Bourbon Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Photo by Katie Guymon

Last night, we all got together to celebrate my in-laws' wedding anniversary. I was in charge of the dessert. Now, because I've been on a sugar-avoidance-where-possible diet, I needed a splurge that was worth it.

Mmmm, fruit, all liquored up // Instagram @kguymon

After seeing that Eckert's peaches had recently invaded the produce section at Schnucks, I decided a cobbler was on the horizon. (And look! The colors in the finished product are so horizon-like. I digress.)

The end result--one last hurrah for a summer that's rapidly coming to a close--was nineteen kinds of yummy. Even Matt, who admitted most cobblers just remind him of his elementary school's cafeteria food, became a Beliebbler. Yup, that's my new term for all the cobbler fanatics out there.

PS - Don't worry about the bourbon. I don't usually sip it like my sophisticated, elderly husband does, but the addition of the liquor adds an awesome depth of flavor. The actual taste cooks off. I mean, we served this to kids. It's okay.


Bourbon Peach and Blueberry Cobbler [adapted from Tyler Florence]
-6 large peaches, peeled and sliced, about 6 cups

-1 cup of blueberries
-1/4 cup of bourbon
-3/4 cup of sugar, plus more for dusting
-2 tablespoons of corn starch
-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
-1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons of baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
-2 sticks of cold unsalted butter
-3/4 cup of heavy cream, plus more for brushing

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl add the peaches, blueberries, bourbon, 1/4 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon and mix well to coat the fruit evenly; set aside.

3. Prepare the dough: in a bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut 1 1/2 sticks of butter into small pieces. Add it to the flour mixture and cut it in with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Pour in the cream and mix just until the dough comes together. Don't overwork; the dough should be slightly sticky but manageable.

4. In a large sauce pan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the fruit mixture and cook gently until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the fruit to a 2-quart baking dish.

5. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls over the warm peaches. There can be gaps; the dough will puff up and spread out as it bakes. Brush the top with some heavy cream and sprinkle with some sugar; put it into the oven on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is browned and the fruit is bubbling.

6. Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Macerated Raspberries

Photo by Katie Guymon

My dear friend Shannon raved about this pound cake recipe after she made it for a group of girls for her most recent craft club meeting. (Yeah, craft club. This is the second time I've heard of this phenomenon, and let me just say that it fits Shannon to a T. She won't take offense to that.)

I rarely make desserts just to have on-hand at home (my addiction to Chinese take-out more than undermines my work-outs, so why bring sweets into the mix?), so I'm not super confident when it comes to making cakes from scratch. But, this recipe was really simple! The most difficult aspect was my cook time; my oven is a little funky, so I just kept a close eye on the cake so it didn't become dry.

I served the cake with macerated raspberries; you can really pick any combination of berries, but the raspberries were speaking to me that day at the grocery store. The pound cake sops up the juices wonderfully. Add a big heap of homemade whip cream on top for the final touch.



Note: you can store the cake up to three days, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature. I do not recommend putting the cake in the fridge! It will lose its softness. I learned the hard way.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Macerated Raspberries [adapted from Martha Stewart]

For the Cake: 

-1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of unsalted butter, room temperature 

-1 bar (8 ounces) of cream cheese, room temperature

-3 cups of sugar

-6 large eggs

-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-3 cups of all-purpose flour

-2 teaspoons of salt

-Nonstick cooking spray (this will make the cake look very brown on the outside)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour and salt in two additions, beating until just combined.

2. Generously coat a Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Immediately pour in batter. Tap the pan on work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.

3. Bake until golden and a butter knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean, 60 to 75 minutes (if the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil).

4. Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out the cake; cool completely, with top sides up, on a wire rack.

For the Berries:
-2 lbs. of raspberries
-1/4 cup of orange juice
-3/4 cup of sugar
-1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier (optional)

1. Mix the orange juice, sugar, and 1 cup of berries together with the back of a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add the rest of the berries and the Grand Marnier and stir gently.

3. Let the mixture sit for 1-2 hours to soften the berries.

American Pies

Recently, I discovered the simple joy that is the summertime pie. I mean, if you're going to bring a dessert to a backyard barbeque, it's got to be cold and fruity. That's all there is to it. With the Fourth of July coming up next week, I think it's high time you got busy in the kitchen. And by "get busy," I mean bake a pie, you dirty birds.

The difference between my lemon cream pie and my key lime pie is a mere citrus fruit. God bless easy. And America.

Lemon Cream Pie
-1 store bought graham cracker crust
-2 large eggs
-1 14 oz. can of sweetened, condensed milk
-1 cup of fresh lemon juice
-1 lemon, zest divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the eggs, condensed milk, lemon juice, and half of the lemon zest.
3. Add the mixture to the pie crust and bake for 18-20 minutes or until set in the center.
4. Chill the pie in the fridge for at least two hours.
5. Top the pie with homemade whip cream and the remaining lemon zest before serving.

Key Lime Pie 
-1 store bought graham cracker crust
-2 large eggs
-1 14 oz. can of sweetened, condensed milk
-1 cup of fresh lemon juice
-2 limes, zest divided
-1 cup of sour cream
-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the eggs, condensed milk, lime juice, and half of the lime zest.
3. Add the mixture to the pie crust and bake for 18-20 minutes or until set in the center.
4. Chill the pie in the fridge for at least two hours.
5. Mix together the sour cream and powdered sugar. Top the pie with the sour cream mixture and remaining lime zest before serving.

Junior Mint Cupcakes

Yesterday, I got a hankerin' for some cupcakes. Once I hit my third trimester, I developed the craziest sweet tooth. (Well, crazy for me considering my entire life, I've been a salt girl.) Good thing these new cravings came after I passed my glucose test with flying colors - no gestational 'betes for me! So, it's really no surprise that took it upon myself to make an inordinate number of cupcakes for Matt and me. The trickiest part of this decision was deciding what to make.

See, tonight (literally, as I type this) we're watching the Golden Globe awards. Matt and I are, unashamedly, huge pop culture nerds. Let's just say we watch a good amount of (only critically acclaimed, we swear!) television, and we love our movies. It's been our tradition for over a decade now to watch the show together. Also, we like the boozed up celebrities.

I wanted to make a theme-y sort of cupcake, and I scoured the Interwebs all day yesterday for something suitable for a red carpet event. I wasn't having any luck until I stopped into Walgreen's last night for mascara and Hot Tamales that I paused to consider the rest of the "movie theater candy." And then, by George, it hit me. Junior Mint cupcakes.

Turns out, there were approximately eighty-two recipes online for such a thing. So, I pulled a few steps from here and there and came up with my own easy recipe. No, they aren't from scratch, but if that's what you're feeling, I'm sure you can figure out a way to make things harder for yourself.

Junior Mint Cupcakes
Cupcakes:
-1 box of Devil's Food cake mix
-3 large eggs
-1 1/3 cups water
-1/2 vegetable oil
-3/4 teaspoon mint extract

Buttercream Frosting:
-1 cup butter, at room temperature
-3 cups powdered sugar
-dash of milk

Decoration:
-green sprinkles
-Junior Mints

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the ingredients for the cupcakes. Place 18 cupcake liners into two cupcake tins and fill each liner two-thirds full.
2. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
3. Let cupcakes cool completely before using a piping bag to frost each cupcake.
4. Sprinkle each cupcake and finish with a Junior Mint.

Pumpkin Bars

Matt and I had a little housewarming gathering yesterday, our first time entertaining in the new digs. How I managed to forget what a tremendous about of work throwing a par-tay is escapes me, but I was reminded today while scrubbing smashed chocolate chips off my kitchen floor. Oh well, it was worth it to see so many friendly faces all in the same place. That rhymes. Sort of.

Plus, it was a good excuse to celebrate my favorite season - and month - in true autumnal style: pumpkins, mums, fire pits, the works. 

I made Paula Deen's pumpkin bars as a dessert, and they were a hit. The recipe is easy, and the cake itself is not too sweet. The cream cheese frosting gives it the sweetness it needs. I say YUM. Heck, I'll say it again. YUM. 

Pumpkin Bars [recipe from Paula Deen]
Pumpkin Bars:
-4 eggs
-1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
-1 cup vegetable oil
-15-ounce can pumpkin
-2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:
-8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
-1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
-2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

3. Spread the batter into a greased 13 x 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

4. To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

A Southern Dinner Party

Photo by Katie Guymon

Two nights ago, I hosted a southern dinner party for five of my girlfriends. This was an item on my summer vacation to-do list, so I am so thankful that we were all able to get together. The only thing missing was a bell to call them all to dinner. Not to toot my own horn, but toot! toot! The food was delicious, and if my leftover intake is any indication, you will probably like it, too.

Here is the menu (with recipes!) for a southern dinner party.

Hard Lemonade [recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson]
What's more southern than a frosty glass of lemonade spiked with vodka? I doubled the batch and used some Minute Maid lemonade to supplement the freshly squeezed juice. A girl can only juice so many lemons, y'all.

Crab Dip [recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman]
Catherine was kind enough to bring over this delicious crab dip for an appetizer on Wednesday night. And, she kept with the southern theme! But, I'm not surprised. Girl knows how to work a theme.

Barbequed Shrimp [recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse]
The first time I ever tasted these shrimp was at a Viking Cooking School class. Let me tell you, this recipe is not good for you, but it is heavenly. I went to Bob's Seafood for the first time to buy the biggest shrimp I could find. Although I'm not a huge fan of peeling and deveining, it is so worth it to get the 20 count shrimp versus the little guys at your local grocery store.

Goat Cheese Grits
Okay, this recipe isn't really good for you either, but hey, special occasions are always diet-defiant. If you are a grit girl (or boy) like I am, this is dedicated to you. 

-3 cups whole milk
-3/4 cup stone-ground grits
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 4-5 ounce log fresh chervre
-1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
-salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Heat milk in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat; bring to bil. Whisk in the grits and reduce the heat to a low simmer.

2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the grits are soft and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Stir in cream, goat cheese, thyme, salt and pepper. Add more milk if grits are too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  

Fresh Corn Salad [recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa]
I've written about this Barefoot Contessa recipe before. It is seriously the stuff that corny dreams are made of. Now that basil is in abundance, it's the perfect time to make this salad.

Marinated Asparagus [recipe courtesy of Paula Deen]
My mom and I discovered this recipe when we were in a "We heart asparagus, but what else can do with it?" phase. This preparation is perfect. It's easy. It's served cold. It's made the night before. And it's really very tasty.

Honey Cornbread Muffins [recipe courtesy of The Neelys]
Cornbread from scratch. Yum, yum, gimme some. And that's all I have to say about that. 

Rhubarb Cobbler [recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman]
I had never made this exact recipe before, but since I've been on such a rhubarb kick this summer, I wanted to try it. The only step I did differently was to swap out the lemon and add freshly squeezed orange juice. As my friend Courtney described it, "It's the perfect combination of sweet and tart." I completely agree. Top it with some homemade whip cream, and it's perfect.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Lattice Pie

Photo by Katie Guymon

Rhubarb-Strawberry Lattice Pie [recipe from Martha Stewart Living] 
Confession: this was the first pie that I've ever made. If you count buying Pillsbury pie crusts as "making" a pie. Which, considering my attempt at fancy-looking lattice work, I do. But, despite my adventurous nature in the realm of criss cross crusts, I realize that my mine ended up looking more than a little janky. I've got some practice ahead of me before I master the art of the pie crust. But, I promise you that this pie actually tastes delicious. There's more rhubarb than strawberry so it's extra tart, and the addition of orange zest and juice is probably my favorite thing about this recipe.

Also, it's important to know that when I update my Facebook status as "My first ever pie is in the oven," that does not mean that I am with child. Matt got some congratulatory text messages from a friend who confused "pie" with "bun." 

-1 3/4 pounds rhubarb, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (6 cups)
-6 ounces strawberries, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
-1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
-1/4 cup cornstarch
-1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
-1 tablespoon orange juice
-1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
-2 Pillsbury pie crusts
-1 egg
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
-sanding sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling by mixing the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, zest, juice, and salt.

2. Roll out crust to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Pour in filling; dot top with butter.

3. Roll remaining crust to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into at least fifteen 1/2-inch strips. Lay 8 strips across pie. Fold back every other strip, and lay a horizontal strip across the center of the pie. Unfold folded strips, then fold back remaining strips. Lay another horizontal strip across pie. Repeat folding and unfolding strips to weave a lattice pattern.

4. Trim bottom and top crusts to 1-inch overhang using kitchen shears, and press together to seal around edges. Fold edges under, and crimp as desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Brush crust with egg wash and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake pie on middle rack, with a foil-lined baking sheet on bottom rack to catch juices, until vigorously bubbling in center and bottom crust is golden, about 1 1/2 hours. (Loosely tent with foil after 1 hour if crust is browning too quickly.) Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours (preferably longer) before serving.

Lemon-Mint Cake

Last Saturday, we celebrated unofficial Saint Patty's Day with an "Irish Feast" at Seth's house. Seth is quite the talented cook. Once he made a caramelized onion and mushroom quiche that sort of made me want to binge and then die happy. Anyway.

He made a hearty Guinness stew and some absolutely delish rarebit. I was in charge of dessert. Neither Matt nor I have much of a sweet tooth, so I am not so confident when it comes to the baked goods. My first (and quite inspired) thought was to simply make some out-of-the-box cupcakes, frost them with green icing, and sprinkle some Lucky Charms on top.  But, I decided to take the opportunity to get adventurous and make a cake from scratch. For the first time ever. I had to, like, whip egg whites into stiff peaks and stuff.

So, I'm sharing Giada's lemon-mint cake recipe with you. My first successful cake made from scratch. And, clearly, my selection is not remotely Irish, but I rationalized this choice because it contains fresh mint. And fresh mint is green.

Overall, the cake is quite tasty, but you have to really like lemons. You have to want to marry the lemon. However, I will also offer some suggestions on how to tone down the lemon flavor, if that is your desire.

Here we go.

Lemon-Mint Cake with Lemon Syrup
-butter, for greasing
-flour, for dusting

Cake:
-3 eggs, separated, at room temperature
-1 cup sugar, divided
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-8 mint sprigs, leaves chopped
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-1 tablespoon lemon zest
-1 cup all-purpose flour

Syrup:
-1 cup sugar
-1/4 cup water
-1/4 cup lemon juice
-1 tablespoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

I used a 9-inch round cake pan and baked my cake for 40 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

3. In a separate large bowl, beat the vegetable oil, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Add the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the chopped mint, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Set aside.

4. Add 1/2 of the egg white mixture into the oil mixture and beat until combined. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the remaining egg white mixture. Spread the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cutting board and allow to cool before slicing.

The top of your cake should should develop a flaky "crust." I did not realize this phenomenon while baking, so I thought my cake was going to be extremely dry when I pulled it out of the oven and saw this "crunchy" looking layer. Then, my toothpick came out very clean, and I thought I'd just wasted two hours making a concrete frisbee. Turns out, it was fine. Confidence, Katie!

5. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes.

I'm not sure if I've decided if the lemon simple syrup was a good idea or just overkill. But, here is where you can really limit the amount of lemon flava, if you prefer. Instead of adding more lemon to the simple syrup, I'd recommend just leaving out the zest and juice for a plain (but sweet) cake glaze. I poked a few holes in the top of the cake and drizzled the syrup on before serving.

6. To serve, spoon some of the syrup onto each small plate or shallow bowl and lay a slice of cake on top. Drizzle the cake with additional syrup and garnish with a small sprig of mint.

I placed the cake in a shallow serving bowl, then poked a few holes in the top and drizzled the syrup on top and at the bottom of the bowl before serving.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

Now that I'm finally out of persuasive research paper rough draft hell, I had to show you these pictures of the adorable cookies I made with my mom and Abbie the night before Thanksgiving. I think we've found a new tradition to replace the former escapades of Wacky Wednesday. I am thirty (almost thirty-one!) after all.

I found the original recipe on Betty Crocker online, but we went ahead and used our favorite sugar cookie recipe. The other ingredients include chocolate spreadable icing, candy corn, green M&Ms, and black icing gel.

And below is what happens when my silly mother lets loose with the cookie decorating. I think it has something to do with Jude being left handed. Anyway, my dad dubbed this turkey "The Cosmo Kramer."

Save the recipe for next year, folks. Even though they appear startled (and what turkey wouldn't be on Thanksgiving?), they are almost too cute to be eaten.