Another??!!

I joined another food blog.  I know- it's crazy and I don't have time, but it is sssoooo much fun!!!  After much consideration, I decided to join Craving Ellie In My Belly (CEIMB).  I made last Thurday's recipe- Portobello lasagna roll-ups tonight, but B left my camera at his office, so no pics yet.  I love love love TWD, but it was a nice change to make a non-sweet for a club.  I am very excited about CEIMB!!!  And, I get to pic the recipe on January 15, 2009!!!  WOO HOO!!

Team Kugelhopf

This week Yolanda from All-Purpose Girl chose Kugelhopf, which I again had to Wikipedia (like Rugelach).  This was my FIRST time to use yeast and I was scared, but with a lot of extra love and attention and some sound advise from Cathy, I was able to get the bread to rise.  Well, me and my oven at the lowest temperature possible.  

I was so so so proud of how well this Kugelhoph dough rose on Saturday that I decided to share it with our Sunday School class at First Baptist Church Trussville.  Our Sunday School teacher, Kelly, is an AMAZING baker.  One of her biggest claims to fame is that someone once ate SIXTEEN of her amazing cupcakes in one sitting.  Needless to say, I was intimidated about taking any baked good to class, much less one I had never made and could not even pronounce correctly.  Since Dorie advises that it is best eaten the day it is baked, I decided to bake it on Sunday morning, which sounded at the time like a great idea.  Well, it wasn't.  My sweet husband is the most patient man I know, but he is not patient on Sunday mornings when I am running late for Sunday School (every Sunday).  In anticipation of the extra baking time I may need, I woke up at 5:00 am to put the dough in the pan to let is rise.  Well, at 8:00 am, the dough still had not risen to "almost the top of the pan."  At first I panicked thinking about all the time I wasted on Saturday, but then I remembered Cathy telling me she put hers in the over to help it rise.  So, I put it in the oven on the lowest temperature for 30 minutes and it looked perfect.  Of course, we were still 10 minutes late for Sunday School, but everyone really enjoyed the Kugelhopf.   It seems that my husband is a lot more patient when the delay is due to a delicious Kugelhopf instead of my third outfit change.  :)  It still wasn't Kelly's Cupcakes, but I was pretty proud of it.... 

Thanks, Peggy, for letting me borrow the pan!!  This Kugelhopf was really a team effort

Rugelach

This weeks recipe was Rugelach, which I had to Wikipedia since I didn't know what Rugelach is :-) Now, I realize that one my favorite bakeries, Edgars, has these all the time for sale.

I almost didn't make this recipe, but my friends Cathy and Julie talked me into it and I am so glad!! I used strawberry jam, chocolate and pecans- no currants. I liked this recipe, but I made it very last minute and didn't feel like I got to fully enjoy the process. Well, that plus the fact that this election is very stressful :-) I don't think I rolled them tightly enough. My husband loved them!

Thanks, Piggy of Piggy's Cooking Journal for the great pick!!

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

This week   chose Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes.  I am a HUGE fan of cupcakes, so I was pretty pumped about this choice.  If I could do any job and make money, I would open a cupcake bakery.  I was very inspired by a recent trip to Portland, where I discovered Cupcake Jones.  I got SIX cupcakes from there and loved all of them.   They have different choices everyday.  The cupcake that sounded the most interesting to me was the Rice Krispy Cupcake- It was vanilla cake with marshmallow filling, marshmallow butter-cream icing and rice krispies on top. 

 

I loved Dorie's suggestion to fill the cupcakes with marshmallow fluff, so I filled half of mine and then iced them and realized I couldn't tell which ones were filled. :-)  I have never claimed to be the smartest TWD member....

I LOVED the cupcake, but I didn't put the glaze on the one I ate because I don't like semi-sweet chocolate AT ALL and didn't think I would like it.  The cake was amazing, though- My husband thought it was the best chocolate cake he's ever had!!

Pumpkin Muffins

This week Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp chose pumpkin muffins.   After reading the TWD comments about this recipe, I chose to substitute the raisins with craisins and the walnuts with chocolate chips.  I made two batches of these since I got enough pumpkins in one can for two batches.  I took the muffins to work and got a lot of compliments about them.  They are really a crowd pleaser and a very appropriate treat for the season!!

I really love this club.  One of my favorite parts is baking things that I would not have chosen to make.  Even though I wouldn't have picked this recipe on my own, I am very glad I made it and I think I will make it again when I need a fallish pumpkin treat.   

Lenox Almond Biscotti

This weeks recipe was chosen by Gretchen of Canela & Comino.  I wasn't very excited about this challenge at first because: 1)  I don't really love biscotti and will pick pretty much any dessert over it; 2) My husband feels the same way; and, 3) I was VERY confused by the recipe and did not understand how to make it at all.  Boy, was I wrong!!!  This biscotti was sssoooo yummy and is one of my favorite things I've made in the club.  It really wasn't that hard to make, and tasted so good and nutty.  I was so proud of the result.  Some recipes in TWD I just can't believe I made- like la paulette's strawberry tart and creme brulee.  They seems like desserts that are way above my ability, but they are really easy to make.  I really wish I were a pastry chef...... 

This was the dough rolled into two logs pre-baking . . .Here are the logs post-first-baking . . . Here are the biscotti post-second-baking and cutting...

  

Caramel Peanut Brownie Cake

This week's recipe was chosen by Tammy of Wee Treats by Tammy. My husband thought this was the best thing I've made in the club so far, but I didn't like how the caramel went everywhere when I cut into it. Maybe that was because I only waited the minimum 20 minutes before diving in...

I really love homemade caramel!! Caramel corn is one of my favorite things to make.

I liked it a lot, but it tasted a little semi-sweet to me. I would have loved it if the caramel wouldn't have gone everywhere, which I thought happened because I opened the over in a panic when I realized I hadn't lined the pan with parchment paper or put it on a cookie sheet. However, maybe that wasn't the problem because a lot of other TWDers experiences the same concave brownie cake.

Overall, this was pretty yummy and fun to make. Next time, I will make the caramel thinner, use pecans instead of peanuts, and let it set overnight!!