An Italian Feast

Before I started school a few weeks ago, my grandma asked if my sister and I would like to come over and cook an Italian dinner. She had picked up a magazine from Costco called Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Garden magazine, and thought that we could have some fun with it; she was right! I had never had the chance to cook with my grandma before, but I know she is an excellent cook with tons of experience from her days of dinner parties and other gatherings, so I was really excited to have this chance.

After paging through the magazine (multiple times) we finally decided on a menu:

Polenta with Marinated Mozzarella Topping

Gnocchi with Mozzarella, Broccolini, and Warm Anchovy Sauce

Penne with Piedmont Sauce

Of course the day included a fun shopping trip where we went to Russo's, a fun international grocery store, to find most of the ingredients to make our meal a success. We bought cheese, salami, espresso, pasta, sausage, polenta (some day I'll make it myself, but not this day!), and of course the wine. We stopped at Meijer to pick up a few items of produce and then it was back home; let the fun begin! Check out the pictures below to see how the evening went. I recommend all three dishes. They were all so flavorful and complex in flavor. I don't think I could pick a favorite. Just make them all!

I just know that this is going to become one of my best kitchen memories. I had so much fun, the food was delicious, and everyone enjoyed the whole experience. It really doesn't get better that this. Food, family, and a ton of fun. I definitely hope we can do it again soon!

             

No one wanted to have a caffeine buzz all night, 

so we had espresso first, before the meal, not

traditional, but who cares. 

A toast to start off the evening right. 

Starting the sauce, 

browning the sausage

Chopping the onions, 

happens at almost every meal

Salami, so good!

 Me cooking = very happy

 Probably my favorite thing, the
antipasti platter
(just give me cheese and I'm happy)

 The whole appetizer
(really a meal in itself)

 Mmmm...so good

 Grandma checking out what is going on
(I think she approves)

Getting the gnocchi ready

The penne, ready to go

and the gnocchi

and of course, the polenta

We're ready to eat!

One more look

Ready to enjoy, we probably had enough food

 for 10 more people, but who cares

My delectable looking plate

Potato dumplings, swimming in flavorful sauce

Stuffed and happy.
We ended the evening with some gelato
and a couple episodes of MASH!

Polenta with Marinated Mozzarella Topping
From: Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication
Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 6 ounces chopped fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 ounce chopped prosciutto
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped arugula
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon peel, pepper and garlic. Stir in mozzarella and prosciutto. Cover and chill for up to 4 hours. Before serving, stir in arugula and basil. Spoon topping over polenta rounds.

Gnocchi with Mozzarella, Broccolini and Warm Anchovy Sauce
From: Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Pubication
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (2 small)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 canned anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry, and finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1-pound package shelf-stable potato gnocchi 
• 8 ounces broccolini or broccoli, trimmed and chopped
• 1 pound perlini, perle, or other fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley

Directions
For anchovy sauce, in a small saucepan, heat oil, shallots and butter over medium-low heat until butter melts. Stir in anchovies and crushed red pepper. Cook and stir until heated through, using the spoon to mash anchovies as you stir. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and salt. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions, adding the broccolini to water during the last 3 minutes of cooking; drain. Return gnocchi mixture to hot pan; cover to keep warm. 

Warm the anchovy sauce over medium heat for 1 minute. Add anchovy sauce to gnocchi mixture along with mozzarella; toss to coat. 

To serve, transfer gnocchi mixture to a large serving dish. Top with pine nuts and parsley. Serve immediately. 

Penne with Piedmont Sauce
From: Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Pubication
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 ounces Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 large cloves garlic, thickly sliced
• 4 ounces salami, chopped
• 2 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups dried penne pasta

Directions
In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain fat from the sausage, reserving 2 to 3 tablespoons fat. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Return fat to pan. 

In the same pan, cook the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic starts to brown and the onion becomes translucent. Add the salami, prosciutto, and cooked sausage. Pour in the red wine, stirring to scrape up the flavorful browned bits that may stick to the bottom of the pan. Simmer about 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock, cream and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until the mixture reaches sauce consistency. 

Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook pasta in lightly salted water accordion got package directions, except undercook by 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and return pasta to pot. Stir in simmered sauce mixture. Return to a simmer. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is absorbed slightly and pasta is al dente. 

The Perfect Peach Cake

I know I haven't posted in a while, but that is not because I didn't want to! I have been itching to get up a new post for days and days. I'll explain...about a week ago I had to move back to school, which means moving car loads of stuff back across the state from Grand Rapids to Dearborn. Once in Dearborn I had to move from the house I've been renting into a new apartment. Once at my new place I had to get my internet working again. That was over a week ago, and I still don't have the internet! I've been calling AT&T just about everday for over a week but it's still not fixed. I'm hopeful that tomorrow may be the day, but who knows. So I'm writing this from school. It's not an ideal situation but it does work. Hopefully soon I'll get back to posting on a more regular basis.

Until then, I want to share with you a wonderful late summer dessert. In case you didn't realize it, it's peach season! One of my favorite times of year. It's hard to beat the perfectly ripe peach, dripping its juice down your arm as you bite into it. Every year I forget how delicious they are, but that means every year I'm blown away by the sweetness and the juiciness and the deliciousness that is a ripe peach. A peach at any other time of year is not even worth looking at.

Since it is peach season, I decided I had to take advantage of this yummy fruit. When I saw this recipe for peach cake, I knew I had to make it. Now, I have to admit that I really don't like fruit desserts very much. Pies, cobblers and tarts just don't get me all that excited. I'd much rather eat my fruit fresh and then have a slice of cake or a gooey brownie for dessert (with ice cream please!). So me getting excited about a peach cake is pretty amazing, but it just sounded too good to pass up. I was right; this cake is too good to pass up. It is stuffed full of peaches, I think there were more peaches than cake batter. The juicy fruit keeps it super moist, but roasting some of the peaches makes sure it's not soggy. The presentation is elegant and the smell is to die for. With a scoop of ice cream on top, this is the perfect late summer dessert, one I will definately be making again!

Beautiful

A bowl of gold!

Roasting some of the peache kept the cake from

 getting soggy due to all the juice

Mix together the liquid ingredients

Then the dry ingredients

Whisk them together

Add some panko bread crumbs to the roasted peaches

Assembly: A layer of batter, then the roasted peaches...

followed by the rest of the batter...

                                     and the rest of the peaches, top it off with some almond sugar

It's baked!

Cool on a wire rack

Slice it up and enjoy,

I know I did!

Recipe

from: Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds peaches (I used Red Havens)
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup sour cream (I used homemade yogurt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs, crushed fine

Preparing the peaches

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with a baking mat or foil and spray with oil.

Slice all peaches into 1/2 inch wedges. Place 24 peach wedges in a bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside.

With the remaining peaches, cut crosswise into thirds, place in a bowl, and toss with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar. Spread peach chunks on the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until peaches begin to caramelize and their juices thicken. Remove and cool to room temperature. Once cool, toss with the panko bread crumbs.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch springform pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; whisk. Whisk brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and eggs in another bowl until fully combined. Whisk in melted butter. Add sour cream, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; whisk until combined. Add dry flour mixture to wet mixture and stir until just combined.

Spread half the batter over the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Spread the roasted peaches evenly over the batter. Spread the remaining batter over the top of the peaches. Smooth the top with a spatula.  Arrange peach slices on the batter. Gently press them down into the batter. Stir together remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with 1/8 teaspoon almond extract. Sprinkle infused sugar over the top of the cake.

Bake cake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan by sliding a knife around the edge of the cake. Remove pan sides and allow to cool completely.





Homemade Basil Pesto

Cooking with fresh herbs is one of my greatest joys. They add a punch of flavor to whatever is cooking. As I sit writing this, I can see the end of summer on the horizon, and this also means the end of my herb garden. For the last couple of weeks therefore, I have been trying to take advantage of my beautiful basil, rosemary, thyme, mint and parsley plants.


While I don't have a favorite herb, nothing says summer like fresh basil and fresh basil can only mean one thing . . . PESTO!


Pesto is absolutely delicious, and it can go in just about everything. Canned pesto in the winter is incomparable to this vivid, intensely flavored sauce, it really is the taste of summer. If you have never made pesto, do yourself a favor and give it a try. You won't know what you are missing until you do. It may just change your life.


The following photos are courtesy of my sister Lara who did a wonderful job putting together this yummy bowl of pesto!

A beautiful summer jewel

 Grab a bunch of basil

 Grate up some Parmesan cheese

 Don't forget the walnuts

 Then find the best bottle of olive oil you can find

 Get all of those ingredients together

 Put everything but the oil in the blender and 

give it a whirl

 It's ready to eat after you add the olive oil

 Ready for anything!

 Preserving some of summer in ice cube trays

Just freeze up and place in bags and you're ready to go

Note: It's easy to just eyeball it when making pesto, but if you want a good recipe, here you go.

Recipe
from: The Sauce Book, by Paul Gayler
Ingredients

• 2 1/2 ounces basil leaves (about 3 cups, lightly packed)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped pine nuts or walnuts
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (the best you can find)
• salt
• pepper

Put the basil, garlic, nuts and Parmesan in a blender. With motor running, slowly pour in the oil in a thin stream through the feeder tube, and blend until smooth. (You can also pound the ingredients in a mortar and pestle before adding the oil.)

Add salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed. 
Tip: You can replace the basil with another favorite herb; parsley, cilantro, or mint for example.    

Grandma's Overnight Pancakes

When I was growing up, my family and I made the 8 hour trek from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Pella, Iowa about twice a year to visit my grandparents. We didn't go on many other vacations over the years, but that was okay with me, these trips were the best vacation I could ask for. My grandparents house was full of fun and adventure. There was the pool table where we spent hours shooting pool. There was the old matchbox car race track which we would set up throughout the basement and hold races on. We also had several boxes full of old Barbies, a cabinet filled with games (my favorites were Mousetrap and Twister), Breyer horse figures, and the screened in porch with the hammock on it where we spent hours swinging and reading. If we felt like being outdoors, the creek that surrounded my grandparents house was a fun place to spend some time, wading in the cool water and following the bubbling water through the woods. We also spent hours reading through old comic books, my days were filled with Archie, Betty, Veronica and gang, Little Lotta and Dot, Casper the friendly ghost and Spooky the ghost, Wendy the good little witch and Li'l Jinx. If you never had the chance to read any of these, you missed out on some good fun.

 The Pella house, such good memories!

Some of my other favorite memories about visiting Pella involve food (of course!). On the top of my list was a visit to one of the bakeries in town where we would fill up on bismarks, Dutch letters, frosted sugar cookies and meltaway coffee cake (my absolute favorite, I've never found anything similar anywhere else). Then it was off to In't Veld Meat Market for some Pella Bologna, delicious on its own or slapped between a soft, squishy  bun. Back home at my grandparents there was orange juice for breakfast every morning, something I never had at home, and ice cream after dinner every night, definitely a treat. I also remember having my grandma's spaghetti on more than one occasion, usually with angel hair pasta and a sauce that never tasted like my mom's. There was just something different about it. Sundays often involved a delicious roast of some kind and all the trimmings. There were also pizza nights and trips to Dairy Queen for a sweet treat. So many delicious memories come flooding back from those years.

One last food memory I have from my trips to Iowa is of my grandma's pancakes. We didn't have them every time we visited, but when the yellow pancake pot showed up at breakfast it was a real treat. These pancakes are made the night before and left to sit on the counter overnight. In the morning all they need is a good stir and the addition of a little more milk, if desired, to reach the correct consistency. What I love about these pancakes is that they are different than your typical light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes. These are less cake like, they are thinner and creamy, the middle is soft and smooth (I always called them slimy, but that does not sound all that appetizing). These pancakes are delicious, but the best thing about them are the memories that flood back as I take my first bite, memories of many wonderful vacations spent with my amazing grandparents.

A big stack of cakes

 Grab your batter, a griddle and some butter

and off we go

Start those pancakes cooking

Watch the bubbles form

 Pile up the finished product

 Add a healthy drizzle of maple syrup

 Dig in!

Creamy and delicious

The end

Overnight Pancakes
From, Grandma Van Zee
Ingredients

• 2 cups flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 tablespoon sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 2 cups buttermilk 

Sift together: flour, sugar salt, soda and baking powder. Blend beaten egg and buttermilk. Gradually beat flour mixture into egg mixture. Cover well, store overnight. In the morning stir well (add a little more milk if the batter is too thick).

Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

Like countless others out there, I adore the chocolate/peanut butter combination. There's something special about slightly sweet, slightly bitter,  intensely rich chocolate blending seamlessly with the salty, nutty and creamy peanut butter. I really don't understand those people out there who don't share my fascination with this perfect union. So of course when I saw this recipe on tastespotting a couple of weeks ago, I didn't waste any time in trying it out for my self.

These cookies take a basic double chocolate chunk cookie and elevate it to a whole new level, with peanut butter of course. While you make the cookie dough, you place a nice big bowl of peanut butter in the freezer. Then, at the last moment of mixing the cookies up, you dollop the chilled PB into the dough and mix it just enough to give it a nice, nutty swirl. All that's left is to bake them up and enjoy. The finished product is slightly crumbly but not dry, with a nice balance of salty and sweet. In other words, they are heavenly. Now excuse me while I go stuff my face.

 Double chocolate with a vein of PB, yum!

 Grab your butter and sugars

And in another bowl, your flour, cocoa mixture

 Then chop up some fantastic dark chocolate

 Since I didn't have enough chocolate, I thought I'd 

throw in some PB cups; 

Best. Idea. Ever!

Chop those up

 Cream the butter and sugars

 Add in the egg and vanilla

Throw in the flour/cocoa mixture and mix it all up

 Then it's time for the chocolate chunks, PB cups

and chilled peanut butter, 

swirl it in nicely

Drop the dough on a cookie sheet

Bake them up

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies
From Picky Palate
Ingredients

• 1 cup (9.5 oz) creamy peanut butter 
• 2 sticks (8 oz) softened butter 
• 1 cup (7.5 oz) granulated sugar 
• 3/4 cup (6 oz) packed light brown sugar 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1 3/4 cups (8 oz) all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 cups good quality chocolate chunks or chopped peanut butter cups, or a combination
• 1 cup (6.5 oz) cocoa powder 

Directions

Place peanut butter into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.

Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients along with cocoa powder, and chocolate chunks, slowly mixing until just combined. Drop dollops of frozen peanut butter into dough and turn mixer on for just a few turns of the mixer to get swirls of peanut butter through the dough.

With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes at 350 degrees, until cooked through. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Galette

I've had a busy week, traveling and working, and this post is long overdue. I'll try to make up for it! Here goes...

This summer, I've fallen completely, head over heels in love  .  .  .   with goat cheese! I've been wanting to try goat cheese for a long time and so when I met a local cheese maker at the farmer's market who had the most wonderful selection of cheeses I knew my time had come. I decided to just go with the plain chèvre, simple and basic, but by no means boring. As I savored my first bite, eyes closed and taste buds exploding, I knew my life had changed. From this point on, goat cheese must be part of my life.

Because I had such a beautiful goat cheese to play with, I knew I had to make something extra special with it. This turned out to be a colorful, delicious galette. With the farmers market exploding with fresh fruits and  vegetables, this tart was the perfect way to utilize the seasonal bounty. I used onions, tomatoes and spinach, along with the goat cheese and the feta (which I had to use because I didn't have quite enough chèvre for the galette). It turned out to be the perfect choice. Fresh, flavorful and beautiful. It really can't get much better than this.

A perfect summer meal

The cast; spinach, caramelized onions, grape tomatoes,

goat cheese and feta

My favorite part, the cheeses

Gorgeous onions

Fantastic tomatoes

Cheese! (again)

Fresh spinach

Let it wilt a bit

Grab your dough

Roll it out

Start building the tart, onions first

Then cheese

Spinach is up next

Really pile it on

Top with the tomatoes

Fold in the sides

Ready to bake

Ready to eat

Pâte Brisée
From Tarte Du Jour
Ingredients
basic pastry dough (yeilds enough for 2 tarts/galettes/pies)

• 300 grams flour (2 cups) I like to weigh my flour for more accuracy 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter - chopped 
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons ice water 

Directions
In a food processor add the flour and salt and pulse until combined. Add the chopped butter and pulse until the butter is in small pea sized balls. Add the water and pulse until the dough just comes together.

Put the dough out to a floured surface and make into a large mound and cut in half with a pastry scraper. I like to weigh the halves so that they are equal. Put each half onto a square of wax paper and form into a disk. Wrap with the paper and chill for at least one hour.

If you are freezing at this time, then wrap again in foil and freeze. Let dough defrost in the refrigerator before use.


Tomato and Goat Cheese Galette
From Tarte Du Jour
Ingredients

• pâte brisée- basic pastry dough 
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 
• 5 cups spinach 
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half 
• 4 ounces goat cheese 
• 1 egg white, beaten 

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Roll out dough on a floured surface into a 13" circle. Do not force or stretch the dough. Transfer the dough to a cookie sheet either lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Sauté the thinly sliced onions with the olive oil until soft and translucent. Stir in the fresh thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in another bowl. Add the fresh spinach to the pan with another tablespoon olive oil. Cook until just wilted.

Place the caramelized onions in the center of the dough and spread out so that there is about a 2 inch border showing. Crumble the goat cheese over the top of that and then spread the spinach on top of the goat cheese. Arrange the tomato halves on the spinach and lightly salt and pepper. Fold over the edges of the dough (making 5 folds, one fold at a time) and pressing lightly on the corners to gently seal the tart. Brush the beaten egg white on the 2" dough border. Bake for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

 

Triple Layer Chocolate Cake

Last week my dad came home and asked my sister and I if we wanted to bake a birthday cake for his secretary at work. Of course I said yes, practically before he had a chance to finish his sentence. Cakes are one of my all time favorite things, both to eat and bake, so I get super excited anytime I have the change to make one. When I asked him what kind of cake she liked his answer was so typical, "I don't know...but I like chocolate!" So of course, I baked a chocolate cake.

After browsing my options, I decided to make this cake. Lara had seen it on tastespotting a few months ago and decided she had to make it someday very soon. Since it looked like a good option I set about making it. It turned out to be a simple cake to make, nothing fancy, and it came together quickly. Since I only had two cake pans I ended up baking it in two batches, but this didn't seem to affect the quality of the finished product. The cake was delicious, but what I loved most of all was the frosting. This frosting was an unusual frosting for me. Basically only cream, butter and chocolate that are cooked for a short time on the stove and then left to cool completely. Before it cools all the way, it is hard to believe that this combination is going to harden up enough to be able to frost with, but have faith, it will work! In the end it reminded me of store bought frosting, only ten times better. Absolutely delicious, definitely a keeper. The only thing I would change about this recipe is to make a bit more frosting. I like a thick layer on my cakes and with the recipe as written I just scraped by with enough. But even so, everyone loved this cake, including me, and it will be making another appearance in my household, preferably soon!

A close up of the finished product

 The frosting, cooled and ready to go

 Had to sneak this in, this is how

my dad "helps" when I bake :)

 Start frosting

 Almost done

(look at the puppy sleeping in the corner, so cute!)

 Done, I squeaked by with 

just enough frosting

Finished it with some fun sprinkles

 Beautiful! Three layers are always

better than two (the more the better in my opinion)

Triple Layer Chocolate Cake

from desserts for breakfast

Ingredients 

Frosting

• 1 3/4 cups (350 gr) sugar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 7.5 oz (213 gr) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 12 Tbspn unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 tspn vanilla extract

Directions
In a saucepan, bring the sugar and heavy cream to a boil over medium heat.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer the cream and sugar for six minutes. Be careful not to let the saucepan overflow.

Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate and butter until they have completely melted.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

Let the frosting cool completely, whisking every now and then during cooling.  (You can do this step in the refrigerator to speed up the process)  Once completely cool at room temperature, the frosting will be spreadable.

Cake

• 3 cups (600 gr) sugar
• scant 3 cups (425 gr) AP flour
• 1 cup + 2 Tbspn (135 gr) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tspn salt
• 2 1/4 tspn baking powder
• 2 1/4 tspn baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cup hot coffee 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease, flour, and line the bottoms of three 8 inch round cake pans (9 inch cake pans also work, the cake will just be shorter).

In a mixer bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs, vegetable oil, and milk. Stir to mix. Then, with the mixer on low, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low until evenly distributed.

Pour the hot coffee into the batter and mix on medium low until smooth. The batter will be soupy.

Divide the batter between the cake pans.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. When a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out cleanly, the cakes are done. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Level the cakes if necessary. Stack the cakes, spreading a layer of frosting in between each cake layer and frost the outside of the cake.

Whimsical Sugar Cookies

A few weeks ago my church hosted its annual Vacation Bible School. While I didn't get as involved this year as I have in years past, both Lara and I signed up to bring cookies one night for the kiddos attending. Any excuse to bake something fun and different without having to eat the whole batch is great! We came up with the idea to make decorated sugar cookies. I always want to make them throughout the year but I only ever end up making them at Christmas. This was the perfect reason to make them in the summer.

We used the cookie and frosting recipe that we used last Christmas and I really loved. We were going for a cookie similar to what you get in a cookie bouquet and these fit the bill. The key is to roll the dough quite thick. That way you don't get a thin, crunchy cookie, but a cookie with some substance to it which I prefer. This past Christmas was the first time I used royal icing and I had a lot of fun with it. I want to do more in the future because you can do some really fun things with it. The flowers on these cookies were pretty simple but I still think they turned out rather cute!

Unfortunately, the day we were supposed to bring these cookies to church we got a phone call telling us that they had enough cookies left over from the first two days of VBS, and that we didn't have to bring any in :( So that means these cookies went straight into the freezer where they still sit. I have to figure out what to do with them before they get too old. Any ideas?

Bright pink flowers are fun and festive for summer

Just bake some sugar cookie rounds

Pipe the center in the middle

and let it dry overnight

Then pipe on the rest of the flower
and you have a cute, summery frosted sugar cookie

I think they turned out quite well, they remind 

me of Dr. Seuss

Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies
from bakeat350
Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 sticks butter, cold 
• 1 egg 
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract 

Directions
Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling

Roll onto a floured surface and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and freeze for 5 minutes. Bake chilled cookies for 10-12 minutes at 350. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.


Royal Icing
from sweetopia
Ingredients

• 6 oz (3/4 cup) warm water 
• 5 tablespoons meringue powder 
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 
• 1 kilogram (2.25 pounds) powdered sugar 

*** Note: if your meringue powder has no vanilla flavor in it, you may add a teaspoon of clear vanilla to this recipe

Directions
Pour the warm water and meringue powder into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened, about 30 seconds.

Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more.

Pour in all of the powdered sugar at once. Using the paddle attachment, mix slowly, on the LOWEST speed, for a full 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.

Cover the bowl with a dampened towel to prevent crusting and drying.

Tint with food colorings and thin the icing with small amounts of warm water to reach the desired consistency.

Decorate!

***Note: For tips on using royal icing and ideas for decorating, visit sweetopia.net. This site has lots of tips and tricks for decorating cookies along with other fun things. It really helped me out the first time I used royal icing.