and milk. I suggest using about one and a half cups of milk instead of the two cups the package states for thicker mousse.

Just remember to defrost the Cool Whip before using. If you do forget, you can soak it in warm water for a bit or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds.

A personal favorite of mine is chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered strawberries.  These can be made in the comfort of your kitchen and a great idea for a family activity. There are two ways you can make chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels. 

In a small saucepan, melt about 12 ounces of chocolate, on low heat, with a few tablespoons of olive oil or shortening and mix until thick.  Line a baking sheet with wax paper and place the dipped chocolate covered strawberries or pretzels on the wax paper. They should bake at 300 degrees in the oven for about five minutes. Keep an eye on them because it may bake for less time depending on your oven.

You can also put them in the fridge and let them. The cold will harden the chocolate and should be ready to eat within a half an hour to 45 minutes.

If there are any treats leftover, place them in the fridge to enjoy over the next few days.

Tastey Semi Homemade Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Side view of coffee cake

I am someone who always prefers home cooked recipes instead of store bought or semi-home cooked baked goods. In my quest for finding a great coffee cake recipe, the only ones I could find required some store bought goods.  I was very hesitant to try the recipe despite the rave reviews it received. I continued on my quest, but came up empty handed. Although I was reluctant, I decided to try this recipe anyways. To my surprise, the coffee cake came great. Everyone loved it.

This is a great base recipe with options to add in additional ingredients or put your own spin on it. I have a few ideas in mind for the next time I make this recipe. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how it turns out.

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix                       

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup water

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Top view of coffee cake

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan, or a 10 inch Bundt cake pan.

2.   In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, and butterscotch pudding mix. Add the eggs, oil and water, mix until well blended. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Pour half of the batter into the pan, spread evenly. Sprinkle with half of the nut mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter, and sprinkle with the rest of the nut mixture.

3.   Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven down to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving:  Calories: 251 | Total Fat: 12.5g | Cholesterol: 36mg

This recipe came from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/cinnamon-coffee-cake-ii/Detail.aspx

Dessert Ideas for Graduation Parties

It’s that time of the year again, time for most of our weekends to be spent at graduation parties. At these parties, we almost always see cakes that say congratulations with a few decorative caps and diplomas. These are always a safe bet for any graduation party. However, most of us would like to do something unique without breaking the bank. As I was searching the web for some interesting and unique ideas, I was surprised by the amount of inexpensive ideas for graduation party desserts that are available.

One of my favorite ideas that I came across is the graduation cap recipe. What’s great about this recipe is you can use a variety of different candies and don’t have to stick with what the recipe calls for. You can also use color-coated candy to match the colors of the school the person is graduating from. These scrumptious desserts can be made in a matter of minutes. Just remember to be careful if anyone attending the party has a peanut allergy since this recipe is made with peanut butter cups.

Ingredients:

24 miniature peanut butter cups

1 tube (6 ounces) decorating frosting in color of your choice                       

24 After Eight thin mints

24 milk chocolate M&M's in color of your choice or 24 semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: Remove paper liners from peanut butter cups; place upside down on waxed paper. Place a small amount of frosting on each peanut butter cup; center a mint on each. Using frosting, make a loop for each cap's tassel. Place an M&M on top of each loop. 

Yield: Two dozen

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 92 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 136 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein

This recipe came from http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Graduation-Caps

Another idea I really like is picking up graduation cookie cutters and making your graduate’s favorite cookie, brownies or other dessert. These are usually shaped in a graduation hat or a diploma and can be picked up at a home goods store. By baking cookies, brownies or other desserts, you can take frosting and write a little message or the graduate’s name on the dessert or even just frost them in school colors. Although this could be a little time consuming, I’m sure everyone will enjoy the special touch on the desserts.  

Baking With Candy

If you have extra candy lying around the house, don’t throw it out. Candy is a great baking decorator that you can put in cookies, brownies and cakes. Yes, too much candy is bad for your teeth. However, like almost everything else we eat, eating candy in moderation isn’t so bad for us. Besides, who would want delicious treats to go to waste?

A favorite candy indigent of mine is M & Ms. I like to use M & Ms when baking cookies. The great thing about M & Ms is they add color and flavor to your cookies.  M & Ms have several varieties to choose from when baking including milk chocolate, coconut, peanut butter, almond and pretzel. My favorite M & M flavor is dark chocolate peanut M & Ms. I love anything that contains some form of dark chocolate and peanut butter. M & M cookies also allows you to add different flavors of M & Ms, as well as chocolate chips for extra sweetness. As a side note, you may want to crush the M & Ms depending on their size.  Larger M & Ms may over power the cookie.

You can bake with pretty much any candy you want including Snickers, Milky Way and Three Musketeers. You could even mix a variety of candies together in your batter. Depending on how big your sweet tooth is, you can get pretty creative with candy and baking. 

To create your favorite candy cookie, brownie or cake use your normal recipe and add in a generous amount of your favorite candy. Deciding how much or how little to put in is up to you. So the next time you are at the supermarket, don’t be afraid to pick up your favorite candy and create something yummy.

Making S’mores Without a Campfire

Shortly after summer had ended one of the little girls I was babysitting for had ask me if we could make s’mores. Standing there with a bag of marshmallows in one hand and a box of graham crackers in the other she said, “We make them at camp all the time so we can make them at home too!” Since we couldn’t build a campfire in the backyard, I looked around the kitchen to see what I could do. Having a hard time saying no to a very cute face, I figured we could try putting the s’mores in the microwave and see what happens.

After digging through the cabinets for chocolate, we found a few mini Hershey’s bars. Luckily, they were not expired. Hoping this wouldn’t turn into a total disaster, we began to assemble the s’mores –graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow and then another graham cracker to top off the sandwich. I put the s’mores in the microwave for five-second increments until the marshmallows and chocolate were slightly melted. I believe it took about 15 to 20 seconds total to get the s’mores to gooey, sticky perfection.

Being creative can go a long way in the kitchen. Making s’mores in the microwave shows that you don’t always have to go the traditional route when making something. There are other options out there to try especially if the traditional one is unavailable. Although we couldn’t toast the marshmallows, the s’mores still came out great. We enjoyed every last bite.

The Melting Pot: A One of a Kind Experience

Picture from www.meltingpot.com

The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant that allows you to cook your own food, and dip your appetizers and desserts into a variety of sauces or fondues. We went here for my birthday for a different food experience, but also to try a new restaurant. When we walked into the restaurant, it was little dark, but lit enough that you can see where you are going and the people around you.

I was surprised when we got to the table where I found an empty picture frame with Happy Birthday balloons waiting for me. The picture frame was later filled with a picture that the one of the staff members took. Apparently there several packages like this, for an extra fee that you can get for a special occasion.  

The menus contain several options for appetizers, dinners, desserts and their dipping sauces. A dipping stick is given to you so you don’t have to worry about getting your hands dirty. We decided to start with the spinach artichoke cheese fondue and the Wisconsin trio cheese fondue, which is served with breads, vegetables and apples. Both fondues were delicious, very creamy and cheesy.

The entrées are served with cooking sauces and a variety of dipping sauces including a Teriyaki glaze and a ginger plum glaze. We chose the mojo cooking sauce with a Caribbean flavor to it and the bourguignonne cooking sauce which is a European–style fondue. The cooking sauces and dipping sauces were excellent. It was nice to be able to dip your food into different sauces throughout the meal.

Picture from www.meltingpot.com

Dessert was the best part of the whole meal. There are numerous chocolate fondues to choose from. We chose the dark chocolate fondue and the Yin and Yang fondue, which are half milk chocolate and half white chocolate swirled together. You are served with strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, Rice Krispies Treats, marshmallows, pound cake and brownies to dip into the fondue. It was so good that I even dipped the marshmallows in, something I don’t normally eat.

Overall, we were pleased with our meal, but it was a bit on the expensive side for five people. It also took longer than usual to eat because we had to cook our dinner, which takes a few minutes per piece. With five people at the table it is difficult to cook several pieces at once. When I return to the Melting Pot, I am going to stick to appetizers and desserts.

A Supermarket That Serves Great Cake

Side view of the cake slice

Supermarkets are not the first place that most people go to pick up a cake. Most of their bakery departments do not have a wide selection of cakes and do not taste like they came from a bakery. Instead the cakes often taste dry and have a lack of flavor. When picking out a cake, people usually prefer a bakery even if it means driving 15 or 20 minutes.  

Stop and Shop is one supermarket that has surprisingly good cakes. For a recent birthday, we had picked up a cookies and cream dark chocolate cake topped with Oreos at our local Stop and Shop. It was the closest store and we did not feel like driving all the way to the bakery.  We just hoped that the birthday person would not be disappointed with the cake. This was the first time we had ever gotten a cake from Stop and Shop.

To everyone’s surprise the cake tasted amazing. It was moist and had just the right amount of cream. I loved the cookie crumbs on the edge of the cake slice. However, I was a little disappointed that Oreos were soft. Hard Oreos would have added a nice crunch to the cake. The baker should have also put more than a few Oreos on the cake. A cookies and cream cake needs to have a lot of cookies, not a few.

Back view of the cake slice

The cake itself was well put together with the frosting and cookie crumbs spread out evenly throughout the cake. It was stored in a plastic cake container, and was portable and easy to carry. The container kept the cake fresh for the two days it lasted.

The next time you need a cake and you have a Stop and Shop nearby, I highly recommend stopping by their bakery.  The bakery offered a nice selection of cakes and I’m almost positive you are going to love the cake you choose. 

Light and Fluffy or Creamy and Thick?

Mousse can be light and fluffy or creamy and thick. It depends on how a particular restaurant serves it or your preference if you are making mousse from scratch. In my opinion mousse that is thick and creamy taste more like custard than mousse. My personal favorite mousse is light and fluffy dark chocolate mousse topped with whip cream and an assortment of fruit.

Blu Fig, a local restaurant, serves the most appetizing milk chocolate mousse. The mousse is served in a small martini type glass and is topped with whip cream, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. It has just the right blend of cream and chocolate with the fruit adding some sweetness to the dessert. Hungry or not, I almost always order the milk chocolate mousse for dessert. 

I went to a great restaurant on Valentine's Day whose name I am unfortunately forgetting at the moment. As soon as I think of it, I will be sure to update everyone. One of their dessert options was a raspberry mousse. I figured I would try it since I've never had a raspberry mousse. Like most restaurants, the mousse was severed in a martini glass, topped with whip cream and strawberries and blackberries. Since raspberry is already sweet, the fruit added a little too much sweetness for my liking although the dessert was still delicious.


After all this talk about mousse, I think I am going to tackle it for my next baking project. I'll keep everyone posted on how it turns out.

Baking Substitutes That Actually Work

We all want to eat healthy. Most of us usually don't eat our favorite treats like brownies or cookies for fear of being unhealthy or spending extra time at the gym burning off those unwanted calories. While eating too much of anything is never a good thing, there are ways to make some of your favorite treats a little bit healthier with a little less guilt. 


Sugar is in almost everything we eat and as much as we try, we cannot avoid it. Many sugars are unhealthy for us and we should eat them in minimal amounts. However, there are healthy alternatives out there. Sugar in the Raw is an all-natural cane, non-processed sugar that I am always using for my baking need. Unlike refined white sugar, it has not been overly processed or bleached in anyway. It also does not contain high levels of sucrose, which makes Sugar in the Raw a healthier option. It works just like refined white sugar so you won't need to worry about consistency or taste. I actually find that this sugar adds more flavor to what I'm baking as opposed to when I used refined white sugar.

There have been many claims that eggs especially egg yolks, can be another culprit of unhealthy eating. These critics say that eggs yolks are high in cholesterol. As with most things, as long as we eat it in moderation and don't go overboard, we should be okay. I personally split the amount of eggs and egg whites. For example, if the recipe calls for four eggs, I use two eggs and 1/3-cup egg whites (equivalent of two eggs). The egg yolk helps keep the batter together better then using just plain egg whites.  


These days there are plenty of ingredients that have healthy substitutes.  You will need to look at what the recipe calls for in order to make the correct substitution. As a word of caution, make sure you do some research on the ingredient to see if it can be used for you baking or cooking needs. Some substitutes like soy milk, do not work that well. 

There Is Nothing Like Homemade Ice Cream

I remember the first time my dad brought home an ice cream maker to make homemade ice cream. We were so excited that we could finally have ice cream whenever we wanted it. All we had to do was put the ingredients in the ice cream maker and voila! Ice cream! If only making ice cream from an ice cream maker was that simple. You have to let it freeze in the freezer for a certain amount time or boil cream and milk or both. Too complicated for instantaneous ice cream.

However, if you want instantaneous ice cream there is always putting the ingredients (milk, sugar and vanilla) with ice, preferably crushed, and rock salt in a gallon sized zip lock bag. Gently massage and shake the ingredients for about fifteen to twenty minutes. In this time, the ingredients should start to turn into solid ice cream. Once all ingredients have frozen, you can enjoy your ice cream! Fifteen to twenty minutes may not be instantaneous, but at least it’s better then running to the store or waiting for the ice cream to freeze.

My favorite thing about homemade ice cream is you can have whatever flavor you want, topped with whatever you want. So far, I’ve stuck to the simple ice creams, chocolate and vanilla. When I have more time, I plan on trying some of the most difficult flavors like strawberry or peanut butter. In the mean time, I will stick to decorating my simple ice cream with chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, whip cream and anything else I can think of or find in my kitchen cabinets.  

Now we have no more excuses for not eating ice cream. All we have to do is grab a zip lock bag, and a few ingredients and we are good to go.  

How To Spice Up Tuna Fish

Today I’m going to take a different direction from what I normally write about by discussing tuna fish. The reason for this divergence from baking is I made a great tuna sandwich the other day that my family loved. I put a little bit of a twist on the tuna that add some kick to a normally bland fish.


Tuna makes for a great sandwich, taco, pita or whatever you choose to do with it. It is also a great food that you can spice up with just about anything. I was using canned tuna to make the sandwich since my family and I were looking for a quick dinner. After rummaging through my fridge to see what ingredients were available to me, I found mayonnaise, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. I also took out salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.


With my ingredients chosen, the next step was to figure out how much of each ingredient to put into the tuna. I decided to use about three tablespoons of mayonnaise, one tablespoon of Dijon and a few squirts of lemon juice with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder sprinkled in. I don’t usually measure spices and instead judge how much I need by taste. I always start small and work my way up. To top the sandwich off, I cut a few slices of tomatoes, and lettuce and toasted the bread to give it an extra crunch.


To be honest, I have no idea why I chose these ingredients. I just thought they would taste well together. Otherwise we would be eating not so great tasting tuna fish. Luckily, this idea panned out and my family enjoyed our scrumptious dinner.

What Do Coffee, Blueberries and Peaches Have in Common? Pie.

We all love pie. The best tasting pie, in my opinion, is fresh and hot out of the oven. One pie everyone knows and loves is apple pie. It is synonymous with popular American culture. We all know the saying as "American as apple pie". But apple pie is not the only delicious fruit pie out there. Peach, watermelon, strawberry and orange are just some of the other fruits you can bake into your pie. 


Blueberries and peaches are two fruits you think may not taste well together, but put them in a piecrust and I guarantee you it is the best pie you have ever tasted. The pie has the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. I recommend using fresh fruit when making fruit pies. Fresh fruit has natural sugar to enhance the sweetness of the pie so you may not need to add as much sugar to the recipe. Using frozen fruit can be a bit of a pain since you have to make sure all the fruit is thawed out before baking with it.  


In addition to fruit pies, you can also make pies out of Jell-O, Cool Whip, peanut butter and coffee. My favorite non-fruit pie is coffee cream pie. This pie consists of a graham cracker crust with coffee, Cool Whip and instant Jell-O sprinkled with expresso shavings and is best served cold. With this recipe you need to be aware of how much coffee you put in. Too much coffee can overpower the flavor of the pie. 


Pie the perfect dessert to serve to your guest or even to make for your own enjoyment. Most pie recipes are simple to bake and can be whipped up in minutes. If you are feeling adventurous and have the time, try making your own pie crust. There is nothing like a pie that is made from scratch, pie crust and all. 

Muffin Mayhem

Muffins come in all sizes and flavors. You can make mini muffins or extra large muffins in flavors such as blueberry, cappuccino, chocolate chip and banana nut and sprinkle them with a cinnamon or streusel topping. Personally, I am a huge muffin fan and love to bake them whenever I get the chance. I am always experimenting with new muffin recipes. 


The first muffin I ever made was a simple chocolate chip muffin. I didn't want to do a complicated recipe for fear of messing up the muffins. The muffins didn't come out too bad, but I knew I could do better. I decided to do some research on muffins to see what I could find. There was plenty of information about the do's and don'ts of baking muffins, but here are the three most valuable lessons I learned.


Lesson one and two are to cool the butter and let the eggs come to room temperature. If the butter is too hot or the eggs are too cold, it can shock the leavening agents and reduce the size of the muffin or fluffiness of the muffin tops. The third lesson is to fill any extra tins with water, which allow nearby muffins to bake evenly. It will also prevent metal tins from warping due to the high heat in the oven. 



The next few muffins I baked included applesauce muffins, cappuccino muffins and pineapple upside down muffins. Following the advice of the lessons I mentioned above, these muffins all came out delicious and moist. I love eating them while they are still hot even though it is recommended to let the muffins sit and cool first.  


The pineapple upside down muffins is my favorite. It was like biting into a piece of pineapple heaven. The muffins were nice and meaty and fill you up from the fiber in the pineapples. It also makes for a great breakfast or snack. With the cappuccino muffins I made a cinnamon topping to put on the muffins. The coffee in the muffin and the cinnamon on top made for a nice combination of flavors when biting into it. 


If you can think it, you can put it in a muffin. Like cupcakes, muffins can be flavored and topped with pretty much anything. Think about all the different ingredients you like, see what combinations go well together and put it into a muffin. Who know, maybe you will invent a whole new muffin. 

The Many Uses of Jell-O Gelatin and Pudding

Jell-O's gelatin and chocolate pudding rank among the most popular desserts and snacks. Both of these items come prepackaged, ready to use straight from the box. They come in several flavors ranging from classics like chocolate and vanilla to margaritas and pina coladas. 


No matter what your favorite flavor is you are bound to find it in gelatin and/or chocolate pudding. There are even sugar-free flavors for those who cannot or prefer not to have sugar. Personally, my favorite gelatin flavor is green tea and my favorite chocolate pudding flavor is the dark chocolate swirl. 


Chocolate pudding makes for a great snack or dessert. There is so much you can do with chocolate pudding. You can mix it with fruit, swirl whip cream on top, put chocolate, peanut butter or mint chips on top, put it in cakes to add flavor and moistness or make chocolate pudding pie. I love dark chocolate pudding pie that has chocolate piecrust mixed with peanut butter and peanut butter chips or Reese's Pieces. To me, this is one of the ultimate desserts combining my two favorite things - chocolate and peanut butter. 

Another snack or dessert that has many uses is gelatin. In addition to being used for snacks and desserts, it can also be added as flavor for drinks. Two gelatin desserts I adore are raspberry, strawberry or blueberry parfait with fruit on top and strawberry gelatin pie with strawberry Cool Whip in a piecrust. Fruit parfaits makes for a delicious breakfast or snack while the strawberry gelatin pie is a nice cold dessert enjoyed best on a hot summer's day. 


All of these recipes are easy to make and ready in a matter of minutes. Just be sure to use instant pudding or gelatin. Grab your favorite flavor of gelatin and/or pudding and get cooking. You never know what fun and creative desserts or snacks you can make. 

And the Best Doughnuts Are...

When I sat down to write this blog, I began to wonder what is the correct way to spell doughnuts. Was it d-o-u-g-h-n-u-t-s or d-o-n-u-t-s. After much research, I learned that  d-o-u-g-h-n-u-t-s is the technical way to spell this tasty pastry. D-o-n-u-t-s seems to be the American way to spell it. Whichever way you prefer to spell doughnut, it is an important part of American culture. Where ever you turn there is a doughnut shop be it a corporate brand like Dunkin' Donuts or a mom and pop doughnut shop.

Doughnuts are such a significant part of American culture that it has a whole day dedicated to this delectable pastry. National Doughnut Day is on the first Friday of June and there are usually specials (i.e.: a free doughnut) in honor of this holiday. The only problem is you need to get to the doughnuts shops early so you have a selection of doughnuts to choose from, as well as to beat the crowd. 

Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are two names that are synonymous with doughnuts. Although you don't seem as many Krispy Kreme Doughnut shops as you do Dunkin' Donut shops, at least where I live anyways. The few times I have had Krispy Kreme Doughnuts I found them to be too sweet for my taste. I personally prefer Dunkin' Donuts doughnuts especially the strawberry glazed and the double chocolate frosted doughnut. However, I find neither doughnut store to be anything special. I usually frequent Dunkin' Donuts more for the coffee then the doughnuts.

The Orchards, a local store that sells a variety of bake goods, makes mouthwatering doughnuts. They also carry flavors that the corporate chains do not. My personal favorite is the Apple Cider doughnut which is what the store is also known for. The cider adds a nice kick to the doughnut. It balances out the flavors so it has just the right amount of sweetness in it. Unlike most corporate chains everything is made on site so you know you are getting the freshest ingredients available.

Whether it's a doughnut from Dunkin' Donuts or a mom and pop shop, this delightful pastry is sure to put a smile on anyones face. This is especially true when you are dunking it in your favorite coffee or tea. Ranging in flavors from Boston creme to cinnamon to powdered to chocolate to jelly, you can try all these flavors and never get bored of eating the same one unless you so choose.

Fruits Mysterious Appeal

Not only is fruit healthy for you, but it's also a great addition to almost any dessert. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries can top brownies, cheesecakes and even put in cookies. Fruit is probably the one ingredient you can never go wrong with. No matter what you put it on it always tastes good. 


One of my favorite fruit desserts is strawberries with dark chocolate syrup and whip cream to top it off. This decadent dessert allows you to have your chocolate fill without the guilt. This easy to make recipe is sure to make anyone smile. It is also a great dessert option when you aren't sure what to serve. You can spice the dish up with blueberries, raspberries or any other fruit you think goes well with chocolate. 


Homemade ice cream with fresh fruit is another dessert that I love. There is nothing like fresh ice cream on a hot summer day topped with fresh fruit, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and whip cream. Taking a bit into that first spoonful is nothing short of blissful. It tastes a lot better then store bought fruit ice creams and doesn't have all the preservatives either. Plus, the fruit actually tastes like fruit and not a frozen chunk of ice. 


Fruit is the healthiest of all ingredients and is a great side dish to almost any dessert. So if you are having trouble coming up with a dessert, think fruit. There is something about fruit that appeals to us all. 

What's Your Favorite Cheesecake?

There are dozens of cheesecake recipes floating around the Internet. Google any kind of cheesecake and a recipe will most likely pop up. The various ingredients in these cheesecakes are what make them different from one another. Cheesecakes come in almost every flavor you can imagine ranging from tiramisu to cookie dough to key lime pie and have gained popularity in recent years. Restaurants such as the Cheesecake Factory have sprung up that are dedicated to making several different kinds of cheesecakes. 


My personal favorite cheesecake is made right in my own kitchen. It contains ricotta cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. It is the creamiest most delicious cheesecake you could ever have. The cake is light, and airy and tastes even better the next when it has time to chill overnight. What I love about his cheesecake is you could dress it up with syrup (i.e.: chocolate or strawberry) and fruit without killing the flavor. Even though I am lactose intolerant, this cheesecake makes waiting to take my daily Lactaid pill well worth it.

Reese's Peanut Butter cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory comes in a close second. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is beyond mouthwatering. However, I am not big fan of the hints of caramel in the cheesecake. I think without the hints of caramel the cheesecake would taste better. The piece you are served is too big for one sitting, but I always stuff myself with as much as I can. I love the half peanut butter cup they put in the peanut butter swirl on top of the cheesecake. That is the first thing I eat when the server brings the cheesecake. 


Cheesecake is a great dessert especially with all the varieties out there and most recipes are easy enough to whip up in less then thirty minutes. Just be aware that when baking cheesecakes you need a springform pan to cook the cheesecake in. This type of pan loosens up with a snap on the side to easily slide it off the cheesecake. You can pick a springform pan up at any store that sells kitchen supplies. 

You Can Put What in Banana Bread?!

Do you have over ripe bananas sitting in your kitchen? If you haven't already thrown them out, I suggest you get your baking gloves on and start baking some banana bread. Banana bread is a great, healthy snack that you can jazz up with chocolate, nuts or anything else you can think of. It is also a quick and easy recipe you can whip up in a few minutes. The only downside is that banana bread can take up to an hour to cook. However, it is well worth the wait. 


We always have extra bananas lying around our kitchen so banana bread is something I make often. The first time I made banana bread, it was very bland. I didn't add any extra ingredients because I was afraid the banana bread would be very dry or hard as a rock. To my surprise,  the banana bread recipe was a success. I added chocolate chips and walnuts to the next few batches I made for some flavor. 


After making the same type of banana bread, I was trying to think of something else I can add into my banana bread. Then it hit me...strawberries. Strawberries and bananas go together in all sorts of drinks and foods so why not put strawberries in banana bread. Instead of the three bananas I normally put in, I substituted one cup of strawberries for the third banana. The strawberry banana bread with chocolate chips and walnuts came out delicious. 


The next banana bread I'm going to make will include coffee. Not sure how it is going to taste although you can never go wrong with coffee flavored anything. 

Hands Off My Cake!

Cakes have a strong influence in our lives. From birthday parties to weddings to religious ceremonies, cakes play a crucial role in making these events special. Some people go all out having bakers make outrageous, one of a kind cakes that will be sure to grab everyone's attention. A cake made incorrectly, such as the cake being too dry, can ruin an event.


Cookie cake was the first cake I had attempted to bake. The cake itself came out great with a soft inside and crispy edges on the outside. My fears that the cookie cake would come out hard and inedible were eased once I saw how much everyone was enjoying it. However, I would not recommend baking a cookie cake on a pizza tray. I was aiming to make a circular cookie cake and instead got a deformed circle. Not quite sure what happened (I think some edges may have expanded a little) because the cookie cake went into the oven perfectly round. Needless to say when I make another cookie cake, I will be using a rectangular cooking tray.

Another cake I have made is a red velvet cake with homemade cream cheese frosting. Red velvet cake is my favorite. I love the flavor the cocoa adds especially when it's combined with the cream cheese frosting. When done correctly red velvet cake is like biting into a piece of heaven. In the process of making the red velvet cake I did learn a valuable lesson. 


Not only make sure that the cake pan is well greased, but to check the condition of the cake pan if it is more than a few years old. Although I had greased the cake pan, the cake still got stuck. My father had to help me literally peel the cake out of the pan inch by inch and still lost some of the cake. We were literally "gluing" the missing pieces back together with frosting. What we both realized is that the cake pan had seen better days and was no longer a non-stick pan. We threw out the old cake pans and bought new ones. 


For my next project I am thinking of making either carrot cake or strawberry shortcake, but am still researching what other cakes are out there. Does anyone have suggestions on what cake I should bake next?

Chocolate Gems

Dolce is my town's very own chocolate store and if you ask me, it's better then both Lindt and Godiva. Whether you are looking for a gift or treating yourself to dessert, you can never go wrong with Dolce's assortment of chocolates, ice creams and coffees. This store is excellent for gift ideas when you don't know what to get somebody. They have a variety of gift options including filling a mug with chocolates or specially made lollipops, a plate of chocolate covered strawberries or a gift basket with coffee and an array of chocolate covered items.

Dolce is mostly known for its unbelievably flavorsome chocolate treats. They have almost anything you can imagine covered in chocolate - truffles, strawberries, pretzels and almond bark to name a few. Within  the chocolates, you can find all kinds of flavors ranging from vanilla to raspberry to caramel. When biting into these succulent treats, you can taste each and every flavor. In addition to chocolates, Dolce also offers a least 15 different kinds of ice cream flavors. Unfortunately, they do not sell frozen yogurt.

Some of my favorite gifts have come from Dolce. On one special occasion, my family got me Tweety Bird lollipops, my favorite cartoon character, in a beautiful flower designed mug. I still use the mug I received the lollipops in. For another event, we were looking to get a musically inclined family member a memorable gift. Dolce was able to design saxophones out of different kinds of chocolates and place them on a milk chocolate bar that was used as the base. When the family member received the gift, they absolutely loved it. It was eaten within days.


If you are looking for something to accompany your dessert, Dolce also sells a variety of coffees and teas. These can also be put into gift baskets if you so choose. While the chai tea lattes and hot chocolates are delicious, the coffee is Green Mountain for Keurig. Most of these flavors you can buy in the store so I wouldn't recommend buying coffee you can easily make at home.

Chocolates are the perfect accessory to any dinner, party, charity or corporate event. Stopping into Dolce's will surely be the perfect accessory to your event.


Dolce's Website: http://dolcechocplace.com/store/ 

Cookie Madness

Cookies are ranked among my most favorite desserts. There is nothing like biting into a fresh, hot, out of the oven cookie that melts in your mouth.  Two cookies top my list of favorites. The first cookie is double chocolate chip cookie with a hint of expresso. I chop up some expresso from an expresso bar for a little extra kick. My other favorite cookie is a chocolate chip walnut cookie (pictured right). Whenever I bake these cookies, I can never get them off the baking tray fast enough. They are half gone by the time I get the cookies on a cooling rack.

The first cookies I ever made were gingersnap cookies. My friend and I used to make them when we were in elementary school. These cookies are what opened me up to the world of baking and inspired me to keep baking not only cookies, but eventually venture into cakes, cupcakes and brownies. My favorite thing about these cookies are the strong ginger taste and powdered sugar we sprinkled on the cookies. The strong ginger flavor gives your mouth a nice surprise when you bite into the cookies because you don't expect the ginger to be that strong. 

Black and white cookies or tuxedo cookies remind me of my favorite animal - a penguin. Like these cookies, penguins are also black and white. I love how you can cut the cookies in half and choose to eat either chocolate or vanilla or bite into both flavors at the same time. I also love how you can cut the cookie in half and trade a chocolate or vanilla with someone for the flavor you want. The best black and white cookies are the ones that have a chocolate cookie instead of a yellow cookie. 


Oatmeal raisin cookies, my boyfriend's favorite cookies, are something I started to bake at his request. I have never really been a raisins person, but there is something about these cookies I really like. Maybe it's because these cookies are somewhat healthy, made of oatmeal with raisins, or maybe it's the chewiness of the cookies with a crispy edge. Whatever the reason is, these cookies are just plain good.


Enough about me and my favorite cookies. What are your favorite cookies?