Beantown Baker

Spice Rubbed Chicken

2012-05-25T07:24:00.000-04:00

Today I've got another recipe that would be perfect for Memorial Day. I've made this chicken numerous times. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to getting around to posting it...

We've made it for friends, for family, and for other guests. It's always been a huge hit. Huge. As in, everyone asks for the recipe.

This Spice Rubbed Chicken comes out perfectly moist and tender. No surprise there. The people over at America's Test Kitchen really know what they're doing. They test recipes over and over again until they're foolproof.

I've let this chicken sit in the rub for anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days. Obviously, the longer it has to soak in all that deliciousness, the more amazing the outcome.

Since we don't have a grill, I've always used the instructions outlined below. I'm sure this Spice Rubbed Chicken would be just as awesome cooked on a grill (if not better. Isn't everything better when it's been grilled?)

One Year Ago: Cucumber Hummus Bites and Chocolate Covered Strawberry Truffles
Two Years Ago: Homemade Ding Dongs

Click through for full recipe...

Avon Walk Boston 2012 Recap

2012-05-24T07:46:00.000-04:00

The Avon Walk powers that be were smiling down on the Boston walkers last weekend. We had AMAZING weather for a 40 mile walk. The ~1850 walkers raised over $4.8 million for the Avon Foundation through the Avon Walk Boston 2012!! It was great to once again be a part of something so inspiring and humbling at the same time.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm apparently addicted to doing nothing but walking for an entire weekend every couple of months! When I set out to walk my first Avon Walk back in 2010, I told Hubby that I wanted to walk all nine Avon Walk cities. I've decided to kick things up a notch and do two per year to help meet that goal.

So here's my current list of walks, past and upcoming:
Boston (Crew) - May 2009
San Francisco - July 2010
NYC - Oct 2011
Boston - May 2012
Charlotte - Oct 2012 (already signed up!)
DC - May 2013 (already signed up!)

Enough about me, let's talk about the walk. As I mentioned the weather was beautiful. It was sunny and in the 70s all weekend. The sun was even up before opening ceremonies began this year.

As always, we started off the weekend by signing the big inflatable Avon Walk tower that travels from city to city. Charlotte was up at the top and I look forward to signing it this coming October. Tip: I always carry a Sharpie in my bag. It's nice to have just in case and I use it to sign the tower so I don't have to wait for a marker. Sometimes there is quite a line.

Then they corralled us into a fenced off area for the opening ceremonies. Having walked before, I knew this wasn't a good idea. Fiona and I stood outside the fence so that once they let us go, we could get going at our own pace.

I always forget how emotional opening ceremonies are... It's a very moving 20 minutes that really reminds you why you're getting ready to embark on this adventure of walking 40 miles. They reminded us that every 3 minutes someone new is diagnosed with breast cancer. Can you believe that? 3 minutes. So in the time it takes me to drive home from work, 10 people have heard the words "You have breast cancer"

After the emotional ceremony, they let us loose on the sidewalks of South Boston. The Avon Walk is not a race, but I do like to get towards the front of the pack on Saturday. In the beginning, where everyone is clumped together, it's just nice to not be in the back of the crowd. We estimated that we were in the front 1/3 of the pack at the beginning.

We turned a corner and could see Boston in the distance. Look how small those building look! A lot of people stopped for a photo at this point.

Here we are walking into the financial district. The buildings are much bigger in this picture! I don't think I did as good of a job taking pictures this year since Boston is my hometown and I've seen a lot of the sights already!

The Zachem is one of my favorite Boston landmarks. It's just so pretty! This was at around mile 5 or 6 and we were still feeling great at that point.

Next up we walked by the State House and through the Boston Common and the Boston Public Gardens. We arrived in the Common around 9am so it was pretty dead in there.

Even though there weren't many people around, it was still a beautiful morning to be walking through Boston. After that, we walked along Beacon toward Fenway. Lunch was in a park in the Fens at around mile 9 and then we headed toward Brookline.

Once we got into Brookline the Boston sights diminished. We walked through Brookline and into Dedham. From there I'm not sure what other towns we walked through to get to the Wellness Village located at the Reebok Headquarters in Canton.

We finished Day 1 with big smiles on our faces! Fiona and I were both feeling pretty good at that point. Obviously exhausted, but it was only about 5pm and our spirits were high. We walked around the Wellness Village a bit, chatted with trainers about stretching, hit up the Reebok store, and then headed home. For dinner, we hit up a local sports bar for burgers and beer. That was one of the best burgers I've ever had.

Did I mention that Reebok is a national sponsor of the Avon Walk? Their facility in Canton is gorgeous!! It's seriously amazing. The pink in the fountain pool there are little light and dark pink rubber duckies. I have a dark pink rubber ducky from my first year with the walk when I was on crew. I grabbed a light pink one to take to work to put with the dark pink one. They're very cute.

On Sunday, we headed back out to Canton to start the walk. I had some blisters that I got looked at by the medical staff and we were off. Unfortunately the walk on Sunday was mostly through residential areas and I didn't take any pictures. Fiona and I were both a bit more quiet, and definitely walking slower than Day 1. Listening to Pandora and talking to other random walkers helped us make it to the finish line.

Actually, about 2 miles before the finish line, we ran into the women that I crewed with back in 2009. So we ended up walking the last 2 miles with their team. We had seen them at the end of Day 1 as well and it was great to run in to some familiar faces on the walk.

One of the great improvements they made with the walk this year is adding cumulative mile markers for Sunday. In the past, the highest number you see on Sunday is 13 miles. But really that doesn't do any amount of justice to how you're feeling at that point. I cannot tell you how happy we were to see that Mile 39 marker!

When we turned the last corner, we were surprised to see a back up to get to the finish line. EVERYONE loves to get a picture under the pink arch seen in the distance there. This obviously can cause a back up. It was pretty long this year. I took off my socks and shoes and enjoyed being barefoot in the plush grass.

Once we made it through the finish line, we headed over to the booth to sign up for next year! We decided to skip the closing ceremonies because we were all physically and emotionally exhausted. Instead, we headed to an outdoor patio bar and drank some champagne and beer to celebrate! (notice the Tylonel on the table too)

I really enjoy these walks and look forward to seeing the various cities that the Avon Walk visits. If anyone feels up to the challenge of walking 40 miles, I'd love to have a walking buddy!

I need to give a special shout-out to Fiona for walking with me this year (and signing up to Crew in Charlotte), Katie for training with us and joining us on Day 1 for 17 miles, and of course Hubby for all his support and willingness to Crew all these walks while I walk. He had a dozen pink roses for me when I finished Day 1 and a huge hug that I really needed! And last but not least, thanks to you guys for all your support. All the emails, FB comments, Bloggers Bake for Hope participation, and donations are appreciated more than I can express.

American Potato Salad

2012-05-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I won't be around this weekend to kick off the summer with friends and grilled food since we'll be out of town. But if we were, I can gaurantee I'd be making this American Potato Salad. It has just enough mayo to be creamy but not too mayo-y, gets some crunch from scallions and celery, and has hard boiled eggs and parsley to round out the flavors and textures.

To learn more about this American Potato Salad, head over to Cooking New England for the full post and recipe.

Add Cooking New England to your Google Reader using this feed URL: http://blogs.yankeemagazine.com/cooking-new-england/feed/

Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins

2012-05-21T09:09:00.000-04:00

This time of year is one of my favorites. Trees are green with new leaves, flowers are in bloom, the weather is getting (and staying) nice, and the fresh produce is amazing. Rhubarb is one of my favorite kinds of late spring produce. As I mentioned the other day, I didn't appreciate rhubarb when I was younger, but now I can't get enough of it!

I was browsing through some cookbooks looking for rhubarb recipes and this one caught my eye. It was perfect timing since I needed to bring in some breakfast goodies for a birthday celebration at work. The original recipe uses creme fraiche, but I subbed in some Greek yogurt since I had some on hand.

These muffins have a great flavor. As expected, the rhubarb provides tartness while the raspberries offer a bright sweetness. And don't forget, rhubarb freezes really well. You can grab some at the farmers market while it's in season and using it year-round. For inspiration, be sure to check out some other rhubarb recipes I've posted:

Rhubarb Rolls
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
Blueberry Rhubarb Pie
Rhubarb Raspberry Jam
Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Two Years Ago: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pops
Three Years Ago: Rhubarb Rolls
Four Years Ago: Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Click through for full recipe...

30-while-30 Eleven Month Update

2012-05-17T09:29:00.000-04:00

So I've made a decision about this list. It's a fun guide of things I want to do, but I'm going to revamp it around my birthday and turn it more into a list of things I want to do in my 30s. Quite a few of the things on this list are going to end up on that list, and some won't. I'm ok with that because the list is here to remind me to get out there and live life to it's fullest. Here's a look at how I'm doing on my 30-while-30 list.

Food / Blogging

~~Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake~~ - Done!
Gnocchi
~~Donuts~~ - Done!
~~Eggs Benedict~~ - Done!
Laminated dough (either danishes or croissants)
Make bread at least 4 times - 1: Herbed Bread baked in a Dutch Oven 2: Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Bake at least 4 layer cakes - 1: Neapolitan Cheesecake Cake, 2: White Chocolate Layer Cake with Blueberry Curd 3: Purple Ombre Cake (I've actually made two more layers cakes, I just haven't gotten around to posting them yet)
Buy a whole coconut. Open it. Do something (delicious) with it.
Make at least one thing from each cookbook I own - any cookbooks that don't get used in a year, donate or giveaway on here - I started making my list of cookbooks. I plan to post it on here shortly.
Cook with 3 new foods - Being part of a CSA this summer was AMAZING. I've definitely already cooked with 3 new foods, including this Summer Shrimp Salad.

Relationships

Send birthday cards to my and Hubby's families (including siblings, parents, nephews, etc) - So far, so good on this one
~~Continue to bake for a good cause~~ - Done / Ongoing!
~~Go see my sister's new house~~ - Done! We got to see Brooke's house while we were in the Midwest for Thanksgiving
~~Go on a girls weekend getaway~~ - Done! I spent a weekend in St Louis with my mom and two sisters in July. It was a great time. I have also done a couple other girls getaways with friends. One to Keene, NH and one to Providence, RI!
Volunteer 4 times

Random

Get another tattoo - I have been working on a design for this one!
~~Pay off my car~~ - Done!
~~Decide on a signature / go-to cocktail~~ - My two go-to cocktails depending on my mood. A dark and stormy, or a Hendricks and tonic. YUM.
Watch a sunrise
~~Read 4 books~~ - 1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2. Water for Elephants 3. The Hunger Games 4. Catching Fire 5. Mockingjay

Healthy living

~~Walk another Avon Walk for Breast Cancer~~ - Done! Recap here
Continue to work out on a regular basis - I've been a working out machine recently. It's been awesome.
Treat myself to 6 massages - five down, 1 to go (which is already scheduled!)
~~Get my first facial~~ - I had my first facial yesterday!

Travel and Life in Boston

Go to the Head of the Charles
Visit the New England Aquarium
See the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
~~Go to Top of the Hub for cocktails~~ - Done!
~~Visit 3 new cities~~ - 1: St Louis, 2: Niagara Falls 3: Keene, NH 4: Exeter, NH 5: Providence, RI and a LOT of new cities coming up soon!

Reader's Choice

~~Post more how-to tips (including videos) on here (thanks to Mary and Sarah for the suggestion!)~~ - Check out my new How-To tag.

Giant M&M Cookies

2012-05-16T09:39:00.000-04:00

Everyone loves a great cookie. Especially one that's full of bright and colorful mini M&Ms. These cookies are as big as your hand and have a perfect crispyness around the edges and chewiness in the center. I've been on a big cookie kick recently. I think they're my latest favorite dessert type. I decided to make a list of some of the things I love about cookies.

Cookies are portable. You can just grab a cookie and go. Or set them out and not have to worry about forks and plates or a knife to cut portions.

Cookies (or cookie dough) can be frozen. I like to make a double batch of cookies at a time. I figure while I'm making a mess, might as well make it worth the effort. One of my favorite things to do is portion out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and freeze them. Once they're completely frozen, drop them into a ziplock bag. Then if you are craving a cookie, just pop one onto a tray and bake it up. Nothing beats a freshly baked cookie! You can also freeze most cookies after they've been baked.

Cookies ship well. I live in Boston. Most of my family lives in the Midwest. I like to send them goodies every now and again and cookies are my go-to. I like to bake them, then freeze them, then ship them off to unsuspecting friends and family members. They defrost while traveling and are ready to be gobbled up when they arrive.

Cookie dough is AMAZING. I don't think I have to explain this one. Everyone loves raw cookie dough. If you don't, I don't think we can be friends. In fact, until a recent Browned Butter and Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookie came into our lives, Hubby always prefered chocolate chip cookie dough over a baked cookie.

What is your favorite thing about cookies?

One Year Ago: Crockpot Ham with Beer and Chutney Glaze, Funfetti Blondies, and Chipotle Pork Stew
Two Years Ago: Alton Brown's Broiled, Butterflied Chicken

Click through for full recipe...

Beer and Chocolate Pairing at Equal Exchange and a Giveaway

2012-05-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I hopped on the train last week on a rainy afternoon and headed down to North Station. We were chatting along the way about what a beer and chocolate tasting would be like. Would it really be just beer and chocolate? Seemed too much like a wine and chocolate pairing, only weirder...

Equal Exchange Cafe, Boston, MA

After getting off the train, we headed over to Equal Exchange Cafe to see what this beer and chocolate pairing was all about. The cafe was a cute little space that we agreed Hubby should check out some time when he needs a coffee in the North Station area. He usually grabs a DD coffee in North Station when he takes the train home, but it would be worth the one block detour to try some of their free trade coffees.

Equal Exchange Cafe, Boston, MA

Once we arrived, we met a variety of people from Harpoon Brewery, Equal Exchange, and chatted with a handful of other bloggers. We had the whole cafe to ourselves for the evening and to kick things off, we were encouraged to grab a beer.

Chocolate and Beer Pairing Guide

Once everyone arrived, they encouraged us to grab a seat so we could begin the tasting. For each beer and chocolate pairing we first tasted the chocolate, then the beer, then the chocolate and beer together. I've done chocolate tastings in the past and it's similar to tasting wine. First you smell the chocolate. It's recommended to smell it in a bowl so that any residual smells from you hands won't interfere with the smell of the chocolate. After noticing the aroma of the chocolate, you take a small bite and chew it a few times. Then allow the chocolate to melt on your tongue. Be sure to take note how the taste of the chocolate changes as it melts.

Harpoon UFO White and Dark Chocolate with Almonds

The beer tasting was similar. We were instructed to swirl the beer around in our cup with our hand over the top to capture all of the aroma in the cup. Then smell the beer prior to tasting it.

Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Catamount Maple Wheat and Milk Chocolate

Lastly, we would taste some chocolate and once it started melting on your tongue, take a drink of the beer. It was interesting to see how the flavors danced around in your mouth. Some started with a strong taste of the beer and others finished that way. It was also interesting to see how the two together had such different flavors than each component on it's own.

Harpoon Dark and Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt

I am NOT a fan of IPAs and we tasted a Rye IPE that I could not drink on it's own. However when the chocolate was added to the mix, it tasted like a completely different beer. This was a really unique experience that I'm glad I got to try out.

The aftermath of the tasting

And now on to the giveaway! They gave us goodie bags on the way out the door and I've decided to pass my goodies along to you. I can't ship beer, so I'll be keeping the bottle of beer they gave me (sorry guys).

Package contains:
- One Harpoon Brewery bottle opener
- Two Harpoon Brewery beer coozies
- Two Equal Exchange coffee mugs
- Three bars of Equal Exchange organic, fair trade chocolate
- One Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate Pairing wheel

Giveaway Package

Giveaway rules:
- Winner will be chosen using Random.org
- US shipping addresses only
- Giveaway is open until 12:00 PM (noon) EST on Thursday, May 17th
- Mandatory first entry: answer the following question: What is your favorite kind of beer or chocolate? Have you ever paired them together?
- For an additional (optional) entry, Tweet the following "RT @beantownbaker Beer and Chocolate?!? Who knew they could be so great together! @EEcafe @harpoon_brewery"

AND, Equal Exchange is also doing a giveaway on their Facebook page. Be sure to check it out here where you can download a pairing guide and enter to win their giveaway. The grand prize is a tasting event for 20 people at Harpoon Brewery!

This event was provided free of charge, but the opinions are 100% my own. Special thanks to Terry from Antler for inviting me to the event!

Baked Brie with Grape Balsamic Compote

2012-05-14T09:01:00.000-04:00

Today I bring you guys the last of my purple food posts. It took a couple weeks, but we made it! This is another recipe that I'm pretty proud of. I rarely make up my own recipes and this is one of those rare exceptions. For whatever reason, the idea of using grapes to make purple food didn't cross my mind until the day before the party.

I had put baked brie on the menu and had planned to make a blueberry compote to put on top. But then it hit me - use grapes (duh!) So I used this blueberry sauce as an inspiration for the compote. I wanted it to be thicker, so I bumped up the amount of cornstarch.

I was a bit concerned that it would be too sweet, and I know balsamic pairs well with strawberries, so I decided to make the cornstarch slurry using balsamic vinegar instead of water. It worked like a charm. This grape balsamic compote was nice and thick and had a subtle savory tone from the balsamic. I added some toasted almond slivers to give it some texture and voila - I had created an AMAZING appetizer that was also purple.

The Baked Brie with Grape Balsamic Compote was a huge hit. And I've made it twice since the party. I used a goat milk brie wheel so that I could enjoy this appetizer. The goat milk wheels are 6 oz. I believe cow's milk brie wheels come in 8 oz containers, but you should have enough compote using the recipe below.

I also wanted to share this trick about baking brie with you guys. I can't remember where I learned this but Hubby was shocked when he saw me pop the "lid" off the brie after it had baked. Prior to baking your brie, use a sharp knife to cut around the top of the rind. You don't want to cut it completely off, just cut about a 1/4 inch into the brie right under the top all the way around. While the brie is in the oven, the cheese will get all melty and gooey. Then when you take it out of the oven, you can just remove the top of the rind like so:

Hope you guys have enjoyed all the purple food. As a reminder, here are the other foods I serves at my 1000th Post Party:

Two Years Ago: Homemade Oreos (again)
Three Years Ago: Coconut Lime Cupcakes
Four Years Ago: Dairy Free Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Cauliflower

Click through for full recipe...

Cupcake Camp Boston 2012

2012-05-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

Cupcake Camp is coming back to Boston! This is one of my favorite events of the year. For the third year in a row, I have had the pleasure of serving on the planning committee for Cupcake Camp Boston. We have over 20 professional baker and 50 amateur bakers signed up to bring cupcakes!!

Thanks to our lovely sponsors, Whole Foods Market and The Great Boston Cupcake Crawl, we will be able to donate nearly 100% of the proceeds collected at the door to our benefciary, Lovin' Spoonfuls. If you haven't heard about Lovin' Spoonfuls, they are a non-profit organization that facilitates the recovery and distribution of perishable and unserved foods that would otherwise be thrown away and wasted. They deliver this food directly to local crisis centers, soup kitchens and other social assistance entities.

We have decided to mix things up a bit this year. In the past, admission has been free with donations recommended. This year, we're requiring a $5 fee to get in the door. 100% of our profits will be donated to Lovin' Spoonfuls, so for a mere $5 you'll get to taste test a bunch of cupcakes and help a great cause!

We're also introducing VIP tickets this year. Purchasing a VIP ticket ($25) ahead of time will allow you early entry, and the awesome privilege of skipping the line. You'll have exclusive access to the cupcakes plus some sweet swag from our awesome sponsors. There are only a limited number of VIP tickets available, so be sure to grab yours soon by clicking here.

Monday May 21, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
The Center for Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143
General Admission $5, VIP $25

If you have any questions or would like more information about Cupcake Camp Boston, be sure to check out the website. Check out my recap posts from 2010 and 2011.

And now on to the important question about Cupcake Camp... what flavors should I bring this year? In 2010, I brought Oreo Cupcakes and Mini Brownie Cookie Dough Cupcakes. Last year I brought Frito Cupcakes and Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.

In the past I've always tried new recipes for Cupcake Camp. This year, I don't think I'll have time to be that ambitious. You see, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is the weekend before Cupcake Camp. And since Cupcake Camp is on Monday, I'm thinking I'll go with something I know... So here's where you can get involved. I'm leaning towards doing the Frito Cupcakes again since they were such a hit last year, but I want to know what you think? Do you have a great cupcake recipe I should consider? Have you had any of my cupcakes in the past that you really enjoyed? Thanks for the help!

One Year Ago: New York Style Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce and Mustard Chicken Salad
Two Years Ago: Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies, Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes, and Dipped Oreo Pops
Three Years Ago: Brownie Pops

Pimento Cheese Burger

2012-05-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today I'm participating in my second virtual baby shower of the week. Today's baby shower is for Erin from Erin's Food Files, which is being hosted by Jessica from The Novice Chef. Erin is also due in a few weeks and since she lives Nashville, the theme for the shower is Southern food.

I'll be the first to admit, I know very little about Southern food. I had no idea where to start. Erin was the first one to introduce me to cheesecake cakes (it all started with Lincoln's Cake, which I also made. Since then she's made a peanut butter-chocolate, and Oreo version and I've made a carrot cake and Neapolitan version), so I was originally thinking I'd do a cheesecake cake...

Then Erin posted these Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs last week. For whatever reason, I just could not get them out of my head. You all know I grew up in the Midwest and live in Boston. I've never had pimento cheese. I'm not even sure if I've ever seen it. Thanks to Google, I found out that pimento cheese is a mixture of mayo, cheddar cheese, sometimes cream cheese, and pimentos.

As I kept trying to force myself to come up with a Southern dessert to make for the shower, my curiosity kept bringing me back to the idea of pimento cheese. There was another detail that stuck out from Erin's post last week. She mentioned pimento goat cheese. Everything fell in to place the other night when Hubby requested turkey burgers for dinner. We regularly put goat cheese and spinach on our turkey burgers, so at that moment this Pimento Cheese Burger idea was born!

I have no idea how authentic this pimento goat cheese is, but I do know it's delicious. The tangy goat cheese pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the pimentos. I decided to add a couple thin slices of a tart green apple to cut the salty creaminess from the cheese mixture. This burger was a home run and I'll definitely be making some more of the pimento goat cheese in the future. I really enjoyed snacking on extra apple slices dipped in the cheese mixture. It would make a perfect appetizer!

Congrats to Erin on the upcoming bundle of joy! To see the other items made for Erin's virtual shower, be sure to check out the roundup on The Novice Chef.

Click through for full recipe...

Thanks For Making Bloggers Bake for Hope a Success!

2012-05-08T14:00:00.003-04:00

All of the donations have been received and your mailing addresses have been sent to the bakers. You should expect a package in your mail by the end of the month. Please let us know if you have any issues.

Thank you so much to everyone who bid and baked for Bloggers Bake for Hope. With your generousity, we were able to raise $750 for the Avon Foundation!

For those of you who missed out this time around, watch for another bake sale in October during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

2012-05-08T10:28:00.000-04:00

Late spring is one of my favorite times of year. Mostly because of the amazing produce that starts to make an appearance at the grocery store. Asparagus, rhubarb, and strawberries are some of my favorites.

To learn more about this Rhubarb Coffee Cake, head over to Cooking New England for the full post and recipe.

Add Cooking New England to your Google Reader using this feed URL: http://blogs.yankeemagazine.com/cooking-new-england/feed/

Homemade Granola

2012-05-07T08:40:00.000-04:00

Online showers are so much fun! I love being able to virtually share excitement about a friend's upcoming nuptuals or the arrival of a new bundle of joy. Spoiler alert, two of my posts this week are for virtual baby showers. First up is Ashley from Ashley's Cooking Adventures. Ashley is due in just a few short weeks and since she loves breakfast foods, that's the theme for the shower!

I decided to whip up some Homemade Granola for this virtual baby shower (in reality, the granola came to work with me). I'm actually not a granola eater myself. Probably because I hate the texture of yogurt, and what else do you do with granola... But after making this granola at home, I figured out that you can eat it in a bowl of milk just like cereal - YUM!

I love recipes like this where it's just a ratio of ingredients. That way you can use whatever you prefer or have on hand. I made sure to include dried blueberries because Hubby loves blueberries so much. Everyone at work loved the granola and it would be great to serve at a brunch themed baby shower. Especially if you package it in small mason jars with a bit of ribbon tied around the top.

Two Years Ago: Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Three Years Ago: Roasted Red Pepper Dip and Samoas Bars

Click through for full recipe...

Two-Berry Coconut Macaroons

2012-05-04T09:07:00.000-04:00

These Two-Berry Coconut Macaroons didn't turn out as purple as I had hoped. They look more pinkish in my mind, but I served them anyways at the 1000th Post Party. My sister and I baked these cookies while she was here. We used a combination of blackberries and raspberries, hoping the blackberries would turn the cookies purple.

Purple or not, these cookies are great for a couple of reasons. For starters, you make them in a food processor. How fun is that?!? They come together in a matter of minutes and then you scoop them onto cookie sheets.

Second, these cookies freeze really well. After we baked them (and taste tested a few), we popped them into the freezer until the party. Even outside of the freezer, they stay fresh for a couple weeks. Next time you're looking for a quick and easy, unique cookie recipe, I recommend giving these guys a go.

One Year Ago: Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Meal Idea for New Parents (or Anyone else you want to take a meal to) and Oreo Pretzel Fudge
Four Years Ago: Baked Eggplant Chips

Click through for full recipe...

Roasted Blueberry Cupcakes

2012-05-03T07:50:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I never would have thought to roast bluberries. As much as I love roasting almost any kind of vegetable, the thought literally never crossed my mind. Then I saw this recipe for Roasted Blueberry Cupcakes and was instantly intrigued.

The batter of these cupcakes is a very pretty purple and it tastes amazing. Roasting blueberries brings out their sweetness and heightens that flavor. I probably ate a whole cupcake worth of just the batter, it was that delicious. After the cupcakes were baked, they still carried the strong roasted blueberry flavor that was evident in the batter.

I decided to top mine with cream cheese frosting and some purple edible glitter to dress things up for my 1000th Post Party. I am hoping to make these again with various other roasted fruits. I'm thinking raspberry or strawberry next...

Have you ever roasted fruit?

One Year Ago: Cinnamon Chip Scones and Hummingbird Cupcakes with Pineapple Flowers

Click through for full recipe...

Today is the LAST day to bid on baked goods

2012-05-02T09:57:00.003-04:00

Bidding for Bloggers Bake for Hope closes at 11:59PM TONIGHT!! Please support this cause by bidding on a delicious baked good!

Purple Potato, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

2012-05-01T09:47:00.000-04:00

Are you guys sick of all the purple food yet? I've still got a few more recipes to post and then I'll shut up about purple food. When I saw this Purple Potato Pizza posted back in January, I immediately starred it to make at some point. I hadn't even started thinking about purple food, but the colors on that pizza just popped and drew me in.

When I started pulling a menu together, I had the pizza on the list. I decided that having a tart, baguette slices with the baked brie, AND a pizza would be a little to carb heavy for my tastes. But then I had to decide which of those items to ditch. I went back and forth. Then it hit me, I could use the pizza as inspiration for a dip or something. But dips often go with chips or toast or crackers. More carbs. I decided to let the idea simmer a bit and stopped thinking about it.

A couple days later it hit me - endive leaves! They're crispy and crunchy and not carby at all. Perfect! This is basically the same recipe that I use for bruschetta, except I added some lightly boiled purple potatoes! I added my potatoes to the mixture while they were still a bit warm so the cheese got all melty which was awesome. I would recommend serving this the same day you make it. The Purple Potato, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Bruschetta would be great over sliced baguettes or on chips as well.

One Year Ago: Cranberry Raisin Almond Banana Bread
Two Years Ago: Black Bean and Bell Pepper Cous Cous Salad
Three Years Ago: Alton Brown's The Puffy
Four Years Ago: Shrimp Scampi with Mushrooms and Asparagus

Click through for full recipe...

Bloggers Bake for Hope - All Items for Sale

2012-04-30T17:00:00.000-04:00

To bid for an item, go to the individual post for that item (see links below). Then leave a comment with your bid in US dollars. Bidding starts at $15. Whoever has the highest bid at midnight on May 2nd will win this item. Check out the tags for items that can be shipped internationally, to the UK, to US or Canada, or US only.

If you win this baked good you will be notified by email, so please be sure your email address can be found through your comment. Once you have been contacted, please make a donation via Paypal using the Donate button in the upper right corner. Include the name of the item you won and your mailing address in the Paypal comments section.

Once your Paypal payment has been received, we will send your mailing address to the baker. Thank you for participating in Bloggers Bake for Hope.

Click through for full recipe...

Bloggers Bake for Hope - Time to Start Bidding!

2012-04-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

Bidding for Bloggers Bake for Hope is open from Midnight (EST) today until 11:59PM (EST) on Wednesday, May 2nd. Please support this cause by bidding on a delicious baked good!

Blackberry Cheesecake Swirled Brownies

2012-04-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure how many of you were around back in September of 2009 when I posted these Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Brownies, but let me tell you, those brownies are amazing. I have been wanting to use them as inspiration for another recipe for a long time now.

When I decided to host a party with all purple food, my mind wondered back to these brownies. I decided to try mixing blackberry with chocolate to make these Blackberry Cheesecake Swirled Brownies. These were a HUGE hit to say the least.

I'm only sad that I served them at the same party as the Purple Ombre Cake because they really didn't stand a chance compared to that cake. At any other party, they would have been the star of the show.

This recipe could be adapted to almost any flavor of cheesecake that you'd like. The blackberry pairs really well with chocolate, which I was pleased to learn. I preferred these served at room temperature, even though they should be stored in the fridge.

One Year Ago: Fudgey Banana Brownies and Cranberry Raisin Almond Banana Bread
Three Years Ago: Spicey Orange Shrimp
Four Years Ago: Perfect Summer Salsa, Dairy Free Cheesecake Pops, and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Click through for full recipe...

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-04-26T08:24:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before, my youngest sister was in town a couple weeks ago for her Spring Break. We did a LOT of baking. It's so fun hanging out with someone who enjoys baking almost as much as I do! I definitely didn't have the bug at such an early age and I can only imagine what kinds of awesomeness she'll be baking up when she's my age.

Here's another recipe we made while she was in town. These cookies were seen on a show on TV and within an hour, we were eating freshly baked Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. Even the "non-chocolate" guy of the house enjoyed them. Be sure to head over to Lemon Sugar where I'm guest posting today to get the full scoop on these cookies, including the recipe.

Caramelized Red Onion Tart

2012-04-25T11:09:00.000-04:00

When I was thinking about how to incorporate red onions into my 1000th Post Party menu, I decided to search foodgawker. When I saw this Caramelized Red Onion Tart, I was instantly drawn in by how pretty it was. As I read the recipe, I became more intrigued by how delicious it sounded!

Caramelized onions make everything taste better. And this tart is basically caramelized onions mixed with fresh thyme piled on top of a flaky buttery pie crust. What is better than that?!? This recipe was the surprise hit of the night. Multiple people said it was their favorite thing. And it was definitely my favorite savory treat. I will definitely be making this again!

One Year Ago: Cinnamon Banana Bread and Roasted Banana Soft Serve
Two Years Ago: Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake
Four Years Ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Click through for full recipe...

Hawaiian Wedding Cake

2012-04-24T08:11:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a break today from all the purple food to bring you another Yankee Magazine recipe.

Be sure to click through to read about this Hawaiian Wedding Cake with cream cheese frosting that I baked with my sister while she was in town.

Add Cooking New England to your Google Reader using this feed URL: http://blogs.yankeemagazine.com/cooking-new-england/feed/

How to Pipe a Rose (with Video)

2012-04-23T09:27:00.000-04:00

I am really excited about today's post!! After posting the beautiful Purple Ombre Cake last week, I decided to make a video to show you guys how simple it is to pipe a rose. And once you know how to pipe one, you will know how to pipe a whole cake worth of roses!

I actually made two videos for you guys. I posted them on the new beantownbaker youtube channel. I hope to add more videos to the channel in the future. So here they are! I hope you enjoy them and learn something from them.

Two Years Ago: Cornish Hens with Garlic and Rosemary
Three Years Ago: Homemade Oreos
Four Years Ago: Mini chocolate-chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry and Caramel Filling

Purple Ombre Cake

2012-04-20T08:58:00.000-04:00

For obvious reasons, this Purple Ombre Cake was the centerpiece of the entire 1000th Post Party last weekend. It stole the show. I kept it in the fridge while all the savory treats were being consumed so that it wouldn't distract everyone from the awesome food they were eating. But that didn't work. Inevitably, someone had to open the fridge to get a new bottle of champagne, and then the exclamations of amazement started.

I have to admit, I'm very proud of how this cake turned out. I wasn't really sure how it would go. I knew I could do it, but I was worried I'd be frustrated with the decorating. As I have mentioned many times before, decorating a cake is not my strongest skill. Hubby even admitted later that when he saw the inspiration behind the cake, he didn't think I had it in me. He honestly thought I was being over ambitious.

Don't get me wrong, this is an ambitious cake. Four layers of cake, all a different gradient of purple, covered in roses, again piped in varying shades of purple. But believe me, with a little planning, and some practice, anyone can make this cake. I have a few tips on some things not to do, and some things to do when considering making this cake.

1. Don't forget the sugar in two of the cake layers. This cake method is a bit different than most. Most cakes start with creaming butter and sugar. Not this one. It's more like mixing biscuits. You add the butter to the dry ingredients before adding the liquid ingredients. So when your brain goes into autopilot and you mix the flower, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, don't make the mistake I made and assume that's all that goes in there! Add the sugar. FYI, I tried stirring in the sugar at the end and baking them because I hate wasting ingredients. The cake looked like cake when it came out of the oven. But it tasted... well, like the sugar was mixed in at the end. It was really sweet. And a little gummy.

So I had to re-bake two of the cake layers. Which means I have 18 egg yolks in my fridge right now. I see a lot of creme brulee in our future.

2. Don't change your mind about the color of your frosting at the end. My original plan was to have the lightest shade of frosting be white. After piping the bottom two rows, I piped the first white rose and decided it was too big of a difference from the previous color. So I scraped that rose off, stirred in some purple food coloring and mixed up the lightest shade that you see in the finished cake. I'm sure you all think it looks fine, but I wish I had done that up front so I could have done the crumb coat in the lightest color. It annoyed the perfectionist in me that you could see specs of white peaking through between the roses.

3. Do mix up the cake batter in two batches. Trust me, you mixer can't handle a double batch of that batter. To make your life easier, measure everything out for both batches at once. So when you put the flour in the bowl of your mixer, measure the same amount out and put it into another bowl. Then when it's time to make the second batch, everything is measured and ready to go.

4. Do invest in a cake decorating turn table. Hubby is always on my case about the amount of baking gadgets I have. I have been eyeing one of these bad boys for quite some time but I didn't know where I'd store it. I finally decided to just get one and figure it out later. I'm SO glad I did that. Applying the crumb coat took about 1/3 of the time that it takes without one and it helped when I was piping the roses too. Believe me, it's worth the $18.

5. Do make this fruit passion curd. I don't care if you're intimidated by this cake, if you do nothing else, make the filling. Eat it with a spoon, on a graham cracker, or stuffed into a cupcake. It's seriously delicious. Goya makes great frozen fruit purees in a variety of flavors. I want to make this curd in every possible flavor available (you can find the purees in the frozen food aisle near the other Hispanic foods). It's SO simple and delicious.

6. Do as much ahead of time as you can. I feel like a broken record here, but the key with layer cakes not becoming too overwhelming is to break things up. I made the curd on Thursday night, baked the cakes on Friday, and made the frosting on Saturday. Then I just had to stack and decorate it before the party.

And last but not least, don't be intimidated by the roses! They're very simple to do and with a little practice, you'll be a pro in no time. Just remember that to pipe roses, you start in the center and make one big swirl from the inside to the outside.

Hubby was shocked to watch me decorate the cake because it honestly took about 15 minutes total. The biggest pain was washing the tip between colors of frosting. And, to convince you guys even further, I've recorded a video of how to pipe roses! It needs a smidge of editing over the weekend, and I'm hoping to post it first thing Monday. So be sure to come back for that!

UPDATE: Click here for the Video Tutorial on How to Pipe a Rose

One Year Ago: Hot Cross Buns
Two Years Ago: Raspberry Curd
Three Years Ago: Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Click through for full recipe...