Hot Cocoa

Winter means wood stoves burning, snow falling, tubing and sledding, shorter days and lots of hot cocoa to warm you up after a time being outside.

We love our cocoa with lots of tiny marshmallows. Did you know that marshmallows are great for sore throats? Another great reason to have some marshmallows. If you are all out, a big dollop of whipped cream is wonderful too! This is a delicious recipe from Joy The Baker Cookbook. Be careful, it's addictive! Nettie

Hot Cocoa

1 1/2 cups milk 

3 heaping tablespoon chocolate chips

2 heaping tablespoons white chocolate chips

In a small saucepan, heat milk over low heat.  Whisk often so the milk doesn’t burn.

While the milk is heating, bring a medium saucepan with two inches of water to a boil.  Place a heat-proof bowl with chocolate pieces over the simmering water.  Bottom of the bowl should not touch the simmering water.  Stir the chocolate pieces until melted.

Add the melted chocolate to the hot milk.  Whisk together until completely blended.  Pour into mugs and top with marshmallows or whipped cream. Recipe adapted from Joy The Baker

~Sundays With Joy~ Birthday Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

So I thought I was a year older, all year I have been saying that I am a year older, so surprise to me that I wasn't turning 50 this year. I actually had a mini panic attack when I thought I was turning 50, that I should at least have a party or something of the sort. Hubs should really be planning something...then it dawned on me, I started counting back, no I am not 50. So then on to the next MAJOR decision, WHAT KIND OF CAKE would I like, or am I going to make? Some of you may know that I am purely obsessed with Carrot Cake, I think I have pinned over 100 Carrot Cakes on Pinterest! But then I started reading about Joy The Baker's Gingerbread Cake and it looked like all of my dreams had come true, I think I have found a cake that I love more than carrot cake! I know, it seemed impossible, but it is true! This cake is so moist and perfectly perfect in it's gingerbready-ness and the cream cheese frosting is so delicious, I had to try 3 tablespoons full to make sure that I didn't poison my family, it's the least that I can do to save the poor souls.

Birthday Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup unsulphered molasses 

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons orange zest ( I didn't have any on hand so I omitted this)

3/4 cup warm water

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese frosting, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

Method for Cake:

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  I used a 10-inch square baking pan, Grease the pan.  Line with parchment paper ( I wish I had done this part, really helps to get the cake out of the pan.) Grease and flour the parchment paper.  Set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs until thick and pale.  Stir in molasses and honey.

Add all of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Stir together until incorporated.  Add the warm water and gently stir until incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  If you find that the mixture fills the pan more than three-quarters of the way full, you might consider using a larger pan (a 9 or 10-inch pan may serve your better). I used a 10-inch pan and it worked perfectly.

Bake cake for 35-45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Method for Cream Cheese Frosting:

While the cake bakes, make the cream cheese frosting.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese on medium speed.  The cream cheese should be soft and smooth. Stop the mixer.  Add the softened butter.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the two together over medium speed until smooth and incorporated.  Add one cup of powdered sugar.  Blend until incorporated.  Add vanilla extract and remaining cup of powdered sugar.  Beat on medium high speed until frosting is smooth.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting the cake.  

This cake can be stored, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.  

Recipe Adapted From Joy The Baker

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

This was supposed to be a weekend of catch up. But life doesn't always work like that.  Since there is a world record  storm coming up this way, FRANKENSTORM, worst storm since 1938, that is a priority. So we have been buckling down, getting the generator ready, putting away boats, furniture, draining pipes, and I have been been baking up my own kind of storm. Since I used most of my flour last week, I cut this recipe for Vegan Pumpin Bread in half, unfortunately, because this is such a delicious moist pumpkin bread, no eggs, no dairy, perfect storm bread!  The only ingredient that I switched was walnuts for pecans, still very good! If you would like the recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Bread, make sure to check out Joy the Baker Cookbook for so many amazing recipes including this one. Nettie

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting < Sunday's With Joy>

Our grandson was born last night. Our sixth grandchild, Baby Ray.  The sun is bursting from behind the clouds and I am thinking of you Baby Ray! Since we are miles away from our family and were not able to be at his birth, I baked him a BIRTH CAKE. Happy Birthday Baby Ray. We are so excited to meet you and hold you and kiss you, sweet baby boy.

This week, our group Sunday's With Joy, is baking up a Peanut Butter Cake. I have never baked a Peanut Butter Cake and I have been missing out! Peanut Butter is such a wonderful ingredient to bake with, it is dense and flavorful. I decided to make a Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting to go with the Peanut Butter Cake, kind of like a peanut butter cup, but even better!

What a great choice, the peanut butter and the chocolate combination are just delicious. Not an overwhelming flavor, very subtle. A perfect birthday cake to celebrate the birth of Baby Ray!

If you would like the recipe, click HERE

PUMPKIN BLACK AND WHITE COOKIE < Sunday's With Joy >

 

We are having a magnificent fall, the weather has been cool at night and beautiful and sunny in the day. The colors of the leaves are at their peak, with vibrant oranges, yellows and reds. I just want to sit and admire the trees as I am hurried running errands. But today, I took a leisurely walk and enjoyed the smells of fall. The tide was low and calm and the trees looked perfect reflecting on the water's movement.

Neighbors are already decorating for Halloween. We decorate the day of Halloween to surprise our kids. That's my excuse, we aren't as organized as our neighbors. Pumpkins are abundant. Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere. Pumpkin pies, pumpkin cakes, pumpkin cocktails, pumpkin soup, I see it on Facebook, Pinterest and  Twitter.

Today, I made Pumpkin Black And White Cookies. I have never tried a Black And White Cookie, I have seen them before in the New York City bakeries, they are the size of my hand. But today I baked Joy The Baker's Recipe of Pumpkin Black and White Cookies. This is a soft cookie, with a wonderful chocolate and cinnamon glaze, hence the black and white. To get the recipe click HERE .

SWEET POTATO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE < Sunday's With Joy >

 I have been baking sweet potato pies. We had a lovely Pie Festival here in our little town in Maine. I won the MOST BEAUTIFUL PIE CONTEST with my Raspberry Peach Pie Crumble last year and I was asked to donate a pie for the auction this year. My pie was sold at auction for $35.00, can you believe it?? I was shocked! I hope the buyer really enjoys their sweet potato pie a LOT!! Since I keep using up the sweet potatoes for baking and cooking, I am a bit behind in posting JOY THE BAKER'S Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookie post. This is a delicious cookie, I think it is more like a muffin cookie, a flatter muffin. I really like the combination of chocolate and sweet potato for a cookie, it's really quite brilliant. If you would like the RECIPE, CLICK HERE.

{Sunday's With Joy} Honey Mustard Roasted Cashews

This is one of those recipes that you make and you say, "Oh....WOW!" I snack on nuts every day. Cashews are one of my favorite nut, all buttery and crunchy, yummy on salads or just by the handful. This is a fantastic way to eat a cashew. I could eat up every little last piece of these wonderful Honey Mustard Roasted Cashews, but I must refrain myself! Your friend's will be thrilled if you make these before you go to a party and bring them as a gift, or else you may be sitting in front of the computer shopping and then unbeknown to you, your bowl of nuts has vanished!  Not that this happened to me or anything like that.

I am fortunate to be a part of a wonderful group, Sunday's With Joy, and this recipe was chosen this week from Joy The Baker Cookbook. Do yourself a great favor and get yourself a copy of  this wonderful cookbook. I have loved every recipe that I have made from this cookbook, you will too! Nettie

This post has been linked up to these fabulous blogs! Nettie

< Sunday's With Joy > Apple Crisp

This recipe comes from Joy The Baker Cookbook, 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes. I have changed the recipe a bit by adding a cup of blueberries for the filling, I just had to, I have a lot of blueberries still! For the topping, I also added a half cup of slivered roasted almonds and a half cup of unsweetened coconut. Apple crisps are just perfect like that, you can add whatever you have on hand, in this case I happen to have lots of almonds, pecans and coconut!

Lily is having her first dinner party with sister and brother in law and we are invited and I am in charge of bringing dessert! Oh goody, I made two apple crisps! We served the apple crisp warm over ice cream. Lots of ooohs and ahhhs were going on, so I think the party was a success!

It was a perfect day for apple picking! Have to get the right apples for the crisps!

Last day to pick Paula Red's and Ginger Gold's. Just keep walking until you get to a fence, slim pickings but if you are persistent, you can find them!

First stop, taking thousands of photos of sunflowers. Hubs likes taking just as many pics as me, probably more! Joy The Baker calls this crisp, "Man Bait Apple Crisp". I've got my man and he is in love with Sunflowers and me. He'll be even more in love with me when he tastes this crisp!

Second stop, grape vineyard, lots of photos of grapes too, because we can.

Oh yes, I remember this is why we came to the apple orchard, to pick apples!!

Of course the star of the show, The Moore Paparazzi is going crazy for these beauties.

How many can we get? As many as you can carry!

 

{Sunday's With Joy} Chili Cheese Fries

Chili Cheese Fries. I have to admit what comes to mind first when I read this is french fries smothered in chili. But not these tasty fries that my family now wants me to make every night. Yes I doubled the recipe and the vultures dove in and whoosh the plate of chili cheese fries had disappeared. I did one thing differently than the recipe stated, I added one red onion diced. So far all the Joy the Baker recipes that I have made have been wonderful and I have not been disappointed. Get the cookbook, you won't be disheartened.