TWD - Irish Soda Bread

Oh how I love easy recipes! I'm sure I've said that a million times on this blog, but it's so true. This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe is Irish Soda Bread hosted by Carla & Cathleen. Now this was my kind of bread...just a few simple ingredients that were easy to put together, & voila...a gorgeous loaf of bread emerged from the oven. In an effort to remove all yummy, carb-loaded temptation from my house, I gifted the bread to a friend. She assured me that it was absolutely delicious & didn't last through the weekend before being gobbled up by her family. Success!

Sorry there's no pic this week...it seems that I forgot to take one before I sent the little loaf off to it's new home. Major bummer.

Head over to the TWD page for everyone's links, & be sure to visit the host's sites for the recipe!

Tuesdays With Dorie - White Loaves

**Note: It would have been great if I had remembered to hit post on this when I typed it up yesterday. Please forgive my TWD post being on a Wednesday this week. Sheesh!**

I am so excited to be a part of Tuesdays With Dorie again! We all started with a new book this time around, Baking With Julia. Our first recipe was White Loaves. I have never even attempted making bread, so I must admit this was a pretty daunting task for me. The recipe seemed pretty straight forward, so I was looking forward to trying my hand at bread baking for the first time. Unfortunately this recipe didn't work so well for me...I thought my mixer was going to burn up while trying to mix the ingredients. The resulting mixture was really lumpy, & I was afraid it wouldn't rise. I put it in a bowl to proof anyway, & much to my surprise it actually rose. The baked loaf was pretty dense, but it made yummy toast. I will definitely try this recipe again, I may just have to resort to hand kneading the dough since my mixer doesn't like to cooperate.

Head over to slush or Someone's in the Kitchen for the recipe. Also check out the TWD page for everyone's links!

TWD - Dressy Chocolate Loafcake

Well there's no TWD post for me this week because of all things for a baker to own, I don't have a loaf pan. I know...I'm just as shocked as you are! How to any respectable baker not have a loaf pan?! I didn't realize it until I went to bake this cake. Ah well...such is life.

This week's recipe was chose by Amy of Amy Ruth Bakes, so head over to her blog for the recipe. Also be sure to visit the TWD blogroll for everyone's gorgeous cake creations.

TWD - Raisin Swirl Bread

No TWD for me this week...I've been swamped with cake/cupcake orders. I'll be back next week!

Check out Susan of Food.Baby for the recipe, & the TWD blogroll for everyone's beautiful loaves.

TWD - Tender Shortcakes

Well well...look who's finally back in the blogging game. What better reason to come back to the blog than for a delicious shortcake/berry treat? This week Cathy of The Tortefeasor chose Dorie's Tender Shortcakes. This has been by far the easiest recipe we've had on TWD. The key was to not mix it a lot, but I had a problem with getting a lot of the flour incorporated into the dough. It was extremely loose & crumbly so I just piled the dough up as best I could & prayed that it would bake correctly. Sure enough...those little beauties baked up perfectly! I've been craving blackberries lately so I chose to put them with these shortcakes. Talk about heaven on a plate. These are the perfect summer treats, & they're great ways to impress your family & friends at your next dinner party. They look so hard to do, but they're so simple & oh so delicious!

 

Check out Cathy's blog for the recipe, & the TWD blogroll for everyone's creations!

TWD - Dulce de Leche Duos

Happy Tuesday!!

This week's TWD recipe, Dulce de Leche Duos, was chosen by Jodie of Beansy Loves Cake. I was a little concerned at first about whether or not I would be able to find dulce de leche at my local grocery store, but it was super easy to find in the ethnic foods aisle. I loved this recipe because it only had a few ingredients & was so easy to put together. My only issue came when scooping out the dough onto the cookie sheets...the dough was extremely soft & a little hard to work with. I was afraid that the cookies wouldn't hold their shape, but they turned out beautifully. They were soft & perfect with my Sunday morning cup of coffee. These cookies are absolutely delicious & a great addition to anyone's cookie repertoire.

Head on over to Jodie's blog for the recipe, & check out the rest of the TWD blogroll!

TWD - Soft Chocolate & Raspberry Tart

No TWD for me this week because I've got too many orders to fill. I'll be ready next week though!

TWD - Thumbprints For Us Big Guys

*Editors Note: I'm a complete ding-dong & forgot to hit the Publish Post button late Tuesday night when I originally typed this thing. It's been one of those weeks.*

This week's selection belongs to Mike of Ugly Food Dude, & he chose Dorie's Thumbprints For Us Big Guys. I had to make a minor adjustment to this recipe & substituted pecans for hazelnuts. Let me just tell you, it's nearly impossible to find hazelnuts in my small town grocery store. I also made sure to chill the dough in the fridge before I baked the cookies...they stayed perfectly shaped & didn't spread all over the pan.

These cookies are light & buttery & yummy. I topped them with some strawberry all-fruit spread (I'm not a jam girl...I need chunks of fruit), & they were absolutely perfect.

Thanks Mike for the great pick! Check out his blog for the recipe, & the TWD blogroll for everyone's delicious cookies.

TWD - My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Three months since I've blogged...really?! Gees I am such a slacker. I've been doing pretty much every TWD recipe but obviously haven't been posting them. Shame on me!

This week Kait of Kait's Plate choose My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, & girl you picked a good one! I have tried many many different chocolate chip cookie recipes, but this is by far the best ever. E-VER. I made these a few weeks ago when the snow/ice storm came through, & I was stuck in the house for 4 days. It's a good thing I got out when I did so I could bring the leftover cookies to work & quit eating the damn things! Of course the girls at the office loved them (but when do they not love baked goods?), & they all asked for the recipe. (Which is the true test when I bake something...if they love it they want the recipe so they can make it over & over.) These cookies will definitely be my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on.



Thanks to Kait for the fantastic choice! Check out her blog for the recipe, & the TWD blogroll for everyone else's creations!

TWD - All in One Holiday Bundt Cake

It's almost Thanksgiving!! Yay! I love this holiday...there's nothing better than having an excuse to completely stuff myself with yummy food. This week's TWD recipe was chosen by Britin of The Nitty Britty, & she picked the All in One Holiday Bundt Cake. Dorie out did herself with this recipe...it combines everything that is so perfect about holiday baked goods...apple, pumpkin, nuts, ginger...oh yeah! I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago, & now I'm sitting here wishing I had another one. Yet another home run for the TWD crew!

Unfortunately I don't have pics of the cake...I forgot to take any before we gulped it up. Oops!

Check out Britin's blog for the recipe & the TWD blogroll for everyone's pics!

TWD - Cran-Apple Crisps

Oh Fall how I love thee! You make it okay to eat lots of yummy goodies all the time. This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is completely perfect for fall. Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef chose Dorie's Cran-Apple Crisps. What's that you say? Crisp? Hello lover! I adore crisps! Such an easy recipe...I adore easy recipes too. I made a half batch & proceeded to eat half the pan in one sitting. With Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream on top. I've started to salivate again just thinking about it. Mmmm! As I'm sure you can guess...I loved it! Love, love, loved it!

Hot & fresh out of the oven! It's all bubbly & yummy.

A la mode? Don't mind if I do!

Many thanks to Em for this week's pick; head over to her blog for the recipe. While you're at it, visit the TWD blogroll for everyone else's creations.

TWD - Sweet Potato Biscuits

There will be no TWD post for me today. Money & time have been a little tight lately.

Check out Erin's blog for this week's recipe, & the TWD blogroll for everyone's creations!

TWD - Allspice Crumb Muffins

This week's TWD recipe was chosen by Kayte of Grandma's Kitchen Table, & Kayte chose Dorie's Allspice Crumb Muffins. I love muffins because they're so easy to throw together...no mixer, just a couple of bowls & whisk & you're good to go! I've got a lovely cold right now thanks to a flight I took last week, but I was really looking forward to baking these. Illness be damned!

I don't have allspice in the house but figured out that I could combine cinnamon & cloves to get the same flavor. These little puppies were so yummy! Perfect for the yucky rainy weather we've been having lately. I'm definitely going to be making these again only I'd like to add apples to the recipe. Now how delicious does that sound? Ohhh yeah!

Thanks to Kayte for a great choice! Check out her blog for the recipe, & the TWD blogroll for everyone else's muffins!

TWD - Cottage Cheese Pufflets

Oh how I love technology...I had my TWD post all written out yesterday, hit submit, & went on with my business. Well guess what? The little booger didn't post, so here I am! I'm not on my home computer at the moment so pictures will have to be added later.

For this week's TWD, Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes chose Cottage Cheese Pufflets. Now I'll admit that I love cottage cheese, but the thought of making cookies out of it kind of grossed me out. In the spirit of trying new things I decided to give these a shot. And boy I'm glad I did! I took advice from other TWDers & made sure I drained the cottage cheese before using it & used a Ziploc bag to roll & store the dough. It's a very sticky dough, but I didn't have any problems with it by using these two methods.

For the filling I used some homemade strawberry preserves, & they were just delicious. Who would have thought that cottage cheese would make a good cookie?! Not this girl! I'm definitely glad I gave them a shot!

Head over to Jacque's blog for the recipe & the TWD blogroll for everyone else's creations!

No TWD

Unfortunately I'm not going to have a TWD post this week or next. I'm in the process of moving into my first home, so everything is boxed up for the next couple of weeks. I'll be back & ready to go on the 8th though!!

TWD - Applesauce Spice Bars

Ahh Tuesday...how I love thee! This week's TWD recipe was chosen by Karen from Something Sweet by Karen, & she chose Dorie's Applesauce Spice Bars. Let me just tell you right now...these babies made me soooooo ready for fall! Fall is my favorite season, & the bars reminded me of everything wonderful about fall. The apples & spices in this were just fantastic, & I will definitely be making these again.

Check out Karen's blog for the recipe, & the TWD blogroll for everyone's amazing bars!

TWD - Classic Banana Bundt Cake

It's Tuesday again, & that can only mean one thing...Tuesdays With Dorie!! Oh how I love Tuesdays! This week Mary of The Food Librarian chose the Classic Banana Bundt Cake. Ever since I was little, my mom has always saved any leftover "too ripe" bananas by putting them in the freezer. This is a habit I have picked up, so I was more than excited to have a reason to use a few of my little frozen banana friends. I love recipes that are easy to throw together, & this was no exception...I had it in the pan & ready for the oven in no time flat. I followed Dorie's suggestion & covered it with a loose foil tent about halfway through, & it came out just perfect. I had every intention of making the glaze until I realized that I was out of powered sugar. Say what?! I always have powdered sugar on hand, so I was sad because I love glaze. Ah well...I knew I wouldn't have a problem eating it plain. I definitely didn't have a problem chowing down on this baby, the cake is so moist & lovely...I ate 2 pieces today, & I'm planning on having another in the morning. I'm not ashamed!

Another amazing Dorie recipe under my belt. What will they come up with next?! Head on over to Mary's blog for the recipe, & the TWD blogroll for everyone else's creations!

TWD - Vanilla Ice Cream

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, we're all screaming for ice cream! Lynne at Cafe Lynnylu chose this week's recipe...Dorie's vanilla ice cream. After chocolate my next favorite food is ice cream, but I've never tackled making it myself so I had to give this one a shot. It definitely does not disappoint! I recently purchased a countertop ice cream maker, & I've discovered that I'm going to have to be very careful...it's way too easy to whip up a batch of homemade ice cream with that puppy. My thighs are getting bigger just thinking about it!

The recipe was actually very simple to follow. I was a little scared about the whole custard making thing, but I didn't have a problem. (Thank goodness!) I did make a little addition as per Dorie's instructions...I added some cinnamon to the mix. I mean really who can resist cinnamon ice cream?! Not this girl! I had to stop myself from eating it all directly out of the ice cream maker because it was delicious. It's now hardening in the freezer, & I can't wait for it to be ready!


Getting ready to go into the freezer. (Before I annihilated half of it!)


Look at those gorgeous cinnamon specs!!

Head on over to Lynne's blog for the recipe & her awesome pictures. Also be sure to check out the rest of the TWD blogroll for everyone's delicious ice cream creations!

TWD Rewind - Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies

I wasn't able to participate in TWD last week, but I really wanted to try these brownies so I decided to make them this week. Lisa of Surviving Oz designed a fabulous new logo for TWD, so she got the priviledge of choosing the recipe & posting it on her blog. Congrats!

This recipe was so amazingly simple to put together, & I got so lucky to have them turn out perfectly after the recommended baking time. (That's a first for me!) Of course they tasted wonderful...the perfect combo of gooey chocolateness. (Oh yes, I said chocolateness!) I think that this will probably be my go-to brownie recipe from now on!

See my little tester divot? Perfectly baked!!

Still warm...these two didn't survive long after this photo was taken.

Check out Lisa's blog for this recipe! Also head over to the TWD blogroll & visit Denise at Chez Us for this week's recipe...Brioche Plum Tart!

TWD - Cinnamon Squares

Another Tuesday, another yummy treat! This week Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures chose Cinnamon Squares. Cinnamon you say? Oh how I love cinnamon! Every week I fall in love with what we make, & this was no exception. Cinnamon & chocolate in one dessert...I'm in! The layer of cinnamon, sugar, espresso & chocolate in the middle of these squares is so perfect. Plus the cake is moist & delicious. I had to bake mine about 15 minutes longer than the recipe called for, but I covered it with a foil tent for the extra time so it didn't dry out at all. The only issue I had was that I didn't have enough chocolate to do the frosting. (That's what I get for assuming I had enough. You know what they say when you assume...) I had enough to cover a little piece of it just so I could try it. The rest will just have to be gobbled up plain, but I'm sure that won't be an issue!!

Check out Tracey's blog for the recipe, & the TWD blogroll to see how everything turned out!