Raspberry Lemon Yogurt Popsicles

This this summer is different from most summers for our family. I am working part time so I only have 2 says a week to bake & do other leisure day things. It's hard to believe we are already into week two of summer vacation!! 

The kids love to help try new things in the kitchen. So, when I was out the other day, I saw these Popsicle molds at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I remembered that we always talked about wanting to try different types of Popsicles. So, I picked them up and searched for a recipe. We tried these... 

Raspberry Lemon Yogurt Popsicles aka Ice Lollies: 

¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoons (approx. 1 lemon) lemon zest
½ cup (approx. 2 lemons) fresh lemon juice
1 ½ cups plain yogurt
6 ounces fresh raspberries

Divide the raspberries between ice pop molds. Cut the raspberries in half if needed. Set aside while you combine the lemon zest and sugar by smooshing it together with a fork. Add the lemon juice and yogurt - stir until combined and pour into the molds with the raspberries. Last but not least put the stick/lids on and freeze for at least 4 hours, possibly longer depending on your freezer.

My kids loved them. They are very lemony...sour yet sweet from the raspberries. My oldest loved how creamy they are because of the yogurt. The kids want to try them with blackberries, blueberries and strawberries next. 

We can't wait! :-) - Janet 

 recipe adapted from www.theslowroasteditalian.com

If you liked this try these Mango Ice Lollies: 

or these Strawberry & Coconut Ice Lollies: 

Baking Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts with Janet

Whoever decided that donuts should be served for breakfast is a genius!

In my typical fashion, I wanted to bake something that would "WOW" my family.

After a trip to the local Dunkin Donuts, I realized that these treats were something that I could probably make (healthier) and be a big hit with the crew.

I promptly went shopping for some Wilton's pans (another one of my common practices) and since I couldn't decide on whether to make full size or mini donuts, I bought both pans. :)

I followed the recipe on the pan for the plain cake donuts and the chocolate glaze. One layer of chocolate glaze was not enough so I double dipped them. I sprinkled them and let the kids eat them for an afternoon snack.

They were satisfyingly impressed...my job here is done. :) ~ Janet

Baked Doughnuts:

2 cups cake flour, sifted

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Non-stick vegetable pan spray

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray Doughnut Pan with vegetable cooking spray.

Doughnuts: In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs and butter. Beat until just combined. Fill each pan cavity approximately 2/3 full.

Bake 7-9 minutes or until the tops of the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan 4-5 minutes before removing. Doughnuts are best served fresh.

Chocolate Glaze:

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1-2 teaspoons hot water

In medium bowl, melt chocolate chips, butter, and corn syrup on 50% power for 1 minute, stirring frequently until completely melted. Stir in 1 teaspoon of hot water, stirring until the glaze is thick and smooth. Add another teaspoon if glaze is too thick. Use immediately to glaze doughnuts.

to finish: 

sprinkles
marshmallows
crushed candy bars

Use anything you like to top them with!!

notes: The original recipe can be found here! How to make them with a cinnamon glaze! For more recipes from Janet click on the side bar button! 

Twinkies made with love by Janet

A while back I decided I wanted a Twinkie pan.

They don’t exist in the UK as far as I am aware.

They aren't that abundant in the US either from what I understand.

Anyhow I decided that it was something I had to have and I had to have it right away. So, my sister Janet sent me one and bought one for herself!

I have yet to use mine.

I've had it for like 6 months or so? I've also had this recipe she used and her pictures for about that same amount of time.

Oops.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you may remember I would post what my sister Janet had baked recently. I called it “Weekend Baking with Janet” but I haven’t posted anything for her in a long time.

So, I gave her button an update and thought I better get some of her back-dated stuff posted! If you want to know a little more about my sister, check out the about me page or some of her old posts by clicking on the button on the side!

Here is how she made her Twinkies, it is an American recipe and uses cups. I also added a way to make them without the tin at the bottom. However neither of us have tried and tested the method. 

Twinkies cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

½  tsp salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

½  tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350F and spray your molds with nonstick spray.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside. Combine the butter and sugar and beat at a medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, make sure each is completely combined before adding the next.

Reduce the speed and add flour mixture alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add the vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Over mixing will make the cakes chewy.

Fill the molds with batter and bake for 15 minutes, or until the cakes are a light golden color and a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool.

cream filling

2 tsp hot water

½  tsp salt

2 cups marshmallow fluff

½  cup shortening

1/3 cup powdered sugar

¼  tsp vanilla

For the filling, mix the hot water and salt in a small bowl and stir until salt is dissolved. Let cool. Combine the marshmallow cream, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy.

notes: If you don’t have a Twinkie or canoe pan, try folding a square sheet of aluminum foil in half lengthwise and then in half again to form a smaller square. Wrap the foil square around a 4-inch round spice container to form a canoe shape with the top left open. Remove the spice container and place the molds into a deep baking dish. The recipe was taken from this website. Twinkies were made by Janet, but I wrote the post! How I convert butter from cups to grams and so on…

Homemade Strawberry Jam with Janet

One of the things I look forward to every June is going to Spencer Farm and pick strawberries. 

The kids love berry picking! Every year I have high hopes that we pick enough to make jam. 

But year after year the delicious berries are eaten up before I can I hide some away! 

Until this year! We picked 28lbs of strawberries! So, my oldest mini baker helped me make our very first batch of jam. It turned out beautifully!!

You can find the recipe I used at H Family Happenings, where I guest post, last Friday, my strawberry picking experience for her Flaunt my Friend Friday! 

It is very satisfying to eat the jam we made from the berries we picked. Next year maybe I can even grow my own....hmmmmmm....;0) ~ Janet 

almost empty jar

Update: June 2014

Homemade Strawberry Jam

I was lucky again this year to get enough strawberries to make the jam again! The jam, like the strawberries won't last that long, it's that good! ~ Janet 

Turtle Cheesecake Tartlets {weekend baking with Janet}

I was going to a wine party and wanted something sweet and decadent to bring along. 

I had a hand-me-down book of appetizers from a friend and this recipe was in it. Lucky for you it's also found on the Pillsbury website, here! 

all you need: 

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

 ½ cup milk chocolate chips

4 oz cream cheese (from 8-oz package), softened

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons caramel topping

1 egg

½ teaspoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans 

for the instructions follow the link above! 

It was perfect because is was a semi-homemade recipe which cuts down on prep time, making it easy to make sort of quickly...like whipping up for a wine party!

These were a big hit at the party and they were a perfect finger food size! ~Janet 

The Husband of a Home Baker {weekend baking with Janet}

Of all the reasons that I love baking, this reason surprised me as one of my favorites: my husband is a baking critic.

Not only does he keep it real while I'm baking; trying out all the goodies (and the not-so-goodies) but he can also spot a home baked item from first bite AND give a pretty accurate critique. For example he told me that he doesn't eat fondant and that he doesn't like to eat day old store bought cupcakes.

This amuses me because before I baked at home, he wouldn't have even known what fondant was!

He's brutally honest, which at first was a hard thing for me to take. Now I know he will not only be honest about the stuff that is not quite right, but also about the stuff that is. Then he showers me with praise, which is one of the unsurprising reasons I love to bake: the satisfaction of making something that is delicious!

I made these Whoopie Pies for my husbands pot luck at work - they are chocolate chip pies with Caramel Italian Meringue filling from Piece of Cake: Home Baking Made Simple by David Muniz and David Lesniak. They were a hit and really, really yummy! ~Janet 

 Whoopies - all boxed up and ready to go! :)

notes: Piece of Cake: Home Baking Made Simple by David Muniz and David Lesniak or Baked in America for the UK version

Hawaiian Coconut Cake!! {weekend baking}

All you need for the cake is: 

1 box mix of Angel Food 

1 16oz can of crushed pineapple

Frosting: 

Cool Whip

Coconut milk (to taste) 

Pineapple Tidbits & Toasted Coconut & Cherry to top (optional)

To make just mix the cake mix with the 16oz can of pineapple

follow the instructions on the back of the box for baking times.

I used 2 9in round pans instead of the traditional fluted pan and lightly greased my pans. 

I had to adjust the timings because I changed my pan size. 

Whip up the Cool Whip with a little coconut milk if using or vanilla as another option. 

Spread over the cake and top with chosen toppings! 

A very light cake perfect for summer! My family enjoyed it and it was super easy to make! I left the coconut off because my husband doesn't really like it. ~ Janet 

Penguin Birthday Cake!!! {weekend baking with Janet}

My littlest one turned 5 this past week and she loves, I mean really loves penguins! So, I made her a penguin cake and cupcakes! This took ages and I'll be telling the truth when I say I don't want to see frosting and cakes for a while! Thank goodness the next birthday is mine in July!

I used a box mix for the cake/cupcakes and a jarred whipped cream frosting. Some of which I dyed black/orange/pink to frost 1 large cake for the family on the day and to frost 18 cupcakes for her classmates! She loved them! ~ Janet

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake!! {weekend baking with Janet}

When I saw everyone on Facebook making cakes I didn't want to be left out so I made The Chocolate Chip Cake from The United Cakes of America by Warren Brown. The cake is listed under the state Massachusetts; where the Nestlé Toll House Cookie was created!

Ruth Wakefield is the creator of the Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie. The recipe is still printed on the back of the Toll House Morsels package today!Her and her husband owned The Toll House Inn, which was once located in Whitman, Massachusetts. It has sadly since burnt down, but there is a landmark. The land is now unfortunately home to a Wendy’s and a Walgreens.

The story goes that Ruth was trying to make chocolate cookies and thought the chips would melt in the batter and make the cookies chocolate. The story has been disputed saying that Ruth was an accomplished cook/chef and would have known that the chocolate wouldn't have melted. Either way she has become infamous with the discovery of America’s most iconic cookie: The Chocolate Chip!

The cake is surprisingly decadent and so amazing!! It tastes just like a chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven. The Chocolate frosting in the middle is rich and so incredibly yummy!! I would highly recommend it!

So far, the two cakes I have made from this book has not disappointed! ~ Janet

Check out my Coca Cola Cake!

Information is a mix from the book and wikipedia. 

Recipe can be found in: The United Cakes of America by Warren Brown

True Blood Martini!! {weekend baking w/Janet}

Martini: 

6 ounces vodka
2 ounces triple sec or flavored orange liqueur
8 ounces fresh squeezed blood orange juice (2.5 blood oranges)
8 ounces cranberry juice 

Shake ingredients, with ice, until well mixed.  Pour into martini glasses. Garnish with a blood orange slice, if desired. Makes about 6 servings.
 

I added a TRUE Blood label to my carafe.

This series on HBO is terrible. The acting is bad, so bad it's almost comedic. Actually, it IS funny, so that's why my friend and I watch it. The martini's have made the series even more enjoyable! ;) 

The HBO series is based on Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series. The series is a good, easy, entertaining read, but as usual the book is better then the movie. I mean the books are better then the series! . ~Janet

Challah Bread!! [Weekend Baking w/Janet]

I used Miriam's Not-so-Secret Challah recipe from allrecipes(dot)com.

I did make a few changes thought: I used 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of water instead of the 2 cups of water. Then I upped the sugar instead of 1/4 cups I used 1/3 cup for each of the sugars. Then to finish I brushed the top with egg and sprinkled sugar on top! 

It was a hit with the family! Definitely would make again! ~ Janet

Cinnamon Cake with Cinnamon Ice Cream! {weekend baking with janet}

15 years ago, I was preparing Mike (my husband) to go out to the bars for his 21st birthday, agonizing about the fact that I couldn't go with him. This year, I was preparing his birthday dinner and dessert.

He has had cakes, brownies, pies, and cupcakes for his birthdays in the past. I now found myself agonizing over what kind of birthday treat to make! I've tried almost every way to make peanut butter in a dessert, so this year I focused on cinnamon.

Thankfully, David Lebovitz came to my rescue! Figuratively, not literally, (although that would've been super cool)! Mike really enjoys the streusel part of the Martha Stewart muffins I make, so I added streusel on the top of this cake. The result was amazing!!! It is super yummy! ~ Janet

notes: cake from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman adapted by David Lebovitz recipe found on David Lebovitz's site ice cream from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz found on Elly says Opa!

Sugar Cookie Soccer (Football) Jersey's!!

These cookies were a hit with my daughter's soccer team!!

My oldest daughter plays soccer.
These cookies were for  her and her teammates at their last game.

The soccer balls are just Wilton cake toppers/decorations attached to Oreos!

I attached them with the same candy melts used to color the jerseys! ~ Janet

Truffles!!

These truffles were for the teachers at our school. The PTO provides dinner and dessert so that the teachers don't have to go out on Parent/Teacher Conference nights. :) I used two different recipes to make Peanut Butter, milk chocolate, and strawberry truffles! 

Peanut Butter Truffles from Better Home andGardens:

2 cups sugar

1 x 5oz can evaporated milk

½ cup butter

2 cups tiny marshmallows

¾ cup creamy peanut butter

½ tsp vanilla

12oz dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tsps shortening

finely chopped peanuts (optional)

1. Butter the side of a medium heavy saucepan. In the saucepan, combine sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture is boiling. Reduce heat to medium; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in marshmallows, peanut butter, and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Chill for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until mixture is thick and can be molded.
3. Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls; place on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate and shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip balls, one at a time, into melted chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip off balls. Place on a wire rack set over waxed paper. If desired, sprinkle with peanuts. Let stand until chocolate is set. Makes about 50 truffles.

Easy (Versatile) Decadent Truffles from allrecipes.com

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Then this is what I did: I split the recipe in half and flavored one half with vanilla and the other half with strawberry extract. I coated them both in melted chocolate. For the strawberry truffles, I melted white chocolate and added 1/2 tsp strawberry extract and a drop of pink food coloring.  Then I drizzled it on top so everyone would know the difference in flavors.

To package: I used a 30 count egg container and glued scrapbook paper to the front for a label. For smaller amounts, you could use a cardboard egg carton wrapped in cellophane or cling wrap with ribbons at each end.