April Fool's Day Baking Surprises

Nobody really knows how April's Fool's Day got started (I can only hope my ancestors were not involved), but you got to love a holiday where you get to play tricks on people. Of course, I am also one of those gullible people that always falls for everything so I am always an easy target. April Fool’s Day is a great time to try out Food Pranks from Family Fun Magazine. I am talking about fake sushi made with candy, meatloaf Rice Crispy treats, tiny cookie hamburgers and much more. I think I am going to try out the mini meatloaves that look like cupcakes, complete with colored "Frosting" (really mashed potatoes) and the breadstick "french fries". Hopefully my son will fall in love with them and I can "trick" him into eating a full dinner. If this works I might have to make every day a Fool's Day.

Cupcake Three-way

Ok, my naughty friends before you start thinking bad thoughts, I am talking about a woman’s version of three-way. You know, trying to get three things done at one time. This past weekend I needed to make dessert for Easter and treats for a bridal shower. I decided to make three different versions of mini cupcakes to suit the event’s needs. I am a big fan of the mini-cupcake. One, you get more out of the batter than regular size cupcakes, so you can make different kinds. And two, they are better portion control for kids (and adults). As usual I was pressed for time so I started with a mix, the Barefoot Contessa Coconut Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting mix. I mixed up the baking mix and divided it into three different bowls. The first bowl I added some of the coconut and a little lime juice for the bridal shower treats. I topped these off with the frosting and toasted coconut. The second batch I kept plain with frosting and pink & purple sprinkles on top for the kids at Easter. The third batch was the specialty. I added a shot of Grand Marnier to the batter and topped if off with plain frosting with a touch of orange zest. Getting together with the family I knew I was going to need my liquor one way or another. So in the end I had three different projects complete with a little booze thrown in. Now that is what I call a perfect evening.

Corn Pudding

Another holiday, another time to share those great family recipes. This time I got to enjoy my mother-in-law’s Corn Pudding. Yum, Yum, Yum. Kind of like the scalloped corn recipe I grew up with, but with a more smooth custard-like texture. I was finally able to sneak the old recipe card away to type up a copy. I felt as sneaky as looking at someone’s passport records. The only bad side of the recipe is that it is so light and addictive that you just can’t stop. In fact I am going to go for another serving of my leftovers right now. Enjoy!

Corn Pudding

1 can cream corn
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Heaping Tablespoon cornstarch
3 egg yolks & 3 egg whites (separated)
Pinch of salt

Beat egg yokes, sugar & cornstarch. Add corn, milk, butter & salt. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake for 15 min at 350 degrees. Stir everything again and then bake an additional 30-45 min until top is brown.

Spring Cleaning Magic Bars

We all have the same phenomenon. We open the pantry and it is filled with food, but for some reason we just can't find something to eat. Sometimes I am surprised to see what I have lingering in my pantry. So I decided to take some time and clean out a little space. I have a collection of half bag items from previous projects that needed to be used; Coconut (Coconut Macaroons), Butterscotch chips (Oatmeal Scotties) and Graham crackers (which are supposed to satisfy my sweet tooth at night, but I always end up going for the chocolate anyways). So what do you get when you add these to a can of sweetened condensed milk.....Ta Dah!!! Magic Bars. I think they are called that because no matter what you seem to put in them they somehow "magically" always come out good. So here is my spring-cleaning recipe, but you can improvise with whatever you may have in your pantry. Enjoy!

Magic Bars

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 stick butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup coconut
2 cups assorted chocolate chips
1 cup nuts


Melt butter and mix with crushed graham crackers. Pat into 9x13 pan. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over it. Sprinkle remaining ingredients and slightly press down. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

St Patty's Day Mint "Irish" Brownies

I am not Irish, but you have to love a holiday that has green beer associated with it. Since I am not a huge fan of corn beef, I am celebrating the holiday this year with Chocolate Mint Bars. Ever since I saw these staring at me from the cover of my Cooking Light Magazine, I know I had to bake them. My recipe is the same except for three variations:

1. Instead of making the brownie part I substituted with a box mix of brownies. I figure if Sandra Lee can go semi-homemade, so can Baker Babe.
2. For the mint layer I upped the powdered sugar by 1/2 cup and substituted the extract and milk for one shot of peppermint liquor. The true way to make these Irish, right?
3. Lastly, for the top chocolate layer I melted down a few Mint Dark Chocolate Lindt balls that I still had left over from Christmas time.

So there you have it. The perfect way to spread some true Irish Cheer! Enjoy!

Lemon Bars & Coconut Macaroons – Oldies but Goodies

Another birthday for another friend this week. This person is also pregnant and is also one of the few lucky people I know that doesn’t have a strong addiction to chocolate. She is more of a fruity, coconut kind of gal, so I decided to whip up these classic recipes. I have never made both, but have eaten many in my time. I decided to make two treats because after my “Sweet Rice Soup” Disaster I have learned to have a Plan B when gift giving with food (Plan C is stopping at the grocery store and re-wrapping). The Lemon Squares (recipe below) turned out to be much easier then I thought and a nice refreshing change. The macaroons were another story. The first recipe I choose from my Cookie and Biscuit Bible was called Coconut Pyramids (High and pointy). I ended up with Coconut Coasters (flat and crisp). So I tried again with an original Coconut Macaroon recipe (even kicking in a little extra to get the organic coconut). The results turned out much better, but I still think I am going to leave the macaroon baking to the experts in Boston’s North End. Enjoy!

Lemon Squares

1/3 stick margarine
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt

2 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. Flour
grated rind & juice from 1 lemon.

Cream margarine and powdered sugar together. Add 1 cup flour and salt gradually. Pat into 8 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Crust should be light brown. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over hot crust as soon as it comes out of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until firm. Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and cut.

They're hereeeeeeee - Girl Scout Cookie Time

Hi, My name is Baker Babe and I am addicted to Samoa Girl Scout Cookies (or some may know them as Caramel deLites) Yes, my drug of choice are those little rings of coconut and chocolate goodness. I am happy to report that I have been sober for two years now. It took a nasty binge of a whole box to realize that I had a serious problem. My guilt haunts me that I can't support the Girl Scouts and I have to walk out of Walmart during cookie season with my head down hiding my shame. I tired substituting with the thin mints, but they just didn't satisfy the urge. But hope has arrived. I was recently made aware of an up and coming movement with the brilliant idea of recycling the cookies into other delicious bake goods. Below are some great links I found:

http://www.girlscoutstotem.org/Cookies/CookieRecipes.htm

http://www.girlscoutcookiesabc.com/cookies_recipes.asp

http://www.congaree.org/GirlScoutCookieRecipes.htm

So order in the world has been restored. Bring on the order forms, I am ready to face those boxes. Now it is on to fight my other addiction, Boy Scout Carmel Popcorn.

Happy Colon Cancer Month – Banana Cocoa Bran Muffins

I am not a scientist, but I am starting to believe that cancer is contagious. Everywhere I go, I hear stories of people I know getting it. And I refuse to believe it is just because the crowd I hang out with is getting up into the “older” population. So in honor of my friend who was too young to be diagnosed with colon cancer last year and is currently battling through the stages of chemo, I made these Banana Cocoa Bran muffins. Getting your daily bran is one of the simple ways you can stay healthy. And this recipe even makes it tasty doing it. Although they taste like regular treats, I feel the need to warn people of their high bran content. The other thing you can do is to get that colonoscopy or other colon cancer screening test if you are 50 or older. Yeah, it isn’t the most pleasant thing, but just think of it as a great weight loss plan (for 2 days at least). You know the old saying “ An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Well the new saying is “A bran muffin a day, keeps everyone away”. Enjoy!

Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Like it or not my family and friends are getting baked goods for holidays and birthdays this year. It keeps the ideas flowing for my blog and I don’t have to think about what to buy each person. I do have to remember what each person likes. Some like nuts, some are allergic. Some like chocolate, some like white chocolate, etc, etc… My friend’s birthday is this week and since she is pregnant, I figure I can make pretty much make anything and she will eat it. She has mentioned this Rice Pudding recipe I made years ago, so I thought I would try again. Seriously, this recipe is from about 10 years ago from a random email I got from my sister. So I spent my Saturday night cooking this along with some Oatmeal Scotties (Oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips). Although I followed the recipe and even let it cook one hour longer, my mixture never got thick, so I don’t know what went wrong. So instead my friend is getting a new trendy dessert called “Sweet Rice Soup”. If anyone tries this and gets it to work let me know, Baker Babe knows she still has many more baking lessons to learn. Enjoy slurping!

PS. As a side note, I was excited to see that two of the recipes I submitted to our local women’s magazine the NH Mirror were published last week, Chicken Crepes and Pecan Fingers. Of course they used my real name, so I have been fighting the paparazzi this week : )

Rice Pudding

8 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup White Rice
7 Strips lemon peel
7 sticks cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar

In a large pot, heat the whole milk, white rice, lemon peel and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Turn down the heat to low and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. When rice is soft, stir in sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Place over low heat and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring often. Cook until thick. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool. It “should” set like a pudding. Store in the refrigerator.