Lemon Butter Cookies

Happy Mother's Day to all you mums out there! In honor of our wonderful mothers, we decided to post a delicious recipe that we hope you will love! They are called Lemon Butter Cookies; a Parisian cookie recipe that Andrea just adores! It is a small, light, and delicious cookie that we thought would be perfect for our moms and just so happens to go extremely well with tea!
So please, go bake these cookies for your mom!

Bon Appetite!

Brooke and Andrea

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter

2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

2 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

Grated zest of 1 to 1~1/2 lemons (to taste)

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup of sugar (for coating)

Instructions:

1. Put butter in mixer and beat until smooth.

Add powdered sugar and beat again until smooth and silky. (Ooh! We just love the word silky!)

Beat in one of the egg yolks.

Then add salt, vanilla, and lemon zest.

Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour.

Put dough on a counter and form it into a ball.

Divide in halves and chill for 30 min. (You may need to let it chillax in fridge longer than 30 min. The colder it is, the better it works.)

2. After it's nice refreshing time in the fridge, take the dough out and form it into a 1" thick rope.

Wrap the "logs" in plastic wrap and once again chill in the fridge for 2 hrs. This also presents a wonderful opportunity for YOU to chill at the same time your dough does. (We highly recommend reading a good book, such as: The Percy Jackson Series~Rick Riordan, Little Women~Louisa May Alcott, Heist Society~Ally Carter, and Pride and Prejudice~Jane Austin )

3. Preheat the oven to 350* F and line two baking sheets with wax paper.

4. Sugar Coating:

Whisk remaining egg yolks until smooth enough to use as a glaze.

Spread sugar on a piece of wax paper.

Brush the now relaxed and cool dough "logs" with the egg yolk.

And now roll the dough logs in sugar. (C'mon. Admit it. You love this step. Everyone does.)

Carefully slice the logs into 1/4 inch, wafer-like cookies. (The colder the logs are the better this works.)

Place them on the baking sheets.

5. Bake for 12 min. DO NOT BAKE UNTIL BROWN! These cookies are just meant to be golden.

Take out of the oven and enjoy!! (We do recommend a nice cup of Sleepy Time tea with this! (Umm... Well, at least Andrea does. Brooke REALLY does NOT like tea...)

Bon Appetite!

Because I feel that in the heavens above

The angels, whispering one to another,

Can find among their burning terms of love,

None so devotional as that of "Mother".

~Edger Allen Poe

Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

Okay, so you all should be really proud of us!!! We FINALLY got together and made something!! Unfortunately, we discovered we were quite out of practice! Ok. Confession time. We forgot the eggs. BUT, we remembered just in time, so it did not affect our cupcakes! Another thing we discovered is that Brooke is queen of Zest Virginia! NO KIDDING! That girl can zest some lemons!! On that note, Andrea was shunned from Zest Virginia, seeing as she can't zest a lemon to save her life... While squeezing the lemons, Andrea dropped her lemon in the juice 3 times, and we quickly realized that Andrea was incapable of doing that either... It was SO bad, Andrea and lemons shouldn't even go in the same sentence. Nevertheless, the cupcakes turned out fabulous! We hope that you will try them! :)

~Bon Appetite!

P.S. Happy Spring!

Cupcake Recipe:

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups blueberry (fresh or frozen)

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan

2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs to the creamed mixture and beat well.

3. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Beat portions of dry ingredients into creamed mixture, alternating with milk. Mix for 3 minutes. Mix in vanilla.

5. With spatula fold in blueberries.

6.Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes come out clean.

7. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

Frosting Recipe:

4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

3 tbs. lemon zest *see story above!

1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)

1. In a large bowl cream together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and food coloring until spreading consistency is achieved.

Castella, Krystina. Crazy About Cupcakes.

We're BAAACK!!

Get ready cuz we're back and better than ever, baby!!!
More posts to follow!!

~Bon Appetite!

NUTCRACKER!!!!!

Hey everyone!!!

Wow!! We cant believe it has been more than three months since we last posted!! How embarrassing!! We know there really is no excuse, however let us tell you why we havent been posting... The answer is simple....DANCE!!! Nutcracker season is our biggest and busiest season so we have been up to our heads in rehearsals, classes, costume fittings, mini rehearsals, and pictures!! As some of you might now and others who probably dont...this weekend is the BIG weekend!!! Yes, thats right you guessed it...this weekend is Nutcracker 2010!! We are so excited!! Shows are all sold out and everything is finally ready!! We have been preparing since July so we are all super pumped!! If you dont already know we are both extra excited this year since we both are lead roles: Andrea is Dew Drop and Brooke is Clara. Wish us Luck!! Hopefully after this weekend we can pick up blogging again especially with all the fun holiday baking right around the corner!!

We hope you are having a wonderful almost Christmas break and are baking lots of yummy good stuff to eat!!

We love you all!!

Happy Birthday to Brooke!!!!

Hello faithful foodies!! :o)

Just wanted to let you know that our beautiful, wonderful chef Brooke is going to be turning 14 years old on Friday!!! YAY!! So please take the time to comment and wish her a BIG happy birthday! :o) Because we all L-O-V-E her to Reese's pieces!!

Busy, busy, busy

Hey everyone!! Hope you all are having a great summer! We sure are! If you haven't already heard Andrea is going to be Dew Drop and Brooke is going to be Clara in the Nutcracker of Parker this year!! We are so excited!! We apologize for not posting anything recently, mostly its because we have been so busy with Nutcracker rehearsals and classes, but hopefully we will get a couple new recipes and some pictures up pretty soon.

~Bon appetite

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Here is an totally awesome recipe for soft pretzals. Just like at the mall! Great for sleepovers or parties!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Directions:
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

S'more Brownies

Hey everyone! We have an awesome new recipe for you today!! Here it is!

Ingredients

Crust:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch fine salt

Brownie:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

4 large cold eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

1 bag of Marshmallows

Crush the Graham Crackers

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.

For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.


Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownie. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes

Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden

keep an eye on it, it can go quick, about 2 minutes

Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares.

yum, yum!

WARNING: THIS DOES GET MESSY! AND IS VERY SWEET! NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART!

~Bon Appetite!

Baked Sandwiches

Hello! Today we just stumbled across a really good recipe that Andrea's family knows and loves! It's perfect for taking to a get together or for having a quick and easy lunch! (We didn't take the picture below but this is how it should look.)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbl. melted butter
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp Basil
• 1/4 tsp. Oregano
• 1/4 tsp. pizza seasoning
• frozen bread loaves
• Ham, Roast Beef & Provolone or Ham, Turkey, & Cheddar (1/4 pound of each lunchmeat, depending on which one you are doing)

Instructions

Roll out dough half as wide as the jelly roll pan. Let rest for 5-10 min. Then finish rolling out. In a small bowl add butter and seasonings. Brush the loaves with half of the butter and seasonings mixture. Put meat over half of the dough leaving room at edges. Pinch edges together and brush with the remaining butter mixture. Bake at 400*F for 10-12 min.

~Bon Appetite!

Oreo Dirt Dessert!

Hello food lovers!
We have a new AWESOME recipe for Oreo dirt dessert! Delicious and a cool name! Thanks to Andrea's Aunt Chris for showing it to Andrea! :o)

1 package vanilla instant pudding
2 cups milk
2 tubs of whipped cream
1 package of oreos

Mix vanilla pudding powder with 2 cups milk and place in fridge to thicken. When that is thickened put the 2 tubs of whipped cream in with the pudding and mix together. (It will look like a lot of whipped cream but DO NOT PANIC! It is supposed to be like that!) Okay, next, grab a couple oreos in your hands and crush them into the pudding/whipped cream! Continue until you have crushed up all the oreos. (THIS WILL GET MESSY! you have been warned!) Mix gently until combined. Put in fridge until serving!

~Bon Appetite!

Please Pray!

Hey everyone!
Please pray for Brooke this week as she is going to NY on a missions trip! Pray that her and her youth group will win many hearts for God, have a fun time, and meanwhile still be safe!! Thank you all SOO much!
~Bon appetite!
Andrea

Homemade Mozzarella Goat Cheese

This morning we made fresh homeade Mozzarella cheese. We used goat milk, because Brooke's family recently purchased goats. This is pretty easy to make, but you have definitely have to pay attention!! It took about 30 minutes from start to finish.

We used one gallon of fresh goat milk.

We heated the milk in a stainless steel pan. You will need a cooking thermometer to monitor how hot the milk is getting. Heat the milk and citric acid to 90 degrees F and add rennet. Citric acid

We sliced the curds both horizontally and vertically into pretty small squares.

Next we scooped the curds out of the pan with a stainless steel slotted spoon and put them in a microwave safe bowl. After removing all the curds from the pan into the bowl we microwaved the bowl with the curds in it for 1 min. Then we got rid of the excess whey and heated the bowl for another 35 seconds. We again got rid of the whey and heated again for 35 seconds.

Next we keaded the cheese as if it was bread dough until it was smooth. After we kneaded for about 2 minutes we added about 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt, that we sprinkled over the dough.

Adding the salt.

Next we kneaded the cheese into a ball and let cool. Then we put it in a baggy and stored it in the refrigerator.

If you want more detailed instructions please let us know and we can email you the recipe that we used.

-Bon appetite!!

Crepes

Hey everyone! This morning Brooke's mom and brother made us crepes for breakfast. They were delicious! We thought we would share this wonderful recipe with you.
P.S. We didn't do anything but eat them!!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons melted butter or oil
1 pint milk (2 cups)

Directions:
Beat the eggs and add the sugar, flour, salt, and butter or oil. Slowly add the milk and beat the mixture until smooth. Heat a small skillet. Pour in a small amount of the mixture about 1/4 cup. Turn or toss during cooking until golden on each side. Eat with a filling of your choice! (We like lemon, strawberry jam, raspberries, whipped cream and Nutella but you could basically do anything you like!)

-Bon appetite!!

Carmel Apple Cupcakes w/ carmel topping

Bonjour everyone!! Today we had the fun experience of cooking Carmel Apple Cupcakes with Carmel topping! By the way we didn't have any heavy cream so we used milk instead and it still turned out fine! :) A tip from our kitchen, never be afraid to substitute.

Ingredients for Carmel Apple Cupcakes

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium sized tart apples

Ingredients for Carmel Topping

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Ready with all the ingredients!!

In a large bowl combine the brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla with an electric mixer.

Add eggs one at a time, beat for one minute after each addition.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.


Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Beat until blended.

Peel, core, and chop apples into small pieces.

Combine apples with batter.

Put cupcake liners into a cupcake pan.

Fill the liners 1/2 to 3/4 full of batter.

Bake in oven at 350* for 20-25 minutes.

Ingredients for the Carmel topping.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the brown sugar, butter, and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla.

To test cupcakes place a toothpick into the center of a cupcake and pull it out. If there is batter on the toothpick cook it longer, if not it is done.

Remove from oven. Don't they smell GOOD!!

Drizzle Carmel topping over cupcakes after they have cooled. And don't forget to unwrap them from the liners.

Aren't they gorgeous!! And yummy too!!!

Two very satisfied cooks....

And best of all we know that they are delicious because we got the official Rebekah seal of approval!!!



-Bon appetite!