Strawberry Crumb Pie

Pie Crust:

• 1 stick butter
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt

For the crumb topping:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

For the filling:

• 6 cups (2 pounds) quartered strawberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1. In the bowl of a food processor combine butter and cream cheese and process until smooth. Add flour and salt and process just until mixture comes together to form a ball. Remove dough from the processor and shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. While the pie crust is chilling, prepare the crumb topping. Combine the 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and the oatmeal in a small bowl and toss to combine. Add the melted butter and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough out to a thickness of 1/8-inch and fit it into a 9 or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Return pie crust to the refrigerator for 20 minutes, then blind bake until lightly golden, about 18 minutes. Remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool while you assemble the strawberry filling. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

4. In a mixing bowl combine the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch and toss to combine. Spoon the strawberry filling into the prepared piecrust and spread the crumb topping evenly over the top of the filling. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour, or until filling is bubbly and crust and crumb topping are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature before serving.

*Recipe and photo from Food Network magazine

Root Beer Bundt Cake

For the Root beer lover!

1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2 cups flour, plus more for dusting
2 1/2 cups root beer
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt, plus a pinch
3 large eggs, beaten
2 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan, tap out excess flour
2. Heat 2 cups root beer, cocoa powder, chocolate, 1 stick butter in large saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Add sugars, whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat, let cool
3. Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, allspice, and 1 tsp salt in bowl. Whisk eggs into root beer mixture, then gently fold in the dry ingredients (the batter will be slightly lumpy)
4. Pour batter into pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean - 55 minutes to one hour, rotating pan halfway through. Transfer to a rack. Gently poke cake all over with a skewer and pour 1/4 cup root beer over the cake. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto serving plate and let cool completely.
5. Make the glaze: Whisk remaining 1/4 cup root beer, a pinch of salt, the confectioner's sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

*Recipe and photo from Food Network magazine

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies. Whoa.

This adventure went from peanut butter cookies, to peanut butter bars, to throw some choc chips in there, to why not throw in some coca, too? To the search for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies.

And alas! I found a recipe here

(The recipe I'm posting is a bit different, I made my own tweaks)

And I even took pictures this time!

ps I know this looks long and complicated, but its really not. Its just the two batters you have to make separate, so don't be intimidated. 

Chocolate Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened (plus extra for pan)
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup each all purpose and whole wheat flours
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Batter:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/8 cup each all-purpose and whole wheat flours
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (I use organic, unsweetened)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

Make the batters:  In separate bowls, one medium for the chocolate and one small for the peanut butter, stir together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well with a spoon or whisk until smooth. For the peanut butter filling, stir peanut butter into the wet mixture. In a separate bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder and salt for the peanut butter batter. Gradually add to the peanut butter wet mixture. Use that same separate bowl to mix the dry ingredients for the chocolate batter - flours, baking powder, salt and cocoa - then gradually add to the "chocolate" wet mixture, stirring well to blend. 

Pour half the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Place nine dollops of peanut butter - about one heaping tablespoon each - equally spaced on top of the chocolate batter. Sprinkle choc chips now if you want an *extra* chocolate kick. A small scoop works great for this. With a bamboo or metal skewer, gently swirl filling into the batter, running skewer lengthwise and then crosswise through the batter. Pour remaining chocolate batter on top of the peanut butter layer, then add another nine dollops of peanut butter batter on top, using all the remaining batter. Repeat swirling (and maybe choc chip addage).

Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then lift out brownies with the paper and let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Makes 16 brownies.

My Hawaiian Dessert

My good friend and her boyfriend visited me in Hawaii this week.

We wanted to treat them to some local kine,

so we took them to Papa Ole's and then came back to our house for dessert

(after the Night Show at the PCC of course):

Haupia Ice Cream

with 

Glazed donut holes.

:)

And yes, I do realize that the only thing Hawaiian in that dessert is the Haupia.

But nonetheless, it is delicious.

Like cake and ice cream, 

only 10 trillion x richer

and we all know how much I like 

sugary

tooth-achingly 

sweet

stomach-churning rich

foods. 

Gotta enjoy it while I can.

ps. It has been far too long since I have made a decent meal. My poor hubby.

He had 6 donut holes and Taco Bell for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner today.

I'm ashamed to admit it. 

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

So typically if I don't make a really stupendous dinner

(as in, last night was cereal, tonight will prob be fish sticks and mac and cheese)

you can usually count on me to make a spectacular dessert instead!

(and come on, which one would you rather have, anyway?)

So tonight's recipe comes from here

originally, but I have tweaked it a bit

2 Cups dark chocolate chips

1 giant hershey's bar (this was all the chocolate we had in the house....)

3 tbs peanut butter

Melt in a double boiler

------------------------------

1 C Peanut Butter

1/2 C powdered sugar

2 mini butterfingers crumbled

Mix in a bowl until smooth.

Spoon a thin layer of the melted chocolate into cupcake foils, freeze for 15 mins (or until solid)

Spoon a dollop of peanut butter. Freeze.

Cover with one more thin layer of chocolate on top. Freeze again until solid.

Enjoy! They melt fast, so keep refrigerated.

Yuuuummmmm...!

Pizza Night. With Pumpkin Muffins.

So I held out for one night,

but last night we succumbed to the frozen pizza in the freezer.

Yum. Cardboard.

And tonight is date night, so we will probably go out.

BUT. 

I do have  DELISHSSHSHSISH

Pumpkin Muffins recipe to share in lieu of last nights sorry excuse for a dinner.

Enjoy!

1 package White Cake Mix (plus the ingredients it calls for to make the cake)

3 1/2 Cups pumpkin puree (I used the entire 29 oz can)

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

4 c. Flour

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

4 C sugar

1 3/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 C Oil

5 Eggs

3/4 - 1 C. Water

Bake at 350 degrees for 22 ish minutes. 

*This is a HUGE recipe. It made about 3 1/2 dozen for me.

Here is a slightly smaller recipe that doesn't require a cake mix

3 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Mix dry ingredients and add:

1 c. oil
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
2 c. pumpkin