Crème de Menthe Squares

This is my mom's recipe. These are delicious chocolate and mint bars that serve a lot of people (if you cut them small). We usually only make them as Christmas cookies, but they're my absolute favorite so I'm going to make them for my wedding dessert bar. You can make these and freeze them until you're ready to eat them (just let them warm up first!) 

Need:

• 1 and a half sticks of butter or margarine (3/4 cup)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup green crème de menthe (a liquor, once you buy one bottle you'll be set to make this recipe a lot of times)
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• Chocolate Chips (small package or about 1½ cups)

medium saucepan

food processor to make graham cracker crumbs (or buy graham cracker pie crusts and break them up)

9x13 pan

Bottom Layer

First, crush the graham crackers in the food processor. It takes two packages of crackers from a regular sized box.

In saucepan, combine:

½ cup butter or margarine (note: don't try to use less! the layer won't hold together without the full amouunt)

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Heat and stir until well blended.  Remove from heat;
add ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 beaten egg, and 1 tsp. vanilla.
Stir in 2 cups graham cracker crumbs. 
Mix well and press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13” pan.
Put it in the fridge to set up while you make the second layer (this makes spreading the next layer much easier).

Middle Layer *Note: DON'T EVER DOUBLE THIS PART (I tried once, it actually tasted like alcohol, yuck, the other layers can be doubled, but you have to make separate batches of this layer)

Melt another ¼ cup of the butter. 
In small mixer bowl, combine melted butter and 1/3 cup green crème de menthe.
On low speed, beat in 3 cups powdered sugar until smooth. 
Spread over first layer (should spread like frosting – may be a little runny). 
Chill 1 hour.

Top Layer

Melt chocolate chips in microwave. A regular sized package from the grocery store works, or if you have a Costco sized bag like me, use about 1½ cups.
Spread evenly over mint layer. 
Chill one to two hours and cut into squares. You may have to let the top layer warm back to room temperature before you can cut into it. (Note: I've found that leaving the bars out, or putting them somewhere cooler than normal room temp but not as cold as a fridge (like the garage) helps them to set in a way that lets you cut them so much easier after they've hardened. Then once you've got them cut and taken out of the pan into a cookie tin you can refrigerate them!)

The final product!

My Purple and Blue Wedding Details!

Halloween DIY idea!

I saw this at a holiday craft fair. I'm not sure how it's made, but I bet it's not that hard. You could use milk jugs, white garbage bags (?), tulle, strings of lights, maybe a long stick for the arm and head support. I don't know, just spit balling. But I love it. 

A typical day in the Library

Bridal shower cake!

My sister-in-law made this for my wedding shower yesterday. Such a cute cake! Purple and blue are my wedding colors, and it was a kitchen themed wedding. I love her use of kitchen utensils!

Sticky Buns Recipe

This is a recipe from my sister-in-law. It's my favorite breakfast dish EVER. But you can't have it very often because it's so rich. It's very cheap, though, I usually only have to buy cook and serve vanilla pudding and frozen Rhodes dinner rolls and pecans. If you buy the big size box of the pudding and make sure to only use half your pecan bits you'll definitely have enough to make the dish a second time. So all in all, about $10 for two breakfast dishes.

I forgot to take a picture when I made it last weekend, but I'll take a picture next time (I have enough left for a second dish, after all). The picture at the bottom is from Google. It's actually a pretty close match.

Sticky Buns

NOTE: You have to prepare them in the pan the night before and leave them in a completely cool oven all night to rise. You can prep them as late as you want (I did it at 1 am last weekend and they were great by 10 am).

Serves: 6 (or more if you all eat less, but I never want to)
Prep time: 5 minutes (and overnight!)
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 
1 bag frozen Rhode's Dinner Rolls
Nuts (pecans)- chopped (this is optional! My other sister-in-law is allergic to nuts so when I'm with her we omit the pecans)
Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding (small box for one dish, big box if you want two dishes- and it's NOT instant pudding)
1 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon
1 stick of butter melted

What you'll need:
Bundt pan
Pam spray
Paper towel
Oven needs to be completely cool

Prepare this the night before!! Just before you go to bed.

Night before:
-Spray bundt pan.
-Toss half your nuts on the bottom of the pan (as many as you want, really)
-Put a small layer of Rhode's dinner rolls around the bottom of the pan. Seriously, one layer will do it. Throw a few into the gaps on top of that layer if you want. Just don't go overboard. Two full layers is too much.
-Sprinkle the Cook & Serve Vanilla pudding over the top of the rolls. If using a big box, sprinkle about half. (eyeball it or measure it out, it's up to you)
-Sprinkle 1 cup brown sugar over the top of that
-Sprinkle as much cinnamon as you want over the top (I use a lot, yum)
-Melt a stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl, then pour that over the top of everything. Try to spread it evenly, but don't worry about it too much. It'll turn out great.
-Cover with a damp paper towel and place in the COOL oven overnight. This lets the dinner rolls rise.

In the morning:
-Take the paper towel off.
-Check your sticky buns. Most likely you put too many rolls in and they've expanded way over the top of the bundt pan. No big deal! Just peel off and toss the ones that are on the very top until it's below the top of the pan again.
-When you're ready to make breakfast, just turn on the oven (with the pan IN IT) to 350 and set your timer for 30 minutes.
-Make sure you check the rolls when they're done. They may be a little doughy, so just make sure they aren't too doughy for your taste. You might need to let them go a little longer.
-When you've decided they're done, get a big plate (one that's bigger around than the top of the bundt pan). -Put the plate upside down on top of the bundt pan, so that you can carefully flip the sticky buns out of the pan onto the plate. There will be a lot of sticky sauce that comes out with it, so be careful not to let the bundt pan slip over the edge of the plate (I did that this weekend, not a terrible clean up but you loose some of that delicious sauce!)
-To serve, people can either pull apart the rolls or you can cut it up into slices. Use a spatula

America's Test Kitchen Pizza

Pepperoni Pan Pizza

From Season 8: Pizza Party

America's Test Kitchen

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Pan pizza (often called deep-dish pizza) is named for the pan in which the dough is risen and cooked. This type of pizza is known for an irresistible, buttery crust that’s crispy on the bottom and chewy in the middle. We set out to develop a pizza that was better than take-out, where the crust shares equal billing with the toppings and each is full of flavor—not grease.

To make our dough, we used a few tricks we learned from baking. Classic pizza dough contains flour, yeast, water, and olive oil—but never milk. However, we knew that many tender yeast breads are made with milk and we decided to give it a try. The crust was tender, with just the right chew. Whole milk works fine, but the dough made with skim milk rose better and baked up especially soft and light. We used all-purpose flour because it yielded softer baked goods than recipes using bread flour. Sugar is another usual choice for pizza dough, but tasters thought it improved flavor and we knew that it would give the yeast a nice jump-start.

To deliver our pizzas to the table in record time, we used a warm, turned-off oven to help the dough rise faster. After just thirty minutes, we had dough that was ready to shape. We quickly learned that overworked dough tears or snaps back like a rubber band, which led us to develop a hybrid method. We used a rolling pin for the first part of the process and then stretched the dough over the tops of our knuckles—gently. Our final step was to microwave the pepperoni between sheets of paper towels before layering them on the pizza. It keeps the grease off of the pizza and gives us crisp, brightly colored, and relatively grease-free pepperoni worthy of our perfect pan crust. 

Makes two 9-inch pizzas, serving 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

Dough

·         1/2cup olive oil

·         3/4cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees

·         2teaspoons sugar

·         2 1/3cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for counter

·         1package instant yeast

·         1/2teaspoon table salt

Topping

·         1(3.5-ounce) package sliced pepperoni

·         1 1/3cups tomato sauce(see related recipe, "Basic Pizza Sauce")

·         3cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

·         1. To make the dough: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Lightly grease large bowl with cooking spray. Coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with 3 tablespoons oil.

·         2. Mix milk, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gently shape into ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

·         3. To shape and top the dough: Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape dough into 9 1/2-inch round and press into oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot (not in oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.

·         4. While dough rises, put half of pepperoni in single layer on microwave-safe plate lined with 2 paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Discard towels and set pepperoni aside; repeat with new paper towels and remaining pepperoni.

·         5. Remove plastic wrap from dough. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce on each round, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese and top with pepperoni. Bake until cheese is melted and pepperoni is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 wedges. Serve.

·         PIZZA DOUGH WITHOUT A MIXER: In step 2, mix the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then pour the milk mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough becomes shaggy and difficult to stir. Turn out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead, incorporating any shaggy scraps. Knead until the dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and proceed as directed.

TECHNIQUE

·         HOW TO MAKE PAN PIZZA

1. Roll the dough outward from the center in all directions to form a 7-inch circle.

·         

2. With the dough draped over your knuckles, gently stretch it, using the weight of the dough to make a 9 1/2-inch circle that is slightly thinner at the center.

·         

3. Place the dough in the oiled cake pan and gently push it to the edge, taking care not to let too much oil spill over the top.

TECHNIQUE

·         THE AMAZING SHRINKING PEPPERONI

Microwaving pepperoni eliminates the possibility that it will turn your pizza into a grease trap. You can see how much fat is rendered in only 30 seconds by comparing the size of the slices before and after microwaving.

·         BEFORE

AFTER

·