Mexican Hot Chocolate

This could also be called:

Freaking Incredible Hot Chocolate
Oh My God I Love This Hot Chocolate
Get In My Belly Hot Chocolate
Love At First Taste Hot Chocolate
Yum. Hot Chocolate.

Basically, I have finally gotten my hot chocolate recipe down to a T, and I am happy to share it with you all today. Here goes.

Here is what you need: five tablespoons of baking cocoa, five tablespoons of sugar, four cups of milk, one teaspoon of vanilla, one half teaspoon of cinnamon, a dash of cloves

Step One: Place sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium saucepan.
Step Two: Gradually stir in milk. Stir constantly until hot; do not boil.
Step Three: Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve immediately. With whipped cream. Lots of whipped cream. You could also add some cinnamon schnapps. Yep. Do that.

Lemonade Cake

 My sister turned twenty years old this past week and I was honored to be able to make her her favorite cake. She loves anything lemon and I was not about to complain when she asked me to make her a lemonade cake. Layered cakes are so not easy, but this turned out surprisingly better than i had anticipated.

Lemonade Cake (enough to make a two layered cake)

You will need: one cup of unsalted butter, two and one half cups of flour, one-half teaspoon of baking powder, one-half teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of  salt, one tablespoon of lemon zest, two cups of sugar, two large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks, one-fourth cup plus two table spoons of lemon juice, one cup of low-fat buttermilk, one lemon, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter two 8x2 inch cake pans. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. 2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and one and a half cups of sugar until it's light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in two tablespoons of lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. 3. Divide batter between the pans;smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. 4. While cakes are baking, bring remaining half cup of sugar and half cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon slices and simmer for 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir remaining fourth cup fresh lemon juice into syrup. 5. Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup. Let cool completely. Prepare frosting. Frost cooled cakes and top with candied lemon slices.

Whipped Frosting  (enough for five cups)

You will need: Three large egg whites, three-fourth cup of sugar, one pinch of salt, one-third cup of water, two tablespoons of lemon juice

1. In a heatproof bowl, set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), two to three minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not overbeat), about three minutes; reduce speed to low, add lemon juice, and beat just until combined. Use immediately.

Triple Threat Apple Pie

It's no secret that I love pie. Like... I Love Pie. My favorite is Apple Pie. I could eat Apple Pie all day, everyday. However, I know some people can get really bored of just plain apple pie, so I've come up with a solution: The Ultimate-Triple-Threat-Apple-Pie. Two extra layers of crust and a splash of Bourbon? Yes, please.

I make my own crust. It tastes delicious and I'm just so used to making it now that I don't even consider anything else.

One double pie crust: two cups of flour, two sticks of cold butter, one pinch of salt, two tablespoons of cold water.

IN A BOWL combine the flour and salt, stir for a couple seconds or so until its well mixed. Next, cut up your butter into tablespoon sized pieces. Follow the marks on the wrapper. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. You can use a food processor if you have one, but I just use my hands. Once the mixture is crumbly, slowly pour in the water evenly. Mix until a dough forms; work this into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Before you use it, let it set out for a couple minutes to soften back up.

Second layer of crust: 10 graham cracker squares, one-fourth cup of melted butter

IN A LARGE PLASTIC BAGGIE, crush the graham crackers into crumbs. Add the butter and stir. Layer on top of the pie crust.

Third layer of crust: Mixed nuts of choice.

Chop up the nuts with a food processor or a manual nut chopper. Layer on top of the graham cracker crumbs.

 Ultimate-Triple-Threat-Apple-Pie Filling (enough for one pie): two sour apples, two-third cups of brown sugar, three tablespoons of cornstarch, one-half teaspoon of cinnamon, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, one-eighth teaspoon of nutmeg, one teaspoon of Bourbon Whiskey, one-half cup of apple butter.

SLICE APPLES to whatever size you desire, and layer on top of the nuts. In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients and pour over the apples.

Once your pie is put together, finish it off with the top crust. You can lattice the crust, or just do a normal top crust. I chose to lattice. If you choose not to lattice, make sure you cut a few slits in the top so air can escape during baking. Bake your pie at 375 until golden brown; about 25-30 minutes.

Banana Smoothie

Smoothies are great, no? And since my parents went away this weekend and left me with nothing except all the ingredients to make a ton of sweets, I made a ton of sweets. I had never made a banana smoothie before, and honestly, I've never been good at making smoothies in general. But I was super surprised at how easy this was. Four ingredients.. Can't beat that. 

What you'll need: Two bananas, 5 ounces of milk, a smidgen of vanilla and some crushed ice.

Step One: Locate your blender. 

Step Two: Place all ingredients in the blender. 

Step Three: Turn blender on. 

Step Four: Pour in a glass and drink. Then proceed to thank me for giving you this recipe.

Cranberry Granola

I have a very strange obsession with granola. I just love it. I eat it on yogurt, or with milk and sliced bananas. Mmm... However, I'm also obsessed with being able to make things that would cost me an arm and leg at the supermarket. I found, and failed at making a few different recipes. So I eventually just put all the recipes together, adjusted the baking time and I finally got it right.

What you need: Two and two-thirds cup of old fashioned oats, one half cup of ground flax seed, one half cup of bran cereal, one half cup of chopped nuts, one half teaspoon of salt, three tablespoons of brown sugar, two tablespoons of maple syrup, one fourth cup of honey, one third cup of olive oil, one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, one teaspoon of nutmeg, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, two thirds cup of dried cranberries

Step One: Stir together oats, flax seed, nuts, bran cereal in a medium sized bowl. In a saucepan, bring salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to a boil.
Step Two: Pour mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly onto a lined baking sheet. You can line it with parchment or aluminum foil.
Step Three: Bake at 325 degrees until crispy and toasted, about 15-20 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. This is a very common mistake and I did it many many times. Stir halfway through baking time. Cool, then stir in the cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino

 My family and I usually take a Starbucks trip once a week or so. This last time I ordered a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino and my god... it was so good. So I decided to make my own at home this morning. It was much more successful than I was expecting it to be.

Ingredients for two: One half cup of shredded coconut, three-fourths cup of chilled coffee, one and a third cup of milk, one half cup of chocolate syrup, two cups of ice, three tablespoons of sugar.

Step One: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread the shredded coconut on a baking sheet and bake until toasted. Stir the coconut around every five minutes for even browning.

Step Two: Brew coffee while toasting the coconut and set in the freezer to chill.

Step Three: Combine coffee, milk, coconut, chocolate syrup, and sugar in blender and blend for 15-20 seconds until the sugar is dissolved. Add ice and blend until the drink is smooth.

Gooey Butter Cake

 

Gooey anything just sounds amazing, right? I've been on this baking kick and my family is loving and hating me for it. My mom keeps saying that I'm trying to kill her. This recipe turned out amazing. I wasn't sure since I did a lot of alterations to it. 

 Here's what you'll need: One box of yellow cake mix, Three eggs, One 8 oz package of cream cheese, One half cup of melted butter, One pound of powdered sugar

Step One: Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish. Mix the cake mix with one egg and the melted butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of the dish. 

Step Two: Mix powdered sugar, cream cheese and remaining two eggs together and pour on top of the crust. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Chocolate Almond Blondies

Blondies are definitely my favorite dessert. They're so simple and they're not too sweet. They're also incredibly easy to make, which is a ginormous plus considering my extreme lack of an attention span.

What you will need: Two cups of packed brown sugar, two-thirds cup of butter, two eggs, two teaspoons of vanilla, two cups of flour, one teaspoon of baking powder, one- fourth teaspoon of baking soda, one cup of chocolate chips, one cup of sliced almonds.

Step One: Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan and set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat brown sugar and butter over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Stir constantly. Cool slightly, then stir in the eggs on at a time, then add the vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

Step Two: Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and almonds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cool slightly, but cut into bars while warm.

Sweet Tooth Sunday: Apple Mystery Dessert

I like to call this sweet treat the Apple Mystery Dessert because, well, it's a little hard to categorize what it actually is. It could be cake, pudding, or a pie. But don't let that scare you off; regardless of its mysteriousness, it is wonderfully delicious. (:

For this dessert you will need: One cup of all-purpose flour, one cup of brown sugar (tightly packed), one and a half teaspoons of baking powder, one-half teaspoon of salt, dash of mace (if desired), dash of cinnamon, one and a half teaspoons of vanilla, two eggs, 2 cups of tart apples (roughly one large apple), one cup of chopped walnuts.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, mace, and cinnamon. Stir in vanilla and eggs and blend well. Add apples and walnuts, mix well. Pour into greased 9 inch pie pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the sides and top are brown and firm to the touch.

























Enjoy! Leesha

Do you love poppy seeds as much as I do? I am absolutely in love with anything poppy seed. Poppy seed muffins... and I was so excited to try something new with them. I tried these lemon poppy seed crisps for my older sister's party and everyone including myself was beyond pleased. I can't wait to try make them again. 


Ingredients

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour flour

1 tablespoon of poppy seeds

1/4 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest

1 pinch of salt

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray nonstick baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Step Two: Whisk together flour and poppy seeds in small bowl.

Step Three: With electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in large bowl until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended. Shape dough into ball and cut in half. Shape each piece of dough into disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.

Step Four: Roll one piece of dough between two sheets of wax paper into seven inch round. With fluted pastry wheel or pizza cutter (I used a pizza cutter), cut dough round into 16 wedges. With spatula, place wedges, 1 inch apart, on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining piece of dough.

Step Five: Bake until cookies are golden, 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheet after five minutes. Let cool on baking sheet on wire rack for five minutes. With spatula, transfer cookies to rack and let cool completely.

Hope you enjoy these as much as my family and I did! xoxo. leesha