No-Fail Quick French Bread

A fabulous French Bread that takes just over an hour from start to finish?!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!... I am not the best at making homemade breads. I've tried zillions of recipes, some turn out part of the time, some are bad from the start.
I FINALLY found a quick and easy recipe for french bread, I've made this multiple times in the last month and it's come out great every time. I even tried it at 9,000 feet in Colorado and it worked, there, too! Hallelujah! All you need is a mixer with a dough hook (I used my KitchenAid).I was sent this recipe (the pictures are my own) and I think it's from a blog, the writing is very "blog-ish"...I've tried googling it and searching for it, so if it's from you, please let me know! I want to give you a huge hug. Or, at least a link to your blog.:)

No Fail Quick French Bread
Ingredients:
Fabulous French Bread
1 T shortening
1 T salt
2 T sugar
1 C boiling water
1 C cold water
1/3 C lukewarm water
1 T yeast
4 1/2 C - 6 C flour
1 egg

Directions:
1. Place the 1 C hot water in the microwave for 3 minutes to get it boiling.
2. Dissolve the yeast into the warm water. Stir it around until it is all mixed.
3. Combine the salt, shortening, and sugar in the bottom of your mixer with a fork. The dough hook doesn't work very well.
4. Pour the boiling water over the shortening mixture.
5. Pour the cold water over the mixture.
6. Pour the warm water and yeast into the mixer.
7. Begin to add the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the side of your mixer...see the picture below.
8. Let the dough mix on high for 8 minutes.
9. Let the dough rise in the mixer for about 20 minutes. (This step can actually be skipped if you are in a hurry!)
10. Separate the dough into three parts and place on a large jelly roll pan sprayed with cooking spray. Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes. Letting it sit will make it MUCH easier to shape.

11. Spread the dough out as pictured below.

12. Then roll the dough up like this.

13. Then bring the ends over and layer them on top of each other.

14. Turn the loaf so the seam side is down. Repeat these steps with the other 2 parts of dough.
15. Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray.
16. Make your egg wash by whisking the egg until frothy.
17. Cut three diagonal slits in the top of each loaf. Cover with the egg wash being sure to get it into all of the slits. 18. Place the loaves in a warm 170 degree oven and let rise for about 15 minutes.
19. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees for a convection oven, and 400 degrees for a regular oven. Leave the loaves in while the oven increases in temperature.
20. Bake for 10 minutes convection or 15 regular oven, or until the loaves are golden brown and crusty.
21. Turn the oven down to 325 for convection, 350 for regular and turn the pan around in the oven. Bake for another 7 minutes convection or 10 minutes for regular.

Sassy Heels Cookies

I am feeling sassy today! I think this is why...

How cute are these cookie heels? I feel like shopping all of a sudden!;)

I have a confession to make...
I always keep Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix in my pantry!
I've made tons of sugar cookie recipes, but I always seem to go back to BC Sugar Cookie Mix because it makes quick cutouts and people always ask for the recipe! So, now you know my cookie secret! Shhhh.....
We recently made a ton of these sassy high-heeled cookies for an event. They were surprisingly easy! We outlined the cookies with royal icing, flooded them with thinned icing, then added swirls of thinned icing, edible pearls/beads, and a little of gold food coloring spray (when dry).

For more on flooding cookies with icing and a video tutorial, go here. Bridget at Bake at 350 is also a master and has good instructions here.

We also made some Cacao Barry Chocolate shoes for everyone to take home. yum.

Market Street Clam Chowder

My husband and I LOVE good clam chowder. And, we've had lots. LOTS. We've gobbled it in Boston, we've slurped it in Seattle. We've tried it overseas. But, believe it or not, my husband's very favorite clam chowder is actually from a restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah called Market Street.

Fortunately, they've been kind enough to share their famous chowder recipe. We had it tonight with some of our dearest friends (with the extra addition of some fresh lump crabmeat--oh my!) and I hope you can add it as one of your own family-favorite comfort foods! Enjoy!

MARKET STREET CLAM CHOWDER
Ingredients:
3 large diced potatoes
2 qts. half & half-or 1 qt. cream, 1 qt. milk
1 cup diced celery
3/4 T. ground black pepper
1 cup diced onions
1/2 T. salt
1 diced green pepper
3/4 T. whole Thyme
1 cup diced leeks
3/4 cup chopped clams
5 drops Tabasco sauce
2 cups water
3/4 cup sherry (can substitute pineapple juice)
3/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup clam juice
1 cup flour

Directions:
Combine melted butter and flour in oven-proof container and bake at 325° for 30 minutes. In large saucepan combine potatoes, celery, onions, green peppers, leeks, clams, clam juice, seasonings, Tabasco, sherry & water. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough.

Remove from heat. Stir in half & half until blended. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately. Serves 12.

Pumpkin Mousse & Salted Caramels

Whew! I'm officially done with Halloween until next year. It was fun, but time to move onto bigger and better things...Holiday foods! Here's an easy and elegant favorite: Pumpkin Mousse!

...maybe add some made-in-the-microwave salted caramels, a little belgian chocolate & caramel sauce? That's what I'm talkin' about!;) The flavor combination of all these things is AMAZING, not to mention an impressive dessert for entertaining.

Pumpkin Mousse from Dave Lieberman
Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine pumpkin, 1 cup cream, sugar and spice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cool fully.
Whip remaining heavy cream and vanilla to soft peaks and fold into cooled pumpkin mixture.
Serve in store-bought chocolate cups, or you can make your own easy chocolate balloon bowls.
For the spun-sugar garnish, I made this recipe for microwave hard candy, drizzled it on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray, and broke it into pieces once hardened.

To assemble dessert, put some melted chocolate into a ziploc baggie (I used Cacao Barry Dark Chocolate), snip off one end of bag and swirl on plate. When set, carefully spoon in a small amount of caramel sauce into several swirls. Add various cups of mousse and a couple salted caramels (recipe below).

Salted Microwave Caramels adapted from Bakespace
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Light Karo Syrup (not dark-doesn't set right)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup SWEETENED CONDENSED milk
1 t. vanilla
Sea Salt (I used a pink sea salt)
melted chocolate (optional)
Buttered 8x8 baking dish

Directions:
Melt butter in large microwave bowl. Stir in Karo syrup, both sugars and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until dissolved. Microwave on high 3-1/2 minutes. Stir down and scrape sides of bowl. Microwave on high 4 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour into buttered dish and refrigerate until set. When set, remove from fridge and cut into squares. Sprinkle a small amount of sea salt on each piece and drizzle chocolate on top (optional).

Halloween Bentos

I'm a huge Bento fan and I've seen so many cute ones lately that I had to share! It's not too late to make up a spooky lunch next week!
In fact, the week after Halloween is the best time for a fun and spooky lunch--I'm hoping to lure my kids in to eat some healthy lunches and forget about all their candy!;)
Also, while you're getting recipes ready for the upcoming Holidays, you should know that Alouette and Chavrie are having a First Annual Facebook Fan Recipe Contest! The winning recipes will receive a $100 gift card from Cooking.com. It’s a great ‘starter’ contest assigned to a great food name. You can check them out here and here. I'll be working on some ideas!

Back to Bentos! Los Dragonnes has a ton of great ideas, this one is my favorite. Do you ever get the feeling your lunch is watching you??

This dastardly "Macbeth-inspired" pot of treats is from Cloud9Food. It would be so easy to add some string cheese and pieces of hot dog or olives to a bowl of soup or whatever you're serving for lunch.

Learn how to make this cutie at Adventures in Bentomaking:

Oh, do I love that Sherimiya from Happy Little Bento --she has some adorable ideas:
The "ghost" is a cut-out slice of mozzarella cheese.

It's not a bento, but what kid could resist "Monsters on a Stick" from Kellie at Little Nummies? I'm thinking you could use all sorts of tasty veggies, fruits, and pretzels to make some fun creations!

And, for a healthy and sweet treat, follow Obsessively Stitching's idea and put some electrical tape on the outside of an orange. Easy and so cute!

Mummy Suckers

These made-in-the-microwave suckers are quick and so fun to make! An adult has to do the hot sucker part, but the kids can drizzle the white chocolate "Mummy Wraps" and add eyes! I love the fact that they're cheap--less than 50 cents per batch to make.
The Gourmet Girls did a great job with these. Here were a few things I heard while they were making them...

Oh, Gourmet Girls, you are SO FUNNY! Do you have any more jokes?

OK....that's enough....:)

Microwave Mummy Suckers
makes 12
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
Food coloring (we used orange and purple)
a few drops orange oil, if desired (or any other flavoring oil)
Sucker Sticks or Popsicle Sticks
Wax Paper
White Chocolate (candy melts, almond bark, or white chocolate chips)
Edible Eyes (or whatever you want to use for eyes--choc chips, M&M's)

Directions:
Lay out sucker sticks on a cookie sheet lined with foil (shiny side up) or lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Mix sugar and corn syrup in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.

Microwave on high for 3 minutes 15 seconds. Remove from microwave, stir with a clean spoon, cover with a new piece of plastic wrap and microwave for another 3 minutes 15 seconds.
Remove from microwave and mix in any food coloring/flavoring oils that you want. Pour 1 tablespoon of hot mixture on top of each sucker stick. Let set completely (about 2 minutes). Remove from pan and you're ready to decorate!
Lay suckers out on wax paper. Microwave white chocolate in microwave safe bowl at 30-second intervals, stirring after each until melted. Give each child a spoon and drizzle over the suckers.

Add edible eyes (or chocolate chips, or M & M's...whatever you want to use for eyes). Remove from wax paper and set on a CLEAN sheet of wax paper (so you can get rid of the excess drizzles). Let set compeltely, about 10 minutes.

Hey, I think I found our new family portrait! Happy Halloween!

Slithering Snake Suckers

Ssssssay, how would you like to whip up some ssssslithering ssssnake ssssssuckers in less than 10 minutes?

I thought sssssso......:)

Slithering Snake Suckers
Ingredients:
Green Candy Melts (OR, you can use white almond bark or candy melts w/ a little oil-based green food coloring, see notes at end)
Trix Cereal
1 fruit roll up (for tongue)
Edible Eyes (or you can use chocolate chips)
Sucker Sticks or Popsicle Sticks
Ziploc Freezer Baggie

Directions:
Lay sucker or popsicle sticks on wax paper. Cut out "tongue" shapes from fruit roll-ups (if you wait until later, your suckers will have hardened and you're out of luck!). Melt candy melts at 30 second intervals in a microwave safe bowl, stirring after each interval until smooth and melted. Spoon into freezer baggie and snip off one end of the bag (about 1/4 inch or less). Pipe out an "S" shape with one extra curve onto each sucker stick. Squeeze the bag a little more at the top to make the head shape.

Insert fruit roll-up "tongue" into wet chocolate.
Add an edible eyeball or chocolate chip and a row of Trix Cereal.
Let set completely (about 5-8 minutes, if you can't wait you can make them on a cookie sheet covered w/ wax paper then pop them in the fridge, they'll set in about 2 minutes).

Go find your little sssssssssweeties and watch these treats ssssssslither away!

Notes on Candy Melts: Candy Melts are little round wafers of Coating Chocolate, when set they are very hard, so they're great for suckers and molded candies. You can buy white or brown Candy Melts (made by Wilton) at Wal-Mart in the craft/wedding section. You can also use white almond bark (suck as Candi-Quik), available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets. You can color this, just make sure to use oil-based coloring. I get most of my Candy Melts from Sugarcraft (look up Compound Coating Chocolate, they have about 12 colors). If you have a cake or candy supply store in your town, you can most likely find them there, too.