Italian Dessert

I'm totally and utterly in love with Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop. The gelato (try the snickers flavor) is great and I've never had a baked good that I didn't like. The cannolis are my favorite. This was my first time at the Little Italy location, I usually go to the one in Canton and I take my goodies to go. This time I was on a date so we dined-in. (Side note: parking is atrocious so plan accordingly.) The quality and taste of the product is excellent at both locations, but the service is slow because there's only one waitress even on a busy Saturday night. 

I ordered apple strudel, which wasn't particularly sweet on its own (I didn't mind because I don't really have a sweet tooth) but was sprinkled with cinnamon, drizzled with caramel sauce, and topped with whipped cream. Yum! I also ordered my usual cookies and cannolis to-go. Perfect ending to my night!

Dessert: Peach Cobbler

Peach cobbler is one of my favorite desserts. You can get the recipe for my other favorite, pound cake, here. Something about warm peaches seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with vanilla bean ice cream makes me feel so at home. Its a comfort dessert! Here's mom's recipe

Ingredients

3 large cans (29oz) peaches in heavy syrup
2 boxes of pie crust (2 per box-4 total)
1-2 sticks of margarine or butter
1-cup of sugar
1-tsp nutmeg
1-tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
2-3 tsp vanilla flavor

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Crust

Pie crust needs to be at room temp. Spread a heaping tablespoon of flour on a cutting board (or wax paper on a counter). Unroll pie crust onto flour and press out with a rolling pin or glass with shape of rolling pin. Place 2 crusts in bottom of 9x13 glass pan.

Filling

Reserve about 1/3 cup of peach juice to mix with the flour for thickening. Place the peaches with juice, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large pot, heat on medium until peaches are soft. Mix juice into flour a little at a time so flour does not have lumps. Add to peach pot a little at a time stirring frequently until juices are thick (you may have to add more flour until its as thick as you like it). **Be sure to add juice into the flour or you will get lumps of dough.** Add butter or margarine after juice is thickened. Stir in vanilla flavor (taste and add additional ingredients as needed). Pour peach filling into pan. Unroll and press out 2 other pie crusts and place on top (it's ok to over lap crusts). Crimp together edges.

*Make sure you have foil in bottom of oven to catch drippings*

Bake 45-50 minutes until crust is brown, spread butter on crust and sprinkle sugar just before removing. Check to make sure pie crust has not burned.

Sweet Frog

So I'm a Yogurtland fiend!!! I love the flavor options; I love the fact that the flavor options change and I love the selection of toppings. For a while I've been on a quest to find delicious, well priced frozen yogurt comparable to the reigning king, Yogurtland. My sister took me to Sweet Frog.

"This place is super cute!" That's the first thing I thought when I walked inside. If I had a daughter this could be her room. They have a good variety of flavors and the price is great! I tried the raspberry-pomegranate, I loved the tartness; the key lime pie, which was too sour; and the warm macadamia nut cookie, which tasted so authentic. It was swirled with country vanilla, a perfect combo. 

I found one in Baltimore too, I'm stoked!

Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

Makes 24 or more (I got 27 out of my last batch)

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, or 115 grams) butter, softened
2/3 cup (125 grams) light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon table salt (I often use a half teaspoon, but I like more salt in my baked goods)
1 1/2 cups (120 grams) rolled oats
3/4 cup (120 grams) raisins
1/2 cup walnuts (65 grams), chopped (optional)

Prep

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them.

Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Day Three: Soup for Dessert

Every girl has that time of the month when she craves sweets, snacks, etc.; pretty much all things junk. Unlike the typical woman I'm not a big fan of chocolate at any time of the month. A lot of the time I want a cheeseburger and Doritos, but lately I've really been wanting sweets. I picked up some Florida (being a California girl I'm partial to ours) strawberries while grocery shopping last week, because they were on sale of course. Later that week browsing Taste of Home recipes, low and behold I found a strawberry soup.

Succulent Strawberry Soup
4 servings

Ingredients

2 quarts fresh strawberries, divided
1/2 cup water
5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp orange zest
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Fresh mint and additional strawberries for garnish

Directions

1 Mash half the strawberries with a potato masher or fork and set aside
2 In a blender, combine remaining strawberries, water, sugar, flour, and orange zest; process until smooth. Pour into a 2-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3 Add mashed strawberries. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and chill for at least 1 hour.
4 Stir in cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with mint and strawberries if desired.

Sweet Ending

Before Thanksgiving I bought cranberries because they were on sale. I had no intention of making cranberry sauce but I wasn't sure what I wanted to make with them so I popped them in the freezer. While browsing Taste of Home magazine I found a recipe that had peaches and blueberries. I decided I could substitute cranberries for this so it was perfect. Not to mention how incredibly easy the recipe is. Easy as pie isn't a saying for no reason!

Peach-Cranberry Crumble Tart
(Adapted from James Schend's submission to Taste of Home Oct-Nov 2012)

Ingredients

Crust
1 9" Frozen Pie Crust

Filling
2 Cups fresh cranberries
2 Cups frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, thawed
1 Tbsp honey

Crumb Topping
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 Cup chopped pecans
1/8 Tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preparation
1. Sprinkle the pie crust with cinnamon and pre-bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl combine the cranberries, peaches, and honey; toss to coat.
3. In a small bowl combine the first 5 topping ingredients; stir in butter.
4. Spoon fruit mixture into crust, sprinkle with topping, and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fillings is bubbly.
5. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

*Note: It's pictured here without the crumble that's just because I forgot to take a picture, but don't leave it out, its the best part!

Cajun

Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro in Atlantic Station is a little piece of New Orleans in Atlanta. The atmosphere is great, the service is good, and the cheesecake is perfection. I have a confession to make: every other time I go to this restaurant I order the same thing. Luckily I've been so many times I've tried many things on the vast Louisiana inspired menu. This time I ordered my usual: wings for an appetizer, catish for an entree, and dulce de leche cheesecake for dessert. My friend and I totally indulged! As you can see no vegetables or leafy greens in sight. This is my favorite dish because its always crispy, seasoned wonderfully, and served with fresh cocktail and tartar sauces. The portion is out of control so you can eat it two or three times; talk about bang for your buck! For dessert try any of the cheesecakes and you'll leave satisfied.

Pumpkin Bread

I've this recipe for a while and had been meaning to make it since before Thanksgiving, yet never got around to it. So now that I'm on vacation and have to classes to attend, I decided it was as good a times as any to finally make some pumpkin bread. I love making breads because there's always plenty to share. Not to mention it makes the house smell homey. Below is a recipe I got from Allrecipes that I substituted oil for applesauce. Enjoy!

Original recipe makes 3 - 7x3 inch loaf pans

 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
 4 eggs
 1 cup applesauce
 2/3 cup water
 3 cups white sugar
 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 2 teaspoons baking soda
 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Dessert Please

Café Intermezzo is another Atlanta favorite and a must visit. I haven't had anything I didn't like. I usually go for dessert but the few times I've gotten paninis they were good. There's a wide variety of hot, cold, alcoholic, non-alcoholic, caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages to choose from. When you go don't ask for dessert menu because there isn't one! Everyday the dessert cases are filled with different fluffy cakes and creamy cheesecakes. You can be a "regular" and not get the same thing every time. 

I ordered the orange cream cake which was moist and provided just the right combination of tart and sweet. I liked that the cake itself had the orange flavor as opposed to just the frosting. It tasted like a orange creamsicle. One of my friends ordered the lemon cake that was made similarly. Another friend ordered the strawberry cheesecake. Hands down the best I've ever tasted. It wasn't just a plain cheesecake thawed and topped with that disgusting strawberry gel. The strawberry was incorporated into the cream cheese filling! So delish! Can't wait to go back and try something else!

City Café

Back to one of my favorite places in Mount Vernon. The last time I went was restaurant week. The friend I went with back then wanted to go again. Being incredibly busy people, months later we finally got together last Friday. Dinner, dessert, and hours of great conversation are always welcomed on a Friday night. 

We shared an appetizer, the MEATLESS NACHOS with Green Chili Chickpeas, Pepperjack Cheese Sauce, Fresh Salsa, Guacamole & Sour Cream. All the ingredients were fresh as opposed to canned. I'm definitely going to make nachos at home with chickpeas; who knew it would be so good?

I ordered the CHILEAN SEABASS which was Pan Seared, with Jumbo Lump Crab, Beurre Blanc, Whipped Potatoes & Asparagus I'm kind of a seafood snob and City Café never disappoints. The fish melted in my mouth. It was fresh and perfectly seared. I could eat that meal everyday . . . if only I had the metabolism of a 16 year old boy. 

My friend got the LAMB & VEAL MEATLOAF it was Prosciutto Wrapped and served with Whipped Potatoes, Local Green Beans, and Rosemary Demi Glace. It was very hearty and the gravy was scrumptious.

For dessert I had the Heathbar Crunch Bread Pudding with House Made Caramel Sauce and Fresh Whipped Cream and my friend ordered the Baileys Creme Brulee With Chocolate Curls & Fresh Whipped Cream. Both equally delectable!

Toffee Chip Cookies

For those who don't love chocolate as much as others or just want to switch it up and try something different, this one's for you! Dare I say it, I'm a woman and I'm not a huge fan of chocolate. I don't like chocolate cake, cookies, ice cream, milk, etc. Oddly enough I do enjoy the occasional brownie, but I usually make chocolate chip cookies without the chips and just add nuts. People usually say aren't those just sugar cookies but, anyone who knows cookies knows that isn't the case. I didn't know what to call them since they're technically not chocolate chip cookies, but a little while ago a friend told me to call them "feel good" cookies because I usually make them when people are feeling bad to cheer them up. 

I was in the store this past weekend and all the baking candies were on sale so I picked up Heath chocolate toffee bits and butterscotch chips to try in my "feel good" cookies, that's how this adaptation came about. It's a basic recipe; I'm pretty sure this one is on the back of the Nestle Toll House package.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heath chocolate toffee bits

Note: I usually half the recipe even for two or three people but if you're serving a group make the whole thing.


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.