Happy Father's Day!

We had enough sweet potatoes (or yams) for two batches so I tried two different recipes.  This one is sweeter and the second one is spicier.

Memphis Sweet Potato

by Down Home with the Neelys

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch wide strips

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, paprika and cinnamon.  Toss the potato strips into mixture, to coat well, and spread onto baking sheet in a single layer.  Sprinkle with salt and brown sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.

Sweet Potato Fries

from Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee

Ingredients

2 pounds sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon chili seasoning

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Use peeler to peel sweet potatoes.  Cut potatoes in half lengthwise then cut into 1/2-inch thick fries.

Place sweet potato fries in a large mixing bowl.  Add oil and spices.  Toss until they are thoroughly coated with spices.

Spread fries in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.  Place in preheated oven.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes turning once to ensure even cooking.  Remove from oven and serve hot.

My family preferred the sweeter recipe from the Neelys.  My dad and I also made burgers with avocado, gorgonzola cheese, and onions and mushrooms cooked with with good-quality red zinfandel until it was reduced.

Finally I made a salad with strawberries, a can of mandarin oranges, and toasted almond, tossed in a poppyseed dressing.  The combination of berries and nuts created a taste that reminded me of peanut butter and jelly.  This recipe was inspired by this recipe from Kraft Foods, but i substitued the idea of pasta with lettuce.

Banana Nut Brownies

I made these the same morning I was feeling creative.

Banana Nut Brownies

Ingredients

1 fudge brownie box mix

3 bananas, sliced (mine were frozen and I let them thaw a little)

6 oz pecans, chopped

Directions

Make the brownies as directed on the box. Add sliced bananas and chopped pecans into the batter. Pour into a 13x9 in. pan and bake according to directions on the box.

Mixed Berry Cream Pie

I was feeling creative and decided to use some things I found around the house to make a dessert.

Mixed Berry Cream Pie

Ingredients

2 pkg. JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

2 1/2 cups thawed Mixed Berry frozen fruit mix

1 Nilla Wafer Pie Crust

Directions

1. Beat pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in 2 cups COOL WHIP and thawed mixed berry mix fruit. Drizzle Chocolate syrup over the crust, then pour the filling into the crust.

2. Freeze until set, and maybe keep in the freezer after serving, because transferring to the fridge caused the pie to melt.

3. Top with sliced strawberries and drizzle chocolate syrup.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cookies

I made these at my aunt and uncle's house because my aunt had extra sour cream she needed to use so I found this cookie recipe.  They were extremely moist and had a strong cocoa flavor.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cookies

from Cookie Madness

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or use a mixture of chocolate and white chips

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and both sugars. Beat in egg, sour cream and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded
tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes
or until set - do not overbake. They should still look kind of moist on top when you take them out. They will set as they cool.

Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen

I also made the levain cookies again, but this time I used chocolate chips instead of chunks. I prefer the chunks better because they melt more and seep into the whole cookie, where the chips stay moist and gooey but in their respective places more or less.

(These pictures are slightly blurry since I used my aunts camera and could not figure out how to focus on the actually cookie itself or take close-up shots.)

Banana Cream Cheesecake

I made this for my boyfriend's birthday because he loves cheesecake and banana cream pie, so I found a recipe that combined the two.  I used an 8" springform pan, so I had extra batter.  I filled the pan almost to the rim and used the leftover batter in a pre-made Nilla Wafer crust to make a mini-cheesecake.

Here is a picture of the mini-cake:

Banana Cream Cheesecake (Cheesecake Factory copycat)

from Robbie's Recipe Collection

Ingredients 20 vanilla cream sandwich cookies - chopped (I used Uh-Oh Oreos) 1/4 cup melted butter  2 lbs. cream cheese - softened 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 Tbls. cornstarch 3 eggs 3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions -Combine butter and cookie crumbs; press evenly into the bottom of a greased 10" springform pan; refrigerate. -Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. -Beat in sugar and cornstarch, then eggs, then bananas, whipping cream, and vanilla. -Pour mixture over prepared crust. -Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. -Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake an additional 75 minutes, or until center is almost set. -Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 6 hours. the edges were a little ugly, after I had a problem with my mistake tipping the cake over in the oven.  I served it with the outer edge lined with whipped cream.

Make-ahead Tiramisu

(p.s. my pictures are horrible because I don't have my camera and have to use my cellphone camera)
This recipe is extremely easy and tastes delicious. It doesn't require ladyfingers or marscapone, just nilla wafers and cream cheese.

Make-Ahead Tiramisu

adapted from Kraft Foods

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. MAXWELL HOUSE Instant Coffee

1/4 cup  boiling water

32 Nilla Wafers

1 tub  (8 oz.) Cream Cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tub  (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

1 tsp.  unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

STIR coffee granules into boiling water until dissolved. Cover bottom of 8-inch square dish with 16 wafers. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. coffee.

ADD remaining coffee gradually to cream cheese in medium bowl, beating with whisk until blended. Add powdered sugar; mix well. Stir in COOL WHIP; spoon 1/2 over wafers in dish. Cover with remaining wafers. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. more coffee mixture; top with remaining cream cheese mixture.

REFRIGERATE overnight. Sprinkle with cocoa powder just before serving.

Coconut Cake

Coconut Cake

I made this cake 2 years ago during Christmas time with my aunt and grandma, and decided to make it again for my mom's birthday.  It's really moist and has a similar concept to a jello-poke cake.

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix

2 C. coconut, shredded

14 ounces coconut milk

1 large container Cool Whip

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Prepare cake mix as directed on box.  Bake in a 9x13 in pan.  Cool for 15 minutes, then poke holes over the entire top with chopsticks, or a similar instrument that will provide holes that will stay open.

Combine coconut milk, sugar, 1/2 C. coconut and vanilla in a sauce pan.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.  Spoon over top of cake letting the liquid soak through the holes.  Cool completely.

Fold 1/2 to 3/4 coconut in Cool whip and spread over cake, sprinkling additional coconut on top.  Refrigerate until serving time.

Levain Cookie Clone

Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie Clone

from vanilla sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour 
3/4 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces (2 cups) good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I used 12 squares of chopped Baker's chocolate)
1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts) (I didn't use any)

If using dough right away, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars just until creamy. Don’t overbeat. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide dough into 12 big 4 oz lumps. Bake on ungreased cookies sheets (one sheet at a time). 

Bake times:

Put the cookies in a 375 degree oven and set timer for 8 minutes. When timer rings, without opening oven or removing cookies, reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until cookies appear set.

Thick and Chewy

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a different chocolate chip cookie recipe from what I normally used.  These cookies hold up well after a couple of days. The chocolate chips maintain their shape but are definitely gooey when you break them apart!

from Sugar & Spice

Makes about 18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

Bake Trish's Favorite Dish

On Wednesday there was a baking competition, a mix between iron chef and top chef.  The objective was to use the secret ingredient, white chocolate, in a dessert dish.  The winning dish would be featured in Cafe Ventanas and would be judged based on Taste, Presentation, and Most Original recipe.  I entered two, but only my white chocolate-coconut cookies won second in the best taste category.  I thought the cookie torte tasted good, but the judges took only a little slice from the edge which was a little harder than the center, and probably didn't have as many kit-kats.  This one was a little more difficult since I didn't have sticks of butter, but rather little individually wrapped slices that I had to measure together to make 3/4 cup.  I've made both of these recipes before and they probably have turned out better at home because at least there I have a reliable oven!

White Chocolate-Coconut Cookies

by Paula Deen, Food Network

Ingredients

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup shredded coconut flakes

 

For garnish:

8 ounces white chocolate, melted

3/4 cup toasted, shredded coconut flakes

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, flour and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy with a hand held electric mixer. Beat in the egg. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Fold in the oats, vanilla extract and shredded coconut flakes.

Form walnut-sized balls of the mixture and drop 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined sheet pans. Bake in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

When the cookies are cool, dip them halfway into the melted white chocolate and then into the toasted shredded coconut flakes. Set them down onto parchment paper-lined sheet pans to dry completely.

White Chocolate Kit-Kat Cookie Torte

adopted from Kraft Foods

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 tsp.  baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup  (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup  firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp.  vanilla
5 packages of White Chocolate Kit-Kat Bars (chopped)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until well blended. Stir in kit-kats. Spread into 9-inch springform pan.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.