It seems that most people fall into one of three categories when it comes to Valentine’s Day:

Group #1: They enjoy the holiday and celebrate. Usually gifts and dinners at nice restaurants are involved.

Group #2: They think Valentine’s Day is nice, but over the top. They still recognize the day with cards, maybe a small gift, and prepare a nice dinner in.

Group #3: This last group completely hates the holiday, brands it a “Hallmark holiday” and wants nothing to do with acknowledging it.

Where do you fall on this spectrum?

Well, for any of you that fall somewhere in the #1 or #2 range, I have prepared for you a list of the most Valentine-worthy desserts that have graced this site over the last three years. Rich and decadent, just like the love you’re celebrating, these dishes are the perfect way to cap off a wonderful meal together.

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake
It’s the best chocolate cake I have ever made, and paired with the chocolate frosting – it’s to die for.

Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte
I am a lover of all things cheesecake, and this torte falls into my Top 3 favorite cheesecakes. The crust is a shortbread and the combination of that with the berry flavor and cheesecake just can’t be beat.

Almost Fudge Gateau
Incredibly rich, decadent, and chocolatey, it just screams Valentine’s Day!

Tiramisu
Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, and this recipe rivals those I’ve tasted in fabulous Italian restaurants. If a whole recipe will be too much for you, scale it back and serve it in individual cups or goblets.

Cheesecake Truffles
Again with my cheesecake infatuation, but really – cheesecake covered in smooth dark chocolate? In my world, a better truffle could never exist.

Gooey Chocolate Cakes
These cakes are soft in the center, allowing the warm chocolate to rush like flowing lava into the vanilla ice cream. Throw in some berries, and you have a perfectly cozy and delicious dessert.

Strawberry Mirror Cake
A lighter alternative to the richness of most other desserts, this is a delicious sponge cake filled with strawberry mousse and topped with a shiny strawberry gelatin “mirror”. Complete honesty here – this one is a bit complicated and I would rank it on an “intermediate” level in terms of difficulty.

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Another cheesecake in my Top 3 and for good reason: an Oreo crust, a cheesecake filling dotted with bits of brownies, and all topped with a chocolate ganache. One of the most popular recipes on Brown Eyed Baker, it’s sure to become one of your favorites as well.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte
Chocolate and peanut butter are as natural a combination as bologna and cheese, chips and dip, beer and wings…you get the picture. This is phenomenal: Oreo crust with a peanut butter mousse filling and chocolate ganache topping. I just made it again this past weekend for my Chief Culinary Consultant’s birthday and we spent four days devouring it (and there is still some left!). A definite five-star, two thumbs up dessert.

Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
The perfect accompaniment to many of the desserts above, or enjoy a bowl with your favorite toppings. Think “make your own sundae”!

What are your Valentine’s Day plans?

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The big game is this weekend! Who will you be rooting for? As much as I love football, I’m pretty apathetic about who wins the Super Bowl this year. I don’t have a great deal of like or dislike for either the Colts or the Saints, so I don’t find myself rooting for anyone in particular. Now, what I can get excited about is food! Any big game is a great opportunity to gather with friends and enjoy all of the dip and snack food that your tummy can handle. I have put together the 13 most popular recipes on Brown Eyed Baker that are perfect for such an occasion.

Dippity Dip Dips

Classic Hummus
Serve this with pita chips and vegetables

Cheddar Ale Spread
Serve with vegetables, pretzels, tortilla chips, potato chips, crusty bread… pretty much anything you’d like!

Chicken Spread
This is one my mom is famous for. She has made it for functions since I was little, and it’s fabulous. Best served with crackers.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
This one always gets rave reviews. All of the great flavor of chocolate chip cookie dough without the raw eggs. Score! Serve with nilla wafters, pretzels, sugar cookie sticks, or graham crackers.

Fun Finger Foods

Polenta Pizza Squares
A unique and delicious use for the traditional Italian cornmeal dish. Use your favorite toppings!

Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
The name really speaks for itself: cheese and bacon? Yes please! Throw in some dates and this is an utterly amazing appetizer.

Soft Pretzels
The ultimate party food! I have made them a few times, and while this is my favorite recipe from the site, I made an Alton Brown version recently that was even better!

Pepperoni Bread
This is a childhood favorite of mine and I could easily scarf down an entire loaf myself. These are easy and a sure crowd pleaser!

Sweets for the Super Bowl

Sugar Cookies
If you have a favorite team, use my tips on decorating with royal icing to create a logo or simply fill in colors and write “Go Colts!” or “Go Saints!”. If you don’t have a preference, you could always make football cookies.

Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars
These have been dubbed “magical” and they are definitely fitting for sports-watching of any variety.

Chocolate Chip & Pretzel Cookie Bars
Chocolate and pretzels, a perfect marriage of sweet and salty flavors, combine to make absolutely delicious bar cookies.

French Chocolate Brownies
Although a little more involved than your typical one-bowl brownies, these are still THE best brownies that have ever come out of my kitchen.

No-Bake Cookies
One of the most popular recipes ever on Brown Eyed Baker and for good reason – they are ridiculously easy to make and they’re delicious!

Enjoy the food and the fun! I hope your team wins!

I made these luscious, caffeine-laden squares for my sister to celebrate her first day at a new job. Last year, the company she was working for was bought and many of the employees laid off, including her. Needless to say, the job market isn’t booming right now, so her having found a position that’s a great fit for her is of course cause to celebrate. Coincidentally, on the day she found out she was laid off last year I made this to-die-for Sour Cream Coffee Cake. It was truly magical. So I guess I use food to console and to celebrate. There’s never a bad reason to turn on the oven for this baking girl!

I wanted to make something I knew my sister would love, something I hadn’t made before, and also something that I could whip up with ingredients I already had in the house. I wasn’t really feeling a trip to the grocery store. I flipped through some cookbooks and found this. It looked like something you would find in Starbucks and this adapted version includes a healthy dose of espresso stirred into the milk. My sister adores coffee, so this turned into a no-brainer.

This simple cake is another one-bowl (okay, maybe you’ll use two bowls) wonder. This is another factor that makes the recipe so appealing – minimal ingredients, minimal equipment and minimal time combine to make a sensational recipe that is simple to create. And that wonderful brownish-caramel hue to the cake? You can thank the espresso for that. It’s like a little sip of coffee in each magnificent bite.

One year ago: Super Bowl Sugar Cookies
Two years ago: Black and White Chocolate Cake

Cappuccino Cinnamon Squares

Yield: 9 servings (or, if cut smaller, 16 servings)

For the Cake:
1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
¾ cup whole milk
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or ½ cup mini chocolate chips

For the Frosting:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Place the pan on a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Stir 2 tablespoons of the sugar, 2½ teaspoons of the cinnamon and 1½ teaspoons of the espresso powder together in a small bowl.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 1¼ cups sugar, the baking powder, salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of the espresso powder into the milk and warm the milk in a microwave until it is hot enough to dissolve the coffee. Cool the milk. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogeneous batter. Now, using the whisk or a rubber spatula, fold in the butter with a light touch, just until the butter is absorbed. You’ll have a smooth, satiny batter.

4. Scrape half of the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the chocolate over the batter and dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again.

5. Back for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan; a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for 15 minutes before unmolding it onto another rack. Peel off the paper, invert it onto the first rack, and cool to room temperature right side up.

6. To make the frosting, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and fit the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring gently and often, just until they melt. Be careful not to overheat the mixture so much that it things out; the chocolate should be smooth, very shiny, thick and spreadable. 9If it thins, leave the frosting at room temperature for a bit, until it thickens a little.)

7. Using an offset metal icing spatula or a table knife, spread the frosting in generous sweeps and swirls over the top of the cake. Allow the frosting to set at room temperature, then cut the cake into 9 squares, each about 2½ inches on a side. Wrapped in plastic, the cake will keep at room temperature for 2 days.

(Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

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I came up with these biscotti well over a year ago and have been making them on a fairly regular basis (well, as regular as biscotti baking can be), yet they have never graced the good ol’ site here. I’ll chalk that up to them disappearing so fast when I actually do make them! They are by far the favorite among my family and friends. They are always the first to go when there are different batches of biscotti to choose from and especially around the holidays, that’s a lot. I mean, there are your plain biscotti for the less adventurous, a more classic anise biscotti, and a savory Parmesan-Black Pepper biscotti, and countless other variations. So as you can see, for a biscotti-loving clan, no compliment could be greater than to actually proclaim a favorite. When my cousin got married last November and I was asked to bake some biscotti for the cookie table, I thought for sure that the Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti would steal the show. Oh, how wrong I was. My grandma came over wanting to know where the almond cranberry biscotti were, so she could make sure to get some before they were snatched up. I was certain that my Chief Culinary Consultant, who absolutely loves pistachios, would much prefer the chocolate-pistachio variation. Wrong yet again! He thought these were far superior. So there you have it – the true test of a cookie’s worth can be summed up by its popularity at the wedding cookie table and the holiday buffet.

By the way, have you heard of cookie tables at weddings? It seems to be a very regional, Pittsburgh-based tradition which I talked about in the Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti post. About a month later a story about cookie tables was written in the New York Times; it’s an interesting read, and I encourage you to hop on over and give it a glance!

I have taken to using this recipe as the base for many biscotti variations that I have tested out, and it always stands up well to whatever add-ins and flavors I decide to throw together. Over the holidays I concocted orange-infused biscotti filled with dried dates and walnuts. Mmmm… I need to whip those up again so I can share them with you! As you can see, the recipe is very versatile and you can use it to adapt to whatever flavors you might be feeling at the moment. If made for a holiday or special occasion, these are especially attractive with a drizzle of white chocolate on top.

The biggest tip I have for this recipe is to make sure that, after soaking the cranberries, you drain them well and pat them dry. If they have a lot of excess moisture, it will release during the baking process and cause your biscotti to have too much moisture and not set up quite as properly.

Do you have any regional wedding traditions where you live, like the cookie table?

One year ago: Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Two years ago: Spaghetti & Meatballs

Cranberry-White Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Makes about 4 dozen

½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup boiling water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons almond extract
½ cup white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place cranberries in a small bowl, and add boiling water. Let stand until plump, about 15 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Add teh flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in the drained cranberries and the white chocolate chips.

3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16-by-2-inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush beaten egg over the surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle generously with sugar.

4. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

5. Place logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into ½-inch-thick slices. Place a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices, cut sides down, on the rack. Bake until firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let biscotti cool completely on the rack. Biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

(Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)

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English muffins are one those foods that never really occurred to me to make from scratch. I had a similar revelation with pita bread, actually. Sure, I bake loaves of bread quite often and have even made things like brioche, challah and bagels. Yet, for some reason it seems that there are foods that somehow magically appear in their packaging and surely must not have been made by human hands. For me, English muffins always fell into this category. They are perfectly split, have those nooks and crannies that so expertly collect pools of butter and jam, and are covered with a dusting of cornmeal that may have been sprinkled by the bread fairy. Imagine my shock when I finally hunkered down to make English muffins and discovered that they are actually EASY! No harder, in fact, than a simple loaf of white bread. They are delicious, their aroma will make your mouth water, and they have nooks and crannies that provide little swimming pools just waiting to be filled with sweet, creamy butter. Move over store-bought English muffins, you’re no longer needed!

The process for making English muffins is very simple – you mix up the dough, which is strikingly similar to that of a basic bread dough, and you let it rise. Then you divide the dough into six pieces, shape into balls, and let them rise. Once they have doubled in size, the fun begins. English muffins actually start baking on the stoveop – a skillet or griddle (I used a cast iron skillet) is used to brown the muffins on both sides, and then they are moved to the oven to finish baking. Total baking time is less than 25 minutes – not too shabby! Since they are fairly small, the muffins cool pretty quickly – you’ll be gobbling up butter-and-jam slathered English muffins before you know it!

Is there a food that you never thought about making from scratch?

More favorites from Peter Reinhart:
Soft Cheese and Pepperoni Bread
Egg Bagels, Cinnamon-Raisin Bagels and Original Bagels
Potato Rosemary Bread
Greek Celebration Bread
Anadama Bread

English Muffins

Makes 6 English muffins

2¼ cups (10 ounces) unbleached bread flour
½ tablespoon (.25 ounce) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon (.19 ounce) salt
1¼ teaspoons (.14 ounce) instant yeast
1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) shortening or unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
Cornmeal for dusting

1. Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Stir in (or mix in on low speed with the paddle attachment) the shortening and ¾ cup milk until the ingredients form a ball. If there is still loose flour in the bowl, dribble in some of the remaining ¼ cup milk. The dough should be soft and pliable, not stiff.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing on medium speed with the dough hook). Knead the dough for about 10 minutes (or mix for about 8 minutes), sprinkling in more flour if needed to make a tacky, but not sticky, dough. It should pass the windowpane test and register 77° to 81° degrees F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.

4. Wipe the counter with a damp cloth and transfer the dough to the counter. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces of 3 ounces each. Shape the pieces into boules (or round rolls). Line a sheet pan with baking parchment, mist the parchment lightly with spray oil, and dust with cornmeal. Transfer the balls of dough to the sheet pan, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Mist them lightly with spray oil, sprinkle them loosely with cornmeal, and cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a towel.

5. Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces  nearly double in size and swell both up and out.

6. Heat a skillet or flat griddle to medium (350°F if you have a thermometer setting). Also, preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

7. Brush the pan or griddle with vegetable oil or mist with spray oil. Uncover the muffin rounds and gently transfer them to the pan, sliding a metal spatula under them and lifting them to the pan. Fill the pan so that the pieces are at least 1 inch apart, not touching. Cover the pieces still on the sheet pan with the plastic wrap or a towel to prevent them from developing a skin. The dough that is being cooked will flatten in the pan and spread slightly, then the pieces will puff somewhat. Cook them for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the bottom of the dough cannot cook any longer without burning. The bottoms should be a rich golden brown; they will brown quickly but will not burn for awhile, so resist the temptation to turn them prematurely or they will fall when you flip them over. Carefully flip the pieces over with the metal spatula and cook on the other side for 5 to 8 minutes in the same manner. Both sides will now be flat. When the dough seems as if it cannot endure any further cooking without burning, transfer the pieces to a sheet pan and place the pan in the oven (don’t wait for the still uncooked pieces, or the ones just out of the pan will cool down and will not respond to the oven stage). Bake for 5 to 8 minutes on the middle shelf in the oven to ensure that the center is baked. Meanwhile, return to the uncooked pieces and cook them, then bake them, as you did the first round.

8. Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.

(From The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart)

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Brown Eyed Baker has jumped aboard the social networking train, and I’m inviting you all to come along for the ride! Whether you’re active on Facebook, like to Tweet your day away, peruse photos on Flickr or keep track of your web favorites with StumbleUpon or Delicious, you’ll now find Brown Eyed Baker on each of these mediums.

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Wow, I feel so techie and hip. Someone get me a MacBook and a Starbucks latte! I’m truly excited about having additional ways to connect with my readers and am looking forward to even more interaction. See you all ‘round the web!

Congratulations to the winner of the Super Peel Pizza Peel:

Commenter #89, Monica, of ABCs of My Life. She shared her worst pizza disaster:

“This looks wonderful. We eat pizza often and I usually make it because of my son’s allergies. My one pizza disaster was during a birthday party. I made my son a pizza on a pre-cooked crust and put it under the boiler to melt the cheese. I forgot to check it and it came out of the oven on fire. Luckily I had another crust on hand.”

I have to say, I feel such a kinship with you all after reading about syour pizza disasters. I feel I have experienced it all – ingredients burned to the bottom of the oven, a misshapen pizza plopped onto a stone, pizza folding in on itself, a stone cracking mid-bake. One thing is for certain – no one is alone in their baking miseries, and we’re all in this kitchen adventure together!

Thanks for entering, everyone! Stay tuned for more great giveaways!

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French Onion Soup is something that I always thoroughly enjoy when given the opportunity to order it at a restaurant. A stunningly white crock full of aromatic, brothy onion soup topped with a chunk of baguette and smothered in bubbly, browned Gruyere cheese that is dripping over the top and down the sides. I love to savor that cheesy baguette, and take only a little bit off with each spoonful. I can never make it last for the entire bowl of soup, but pulling a soup spoon out of a crock of French onion soup with cheese stretching itself thin is just about the most wonderful site in the culinary world.

I have been aching to make French Onion Soup at home for some time now, as it was on my original Top 100 list, and I am so thankful that I finally got around to doing it. I’m pretty sure I still smell like onions, but wow, this recipe rivals some of the best French onion soup I have had at great restaurants. It’s that good. Perhaps even better.

Now, I would never throw you to the wolves without full disclosure. This recipe is time-consuming. By my estimation it took over 4 hours (maybe 5?) from start to finish, however most of that is inactive time while the onions are doing their thing in the oven. This recipe calls for braising the onions in the oven for three hours instead of laboring over caramelizing them on the stove, noting that the low and slow braise imparts a much deeper flavor. Since I have never made it before I have no basis for comparison, but I can tell you that this soup is absolutely bursting with flavor. Your mouth will do a happy dance.

To give you an idea of what the onions will look like at each stage of the process, I am including a number of pictures.

This is what the pot of onions looked like raw, before going into the oven:

This is what they looked like after one hour in the oven (you take them out to stir):

This is after two hours in the oven (again, another stir):

And finally, at the end of the marathon oven session:

I was out of cooking spray and did my best to just oil the pot before putting the onions in, but as you can see, the sides got a little charred. It didn’t impact the soup at all, so don’t be too worried if this should happen to you.

I didn’t get a picture of the onions once they were browned on the stovetop, but Cookography has a great one from the same recipe so I am including it here. This is pretty much exactly what mine looked like:

Notes on the recipe:

♦  Do not use sweet onions such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, just use straight up yellow onions or the soup will be too sweet.

♦  Once you get the pot on the stove, patience is key. All of the stirring and deglazing takes about 45 minutes to an hour, but it’s a big key in developing the flavor.

♦  I cheated and did not use a baguette. There was some Italian bread in the pantry, so I cut a couple of slices in half to make “baguettes”.

♦  I cheated again and did not use Gruyere. I had the perfect amount of leftover Swiss from my Quiche Lorraine Scones, so I used that.

♦  I cheated AGAIN (third time’s a charm?). I don’t have broiler-safe crocks, so I toasted the bread and then put it on a baking sheet and sprinkled with the cheese, then slipped it under the broiler to bubble and brown. Then I just put those on top of the soup.

Now, don’t be afraid. Go buy some onions and get ready to have one of the most wonderful soups you’ll ever make in your kitchen.

Interested in more soup? Check these out:
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Pasta Fagioli
Cheddar Corn Chowder
Italian Wedding Soup

Best French Onion Soup

Serves 6

Soup:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
Table salt
2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
½ cup dry sherry
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
1 bay leaf
Ground black pepper

Cheese Croutons:
1 small baguette, cut into ½-inch slices
8 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese (about 2½ cups)

1. For the soup: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously spray inside of heavy-bottomed large (at leasts 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Place butter in pot and add onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1½ to 1¾ hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.

2. Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat if necessary. (Scrape any crust that collected on spoon back into onions.) Stir in ¼ cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in broths, 2 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

4. For the croutons: While soup simmers, arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

5. To serve: Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1¾ cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyere. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

(Source: Cook’s Illustrated)

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Does your freezer look like this?

Do you wish it looked like this?

(Images above courtesy of Google Images; neither are my freezer, that is coming up!)

I think we’ve all had a moment when we’ve unearthed something from the depths of our freezer only to wonder not only when it was put there, but what in the world it was! As I was cleaning out my own freezer and ridding it of remnants of last summer’s ice cream bounty, I thought that perhaps it was time to talk about freezer organization here on Brown Eyed Baker. (I also thought it was time that I whip up a fresh batch of vanilla bean ice cream.) A freezer can be a lot like a vacant spare bedroom that usually meets one of two fates: (1) A nicely organized space that allows you to store things that you don’t use everyday but want to keep for when you need them; or (2) A space so disorganized and messy that you don’t want to open the door for fear of what may fall on your head (or toe), and if you can get the door open safely you probably can’t get very far into the mess to even figure out what’s in there.

The first part of this post will be dedicated to organizing your freezer – figuring out what you have in there and going over some food safety guidelines for proper food storage and how long different types of food can last safely in a freezer.

The second part of this post will help you re-stock your freezer with food that you can prepare and have ready to heat up at a moment’s notice. These will be particularly useful on nights when you get in late but don’t want to pick up fast food. Also, if you know someone who is expecting, a nice gesture may be to prepare one or two dishes that are ready to freeze so once the baby arrives the new mom can pull it out of the freezer, pop it in the oven, and have a warm, homemade dinner with no effort.

Okay, so after the great big purge that banished all of my old ice cream to the garbage disposal, this is what my freezer is now looking like:

Oops, I may have lied. There is ice cream in there. But, it’s only from November. And, I paid good money to have it packed in dry ice so I could drive it home from the Berkey Creamery at Penn State, where I made a pit stop on my back to Pittsburgh from delivering a cake order on campus.

But, I digress…

Freezer Storage – Safety and Guidelines

A freezer can be your best friend if you are aware of how to properly store your food. Coming from a baker, it can be the difference between needing to consume an entire cheesecake within two days and being able to eat one piece each day for two weeks. The latter is a much better option, no? Here are some general tips and guidelines for ensuring that your food is ready to be stored in the freezer:

♦  Make sure that your freezer is set to 0°F and no higher.

♦  Wrap food (especially meats) in plastic wrap and then in heavy-duty foil, or place in a freezer bag.

♦  If you open packages of vegetables and don’t use the entire package, reseal as tightly as possible.

♦  Freeze meat products before the “sell by” date on the package.

♦  Always label a package or container with the food and date it was stored.

♦  For things like cake, cookies, and brownies, I find it best to cut into regular serving sizes, and then wrap each individually and store in a freezer bag. They are then much easier to thaw one at a time.

Below is a general guide to the length of time that you can expect different types of food to maintain their optimum quality while stored in the freezer:

Freezer Meals and Organization

Now that we have plan to keep all of the food fresh, let’s move on to some good ideas for what to actually freeze and how to get it ready for easy re-heating. Each recipe varies slightly, but for the most part casserole-type dishes can be assembled up until the point you would bake them, and then can be easily frozen. First up are some recipes that are easily made to freeze:

♦  Any type of casserole (baked mac ‘n cheese counts!)

♦  Enchiladas

♦  Lasagna, baked ziti, stuffed shells, etc.

♦  Meatloaf

♦  Chili

♦  Pasta sauce

♦  Soups

I have found that the best way to package and organize prepared meals such as these is to use disposable containers. For the casseroles, baked pastas, enchiladas and things that you would normally bake in a baking dish, prepare in a freezer-safe foil disposable container. Be sure that it is sealed tightly and label it. You should include the baking temperature and time on the label, that way you don’t have to go searching for a recipe when you want to pull it out and make it. They are easily stacked and once you use it you can throw it away – no dishes!

The second method is with more liquid-type foods such as sauces and soups. I follow the route that you see illustrated in the “neat freezer” pictured at the top of the post. Put the sauce or soup into a freezer bag, squeeze out all of the extra air, and then lay flat to freeze. You can easily stack these packages or even sit them upright like you would books, depending on the space in your freezer. They also thaw much, much faster this way then having a big plastic container full of food.

So there you have it – a rundown on all of the ways that you can make your freezer a less scary place and use it to your advantage. You could spend a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday putting together a few meals and a pot of soup and have a well-stocked freezer for those nights when the last thing you want to do is cook!

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Macaroni and cheese is a perennial favorite among kids and a safe fall back for parents with picky eaters. However, most adults will tell you that they still consider the ooey, gooey dish to be one of the ultimate comfort foods. One of the best things I could have ever done was learn how to make homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch. No more blue box mac n’ cheese for this girl! I have made quite a few different variations (a basic recipe, along with a “grown up” version that includes bacon) and I have to say that this one is by far my favorite. This mushroom-herb version was born out of a fondue dish that my Chief Culinary Consultant and I enjoyed during a snowy weekend last January while watching some playoff football. The fondue dish included brie with a couple of other cheeses and a mushroom-herb paste mixed in; I took this idea and turned it into an insanely delicious baked macaroni and cheese recipe.

As with most homemade macaroni and cheese recipes, this one is based on a bechemel sauce that includes melted cheese. Gruyere and white cheddar are two of my favorite cheeses and really complement each other well, so it was a no brainer for me to use them in this dish. The addition of mushrooms and herbs truly makes this more of a glammed up, gourmet style dish that you could easily serve to company and feel confident about. I love the layer of bread crumbs on top; it keeps the pasta from drying out in the oven and adds a deliciously crunch to each and every bite.

This recipe is currently being featured on the 30 Days 30 Ways with Macaroni & Cheese blog that celebrates National Macaroni and Cheese Month. That’s a perfect holiday, if there ever was one! Each day for 30 days a new macaroni and cheese recipe will be featured – you will have no lack of ideas for homemade macaroni and cheese! The good people of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board coordinated this effort and provided me a stipend for the ingredients in this recipe (anytime you can snag discount Gruyere, it’s a bonus!).

Do you have a favorite macaroni and cheese recipe? The thing I love about making it at home is all of the different variations you can try!

Mushroom-Herb Macaroni & Cheese

Serves 6 as a main dish or 8-10 as a side dish

11 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 shallot, minced
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
6 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese, divided
1 box (12-16 ounces) elbow or other small pasta
1 cup breadcrumbs (plain, seasoned or panko will all work)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Have a 9×13-inch baking dish ready. Set a pot of water (for the pasta) over high heat and cover.

2. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallot and saute, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have cooked down and are browned, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vinegar and cook, stirring, until the liquid has cooked off. Turn off the heat and set aside.

3. For the bechemel sauce, in a medium-sized saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Add the herbs and, still whisking, saute for another 30 seconds. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the milk. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer.

4. While waiting for the sauce to simmer, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook to al dente, or 1-2 minutes less than the box calls for.

5. Once the bechemel sauce simmers, stir in 5 ounces each of the Gruyere and white cheddar cheeses until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

6. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the breadcrumbs.

7. Strain the pasta and in a large mixing bowl, toss the pasta, the sauce, and the mushrooms. Pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 ounce each of Gruyere and white cheddar. Sprinkle the breadcrumb  mixture on top of the cheese.

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

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Quiche Lorraine is a quintessential brunch favorite. After all, what’s not to love about eggs, Swiss cheese, bacon and green onions in a flaky, buttery crust? I personally can devour anything involving bacon and cheese in seconds flat. It can be anything – quiches, sandwiches, burgers – you name it, and if it has bacon and cheese, I’ll eat it. So it should come as no surprise that when I caught wind of these scones I hurdled a chair and narrowly missed the corner of my kitchen island to start throwing them together. (I’m dangerous in the kitchen – my hips have suffered countless bruises due to that wretched corner!) These are every bit as good as you’d imagine them to be. Using butter as the main fat component gives them a light, buttery and biscuit-like texture. Throw in holes of melted Swiss cheese, salty bacon and the bite of green onions, and you have the perfect breakfast, lunch, brunch or snack food.

As is the case with most scone recipes, this is simple to put together and can be ready in practically no time. The longest part of the prep process is cooking the bacon! While I certainly love my new KitchenAid, there is something to be said about a recipe that can be made with one bowl, a wooden spoon, and a smidge of elbow grease. I decided to make these fairly large (one was more than enough for me to eat for lunch!) and used a 3-inch round cutter. You could really make them any size that you wish, just adjust the cooking time if you decide to go smaller so that they don’t get too brown!

Scones! Glorious Scones!
Maple-Oatmeal Scones
Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones
Bacon, Cheddar & Green Onion Scones
Dark Chocolate Chip Scones

Quiche Lorraine Scones

Yield: 6 large scones

2 cups + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
Dash nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, diced
½ cup half-and-half
2 eggs
4 ounces Swiss cheese, diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
7 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Prepare the bacon, onion and cheese. Toss these ingredients together with 1 teaspoon flour; set aside.

3. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cayenne, nutmeg and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the butter is pea-size. With a fork, lightly beat the eggs and half-and-half and add to the flour mixture. Add the bacon, onion and cheese mixture. Using a wooden spoon, fold mixture until it begins to come together.

4. Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead gently for less than one minute. Pat dough to ¾ to 1-inch thick and cut using 3-inch biscuit cutter (for large scones) or cut into squares or triangles. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash.

5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

(Recipe courtesy of goodLife {eats})

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Raise your hand if you love (or even like) pizza. No doubt many of us share a love for a great big slice of pizza full of favorite toppings. Sometimes there is nothing better than kicking back on a Friday night and waiting for the doorbell to ring and seeing dinner appear before your eyes. Sometimes, though, there is nothing more satisfying that pulling a homemade pizza out of your own oven and feasting on it. A perfect crust that you can top with the exact amount of sauce and cheese that you prefer and your favorite toppings. While I am a big fan of the classic pepperoni pizza, gourmet-style pizzas have become all the rage lately.

No matter your pizza preference, you are sure to love this Super Peel Pizza Peel by EXOProducts. I mentioned it before the holidays in my list of 10 Gift Ideas for Foodies. I had seen rave reviews about it on Amazon, and then found out that it comes highly recommended from Cook’s Illustrated. Anytime I am ready to buy new equipment for my kitchen, I always read the CI reviews first, so this was a big plus for me right off the bat.

Gary, the inventor of the Super Peel, contacted me after the holidays to find out if I received one and when I said I hadn’t he offered to ship me one and if I liked it, to provide another for a giveaway. Well, let me tell you – it totally rocks and my pizza making is a million times better! If you’ve ever tried to “toss” a pizza onto a hot stone, you are all too familiar with the troubles that can ensue. And of course shaping one on a cold stone and putting it in the oven totally defeats the purpose of the stone. So, the long and short of it is, the Super Peel is nothing short of awesome and you need one. Therefore, I have taken Gary up on his offer and am giving one away to a lucky reader chosen at random!

Deadline: Thursday, January 28, 2010 11:59pm EST

Required: Your email address. You must fill out the email address portion of the comment form (it will not be published) or I will not be able to contact you should you win.

How to Enter: It’s simple! Leave a comment on this post and answer the following question:

Have you had a pizza disaster? Tell me about it! If not, share your most wretched baking disaster.

For Extra Entries: Tweet about this giveaway (@browneyedbaker), post about it on your blog, or post about it on Facebook. Then come back and leave a separate comment with a link to your Tweet, blog post, or Facebook post for a possible 3 extra comments & entries.

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Happy 3rd Birthday to my Golden Retriever, Einstein!

Since I find an excuse to bake for just about every other occasion I couldn’t let my dog’s birthday pass without letting him enjoy a special cake. I went looking online to find a dog-suitable recipe for a cake and can you believe there are whole bakeries out there dedicated to dog treats and cakes? I was astonished! Probably a very nice niche to be in, actually. In the end, I used some of the same ingredients that went into the homemade dog treats I made a couple of years ago. Throw in some shredded carrots and a few other things, and the cake was ready to go! It can be baked in a round pan or a loaf pan; I did it in a loaf pan and then carved it into a bone and used peanut butter for a little “icing”. I also read that you could puree cottage cheese for white icing as well.

He waited so patiently for me to give him his cake and then enjoyed the rawhide to top off his birthday evening. What a spoiled little man he is!

Peanut Butter Carrot Doggy Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup natural peanut butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1 cup shredded carrots
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8″ round cake pan or an 8×4-inch loaf pan.

2. Whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the rest of the ingredients and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until thoroughly combined. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

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These muffins reignited an as-yet unresolved internal debate I have about chocolate muffins. I mean, are they really muffins? I tend to believe they are more on the order of chocolate cupcakes sans the icing. I think perhaps the benefit of calling treats of this nature muffins is to ensure that they can be eaten for breakfast without the full-fledged guilt that would accompany eating a chocolate cupcake for breakfast. But let’s be honest – if you are going to eat this chocolate muffin for breakfast, would you have really felt guilty for eating a chocolate cupcake for breakfast? Me neither! But then again, I tend to like leftover cheesecake for breakfast as a special treat, so I’m probably the wrong person to ask.

Whether you consider them muffins or cupcakes, suitable for breakfast or dessert, they are certainly one thing: Delicious.

For as much as I love to give my mixer a workout (especially now that I have a new, bigger, sexier one thanks to my Chief Culinary Consultant!), it’s certainly nice to have a recipe such as this in your arsenal. Two bowls, a measuring cup, and whisk. That’s about all you need to get these babies mixed up and into the oven. Did I mention they take less than 10 minutes to make? These are a dream if you are short on time and in need of a quick breakfast or dessert fix.

These muffins would be great topped with raspberry jam, but I take every opportunity to throw chocolate and peanut butter together, so that’s what I slathered mine with!

If you have some buttermilk left over after making these, give the Maple-Oatmeal Scones or Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones a twirl for another wonderful breakfast treat!

More Muffins for Your Mornings:
Coffeecake Muffins
Orange Berry Muffins
Banana Muffins

Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment:
12-cup muffin pan

Directions:
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit with paper muffin cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

2. Melt the butter and half the chopped chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients and the melted butter and chocolate over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Do not overmix the batter. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

(From Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

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Over the holidays, I helped my mom host a Christmas celebration with my dad’s side of the family the weekend before Christmas. I eagerly offered to do all of the menu planning, which included the grocery shopping, food prep and planning out the oven schedule for the day of the party. It was my first time handling the logistics of a holiday and while it took some work, it was unbelievably fun and I loved putting together a large meal.

While the holiday season has already passed, I thought the start of the new year would be a great time to do a walk-through of how I planned the meal and got myself organized, as well to share some guidelines and checklists that you can use when planning a large-ish food event at your home. After all, the year is full of reasons to throw parties – birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, holidays like Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, and countless other occasions!

So you’re ready to throw a party and need to get organized? Here is a timeline with tips and guidelines below on how to tackle all of the details concerning your dinner party:

1 Month Before: The Big Picture
- Finalize the type of party you are throwing and if there will be any sort of theme
- Create your guest list
- Send invitations, e-vites, Facebook event requests, or go old school and call your guests to let them know about the party

3 Weeks Before: Start Organizing
- Select your menu (see below for tips on creating a menu)
- Put together a timeline for preparing your recipes (I share an example of mine below)
- Make sure you have enough serving pieces and place settings. If not, buy or borrow what you need.
- Prepare any menu items that can be frozen (i.e. pie dough, appetizers, etc.)
- Review recipes and create a list of ingredients you need to buy
- Test out any new recipes you may be unsure of. You don’t want any unwelcome surprises with guests waiting to be fed!

1 Week Before: Prepare for Takeoff
- Get a final RSVP count from guests so you know how many people you will be feeding
- Clean out your refrigerator so you have room for groceries and prepped dishes
- Purchase any nonperishable items that are needed

The Week Of: It’s Go-Time!
- Do final grocery shopping for perishable items
- Clean the house a couple of days in advance and just do touch ups the morning of your party
- Start prepping dishes that can be made in advance
- Set the table the day before

Now, the biggest cause for stress is obviously the food. Will I have too much? Not enough? Will everyone like the food? How do I make sure not to serve cold food? All of these are legitimate worries but can be resolved by just a little planning. First the overarching question:

How do I create a menu?

The first thing to ask yourself is if you have any sort of theme going on – Italian, Mexican, tapas, fondue, etc. That will generally narrow down your menu selection. The next thing I would suggest is to find out if any of your guests have any eating restrictions (allergies, dairy or gluten intolerances, etc.) so you know if you need to steer clear from certain types of foods.

Below are some tips and guidelines that I have used when planning a meal [in brackets are the dishes I served for the Christmas dinner, which fed 15 people]:

- First choose your main course and work the rest of your menu around that [Roasted Pork Loin Stuffed with Figs and Chestnuts]
- I always like to include a salad with a dinner [Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette]
- Then add a vegetable [Broccoli Salad]
- Depending on how many people you have, you may want another vegetable side dish [Stuffed Mushroom Casserole]
- Starchy side [Classic Mashed Potatoes]
- Bread or rolls with butter [Cloverleaf Rolls]

- Now choose your appetizers. For appetizers, the general rule of thumb is 5 servings per person per hour prior to serving a meal. You want a balance between light and heavy. You also want to make sure you are not duplicating any of the same flavors that you will be serving with the meal. For example, you wouldn’t want to serve shrimp cocktail as an appetizer if you are serving pasta and shrimp as a main course. [Pan-Fried Onion Dip with Carrots and Celery, Breadsticks Wrapped in Prosciutto, Brie with Crackers and Apple Butter]

- And now the dessert. As far as I’m concerned, there are no rules regarding dessert (of course, this is coming from the baker). However, you need to be mindful of quantities. If you need to feed 15 people, one 9-inch apple pie isn’t going to be enough. You can choose to make one rich dessert that serves more people, or make more than one that feeds a moderate amount of people. [Chocolate Bundt Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, Peppermint Bark, and Assorted Biscotti]

- I also decided to include a little favor for everyone to take home with them. I made sugar cookies in the shape of snowflakes and decorated them with royal icing. Each cookie was packaged in its own cellophane treat bag, tied with red ribbon, and placed in a festive basket near the door so guests could take one on their way out.

Now that your menu is finalized you’ll need to put together a plan of action for pulling it all off in a timely manner.

Creating a Menu Timeline

This takes a little bit of work and how you work yours will largely depend on how many dishes will be made on the stove, how many in the oven, what the capacity of each is, and what you can do ahead of time. Below are some tips for creating a food timeline for your party:

- Review each recipe and write down how long it will take to cook, at what temperature, how long the prep time will take (estimate if needed), and what, if anything, can be done in advance. For example, for the menu I created above, I was able to do all of the following things the day before and refrigerate: Make the onion dip and cut the vegetables, trim and stuff the pork loin, make the broccoli salad, prepare the stuffed mushroom casserole short of baking it, and make the dough for the dinner rolls.

*Another tip my mom taught me is that you can peel and quarter the potatoes and cover in cold water to have them ready for boiling for mashed potatoes. The cold water will keep them from browning. This can be done a couple of hours ahead so once the meal is almost ready you can make sure your mashed potatoes are going to be hot and you aren’t making a mess peeling potatoes at the sink!

- From that point, start working backwards from the time you want to sit down to eat. Here is what my plan looked like:

What time do we want to eat? 1:30pm

How long does the pork need to rest after it comes out of the oven? 15 minutes [Make the gravy while the meat rests]

<Based on the information I gathered above, I know the pork needs to roast for 45 minutes. Put the pork in the oven at 12:15pm. Gives some leeway in case it needs to roast longer. If done cooking, cover with foil and wait to slice until ready to serve – this will keep it warm.>

<Stuffed mushroom casserole bakes for 20 minutes – put that in when the pork comes out.>

How long will it take to make the mashed potatoes? 20 minutes [Boil the potatoes while you are making the gravy, after the pork comes out, so they will be ready around the same time the rest of the meal is.]

How long to roast the butternut squash? 25 minutes

<Start roasting squash around 11:45am. Assemble rest of salad while the pork roasts. Don’t dress until ready to serve.>

How long to bake the dinner rolls? 30 minutes (3 pans at 10 minutes each) – If you want to rewarm the rolls just before dinner, simply place them in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes.

<First pan should go in at 11:15am>

How long will it take to shape the dinner rolls? 30 minutes

<Start shaping dinner rolls at 10:45am>

So, as you can see – the oven work for this meal started around 10:30/10:45am. I would suggest padding each time segment by 5-10 minutes in case things take a little longer than you anticipated.

You will also want to ensure that the appetizers are out prior to your guests arriving. We had planned on eating this meal at 1:30pm, and told family to come over for 1:00pm, so I put out the appetizers around 12:45pm so as people came in they had something to munch on while they mingled and waited for dinner.

So there you have it! The planning of a dinner party broken down into baby steps so that what may be a daunting task is totally able to be conquered.

On a side note, can you believe I have not ONE picture of this event?! The day ended up being a little crazy with Pittsburgh’s first significant snowfall of the season coming through the night and that morning. My grandparents were stranded as their roads hadn’t yet been plowed (by midday!) so there was commotion about how they would get here, and my uncle ultimately ventured out in his SUV to retrieve them. I was working on keeping the food on schedule (and then keeping it warm) and so my camera became an afterthought. I vow to do better next time!

So tell me: What is the first party you are planning in 2010?

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This is somewhat of an embarrassing confession. I have never eaten a scone that hasn’t originated from my kitchen. I don’t do the Starbucks thing and I don’t really frequent bakeries all that often, and when I do I’m typically more drawn to the sugary-sweet and chocolate confections, rather than breakfast-type treats. So all I know of scones I have learned from reading about them and baking them myself. Although this may seem like a narrow glipse into the world of scone goodness, I have tasted and experimented with many different types of scones – those made with cream, with butter, with buttermilk. Those that are sweet, some that are savory, some great for breakfast and some you could easily enjoy for dessert. I hadn’t made scones in a little while and after catching a glimpse of the description of Saturday’s “Barefoot Contessa” episode in my DVR and seeing Maple-Oatmeal Scones listed, I didn’t even watch the episode – I hurriedly Googled the recipe, printed it and prepared to bake!

As always, Ina did not disappoint. These scones are fabulous and walk a fine line between a scone and a biscuit (which, trust me, is NEVER a bad thing). The outside of the scone is paper-thin and crisp and opens to an incredibly light, tender, and buttery crumb. So flavorful, you won’t need to look for butter, jam or honey to slather on top; these are served perfectly as-is.

If you are planning to make these for company or house guests, you can prepare the scones up to a day in advance, through to cutting them and placing them on a baking sheet. At that point cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake. Once the oven is preheated, take the pan out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed.

Some other scones I am planning on trying in the near future are Quiche Lorraine Scones and Honey Fig Scones. Do you have a favorite scone recipe or one you’d like to see me make?

Some of my favorite scones:
Dark Chocolate Chip Scones
Bacon, Cheddar & Green Onion Scones
Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones

Maple-Oatmeal Scones

Yield: 14 large scones

4½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
½ cup cold buttermilk
½ cup pure maple syrup
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash

For the Glaze:
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.

3. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough ¾ to 1-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on baking sheet.

4. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.

5. To make the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes, and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of glaze. Sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.

(Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten)

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Congratulations to Commenter #267, Patricia of Late Bloomin’ Heirlooms, whose New Year’s resolution is:

“My goal is to create and prepare more meals using our heirloom vegetables and fruits then publish our results for our market friends.  The scale would come in mighty handy.”

Congratulations Patricia, enjoy your new EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale!

Holy Cannoli, these are awesome!! As a good Italian girl, I’ve been enjoying cannoli for a long time, but I had yet to learn how they were actually made, until this holiday season. Sure you could buy the shells and fill them with a homemade filling, but I’m talking honest-to-goodness homemade, from start to finish. Enter my Chief Culinary Consultant’s Nana. I had been hearing about her cannoli since I met my Chief Culinary Consultant, but never had the opportunity to try one until now. Not only did I get to eat them, but I got to watch them be made and enjoyed every minute of it! On New Year’s Eve day, several members of the family got together to help and watch the cannoli being made. I tried to document the process as much as possible so that I could share it with you. My only misstep was not getting a photo of the cannoli sitting on the dessert platter the next day, so I had re-plate with the extras that I took home with me.

For those that are not familiar, cannoli are a traditional Sicilian pastry that is made by rolling out a circle of dough and wrapping it around a metal cylinder or “form” and then deep frying. Once cool, the shells are filled with a sweetened ricotta filling. Sometimes nuts or dried fruit are added to the filling and sometimes the ends are dipped into crushed nuts or chocolate chips, but we went simple and classic – just the shell and filling. Pure and utterly delicious!

I expanded on the recipe when I wrote it out below to provide some additional details, but wanted to share a photo of the original recipe. I always love seeing older recipes as they were typed or written out, with handwritten notes scrawled on them.

The cannoli forms that we used and that you’ll see in the pictures were made by Nana’s husband around 50 years ago in the shop of the aluminum manufacturer that he worked for. These cannoli are TRULY from scratch! Cannoli forms are available for purchase from a variety of outlets, and these Norpro Cannoli Forms received the highest rating on Amazon (and they are inexpensive at $6.95 for a set of 4).

You will see that the recipe for the dough includes wine, and I am told that either red or white will work, but that red will affect the final color of the shells, and my Chief Culinary Consultant said that he liked the shells made with white wine better than those with red. These were made with a mix of Riesling and Pinot Grigio; you could also use Marsala wine.

Recipe Note: You should only fill the cannoli right before you are planning on serving them. You can store the empty shells in an airtight container and the filling in the refrigerator until ready to use. Only fill as many cannoli as you plan on eating!

Cannoli

Makes about 6 dozen shells

For the Shells:
2 lb. cake flour
3½ ounces granulated sugar (about ½ cup)
4 ounces vegetable shortening
4 egg yolks
1¾ – 2 cups wine (enough to make the dough easy to roll and handle)

1. Mix all ingredients together and allow to rest at least 4 hours before frying.

2. Tear off a chunk of dough about the size of a walnut and roll into a circle about 1/8-inch thick.

3. Wrap the dough around a cannoli form, overlapping dough and press to seal together.

4. Heat vegetable oil to around 375°F (the best temperature for deep frying) and, a few at a time (or however many fit in your frying vessel without crowding), place the prepared forms into the oil. Fry until light golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.

5. Remove the forms from the fryer and set on paper towels to drain.

6. Allow to cool until able to handle and slide the shell off of the form. Cool completely before filling.

For the Filling:
2 lb. ricotta cheese
2 cups whole milk
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup cornstarch

Mix the sugar, milk and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat until smooth and dissolved. Stir the sugar mixture into the ricotta until combined. Return to saucepan and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (a few large bubbles should pop at the surface when it has thickened), about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. Filling should be cold when used to fill the cannoli shells.

Note: The recipe for filling should be doubled in order to fill all of the shells that the original recipe makes.

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Maybe your New Year’s resolution is to eat better/smarter/healthier. Or maybe your New Year’s resolution is to bake by weighing ingredients instead of using measuring cups *ahem*. I would certainly encourage you to adopt the former, if you haven’t already! As I have gone on and on about before, I am a HUGE proponent of using a scale to weigh ingredients instead of scooping them into measuring cups, which can account for some drastic differences in quantities. No matter your New Year’s resolution, this scale is sure to be a great asset in your kitchen.

The folks at EatSmart were kind enough to send me a Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale to try out before offering one to all of you, and I made sure to give it a work out. You can weigh ingredients in grams, kilograms, ounces or pounds which is great since most recipes that originate pretty much anywhere but the U.S. list ingredients using metric measurements. As an added bonus for those of you that are watching what you eat, the scale comes with a book of conversions for hundreds of common foods. Once you weigh the food, you multiply its weight by the accompanying number in the book, and that will tell you how many calories are in whatever you just weighed.

As I have mentioned before, I have been using the Escali Pana Volume Measuring Scale for over a year now, and since I have heavily promoted it in the past I felt compelled to do a comparison between the two. The biggest difference is that the Escali scale has over 500 ingredients preprogrammed with accompanying codes so if, for instance, you need 2 cups of all-purpose flour but don’t want to look up how many ounces or grams is in a cup, you set the scale to “volume” and input the code for “all-purpose flour” and add flour until the display reads 2 cups. You could then toggle to ounces or grams to see how much is there for future reference.

Aside from that, there are minimal differences and while I do love the Escali scale, I am more than happy to recommend the EatSmart scale to anyone who needs to weigh kitchen ingredients.

Since I always beg you to weigh your ingredients, I am now giving you a tool to make it happen! See the details below on how to enter to win an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale. I will choose one lucky winner at random, so be sure to get your entries in! Good luck!

Deadline: Thursday, January 7, 2010 11:59pm EST

Required: Your email address. You must fill out the email address portion of the comment form (it will not be published) or I will not be able to contact you should you win.

Restrictions: Due to shipping restrictions, this giveaway is only for those with U.S. mailing addresses. My apologies to international readers!

How to Enter: It’s simple! Leave a comment on this post and answer the following question:

What is your New Year’s resolution?

For Extra Entries: Tweet about this giveaway, post about it on your blog, or post about it on Facebook. Then come back and leave a link to your Tweet, blog post, or Facebook post for a possible 3 extra entries.

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I absolutely adore rugelach and can’t believe that it took me so long to make them myself. Ironically, I made them the same day that I made the Chocolate Babka – it was a Jewish baking extravaganza! The history of rugelach, much like babka, is that they were first brought to America by Eastern European immigrants and are popular during Jewish holidays. Rugelach is made up of a wonderfully tender cream cheese dough and is filled with dried fruit, chocolate, or nuts or a combination of all three. Most versions include raisins which is what I filled half of mine with, and the other half I filled with dried figs. I just love figs and look for any excuse to use them! These would also be fabulous brushed with raspberry jam and filled with bittersweet chocolate. Yum!

While these take some time and a few extra steps to put together they are not at all complicated; and that flaky pastry dough is well worth the effort!

Have you had rugelach before? If so, what is your favorite flavor combination?

More great ethnic cookies:
Lebkuchen: German Christmas Cookies
Pizzelle
Cucidati: Italian Fig Cookies
Italian Walnut Pillow Cookies

Rugelach

Makes 4 dozen

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
1 large whole egg, plus 3 large egg yolks
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups (4 ounces) walnut halves or pieces
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (12 ounces) apricot jelly, melted
2 cups currants, raisins or other dried fruit, or mini chocolate chips
Fine sanding sugar (or granulated sugar), for sprinkling

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add ½ cup granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt; beat until combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine after each. With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour to combine. Mix in vanilla.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into three equal pieces, and shape into flattened disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 325°F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In food processor, pulse together the walnuts, remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar, the cinnamon, and pinch of salt until finely ground; set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of dough into a 10-inch round about ¼ inch thick. Brush the top evenly with melted jelly. Sprinkle with a third of the walnut mixture and a third of the currants. Using the rolling pin, gently roll over the round to press the filling into the dough.

4. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the round into 16 equal wedges. Beginning with the outside edge of each wedge, roll up to enclose filling. Place about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling ingredients. Lightly beat the whole egg; brush over tops, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

5. Bake two sheets, rotating halfway through, until the cookies are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining baking sheet. Rugelach can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

(Source: Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)

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Rich, rich, rich is the best way to describe this out-of-this-world, decadent bread. This babka was a long time coming, as I had seen it on other food blogs ages ago, and have stared at it in my Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook countless times. So what took me so long to make it? Well, it makes 3 loaves of intensely rich bread. What would I do with three loaves of something I have no business consuming all on my own? I finally decided that the holiday season was the perfect time to finally dive into the babka so that I could share the riches with others. Up until this bread, my only knowledge of babka came from a Seinfeld episode, but wow, now I know what I had been missing out on. If you haven’t had it before, you should certainly plan on making this bread.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “How rich could this bread possibly be?” Well, to give you an idea, here is a small breakdown of some of the ingredients that the recipe includes:

- 2 pounds of chocolate
- 5 eggs
- 1+ pounds of butter
- 3+ cups of sugar

Definitely not for the faint of heart, but absolutely amazing and perfect with a cup of coffee after dinner (or for breakfast!).

Now, I’m not going to try to sell this to you as an easy recipe. It’s not. It’s time consuming and involves some different shaping methods. But boy is it worth it. Just be sure to read the recipe the whole way through a couple of times before proceeding to get your head around it. At its core it is much like a brioche (a rich, buttery dough) with the addition of a rich chocolate filling, and the loaf is twisted and turned a couple of times before being topped with streusel and baked. And of course, if you have any questions along the way, don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I’ll help you as much as possible!

More delicious yeast breads:
Soft Cheese and Pepperoni Bread
Potato Rosemary Bread
Challah

Chocolate Babkas

Makes 3 loaves

Note: A babka can be frozen in the pan for up to a month before baking. When ready to bake, remove from freezer; let stand at room temperature for about five hours. Be careful not to underbake; otherwise, the center may not set properly.

1½ cups warm milk (110°F)
2 envelopes (¼ ounce each) active dry yeast
1¾ cups plus a pinch of sugar
3 whole large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
3½ sticks (1¾ cups) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus more for bowl and pans
2 pounds semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over the warm milk; stir until dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together ¾ cup sugar, 2 eggs, and the yolks; add yeast mixture, and whisk to continue.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add the egg mixture, and beat on low speed until almost all the flour is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Switch to the dough hook. Add 2 sticks butter, and beat until completely incorporated and a smooth, soft dough forms, about 10 minutes. The dough should still be slightly sticky when squeezed.

3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead a few times until smooth. Place dough in a well-buttered bowl, and turn to coat with butter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

4. In a bowl, stir together chocolate, remaining cup sugar, and the cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in remaining 1½ sticks butter until combined; set aside filling.

5. Generously butter three 9-by-5-by-2¾-inch loaf pans and line with parchment paper, leaving a 1½-inch overhang along the sides. Brush more butter over the parchment, and set aside. Punch down the dough, and transfer to a clean work surface. Let the dough rest 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, beat the remaining egg with the cream. Cut dough into three equal pieces. On a well-floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 16-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. (Keep other pieces covered with plastic wrap while you work.) Brush edges of dough with the egg wash. Crumble one-third of the chocolate filling evenly over dough, leaving about a ½-inch border on the long sides. Roll up dough lengthwise into a tight log, pinching ends together to seal. Twist dough evenly down the length of the log, a full five or six times. Brush the top of the log with egg wash. Crumble 2 tablespoons filling down the center of the log, being careful not to let mixture slide off. Fold log in half into a horseshoe shape, then cross the right half over the left. Pinch ends together to seal and form a figure eight. Twist two more times, and fit into a prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

7. Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the lower third. Brush the top of each loaf with egg wash; sprinkle with one-third of the Streusel Topping. Loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until dough has expanded and feels pillowy, about 40 minutes.

8. Bake loaves, rotating halfway through, until golden, about 55 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F; bake until loaves are deep golden, 20 to 30 minutes more. (If the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.) Transfer pans to wire racks to cool completely. Babkas can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Streusel Topping

Makes enough for 3 loaves (about 3 cups)

1-2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

Combine sugar and flour in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some  larger clumps remaining.

(Source: Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)

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If you have been a reader of Brown Eyed Baker for some time, you know that each year on or around New Year’s Eve I do a “year in review” and recap my favorite recipes of the year (feel free to check out the rundowns for 2007 and 2008. My how time flies!). This year I am giving you favorite recipes, but with an additional spin – first up are YOUR favorite recipes! I thought it would be great to share the recipes that you all flocked to over the course of the year, so thanks to Google Analytics, below are the Top 10 recipes that were made during 2009, based on site traffic. By the looks of the list, it was the year of the cookie!

#10: Lebkuchen (German Christmas Cookies)

I had never heard of these before a few months ago and coincidentally right after a reader had left a comment asking if I had ever made them, I was flipping through a cookie cookbook and saw a recipe. I considered it fate and whipped them up right away. They are soft, full of molasses and tons of spices. A must for your holiday baking list next year!

#9: Snickerdoodles

A classic that took me years to perfect. They were my nemesis for so long and I finally found the perfect recipe – soft with the perfect cinnamon/sugar combination. You won’t want to wait for the holidays to make these!

#8: Zucchini Bread

This is a great recipe for the end of summer when gardens are overflowing with zucchini. It’s moist and has a subtle zucchini flavor without being too savory or too sweet.

#7: Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

This was the first time I had eaten a macaroon and I’d probably look for any excuse to gobble them up in large quantities. They provide a great option for fancier cookie trays that are incredibly quick to throw together.

#6: Better Than Brownies Chocolate Cookies

These are so rich, so chocolatey and indeed like a brownie in cookie form. Probably my favorite from this Top 10 list, if you are a chocolate lover, you will roll over for these babies!

#5: Pittsburgh Penguins Sugar Cookies

Made for fun during the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, I think they may have certainly been good luck as the Pens overcame the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7. I’ve made them a few times since and will be sure to make them again in the spring for another playoff run!

#4: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorites for chocolate chip and it was a definite winner. The combination of macadamia nuts and white chocolate seems so natural and are absolutely delicious in these cookies.

#3: Brown Sugar-Buttermilk Waffles

The only non-dessert recipe that made the Top 10 (based on traffic) and these are so incredibly worth it. Bacon is sprinkled with brown sugar and baked in the oven and then crumbled and mixed into a buttermilk waffle batter. Fast forward a few minutes and you have a golden Belgian waffle sitting in front of you that couldn’t possibly be more delicious.

#2: How to Decorate Cookies with Royal Icing

Definitely the most popular tutorial I put together this year, and I have enjoyed receiving feedback from readers who have used it to decorate cookies and have had great success. I have become somewhat addicted to decorating cookies with royal icing and am thrilled that others have been bitten by the bug as well.

And now, the most popular recipe on Brown Eyed Baker during 2009…

:: drum roll ::

#1: No Bake Chocolate, Oatmeal & Peanut Butter Cookies

A cookie that doesn’t require the oven or an electric mixer? A dream for hot summer days! While these are new to me, many readers have shared stories about how they made these cookies as children with their mom or grandmother. A recipe that stirs up warm memories is always one that I hold dear.

Okay, I’m not done yet. There are other recipes that I absolutely loved this past year, so below are MY Top 10 favorites that I whipped up during 2009 (in chronological order from the beginning of the year to the end):

Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookies)

A classic Italian cookie, these are filled with ground figs, dates, raisins, walnuts and orange marmalade. They are perfect for a special occasion or just sharing time with friends and family.

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

Could you imagine a better way to start the day? Sweet, tender dough with a rich cinnamon filling and topped with decadent icing.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is one of the best meals I made all year. I have only recently discovered Chinese food and fallen in love with General Tso’s. This recipe is a perfect replication of the take out favorite and one I’m sure you’ll love as well.

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

As always, Peter Reinhart never disappoints. This variation on his classic bagel recipe is absolutely delicious and a favorite of mine and my Chief Culinary Consultant.

Spumoni Ice Cream

I really loved all of the new ice cream I made this year (Chocolate and Tin Roof lead the pack), but this spumoni was just spectacular. A classic Italian dessert, creating an authentic version was no small feat so I was beyond proud to pull all of the flavors together and everyone who ate it (all Italians well versed in spumoni) loved it and most said it was the best spumoni they had ever had.

Stained Glass Jello

While there really isn’t anything special about regular Jello, I had to include this one due to the “cool” factor. I made these for the Fourth of July and can only imagine all of the color and shape combinations you could come up with for holidays, school functions, or just about anything.

Lemon-Limoncello Cupcakes

These are truly gourmet cupcakes, and are worth every bit of effort that the recipe takes. It’s not hard, but requires a few separate steps, and your guests will certainly thank you. Serve these to cap off the end of a summer dinner party.

Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars

Quite possibly the most popular baked good that I made this year, these were requested multiple times within weeks of the first time I made them. They have been dubbed “magical” and they just may be – they certainly disappear at an alarming rate! It’s not hard to see why though with a rich brownie base, marshmallow middle and chocolate/peanut butter/Rice Krispies topping.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these for Halloween and they filled the house with the first scents of the autumn season, with Thanksgiving smells wafting from the oven. The cupcake tastes just like a pumpkin pie but with a cake consistency and the cream cheese frosting is flat-out to die for. You must find a reason to make these in the coming year!

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Only better. Much better. Much, much better.

Now tell me – What was YOUR favorite Brown Eyed Baker recipe in 2009?

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and looking forward to more food and fun in 2010!

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I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are continuing to enjoy the season. I do apologize for the blog being sparse over the last week or so, but Christmas gatherings, holiday orders and enjoyment of the holiday with loved ones kept me unplugged much of the time. But, I’m back and have some exciting things planned for the new year, so be sure to stay in the loop by subscribing through RSS or email (use the box in the right sidebar for email subscriptions). For now though, I wanted to share with you the wonderful kitchen items that I received for Christmas.

The Grand Daddy of Gifts

My Chief Culinary Consultant Santa brought me this sexy mama:

That’s right, a KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer with a monster motor. I can’t even begin to tell you all how excited I am. While my Artisan hasn’t quite died yet, it may have started to march toward the light a couple of weeks ago when I was kneading dough for dinner rolls and plumes of smoke rose from the mixer. It has only been a matter of time for quite awhile now, so I am beyond grateful for this wonderful gift. So far I have made soft pretzels (recipe coming soon – they were the best I’ve ever made!) and a pound cake with the new mixer and it lives up to all its hype. I just want to keep making things so I can see it in action!

Cookbooks

I received Gourmet Today and The Cake Bible. I haven’t had a chance to go through them in detail yet, but they are both books I’ve been eyeing up for quite some time, so I’m excited to dive into them.

Food Photography Books

I also received two books dedicated to food photography: Digital Food Photography and Food Styling for Photographers. I am excited to go through these books and start to put new ideas to work!

More Kitchen Toys

A new baking stone! You may remember back in the summer when I made calzones that my beloved pizza stone cracked in half. I finally have a replacement for it and I can’t wait to make some homemade pizza and rustic breads on it. This is the stone that Cook’s Illustrated rated the highest in its review of baking stones.

A Williams Sonoma apron and oven mitt. I just adore aprons and can’t get enough of them. And I’ve been in dire need of a better oven mitt too!

A beautiful cake pedestal. I’ve been in need of more pedestals and I love the scalloped edging on this one.

Williams Sonoma Gift Cards

Because, really, you can never spend enough money in that store! Some things on my W-S wish list:

Oxo V-Blade Mandoline Slicer

Cuisinart Popcorn Maker

Kitchen Aid Pasta Press Attachment

What did Santa bring you? What was your favorite gift?

We are now less than two weeks away from Christmas (how did that happen??), and many of you may still be looking for gift ideas. I, for one, still have a lot of shopping left to get done. Eek! In this third installment of gift-related ideas (remember, there were the homemade gift ideas and the foodie wish list), I thought I would review what has been popular with the general public in terms of cookbooks and kitchen-related items. Amazon compiles bestseller lists that are updated hourly and breaks down bestselling cookbooks and kitchen products into a boat load of sub-categories. I thought it would be fun to see what the most popular items were, and thought you all would enjoy it as well. They may also give you some much-needed gift ideas too!

Although we’re closing in on crunch time the good news is that you still have some time left to do last-minute online shopping. I have included the Amazon holiday shipping calendar below and as you can see, you still have until Thursday to take advantage of the free super saver shipping, and until Sunday to have gifts shipped via standard shipping and still get them by Christmas.

Now, let’s get on to the fun stuff – kitchen toys!

The first section of bestsellers I want to talk about is cookbooks. If you’re anything like me, you may feel like you need a support  group based on how many books you have amassed recently. But I can’t help myself – I’m always totally transfixed by a new cookbook and will sit and read it from cover to cover. Not only do I love trying new recipes from the book but when I’m looking for ideas I often gain a lot of inspiration from combinations of ingredients or particular techniques. I’ve noted below the products that I personally own and the ones that are on my wish list. The bestseller list for cookbooks is broken down into sub-categories with the top sellers in each category listed below.

I really enjoyed browsing through the bestseller lists and found a lot of new books to add to my wish list. Not surprisingly, Julia tops the charts with the best selling books among all cookbooks – the two-book set of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. A perfect way to lead off this list…

1. Mastering the Art of French Cooking (2 Volume Set) by Julia Child
(Category: General)
Julia Child brought gourmet French food into the homes of Americans who otherwise may have never been exposed to such cuisine. Nothing much needs to be said about the merits of owning these time-honored books; they should be a staple on the shelf of every home cook.

2. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois
(Category: Baking)

3. Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine
(Category: Canning and Preserving)

4. The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
(Category: Cooking by Ingredient)
*On my wish list!

5. Gourmet Today by Ruth Reichl
(Category: Culinary Arts & Techniques)
*On my wish list!

6. Biggest Loser Family Cookbook by Devin Alexander
(Category: Drinks & Beverages)
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7. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
(Category: Gastronomy)
*On my wish list!

8. New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein
(Category: Meals)

9. Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
(Category: Natural Foods)

10. Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook by Myra Goodman, Linda Holland and Pamela McKinstry
(Category: Organic Cooking)

11. Down Home with the Neelys: A Southern Family Cookbook by Patrick Neely and Gina Neely
(Category: Outdoor Cooking)

12. Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker: Recipes for Entertaining by Beth Hensperger
(Category: Professional Cooking)

13. How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
(Category: Quick & Easy)
*I own this and it is one of the best reference cookbooks to have. Anything you can think of that you’d want to make is included with clear explanations and instructions.

14. Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking by Julia Child
(Category: Reference)
*On my wish list!

15. The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond
(Category: Regional & International)
*On my wish list! You can’t be a food blogger and not want to cook the same cowboy food that Ree does!

16. Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking by Stephanie O’Dea
(Category: Special Appliances)

17. Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
(Category: Special Diets)

18. Paula Deen’s The Deen Family Cookbook by Paula Deen
(Category: Special Occasions)

19. So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger
(Category: Vegetables & Vegetarian)

Next up are all of the awesome kitchen items that people shopping on Amazon have been snatching up. Just like the cookbooks, the Kitchen and Dining section is broken down into sub-categories and the products you see below are the bestsellers for each of those categories. There are a lot of great finds in the list, and it seems that one theme is apparent – people love their wine! As I did above, I’ll note below the items that I’ve had personal experience with and those that I want too!

20. Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator
(Category: Bar Tools & Glasses)

21. Keurig Gourmet Single-Cup Home Brewing System
(Category: Coffee, Tea & Espresso)
*My sister has the Braun version of this type of coffee maker and it really is awesome. I don’t drink much coffee but you can buy the disks for different types of tea and hot chocolate. Very cool!

22. Oster Electric Wine-Bottle Opener
(Category: Cook’s Tools & Gadgets)

23. Lodge Logic 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet
(Category: Cookware & Baking)
*I own this exact skillet and believe that everyone else should too. Cast iron is great for cooking everything from eggs to steak. And at only $20, it’s a steal!

24. Victorinox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
(Category: Cutlery)

25. Lodge Max Temp Handle Mitt
(Category: Kitchen & Table Linens)
*A must-have accessory to any cast iron pans with handles (like the one shown above). The handles can get pretty hot and you don’t want to forget and grab one. Seared palms will certainly put a damper on your dinner party!

26. BeerTender from Heineken and Krups Home Beer-Tap System
(Category: Large Appliances)
*My Chief Culinary Consultant just bought this and we haven’t used it yet, but it seems like a super cool thing to have. It’s also a steal right now, as when we first started seeing it in stores earlier this year it was $300!

27. Presto PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper
(Category: Small Appliances)
*I’d love to have an air popper as a fresh alternative to microwave popcorn.

28. DCI I Am Not a Paper Cup 10-Ounce Porcelain Travel Cup with Lid
(Category: Tableware)

29. Black & Decker Pivoting-Nose Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
(Category: Vacuums, Cleaning & Storage)

30. Oster Inspire Electric Wine Opener with Wine Chiller
(Category: Wine Accessories)

HAPPY SHOPPING!!

Nothing says Happy Holidays like a shiny, brand-spankin’ new Kitchen Aid mixer!

Congratulations to commenter #394, Angela of Spinach Tiger, who has reason to start celebrating the season. Get ready to start your baking motor, Angela! Her favorite holiday recipe:

“My favorite dessert for the Christmas Holidays is White Christmas Ice Cream Bombe. I make it every year and this year i did it with a homemade pomegranate sorbet. My link: http://bit.ly/8jBa2H”

What a gorgeous dessert! Congratulations again and Merry Christmas Angela!

A genuine thank you to all of you who took the time to dig up your favorite recipe and share it with everyone. I read every single entry and have saved countless recipes to try in the future. It was so much fun to learn about so many different types of traditions.

A great big thank you also goes out to Sam’s Club for sponsoring this sensational giveaway. Sam’s has a ton of great resources on their website for organizing all of the little details of the holiday, especially when it comes to food and entertaining. They have 10 different appetizers for under $10, a guide for helping you organize your holiday meal complete with wine pairings, and tons of suggestions for food-related gifts.

Many of you have expressed interest in homemade food gifts this year, and I thought you may find this video useful. Cookbook author Nicole Aloni provides readers with tips on getting the most out of your holiday baking and how to put together fantastic homemade gifts that your friends and family will be drooling over.

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