Baked Fontina

 

This has quickly become one of my hubby's new favorite appetizers, though he has eaten it for dinner as well.  It could be due to the fact that he is truly obsessed with cheese. It's simple and delicious. Great for having company over too! Try it and I'm sure you'll love it!

1 1/2 lbs fontina cheese, rind removed and cut into cubes
6 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
sliced Italian or French bread

1. Fill three ramekins with cubes of fontina cheese.

2. Evenly divide garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper between the ramekins.

3. Drizzle olive oil over the top.

4. Heat in your oven on the broiler setting for 5 or 6 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browning.

5. Remove from oven and serve piping hot (be careful!) with sliced bread for dipping into this melty cheese!

Source: adapted from Smells Like Home, originally from Ina Garten

Cake Mix from Scratch (Vanilla and Chocolate)

So I have some time to make up for here. It's been quite some time since I've had time to blog. Mind you not that I haven't been in my kitchen. Since we moved into our house, I have no doubt spent more time here than anywhere and I love my kitchen! I've missed blogging and sharing all the yummy foods that get made in this kitchen. And I will be filling in new post with recipes I have made and been storing up for blogging!

I have a love/hate relationship with easy baking items, like pre-made cookie dough or boxed cake mix. The lazy side of me LOVES it because I can whip it out quickly and still add some extra touches or twists to make them my style. However, most of me, argues that I prefer homemade always and will usually go through painstaking and strange routes to find just the right size piping tip or a strange, hard to find ingredient to make something myself. And I do always enjoying knowing that I made it and that I know the quality and freshness of what goes in my food. So I found where the two meet. My own prepared cake mix. My own ingredients packaged for when I want them. And for this month's What's Baking challenge Stephanie, from Brownies and Blondies, challenged us to make a homemade convenience item for baking and this is mine.

For our 4th wedding anniversary, I made a quick attempt to make a mini version of our wedding cake. Luckily, I had made some of these dry cake mixes because the week before our anniversary, my hubby and I both came down with something and were not feeling well at all so I didn't have as much time I wanted to bake.  Our wedding cake was chocolate and vanilla layers with a cheesecake layer in the middle covered in chocolate ganache. I used my chocolate ganache recipe from the giant peanut butter cookie to pour over the cake and a new cheesecake recipe (which I will post later) that was more dense and sturdy for the middle.

Vanilla Dry Cake Mix

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk


Chocolate Dry Cake Mix

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
8 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt


For both mixes, simply combine all the ingredients for each mix and then store in an air tight container such as a ziploc bag or mason jar. Then label with date and instructions for a later time. The mixes can be stored for months in your pantry and will make 2 - 8" inch cakes or 24 cupcakes, similar to a boxed cake mix.

Vanilla Cake:
In a large mixing bowl, take your cake mix and add in 3/4 cup water, 2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup softened butter, and 3 eggs. Combine well and bake on 350 degrees until toothpick comes out clean. For 8" cakes 20-25 mins and for cupcakes 12-15 mins.


Chocolate Cake:
In a large mixing bowl, take your cake mix and add in 2 cups cold water, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 tbsp vinegar, and 3/4 cup of oil. Combine well and bake on 375 degrees for 20-25 mins for 8" cakes or 11-13 mins for cupcakes.

Sources: Adapted from Chickens in the Road and A Thrifty Mom

Stuffed Baked Peaches

So for this month's What Baking Challenge, Ammie from Adventures in My Kitchen, chose for us to bake with in season, local produce. For me, that meant some delicious peaches! This recipe is simple and sweet with very little prep work or time. Perfect for spring and summer get-to-togethers! Enjoy!


3 peaches, halved, and pitted
1/3 cup honey (I used a dark honey from a local farm)
1/2 cup chardonnay or any other white wine
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp caramel flavoring
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup cookie crumbs (shortbread, amaretti, or lemon)
2 tbsp butter, melted


1. Using a small cookie scoop or melon baller, scoop out a small hole in each peach halve. Place peaches skin side down in a baking pan.

2. Mix honey, white wine, almond extract, and caramel flavoring in a small bowl. Pour atop peaches, letting all extra liquid collect into pan as well.

3. Bake on 300 for 10 minutes to soften peaches. While they begin to bake, mix the *stuffing*.

4. To make the stuffing, which is similar to a streusel or crumb cake topping, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cookie crumbs, and butter with a fork.

5. Take the peaches out of the oven, and scoop stuffing into the cavities. Return to the oven for 30 more minutes on 350 degrees. Serve warm with fresh cream, ice cream, or eat them just as they are! Feel free to drizzle with leftover glaze in pan.

Bloggers Bake For Hope Bake Sale

Today is the last day to bid on some delicious baked goods which will be mailed to your doorstep and help end breast cancer with your donation! Go head over to Bloggers Bake for Hope and check out all the yummy options!

Brownie Strawberry Trifle

For this month's What's Baking challenge hosted by Sandra from She Cooks and Bakes, we were challenged to make something with Valentine's Colors, of course, because it's February. February is the all about love in our house because it's also the month of our anniversary! So I loved this theme! Unfortunately, I had high ambitions for making cupcakes that mimicked our wedding cake and they were a fail. A tasty fail though. The cupcakes baked with an air pocket in the middle and the bottoms were a bit stuck. So we ate them with forks. I guess we will put that on a try again another time list.



Since the cupcakes were a fail, I went with a something different that I knew to be a tried and true recipe. The baker's chocolate brownie recipe. I've used it many times before and it has always turns out well. It was used for these mini brownies previously and they were yummy! I added some fresh whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate to turn those brownies into a cute Valentine's trifle. This could either make one large trifle or a bunch of individual trifles. I opted for individual, because I love all things cute, small, and personal sized. Hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day!




4 squares unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 pint strawberries
1 bag heart shaped marshmallows
6 oz dark chocolate
1 oz white chocolate (for drizzling)

1. Start by making brownies first. Melt the chocolate squares and butter in medium sized bowl in the microwave for about two minutes or until melted. Stir until thoroughly mixed together. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Transfer chocolate mixture to a mixing bowl and add in sugar. Beat to incorporate.

3. Add in eggs and vanilla on low. Mix in flour and nuts until well blended.

4. Grease a foil lined 13" x 9" pan and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let cool. Remove and cut into chunks.

5. To make the whipped cream, start by placing your mixing bowl in the freezer for a few minutes. Then add cold heavy cream to your chilled bowl. Whip the cream on medium speed until it begins to thicken.

6. Add in confectioner's sugar and vanilla while continuing to beat on medium. Keep whipping until soft peaks forms. Reserve a handful of strawberries with the pointiest shape. Slice the rest of the strawberries lengthwise.

7. In your cup or trifle bowl, make a base of brownie chunks. Then add a dollop of whipped cream. Next, sprinkle strawberry slices on trifle, placing some slices flat against the bowl's side for appearance. Now add another dollop of whipped cream, with some heart shaped marshmallows placed against the side of the bowl.

8. Finish with a decorative strawberry heart *how to make chocolate strawberry hearts directions below*. Repeat layering in remaining trifle cups, about 15-20 depending on size of vessel.

9. To make a strawberry heart, take the reserved strawberries and cut in half lengthwise. Then make a v-cut in the top. Ta da two cute hearts from one strawberry!

10. Melt chocolate in microwave on 15 seconds intervals stirring repeatedly until melted.

11. Spoon chocolate onto one side of strawberries. Let set, then flip and spoon chocolate onto other side too. Microwave white chocolate in similar fashion and then drizzle over chocolate strawberry hearts. Let set and use for garnish.



Source: Kraft Recipes