Poptart Ice Cream Sandwich

 

That's right friends. This is a Poptart ice cream sandwich. Genius idea! Thank you to the wonderful author of CookiesandCups.com for inspiring this version. Click here for her original recipe.

This week has been jam packed with entertaining. We are hosting dinner three times this week at our house. So that means three dinners and three desserts. In addition to the festivities here at home, my husband has kindly requested that I make goodies for his team at work. That's a lot of baking. 

In order to stay sane and not completely ignore my son, I have resorted to recipes that require little to no baking. And this brilliant Poptart ice cream sandwich is one of the many non baked treats I've made this week. I made this yesterday for tonight's dinner guests. Another plus, this is a make ahead sweet.

I used Safeway's Denali Caramel Caribou ice cream. Just FYI, it's toffee flavored ice cream with caramel cups and Denali caramel. I also used Brown Sugar Cinnamon Poptarts. Together, it was a successful union of flavors.

• Leave the ice cream out on the counter so it melts a little. It will be easier to smooth on the Poptarts.
• Spread the softened ice cream on the bottom of a Poptart and then sandwich another tart on top.
• Wrap the sandwich in foil and freeze for a few hours.
• Serve and enjoy!!!

One of the guests tonight suggested Strawberry Iced Poptarts with strawberry ice cream. Her husband suggested S'mores Poptarts with chocolate ice cream. Sounds good to me! Invite me over when you make them. :)

Turducken on a Tur-Budget

I had volunteered to make a turducken for an intimate get together. My husband and I have been wanting to try one for years so we thought this would be a good opportunity. After researching where to buy one and what one would cost, I started to feel a little bit overwhelmed by the price. I even considered changing the menu. They start at $100. That's a little much this close to Christmas.

That was the start of an entirely new google search. Turducken roulade? In my head I envisioned buying a turkey breast, duck breasts, and chicken breasts, layering them, and rolling them up with kitchen twine. I bought the turkey breast several days ago. Did you know that you get two breasts attached to a bunch of bones? Yeah, awesome.... Then I went by 99 Ranch Market to get the duck. They didn't have breasts, only whole ducks, organs, feet, and leg quarters. So, I bought the leg quarters. And now that I had the leg quarters, I wasn't going to buy chicken breasts when I had perfectly good chicken thighs in my freezer.

All the birds were put in my biggest pot and covered with a sugar and salt brine. After thawing out after a day and a half, I butchered the heck out of everything. I was successful at getting all the bones out, but it was totally gross. Next was the part I envisioned in my head so perfectly. I thought I would lay out all the meat on top of itself and then just roll it up and secure it. Who was I kidding? There was no way I could get it to roll up. Basically I folded everything up and secured it with long skewers. I wish I had photographed that part, not my prettiest culinary moment.

This experience was a good example of how things may not go as I envisioned but still having a successful outcome. As Tim Gunn would say, "make it work." I always do.

Please note that this meal took three days to make, from purchase to table.  If you plan on making this you must, PLAN.


Ingredients

• one turkey breast 
• two duck legs quarters
• two chicken thighs
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup salt for brine
• 1/4 cup butter cut into pats 

Tools

• Skewers
• Cooking Bag (follow directions on the bag)

Directions

• Let everything thaw out in the fridge for a day in a brine of water, sugar and salt.
• Remove the bones from all of your meat. The turkey was the easiest. The duck on the other hand was a little trickier. The tendons and bones are tougher than a chicken's. Click here for a video demo. 
• Remove the skin from the duck and chicken.
• Salt and pepper all of your meat.
• Layer the meat. Turkey on the bottom, next layer is duck and the last is the chicken. 
• If your turkey is thin enough, you might be able to roll it. If not, do what I did. Fold it over like a taco.
• Skewer through the turkey to keep it together. 
• Separate the skin from the meat on the turkey and shove pats of butter under the skin.
• Leave it overnight in the fridge. 
• When you are ready to cook your birds, remove the skewers and put your turducken in a turkey bag (follow the directions on the bag.) Cook for 2 hours on 350 degrees. 
• Check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Poultry thigh meat needs to hit a temp of 175. 
• Let it rest for an hour before removing from the bag and carving.
• Enjoy!!!

Roasted red potatoes made a nice side dish to my first turducken.

Snooze A.M. Eatery San Diego

This fab breakfast/brunch joint just opened up in San Diego last month. It's located on 5th Avenue in the old Corvette Diner spot. And, you have to go there.

I loved the 60's feel of the place and the high ceilings with exposed beams. I also loved the full bar. Hello. Also, the service was top notch. The servers came by with coffee refills often and were very sweet to my little boy who sometimes wasn't on his best behavior. You know what I mean.

I looked up the menu before we went and knew I would have a difficult time deciding what to order. They list egg dishes, benedicts, and pancakes that could double as desserts. Hmmmm.....

When we got there my friend decided on Sandwich I Am. It's described as "Udi's soft pretzel roll filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and a sausage patty, served with a side of smoked cheddar hollandaise, and hash browns." This description doesn't do it justice. Every bit of the dish was delicious, down to those hash browns. To add ketchup or hot sauce would have been a crime.

Sandwich I Am

I ordered the Sweet Potato Pancakes. Good Lord were they tasty! The menu describes them as "their signature sweet potato buttermilk pancakes topped with homemade caramel, pecans, and ginger butter." They were tender, fluffy, and more than even I could eat. All aspects of this dish were right on, texture, flavor, size.

Sweet Potato Pancakes and an outstanding cup of coffee

The only question I have now is, what am I going to order next time. Maybe the Sticky Bun French Toast or the Bella! Bella! Benny? Do us both a favor. Please check out the menu and then stop by Snooze Eatery A.M. Enjoy!

Fig Tree Cafe Hillcrest

I totally scored again with a great deal through Living Social. I paid $15 and received a $30 voucher for Fig Tree Cafe in Hillcrest. It's always busy when we drive by which is a good sign. We checked it out online and the menu looked enticing. So needless to say, I was excited when I saw the email notification for Fig Tree Cafe deal.

My husband really wanted the cheese board and I can't pass one up so that was our first course. It was so good, that I'll be coming back here Saturday night for a repeat. The balsamic vinegar and honey drizzled all over was a nice touch. I'm a sucker for anything agrodolce. You can see that there are six cheeses, three on each side of the board. In the center of the board are mustard, figs, walnuts, and a thick berry jelly. Bread is also served with the cheese.

Whenever I go to a new or just new to me restaurant, I order whatever the specialty is or whatever seems the most unique. For my main course, I ordered the Fig Tree personal pizza. The menu description goes as follows, bufala mozzarella, wild arugula, mission dried figs, Parma prosciutto, balsamic glaze. I was a happy girl after one bite. It was authentic Italian pizza, the crust and the size. The toppings were great too, sweet and salty.

Like I said, I've already got my next visit on my calendar. I already know what I'm going to order too. We'll get the cheese board again and I'm going to try the porchetta personal pizza. I also want to try the avocado chutney and the sun dried tomato and gorgonzola mousse from the bites portion of the menu. 

You guys will totally dig this place. I recommend making a reservation because it gets busy and the restaurant is very intimate. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Compound Butter

It's 11:30pm Thanksgiving Eve and I'm waiting for bread dough to double in size. I've got another 20 minutes before I can throw it in the oven. So, when am I going to sleep tonight? Good question. I have no idea.

While I'm waiting for the dough, I thought I'd blog one of the compound butters I made today. It's so good. If you love pumpkin, you'll enjoy this.

         Ingredients

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp pumpkin puree 
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Using a hand mixer or your whisk with your stand mixer, whisk the butter on medium for 3 minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture appears pale and fluffy. You can either put it in a sealed container or roll it up in plastic wrap to be chilled.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Living November 2011 page 62.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Booze & Chocolate for Thanksgiving (Morena Blvd Costco)

Update: I got a couple of mixed reviews about the Pumpkin Pie Cream Liquor. If you purchased it, opened it and didn't care for it, you might be able to return it. Costco is getting strict about alcohol returns. 

So, you've been invited to someone's home for Thanksgiving. What are you going to make? A recipe you're not sure of? Or are you going to buy an unimpressive pie from the grocery store? Neither of those sound very wonderful. 

Here's what I suggest you do. Head on over to Costco this weekend. Pick up a bottle of Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur for only $7.99. It'll go great in the after dinner coffee or shake it up with a little vodka for a pumpkin pie martini. While you're there, grab a chocolate turkey. They are a good size, 1.37 pounds of chocolate, dark or milk, your choice. Not only is it decorative, but it can be enjoyed with a little fruit and cheese post Thanksgiving feast. And you know the kids will love it.

If you are hosting this year, these are ideal for you too. The liqueur would be a nice departure from the normal Bailey's and the chocolate turkey will look so nice among all the desserts.

       Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur 750 ML 7.99

1.37 lbs of chocolate for $9.99

Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate

Keep these toy soldiers in mind for Christmas.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

After Halloween, there were tons of recipes for different ways to incorporate candy into dessert. The most impressive came from  Cupcakes-A-Go-Go. They posted a cupcake that looks just like the one I've replicated here. Chocolate cake with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup baked in, topped with peanut butter mousse and dipped in chocolate ganache. How could I not try to replicate that? I owe it to all my peanut butter loving friends and family. After searching around online I came across a recipe that looked perfect. Instead of making a mousse, I made peanut butter buttercream. You can see in the photo that the buttercream came out nice and fluffy. I've made peanut butter frosting before and it didn't hold a candle to this. Click here for the recipe to the peanut butter buttercream and chocolate ganache.

• To make the cupcakes, I used a box of chocolate cake mix, whatever was on sale. Follow the directions but add 1 cup of ricotta cheese to the mix. 

• After pouring the batter in the tins, push a peanut butter cup almost all the way in the cake batter.  

• Bake for 18 minutes on 325. 

• While the cupcakes are cooling, make the peanut butter buttercream.

• Pipe a mound of buttercream onto each cupcake and cool them again in the refrigerator.

• Make the chocolate ganache and then dip the iced cupcakes into the ganache. You can do this by either dunking the cupcake or spooning it over. Either way is effective. 

• Then decorate with a piece of peanut butter cup.

After they are assembled, they are quite impressive and delicious. If you or anyone who eats your baking is a peanut butter and chocolate fan, you must make this. It'll knock your socks off!

Golf Experience Gift Card (Morena Blvd Costco)

 

My husband is a golfer. The man loves to play. So, here's the perfect gift for him or for anyone you might know who also loves the sport. For only $90 you get two rounds of golf, one at Sycuan and one at Steele Canyon. Sycuan tee times can be as high as $92. Steele Canyon can cost as much as $139. Clearly, Santa will be picking this up and dropping it off at our house this year. Hopefully, Santa also takes this to my husband's friends as well.

Paul Frank Water Dispenser (Morena Blvd Costco)

 

How cute is this mini water dispenser?!?! It holds 8 cups and will encourage your little ones to  drink more water. It's only $12.99 and makes for a great gift. Right now there are only Paul Frank ones but there were Hello Kitty ones too. Hopefully those will be restocked this holiday season. Happy shopping!

Hello Kitty Mini Fridge (Morena Blvd Costco)

Note: The fridge has been marked down again. It's now only $24.97. GO GET ONE NOW!

I have been a Hello Kitty fan since the 80's. I had the toothbrush, school supplies, lunch box, etc. I would've killed for a Hello Kitty mini fridge in my room as a kid. Now I'm too old and this doesn't really match my decor but I bet it would be the cutest thing ever in several of my nieces' bedrooms. Hello Christmas and January birthdays!

This super cute personal fridge is marked down to only $29.97 at the Costco on Morena Blvd. It holds six 12 ounce cans or four 16 ounce bottles. It keeps beverages or snacks warm or cool and comes with a wall and car adapter. Pretty cool!

I did a little research to make sure that $29.97 is a good price. I found that through Costco's website it's $39.97. Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us are listing a Hello Kitty mini fridge for $59.  It's not the same one though. It's red with a white kitty outline. However, the size is the same.

Candy Insanity

It was National Candy Day on November 4. What better way to celebrate than to make something from the Halloween candy that's been haunting me? The recipe was inspired by CookiesandCups.com and it's now one of my favorite treats to make. The bottom layer tastes like my favorite See's candy, the butterscotch square.

Use whatever candy you already have or only buy your favorites.

Snickers, m&m's, Baby Ruth, Milky Way, Reese's PB Cups, and Butterfingers

Directions

• Line a 9x13 pan with foil and cover the bottom with small pretzels. 

• Boil 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of butter over medium heat for two minutes. Stir continuously.

• Pour the brown sugar and butter over the pretzels and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 

• While it's baking, melt 3 cups of chocolate chips and chop up whatever candy you have on hand. 

• When it comes out of the oven, spread the melted chocolate  over the pretzels evenly and then sprinkle on whatever candy you like. 

• Put it in the refrigerator to cool or in the freezer if you need it set faster. 

• Break into pieces and enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

I've recently joined a group of friends who attend church once a month and then have dinner afterwards. Of course, I am responsible for desserts. I was looking through Pinterest, trying to find something that just shouts "AUTUMN!" I stumbled across the recipe for  Pumkpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars. Click here for the recipe.

This recipe did not disappoint. It produced something original yet tasted traditional. Also, I thought it was nice to have a bar instead of pie simply because it is easier to eat. 

The bottom layer of this bar is a yummy snickerdoodle layer. The second layer is pumpkin pie. Lastly is cinnamon sugar and a little white chocolate drizzle. This recipe was easy to assemble and I had almost all of the ingredients in my cabinet. The only thing I had to buy was the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. That's always a plus for me.

If you like pumpkin at all, you're going to love these Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars.

Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream in San Francisco

This place has fantastic ice creams, sorbets, and sherbets. I tried Secret Breakfast, Olive Oil, Cinnamon Brittle, Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee, and Ancho Chocolate. No I didn't hold up the line and sample them all. Although, I wish I could've. It was just too busy though and I wanted to be courteous to the 25 people in line behind me. I was lucky enough to be with my family and I tried what everyone else ordered.
Olive Oil was a little citrusy but still tasted like good olive oil with a real smooth finish. The other flavors tasted the way you think they would but strong and bright. You may be asking, "What is Secret Breakfast?" It is Humphry Slocombe's most famous flavor. It's bourbon ice cream with corn flakes. GENIUS!
On my next visit, I'm going to try Salt and Pepper, Balsamic Caramel, and Jesus Juice. Click here for a list of their flavors.

This was my Secret Breakfast. The bourbon flavor is not for children.

Fetal Kitten is not a real flavor but the others are.

Tartine Bakery in San Francisco

Tartine's Pastry Case

I was up watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network late one night. The topic of the show was Sweet Tooth. They featured Morning Buns and Double Pain au Chocolate from Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. As soon as I finished that episode, my mom and I are were plotting and planning our next trip to the Bay Area. I was determined to try their double pain au chocolat.

Let me reassure you, that chocolate croissant was worth every mile traveled to San Francisco. I thought I knew what a croissant should taste like before my maiden trip to Tartine. Nope. I was wrong. This croissant was buttery and flaky beyond belief. And the chocolate. Oh the chocolate. It was dark and rich and full of flavor. PERFECTION! The people at Tartine know what they are doing.

 

My entire family joined me. My husband is a quiche fanatic and so he devoured a piece of yummy ham and corn breakfast pie goodness. It was really light and fluffy and worth a return trip. I wish we could've ordered even more but we'll be back. Mark my words. Tartine Bakery is amazing. 

I'm a sucker for cookies and want to try these next time.

Pretty, right? I'll have to let you know on my next visit.

Veggie Salad

Let me just reiterate how much I hate wasting food. I HATE IT! I can't stand to throw away perfectly good food. I would rather go to the store and pick up a couple of items to jazz up what's in my fridge rather than let it go to waste.
The above salad is just one example of what I've done with the odd amounts of veggies I had left in the crisper drawer from last week.

Ingredients
1/2 cucumber
8 stalks of asparagus
6 mini bell peppers
1 granny smith apple
corn from one corn on the cobb
handful of cilantro
1 lime

Chop everything up into bite size pieces. Juice and zest the lime. Combine everything and enjoy.

Chances are you won't have the same veggies in your fridge but I bet you will have a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Don't let it go to waste! Make a fresh little salad.

Butterfinger Rice Krispie Treat

Butterfinger Rice Krispie Treat

One of my favorite blogs is Cookies and Cups. The writer, Shelly, is creative and has a sugar tooth that rivals my own. Really, it's ridiculous. Browse through her site and you'll see what I mean.
I'm such a Cookies and Cups addict. I look forward to my email notifications alerting me to her new posts, I've recommended her site to my friends who are bakers, and my Pinterest boards are full of her goodies.
This weekend I had to make something for my niece's cheer squad's bake sale and made Shelly's Snickers Popcorn. Sold out immediately!
I also was asked to bring a sweet treat to our friends' house for the Charger game. After browsing Cookies and Cups, I knew that the Butterfinger Rice Krispie Treats would be perfect. Easy, delicious, and I wouldn't have to turn on my oven. It received rave reviews from the kids and adults. This goody is sweet, a little bit salty, crunchy, and chocolatey. Just what the doctor ordered! Next time, I think I'll make two batches though. Click here for the recipe.

Paula Deen's Orange Brownies

I made these last night and they were absolutely fantastic. They were simple and quick and best of all, I had almost all of the ingredients in my pantry. The only one I had to grab from the store was orange extract.

I know that these are called brownies but there isn't a hint of chocolate to them. They are in fact chocolateless.

They are like a brownie in texture but the glaze makes them a little like an old fashioned doughnut. The flavor is kind of fresh like a lemon cooler cake but orange. I bet these would be great if I substituted the orange for lemon.

Click here for the recipe. Thank you again Paula Deen for the fabulous dessert recipe. It's now one of my tried and true.

Simple Doctored Up Brownies

I love coffee. I love it love it love it, especially now that I am a mother to a two year old.  I've been doing some research to justify my addiction and I've found a little bit of info that says my coffee consumption may be healthy. According to Web MD, "A growing body of research shows that coffee drinkers, compared to nondrinkers, are:

• less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia
• have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes."

Alright! Here's what I can tell you about coffee. It goes brilliantly with chocolate. I know a ton of you make brownies from the box. Great. I do too. My favorite are the Ghirardelli Triple Brownie mix. It tastes darn close to perfect-made-from-scratch brownies.  Here's a tip, replace the water called for in your recipe with cooled coffee. You can do that with your boxed mix or with your favorite recipe. I promise you won't have coffee flavored brownies. Instead your brownies will be more CHOCOLATEY.

Give it a try. More flavor and antioxidants. You won't be disappointed.

Roasted Bacon Wrapped Bleu Cheese Stuffed FIGS

I was trying to find a creative and simple way to use the figs I had in my refrigerator. Here it is. Tried and true.

Slice the figs in half and push bleu cheese into the center of them. 

 Wrap each half in a half of a slice of bacon. You could use an entire slice. It'll just be a thicker bacon shell after it's done being roasted.

 Set your oven to 400 degrees and leave these babies in there about 15 minutes. Check on them at 8 minutes and turn them over so the bacon can get crispy all the way around.

At the end of 15 minutes you should have a wonderfully salty, sweet, crunchy treat perfect for hors d'oeuvres or snack. Enjoy!

Chile Pies and Ice Cream

Chile Pies and Ice Cream was featured on The Cooking Channel's Unique Sweets. When it aired I didn't know what to think about this San Francisco establishment. What I do know is that I can't resist a unique dessert and I was compelled to try it.

Green Chile Apple Pie

Their signature pie is a green chile apple pie. Sounds strange but it's very very good.  It has a cheddar cheese crust and walnut struesel topping, topped with a scoop of organic vanilla ice cream. It's pretty darn genius. The filling is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy and the crust is the best crust I think I've ever had. It is super flaky and flavorful. I wish I could replicate it. This pie puts anything from Julian to shame. Sorry San Diego.

Apple Chai Spice Pie

I visited with my family and they were kind enough to let me photograph their food before diving in. They ordered the apple chai spice pie, the brownie shake, and cup of posole with corn bread and salad.  It was all fantastic. The apple chai spice pie was a home run. The chai spice was beautiful and would be perfect for the holidays.

Yummy Posole Lunch

Brownie Shake (my hubby loved it.)

What unique window treatments!

When you visit, be prepared for a great little restaurant decked out with the Virgin Mary (even in the bathroom) and lots of friendly servers to help you make your unique treat decision. Give it a try and you'll love it too. 

Introducing the Sweet Baby D Cookie!

My husband was kidding around about naming cookies. He suggested the Sweet Baby D. That's one of our son's nicknames. Immediately we knew that it would have to have M&M's since those are his all time favorite bribe, I mean candy. He also loves pretzels so I threw those in there too.

To make this cookie, use your standard chocolate chip cookie recipe. In addition to the dough, you'll need;

• 1 part M&M's

• 2 parts chocolate chips

• 2 parts broken pretzels

After the dry and wet ingredients have been combined, add the above ingredients and bake per your recipe's instructions. 

Goody Goodie cream & sugar Cafe & Dessert Salon

I frequently take trips to the Bay Area to visit my family. This trip it was decided that we would stop at all the great places featured on The Cooking Channel and Food Network. Goodie Goody was featured on the Cooking Channel's show, Unique Sweets. Since I'm such a sucker for anything different, especially desserts, I had to stop in and try a few things.

I ordered the Old School Cookie, the Circus Cookie, the Olive Cocoa Nib Wafer, and a Blue Bottle latte. If given the chance to have Blue Bottle coffee, jump on it. It's my absolute fave!

The Olive Cocoa Nib Wafer was very different than any cookie I've ever had. It was perfectly crisp and super thing and chocolatey. Then you get a bite of olive and it's a tiny bit salty. Very different. I'm glad I tried it.

The Old School and Circus Cookies were great. The kettle corn was an unexpected ingredient in the Circus Cookie. It made it surprisingly light.

The service was great and the cafe was charming. I would definitely come back the next time we are in the neighborhood.

The Olive Cocoa Nib Wafer

The Old School Cookie: chock full of chocolate.

The Circus Cookie: Chocolate and Kettle Corn

Strawberries and Cream Layered Cake

I made this cake for my friend's birthday last week. It was a hit and I must say, very pretty for the small amount of work that went into it. 

Cake Ingredients
1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix
6 ounces of cream cheese
4 eggs
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup of water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Frosting Ingredients
8 ounces of Cool Whip
8 ounces of sour cream
1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar
2 cups of strawberries or more if you like.

Preheat oven to 325. Grease three 8 or 9 inch pans.

Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature. If it's not, put it in the microwave at 20% power for 30 seconds and then check it to see if it's soft. If not, another 30 seconds. Mix the cream cheese, eggs, oil, and water together until smooth and combined. Add the flour and cake mix and combine slowly. Then mix all the ingredients at a medium speed for about a minute and a half but no more than two minutes. Pour about two cups of batter in each pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
After the cakes have cooled, start the frosting.

Combine softened Cool Whip, sour cream, and powdered sugar and beat on medium for about a minute and 30 seconds. Slice your strawberries so they look beautiful on the cake.

When assembling the cake, you may need to trim the rounded top part of the cakes. Add several heaping spoonfuls of frosting to all three layers. It may look thin but I promise that it will thicken up in the refrigerator. Then add sliced strawberries to all three layers. Make sure that the top layer looks the prettiest.

Cool it in the refrigerator for a few hours. If you are going to leave it longer, wrap it in plastic so it won't dry out.