Balsamic Onion Pull-Aparts

Easy beer bread turned into something extra special using locally-made Marinated Balsamic Onions from The Rustic Fork in Folsom, California.  I meet Sonya, the owner of The Rustic Fork, at this year's Raley's Grape Escape in downtown Sacramento.  It was a fabulous event where scores of restaurants, cafes, wineries and even food trucks provided tasty bits and yummy samples of their special libations.  It was a great evening savoring great local and regional foodie favorites!

Sonya has some wonderful recipe ideas, too.  I especially loved her sweet and spicy bbq sauce and am hoping to create something pretty special with that product too.   It's great to see a local business and amazing cook bring her ready to use sauces and relishes to home cooks to create easy and flavorful appetizers and dinners.

Balsamic Onion Pull-Aparts are inspired from one of The Rustic Forks offerings: Marinated Balsamic Onions.  Let's just say, YUM!  Full of flavor and a deep rich color from slow cooking of the onions.  I used them as a filling for my pull-aparts combined with a great and easy beer bread recipe that I shared with you a while back.  This dough is super forgiving and loves, loves, loves to be slathered in savory cheesy stuff!

A perfect savory appetizer or a great dinner roll.  Perfect size for making ahead and freezing.  Great for this fall and winter soups and stews.  And, you don't have to do the pull-apart version, just place the pinwheels in the pan and ~voile~ : instant dinner rolls!  I love easy...

As for me...These yummy little powerhouses of flavor are perfect portion controls for bread consumption...A little thing I have a huge challenge with at present!


Pin It

Chocolate Stout Cookies

We've all heard of chocolate stout cupcakes, but I really wanted to try some stout in brownies.  But, brownies seem like such a big commitment of sorts...A whole pan...Just too tempting for me these days.  So, cookies sounded about right in the portion control department.   And, I could freeze them.  Always a plus!

Freezing cookies and having a stash in the freezer solves a few issues:

1. I have a ready source of cookies for my morning coffee.  Yup, I start every day with a cookie.  How bad can that be?
2. If someone comes to the house to do work, like the guys who came to prune trees, I have some for them to munch on while they are here. 
3. I will always have some for my dad when he comes over.  My dad LOVES cookies.  His motto:

There are no bad cookies, some are just better than others.

I love my dad.

These cookies are super EASY to mix up and bake.  They hold up well too with adding this and that.  I added salted peanuts because I love peanuts and chocolate.  Get a little protein boost in your cookies, too!  I especially like that these cookies have a shininess to them.  Almost festive. 

Great with a cup of coffee or as a quick snack.  I would imagine that any sort of booze could be added.  Go ahead, experiment!

Moist and chocolaty and peanutty...All my favorites in one cookie!

Pin It

Beer Bread

If you decide to try out this recipe, I promise it will be one of the most satisfyingly simple things you've ever made. This beer bread has a buttery, crunchy, lightly salty crust on the outside, all the way around, and is soft, airy, a little chewy, and slightly sweet on the inside. There is absolutely no sifting, kneading, proofing, resting, or anything even remotely complicated about this recipe. Just some pouring, stirring, and placing into a hot oven. You can do this!

I would almost venture to call this bread "foolproof" - and that's a legitimate claim, coming from me. I make many foolish mistakes in the course of recipe experimentation. One of these days I'll post blooper pictures. No, I probably won't. But seriously, make this bread. If you have last minute company (summer is coming - it happens!) and want something impressive to serve but don't have time to go to the store - make this bread. You probably already have all of the ingredients.

Cheddar Mustard Beer Bread

I always say that, "I can't make bread to save my life!"  Thank goodness there is a Nugget Market close by...But, after last weekend, I sure can make BEER bread!  I changed things up a bit and switched my usual BIWB emphasis on the sweet for something comforting and savory.  I had some homemade bean soup just waiting for this particular companion. 

Really crunchy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside...Are you salivating?  A great match and a great loaf of bread!  Easy, too.  I love easy.

I'll be honest, I made this last weekend in a bit of pent-up baking frenzy.  I also made killer chocolate creme de menthe cupcakes, too, for a St. Patty's Day post. You see, I thought I was giving back my loaner KitchenAid, but it turns out my friend won't take it back.  Thank you, again, Peggy for your kindness and understanding of my addiction.  My KA is still in Michigan.  I haven't heard anything and I'm honestly very worried. 

So, when I worry, I bake!

Pin It

Spiced Fig and Honey Moon Ale Cupcakes with Honey, Cinnamon and Vanilla Bean Buttercream

This moist and delicious cupcake recipe comes from Kathy Partak who won the Gold Country Fair Crazy for Cupcakes competition last month.  As you recall, Jacqueline and I entered this contest...We didn't place, but we're already planning to blow their frosting off next year!  Seriously, Kathy was gracious and generous in sharing this winning recipe.  I, of course, in true BIWB fashion made a few, booze-infused modifications.  Here are views of the cupcake and a shot of the primary ingredients:

I used the flour and fat method, yet again...Great success this time as well.  Our fellow baking nerd, Nancy, said that this is the BEST I've made so far.  Thanks, Nancy, you keep me inspired.  :)

Chop up the fresh figs into a small dice.  You could use dried figs, but I didn't.  If using dried, I'd plump them up a lot. 


Pretty.

Gold Country Fair Crazy for Cupcakes Competition

No, we didn't win.  Alas.  They say that winning isn't everything, right?  Well, that may be true, but winning sure does feel pretty great, huh?  To put it technically, we didn't "place" BUT we are WINNERS just the same.  Okay, enough already.

Jacqueline's Creations
Mint Julep and Chocolate Stout with Bailey's Frosting
Please note the REALLY COOL frosty-mug motif, replete with sugar handles. 
Yeah, these are my new friends!

Ellen's Creations
White Chocolate Liqueur, Root Beer Float and Raspberry Liqueur

Jacqueline's hubster came home 2 weeks ago with a flyer for a cupcake baking competition at their neighborhood fair, Gold Country Fair in Auburn.  When she told me about it and suggested that it would be a fun way to enter our BIWB creations, in all honesty, I wasn't in the right frame of mind.  I had JUST completed a marathon cupcake-baking frenzy the night before, and I was T-I-R-E-D of cupcakes, baking, cleaning the Kitcheaid bowl (someday...I will have 2 bowls!), doing dishes, yadda, yadda, yadda.    So, I said: give me 24 hours to think this over.

24 hours later: Voila!  We were entering the contest.  Jacqueline would enter her FAB Mint Julep and her Chocolate Stout with Bailey's Frosting.  I was going to enter my Raspberry Liqueur and my non-BIWB Root Beer Float.  We were set.  I was game as long as the contest was on a Sunday: it was.  And, if I could bake everything on Saturday: which I could do.  Check. Check.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting

Jacqueline's Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I found this recipe via a friend of a friend of a friend's blog. I honestly don't even know this woman, nor could I find her blog again! That's what it's like to "mine" blog sites. So, I'm providing a few recipes. I used the first one from FoodNetwork:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-stout-and-irish-cream-liqueur-cupcakes-recipe/index.html

This recipe is from Cupcakes Wars, and if you haven't watch an episode, I highly recommend it. They come up with some interesting combinations, and it's a very competitive business this baking of cupcakes. ;-)
http://theculinarychronicles.com/2011/03/09/chocolate-stout-cupcakes-with-irish-cream-buttercream-slainte/

Read on for our recipe review...