August 2010

Cherries and Cream Cookies.

August 31, 2010 · 79 comments

I’m off to serve jury duty today.

I am not a happy camper.

This would be my first time getting called for jury duty. Do you think if I brought cookies they would just let me leave? Or maybe since I have a public blog they will send me home?

While I’m in the business of complaining, I thought I’d remind you how much I hate being an adult. I really don’t like growing up. And jury duty is a grown up thing. Right there next to doing dishes, folding laundry, dusting, saving money and eating vegetables.

Growing up is not for me.

Grown ups usually don’t eat cookie dough.

In fact, they usually tell their kids to stay away from the dough.

Well, I ate some dough. Raw eggs and all.

I wouldn’t be surprised if salmonella is what gets me out of jury duty, no?

But it would be so worth it. First off, because I really don’t want to sit in a room all day without internet access. I have this thing called an… addiction. And second, because the dough is just so delicious.

Dare I say it’s better than the actual cookie itself?

Dried cherries remind me of northern Michigan. I think I’ve mentioned that approximately 43 times over the last year.

Every time I cook or bake with them it takes me back to my childhood.

So when I made these this past weekend and then ate 5 in a row, I was really taken back to my childhood.

And I was really full.

Cherries and Cream Cookies

makes about 24 cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Stir in vanilla and heavy cream. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until dough just comes together. Fold in cherries and chocolate chips.

Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are set and golden around the edges.

If you’ve ever wondered how I “bake so much” when it’s just the two of us – check out my tips on baking for two!

{ 79 comments }

Baking For Two.

August 30, 2010 · 52 comments

No, not eating for two. I know that is what some of you were thinking when you saw the title. Right? No how sweet spawns anytime soon.

That I know of, at least.

This most asked question on this site? How can you bake so much and not eat it all?

Well, it’s not rocket science. I’m here to share some tips with you.

It is no secret that I love sweets. In fact, I must have something sweet everyday after lunch and dinner. Sometimes this is as simple as some fruit with nut butter, but more often it’s a small piece of chocolate or a few tablespoons of chocolate chips.

But I do have to laugh when I see someone say that my blog is all about sweets. I do not consider smoothies (made with fruit or nut butter or dairy), muffins made with whole wheat flour, granolas made with whole grains and dried fruits, or whole wheat pancakes to be “sweets.” I consider these snack foods that are healthier, and I find a way to fit them in. It may not be daily, but if I make a batch of whole wheat muffins, I will be having one with some greek yogurt. Same with granolas. But that is just me.

Also, you can bet you bottom dollar that I am not baking something everyday. I do have a job! And I kinda have a life, but not really.

If you see more than one super-indulgent recipe on this blog per week, I probably had a party or event to go to the weekend before. It is as simple as that. As much as I want you all to believe that I lay around eating bon-bons, it’s just not true. At least not every day.

So here are my thoughts on baking for 2. These come from my own experiences, as I moved out of a house of 5 and into a house of 2. And while Mr. How Sweet has more of an appetite than the 5 of us did growing up combined, he doesn’t use that appetite up on sweets. Unless they taste like chicken.

1. 1/2 (or even 1/4) the ingredients! This is my #1 tip. Almost everything you see on this blog is 1/2 of a recipe, though I will post the full recipe. There are only 2 of us, after all. The only exception is when I make treats on the weekend or am baking for a party/family gathering/entertaining purposes, etc. If it is just for the 2 of us, I always cut the recipe in half, if not more.

I made a half batch of these cookies:

2. Choose wisely. If you are going to bake and 1/2 a recipe, choose an easy one. I have had many mishaps with recipes that I’ve attempted to cut in half, most often in recipes that call for odd buttermilk/vinegar/baking soda combos like red velvet. If you have successfully cut a red velvet cake recipe in half, please come make it for me. Today.

In my opinion, the easiest recipes to cut in half are cookies and muffins.

3. Always measure. This is true for any baking venture, but if you plan on cutting a recipe in half, you must measure (weighing would even be better) all ingredients. If not, expect a screw up. If it works, you are lucky and I need you to do my baking from now on.

4. Determine the “why.” Why do you want to bake? More often than not, I just love to bake because it is relaxing, comforting, reminds me of my grandmother, and fun. I love having my hands in dough and being covered in flour. If you want to bake just for the sake of baking, make a healthier recipe. You still get the same feeling of comfort, without all the calories!

5. Find a substitute. Not a substitute for ingredients, but a substitute for the flavors you are craving. If you haven’t been able to stop thinking about a peanut butter and chocolate combo and are dying to make better-than-crack brownies, but aren’t sure if cutting the recipe in half will work, look elsewhere. Try to find another recipe (like peanut butter and chocolate muffins) that can easily be cut in half. Save the calorie-laden recipe for the weekend when you can share more of it with friends and family. Trust me, being alone in a house with better-than-crack brownies will widen your waistline fast.

6. Check your schedule. If you have a party or gathering coming up on the weekend, save the recipe you really want for that day. In the meantime, bake something that only yields half a dozen cookies, or have fruit for dessert. I won’t lie. I never consider fruit dessert. But if I know I’m going to make something really sinful on Saturday, I can live with fruit for a few days. But I may complain.

7. Make a list. Make a list of the baked goods you really want to try. Determine which recipes can easily be cut in half, and which must be made in full. I have many recipes listed in my favorites, but if I want to bake during the week, I may choose something that is easy (don’t want to have lots of clean up time, even though I always make Mr. How Sweet do it), on the healthier side, and can be cut in half.

8. Pick one a week. I tend to choose one healthier baked good and one indulgent baked good a week. I may bake the healthier one during the week, and save the indulgent one for the weekend. Or I will bake only half of the indulgent one if possible, so we aren’t swimming in chocolate all week. Though that would be dreamy.

So those are my rambling thoughts. Do you ever bake for 2? Have any secret tips you’d like to share?

{ 52 comments }

Buffalo Chicken Burgers.

August 30, 2010 · 109 comments

We have a new favorite meal.

And yes, I said “we.”

I know that you may think that our “meals” consist of Mr. How Sweet chomping on steak while I munch chocolate-covered bacon.

And while that is mostly true, I do need some real food every once in awhile.

I figured since we love buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken pizza and buffalo chicken tenders so much, why not create buffalo chicken burgers?

Perfect with a side of celery and bacon ranch dressing.

Obviously I didn’t eat the celery since green veggies make me cry, but I did taste the bacon ranch dressing.

Like that was even in question.

The burgers were so delicious.

It is rare that I want meat, but I practically devoured this.

I was afraid Mr. How Sweet wouldn’t like it. I’m not sure why. I guess I thought that it may scare him off since it is not regular old burgers like he is used to. When it comes to meat, the man doesn’t like change.

But he loved them too. In fact, his word was “obsessed.” And he is not nearly as dramatic as I am.

So I knew they had to be great.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

makes 4-6 burgers

1 lb ground chicken breast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning

1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

bacon ranch dressing + buffalo wing sauce for topping

4-6 whole wheat buns

Preheat grill or skillet.

In a large bowl combine ground chicken, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, parmesan and buffalo wing sauce. Mix until just combined. Form into patties.

Grill or pan-fry patties until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes, place 1/2 ounce of cheddar cheese on each burger. Place burgers on whole wheat buns and top with a drizzle of bacon ranch (I used Kraft) and buffalo wing dressing.

Don’t worry, that is just buffalo wing sauce and bacon ranch dressing spilling out of the side up there. No need to run away in fear. Unless you are running to make these. Which is something I highly suggest.

{ 109 comments }

Chocolate Coconut Tart Bars.

I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. I made this dessert last night and it is almost gone. Literally. It is technically a chocolate tart, but I confess that I don’t have a tart pan. I don’t really want one either. Well, that’s not entirely true. But I’ve come to the impression that if I bring home one more kitchen accessory I may just as well file for divorce. I can only stash away so many kitchen items in my closet too. My shoes need their space. So I made the “tart” into bars. This way, you can eat smaller bites and it’s not like you eat as much. Especially when you eat the whole pan. Because you ate it in smaller bites, it doesn’t count. You know? I don’t know which I love more – the crust or the chocolate? You make a chocolate ganache filling which is so delectable that you can’t stand not eating it out of the saucepan. Who cares if you burn your tongue? You basically stir high-quality chocolate into heavy cream: Until it looks like this: Then you pour it into this: And after refrigerating, you wind up with this: Friends, that is [...]

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Homemade Blueberry Caramel Sauce.

Just thinking of this sauce makes me drool a little. I made it this past weekend, because… well… I found the recipe and didn’t think I could go on if I didn’t make it. I was right. It is life changing. I decreased the amount of sugar in the recipe because, let’s be honest – we all know that I get enough sugar. Plus, I really wanted to be able to taste the blueberries. I spooned it over some tart frozen yogurt – incredible! And I may have drizzled a bit over my yogurt and fruit throughout the week. It makes the days so much better. But my favorite use for it? That would be eating it off the spoon. I am one classy lady. Blueberry Caramel Sauce from Eating Well 2 cups fresh blueberries 5 tablespoons water 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice pinch of sea salt Combine blueberries, 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of sea salt in a saucepan over low heat. Stir and mash until blueberries become a sauce-like consistency, about 5 minutes. Set aside. In another saucepan combine water, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, then [...]

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Grilled Shrimp Salad.

Salad and I have a rocky relationship. I’m sure you assumed as much, but these days we’ve been disagreeing more than usual. I don’t think anything can be done to save the relationship either. But when I make salads like these, they offer a bit of therapy. It may be a favorite out of all the salads I’ve made. It’s no secret that my piles of lettuce aren’t exactly veggie-filled. In my opinion, that’s what makes them better. Duh. And you know I can’t have a salad without cheese and bacon. As well as the token fruit – which in this case was mango and quite possibly the most delicious mango I’ve ever had. I think I’ve said that before. But only once. This was only my second “perfect” mango. I wish you could have seen how I attacked it. I also threw on one of the heirloom tomatoes I bought on Saturday. It was beautiful and juicy and seedy and vegetabley. If you catch my drift. Eh, so I may have picked around the one vegetable on the plate. Sue me. I needed more crunch than just the bacon alone, so I added some toasted tortilla strips. Coupled with [...]

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Pumpkin Apple Muffins.

You know how annoying it is when you walk through the stores and see Halloween paraphernalia right now? Or how ridiculous it is to see Christmas decorations on October 15th? Well, this kind of feels like that. But I just couldn’t help myself. If pumpkin in August is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. I just couldn’t stay away any longer. I want Fall and pumpkin and 50-degree weather and pretty leaves to hang around all year long. Just call that my utopia. Luckily for me, I have 6 (well, had 6) cans of pureed pumpkin in the pantry just begging to be used. I must have inherited the hoarding gene from Mother Lovett. But don’t worry, my pumpkin doesn’t expire until 2012. Mother Lovett’s would have expired in 1994. And she still would have used it. I used my non-expired pumpkin and combined it with juicy, sweet apples and whole wheat flour for some super moist and fluffy muffins. They are oh-so delicious. Even if they are a bit… orange. You never know when you may have a pumpkin emergency. Last year I went to bake with pumpkin and couldn’t find any on [...]

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Forgive Me.

Or maybe thank me? I think I discovered the secret to eating only one cookie in a sitting. Okay, maybe two cookies. Three tops. Just dip half of it in chocolate. And yes, of course I used milk chocolate. To me, milk chocolate is the only way to go. Dark chocolate is… okay. I’m not a huge fan. I’m sure that says something about me in the “foodie” and “tastebuds” department, but guess what? I don’t care. Give me milk chocolate or give me none. Well, that’s a lie. I’d still probably take dark over nothing. I’m weak. So I guess you want a recipe for the chocolate chip cookies? They definitely aren’t my own. For the last year I have been obsessed with the New York Time’s chocolate chip cookies. I can’t even make any other recipe. They are just so delicious. Mr. How Sweet concurs. He’s never really come out and told me that, but I can sense it. You know, since he stands over the sink shoveling 7 cookies in his mouth with a Diet Coke in hand and everything. The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies from The New York Times 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons [...]

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Fitness Kick Start: Typical Monday.

I think it’s commonly known in the gym world that Monday is the day for new beginnings. It’s the day when big, burly man try to bench press way to much weight and grunt as loudly as they can. It’s the day when woman do a 45-minute leg workout to make up for the spoonful of frosting they ate over the weekend. On Mondays, you won’t find me working chest or legs. At least not most of the time. Mr. How Sweet had such a tough leg workout on Saturday that he could barely walk. And he whined and told me a 15-minute-long story about his leg workout. I think I was eating bon-bons or something. Needless to say, this leg workout is based on Mr. How Sweet’s. It is what I will be punishing myself with later this week. Have-fun-walking-up-the-stairs-the-next-day-leg-workout 5 minute warm up Front squats: 4 x 12 Leg presses: 5 x 8 Walking lunges: 3 x 40 (total) Deadlifts: 4 x 10 Have fun!

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Snickerdoodle-Peach Milkshake.

I’ve never been one for milkshakes. I like to eat my calories rather than drink them, especially when it comes to dessert. Though I used to really love the hot fudge milkshake at Dairy Queen – have you ever tried that? It is unreal. But regular old milkshakes don’t do much for me. Then I saw this in the recent issue of Bon Appetit. The day I find that magazine in my mailbox is the best day of the month. I just pour over it. And I get hungry. And eat cookies or pita chips or whatever is in reach, while really wishing I was eating each dish off every page. That magazine makes me eat my emotions. Now I’m reconsidering my take on milkshakes. This was so delicious. Even better – the peach was perfectly juicy and ripe. I love sweet peaches. I almost wish I would have added a second one. And you really only need one cookie for the shake. But I bought two. Just so I could eat one by it’s lonesome. Totally worth it. Snickerdoodle-Peach Milkshake from Bon Appetit, September 2010 1 cup milk 1/2 cup ice cream 1-2 fresh peaches, chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla [...]