Jarlsberg Cheese Crackers

Have you ever been to a food blogger conference before? I haven't, but with Blissdom this past weekend, I'm jealous because I want to go to one. Well, maybe this is my lucky post. Jarlsberg USA is offering a scholarship to attend Eat, Write, Retreat 2012 in DC this year. I'm only two hours away, so getting there is no problem. However, with it being a week before my vacation, I can't justify affording it. If I can find a sponsor or win a scholarship, I'm there. Do you think these cheese crackers will win them over? They look like cookies, but I promise they pack quite a cheesy punch. And look at my tiny basket. I knew I had a reason for buying it - to hold these precious Jarlsberg crackers.

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Caramel Popcorn

Ever get one of those giant tins that are filled with popcorn, usually butter, cheese, and caramel? How about a box of Cracker Jacks or Fiddle Faddle? Does anybody else find them…blah? If you are not a fan of caramel popcorn, I promise this will change your mind. I already made this recipe twice plus a coworker made some for me :D

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Chocolate Truffle Tartlets - Tuesdays With Dorie

Today's Tuesdays With Dorie post is the ever-so-decadent Chocolate Truffle Tartlets, made with three different types of chocolate! This is a celebration dessert, which is why I made these last month for my parent's anniversary. They paired very well with the dessert wine I bought in New Jersey (red wine with undertone of cherry), but coffee would be perfect as well.






If you are having a chocolate craving attack, I guarantee these tartlets will fix you right up! Honestly, I shared half with my brother because it was a rich dessert. It also makes a nice breakfast ;)



Since I knew my parents were visiting for the weekend, I split the baking into several time frames. One evening I made the dough. The next morning, I shaped the dough into the pans. Later that same evening, I made the filling and baked them.



The only trouble I ran into was rolling the dough. I couldn't roll it too well into one piece, so I took chunks and patched everything together in the pans.

Unless I know I'm going to feed a crowd or purposely have extras for work, I always scale down the recipes. Originally, this recipe made six tartlets. I had four pans, so after doing some math, I scaled the recipe down to four (with some dough leftover since you can't really cut down an egg). I'm not going to post the actual recipe, but here are the measurements for four tartlets:

3 Tbsp butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
5 egg yolks
2/3 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp sugar
1.33 ounces white chocolate
1.33 ounces milk chocolate
2 cookies

Special thanks goes out to the hosts this week - Steph of A Whisk and A Spoon, Spike of Spike Does Stuff, Jaime of Good Eats n Sweet Treats, and Jessica of Cookbook Habit.

As always, the group encourages you to buy Baking With Julia.

Check back on March 6 for Rugelach and March 20 when I host Irish Soda Bread :D

Banana Cupcakes for #SundaySupper #ProgressiveDinner

Today's Sunday Supper is brought to you by The Inspiring Foodies Tribe. The lovely Isabel of Family Foodie coordinated a progressive dinner, which means one person is responsible for one part of the meal. Naturally, I signed up for dessert, which ended up being Banana Cupcakes. A simple yet moist and delicious cupcake. And although it may seem a little too casual for a nice "get-together," it makes a great dessert to have with your evening coffee.

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Red Velvet Mug Cookies

I know some people are getting tired of all the red velvet recipes being posted the past few days, but I can’t help but share these Red Velvet Cut Out Cookies with you. How can you not smile starting off your day with one of these whimsical cookies accompanying your coffee? And if it’s any consolation, you can make these mug cookies with any type of dough (vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, lemon) and in any shape you want (heart, star, dinosaur, snowflake).
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Review: Cupcakes, Cookies, and Pie, Oh My!

Today I’m bringing you a review of Cupcakes, Cookies, and Pie, Oh My! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. You’ve probably seen their work in previous books such as Hello Cupcake and What's New Cupcake?
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Banana Rum Sauce + Giveaway

Last month, I did a book review on Baking Basics and Beyond by Pat Sinclair. One of the recipes I tried was the New Orleans Bread Pudding with Banana Rum Sauce. Although the pudding was very basic, the sauce was amazing. This is my first time flambeing, and I promise it's easy and worth it! You get the taste of rum without the alcohol.

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White Loaf - Tuesdays With Dorie

Hard to believe Tuesdays With Dorie is ready to start another book! I was a part of the group when they did Baking: From My Home To Yours. However, after I moved and started a full-time job, I ended up falling behind on participation. Now that TwD is starting a new book, I'm going to try baking along again. The book for round two is Baking With Julia, written by Dorie Greenspan. I've had this book on my wish list for awhile because I love Dorie. I think I own about 5 or 6 of her books! The book is a collection of recipes from Julia Child.

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Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Salad

One benefit of living where I do is the Amish. They definitely know how to cook! I very rarely buy prepared foods, but their various creamy salads (potato, macaroni, chicken, even coleslaw) are worth it. Oh and you know those Auntie Ann pretzels you get at the mall? Yea, the Amish make butter pretzels too, except a million times better. Can you even imagine that?? I have about six pounds of potatoes just chilling on my counter, so I decided to make potato salad. But you see, I'm not a big fan of mayo based salads. In fact, this PA Dutch Potato Salad doesn't even have mayo! Need some more convincing? There is bacon.

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