It's Nuts!!!

My goodness! It's almost Christmas. I've only got a couple of more people to get gifts for (would have been one but my original plan for one isn't going to work...grrr). I have two more normal calls and then it's Q2 for six days (call every other day) over Christmas. Another way you can tell Christmas is coming is from all the giveaways going on over the blogsphere. Kelly is giving away an HP touchscreen computer here (as are 4 other bloggers apparently). Sarah is giving away a 2010 planner (gotta stay organized). Tina is having multiple giveaways at her blog. I'm sure there are more...but you'll have to find them on your own. It's just nuts! What else is nuts? This dessert! The residents had a Thanksgiving pot luck on Wednesday before Thanksgiving but I wasn't there...I was home. However, I was "guilted" into sending something (after being told it was too bad I wasn't going to be there...I was the one who could cook!). I decided to send these pecan bars. They were VERY good. At first I didn't think that they were sweet enough, but I later decided that they had just enough sweet. I didn't have enough honey so I substituted syrup for the rest of the honey. This made the filling a little thinner but it cooked up just fine. I think I could eat several of these bars because they aren't that sweet. You could even say that they are a "good for you" (or at least less bad) dessert with the nuts being a main ingredient. :-) I think that alone makes them dangerous. But you'll just have to try them out for yourselves...my fellow residents did, and I was told that there were quickly none left.
Pecan Bars

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened (I used 1/2 cup or 1 stick)
  
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey (I substituted some of this with syrup)
  
• 2/3 cup butter (I used 1/2 cup)
  
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream (I used milk)
  
• 3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Sift together 2 cups flour and 2/3 cup powdered sugar. Cut in 3/4 (or 1/2) cup softened butter using a pastry blender or fork just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pat mixture on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool.

Bring brown sugar, honey, 2/3 (or 1/2) cup butter, and whipping cream (or milk) to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in pecans, and pour hot filling into prepared crust.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool completely before cutting into 2-inch squares.

Jumbo Fun

I saw a yummy looking treat on katrina's site a while back and decided to try it, but I failed to get the caramels needed, so I just make "regular" rice krispie treats with the jumbo version. There is something different about these jumbo krispies...I really liked it. They are made from whole grain (supposedly), so I guess that technically makes these healthier. Plus, rice krispies aren't the most decadent of treats to start with. I do recommend these, though...it is a jumbo pan of fun! Also, check out Sarah's giveaway here. It's her first food giveaway and would be a great snack to have if you're on call or running around busy with the kids or just out and can't get to food quickly.

Jumbo Krispies
3-4 T melted butter or margarine
1 bag (14-16oz) marshmallows
6 cups jumbo rice krispies

Melt the butter and marshmallows in a sauce pan. Stir the melted mixture over the krispies while stirring. Very quickly spread the mixture in a greased 13X9 pan and allow to cool. Enjoy.

Organized....or Not!

Do you ever need help keeping things organized? I do...yet, I don't use that help as I should. Maybe a little organizer before the new year would help. If you need help, stop by Sarah's site and check out her latest give-away. It's a lovely orange planner all set and ready for 2010 to come.

One way I keep my recipes organized is to bookmark recipes that I think look good. Sometimes I randomly browse these recipes in search of a good new treat to try. Last month, I found a recipe that I had bookmarked for a LONG time (maybe my organizational method doesn't work so well!). It was some brown sugar cookies from Jane. One reason I wanted to try these cookies is that they are simply a sugar cookie, just made with brown sugar...a little different take. Another reason....brown butter! Mmmmm! These cookies did NOT disappoint. They reminded me a bit of molasses cookies (which I don't think I've posted on here yet...will do!), which makes sense seeing as brown sugar is simply granulated sugar made moist by adding molasses. The cookies were simple to make and temptingly delicious. I highly recommend them.

Brown Sugar Cookies modified from Just Jane
11 tablespoons unsalted butter (I decreased the browned butter to 8 tablespoons and then had three waiting to be used...so used that instead of 4)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Heat 8 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 3 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside. Mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar together for rolling the dough in later.

3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Rolling dough into walnut sized balls, about 1- 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone) 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do NOT overbake.

6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes...but not too long or they'll be hard to get off the pan; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Cake and claire(fontaine)

One of my favorite things to do is make breakfast treats and take them to Sunday School. I decided to do this one week during my wards month because I was done early on Saturday and really wanted to bake! So, I pulled out my (not so) organized recipe binder and looked for a good pound cake recipe. I love the crusty parts on pound cake. The one I found, which my mom has said is really good, was Mrs. Taylor Sour Cream Pound Cake. I decided to add some strawberries to the mix. The bad thing about making this cake....I help in the college Sunday School and college is out! So, we don't have many students right now AND we have doughnuts each week. Tell me...how many college students are going to choose homemade strawberry pound cake over doughnuts? Not many! :-) Oh, well. The cake ended up being VERY moist and soft without giving quite the crusty top that I like. It was still very good...you should try sometime! Just be more careful than I when removing it from the pan...The top broke apart in one place! And speaking of organization, if you like to take notes on things and enjoy fun, high quality notebooks check out the great giveaway of Clairefontaine products (with some Orla and Rhodia thrown in) hosted by Sarah, another pediatric resident in the blog world! So, enter her contest, though I think I should win because the product has my name in it!, and make this cake! :-) Mrs. Taylor's Sour Cream Cake with Strawberries
1 cup shortening (or 2 sticks butter)
1/2 pint sour cream (I used low fat)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
1-1 1/2 cups cut strawberries
OR
1/2 cup chopped pecans with 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients then fold in sour cream. Fold in strawberries.* Grease and flour tube pan. Pour into pan.

*If using nuts and sugar mixture pour half batter into pan, sprinkle pecan mixture on top and the pour remaining batter on top.*

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Let stand in pan until cool.

Getting Ready for February!

I am finished with my internal medicine month!!!! That is my last call month for my entire M4 year! From here on out I have an ethics month, 2 clinic months, and an off month. I better enjoy that because in July, I will start a year with at least 6 Q4 call months as an intern. But until then, I am going to enjoy my M4 year...and get ready for February. First of all, I want to let you know about a month of giveaways hosted by the lovely lady of Southern Plate. Just check out this post with all the wonderful possibilities! Personally, that Wilton set is SO tempting looking...I love the cupcake holder! So, be sure and check back with Christy this month.

Next, one of my favorite things about February is having a reason to make sugar cookies! Valentines' day is the perfect opportunity. Now, I must admit, at this point in my life, I make these cookies for my children's choir and that's fun enough. However, if you have a Sweetheart or someone who's your Valentine, I don't know many people who dislike a good sugar cookie! I made these right after Christmas (and can't find my pictures! Sorry!) because I was not pleased with the recipe I had used earlier. As Anna says, they are perfect! Not too sticky when rolling them out and still pretty soft when eaten...though for some reason my dad thought they were hard. Seems that he was expecting something more like the kind you can buy at Walmart...you know, the fluffy ones with thick pink and yellow icing and sprinkles? I've never found a sugar cookie recipe like that! If anyone has a recipe like that let me know because those are SO good! Anyway, here is the recipe for "clean," quick, and easy sugar cookies.

No-Fail Cut Out Sugar Cookies from Cookie Madness (halved)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick butter, unsalted, cool room temperature
1/2cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 large egg (whisk and then put half in)

Thoroughly stir together the flour and baking powder; set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the salt, scrape sides of bowl and beat in egg, beating only until egg is blended in. Add the flour mixture gradually (1/2 cup at a time) and stir until incorporated. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to approximately 5/8″ thick. Cut the cookies into shapes and place the cut cookie shape on baking stone. Bake the cookies for approximately 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown in color. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Yield will vary depending on how big you make the cookies

Super Bowl Snack

Only a week left...I'm so excited! This morning, I started teaching Sunday School in our college department. I'm really excited about this. But, next Sunday we are having a Super Bowl party. I plan on making something sweet (haven't decided what yet), maybe a dip, and these yummy pinwheels that I created a few years ago. If you like muffulettas, then you will really enjoy these. They have a simple olive salad, ham, and cheese, all rolled together in crescent rolls. I've posted these before, but after almost three years, I think they deserve another posting! After I make them, if I get better pictures, I'll add them here. Since this is such a good recipe for the Super Bowl, I'm entering this in Recipe Girl's recipe contest...how fun would it be to have a gift card to Sam's!!!!!? So, if you have a recipe you think would fit, go by and check out the details. If not, try these pinwheels...I don't think they'll disappoint!

Muffuletta Pinwheels

2 packs of cressent rolls
1 10 oz. bottle of spanish (green) olives
1 10 oz. bottle of black olives
5 garlic cloves, minced
a dash garlic powder
~1/4 cup olive oil (I didn't measure this. Just put enough that it looks "right" to you)
8 sliced deli ham
4 slices provolone cheese
5 cheese Italian blend (if desired)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Chop the olives (both). Mix with garlic, garlic powder, and olive oil. Open the crescent rolls (there are four "rectangles" per package). Press down each rectangle until slightly larger than it started. Going the length of the rectangle, place two half pieces of ham on the dough (you will have one piece of ham per rectange). If your ham pieces are small then you could you 2 pieces. On top of the ham, place 1/4 piece of provolone cheese (1/2 piece per rectangle). Spoon some olive salad over this. It is around 1-2 Tablespoons; however, I didn't measure how much, but if there is too much you'll know - it won't roll! Sprinkle the extra cheese on this if using it - I recommend using it! Roll from the stuffed side toward the other. Use a serrated knife to cut the pinwheels. Place in a greased round cake pan (as you would place cinnamon rolls) almost touching. Bake for around 11 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove and enjoy!