Barefoot and Baking...and a babyshower!

Greetings on this new April Fool's Day! Can't believe how fast the past year flew by me...but I know I will continue to say those exact words the older I become. I didn't have a chance to post last week, because I was insanely busy. Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen had 2 dessert orders and1 baby shower all in a matter of  2 days. Might not seem like much for a bakery (which I am not), but I was not only baking for the baby shower, I was hosting it as well. And as many of us can attest, hosting is a lot more then plopping down some cookies and saying "Eat Up!" Since I live in a country where the concept of a baby shower is a foreign idea, I had to improvise a little, as not to completely overwhelm the new mom to be with our big American celebrations. The guest list was roughly 35 ladies and I think in total we were 32. In my small European flat, that is quite a significant amount of bums to find space for. It was crowded, it was loud, there was laughter, crying (babies), screaming (small children), drinks spilled, gifts opened and dessert devoured. Since this is not a typical Swedish tradition to bring gifts before the baby is born, I worked out a way of giving one big gift that people just paid into. I saw the awesome idea of a diaper cake online and thought it looked fairly easy and super cute. The easy part, definitely took my husbands incredible idea skills to help form the basis of the cake (getting all those diapers to sit together in a nice circular motion). He actually was the main assembler, but with out my ability to tie a string around those diapers, they wouldn't have stayed. =)
Aside from the baby shower, I had my usual weekly baked good I deliver on Fridays (which I didn't have this week, hence the fact that I am writing about the past) and one luncheon that I made my scrumptious brownies for. Unfortunately, the luncheon was canceled, so I shared the goods with a few friends. My regular weekly baked good was French Silk Pie. Totally a chocolate lover's dream.
I heard it was on the sweet side, so if you are not into a lot of sugar, you can always put less in. My trick though, is knowing that something is rich and sweet and that people can only take a little bit of it, and they will not forget it. It's a psychological thing. (I am making this up)
Next week's endeavor is going to be really exciting. I found a new recipe by...can you guess? Martha Stewart of course! It's called Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake Squares. Looks absolutely divine. If you must have the recipe immediately to try, then check out Martha's website, otherwise I will post next week and include the recipe. This week's recipe will be that infamous French Silk Pie.

Until my next post..I suggest you check out the blog The Pioneer Woman, she has awesome stuff going on.
Barefoot and Baking in the Kitchen



Pie crust ready to go in the oven

 












Mixing sugar and margarine

Cocoa added

Vanilla
















Mix well

Firs of four eggs, each needs 5 minutes
mixing time.

Nice peaks

Second egg

Getting fluffier

Third egg

Silkier













Silky and smooth

Nice mousse texture

Fourth and final egg

Nice French silk style

Pour into baked pie crusts

Refrigerate

Add whipped cream with sprinkled
chocolate slivers on top before serving.
I don't have pictures of that final process.

French Silk Pie Recipe

Pie Crust (makes 1 pie):
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup  margarine
2 tbsp. ice water
Mix flour and salt  add in margarine and water. Form a dough ball and then roll out and put into pan.  Bake 15 minutes (or until golden brown) at 350F or 225C

French Silk Mousse:
1/2C butter(softened)
3/4C sugar
3 tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
Cream butter and sugar, add cocoa and vanilla, beat until smooth. Beat 1 egg at a time for 5 minutes into the mixture. Should be silky smooth. Pour onto crust and chill for at least an hour. Add whipped cream and sprinkled chocolate pieces before serving.

Enjoy!!!

Beyond baking borders

Greetings from my couch...where I am eating a piece of pineapple pie and drinking my new favorite hot drink, consisting of hot water, fresh lemon juice, sliced pieces of ginger and honey.  Since I am barefoot and baking in the kitchen, my posts are primarily consisting of baking adventures, however in this post I will broaden my field just a little..nothing outside the kitchen...but I want to share a super yummy meal that I made last night. I am an avid soup and bread fan and when I find a good soup recipe I feel my recipe book becomes more complete. Last night we had a few guests over and so I decided that I would win them over with my amazing soup skills. The soup was made with leek and potatoes and creme fraiche. Creamy in it's consistency, this soup is melt in your mouth goodness. Served on the side was home made rosemary and sunflower bread. Confession: made in our bread machine...every baker has their weakness. I recommend this combo as the flavors in the soup and bread complimented each other perfectly. For dessert, I served pineapple custard pie. Last week, we bought a fresh pineapple (definitely better in Thailand) and made sweet and sour vegetables for dinner. Since we had half of it left over which needed to be used I thought about combining it with a normal pie crust as the base and then covered with custard. It looked great and I think it tasted okay, but here is my suggestion. Since it was a fresh pineapple, the taste became a little more bitter and that taste unfortunately took over too much for me to say this was one of the best desserts ever. However, I think if you want to make this...which I am sure I have totally convinced you with my incredible advertisement...use canned pineapple. It's sweeter to begin with and I think (but no guarantees) that it will taste better. If it still taste bitter, then I suggest you throw away my recipe. Who wants crap dessert...not me!
All in all I think our dinner was a success, the guests were happy, which is a good thing. So I would recommend winning your guests over with this steaming bowl of  creamy soup, rosemary bread and pineapple pie.

Until my next post, branch out beyond your normal boundaries and share the goodness with others.
Barefoot and Baking ( and cooking) in the kitchen

Chopped Leeks and Potatoes

 Melting butter

Chopped garlic

Cooking leeks

Potatoes added

Bringing to a boil

Finished product

Bread baking in the machine. I just added rosemary
and sunflower seeds to the recipe. You can use your
favorite bread recipe.

Pie crust in the beginning stages

Forming dough

Nice and shaped in the pie dish

Chopped pineapple

Baked pie, please excuse the eaten sides,
this picture was taken after it was served

Recipes for soup and pie

Leek and Potato soup
2 tbsp. butter/margarine
2 garlic cloves
3 large leeks(purjolök in Swedish)
5-7 potatoes (medium to large is fine)
1/2 tbsp. thyme
1/2 tbsp. basil
1 tbsp. oregeno
1/2 tsp. rosemary (optional)
2 bay leaves
3.5-5 C. vegetable stock (make sure the water is covering the potatoes, I add more if needed)
1 C. creme fraiche

Melt the butter in a large pan, add farlic and cook 1 minute. Add leek and cook for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, herbs and stock, bring to boil, then cook on lower hear for 25 minutes. Cool and then transfer 1/2 the soup to the blender or mash it in the pan. return to the rest of the soup. Stir in creme fraiche. Sprinkle shredded cheese for serving.

Pineapple pie
Crust:
1 C. flour
1/2 C cold butter
pinch of salt
2 tbsp. ice water

Mix the dry ingredients, cut in butter add ice water and continue working until dough forms. Roll out and put in pie 9" form

Chop pineapple into small pieces pour on the crust.

Custard
Either buy already made or powdered and follow instructions. I had a box of custard mix and I made 4 portions which was enough to cover the entire pie.

Served with hot tea or coffee!

Streusel your way into their hearts

Greetings! Today has begun the official transition into spring...or at least I hope so. The snow is nearly melted and there is, despite the chilliness, a wind that ushers in the glories of springtime. My tulips and daffodils are starting their ascent and are popping their little heads out of the ground. I really enjoy this time of year and as always I enjoy baking, no matter what season it is. I was not able to blog last week about my baked good, because I was battling a cold. But alive and thriving this week, I have two new recipes to share with you.
The first recipe which I did last week, was my own creation. Now before you think...AMAZING, she's the next Martha Stewart ( I kind of wish) let me assure you that this creation was super simple and anyone skilled or not skilled can do it. It was sort of like the raspberry trifle I made last year, but instead I used bananas and a few other goodies. I used pound cake (recipe found under Raspberry Trifle Post) as the base, crumbled it up and pushed it into the bottom of a glass bowl (enough for 12 people). Afterwards I mashed bananas with some cloves into a bowl and then spread it on top of the pound cake. Then I used whipped cream on top and sprinkled chopped chocolate and almond bits on top. Chilled it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.  It looked fabulous and I hate to say it, but in my cold-state, I forgot to take any pictures of this lovely chilled dessert. But here's where your part comes in, you can just imagine all the ingredients I stated and put them together and hopefully you will see a nice dessert you can serve to anyone. My next dessert, which is being served tomorrow morning,  is a streusel topped coffee cake. I got this recipe from a good friend of mine and it is currently filling my house with exceptional smells as it bakes. I have been wanting to make a good coffee cake for a while and I think this recipe hit the target for me. It consists of cardamom as it's main flavoring and cinnamon in the streusel. Yummy! This cake was super easy and quick to whip up. If you have 30 minutes or so to spare, you can have a hot, fresh coffee cake ready to serve to visiting friends. This I would totally recommend with a steaming cup of coffee.

Until my next post...enjoy the sights and smells around you.
Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen


Streusel topped coffee cake














Getting ready to bake

Recipe for Streusel Topped Coffee Cake
1 egg
3dl sugar--->1 Cup
100 grams butter/margarine (softened)--->1/4 Cup
3dl milk--->1Cup
7.5dl flour--->3 Cups
4tsp. cardamom
4tsp. baking powder
2tsp. vanilla

Streusel topping:
100 grams butter (softened--->1/4 Cup
3dl sugar--->1 Cup
3dl oats--->1 Cup
2tsp. cinnamon
1dl chopped almonds (optional)--->1/4 Cup
(Note: Measurements were converted online, so I am not sure if they are exact. This is the hard thing with living in a place where I bake with deciliter measurements, but also use my American measurements too. Hopefully your cakes will turn out.)

Mix the sugar and egg together until creamy. Add butter and milk and stir (will be lumpy). Then add dry ingredients stir and pour into baking pan. In a separate bowl mix streusel mixture and then sprinkle on top of cake batter. Bake 225C or 400F for 15-30 minutes. ( I am currently baking and this cake has been in for about 30 minutes and still not done. So it does take a while, but it might go faster for you)

Enjoy!!

A Chocolatey Sunday

Greetings on this cold and icy Sunday evening. I was just out for a bit dropping of some goodies for a friend of mine that is returning home tomorrow from India. She is a neighbor, so I only had to walk across the apartment complex to deliver my little welcome home gift. What appeared to be a simple task of walking, turned into a slippery slide all the way there and back. Mind you I had the wrong shoes on to begin with, but like I said it was just across the lawn, so I didn't think it would be a big deal. Bad idea! I got to a minor slope (really minor) and found that the more I took steps to go up the more I was sliding backwards. The ground around that is covered in snow has turned to a sheet of ice and I had to hack my way to the neighbor's flat. This was not what I planned on blogging about...but there you have it, my adventure for the day.

Today I have been puttering about the house doing random things. That's what Sundays are like for me...random and relaxing...usually. I had two baking tasks that are due for tomorrow, so apart of this random day was something that I am supposed to blog about...baking. The first baking endeavor is for a co-worker that is leaving the organization and her last day is tomorrow. This co-worker has a milk allergy...not lactose, but an actual allergy to milk products. Baking then becomes a little trickier...but definitely NOT impossible. I decided on a very simple goody that is a common Swedish tradition. They are called chocolate balls. This is the easiest recipe ever. You mix all the ingredients together and form small balls and roll them in either coconut shavings or pearl sugar (also known as nib sugar or hail sugar). Then you refrigerate these small balls for as long as you like and serve them. They are the perfect little treat for any occasion.
My next endeavor is what I am going to dub as Dark Almond Brownie Deluxe. Basically I took my winning brownie recipe and added dark chocolate bits, crushed almonds and a little more cocoa to make it a gorgeous ebony color. I wanted to have a really killer name instead of brownies containing such and such ingredients. The house currently carries the scent of this latest baked good, which I find delightful to my sense of smell. I will serve this deluxe brownie with whipped cream, which is also a typical Swedish thing. It may be that I have lived outside the States far to long to remember if we do the same thing, but there it is...I am giving the claim and fame to Sweden. This brownie in its original form (minus all added flattery) is one of the best things I can bake. Even though it's the simplest of recipes in my book, this brownie wins over everyone I serve it to. I have no idea why, I don't do anything special...it's just a freaking good brownie. So I think adding a few more great ingredients will hopefully only enhance the goodness. Fingers crossed this time that the old saying "too much of a good thing is a bad thing" doesn't apply to these scrumptious smelling deluxe brownies.

That's all from me on this slippery, Sunday evening.
Until my next post add a little more glamor and glitz to your basic baked goods...could completely enrich the taste.
Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

Fresh out of the oven













Chocolate balls after sitting in the refrigerator.
Good thing about these is that you can stack them
and they will not get squooshed.

Recipes for Chocolate balls and Dark Almond Brownie Deluxe

Chocolate balls
100 grams margarine (you can use milk free butter, it worked the same)
1dl sugar
3 dl oats
2 tbl. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbl. cold cooked coffee (optional if you don't like coffee)
Bowl of coconut shavings or pearl sugar ( I usually just pour a small amount in at first and then add more if I need)
Warning: This can be very messy since you are rolling them in your hands 

Mix all ingredients together and form small balls and  roll in coconut or pearl sugar and refrigerate until eating, at least 1 hour.

Dark Almond Brownie Deluxe
1/2 C butter (melted)
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 C flour
1/3 C cocoa (add another tablespoon if you want it really dark)
1/4 baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup crushed almonds
1/2 cup (100grams) dark chocolate bits

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Put in baking pan (9x9 works or normal brownie dish you would use)

Heavenly combo (chocolate and mint)

Greetings from my cozy couch! I was having hope yesterday that the frigid weather we have been experiencing was slightly changing toward the springtime...but was sorely proven wrong as I watched snow flakes float from the sky today. Being back from Thailand just over a week and my body is still having a hard time adjusting to this batch of coldness.
However, despite the moodiness of the weather and my feelings about it's changes, baking is one essential thing that can bring about a small amount of joy. I have turned to Martha Stewart (surprise!) for today's baking endeavor and am attempting a new cookie called Chocolate Mint Sandwiches. On her website there is even a video of the baking queen and some Hollywood actress casually baking in her studio's kitchen. I thought just the sound of chocolate and mint together was fabulous, but watching it convinced me more that I need to give this a try. Cool thing is, it's so easy. I have successfully made the cookie dough, which is presently chilling in the fridge. Warning: if you are on a diet or are thinking about getting on one I suggest you steer clear of these scrumptious cookies. The dough alone was heavenly and I had to tell myself, for fear of making myself sick, that I was not allowed to keep "testing" it. That can be a baker's death...the testing of all your baked goodies. So in order to keep myself from forming a very large bum, I wrapped the dough in separate parchment paper packages and stuck them in the refrigerator. Since I have to do this cookie in three steps and the first one takes about an hour, I decided to start this post mid baking process. I will leave this part of the post to continue with steps two and three and then proceed with the details about those steps.
*Break*
Well I have another 10 minutes of waiting for the nearly finished cookies to be complete with the last step of dipping the cookies into chocolate for a nice glaze effect. This cookie was actually really fun to make and super yummy to taste. I will have to work extra hard tomorrow during Zumba...seeing as I just couldn't beat the temptation of tasting the dough. Although it does come to a point of chocolate overload, with the full remorse and regretfully wondering why I didn't listen to myself before indulging in more then I should. When will I ever learn this lesson? Guilt set aside...I totally recommend these cookies! They are a winner in my recipe book. Martha has once again shown me that she knows her stuff. Though I do wonder if it's she who comes up with all these recipes herself or if there is some under paid person sitting in the background making up killer recipes that cause all of us work harder at Zumba.
Another break to finish up these "darn freaking good" cookies!
*Break*
Completion!!! The cookies are now in the refrigerator for the next 15 minutes until they set and then tomorrow they will be delivered to those that will have the joys of consumption.
This cookie would be great to make with kids. It's a bit messy...no matter how clean Martha looks. Dipping cookies into chocolate has the tendency to drip and get on my hands. Lick...lick. Would be a great cookie to try in a home economics course as well. Wherever you attempt it, I guarantee it will be pleasurable to your taste buds.

Until my next post enjoy the end of February and bring in the spring with a tasty treat!
Baking and Barefoot in the kitchen



Light and fluffy butter and sugar

Flour and cocoa combo

Blending the eggs well

Pouring in the cocoa mixture

Batter will be crumbly once you get it
mixed together so don't worry.

Dough formed into disk

 Pressed into parchment paper

Powdered sugar surface for rolling
out the dough easier.

Cookie cut outs

Ganache filling

Ready for applying ganache to the cookies

Makes a nice filling

Cookies pressed together ready to be refrigerated

Chocolate being melted for the dipping
process

Dipped chocolate mint sandwiches

Recipe for Chocolate Mint Sandwiches:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

Makes 3 dozen

• FOR THE COOKIES
• 1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• Confectioners' sugar, for work surface
• FOR THE GANACHE
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• FOR THE GLAZE
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped

Directions

1. Make cookies: Whisk together cocoa powder and flour in a bowl. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg until well blended. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer dough to a work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 2-inch round cookie cutter; space 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining scraps of dough. Bake cookies until firm, rotating sheets halfway through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
3. Meanwhile, make ganache: Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chocolate. Cook, stirring constantly until chocolate is smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Let cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Spoon 1 teaspoon ganache onto the bottom of 1 cookie; sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and ganache. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
5. Make glaze: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl (I just used a small pan and put the chocolate directly in it)  set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly. Dip one flat side of each sandwich into melted chocolate to coat; gently shake off excess. Place sandwiches, chocolate sides up, on wire racks set over baking sheets. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Cookies can be refrigerated in a single layer in airtight containers up to 2 days.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Chocolate-Mint Sandwiches - Martha Stewart Recipes

Back to blogging

Greetings! I know that it's been a super long time since my last post. I have a great excuse for it though, my husband and I were in Thailand for a vacation. Needless to say I have not been baking in that time. I will however, start up again in the kitchen this afternoon with muffins. A classic, baked good in my recipe book that has been done so many times, the page shows the remnants of the ingredients strewn from top to bottom. Side note: I am not the most tidy of bakers...it is normal for bits and pieces of ingredients to have flown all over the kitchen, as well as, in the correct mixing bowls while I am baking.
The reason for baking these muffins, is not just so my hubby and I can savor their moist, saporous goodness. Our downstairs neighbor is returning home from a three month journey around the world and what better to come home to than freshly baked muffins. This is my way of welcoming her home and I think personally that she will like it.

This morning I was thinking of ways that I can make more people feel cared for through some areas I do best. I was imagining having a few guests for a really nice brunch, with fresh scones, fruit, cheese, coffee and milk in a lovely little saucer. I am one who enjoys my daydreams, but maybe there is a point to those moments of floating away in my mind...
This is not a long post today, but it feels good to have my fingers punching in the keys and knowing that I am once again barefoot and baking in the kitchen.

Until my next post let yourself float in your dreams just a little,
Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

Recipe for muffins can be found on the last post, but I did a little something extra in these. I put in substitute of the berries (kiwi pieces), added 1/2 tsp. of cloves and 1 1/2 tsp. of honey. The batter tasted delicious!