14 Saturday Jan 2017
Posted in Baking, Cookies, Desserts, Easy, Entertaining
I am very thankful that I married someone who has family in the south. There are certain things I would have no idea about, such as boiled peanuts, sweet tea, Alabama white sauce, and Chess Squares. Good gracious, Chess Squares. Quite possibly one of the easiest and most decadent recipes I’ve ever made. Continue reading
04 Thursday Dec 2014
Posted in Baking, Bloggerific, Desserts, Entertaining, Events, Holidays, Thanksgiving
Tags
apple pie, apple slab pie, apples, butter, crisco, lard, pie crust, powdered sugar, shortening, slab pie
This pie was concocted during what we will call “The Great Apple Pie Test Session” by Lulu. She was determined to find an apple pie recipe worth making again and again. The best part about this “session” was:
1. All I did was taste test
and
2. She tried completely different pie recipes, so different you can barely compare them. (Apple Tart Tatin and Slab Pies are from 2 completely different families, I am quite sure the french would not be caught dead using the word slab, it’s probably not even in their dictionary).
I am most definitely NOT french and we can talk about “slabs” and eat them together all you want! And, as I will make sure to repeatedly tell you, give me a dessert in the form of a bar (I mean slab) anytime over a “slice.” I’m an on-the-go girl, and need to have as many bites of my dessert before I make it to the couch. I mean, the treadmill…
During this grand experiment, my mom discovered what may be the secret to pie crust: part butter, part shortening. We barely adapted Smitten Kitchen’s Slab pie recipe, and all we changed was the crust having both butter and lard (crisco, shortening, whatever).
10 Tuesday Dec 2013
Posted in Desserts, Easy, Holidays, LuLu's Classics, Uncategorized
Tags
balls, butter, chocolate, crisp rice cereal, peanut butter, powdered sugar, puffed rice cereal, rice krispies
I am so very thrilled to be bringing you some famous family balls! When I was a kid, my mom would always make various types of balls around the holidays. It has been YEARS since we have revisited the tradition, and I needed to get these recipes on lockdown! I’m kicking off our famous balls recipes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls. These are super easy, decadent, and delish! Better than any store bought peanut butter treat I have ever had, I love the little crunch you get from the crispy rice cereal.
Off we go into how easy these are!
All you have to do is mix the crisp rice cereal with powdered sugar, then add the butter and peanut butter alternatively in a few batches until everything is combined. Throw the mixture in the fridge until it has firmed up…
Then line a rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper and form the mixture into balls. You can make whatever size you like, each of my balls are about 2 bites each, just a little over a tablespoonful!
Then you get ready to dip your balls into chocolate! Paraffin was in the original recipe, but I didn’t use it. I think it’s pretty unnecessary unless you are going for a super glossy and smooth look, plus you lose some of the pure chocolate flavor. (If you haven’t already noticed, my balls definitely aren’t perfect. But in my opinion, taste always trumps looks when it comes to balls).
These totally brought me back. I can tell you, anyone who loves a good peanut butter treat will love these balls. They are awesome straight out of the freezer. The best part is you can make these in advance, freeze them, and then gift them when you are ready. Stay tuned for more famous family balls recipes!
Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
from Lulu
makes about 3 dozen balls
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the crisp rice cereal and the powdered sugar. Add the butter and peanut butter alternatively in thirds until the entire mixture is well blended. Refrigerate mixture until cold and firmed up, for at least an hour.
Remove mixture from refrigerator and place waxed paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Form peanut butter mixture into balls, I make mine about 2-bite sized, maybe a little bigger than a tablespoonful each. Place the balls on the waxed paper.
Gently simmer 2 inches of water in a medium saucepan or double boiler. If not using a double boiler, place chocolate and parrafin (if using) in a medium-sized heatproof bowl and place the bowl over, not touching the simmering water (this creates your homemade double boiler). Melt the chocolate until smooth. Remove from the simmering water and get ready to dip your balls into the chocolate. You can use a fork to dip, or a wooden skewer, whatever works! Let balls dry on the waxed paper and chill in the fridge for about an hour before removing.
Balls will keep for at least a week in the fridge, even longer in the freezer.
12 Saturday Jan 2013
Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Easy, Entertaining, Uncategorized
Apple Dutch Baby, Puffy and ready to come out of the oven!
Pre-Powdered Sugar…
24 Monday Dec 2012
Posted in Baking, Bloggerific, Cookies, Desserts, Events, Holidays, Uncategorized
Who doesn’t love Cherry and Chocolate together? They are made for each other. Although…chocolate is made for a lot of things…chocolate orange, almond chocolate…wait. Don’t even get me started. Back to these Cherry Chocolate Cookies.
Although Cherry and Chocolate are good together at any time, these cookies make me think of Christmas, just a little bit…First of all, they are a wonderful pink/red color, and they look great sitting next to Grinch Cookies. Oh god, there’s another great chocolate combo…mint chocolate chip!
If you haven’t figured it out already, I’m a little distracted today, going off on random tangents everywhere. Moving on…The original recipe calls for Hershey Kisses to be placed in the middle, but I can’t handle that…I absolutely hate thumbprint cookies because you don’t get chocolate in every bite. I am all about even distribution. Mixing in your choice of chocolate chips brings the cherry-chocolate combo to its peak. Go for it!
Cherry Chocolate Cookies
Servings: approximately 36 cookies
Adapted from The Curvy Carrot
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and slowly add the powdered sugar and salt.
4. Add the cherry juice and the almond extract until combined.
5. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the cherries.
7. Fold in chocolate chips.
8. Bake the cookies until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 14 minutes.
9. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
07 Wednesday Nov 2012
Posted in Baking, Bloggerific, Cookies, Desserts, Easy, Holidays, Thanksgiving
Tags
butter, cookies, cranberries, cranberry, eggs, orange, poppy seed, powdered sugar, vanilla
These cookies are so easy and perfect for fall. With dried cranberries, orange zest, and poppy seeds, they can practically be substituted as a healthy breakfast cookie…Mix them up the day before a party, and the next morning you’ll take out simple and slice-able dough that bakes up perfectly.
The best part about these cookies? There are loads of variations for the basic dough that you could make work during just about any season. This recipe is very similar to Martha Stewart’s Lime Meltaways that I made back in July. Next time, I would consider adding:
Recipe
Cranberry Orange Poppyseed Cookies (Slice and Bake Cookies)
From the Joy the Baker Cookbook, adapted from Smitten Kitchen & Dorie Greenspan
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
30 Sunday Sep 2012
ice cream sundae with homemade peanut butter sauce
There is no reason to ever buy store-bought ice cream sauce. Why? Because this fabulous recipe exists. I don’t think I could ever come up with this on my own out of thin air, but Joy the Baker did. Go buy some vanilla ice cream and enJOY!
Recipe
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sauce
makes about 1/2 cup sauce, enough for 4 sundaes
From the Joy the Baker Cookbook
Ingredients
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Once heated through, peanut butter mixture will be smooth and easily pourable.
Pour over scoops of vanilla ice cream. Go crazy and add chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nuts, bananas, or a cherry on top!
09 Monday Jul 2012
Posted in Baking, Cookies, Desserts, Easy, Entertaining
Tags
I have come to the conclusion that I cannot resist something with the word meltaways attached to it. Back in the day (aka 15 – 20 years ago) my school would sell candy around Easter, and the Mint Meltaways were the shit. They totally melted in your mouth and I believe even at the delicate age of 8 I could eat an entire box. The fact that I just found out via quick search that they still exist is very, very dangerous.
But MOVING ON TO OTHER THINGS MELTAWAY –
I just told you I can’t resist the word meltaway. I also have trouble resisting anything that is lime-flavored and dessert oriented. Martha Stewart had to go along and make something that I had to try almost immediately. Thank God I had some limes in the fridge.
Recipe
Lime Meltaways
Makes about 3 dozen
Ingredients
Beat butter and 1/3 cup powdered sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add lime zest and juice and vailla, and beat until fluffy.
Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix together on low speed until just combined.
Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8 by 12 inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 and 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350F. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds, spacing rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag.
03 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in Bloggerific, Breakfast, Easy, Healthy
Tags
An amazing and light breakfast - and so easy!
This recipe is awesome. I was surprised the eggs puffed up so much. In the end, this satisfies me just as much as a pancake or waffle would, but it’s light and fresh. I’m pretty sure I could eat this for breakfast everyday. You basically mix all the ingredients together, put it in a hot buttered iron skillet, throw it back in the oven, and let the magic happen.
In the oven, starting to puff...
hot and puffed out of the oven.
out of the oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle lemon juice over the top. The pancake will slowly start to deflate...But don't fret. It's still gonna be delish.
Recipe
From The Sweet Beet
Heat the oven to 400. Add butter to cast iron skillet, put skillet in oven to melt butter and warm skillet. In a bowl, add eggs, flour, milk and salt. Whisk well. Once oven reaches 400, take skillet out, be sure the butter is well spread across skillet including the sides. Pour egg mixture into pan. Bake for 20 mins.
When you take it out, it should be puffy and browned. Once it deflates, squeeze fresh lemon all over it and sprinkle on some powdered sugar.
Double recipe if you need to feed more.
depuffed and ready to eat. I want this right now!
Baked Northwest 