Tag Archives: ginger

Lemon-Ginger Icebox Cake

11 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by in Desserts, Easy, Entertaining

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I will repeatedly tell you that icebox cakes are one of the most versatile, easy, and impressive desserts you can make. All you need are thin wafter cookies, some sort of delicious filling, and a springform pan.

Proof that they are versatile: Chocolate Strawberry Icebox Cake and Peaches N’ Cream Icebox Cake

Proof they are easy: I am the new mother of a two month old and I managed to make this cake between feedings.

Proof they are impressive: It’s a cake you don’t have to bake…come on! It looks like a lot of work and it’s not. We served this to a party of 6 and everyone loved it! Continue reading →

Slice and Bake Sugar Cookies with ALL of the fillings!

15 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by in Baking, Cookies, Desserts, LuLu's Classics

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Slice and Bake

After a few disastrous cookie decorating experiences, I vowed that my last sugar cookies of 2015 would be really low maintenance – aka no piping or pastry art required. Then I thought, do you even have to roll out the dough with this cookie recipe? What if we added fun ingredients to the dough instead of making frosting?

Slice and Bake

Enter my fall-themed slice and bake sugar cookies – white chocolate, dried cranberries, candied ginger, and a touch of orange zest. I was SO happy with the end result. It turns out this classic sugar cookie recipe works great as a “slice and bake” cookie palette as well. For someone like me who will leave sugar cookie dough in the freezer for months just to avoid the task of rolling out the dough then decorating the cookies, this may be a much better way to go in the future. With this new take on sugar cookies, all you have to do is be patient waiting for the dough to chill, then you slice and bake and you are DONE!

Slice and Bake

I wanted these cookies to feel somewhat festive, and I thought adding white chocolate, dried cranberries, candied ginger and orange zest was a good way to go. They are reminiscent of the “cranberry bliss” flavor that is popular this time of year. In the future, I’ll definitely be trying different flavors!

Slice and Bake

Recipe
Cranberry Orange Slice and Bake Sugar Cookies
By Baked Northwest
Makes about 4 dozen small cookies

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp nutmeg
4 cups flour
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped candied ginger
1 tbsp. grated orange zest

Directions

In a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, mix thoroughly. Add sour cream, mix thoroughly.

Sift together flour, salt, soda, baking powder and nutmeg. Add to butter mixture in
two parts and mix thoroughly. Fold in the white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, candied ginger and orange zest.

Divide the dough into two round logs and wrap each in wax paper. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove and unwrap the dough, and with a sharp knife, slice cookies about 1/2 inch thick. Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake the cookies at 400 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes. You never want them to get too browned around the edges, or they’ll be super crunchy. We like ours on the softer side.

Gingerbread Dutch Baby

06 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by in Baking, Breads, Breakfast, Holidays

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Gingerbread Dutch Baby

Happy Saturday! Just a quick and easy little holiday breakfast recipe for you. My obsession with Smitten Kitchen continues…and I made this gingerbread dutch baby this morning. I didn’t stray too far from the original recipe, but I used a 10 inch cast iron skillet instead of a 9, cut back on the butter and used nonfat milk instead of whole. Enjoy!

Recipe
Gingerbread Dutch Baby
Makes 1 (10 inch) Dutch Baby, serving 2
adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp unsulfured molasses
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp (a dash or two) ground ginger
  • pinch of ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp (dash or two) nutmeg
  • dash salt
  • 1/3 cup milk (I used nonfat, though the recipes suggests to use whole)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • Powdered sugar and maple syrup, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Crack the eggs into a blender and run until they are pale in color. Add remaining ingredients except for the butter and powdered sugar, and process until smooth. Add the butter to the cast iron skillet (I used a 10 inch, though the recipe suggested a 9 inch) and put in the oven for a minute until the butter is melted. Swirl the butter around and up the sides, making sure the pan is nicely coated.

Pour the batter into the prepared skillet, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pancake has puffed up and browned a bit. Mine went in for the full 20 minutes and didn’t really poof until the last five minutes of baking.

Remove pancake from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve slices directly from the cast iron skillet with warm maple syrup.

Pumpkin Bread (with some special add-ins)

21 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Baking, Breads, Desserts, Easy, Holidays

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Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread is kind of a ‘duh’ thing to be making right now. I mean…………it’s time for pumpkin EVERYTHING. This year is worse than any other year. I have never seen so many ridiculous flavored pumpkin things…but that didn’t stop me from buying some “Limited Edition” Pumpkin Spice flavored “morsels” (do you HATE the word morsels too?).

Pumpkin Mini Loaves

Yeah – I just had to. But thankfully, I found a pumpkin bread recipe that will last for years to come. It will still be good even after these pumpkin chips get discontinued forever and ever. It will taste good in July, considering the way things are going these days Halloween stuff will probably start hitting the stores mid-summer in the years to come.

Pumpkin Bread

The reason this pumpkin bread recipe is great is because you use an ENTIRE can of pumpkin. Nothing is worse than opening a can of pumpkin and having half of it sitting around with you twiddling your thumbs, not knowing what to do with it. Yes – this recipe makes 3 loaves, but the bread freezes great, and ’tis the season to start pawning off all of your baked goods on family and friends.

tasty fillings

Loaf and mini loaves

Side note: I really like using a mini-loaf pan for these sorts of things because they are super fun. If you don’t have a mini loaf pan, use the cheap store-bought foil ones – they work WAY better than my fancy Le Creuset loaf pan (sad but true).

Pumpkin Bread

Until next year, pumpkin bread. I’ll definitely be revisiting this recipe. Do you have any favorite pumpkin bread recipes you would like to share? I’d love to find the ultimate recipe, and for now this one is close!

Recipe
Pumpkin Bread (with pumpkin chips and walnuts!)
makes 3 (7×3 inch) loaf pans, or about 24 mini loaves
adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 cup chopped, roasted walnuts (optional)
  • 1 cup (or about 10 oz, aka a whole bag) of pumpkin flavored morsels (can sub white choc chips too)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 3 (7×3 inch) loaf pans, or use a mini loaf pan if you have one.

2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Add the chips and walnuts, if using. I roasted my walnuts in a skillet on low heat for a few minutes before adding, just to amp it up a little. Pour into the greased pans.

3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the oven, only about 25-30 minutes if you are using a mini loaf pan. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and invert bread onto a wired rack if desired.

Peaches N’ Cream Ginger Icebox Cake

16 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Desserts, Easy, Entertaining, LuLu's Classics

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Peaches N' Cream Icebox CakeSo, icebox cakes may be my favorite thing ever.

The first time I had one, I thought I was eating the best cake in the world. Let it be noted I am picky about cakes – give me a cookie or brownie over a cake any day. So my Mom made a chocolate mint cake, which I have yet to share here (yes, failing at blogging as always). I literally thought I was eating a cake that was baked in the thinnest of layers, and was so moist and delicious I just couldn’t believe it. Imagine my shock and awe when my mom told me the cake was just chocolate wafer cookies and mint whipped cream, thrown in a fridge and then *poof* morphed into one of the easiest and greatest treats I had ever had.Peaches N' Cream Icebox CakeThat, my friends, is the magic behind icebox cakes. No turning on the oven – not many crazy ingredients. You just have to find yourself some good crunchy cookies at the store and have a good springform pan. Okay – you are buying store bought cookies, try not to freak out. That is why these are called icebox cakes instead of refrigerator cakes – they are retro! But not so retro that they came before the time of anything from out of a box. Moving on!Peaches N' Cream Icebox Cake

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Baked | Spiced Persimmon Tart

17 Sunday Nov 2013

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Persimmon TartPersimmons…really aren’t something you eat everyday. Or ever, in my case. I really haven’t seen much out there, in terms of Persimmons…who knows, it’s probably the next food trend! Although fall is almost over, next year, mark my words! It will be persimmon EVERYTHING.Fuyu PersimmonsAnyways, my mom and I decided to delve into Persimmon-land when we found this Spiced Persimmon Tart in Sunset Magazine. Also…I recently acquired the perfect tart pan (Post-Wedding discounts are the shit). Fresh out of the oven, this tart did not disappoint. I think Persimmons are the kind of thing you want to eat with something else…alone the taste and texture was kind of weird…but mixed with some sugar, boozy brandy, lemon, ginger, and cinnamon…oh man. It’s good.Persimmon TartThis recipe is best served the day it is made, and I really think you can go without the Brandy Mascarpone here. Swap out for vanilla ice cream, maybe throw some brandy and powdered sugar into homemade whipped cream instead. This tart would be friends with apple pie…except it’s easier to make, a little more exotic, and not as heavy. WIN!Persimmon Tart

Recipe
Spiced Persimmon Tart with Brandy Mascarpone
from Sunset Magazine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided
  • 1/3 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • About 2 tbsp. lemon juice, divided
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons brandy, divided
  • 1 pound firm-ripe small to medium bright orange Fuyu persimmons
  • 1 container (about 8 oz.) mascarpone cheese
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F with 1 rack set in the center and a second rack set on the rung closest to the broiler. In a food processor, pulse flour, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp. ginger, and the butter until fine crumbs form. Add egg yolk and whirl until dough comes together. Press over the bottom and 1/2 in. up the sides of a 4- by 14-in. tart pan with a removable rim (or use a 9-in. round tart pan).
  2. Combine 6 tbsp. sugar, remaining 1 tbsp. ginger, the cinnamon, 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice, and 1 1/2 tbsp. brandy in a bowl. Core persimmons, slice 1/3 in. thick, and stir into brandied sugar. Arrange fruit in 2 overlapping rows in crust (for a round pan, in circles). Spoon sugar mixture from bowl over fruit.
  3. Bake tart on center rack until crust is deep golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and bake until persimmons are tender when pierced, 20 to 30 minutes more. Remove tart from oven and preheat broiler.
  4. Set tart on a baking sheet. Cover pastry edges with strips of foil. Broil on rack close to heat until edges of fruit brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes.
  5. Whisk mascarpone and cream with remaining 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. brandy, and 2 tsp. lemon juice. Loosen crust from rim with a small knife, then remove rim. (Tip: Set pan on 2 small cans, such as single-serving juice cans, and rim will slide off.) Serve with mascarpone.

Ginger Steak Salad

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Bloggerific, Easy, Entertaining, Grilling, Main Dish, Salad, Steak

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Ginger Steak Salad

This is an excellent asian-inspired steak salad. If you aren’t that into salads but love steak, the marinade is great on its own! Feel free to get creative here, next time I think I want to add some homemade croutons or some of those fancy crunchies you see in some salads! This recipe makes me wonder why I don’t eat steak salad more often. Note to self… Continue reading →

Diary of a 1 Day Juice Cleanse: Evolution Fresh

14 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Healthy, Restaurants, Seattle, Smoothies & Shakes, Uncategorized

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Everyone has been talking about juicing lately. Juicing cleanses in particular. I’ve read a lot of things here and there about it, and I was curious. Is this something I could ever do, let alone afford?  The deliver-it-to-your-door-3-day-cleanse-if-you-hate-it-you-are-screwed-plus-it-costs-twohundreddollars was a little intense for me. Lo and behold, I found a solution: Evolution Fresh.

My day of juice...all packaged up and ready to go!

My day of juice…all packaged up and ready to go!

They have wonderful 6 packs of juice for different levels of juicing. Wanting to start small, I chose the “Easy Evolution Pack.” The one day, 6 pack of juice cost me $33.20. Not bad, considering a normal happy hour usually runs me that much…

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Orange Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

23 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in Baking, Desserts, Entertaining, Holidays, Uncategorized

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orange gingerbread, topped with pom seeds. Such a great combo!

orange gingerbread, topped with pom seeds. Such a great combo!

My first time making anything with ‘gingerbread’ in it. I think this was a good place to start. The Pomegranate seeds at totally necessary and awesome. Not only do they make it look pretty, but they add the perfect texture and flavor.

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This is also my first time making Cream Cheese Frosting. I was skeptical at first, since my mom’s frosting is the tops…but this frosting definitely makes sense on this cake and tastes delicious.

Orange Gingerbread

Orange Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting

From the Joy the Baker Cookbook

makes 9 generous pieces in an 8×8-inch square pan

For the Cake:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup unsulphered molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 3/4 cup warm water

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese frosting, softened
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • big pinch of salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • pomegranate seeds for garnish

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8×8-inch square (or 9-inch round) baking pan.  Line with parchment paper and grease and flour the parchment paper.  The parchment paper isn’t entirely necessary, it just makes the cake easier to remove from the pan.  Set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs until thick and pale.  Stir in molasses, honey, and orange zest.

Add the dry ingredients, all at once, to the wet ingredients.  Stir together until entirely incorporated.  Add the warm water and gently stir until entirely incorporated and the mixture is silky smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  If you find that the mixture fills the pan more than three-quarters of the way full, you might consider using a larger pan (a 9 or 10-inch pan may serve your better).

Bake cake for 35-45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, make the cream cheese frosting.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese on medium speed.  The cream cheese should be as soft and smooth as possible.  Stop the mixer.  Add the softened butter.  Scraped down the sides of the bowl and beat the two together over medium speed until smooth and incorporated.  Add one cup of powdered sugar.  Blend until incorporated.  Add vanilla extract and remaining cup of powdered sugar.  Beat on medium high speed until frosting is smooth and silky.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting the cake.  Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds before serving.

This cake can be stored, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.