Archives for April 2014

Cookbook Review: Momofuku Milk Bar

April 30, 2014 by Chandra Leave a Comment

One of the things that I’d like to share with you on a regular basis are the many cookbooks that I have and what I took away from reading/trying recipes found in the cookbook.

I’ve posted several of the recipes that I’ve tried from the Milk Bar cookbook. If you are like me, you will learn many things from reading this cookbook. First off, the cookbook reads like a story and it’s really interesting to read from cover to cover. Christina has a great sense of humor and it comes through in her writing. I am fascinated with professional pasty chefs and how a restaurant/bakery works. One of my favorite parts of this cookbook was that you get a glimpse in how the restaurant/bakery world runs.

Secondly, this cookbook teaches you many tips and tricks in each of the recipes that you can use in all of your baking. I love that you learn the building blocks to make an endless number of creations. I learned to not throw away my crumbs of anything…chances are there’s another use for them–maybe a pie crust or a filling for a cookie or cake balls…all are yummy options!

This is a great book to add to your collection and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do! I have marked many more recipes in the book that I’d like to try in the future so don’t be surprised if another recipe pops up down the road.

In the meantime, here are the recipes that I’ve tried to date:

A slice of pie

Crack Pie

Chocolate chip-cornflake-marshmallow cookie

Momofuku Milk Bar: cornflake-chocolate-chip marshmallow cookies

April 29, 2014 by Chandra Leave a Comment

If you remember when I wrote about the Crack Pie there there were many, many recipes that I wanted to try from the Milk Bar. Well after trying the crack pie I decided that my next recipe would be a cookie. I happened to have all of the ingredients available for the cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie and thought the combination sounded delicious!

Like most recipes in this cookbook, there are many steps and there is preparation in making the cookies but it’s completely worth the work! For this recipe you have to first make the cornflake crunch. This cornflake crunch does just what the name implies in the recipe-it adds crunch to the cookie!

These cookies are delicious cooked but they are also great straight from the fridge as cookie dough (I couldn’t resist–i really LOVE cookie dough and this one was no exception!) For these cookies you definitely need to chill them in the refrigerator in order for them to cook properly. These cookies bake up with a crispy exterior and slightly chewy inside. We are used to really chewy cookies so at first my kids were concerned that they wouldn’t like them. One taste of the finished cookie and my oldest cleaned her plate at dinner for a week in order to earn a cookie for desert.

So all in all, this recipe like the last in that it’s not one you are going to whip up and eat immediately but the wait is worth it. I can’t wait to try the blueberry cookies next!

One last thing…here’s the perfect thing to do with the leftover cornflake crunch (the recipe calls for 3/4 of a batch so you have some leftover–that’s a good thing!) I made a yogurt parfait and replaced the granola with the cornflake crunch! Delicious!

Here’s a like to the original recipe from Milk Bar but I’ve also included below to print nicely.

Momofuku Milk Bar: cornflake-chocolate-chip marshmallow cookies

Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

18 mins

Total time

1 hour 18 mins

The perfect salty and sweet, crunchy and chewy cookie

Author: The Daily Dabble

Serves: 15-20 cookies

Ingredients

225 g (16 tbs) butter, at room temperature
250 g (1¼ cups) granulated sugar
150 g (2⁄3 cup tightly packed) light brown sugar
1 egg
2 g (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
240 g (1½ cups) flour
2 g (1/2 tsp) baking powder
1.5 g (1/2 tsp) baking soda
5 g (1½ teaspoons) kosher salt
¾ recipe (3 cups) cornflake crunch (recipe below)
170 g (1/2 12oz box or 5 cups) cornflakes
40 g (1/2 cup) milk powder
40 g (3 tbs) sugar
4 g (1 tsp) kosher salt
130 g (9 tbs) butter, melted
125 g (2⁄3 cup) mini chocolate chips
65 g (1¼ cups) mini marshmallows

Instructions

combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. (see page 27 for notes on this process.)
reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk over mixing the dough.) scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
still on low speed, paddle in the cornflake crunch and mini chocolate chips just until they’re incorporated, no more than 30 to 45 seconds. paddle in the mini marshmallows just until incorporated.
using a 2¾ oz ice cream scoop (or a ⅓ cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. do not bake your cookies from room temperature—they will not hold their shape.
heat the oven to 375°f.
arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pans. bake for 18 minutes. the cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. at the 18-minute mark, the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown toward the center. leave them in the oven for an additional minute or so if they aren’t and they still seem pale and doughy on the surface.
cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. at room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
Cornflake Crunch:
heat the oven to 275°f.
pour the cornflakes in a medium bowl and crush them with your hands to one-quarter of their original size. add the milk powder, sugar, and salt and toss to mix. add the butter and toss to coat. as you toss, the butter will act as glue, binding the dry ingredients to the cereal and creating small clusters.
spread the clusters on a parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, at which point they should look toasted, smell buttery, and crunch gently when cooled slightly and chewed.
cool the cornflake crunch completely before storing or using in a recipe. stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for 1 week; in the fridge or freezer, it will keep for 1 month.

Friday Family Favorites: Perfect Pie Crust

April 29, 2014 by Chandra Leave a Comment

Pie Crust is a funny thing. Growing up my mom made cakes and cookies but not pie crusts. She just bought the pre-made version from the grocery store. When I started baking in knew that I wanted to figure out how to make a pie crust from scratch. I wanted a go-to version that was quick, easy and most importantly reliable…it had to turn out perfect every time I made it.

I have tried with butter, crisco, a combination of both and often use different version. However, if I want a quick version, that’s not fussy and I know is going to work for me, this is the version I use! This is adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s version and she shows you step by step if interested.

Here are a few of my tips and trick to making this crust turn out perfect every time you make it! There are many, many versions of homemade pie crust…use whatever one works for you! This recipe is not fussy. There is butter in this recipe but I pull it straight from the fridge and don’t do anything special with it.

Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out-it will make your life easier! During that 30 minutes, prep the rest of the pie.
When I roll out dough I place it between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper (wax paper works better but I was out so here I’ve used plastic wrap) and roll out the dough to the desired size. Then you can remove once piece of the plastic/wax paper and place in you dish. Once placed remove the other piece of plastic/wax paper and ta-da you have a perfectly places pie crust!
Use an egg wash! A simple egg wash will do wonders for the finished product. It helps to brown the crust and to make it shiny.

I hope you have as much success with this recipe as I do!

Friday Family Favorites: Perfect Pie Crust

Prep time

45 mins

Total time

45 mins

Quick, Easy and Reliable Pie crust

Author: The Daily Dabble

Serves: 2 pie crust

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup crisco
2 eggs
1 tablespoon white vinegar
¼ + 2 tablespoons cup cold water

Instructions

Combine the flour, salt, butter and crisco into a mixing bowl.
Mix together until there are pea sized balls
Combine 1 egg, vinegar and ¼ cup cold water
Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir until dough comes together
Separate dough into 2 balls and place individually into plastic bag.
Freeze for 30 minutes before rolling out.
Roll out dough and use for any recipe where a pie crust is needed!

Easter Treat-What to do with leftover Easter candy

April 22, 2014 by Chandra Leave a Comment

Did the Easter bunny visit your house and leave WAY too much candy? If you are looking for a cute and yummy way to use up that candy try making some easter bark!

I happened to see this post by Sweetapolita where she made the most adorable easter bark. I was looking for something cute and simple to make and hand out to people for easter and knew this was what I’d be trying. As Sweetapolita mentions, you should take the time to temper the chocolate so that the finished product is pretty. It really doesn’t take much extra time and it makes the finished product ready for gifting!

Making chocolate bark couldn’t be easier:

Melt (temper) chocolate. If you want 2-toned chocolate like I did then you will melt chocolate as well as white chocolate.
If you want to color your white chocolate then make sure that you have food coloring that is meant for chocolate. I used one by Wilton and it worked great.
Pour the chocolate onto a cookie sheet that is lined with silpat. If you don’t have a silpat sheet then you can use parchment paper. You just need to make sure you have a surface that the melted chocolate isn’t going to stick to.
Next pour the colored chocolate on top of the first and swirl (a toothpick or skewer works great).
Add candies of your choice and allow to harden.
Break into pieces, package and serve!

Now go gather up that leftover candy and make some of your own!

Birthday Cake: Ordinary or Extraordinary

April 15, 2014 by Chandra Leave a Comment

Happy Birthday Abigail! Our oldest child is 7 today! I have one super excited little girl. I mean who wouldn’t be if they were getting donuts for breakfast, cookie cake for lunch at school and a birthday cake for dinner! Can I just say sugar overload!

Several months ago Abigail saw a picture of a checkerboard cake and she thought that it looked great. She asked if we could make one. I mentally flagged the idea for sometime in the future. Well just before Abigail’s birthday we taught her how to play checkers and the checkerboard idea resurfaced. When Abigail didn’t have a specific cake that she wanted for her birthday I knew I could surprise her with the inside of the cake!

So what looks like an ‘ordinary’ birthday cake on the outside turns ‘extraordinary’ once you cut into the cake!

Happy Birthday Abigail!

Friday Family Favorites: Chicken Pot Pie

April 11, 2014 by Chandra Leave a Comment

Today I’m going to start a new series called: Friday Family Favorites!

As the name states, this will be the place where I will share our families tried and true recipes that we love! I’m going to start off with Chicken Pot Pie. This recipe is great to double–keep one for yourself and take one to a friend! This is the perfect thing to make when you need to bring a meal to someone and that’s just what we did (I took the pie unbaked to a friend and they baked the finished product which is why you don’t see any finished pictures) today!

There are several reasons why I personally like to make chicken pot pie for my family:

You can make this totally from scratch or make it semi-homemade
Meat, vegetables and carbs are all in this recipe-you don’t have to make anything else to go with it if you don’t want to
You can make ahead and pop in the oven when ready to bake

Today I made a semi-homemade version…basically chicken pot pie is made up of:

Piecrust (today’s is homemade)
Chicken (t0day’s is rotisserie chicken)
Filling (today’s is frozen mixed veggies)
Sauce (today’s is a can of cream of chicken soup)

Any of the parts of this recipe can be made from scratch or store bought and put together…in my opinion, the more that’s homemade the better but sometimes you have to take into account how much time you have! I had enough time to make a piecrust (to me that’s the first thing make from scratch as there’s a major difference between store bought and homemade) but not much time to make anything else from scratch…I needed to drop off this meal during nap times so I was pushed for time!

Since I made the piecrust from scratch I’ll share a few of my tips and trick to making this crust turn out perfect every time you make it! There are many, many versions of homemade pie crust…use whatever one works for you! I have tried with butter, crisco, a combination of both and often use different version. However, if I want a quick version, that’s not fussy and I know is going to work for me, this is the version I use! This is adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s version and she shows you step by step if interested.

This recipe is not fussy. There is butter in this recipe but I pull it straight from the fridge and don’t do anything special with it.
Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out-it will make your life easier! During that 30 minutes, prep the rest of the pie.
When I roll out dough I place it between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper (wax paper works better but I was out so here I’ve used plastic wrap) and roll out the dough to the desired size. Then you can remove once piece of the plastic/wax paper and place in you dish. Once placed remove the other piece of plastic/wax paper and ta-da you have a perfectly places pie crust!
Use an egg wash! A simple egg wash will do wonders for the finished product. It helps to brown the crust and to make it shiny.

I hope you enjoy as much as my family does!

Friday Family Favorites: Chicken Pot Pie

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

Chicken Pot Pie

Author: The Daily Dabble

Cuisine: American Dinner

Serves: Makes 1 pie

Ingredients

2 pie crust (use recipe in link above to make your own)
½ rotisserie chicken cut into bite sized pieces
1 bag mixed vegetables
1 bag pearl onions
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 egg
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Place one pie shell into baking dish.
Combine together chicken, vegetables and cream of chicken soup
Add condensed soup as needed to make mixture moist
Place filling into pie crust and top with remaining crust
Make egg wash by mixing egg and water together in a small dish
Brush egg wash over top of crust
Place 2-3 slits in top of crust to all steam to escape during baking
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until crust is golden brown.

Birthday Countdown!

April 8, 2014 by Chandra Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you all but in our house birthday’s a big deal! Our kids LOVE anticipation and the countdown process. I try to get the kids involved in the process-they love being craft as much as I do!

Abigail turn 7 on April 15th so we are in full countdown mode! Here is the countdown that she created this year. The first thing that we do each morning is tear off a number to see just how many more days remain until the big birthday!

Here’s one more idea for a birthday countdown that we used last fall when my husband turned 40! I don’t know if he had fun counting down to his birthday but the girls sure did!