Rating:  

This is a fine example of Less is More. Really simple, really tasty.

Servings : Makes 2 small tarts
Preparation Time : 20 Minutes
Cooking Time : 45 – 60 Minutes
Equipment: traditional metal cookie sheet covered with parchment paper

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup cold water

APPLE Topping:
2 granny smith apples
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup warm apricot jam
1 tablespoon pear liqueur

NECTARINE and PLUM topping:
2 nectarines
2 plums
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup warm apricot jam
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liqueur

PREPARATION:

1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a mixer bowl, with a paddle attachment.
2. Add the butter, and mix until small crumbs form.
3. add water and mix only until combined
4. On a floured surface knead quickly into a ball.
5. Wrap ball in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.
6. Preheat oven to 400°F and line the cookie sheet with parchment paper
7. Roll dough into two rectangles, each approximately 6 x 10”, and space them on the pan.
8. For APPLE topping:
   Peel, core,  and slice thinly. Fan an apple on each rectangle. Sprinkle with sugar, and dot with butter.
   For NECTARINE and PLUM topping
   Cut in halves, remove pits, cut thinly. Neatly alternate Nectarine and Plum slices on the dough. Sprinkle with sugar, and dot with butter.
9. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the pastry is browned, and the fruit edges start to brown. Rotate pan after 25 minutes.
10. Heat jam, and strain through a seeve.
11. Add liqueur.
12. Brush on fruits and pastry.
13. Serve warm or at room temparture

NOTES:

The fruit juices will probably burn in the pan, and form crystals. It might be easier to clean up if the pan is covered with aluminum foil.

Rating:  

I used an Ikea Danish Cake Mix, and used this filling for half of the dough. It was a great hit.

1/3 cup sugar
1/8 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 egg white, beaten until foamy
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Make the chocolate streudel
1. In a medium bowl or a food processor, mix the sugar, flour, butter, cocoa, and cinnamon together. Cut the butter in with your fingers or process until crumbly.

Assemble the coffee cake
1. Punch down the dough and turn it out on a lightly floured board and knead lightly until smooth, 1 or 2 minutes. Cut the dough in half. Roll one half into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with half of the Chocolate Streusel. Roll up and place, seam side down, on a buttered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, placing the loaf on a separate buttered baking sheet.

2. With clean scissors, snip each loaf at 3/4-inch intervals, cutting three-fourths of the way through the dough. Starting at one end, pull and twist each cut slice on its side to lie flat on alternate sides. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the loaves with the egg white and sprinkle with the nuts. Place in the oven, reduce the heat to 325°F (160°C), and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the loaves to wire racks to cool completely. Cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices to serve. Or, wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.

Rating:  

I was volunteered to host a Halloween bash at Sweety’s daycare. I was assigned with bringing cheese and cracker, and this is the inspiration for this recipe.

The final product was not Avida kids-approved. The senior Avidas thought it tasted like cheese crackers, and ate it with their dinner  salad.

Servings : Makes crackers
Preparation Time : 10 Minute
Cooking Time : 8-10 Minutes
Equipment: Cookies Sheet

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick of butter (8 oz)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Costco shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste (=lots in my mix) [candy corn]

1/2 tsp dried garlic + 1/2 tsp italian mix [eyes]

yellow food coloring

red food coloring

PREPARATION:

1. cream butter and cheese in mixer
2. add flour, salt and black pepper.
3. Mix well
4. Knead till smooth

To make Candy Corn

1. remove 1/6  of dough, and form a ball
2. add yellow food coloring. Knead (and add more food coloring as needed) until the dough turns a uniform and distinct  yellow.
3. Remove 2/5 of the dough, and form a ball
4. Slowly add red food coloring to the remaining 3/5 dough. Knead (and add more food coloring as needed) until the dough turns a uniform and distinct  orange.
5. To assemble the dough, form an 8 inch long roll from each of the colors.
6. squish the yellow to a wide stripe (2 inches). squish the orange to a narrower stripe (1.5 inches)  and make the white stripe into a triangle sided stripe. Place the orange stripe on top of the yellow stripe, and the white on top of the orange.
7. Wrap with wax paper and cool well (2 hrs in the fridge)
8. Heat the oven to 350.
9. Cut thin slices, place 1/2 inch apart on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Bake for 14 minutes.

To make eye balls

1. Remove 5/8 (white), dye 1/8 red,  dye 1/8 blue, dye 1/8 red
2. roll black to a tube, make a rectangle with blue and roll on black (into a tube), roll white to cover tube, and cut to 6 strips.
3. With a roller roll red to a long strip, cut into 6, flatter red strips and put them between white strips. Reform the “white” rectangle with the red strips. Roll on tube.
4. Wrap with wax paper and cool well (2 hrs in the fridge)
5. Heat the oven to 350.
6. Cut thin slices, place 1/2 inch apart on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Bake for 14 minutes.

Rating:  

This recipe is extremely easy, and amazingly tasty.

Servings : Makes 2 servings
Preparation Time : 1 Minute
Cooking Time : 8 Minutes
Equipment: Frying pan

INGREDIENTS:
around 1 lb center-cut salmon fillet cut into 2 portions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon capers + liquid from jar

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat frying pan well
2. Pour oil over salmon pieces and make sure they are well covered
3. When the pan is hot place the salmon, skin side down in the pan
4. After 3 minutes in medium high heat, sprinkle salt and pepper on salmon
5. Scoop a spoonful of capers on each piece and gently turn the salmon (skin side will be up).
6. Fry for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the salmon from pan.
8. Serve with fresh lemon wedges/slices.

NOTES:

Once the salmon starts cooking do not move it (other then to flip it over).

Do not over cook. All it takes is an extra minute to go from “amazing” to “dry”. The fish should still look orange-ish at the thickest part. If all of it has goon pink, it’s too late.

Rating:  

(Still need to figure out how to make the chocolate more runny)


My older girl loves loves chocolate lava cakes. This is a spin on the traditional recipe, but we make it in a muffin pan.

Servings : Makes a 12 mini lava cakes
Preparation Time : 15 Minutes
Cooking Time : 10 Minutes
Equipment: traditional metal 12 muffin pan

INGREDIENTS:
4 oz. Bitter-Sweet or Semi-sweet Chocolate (60% or 70%)
4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate (100%)
4 oz. Butter
4 Eggs Separated
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Flour
Butter for muffin pan

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Melt chocolate and butter slowly in the microwave.  When all the chocolate melts put aside to cool.
3. In a mixer bowl, beat egg whites and sugar, until it creates white foam.
4. Add in the yolks, and melted chocolate
5. Add the flour.
6. Butter the muffin pan.
7. Use ice cream scooper to scoop batter into the muffin pan.
8. Cook for about 10 minutes.

NOTES:

You can prepare the cake recipe ahead of time. After all ingredients are combined, cover the mixer bowl, and refrigerate. 30 minutes before you plan to serve, heat the oven to 350, butter the pan, and scoop the batter into the pan. bake for 10-12 minutes and serve.

I was able to double the amounts without too many mishaps.

When melting the chocolate in the microwave one should be really careful not to overheat the mixture! It ruins the chocolate. Be patient. Work slowly. Use 30-50% heat. Mix/check every 25-30 seconds.

Rating:  

This is a favorite of my family. I make way too many, freeze leftovers when they cool in a Ziploc bag, and the girls eat them from breakfast, or a quick snack.

Servings : 40  small pancakes
Preparation Time : 5 Minutes
Cooking Time : 30 Minutes
Equipment: nonstick square pan

INGREDIENTS :

1 ¾ cups flour

4 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1  teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2  cups ButterMilk

½ cup mini chocolate chips

PREPARATION:

1. In a medium bowl stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In another bowl stir the eggs and buttermilk.
3. Add at once the wet ingredients into the dry.
4. Stir until combined.
5. Add the mini chocolate chips. (Do not over mix).
6. heat pan over medium heat.
7. When pan is hot, using a small ice cream scooper, pour mixture on the pan.
8. Flip pancakes. Pancakes are ready to be flipped when have bubbly surface, and slightly dry edges.
9. Remove pancakes. Pancakes are ready to be removed from the pan when the edge that touches the pan turns brown.
10. Serve. Cool leftovers. Freeze in a Ziploc bag.

NOTE:

To unfreeze pancakes, wrap a few in paper napkin and heat on low capacity in the microwave.