Last Week

I was working on a post last Sunday, but got a little distracted when this happened:

 

Just a small oven fire. No big deal, right? I was in the midst of baking 8 pans (yes, I said pans) of sweet rolls (find the recipe here). I started out with cinnamon, then got bored with them and made some caramel rolls. Apparently someone neglected to tell me that if the caramel gets hot enough and if the pan is too shallow, caramel will spill over into the bottom of your oven and burn. And burn it did. Luckily, the rolls were salvaged (and real tasty!), so as soon as I took them out of the oven, I locked the door and hit “self clean”. Poor life decision, let me tell you. The caramel in the bottom went up in flames in a matter of minutes. Luckily I caught it early. I turned off the self clean option and watched the flames wither away. The bottom of our oven is now black… but it still works! Now we just have to figure out how to clean it without using the self-clean-burn-it-up technique.

{warning these rolls are jam-packed with calories and not for the faint of heart. they are deadly.}

A couple days after our near-death experience, I came home for lunch to find this guy hanging out on our driveway:

Did someone forget to tell me I actually live in Florida – not the chilly state of Minnesota? I immediately called Jordan and told him to rush home. I was worried this critter would find a way into our house and I just couldn’t deal with the thought of that. He arrived 5 minutes later and chased the little guy around until he picked him up and plopped him into one of our unused flower pots. (Yes, he touched him. Yes, I gagged.)

We did some quick googling and discovered he was a tiger salamander, not completely uncommon in Minnesota. I snapped a few pictures of Jordan and his buddy, then we set him free in the marsh that is the end of our street.

I guess you could say I’ve had a productive, strange, entertaining week. Did I tell you the same day that I found the salamander, there was also a HUGE turtle stranded in the road at the intersection by our house? At first I thought I was seeing things, but then a man turned on his hazard lights and hopped out to take a good look at the turtle. It was real. Weird, I tell you, weird.

This might explain…

…those few extra pounds I’m trying (to no avail) to get rid of. But it’s heavenly, so you really should try it some day soon. SO easy to make and got 3 thumbs up from everyone who’s tried it.

[picture and recipe from Tasty Kitchen]

You’re Gonna Love This

Stop everything you’re doing. Because you MUST try making these incredible Salted Caramel Brownies. I made them for our book club and they are soooo tasty! The combination of sweet and salty is heavenly. I won’t lie to you and say they are super easy to make, but even though they require things like a double boiler and homemade caramel, they’re totally worth it! Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Brownies

Yield: 16 brownies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 35 to 40 minutes

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 eggs
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)
Fine sea salt

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with overlapping pieces of foil and spray the foil.

2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. (Or, melt in the microwave on 50% power for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.) Whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir in the flour until just combined. Pour about half of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and spread into the corners. Spoon 9 dollops of Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. Top with the remaining brownie mixture, spread into the corners and level the surface with a spatula. Again, spoon 9 dollops of the Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. With a dull butter knife, gently run it through the batter to swirl the batter just a bit (don’t do it too much or it will all mix together). Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.

4. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

(Brownie recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)

Salted Caramel Sauce

Prep/Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking as the sugar begins to melt. Some of the sugar will harden into clumps, but that’s okay – it will melt eventually – just keep whisking. Continue to cook the sugar until it reaches a dark amber color. At that point, whisk in the salt, and then add the butter all at once and whisk until it is completely incorporated into the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the heavy cream (it will foam up when first added). Continue to whisk until it forms a smooth sauce.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before using in the brownies. The leftover sauce can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (You’ll probably need to warm it up a bit straight from the refrigerator.)

Recipes!

I’m back from my blogging hiatus (unintentional, but more on that later…)

This weekend I had the honor of baking cupcakes and cake balls for my friend, Jena’s baby shower. She’s due August 15th, but is on bed rest (and has been since May!), so we celebrated at her house. It was so fun to get lots of ladies together and listen to all the moms give advice about raising children. Someday, I’ll have a lot to learn! Jena is such a CUTE pregnant lady and her spirits seem so great, even though she’s getting to know her couch really well. Can’t wait to meet little Gianna in August!

Some people were asking for recipes for the cupcakes, so here you go!

*I saw a tip on another website that said if you want to keep your cupcakes nice and moist (no one likes dry cupcakes!), put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes right after they’re baked. It’s supposed to help retain moisture. It seemed to work, because mine didn’t seem dry!

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting were up first. I got the recipe from i.am.baker. She’s an incredible baker, so I tend to try her recipes pretty often. I made the frosting without the cinnamon and it was great. Makes a good amount, so don’t be shy with your cupcakes! The only thing I might change to make these a true “red velvet” is to put a bit less cocoa powder in… red velvet’s not supposed to be too chocolatey (Paula Deen’s recipe only uses 2 tsp!). Otherwise, great cupcakes!

Next, I made some dark chocolate turtle cupcakes. I found this recipe at Bakerella. I only needed a dozen, so I did just one-third of the recipe. Thank goodness my husband is good at math!

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare cupcake pans with 36 baking cups.
• With a wire whisk, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• In a mixer, cream sugar and butter.
• Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides with each addition. Add vanilla. Mix until fluffy (a few minutes).
• Add flour mixture to the creamed butter in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour)
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until done.
• Cool and frost.

These turned out a little too flat (not the perfect dome tops that the red velvet cupcakes had), and I wanted them to look really pretty, so I decided to dip them in chocolate ganache, then drizzle them with homemade caramel and put some crushed pecans on top. Turtle cupcakes… that were SO good. You couldn’t even tell they were flat because I put the pecans right where they dipped a little. Brilliant (if I may say so myself).

Dark chocolate cake balls rounded off the baby shower. This recipe is also from Bakerella and is SO easy and impressive. My suggestions are in this great purple/pink color.

6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.) I stuck the completed cake balls in the freezer overnight because I think they’re better cold. Just an idea.

Hopefully you’re inspired to make some of your own fun cupcakes! I’ll try to remember to put up some pictures tonight so you can see just how great they were!