apples to apples

Ally, here.

We are approaching the most wonderful season of fall here in the great state of Kentucky. And as far as food goes, this means apples. Lots and lots of wonderful, ripe-for-the-picking apples.

The husband and I ventured out this weekend to Evans Orchard for the apple festival. This is essentially a giant day of excitement. Booths selling everything from kettle corn to purses, a petting zoo, a corn maze, and, of course, rows and rows of apple trees.

So we picked ourselves up a bag and wandered through the apple aisles, picking the prettiest fruits of them all. We ended up filling a bag with 20-something red and green delights.

And then for the best part of the day, caramel apples. There are few things in life better than caramel apples. We ate and enjoyed. And spent the rest of the day picking peanuts out of our teeth.

So the next few posts from me will be apple-related dishes. I've already made a few breakfast (or shameless snack) items. Apple scones, using a previously-blogged recipe, substituting 1/2 cup chopped apples for the craisins, and apple oatmeal muffins.

So get out there and visit a local orchard. Pick your own apples. And check back here for some (hopefully) wonderful apple recipes!

scones: the breakfast (lunch, and dinner) of champions

Ally, here.

What'scone on?

I was looking through the refrigerator last night and gasped in dismay when I saw that the carton of whipping cream hiding in the back was about to expire. I hate throwing things away, so I immediately searched for something I could bake.

Scones.

I have always been turned off by scones. They are hard and bland and crumbly and awful.

At least that was my thought until a few months ago. My sister-in-law works for a bakery (Q&A Sweet Treats, check them out) that makes the most amazing scones. Seriously. They are wonderful. She made about a dozen of them on a weekend trip to the lake. Even the crumbs were devoured. They are that good.

Anywho, my opinion on scones has certainly changed since tasting that culinary masterpiece. So I decided to try making some for myself. I think I've discovered a recipe that is easily adaptable to your scone needs and fruit choices. I've adapted it from here.

I used craisins and white chocolate chips in mine. I tried to use the last of several ingredients that I had in the house, so this is really a hodge-podge of leftovers (proof that the right combination of random things can taste really wonderful). You can substitute the fruit of your choosing, and you don't have to add the white chocolate chips.

Here's what you need:

-2 cups pancake/waffle mix (I used Aunt Jemima's whole wheat mix)
-1/3 cup dried cranberries
-1/3 cup white chocolate chips
-3 tablespoons granulated sugar (plus more for sprinkling on top)
-1/2 cup whipping cream
-1 egg
-a tiny bit of milk


Here's what to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.

2. Combine the pancake mix, cranberries, white chocolate chips, sugar, whipping cream, and egg in a bowl until they form a soft dough.

3. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a flat surface until the dough holds together well (about 6 times).

4. Roll dough into a ball and flatten into an 8-inch round. Brush the top of the dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cut the round into 8 pieces (like you would cut a pizza), but don't separate.

5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown. Break the scones apart before serving.

Now, if you desire a crunchier, drier scone, you can use a little less whipping cream, probably about 1/3 cup, rather than 1/2. But I prefer the richer texture of this scone with 1/2 cup whipping cream.

I recommend serving these for breakfast with a warm cup of coffee. (For all of you Lexingtonians, I suggest a cup of hazelnut coffee from Lexington Coffee and Tea.) Or if you aren't a coffee drinker, a tall glass of milk should do the trick.

But be warned, you will probably want to eat a scone with lunch and dinner, as well. I did just that.

Try it for yourself. You're going to love it.

a month of glorious food

Ally, here.

It's been quite a while since my last post. A lot has happened over the past month. I got married. I went on my first vacation with the husband. I moved into a teeny, tiny studio apartment (don't worry, the kitchen is quite functional). And I ate a heck of a lot of good food while doing all of the above.

So let's take a little trip down memory lane as we delve into the wonders that have been digested over the past 31 days.

It all started with the wedding, catered by my dear friend, Jackie Joseph. As a girl who grew up eating dessert first (who knows if you'll make it to the end of the meal?), I had to have a dessert reception. Pies, cookies, cheesecakes, fruit tarts, wedding cake, brownies. We had it all.

Onto the honeymoon. The husband and I ate incredibly well. I'm hoping to recreate some of these wonders in my very own kitchen. Farmer's market pizza.  Beignets with a honey marmalade dipping sauce.

Cinnamon roll french toast. Raspberry scones. Grouper. Lobster. Gelato. Barbecue. Blueberry cake doughnuts.

Let me tell you a little something about these doughnuts. I've never been an adventurous doughnut eater. I'm a Krispy Kreme purist. But the moment the husband and I saw Charlie's Donut Truck parked by the beach, my heart was won over. Never have I tasted a doughnut so glorious. In fact, ol' Charlie won our breakfast money four times that week. If you are ever in the Rosemary Beach area, tell Charlie 'hi' for us. We love him.

The glory of eating continued once we returned to Kentucky. Now the proud owner of my very own kitchen (and about a million new cookbooks, thanks to our wedding guests), I have been experimenting with everything from banana bread to gumbo. Let me tell you, there is nothing more satisfying than creating a delicious meal from scratch. Now, I've had my successes and my failures in the kitchen this month, but I've had a blast making both.

The most recent creation is soon to be blogged. You're going to love it.

local goodness

Becca, here.

At my Aunt's suggestion, I checked out Brew Ha Ha, a local coffee shop that turns out to be only a few miles from my apartment.  I went there with her enthusiasm of their cake balls in mind.  Specifically, their carrot cake flavor.
Unfortunatley there was no carrot cake flavor, but much more to my surprise were multiple other flavors that I would have never even imagined.  So here's a sneak peak at cake balls.  Have decided not to try them just yet, but bring them along to my sister's this weekend.  So enjoy the pictures, and go check Brew Ha Ha out!

It was tough to decide between flavors, but here's what I ended up with. 

 (Not sure how we'll split 6 among 4 of us this weekend either)

flavor: "shwedy" which is yellow cake with carmel and dark chocolate 

...& a dash of sea salt on top

flavor: banana's foster

(it was the last one left, so i'm hoping it's because everyone loved them)

flavor: cinnamon roll

(fun side note: the owner said she started this one at Mardi Gras and colored 

the sugar on top purple, green, and gold.  

Apparently people loved them so much she couldn't just make them once a year!)

The other 2 are called "Number 11" which are a cheesecake ball.  Oh goodness...all I can do now is wait and admire. And practice lots of self-control to save them for later on this weekend.

Now for your turn! Go check out YOUR local coffee shops!

calories never count on birthdays

Becca, here.

To celebrate the beginning of another year in my life/my first and only year of being 21, my sweet friends made sure every moment was full of goodness.  And by that, I mean food goodness.

Here's what went into our bellies on the day I turned 21....

 Natalie & Meredith woke up at 6:30am (seriously, so blessed to have them!) to give me a waffle maker, and make me waffles! Complete with berry sauce! (This is important because I prefer all foods with anything extra they can take...syrup, ketchup, cheese, marinara, hot sauce, icing, Cane's sauce...). 

Berry Sauce

1 cup blackberries

1 cup raspberries

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Combine all ingredients (minus cornstarch) in saucepan over medium heat
2. When sugar is dissolved add cornstarch
3.  Enjoy on...anything

When my birthday comes along, I specialize in eating ample amounts of cake.  And then purging our apartment of all cake the following month.  Or two.  But for that day, and several days to follow, I enjoy every bite.

Perks of small classes is that we know everyone.  And know when birthday's are...

Erica brought this beautiful cake to our morning class.  It was just as delicious as it was gorgeous!
Check out her cakes!


It's true.  My favorite food is pizza.  And preferably, make your own.  So my sweet friends made a night with pizza...and more cake...for my birthday.  It's my favorite thing: sitting around the dinner table eating good food with friends, laughing, and celebrating.

(Feta cheese is the best pizza topping. Hands down.)

Meredith made my delectable birthday cake for the night! Chocolate, of course. With a nod to some coffee added into batter.  (Berry Sauce over it goes pretty well for the leftovers..)
Props to good old Martha Stewart for this "Ultimate Chocolate Cake".  And props to Meredith for baking it with a whole lotta love!

Birthday's are wonderful.  My favorite time to celebrate friends, make their day something to remember, and enjoy life that we are overwhelmingly blessed to have.  Whatever we do for birthdays though, you better believe it includes food.  I'll keep you updated in the coming months!  Thanks sweet friends for all you did to make my day that much more beautiful. And! Thanks to my blogger pal, Meagan I can be a "real" food blogger with my new apron!! I have a feeling it will force me to get more messy as I throw things around the kitchen.  I'll let you all know.

better than green eggs (& ham)

In an effort to try new things, I was surprised to find that someone had only ever eaten an egg scrambled. This had to be remedied. And fast.
Instead of hitting up Louie's (the best diner EVER) for all things wonderful, we decided to go ahead and make them ourselves. While quite the entertainment, I think next time I'll just go and order my scrambled egg with spinach and swiss cheese.
There's something about eating eggs in deliciously greasy and wonderfully packed diners at random hours of the day that just sounds good to me.

Here's our very own eggventure...
(props Eric for the pun)

You've got your basic: Fried Egg













Heat pan to Medium
When hot, add 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter.
As soon as butter is melted, crack your egg.
Watch the magic happen.
Leave yolk for bread soaking if you wish.
Sprinkle S&P


(There's just something about butter...)




Then there's your Scrambled Egg.

(Scrambled eggs go better with cheese I think)

Crack 2 eggs in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon milk.
Lightly wisk.
Add cheddar cheese...parmesan cheese...swiss cheese...whatever you like cheese..
Wisk together adding S&P. Pour in pan.
Keep stirring til cooked how you like them.

Easy.

Of course you've got your Omelette.

Crack 3 eggs in a bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons sour cream
(I like sour cream...but milk works too)
Get creative!
We added tomatoes, portabello mushrooms, orange bell pepper, green onion, potato, spinach, atlantique cheese.
Add S&P
Pour into a pan that is large enough to accommodate the entire mixture.
Let sit until it's ready to fold.
(Roughly 5 minutes for ours)

It should be noted that yes, we know. We consumed a lot of protein. Along with the chocolate milk & peppered bacon, we're probably set for life...

However, we still had more more egg adventure to go on.

French Toast, my friend. French Toast.














My favorite bargain at Whole Foods is the .99 cent French Boule (we asked the bread guy, it's pronounced Boo-lei). Get them to slice it & it's instant goodness.

Crack an egg in a bowl.
Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg.
Wisk with fork.
Cover your bread.Grill in pan on medium heat.

...Add some sliced fruit in the pan as you're grilling the bread
for something that isn't carb or egg (:

So. I'm pretty egged out now, but I'd say it was worth it.

Tell me something,
How do you like your eggs?

cake for you. cake for me.

Ally, here.

The 4th of July just passed. This is a holiday that requires overindulging in copious amounts of food. Preferably meat, cooked outside on the grill. And dessert. Lot's of red, white, and blue dessert. And what's more American than cheesecake?


Okay, there are a ton of more American desserts, but I really wanted to make cheesecake. Unfortunately, I don't have a springform pan. So I decided to make mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan. It took a little bit of creativity, as I was working with a recipe for the real deal. But it worked wonderfully! And I topped them with raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries to make them a bit more patriotic.

Here's what you need:

crust:
-15 crushed graham crackers
-1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-9 tablespoons butter, melted

filling:
-2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-5 whole eggs
-2 egg yolks
-1/4 cup sour cream
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla


Here's what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

3. Combine crushed graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter.

4. Use a little more than one spoonful of crust in each muffin cup. Press into cup until it forms a thick crust, filling the bottom of the cup.

5. Bake for 6 minutes and cool.

6. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

7. Mix the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until well-blended. Mix in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until creamy. I recommend putting the mixture in a cup with a spout for easy pouring.

8. Pour evenly into muffin cups, filling almost to the top.

9. Bake for 7 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 225 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes appear to be set in the middle.

10. Open the oven door and let the cakes sit for 20 minutes. Remove cupcakes from oven and let them sit at room temperature until cooled. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

11. Top with assorted fruits.


It sounds kind of complicated, but trust me, it's worth the time spent changing oven temperatures and moving the cupcakes from place to place. Plus, with individual sized portions, this is the perfect dessert for parties. You're going to love it.

pizza. fruit. does it get any better?

Ally, here.

For the past 21 years, I've hated cream cheese. I don't know why, but I have refused to eat anything involving the substance. Cheesecake, cream cheese frosting, you name it.

I have changed my ways. And it has been so good.

The fiancé (a cream cheese lover his entire life) is thrilled. I crave cheesecake on a regular basis. But lately, with all of this summer fruit floating around, I've been in the mood for fruit pizza.

Fruit pizza may be one of the best desserts ever. Or breakfasts (if you are my mom). The fruit makes it seem healthy, so you won't feel guilty for indulging in an extra slice.


Here's what you'll need:

-2 rolls refrigerated sugar cookie dough
-1 1/2 packages cream cheese
-3/4 cup sugar
-the fruits of your choice (I used pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, and raspberries)

Here's what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread 3/4 of the cookie dough on a round pizza pan. Use the remaining dough for individual cookies (to make into little pizzas).
3. Bake as directed on package.
4. While the cookie cools, mix cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Prepare the fruits of your choosing.
5. After cookie cools, frost with cream cheese and sugar mixture. Top with assorted fruits.

You can get really creative with your decorating, so go wild! If you are making this for a party, I'd recommend making individual sized fruit pizzas by baking a few dozen cookies, rather than one giant pizza.

Try it. You're going to love it.

holy guacamole!

Ally, here.

Confession: I love tortilla chips. I can resist every other type of chip, but put a bag of Tostitos in my hands and we're all in trouble. Make them lime, and I may love you forever.

This passion for tortilla chips also leads to a love for salsa and other tortilla appropriate dips. We're talking guacamole, here.

My love for guacamole began in Costa Rica about three years ago. I was on a mission trip, and some kind soul placed a bowl of freshly made guacamole in front of a few very hungry teenagers. It was magical.

Years later, I get guacamole a few times a year, only when with the fiance's family. They make incredible guacamole, the future brother-in-law in particular.


After doing a little guacamole research, I ventured out on my own and made what I'd consider a pretty darn good success. You should try it.

Here's what you need:

-3 avocados, cut in half, peeled, with the seeds removed
-juice of 1 lime
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/2 onion, diced
-1 tomato, diced
-2 cloves garlic

Let me give you a little tip when it comes to the avocados. Get some that are kind of soft when squeezed. This means they are ripe (and significantly easier to mush). My recommendation for slicing is to cut the avocado in half, lengthwise. You won't be able to cut through the seed, so pull the two sides apart and then slice around the seed. Then you can peel the avocado halves.

Here's what to do:

1. Place avocados in a bowl and drizzle with the lime juice.
2. Use a potato masher to mash the avocados to your liking.
3. Add the salt and cumin and mash.
4. Mix in the onion, tomatoes, and garlic.
5. Enjoy with the tortilla chips of your choice (I recommend chips with a hint of lime).

Try it for yourself. You're going to love it.

mulberry experiment #1

Ally, here.

I've made several treats with the fresh mulberries over the past few weeks, but I've forgotten to take pictures of all of them. So I'll share what I do have.

Mulberry-blueberry coffee cake. Yum.

I should tell you from the beginning that there are very few things I love more than coffee cake. In fact, Becca and I first became friends because of our passion for this perfect dessert/breakfast/meal. Goodness, I'm drooling a bit just thinking about it.


Anywho, here's how to make the version I tried with my mulberries.

Here's what you'll need for the coffee cake:
-1/2 cup butter
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-2 cups flour (I always use whole wheat flower in an attempt to make baked goods healthier)
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-dash of salt
-2/3 cup milk
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-3 cups of blueberries/mulberries/any berry you'd like

And what you'll need for the streusel topping:
-1/2 cup butter
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup light brown sugar
-1/2 cup flour
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make your streusel topping.

2. Beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together.

3. Add other ingredients (except berries) and beat until well combined.

4. Stir in berries.

5. Sprinkle with streusel topping.

6. Pour into 9-inch square pan.

7. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the cake is set in the center.

It's a great time to make this because berries are plentiful this time of year. So try it. And let me know what you think. You're going to love it.