Well I had a lot of thoughts with this one. First I tried to figure out if I lived 7 hours from any city that I owned a cookbook from. Negative. Then I thought the 7 wonders of the world. Having lived in Arizona a large portion of my life and having several cookbooks that were Arizona based surely I could find a recipe from the Grand Canyon. Negative. My next thought was Vegas and the slots. We eloped in Vegas and the night before we got married we at at the Delmonico and hey I owned the cookbook. Alas, way too many ingredients needed for what I wanted to at this juncture. So the only other thing that popped into my head was the 7 deadly sins. I just happend to own several cookbooks that start off with the title Death by….all by the same author, Marcel Desaulniers(a man who inspires me on so many cooking levels). So I pulled out Death by Chocolate Cookies because I have yet to make anything from this book and I have had it a looooong time.
I chose to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Love Bars and if you don’t like peanuts then just stop reading at this point. These have peanuts, peanuts, and more peanuts. My biggest problem whenever I make somehting with both peanuts and peanut butter in them is that they get so greasy…which these indeed did do. The rocky consistancy also made for a somewhat rough looking photo(it was hard to get the cookies “good” side). The recipe calls for unsalted peanuts but I used salted because I love the contrast of the salty and sweet(and they were in the cupboard).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Love Bars
Slightly Adapted Recipe

2 cups unsalted peanuts
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups tightly packed brown sugar(light)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toast the peanuts on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool the nuts to room temperature before chopping by hand.
Use a stiff whisk to blend together the peanut butter and brown sugar(I used my mixer) in a bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until thoroughly blended. Add the peanuts and the chopped semisweet chocolate, mix well. Transfer mixture to a 9X13X2 inch pan. Use your fingertips to press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan and into the corner and sides, creating an even layer. Place the pan on the center tack of the preheated oven and bake for 22 minutes until set in the center. Remove from oven and cool at room temperature for 1 hour before cutting.

Source: Death by Chocolate Cookies by Marcel Desaulniers

I am still just messing around with the camera and working on close ups and what not. My friend is having a birthday party tomorrow I thought I would bring some cupcakes. The lovley hostess is making a chocolate concoction so I thought I would make something vanilla in case, God forbid, someone was not a fan of chocolate(the horror). These are always my favorite to make since they are so sweet even with out the frosting.

Magnolia Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

ICING:

Vanilla Buttercream (recipe follows) or Chocolate Buttercream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20¢â¬â€œ25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. At the bakery we ice the cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream.

Vanilla Buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners¢â¬â„¢ sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Source: More from Magnolia by Allysa Torey

A tale of two bruschetta:
I wanted to participate in this event after seeing the lovely photography on Bron Marshalls site. I have been bugging the Cream Puff about her photographs and come to find out that her and I have similar cameras(she has the better version of mine). This gave me hope. So after seeing the lovely bruschetta I knew I wanted to join in. Right away I knew what I wanted to make…and then I read the rules….you must make 2 types of bruschetta. Hmmmmm, that made things tougher.
So I shall start with the one I wanted to do right away. It is an adaptation of a salad that I make a lot and thought it would be quite interesting as bruschetta. I had REALLY wanted to make it on Cinnamon Brioche, but alas it is way too hot here still to fire up the oven. So I had to improvise a tad…but isn’t that half the fun of cooking?

Drunken Melon and Raspberry Bruschetta with Chive Scented Cream Cheese

Bruschetta:
I just bought a baguette from the bakery(no baking for me this week). Instead of olive oil I used clarrified butter. I also put in 2 tsp of cinnamon and 3 tsp of sugar. Mixed it together and buttered both sides and put on my grill pan.

Chive Scented Cream Cheese:
1/4 pound of cream cheese
1 TBSP chopped fresh chives

Place the cream cheese in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on high speed for 1 minute, until smooth. Add the chives and beat on high for 3 minutes until combined. Set aside.

Drunken Melon and Raspberries:
1/2 cup orange flavored vodka
1/2 cup orange juice
1 TBSP sugar
1 small ripe honey dew melon, peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces
1 TBSP finely minced fresh mint
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

In a large bowl, whisk together the vodka, orange juice, and sugar. Add the melon and the mint and use a spatula to combine the ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour. Fold berries in at last minute when ready to assemble.

To Assemlbe:
Take bruschetta and place a thin layer of cream cheese spread. Top the bruschetta with the Drunken Melon mixture. Enjoy.

Since I had already done a more sweet bruschetta, I decided that my next one would have to be savory. I had a lot of cauliflower so I decided to do something with that.

Marinated Cauliflower, Celery and Red Onion Bruschetta:

Bruschetta:
Same bakery bought bread, just this time no cinnamon and sugar…just butter.

Marinated Cauliflower, Celery and Red Onion:

1/2 head white cauliflower, trimmed, cored, cut into small pieces
2 stalks of celery, trimmed and cut into strips about 1/4 inch thick
1/2 large red onion
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 lemon, cut into 1/2 inch pices, seeds removed
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place the cauliflower, celery and red onion in a saucepan and set aside. Heat the wine, vinegar, garlic, lemon pieces, peppercorns and bay leaf in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the marinade to a boil, then adjust the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the marinade and pour over the vegetables. Heat the vegetables in the marinade over medium-high heat. The minute the marinade begins to boil, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Immediately cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

To Assemble:
Simply place the cauliflower mixture atop the bruschetta.

Thank goodness that Ice, Ice Baby was the theme since baking with a broken oven is out of the question. I thought long and hard about what to make for this particular SHF. I have never participated but always read the round up. I am no longer the shy food blogging wallflower and now have participated in two things…why not one more? I thought about replicating the cake batter ice cream that I love so much at Cold Stone, but thought that would be a terrible idea. If I could actually do it, I would want to make it all the time and my waist line is big enough thank you. So I was thinking semifreddo, which I love and would have made if I had some Frangelico, which I did not. So that left me with what I did have…key limes. Why I had key limes is still somewhat of a mystery. They must have snuck into my cart when I wasn’t looking because I don’t remember buying them. Though in the limes defense, I often don’t remember what I buy when I go to Central Market. My eyes glaze over at all the wonders it possesses and my husband always just shakes his head when I come home and he says, what are those?
These are fairly simple and people always comment on them since they are nice and tart with such a velvety texture. They always ask if it is frozen mousse, which in a way it is. The hardest part was trying to take a picture in this weather and have it still stay in one piece.

Frozen Key Lime Souffle with Raspberry Coulis

6 egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 1 Key lime (or other lime, as available)
6 Tablespoons freshly squeezed Key lime juice (or other lime juice, as available)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
Prepare collars for six 4-ounce ramekins or individual soufflĩ dishes: Cut strips of aluminum foil or parchment paper and secure them to the dishes with tape to make collars that extend 1 1/2 inches above the rims.

In a mixer bowl, combine the egg yolks and lime zest. Beat on high speed until very thick and pale. Slowly add the juice and continue beating on high speed for 3 or 4 minutes.

While the yolk mixture is beating, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a small pan and heat to boiling. Add the boiling syrup to the yolk mixture and continue beating until cool. While this is mixing, beat the cream to stiff peaks, by hand, in a large bowl. Refrigerate.

Fold the lime mixture into the cream until thoroughly incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared dishes and freeze at least 4 hours.

Raspberry Coulis
15 oz frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch

Strain raspberries through sieve & measure syrup. Add water to make 1 1/4 cup. Pour into saucepan.
Combine sugar & corn starch. Stir into rasberries. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils & thickens.

Makes 1 1/4 cup.