Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bars

Ah, it's been too long since I last posted!  I blame this partly on my husband's departure to Panama and partly on my new found obsession with Mad Men (yes, I know I'm about 4 years behind on this).  To help me transition to living on my own for the first time ever, I have been trying to keep busy. It's funny, but when I started this blog, I meant it to be mainly the crafts I do rather than the cooking and baking.  Alas...my knitting has been rather intermittent but my cooking and baking, well, that happens every day.  

I made these red velvet bars for some friends around Valentine's Day (or should I say GALentine's Day).  They were a hit and so pretty!  While they are a bit late for Valentine's Day, they are still a great solution to the winter doldrums.  

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bars

from bigfatbaker.com

Bars:

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tablespoon red food coloring

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Layer:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8×8″ baking dish with parchment paper or foil and spray with cooking spray (you can double this recipe for a 9x13" pan). 

In medium bowl, combine melted butter with sugar and mix well. Add vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar in that order, mixing between additions.

Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Fold in the flour. Pour all batter except 1/4 cup into prepared baking pan.

To make the cream cheese layer, blend together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Spread the cream cheese on top of brownie batter. Drop dollops of remaining brownie batter over cream cheese layer and using a knife, swirl through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern.

Bake for 30-35 minutes in preheated oven and cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy!

DIY Christmas Gift Bags

My family has always given our Christmas gifts in homemade fabric bags. I didn't realize how special this was until I started buying and wrapping my own gifts as an adult....what a pain! Not only does all that wrapping cost money and time, but when all the festivities are over, the wrapping paper, gift bags, and tissue paper all end up in a landfill!

Luckily, there is a more eco-friendly way to give presents! These fabric gift bags are easy to make and will last for years and years. With Christmas fabric on mega-clearance after the holidays, you can pick up yards of fun designs for almost nothing! This idea can easily translate to gift bags for other holidays, birthdays, or whatever. This year I plan to make several wine-sized bags to give as hostess gifts. I might even end up selling some of these on my Etsy shop.

Supplies:
Fabric
Ribbon or yarn for ties
Sewing shears

Directions:

With like sides together, cut out rectangles of various sizes (save yourself some cutting by using a folded edge as one side). Using the size of your bags as a guide, also cut ribbon or yarn for the ties. Even with small bags, you'll need at least 2 feet of ribbon for a decent bow. If in doubt, longer is better.

Fold the ribbon in half and pin the folded edge between your fabric, about a fourth of the way down from the top of the bag. Make sure the long edges of your ribbon are "inside" the bag as you are sewing. Sew all edges together, except the "top."


Finish the bag by hemming the top. Make your top hem larger than usual, since this will show when the bag is used.

Flip the bag right side out and press. Use stickers or tags to mark the giver and receiver of your gift.

Kifli

Kifli - a Warner family favorite. The recipe is originally Hungarian...we are not quite sure how it entered into the German side of the family. Nevertheless, it's a Christmas cookie recipe worth sharing!

For the dough, mix: -->

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened

Then add 3 C flour.

Mix and refrigerate overnight (at least 4 hours).

While the dough is resting, prepare the nut filling:

1 lb ground walnuts (about 3 and 1/2 cups)

1 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla

¼ C milk

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350. Roll into 1 inch balls (the full recipe should make about 48 balls all together).

Roll out into flat rounds. Fill with nut filling.

Seal into cresent moon shape. Put sealed edge on bottom of tray.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Dust with powered sugar when cooled.

Praline Pumpkin Pie

The key to this pie dough is keeping everything COLD. Don't take anything out of the fridge or freezer until you have to. Work as quickly as you can and always refrigerate everything for the full amount of time. This will make the dough easier to work with and, thanks to the cold vodka, will result in the flakiest crust you can possibly have.

The Best Pie Dough Ever
From Cooks Illustrated, December 2007
For 2 pie crusts or 1 double-crust pie

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp table salt
2 tbsp sugar
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

To make the dough:

In a food processor, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds. Dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour.

Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around blade. Add remaining cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass or dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until it is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. Dough can be frozen to use at a later date.

To make the crust:

Roll out dough ball so it's an inch wider than your pie pan. Use your roller to pick up most of the dough (so it doesn't fall apart). Gently lower into your pie pan. Press into corners of pan lightly and cut off edges to make crust even. Use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edge. Refrigerate again for at least 30 minutes so dough can rest.


Praline Pumpkin Pie

Filling:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 - 15 oz can pumpkin
1 - 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp butter, softened

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix all filling ingredients together and pour into prepared raw pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes. While pie is baking, prepare topping.


Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for another 35 minutes.

Sprinkle topping on top of pie and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let cool on the stovetop before refrigerating another 4-6 hours.

Almond Party Spread

Ok, so this might not be the healthiest snack ever, but it is darn good. It's the perfect spread for a football gathering, cocktail hour, or Christmas party (I LOVE weekends in December). I make it several times a year for friends and everyone always loves it!

Almond Party Spread

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss Cheese
1/3 cup mayo or Miracle Whip (reduced fat is ok)
1 green onion, chopped
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup sliced almonds
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients except almonds. Press into 8x8 or pie pan.


Toast almonds with butter and sprinkle on top of mixture.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted. Let cool a few minutes. Serve with bread or crackers.

Mom's Egg Bake

Ah, hot dish...a Minnesota tradition. Who doesn't love a good hot dish?

This recipe is my family's absolute favorite. We eat it at all family brunches and most holiday breakfasts. Really, you just need to try it.

Mom's Egg Bake
Serves 6-8

1 - 5 oz bag (about 4 cups) croutons
1 lb sausage or sausage substitute, cooked
2 cups cheddar cheese
10 eggs
2 cups milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a greased 9x13 pan, layer croutons, sausage, and cheddar cheese.


In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, and cream of mushroom soup. Pour egg mixture over layers.


Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until eggs are set. Let cool 5-10 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces. Serve with tOHast or English muffins.

Creme Brulee

It has been a busy few weeks here at the Warner household! While I've been cooking and crafting up a storm, time to post has been limited with traveling and visits from family and friends. The good news is that I have lots of recipes and projects to share over the next few weeks!

As suggested by my friend Betsy, the homemade vanilla extract mentioned in my first post makes excellent creme brulee. Just thinking about the creamy pudding makes my mouth water! I knew I wanted to make some, as a treat for Betsy and myself, but it would be another month before my homemade vanilla extract would be ready.

Luckily, amazing vanilla extract can be bought at the grocery store. I love the depth of flavor of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. It's a bit pricey but I wouldn't use anything else (beside my own extract, of course) for such a vanilla-reliant recipe.


Here is the simple, yet delicious recipe. Thanks to my mother-in-law for this one.

Creme Brulee
Serves 6-8

2 C whipping cream
5 egg yolks (save the whites for omlettes or meringues)
1/2 C sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier (optional)
Sugar in the Raw for topping

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Combine all ingredients, except Sugar in the Raw. Stir with a wire whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth. Pour into round or oval individual baking dishes (I filled 8 nicely). Place dishes in a large roasting or broiling pan - a 9x13 pan would also work for this. Fill pan with warm water until it reaches 1/2 inch up the sides of the baking dishes.


Carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes at 275 degrees. The custard should be just a little wiggly (almost set). Cool the custards in the pan still filled with water. Remove from pan when cool. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours and up to 5 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle each custard with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of Sugar in the Raw. Torch until golden brown. Let stand 3-5 minutes to let sugar harden.