Chocolate Banana Bread-Bread Pudding

I got home last night smelling smoky from grilling pizza on the grill at our Young Women's activity prepping for girls camp (I am a die-hard girls camper . . . love it!) and spent a few hours in my kitchen making Chicken Enchilada's and a super easy and delish Chicken Chili. I am bringing dinner to my darling neighbor and started cooking and couldn't stop . . She is a southern gal so I opted for a "southern dessert." This dessert is everything a dessert should be . . . totally fulfills the chocolate craving and is rich, easy to make and is a great dessert to make when utilizing leftover bread!!! I love Dori Greenspan's Cocoa-Nana Bread recipe! I make it whenever I have browning banana's and freeze it for another. Today it made a grand appearance in a bread pudding that knocked my socks off! I think our neighbors will enjoy it . . . I did . . .Chocolate Banana Bread-Bread Pudding
Recipe by: Emily
5-7 Cups cubed Chocolate Banana Bread (fill the pan!!!)
4 Eggs
2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla

1. Spread the cubed bread evenly in a 2-quart baking dish. In a bowl beat the eggs, milk, brown sugar and vanilla together. Pour over the cubed bread and allow to "soak" in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

2. Preheat an over to 350 degrees. Cover the bread pudding with foil and place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, uncover the pudding and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with a scoop of ice cream and caramel or chocolate sauce. Enjoy!

Tangy Chicken, Apple, Walnut, and Bacon Salad

Salads rock!!! They are simple . . . make great use of leftovers . . . can be altered to fit current cravings (and picky eaters) and pump your bod full of energy without making you feel like a soggy beanbag . . . I love the dressing for this salad! It can be tweaked left and right to tickle any taste buds!Tangy Apple Cider Dressing
Recipe by: Emily
1/2 cup Mayo
1 tsp Spicy Brown Mustard
2-3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Honey
1/4 tsp Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the salad I simply toasted walnuts, crisped some bacon, chopped an apple and roasted a chicken breast and tossed all the goodies together with the dressing . . . and enjoyed!!! Great summer lunch or dinner!!!

Owl Birthday Cake

My hat is off to all of the pastry chefs and bakers who are constantly swirled in flour and powdered sugar and who must have piles of dishes to contend with at the end of the day! I make cakes for family members and dear friends . . . and it is a work out . . . but one I LOVE doing! Thanks for asking me Sandy!!!It has been a busy night filled with powder sugar dusting my kitchen (and probably whole house) the enticing smell of cakes baking. . . incredible caramel frosting topping chocolate chip cookie dough flavored cupcakes, . . . little owl faces peering at me from all over my counter tops and finally an owl birthday cake finally finished and ready to celebrate a DARLING little boys first birthday!!!Happy Birthday Cade!!! You have an amazing family who loves you to pieces buddy!

Cherry Blossom Cake . . .

My sweet little niece turned a whopping 3 years old on Monday and celebrated with a Mulan themed birthday party. She asked me to make her "happy cake" with pink flowers on it . . . so we went with a cherry blossom themed cake to tie into the Mulan party.
Finals week is upon me so I will hopefully find myself in the kitchen more once this semester is over!!! I plan on doing some serious canning this summer . . . but hopefully I will do some serious cooking too! Happy cooking all! I hope spring is treating you well and that the allergy season passes quickly!!!

Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Soup

I came home from class freezing and craving soup!!! I browsed my kitchen and pantry and decided to live it up with homemade tomato and a toasty grilled cheese.
Eating grilled cheese is a rarity at our house since my hubby is not a fan of melted cheese (sigh . . . I know . . .) so this is my idea of living it up . . . homemade soup goodness and a buttery, toasty, melty sammie! I love making soup like this because the better the ingredients you use the better it tastes . . . and it is a great opportunity to concentrate on simple but DELISH flavors such as caramelized/roasted garlic, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes. This soup is easy, cheap and yummers!Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Soup
Recipe by: Emily
1 14.5oz can of Diced Tomatoes (I used petite diced . . . cooks faster)
1 14.5 oz can Italian Stewed Tomatoes (or you can use just 2 cans of diced)
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 cup Water
2-3 cloves of Roasted/Caramelized Garlic (or 2 cloves of raw garlic minced)
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Chopped Sun dried Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Chopped Basil
1 tsp Brown Sugar
1 Small Onion, diced
Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar

1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and brown sugar. Cook onion until it begins to brown and soften, about 10 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Allow to cook until the tomatoes begin to caramelize and they look "dry" and shiny, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and basil and cook for a minute. Add the chicken broth, water, and Italian tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes and then puree with a hand blender or in a blender.

2. Return pureed soup to the pot and simmer until desired thickness is reached. Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Serve hot and enjoy!
Adding a pinch of sugar at the end really brings out the tomato flavor, as does the balsamic vinegar bring out the acidity of the tomatoes and balances the flavors nicely.You can also add 1/2 cup of heavy cream in the end if you like.

Pink Princess Cake

This birthday cake was made for a very special girl who had a pink princess party!!! Hope you had a wonderful birthday! ALSO thank you WONDERFUL friends and family for making my own birthday so wonderful!!! Love you all!!! Enter my latest GIVEAWAY here!!!

Ratatouille

Finally! I finally made Ratatouille!!! This may seem like no big deal to you savvy cooks who have "been their" and "done that" but I have always wanted to try it out and had NEVER met an eggplant that I liked . . . until this weekend . . . when a beauty came in my Bountiful Basket. I did have to trade using fresh tomatoes for canned stewed . . . but for a first time I think this dish turned out VERY tasty and pretty lovely to look at too . . . a sequel will be coming when summer tomatoes make it back but until then I can say that I made it and liked it! Ratatouille
1 large Eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large Zucchini, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 medium Onion, chopped into large chunks
2 Large Ripe Tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces OR 1 can Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Freshly chopped or torn Basil
1/2 tsp dry Thyme
1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1. Place the eggplant in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat and allow to drain for 2 hours. Rinse with cold water and firmly pat dry with paper towels.

2. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine zucchini and eggplant with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Evenly spread mixture on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast eggplant and zucchini in the oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 8 or 9 minutes to evenly brown.

3. While the eggplant and zucchini roast, heat a medium skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot add the chopped onion, cook until the onion begins to brown and lower heat to medium low. Cook for 15 minutes then higher the heat to medium, add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds and add the can of tomatoes and thyme. Allow the juices to reduce for 5 minutes then add the roasted vegetables and fresh herbs. Cook for 2-3 more minutes to allow the flavors to meld together and serve. Enjoy!
This is INCREDIBLE in lasagna!!!

Fancy Nancy Birthday Cake and Airplane Birthday Cake

I loved making this "Fancy Nancy" cake for my cousins DARLING little girl's birthday! It just got my girly glams going to add a little sparkle and make a feather fan and find little jazzy jewels for this super cute girls cake!!!


Also flying out of my kitchen is this airplane cake for my cousins son. He is such a sweetie and I hope he likes it!!! I love the puffy marshmallow clouds!!!

Potato, Cheese and Caramelized Onion Perogies with Ham and Mustard Brown Butter Sauce

I made a large batch of these babies and froze whatever escaped the dinner table. They are addictive! I especially love what browning them in butter does to the taste and texture! Delish!
Potato, Cheese and Caramelized Onion Perogies with Ham and Mustard Brown Butter Sauce
Recipe By: Emily

Dough:
1 cup water
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1 Egg
3 3/4 cup Flour
Dash of Salt

Filling:
3 Cups Mashed Potatoes
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Medium Onions, chopped and caramelized
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
Salt
Pepper

Sauce:
1 cup Chicken broth
1/2 cup finely chopped Ham
2 Tbsp Butter
1-2 Tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
1 tsp Honey

1.In a stand mixer with a dough hook mix the wet dough ingredients and then add the flour. Mix until dough comes together and is not sticky. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes before using

2. While the dough rests boil the potatoes and caramelize the onions for the filling. Mix filling ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Roll out dough and use a cup or cookie cut to cut out rounds. Spoon filling onto the dough rounds and seal dough.

4. Cook the perogies in salted boiling water until they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and cook in batches until they are all done. In a large sauce pan brown the perogies in butter. Set aside while preparing the sauce.

5. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan and allow to begin to brown. Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped ham to the fraying pan and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and 1-2 tablespoons of spicy brown mustard and 1 teaspoon of honey to the pan. Allow to cook until slightly thickened. Serve over browned perogies. Enjoy!