I finally did it. I tackled the quiche and to my great surprise it turned out great! My mom loved it and it looked super pretty! Can you tell?

The only thing that gave me troubles was the crust. When I was rolling it out it was a little bit crumbly and didn't get quite big enough to go up the whole side of the tart pan but other than that this was super easy to make!

Spinach Quiche

Ingredients

For crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 6 oz cold unsalted butter
• 3 tbs ice water

For inside

• 3 oz cream cheese, room temp
• 1/3 cup half and half
• 3 eggs
• 10 oz package frozen spinach thawed
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper

To make the dough you simply run the flour, salt, and butter through a food processor until crumbly. Add the water slowly until mixture begins to hold together. I used my hand and that will also work out just fine too.

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or freeze until needed.

To finish the quiche roll out the dough until big enough to be put in tart pan and cover the sides or there is a nice overhang. Cut off any extra scraps along the side of tart pan.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth and gradually beat in the half and half and eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients and pour mixture into prepared tart pan. Bake until crust is golden and filling is set, which will be about 25 minutes. Let cool, then serve!

This recipe is courtesy of SmittenKitchen.

Must I really say how amazing these brownies are?

Don't they look beyond delicious?

Do I have to tell you to go make these?

Right.
Now.

Grasshopper Brownies

Ingredients

For Brownie

• 1 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 10 1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder

For mint ganache

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 10 oz fine-quality white chocolate (I just used chips and it worked out great0
• 2 green creme de menthe
• 1 tsp peppermint extract

For chocolate ganache

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 375 and lightly butter a 13- by 9- inch baking pan. Place foil along bottom leaving enough to hangover the edge on both sides and grease the foil to prevent stick.

Melt butter and chocolate with brown sugar over moderate heat. Continue until smooth, mixing it every once in a while. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs and vanilla. Once combined mix in flour, cocoa, and salt.

Spread batter in baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Cool for about 1 1/2 hours.

For the mint ganache heat the cream in a pan. Once heated pour over top of white chocolate chunks. Let sit for about a minute then mix with a whisk. Add the peppermint and creme de menthe. Cover and put in fridge to thicken, about and hour. Mix every once in awhile

For chocolate ganache do the same procedure by heating the cream and pouring on the chocolate. Let chill for 30 minutes, mixing every once in awhile.

To assemble, spread the mint ganache over the brownies. Then chill for about 30 minutes. Spread chocolate ganache on next and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Lift dessert out of pan and cut into bite-size pieces!

This recipe is courtesy of SmittenKitchen

Buttermilk Pecan Sticky Bun Coffee cake.

This cake was good to my standards but then again I love caramel sooo that has a very significant part of decision. My parents on the other hand only thought this cake was ok but I must admit it is a cake that must be eaten right away. If you let it sit for too long it starts to get a little hard. Other than that I found this cake to be quite satisfying!

So, if you like caramel you must go and try this cake!

The recipe is from a very cute little website with great photographs! The blog is called Savour Fare and I would defiantly go and check it out!

ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tbs molasses
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbs vanilla
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

For Frosting

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 buttermilk
• Pecan halves to dust on top!

Preheat oven to 350 and spray cooking spray or other grease in a 10 by 13 baking dish

Mix the butter, sugar, and molasses in a bowl and beat until nice and fluffy.

Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Mix until combined. Add the flours, baking soda, and salt next, also mixing until combined.

Pour into pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

For the frosting heat the butter until it becomes a deep nutty brown color. Be careful so it doesn't burn. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and buttermilk, and cook on high heat for about two to three minutes. Take off burner and let cool for just a little bit. Then poor all over the cake! Garnish with the nuts but be careful after they dry of moving them because they will take the cake with them too!

This recipe is courtesy of Savour Fare

Today was a bright sunshine day and all I could think was I wish the sun would go away. I am probably not like everyone else when it comes to the weather. I like it when its overcast and days people think are dreary. When it is all sunny out all everyone does is want to sleep and I sit extremely drowsy not wishing to do absolutely anything. Please rain come my way!


As much as I love the rain, hamburgers are best when it is nice and sunny out. These light brioche burger buns do just the trick when your in need of a good burger fix. The recipe is courtesy of the Smitten Kitchen who has such extremely good recipes and photos! I would most defiantly check out her website at http://www.smittenkitchen.com/.


Everyone has their own way of making their perfect burger, for me it is simply lettuce and tomato. You let the tomato bring that nice juicy bite and it is perfect. These buns were great at soaking up that tomato juice and giving the great taste that I was looking for. Please do go make yourself these buns on a nice sunny day.


Light Brioche Buns




Ingredients

• 3 tbs warm milk
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 tbs sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
• Sesame seeds

Combine the milk, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for about five minutes until foamy.

In a medium bowl mix the flours and salt. Add the butter, mixing with hand until crumbly. Add the yeast mixture and one beaten egg.

Dust your counter top with all-purpose flour and dump dough out on to counter. Knead until smooth and elastic. The dough is very sticky and I had trouble with it at points but try to only add as much flour that is absolutely needed! Too much will make them not as light and delicious!!

Put dough into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for about one to two hours. The dough should double in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and separate dough into eight small balls. Lay them as spread out as possible on the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. They should rise a little more, I would say leave there for about an hour to two hours.

Put a pan of water at the bottom of your over and preheat to 400 degrees. Beat the remaining egg with a tbs of water and brush onto the buns, adding sesame seeds. Bake for about 15 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Let cool and get a hamburger between that bun!

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Bowties with mushrooms, baby spinach, and pine nuts

So this was basically a big hit with my family. Not to mention it looked pretty it also tasted insanely awesome! I made it for my parents but as I was making it the quantity just slowing started to go down...and down...and down. It was just too good to resist!

I would have to say not much is going on in my life right now. It is summer. I am sitting around trying to find out what to do. I think I'm going to start knitting which I can admit is a little oldish I suppose but well I've done the cooking, the photographing, attempted scrap booking, tried guitar...Just seems like I have trouble sticking with stuff I suppose. I hope to maybe make something for my boyfriend before he goes of to his basic training! How cute would that be!!

I am so utterly lame.

Ingredients

1/2 oz dried mushrooms, (I used morel because I had them lying around)

1 Cup boiling water

8 oz uncooked bow ties

2 tsp olive oil

2 cups cremini mushrooms

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

salt and pepper to taste

big handful of spinach

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, which means a lot more then that....for me anyway

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Put the dried mushrooms with the boiling hot water and let sit for about 15 minutes. Drain through a sieve or if you don't have one just use a paper towel. Reserve the mushrooms soaking liquid. Rinse off any remaining grit on the dried mushrooms and slice.

Cook pasta according to packaged direction.

Heat oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and both fresh and dried mushrooms. Cook until fresh mushrooms look wilted and look done.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup cold water and add to mushrooms as well as the remaining mushroom soaking liquid. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken.

Pour the mushrooms sauce over the pasta and add the spinach and parmesan. Mix until spinach is wilted and parmesan is melted. Add pine nuts and serve!

This recipe is courtesy of Weightwatchers.....AGAIN

Enjoy!!!

I'm here again. And I am adding a recipe. Surprise surprise, right? So sorry I am not the best at this whole writing thing considering I take the pictures and do the cooking. Well sometimes I photograph.....I have been baking a lot but well haven't really been taking pictures of those things which is rather sad considering I've been a pretty big baking fool. Yesterday, for instants, I made hummingbird cake which I have been wanting to for a while now. It consists of crushed pineapple and mashed bananas with cream cheese frosting. It was pretty delicious not going to lie and AND I was able to put it together without absolutely destroying it. I've also made strawberry cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, and toffee cookies. All delicious.

So the recipe I bring you today is Thai-Roasted Tofu with Chili and Basil from Weight watchers

I changed a few things but kept it pretty close to its original recipe.

Ingredients

• 14 oz extra firm tofu cut into slices


• 3 tbsp soy sauce


• 2 tsp olive oil


• 2 tbsp ginger root


• 1 garlic clove


• red pepper flakes to taste


• 3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced


• 1 bell pepper sliced


• 1 cup string beans, trimmed and cut in half


• 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce


• shredded basil
  
• scallions, sliced
  

Place the tofu on several sheets of paper towels and place more paper towels over the tofu. Set a cooking tray on top and put some heavy objects on top to squeeze the water out. Keep the tofu like this for about 20 to 30 minutes or until you feel as much moisture is out as possible.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Dice the tofu up into small cubes. Spray the cookie sheet with cooking spray and place tofu on top. Take some of the soy sauce and brush the soy sauce on top of the cubes. Spray the tofu with cooking spray.

Roast in the oven for about 25 min but depending on size of tofu I would recommend watching it once it hits the 20 or even 15 mark.

Put the oil in a skillet big enough to hold all the ingredients. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant. Add the mushrooms next and cook until softened. Once the mushrooms are ready add the green beans and peppers. Stir until the vegetables are cooked through.

Add the remaining soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, basil, scallions, and tofu. Mix together until all is heated through.

Serve!

P.S. Rice is included in the recipe but I did not use it. Simply cook up some brown rice and add to the vegetables at the end and your good to go!