Best Iced Cookies

 This past Sunday, one of our new neighbors (LacyMoss) dropped by for a visit and brought us the best professional looking cookies. She said she learned to make them during the covid quarantine. She purchased some for her husbands birthday and decided she could learn to do that too. One of my coworkers makes fancy decorated cookies too. But while hers look great, they don't taste that great. These are delicious! I think it's the lemon extract she puts in the icing. So I asked her for the recipe. She shared it with me but unfortunately they aren't dairy free. So my next project will be to make them dairy free. Here's what she sent me. 

Sugar Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 oz cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup flour (352 g)
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions:
Cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Then add the egg yolk and vanilla.
Mix dry ingredients and then add 1/4 cup at a time to mixer. Add additional flour 1TB at a time until it doesn't stick to your finger when you press the dough.

Divide the dough in half and place on a surface (I use a flexible cutting mat) lightly covered in flour or powdered sugar. Cover with a sheet of waxed paper and roll to 1/4" thickness. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.

Remove from refrigerator or freezer. Flip the wax paper, dough, and mat "sandwich" over and gently peel away the dough from the mat and flip back over (this prevents the dough from sticking to the mat and makes it easier to remove the cookies without deforming the shapes). Remove wax paper and cut out cookies and transfer to aluminum cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Place in freezer until firm.

Preheat oven to 375F and bake for 6-8 minutes (depends on size of cookie). Cookies should not be brown. Leave on warm cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Dough can be re-rolled a max of 3 times. 

Royal Icing

2 tbsp meringue powder

4 tbsp warm water

2 c powdered sugar

1 tbsp light corn syrup

2 tsp lemon extract (lemon juice powder is also a great ingredient to use here!)

1 tsp white food coloring (optional, but a very nice touch if you plan on using white icing for your designs!)

desired food coloring

additional water for thinning out the icing to flood consistency or more powdered sugar for thickening the icing.

RECIPE BY OWLBBAKING.COM

In a large bowl (make sure there is no grease or oil residue in the bowl), mix the meringue powder and 4 tbsp of water using a hand mixer on high speed. Mix until completely dissolved and very frothy.

Add half of the powdered sugar. Mix on low until incorporated.

Add the other cup of powdered sugar along with the corn syrup and lemon powder (or extract). Mix on low until combined, and then switch the speed to high and mix for 2 minutes (no less!) Taste the icing and add more lemon flavor if desired.

The icing should be thick and have a little more volume as well. It should hold a soft peak.

Once mixed, grab a spatula and mix in the white food coloring or other colors as desired.

To thin out the icing, add ½ tsp of warm water at a time until desired icing consistency is reached (15-20 seconds for flood icing). Mix with the spatula to avoid more air bubbles.

I usually make the entire batch flood consistency and then stiffen it up with more powdered sugar in smaller batches as needed.

This step is optional but helps with air bubbles, cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. The majority of air bubbles will naturally release as the icing rests, giving you less trouble once your cookies are covered!

Decorate your cookies and allow to dry uncovered overnight.

*A quick note about adding the lemon flavor- when the lemon extract is first added to the thick icing, the flavor can be intense. Once you add water to create 15-20 second flood icing, the intensity of the lemon will decrease. The flavor of a vanilla cookie pairs very nicely with the flavor from the thinned out flood icing. If you are NOT making flood icing, feel free to adjust the amount and use less lemon.

Don't these look great! She used her Silloutte to do an edible print and then painted the arch with food coloring thinned vodka.

Kellie's Homemade Salsa

 We enjoyed a great family trip to go camping with the extended Wright family. We all met at Steven and Kellie's house for dinner on July 4th and then went camping at Flathead Lake and visited Glacier National Park. Before dinner Kellie served us chips and homemade salsa. It was so yummy! I asked her to share her recipe with us. So here it is:

Homemade Salsa
1 can (28 Ounce) whole tomatoes with juice

1 can (10 Ounce) diced tomatoes and green chilies

1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 jalapeño, diced
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 whole lime, juiced

Put all ingredients in the blender and pulse until it's the consistency you like. Add extra salt if needed and refrigerate for at least on hour before serving.  It is so yummy! I broke chips into it and ate it like gazpacho.

Meatloaf Muffins - Beef Free!

The theme for Abi's bridal shower was Scrabble because she and Myles like games. Jessica arranged for everyone to contribute one of their favorite recipes to go along with a scrabble letter and she put them in a book for Abi. One of the recipes Jessica added is for meatloaf muffins. Last night when I tried to think of something for dinner that everyone would eat and suggested baked potatoes. Adria agreed with that. I thought we needed some kind of meat to go with them. I remembered the meatloaf muffin recipe from the day before and asked Abi if I could take a picture of it. Adria can't eat beef, so I modified it to use ground turkey. We didn't have enough turkey, so I used some pork sausage as well. I think the combo turned out great. Everyone loved them - Even Adria and Pierce ate them! (They have both been picky lately.) Also Ryan has been avoiding regular onions, so I had to use green onions instead. Here's my modified recipe:

2/3 cup cracker crumbs (I used Ritz crackers- recipe said you could use bread or oatmeal too)

1 Pound ground turkey

1/2 pound mild pork sausage

2 beaten eggs

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 c chopped green onions (green part only)

1 tsp salt

dash of pepper

Sauce:

1.5 Tbsp brown sugar (I just estimated)

3/8 cup ketchup (1/4 c + 1/8c)

3/8 tsp nutmeg (I did a heaping 1/4 tsp)

1 and 1/2 tsp dry mustard

Mix all the ingredients well. Grease muffin tins and fill until each muffin tin is three quarters full. Mix the sauce ingredients and add on top of each meatloaf muffin. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. 

There was only 1 muffin left that I grabbed for my lunch. So the only picture I have is this one that's not very good because I took it during my lunch break at work. LOL - Meatloaf pictures never look great anyway. They taste better than they look!

Butterscotch Monkey Bit

 I found this recipe in a "conference packet" from Deseret Book. The original recipe is cooked in a pressure cooker. But I didn't have pan that would fit inside my pressure cooker. So I modified it and baked it in the oven. We made it twice over Easter/Conference weekend and then we made it 2 more times the next weekend when Myles and Abi came to visit. The best part is that it is dairy-free which is a must around here since Adria can no longer eat dairy. 

16 Rhodes Frozen Dinner rolls
1/2 C chopped pecans
1 (3.5 oz) package cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding (Jello brand in dairy free- check ingredients on others)
1/2 c brown sugar
6 Tbsp dairy free butter, melted

Place Frozen rolls in a zip-lock bag and allow the rolls to thaw for 1.5 - 2 hours at room temp (or overnight in the fridge). Do not let the dough begin to rise.

Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray and sprinkle the pecans in the bottom of the pan. Cut the rolls into 6 pieces and arrange half of them in the bottom of the pan. Mix the butter and brown sugar and drizzle half of it over the rolls. Sprinkle half of the pudding mix over the rolls. Then repeat the layers with the other half of the rolls, butter/sugar mix and pudding. 

Cover with plastic wrap (sprayed with cooking spray) and let rise until double - about 1.2 to 2 hours at room temp or overnight in the fridge. 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and invert onto a large serving plate. 

**the last time I made this I had 24 rolls so I made 2 pans. I used double the pecans (half for each pan). I increased the sugar and butter by 50%- and used half the mix on each pan. I only used 1 package of pudding and used 1/2 on each pan (1/4 on each layer). It worked great!**

French Almond Cake

 It's Olivia's Birthday tomorrow! Happy Birthday! Today my family had a bridal shower for Abi. I told Adria I would bring her a birthday cake. So after the shower we sang happy birthday and ate cake. She doesn't like most fruit flavors and I wanted to find a cake she would like. I had a recipe for French Almond Cake and she said she loves almond flavor. The only problem was the recipe also included fresh orange juice and zest and she hates oranges. I asked if she'd like lemon or something else. I suggested cherry. She prefered lemon. So I made altered the recipe to lemon. She took some home to Ben and he said he liked it so much he wants one for his birthday- and he wants to try the cherry version - so I will have to create that one soon. 

For the cake:

1/2 cups sliced almonds
¾ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
1½ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup almond flour not almond meal
3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup canola oil

For the glaze:
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¾ cup powdered sugar plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Spray a 9-inch round cake pan (with at least 2 inch tall sides) with baking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and spray parchment paper lightly. Place almonds in a small baking pan. Spread to a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes or until just beginning to turn pale golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended. Add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and extracts. Stir to combine. Add the oil and stir well. Keep stirring till smooth. This might take 2-3 minutes.

Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch in the center and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. If the cake is getting too brown near the end and  is still not done, cover loosely with foil sprayed lightly with cooking spray to prevent cake from sticking to the foil. Be careful not to over bake. While cake is baking make the glaze. Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; then turn it out of the pan onto the rack.

For the glaze, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, powdered sugar and extracts in a small bowl. Stir with a whisk until smooth. 

While the cake is still warm, using a pastry brush, gently pat the glaze all over the cake. Just keep going over the cake till the glaze is gone. Some of it will drip off, but most of it will soak in. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the top of cake while glaze is wet and pat gently. Allow cake to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Gwen thought this cake looked delicious too! 

Fritos Snack Mix

 We went camping over Labor Day weekend with the extended family. It was so fun to see Steve and family from Montana, and Justin's and Jessica's families and Mom and Dad. We should definitely do it again!  We all brought food to share but now we all have new food restrictions. :-( Justin and Ashlee recently found out their family all are allergic to gluten. Adria has been complaining for months that her stomach hurts and we finally did an allergy test for her and discovered she is allergic to milk. So she had gone milk free for the past few months and that seems to help. So we all had to bring gluten and dairy free foods. (BUMMER!) I found this recipe from cookiesandcups and decided to modify it so we could take it as a treat. I didn't use M &Ms because they probably aren't dairy free and I don't like them anyway. Another thing I learned on this trip - Licorice isn't gluten free! Who'd of thought? So the next recipe quest is homemade gluten free licorice... We will see. 

Everyone LOVED this snack mix and they all said I needed to share the recipe. So here it is to the best of my ability to remember what I did.  

• 1 (10.5 oz) bag of Fritos - I used the bigger bag (19oz) and used a little more than half the bag
• 3-4 cups Rice Chex Cereal- Original recipe says 2 cups, but I left other stuff out so I added extra here. 
• 2 cups of candy corn -Original recipe said to use nuts too, but we left those out.
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup non-dairy (vegan) butter
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large roasting pan Fritos, and Chex.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan melt sugar, vegan butter and corn syrup over medium heat.  Let mixture come to a boil and then boil for 4 minutes without stirring.

Remove from heat and pour over Frito mixture, stirring to coat evenly. Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove to stir and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Stir in the candy corns and pour onto 

wax paper lined counter and let cool completely breaking large clumps.

I didn't get a picture because we ate it too fast and I didn't think about pictures. That just proves how delicious it was!

Orange Rolls

We love orange rolls at our house but rarely make them. Usually we just get them at Grandma Jenny's house at Christmas time. This is a different recipe I found from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and of course I had to try it with my own variations.

1 cup hot water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 skimpy Tbsp yeast
1 large egg
2 Tbsp dry milk powder
3 1/2 cup flour

Heat the water so it's steaming but not boiling. Pour it into a bowl, add the butter, sugar and salt and mix until the butter is melted and the mixture has cooled to warm. (I used my stand mixer.) Add the egg and the yeast. Gradually add about 3 cups of flour. Mixing in well. Add the last 1/2 flour slowly if need to make a soft dough. knead for a few minutes then cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled (about 1 hour).

Make the filling:
3/4 cup sugar
2 - 3 Tbsp fresh orange zest. (I used 2 large oranges)

Mix the sugar and zest together. I didn't feel like this made quite enough. I had some lemon sugar I made (using the same procedure with lemon zest) a few weeks ago for something else. So when I sprinkled the mix on the dough, I added some lemon sugar too - probably about 1/4 cup. So next time I'll use a full cup of sugar and more zest.

After the dough has doubled roll it on a lightly floured surface into a 16 x 14 inch rectangle. Brush with fresh squeezed orange juice. (You could use butter here, but then the rolls don't hold together at well.) Spread with sugar filling. Starting with the long end, roll up the dough and pinch the seam to seal it.

Using floss or string mark the dough in half, then quarters, eights and sixteenths. Cut with the string into 16 equal pieces. Take each round and pull gently into an oval, then twist once in the middle. Place each roll on a lined baking sheet.

Let the rolls raise until nearly doubled, about 60 to 90 min. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 mins or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly then frost
.

 Frosting

3 oz cream cheese, room temp.
5 Tbsp butter, room temp.
pinch of salt
1-2 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp orange zest (or whatever is still left on the orange - I didn't have much)
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar

I never measure the sugar when I make frosting, so these numbers are always approximates. Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the salt and 1 Tbsp orange juice and zest. Mix well. Add the powdered sugar and additional juice if needed to make a thick, but spreadable frosting.

Spread the frosting over the still warm rolls and serve.

Limone Brownie

Ryan and I went to Pizzeria Limone last week. I always want their lemon brownies, but I rarely get them. I didn't get one last Friday, and regretted it all weekend so I decided to make my own last Sunday. They are chocolate brownies with lemon buttercream and covered with chocolate ganache. After I posted a picture of them in Instagram, one of my neighbors commented that she wanted one. So I made them again today. I am currently waiting from the buttercream to set up so I can add the ganache on top and thought I'd post the recipe here. Last week I didn't have cream, so I made the ganache without cream. Today I didn't have semisweet chocolate for the brownies, so I used unsweetened chocolate. I'll post both the variations in case you don't have those items either!

Brownies (this recipe is a variation from Sally's Baking Addiction)

1/2 cup butter
two 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bars*
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (80g) all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons (11g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

*If you have unsweetened baking chocolate bars, add an extra 1/2 cup of sugar (1 Tbsp sugar per 1 oz of chocolate.)

Melt the butter and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, pour in a large mixing bowl, then allow to slightly cool for 10 minutes. (I skipped the bowl the 2nd time - soo many dirty dishes, just wait for it to cool longer.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 11x7 inch baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
Whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently whisk in the cocoa powder,salt and flour.
Pour/spoon batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Allow the brownies to cool while making the buttercream.

Lemon Buttercream

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temp.
 3 cups of Powdered Sugar
 1 lemon

Beat the butter until smooth, or nearly smooth. Zest the lemon and add to the butter. Squeeze both halves of the lemon into the butter and mix in. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Drop onto the cooled brownies and spread a thick layer over the brownies with an offset spatula. I put mine in the freezer before and after putting on the buttercream. When the buttercream is set, cover with chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache Without Cream

4 oz semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup milk (I used 1% but the recipe I found said 2% - whatever)
2 Tsp butter

Chop the chocolate into pieces. I used chocolate chips so that part was done. Heat the milk and butter in a pan until the butter is melted and the milk is starting to bubble. Pour over chocolate and stir until the choclate is melted. Cool if necessary so it can be spread over the brownies without melting the buttercream. Freeze the brownies until the ganache is set.

Chocolate Ganache with Cream (also from Sally's Baking Addiction)

4 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c heavy cream

Heat the cream in the microwave or stop top until simming, but not boiling. Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Then stir the chocolate until it's melted and smooth. Allow it to cool slightly then spread over brownies.

Allow ganache to set before cutting brownies. I put mine in the the freezer.

Danish Pastries

The past few weeks we have all been trapped in our houses with the Covid-19 outbreak so with no one going to school and lots of stress and anxiety and no bread on the shelves at the grocery stores, we have been doing lots of baking at home. At least until we run out of flour- there isn't any to buy at the store either. So I pulled out a couple of recipes I have wanted to try, and discovered stuff in the fridge - like ricotta cheese- that needed to be used. This morning I made cheese danishes and lemon buns. The lemon buns were pretty good- but not as lemony as I would have liked. I think they should have lemon curd in them next time!! The laminated dough is VERY labor intense. But it turned out great! Here's the recipe I used from Bake from Scratch:

Danish Dough

1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
520 grams bread flour
⅓ cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup plus 1½ tablespoons butter

Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together milk, egg, egg yolk, and yeast by hand. Using the dough hook attachment, add flour, sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, and salt, and beat at low speed until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Continue beating until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and is smooth when a small amount is pinched off, about 5 minutes.
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a smooth ball. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Using a pencil, draw a 12x8-inch rectangle on a sheet of parchment paper; turn parchment over. Place remaining 1 cup plus 1½ tablespoons (248 grams) butter on parchment. Cover with a second sheet of parchment, and shape to fit inside drawn rectangle, keeping edges straight and even. (If butter gets too soft to work with, refrigerate for 5 minutes before continuing.) Keep wrapped in parchment paper, and refrigerate overnight.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly dust with flour.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently shape into a 10x8-inch rectangle. Place on prepared pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (to ensure dough does not dry out), and refrigerate overnight.
Place dough in freezer for 15 to 30 minutes. Let butter block stand at room temperature until pliable, 10 to 15 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Unwrap butter block, and place in center of dough. Fold dough over butter block, meeting in the middle, and press lightly to seal dough around butter block. Turn dough 90 degrees, and immediately roll dough into an 18x12-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds, like a letter; turn 90 degrees, and roll out again. Fold into thirds again, like a letter. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and freeze for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll and fold, letter-style, one more time. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1½ hours. (Alternatively, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, let thaw in refrigerator overnight.)

Lemon Buns:

Make lemon sugar by mixing:
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
In a food processor. Pulse until combined and uniform in color.

Brush 12 muffin cups with melted butter. Dust with granulated sugar, tapping out excess.
Freeze Danish Dough for 15 to 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18x12-inch rectangle. Cut off 6 inches - making it a 12x12 inch rectangle.

In a small bowl, combine about 1/2 cup Meyer Lemon Sugar and heaping 1/8 tsp cardamom.

Using a pastry brush melted butter onto dough. Sprinkle lemon sugar mixture over butter, leaving a ½-inch border along one long edge. Starting at long side opposite border, roll up dough, jelly roll style. Trim edges, if needed, and cut into 1-inch rolls. Place rolls, cut side up, in prepared muffin cups, gently pressing down until dough fills mold. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until puffed, 45 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 210°F (99°C), 20 to 25 minutes, covering with foil halfway through baking to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool in pans until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and toss in desired sugar. Let cool completely on wire racks. I didn't toss mine in extra sugar- I think if I did I would have used lemon sugar.

Cheese Danish:

This part I didn't measure as well, so I will do my best to recreate the recipe. I rolled the 6x12 inch section of dough into a larger rectangle about 10x12 I think and cut it into 6 5x4 inch pieces. Then I put a heaping spoonful of cheese filling in the center of each square. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash (I just used the leftover egg white from the filling mixed with some water) and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on a baking sheet and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes. Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. (Mine got too dark - I think 15 to 18 min is probably enough with this dough) Serve warm.

Here's the cheese filling I used. I modified a recipe I found on Foodnetwork. It made a lot more filling than I intended. So I probably have enough left overs to make another 6 Danish! I think I will used puffed pastry from the freezer next time. Although I do have some European butter in my fridge that needs to be used....

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
about 1 cup ricotta cheese- This is the part i didn't measure. I just dumped in what I had left
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
dash of salt
Zest from 1 lemon
Add additional sugar to taste- I used the lemon sugar from above - probably a Tbsp or 2.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolk, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and additional lemon sugar. Mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Thanksgiving Pies

I made several different pies for Thanksgiving. Some of them turned out better than others. The cheddar apple really wasn't that great, but the banana cream and the pecan pie bars were a big hit. So here are the good ones! I'm posting this several months after the fact, so I hope I remember what I did. Most of the recipes are variations of ones from Sally's Baking Addiction. She has delicious stuff!

We went to the Moab Scottish Festival and one of the booths there was "the Cornish Caterer." He did a bunch of cooking demonstrations and we walked by during one of them while he was talking about Cornish Spice. He said it was a precursor to pumpkin pie spice and that it tastes incredible. So of course I had to buy some! I used it in place of the spice in the pumpkin pie I made. It was SOOO yummy! I don't know if it was the recipe or the spice, but either way it was great. The difference between pumpkin pie spice and Cornish spice is the the addition of mace and coriander seed. He said if you sprinkled it in the bottom of a pie on top of the crust it would make the pie so much better. I just substituted all the spice.

Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie

1 pie crust (pick your favorite)
2 cups pumpkin puree (15oz can)
2 eggs
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I may have used Cornish spice for some or all of this, but I don't think so.)
1 tsp Cornish spice (Yes in addition to the cinnamon)
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup milk

Topping
1 c chopped pecans
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey (I might have used dark corn syrup)

Put pie crust in a 9 inch pie plate. Flute the edges, line with parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill pie crust with pie weights - I use dry beans. Bake for 12 minutes.

Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, spices, cream and milk until smooth. Pour into crust and brush edges of crust with egg wash. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until the center is no longer jiggly. (use a pie shield if the crust is getting too brown.)

Meanwhile mix the pecans and brown sugar then drizzle with honey. Spoon on top of the cooked pie and gently push it into the top of the pie to it sticks to the filling. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Then cool on a wire rack and cool completely- at least 3 to 4 hours. Serve with whipped cream.

French Silk Pie

1 pie crust
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces quality semi-sweet chocolate
4 eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Topping
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

garnish: chocolate curls

Roll out pie dough and place in 9 inch pie plate. Line with parchement and pour in pie weights (or beans). Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove pie from oven. remove weights and parchment dock the pie crust with a fork. brush the edges with egg wash and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until golden born. Cool crust completely! - It's best to make it a day or two before and chill in fridge.

Make the filling: Whip cream until still peaks form. Then refrigerate until ready to use. Melt the chocolate in the microwave stirring every 20 seconds. Whisk the eggs and 1/2 cup of sugar in a heat proof bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until eggs mixture reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes then slowly stir in the chocolate. Then cool for an additional 10 minutes. Beat the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy at least 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the chocolate and egg mixture while mixing at low speed, then beat for 3 minutes. Fold in the whipped cream until combined.

Spread filling into the cooled crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 to 6 hours until thickened.

Make the topping by whipping the cream, sugar and vanilla until medium peaks form. Pipe onto the top of pie. I may have used stabilized whipped cream for this step - Made by adding a small amount of plain gelatin (about 1 tsp) dissolved in water (a couple of tablespoons), then melted in the microwave and poured into cream while whipping. Add the whipped topping immediately before to a few hours before serving. Garnish with chocolate curls.

Chocolate Curls
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 tablespoon shortening

Put chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until the shortening is melted and hot about 30 to 45 seconds. Stir to combine. Pour the melted chocolate over the underside of a clean cookie sheet. With an offset spatula or a knife, spread the chocolate in a thin layer. Keep going until it's very, very thin. Then place cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes. After a few minutes, check that the chocolate is ready by pressing it with your finger tip; it should leave the slightest mark, but not an actual depression. With a somewhat sharp-edged spatula scrape the chocolate from the bottom of the pan. When the chocolate is just the right temperature, it'll curl instead of break. If it gets too soft, stick it back in the freezer for a minute. As soon as possible, transfer the curls to a cold pan or plate, and then stick them in the freezer to harden. Store in the freezer in a zip-top bag until you need them.

Banana Cream Pie

Brad loves this pie and he said it might even be better than his mom's! High praise indeed.

Crust

1 1/2 Cups Nilla Wafer Crumbs grind the cookies in a blender

1/3 Cup Sugar

4 Tbsp of butter melted

Filling

1 3.4 oz instant banana pudding

1 cup milk

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 large bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter and press into a pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes, then cool completely. Whip the cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Whisk together the milk and pudding. In another bowl beat the softened cream cheese until smooth, add the condensed milk and beat again. Stir in the pudding then fold in the whipped cream. Thickly slice the bananas and place them in a single layer on the cooled pie crust. Top with the pudding mixture and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight if needed. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Pecan Pie Bars

I got this recipe from a neighbor down the street, Leslie Hegseth. It is delicious! Everyone loved them and talked about them weeks later. 

Ingredients:

Crust-

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cups packed brown sugar

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Topping-

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 pan with foil leaving enough for a 2 inch overhang on all sides.

First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in flour and salt and mix until crumbly. Press the crust into the foil lined pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

While the crust bakes prepare the filling by combining the butter, brown sugar, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan, stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped nuts.

Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the pecan filling over the hot crust spreading it to cover the entire surface.

Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the pan and allow to cool fully in the pan. Use the foil overhang to lift the bars out and transfer to cutting board. Peel off foil and cut.

Coconut Cream Pie

This one was good too, maybe not as fabulous as the others, but better than the apple. I think I combined 2 different recipes. One from Allrecipes and one from Oh sweet Basil. Hopefully this is what I made!

Crust:

12 graham crackers

5 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:

1 can coconut cream plus enough half and half to make 3 cups. 

¾ cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 bag shredded sweetened coconut divided (about 2 cups)

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

¼ powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.In a food processor, pulse graham crackers until crushed. Slowly drizzle in butter while processor is on. Dump mixture into pie plate and press into bottom and sides. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Spread coconut on baking sheet. Toast in heated oven for about 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside 1/4 cup.

In a medium sauce pan, whisk together coconut cream, half and half, eggs, flour and salt. Mix wekk and bring to a boil over low heat stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir in the coconut. Pour filling into pie crust and chill until firm, about 4 hours. When ready to serve pipe or spread with whipped cream and sprinkle with reserved toasted coconut.

Whipped Cream:

Whisk cream on a medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating to stiff peaks.

Razzleberry Pie

This was a decent pie. Not outstanding but a good basic pie. I think the problem was we had too many other fabulous pies!

1 Double Crust 

2 Pints Raspberries

2 Pints Blackberries

1 Pint Blueberries

1/2 - 3/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Cornaby's Ultra Gel (Yes I bought some!)

1 Egg

1/2 Teaspoon Water or milk

Turbinado Sugar 

Put bottom crust into pie plate. Slice the other half into strips and cover both with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the fruit, 1/2 cup sugar and ultra gel into a saucepan and fold gently, using a rubber spatula. If berries are extra tart add more sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the heat to medium low and cook until the berries are releasing their juices and beginning to thicken. Only stir occasionally as you don't want to break up the fruit and turn it into jam.

Add the hot fruit mixture directly into the pie crust. Place strips across the pie and then lift up one end of every other strip and lay a new strip across the other way. Now, repeat but with the other strips that were not originally lifted up. Continue until you're halfway across the pie then turn the pie around and repeat from the other side to make a lattice across the entire pie.

Whisk together the egg and water and then brush the top of the pie and immediately sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the pie for 25 minutes then drape with a piece of tin foil and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool entirely on the counter. Let pie rest over night as the filling will set up and not run. Refrigeration can make the filling sink and pull away from the crust.

I think this may be the pie crust recipe I used: Mom's fail proof magic pie crust. At least I did for the razzleberry pie. I might have used a different recipe for the other pies, but I don't remember.

For the sake of completeness, I also made Apple Cheddar Pie. I don't think I will make it again. It was okay, but not great. Rather a disappointment because I really had high hopes for this! 

Tomato Toast with Chives and Sesame Seeds

I found this recipe last year and intended to post my variation on it then but I never got to it. I made these sandwiches for dinner last night with some fresh garden tomatoes (not from my garden 🙁) that needed to be used. And Ryan and I were both too tired to cook. We had to get up at 5 a.m. to take Adria to a bike race. In the past we have made the sandwiches with yummy artisan bread, but today we just made them with the Dave’s good seed bread we had in the freezer. I’ve made them so often that I don’t even measure the ingredients anymore. I think this make LOTS more mayo than you really need for 4 servings, so I usually cut it down.

1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Kosher salt
1/2 lemon (or 1 tsp lemon juice and dried lemon peel**)
4 3/4"-thick slices country-style bread, toasted
3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Aleppo-style pepper (optional) - we use Penzeys

Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling) - I usually skip this part

Zest the lemon and set zest aside. Mix garlic and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Squeeze about 1 tsp. juice from lemon half into bowl. Season with kosher salt if desired. I leave it out.

Spread a generous layer of seasoned mayonnaise over toast; shingle a few tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with chives, sesame seeds, salt, black pepper, and Aleppo-style pepper. Sprinkle with lemon zest or dried lemon and drizzle with some oil.

** I don't usually have fresh lemons around, so we we use bottled lemon juice and I found this dried lemon peel in the spice section at Harmon's. It's great.