Very simple to make and tasty to boot, it would make a perfect side dish to a weeknight dinner … or even your Thanksgiving table.  Was it a wow?  No, but a solid performer.  I mean, really, we’re talking about broccoli here - is there such a thing as a wow broccoli recipe?

The only change I would make next time is that instead of chopping the broccoli florets finely, as the recipe calls for, I’d do a rougher chop, because chopping them so small made the dish a little more mushy than I’d like. 

Broccoli Gratin
Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food magazine

Serves 6

3 slices white sandwich bread
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 heads broccoli (about 2 pounds total), florets finely chopped, stalks peeled and finely chopped  (don’t chop so fine, rough chop is a bit better)
1 cup shredded white cheddar (4 ounces)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in upper third. In a food processor, pulse bread and 1 tablespoon oil until large crumbs form; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Whisk in flour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; add broccoli. Reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 cup cheese.

Transfer mixture to a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish; top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese. Bake until breadcrumbs are golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

The item I want most right now?  The newest KitchenAid mixer to be added to their line-up.  Brilliant white with just the smallest touch of pink with the band around the circumference, it will match any kitchen decor effortlessly.  Forty dollars of every purchase of this mixer will go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, and they have pledged a minimum donation of $1 million dollars (for the $40 to count, you have to register the purchase at www.cookforthecure.com).

So if any of you bakers out there are looking for an upgrade, a back-up or the perfect wedding shower gift, now is your chance.

And if the mixer isn’t your thing, there are masses of other pink must-haves available.  Happy shopping!

This is one of those recipes that has been around forever, and with the Internet, many variations have sprung forth. We happen to like the traditional one; nothing fancy needed here, thankyouverymuch. Within minutes, they’ll be happily baking away in the oven and perhaps you’ll be making someone in your life as happy as The Husband. Forget The Husband, my six-year-old son, Nicholas, certainly doesn’t pass these up either. Totally kid-approved, and really, what could be cuter than a hand-held cheesecake?

Mini Cheesecakes

12 vanilla wafers
Two 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Cherry and/or blueberry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with foil liners and place vanilla wafer in each. Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs in mixing bowl on medium speed until well blended. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes until set. Cool. Top with pie filling. Chill.

It all started a year ago when Toni made a birthday cake for her eight-year-old foster child. Once the girl saw it, she burst into tears. Why? Because she had never had a birthday cake before. If that doesn’t tug on your heartstrings and spur you into action, I don’t know what will.

Inspired by the reaction to the cake, Toni started a nonprofit group, Cakes for Kids, and since then, she has baked nearly 200 birthday cakes for children. Spending 60 hours a week in her kitchen, and about $30 per cake, she makes whatever the children want.

Spurred on by Toni’s story, other women have also started similar cake-making activities, fulfilling kids’ cake fantasties one batch of batter at a time.

I was doing some research for an article I’m writing, and stumbled upon a recipe for Frosted Apple Cinnamon Bars from Land o’ Lakes. I quickly scanned through the ingredient list - bonus! I had everything I needed on hand. As soon as my son, Nicholas, saw me pulling things out of the baking cabinet, he grabbed the stepstool and dragged it over to the oven. “Can I help?” “What are we making?” “Cookies?” “Can I have some?”

Filled with oats and apples, these are very simple to make; you can whip these up in no time. Lightly sweet, the bars are thick and somewhat dense, but oh so good. Dig in.

FROSTED APPLE CINNAMON BARS
Rich and chunky, these bars are truly a homespun favorite.

Preparation time: 30 min
Baking time: 33 min
Yield: 48 bars

Bar Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (10-ounce) package cinnamon-flavored baking chips*
1 medium (1 cup) apple, chopped

Frosting Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ground cinnamon, if desired

Heat oven to 350F. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl; stir in oats.

Combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture. Beat until well mixed. Stir in cinnamon chips and apple by hand.

Spread batter into greased 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake for 33 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients in small bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Spread over cooled bars. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

*Substitute 1 (10 to 12-ounce) package white baking chips and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Recipe Tip
Cut bars with a wet knife to get a clean edge.

These bars are full of oatmeal and apples, plus sweet cinnamon chips. Oats are a wonderful source of fiber too. There’s no need to peel the apple before chopping; leave it on for added nutrition and fiber.

Nutrition Facts (1 bar): Calories: 150, Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 115mg, Carbohydrates: 21g, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Protein: 1g

I don’t remember how I first stumbled on this recipe for Creme Brulee French Toast on All Recipes’ Web site, but I’m glad I did. I did the prep work the night before, and it literally took just minutes. On the morning I served it, I had nothing more to do than pop it in the oven to bake for a bit. Served alongside a few slices of bacon, it was the perfect way to start the day.

Seriously, you must make this. It borders on OMG goodness, and the best part is the Creme Brulee-like crust on the bottom. See that little brown piece on the bottom right side of the picture? Heaven. So, so good… and a fantastic reward for such minimal effort.

Creme Brulee French Toast
Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 6 (1-inch thick) slices French bread (you need way more since French bread slices are small; I used about half a loaf)
• 5 eggs (because of the extra bread, I added an extra egg)
• 1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon brandy-based orange liqueur (Grand Marnier®) (I skipped)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix in brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Remove crusts from bread, and arrange in the baking dish in a single layer. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla extract, orange brandy, and salt. Pour over the bread. Cover, and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the dish from the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffed and lightly browned.

If salty is your thing, then these pinwheels will definitely be up your alley. A big flavor impact from the saltiness of the prosciutto to the tangy bite of feta, this one grabs you nearly from the get-go. The first one I tried, I thought it was good, but then they definitely grow on you, and before you know it, you’re onto your fourth one and looking around to see if anyone else has noticed exactly how many you’ve had. I noticed a few of the reviews on Pillsbury’s site mentioned adding sun-dried tomatoes too, which sound like a fabulously perfect addition. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Crescent Pinwheels
Recipe courtesy of Pillsbury Bake-Off #39

1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1/2 pound prosciutto or cooked ham, thinly sliced
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Separate dough into 4 rectangles; place on lightly floured surface. Firmly press perforations to seal. Press or roll each to form 8×5-inch rectangle. Arrange 1/4 of prosciutto slices evenly over each rectangle. In small bowl, combine cheese, pepper and oil; mix well. Sprinkle mixture evenly over prosciutto on each rectangle. Sprinkle with basil. Starting at short side of each rectangle, roll up; seal long edges. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 5 slices. Place, cut-side up, on sprayed cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets. Serve warm.

Yield: 20 servings

Photo courtesy of Pillsbury.

The Mexican Wedding Cakes made an appearance at our recent Bacon Party, and our last Supper Club gathering which was, appropriately enough, Mexican-themed. Despite the rolling of the dough, these sugary bites will be in your oven in no time. Pop them in your mouth whole, because they’re messy little suckers, but full of buttery goodness. Enjoy!

Mexican Wedding Cakes
Recipe courtesy of Gourmet Sleuth.

1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted flour (I never sift; what can I say, I live on the edge)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter; add sugar gradually. Blend in salt, vanilla, & flour. If too soft, chill until firm. Scoop small pieces of dough, roll in hand to make a small ball, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. While still hot, roll cookies in powdered sugar. Move to a wire rack to cool.

One of my old friends is fond of saying “Everything is better with bourbon,” and if you’ve had this recipe, you just might nod your head in quick agreement.  Truly, it’s the frosting that does it for me.  Completely does me in.  It’s creamy, but thick and just oh.so.damn.good. 

I made this batch with Nicholas helping and the bourbon ended up going in the recipe during baking, instead of poking holes in the finished brownies and pouring it in afterwards.  The distractions of a five-year-old underfoot, what can I say?  No matter … whatever way it gets in, right? 

Best Ever Bourbon Brownies

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 to 3 tablespoons bourbon

Icing:

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 11/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 to 3 teaspoons milk (more if needed)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8×8×2 pan; set aside. In medium saucepan, combine 1/3 cup butter, granulated sugar, and water. Cook and stir over med heat just until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup chocolate pieces, stirring until melted. Stir in eggs and vanilla, beating lightly with spoon just until combined. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in pecans. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until edges are set and begin to pull away from sides of pan. Using fork, prick warm brownies several times. Drizzle bourbon evenly over brownies; cool in pan on wire rack.

For frosting:
In small bowl, beat 3 tablespoons butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in 2 teaspoons milk and vanilla. If necessary, beat in remaining milk to reach spreading consistency. Spread over brownies. Drizzle melted chocolate over frosting. Cut into bars.

One of his “go-to” desserts is apple pie, so when faced with a still-too-full bag of apples from Costco, I thought it was high time to make apple pie.  After all these years that we’ve been together, I think this might actually be the first apple pie I’ve made.  I stumbled upon a recipe on AllRecipes website that looked easy enough to take for a spin.  When considering recipes to try from there, I usually glance at the first handful of reviews and decide from there.  This recipe for Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie has, as of right now, 562 reviews.  To me, I think that’s a little crazy.  I mean, really, how many people need to say it’s a good, solid recipe before we can be convinced to try it?  Now, granted, many of them have tweaked the recipe here and there, and have offered their suggestions, but 562 reviews?  Crazy.

That being said, if you have a hankering for apple pie, it doesn’t get much easier than this one.  I sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon on the apples before topping with the crust, but otherwise didn’t tinker with the recipe.  When pouring the topping over the crust, I put the dish on a baking pan (and baked it like that as well) to catch any potential spillage.

The end result?  Homemade apple pie with no fuss or muss … and I didn’t need to read 562 views.

Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie

Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.  Submitted by Moshasmama
“This was my grandmother’s apple pie recipe. I have never seen another one quite like it. It will always be my favorite, and I hope it becomes one of your favorites as well!”

PREP TIME: 30 Min
Original recipe yield: 1 - 9 inch pie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (I used Pillsbury ready-made crust)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced (I used 7 apples)

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. Bake 15 minutes at 425 °F (220 °C). Reduce the temperature to 350 °F (175 °C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.