TWD- Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

Poppy seeds always remind me of that "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine fails a drug test because she eats a poppy seed muffin. I always wondered if that would really happen. Because I would be in trouble. I love poppy seeds. Poppy seed bread, poppy seed salad dressings... yum.

I made Almond Poppy Seed muffins for this week's TWD because we love (especially my husband) almond poppy seed instead of lemon. I omitted the lemon and zest and added one and a half teaspoons of almond extract.

The texture seemed off on mine- they were a little less fluffy and almost more biscuit-y. I would definitely make these again, but decrease the baking time a little. Head here for the recipe!

Horse Cake

This cake was for our friend and family photographer Brooke. The cake is covered in ivory fondant with a black horse and black flowers.

TWD- Fluff-filled Chocolate Madeleines (Buttons)

I actually pulled this week's TWD off! I really wanted to make these, but I didn't have a Madeleine pan and didn't want to buy one because I would never use it again. Enter the P&Q. Chocolatechic (who has a great blog) posted about using a muffin pan. Great! I have those!
I used a standard size muffin tin. I halved the recipe and only made 6. I loved the shiny ganache on top. These were so chocolatey (never a bad thing) and yummy. I think I would like something besides the marshmallow fluff in these- maybe a buttercream or something?

I also cut the baking time to about 9 minutes for the size and number of my cookies. Thanks to Margot for the great pick!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Wild Rice Soup with Quick Drop Biscuits

I'm not a winter person. I was born and raised in Utah where it's cold and snowy (I know, there are worse places). So I was ecstatic when I met and married someone who, although he was from Utah also, didn't like the cold or the snow either (or sports!!). Yay for me!
But I do admit I do like some cold weather things- sweaters, fires, and soup. I LOVE soup. This recipe for Chicken & Wild Rice soup comes from a family cookbook my cute sister-in-law put together for us a couple of years ago. I love slow cooker recipes that don't require any pre-cooking. I used some leftover cooked chicken breast from the other night, but I have also used store-bought rotisserie chicken. The soup comes together in no time and is loved by my family (especially my kids). Paired with Cooking Light's Drop Biscuits, this meal makes me feel like it's winter (even though it was sunny and 67 today). :)

Slow Cooker Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
adapted from Shauna Williams
Ingredients
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (4.3-ounce) package Long Grain & Wild Rice (Rice A Roni)
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced cooked chicken breast
3 cups water


Combine soup, rice, vegetables and chicken in a slow cooker. Add 2 cups of water. Mix well. Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours. Stir in remaining cup of water and cook another 1/2 hour. Serve.


Drop Biscuits
adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cut in pieces
1 cup skim milk
Cooking spray


Preheat over to 450 degrees F. Spray a standard muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter pieces until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Ad milk, stirring only until moist. Spoon into muffin tins. Bake 12 minutes, until golden.

Dojo Asian Inspired Cuisine and Lounge

Well, if you don't follow me on Twitter, you might have missed that my brother opened a new restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City. It's an Asian fusion-type place, with incredibly innovative sushi and entrées. Here are a few of my faves:

The White Dragon Roll 

(tempura yam, seaweed salad, cilantro and avocado inside, 

topped with albacore, onion ponzu and white truffle oil)

 The Battle Roll 

(shrimp tempura, avocado and cilantro inside, topped with tuna, lime,

 tobiko, eel sauce and a house‐made habanero sauce)

 Black Cod

Shrimp Tempura Bento Box (not that innovative, but my kids' fave!)

The dishes I don't have pics of, but were AMAZING were the Dojo Ribs with a jalapeno and chocolate glaze, and the Dojo Ramen Noodles with pork belly. Indescribable (which is why I'm bummed I don't have pics)!

If you live in SLC, or are in the area, please check it out! The atmosphere is fantastic and I'm proud of my brother and his business partner for their success!

Dojo Asian Inspired Cuisine & Lounge

423 W 300 South, STE 150

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

801-328-3333

TWD- Midnight Crackles

I'm baaack! Ok, I know the holidays should be about baking and cooking yummy things, but this year wasn't like that for me. I really wanted to, but we were in and out of town, so no time. I'm glad to be back to my favorite (only) baking group TWD (I need to find another group!). This is the anniversary recipe, which was chosen by Laurie and Jules, who spend hours maintaining the TWD site.
They chose Midnight Crackles, a chocolatey cookie with a little spice. Melted chocolate and cocoa powder are used to give them a rich flavor, with cinnamon and cloves added for a little kick. I underbaked these (the recipe advises to underbake rather than overbake), but I still thought they were a little dry.

They're yummy and a little addicting. My kids ate about 4 each today. Head here for the recipe!


In other news, those of you in SLC should check out my brother's new restaurant- Dojo Asian Inspired Cuisine and Lounge. We went to the grand opening in December. The food is AMAZING (and I'm not just saying that). The sushi is fantastic, but the entrees are exceptional as well. Here's the cake I made for that night: 

And for Beansy's 5th (what??!!) birthday, I made her a (quick) "Tangled" cake. She is obsessed with that movie. OBSESSED!

Hope you all had an amazing holiday!! Happy New Year!

Baked's Candy Cookies

I heart Baked. I've never been to the actual bakery in NYC, but I've made a few of their recipes- their brownies and the chocolate cake with salted caramel. Apparently, I have yet to post either of these, since I just searched for them and they're not up.
A couple weeks ago, they posted a link on Facebook for these Candy Cookies- candy bars inside chocolate-dipped chocolate shortbread cookies. Yum, right? I decided to make them for our friends for the holidays. I used Mounds candy bars for the centers, and double dipped the cookies in white and milk chocolate.

Then I finished them with a drizzle of red candy coating for a festive touch.

These little cookies are AMAZING! You have to dip them in chocolate, otherwise they're dry and not that flavorful. They were a huge hit with our friends, and our family! Make them! And then make another batch because you ate all of them!

Candy Cookies

Recipe by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 1/8 teaspoon salt
5. 1 stick plus 6 tablespoons (7 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
6. 1 large egg yolk
7. 40 mini peanut butter cups and or 20 fun-size Mounds bars, cut in half
8. 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
9. 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
10. Sprinkles, dragees or nonpareils, for garnish

11. DIRECTIONS

    1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
    2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Beat in the egg yolk. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until incorporated. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
    3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a scant 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out as many rounds as possible. Reroll the scraps and stamp out more rounds. You should have about 40 rounds. Set a peanut butter cup or halved mounds bar in the center of each round and roll the dough around the candy, pinching any tears. Roll the cookies into balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart.
    4. Bake in the cookies on the upper and middle racks of the oven for about 16 minutes, until the dough is firm and just slightly browned; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
    5. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the bittersweet chocolate on high power in 30-second bursts until nearly melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until melted. Repeat with the white chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Dip the tops of the cookies in the melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles, dragees and nonpareils. Transfer the cookies to a parchment paper—lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve.