Spice Dish

Whoopie! (Pies that is...)

Whoopie!

I know Whoopie Pies are soooo last year in terms of food trendiness, but lets face it, they are tasty treats. That and Super Bowl parties are not known for 'of the moment' foods (7 layer bean dip anyone?). I did sassy these up a little by adding bourbon, but other than that... they are plain, simple and delicious. 

Makes everything better

Bourbon Cream Whoopie Pies

Cakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

Cream:

1/2 cup butter softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup warmed whole milk

1 tsp bourbon

(Optional)- ¼ cup jimmies, sprinkles, colored sugar etc.

 Cake army!

For the cakes:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Then add the egg, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until smooth.

Spoon rounded tbs mounds of batter 2 inches apart onto large baking sheets with silpat mats or greased. Flatten mounds a bit with the back of a spoon. Bake for 8 minutes-- until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 Mmm bourbon-y

For the filling:

In a large bowl, with and electric mixer, beat together the shortening, butter and sugar until fluffy. Add flour, vanilla and milk. Beat until creamy and smooth. Whisk in bourbon.

To make the pies, spread a rounded tbs of filling on flat sides of half of cakes then top with remaining cakes. If desired, roll completed pies in a bowl of sprinkles.

 

Enjoy!

EB

Still Craving the Sweets?

Buzz!

It's that paradoxical time of year when our bodies crave lighter foods after months of feasting but we still have those cravings for sweet treats that became habitual. This is the perfect thing for these January days. It's sweet, but not too sweet, tart but not too tart, creamy but not too creamy.... you get the idea. It's also possibly one of the easiest recipes ever!

 Espresso Chip Frozen Yogurt

1cup greek yogurt (either plain or vanilla)

¾ cup powdered sugar

pinch of salt

¾ cup whole milk

1 cup cold espresso

1 tbs crushed chocolate covered coffee beans

Whisk together all ingredients and chill completely. Freeze in your ice cream maker, 10 minutes for a shake, 20 for frozen yogurt.

 

Enjoy!

EB

Resolutions 2012!

Happy New Year's!

Again, I'm not a New Years resolution kind of gal, just never have been. But lovely Marisa, of Food In Jars inspired me this morning. Just because I don't do personal resolutions doesn't mean I can't make some bloggy ones! So here goes, my Blog Resolutions for 2012:

1- To post more vintage cookbooks (you guys seem to like those)

2- Maybe a little re-design (change is good right?)

3- In general, just be more consistent with my posting (I can do it!)

Sound good? Ok then. Happy 2012!

EB

Most Popular Holiday Recipes

It’s holiday recipe time around the interwebs and SpiceDish always sees a bump in traffic during these dark days of winter. I've rounded up the top 3 searched recipes here for you. I say give them all a go. A San Francisco-esque pasta and two desserts. What could make a better meal?

mmm crabby

The first most popular is my Crab Ravioli. It seems that people are up to trying something a bit more fancy-pants than they normally would and these are just the ticket. They are actually pretty easy and offer a big payoff in flavor.

mushy!

The second most popular recipe is for this Chocolate Banana Bread. It really is amazing. I haven’t made it myself in a long time, but I just might have to. For grandma’s sake.

crack!

Last, but most certainly NOT least, is one of my all-time favorite recipes. I don't mean it ranks on top for my ice cream recipes, but I mean tops for all recipes. It’s just so, so, so addictively good. Peppermint Crack’ed Ice Cream.

 

Enjoy!

EB

Forgive the Fruitcake

Little nuggets of goodness!

Oh fruitcake, the much maligned dessert of the Christmas season. It's become cliché to hate on this lowly confection. When given as a gift, a single bite may be washed down with real star of the season-- egg nog. Rich, delicious, adored by legions of cream swilling fans. How can the fruitcake compete? It can't. Poor cake. In the spirit of “If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!” I've decided to combine these flavors into what can best be simply called “Christmas.” Yes, “Christmas” flavor ice cream. It combines all the flavors of fruit cake and egg nog and tastes, of Christmas.

 

 Christmas Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups chilled heavy cream

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 cloves (whole)

1 pkg crystallized (candied) ginger

1 pkg candied fruits for fruitcake

Bring milk, cloves, several pieces of ginger (to your taste), and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Turn to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Let steep for 1 hour at room temp.

Remove ginger and cloves. Rewarm the mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together yolks and sugar. Gradually add about 1/4 cup of the hot milk, whisking constantly. Slowly add yolks and milk to the saucepan whisking constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until mixture lightly, coats back of spatula. Place a mesh strainer over a clean bowl and pour mixture through. Add cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill completely. Once chilled, freeze in ice cream maker. 5 minutes before complete add the rum, a few tbs of the candied fruit pieces and a piece or two of chopped up ginger. (These should be added to taste, more ginger=spicier, more fruits=more to chew on).

The rum will keep the custard from freezing completely in the mixer so you will need to transfer it to an freezer safe container and let it harden for at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!

EB

Hangover Remedy

Vinegary and delicious

So what happens when it's Saturday, you're hungover and you want a bloody mary? If you're me, you stumble into the kitchen and start putting the mixin's together. Except this Saturday... ice, juice, spices, vodka... check. Pickled veggies.... absent. Damnit. Since the drink mainly functions as a meal during these times, no veggies meant no mary. Back to bed. The situation had to be remedied. So (much) later in the day, these happened:

Quick Pickled Carrots

1 pound carrots, cut into sticks
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon dill (either dry or fresh)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt                                                                                                1 tbs peppercorns (whole)                                                                                          ½ tsp tumeric                                                                                                           1 tsp red pepper flake

Place carrots in a clean canning jar. Bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil in saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Pour pickling liquid over carrots and cool, uncovered. Screw cap on and chill. They are ready in a few hours but are infused with more flavor if left at least 24 hours.

Carrots keep, chilled in an airtight container for about month (if they don't get eaten first!) Just beware-- making these apparently make you "smell like a deli." Not that that's a bad thing...

Enjoy!

EB

Pumpkin Ice Cream with Black Chocolate and Gingerbread

Mmmm pumpkiny

Somehow I got wrangled into cooking the Thanksgiving feast at my mother’s house this year. Turkey, stuffing, veggies… the whole shebang… plus dessert. Special request ice cream no less. My mom is not a big pumpkin pie fan, but she does love pumpkin ice cream. She wanted not just plain pumpkin either, but pumpkin with ginger snaps (which is something I’ve made a few times before). Since I wanted to switch it up and make it special I’ve given my mom just what she didn’t know she wanted… Pumpkin Ice Cream with Black Chocolate and Gingerbread. This recipe is for those of you who have been intimidated to make ice cream before or who don't like the idea of an egg custard base. It's extremely easy. Go ahead... give it a shot.

Pumpkin Ice Cream with Black Chocolate and Gingerbread

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 2 tsps pumpkin pie spice

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 pinch salt

• 1/2 cup chopped up gingerbread (the darker the better)

• ¼ cup  chopped 70+% percent cocoa chocolate

1. Whisk cream, milk, sugar, pumpkin, spices, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until blended.

2. Place a wire strainer over the ice cream maker bowl. Pour mixture through strainer into the ice cream maker bowl and freeze according to directions.

3. 5 minutes before completely finished add chocolate and gingerbread. Pour into freezer safe container and freeze for at least 5 hours.

 

That's it!

Happy Thanksgiving-

EB

Scoopalicious Saturday

They call them "SpiceDish Saturdays," I call them Scoopalicious Saturdays, either way head over to Bethany and Tina's site Scoopalicious to check out my guest posts. I'm so honored to be back there! First up, Salt & Pepper Ice Cream.

 

EB

Of Anniversaries and Things

My first picture posted

I started SpiceDish four years ago. FOUR. It’s strange where life takes you in four years. I’ve never been a diary keeper (too embarrassing) but I realize now that SpiceDish is a diary of sorts. Looking back on past posts I can see when I was happy at my work (fewer posts), when I needed escape (more posts), when I was engaged with the blogosphere (lots of comments), and when I was playing recluse (no comments).

I can see when larger life issues, very personal ones, took precedence over posting or when I was compelled to post by those same issues.

I have met some truly amazing people because of SpiceDish. People like Bethany, Victoria, Sarah and Jessie.  I have been let into many other worlds in the past years and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Like a lot of you, I’m at yet another crossroads in life. The ‘what’s next’ type. The ‘can I really make that happen’ type.  I have no idea where I will be come next October’s blogiversary, and that’s a bit scary. I do know that I’ll be able to look over the year’s posts and see where I’ve been. And that is comforting.

Here’s to another year.

Enjoy-

EB

 

Holy Crap it's Holiday Time!

I can't believe I'm about to write an "It's Holiday Time" post. But I am. For the simple reason that (like most people these days) I'm on a budget. I need to keep close tabs on holiday spending because I love giving gifts. I honestly do. The earlier I start gathering gifts, the more I can buy. But even with that strategy I can't buy gifts for every person on my list. I can however make them something! I'm a fan of the homemade treat during the holidays. Both getting and giving. A cookie made with love vs a store bought trinket? Cookie wins hands down.

There are so many options but I of course, lean towards food gifts. Try it. It's fun. Make something with love and go ahead and give gifts on thrift store china, colorful bottles or in hand sewn bags! I know what I'll be making for a lucky few on my list (no I won't spill the beans here) but in case you could use a little inspiration here are some ideas for you:

There's ketchup from Pinch My Salt

Infused Vodka from Angry Cherry

Limoncello from Danny DeVito!

and of course cookies, these are from Joy the Baker

Or if you love the idea, but just really aren't the make and give type, Etsy to the rescue!

Try jam,  cocoa, or even Day of the Dead Cookies!

 

Happy gift giving!

EB