When the craving hits...

"Great dinner Bud" - Laura

"Yeah, that hit the spot. I'm so full." - Ryan

"Yeah." - Laura

"I mean I'm stuffed." - Ryan

"Mmm hmm." - Laura

"So, do you want to watch an episode of The Off..." - Ryan

"I need something chocolate." - Laura

"What?" - Ryan

"I need something chocolate. Now." - Crazed lunatic

We all have our cross to bear. I know that. Unfortunately, mine is covered in chocolate. I would rather work out for two hours every day (which I don't) if that meant that I could eat whatever I wanted (which I do). Dessert after every meal makes Laura a happy chica. I have a sweet tooth and post-dinner is when the craving really hits.

This is the exact reason I don't buy the following...I will eat them.

• Oreos (Double or Regular)
• Hershey Kisses or Hugs
• mini Kit-Kats or any other 'Fun Size' candy bar
• Wafer Cookies
• Those amazing Keebler Fudge Sandwich cookies
• Girl Scout Cookies (all)
• Ice cream (all)
• M&Ms
• Donuts
• Chips Ahoy
• Cool Whip
• Pudding Cups
• Carmel Squares

Sure, it will start out innocent enough - just two, okay maybe three, to take the edge off. And then I become a crack feend in need of a fix and before I know it a whole sleeve of Double Stuff Oreos have been dunked and consumed.

Halloween is a very tough time in the High Household for candy - buying a variety bag, or two, on October 1 with good intentions...and then more candy bought that I don't like on October 30 because I ate everything the first go around. Lesson is never learned.

So when the above dialogue took place this evening I hit the kitchen to see what I could pull together without involving getting into the car to buy ingredients or driving to Bobby's...sweet, wonderful Bobby's.

This craving lead me to a wonderful recipe I found online from the FoodNetwork.com for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake.

I love this recipe because I had all the ingredients (like any chocolate crack feend should) and it was sooooo fast! Like ingredients pulled out, mixed, jammed into a pan, baked and cooled in less than 45 minutes! I won't even retype the directions or ingredients because it honest to goodness is that simple! I didn't do the white chocolate chips, nuts, etc. Just Plain Jane chocolate. Delightful.

Here's hoping your chocolate craving was settled by this post. I know mine was.

Yum,
Laura

 

It Is A Dog Eat Dog Treat World

Now that we're back  from vacation (take that robbers who didn't even know we were gone), the oven has been switched on and dough is-a-mixin'.

Ryan and I spent a wonderful week in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The sand, ocean and beer was wonderful but oddly enough, the entire time we continued to say, in one way or another, "I miss the dogs." Sammie and Joey, or to be more specific - Samantha Jones Sock-Thief High and Josephine Potter Cuddle Bug High - are our furry babies as they're known around our house. Sammie recently turned three and Joey will be two in October. Awe, how they've grown. Anyway, we left them at home all week (thank you again to the wonderful friends who peeked in on them) and when we got back it only seemed right to dedicate this post to them...and make dog treats.

Joey and Sammie being good - don't blink...you'll miss it.

One of my favorite recipes is a dog treat recipe I found awhile back and it has been a howling favorite of the pups.

Delicious Dog Dandies

Ingredients:

• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 3/4 cup hot or boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup nonfat dry milk (how this is even possible blows my mind)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar




Wall - O - Cookie Cutters!

 

First things first. Get cute cookie cutters. This brings me back to the Great Wall of Cookie Cutters at the Chef Shoppe. I took a picture of it the last time I was in its presence. There is another stand full of delightful Dough Shapers behind me in this photo but my goodness - you should get the point.

They have lovely shapes that many dogs would appreciate - fire hydrants, bones, squires, and dead bunnies. Ugh, if you didn't get that last reference give me a call...we'll chat and you'll have a good laugh at my expense. Let's just sum it up that Joey brought me a dead bunny and laid it on my lap while I was on the couch. I didn't know it was a dead Thumper until I touched it thinking it was the dog. Needless to say I jumped about four feet in the air and the dead animal went flying. I called Ryan and he giggled while I cried and laughed at the ridiculous situation the dog had put me in...again...on MY BIRTHDAY.

Oy. Moving on to the baking...that's why you're here right?

So once you have your shapes of fun, dissolve the bouillon cubes (also known as the best part of Ramen Noodles) and the hot or boiling water.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, oil, egg, dry milk, beef broth, and brown sugar.

This is a cookie dough but this is not like a normal dough. It is really sticky so keep the flour out. I recommend sticking the bowl in the fridge for a while - the warmer it is, the stickier it gets.

Sprinkle flour on the counter and roll the dough out (flour the pin - you'll thank me) to about a 1/4 of an inch. Speaking of, why do they do that? I never know what that means and I don't keep a tape measure in the kitchen. How about as thick as 20 pages of a cookbook or three slices of cheese. Come on people, don't be silly.

Now is probably a good time to preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Cookie cutter away people!! I have a set of three bones. I also have an awesome set of 'dog themed' cutters my lovely mother-in-law got me but they are currently hanging out with my Christmas cookie cutters. I like to think they're patiently waiting for November 27 when I go full 'Deck the Halls' mode.

These were, honest to God, not staged. These dogs are professional beggars and I always have the camera at the ready - you've been warned.

Spray the bejesus out of the pan or the aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Don't worry about spacing the cut outs to close together or anything - they don't expand and won't form a mega cookie like so many other cookie doughs tend to do.

Done. Easy and super fun to give as gifts to other loving puppy parents. Speaking of. Here are three gifts I put together for friends who helped babysit the pups. Umm, I hope they don't read this tonight but these are to dang cute not to post.

Thanks to Mom and Sis for aiding in the pouring and price tag removal process.

Another cute treat I've seen are large Milk Bones half dipped in white chocolate. White chocolate (in moderation) is okay for dogs - NOT to be confused with milk or dark chocolate, which is bad. Anyway, cute cute cute.

Planning to post mid-week, perhaps muffins.

Yum...or Woof...no. Yum,

Laura

Baking Blogs Will Make You Fat

Greetings one and all.

There was no baking in the High Home this week/weekend due to lots of fun happenings including, but not limited to a Taylor Swift concert, Harry Potter, Cardinal's games and travel to Albany, NY.

But ultimately because I think this blog is aiding to my addiction and my love of carbs and raw sugar. Writing a blog about baking has consequences...a big butt and jiggly thighs should not be part of this. So a week off won't kill anyone right? Right.

So, why not have a beer?

This leads me give a high-five, shout out, fist pump and tip-o-the-cap to my office and a wonderful program I get to be a part of called No Boundaries. I'm currently in Saratoga Springs, NY and am going to learn from a master...a brew master... the ins and outs on brewing beer and all the TLC that goes into it.

Mahar's Public Bar

 If I could stop drinking my dessert this would probably help in this whole fat booty syndrome. But if you're looking for a great dessert beer - tonight I had a Southern Tier Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout. I wish my house smelled like this beer. An imperial beer, which I learned tonight, is an extreme on everything - hops, taste, smell and ABV (Alcohol By Volume). Very impressive and yummy.

Way more to come...whether you want it to or not...but loads of photos, tastes, sights and perhaps some sounds, of a once in a life time trip.

Yum,
Laura

How Michael Scott Made My Kitchen Floor Sticky.

This post shall also be known as Snickerdoodle Pie.

Not sure how others enter 'The Baking Zone' but I like to listen/watch reruns of my favorite shows. Thus our story begins.

Today I made Snickerdoodle Pie - I found the recipe on the Better Homes and Garden website. My home is not better nor do I have a garden but I do enjoy their recipes.

Here are the ingredients all sectioned out that you'll need:

Crust:

• Single pie crust (I bought mine - don't judge me. I have made crust before but wasn't willing to donate the blood, sweat and many tears this go around. So, yeah.)

Crust sprinkle:

• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBS butter, melted

Pie syrup:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened (that's one stick of butter)
• 3 TBS water
• 2 TBS light-colored corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Pie fillin':

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cream of tartar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

So I was excited about this recipe for a few reasons, one being I already had many of these ingredients. Well, with a few exceptions. This leads me to 'Lessons I Learned at Schnucks in Collinsville'.

Lesson 1: You must have 3-12 screaming children with you to come to Collinsville Schnucks. They must run in different directions and scream all at the same time. Good luck mamas.

Lesson 2: Nothing is ever where you think it will be. Did you know that they keep Velveeta cheese in the aisle with all the condiments? Why?

Lesson 3: To get to the check out or the Land of Frozen Pizzas, you have to walk through the Personal Care section - which means I end up buying shampoo, body wash, face soap, toothpaste and fun flossing devices. They've got me pegged.

Lesson 4: Never enter the grocery store without a cell phone or smart phone. Every time I've baked I've ended up having a question - ie "How many cups are in a pound?", "Is confectioners sugar and powdered sugar the same thing?", "Hey Mom, do I really have to use lard? Wow. That's gross.", or "Ryan, how much brown sugar do we have left?"

Well, today I forgot my phone in my car (shocking for those who have ever tried to call me) and I had to ask the store troll (I call him 'troll' because I'm pretty sure he lives under a bridge. A-hole) if there was a difference between Cream of Tartar and Tarter Sauce. He looked at me as if I was a Billy Goat trying to cross his drawbridge or something.

Lesson four learned - cream of tartar is different and is with all the spices. Which was nice because I did need vanilla but come on troll man - let's be friendly and not such a jack ass about Laura's questions. Spanks.

Moving on!

Grease your fav. pie dish and lay out your crust (homemade or store bought) in the dish. Brush a tablespoon worth of melted butter on the crust. Combine sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and sprinkle on the buttery crust.

It will have a glassy look - baking is pretty and yummy

In a sauce pan (different than a skillet) - melt a stick of butter, brown sugar, water, corn syrup and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Get it to a light boil for two-ish minutes and add 1/2 tsp vanilla. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

I must stop this post here for a min to explain how my floors got all sticky (that's what she said). As I mentioned before I like to watch/listen to reruns while I bake. Today there was a marathon of The Office on TBS so I had a plethora of shows to pick from. Show one had ended somewhere around adding the cinnamon to the syrup and bringing it to a boil. So I walked into the living room to pick a new show. While skimming my options (DVR you're my best friend) I heard a bubbling type noise...a constant bubbling noise.

"Oh my," she yelled in fear. "The syrup must be bubbling over the saucepan and has burnt and will now have to chiseled off. F!"

If that were only the case friends. I took the six large steps it takes to get from the living room to the kitchen and saw syrup nicely boiling in the saucepan but then turned to my left and saw what the 'bubbling' noise was. 



That's right people. Full bottle of vanilla all over the dish washer, counter, floor and kitchen rug. I blame my chef salt and pepper shakers who did nothing but watch as this disaster occured. Useless little men. 

 

Jerks. Just stood there like idiots watching it all happen.


So after a Windex spray down, half roll of paper towels, tracking vanilla through the house because I stepped right in it (house smelled yummy but that's besides the point) and a quick mopping session...that's how Michael Scott made my kitchen floor sticky.

In a mixing bowl beat a stick of butter until soft. Beat in sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar (thanks troll). Beat in egg and teaspoon of vanilla (in case you're wondering I was able to get a teaspoon and a half from what was left in the bottle - thanks for nothing little chefs). Add milk and beat until combined. Beat in flour.

Spread this yummy cake type mix into the pie crust. Slowly pour the syrup over the top. I call out the slow part because it will make a mess if it slops everywhere. Sticky, sticky mess people.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Uncover and bake for another 20. Use the 'stick a toothpick in it' method to see when it is done. The top was very cake-ish. I sprinkled a bit more sugar and cinnamon on top.

I had to indulge and have a slice tonight. Toot Toot.

That's me tooting my own horn folks. Very yummy. I do have to say it is pretty much a cake in a pie crust. Wondering if I could make this in a square cake pan without the pie crust next time. This would also be amazing face with some Bobby's Frozen Custard on the side. If I weren't still bitter from the 'Vanilla Disaster of 2011', as it shall now be known, I probably would have gone to get some. So I settled for a small glass of milk.

So after a half pound of butter, a whole bottle of vanilla, four episodes of The Office and a troll everything turned out yummy. :)

Yum,

Laura

P.S. Dogs were not as pissed or frantic as I was about the Vanilla Disaster of 2011. Maybe they are onto something.

Beer. It is not just for breakfast anymore.

Greetings all! Busy, busy summer days since the last post but I'm sure this will make up for it. Beer. That's it. That was the post. Beer.

I kid. I kid. But this does involve baking with brewskies.

As all, if not 99 percent, of you know, I co-own a bar with Ryan and another Ryan. We have a wide variety of beer styles so finding the perfect brews to make Stout Cupcakes and Lambic frosting was not a challenge.

On Saturday, we took the staff of Global Brew to the Cardinals v. Cubs game to thank them for all the great work they've done over the last six-months. My how time flies. The Ryan's handled the loud mouth soup in a keg and I was inspired to cook with it.

Here is the stout cupcake and cream cheese icing recipe I found on FoodNetwork.com.

Stout Cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used Hershey's because it just seemed American)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 bottle of stout beer - which is about 2 - 2 1/2 cups (I used Young's Double Chocolate Stout on tap)
• 1 stick of butter melted (the melted part is actually important...you'll see why)
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Alright. So now that you have your giggle water and all your other randomness...let's make some magic. In a large bowl mix cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.

Here's how it looked and I need to add in, just really quick, how much I love and am an advocate for sifting your dry ingredients. I don't know about you but I don't make my own flour or sugar - and packages, although lovely in the store on the shelf, you don't know what could be stuck (or living - I'm just sayin') in that powdery goodness peeps.



Gross. For now.

  

Now I'd recommend preheating your oven - 350 to be exact.

In a second bowl mix your stout of choice (I would avoid oyster stouts, just sayin'), melted butter and sour cream. Here's how mine looked. Gross, right? Because I am impatient and didn't melt the butter all the way.

Once you've moved past how nasty the photo to the right looks I'll continue.

Are we past it yet? Cool.

Now mix the sifted dry ingredients with the unfortunate looking stout mix. You'll find this is muuuuuuch better.

I chose not to use paper cups and just sprayed the hell out of the pans and poured the batter straight in. Rebal. I know. Now filling cup cake pans is an skill. I used a cup sized measuring cup to fill each. The cup size worked well and ended up yielding 24ish cup cakes by the end of the process. They didn't overflow and they weren't dinky. Good size for your snacking delight.



Before



After

Bake for 10 mins, rotate the pan and bake for another 10-12 mins. I find the 'stick a tooth pick in the center to see if they are done' technique is effective.







I don't have an exact science in getting the cup cakes out of the pan. I do know that letting them cool for awhile helps...otherwise you'll have half out/half in cupcakes. I've tried a smooth twisting method...that works sometimes. Flipping the pan over really fast and the tapping (hitting really hard) helps too. That's all I've got for that...from there, you're on your own peeps.

While those are baking (and you will wish everyone you know could smell how great your kitchen smells), it is icing time. I need to note before you get waist deep in these icing recipes they make a lot of sugary delight - like way more than you'll need for 24 cup cakes...more like for 60 - 80. So unless you're having a party (which I better be invited to), you could probably half either or both of these.

Cream Cheese Icing:

• 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese (I used reduce fat to watch my girlish figure)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1-pound of confectioners' sugar (I Googled it - this is powdered sugar and 1-pound is around 4 cups)

Use a mixer and beat cream cheese and heavy cream. Then slowly add powdered sugar. Done. YAY!

Stick this lovely, sugary mix in the fridge for awhile. It will make it easier to pipe or spread on the cup cakes later.

I also made another variety of icing using a raspberry lambic brewskie. I altered and used this recipe from Examiner.com.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 1/4 lb softened butter (don't freak, that's just one stick of butter)
• 3 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup fruit infused cerveza of choice - I used a very sweet, lady-beer called Lindmans Framboise, a raspberry lambic

Cream butter with half of the powdered sugar. Add cocoa, salt and some of the brew-ha-ha. Beat until smooth and then continue adding powdered sugar and enough lovely brew until is spreads consistently.

Now that I started this blog I decided to take a quick field trip to a wonderful place in Edwardsville called the Chef's Shoppe. I love this store for many reasons but one of them includes an entire wall of different cookie cutters. I have a feeling you're not grasping what I'm saying. An entire wall of cookie cutters. Can you imagine? Well you could if you go there. It is in the same shopping center as Target.

Moving beyond the Great Wall of Cookie Cutters are other baking, cooking, chef-ing items that are great. I purchased a piping bag with six tips. You know, to make roses, vines, stars, a hippo, light bulbs, a 1989 Pontiac Firebird and you know items like that made of frosting **rolls eyes**. I used one tip for icing my liquid courage cupcakes and failed miserably. Eh, another day, another post.

I also had some left over chocolate discs from another culinary adventure so I decided to melt them in a small crock pot (we'll get into this some other day too), filled the piping bag, and made fun shapes, squiggles and/or designs on a cookie sheet with wax paper. I stuck the pan in the fridge for a bit and came back with hard chocolate in squiggles. Fancy looking but idiot proof. YAY!

Here is how the cup cakes turned out -

 (Cream Cheese on the left, Lindemans Framboise on the right)



I believe the cup cakes were enjoyed by all of the folks at Global Brew and it was fun to bake with something other than milk, oil or water.

And just in case you're wondering there are eight different nicknames for beer mentioned in this post. Here are a few more: redneck wine, 12 oz. curl, chugger’s delight, liquid wrecking ball, hops scotch, un-water, cold one, libation, oat soda, barley pop, puke fuel, boredom-be-gone, real man’s Zima, Homer Juice, keg guts, pre-pee, rocketsauce, varsity Shirley Temple, time travel in a bottle, suds, soldier, Gutterade, barley legal, bitter batter, liquid bread, silly seltzer, brew dog, giggle water, pre-spiked punch, bubbly muscles, hard O’Douls, social lubricant, secret ingredient X, tummy buster, brain hammer, elbow benders

Yum,

Laura