April 2, 2013 is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day

April 2, 2013 is

National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day

It's National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day! Did you know that the average American consumes 1,500 peanut butter & jelly sandwiches by the age of 18? The combination of sweet jelly & salty peanut butter has been a staple in school lunchboxes for over fifty years. According to one story, American soldiers invented the peanut butter&  jelly sandwich during World War II. They decided to combine their bread, jelly, and peanut butter rations into a fabulous new treat. When the soldiers returned home after the war, peanut butter and jelly sales soared. To celebrate National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, make this iconic American sandwich for lunch! 

Make some DeLish DeMaria Peanut Butter Bread & serve w/ Jelly! 

<3 Lishie

Apricot~Pistachio Biscotti

Aw, biscotti... the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon tea or coffee. I love to make these for company of for my father-in-law who loves them. When they are fresh, they aren't too hard, just perfect.Add in apricots & pistachios... just, well, yum.

<3 Lishie

Apricot~Pistachio Biscotti

adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday

• 2 1/4 c a-p flour, plus more for work surface
• 3/4 c sugar
• 3/4 c shelled unsalted pistachios
• 3/4 c dried apricots, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, pistachios, apricots, baking powder, & salt. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs & vanilla; add to flour mixture, & mix until combined (dough will be stiff; use hands if necessary to incorporate flour). Divide dough in half.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll each dough half into a 12" log; transfer logs to a baking sheet, & gently press to a 7/8" thickness. Bake until risen & firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet, about 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. On a cutting board, use a serrated knife to slice logs into 1/2"-thick slices. Lay slices in a single layer on baking sheet; bake until dry & just starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Pesto Pasta & Spinach

Another yummy meal from the fresh basil in our yard. The plant, thanks to my pop-in-law, is humongous. This is easy, quick & most importantly, a cool meal that can be served hot, at room temperature or cool/cold in the summer!
<3 Lishie

Pesto Pasta & Spinach

• 1/3 c  pine nuts
• 2 c  fresh basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled 
• S & P
• 1/2 c grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1/2c  good, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 lb pasta (favorite shape)
• 14 oz fresh, baby spinach, washed

Toss the first 5 ingredients into the food processor. Process! As the ingredients combine... drizzle in the olive oil. Sauce is done when it is the consistency you prefer!

Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente... The last 2 minutes of cooking, add the spinach into the boiling pot with the pasta. Drain all & combine with the pesto & serve. ENJOY!

Cranberry~ Pomegranate Nut Bread

Everyone brought in something for the last day of work before Thanksgiving break & I made more pumpkin seed cranberry biscotti (a HUGE hit) & this tasty bread... I tweaked the BH&G recipe a bit, using pom juice instead of their suggested orange. When I finished mixing the batter, it was LAVENDAR colored! Beautiful, but funny! Ha! It smelled delicious baking & turned out a gorgeous carmel color. The bread was moist & sweet, a nice treat!

I hope you & your families have the most wonderful Thanksgiving! We'll be watching the parade on tv in the morning & Gabriel & I will be out walking beforehand. Then more baking & getting together for eating & laughter with family. Be safe & make those memories.

<3 Lishie

For more Thanksgiving ideas & children's crafts go to this post.

Cranberry~ Pomegranate Nut Bread
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup Pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the egg, milk, & oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts & cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 1 loaf (14 servings).

Taken at work with phone camera, ha!

Peanut Butter...

Jelly! Oh no, wait, I meant, "Peanut Butter Cookies!"

Oh we love peanut butter in our house. And as much as I love fresh, homemade products, I love Jif Peanut Butter. It is my favorite. And I have to have smooth. I use to use a peanut butter cookie from back in school but one day, I couldn't find it. In one of my magazines was an ad for Jif WITH a recipe! So since College, I have been making this recipe. And I love these cookies more than the ones I  had made, down to the criss-cross tong marks from the fork! 

Question is, do you prefer smooth or chunky?

<3 Lishie

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies 

From Jif

• 3/4 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 stick Or 1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups AP Flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

HEAT oven to 375°F. Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk & vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.

COMBINE flour, baking soda & salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in a crisscross pattern with tines of fork.

BAKE one baking sheet at a time 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

"Take 5" Pretzel Bars

Inspiration, for me, comes from everywhere. Which can be a problem when one has just spent a good amount of time in Hershey, Pennsylvania, "The Sweetest Place on Earth". Indeed it is. Chocolate scent wafts through the air. It's in the hotel shampoo... in the air system, the candles... Ahhh deliciousness. But, for me, it is also as if I am baking~ the sent fills me with, well, fullness. I love it. 


If you get the chance, visit Hershey. It's not all about chocolate. It was built on chocolate & Milton S. Hershey was a wonderful man. I have a slight crush on him. He was a good man. No scandals. And he gave back, a lot. He & his wife couldn't have children so he provided for orphans. Schooling was extremely important to him. & to me. The Hotel is a dream. The Lodge has all of the amenities you could ask for~ Outdoor/indoor pool, restaurants, mini golf, tennis court, game room, gym room, Children's activities, meet & greet with the characters, shuttle buses to amusements. It's wonderful. And then there's the amusement park/water park, the zoo, the gardens, the museum, trolley tours... Go! Oh oh oh... yes, there's the food, the CHOCOLATE. It is everywhere. EVERYWHERE... 


Hershey has a new candy item out~ the "Take 5 Bar". Five layers... Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Caramel, Pretzels, Peanuts. YUM. It was exactly what I needed the last day there... I wanted something salty, rather than all chocolaty. And it gave me an inspiration for a dessert to take to a BBQ this weekend~ My Take on the Take 5 Bar... Here it is...


Lishie's "Take 5" Pretzel Bars

• 1 & 1/2 Sticks Butter, Room Temperature
• 2/3 cup Sugar
• 1 Egg, Room Temperature
• 2 & 1/2 cups Pretzels, food processed
• 1/2 cup flour
• Topping
• 1/2 cup Chunky Peanut Butter (Or 1/2 cup Smooth Peanut Butter + 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped)
• 1 cup Chocolate pieces*
• 1/4 cup Caramel pieces (or Milk Duds, halved)



Caramel Chunks

• 1/4 cup Pretzel pieces

*I used fresh from the Hershey factory mini-mini chocolate bars & cut up Kisses! 

Pre-heat oven to 350°, line a small, sided cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together crushed pretzel flour & AP flour. Stir the pretzel mixture into the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Should become one, big crumbly clump. Press all of the lumpy batter into the bottom of the cookie pan evenly.

Mad Baker @ work :) Earl Grey on hand.

With an offset spatula (or butter knife) thinly spread the peanut butter over the pretzel batter base. Sprinkle the chocolate, caramel & pretzel pieces on top if the peanut butter & lightly pat them into the peanut butter.   

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until caramel & chocolate is completely melted & gooey. Allow to cool completely. Cut into squares & ENJOY! 

<3 Lishie

Before entering the oven...

Freshly out of the oven...

Pretzel "Flour"

Spinach Basil Pesto Sauce~ on Pasta

As I have stated before, we are a family that thrives on freshness... on homemade dinner cooked with ingredients fresh from the garden or the farm. Then there's something truly special about dinner. For me, it's not a sacrifice to cook from scratch; it's only one if I don't. So I meal plan on Sunday & shop but sometimes, not everything works exactly that way. This week was more impromptu & because of that, I have a beautiful package of fresh, baby spinach that was beginning to wither. The best thing to do? Use it.

Here's a from-scratch recipe that takes at most 10 minutes but is nutritious & absolutely delicious (& saved my baby spinach):

Spinach Basil Pesto Sauce

• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 7 oz, fresh, baby spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic, peeled 
• Kosher Salt & pepper
• 3 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup good, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Toss all of the ingredients sans the olive oil into the food processor. Process! As the ingredients combine... drizzle in the olive oil. Sauce is done when it is the consistency you prefer! 

*Lishie tips~ Get all of the ingredients together (& washed) first. Then begin. 

Bright green goodness!

While you are making the pesto, place a pot of water on to boil. Make your favorite pasta to go along with the pesto. YUM. 

The best thing about this recipe? Can't say because 1) It's easy 2) It's quick 3) It's relatively inexpensive 4) It's delicious 5) It's nutritious ~ Lots of green! 6) It can be eaten hot or cold & 7) It's great for BBQs & outside since there's no mayo! And the garlic keeps it fresh.  8) Oh, did I also mention it's fine to make ahead & it stays fresh refrigerated?

Rocky Road Bars

Here's another Lishie original ~ another fresh, new twist on an old favorite. Inspiration comes in so many ways for me & this one hit me while purchasing graham crackers for my S'Mores Bars. Up on the shelf next to the original Honey Graham Crackers were CHOCOLATE GRAHAM CRACKERS. Genius, simply genius. 


I was in cookie bar mode & my mind instantly combined the chocolate graham crackers with the mini marshmallows I already had placed in my cart (for my S'Mores Bars) to form... Rocky Road Bars. (See, sometimes it pays to have rocks in my head!) Just had to run back for some roasted almonds... & I was set! Set to create another portable, DeLish ~Original~ treat. 


When I tell you I truly was not ready for how good these were going to taste, I absolutely mean it. OMGoodness, scrumptious!!! They are so easy & reap so much chewy yumminess. The combination of sweet chocolate & marshmallows with the salty almonds is amazing... You.must.make.these. I promise if you like Rocky Road, you WILL love these. Heck, you will LOVE these no matter what! ;) And so will the children! Make a pan of these & a pan of DeLish Lishie's S'Mores Bars quick!

Lishie's Rocky Road Bars

• 1 & 1/2 sticks butter, room temp.
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers 
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup chocolate (chips/pieces, etc)
• 1 cup roasted almonds, crushed
• 3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Pre-heat oven to 350°, grease or spray 9x9-inch baking pan.

A dollop of ice cream as a nod to the original Rocky Road format.

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together crushed chocolate graham crackers, flour, and sea salt. Stir the graham cracker mixture into the butter/ sugar/ egg / vanilla mixture. Should become one, big crumbly clump.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 of the chocolate graham cracker mix, the chocolate, the crushed almonds & the mini marshmallows. Set aside for  a moment.

Press about 1/2 cup or more, if needed, of the chocolate graham cracker mix over the bottom of the greased baking pan. Crumble the chocolate/ marshmallow/ almond/ graham cracker mix on top. Pushed it by hand into the pan to "set it".


*Optional~ Sprinkle a little Sea Salt on top!

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brown.

Straight out of the oven... warm, chewy goodness!

*Lishie tip~ You can substitute other nuts... peanuts, walnuts, pecans, etc. but just keep in mind that almonds are one of the primary ingredients from the basic Rocky Road formula. Same goes for subs of mini marshmallows! 


*Lishie Facts~ While visiting some sites to make sure I had the correct original R. R. combination & nut, I ran across this on Edy's (Dreyer's) web-site: In 1929, after the stock market crash, our founder created The Original Rocky Road. His mix of almonds, mini marshmallows and chocolate ice cream made people smile!


I sure hope to make you smile too!!! :) xo, Lish

Recipe Swap! Dessert - Fresh Peach Cake

I have to say I was a little worried about this swap. I love to bake so that was not the reason... Why? I was worried I'd get a "short-cut" recipe with a boxed cake mix as an ingredient. As silly as that sounds, I absolutely do not "do" box mixes for cakes, pancakes, anything. I even make my own Bisquick substitute. So I was delighted when I got Melissa's (I Was Born to Cook) Fresh Mango & Pecan Cake. I was quite happy. Except for one thing- my in-law's are not fans of mango & this dessert was meant to be brought to their Memorial Day BBQ. And what Gabriel's Grandparents want, I bake because they deserve it. Then  I realized that the recipe it was originally based on was a fresh Peach Cake! Bingo (as Grandma Lucille sings to Gabriel)! I adore Ina, so I stuck close to her recipe:
Barefoot Contessa Fresh Peach Cake
with the slight baking time adjustment of 35 minutes in my daisy pan... & adding a "dash of Confectioner's Sugar" at the end, right before serving :)

It was delicious! Like a coffee cake with some spunk. Can I tell you this made me long for a trip to Georgia? Between the fresh peaches & the pecans (my Sister-in-Law's grandparents have a farm in Georgia with excess of pecans (can you imagine that?!) And I remember the freezer full of the nuts they "pushed" politely on us :) Who was I to say no, thank you?! Ironic that a cake that started off with mangoes, reminiscent of my home state of Florida, would bring me great memories of another Southern State. And this is why I love food.

So again, I tried something new & love this recipe swap. Thanks, Melissa & ... Thank y'all for reading!

PS- Do you not LOVE my Daisy Pan?!? It is my most favorite baking pan since daisies are my favorite flower! The beginning of summer indeed! Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Brownie Bites!

This week is Teacher Appreciation week & I wanted to bake something special for Gabriel's teachers.  What could I make that they could munch on with one hand ;)? Well, Brownie Bites, of course! Like munchkins that are brownies & not fried!

I used my favorite mini brownie recipe & my brand new Avon Brownie Lollipop Pan. Only I would get bakeware from my Avon-selling friend. Yes, only me... They are brilliant... I bought 2 which are the perfect size to accommodate this recipe. It yields 16 brownie bites or pops if you wish! I use butter & crushed walnuts, which I placed in the sections of the pan first before adding the batter. (Add batter only half-way.)

The Avon Brownie Lollipop Pans

I got a thank you note today so I think they liked them :) They were very yummy- I snatched one before wrapping them up. Shhh...

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all my teacher friends!

E
X
T
R
E
M
E

C
L
O
S
E- UP

Hey you... Muffin Top!

No I am not saying your tummy is sticking out & over your jeans... That would be the pot calling the kettle... I really mean "Muffin tops", Banana-Walnut to be precise. Now nearly every one I know who eats muffins prefers the yummy, crunchy top best. Right? Yeah- me too! So going back into my cupboard full of different shapes, sizes, etc. of baking tins & pans, I pulled out my Muffin Top Pan! Yes, one actually exists & I got it as soon as it came out in stores. You may want to order one because it's so inexpensive & when you see this easy & yummy recipe... you'll want to make it!

This makes 8 large muffin tops or 10 thinner ones, so you, like me, will have to re-use the muffin top baking tin or just buy 2! LOL How I treat this recipe is very much like the way I make pancake batter. It is so simple.

Banana Walnut Muffin Tops

• 1 & 3/4 c AP Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3 medium (or 2 large) RIPE Bananas 
• 3/4 c light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
• 1/3 c Canola Oil
• 2 large Eggs, @room temperature
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2/3 c Walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cooking spray or oil & flour the muffin top baking tin.


In a large bowl, Mix together flour, Baking powder & soda, & salt. Make a "well" in the middle & set aside. In another bowl, fork mash the banana then combine it with the brown sugar, oil, eggs & vanilla. Pour the wet banana mixture into the "well" in the flour mixture & fold all ingredients in (you should have lumps from the banana. Add the walnuts & fold them in. Drop the batter into the baking tin evenly.


Cook for 13-15 minutes... the muffin tops should be browned on the edges & a toothpick inserted should come out clean.

The pan- shallow holes

*Lishie tip- If you use the pan a second time, quickly wipe it & then apply cooking "spray" before adding the batter & baking again.