Cooking with Sara: Peanut Butter Balls




You get a double-dose of Cooking this week :)  Really, I just wanted to be sure to get this recipe into your grubby little paws before the holidays zipped on by.  These are seriously too easy to taste this yummy.  Seriously.  Who knew that peanut butter and powdered sugar would be a match made in heaven? 

And an added perk is that they're both dairy free and gluten free (completely vegan if you use dark chocolate for dipping).  We're going to pretend that they're also calorie free :)

Best Friends Peanut Butter Balls on From Blah to Ta-Daa

Cooking with Sara: Coconut Macaroons

It's Thursday!  Which means it's my day to cook for the food blog!

As promised, here is the link for this recipe!

Coconut Macaroons on From Blah to Ta-Da

These little treats are pretty easy to throw together, but taste amazing.  (They're also gluten-free if you're of that nature.)  Definitely include the lemon zest in the recipe; it adds another level of yum. I'm so, so glad that Marnie convinced me to keep it in.

Tomorrow I'll be posting the recipe from our Peanut Butter Balls.... :)

Wordless Wednesday: Dino the Dinosaur

Sugar Coma

Sugar Coma 2010!

So, you know.  Yesterday was a typical Sunday afternoon for me - a gorge fest with 18 different kinds of sweets that left me feeling more than a little woozy about the whole ordeal.  Except that this time, I wasn't in my kitchen, and I had a sidekick.  Presenting, the sidekick.  Yamin is her name, actually.  She sits right next to me at work, so I dragged her to the sugar feast with me.

The event was aptly named "Sugar Coma."  We weren't sure what to expect (other than sugar, duh), so we wandered in to see this:

Basically, a ton of dessert tables, a ton of women, and a ton of lowlighting.  So we stepped on in.  To see mini cupcakes.

Mini cupcakes as far as the eye could see.  At every single table.

At first, I was downright gleeful at the sheer amount of free mini cupcakes being forced on us by the vendors.  I mean, really, how can that ever not be fun??  And then...Well, after about 4 of them plus the scoop of brown sugar ice cream plus the mini slice of sweet potato pie plus the homemade marshmallow plus the bite of a canoli plus plus plus, I was not only dying of thirst, but I was pretty much over the whole event.  And that, my friends, was only 3 tables in.  Seriously.  That was barely a dent in the whole thing.

(Are you feeling me on the mini cupcake overload?)

At last, variety! I thought this was cute, but nobody was partaking. Maybe the milk was warm? But I had to take a photo of it, just for the sheer novelty. I mean, in a sea of cupcakes, milk and cookies seems fancy and new and just so unexepected.

Yamin was sweet enough to hold my treats tray while I snapped photos :)

If you zoom in to inspect, please note that this is only half of what I originally gleaned, and I skipped 75% of the vendors. Really.

Sugar, sugar everywhere, and not a drop to drink.

Cupcake Poll

[ image credit ]

I'm taking a poll!

Why?  Because I'm about to delve into the world of cupcake-baking, and I'd like to know where I should start!  I've already found a killer Strawberry Cupcake recipe, but I need at least a handful of other flavors to add to my go-to list. 

Tell me what your favorite cupcake flavor is!

Cooking with Sara: Banana Bread

I brought the leftovers in to work yesterday, and now I'm wishing I hadn't.  I could really go for a slice (or 4) of Banana Bread right now.  Mmmmmmm......

Anyway, you don't have to sit there making drool pools on your keyboard.  You've got the handy dandy recipe link here, so scoot on over:

Better for You Banana Bread on From Blah to Ta-Daa

I took my Mom's scrumptacular recipe and made a few changes so that I wouldn't have to feel so guilty cramming the whole loaf into my belly.  I have to practice the strictest restraint with this banana bread, otherwise, the whole loaf is gone in a day.  I cannot be trusted around baked goods, it's the honest truth.

Cooking with Sara: Creamy Lemony Blueberry Pie

For this week's recipe, I really wanted something summery.  It's the 4th of July, after all!  But, here's the thing - I do not grill.  I do not bbq.  Those are Man Jobs.  Yes, I do whip up marinades and the like, but gosh darnit, I love making sweets! So, sweets are what you get.

This recipe is basically a chilled, no-bake, cream cheese pie that my family has made for years, but with the addition of a lemon curd layer on the bottom.  I thought it was deeelicious!  The texture of the whole ensemble is fluffy, so if you're not a fan of those kinds of desserts, too bad so sad.  But if you are, this one is fun.  And it resulted in my getting to add a fabulous lemon curd recipe to my repertoire.

Creamy Lemony Blueberry Pie on From Blah to Ta-Daa

Happy 4th of July, lovelies!!

Cooking with Sara: Granola Bars

I really wanted this recipe to be perfection.  It's good, don't get me wrong.  But it's just not what I was hoping a homemade granola bar would taste like.  These taste just too....wannabe healthy?  Kind of like how Clif Bars have something not quite delicious about them, but you eat them in a pinch because they taste ok, really.  Kinda like that.  Maybe they would have turned out better if I had let them bake to crispy.  Maybe I need to be searching for a recipe that has "Chewy" in the title?  Who really knows.  It's Friday morning, everything I touch breaks, and my brain refuses to wake up.  It's gonna be a good day, people.

Granola Bars on From Blah to Ta-Daa

Cooking with Sara: My Go-To Fish, and then a Cake

Helloooooooooo, my lovelies!  Today is my day to cook for the food blog, From Blah to Ta-Daa!  I decided to whip up my go-to method for fish, because it's just so darn easy.  And, it doesn't hurt that we love it, it's healthy, and it's really quick to make. 

Here's how it turns out:

Mix & Match Fish, and a Chocolate Cobbler on Blah to Ta-Daa!

The cobbler thing, on the other hand, was a new recipe for me.  It's truly a "pudding cake" - the last step involves pouring boiling water over the pan, and when it bakes up, a puddingy layer magically appears on the bottom.  Which is all fine.  Great, even.  But putting it together was weird!  It was unlike any other cake recipe I've ever made.  You need go look at my step-by-step photos to see. 

Here's a lovely shot after the last step:

Go on, and click-zoom to see that baby in all its odd bubbly glory.

But, don't you fear my dears...this is how it turned out!

Cooking with Sara: Lil Fruit Pies

Mmmmm....Pie........

The borrowed children and I teamed up once again for my Blah to Ta-Daa recipe.  This week, we made Lil Mini Strawberry Peach Pies.  Because everything tastes better when it's teeny tiny!

But before I forget - we have some quick daily announcements to make, we'll call role, and then it's time for recess! :)

Reminder #1: 

Don't forget that Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" show starts tonight on ABC!!!

Reminder #2:

I'm doing a giveaway here on my blog! Go check it out and enter!

"Aunt Sara, are you sure that pie dough tastes good?"

[ nom nom nom ]

Sneaking the dough!

Mmmmm...more pie.......

Cooking with Sara: Pass the Champagne, Please

This week's recipe is a celebratory Pink Champagne Cake.  What are we celebrating, you ask?  Well, today is Blah author Mellisa's birthday!!!  And...tomorrow is mine :)  Plus, any of you who've spent any New Year's with me knows how much I love champagne.  (I may or may not have vague recollections of forcing my beloved raspberry champagne onto random strangers at a New Year's Eve party.)

And, to please the mobbing crowds, I'm posting my out-takey, behind the scenes pictures here.  We should definitely toast to ridiculous photos made public.  Raspberry champagne anyone?

Cheers!

Yours truly in action.

I wasn't lying about making messes every. freaking. time.

Ever wonder what happens when you turn the mixer on to whip heavy cream and then get distracted by the huge pile of dishes in the sink and only come up for air when your friend starts saying, "oh! oh! oh!"  No?  Just me?  Well, you make butter.  For seriously. 

We taste tested for you.  We really are that generous in real life.

I'm that much of a dork in real life too.

Only my sister shares my love of ugly face photos.

Someday, I'll get one of the both of us doing them together.

Just Maybe I Was

Bo and I were up until 1am last night finishing up Sarandipity orders for this morning.  Yes, the both of us.  While I was getting pink and red dipping chocolate everywhere, he was putting together shipping boxes, and cutting bubble wrap, and generally keeping me sane.

So, this morning, my email pops up with a phone picture from him.  Yes, we love this man.

A Dog, A Girl, and a Fake Cupcake

Because I needed a photo for the new blog, I decided to have Bo take a new one. And then, I thought, hey, I should upload the large version for you to see. Plus, I know how much you love some oddball poses of Rory, right?

Everyone say treeeeeats!

She makes me laugh. A lot.

(Ok, so I miiiiight have photoshopped the color of the cupcake topper. The red was just too red for the photo. So, you know. Engineering degree not for naught.)

Dyin' for a Chai Tea Latte

(You so need to click-zoom in on this photo.)

Dyin' for a chai tea latte....Albeit in cupcake form. You knew that was coming, right?

Last week, Sidenote and I were on a chai latte kick and kept thinking of things to eat or make or listen to. Yeah, I just said "listen to" right there. Click your mouse here to go check out her theme-coordinated blog entry for today. She's got the Chai Tea Latte song embedded, and it's too freaking adorable to miss out on. Go on over there. Go on!

Ok, are you back now? Isn't that song too cute for words? It makes me think about Fall and lattes from Coffee Bean. Yumm....I suppose that chai is so popular in the Fall because it hints at the spicy heaviness of Thanksgiving, but in a teensy bit lighter form. It's the perfect summertime transition drink. Or cupcake, rather. Ahem. Topic at hand, sara.

So, I modified one recipe for the cupcakes and then mix & matched two different recipes for the frosting. Aside from the obvious choice of flavor, I chose these recipes for a couple of reasons: The cupcakes are vegan, and the frosting is a style of buttercream that I'd never tried before. So, I got to test out two things at once, together. Perfect. The cupcakes turned out deliciously moist, and were super simple and quick to mix up. I did reduce the amount of spice because it was a little overpowering, but they still made my house smell amazingly good while they were baking. And for the frosting. Well. That stuff turned out sooo freaking good. Sooooo good, I'm telling you. It's my new favorite buttercream style for cakes.

My versions of these recipes and pictures are below. Enjoy!

Soaking the tea bags in almond milk. I used regular Lipton tea bags because I don't have any real black tea. So I'm not sure if you'd get more tea flavor using black tea. Let me know if you try it?

I drink almond milk, so I swapped out the soy milk in this recipe for almond milk. The tea-infused almond milk is a rich nut-brown color.

I tried this recipe twice, and I have to admit that using cake flour yielded a lighter cupcake with tops that didn't crack as easily as they did with all-purpose flour.

The batter is thin, so it's easier to pour it into the pan with a measuring glass.


Spiced Chai Latte Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Adapted from Love and Olive Oil

1 c. almond or soy milk
4 black tea bags or 2 tablespoons loose leaf black tea
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground nutmeg
1/3 c. canola oil
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Heat milk in a small saucepan or microwave until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Allow to steep for 10 minutes, then remove teabags, squeezing out as much milk as possible. Re-measure, and add more milk to make exactly 1 cup. Whisk in cider vinegar, and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Pour in the milk mixture, along with oil, sugar, and vanilla, and stir just until no large lumps remain.

Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 cup of batter (liners should be 2/3 full), and bake for 20-22 minutes or until puffed and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

It took roughly 5 melted squares to yield 1/4 cup.

As the directions indicate, the frosting can mix up soupy. Keep adding butter, one tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency. (I like my buttercreams a little more rigid so that they hold shape at room temperature.)


White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Will frost 24 cupcakes.
Adapted from Whisk Kid

1 c. granulated sugar
5 egg whites
1 - 1 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened slightly and sliced
1/4 c. white chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved (test by rubbing some between your fingers. If it's completely smooth, it's done). Pour into another bowl (a stand mixer is preferable) and whip on high speed until room temp. Then, on a medium-slow speed, add one cup butter, one tablespoon at a time, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next. The buttercream may turn into a soupy curdled mess, but I assure you it will be ok; just beat it for a few minutes longer. It'll come together! Beat in additional tablespoons of butter until the buttercream has reached the desired consistency. Add the cinnamon and the melted and cooled white chocolate carefully. Try not to get any on the walls of the bowl as it will cool and harden there. Whip to incorporate.