by Suzanne on November 15, 2012
You can tell by looking at this picture that the candle is the “focus” (ha!) on this plate, not necessarily the treats. So, let’s talk about the candle first! Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, birthday to my cyber-foodie friend that I have actually met in person. And we still like each other. Actually, we love each other. Funny how things work out. Today is Katrina’s birthday. I think she is 24 or 25. But, then she has these four handsome boys – and a husband – so that makes me think maybe she is a little older than that. Maybe 29. I think that is part of the reason she calls her blog Baking and Boys. Ya think? But I digress. Katrina and I met online through a Yahoo! food group. We chatted in the chat room, ’cause that IS what you do in a chat room. And found that we really enjoyed each others sense of humor. Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch was also a part of that group and we all drifted toward each other like earth magnets. And we have stuck together ever since. We keep saying that we are going to have a girls’ night out – which for us would mean traveling from Texas, New York, and Utah to a place that could handle the three of us for a night. Well, more like a long weekend. We are still searching for a town that will allow us to stay that long. I’m sure we will find something. . . My Mountain Man and I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, a couple of years ago and I emailed Katrina to see if she wanted to meet up and have lunch. You can read all about it by clicking here! Both of us have made a little sumpin’-sumpin’ for Katrina for her birthday and have mailed it to her for “munching” pleasure. Click on the link for Grumpy’s Honeybunch to see her birthday wishes and recipe. In my case, there are two treats, one of which you will see below. The other will be coming up tomorrow. Check your mailbox, Katrina!!!! No, silly. The one by your driveway. 4.5 from 2 reviews Print Lemon Balls Author: Suzanne Collier, Adapted from Snack Girl Recipe type: dessert, sweet, coconut, almonds, lemons Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: [...]
by Suzanne on June 11, 2012
What kind of person would I be if I were to have been assigned a blog named “Smells Like Brownies” and not pick a brownie recipe to make? Well, I’m NOT that kinda person. YAY me!! Melissa is the genius over at Smells Like Brownies. Don’t be expecting any recipes with fruit. Nope, this stay-at-home, married-to-a-man-who-doesn’t-give-two-hoots-about-cooking, lady who thinks pumpkin should pass her lips with every recipe that she makes – whew! – does not like fruit. Zip, zilch, nada. However, give her some chocolate and she will go to town! Well, unlike Melissa’s husband, my Mountain Man does like fruit. But he also is a brownie-a-holic and can’t leave them alone. So, for the betterment of all mankind, I decided to make Melissa’s Coffee Brownies. Sort of. Mostly the same, but with a bit of Mexican chocolate thrown in for good measure, thus, the title of this post. So, here we go! Print Cafe’ Brownies Author: Suzanne Collier Recipe type: Dessert, Snack Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 45 mins Serves: 16 Brownies are kinda like the perfect food. Good for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack. These brownies incorporate the best of the best, chocolate and coffee. Ingredients Brownie Ingredients: ½ cup Salted Butter 3 oz. Mexican Chocolate 2 Eggs 1 cup Sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla ⅔ cup Flour ¼ tsp. Baking Soda Filling Ingredients: 1 tbsp.+ Heavy Cream 1 tsp. Instant Coffee granules 2 tbsp. Salted Butter, softened 1 cup Confectioner’s Sugar Ganache Ingredients: 1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips ⅓ cup Heavy Cream Instructions Preheat oven to 350°. To make the brownies, melt butter and Mexican chocolate over low heat in a small saucepan. In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light and creamy. Combine flour and baking soda with the eggs, sugar and vanilla and slowly add the chocolate mixture. Spread the brownie batter into a greased 8″ square baking pan. Bake for 25–30 minutes. As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, combine the cream and coffee granules in a small bowl; stir until coffee is dissolved. In a small mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until no chunks of butter are visible. Add the coffee mixture and beat until it becomes creamy. Add a tinsy bit more cream if mixture is too thick. Spread over cooling brownies. In a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and [...]
by Suzanne on March 13, 2012
I am SUCH a ditz sometimes. Some would say more than just “sometimes”. But you know, it usually works out well in the end. I’ve learned not to stress too much. Just fix it and move on. So, I’m fixing it and I’m moving on. But not before telling you about this great recipe and my friend, Heather over at Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks. I already know that Heather is kind and forgiving (read – I screwed up). But she also has a LOT of fabulous recipes, loves to cook, bake and read. She also has this great nickname that her husband and a friend of his, Mojo, came up with for her “rock ‘n roll” name several years ago – and it stuck, thus the name “Hezzi-D”. I love to cook, read, and have a great nickname that one of my husband’s friends gave me about 28 years ago, “Vivisue” – a combination of my first and middle names. But what we don’t have in common is a “love” for baking. It’s not that I don’t like to bake, I just don’t think I’m very good at it. I’ve really been in the mood for a bundt cake, and when I saw Heather’s recipe for Babovka, I knew I had found exactly what would calm the Craving Beast inside me! By the way, I told my Mountain Man that he couldn’t slice into the cake because I hadn’t taken pictures yet . . . . and I thought he was going to, well, you know . . . cry. Shhhhhhhh, don’t tell him I told you that. 5.0 from 4 reviews Print Slovakian Pound Cake Author: Suzanne Collier Recipe type: Dessert Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Serves: 12 Ingredients 4 Eggs, separated 1½ c. Powdered Sugar ⅓ c. Grapeseed Oil ⅓ c. Apple Butter ⅔ c. Hot Water 2 tsp Vanilla 1¼ c. Flour 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Baking Powder 6 oz semi-sweet Chocolate Chips 1 c. chopped Walnuts 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder Extra powdered sugar for dusting Instructions Preheat oven to 350F degrees Grease and flour your bundt pan. Separate the eggs. Put the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the whites in a small bowl. Beat the yolks with your mixer and add the sugar. Incorporate well. Slowly add the oil, apple butter, and hot water and vanilla. [...]
by Suzanne on November 7, 2011
I just LOVE this time of year. Fall is my very favorite! I want to rake leaves then jump into the pile with childish abandon. [slideshow] I want to walk miles and miles and look at the beautiful colors, wearing my warm jacket and mittens. I want to cuddle up with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. I want to bake cookies until the whole house smells like vanilla and chocolate and “home”. I want . . . Wait, if I did all of this I would MELT! It would have to be 20F degrees, not 72F degrees with a 40% chance of rain for me to enjoy any of this. Geez, just thinking about it I had to turn on the fan. Whew! The one thing I CAN do, however, is make some cookies and that is exactly the plan. For this month’s SRC assignment I was given the blog, Bizzy Bakes. And boy, does she ever! Lots of wonderful recipes on her site and well worth a trip over to check it out! However, being that I had cookies on my mind, these Cranberry, Pecan and White Chocolate Cookies really flipped my switch.Everything about them says “holiday” and “YUM” to me. Cranberry White Chocolate Almond Cookies Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose Flour 1 teaspoon Baking Soda 1 teaspoon Salt 1 cup unsalted Butter, room temperature 1 cup Brown Sugar 2 whole large Eggs 1 tablespoon Vanilla 1 cup dried Cranberries 1 cup White Chocolate Chips 1 cup chopped Pecans Method: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Then add vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients until just blended. Add cranberries, chocolate and almonds and incorporate into dough. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for about 12 minutes. Word of warning, these ARE addictive! I know your family will love them as much as ours did. Loving the Fall and everything about it! Suz Check out the other Secret Recipe Club Recipes for this month now! Right here! You can purchase high-resolution photos of pictures from this blog and other images here. They make great kitchen decor and gifts. Also, the notecards are great for sharing recipes! More added every week. Thru The Bugs On My Windshield by V. Suzanne Collier is licensed under a Creative Commons [...]
by Suzanne on October 31, 2011
Yep, that’s right, I said, “spiked”. Sweet Pea from the blog Newlyweds has this great Pumpkin Spiced Latte recipe. She is my Secret Recipe Club assignment for this month. She’s also a Texas gal, and you know we are all neighbors here in the Lone Star State even if we have never met in person before. So a big shout out to Sweet Pea from Vivisue (that’s me)! Nothin’ like some good ‘ol southern hospitality. Sweet Pea has a LOT of wonderful recipes on her blog. However, it was real easy to pick one because as soon as I saw it my taste buds said, “Well hello darlin’!” (There’s a song in there somewhere.) I was ready to get to know this recipe better. I know y’all are just as excited as all git out to get a looksee at the recipe. And you will be even more excited to get a taste of this truly warm, cozy, and delicious concoction. Thanks for the recipe, Sweet Pea. It will definitely be one of my favorite holiday, cold night, snowy day comforts. Oh, and did I mention that I have NEVER had a latte. Nope, never. Until now. This is a great “first”! Pumpkin Spiked Latte Makes about 4 cups or 2 big mug fulls Ingredients: 2 cups Milk 3 Tbsp canned Pumpkin 2 Tbsp Sugar 1 Tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream (optional) 1 tsp Vanilla (2 tsp if you do not use the Bailey’s) 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice 1/2 cup strong brewed strong Coffee Directions: In a saucepan stir together milk, pumpkin and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice, and just whip the mixture really well with a wire whisk, till frothy. Pour into large mugs. Add the coffee on top. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice. This stuff is so good it makes you wanna slap your husband . . . (in a fun way, of course) No longer a Latte Virgin, Suz To see the rest of the Secret Recipe Club’s recipes, check it out here! You can purchase high-resolution photos of pictures from this blog and other images here. They make great kitchen decor and gifts. Also, the notecards are great for sharing recipes! More added every week. Thru The Bugs On My Windshield by V. Suzanne Collier is licensed under [...]
by Suzanne on October 13, 2011
[slideshow] Pumpkin Whoopee Pies adapted from sarahlipoff.com Makes about 20 pies Ingredients for the cookie part: 1 1/2 c Pumpkin Pie Filling or Puree 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp ground Ginger 1 whole egg 1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil 1 cup packed Brown Sugar 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Baking Powder Pinch of Salt 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice 2 cups all-purpose flour Ingredients for the filling: 8 oz Mascarpone Cheese 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar 1/2 tsp Vanilla 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix the pumpkin, syrup, vanilla, ginger, egg, oil, and brown sugar in a big bow and whisk until everything is smooth and incorporated. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour and mix together. Heat oven to 350F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper (or grease the pans lightly). Spoon on batter in 2″ rounds. Place in the oven and bake for about 14 minutes. When they turn a bit brown and crack a little, they’re done! Let them cool completely before filling!!! Using a knife or pastry bag and swirl on some filling. Top with another cookie. If the filling seems a little gooey, place pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to stiffen the filling. Eat and Enjoy – the pictures are worth 1,000 words. Love these little punkins, Suz You can purchase high-resolution photos of pictures from this blog and other images here. They make great kitchen decor and gifts. Also, the notecards are great for sharing recipes! More added every week. Thru The Bugs On My Windshield by V. Suzanne Collier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.txcolliers.smugmug.com/Lifes-Highway.
by Suzanne on September 16, 2011
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Megan from Megan’s Cookin’ out in Redding California posted on Facebook that she had purchased some jam from the Freakin’ Flamingo. Well, THAT was enough to get my attention right there. Jam AND a Freakin’ Flamingo. So I had to go check it out. What I found was absolutely delightful! What a treasure of jams Renee’ has created. She makes lots of wonderful, unique jams in “mico-batches” and sells them on her website. “Micro-Batch Jams, Marmalades & More with a South Florida Twist” The “twist” being ingredients that I would never have thought about in a million years. But, they soooooo work! Names like ” Anne Bonny’s Pirate’s Reserve Caribbean Cranberry” that has a touch of lime and rum. Now I know I have your attention! I got in touch with Megan and told her how I, too, had purchased some of the jams – a sampler with Blueberry Mojito, Blueberry Marmalade, Pina Colada Jam, Strawberry Daquiri Jam, and a pint of Blueberry Mojito Jam. All are simply out of this world! And no, no one paid me to say that. It’s just a fact. Oh, and many of the blueberries in the latter are whole! So Megan and I decided to post a couple of different recipes using our flavorful and unique jams. The results exceeded all of our expectations. Check out what Megan came up with on her blog! I made some Blueberry Mojito Thumbprint Cookies, which I have to say are the best tasting, best textured thumbprints I’ve ever made. Good thing I have more cookie dough and jam! There are several variations you can use, so I will try and list all that I know. I’m sure you will come up with more of your own. This dough turns out light and airy, but also has a wonderful “crunch” to it as you bite into each cookie. Total YUM! Blueberry Mojito Thumbprint Cookies Makes 6-7 dozen cookies Ingredients: 2 sticks softened unsalted Butter 1 1/4 cups Sugar 1 large Egg Yolk 1 tsp Vanilla 2 1/2 cups all purpose Flour 3/4 cup shredded Coconut 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Himalayan or Sea Salt Finely chopped Pecans or Walnuts, extra shredded Coconut, Lime Zest to be used for rolling cookie dough balls in before baking (optional) Directions: Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy – about 3-4 minutes. Add egg [...]
