Why is summer so busy?

For some reason the first few weeks of summer break for the kids have been absolutely slamming busy, camps, VBS, birthday, Father's Day, so many things to do and bake for, etc. I am in charge of food again for volunteers for VBS and asked people to bring cookies. I'll always offer up some baked goods if I'm asking others to bring them - so these cookies were easy to prep ahead and freeze so I could bake them quick before I needed them. I did not have any white chocolate chips, but I did have some weird cream cheese chips that taste almost nothing like cream cheese but look and probably taste just like white chocolate chips - done and done! Sprinkles are always a hit with the kids so they worked out great. They even baked up looking like little scoops of ice cream - mostly because I didn't wait for them to thaw much before baking. Hey... they worked out - people ate and enjoyed - move on to the next crazy week!

Birthday Cookies
1 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp cake batter flavoring
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sprinkles
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
Cream together the butter and granulated sugar until the butter is smooth.
Add the egg, canola oil and cake batter flavoring. Mixing until well combined.
Add the all purpose flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and baking powder. Mix until a really soft dough forms.
Add in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips, mix until evenly distributed.
Portion out the cookie dough into equal sized portions- for small cookies, use a #40 scoop or 1 1/2 tbsp of dough. For larger cookies, use a #24 scoop or 3 tbsp of dough.
Bake at 350° F until the cookies spread and no longer look wet and glossy in the center. For the small cookies, about 7-9 minutes. For the larger cookies, 9-11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Just kill it!

If I had one suggestion on this recipes - it's to over bake it. Kill it. If you aren't sure if you've baked it long enough, you probably haven't, so toss it in for longer. I had been excited to try this recipe. It had all sorts of things in it we liked, I could make it the night before, I even got fancy bread to use for free from the fun grocery story we go to sometimes. But we didn't bake it long enough the first time around. To be honest - I was running late from work, had to make two stops along the way and had Andy toss it in the oven. Summer is supposed to be easy breezy right? Well, we have to get the girl somewhere by 5:30 for a few weeks for a fun camp so our time was limited. No one was especially thrilled about soggy bread on the bottom and somewhat loosy goosy eggs. We ate what we felt we should and then I tossed it back in the oven - then it all firmed back up. Will anyone eat the left overs? I'm guessing not - PTSD for loosy goosy eggs is a real thing. The taste was great - the raw egg soggy bread was not great. So again... kill it!

Overnight Ham & Swiss Cheese Strata
8 cups (about 12 ounces/340g) day-old bread cubes
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (or any color)
2 cups cooked and cubed ham
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
9 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped green onion
optional for serving: chopped parsley and/or flaky sea salt

Grease a 9×13-inch or any 3–4-quart oven-safe casserole dish.
Arrange bread cubes in an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the tomatoes, bell peppers, and ham evenly on top. Top with the cheese. Set aside.
Whisk the eggs, milk, paprika, ground mustard, salt, and pepper together. Pour evenly over the bread/ham. Top with green onions.
Cover casserole with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, allow to sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes as the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 375°F
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 15–25 minutes. The strata is done when it has browned on the sides and the center is puffy. Mine usually takes around 50 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes, top with more green onions and/or pepper, and/or add a sprinkle of chopped parsley or flaky sea salt. Slice and serve.

Comfort food in the form of a potato

Sometimes you just want to try something new but it has all the familiar comforts of something you know - loaded smashed potato casserole. This was so good - it was easy to boil potatoes, smash them up a bit, and add some delicious cheeses and seasonings. This made an entire 9 x 13 pan of potatoes - which was a lot for four adults and two kids. We ended up having them for dinner, then saving two containers to toss in the freezer for a future easy side dish in the future. The nice thing was I had pretty much everything already in the house - other than the potatoes.... go figure. I left out the bacon because well, bacon to me is something that can be left out. I'm pretty sure most people would love that addition - but I am not that person. But if you enjoy some bacon - add it to your hearts content! This is something easy enough to make quickly - but also something that can be made ahead and tossed in the oven - but your cook time is far longer to reheat those cold spuds. Certainly one to make again.

Loaded Smashed Potato Casserole
3 pounds small red potatoes
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
⅓ cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup sliced green onion
1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
6 slices bacon,, cooked and crumbled

Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water just until tender. Drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Place potatoes in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher, leaving chunks.
In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder until smooth.
Add to bowl with potatoes and stir to mix into the potatoes.
Mix in half the green onion, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, all of the mozzarella and Parmesan and half the bacon.
Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining green onion, cheddar cheese, and bacon on top.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Layers and layers of flakey bread

Laminating dough and butter together is very intimidating but so incredibly satisfying. Rolling out dough and layering in butter, folding, letting it rest, rolling, making layer after layer of dough and butter. This recipe was not nearly as complicated as some that I've seen. We had a very full Memorial Day of yardwork and garage cleaning (exciting right?) - but this recipe was great to have a few minutes to work on it - then let it sit to rise or park in the fridge for a while. At the final rise - I was a bit disappointed thinking my loaves had not risen enough. I gave them an egg wash and hoped. When the timer went off - I was amazed at the beautiful loaves coming out of the oven. Flakey and amazing. We sliced up a loaf dinner and this bread was so delicious. The next day we toasted it and added butter and cinnamon sugar - amazing. I am curious how they would be as French Toast - likely amazing, I may have to give it a try!

Flakey Honey Brioche Bread
2/3 cup warm whole milk
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup honey
5 eggs - 4 used in dough, plus 1 egg beaten for brushing
3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold salted butter, sliced into thin pieces

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, yeast, honey, 4 eggs, flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons room temp butter and mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes more.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Punch the dough down and roll out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle that’s about 12x18 inches. Lay the thin slices of cold butter on one half of the dough, pressing gently to adhere.
4. Fold the other half of the dough over butter, covering it completely. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 12x18 inches. Fold 1/3 of the dough into the center, then fold the other 1/3 over the top of the first layer so you have three dough layers (like an envelope). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for 15-20 minutes until chilled. Alternately, you can chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
5. Meanwhile, butter two (9x5 inch) bread pans.
6. Remove the dough from the freezer. Roll the (envelope shaped) dough into a rectangle (about 12x18 inches). Starting with the edge of dough closest to you, roll the dough into a log, keeping it tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edges to seal.
7. Cut the dough in half and place seam side down in prepared pans. Cover and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bread pans on a rimmed baking sheet and brush with the beaten egg. Transfer to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until dark brown on top. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack. Slice and serve warm or cold.

Second Piece Good

While pot lucks are not my favorite things - I do enjoy baking for them. Lots of people around to try my baked goods? Yes please! Our new small group from church was getting together for a dinner and I decided to give this poke cake a try. I've done Jell-O poke cakes before but not pudding. I baked the cake on Saturday when I had a little more wiggle room for time. Then Sunday came and we were bouncing from church to meetings to order pickups to flower seed planting and I snuck the pudding and frosting layer on there quickly. 30 minutes to wait for pudding to set?! Gah!!! I quickly tossed it in the fridge and whipped up the frosting and tackled a few more to dos while I waited for those minutes to tick on by. I ended up using much more milk in the frosting to make it very fluffy. I think the thick frosting would not have spread over the pudding plater that well. The pudding didn't really sink into the cake like I thought it would... maybe I should have poured it in more liquidy and not as set - either way - it setup in time for dinner and it was delicious. When we got home I even had a second piece!

Pudding Poke Cake
Ingredients
1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
2 cups cold 2% milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
2/3 cup baking cocoa
2 tablespoons 2% milk
Optional: Chocolate sprinkles and miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for a 13x9-in. pan. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes in cake. In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix 2 minutes. Immediately spread into holes and over top of cake. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Gradually beat in 2 cups confectioners' sugar, baking cocoa and milk until smooth. Gradually beat in enough remaining confectioners' sugar to reach desired consistency. Gently spread over cake. If desired, garnish with sprinkles and chocolate chips. Refrigerate until serving.

Dude's jail time is cramping my broken cone needs...

Sometimes you see a recipes online and you can't get it out of your head, this is how I got spiraled into Waffle Cone Puppy Chow. I saw a video online and it just kept sticking in my mind that we should make that. I was at the store and they had waffle cones so those went home with me. It took me a few days but Saturday I broke the boxes out and crunched up the cones and made puppy chow. It was almost gone by Saturday night - from the family that isn't always all about chocolate... it was amazing. It's getting made again VERY soon and I'm trying to find ways of getting broken waffle cones from the local ice cream place (if the dude ever gets out of jail - I won't hold my breath).
Somehow this puppy chow is crunchier and just... great. I used a 2 gallon ziplock bag to shake the powdered sugar into the wet mess... I layered the powdered sugar and then the wet mix in - it worked out great. This is a super simple delicious treat! Just don't let the cat on the table to have a nibble... never realized nothing was safe once you had a cat. Not even the fish!

Waffle Cone Puppy Chow
What you need!
2 boxes of waffle ice cream cones
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 1-gallon ziplock bags

Make it!
Place cones in a large bowl and gentle break them up and set aside. In a medium microwavable bowl, add chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave on High for 1 minute and stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer and stir mixture until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour sauce over cone pieces and stir until evenly coated. Spoon the mixture in 2-gallon resealable ziplock bag. Add 3/4 cup powdered sugar to each bag, and seal. Shake the bag until everything is coated. Spread on waxed/parchment paper to cool. Store in airtight container if any left.

What can I do now to make later easier?

Easter weekend was nuts. The amount of things we packed in between Good Friday and Easter is embarrassing. Not all our own doing, but still - plenty going on. Since I knew the weekend would be packed - and I knew I'd want to have something fun and fresh for Easter morning for breakfast - I made these cinnamon rolls a week ahead. Once I got to the point in the recipe after rolling them and putting them on a tray - I covered them and froze them. I left them in the freezer until the night before, loosened the plastic wrap, turned the oven light on and tossed them in the oven. The next morning they were puffy and amazing. I added the heavy whipping cream and baked them up. I am a cream cheese frosting girl, so icing isn't my jam on cinnamon rolls. It's never Bronwyn's jam... she would rather have naked cinnamon rolls - which seems... wrong, but we won't tell her that. I had some left over cream cheese frosting front a bundt cake that hade me make way too much, so I saved it and tossed it on top of these rolls and they were heavenly. I waited a little bit to put the frosting on since I didn't want it to totally melt in. I love this method of baking. Homemade amazing delicious cinnamon rolls but the work was done the week before so I didn't feel rushed or tired from it! This was 100% in my meal prep wheelhouse, what can I do now to make later easier? It doesn't avoid the work, it just separates it. Worth it!

Mini Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
1 1/3 cup milk
6 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp yeast
1/3 cup warm water
3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
2 eggs
4-5 cups flour
2 tsp salt
Filling
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, warm
Icing
1/2 cup salted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

To start, warm the milk in the microwave for 1 minute. Melt the salted butter and combine with the warm milk. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, warm water and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. It should be bubbly and foamy.
Once the yeast is bubbly and foamy, pour the milk and butter into the mixer along with the remaining granulated sugar, 2 eggs, 2 cups of flour and the salt (added in that order). Use the dough hook to combine the ingredients.
Slowly add the remaining flour, starting with 2 more cups and adding more as needed. The dough will be very soft but you should be able to quickly tap the dough with your finger without the dough sticking to your finger. If it sticks, add a little more flour and test again.
Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
Flour your counter and gently transfer the dough to the floured surface. Flip the dough once so all sides are coated in flour.
Gently roll the dough out to a 15”x24” rectangle.
Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving about 1/2 inch on each long side plain, without any butter.
Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the melted butter and spread evenly.
Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the brown sugar evenly. Gently use the rolling pin to press the cinnamon and sugar mixture into the butter and dough.
Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in half horizontally (the long way) and then cut the dough into 1 inch strips.
Starting in the middle of the dough, roll each strip towards the end of the dough that was left plain. Brush a little bit of water onto the plain dough and then roll the remaining part tightly.
Place roll in a greased cookie sheet and continue rolling the rest of the dough. You should be able to fit 5 across and 6 down.
Cover and place in a warm spot while the oven preheats to 375°F.
Once preheated, pour the warmed heavy cream over the cinnamon rolls and then bake at 375°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing by creaming the butter until smooth.
Mixing the butter on low, add in one cup of powdered sugar and just enough heavy whipping cream to bring the powdered sugar and butter together.
Repeat this previous step until all of the powdered sugar has been added.
Add the vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
Slowly add in more heavy cream to adjust the consistency to your liking.
Frost the warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

The crockpot and leftovers are this moms best friend.

It's currently April and all the activities from school, church and etc are trying their hardest to strangle us with a crazy calendar. The crockpot and leftovers are this moms best friend. Not sure what's for dinner? Leftovers!! But sometimes you have to cook to produce those leftovers. This week's shining start BBQ Chicken. We were able to get frozen chicken breast on super sale at a local "special" grocery store. I won't even try to explain it... just know that you never know what you'll find and when you find it - buy a lot because you may never see it again. I didn't use chicken thighs because I had breasts instead. I used the rest of a bottle or Sweet Baby Rays Honey that we had - since I think I probably bought it by mistake, it worked out great. You can eat it straight, on a bun, with coleslaw, without - whatever your preference is. It made for a tasty dinner that everyone enjoyed, then we raced onto the next thing. I'm looking forward to a few weeks when things aren't nearly as crazy busy. A girl can hope, can't she?

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Thighs
3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thawed (about 8-12 chicken thighs depending on size)
2 cups BBQ sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/8 tsp. black pepper
fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Add the chicken and all ingredients to your slow cooker. Stir gently to combine.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 5-6 hours or until chicken is cooked and tender.
Keep whole and garnish with parsley & enjoy with pilaf, baked potatoes, veggies or shred and add to tacos, sandwiches, sliders, etc.

Sorry we won't be eating cardboard

For Easter this year I wanted to make rolls that were gluten free for my GF brother and nephew - but enough for everyone so they didn't have to bring anything and it would be more simple. Andy didn't really like that idea and wanted brown and serve rolls. You know, that come in cardboard? That taste like cardboard? He loves those things. I do not. And to be honest I didn't even see them in the store. Maybe I wasn't looking, I mean for sure I wasn't, but I still didn't see them. Usually at the holidays there is a giant display of them. I wanted to try this recipe because I could make them the day before, get them out before church to come to room temp, then bake them as soon as I got home. I was NOT great at weighing each dough ball and my rolls were very different in size - but they were very good. I even ate one. The little boys ended up trying to polish off the GF Brazilian Cheese Rolls! Good thing our GF peeps were able to get a few first and last. These are worth making again for sure - they were easy and good.

Soft-Baked Brioche Dinner Rolls (Overnight Recipe)
For the Dough
350 grams all-purpose flour
6 grams instant yeast (see notes for active dry yeast)
5 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
158 grams whole milk (90°F)
1 large egg (room temperature)
30 grams honey
85 grams soft room temperature unsalted butter (6 tablespoons)
Egg Wash
1 large egg
1 teaspoon whole milk
⅛ teaspoon salt

Mix the dough. Combine flour, salt, and yeast the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. In a separate bowl, whisk together warm milk, honey, and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed (KitchenAid speed 2-3) until the dough comes together in a shaggy messy ball on the dough hook, about 3-5 minutes. The dough will look dry at first, but will hydrate as it mixes. Be patient!
Knead the dough. Increase speed to medium (KitchenAid speed 4) and knead until the dough passes the windowpane test, about 7-10 minutes. If the dough hasn't reached windowpane after about 7 minutes, drizzle in an additional ½ teaspoon milk while kneading, then cover and rest for 5-10 minutes. Knead 2-3 minutes more. It should get there!
Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. With the mixer running on medium (KitchenAid speed 4), add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Let each piece fully incorporate before adding more. The dough will look like it is falling apart each time you add more butter, but it will come back together. Pause the mixer to gather the dough around the hook or scrape the butter down into the bowl occasionally as needed. This can take 10-15 minutes. Be patient!
Knead the dough again. Increase speed to medium-high (KitchenAid speed 5-6) and knead until the dough is smooth, shiny, and passes the windowpane test again, about 5 minutes.
Cover and rise. Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl or container. Cover and let rise 1 hour at room temperature (72-75°F) until just about doubled in size. If not doubled after an hour, let it rise an additional 30-60 minutes until doubled. When you push a finger into it, the indentation should spring back slightly but remain visible.
Deflate the dough. Turn dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to gently deflate the dough. Divide the dough into sixteen equal pieces using a kitchen scale (each piece should weigh about 42 grams).
Shape the dinner rolls. Gently flatten each piece of dough against the counter, stacking any smaller pieces on top of larger pieces if you're combining them. Fold or tuck the edges up across the middle of the dough to create a ball, then pinch the edges together to create tension and a smooth round top on the other side of the dough. Place the dough down with the smooth side up and the pinched-together seam on the counter. Cup your hand around it with your pinkie against the counter and scoot it in circles to tighten the seam and further tighten up the top.
Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, then arrange in a greased and parchment-lined square or round baking pan.
Overnight Rise. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge immediately. The dinner rolls will be fine in there for 24-48 hours before baking. They won't double in size but they should fill out the pan a bit more.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the pan from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before baking for the dough to warm up slightly. Whisk together egg, milk, and salt to make the egg wash.
Egg wash and bake. Brush the top of the dinner rolls lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle with any optional toppings (flaky salt, everything bagel seasoning, etc.). Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and an internal temperature of at least 195°F.
Cool. Let the dinner rolls cool slightly in the pan, then carefully use the parchment paper to lift the rolls out of the pan and onto a rack to finish cooling completely.

Serve one amazing thing at a time

Making a chocolate on chocolate cookie for my family is pointless - they won't eat them. I will, but them, less so. So when I have the chance to bake for other people I try the things I've been wanting to try - these cookies were on my list. I was so excited, made them, smashed them with a jar as stated, frosted them, lined them up on a pan.... Andy's guys ate one. Yes they ate the week old cookies I stuck on the table too... but not the freshly made chocolate frosted cookies. One cookie... like 10 guys. What is wrong with ya'll?!? I was bummed but we had another event the next night at friends so we brought them there. I decided to taste one - just to make sure I didn't royally mess them up. They were amazing, crumbly and fudgy and the frosting was perfect. I found my crowd. Everyone there ate them up! The next day at Easter? My nephew kept trying to sneak them! I guess the lesson here is don't have too many delicious options for people, I mean they picked the week old cookies - but those cookies are amazing... so... serve one amazing thing at a time.


The Best Chocolate Frosted Sugar Cookies
4 cups flour
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar + more for rolling
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
For the frosting:
1/2 cup butter softened
2 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder sifted through a fine mesh strainer (to avoid lumps in the frosting)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
To make the cookies, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, eggs and vanilla and mix until well-combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture and mix until combined. The dough will be stiff, but shouldn’t be dry.
Form the dough into 2-inch balls (about the size of a golf ball). Place the cookies several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Place about 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Dip a flat-bottomed glass into the sugar (spray the bottom of the glass with non-stick cooking spray so the sugar adheres, if needed). Press the glass onto a cookie, flattening it to about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with each cookie.
Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the cookies are just set. Do not over bake. Cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting, with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the remaining powered sugar, sifted cocoa powder, heavy cream, and vanilla. Mix for 2-3 minutes until very thick and creamy.
Spread the frosting evenly on the cookies. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Heavy on the lemon - go lighter on the frosting

After last week's reminder that lemon is "not my thing" I made another lemon dessert. This one I did no eat, taste, or try to smell. I even asked Andy to zest and juice before I got home so the air would settle by time I got home to make it. This one was a winner by sheer will and force - I'm assuming it was good - people ate it and asked for more. That's how it works right? I made the frosting as stated but oh my goodness that was a LOT of frosting. Way too much frosting. I saved it and used it on cinnamon rolls a few days later, but that tells you how delicious the frosting alone is! I did have some of that. I think future bakes will be food I can eat, taste, and enjoy. Not food I really wish I could eat, taste, and enjoy.

Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon oil
zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup whole milk
Cream Cheese Frosting
12 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp clear vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the melted butter, canola oil, and granulated sugar until well combined.
While slowly mixing, add the sour cream. Mix until completely combined. Then add one egg at a time, allowing the mixture to combine before adding the next egg.
Once all of the eggs are added, add the lemon juice, lemon oil and the lemon zest. Mix well.
Next, add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the bowl. Begin to mix.
Once the dry ingredients are about halfway mixed in, slowly add in the milk and mix until everything is well combined.
Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray and sprinkle flour into the pan to help the cake not stick.
Pour the finished batter into the prepared bundt pan.
Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before flipping it out onto a cooling rack.
Once the cake is cool, make the cream cheese frosting by creaming together the cream cheese and butter on high for 10 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar and mix well.
Once mixed, stir in the clear vanilla and transfer the frosting to a piping bag.
Pipe stripes of the frosting starting on the outside of the bundt cake and working your way to the center. Repeat around the entire cake.
Use an offset spatula to smooth the frosting in the center of the bundt cake.
Serve and enjoy! Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Testing limits...

I still have lessons to learn when it comes to my allergies to lemons. Like... don't eat it. It was our turn to bring snack for Youth Group and Bronwyn was all about lemon cookies. This recipe - is an absolute winner. I did not zest or juice the lemons - she did that for me. I did mix them up and bake them and tried a very tiny one made from extra dough. Oh heavenly. Soft, pillowy, lemony. SO GOOD! On the night of Youth Group - I ate one before we left. Left my purse - and meds - at home and off we went. For a good part of the evening I couldn't feel my mouth or upper lip. So yeah... they made me promise not to do that again. Not the forgetting my purse part - the eating a lemon cookie. So now the leftovers sit - on my counter - wishing to be eaten by me and knowing... I shouldn't. I promise to let my family enjoy them and stay far far away.

Lemon Cookie Recipe
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup sugar, for rolling cookies

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes.
Add in the lemon juice and egg, beat again to combine.
Gradually add in the flour, baking soda and salt, mixing by hand with a spatula until combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Place 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl for rolling the cookies.
Use a cookie scoop to form balls, rolling each ball into the sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a silicone lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges have a faint golden color.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Roll it, spread it, pour over and bake.

Why are Mondays so hard? Even when they really aren't? I have been trying to plan easier meals on Mondays just in case Monday are rough. While yesterday wasn't really rough - premaking these Lasagna Roll Ups sure made dinner easy. Andy pulled it from the fridge during his lunch and then I popped it in the oven when I got home. Dinner was ready when every was home from wherever they were and no one had to work too hard for it. I did spend my Saturday morning making it - but by Monday night? That's long forgotten. My weeknight self often appreciates my weekend self for meal prep. These Roll Ups were actually very easy to make. Boil some noodles, cook some meat, spread some filling, roll up, pour sauce, and sprinkle cheese. These would also probably freeze well. I did all 18 lasagna noodles in the box because what are you going to do with 3-6 random noodles in a box? Also we like extra noodles. For sure a "make again" from all at the table.

Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

12-15 lasagna noodles
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1, 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. parsley (fresh, roughly chopped)
10 oz. Mozzarella cheese (fresh) (shredded (about 2.5 cups))
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
1/3 cup Asiago cheese (shredded)
1/3 cup Romano cheese (shredded)
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper (to taste)
16. oz. Ground Italian Sausage, cooked (optional)
1 (24 oz.) jar Marinara of choice

Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Using tongs, carefully remove them from the stockpot and align them on parchment or wax paper, side by side. Preheat oven to 375°F.
For the cheese filling: In a mixing bowl stir together the thawed spinach (moisture squeezed out), ricotta cheese, egg, parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a separate bowl, combine the Mozzarella cheese, Asiago cheese, Parmesan cheese and Romano cheese. Stir 2 cups of the cheese into the ricotta/egg mixture and reserve leftover cheese for sprinkling on the roll ups prior to baking.
To assemble lasagna roll ups: Spread 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture evenly along length of the noodles (You can just use your hands, it's easier). Add meat on top of cheese, if using.
Roll noodles up jelly roll style to opposite end. Pour about 1 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Place lasagna roll ups in baking dish then cover the top with remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in preheated oven 30-35 minutes, or until heated through.
Let cool for ~5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy with more red sauce on top if desired.

Salt Appropriately - unlike me.

This crew loves a good mushroom and chicken dish, add some orzo and we are talking a winner. This was a pretty easy dish for a Tuesday night. We even had Marsala wine which was a winner. I will say that I did add extra chicken broth since it seems to get sucked up pretty quickly by the orzo. Did I add way too much salt? Oh my goodness yes... WAY too much. We did all enjoy it - but we also needed a lot of water. For reference the next night I really undersalted what I was making. I believe in over or under - rarely getting it just right. Ehhh. Oh well.

Marsala Chicken Orzo
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup orzo pasta
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and fully cooked.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Prepare the Mushrooms:
In the same skillet, melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes until browned.
Add the minced garlic and dried thyme, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
Deglaze with Marsala Wine:
Pour in the Marsala wine, scraping the skillet to release browned bits.
Let the wine simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce slightly.
Add chicken broth to the skillet and bring to a gentle simmer.
Stir in the orzo and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream until the sauce is creamy and smooth.
Return the chicken to the skillet to warm through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.

A party planner I am not

For well over 6 months I've been planning a tea party. Why yes that is what I said - a tea party! Our girls club at church this year has been blessed with a prayer partner for each girl (which wasn't the easiest to wrangle but I'm getting better at twisting older women's arms but not breaking them). To almost finish off the season we had a night where the prayer partners came and worked on an etiquette badge with the girls (one on one) and then they enjoyed a tea party together complete with tea (and hot cocoa), cupcakes, and sugar cookies. This all took quite a bit of planning and trying to lay it all out so I could get the baking done and decor done. I opted to bake ahead and make the cookie cut outs ahead. For the cupcakes I baked them about 10 days early and froze them so all I needed to do was thaw, make frosting and pipe them. The cookies I rolled them out, cut them out and froze them, then stacked with parchment paper. I baked them a day or two before and they worked out perfectly. It really made the stress of the event less that I had premade all the goodies. The evening turned out wonderful - the ladies and girls all had a wonderful time and the treats were wonderful. These cookies were great - not super sweet - the sprinkles added the extra sweetness and did not need any extra frosting - but I'm sure you could add some if you want to. When baking I let them sit on the tray a few minutes so they weren't rock hard - they did not spread at all, they baked perfect with maybe a few extra minutes than what the recipe recommends since they were out of the freezer.

Rainbow Funfetti Cut-out Cookies
1 c (two sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of almond extract
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking power
1 tsp salt
1/2 c rainbow jimmies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream together the butter and sugar and whip until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and extracts and mix until well combined.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder then add to the wet mixture one cup at a time until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated.
Add sprinkles and mix until just combined.
Divide the dough into evenly sized pieces and roll out on lightly floured parchment paper to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 7-9 minutes until done.

Procrastinating the Procrasibaking

I've been dreaming of this focaccia since I first saw pictures online of similar recipes. It felt really daunting so I avoided it for quite a while, but it's not dauting... at all. Actually - it's honestly a lot of sitting around and waiting. Not that we sat around for any of the waiting - not a busy Saturday in our household. This was going to be breakfast for Sunday morning but after a 14 hour Saturday work day for Andy... we all sat around the counter and dug in. It was worth the effort and all the overthinking. The texture was almost an apple fritter so I may try to do one with apples next time. It's rare that my kids actually tell me to save a recipe to make again - and everyone has seconds... but it happened and oh man I will certainly be making this again. Also planning more sweet flavors because yes and yes!

Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
500g (4 cups) white bread flour (12% protein or higher)
390-420ml (1.75 cups) warm water
15ml (1 Tablespoon) extra virgin olive oil
6g (1.5 teaspoons) instant yeast
5g (1 teaspoon) honey
10g (2 teaspoons) fine sea salt

Whisk together warm water, olive oil, honey and yeast. Stir in bread flour and salt. Cover and rest at room temp for 15 minutes.
Stretch + fold the dough over itself and rotate the bowl a quarter turn - do this about 8 times around the bowl. Cover and rest at room temp for 15 minutes.
Repeat the stretch + folds once more, cover and proof at room temp for 1-1.5 hours.
While the dough is proofing, make the cinnamon filling.

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup (115g) salted butter, browned
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
1.5 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the browned butter with the brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Set aside.
When the dough has finished proofing, line the parchment on the tray with 2 tbsp melted salted butter instead of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the tray (9x13 inch) and gently stretch the dough to edges. Spread half of the filling over the dough and fold up as seen in this video. Flip the dough over and cover to finish proofing at room temp for 1-1.5 hours.
Preheat oven to 420F, place rack in lowest position.
You’ll need to warm up the cinnamon sugar butter to make it drizzling consistency again (it hardens as it cools). Spread over the top of dough evenly and dimple in.
Bake for 18-23 minutes.
While it bakes, whisk up the glaze:
1 cup (125g) powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp (30-45ml) milk
Dash vanilla extract
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Drizzle over the focaccia once it’s out of oven, brush on top, sides and bottom (rubbing the bottom in tray that’s been brushed with the glaze).
Transfer to cooling rack for glaze to harden (about 15 mins!).

Dessert Potluck - what a way to go out!

The last four weeks I've been helping ordering and planning dinners for our church Bible Study. I'm used to feeing 4 people so feeding over 150 was interesting. For the last week we did something our church does really well - dessert buffet. We laid out dinner food - but kept adding more and more tables for all the different desserts that people brought to share. Church people love a good potluck and a dessert potluck even more so.
I decided a chocolate donut cake since chocolate usually doesn't fly in my household that well. This batter was amazing - the cake baked beautifully, the glaze was way too much and overflowed the plate and everything was all sorts of sticky. I thought the cake needed that glaze, or something to dunk the cake into - it was a bit dry - I thought. My coworkers ate the left overs and didn't seem to complain... Usually I go home from church with a clean plate - but not with a dessert spread like that! It was wonderful to see so many people sharing their desserting skills. I'm ready to just feed four people for a while... until it's VBS time.

Chocolate Donut Cake Recipe
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup full fat sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup hot water
For Donut Glaze
3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 – 1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-12 cup bundt pan generously with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the vanilla and mix until just combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cardamom. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk and sour cream. Mix until just barely combined with a few streaks of flour remaining. Do not over mix.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the hot water. Stir with with a rubber spatula until the batter is smooth.
Transfer the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Tap pan firmly on the countertop 3 times to release any air bubbles.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs remaining. If the top of the cake is browning too quickly, loosely cover the top with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for exactly 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use a cooling rack or cake platter to invert the cake. Flip the cake once more to expose the rough bottom face up. Cool completely before adding the glaze.
For Donut Glaze
In a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth and pourable. If glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add more milk.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, being sure to drench the top allow the glaze to drip over the sides of the cake. The glaze will harden as it sits. For best results, allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Covered the pan in Gluten

Our favorite thing about the Brazilian Steak house in DC was... the cheese rolls. Puffy little delicious balls of doughy cheesiness. They kept bringing them out and we kept eating them. When I saw a recipe for them, I knew I wanted to give them a try. They don't contain what flour, but instead tapioca flour - which isn't on my general shopping list - nor in my pantry. I ended up hunting but I did find it. While these are naturally gluten free I did spray the pan with gluten to ensure they came out - Pam with flour. If I were making them for someone who was GF - I'd be more careful but since it was just us - I sprayed that pan with gluten! I used mini muffin pans and this recipe made 20 two bite puffed up rolls. It was impressive watching them bake in the oven and puff right out of their muffin well. These were a hit with our crew. And certainly something to consider at our next family event where something GF is necessary for the GF folks.

Brazilian Cheese Rolls | Pão de Queijo
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup tapioca flour sometimes labeled tapioca starch no substitutions
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese preferably medium or sharp
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Optional: extra cheese to sprinkle on top and any herbs/flavorings you’d like to add. Try rosemary and or garlic powder my favorites!

Instructions
Quick Blender Version:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini (or about 7 wells of a regular-size) muffin tin with non-stick spray or rub with butter. Make sure the whole surface and sides of the well are coated or they will stick.
Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add cheeses and pulse just a couple times.
Immediately pour batter into muffin tin. If you let your batter sit before filling your muffin tins, the ingredients can settle and result in uneven rolls. Fill each well about 3/4 full. If desired, sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan. Serve warm.

A little salty goodness

Why have one go to chocolate chip cookie - when you can just keep trying more recipes and finding more amazing ways to eat chocolate chip cookies? Now did I forget the sea salt on top? Yeah... would they have benefited? I'm sure they would have but they were also just amazing as is. We are having four Sundays in a row to church dinners which I've been organizing and if I'm asking other people to bring cookies? I am too. Last week my container of cookies kind of went, but not great. The people who know which ones I brought - took many cookies, others? Not so much. This week? I brought these cookies and I took an empty container home - my favorite kind of container after this sort of event - empty. That means, not only did my family love these, so did everyone else. I also used to be way better on my chocolate chop game, I always had a full container in the cabinet - lately I've had to borrow from the sad milk chocolate chop container because I keep running out of semi-sweet. Good thing that these cookies can handle the mix - because they were so good. I may have to make another batch and add the salt on top - what doesn't benefit from a little salty goodness?

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup salted butter
1 ¼ cups packed light or dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon table salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper; set aside.
For the brown butter, cut the butter into pieces and add to a 10-inch skillet (preferably light-colored so you can see easily when the butter has browned). Heat over medium heat, stirring as the butter melts so that it cooks evenly.
As the butter continues to cook, constantly and slowly stir with a silicone spatula. The butter will foam, sizzle, bubble, and after a few minutes (anywhere from 5 to 8 minute), the solids in the butter will begin to turn golden. Brown butter can burn easily, so don't walk away!
When the butter solids are browned and golden and it smells caramelly and fragrant, immediately remove the skillet from the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl.
For the cookies, to the bowl with the brown butter, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir to combine. Let the mixture sit until just barely warm or cooled to room temperature, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, and stir until well-combined and the batter is light and creamy.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until a few dry streaks remain.
Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly combined. Let the batter rest while the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (Make sure the oven is preheated fully before baking the cookies – if the oven isn't hot enough, the cookies will likely spread while baking.)
Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon size portions (I use a #40 medium cookie scoop) and roll into balls. Place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 11 minutes until the cookies are just set around the edges and a bit crackly on top. For super soft and chewy cookies, don't over bake.
Immediately out of the oven, sprinkle a few grains of sea salt on each cookie, if desired.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Giving Creami recipes a home here

So two years ago I hopped on the Ninja Creami train because it looked so fun. I had decided I wasn't going to post recipes because it is really a niche gadget but now I find myself losing my recipes and not remember which were the good ones... so let's start posting them somewhere! This sorbet recipe is our absolute go to for all kinds of fruit, my favorite is strawberry. We've used it for strawberry, blueberry, peaches, and even mango. Sometimes when we have a mix of berries - we toss them all in and give it a whirl. It's simple, a pound of fruit and a quarter cup of sugar. Toss it in the chopper add the sugar, freeze in the pints. We were at our favorite odd grocery store a few nights ago and we got 4 pounds of strawberries for $4. Yes that's an amazing deal! They were a bit on the ripe side so I knew we needed to use them soon, sorbet was the perfect thing for ripe fruit! Nicholas cut up and pureed the fruit in the chopper. It's important to let it sit in the freezer for 24 hours so we had to wait - that's why anyone who gets this insanely LOUD machine I suggest they get more pints. That way you always have something ready to go in the freezer. We waited a few nights and last night I spun up two pints for the four of us. The perfect cool treat that we all love.

Ninja Creami Strawberry Sorbet
Ingredients
16-ounce container of fresh strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Wash, hull, and halve the fresh strawberries. Place in the bowl of a food processor.
Add sugar to the bowl of the food processor. Puree until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a Ninja Creami pint container and secure the lid. Place on a level surface in the freezer and freeze for 24 hours.
Remove pint container from freezer and remove lid. Place pint into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and lock the outer bowl lid into place.
Secure the outer bowl into the Ninja Creami machine. Press the Sorbet button and let the cycle run (this should take about 2 minutes).
Remove outer bowl from machine and take off the lid. If the mixture appears crumbly, add a tablespoon of lemon juice, then return to the machine and press the Re-Spin button. If necessary, repeat re-spin cycle until desired texture is achieved.
Scoop and serve!