Valentine's Day Fun

I recognize that I've only made this simply a food blog but I've made a few fun Valentine's crafts lately that I thought might be worth sharing. The first is a wreath made out of Hershey's kisses.

 It's really simple and can easily carry over for holidays. This one is hanging at my work and I think people thoroughly enjoy coming up and grabbing a chocolate.

You will need a styrofoam circle, glue gun, super glue, Hershey's kisses or other candy, ribbon, and for this one I also got a heart to hang in the center.

With the wreath flat on a table (I put newspaper underneath to prevent ruining the table) begin gluing on the candy by putting a small amount of glue on the bottom and then pressing it on the outside edge of the wreath, so that the candy is touching the newspaper covered table. Continue putting the next candy right next to it. Once you've completed a row, do the next row, continuing until the wreath is covered. There's really no wrong or right way to do it. You could also start gluing candy over the whole wreath in any order. 

Using ribbon I tied the heart to hang in the center and then carefully super glue the ribbon to the back. Loop another ribbon through that and super glue it to the back too. Once it's dry, hang it up. 

Next time I make one I will likely paint the styrofoam first to give it some color underneath also so that as candies come off, it stays pretty. With the kisses, if you pull the tab on the candy, the chocolate falls out leaving the wrapper on, which keeps the wreath with some texture and color as the candies disappear.

The next one is something I made for my husband. I sewed 14 little hearts and hid them around our apartment. As he finds them - he puts them back in the jar. Cheesy? Yes - but it's something I hope our kids one day will get a kick out of searching for the hearts. It's Elf on Shelf for Valentines day.

To create the hearts, I folded fabric in half and drew half a heart. I created 5 different shapes and then traced those shapes of 5 other types of fabric. Then I pinned the fabric, wrong sides together, and stitched the heart, leaving a space to turn the heart inside out and stuff. After stuffing, I stitched the hole closed. It does take some patience to stitch smaller hearts, so create bigger hearts if you know that will trouble you.

I ended up with 14 hearts, one didn't make it. I then simply decorating an old Almond Butter jar. The jar is now slowly filling up as my husband finds the hearts, enjoy!

Zucchini Soup

We've been enjoying enduring experiencing some cooler and overcast days lately which to me screams soup for dinner. My ultimate favorite soup is zucchini soup and it's an easy soup to make too.
This recipe is incredibly versatile and I doubt I make it the same time every time.

First start with your vegetables: chop up a yellow onion and throw in a pan with a tablespoon of butter to start sauteing. Then chop up your zucchini. Depending on the size of the zucchini depends how many you'll need. I usually use 6 small zucchinis. After chopping your zucchini throw them in the pan and start heating up chicken broth. I heat up 2 1/2 to 3 cups. If you want your soup more "soupy" use more chicken broth.

I like to use "Better Than Bouillon" for my chicken broth.

Meanwhile, continue to cook the zucchini and onion on a lower heat until they are soft, if you need more butter add some now. I also like to add a little bit of salt and pepper at this point to layer on flavor.

Once the zucchini is soft, add a little bit of broth and using either a blender or immersion blender - puree the mixture. If you use a standard blender take the center of the top out and cover it with a towel to allow heat to escape. If you have an immersion blender, I recommend using that and then you don't have to worry about transferring the soup to and from the blender.

As soon as you have everything blended add more broth until you have the consistency you're looking for. Then add your spices, cheese and cream.

I use Cayenne pepper, a dash of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Also add a little bit of cream and cheese. I like to use Parmesan cheese but you can play around cheese and spices.

This soup seems to do wonders when I have a cold  -and often times it is the only thing I crave when I'm under the weather. You can always find the ingredients at a local Farmer's market this time of year which gives this soup a farm to table feel as well.

Pink Salt!

It's Breast Cancer Awareness month and you're probably seeing pink EVERYWHERE! I think it's great! So in honor of the month - I'd like to share my new favorite cookie essential - Himalayan Pink Salt. It's chock full of natural minerals that you won't find in normal table salt.

 I used to only be able to buy it online but I found this grinder at *drum - roll* WALMART! I was shocked to see it there but grateful at the same time.

I also have another form of the Himalayan salt that I've been using instead of Kosher salt in my Deep Dish Pizza Recipe. It's absolutely divine.

So the next time you're in the spices aisle - consider giving it a chance.

Halloween Cupcakes

I love the Halloween season and one of the biggest reasons is because of these cupcakes. It's a recipe I remember having as a child and during October it was always fun to hear that there is a "ghost" inside the cupcake. Once you've taken your first bite - sure enough you found the "ghost" or cream cheese filling inside.

The best part of these cupcakes for a baker - they're easy to put together and you don't have to worry about making the frosting pretty.

For the cream cheese filling:
Mix together 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar one egg, 1 cup mini chocolate chips and a pinch of salt. Then set it aside.

For the Chocolate cupcakes:
Mix together 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 4 tablespoons cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Then slowly mix in 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3/4 cup vegetable oil and 2 cups water. Mix well together for 2 minutes.

Use cupcake liners in muffin tins and fill each one 1/2 full of batter, then put a dollop of filling and then cover with more batter. Each cup should be about 3/4 cup full.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes. Cupcakes are done when you can insert a toothpick into the center of cake and it comes up clean.

While the cupcakes are baking - make the frosting.
 You'll need to melt 6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate. I like to melt it in a glass bowl placed in a pot of warm water over a slightly warmed stove. It's the same idea as a double boiler, which I don't own so I improvise. You could also warm it in the microwave - just be very careful not to burn it. If it burns - you'll have to start over :(

Once your chocolate is melted scrape it into a blender. Add 1 cup + 2 tablespoons evaporated milk and 1 1/2 cup sugar. Turn the blender on. You will know the frosting is done when you hear the sound in the blender change.  Once it's done - give it a taste test just for fun - place it in the fridge for 30 minutes before frosting the cupcakes.

Decorations are what make this treat perfect for Halloween. Using black decorating frosting, Milano cookies and Brach's mellowcreme pumpkins you can make the perfect mini headstone setting. The cookies can be inserted into a cooled, frosted cupcake easily.

My favorite part is watching kids eat these. I told my nephews earlier about the "ghost" inside. They immediately pulled the cookie out and part of it broke off staying in the cupcake so they were able to look in and see the cupcake. It's that moment that makes the baking, frosting, and decorating 100% worth it and I can already promise you I'm making them again next weekend. Happy Halloween!

New Favorite Cupcake

I love cupcakes. There is something so quaint and wonderful about eating your own little cake. They make for the perfect sized dessert that's already portioned for you so you don't have to worry about over-indulging. I also love s'mores, which are a much harder treat to indulge in and not want another one. So... I've discovered something amazing. A s'more cupcake so delectable, you'll be satisfied with one. These things are A M A Z I N G!!!  I searched for weeks to find the right recipe to try. There are dozens of variations throughout the web of s'mores cupcakes recipes. In the end I settled for this one.  The recipe comes from Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle who's owner Jennifer Shea shared it Martha Stewart. I'm so grateful I found it!

Aren't they so cute?  I absolutely love these cupcakes.... HOWEVER .... They are labor intensive (it's totally worth the work.) Each time I've made them I have to remind myself to move slowly so that I don't miss a step or fumble. At this moment I suggest you read through the recipe and then click back over here. I won't be addressing each step on here, only adding my commentary.

 Let me tell you a tip about the crust. Do this part first! The recipe has you do this step after you have made the cake batter. I've found myself losing momentum if I wait to do this part. It's so much more rewarding to have it already done then once the batter is done, you can pop the tins in the oven rather than taking the time to put the crust into each mold.                                                         

Also, rather than using bittersweet chocolate, I used semisweet chocolate chips. Just drop six or seven into each mold. It's easier to measure and not everyone is a fan of a super bitter taste.

 The bitter taste actually helps balance the sweetness of the toasted frosting really well. If you do use the bitter chocolate; it won't taste bitter.

The second time I made this cupcake I used dark cocoa powder. It was so much better than just normal cocoa powder. If you opt to use dark cocoa powder, stick with semi-sweet chocolate for the layer right above the graham cracker crust.  I promise you, the marshmallow frosting is so sweet, it really compliments a dark/bitter chocolate cake.

If you're making the frosting at a higher elevation it will take longer to mix.  Lift the whisk out of the mixer and if the mixture doesn't move, it's done.

One day I hope to have my own kitchen torch, but for now I'm borrowing my mom's; so I need to take a moment to thank her. Thanks Mom for fostering a love of food, cooking and baking. I owe everything I learn about cooking and baking to you. 

A final note, this recipe has always yielded more than two dozen cupcakes for me. So I'll make a small cake as well. Enjoy!

Deep Dish Pizza

My husband LOVES Chicago Deep Dish Pizza!  So I decided, I bet I could make that. I researched. Bought a deep dish pan. I made an attempt. It was delicious. I have since made it several times. I found a few recipes and tweaked them a bit to make them my own.


Pizza Dough for 10" pie


3 Cups Flour
2 1/4 tsp. yeast proofed*
1 1/2 tsp.Kosher Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Sugar
3 TB Canola oil
1 TB Olive Oil
3/4 Cup warm water
*Proof yeast by mixing yeast with 1/4 cup warm water. Then mix 1 tsp. of sugar in. Let stand for ten minutes.
Mix flour, salt and sugar together then add the yeast mixture. Add a little bit of water at a time while using your hands start to form the dough into a rough ball. Add the oil slowly until it all comes together. The dough ball will be scrappy. If it's too dry add more water.


Knead for only two to three minutes. Chicago deep dish pizza has a biscuit type crust and the less you knead, the more biscuit like it will be.


Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a towel over top and let the dough rise for 8 hours. Depending on when you are making the pizza you can let it rise over night and then bake it the next day. If you do that don't refrigerate the dough. Every time I've tried that the dough has been next to impossible to work with when it comes time to roll it out.

Let the dough rise—because of the short kneading time, it will not rise very much. I let it rise for several hours—as many as 8. The longer the better! Then you can put it in the fridge overnight if you'd like, and use it the next day.


Split the dough into two balls. The first will be the bottom crust. Roll it to be around 12" and place it in your pan. I usually lightly grease my pan with olive oil. Press the dough into the pan, smashing it against the edge. If you have tons of extra dough you can cut it off. I wait until after I have filled the pie to determine whether or not to trim it. Fill the pie with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, olives etc. Be creative! Then roll out the second dough ball. Placing it on top of the pie, rope the two layers together, sealing the pie. Then top the pizza with sauce.


Sauce:


1 28 0z. can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
Basil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper to taste.


Preheat the oven to 500 degrees for 20 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 450 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Pizza before the top layer of crust and sauce - this is a 14" pie - 2 pounds of cheese and 1 pound of pepperoni.

The Name

I picked the name of this blog to be Eat to Live, Love to Eat because I believe in having it all. I believe you can have your cake, eat it too and bake it yourself!

Cooking for me is absolute therapy. I love coming home after a long day at work and piecing together different ingredients to create a meal. If I follow the recipe, I'll end up with a perfect meal. Nothing else in life is that certain. You can't influence anything else the way you can manipulate food. As long as you follow the recipe it will all turn out perfect.

So here is my cooking/baking/food experience blog. I hope you find it helpful and enjoyable. Happy Eating!