So many recipes!

After making my apple filled oatmeal cookies, I had 2 apples left over. I'm trying to be good and not throw away groceries so I scoured my recipe folder an apple recipe.  I have a folder full of recipes.  This isn't a physical folder in a kitchen cabinet.  My folder is electronic.  I think it is easier to organize and edit than a handwritten one.  My mother is all about electronic recipe files but she does have a recipe book that she has kept for over 30 years.  When I'm home baking, I often go to that book for recipes.  Many are written by her but some by my aunts and seeing their handwriting takes me to the holiday when they were sitting at the kitchen table watching Momie make a dish and recording it for her.  Looking at a printed piece of paper doesn't bring me back to a favorite memory but it does keep me sane.   

Many of my electronic files are recipes I've picked up from the many food blogs I subscribe to.  I've made some, but most are just sitting there waiting to be used.  I have a subfolder for appetizers, cookies, cakes and other desserts.  I like to remember where I got the recipe so I always make sure to type the baker's name under the title. Some bakers I know.  Other bakers may just take really good pictures and not so good food.  =)   If it's from a trusted source, I can make it for company without testing it out (which doesn't always work out but at least I know it's not the recipe's fault).  If I've never made anything from this person, I like to test it out first. 

One recipe was for apple cake that looked like coffee cake with apples.  I love coffee cake - recipe score!  I didn't have enough apples for a whole cake so I made a loaf.   Muffins would have made more sense but I have a new loaf pan that I haven't used!

To get the recipe (and a better picture of the cake), visit Smitten Kitchen. 

Do you keep your recipes electronically or do you prefer the them handwritten in a recipe book?

Lemon Bars... Sweet as Candy

So I signed up for NaBloPoMo. NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month and by signing up, I am committing to posting something on my blog every day for the month of November. I signed up because I needed a goal to keep me focused. I love baking new things and capturing them here in a blog. But a baking blog is difficult because it requires me to bake new things like all the time. Even for a sweet tooth like me, that can be challenging.

What's not challenging? These lemon bars.

After my Kit Kat/Hershey bar/ Almond Joy overdose - this lemon bar is a good way to slowly come down from a sugar high. =)

I love lemon bars because they are so simple to make and the perfect after Sunday brunch treat. It's also great for last minute dinner guests because I usually have the ingredients in my kitchen.

The Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Bars
From Barefoot Contessa Parties!
For the Crust:
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:
3 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1/2 freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
1 cup all purpose flour

Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light. Combine the flour and salt and with mixer on low, add to butter and sugar until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press into an 8x8 baking pan. Chill for 5 - 10 minutes. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

I'm excited about this next month. I'm going to try a ton of new recipes mixed in with some of my favorites.

What dessert favorite do you think I should make this month?

Tues..er..Thursdays with Dorie

I know that I'm 2 days late, but these muffins were so good, I had to share them with you.    This week's recipe was for Allspice Crumb Muffins.  If you are like me, allspice isn't sitting pretty in your spice rack.  Let me suggest that you add it to this week's grocery list. What I LOVED about these muffins:

(1)  They are sweet enough for dessert but not too sweet to eat as breakfast
(2)  The possibilities - I could see myself adding apples or bananas or nuts to this muffin - YUM
(3)  Quick and easy - so quick, I forgot to take pictures of the process

Does the oven count?

(4)  Allspice - seriously brown sugar never tasted so good and I think its because of the allspice (but I'm no Alton Brown so don't quote me)

These were great!  Seriously - this is one recipe you will definitely want to keep. 

My tops weren't so crumby.  I think I mixed the streusel a little too much.  But I liked how the topping melted into the muffin.

This week's recipe was chosen by Kayte of Grandma's Kitchen Table.  How much do you love that blog name?  Visit her site and then see how other TWD bakers fared.

TWD Cottage Cheese Pufflets

Okay for my two readers, I'm sorry I haven't posted.  I've actually been... baking!  I have baked a TON in the past two weeks and have the photos to prove it but I left my camera cord at a friends house so I cannot get those pictures from my camera to you. But as soon as I do, I'll post like crazy.

One of the many things I baked during the last two weeks is Dorie Greenspan's Cottage Cheese Pufflets.  In short, I really liked these!  They are definitely on my things to make whenever I finally decide to have my friends over for brunch.  They are little puff pastries with a slight kick with a hint of sweetness being added by the jam.  For the jam I used Sarabeth's Strawberry Raspberry Jam.  I heart Sarabeth's jams.  They have two restaurants in NYC and I love having brunch partly for their biscuits and jam.  If they don't offer Sarabeth's in your grocery store.  Buy it on-line.  My favorite is Strawberry Peach. 

These pufflets are actually super quick to make.  Well okay if you want them to look pretty, they may take a little time because the dough is super sticky.  But I have no patience and care more about how food tastes than how it looks so I put those bad boys in the oven even though I could clearly see jam hanging out the sides.  Note:  If you see jam hanging out the sides of your pufflets, BEFORE you put them in the oven, your pufflets are most likely NOT sealed and may (WILL) open in the oven.  Oh wells - my memories of these lovelies is how they taste.

In the future, I will probably add more cottage cheese to the recipe as I wanted a tangy taste to contrast with the sweetness of the jam.  This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes.  Please visit her blog and then see how other bakers fared.

Update:  I halved this recipe so the puflets went quickly.  Here is a picture (note - not as pretty as my fellow bakers.  I'll definitely make these again!)