Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

I’m slightly ashamed to admit that this is the first cobbler that I have ever made. I really am more of a crisp sort of girl. I bought a whole bunch of peaches at the grocery store and they were quickly in danger of going bad so I had to use them up and thankfully I still had some blueberries in the freezer. I decided to go to my old standby recipe site (I’m sure she would appreciate being called old!) marthastewart.com I really should start using my shelves of cookbooks. I guess I’ll really have to if our internet is ever down!!

Just a side not because both my husband and my mom know that I believe that ice cream and cake do not belong together. The ice cream is in the picture for presentation. I like both ice cream and cake and lots of other desserts, I just don’t believe that they belong together! I think it is probably because you have to eat one or the other so fast before you end up with a mess! Anyone else feel this way??

Enjoy!

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

source: Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3 to 4 ripe peaches (1 1/4 pounds), cut into eighths
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Pinch of table salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine peaches and blueberries in a bowl. Whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Add to fruit; toss to combine. Set aside. Combine egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and cream in a bowl; whisk with a fork. Set aside.
2. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and remaining tablespoon sugar. Make a well in center of dry ingredients, and pour egg mixture into well. Using hands, slowly draw dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and work dough until just mixed together.
3. Divide fruit mixture among four 8-ounce ramekins. Gently pat dough into 4 disks just big enough to fit on top of ramekins. After placing, brush dough with remaining melted butter. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake until juices bubble up and crust is golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Serve hot, with ice cream if desired.

Molten Mocha Cakes

Happy Anniversary to us! We celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary last night. Instead of going out for dinner (which was appealing) we decided to stay in and cook. Actually my dear husband cooked dinner and I was in charge of dessert. I like it that way!! We had steak, potatoes and green beans. No pictures of that meal though. I do have pictures of our dessert.

When my husband first moved over to the west side of the state to be closer to me and to get a better paying job, we loved to try new restaurants in the area. We tried a restaurant in downtown Kirkland, called Cactus. We later found out that their menu was seasonal but that just encouraged us to try new things! The first time we went for dinner we had a fabulous dessert called Chocolate Lava Cake. It was absolutely sinful. This was one of those desserts that I have to close my eyes to savor and enjoy in my mouth! Unfortunately they don’t have this dessert on the menu right now, I looked online, but there is always hope it will come back!

Imagine my joy when I came across the recipe for Molten Mocha Cakes in my Everyday Food magazine! I first made this for our 6 month wedding anniversary. Yup! We decided to celebrate that one! On to the picture and the recipe! This would be great for an anniversary or birthday or even Valentine’s Day.

Aren’t those plates great!? I bought a set of 4 for less than $10 at Linens and Things a few years ago!

Yeah! Clearance!

source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for ramekins and serving
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• Pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two 6-ounce ramekins, then dust with sugar. Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 20-second increments, stirring after each, until melted. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, sugar, espresso powder, and salt. Add chocolate mixture; whisk to combine. Add flour, and whisk just until combined (do not overmix). Pour batter into prepared ramekins. (Recipe can be made ahead up to this point.)
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted 1/2 inch from edge of ramekins comes out clean, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out wet, 10 to 12 minutes (do not overbake). Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife around inside of ramekins to loosen. Invert cakes onto serving plates. Dust with sugar; serve immediately.

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Who doesn’t have bananas that are nearing the “too gross looking to eat” stage? We won’t talk about how many bags of pre-measured mashed bananas I have hanging out in my freezer. I had to get a bit of control on them. When I saw this recipe in Everyday Food, I knew that I had to make it. These cupcakes were wonderful. I think my favorite part was the frosting!

Enjoy!

source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

Makes 12

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread tops with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place one on each cupcake, if desired.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes

I Scream For Ice Cream!

I would eat ice cream every day if I knew that I wouldn’t look like an elephant at the end of that year. Those of you who can eat ice cream and not have consequences, I have to hate you now!

Nate and I got this fabulous ice cream maker as a wedding present (Thanks Lance!) almost 2 years ago! We have used it several times. If you are newly engaged, I highly suggest adding this to your registry!! Once you make home made ice cream it so so hard to let yourself eat store bought ice cream again!

Here is our beauty!

My mom made request for Nate and I to bring the ice cream maker to her house this weekend so we could make ice cream. I brought up a few cookbooks to look through for recipes, along with the owners manual that came with the ice cream maker. Cuisinart has not failed me! We decided on Mocha Chip Ice Cream! We added almonds and omitted the cocoa powder but I’m sure it would be great too. So, I guess we made Mocha Chip Almond Ice Cream.

Look Mom! There’s your Fiestaware and your table! He he!!

Mocha Chip Ice Cream

Servings

Makes ten 1/2-cup servings.

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk, well chilled 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons instant espresso 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups heavy cream, well chilled 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup mini chocolate morsels 1/4 cup chopped almonds

Instructions

In a medium bowl, use a Cuisinart® Hand Mixer or a whisk to combine the milk, granulated sugar, espresso powder, and cocoa until dissolved, about 1 – 2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Assemble the Cuisinart® ICE-20 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker. Turn the machine ON; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 25 – 30 minutes. Add the mini chocolate morsels during the last 5 minutes of mixing. The ice cream will have a soft creamy texture. If desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer until firm, about 2 hours to “ripen.”

Peanut Butter Cookies

A few nights ago Nate and I had just turned out the light to go to sleep and I told him that peanut butter cookies sounded really good. Strangely enough he said he wanted some too! Then he told me he could smell them. I could too! So of course I had to make some the next day. These turned out delicious but they definitely didn’t make as many as the recipe said it would.

I found this recipe in my Joy of Cooking cookbook that my sister in law gave to me. She spoils me!

The recipe can be found here (who know they were online?) or right down below.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

About sixty 1 1⁄2-inch cookies
For those who dote on peanut butter cookies, try these rich and crumbly ones. This is another JOY classic.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets.
Whisk together:
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
Beat in a large bowl until well blended:
1⁄3 cup (5 1⁄3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
Beat in:
1 large egg
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
Stir in the flour mixture until blended. Shape into 1-inch balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Press flat with a fork, as shown on 766. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool.

Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake

My husband had been asking for and craving Coffee Cake for months when I finally made this. My sister in law gave me a new cookbook for Christmas, Betty Crocker:Baking for Today. After I drooled over all of the pages I settled on this recipe to be the first that I tried. I first made this in January and have made it again too. This is definitely a recipe to make for company or one that you can take into the office.

Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake

source: Betty Crocker: Baking for Today

Filling
1/2	cup packed brown sugar
1/2	cup chopped pecans
1 1/2	teaspoons ground cinnamon
Coffee Cake
3	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 1/2	teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2	teaspoons baking soda
3/4	teaspoon salt
1 1/2	cups granulated sugar
3/4	cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2	teaspoons vanilla
3	eggs
1 1/2	cups sour cream
Light Brown Glaze
1/4	cup butter or margarine
2	cups powdered sugar
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	to 2 tablespoons milk

1.	Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan or 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan.
2.	In small bowl, mix all Filling ingredients; set aside.
3.	In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, 3/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and the eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour mixture alternately with sour cream on low speed.
4.	Spread 1/3 of the batter (about 2 cups) in pan; sprinkle with 1/3 of the Filling (about 6 tablespoons). Repeat twice.
5.	Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool 10 minutes.
6.	Meanwhile, in 1 1/2-quart saucepan, heat 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until very light brown; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle cake with glaze.

Apple Muffins

I made these muffins back when apples were in season in the fall. My friend graciously picked up a 25 pound box of apples for me straight from the orchard! Can you say apple desserts and apple sauce!? These turned out great! I froze half of these in baggies with 2 in each. They were great for quick breakfasts. Unfortunately they are since gone!

source: All Recipes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
4. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Mini Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I found this recipe when I was first reading food blogs this past summer. I stumbled upon it at Deborah’s Culinary Confections, she’s even a local Seattle gal. These cookies turned out delicious and the peanut butter chips were a wonderful hit with my husband who loves anything with peanut butter. The mini peanut butter chips can be found at Trader Joe’s. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mini peanut butter cups (recommended – Trader Joe’s brand)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Carefully stir in mini peanut butter cups. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until just golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Peach Blueberry Crisp

This recipe is pretty versatile. The crisp can go on just about any fruit combination. I’ve had good luck with it on apples, strawberry rhubarb, and peaches by themselves. The crisp topping is an old family recipe. Your family probably has a similar recipe. I’m really not too sure of it’s origin.

You’ll have to pardon the poor food photography. I was a beginner when these pictures were taken. Sadly, this dessert is not one that I made recently, but instead it is from last summer.

Peach Blueberry Crisp

Source: My grandmother

Ingredients:

6 cups of fruit chopped into bite size pieces

1/4 c flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup oats (quick cooking)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place chopped fruit in 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle fruit with 1/4 flour. Sprinkle with sugar to taste.

3. In a separate bowl mix brown sugar, 1 cup flour, oats, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix together with a fork until mixture resembles peas.

4. Spread topping over fruit.

5. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes until fruit is done and crisp is dark brown.

Enjoy with ice cream if desired.