Ingredients:

1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 cup warm water
½ Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour

oil
cornmeal
melted butter

1. Place yeast, water, sugar, and salt in warm bowl and stir until dissolved.

2. Add flour and stir with a wooden [...]]]> Cooking School/ French Peasant Bread

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 cup warm water
½ Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour

oil
cornmeal
melted butter

1. Place yeast, water, sugar, and salt in warm bowl and stir until dissolved.

2. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until blended.

3. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

4. Spread a good amount of vegetable oil on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle the oiled cookie sheet with cornmeal.

5. Flour hands really well, remove dough from the bowl and place in 1 round on your prepared cookie sheet.

6. Let your beautiful round of dough rise 1 more hour. (But 45 minutes into this hour, preheat your oven!)

7. Preheat your oven for 425.

8. Brush top of dough round with melted butter.

9. Bake your beautiful round of dough for 10 MINUTES at 425 THEN TURN THE OVEN DOWN!!!!! Turn the oven down to 375 and cook an additional 15 minutes. Doing this one simple step will give your bread a crusty crust…and everyone will think you bought that beautiful round in France!

10. When golden brown on top, remove round from oven and brush again with butter. Serve warm.

Mint Brownies
This confection consists of three different layers: A brownie-like base, a mint filling, and a chocolate frosting. The recipe below makes a large batch (2 9×13 lasagna pans [...]]]> There is a famous pastry at my alma mater. The mint brownie. Most students love it, a few hate it. You judge for yourself.

Mint Brownies
This confection consists of three different layers: A brownie-like base, a mint filling, and a chocolate frosting. The recipe below makes a large batch (2 9×13 lasagna pans or one baker’s half sheet–a 13×18 pan).

Layer #1–brownie base
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Layer #2–mint filling
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tblsp butter
2 Tblsp evaporated milk
2 Tblsp milk
1 tsp. peppermint flavor
green food coloring (optional)

Layer #3–chocolate topping
5 Tablespoons butter
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease bottoms of two 9×13 pans or one baker’s half sheet (aka jelly roll pan–13×18). Make layer #1. In a stand mixer, mix all ingredients (oil, sugar, cocoa, eggs, flour, salt, vanilla, nuts). Bake brownie base for 20-30 minutes. While layer #1 bakes, wash stand mixer bowl and make layer #2. Combine all layer #2 ingredients (powdered sugar, butter, both milks, peppermint flavoring, and green food coloring). Remove layer #1 from oven. While brownie base is still warm, spread layer #2 over base. Cool in fridge or on counter. Once brownie base is cooled completely, make layer #3. Combine butter and chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Carefully mix chocolate chips and butter together until completely melted. (Remember, if you overheat the chocolate it will seize and become a crumbly mess. You can avoid this by melting the chocolate slowly and carefully. In a microwave, melt chocolate no longer than 30 seconds, checking and stirring it often and letting it sit in its own heat until melted.)
Spread chocolate layer over mint layer and let cool. Score into small bites and serve.

It’s on Saturday. The day of all days. The day you better wear green or I’ll be horribly offended. If you don’t want to do the entire St. Patty’s Day meal (which the Irish rarely eat, by the way), at least make some soda bread. My favorite recipe is below. Without fail, the [...]]]> Friends,

It’s on Saturday. The day of all days. The day you better wear green or I’ll be horribly offended. If you don’t want to do the entire St. Patty’s Day meal (which the Irish rarely eat, by the way), at least make some soda bread. My favorite recipe is below. Without fail, the bread comes out of the oven beautifully. Remember to tap on the bottom of the loaf and listen for the “hollow” sound. And not to brag, but one year we slathered our bread with homemade butter. Oh. My. Gosh. I’ve never been the same. Luck ‘o the Irish to you.

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 cup raisins
1 3/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.

Sift together 4 cups flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and stir in sugar, caraway, and raisins. Add buttermilk and stir just until dough is evenly moistened but still lumpy.

Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and gently knead with floured hands about 8 times to form a soft but slightly less sticky dough. Halve dough and form into 2 balls. Pat out each ball into a domed 6-inch round on baking sheet. Cut a 1/2-inch-deep X on top of each loaf with a sharp knife, then brush loaves with butter.

Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to racks to cool completely.

Makes 2 (6-inch) loaves

Danny: What kind of cake do you want?
Me: Chocolate would be lovely.
Danny: Great. [...]]]> My birthday was last weekend. I had a blast. A few days before my birthday Danny and I were driving in the car and he sweetly asked what cake I’d like. Here’s how the conversation went, script style:

Danny: What kind of cake do you want?
Me: Chocolate would be lovely.
Danny: Great. I think I’ll make a French chocolate cake, a flourless dark chocolate creation.
Me: Ummm. That sounds amazing.
[pause for 5 minutes while I gather courage]
Me: Actually Danny, I have to be honest with you. I want a real chocolate birthday cake. I know you are an amazing baker and I know that flourless cake is so fancy. But I am who I am. I want a two or three layer, “thick with chocolate frosting, makes you sick it’s so good All American Chocolate Birthday Cake.”
Danny: Hey baby, whatever you want.

No, he really did say that. He is very very nice to me.
The next day he searched the Internets and came up with a Magleby’s chocolate cake copycat recipe. For those of you who don’t know about Magleby’s, let me enlighten you. Magleby’s is a Provo, Utah Institution. It’s been around since I was in diapers and it’s still going strong today. While I could write several posts about the Magleby’s I willingly mock, their crown jewel quiets all the food snobs in Provo (and trust me, THAT is a growing crowd). Magleby’s Chocolate Cake is their best and most famous dish. People love it so much that Magleby’s sells darling little packages of their cake in each restaurant’s storefront. I’ve been know to grab one occasionally, and DON’T ask why. You may make this and ask me, “What’s the big deal?”. The truth is, I don’t know. I do know that for most of my BYU friends, the big deal is that one of the world’s greatest comfort foods can be found just down the street. And when you live in a dorm or a student apartment and you did poorly on a test or your boyfriend broke up with you or you are really really homesick, a culinary fix (and a gallon of milk) are just down the street…at Magleby’s.

Magleby’s Chocolate Cake
Very meticulously, grease and line with parchment paper 3 9-inch baking/cake pans. Force yourself to do this first so it’s out of the way. I know it’s a pain but you’ll be so glad you did it.

Mix together then set aside:
1 Cup butter (softened to room temperature)
1 Cup water
4 T. heaping cocoa

Sift together the following:
2 Cups flour
2 Cups sugar
1/2 t. salt

Pour chocolate mixture over dry ingredients, gently mix.

In separate bowl combine the following:

2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 t. soda — dissolved in little water
1 t. vanilla

Combine with chocolate ingredients… then add

1/2 Cup sour cream

Gently mix. Do not over mix.

Divide the batter evenly among 3 9-inch rounds, then bake at 325 for about 1 hour.

Frosting (PS, Magleby’s freeze the cakes before frosting)
1 cup butter — let sit until room temperature
1/2 cup milk
3 T cocoa
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Alternate ingredients while stirring by hand with whisk or your favorite hard spoon.

Do you remember these babies? Boy I [...]]]> Are you stuck in doors during this most awful time of the year? I am. But here’s a little goodness that you can munch while you watch the snow gather. ugh. And you can even have your kiddies do the work. They’ll love it! and you will too.

Do you remember these babies? Boy I do. I love them at 37 as much as I did when I was 7.

Peanut Butter Moon Balls
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dry milk

Mix all together. Form into small balls then roll in crushed graham cracker crumbs (wait, you’re not crushing the actual crumbs…you know what I mean). Cool in fridge until firm. Better have cold milk on hand.

The [...]]]> I have been knee deep in granola research. I’ve sent emails. I’ve sampled. I’ve called. I’ve even dragged people into my kitchen and forced them to make granola while I sit taking notes, asking questions, threatening them with a fork.  After weeks of munching…I mean researching, I can now share my results with you.

The first granola recipe is from my bestest of besties– Josie.  15 years ago my husband came home from school and said, “there is a girl in my study group that is so much like you…it’s weird.” I thought nothing of it for months. And then I met her. Josie is the best kind of friend because she reminds me of my better self. She’s all the things I think I am…only better. And do you want to know the kicker about Josie? She would totally disagree with me.  She’s a kooky girl and the best kind of friend a girl could ask for. (Oh crap. I just ended that sentence with a preposition. Sorry Winston.)

I could go on and on about cheesy friend stuff but let’s pause and talk about Josie’s cooking habits. Josie is a healthy girl. Her kitchen is stuffed with fresh fruits and veggies, carrot juice and black beans. No joke. She’s refined this recipe over the years and is happy to let us all benefit.  Without further adieu…

Josie’s Healthy Granola; Sugar Free Granola
aka Deceivingly Healthy Granola

In a big soup pot, melt 4 Tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add 8 cups old fashioned oatmeal. Stir and toast for about 20 minutes until fragrant. Stir often as it can burn easily.

Remove oats from heat and add the following:
2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seed (whole or ground)
2 cups chopped nuts
1 teasp. vanilla
1 teasp. cinnamon
1/2 teasp. nutmeg
1/2 teasp. salt

Mix well. Drizzle with 1/3 cup honey (warmed in microwave so its easily drizzled) and mix well again. Spread granola over two cookie sheets. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees F. Halfway through cooking, switch both pans to the other’s original place so that sheets bake evenly. After cooking, add 2 cups of any favorite dried fruit, favorite combination (golden raisins, dried cherries,apricots, pineapple, craisins).