Whipped Feta and Roasted Tomatoes.

I met with a friend, Jess, for a date night last week; and yes, you can have a date with your bestie. We had not spent time together just the two of us in a while and really needed that community. When she asked if we could hang out, my first response was, “Can I bring bread?” Jess is my friend that loves food as much as me. We are always sharing recipes and talking about things we want to try. Anytime I make something new, I gotta give some to Jess to get her feedback. So food is always involved when we get together. I’ve been making lots of breads lately and recently saw a recipe for whipped feta that I knew would go great with a baguette. So I made baguettes, whipped some feta, and roasted some tomatoes, and we enjoyed a fancy charcuterie board with wine outside on her balcony and talked for hours. And both the conversation and the food were good for the soul.

Whipped Feta:

Feta block
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 drop Lemon oil
fresh rosemary - for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and whip until combined.

Roasted cherry tomatoes:

1 pint cheery tomatoes
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients in a small oven safe dish, where the tomatoes are just barely in one layer. Roast for about 25 minutes, until bubbly and soft.

Grab a baguette, slice it up, top with feta then tomatoes for a delectable treat.

pumpkin roll.

After watching The Great British Baking Show, I had to try my hand at making a cake roll. I love challenging myself in the kitchen. And being obsessed with pumpkin and fall flavors, I wanted to make a pumpkin roll. This technique rolls the cake up in a tea towel to cool, and I think that is the key to a perfect, tight roll! We also creatively filmed the process, so if you want to check it out, it’s on my Instagram. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

for the cake batter:

3 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
3/4 flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
scant 1/4 teaspoon clove
scant 1/4 teaspoon allspice

for the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese softened
2 tablespoons butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 375*. Mix eggs and pumpkin in a large bowl with a whisk. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Prepare a 10x15 baking sheet with edges with parchment paper. If you don’t have that size (I don’t) you can fold up the parchment and use baking beads to create a smaller area on your pan. Spray the parchment with non-stick spray. Spread the batter in a thin, even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, until cake is set and spongey with touched.

Prepare for rolling the cake by laying out a tea towel. Generously dust the towel with powdered sugar. Flip the hot cake over onto the towel. Remove the parchment. Roll the cake in the towel, short end to short end. Make as tight a roll as you can and let the cake cool in the towel.

For the filling:
Using either a mixer with the whisk attachment or whisk by hand, add your softened cream cheese and butter and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Add the powdered sugar and whisk until fluffy.

After the cake is cooled unroll the cake carefully. Do not try to flatten the cake, be gentle with the sponge. Carefully spread the filling evenly. Roll the cake back up, carefully removing it from the towel. Dust the finished roll with more powdered sugar. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.

pumpkin scones.

I meant to post this 2 months ago, but better late than never, right?

Dough ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Glaze ingredients:

Cinnamon glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 TBSP water
2 TBSP butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients in a stand mixer. Slowly add in butter and beat for several minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together pumpkin, egg, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add wet to dry until a soft dough forms. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Roll dough out on a floured surface into a rectangle, then cut straight down the middle lengthwise. Now cut widthwise to make squares, then cut into triangles. Makes 12-16 scones. Bake on parchment paper at 425* for 10 minutes. Melt butter in a bowl and add the rest of the glaze ingredients. Pour glaze over scones to your liking.

Daddy's Cookies 2.0

When I was little (and older, let’s be honest) we would make the cookies from the recipe on the back of the Reese’s peanut butter chips package…chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. They are my Dad’s favorite, so they were aptly named “Daddy’s Cookies.” We would make them only a few times a year, and especially at Christmas. As I have been getting more into baking and making my own recipes, I have been wanting to recreate these cookies in my own way. I finally did it. And dare I say, they are better than the original! There is just something about the coconut oil blending so perfectly with the rich chocolate and the gooey peanut butter, completely delectable. If you like my OG cookie recipe, I promise you’ll love this one. Also, in our opinion, they actually taste better once completely cooled instead of right out of the oven, making them even better on day 2! I hope you give them a try! Let me know how it goes!

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 package peanut butter chips

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350*.

In a stand mixer, cream together sugars, butter, and coconut oil. Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add slowly to wet ingredients. Add in PB chips, then chill 15 minutes. On a greased cookie sheet, spoon out 2 dozen rounded tablespoon cookies. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy hot with some vanilla bean ice cream or completely cooled with a glass of milk!