Books... and recipes of course

So, I impulsively decided to buy myself an early birthday present (my birthday is next week, hint, hint, nudge, nudge) and got myself a Nook. YAY!

I have been putting off getting an e-reader because I really like the look and feel of actual books. But, being realistic, my library takes up a ton of space in my apartment as it is and I rarely buy books because I have no place to put them, plus in the day and age of instant gratification, I never take the time to go to the library to get a book when I have the urge to read one, just takes too long. BUT, if I can just "click, click" whenever the mood strikes, I am sure I will read a lot more. 

So, in the last week, I have been lost in my new Nook and have rarely surfaced for air. It is a huge time suck, but at least I feel smarter than when I just waste time online. When I have pulled myself away from my fictional bliss, I have found myself in the kitchen. With Memorial Day and the end of the Community Goups for the year, there have been some food gatherings. This weekend, I made peanut butter cookies with Reese's Pieces in them, which were super yummy. Pulled pork in Dr. Pepper, which was good but not as phenomenal as I read online. The reviews made it sound like the Dr. Pepper gave it a much better flavor, but I honestly didn't notice a difference. I also made my mom's baked beans, which are really good. Baked beans sound kind of blah, but trust me, these ones are delicious at a BBQ. Anyway, here are the recipes:

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

(optional: 1 1/2 cups Reese’s Pieces)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in peanut butter, egg and vanilla, craping down side of bowl once.

Gradually stir in flour mixture with mixing spoon, blending well. (Optional: add in Reese’s Pieces) Roll heaping tablespoons of down into a ball and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down until flattened into a cookie shape. (dough doesn’t spread out much while baking, so if you don’t press you will have round cookies that aren’t done in the middle)

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, Remove cookies with a spatula to a wire rack and cool.

BBQ pulled Pork with Dr. Pepper

7-8 lb. pork butt (also known as a pork shoulder)
1-2 cans of Dr. Pepper (enough to fill your crock pot)
2 yellow onions, cut into large chunks
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp. dry ground mustard
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
9 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1 bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce

Place the chopped onions in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Place the pork butt on top of the onions and add the garlic, ground mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the Dr. Pepper on top and cook on low for 8 hours.

Very carefully, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place on a large cutting board.  Using two forks, shred the pork by pulling away from each other.  The meat should be very tender by this point.  Place the shredded pork back into the slow cooker and continue to cook for an additional hour. 

Drain the remaining juices and toss the meat and onion mixture in the BBQ sauce.  I don't have an exact amount listed- just add a bit at a time until you get to your desired sauciness! 

Baked Beans

1/4 lb. bacon

3/4 lbs. ground beef

1 1/2 medium chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup beef broth

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup ketchup

1 1/2 Tbs. mustard

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 28 oz. cans Bush’s baked beans

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. Pour drippings out. Brown ground beef, onion, and celery until meat is brown and onion and celery is soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Now we are getting fancy!

This week was Cheryl's birthday and when I asked her what she wanted she said something salty/sweet like a salted caramel something or other. Salted caramel is really popular right now and I have never tried it so I was kind of excited. I tend to geek out over trying new recipes so I enjoyed searching for the best salted caramel dessert. 

I decided to go for salted caramel cheesecake made with homemade dulce de leche. This recipe really isn't too difficult but has fancy sounding ingredients and looks super elegant so I highly recommend making it if you want to impress your friends. Plus it tastes pretty delicious!

Ok, so first of all, what is dulce de leche? It is a Spanish treat translated "candy of milk" or "milk candy". You can buy ready made cans of it apparently but I have been seeing people pinning it on Pinterest for a while so I just assumed I needed to make it. It is super easy to make though, and it made me feel pretty gourmet, so I think it was a good choice. 

To make dulce de leche all you need to do is puncture 2-3 holes on the top of a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk. Then you place the can in a pot and pour water up to about a half an inch below the top of the can. Then all you do is heat on medium/high and bring water to a simmer and let simmer for 3-4 hours making sure to add water periodically. When you are done, the milk has magically turned into a thick, creamy, caramel-y sauce.

The other fancy ingredient in this recipe is Fluer de Sel which is a flaky "finishing" sea salt that is more subtle than your typical salt. It is perfect for salting desserts. I decided that if I was going to do it, I would do it right, so I went to a specialty kitchen shop in search for this gourmet salt and found it. I am sure you can't see it from the picture but the texture is great and definitely distinct from regular sea salt. 

Ok, now for the actual recipe, I originally got the recipe from this blog. I changed it up a bit but not enough to claim it for my own. 

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:

3 8-ounce pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 14 oz can dulce de leche (split in half)

2 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract, but the paste makes it all fancy and speckley) 

Topping:

dulce de leche

10 caramel chews

Fleur de Sel 

Directions

Crust:

Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press mixture into a 9” spring form pan. Bake at 375°F for 7-8 minutes.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, 1/2 can dulce de leche, and vanilla bean paste in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.

Place tin foil wrapped pan in large pan filled with water. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate overnight.

Topping:

Once the cheesecake is cooled, pour the second half of the can of dulce de leche sauce into a glass bowl. Take about 10 caramel chews and heat them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds until just melted. Quickly dump the melted caramel chews into the dulce de leche and stir continuously until combined. The consistency should be pourable, but not too liquid. Pour over the top of the cheesecake. Sprinkle with Fluer de Sel. 

Now that I have made it once, I think I would do a couple of things differently next time. First, I would pipe a border around the edge with whipped cream and then pour the caramel topping on, that way it would be contained to the top of the cheesecake. By the time we ate this, much of the sauce and slid off and there was only a thin layer of caramel left. Still good, but I think if each piece had more caramel sauce it would have been even better. Second, I would be more generous with the salt. This was the first time I had ever salted a dessert and I was being very conservative. I think I could have sprinkled more on top and it would have given it more of the salty/sweet taste (which is the whole point of putting salt on dessert). 

All in all, this recipe was a winner. I think cheesecake is my favorite dessert and this one was delightful! Now go make it :)

Finally nailed it... the BEST chocolate chip cookie ever!

Chocolate chip cookies are such a basic thing to bake and everyone loves them. I decided that I really needed to have a good recipe to fall back on. My mom always made the best ones! I think she just used the recipe on the back of the Nestle bag but they were so good! I have since learned that cookies have to have just the right balance of flour or they spread everywhere just like my epic fail. 

Since then, I have been on the search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I finally found it! Seriously, these cookies are amazing. I guarantee if you follow this recipe, they will come out perfectly every time! I have made them a few times and am amazed at the fact that I get consistent and delicious results. The key is in using the two different kinds of flour. The cookies are perfectly soft and chewy. The chopped chocolate ensures that every bite is filled with gooey chocolatey goodness. Oh my... yum!

Worlds Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 Tbs. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 Tbs. vanilla

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks

8 oz. milk chocolate, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.

Cream together softened butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla.

Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, and baking soda. Add chocolate chunks; mix until well combined.

Scoop about a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll into a ball and slightly flatten. Place dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for about an hour. Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

No good, horrible, very bad day

The saddest thing happened to me last week. (disclaimer: when I say this, I am referring to my rich white girl problems and in the grand scheme of life this is not quite as horrible as I am making it out to be given my relatively charmed life. However, this is my blog and I can cry if I want to, so I will keep writing in spite of this) 

So, as I was saying, the saddest thing happened to me last week. On Wednesday, I was eating lunch and browsing Pinterest like any other day, I reached over to grab a drink of water and the unthinkable happened, the glass tipped over! Water spilled directly on my laptop and flicker... flicker... BLANK! That's all she wrote! The computer was a goner. I took it to the Apple store to have them look at it and make sure that it was dead. They confirmed the worst, it was dead as a doornail.

My laptop was a 15" Macbook Pro. It was beautiful. It was an expensive machine that I saved for for at least a year. It was relatively new and as it was one of my favorite possessions, I kept it in mint condition and in one quick motion it was ruined. I sat on the couch for the rest of the day wallowing in my depression. I am not gonna lie, Ben and Jerry came to my pity party and helped drown my sorrows.

After waiting a few days, just to make SURE that my laptop wasn't going to spontaneously revive itself. I sucked it up and went to the Apple store to buy a new one. Thank goodness for interest free financing! I don't exactly have an extra $2,000 just lying around. I came home with my new computer and desperately looked for something new and different to excite me about having to repurchase my computer. The only difference I could find between the new one and my old one is that the power cord looks a little sleeker. Um... woo hoo? I mean, seriously, it is the exact same machine. Utterly anticlimactic.

I have been pretty much wallowing in self pity for the last four days. But, it is now time to put my big girl pants on and move on. I have a new laptop that I will spend the next year paying for and will probably drink from sippy cups from now on, but other than that, life is grand!

Sardines and Biscuits

I can't believe it is already Easter. This year is going by so fast! I love Easter, it is one of my favorite holidays. It starts early, that is for sure! My church has a sunrise service at 6:30 am! Then after that my community groups come over for brunch. This is the 3rd year running so it is becoming a tradition. I won't repost recipes since I made the same food at last year (recipes here) I pretty much have the meal down pat and I am really happy with most of the recipes so I just stick with what works. I have to say though, I am a little frustrated with biscuits. I have tried a few recipes. Last year, my mom even FedEx'ed me some sourdough starter so I could make her fail-proof sourdough buttermilk biscuits. When I make them they turn out okay... the flavor is fine but they aren't buttery, flakey, or golden brown, so I must be doing something wrong. I even spent time Googling tips for making the best biscuits and tried to do everything perfectly. No matter what I do, I end up with something that is mediocre. When it comes to food, I hate mediocre. If anyone makes amazing biscuits, I am open for tips.

Biscuits aside, brunch was a success! My CG's keep growing so it gets bigger every year. Today we had 25 adults and 3 babies in my apartment. (my 900 square foot apartment) People were packed in here like sardines. I was a bit stressed this morning before everything started because about 7-8 people RSVP'ed this weekend (after the food had been purchased and prepped) and while I am all about "the more the merrier" as the texts kept rolling in, I was wondering if we would all fit and if there would be enough food. But amazingly enough, there was the perfect amount of food and although people were shoved into every nook and cranny, nobody seemed to mind. Success! After everyone left, I started looking for patio sets online because I really need to set up my back porch for overflow. People were sitting all the way up the stairs. I just have too many friends! ha ha...

Even though Tyler and Cheryl might hate me for posting this picture, I have to share because I am pretty sure this is exactly how everyone felt after being up since 5:00 am and digesting a huge meal :)

Oh, and thanks to a few people bringing lovely bouquets my house is now flowery and Springy - seriously look at all of these flowers. Delightful! :)

Barbacoa

Last night my Community Group girls made Mexican food for dinner. I brought the barbacoa - shredded braised beef - for tacos. I found a Chipotle copy-cat recipe online and tried it, and it was spot on! I love Carnitas too but sometimes you just need beef. When that happens, try this recipe!

Barbacoa Beef

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cider vinegar

3 Tbs. lime juice

3 canned chipotle chiles

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

3-4 lbs. boneless chuck roast, excess fat removed

3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

3 bay leaves

Directions:

Combine the cider vinegar, lime juice, chipotle chiles, garlic cloves, cumin, oregano, clove, black pepper and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth — about a minute or so. Transfer the spice paste to a bowl and set aside.

Dry the roast all over with paper towels. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a very large pot set over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Sear the beef on both sides until deeply browned, about 3-4 minutes on either side. 

Add the chile puree to the pot and stir until the beef is well-coated. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and bring the liquid to a boil.
Place the meat and liquid into a crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours, removing the lid during the last hour or so to allow the simmering liquid to reduce slightly. Allow the beef to cool slightly, spoon off any easily removable fat from the braising liquid and then use two forks to pull/shred the beef into bite size pieces.

Best Fail Ever!

Last night I made birthday dessert for my friend, Sasha. She said she liked cookies rather than cake and liked peanut butter, other than that, I was on my own. I found a recipe on Pinterest for a chocolate peanut butter cookie pie. Perfect! When it was done baking it looked good but it wiggled a bit and I knew it wasn't quite done in the middle. I figured it would be OK but after it cooled I cut into it and the insides gushed out and I realized that it was REALLY underdone. Well, what do you do at that point other than serve it with a "Hey, I tried" shrug. I dumped spoonfuls of the goop in bowls and topped it with vanilla ice cream.

I sat down to take a bite and when I did I realized that I had made the best mistake ever! It was warm and gooey and sweet and amazing. You know something is rich when ice cream is necessary to cut the sweetness. Anyway, if you want to give this a try, it is a yummy dessert. If you want it set, I would recommend baking it a bit longer, if you want it to gush everywhere, follow the recipe as written :)

Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cup Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed pretzels

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 stick of butter, melted

2 sticks of butter, room temp

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

2 1/4 cup flour

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 (8 oz) bag Reese's minis

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Combine crushed pretzels, 1/2 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up sides of a 10" pie or tart pan.

Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

While crust is baking make the pie filling.

Cream butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar with your mixer.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined and smooth.

On low speed add in your baking soda, salt and flour until incorporated evenly.

Still on low, add in your chocolate chips and Reese's Minis until evenly distributed.

Press mixture on top of baked crust.

Place pie back in oven for 30-35 minutes until just set.

Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Cut open and watch it gush out into sweet chocolatey goodness!