Take a Megabite

French Silk Pie

When I had a small birthday party as a kid, I opted for mini French Silk Pies instead of cake for my friends. It’s that good.

This is the kind of pie that makes you say: “Cake shmake. Give me another piece of that chocolate pie.”

This is one of our THREE desserts this Thanksgiving. Everyone finished every crumb.

French Silk Pie
Recipe from my lovely mother yet again

Ingredients:

• 1 (9 inch) baked pie shell or 1 graham cracker crust (make it or buy it)

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 3 eggs
• 1 T vanilla
• whipped cream

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer (or a stand mixer, if you’re lucky and have one) cream the butter. Slowly add sugar and whip until smooth.
2. Blend in chocolate until mixed evenly.
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating 5 minutes after each; this is a must! (Skimping on the time will have runny results. It may induce tears.)
4. Add vanilla and mix until combined, scraping the sides.
5. Pour into pie crust, and chill for several hours or over night.
6. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and please crowds!

Quick Butter Croissants

There was coffee on my nightstand when I woke up, this morning, and there was a cinnamon roll in my belly shortly after.
There were snow flurries in Minnesota, and there were flour flurries in the kitchen.

I’m thankful for today, for these croissants, and for the pre-turkey day sampling.

My mom whipped up this dough so it could rise last night, and she showed me what’s up when it comes to making them.
Whoa Mom, way to roll out that dough like you mean it.

There’s me rolling up the croissants for their second rise.

You should probably make these immediately. These are light, buttery, and absolutely delicious.

Quick Butter Crossiants
Recipe from my mom + Thanksgiving’s past

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 5 cups all purpose flour (exchange 1 cup of flour for whole wheat, if you want)
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/2 stick butter melted + 2 sticks cold butter
• 1 1/2 t salt

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl combine yeast, warm water, 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 stick of melted butter and salt. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl cut 2 sticks of cold butter into the remaining 4 cups of flour using a pastry blender until it looks like crumbs and the butter pieces are no bigger than a pea.
3. Add the yeast mixture into the flour and butter mixture and stir until blended. Cover and put in the fridge to raise for at least 4 hours. (Go ahead and make this ahead and let it sit in the fridge for up to 5 days.)
4. After rising in the fridge, put the ball of dough on a floured surface and knead about 6 times. Divide into 4 parts and roll each until 1/8 of an inch thick and to about 17 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 wedges and roll up starting at the broad end. Place about an inch apart on an ungreased  cookie sheet and allow to raise for an hour. Until slightly puffy to the touch.
5. Bake at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. Check in on them every 5 minutes after the initial 20, and remove when the edges are starting to turn golden brown.

That recipe card has been taken out of the recipe box and put back so many times that it’s on the verge of ripping in the middle. That’s love right?
Plus it has a goose on it that’s baking. Just saying.

Honey Graham Pound Cakes with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

Last year my Thanksgiving contribution was to drive a smooshed pumpkin roll six hours to my sister’s house. Not this year though. Because this time tomorrow I’ll be in Minnesota hanging out with my parents. My mom and I will be going over the Thanksgiving dinner menu and Wednesday will consist of cooking and prepping.

I decided to channel my excitement for Thursday by making these delicious s’more’eque pound cakes.

S’mores are on my mind often as the ideal flavor combo for a dessert. I think about that magical menage a tois of graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallow. So here you go! A remix of that childhood favorite. Maybe coming up I’ll make a pie and then brownies expressing s’more love yet again.

Honey Graham Pound Cakes (makes 4 mini loaves)
Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups graham flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 3/4 t salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 T) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 4 mini loaf pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the graham flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, whip the butter, sugar and honey at a medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time, beating for about one minute after each addition. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add the dry mixture and buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
4. Transfer the batter to the 4 prepared mini loaf pans. Smooth the top and bake for 25-30 minutes turning half way through baking. Remove from the oven when a thin knife comes out clean when inserted in the center and cake is golden brown.
5. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Now make the frosting!

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting
Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 large marshmallows
• 4 T (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Place marshmallows, butter and milk in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the marshmallows are melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and pour over the sugar and cocoa powder mixture. Stir until smooth, satiny and combined.
3. Frost the tops of your mostly warm honey graham cakes!
4. Slice and eat, chasing with a cool glass of milk.

Spinach, Artichoke and Feta Stuffed Shells

I’m already hungry for Thanksgiving.

To be completely honest, I’m already hungry for my next meal very shortly after finishing the current one. So if you’re hungry right now, and feeling a little bit worried about dinner, you should make this.

These stuffed shells are a delicious + healthier version of the all cheese stuffed shells. My main adaptation of the recipe was that I used double the spinach and more artichokes, but kept the cheese amount the same. The strong feta flavor comes through perfectly despite the additional vegetables and I like how full the shells are.

Spinache, Artichoke and Feta Stuffed Shells
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 1 (28 oz) can of chopped tomatoes, some of the juice drained
• 1 cup tomato sauce (8 oz can or left over)
• 1/8 t red pepper flakes, or more for a spicier sauce
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded provolone or mozzarella (I only had monterey jack on hand so I used that. It still turned out delish.)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup ( 4 ounces) low fat cream cheese
• salt and pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic, divided
• 1 16 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 12 oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
• 20 cooked jumbo shells

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Cook shells in salted boiling water for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, Combine oregano, can of chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, and two pressed cloves of garlic in a medium sauce pan. Place over a medium heat; cook 12 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Combine 1/2 cup shredded provolone, feta cheese, cream cheese, salt and pepper to taste, 2 pressed cloves of garlic, spinach and chopped artichoke hearts in a large bowl. Scoop about 2 tablespoons into each cooked shell and place in the prepared pan. (I used my cookie scoop to fill the shells. Two scoops fit perfectly!)
4. Spoon tomato mixture over the shells and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup provolone.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until cheese is melty and sauce is bubbling.

Oh yeah.
We both had seconds.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Growing up my mom would make a coffee cake on the weekend regularly, so breakfast is pretty important to me. And since it’s fall, these guys are the perfect Saturday starter.

Why not have something amazingly pumpkin as your main course? You’ll be full after these for sure, and I know that you have a can of pumpkin in your fridge left over from making a couple batches of Pumpkin Spice Granola that you need to use up.

Maybe these could be made for breakfast pre-turkey. What do you think?

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Recipe from Joy the Baker + Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 3/4 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t ground nutmeg
• pinch of ground ginger
• pinch of ground cloves
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 2 T vegetable oil or melted butter + 1T for cooking

Directions:

1. Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium sized bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin egg and vegetable oil or melted butter.
3. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Don’t worry if you have a few lumps. Don’t bother over mixing the batter. If you do the pancakes will be tough instead of fluffy and light.
4. Let the batter sit 10 minutes while you heat the skillet. Over a low-medium heat melt a tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil. Once skillet is hot, spoon a heaping 2 tablespoons of better per pancake onto the skillet. When the pancakes start to bubble, carefully flip.
5. Once browned and cooked through, place pancakes on a cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while the remaining pancakes are cooked.
6. Serve with powdered sugar and real maple syrup!

Black Bean Burgers

I don’t really get guys with thumb rings, or why plucking my eyebrows makes me sneeze, but I do get why this meal was amazing.

I am not one to ever doubt the goodness of black beans and when out, my menu choices are based on whether there are avocados involved. So I knew heading into this meal that it’d be a dream come true.

With the chili powder and the hot sauce these burgers are perfectly spicy, and not a bit overpowering. I think these are worth making weekly.

Black Bean Burgers (4 regular burgers or 3 large marge burgers)
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 -16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 red pepper, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 egg
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T cumin
• 1 t hot sauce
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup bread crumbs

Toppings and buns-

• 4 slices Monterey jack cheese (or shredded, if that’s what you’ve got on hand)
• 2 avocados, sliced (or guacamole)
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a potato masher followed by a fork until thick and pasty.
3. Stir minced red pepper, onion and garlic into the mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce.
5. Stir egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. (I used about 3/4 of a cup of panko bread crumbs. Crushing them with my hands as I dropped them in the bowl.)
6. Divide mixture into 4 patties. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on one side and then flip. Bake for 8 minutes longer, top with cheese and bake for additional 2 minutes. Meanwhile toast the buns.
7. Remove from the oven and assemble your delicious black bean burger. These are some big burgers, so sides are pretty much optional.

Update:
I replaced the pictures above with better pictures. I just want you guys to see how dreamy these are.

Country White Bread

I really miss the Freaky Friday, Lindsay Lohan days. I really miss those worn to death purple suede ankle boots I had to throw out at the end of last winter. And I know for sure I’ll miss this bread as soon as it’s gone.

Gone are the years of coming home from school to fresh bread topped with melty butter. But at least I can make it at home and eventually I’ll make memories of coming home to fresh from the oven bread for somebody else. So want to come over and have some already?

Country White Bread
Recipe from Betty Crocker: Baking for Today

Ingredients:

• 2 packages regular active dry yeast (4 1/2 t)
• 2 cups warm water (105-115 F)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6-6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• softened butter for brushing on top post-baking

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, and 3 cups flour. Beat with an electric mixer for one minute at a low speed, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat for another minute at a medium speed, scraping the bowl frequently. Stir in enough of the remaining 3-3/12 cups of flour to make the dough easy to handle.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 5-8 minutes or until smooth and springy. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. (At this point the dough can be refrigerated for 3 – 4 days.) Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready if impression remains when touched.
3. Spray the bottoms and sides of two bread pans (9 x 5 inch). Gently push fist into dough and divide into two equal halves. Tuck the long ends of the dough under the center of the dough stretching the top so that it’s domed and pretty. Allow dough to rise in bread pans in a warm place for an hour or until double in size/peaking over the top of the bread pans. About half way through pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when flicked. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. If they stick a little bit, use a paring knife to loosen the bread from the edges.
5. Brush loaves with butter and cool before wrapping up.

Crumb Apple Pie

Mix up and refrigerate the pie crust. Run to the store and get more butter. Maybe get some heavy whip for vanilla whipped cream. Maybe the sales associates will assume you’re a very unhealthy person. Maybe they think you’re weird for getting giant bacon dog treats along with the fatty goodness. For sure you get home and finish the making home made pie and the joke’s on them. Don’t forget to “cheers!” your first bite. And with a clink of forks, it’s the first apple pie of the season.

I’m still surprised that childhood recipes are actually possible on any given day. Potato rolls with dinner? No problem. Crumb Apple pie because Jake and I are feeling especially seasonal? Let’s make it. I still save some things just for the holidays, just so they remain something for special occasions.

Crumb Apple Pie
Recipe from Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook + my childhood

Ingredients:

• Unbaked 9″ pie shell (recipe below)

Apple Filling-

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 T flour
• 1/2 – 1t cinnamon
• 1/8 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t salt
• 6-7 cups sliced 1/4 inch thick,  peeled apples

Crumb Topping-

• 1/2 cup coldish butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 1 cup flour

Directions:

1. Make pastry for 1-crust pie and line 9″ pie pan. (recipe below)
2. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix lightly through apples. Heap in pastry-lined 9″ pie pan.
3. Make crumb topping by rubbing butter into flour and brown sugar, until it resembles coarse crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the apples.
4. Bake in a hot 400 F for 45-55 minutes. (After about 30 minutes some crumbs were getting a bit too tan (burnt!) but the pie wasn’t done. If this happens to you, simply tent foil over the pie and bake for the remaining amount of time.)
5. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes and slice and eat.
6. Serve with vanilla ice cream or simple Vanilla Whipped Cream.

One 9″ Pie Crust
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t sugar
• 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2-3 T ice water

Directions:

1. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, salt and sugar). Cut 1 stick of butter into pieces.  Using your hands (or pastry blender), rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; work with hands until dough comes together. If dough is still crumbly, add more ice water a tablespoon at a time until it forms a nice dough when pressed together.
3. Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Roll out and line a 9″ pie pan.

This is the pie recipe is from my childhood, and my mom just mailed me the cookbook. See the star by the variation for the crumb apple pie? Delish, and memorable.

Lunchbox Quiche: Baby Spinache + Sun Dried Tomatoes + Goat Cheese

I often worry about my next meal.

At night, I get nervous if my cereal box is getting low. I sit at work trying to think of what I can make for dinner, and I hope-hope I have something good to make. So, with that said, I took care of a few lunches in advance today.

These guys are so cute! They are like quiche-cupcakes. And they are perfect sandwich substitutes for your lunch. Put two in there in place of a sandwich, or maybe just one and a salad.

Don’t fret if you don’t have spinach and sun dried tomatoes on hand. Use what you have! Toss finely cut veggies and cheddar cheese in these guys. Just make them. Rest at ease knowing you have your lunches made for a couple days.

Lunchbox Quiche
Recipe adapted from A Bowl of Mush

Ingredients:

Pastry-

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• Pinch of salt and sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter (cubed)
• 3-4+ T ice water

Filling-

• 1 cup diced baby spinache
• 3/4 cup diced sun-dried tomato, in oil, drained
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 7 eggs
• 3 T milk
• Season to taste: I used basil, salt and pepper (I recommend being generous with the seasoning; it makes a big difference!)
• Pesto! (I didn’t have any on hand, but if I did, these would’ve been even better.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make pastry: Mix flours, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add cubed, cold butter and rub the butter and flour between your fingers until it has all crumbled together finely.
3. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time until you can knead it together without it crumbling.
4. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a small circle that will fit inside muffin tins.
5. Press each circle into the muffin tin, and prick the bottom twice with a fork.
6. Make filling: dice spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and crumble goat cheese. (If you have pesto put a thin layer on the crust first.) Sprinkle spinach over the crusts evenly between the muffin cups. Top the spinach with an even amount of sun dried tomatoes.
7. In a medium bowl whisk together all 7 eggs, 3 T milk, salt, pepper and basil to taste. Pour into a measuring cup with a lip for easy pour-ability.
8. Pour or spoon egg mixture just to the rim of each quiche. Top off with crumbled goat cheese, and additional salt and pepper if you want.
9. Bake for 20-22 minutes, turning half way through baking. Remove from oven when eggs are set and firm. Allow to cool for a minute or two before using a paring knife to loosen and remove quiches. Cool on a wire rack.
10. Bring for your lunch!

Rosemary Palmiers

Having a tea party soon? Totally using cups and saucers? I have the prettiest and simplest cookies yet, and they are most definately tea party material. Not to mention, rosemary in a sweet context is pretty dreamy.

The original recipe includes the zest of one large lemon rubbed into to the sugar before beginning. I am going to give that a shot next time, but if you don’t have lemons on hand, these guys are amazing without.

I’m thinking I need to add these into my christmas cookie assortment in the coming months.

Rosemary Palmiers
Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• scant 1 cup of sugar
• 1 t fresh rosemary or 1/2 t dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Sprinkle half the sugar onto a clean surface. Unfold the thawed puff pastry onto the sugared surface and sprinkle it with remaining sugar. Roll until pastry is a bit thinner and about a 1/2 – 1 inch bigger than it comes. It should be 8×10 – 8×12 inches in size. Sprinkle with rosemary.
2. Roll up the two longest sides toward each other and meet in the middle. Gently press together and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Meanwhile remove dough from the fridge and slice into 1/2 inch slices and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes rotating at 5 minutes. Once it hits the 10 minute mark check in every minute because these guys burn easily if ignored.
4. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.