I Scream!

Of all sweet treats, I think ice cream is my favorite. You really can never go wrong having a big bowl of the creamy stuff and I love being able to top it with whatever I feel like or just eat the whole thing as is. I don't even think I have a favorite flavor because it really depends on your mood. I have made ice cream myself but since it doesn't come easily, I tend to buy it more often than not. However, there are some great recipes out there for a creamy treat. Here's one that's truly fascinating from Martha Stewart which comes from world-renowned restaurant The Fat Duck in the UK. (click the link to watch how it's made)

• 30 ounces milk
• 5 ounces heavy cream
• 3 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise
• 5 1/2 ounces egg yolks
• 4 ounces turbinado sugar
• 1 1/2 ounces nonfat dry milk
• 3 coffee beans
• 2 pounds dry ice

1. Prepare an ice-water bath and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat milk and cream over medium-high heat. Scrape vanilla seeds from beans with the tip of a small knife into pan; add beans. Bring to a boil, and immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer gently for 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl set over ice-water bath and let mixture cool to 140 degrees.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add egg yolks and sugar; whisk on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add cooled milk mixture and whisk gently to combine. Whisk in milk powder and add coffee beans.
4. Return mixture to saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until mixture reaches 160 degrees. Transfer ice cream base to a bowl set over an ice-water bath until cooled.
5. Transfer ice cream base to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to overnight. Strain through a fine mesh sieve; discard any solids.
6. Wearing safety gloves and protective goggles, open package of dry ice. Wrap dry ice in a clean kitchen towel and then in a bath towel. Using a rolling pin, smash dry ice into a powder, making sure there are no large pieces. Unwrap towels and shake dry ice into a large glass bowl; you will only need to use about 1 1/2 cups.
7. Pour ice cream base into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer on the lowest speed. Slowly add a very small amount of dry ice. Mix until dry ice is completely dissolved and vapors have cleared. Continue adding dry ice in small batches (to prevent the ice cream from becoming grainy), until all the dry ice has been absorbed.
8. Increase the mixer speed to the second lowest setting and mix until smooth. Using a spatula, quickly scrape the ice cream into a container. Transfer to a freezer until ready to use. Ice cream is best when eaten within 24 hours.

Cravings

Normally I keep some kind of baked good in my house but lately I haven't had the time at all. Things have gotten totally crazy around here and I'm starting to get over worked. Between the kids and work, there seems to be no time to do anything else. My work is piling up beyond belief and I'm not sure how much more I can handle. Oh, if you don't already know, I work from home. It is really nice but makes things quite a bit more complicated. Balance does not come easily and it's easy to lose track of everything that needs to be done. I've really got to squeeze some baking time in soon!

The Basics

So I know we all love a good chocolate chip cookie. I've heard someone say once that there is no such thing as a bad one...I beg to differ. LOL I know that many of you have had at least one that you just had to say ewww to. I know I have. I have a few favorite recipes for them so I'll make sure they get up. I love these basic recipes because you really can do whatever you want to them and they will always be yummy.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
optional:
1 1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup rice krispies ceral

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Mmmmmm...Brownies!

Okay, since I mentioned my brownie recipe, I was finally able to dig it out. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! You might want to make two batches the first time...or hide some for yourself before everyone else gets to them. ;o) Oh, the nuts are optional in case you don't want them.

2 sticks unsalted butter
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6-8 oz. bittersweet chocolate chopped
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup sifted flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x12 inch pan, line with parchment paper leaving about 1-2 inches sticking out of the pan (to help remove later), grease and flour again.

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. Once melted, remove and set aside to cool.

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and light yellow and add vanilla. Fold cooled chocolate mixture in making sure it's mixed thoroughly.

Sift flour and gently fold a bit at a time into batter. Mix just until blended, do not over work. Fold in nuts if desired.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes or until center is just set. Do not overbake! Cool when done for at least 30 mins before cutting into squares.

Baking=Stress Reduction

I thought I'd take a break to talk a bit about nothing. LOL Too bad I don't seem to have a whole lot to say. I've been baking a lot since I have had a lot of stress. Well, I guess the eating at the end helps too. LOL I think my favorite thing to bake when I'm stressed is brownies. YUM! I came up with this really good recipe for them and will get it posted soon. My kids LOVE brownies...well, okay they eat everything like the rest of us. Between work, kids, and daily living there is always a ton going on in this house. It's no wonder I'm stressed out! Actually, it's a wonder I have time to bake! Hahahaha

My Favorite Strawberry Cake

I think my favorite cake in the whole world is the Romanoff cake. It may vary by name but it is a golden cake with strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate ganache filling. If you like strawberry shortcake and love chocolate, this cake is just for you. A bakery that I used to work at sold these and they are fantastic! Instead of spending a ton of money, I went ahead and made one of my own for Easter a couple of years ago. I'm by no means a decorator but it's the tast that matters, right? LOL

For the cake (this recipe makes 2 cakes...I normally use one and freeze the other for later):

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup milk, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 unbeaten eggs

Grease two 9-inch cake pans; line with waxed paper and grease paper lightly. Preheat oven to 350°. Sift dry ingredients together. Add shortening, 3/4 cup milk and vanilla and beat 2 minutes at high speed with electric mixer. Add 1/4 cup milk and the eggs; beat 2 minutes longer. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cake will bounce back when lightly touched with finger. Cool cake 5 to 10 minutes in pan on wire racks, then remove cake from pans and cool completely.

For the filling:

Whip around 2 pints of heavy cream until peaks form. Do not over whip or cream will "dry" out. You can also use half a "fluff" type of icing sold at Smart and Final and other stores and half cream. This works quite nicely also and tends to give a more "bakery" type of result.

Melt about 1 1/2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate and about 2 T butter in a double boiler. Mix in about 3/4 cup of heated heavy cream and whisk to a glossy finish.

Slice or chop as many strawberries to your liking...we like a lot of them.

To assemble:

Slice rounded top off of cake. Slice cake into two layers. On the cut side of the bottom layer, spoon on ganache for a thin layer, followed by a thin layer of whipped cream. Top with strawberries and another thin layer of whipped cream. Place top half of cake on top and ice with whipped cream. Decorate with a thin layer of ganache in the center and whipped cream. Refridgerate for at least two hours to "set" cake and enjoy!