Finnish Pulla

Although the Finns eat this delicious sweetbread daily, it's a holiday tradition for our family. We use colored sugars, sliced almonds, and candied cherries to make it merry & bright.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk, warmed
1/2 cup warm water
2 TBS active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 TBS cardamom
1 cup sugar
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
1 egg white, beaten
8 cups flour
1 cup butter, melted

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, eggs + yolk, and enough flour to make a batter (about 2 cups). Beat until batter is smooth & elastic. Add 3 cups of flour; beat well. Stir in melted butter; beat until dough looks glossy. Stir in remaining flour until soft (but not sticky) dough forms. Knead until smooth & satiny. Place in a large lightly greased bowl, loosely covered, and allow dough to rise until it doubles in size. Punch it down with your fist. Let dough rise a second time, 30-45 min. (You can skip the second rise, the bread will just be less fluffy, but will still turn out good.)
Turn onto lightly floured board, divide dough into three parts. Divide each part into three more parts. Shape each part into a rope about 16 inches long by rolling between your palms and the board. Braid ropes together to form 3 braided loaves. Place them onto a lightly greased baking sheet. If you wish to make a wreath, make a circle with your braided loaf and pinch ends together. Allow braided loaves to rise, about 30-45 min.
Glaze loaves with beaten egg white and sprinkle generously with sugar and sliced almonds. You may also add candied cherries for decoration.
Bake at 335*F for 25-30 minutes until tops are golden brown. Over-baking will result in dry bread, so keep a close eye on it. Enjoy!

Smoky Sausage & Gouda Soup

1 onion

4 stalks celery

2 carrots

3-4 medium red potatoes

1 bunch kale

8 cups chicken broth

1-2 cups heavy cream (or 1 can evaporated milk)

1 lb smoked sausage

4 oz smoked Gouda cheese

4 oz Swiss cheese

Chop onion and celery and sauté in a large pot with olive oil. Chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken broth and remaining vegetables. Heat to a boil and turn heat to low. Meanwhile, chop sausage into half-circle slices and shred cheeses. Add sausage to soup, summer until vegetables are tender. Turn off heat, stir in cheese & mix until melted. Stir in cream. Enjoy!

Caramel Fudge Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker or Oreo crumbs

1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

4 pkg (32oz. total) cream cheese at room temperature

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream at room temperature

6 tablespoons flour

6 eggs at room temperature

1 TBS vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

1 jar caramel (make sure it's a stiffer-set caramel, not the super soft/syrupy kind- or you can melt caramels with a little bit of milk)

1/2 jar hot fudge (NOT chocolate syrup)

Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine cracker/cookie crumbs with butter, press into bottom and up sides of 10 inch springform pan.

Preheat oven to 325* and place a casserole dish full of hot water on the bottom rack.

Beat cream cheese & sugar until very smooth and fluffy. On LOW speed, add sour cream, flour, eggs, vanilla, and heavy cream- mix just until well combined but DO NOT beat it or over mix (cheesecake will crack)

Pour 2/3 of batter into crust. Mix caramel with remaining batter and pour on top of plain batter- save a little bit of caramel to drizzle on top of finished cake. Warm hot fudge until soft but not hot, drop spoonfuls on top of batter and swirl gently (don't mix it in). Save a little bit of hot fudge to drizzle on top also. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours- center should still be wiggly) and turn off oven, leave cake inside and open oven door slightly. Let cool in oven for 2 hours, remove from oven and cool COMPLETELY. Wrap with plastic wrap (keep cake in the pan) and chill in refrigerator for 24 hours (it MUST chill for a day to set up properly- otherwise the cake will be slimy and weird, and nobody likes that.)

Whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread over cake just before serving and drizzle with caramel & hot fudge sauce if desired.

Slice cake with a very sharp HOT & WET knife, cleaning knife between slices. Cut into 16-20 slices (a little goes a LONG way!)

French Silk Pie

French Silk Pie

Ingredients

• 4 ounces, weight Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
• 1 cup Salted Butter, Softened
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 whole Eggs
• 1 package Baked Pie Shell

Preparation Instructions

In small microwave safe bowl melt 4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate until stirrable (about 45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat 1 cup (2 sticks) of regular (salted) butter and 1 ½ cups of white sugar until fluffy (about 1 to 2 minutes). When melted chocolate is cooled, drizzle it over the butter/sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat the mixture thoroughly until combined (on a Kitchen Aid mixer, you will be using the whisk attachment).

Turn your mixer to a medium speed and over a period of 15 to 20 minutes add in the four eggs, one at a time, leaving about 5 minutes between each egg addition. Once the pie filling is well mixed, pour it into the baked pie shell, scraping every last speck of it out of the bowl. Smooth out the pie filling and place pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours (preferably longer).

Plop a heap of whipped cream and garnish with a few chocolate curls if you’re feeling sassy.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman, lots of tips when you visit the link!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/09/french-silk-pie-step-by-step/

Fresh Fruit Tart

Sweet Tart Crust:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Place the butter in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Line the bottom of a 9-10 inch tart pan or torte pan with parchment paper. . Evenly pat the chilled pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Lightly prick bottom of pastry crust with the tines of a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Place tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake crust for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake the crust for about 15 minutes or until dry and lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before filling. Can be covered and stored for a few days or frozen.

*you can brush the cooled tart with apricot jelly and let it dry, which will seal the crust and prevent it from getting soggy. Its a useful thing to do if you know the tart will not be eaten right away. I don't always do this, and it doesn't get really soggy if you eat the tart the same day you make it.

Cream Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 TBS sour cream
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla or lemon extract

In an electric stand mixer, beat cream cheese & powdered sugar until smooth, add remaining ingredients and whip on highest setting for 3-5 min. Spread evenly over crust.

Top tart with sliced strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, kiwi, and/or any other favorite fruits.

**if you don't like the cream cheese filling, you can use a
traditional pastry cream, but it requires a little more work and must be cooked & cooled before you can use it.

Snickers Cake

This is Snickers heaven on a plate...

CAKE:

1 package chocolate fudge cake mix
1 sm package instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
Beat together on medium for 2 minutes. Transfer to two 8-in. round baking pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
*Cake is best if you cool completely, wrap in foil, and freeze overnight before frosting. It's easier to frost while frozen, and turns out extra moist :)


FROSTING:
1 1/2 cups soft butter
2 cups creamy peanut butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt
Beat together on high speed 5 minutes, until very fluffy, SLOWLY adding powdered sugar and drizzling in cream last .


GARNISHES:
Mini Snickers; 7 whole, 10 chopped
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Soft Caramel sauce*
Chocolate Ganache**


ASSEMBLY:
Frost bottom layer and bottom of top layer but keep them separate. (Put the bottom layer on the cake plate you're using and flip top layer upside down on a separate plate and frost ONLY the bottom of it.)
Drizzle some of the carmel & ganache, and sprinkle 1/2 of the peanuts, and 1/2 of the chopped Snickers on the top of the bottom layer, but don't get any on the sides. Turn top layer right-side-up and place on top of bottom layer so that the filling is between two layers of frosting. Frost cake generously and smooth the top and sides as much as possible. Drizzle more caramel & ganache over the top and off the sides of the frosted cake. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts & chopped Snickers. Pipe 6 tufts of frosting around the edges and one more in the middle. Top each with a whole mini Snickers bar.


*Caramel Sauce:
6 oz caramels, unwrapped
1/3 c heavy cream
Heat on low just until melty, whisk until smooth


**Ganache:
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Heat on low just until melty, whisk until smooth



Key Lime Pie

I like to make this and put it in ramekins for fun little mini pies. It's a very elegant dessert when topped with whipped cream and twisted lime slices. Enjoy!

1 Pre-baked Pie Shell or Graham Cracker pie crust

2 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk

3/4 cup Sour Cream

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Vanilla

3/4 cup {Key} Lime Juice

1 TBS Grated Lime Zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine condensed milk, sour cream, salt, vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest. Beat well. Pour into pie shell or 4 ramekins with pie crust or graham cracker crust pressed into the bottom. Bake for 11-12 minutes, do NOT brown on top. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

{Kings} Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

 Yum. That's really all that needs to be said about these rolls. Going to a potluck or having friends over and looking for a crowd pleaser? THIS recipe is the one! I promise.

Ingredients:

2 cups pineapple juice, warmed

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 TBS yeast

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

7 {ish} cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm pineapple juice and sugar, let stand 5 minutes until yeast begins to get fluffy. Add salt, eggs, vanilla, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Beat well. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Slowly add remaining flour until a soft dough forms (in an electric mixer add flour until dough pulls away from sides). You may need a little more or less flour depending on your elevation & humidity. Knead for 4-6 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 60-90 min. Punch down. Divide into 24 pieces. Roll balls in your palm on the countertop. Place on buttered cookie sheet (I can fit all 24 on one pan). Cover with oiled plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow to rise for another 45-60 min. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min, or until golden on top. Remove from oven and brush with butter.

Carrot & Coriander Soup

This soup is full of flavor with a spicy kick that is just delightful! Lovely on a chilly night with some fresh crusty bread. I discovered this little gem while living in England and it is a definite favorite.

Ingredients:
2 TBS butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 TBS minced garlic*
1 TBS minced ginger*
1 red chili, deseeded & finely chopped OR 2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 lbs carrots, peeled & sliced
6 cups chicken stock
1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), divided into stalks and leaves and finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Sauté onions and celery in butter until onions are translucent. Add the cumin, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for about one minute. Add the carrots and chopped coriander stalks to the pan and pour in enough chicken stock to cover vegetables. Cover and bring to a boil, simmer for about 20-25 minutes until the carrots are tender. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree. You may need to do this in shifts as there will be too much to do it all at once. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves and cream. Salt and pepper to taste, garnish with a few leaves on top.

*I use the garlic & ginger in jars found in the produce section, but you can use fresh if you like.