Peach French Toast

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmas-peach-french-toast/detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Cook/13078740/Photo.aspx?photoID=194206

CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust (recipe below makes 2 crusts)
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
½ cups Barbecue Sauce
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
Salt For Sprinkling
16 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
½ whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
Chopped Cilantro, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.
Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.
Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.
Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
1-½ cup Warm Water
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
⅓ cups Olive Oil
Directions:
Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.
Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.
When you are ready to make the pizza, grab HALF the pizza dough (recipe makes 2 crusts) and squeeze the dough toward the bottom to form a nice, tight, pulled ball. You can roll out the pizza with a rolling pin if you’d like, but sometimes it’s just as easy to throw it around and pull and stretch till it feels right. And when the crust is nice and thin, lay it on an oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and spread it with your fingers. Very lightly sprinkle some salt on the crust.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Top your crust with your toppings of choice. Then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
½ cups Buttermilk*
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
_____
Frosting:
½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
1 & ¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 ½ cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:
Use an 18×13 sheet cake pan/jelly roll pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake. The warmth of the cake should do most of the work for you, causing the frosting to spread on its own.

*to make Buttermilk substitute: pour just under 1/2 cup regular milk into the measuring cup, then add enough regular vinegar to the milk to bring the quantity up to 1/2 cup. Within seconds, it turns into buttermilk and works perfectly.

Daffodil Cake Pops

To make:
(see Bakerella's cupcake pops)

Mix 1 lemon cake mix as directed on the box plus, add the zest of 2 lemons to the mix, and the juice of 2 lemons as part of the water called for on the box. To make the pops, stir in the zest of another lemon and add a bit of Egg Yellow AmeriColor Food Coloring to the cream cheese icing.

Dip in orange candy melts & add tiny white sprinkles.

Print out the template from Martha Stewart's site....

http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/2011Q2/msl_0411_daffodil_candycups.pdf

trace onto yellow paper, cut out and with an Xacto knife cut an X in the middle, fold a mini cupcake liner in half and hole punch. Insert the pops into the liners/flowers.

cupcake liners can be purchased at http://layercakeshop.com/index.php/Shop/Baking/Mini-Electric-Orange-Baking-Cups.html

Lemon Snowball Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and egg until well blended. Add lemon juice, peel and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned (cookies will not brown on top).
Transfer immediately to wire racks and cool for 5 minutes, then roll in confectioners’ sugar.

Grilled Hawaiian Pork Chops

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops (at least 2/3 inch thick)
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cooking sherry
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
Place the pork chops in a large ziploc bag. Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, sherry, cayenne, lime juice and ground ginger and pour into the ziploc bag with the pork chops. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and cook the pork chops for about 3 minutes on each side until done. If using a meat thermometer, it should reach 170 degrees internally.
Serve with grilled fresh pineapple, if desired.

Blue Cheese and Walnut Quiche

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
3 large eggs
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 cups grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Gently place pie crust into 9-inch round pie pan or quiche pan. Pinch the rim decoratively and prick crust with a fork. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Pull out to cool while you prepare the filling.
2. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Blend in the cream and then the milk.
3. In separate bowl, combine Swiss and blue cheeses and then sprinkle them into the prepared pastry shell. Sprinkle the red onion and walnuts over the cheese. Gently pour in egg mixture to fill the pastry shell.
4. Place the filled pan on a baking sheet and bake quiche for 35-40 minutes, or until custard is just set. Watch the edges of the crust and cover with foil or a pie-crust cover if it's browning too much. Let quiche rest 8-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Swiss and Cheddar Quiche with Bacon

Ingredients:
1/2 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crust (or make your own)
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (Applewood Smoked bacon is ideal)
4 whole green onions, chopped
4 ounces (1 cup) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
4 ounces (1 cup) sharp cheddar cheese, divided
6 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Let piecrust come to room temperature (about 15 minutes) and roll out slightly to make the round a little bit larger. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, fold edges under and crimp. Poke several holes in the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork. Bake for 7 minutes; remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
3. Cook bacon pieces in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle green onions, bacon, 1/2 cup of Swiss cheese, and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese into the baked crust.
4. Whisk together eggs, whipping cream, salt, peppers and nutmeg. Pour into the crust; sprinkle with remaining Swiss and cheddar cheeses.
5. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cupcake

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix

3/4 cup sugar, divided
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp + 4 tsp heavy whipping cream
2 egg white
spinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

pecans, chopped
milk chocolate chips for melting and drizzling
course sea salt

Directions:
For the cupcakes:
Bake the cupcakes according to package directions and let them cool completely before frosting.

For Salted Caramel Buttercream:
Place 1/2 cup of sugar and water in saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not stir of you will get sugar crystals, only swirl the saucepan gently. It will bubble itself into a deep amber. Remove immediately from heat and add cream (careful – it will bubble up furiously).

Stir until smooth. Divide caramel into two separate and equal portions and set aside.Place the egg whites, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches 140 degrees. Transfer to bowl of standing mixer. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.

Add butter a bit at a time, and continue beating on high. Reduce speed to low, add vanilla extract, and then one of your portions of caramel (you may need to gently rewarm the caramel in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until it is workable but not burning hot). Beat on high for 4-5 minutes or until buttercream texture is reached.

Pipe buttercream frosting onto each cupcake then roll sides in chopped pecans. Drizzle top of cupcake with melted chocolate and then with second batch of caramel. Sprinkle ever so slightly with course sea salt.

Craigo's Breadsticks

Ingredients:
3 cups of flour
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ Tbsp yeast
2 ½ cups HOT water
1 1/2 C Mozerella cheese & Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients, then add water. Kneed with 1 ½ to 2 ¼ cups of flour. Let rise.Roll out into a rectangle. Put butter, garlic salt, all season salt, and cheese. Twist and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.*Here's how [blogger I stole this receipe from] made this delicious find. I put all the dry ingredients in my Kitchen Aid then added the water. After kneading with my dough hook, it was very wet so instead of adding 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups of flour; I think I ended up adding just over 3 cups of flour. I kneaded it with the dough hook for approximately 10 minutes in all and let rise until it doubled (1 1/2 hours). Then I punched down the down and rolled it out (using more flour).
I divided the dough into 9 sections and with my hands rolled them out to about 18 inches. I then braided** each piece on top of itself and let them rise in the pan for 45 min. Looking back, I probably didn't need to add as much flour. Next, I spread about 1/4 cup of butter on the bread sticks and sprinkled lightly with garlic salt. Baked them for 12 minutes, removed, added about 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese and sprinkled parmesan cheese, and cooked 8 minutes more.

**To braid the breadsticks, take one of the 9 sections, roll it out with your hands (like you are making a snake out of playdough) until it is about 18 inches long. Then, pick it up in the middle and cross the two ends over, right end over right end until you reach the bottom.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients:
For the cake:
1/2 pound dates, pitted and coarsely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature


For the toffee sauce:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
For the cake:
Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat 8 (6-ounce) ramekins with butter and flour; set aside. (I used 7 but 3 of my ramekins were slightly larger)
Combine dates, water, and baking soda in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside.
Place salt and flour in a medium bowl, whisk to combine, and set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer over high heat for a water bath.
Combine butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and airy, about 5 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add vanilla extract, then beat in eggs one at a time, just until incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in date mixture until well combined, then stir in flour mixture until just incorporated (don’t overmix).
Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins and set them in a roasting pan or baking dish (you will likely need to use both a 13-by-9-inch dish and an 8-by-8-inch dish to fit them all). Pour simmering water into the bottom of the baking dishes until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Very carefully place the baking dishes on the center rack of the oven. Bake until the center of each cake is just set and a cake tester inserted into the middle of each comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the toffee sauce.

For the toffee sauce:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, add brown sugar and vanilla extract or seeds, stir once, and heat until bubbling and the color of maple syrup, about 5 minutes.
Carefully add cream in a slow stream while stirring, and cook until the sauce bubbles up and increases in volume, about 2 minutes; remove from heat.

To Serve:
When the cakes are finished, remove the ramekins from the oven and place on a cooling rack to come to room temperature. Once the cakes are cool, run a knife around the perimeter of each and invert to remove from the ramekins, then place upright on a serving plate. Serve the cakes at room temperature or slightly warmed, covered in warm toffee sauce.

Bloomin' Bread

Ingredients:
1 unsliced loaf of (round is preferable) sourdough bread
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onion, including white part
2-3 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:
Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust.
Places slices of cheese between cuts. Mix together butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire thing in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Lemon Cream Cheese Danish

Ingredients:

Pastry:
A half-quantity of Processor Danish Pastry dough (recipe below), rolled out, and ready to use

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons ricotta
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of salt
Zest of 2 lemons

Egg Glaze:
1 large egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk

Clear Glaze:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Sugar Glaze:
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar mixed with 1-2 tablespoons warm water

Directions:
1. Line two baking sheets with parchment or Silpat®, and set aside.
2. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the egg yolk, ricotta, vanilla, salt and lemon zest, and mix until just combined.
3. Roll out the pastry into a big rectangle, and cut it in half. Divide each half into thirds, and place 1 heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling on each piece of dough. (It’s tempting to add more filling, but don’t! The filling spreads, so it will seep out of the pasty if there’s too much.)
4. Fold the opposite corners up together, and seal them with a pinch.
5. Place the danishes on the baking sheets, and brush with the egg glaze.
6. Let them rise until they double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. They should feel like marshmallows.
7. About 30 minutes before they’re ready to be cooked, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If the corners have become unsealed, pinch them back together.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown.
9. Transfer the danishes to a wire rack.
10. While the danishes cool, make the clear glaze by heating the granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
11. Brush the danishes with the clear glaze.
12. When the danishes are a lot cooler, drizzle them with the sugar glaze.
Processor Danish Pastry
You’ll only need a half-batch of this dough for the danishes. Use the second half to experiment with another flavor or freeze it for later.

Pastry: (Makes about 2 pounds)
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups white bread flour
1 package (1/4 ounce) rapid-rise yeast or 1 tablespoon fresh yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into thin slices
1. Pour the water and milk into a measuring cup. Add the egg, beating with a fork to mix. Set aside.
2. Set a large bowl near your food processor.
3. Using your food processor, pulse the flour, yeast, salt and sugar just to combine.
4. Add the cold slices of butter. Process briefly so that the butter is cut up a little, though you still want visible chunks of at least 1/2 inch.
5. Transfer the mixture into the large bowl, and quickly add the contents of the cup.
6. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together, but don’t overmix. Expect to have a gooey mess with some butter lumps pebbling it.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, put it in the refrigerator, and leave it overnight or up to 4 days.
8. To Turn the Dough Into Pastry: Remove the dough from the refrigerator, let it get to room temperature, and roll it out into a 20-inch square. Fold the dough square into thirds, like a business letter, turning it afterward so that the closed fold is on your left, like the spine of a book.
9. Roll the dough out again into a 20-inch square, repeating the steps above 3 times.
10. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, if you haven’t already done so at the earlier stage), or refrigerate half to use now and put the other half in the freezer to use later.

Malted Blondies

Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons malted milk powder
14 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 3/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1 cup malted milk balls (like whoppers) coarsely chopped in a food processor
1 cup semisweet, milk chocolate or white chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and malted milk powder together. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until completely combined. Scrape down the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in two batches and beat until just combined. Add the malted milk balls, semi sweet, milk chocolate or white chocolate chips and beat until just combined, about 10 seconds. The mixture will be thick.Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the blondie comes out fairly clean. I like mine on the gooier side so I start checking them a bit earlier than 20 minutes and pull them out when there is a little bit of the batter still stuck to the toothpick.Once the blondies are done transfer to a wire wrack and let cool for 20 minutes. Cut them into squares and serve with ice cream.

Simple Sesame Noodles

Ingredients:
12 ounces, fluid Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained
¼ cups Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Sugar
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
½ teaspoons Hot Chili Oil
4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
2 Tablespoons Hot Water
4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

Mushroom & Swiss Sliders

Ingredients:
⅓ cups Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (less If You're Sensitive To Spice!)
4 Tablespoons Butter
½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped Finely
½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)
4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 pounds Ground Beef
4 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 slices Swiss Cheese, Cut Into Four Squares
8 whole Dinner (or Slider) Rolls, Split

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, and cayenne. Stir together until totally combined. Set aside. (This is the spicy fry sauce.)
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine (if using), Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minute over medium heat, or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.
Mix ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. Form 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping too much when they cook. In the same skillet as the one used to cook the mushrooms, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portion of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top with one or two squares of Swiss, depending on your preference. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a place and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the meat mixture.
Toast halved buns under the oven broiler. Spread generously with spicy fry sauce. Place patties between buns and serve immediately with fried onion strings.

Shrimpo De Gallo (Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients:
1 pound Cooked Shrimp (tails Removed), Chopped
½ whole Red Onion, Diced Finely
½ cups Green Or Black Olives, Chopped
2 whole Tomatoes, Diced
2 whole Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Minced
2 whole Avocados, Chopped
2 whole Limes, Juiced
Kosher Salt To Taste
2 cups Cilantro, Chopped

Directions:
Combine shrimp, red onion, olives, tomatoes, and jalapenos in a large bowl. Add lime juice to taste, then a dash of kosher salt. Add cilantro. Stir gently with a spoon, then taste on a tortilla chip so you’ll have an accurate gauge of the salt content. Add more salt and/or lemon juice if needed.
Chill until serving. Note that the avocado will brown if too much time passes, so if you want to make this ahead of time, leave out the avocado until just before serving.

Gingerbread Cake With Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups flour
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp saltMix until crumbly.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the above mixture for the streusel topping.
To this, add 1/2 cup chopped pecans, if desired.
To the remainder, mix in
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs

Directions:
Pour batter into a well-greased 13x9 baking pan. sprinkle with the reserved streusel topping. Bake at 350 for 28-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Watch carefully so you don't overbake. Let cool slightly, and serve warm with Cream Sauce.Cream Sauce1 cup sugar1 cup heavy cream1/2 cup butterdash gingerCombine and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Stir 4 minutes. Serve and warm sauce over gingerbread. Refrigerate any remaining sauce.

Ice Cream Sandwhiches

Ingredients:
For the ice cream:
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
6 large egg yolks
¾ tsp. vanilla extract

For the cookies:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt

Directions:
Combine the milk, sugar and 1 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture and add the husk of the bean as well. Cover the saucepan, remove from the heat and set aside to steep for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a large bowl with a fine mesh sieve set over the top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour some of the warm milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Continue until you have added all of the milk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 170-175°F.) Pour the custard through the mesh sieve and stir it into the cream. Place the vanilla bean into the custard mixture, stir in the vanilla extract, and stir until cool over an ice bath. Cover and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
Remove the vanilla bean from the ice cream batter, stir well, and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Line a chilled 9 x 13″ pan with plastic wrap. When the ice cream has reached a soft serve consistency, spread some of the ice cream into the pan in an even layer about 1 inch thick. Freeze until firm.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, vegetable oil and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until combined. Blend in the eggs one at a time, and the vanilla extract until smooth. In a separate bowl combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated and a soft dough forms. Gather the dough into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out as many pieces as you can, transferring the cut outs to the prepared baking sheet. Gather and re-roll the dough scraps as needed. If desired, use a wooden skewer to make a dotted pattern on the cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble the sandwiches, use the same cookie cutter that was used for the cookies to cut out pieces of ice cream. Layer one piece of ice cream between two of the cookies and return to the freezer immediately. Wrap the sandwiches individually as desired. Keep frozen until ready to serve.

Vanilla Bean Caramels

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise and scraped
1¼ tsp. fleur de sel, plus more for sprinkling
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup water

Directions:
Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Lightly butter the parchment.
In a small saucepan, combine the cream, butter, vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, pods, and fleur de sel. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture is a light golden caramel color.
Remove the vanilla bean pods from the cream mixture and carefully stir the cream mixture into the caramel – the mixture will bubble up, so pour slowly and stir constantly. Continue simmering the mixture until it registers 248˚ F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into the prepared pan. Let cool for 30 minutes, then sprinkle lightly with additional fleur de sel. Continue to let sit until completely set and cooled. Cut into 1-inch pieces (a buttered pizza cutter works well). Wrap the individual caramels in small pieces of wax paper, about 4-inch squares.

Bennigan's Turkey O'Toole

Pretzel Rolls

2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 1/4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup butter - softened
3 tablespoons baking soda
2 quarts water
1 large egg yolk

In a small bowl, whisk the yeast and 1/4 cup of the water until smooth. In the bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the remaining 1 cup water, the bread flower, yeast mixture, salt, and butter.

Mix at slow speed for three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the hook as necessary the mixture blends evenly. When the ingredients are well combined, increase the mixture speed to high and continue mixing and occasionally scraping until the dough is firm and elastic (about 8 minutes). If the mixture is too firm for the mixer to handle, finish kneading it by hand. Turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly flowered work surface and let rest for five minutes, loosely covered with a kitchen towel.

Line a baking sheet that will fit in your freezer with parchment paper and set aside.Cut the dough into eight equal pieces, approximately 4 ounces in size. Roll each into a five inch long cylinder about one inch in diameter. With the palms of your hands, roll each cylinder into a rope about 12 inches long, of even thickness throughout the entire length. Tie the rope into a loose knot in the center, then tuck the ends under the middle and mold gently into an attractive shape. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

When the pretzel dough is shaped, let it sit in a very warm, moist place to rise until almost doubled in size, about 30 to 50 minutes. Freeze the shaped, risen pretzel dough uncovered on the baking sheet for at least 2 hrs. and up to 24 hrs; the dough should be frozen solid.Before removing the pretzels from the freezer, combine the baking soda and water in a large sauce pan and bring it to a simmer. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the pan from the freezer and, using a large flat skimmer, dip each frozen roll in the simmering water for about 3 seconds, letting the excess water drain before returning it to the baking sheet. Brush the pretzels with the egg and water mixture, then sprinkle coarse salt over them. Immediately place the baking sheet in the hot oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 8-12 minutes more.

Spread
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice +1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, and mustard. Blend thoroughly using a wire whisk.Slowly pour in the honey and lemon juice. Continue mixing ingredients until dressing is smooth and well combined.

Assembling the Turkey O'Toole:
Pretzel Roll sliced in half
2-3 ounces Sliced Turkey (good quality deli sliced turkey, Boar's Head is a good brand)
1 Slice Swiss Cheese (Boar's Head Swiss)
Honey Dijon Spread
Spread approximately 1 Tablespoon Honey Dijon spread on top and bottom pretzel roll. Add turkey to bottom portion of pretzel roll and top with 1 slice of swiss cheese.Put sandwich under preheated broiler to just melt cheese.Remove from broiler and place the top portion of the pretzel roll on top of sandwich.