Test Kitchen

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my business is testing new recipes. In developing menus for catering, much of my inspiration comes from other bloggers' recipes. The finished product must not only be delicious and addictive but also be visually appealing and sound irresistible in its description on my menu. I like new twists on old favorites, and so I tested three appetizer recipes this weekend, with my family serving as the "Chopped" judging panel.

Shelby from The Lives and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch has featured recipes from Blogchef, and since my daughter was craving avocados this week, Blogchef's Guacamole Bruschetta was the perfect experiment.

Adding the fresh taste of cilantro to the usual guacamole ingredients and the twist of serving it on crispy french bread made this a definite addition to my catering menu. One avocado-hating panelist abstained from trying this one, but the other two liked it, and I thought it was a winner. My daughter felt it was a touch too tart, so I might adjust the ingredient proportions a bit. I loved it "as is" and finished it off for breakfast this morning (a really good sign!)

My family loves deviled eggs, and when I saw Deviled Egg Spread on The Cutting Edge of Ordinary, I decided to try it in hollowed out new potatoes. This is a good recipe, but there were major deviled egg purists on the Chopped panel. Reaction varied from "I prefer deviled eggs" to another eating it with a spoon. This one might make it onto my menu but with some tweaks to make it more attractive and piquant.

The final recipe presented to the panel was a very simple, easy-to-prepare recipe from The Food Addicts called Man Dip. With the addition of cream cheese as an alternative to the usual Velveeta, this finished product was deemed "OK" by the panel and sadly will not become a part of the catering menu.

My thanks to the Chopped panel--my husband, my Mom, and my daughter--for patiently trying new recipes when they honestly like the old ones much better.

Old Cookbooks and New Brownies

When I was a bride back in the early 1970s, cookbooks from my hometown were my main sources of inspiration and knowledge in the kitchen. Since I discovered online recipes in 2003, I have used the world wide web almost exclusively as a cyber-cookbook, although to this day I covet, collect, and cherish real cookbooks.


One recipe that is found in almost every hometown cookbook is a no-bake cookie made with cocoa, butter (or margarine), sugar, oats, and peanut butter. This concoction was boiled and dropped on waxed paper to create a kind of drop fudge.


Today while I was perusing some of my favorite blogs, I happened upon a recipe for Baked "No-Bakes" by Donalyn, the creator of DessertStalking, (which is, in my opinion, superior to Tastespotting), and writer of the blog dlyn. The taste of the brownies, which is absolutely reminiscent of the old-fashioned no-bake cookies, prompted their name.

Once I started thinking about the chocolatey addictive quality of those no-bakes (also called "Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies" in some of my old cookbooks), I could not wait to make this recipe, and I have to say the flavor is spot-on in similarity to the old recipe. I am powerless to stop eating slivers of these brownies, which are moist, not too dense and not too sweet, with the oats lending a wholesome, chewy component to the mix.

Although you may visit Donalyn's site for the original recipe, I am posting it here with my italicized minor changes. Donalyn states that natural peanut butter is excellent in this recipe, but since I only had Jif Extra Crunchy, and I was dying to make these TODAY, that is what I used. I left out the chopped peanuts, and I used salted butter.

Baked "No-Bakes"
by dlyn

1/2 cup salted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I used Jif Extra Crunchy)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped, roasted, salted peanuts (I left these out since I used Jif Extra Crunchy)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease an 8 x 8 pan (I used an 11 x 7 pan). In medium bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, peanut butter and cocoa. Beat in eggs, one at a time, along with vanilla. Measure remaning ingredients into same bowl and mix to combine completely. Spread evenly in pan, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan, and cut into squares.

Couples' Shower and A Dessert Bar

This week's events included goodies for a couples' shower and a catered church dinner with three "bars"--potato bar, salad bar, and a dessert bar.

The couples' shower hostess requested intertwined hearts made of Vanilla Bean Cream cake and Vanilla Bean Cream frosting.

A square Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake and a 6-inch Strawberry Bliss Cake along with Butter Crumb Lemon Bars completed the order, and I included complimentary Chocolate Guinness Sweet Bites adapted from the recipe by Nigella. I love Nigella's description of the cake:

This cake is magnificent in its damp blackness. I can’t say that you can absolutely taste the stout in it, but there is certainly a resonant, ferrous tang which I happen to love.

I topped them with a buttercream made from powdered sugar, salted butter, and Bailey's Irish Cream.

For the dessert bar at the church dinner, I baked jumbo Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, which are based on Alton Brown's recipe, Strawberry Bliss and Chocolate Guinness cupcakes, and Brown Sugar Peach Cobbler.

A Church Affair

On Valentine's Day, my church offered a reaffirmation of vows ceremony for married couples and asked me to create a "wedding reception" for the event. I made 9-inch, 8-inch, and 6-inch Vanilla Bean Cream layer cakes filled and frosted with Vanilla Bean Buttercream, as well as a "groom's cake" that was an 8-inch square Chocolate Fudge cake filled and frosted with Chocolate Fudge Buttercream.

To create a tiered effect, I placed the cakes on cake pedestals of varying heights.


I scattered tiny pearlized hearts and silk rose petals on the tables, and placed candles in crystal candlesticks to create a romantic glow. Since families were invited, faux champagne and plastic flutes made the reception kid-friendly.

A Tale of Two Cookies

These cookies rounded out the menu for an Ice Cream Sundae Dessert Bar at a church dinner I catered. For variety, I decided to provide both sugar cookies and chocolate cookies, so I used a recipe for Favorite Drop Sugar Cookies by What A Dish! and Chocolate Mint Cookies from Allrecipes.com. Both recipes are spectacular, but the sugar cookies were the first to disappear!


For the sugar cookies, I added one tablespoon of milk and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, subbed unbleached flour for the whole wheat pastry flour (I did not have it or I would have used it!), and I sprinkled sugar on top before I baked them. I used a large ice cream scoop and made giant cookies, which were tender and chewy on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. They lent a wonderfully fragrant, sugary smell to the kitchen while they were baking!



For the chocolate mint cookies, I added a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter, and I mixed in a package of Nestle's Dark Chocolate and Mint Morsels instead of placing a mint on top after they baked. These cookies are richly chocolate with the perfect touch of mint. My attempt to show the wonderfully fudgy, brownie-like interior is inadequate. For the dessert bar, I named them Brown Sugar Chocolate Mint cookies. ;)

Haiti: How to Help

American Red Cross

United Methodist Committee on Relief

Salvation Army

United Nations Foundation

United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

Fried Apples

Thanks to a mail order Christmas gift, we had apples begging to be used. A pie would be my first choice, but after nearly non-stop eating over the holidays, I settled for something like pie without the crust--fried apples. It was the perfect accompaniment to our meal of chicken and rice, green beans, and buttermilk biscuit. I'll spoon it over vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Fried Apples
5 or 6 apples, peeled and cut into thick slices
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon caramel cream liqueur

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, melt butter just till it begins to brown; add apples and let them simmer for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over apples, toss to coat, cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Uncover and add vanilla and liqueur and mix thoroughly--let bubble until liquid thickens a bit.

Sooner Caviar or Black-Eyed Pea Dip

Other versions of this recipe are named Cowboy Caviar and Texas Caviar; instead of following a recipe, I used what I had in the pantry to incorporate the traditional New Year's Eve "good-luck" ingredient - black-eyed peas. Perfect for watching the OU Sooners/Stanford Sun Bowl game this afternoon!

Here are the ingredients with rough guesses as to the measurements:

1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 jar Clint's medium salsa
1 cup cooked corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, diced
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Mix everything together, add garlic powder or salt to taste. Serve with Tostitos Scoops or Fritos.

I served the dip in a Pfaltzgraff Winterberry dip ramekin that I selfishly bought myself for Christmas.

Pumpkin Pecan Fudge

Pumpkin is such a versatile ingredient, adaptable to both savory and sweet dishes, and is not only one of my favorite foods but also plentiful during my favorite season of the year--Fall.

Pumpkin fudge is a creamy, ambrosial concoction made with canned pumpkin. My version uses cinnamon chips and toasted pecans.

Pumpkin Pecan Fudge

2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup salted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup cinnamon chips
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Spray 13 x 9-inch baking pan with baking spray.

Combine sugars, evaporated milk, pumpkin, and butter in medium, heavy-duty sauce pan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F to 240 F (soft-ball stage).

Stir in chips, marshmallow creme, pecans, and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously, making sure chips are melted, until mixture thickens slightly. Pour into prepared pan. Place on wire rack until cool. Cover and refrigerate. Cut into pieces. Makes about 3 pounds.

Happy 34th Birthday, Little Girl!

At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of October 24, 1975, I was awakened by a clap of thunder and the unmistakable feel of my water breaking.

Since October 23 is our anniversary, my husband and I had celebrated the day before with pan-fried steaks, baked potatoes, salads, and hot fudge sundaes for dessert. Was that a smart thing to do? Probably not.

After realizing I was in labor, I promptly got up, took a shower, got dressed, and straightened up the house (I was manic!), only sitting down when contractions forced me to stop. At 9:00 a.m. we went to the hospital, and three hours later we had a beautiful 6 pound, 14 ounce baby girl who promptly became the apple of our eyes.

Our beautiful little hazel-eyed, button-nosed brunette is still the apple of our eyes, and we are so proud of her. She is strong, kind, incredibly smart, and funny. She is a wonderful daughter, her brother’s favorite little sister, her grandmother’s “Dollbaby”, her nephew and nieces’ loving Aunt Jenni, a delight to her friends, and the best kitty-mommy in the world. She has a big heart, a gentle soul, and is a joy to know and love. She is fashionable, has impeccable taste, is a decorating guru, a gifted artist, and a very creative cook.

My birthday wish for you is that you enjoy life to the fullest and find the joy that you so richly deserve.