Macadamia, Cashew and Sea Salt Brittle

It's BAAAAACK! Are you looking for an easy holiday gift? So was I until I found this delicious brittle. Every year since 2008, I have baked gifts for friends and family. Food for me is an experience to be shared, and I love it when I can make something that my friends can enjoy. Over the years, I've made different variations on my gifted treats: brittle and truffles, brittle and cookies, brittle and cake, but there's one thing that is always the same: the MACADAMIA CASHEW & SEA SALT BRITTLE! Brittle is something my Grammy used to make (classics peanut brittle) but this brittle is on another level! It's chock-full of macadamia nuts, and cashews (although I'm sure you could make it with other nuts too). It's sweet, it's savory, it's decadent and buttery. It's easy enough to make large batches for a whole list of friends or a small party. It's got enough salt to include "salt" in the name of the brittle - so it's got to be good. This is truly delicious. Most people describe it as "addictive" and I include myself in those people, so I usually only make it once a year to avoid shoveling a whole bag into my mouth. I hope you try it and love it too. Recipe after the jump!

Gour-Maybe Classic: Strawberry Thyme Shortcake with Honey Whipped Cream

Because I've been a bit of a posting slacker - wedding planning has been on my brain - I am reposting one of my favorite spring treat post from this time last year. Sorry:) New recipes coming this week I promise. If you don't like Strawberry Shortcake... well... then use another fruit, because this little stack of deliciousness is worth it in every way. This is a delicious adaptation of the classic, and it starts with a biscuit recipe from Blackberrry Farm (this month, named the #1 Food Hotel according to Bon Appetit Magazine).  First, let me say, I am not an Atkins kind of girl, when people say that carbs are addicting, and you should avoid them, these are the biscuits that prove them right. But you can't avoid them, because they're addicting - gotcha! If you make them and then sneak off to a closet with the baking sheet, I would not be surprised. As you readers know, I like a balance of flavors. Salty and sweet; savory and sweet; herbal and sweet. Ok - maybe I just like sweets of all kinds. One of my favorite flavor combos is strawberry and thyme. Thyme is a great herbal counterpoint to the sweet strawberries. Because it's a berry recipe, what better biscuits to make than The Blackberry Farm Cookbook's (please tell me you went out and bought it after the first post) biscuits with a twist. I add chopped thyme and topped half of the biscuits with sugar so they have a little additional sweetness for the shortcake. Full instructions after the jump.

THE. BEST. Brownies

What makes a brownie THE BEST freaking brownie I've ever eaten or made? Well, that would be a combination of great ingredients, the perfect consistency, and some little tricks that make the overall flavor extra special. In my case, those tricks are instant espresso, melted salted butter, Mexican vanilla and Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips. Chocolate fans, you are in luck. Brownies are a great entertaining dessert, because they are so easy. I only use one bowl, and one pan, and the whole batch takes less than 40 minutes. These are so amazing warm, that I usually have to grab "one" - note - size of the "one" not defined -  out of the oven, but they are so moist and chewy that they stay that way even when cool. I make mine without nuts, but please feel free to add nuts - I know I  am strange but I just don't like nuts in my brownies. If these don't blow your mind, please let me know what brownies you've been eating, so I can make those! The chocolaty goodness begins after the jump.

Happy Birthday To Me! Best Carrot Cake in the Universe with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

gratuitous frosting shot

more frosting...

This past weekend was my birthday, and all I wanted was just a leopard McQueen clutch. Just a leopard McQueen clutch, and some shoes. Just a leopard McQueen clutch, some shoes and a great dinner. Just a leopard McQueen clutch, some shoes, a great dinner and an amazing cake. Sooo, what does someone who has a food blog make for her birthday cake? Yes, that's right, I made my own cake, but my boyfriend made the McQueen clutch and dinner happen, so I was pretty happy to contribute the cake part AND, I happen to have an amazing, ridiculous carrot cake recipe AND, carrot cake happens to be my absolute favorite. I usually eat it in the Fall, because cream cheese frosting and Texas summer heat don't mix. But September is officially Carrot Cake Season! Suck it NFL! Don't take it from me, an anonymous tester described it as, "this carrot cake is the fantasy football equivalent of a running back scoring four touchdowns in a game!" I don't know what that means, but it seems positive. Read the full recipe after the jump.

Summery Citrus Raspberry Cake

Alright Gour-Maybe users, if you are looking for a light, flavorful, not-too-sweet, "dessert" (or snack or breakfast for all I care) then I have the cake for you! This cake screams summer, when berries are in season and on sale. You could use lots of different types of berries. It's not super rich or heavy like a birthday cake, it almost floats off the plate - probably because it has no calories... Ok, maybe a FEW calories, but they are totally worth it! It's basically all fruit! Come on! The orange and meyer lemon and tart raspberries give it such a delicious, fresh flavor, and the buttermilk keeps it from being too sweet. The sugar-coated raspberries bake in their own juices almost created a jam over the top. I realize I'm going on and on. This is great for a party, or a baby shower, or a special easy dessert. The one caveat is that you will need about 2 hours of time. Be sure you have a spring form pan and parchment paper on hand, as a Gour-Maybe, I've found I use both frequently, so if you don't have one, go get one, it will be a good investment. Read the recipe and the tips after the jump.

As American As Apple.... CROSTATA?

As a person who is passionate about pie, it's hard not to celebrate the 4th of July with ye old traditional Apple Pie. But rules are made to be broken, and I like my meals to be unexpected, so instead of pie, I did an Apple Crostata (aka a pie, just not in a pie pan). I'm such a rebel! I used my favorite pie crust/quiche crust recipe, I swear it works for everything The filling was adapted from one of my favorite places, Epicurious. It was apple-mania - heaps of Golden Delicious apples, spices, and sugar combined to form a really easy, elegant but rustic looking dessert. If you have the pie crust made and in your freezer like we talked about back on the quiche post (eh-hem), this should take about 1.5 hours, and only .5 of those are working hours. Enlist a friend or your significant other to peel the apples and you're home free! We served it with a homemade caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Get the recipe after the jump.

Chill Out, and Have Some Banana Cream & Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

Just like Brad and Angelina became "Brangelina", this pie began as two separate pies, adapted from Epicurious (with crust from a third - my own invention) combined into one amazing dessert. Panana? Beanut? Still working on that one. This pie is cold and creamy and tastes like something delicious you should only have once a year. Between all the chilling you do with the various steps of this pie, it's also a great way to beat the heat. And it is freaking hot out there!!!  Note - this is not a good pie to transport someplace in the summer, the amount of cream, although delicious, doesn't hold up to heat. So stay in and enjoy it straight from the fridge. You know you don't want to go outside anyway after 11 am.   I think there is something satisfying about the combination of peanut butter and banana with a little honey - it reminds me of childhood - which was definitely the inspiration for this dessert. That, and I'd put honey on everything. Ask around. I put it in coffee, yogurt. LOVE IT! It's super rich, but totally worth it. The pudding for the banana cream is from scratch as is the peanut butter mouse, as is the crust, but don't let "from scratch" scare you. Each step is pretty easy! Recipe after the jump

Katherine's Favorite Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie has always been one of my favorite desserts (sweet, tart, creamy, amazing), but this particular version is about the easiest and most delicious summer treat around. I like my Key Lime Pies to be super "Key Limey" - I'm not interested in a hint of lime: I want tart, authentic, in your face flavor so I only use Key Lime zest and juice, freshly squeezed from Key Limes - this is a bit of a pain in the ass - not gonna lie, but it's worth it. If you are on the fence about lime, move on, this is not for you! I also don't do a traditional graham cracker crust, I use a special blend of crumbs - also worth it. Intrigued? Want some pie in about 40 minutes? Read all the details (about 5 whole steps) after the jump!

Apricot Almond Tart with White Chocolate & Lemon Glaze - Recipe Coming Soon

LBA (lazy blogger alert) - this was the dessert served last weekend with the Lone Star Lobster Rolls. I'll get the recipe up this week, promise, but I want to tempt you with the pics. It's sweet but not too sweet, tart in a good way, fresh and fruity, summery - everything you want in a dessert. I used apricots because they looked the best at the store, but you could use probably any stone fruit (plum, apricot, peach etc.). The glaze was a good excuse to use some white chocolate I had left over from the Sow Your Wild Oatmeal Cookies.

Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Budino

meyer lemon buttermilk budino

meyer lemon

This lemony, creamy dessert is worth an hour on the treadmill, or a cardio shoe-shopping trip, or, just eat it. This is also great for a small dinner party as it makes 6 servings. You might have two questions: 1) What is a Meyer Lemon?, 2) What is a Budino? Meyer Lemons are a variety of lemon that began when a lemon and orange were crossed. Somehow. Most specialty grocery stores have them. What you need to really know is that they have a sweeter flavor and a darker peel than normal lemons and they are delicious. Budino is just a word for pudding - there are more dense and less dense varieties. Something to add to your Gour-Maybe vocabulary. Side bar, my favorite budino ever is the butterscotch at Pizzeria Mozza in LA. So. Good. This budino has egg whites, and is a little like a souffle/pudding combo, which is great for a "light" summer sweet. I adapted from Epicurious (Bon Appetit 2006), because I found that buttermilk made it a little less sweet, which I liked. I'd serve this with blackberries and a little honey on top. I think the whipped cream is too much with it, but that's up to you. Get the budino scoop after the jump!

Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't like to wait. Not an hour, not a day, and certainly not three days. However, I will make a BIG exception for the cookies that come from this recipe, my favorite and I think, the best chocolate chip cookies ever. This recipe came from experimenting with the one-and-only Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (the one on the bag of the semi-sweet chocolate chips), adding some wisdom from The New York Times and then changing up the recipe to fit my personal taste (usually this means adding more salt and spice. The cookies are simple, the key is time. Jump for the recipe and more details!