Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Squares for #SundaySupper

Dec 2, 2012 by lovelypantry

This weeks #SundaySupper theme is Favourite Celebrity Chef! Wow! How can a food blogger ever choose!!?? We are all so very excited about this weeks #SundaySupper. Our host for this week is Tammi from Mommas Meals. I am eager to see what everyone has made and also to see what celebrity chef has inspired them. I was a bit indecisive in the beginning because I adore so many Chefs on television. It is reasonable to say that I don’t have one specific chef as my favourite, since they each offer their own unique style and culinary flair.

For a long time, The Food Network is where I got most of my inspiration. It all started in 2007 when I was home for a year on maternity leave with my son. I was tired of just making sure the meat was merely cooked. I was especially tired of making cakes from a box. I really wanted to make a change in how I prepared meals for myself and my husband. I wanted to cook and I wanted to bake, and I wanted to do them well. This was something that was, and still is very important to me. For a while it was all about Paula Deen, Rachel Ray, Michael Smith, Giada De Laurentiis, Anna Olson, Laura Calder, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, and Ina Garten. I’ve made recipes from all of them. I watched their technique, learned about ingredients that were unfamiliar to me, and also I learned about dishes from other cultures. I still draw inspiration from them to this day. My appreciation for food, and for the culinary craft continues to grow. I don’t watch as much Food Network anymore, as my time is very limited. But when I do get the chance, I ask not to be disturbed. In time, I will acquire their cook books and continue to be inspired.

After the birth of my daughter, I decided to stay home with my little girl and her big brother. I discovered and watched Everyday Food which came on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). I don’t believe I missed an episode. In fact, you’ll find that many of my earlier recipes came from The Food Network or Everyday Food. Everyday Food is no longer a part of my cable programming for whatever reason, but their website is still a very good resource for me. Can you imagine being one of the chefs in that test kitchen?

I got to thinking… who offers a selection of recipes that really appeals to me? …Martha Stewart. I buy her books, I bake her cakes, I follow her on Pinterest, I trust her recipes! I also love that she introduces and collaborates with other awesome celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse. Aside from the fact that Martha is a MOGUL in her own right, she is also a teacher. She is the epitome of culinary excellence as well as classic home cooking and entertaining.

Today I’m sharing with you a recipe that I adapted, simply because I wanted to try it with other ingredients. This is a great cake for the season, and also it is my most recent recipe from Martha Stewart that I have made. I made the original recipe first ~ Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares, and it was amazing! Then I made it my way, and guess what? It was amazing!

 

 

 

 

Well, of course the cake smells amazing. It was firm but moist to the touch. Cut into portions using a very sharp knife. I made 15 squares but you can cut them a lot smaller if you wish.

 

 

One thing for sure – the colour and texture of this cake is awesome. Moist and chewy. Certainly something to consider for gatherings over the holiday season. It’s so easy to make and also very easy to transport.

 

 

How about this tasty little treat for your friends and family?

 

 

Please enjoy the recipe selections from the #SundaySupper bloggers:

 

Starters or Snacks :

Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog – Oyster and Brie Soup and Wine Pairings for Celebrity Chef #SundaySupper

Linda at The Urban Mrs. – Inspired by Bobby Flay, Lobster Chowder with Roasted Corn Salsa

Erin from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts – Rachael Ray’s Cinnamon Popcorn

Cindy over at Cindy’s Recipes and Writings – Jamie Oliver’s Bread and Tomato Soup

Jeff at The Catholic Foodie – Drop Biscuits – Breakfast with Chef John Besh

Renee over at Kudos Kitchen By Renee – Giada De Laurentiis’ Garlic Toasts With Red Pepper Aioli

 

The Main Dish:

Sheila at Cooking Underwriter – Paula Deen’s  Chicken in a Crock Pot w/ Sauerkraut and Apples

Laura over at Small Wallet Big Appetite – Martin Yan’s Beef Chow Fun

Sarah over at Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends – Michael Symon’s Lola burger with crab tater tots

Susan at The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen – Ina Garten’s Baked Shrimp Scampi

Tammi at Momma’s Meals – Lee Drummond’s Sloppy Joe’s

Lane over at Supper for a Steal – Bobby Flay’s Rosemary Bricked Chicken

Tara from Noshing with the Nolands – Michael Symon’s Pork and Apple Scallopini

Shannon at Country Girl in the Village – Simple Red Sauce over Rigatoni. Inspired by,  Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos

Kris over at In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maurene – Rachael Ray’s Muffin Tin Meatloaf

Nicole from The Daily Dish Recipes – Paula Deen’s Slow Cooker Pulled Pickled Pork Sandwiches

Becca from It’s Yummilicious – Ina Garten’s Grown Up Bacon Mac & Cheese

Alice at  Hip Foodie Mom – Sunday Pot Roast with Risotto Cakes from Kelsey Nixon

Jen over at  Juanita’s Cocina – The Neely’s White Turkey Chili

Brianne from Cupcakes & Kale Chips – Crockpot Beef Pot Roast with Mushrooms inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis

Isabel at Family Foodie – Polenta with Garlicky Shrimp inspired by Chef Todd English

Wendy from The Weekend Gourmet – Shrimp Penne in Pesto Cream Sauce, From Emeril Lagasse

Bobbi over at Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen – Cheesy Poblano Chicken

Patti at Comfy Cuisine – Tyler Florence’s Chicken Francese

Roxanne over at The Roxx Box – Jambalaya Pasta with Penne, Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille

Sue from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz – Rachael Ray’s Spicy Corn Chowdah Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Jamie at Mama Mommy Mom – Penne with Asparagus, Smoked Gouda and Prosciutto. Adapted from, Giada De Laurentiis’

Tora over at Tora’s Real Food – Pork and beans with Alton Brown’s pickled pork

Elisabeth over at The Hand That Rocks The Ladle – Emeril’s New Orleans Style Red Beans & Rice

 

Amazing Sides:

Megan from I Run For Wine – Curtis Stone’s Acorn Squash Roasted with Thyme

Sandi over at Midlife Road Trip –  Gabriele Corcos’s Gnocchi di Patate

Shelby at  Diabetic Foodie – Orange Pecan Black Rice, adapted from Ina Garten

Katie from She likes Ruffles, He likes Truffles – Chef Fabio Viviani’s Spinach and Artichoke Risotto

 

Sweet Endings:

Renee over at Magnolia Days – Brownie Tart

Conni at The Foodie Army Wife – Inspired by Ree Drummond – Scrumptious Apple Coffee Cake

Paula over at Vintage Kitchen Notes – Bill Granger´s Cherry Tart

Pam from The Meltaways – Savannah Sheet Cake

Katy over at Happy Baking Days – Mary Berry’s Treacle Tart

Jaime over at Mom’s Test Kitchen – Southern Tea Cakes

Amy over at Kimchi MOM – Crack Pie, I Can’t Quit You

Wine Pairings: 

Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

 

 

 

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Rum & Raisin Cinnamon Muffins for #MuffinMonday

Nov 26, 2012 by lovelypantry

These muffins were destined to be baked. I’ve been wanting to make Rum & Raisins muffins for a while now. The time just didn’t seem to be right, until now. I was so determined to make these muffins that I made 2 batches before I actually got to the one you see here.

 

Determined.

 

 

You see, the first batch I made was…well, lets just say I didn’t want to eat them. I realized afterwards that I had too many ingredients, or not enough moisture. Either way, it just was a disaster. I had a good laugh at myself. I don’t often throw anything away but I’m well aware that it can happen. I was a little bit annoyed though, as I don’t like to waste food/ingredients. I couldn’t save them. When I realized where I went wrong, I had renewed confidence and proceeded with a big grin.

And then as soon as I carefully placed the muffins into the oven – I saw a main ingredient on the counter. I forgot to fold in the raisins!!!!! Argh!!!!! Ok, now I was MAD! How could I have forgotten to add the raisins!!!???? I could have continued and called the muffins something else. But I really REALLY wanted raisins! So…I proceeded for the third time to make my muffins.

Has this ever happened to you? A bad baking day that turned out great?

Today’s #MuffinMonday recipe comes from King Arthur Flour – Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins. Of course, my own spin made it a tad bit risqué. I think I may have created a filling. Butter, sugar, cinnamon and Jamaican Appleton Rum. I’m going to call it Rum Butter. How’s that for festive?

 

 

 

 

The rum butter oozing out of the muffin. The aroma in my kitchen. Just lovely.

 

 

A sweet and crunchy topping, for your Monday morning delight.

 

 

Moist muffins with a hint of rum.

 

 

Happy Monday!

 

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week. 

Muffin Monday http://bakerstreet.tv/muffin-monday/

Muffin 101: http://bakerstreet.tv/muffin-monday/muffin-101/

 

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Madeleines with Zucchini and Gruyère Cheese

Nov 15, 2012 by lovelypantry

Today I’m doing a guest post for Renee at Magnolia Days. Renee is certainly one of the most helpful, knowledgeable and friendly food bloggers I’ve come across in my year of blogging. Renee was nice enough to guest post for me a few months ago while I was on vacation and now I’m honoured to do the same for her. One day, Renee and I will meet. And we’ll have a good old talk as good friends do. Most likely after we’ve cooked and baked up a storm.

I’ve always loved unusual, simple, tasty little treats. Madeleines certainly fit that description. These little cakes (they have also been called cookies) have French origins and are made with a special pan which can be purchased from specialty cooking stores, or online. I remember when I brought my Madeleine pan home. I was so excited because I had a new baking utensil to play with. I searched through my cookbooks and found a recipe that was so unusual for me, but had my favourite ingredients. I decided to give it a try and now I will share my very first Madeleines with you all. Remember to check out my guest post for the recipe, and be sure to say hello to Renee 🙂

 

 

Zucchini and cheese. Such a great pairing. I enjoyed these little darlings with some tea- any kind will do. I also added some cream cheese to each savoury bite. I think this is a great way to spend these chilly afternoons. There’s really no fuss in making Madeleines. The ingredients are simple and the recipe is quite versatile. The recipe used was slightly adapted from “Quick Cooking, 1,001 Recipes”.

 

 

 

I haven’t had my Madeleine pan for long, but without a doubt… I know I will get lots of use out of it.

 

 

 

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Parmesan Quinoa & Pine Nut Muffins for #MuffinMonday

Nov 12, 2012 by lovelypantry

Welcome to another edition of #MuffinMonday! Today we are sharing a cheesy savoury muffin to get your week started in the best way possible.  No cranberries and mixed fruit in my muffins just yet. Sit tight. 🙂

I’m not sure how I let it happen, but Christmas seemed close but not that close. I mean Halloween was just here…and now stores are playing Christmas music. I guess retailers have to keep up. I don’t. By now, your mood should be changing as you get into the seasonal spirit of tinsel and ornaments. I dread putting up the tree just as how I dread taking it down. But I have kids and therefore it must be done. Kids really do make you become awesome parents.

My selection for today’s #MuffinMonday is Parmesan, Quinoa and Pine Nut Muffins. I added some Quinoa Flour in the batter to increase the nutritional value of my muffins. I loved the cheesy aroma from these muffins as they baked. I also loved the toasted pine nuts scattered over top of each muffin.

 

 

 

The pine nuts were not very well behaved! They kept falling off as you took a bite, much to the annoyance of my hubby 🙂 He enjoyed these muffins but wished there was MORE CHEESE. That seems to the answer to everything these days. More cheese. Duly noted.

 

 

Quite a tasty muffin. I enjoyed them. But now I have to figure out how to make it even more cheesy.

 

 

Happy Monday!!!

 

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week. 

Link to the Muffin Monday page: http://bakerstreet.tv/muffin-monday/

Link to Muffin 101: http://bakerstreet.tv/muffin-monday/muffin-101/

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Banana Coconut Coffee Cake with Macadamia Nut Streusel for #SundaySupper

Nov 11, 2012 by lovelypantry

I’ve been looking at this recipe for a few days now. I was determined to make it and thanks to #SundaySupper, I’m able to share it with you all today. You see, we are entering a wonderful season of giving – Thanksgiving in the USA, and of course Christmas is almost upon us. It is a beautiful thing to give a thoughtful home-made gift to family and friends at this time of the year. This weeks theme for #SundaySupper is Gifts From The Kitchen. The host this week is our very own Susan from The Wimpy Vegetarian. With our usual spectacular line up, we hope to inspire you with gift ideas for the season. Please take a look out our baked items, condiments, soups, snacks, drinks and yes, without a doubt…sweets. Maybe you’ll find something special and thoughtful for you to give as a gift.

I chose this recipe because of the ingredients and how easy it was to prepare. The aroma was just something to talk about. It was awesome when my husband came home from work and the house smelled wonderful. He was a nicer man and I know this cake had something to do with it!

 

 

I gave one cake away already to a friend and she and her mother loved it. Giving home-made gifts are always nice, but it is very important to consider food sensitivities. I plan to bake another set without the macadamia nuts. I’m sure it will taste just as fabulous. The nuts are there to give added texture. Either way will be fine. The streusel has a nice crunch because of the Turbinado sugar.

 

 

I made a few adjustments to make it a little more interesting. I replaced brown sugar with coconut sugar. I replaced the milk with coconut milk. For the streusel, I went half and half with coconut sugar and turbinado sugar instead of using brown sugar. I believe this gave it a more coconut flavour than just the shredded coconut in the body of the cake itself.

 

 

The cakes came out beautifully. They were fully baked at 35 minutes as per the recipe.

 

 

I didn’t wait too long to taste the cake. It is an absolute MUST that the cook and the official testers sample the cakes before they are given away. Unless of course, its something that you bake all the time and you know exactly what you’re going to end up with.

 

 

I for one, was completely satisfied with this cake. It is a nice item to bring as a gift while making your rounds over the holiday season, and its something that can be easily shared among a small group of people. I was very grateful for the inexpensive foil baking pans. It made the gift convenient to bake in, and portable! I enjoyed dressing these cakes up. I’m sure they will put a smile on anyone’s face 🙂

 

 

Here are the gifts from the #SundaySupper team:

 

Breads / Breakfast

• Pumpkin Biscoff Bread – Dinners, Dishes, and Dessert
• All-in-One Beer Bread Kit – girlichef
• Banana Coconut Coffee Cake with Macadamia Nut Streusel – The Lovely Pantry
• Pancake Mix With Apple Cider Syrup and Candied Walnuts – Tora’s Real Food
• Cranberry Hootycreeks – Baker Street 

Condiments / Ingredients

• Apple Butter – Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
• Cranberry Strawberry Jam – The Meltaways
• Herb Vinegars – Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Harissa – The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Homemade Vanilla Extract – Flour on my Face
• Homemade Cherry Extract – Cravings of a Lunatic
• Nutella Powder – I Run For Wine
• Apricot Pineapple Rum Sauce – Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Spiced Cranberry Apricot Almond Chutney – Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Pumpkin Butter – Family Foodie

Soup and Snacks

• A Soup For You – Momma’s Meals
• Maple Nut Granola – Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Sweet and Spicy Curried Nuts – Soni’s Food for Thought
• Roasted Spiced Nuts – Mrs Mama Hen 
• Sweet and Spicy Pecans – Supper For a Steal
• Maple Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars – Cupcakes and Kale Chips
• Orange Spiced Chickpeas – Home Cooking Memories
• Turtle Pretzels – The Messy Baker

Sweets

• Rocky Road Candy – Magnolia Days
• Dairyfree Vegan Caramels – Galactosemia in PDX
• Peanut Butter Cookies in a Jar – Mama’s Blissful Bites
• M&M Cookies in a Jar – Damn Delicious
• Monster Cookie Mix in a Jar – What Smells So Good?
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Biscotti – Meal Planning Magic
• Snickerdoodle Snack Mix – Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again
• Butter and Jam Thumbprint Cookies – Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Peppermint Stick Cookie Truffles – The Weekend Gourmet
• Nutella Truffles – Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Peanut Cajetas (Peanut Fudge) – Basic and Delicious
• Cookie Cutter Fudge – Chocolate Moosey
• Pumpkin Roll – Shockingly Delicious
• Homemade Chocolates – My Trials in the Kitchen
• Hot Chocolate on a Stick – Juanita’s Cocina
• Chocolate Toffee “Crack” – Ruffles and Truffles
• Holiday Tree Cake – Noshing with the Nolands
• Salted Caramel Cookies – Mama Mommy Mom
• Fruit and Nut Cookies – In the Kitchen with Audrey

Drinks

• Applepie Moonshine – My Catholic Kitchen
• Holiday Spiced Mocha – Daily Dish Recipes
• Homemade Peppermint Mocha Mix – In the Kitchen with KP
• Homemade Kahlua – That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper on November 11.  In the evening we will meet at 7pm EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

We’d also love to feature your own posts for Gifts From the Kitchen on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board to share them with all of our followers, too.

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