Baked Ziti

serves 2
Ingredients:
about 1/2 box ziti noodles
shredded mozzarella cheese
about 8 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 jar tomato and basil pasta sauce
dried cilantro
salt
black pepper

Directions:
Boil the ziti in a pot of water. While waiting for the pasta to cook, mix together the ricotta cheese and pasta sauce in a medium bowl. Add a pinch or so of cilantro and salt and black pepper to taste. If you have any, you can also add some dried oregano and basil (This is what my mom adds to her baked ziti. Unfortunately, I didn't have any). Drain cooked pasta and add to the sauce mix. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top 10-15 minutes before it is done baking.

Peppermint sugar cookies

I had a lot of peppermint candy left over from the holidays that I decided I needed to do something with. This recipe follows the base recipe for sugar cookies in Joy of Cooking, but I just added peppermint extract and chopped candy pieces. I used chocolate peppermint patties and candy cane flavored white chocolate, but you can use anything you have available. I used snowflake-shaped cookie cutters, but for Valentines Day you could use heart shaped cookie cutters and decorate your cookies with red icing.

Ingredients:
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
2 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup -1 cup (approximate) finely chopped candy pieces

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat in egg, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Stir in the flour with a rubber spatula. Add candy pieces. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. You can wrap extra dough in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

source:
"Rich Rolled Sugar Cookies". Rombauer, Irma S., Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker.Joy of Cooking. New York: Scribner, 1997. 827-828

Chocolate Peanut Butter truffles

Chocolate + Peanut Butter = Happiness

Ingredients:
8 ounces semi sweet chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup peanut butter
about 1/8 cup granulated sugar
about 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Melt chocolate into cream in a small saucepan. Add granulated sugar, to taste. In a medium bowl, beat melted chocolate and peanut butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Roll hardened chocolate into approximately 1/2 inch thick balls and coat in powdered sugar. Eat :)

Carrot Spice Muffins

These carrot muffins are so good. They came out a bit too sweet for my taste, so I decreased the amount of white suger in the recipe from 1 cup to 1/2 cup. They actually taste more like cake than muffins. You could top them with cream cheese frosting for a tasty dessert.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the carrots and ginger. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the sliced almonds. Pour batter into a greased muffin pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Cranberry-Orange Scones

For my first recipe, I decided to try making scones. The original recipe I used is from the wonderful all-encompassing Joy of Cooking cookbook. I modified the recipe slightly, substituting dried cranberries for raisins and adding cranberry and orange juice to the wet ingredients. The finished scones were very moist, but they did not have as stong of an orange flavor as I would have liked. Next time I make this recipe, I think I will add 1/2 cup of orange juice instead of 1/4 and maybe a teaspoon more orange zest.

Cranberry-Orange Scones

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/8 cup cranberry juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425
In a large bowl, whisk thoroughly the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the cranberries. Whisk together in a separate bowl the orange zest, orange and cranberry juices, and the heavy cream, then add to the flour mixture. Mix with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are moistened. Knead the dough gently 5-10 times. Transfer the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8- inch, approximately 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut the dough into wedges, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Brush the tops with cream or milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean- about 12-15 minutes.

Source:
Rombauer, Irma S., Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker. Joy of Cooking. New York: Scribner, 1997. 791

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to share some of my favorite baking recipes, as well as some that I have never tried before. I love baking for my family and friends. It is a great way to get my mind off the stress of school. Enjoy!