Lemon Cookies

by almost_rosey // 10Jan2017 // No Comments

I have been using essential oils for almost 20 years. That’s more than half of my life. I started buying them when I was about 13 and used them mainly for their aromatic properties and adding to baths. I was never super obsessed with them and went years without buying new ones. Oils were not the same back then as they are now. With companies producing therapeutic grade oils these days the possibilities for using them are endless.

When a co-worker told me she sold them I was excited. I became a distributer and proceeded to use them all the time again. I love them. I diffuse them, I make bath products out of them, and I clean with them. Certain oils can also be taken internally. I don’t really do that too often but the same co-worker who re-introduced oils to me made the best lemon cookies with lemon essential oil. These are delicious & you actually get that intense lemon flavor which is so nice & refreshing. I normally make these in the summer months but they are good any time of the year.

Lemon Cookies (makes 2.5 dozen cookies)

2 oz cream cheese, softened
6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
1/4 Cup plus 1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar
3/4 Cup White Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 TeaspoonVanilla
1/4 TEaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 3/4 Cup Flour
15-20 drops of YL Lemon Essential Oil (depends on how lemon-y you want them)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugars together until smooth. Add the essential oil drops, vanilla and egg and mix again.
In a separate bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
Scoop cookies onto a baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes, remove from the oven and dust with more powdered sugar if desired (I omitted this step)
The amount of oil that you use will determine how lemony the cookies are, but remember that the dough will be stronger than the baked cookies.

Rhubarb Muffins

by almost_rosey // 21Jun2016 // No Comments

It took me years to be able to eat breakfast in the morning. In junior high and high school I lived off of slimfasts for breakfast because I just couldn’t bring myself to eat food. I didn’t have an appetite until I had been up for a few hours. Slowly over the years I have trained myself to eat actual food. Not a lot, but enough to get me going and last until lunch. My guy however, is still unable to eat in the morning. He likes to wait. The only problem with this is that he waits and then has no food to eat because he is at work. Consequently he ends up waiting until lunch. This is simply unacceptable in my opinion. When he told me he wasn’t eating I decided to make muffins. They are perfect for a grab-n-go breakfast. And what a great way to use up more of my rhubarb.

Rhubarb Muffins (makes 12)

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar (I did half granulated sugar & half brown sugar)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, mixing only until moist. Fold in rhubarb and walnuts. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Torte

by almost_rosey // 18Jun2016 // No Comments

It has been a long time since I have had time for anything let alone time to bake. This is my first creation on my first Baking Sunday in a long time. The reason I have been absent is because I was busy planning a wedding and European honeymoon. I love planning. I always say that if I weren’t a chemist that I would be an event planner.

Our wedding was small but that doesn’t mean I had any less work to do. The only thing I didn’t have to deal with was the processional and music that coincides with that as well as bridesmaids dresses or bridesmaid flowers since I didn’t have any of those (honestly bridesmaid flowers are super easy because you just make them similar to the bride’s bouquet but have less flowers or simpler flowers). My flowers I spent a lot of time designing. I had a florist do the final arrangement but I gave specific flowers with colors and just told her (Kim from Artemisia) to arrange them.

Everything else I had to plan and I even had to write an entire ceremony since we did not have a church wedding which is not very easy to do. In addition, finding a venue for a small wedding (50 or less) is very difficult. All venues hold 100-300 so finding one with charm is not an easy task.

We ended up finding W.A. Frost which turned out to be absolutely amazing. It’s a small restaurant in historic St. Paul full of charm & beauty.

It is gorgeous inside and no decorations were needed.

The two rooms we rented held 57 max so it was perfect. We went there for lunch before we picked it and I tried the bouillabaisse and my guy got a cheeseburger. We figured that if they could cook a high-end dish and a simple cheeseburger that no matter what we ordered for the reception would be fantastic. We weren’t disappointed. Everything was delicious. For the night of we went with a walleye dish, a pork dish, as well as a bistro steak. I had the steak the night of and it was incredible. For our cake we went with tiramisu for our top layer and strawberry lemon for the bottom layer from Buttercream. Buttercream is expensive but it is worth it. They really are the best for wedding cakes in Minnesota.

I should also mention that my photographer (Angela from Angela Divine Photography) was absolutely amazing and all my wedding photos are from her. I told her we only needed a few hours of coverage and she did better than I could have imagined. I knew I wanted her once I saw her portfolio as she did many small weddings, and with our wedding being under 50 it was a perfect match.

I could talk about all the other details of event planning but this post would go on forever. Needless to say it takes a lot of time to research options for every single item for a wedding and a European trip. There is a lot to consider but just take it one thing at a time while always thinking about the next 20 tasks coming up if that makes any sense. I guess that’s why I am good at planning. I’m great at multitasking & thinking about the future while enjoying & living in the present.

As of now, my rhubarb is growing like crazy. I will have plenty of things to make rhubarb-wise in the future so prepare yourself. Maybe I could actually remember to take a decent photograph of my baked goods before they all get eaten.

Rhubarb Torte

For the crust

1 1/2 C flour
7 T sugar
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into cubes

Heat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter as if you’re making a pie crust. Press the dough into a 9- by 13-inch pan.

For the custard

2 eggs
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 C fresh rhubarb (I used the red variety)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda, & salt. Stir in the rhubarb. Let sit for 30 minutes. Pour the custard into the crust, and bake for 35–45 minutes, until the torte is set and slightly golden, not toasty brown. Store any leftovers, covered, at room temperature.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

by almost_rosey // 12Jun2016 // No Comments

It’s that time of year again…Summer of Rhubarb time. There is a period of time where you could sit outside and literally watch your rhubarb grow. It happens that quickly. I actually made this last year but never got around to posting it. I was busy planning a wedding and a european honeymoon so I didn’t have much free time or ambition for anything else.

This cake seems ambitious but is really very easy. Every time I go to invert an upside-down cake I am fearful that it won’t come out. That it will remain stuck in the pan and I will have a crumbled cake mess. Every time, however, it slides out beautifully and I have a moment of pure satisfaction & baker’s bliss.

Upside-Down Rhubarb Cake

3 tbsp butter, melted
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cup fresh or frozen* rhubarb, diced (I used 1 3/4 cup red rhubarb and 3/4 cup green rhubarb)
1.5 tbsp granulated sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, separated
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk

*Note that if you are using frozen rhubarb thaw completely first and drain off excess liquid.

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9in round cake pan with butter. Line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper with butter.

In a small bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Spread over the greased parchment paper. Place rhubarb over sugar mixture. Sprinkles granulated sugar over rhubarb.

In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined. Add the milk. Mix until combined.

In a medium bowl beat egg whites and tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter gently. Pour over rhubarb.

Bake for 55 minutes or until top is golden and lightly springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Invert the cake.

Be proud. Be happy. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Ground Chicken Enchilada Casserole

by almost_rosey // 30Apr2016 // No Comments

I just got back from a honeymoon in Europe specifically Paris & Barcelona. I had not cooked for 2 whole weeks so wanted to make something easy my first night back home. I knew a casserole was the answer. I know it’s a pretty Minnesotan thing to make and not very fancy for my first night back home but it was quick & easy & delicious.

Seeing as how we hadn’t been home for 2 weeks I didn’t have very much to work with. Besides some whole chickens in the freezer, which would take forever to thaw, I had 1lb of ground chicken. I knew this was what I could work with. Based on my pantry & fridge ingredients I knew that an enchilada casserole was in store.

Casseroles get a lot of grief but they are truly a godsend. Yes, it often looks like dog food. It’s hard to photograph certain casseroles well. Don’t even try. Really. I used corn tortillas as well so nothing holds its shape. You don’t even have to make enchiladas. Just layer the tortillas, add the filling, top with more tortillas, and finally the sauce. It looks a mess but just enjoy the simplicity & the deliciousness of it.

Ground Chicken Enchilada Casserole (serves 4)

1 lb ground chicken
taco seasoning
4oz cream cheese (I used light)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup chunky salsa, divided
4oz can diced green chilis
8 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the ground chicken and add taco seasoning to taste. Add the cream cheese & stir over low heat until the cheese has melted & is thoroughly mixed with the meat. Add the black beans, 1/4 cup of the salsa, 1/2 of the green chills & stir to combine. I also added a tsp of ghost pepper salsa at this point for some extra heat.

Mix the can of cream of chicken soup with the rest of the salsa & green chilis. Spread a small amount over the bottom of a casserole dish (I did 2 smaller dishes so we would have another one to bake at a later date). Layer half of the tortillas in the dish (s) and top with the filling. Top with the rest of the tortillas. Finally, spread the sauce over the tortillas. Bake for 40 minutes at 400F and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Bread Pudding

by almost_rosey // 28Dec2015 // No Comments

Since moving to Almost Canada I haven’t gone down to the cities for Christmas. I moved up north during one of the coldest winters in a very long time. My guy and I made numerous trips back and forth throughout that terrible winter and have since refused to do winter driving. I’ve offered to host Christmas but no one has taken me up on it yet. Go figure. It has actually been nice. My guy and I have our own little Christmas. Christmas morning I made coffee cake muffins for brunch. They are delicious fresh out of the oven with a gooey layer of cinnamon goodness inside and a cinnamon crumble on top. They dry out quickly unfortunately. I only made a half dozen but was still left with two muffins that were going to be inedible by the next day. I also had neglected to make a dessert for our Christmas dinner. As my guy had gotten me a set of ramekins for one of my gifts I knew exactly what I was going to do. I was going to make individual bread puddings. It turned out to be one of the best bread puddings I have ever made and might be my new go-to recipe for bread pudding.

Bread Pudding (serves 2)

2 leftover muffins, mine were coffee cake muffins
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
couple dashes cinnamon
bourbon sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp bourbon

Take the leftover muffins and crumble them into their own ramekin dish. Combine the buttermilk, egg, sugar, vanilla, & cinnamon. Pour into the ramekin dishes and press the muffins down into the liquid.

Bake for 25 minutes in a 350F oven or until set.

Meanwhile prepare bourbon sauce by meting butter in a small sauce pan. Add sugar & water and cook for 5 minutes or so. Stir in bourbon. Cook for 2 minutes more. Remove bread puddings from ramekins and place into two serving bowls. Drizzle with bourbon sauce and enjoy.

The Return of Baking Sunday 2015

by almost_rosey // 20Sep2015 // 1 Comment

Last Sunday was the commencement of true Baking Sunday Season. I try to bake on Sundays year round, but once football season starts that is when my baking season starts as well.

I use it as my time to do something I love. I try to bake new things but sometimes get set in my old favorites. Either way, it is my time.

Here is what I did last Sunday.

I made a margherita pizza for lunch. I did make the crust myself. The recipe I got from Giada De Laurentiis.

I canned some salsa.

And then I made cream puffs. I have never made these before and am glad I did. They were delicious. I was told I could make these every Sunday.

Chocolate Glazed Cream Puffs (makes 6)

pastry

1/2 cup water
4 tbsp butter
pinch salt
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

cream filling

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla

chocolate glaze

2 tbsp butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 tbsp water
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Prepare the cream filling first. It needs to set in the fridge for two hours.

Separate the eggs. Save the whites for another use. Place the yolks in a small bowl and whisk in the milk. In a small saucepan stir the corn starch, sugar, and salt together. Whisk in the egg-milk mixture. Stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and press plastic wrap over the top. Place in the fridge for two hours until set. Stir before use

Meanwhile, prepare the pastry. In a medium saucepan combine the water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil. Make sure butter is melted and then add the flour stirring vigorously.

Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition with a wooden spoon. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Drop 6 heaping tablespoons of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet (or a greased baking sheet). Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Cut off the tops. If the dough on the inside is a bit fluffy just push it into the walls (you could tear it out but why waste it). Fill with the cream filling.

Replace the tops and then drizzle or completely cover with chocolate glaze. I suggest to completely cover them.

To make the chocolate glaze, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar. Stir in the water and place over the heat again and stir until combined evenly. Add more water as necessary to thin out. You don’t want it too thin though. Stir in vanilla.

Finally, enjoy.

Cauliflower Cheesy Bread

by almost_rosey // 12Sep2015 // No Comments

I’ve mentioned before how I am not allowed to make vegetarian dishes. My fishing guide is a meat & potatoes type of guy. I’ve made a few dishes but those vegetarian meals have to be at lunch. I think he would flip his lid if I tried to make a veggie meal for dinner.

I’ve actually made this cheesy bread for him but it was a side dish to something. He really enjoyed it. He said, “there is no bread in this?” Nope. Just cauliflower vegetable goodness. The best part is you don’t have to spend forever squeezing out the excess moisture from the “dough.”

Since he is driving a boat today, being a real fishing guide for others, I got to make this dish as an entree and eat it myself for lunch. Delicious.

Cauliflower Cheesy Bread (serves 2 as a side dish or 1 as a main dish)

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into chunks
2 eggs
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1-2 tsp minced garlic
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup to 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Marinara Sauce: Make your favorite recipe, use store bought, or try this quick go-to…

1/2 can stewed tomatoes
pepper to taste
1/2-1 tsp italian seasoning (or equal parts basil & oregano if you prefer)
few dashes hot red pepper flakes

Marinara Sauce: Puree tomatoes lightly so that there are still some chunks. Add seasonings. Simmer all ingredients for 15-30minutes.

Cauliflower Cheesy Bread: Pick cauliflower from your garden (or just go to the store, but these guys are super easy to grow. I recommend you do so next year).

Puree 1/2 head cauliflower that has been cut into chunks in a food processor.

While oven preheats with a baking stone sauté cauliflower in a skillet over medium low to medium heat to release excess moisture and soften the cauliflower.

Add to a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the 1/2- 1 cup mozzarella and mix well. Form into a square on a piece of parchment paper.

Place paper on heat stone. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more. Serve with marinara sauce.

Zucchini Bread

by almost_rosey // 24Aug2015 // No Comments

I love trying to find the best recipe there is for any given item. I performed a Zucchini Bread Battle last year. Both recipes were good but they weren’t good enough. As I had just received some giant zucchini from a co-worker again, I knew another zucchini bread was a necessity. This recipe is perfection. I borrowed the base of the recipe from a friend. Thanks lovely.

Zucchini Bread (adapted from Apple Sparkle Cake)

1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
dash or two nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 individual packets Sugar in the Raw

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.

Add the shredded zucchini to a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, cup of sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix well to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the walnuts. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the Sugar in the Raw.

Bake for 50-60minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and let cool completely before slicing.

Key Lime Pie

by almost_rosey // 17Aug2015 // No Comments

I love working out. I love how I feel afterwards. I love how it makes my body & mind feel great. I love feeling strong. I also hate working out. Mainly because I hate the concept of working out. I think it stems from being in dance my whole life. I never had to work out. When I was a child I had gym class, played outside, and danced. Let’s be honest, kids don’t need to work out. They are simply very active. I feel that many adults can learn from this.

As I have gotten older I still like being active but I don’t really enjoy most workouts. A problem many people experience. I prefer to take classes or do videos. I like to do things outdoors. I also try to walk to work whenever I can. If I walk to and from work I get over 3.5 miles in. I consider that my “workout” for the day.

As I was trying to force myself to commit to a workout on Sunday, I thought about just going for a walk instead. I decided to walk into town to get some sweetened condensed milk to make a key lime pie. Workout done. Bonus, I got to bake a pie and then enjoy eating it as well.

Key Lime Pie

Crust

18 graham crackers
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar

Filling

2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup lime juice

Crumble graham crackers. Mix in sugar and then melted butter. Press into pie plate. Bake in a 350F oven for 5-8 minutes until golden brown & set. Cool slightly.

Mix filling ingredients together. Pour into crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until filling is set.

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