Mint Milano Log

I feel like this dessert needs no explanation. Just read the title. Mint.Milano.Log. Yep, I want that.

Who has seen the Jim Gaffigan comedy sketch where he talks about undressing a mint milano cookie? “Hey there cookie, let me help you with that mint milano pack….let me help you get out of that wrapper and into something a little more comfortable.” He cracks me up….

ANYWAY. This recipe is so easy I almost don’t need to write it out. Just look at the photos! But seriously, this is easy, delicious and just fun. Its a version of a peppermint whipped cream log my Mom often makes at Christmas. Her recipe has chocolate wafers, whipped cream and crushed candy canes. So the difference here is that I substituted mint milano cookies for the chocolate wafers and andes mints for the peppermint. Voila! When I was growing up, mint milano cookies were my parents little treat many nights while they watched Nick at Nite. I remember trying to make sure I could snag a cookie as they went fast due to my Dad’s cookie monster like techniques. And my sister Sarah and I were major Andes mints fans. When we were kids we’d walk to the drug store and buy them all the time. Its not really a kid type of candy but what can I say? We had mature taste. If  we were in a mischievous mood we’d fold up an empty Andes Mint wrapper to look like it had something in it and give it to each other as a trick. We had a BFF/Frenemy type relationship as kids…!  This nostalgic hodge podge makes for a great dessert though. Enjoy!

Whipping cream in a mixer is soooo easy…

My beloved Andes mints

Layers of whipped cream in between the cookies

Making the “log”

Sprinkle the top with crushed Andes Mints.

Recipe:

2 packages mint milano cookies

16 oz whipping cream

1 teaspoon mint flavoring

1 package andes mints

Directions:

Whip up the whipping cream using 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add mint flavoring. Taste and add more mint if you like.

To make the log, take four cookies and spread a dollop of whipped cream in between them sandwiching them together. When done with one row, start on the next. You should have four cookies wide and four row long approximately. It also depends on the size of your platter. After your done, spread a thick coating of whipped cream around the entire log. Sprinkle with the crushed Andes Mints. Refrigerate overnight. Serve and enjoy!

Old Fashioned Peach Pie

(Sorry, didn’t mean to be giving the finger in this shot. You get the idea…)

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Pie Filling

12 peaches

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons butter cut into small cubes

Pie Dough: 

2 3/4 Cups Flour

½ Tbs Salt

4 Tbs cold unsalted butter cut into pieces

1 Cup Shortening

½ Cup Ice Water

Directions: 

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and using your fingers cut in into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Break up the shortening an add it in little bits and cut it into mixture with your hands. Continue working the mixture until it has small clumps and curds. Switch to a wooden spoon and add the ice water, stirring to incorporate it. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and fold it over on its self a few times. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for as long as 5 days.

In the meantime, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add peaches and allow to boil for several minutes until peel come off easily.  The peaches will be VERY hot so use tongs as you put them into an ice bath. Remove peel and pits.  Take all peaches and put onto a large cutting board and cut into slices. Put peaches into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a separate bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Pour mixture onto peaches and stir enough to combine but don’t over do it. Set aside

Take chilled pie dough out of refrigerator and lay out on floured work surface. Separate into two equal amounts. Roll out the first portion of dough and transfer to a glass pie plate. If the pie crust isn’t even on all sides then use excess dough to fill in open spots. Beat an egg and brush onto the bottom of the pie to make sure  the filling doesn’t stick. Pour pie filling into crust. Dot with butter. Roll out second portion of dough and transfer to the top of the pie. Cut sides of the pie so their is ½ inch around and with your fingers crimp the edges. Brush the top with more egg wash for browning.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until golden brown and bubbling around edges. If the edges of the pie start over browning and the top still has a ways to go then cover with a piece of aluminum foil with a hole cut out of the center. This way  the middle of the pie continues to brown while the edge stay the same. HERE is a little explanation if my directions aren’t clear… Take out of oven and let cool. Enjoy!

Cap n’ Gown Treats

Graduation season is coming up! These little Cap n’ Gown treats are easy to make and super impressive looking which makes it a win-win dessert.  And since my brother graduated from UCLA and is now going to Harvard for graduate school I want to be sure to really impress him… I’m sure this will do the trick. haha!

Ingredients:

Hostess Mini Chocolate Donuts

Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares (individually wrapped)

Red Twizzlers (unraveled and cut in one inch pieces)

Buttercream Frosting (reserve a small amount and dye red. Put it into a piping bag affixed with a small round tip)

Direction for Assembling:

Take a donut and spread a small amount of buttercream frosting on the top. Place a chocolate square over the buttercream. Place a twizzler and secure it onto the middle of the cap by piping a dot of red icing over it. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Orange Marmalade

I got this orange marmalade recipe from Ina Garten who got it from her friend Anna (go figure!) This recipe is so good that I gave some to my landlord and he loved it so much that he dropped a heavy hint that he was running low so I made him more. Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 large seedless oranges
2 lemons
8 cups sugar
Directions
Cut the oranges and lemons in half crosswise, then into very thin half-moon slices. (If you have a mandoline, this will be quite fast.) Discard any seeds. Place the sliced fruit and their juices into a stainless-steel pot. Add 8 cups water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.

The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours. Turn the heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 30 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms on the top. Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer. If you want to be doubly sure it’s ready, place a small amount on a plate and refrigerate it until it’s cool but not cold. If it’s firm — neither runny nor too hard — it’s done. It will be a golden orange color. (If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it and if it’s too hard, add more water.)

Pour the marmalade into clean, hot Mason jars; wipe the rims thoroughly with a clean damp paper towel, and seal with the lids. Store in the pantry for up to a year.

Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Balls with a Raspberry Center

I came up with so many inappropriate one liners for this dessert but I thought of my daughter digging this up years down the road and decided to omit them. So you’ll just have to ask me personally when you see me next…

I have to say that this dessert is truly unbelievably and its only 3 ingredients! Its a bit messy but definitely worth it. I made these for movie night with our friends and they were gone in two seconds flat. If you make these for a special event you’ll have to be slapping your husband (or wife’s) hand because they’ll be trying to sneak them out of the fridge. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pint raspberries

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

1 small 8 inch pre made plain cheesecake from the store

Directions:

Take the cheesecake out of its container and place in a mixing bowl. Mash cheesecake with a fork until crust and cheesecake is just mixed. Take one raspberry and cover with cheesecake mixture. Roll between your hands until a smooth ball. Set on a cookie sheet. Repeat. When you are done place the cheesecake balls in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm them up for dipping in chocolate.

After 30 minutes, empty chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and mix. Continue to microwave for 30 second intervals (mixing in-between) until the chocolate is just melted.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Using a fork, lower a cheesecake ball into the chocolate and then turn once gently to cover the opposite side. Take out the cheesecake and place on parchment. Repeat until all the balls are covered in chocolate. Let stand at room temperature until cool. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Hot Chocolate and Homemade Marshmallows (Food Shoot)

Sometimes there is nothing better then a steamy cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows. But homemade marshmallows and Jessica Foster Confections hot chocolate really takes this over the top. Styled by Kelly Oshiro of Santa Barbara Chic, this photo shoot was a MAJOR high. (sugar high that is…

Chocolate Deliciousness (Food Shoot)

Jessica Foster Confection chocolates are so to die for and I had the pleasure of eating AND photographing them. Styled by the fabulous Kelly Oshiro for SB Chic this set up was such a fun party (I mean photo shoot).  Deliciousness squared….

Chocolate Mousse Pie with Lavender Icing (Video Tutorial)

I’ve been meaning to put up this video tutorial of my Chocolate Mousse Pie with Lavender Icing and finally got the time to edit it. I have to say that its monumentally embarrassing for me to watch/post video of myself but I really hope that its useful and somebody out there learns something. I love this recipe because its really easy and the pie  itself (san’s icing) is literally only 4 ingredients. Enjoy!

Find the Recipe HERE

Georgiana’s 1st Birthday Party!

My darling precious baby girl turned one and we of course had to throw a big party. I, being a victim of pinterest, decided that the only thing to do was to totally kill myself and do all homemade food AND a three tiered fancy cake (see menu below). It wasn’t such a great idea on my part but it all turned out great. A special thanks to my Mom for helping me haul everything to the party location and to my friend Gina who generously hosted it at her house. Georgiana really enjoyed her party (although she was of course oblivious that it was HER party). When the kids arrived they promptly dressed Georgiana in a hawaiian lei and a crown which was pretty hilarious. I mostly ran around doing everything from BBQing outside in the rain to making sure all the girls got a tutu favor that my friend Jen spent 4 hours tying together. It was a whirlwind and now I have to decide whether next year I’ll make all the food OR do the homemade fancy cake. (I just can’t do both…) I’d love you to cast a vote… (maybe one option will be doing no party except for a family get together in which case my Mom will do all the work. Yep, that sounds good!) Happy Birthday Georgiana! I can’t believe you are already one year old….

Menu:

Appetizers

Crudite Platter with Dip

Salt & Pepper Potato Chips

Main Course:

Grilled Sausages

BBQ Pulled Pork on Brioche Rolls

Potato Salad

California Asian Pasta Salad

Green Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Red Peppers and Pistachios

Corn, Bacon & Jalapeño Salad

Baked Beans

Dessert:

3 Tiered Homemade Yellow Cake with Homemade Buttercream Frosting

Vanilla Ice Cream

Pink Candies

What to do with all that extra eggnog? (Photo Shoot)

 

My friend Kelly Oshiro came up with this fabulous concoction and asked me to photograph it for her website, Santa Barbara Chic. So if you have extra eggnog your trying to figure out what to do with it, try this eggnog float. I promise it won’t disappoint!

Here’s to “scoop”-

- Two scoops of ice cream

- Pour the eggnog over the ice cream

- Toast some sliced almonds and sprinkle on top.

To toast the almonds: 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until you can smell the almonds, watch them closely, they’ll burn if you’re not paying attention.