Bruschetta and a Cupcake Fail

A little birdie told me that you have a fever that only cowbell...and goat cheese bruschetta can cure:) I made some tonight for our "Celebrate Haley Game Night" and it was sooooo good! Here's the recipe! You can also find it here: http://recipes.health.com/recipes/10000001046830-goat-cheese-bruschetta

Goat Cheese Bruchetta

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese with fine herbs, divided
8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette, toasted

Preparation

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl, tossing gently. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons goat cheese on each bread slice. Using a slotted spoon, arrange 1 tablespoon tomato mixture over cheese. Serve immediately.

Also...we made some cupcakes out of my new Dreamcakes Cupcake Cookbook. And....they were a disappointment. The recipe called for soft wheat flour (whatever the heck t hat is) so I used wheat pastry flour. The result was something similar to cornbread. The cream cheese frosting was amazing though, so here is that recipe:)

Dreamcakes' Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
2 16oz. boxes of powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation
Mix together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly incorporate all powdered sugar until well blended. Mix in salt, then vanilla. Voila.

See you tomorrow in MEMPHIS!!!
Bethany

P.S. Haley iced these beauties. Aren't they awesome?!?

Cheesonomics: The Greatest Era of Grilled Cheesidency

Hi guys. Got a new recipe here that sounds easy. Here's the kicker: cause it is. Ha ha ha ha.

Ingrediantes:
1 baguette (french or sourdough)
desired amount of cheese (not to sound like a douche, but I prefer butterkäse)
2 Tbsp. butter (what? you don't like butter)
2 Tbsp. Local organic sunshine infused God made mustard

Break. Boom. Easy, I know.
Directianos:
Cut off about 5 inches of baguette then cut horizontally. Put 1 Tbsp. of butter into a nonstick pan on medium heat till completely melted. Once the butter is melted place the 2 pieces of bread face down onto the buttered pan and move it around to soak up the butter. Check every 20-30 seconds till the bottums are golden brown (and don't burn yourself clumsy Clara). Now take the bread out of the pan and place cheese on one half. Reunite the halves ceremoniously into a whole preferably to the song "We Belong Together". Put another Tbsp. of butter in the pan. Once it melts put the sandwich in and press it with a spatula for about 20 seconds then flip. Repeat this process until cheese is melted and bread is dark golden brown. Take sandwich and put on a plate. Add 2 Tbsp. of local organic sunshine infused God made mustard for dipping sauce and eat. Enjoy. Love.

Grilled Cheese (with Ham)

~Haley (#3 Sister)

Mmmmm Caaarrrbbbssss! Love them! :)

Ok so I HAD to share this with you! I made some KILLER Challah bread and blueberry muffins this weekend! And by killer I mean that I'm gonna need to be killing that exercise bike because I can't stop eating both of them! Ok so here's the Challah recipe and I actually got it from Aunt Peggy when I went to visit...I halved the recipe and it gave us a good sized loaf and it's SOOOO much faster than the other one I use to make.

"Varda's Best and Easiest Challah" (No clue who Varda is)

Put all of this into a big bowl:
-2 packages rapid rise yeast
-1 TBL salt
-2/3 cup sugar
-7-8 cups flour
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup oil
-2 cups hot water

1. Mix together and knead either with a machine or by hand. Dough should feel tacky for best consistency.
2. Let rise in oiled bowl for 20-30 minutes.
3. Shape into loaves and let rise 15-20 more minutes.
4. paint with egg mixed with a little water
5. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 23-26 minutes or until golden brown.
When I make bread I always prehear the oven and set the bowl on it to keep it warm and then cover the dough while it's rising with a towl. It came out wonderfully!!! I'll post a picture soon!

Ok onto the Blueberry Muffins!!! They are like gourmet style! And I'm totally going to experiment with the base to make all different types because it's such a good recipe. I found it on allrecipes.com and only made a couple of changes.

RIDIC Blueberry Muffins (my new title for them :)

-1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-3/4 cup white sugar
-1/2 tsp. salt
-2 tsp. baking powder
Mix all of these together.

In a 1 cup measuring cup put in 1/3 cup oil and an egg. Fill the measuring cup to the top with milk (any milk will do...Iused Almond Milk). Add this to the dry ingredients and mix only until just slightly combined. Batter will be thick. Fold in 1 cup of fresh blueberries.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees or 375 if using a nonstick pan. Grease muffin tins and pour in batter leaving only enough room for the topping.

Topping: Cube 1/4 cup of butter and mix in 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and 1 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon with a fork.
Crumble topping on muffins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

ENJOY!!! I love you seestor! :)

Getting Crafty with Burlap

I was inspired yesterday, so I went to the fabric store and bought supplies to make a table runner, cloth napkins, and burlap place mats. Aren't you proud of me? I only got to one project, though. Take a look at my beauties!


The photos looks so super-amazing because I downloaded a free photo-editor here: http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/download.php. Cool, huh? My amazing editing skills may not show the placemats in much detail, but trust...they're pretty stinkin' awesome and really easy.

I bought 3 yards of burlap (at $3.99 a yard) and have already made 10 placemats. And, I have tons leftover. Placemats are 13" x 17", so I made a template out of copy paper and used it as my guide. Then, I frayed the edges by pulling 3-4 strands off along each edge. The finished product is natural and practical. Love it!

I know this isn't a recipe, but I thought you'd be interested. Love you, sis!

Bethany

Frosted Brownies

Hey seestor:)

Here is the recipe for your favorite brownies (courtesy of Molly). I hope they're everything you remember them to be!

Rich Chocolate Brownies
Yield: 12-16 servings

Ingredients:
Brownies
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Frosting
3 Tbs. butter, melted
3 Tbs. baking cocoa
2 Tbs. warm water
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
1 to 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add butter; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to batter and mix well. Pour into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, combine butter, cocoa, water and coffee; mix well. Gradually stir in sugar until smooth, adding additional warm water if necessary to achieve a spreading consistency. Frost the brownies.

Love you!
Bethany