Sweet Sixteen: May Flowers

So I thought that it would be a good idea, what with all the beautiful sunshine we'd been having, to plant some seeds last weekend. And ever since it's been cold and raining nonstop. Well, I'm crossing my fingers that all these April showers really will bring lots and lots of May flowers! And hopefully some green beans, too. I love green beans.

But until those flowers start blooming, enjoy this week's roundup of amazing edible flowers!

(Left to Right, Top to Bottom)

Orange Ice Cream Flowers, Flower Cupcake, Flower Fruit Pops, Sugar Flowers

Chocolate Flower Dessert Cups, Flower Cookie Cupcakes, Rice Krispie Treat Spring Bouquet, Pink Almond Petit Fours

Edible Flowerpot, Flower Cupcakes, Hershey Kiss Flowers, Sugar Flowers

Lollipop Cupcakes, Spring Flower Candy Cups, Cherry Blossom Cake Pops, Candied Flowers

S'more Bars

I was chattin it up with a friend last week about my sudden urge to buy a tent. And go camping. On the beach. And that, of course, reminded me how bad I'm pretty much always craving s'mores.

Unfortunately, I don't have a grill and I'm kind of scared of flaming gas stovetops. So my best option was to whip up a fat pan full of s'mores!

These bars have a nice thick layer of homemade graham cracker, smothered in a thick layer of marshmallow and coated with creamy ganache. The only thing they're missing is a little charcoal stuck in the mallows. But maybe that's not such a bad thing...

S'more Bars [click to print]
Makes about 25 squares


For graham cracker crust

• 1-1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 2 T. plus 2 tsp. honey
• 2-1/2 T. whole milk
• 1 T. vanilla extract

For marshmallow fluff

• 2 egg whites
• 1-1/3 c. light corn syrup
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1-1/3c. powdered sugar

For the chocolate layer

• 2 c. milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 9x9 or 8x8 pan with parchment paper or generously coat with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk together flour, sugar, soda, salt and cinnamon in bowl of stand mixer. Fit mixer with paddle attachment and beating on low speed, add butter. Continue beating until mixture looks like coarse meal.

In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, milk and vanilla. With mixer still on low speed, add to flour mixture and continue beating until just combined. Press dough evenly into bottom of pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. It should be a little firm to the touch. And it will smell amazing. Allow graham cracker crust to cool in pan on wire rack while you prepare marshmallow layer.

In large bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Add syrup, vanilla and salt. Beat with mixer on high speed until thickened (about 10 minutes). Reduce mixer to low speed and beat in powdered sugar. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Spread marshmallow fluff over graham layer. If you spray a spatula with cooking spray it's a little easier to spread.

Place chocolate chips in medium bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer over low heat. Pour hot cream over chocolate and allow to stand for 1-2 minutes. Stir or whisk mixture until chocolate is completely melted and texture is even. Pour over marshmallow layer and spread evenly. Allow to set in fridge until firm.

Source: Base adapted from Cherry Tea Cakes; Marshmallow adapted from 6 Bittersweets

Banana Bread French Toast with Vanilla Bean Syrup

The weather has been insane lately. First it's all hot and boiling, then torrential downpours followed by snow in PA? What! I'm shivering at work again and wishing for something deliciously cozy to warm me from the inside out. Perfect time for french toast, I think. Growing up, my mom would whip up the toast and my dad would slowly stir some homemade vanilla syrup on the stovetop. It's so good!

And then I remembered how absolutely perfect banana bread french toast is and my mouth started watering. Which could be a little gross except I'm home alone right now so nobody can judge me. A huge, fluffy dollop of fresh whipped cream makes this pure heaven.

Banana Bread French Toast with Vanilla Bean Syrup [click to print]

For the egg coating

• 1 egg
• 2 T. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the syrup

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 T. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (OR extract)

Prepare egg mixture by gently beating egg with fork. Beat in milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Dip thin slices of banana bread in egg mixture, lightly coating both sides, and toast in frying pan until both sides are cooked and just dry to the touch.

Combine sugar, water and butter in small saucepan. Heat to a simmer (not a boil or you'll get hard candy!), stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Stir in vanilla and remove from heat.

Sweet Sixteen: Rainbows

This last weekend started off beautifully! And then it started raining and raining...and raining. I couldn't wait for that rainbow to appear, so I found a few of my own! Hope you enjoy this week's rainbow roundup!

(Left to Right, Top to Bottom)

Rainbow Bright Cake, Rainbow Jello, Rainbow Pancakes, Rainbow Layer Cake

Piano Rainbow Cake, Rainbow Pop Tarts, Rainbow Cheesecake Bars, Rainbow Coated Oreos

Rainbow Paddle Pop Fudge, Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches, Rainbow Jello Slices, Rainbow Cookies

Sparkly Rainbow Marshmallow Kabobs, Modern Rainbow Cake, Rainbow Playdough Cookies, Rainbow Whoopie Pies

Lemon Silk (aka Fool-Proof Lemon Curd)

Doesn't "curd" just sound kind of gross? I mean, really. Who wants to take a big bite of curd or slather a thick layer of curd on a fresh piece of bread or stir a spoonful of curd into perfectly good whipped cream? Ugh. Lemon Silk just sounds so much more appealing than Lemon Curd, right?

Lemon Silk is kind of like deliciously glorified homemade pudding. It has a really strong lemon flavor, so you better like lemon if you're gonna make this stuff. Rather than just eating it straight, I suggest making a batch of Lemon Rolls with Vanilla Bean Icing (recipe coming very soon!).

It can be kind of tricky to get a perfectly smooth texture using the traditional double-boiler-egg-whisking method. After you cook it you usually have to strain out any lumps or bits of cooked egg. This is a much easier, fail-proof way to get a good, creamy batch of lemon silk without any of that ickiness.


Lemon Silk (aka Fool-Proof Lemon Curd) [click to print]
Makes about 2 cups

• 6 T. unsalted butter, cubed 
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, large
• 2 egg yolks, large
• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. salt

In medium size, heat proof mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, incorporating well between each addition. Beat in lemon juice, eggs and salt until well combined; don't worry if it looks kind of curdled right now, it will smooth out as you cook it. 

Place bowl over simmering pot of water, but don't let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk mixture over low heat until the butter melts and the texture smooths out. Increase heat to medium, whisking constantly to prevent scorching. The mixture will begin to thicken and you may see a few slow, fat bubble appearing; that's okay, but if there are a lot, it's boiling and you should immediately reduce heat. 

The curd is done when it coats the back of a spoon and your finger leaves a clear path when drawn through. Pour into clean bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap against surface of curd. Store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days or in the freezer for a couple months. 

Source: Adapted from David Lebovitz and Fine Cooking