Busy Elves...

Before & After: My New Baking Station

The holidays always give me the project bug,

and this year is no exeption!

I've been obsessed with baking stations of late...

an area of your kitchen designated for...

well, baking!

And found this gorgeous piece on Craigslist

-complete with a marble-top-

and set to work!

Ta-da!

H A P P Y  B A K I N G  T O  M E !

{note}

Shortly after this post,

the wall anchors from the top shelf pulled out

and everything

-and I mean, EVERYTHING-

came shattering onto the floor!

Samuel came away with a nasty cut on the head,

and I suffered a garbage can full of my pretties!

Lesson learned:

75 lb. Wall Anchors

Buy them!

Nothing Better...

...then spending time in the kitchen with my kids!

These are magical moments:

{Teaching}

{Tasting}

{Togetherness}

(Is that a word?  It is now!)

"Charlotte's Web" Inspired County Fair!

Isabella's third grade class has been studying "Charlotte's Web",
and as a culmination to the school year they held a literary inspired
county fair!

Each classmate was charged with creating something from scratch,

and to my delight,

Isabella opted to bake a cake!

Using fresh cherries,

courtesy of her Uncle Joseph and Aunt Jessica,

she created a decadent concoction...

A Double-Chocolate Cake studded with Fresh Cherries
and drizzled with Chocolate Ganache!



Yum!

This takes home the blue ribbon, sweetheart!

And don't forget:

 Bring the leftovers home!

{I can't wait!}

Where There Are Scotchmallows...There Is Love!

Love is in the air!

There are...

  

...valentines to be made...

  

 ...and decadent cookies to bake!

  

 There are faces to smear with pink nail polish...wait...

What?!?

  

 There are pounds and pounds of candy being consumed...

perhaps none more delicious than fifteen-yes, count them, 

fifteen beautiful, beautiful Scotchmallows!

  

I just may cry! 

 Yes, you know you hit a home run...

  

 We dined casually at Plutos and all I have to say is, 

"Where have you been all my life?"

This salad was HUGE and every bite was scrumptious!

Heart garlands are hung, courtesy of...Samuel!

  

The table is set... 

  

...and there are smiles... 

  

...all...

  

...around!

  

 Three-cheese pizzas are baked...

in the shape of-what else?

Hearts!

  And yet, sadly...

  

All good things must come to an end!

Boo!
 

Cupcakes...

  

...are the best!

So says Owen, who was postively delighted to show me that he could eat a whole cupcake in one bite!  

Now that's something to write home about!

Cocoa Meringues, Dark Chocolate-dipped Orange Biscotti, & Fudgy Brownies...

Every year we hold an annual cookie exchange with Samuel's side of the family.  It's very traditional, and all the classic cookies and treats are covered.  You can always count on an excellent Butter Nut Ball, a moist Peanut Butter cookie, and some amazing Toffee and Peanut Brittle.

Yum! 

Last year, we instituted the tradition with my side of the family and I love it because it's more of a wild-card affair, with everyone taking the opportunity to try new recipes.  There's tons of sampling, and because we hold it at 11:00 AM, it's basically lunch for the day!

Do you hear my kids complaining?

  

Grandma Rose & Gabriel

 

 Great-grandma Lopez surrounded by her great-grandbabies:

Clockwise from top left: Iris, Ava, Taylor, Gabriel (love that smile!), Isabella, Jacob, Lola, & Owen

What a great opportunity for our family to come together in a warm and toasty kitchen to laugh, to remember, and to love!

When was the last time you ate a cookie AND shared a hug?

Try it!

It makes all the difference!

My Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've had a few requests for my chocolate chip cookie recipe,
but I feel guilty because I can't really claim it as my own.
I basically stole the Nestle' Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe
and tweaked it to my liking!

Enjoy!

Olivia's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Give or take 4-dozen large cookies or
6-7 dozen small cookies

4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. (2-sticks) un-salted butter, softened

1 c. (1-stick) Crisco Butter-flavored Shortening

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs

6 c. Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels (or more!)
2 1/2 c. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Using a medium bowl & a whisk:

Combine the flour, baking soda, & salt and set aside.

Stop:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Using a mixer and the paddle attachment (medium speed):

Cream the butter and shortening.

Add the granulated sugar, combine

Add the brown sugar, combine.

Add the vanilla and eggs, combine.

Scrape the bowl as needed.

At low speed:

Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until incorporated.

Finally add the morsels & nuts.

Scoop golf-ball size mounds of cookie dough onto a large un-greased cookie sheet. Place cookie mounds 2-inches apart (I usually bake six cookies to one large baking sheet).

Bake one cookie sheet at a time at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Do not over bake! This is the secret for moist, chewy cookies. Remember, all ovens times vary, but look for cookies with only the slightest browning on top. They will not look done, but they are. Keep in mind that once out of the oven, they will continue to cook on the hot cookie sheet.

Let cookies rest for 3-minutes on the cookie sheet, allowing them to set. Then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack for 7-minutes. Handle the cookies gently, they will still be very soft.

Once firm, you can stack the cookies in an air-tight container and they will keep for 5-7 days-I think.

The reason I'm not sure is because they don't last that long at our house!

Notes:

If you're trying to keep things on the lighter side,
try my Chocolate Chip Cookies...Lightened Up!

You can cut this recipe in half, but I find that the cookies are not quite the same!

Also, if you prefer smaller cookies, just adjust the baking time to 5-6 minutes and keep a close eye on them.

Easter Traditions: Sugar Cookies

Everyone knows I love making chocolate chip cookies. But the kids can't resist this holiday tradition, and so we lug out the sprinkles and frosting and go to town!

Yeast: The Bane of my Existence...or is it?

I have always been intimidated by yeast. No matter what the recipe, if it involved yeast one of two things would happen: 1) I would try the recipe and it would go horribly wrong, or 2) I would opt to avoid trying it all together!

Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, Samuel's mom makes incredible homemade rolls using...what else? Yeast! And if it weren't for the fact that these rolls are AMAZING, I would have given up long ago.

Well, it's been approximately 8 years now, and finally, finally I can declare:

The Yeast...

has...

RISEN!

Mom's Famous Rolls

6-8 cups of flour

6 tbs sugar

3 packages of instant yeast (approx. 2 1/4 tsp. per pack)

3 tsp salt

3 tbs vegetable oil

3 cups hot water

Mix dry ingredients in a mixer using the bread hook, reserving 1-2 cups of flour.

Incorporate wet ingredients slowly.

Resulting mix should be a soft not sticky dough. Add additional 1-2 cups of flour as necessary.

Place dough in a bowl and allow to rise until it's double in size.

Punch down and divide into equal pieces and place in a buttered or oiled 13" x 9" pan, and allow to rise a second time.

Place in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Oven time may vary.

Butter tops immediately after coming out of the oven.

Remove from pan, separate rolls when cool enough to handle, and place on a cookie sheet.

Best if served immediately.

Store leftovers in a air-tight container.

Valentine's Traditions: Part II

Sinfully Delicious Sweets!

I love cooking and baking, and when I think of any holiday I think of sweets made from scratch. I always make more than I think I can possibly share, and then before you know it we have none left!

Truffles

This year we made Chocolate Balsamic Truffles courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. I substituted Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips for the dark chocolate and made sure to fully chill the chocolate mixture. In addition to rolling them in cocoa powder, I also chopped some almonds super-fine and coated 1/2 the truffles in the nuts too. Remember, the smaller the truffles the better. They really are very rich.

Cupcakes

Cupcakes are the perfect gift, and in addition to making some for our neighbors and Home & Visiting Teaching families, we also made some for Isabella's second grade class.

These beauties were a cinch to make. Especially considering you can use a from-scratch or box method for the cupcakes and frosting. The real star of the show is the flashy extras: Melted chocolate and Maraschino cherries!

After your cupcake frosting is set, melt 1/3 c. of chocolate chips in the microwave (for 2 dz. cupcakes). Using a fork, drizzle the melted chocolate before placing a dollop in the center. Then nestle your cherry right in (making sure your cherries are thoroughly drained), and in an hour the chocolate will have set and you have a spectacular dessert!

Isabella was thrilled when her cupcakes were voted "THE BEST" by all her classmates!