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Lemon Yogurt Crumb Cake

Leah Short — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 18:28:25 +0000

The birthday treats continue! April is a busy month for birthdays around the office, but I’m not complaining about stuffing my face with dessert every other week. I told you about “The List” in my previous post, so it’s always fun to see what people choose. The winner this round was Lemon Yogurt Crumb Cake! This one made the list because it’s got swirls of lemon curd on top and I swoon over lemon curd. Lemon cake, lemon curd, and a crunchy crumb topping. Success!

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How to Candy Orange Peel

Leah Short — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 15:26:31 +0000

For the Holiday Layer Bars, I needed Candied Orange Peel. Can you buy that? I have no idea. I looked for it at my local grocery store with no luck, but came prepared with an ingredient list to make it myself. It’s pretty easy, but does take a bit of time. The result? Way better than I imagined! I kept sneaking strips of them and popping them into my mouth like…well, candy. I’m not sure who came up with candying peel, but it’s a great way to inject mega orange flavor into just about anything and you don’t waste that part of the orange!

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Holiday Layer Bars

Leah Short — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 15:29:30 +0000

Merry Christmas! Today’s the big day! I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful holiday with family and friends. These Holiday Layer Bars are perfect for today. A gingersnap crust sprinkled with white chocolate, cranberries, candied orange peel, pistachios, and coconut. This is probably the easiest bar on the planet to make. You don’t even have to stir the butter and gingersnaps to make the crust!

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Vanilla Orange Cranberry Cookies

Leah Short — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 13:55:57 +0000

We’ve made it to the last of the Cookie Baking Day cookies from 2013. It went by way too fast! I hope you enjoyed the selections from this year. I know we sure enjoyed eating them! Last but not least are the Vanilla Orange Cranberry Cookies. You will not believe how fabulous they smell. An entire orange is zested into the batter and makes the most glorious orange-scented cookies you will ever smell/eat. The classic combination of orange and cranberry is almost a must-have for the holidays!

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Pumpkin Spice Cake with Chocolate Pecan Filling

Leah Short — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 16:11:58 +0000

Now is this a ginormous chocolate monstrosity or what? I took these pics with my phone, so excuse the quality, although I’m not sure my fancy camera would have done any better with this chocolate blob. I was super excited about this Pumpkin Spice Cake with Chocolate Pecan Filling. It combines the best of three worlds in holiday baking: pumpkin, pecans, and chocolate. Getting it to look as good as the Food Network’s version proved to be quite the unachievable feat.

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Cranberry Orange Smoothie {& Blender Giveaway!}

Leah Short — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 14:25:06 +0000

I know when you’re in the month of November, you don’t really think about smoothies. But you should! There are a lot of tasty fruits that are at their peak during cooler months, and one classic combination that comes to mind is cranberry and orange. This Cranberry Orange Smoothie is perfectly tart with just a hint of sweet. Great for this time of year when cranberries are in season and in grocery stores everywhere. I’ve teamed up with Hamilton Beach for their #smoovember promotion and can’t wait to tell you about their Smoothie Smart Blender and how you can win one!

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Oatmeal Cranberry Sour Cream Bars

Leah Short — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:00:35 +0000

This post today is part of the Secret Recipe Club. Each month bloggers are assigned a blog and make something from it. For February, my secret blog is Ilona’s Kitchen! I knew I wanted to make a dessert and stopped instantly when I saw these Oatmeal Cranberry Sour Cream Bars. They look delicious and sound so unique with the sour cream. Ilona wrote on her blog that the next time she made these, it would be a double batch and I agree!

So, how’s it taste?

I figured I would like these because I love oatmeal cookies, especially ones with dried cranberries, and anything that has pecans has my immediate attention. I must admit I was leery of the sour cream. I thought it would add too much of a sour flavor combined with the tart of the cranberries. Wrong! There’s sugar, vanilla, and orange zest in the sour cream and it turns into this ooey, gooey, citrusy center. I substituted orange peel for the lemon peel that was in the original recipe, and that was a great decision! Orange and cranberry play so well together and I think the lemon would have been way too tart. The sour cream middle is such a great texture change to the chunky oatmeal and crunchy, nutty topping. I had a hard time stopping after eating one bar. I think I could have devoured the entire pan in one sitting! Definitely a double batch every time I make these. Thanks Ilona for introducing me to these awesome dessert bars!

Oatmeal Cranberry Sour Cream Bars

adapted from Betty Crocker via Ilona's Kitchen
makes 16 bars

Ingredients:

1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz.) oatmeal cookie mix
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350Â°F. Line 9-inch square pan with foil, leaving 1 inch of foil extending up over sides of pan. Spray foil-lined pan with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, cinnamon, butter, and egg until stiff dough forms. Reserve 1/4 of the dough. Press remaining dough in bottom of foil-lined pan. Bake 15 minutes.

3. In small bowl, stir sour cream, sugar, orange peel, vanilla, and egg yolk until well blended. Stir in cranberries. Spread over crust. Stir pecans into reserved oatmeal dough; crumble over cranberry mixture.

4. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until top is light brown. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate 2 hours. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator.

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Cranberry & Citrus Sauce

Leah Short — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:46:39 +0000

It’s funny that I now have a homemade recipe for Cranberry & Citrus Sauce on my blog. You see I’m a huge fan of the canned stuff. Huge. I just love it. I smother everything on my Thanksgiving plate with it. So it never crossed my mind to make it myself. I have to confess though. I only made it to use in a cocktail!

So, how’s it taste?

Well, the fact I’m blogging about only the sauce should tell you that I really liked it. I may never go back to the canned stuff and that’s a pretty big statement coming from me. I couldn’t believe how easy it was, it practically made itself! All the ingredients, except the grapefruit segments, cook together in a saucepan until thick and delicious. It takes no time. The cranberries are perfectly tart, but I like how the orange juice and zest bring just a touch of sweet. I’m not a big fan of grapefruit as I find it a little bitter, but it works nicely in the sauce. However, the next time I make this I’ll use orange segments instead. I got a few bites of bitter and I think the orange segments would have been more palate-pleasing.

This sauce was fantastic and I didn’t miss the canned stuff. Have I changed my ways for good? We’ll see how it goes for Christmas dinner. Read how this incredible sauce gets turned into a tasty beverage!

Cranberry & Citrus Sauce

by Amy Wisniewski, Chow
makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz. bag) frozen or fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp. finely grated ruby red grapefruit zest
1/2 cup ruby red grapefruit segments, medium dice

Directions:

1. Combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and both zests in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

2. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened and cranberries are beginning to fall apart, about 20 to 25 minutes. Spoon into a heatproof serving bowl.

3. Drain grapefruit segments, discarding any accumulated juices, and stir into cranberry sauce. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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