Happy Cinco de Mayo

I love Mexican food and what a better day than to pull out the tortilla maker and whip up some fresh guacamole. What are you doing today to Celebrate?

Chunky Guacamole
prep time: 15 min.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe avocados
• 3 limes, juiced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 serrano chiles, sliced thinly
• 1 big handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Halve and pit the avocados. Scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork, leaving them somewhat chunky. Add the remaining ingredients, and fold everything together to gently mix. Lay a piece of plastic wrap right on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Red Velvet Woopies Pies

Looking for something different to make your loved ones this Valentines Day? Instead of red velvet cupcakes try red velvet woopies pies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 ounce milk chocolate, chopped
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Directions

Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the semisweet and milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.

Whisk the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined. In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, whisking each batch completely before adding the next. Stir in the melted chocolate.

Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with a damp finger. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla seeds. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between 2 cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe: Foodnetwork.com

Yum Yum Good. Pecan Pie.

This is just so good. I made this and as you can see it disappeared really fast.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
• 1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Recipe from Paula Deen via The Food Network

Baking up a storm

One thing I love to do is bake. It's a way I relax and when fall rolls around I love coming up with new pumpkin recipes. This weekend I found a good pumpkin pie recipe.....it was a big hit with the family. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 pre-made pie dough
fresh whip cream for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a 9" pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm it up. Fit an aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans and place it in the oven. Bake 10 min., remove the foil and put the pie shell back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until it begins to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half and half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger. Beat until combined.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes or until the center is set. Place pie on the wire rack and cool. Add a generous amount of fresh whip cream and enjoy the taste of fall.

Anita's Turtle Bars

Anything with dark chocolate I'm in love with. Are you looking for the perfect recipe to make this Christmas. You can not go wrong with these Turtle Bars.

You need:
For the base:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
For the topping:
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1 cup chocolate chips — I used 64 % cocoa Valrhona dark chocolate, chopped coarsely instead

Steps:
•Preheat the oven at 350 F. Line a 9 by 13 inch pan (I used a 8 x 8 inch pan) with aluminum foil, leaving enough to hang over the edge and act as handles to remove bars after baking. Grease foil with cooking spray.
•Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and blend briefly to combine.
•Cut butter in small pieces and sprinkle over flour mixture. Process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
•Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and firm and dry. Leave the oven on at the same temperature.
•Combine the cream, butter, salt, and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil for about 1 minute.
•Spread the pecans over the top of the crust. Pour the hot caramel filling evenly over the pecans. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the caramel topping darkens.
•Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot topping. Let sit for a few moments and then use a knife or offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate evenly over the top.
•Chill the bars in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until the bars have fully set before slicing them.
•Using foil as handles, pull bars from pan and place on cutting board. Cut long side into 9 strips, then cut 4 strips across the short side, creating 36 bars. Wipe the knife clean between cuts.