Re-Visited: Cooking Club #4

[Original post date Nov. 2011. --Updated 8/25/14: original, but separate, content, with updated photos and/or more details, if available.]


---> Cooking Club is coming up soon, and now that I'm blogging, I want to share these moments but I thought I should play catch-up first. So without further ado, here (and in more posts to come) is what we've been up to. Enjoy!

Jenny and I putting the final touches on the cupcakes.

#4 October: Interpretation of Orange

The Menu:

         Beverage

Orange Dream Delights

         Main Course

Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce

Ma Po Tofu

        Sides

Apricot Kielbasa Slices

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Sauce

Orange Rice Skillet

        Desserts

Peaches 'N Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

Mandarin Orange Fluff Dessert

I'd like to announce that Cooking Club now has eight members! Apparently my co-workers love to cook, which is awesome. This month our fellow co-worker, Kelly along with her two teenaged-daughters, Angelica and Rosea, and Jessica's sister Melanie joined. There was so much fun and craziness going on in Jessica's small kitchen. We actually had to make our dishes in shifts, but that just meant more hands to help. 

And this month's theme, not sure where it came from, but it left the guidelines wide open. We could either use an actual orange, or any ingredient that was the color orange.

Remember how I went on and on about peaches and them being my favorite fruit and all in the cobbler Cooking Club post, well guess what I brought this month that was orange?

PEACHES. Yes. 

Again, I spent hours going through cookbooks (I have a plethora; I guess it's something I collect) trying to find the perfect "orange" recipe. Nothing satisfied, and I remembered that I had marked some recipes online. Enter Peaches 'N Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes.

Another thing you need to know about me: I.LOVE.CHEESECAKE. There aren't even the right words in our English language to describe my love for this sinful dessert. Every year on my birthday, instead of cake, I get CHEESEcake. I'm so in love. Mr. B understands. I love cheesecake like he loves pretzels. However, I never keep it in the house because I too will devour it in its entirety.

Cheesecake + peaches = perfection.

So imagine my disappointment when these failed. Jessica said she thought they were great and was planning on making them again the following week, but I disagreed. I know cheesecake. And there was just something about the way these set up that wasn't cheesecake-worthy.

My recipe looks yummy.

Ugh.

Everything else was tasty, except the Mandarin Orange Fluff Dessert. It had pineapple. I hate pineapple. I can detect it in anything. [Trust me, my family has tried to pull one on me here and there. But I always know.] Alas, that is another Cooking Club rule: You must take at least one bite of every dish. (However now, after my strong fight to worm my way out of tasting, we all know who doesn't like what and we adjust our recipes accordingly. Of course, this excludes any allergies, or insensitivities, which we aim to avoid any way.)

This month my favorite recipe was the Apricot Kielbasa Slices that Rosea made. Quite tasty, and I think my hubby would even approve. Also, we had our first Cooking Club mishap. Apparently Andrew's pan was a little too hot, and when he added the chili oil, the kitchen was engulfed in spicy fumes. We were all gasping for fresh air!

Apricot Kielbasa Slices

Andrew's Ma Pa Tofu cleared the kitchen.

The spicy fumes were so much, we all ended up outside gasping
for fresh air. My lungs were burning!

*I hope you enjoyed these Cooking Club snippets. There are many more to come as I try to play catch-up before this month's meeting. I hope these themes, and even Cooking Club itself, inspire you to gather with your friends and family in the kitchen, and make sweet moments (and delicious food) of your own.

**I've only included the recipes to the dishes I made. Only because I'm unsure of where everyone got theirs...and hey, we gotta give credit where credit is due. If you have any questions about the other dishes, I'll ask the other members where they got their recipes and pass it along!

Check out our previous meetings!
Cooking Club #1
Cooking Club #2
Cooking Club #3

[Update: I've included the link to Jessica's homemade pumpkin ravioli recipe, and a few more pictures of my favorite tasty dishes recreated at home.]

Pssst...In honor of National Peach Month, here are a few of my favorite peach dishes, including a great morning smoothie, a family favorite cobbler, and a mouth-watering tart. What's your favorite peach dish?

With Love and God Bless,

Brindi

Dessert of the Month

Hi. I'm just going to come right out and tell y'all I had planned on sharing some fantastic "Dessert of the Month" review post today.

I was going to make this mouth-watering cheesecake over the weekend (because today is National Cheesecake Day!) but life had other plans. Like the oven not working. The broiler worked. The stove top worked. But no oven. Funny thing though, it worked seven hours ago when I made this fantastic Cheddar-Apple Brunch Tart for my jewelry party earlier that Saturday.

My graham cracker crust was ready to go in and I was about to mix the cream cheese until delightfully smooth when I realized the oven should have preheated already. NOPE. Nada. "Nuttin'!" (<---Yukon Cornelius, anyone?)

Not awesome. Not okay. By gosh, I wanted cheesecake! It's bad enough cheesecake is already a two-day process with a working oven. Remember when this happened to me last year? Why does the oven go out when I'm ready to make a planned-weeks-in-advance-delicious dessert for family???

"Because our oven is 21 years old," Mr. B tells me.

It's of drinking age, and apparently this weekend it had one too many.

Alas, I covered the unbeaten cream cheese, and the not-yet-golden crust, and put everything back in the fridge with sweet dreams of waking up to an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Hey, it worked before. Not this time. Sunday found Mr. B and I shopping for a new stove. It's currently on back order and will not arrive until August 9th. No oven. No grill. Makes for one raw summer.

But, I couldn't get over not enjoying my belated birthday cheesecake. It was lemon, too, my favorite. I needed to finish it, and I was not waiting two weeks. This led to a surprise visit to the in-laws to use the oven and enjoy an unexpected dinner with promises of providing cheesecake for dessert...but not until tomorrow (because it's a two-day process kind of dessert, you know. Ugh). So now we had to wait until Monday.

I should have known starting with a broken oven was a bad sign and should have abandoned the entire dessert. Settled for a creamy frappuccino or a big cone of ice cream. But no, I was determined to make this cheesecake. Apparently, I was so worried/paranoid about my in-laws oven possibly not working, I pulled the cheesecake out at the said time, gave it a jiggle, decided there was a little too much wiggle, and put it back in. (Only then realizing the recipe mentioned a 13" pan and I was using a 9"pan. I need to compensate for the height, so more time shouldn't hurt.) I'm pretty sure I over-compensated. And while fretting over whether or not it was baked enough in the middle, while transporting it to a cooling rack I burnt.the.heck.out.of.my.arms. OUCH.

My burns three days later...

"At least it's uniform," Mr. B tells me.

Ai yi yi. Then the cake fell in the middle when I gently spooned on the Greek yogurt topping (instead of sour cream). Finally, I took my sad little cheesecake home to finish the glaze on our stove top because, yes, that was working.

It was a disaster from the start. Hopefully, a night in the fridge would bring it back to life.

Guess what I had Monday morning for breakfast?

Lemon cheesecake. It was more like a lemon cheesecake trying its hardest to be a lemon cheesecake, yet it had all the angst of the oven dilemma in it. Instead of love, of course. You know, the it's so good because it's made with love saying? Yeah, well mine was made with over-worked patience and burnt arms. And, to me, it tasted like it. Over-cooked, not enough pucker in the cheesecake, and (believe it or not) not enough sugar in the not-as-yellow-as-the-photo glaze.

My worst cheesecake-making experience ever.

I guess there's a reason I only make this once a year. And now that I'm trying to enjoy it, I don't really think I like cheesecake as much as I used to. I'm definitely retracting it as my favorite dessert. Yes, I'm positive ice cream is my favorite.

BUT. Let me tell you about this crust. The recipe called for butter, but I used coconut oil instead and cut the sugar in half. Ohhhh.Emmmm.Geeeee. I will make my cheesecake crust no other way from now on I promise you. And I'm not a crust person, so this is saying a lot. Actually, I just want to eat the entire crust while I pretend to eat the cheesecake.

Of course, a second opinion is always needed. Later that Monday, the in-laws were stopping by for some of their promised dessert, and as I walked out the door I hastily told Mr. B to send the entire cheesecake with them if they liked it. After work, while driving home I thought about trying the cheesecake again just to see if I still felt the same way. And if I did, well there was always the crust. It seems Mr. B was actually listening when spoken to this morning, and sent the entire cheesecake home with them. Just a tad bummed, I settled for a deli sandwich before bed instead.

However, my in-laws seemed to enjoy the cheesecake, saying it was very delicious. Yesterday morning even, I received a text from my step father-in-law (Happy Father-in-Law Day, by the way) saying it was even better the next day.

I guess it wasn't too much of a disaster. To each his own....

Cheers to National Cheesecake Day. Yum.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Dessert of the Month

This month I'm introducing a new feature I'm hoping to continue on the blog (cough...I have the best of intentions...cough). It's called "Dessert of the Month", where I showcase a succulent dessert recipe I stumbled upon somewhere and am dying to make my mouth waters just thinking about it.

February seemed like the perfect month to start because 1) it's the shortest month and it needs a little something special, and 2) I just thought of it a few days ago when I wanted to make these brownies and really didn't have a reason (but, who am I kidding, who needs a reason to make brownies?) so I created one.

And these brownies are perfect for February because they're pink.

And I probably should have made these for Valentine's Day now that I'm thinking of it. But I'm thinking a little celebration for the end of the month will do just fine.

I found these brownies on Pinterest, of course, and immediately thought these would be my next baking project. I mean they have chocolate, espresso, cream cheese, and fresh blackberries (which are in abundance at my grocery store right now). Perfect.

And you can eat the batter...no eggs :)

However, when I took a peek at the recipe I knew I'd have to make some Sweet B adjustments. I like to indulge every once in a while, but I still try to keep it natural and healthy (well, healthier). With my substitutions, I was able to cut out 135 calories. Yes, I'm excited to share these delicious gems with you!

Fresh Blackberry Cheesecake Swirled Brownies
*adapted from Beantown Baker's recipe

Makes 16 brownies

For the Blackberry Sauce:
6 oz fresh blackberries, washed
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp water

Place blackberries and sugar in a pan and heat until the blackberries release their juices. Combine cornstarch, juice, and water in a small bowl. Stir together until smooth. Add slurry to pan and stir to mix completely. Bring mixture to boil for a few minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

For the Brownie Batter:
1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c + 1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract + 1/2 Tbsp, divided
1/2 c + 2 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp espresso powder
2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp water (= 2 flax eggs)
3/4 c black beans, pureed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8" baking dish.

In a bowl melt butter in the microwave. Then add olive oil, 1 tsp vanilla, and sugar; stir to combine. Return the mixture to the microwave and heat another 30 seconds. (Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.) Transfer the sugar mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and 1/2 Tbsp vanilla. Whisk in the flax eggs, stirring until smooth. Add the pureed beans, mixing thoroughly.

For the Cheesecake:
8 oz Greek yogurt, plain
1 egg
1/4 c sugar
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp flour (or use cornstarch to be completely GF)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add all ingredients into a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Add the blackberry sauce and stir until mixed thoroughly.

To Assemble the Brownies:
Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan, and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife back and forth through the pan. (My substitutions make the batter thick and the cheesecake part a little runny. So if it doesn't swirl perfectly, it's okay.) Bake for 55 minutes (it will still be jiggly and the brownies are gooey so don't fret), or until center is set. Turn oven off and let brownies cool in oven about 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving. (I put mine in the freezer to speed up the process.)

Nutritional Information
Per brownie: 127 Calories, 16 Carbs, 7 Fat, 3 Protein, 3 Fiber, 11 Sugar

These are gooey and fudgey, and the berries and espresso bring so much flavor. My new favorite brownie recipe. Ever.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars

Raise your hand if you like Tiramisu.

My friend Kylee loves Tiramisu. In fact, she's probably staring at her computer screen, waving both hands in the air and shouting, "Me! Me! I do! Me!"

Sigh. I miss my Kylee, who now resides in Indiana, and who I have not seen since her wedding in August. Being adults suck....with our crazy-busy lives. I miss the days when I used to lounge around watching FRIENDS, sharing a plate of tortilla chips smothered in cheese and Red Hot with Ky and Jess. (I wrote about Jess over here.) Ahhh, those were the days. Our only concerns were tomorrow's exams and the ridiculous line at Rosie's <--- which had the best baked potatoes and Philly sandwiches in Kent.

While I was making these Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars for my work's Christmas party a few weeks ago, I thought of Kylee and how she'd be here demanding to lick the spoon. But since she wasn't, someone had to do it. I gladly took that job. And it was de-licious.



And so were these bars. The hazelnut-flavored coffee was perfect-O. The sugar cookie crust had a nice crunch and the cheesecake layer was perfectly creamy. The whole bar had a melt-in-your-mouth kind of feeling. Yum.

So here's a little step-by-step photo shoot of these delectable little squares.

First, you prepare the cookie dough and bake it off until golden. And then let it cool a bit.

Then pour on the creamy cheesecake layer. Bake that for a little over a half an hour; cool and chill for an hour.

Meanwhile, whip up this amazing, fluffy topping that consists of more cream cheese and chocolate decorations to make it look fabulous. And then chill some more, which is definitely the hardest part any time cheesecake anything is involved.

The best thing about bars: You don't have to serve them in the dish you baked them in, or as a whole (unlike cake). They're much prettier on a platter, which means no one has to know you already tried one...or two.

Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars

*adapted from Betty Crocker's Christmas Cookies

Yields 36 bars

1 pouch sugar cookie mix

2 Tbsp flour

1/3 c butter, softened

1 egg, slightly beaten + 2 eggs

2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 Tbsp instant hazelnut-flavored coffee granules (or whatever you can find)

2 tsp vanilla

1 c mini semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9" pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix with flour, butter and slightly beaten egg until soft dough forms. Press dough into bottom of pan. Bake 15-18 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in another large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add condensed milk; beat until well blended. Add coffee, vanilla and 2 eggs; beat until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour over cookie base. Bake 35-40 minutes or until set. Cool at room temp for 30 minutes. Refrigerate 30 minutes to cool completely.

Topping:

6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c whipping cream
Chocolate shards, pieces, sprinkles, curls, etc. for garnish (it makes it look pretty)

While chilling, in small bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in whipping cream; beat about 2 minutes longer or until fluffy. Spread mixture over cooled bars. Garnish with chocolate. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Store covered in refrigerator.

Nutritional Information
Per serving: Calories 210; Total Fat 13; Protein 3

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

My Holiday Baking List

It's that time of year again. Time to put on the sounds of the season, bring out the KitchenAid and gather with friends and family to start my long list of holiday baking. Unfortunately, my list is getting sooooo long that I'm not sure if I'll be able to make them all....but I will do my baking darnedest!



Every Christmas I send off cookie platters to family, friends, co-workers, and always take to holiday gatherings. Besides, I love any excuse to bake! Here are the ones I'm hoping to get onto my platters:

Grandma's Cut-Outs. First off, I have to make my Grandma Barb's classic Cream Cheese Cut-Outs. They're a family recipe and make an appearance at every holiday/family event. These are a must.

Fat Fluffy Snickerdoodles. I've got a headstart and made these cookies this past weekend. Definitely my favorite Snickerdoodle recipe yet! Head on over to Jessica's blog and check it out, and while you're there, take a gander at her holiday baking list.

Browned Butter Cookies with Caramel Frosting. Right behind chocolate chip, these cookies are my husband's favorite, so I have to find room for these on the list every season.

Almond Blueberry Cookies <--- my favorite cookie in the whole world. Tastes just like a blueberry muffin!

Apricot Pinwheels. I made these last year during our Cooking Club Cookie Exchange. My grandpa loved these and I promised him his own special batch this year.

Hot Cocoa Cookies. I always make one chocolate cookie, and this season these looked mouth-watering. I can't wait!

Raspberry-Lemon Thumbprints. These are two of my favorite baking ingredients, so I had to give this recipe a try. (I've never made a thumbprint cookie before.)

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies <---These look heavenly!!!! By far the cookie I'm most excited to try.

Skinny Peanut Butter Cookies. I love anything peanut butter, and a healthier cookie...yes, please.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars. I always make a bar for my Christmas platter and figured I'd try something new this year.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Of course I have to make these. I already made one batch last weekend, and I'm sure my husband will request another batch.

Chocolate-Dipped Clementines. I love dipping fruit in chocolate. It reminds me of those orange chocolate slammers Mama used to put in my stocking when I was little. Yum.

Lemon Bread <--- LOVE my lemon bread. I have to make it a least once a year and I can't believe I haven't made it yet!

Mocha Scones. These look delectable and something fun and different to add to the list.

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars. These bars are for my co-workers on my Monday shift. We always bring in food for each other to try, and once I saw these I knew I had to make them ASAP.

Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars. These yummy treats are for my work's Christmas Party. Last year I took a tray of cookies and the year before that I made a light lemon cake. I found out people prefer bite size food versus cake.

Homemade Apple Butter. (which I made earlier this year for one of my Cooking Club recipes)
Candied Almonds. I'm making these two recipes to give as homemade gifts this year. A little something warm and sweet for the holiday season.

I always make something sweet and tasty for Christmas morning. This year it's this yummy dish:

Single-Serve Monkey Bread.
Mama used to make this all the time when I was little and it was a childhood favorite.

I've also bagged up a few of the Snickerdoodles and Chocolate Chips and shipped them off in a cute box to my brother down in Myrtle Beach. I miss him so much (he couldn't fly home for Thanksgiving, but he'll be home for Christmas!) and I wanted to send him a tasty home sweet home courtesy of his loving sister.

What's on your baking list this season?

Happy Holiday Baking!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi