Challah Bread

A few times I've been around that track,
So it's not just gonna happen like that,
Cause I ain't no challah-back girl.
I ain't no Challah-back girl

...

I'm sorry, but if you guys haven't come to expect this sort of thing by now, what are we even doing here?

Remember the last post when I told you that because I was a crazy person, I used bread I baked that morning to make French toast? This is that bread. I had forgotten to check the bakery to see if they had any challah and I needed it for the recipe, so because I'm me, I figured I'd just make my own.

Except, I couldn't really find a recipe that I liked, so I kinda sorta made this one up? So I have no idea if it's actually authentic or not. I mean, I looked at a ton of challah recipes, so I kinda knew what I was doing, except I just did it my way. *cue Sinatra music*

I was low on all-purpose flour, but I had an unopened bag of bread flour. I figured that would be fine since, you know, I was making bread, but it was actually really hard to find a recipe that used bread flour. And the ones that did had weirdy instructions (one called for half an egg. Half an egg. That's crazy talk) or more ingredients than I had in my kitchen, like a billion eggs or milk.

Instead of making myself crazy trying to find the perfect recipe, I just sort of decided on a ratio of ingredients that seemed reasonable and headed to the mixer. What came out looked reasonably like bread dough, so I proceeded.

And guys, it was actually pretty easy. I let my mixer do all the kneading, and I let the dough do it's first rise in the fridge overnight (cause I was too lazy to finish that night, which is why the bread was so fresh when I went to make the French toast). I didn't even have to use a rolling pin, I just rolled out dough "strands" for braiding with my two hands. Even the braiding wasn't too hard-- I decided to go with the traditional 6-strand braid because I wanted a taller loaf, and I just watched a couple tutorials on youtube before doing it. It didn't come out perfectly, as you can see, but I think it looks pretty good for my first time.

It did rise a lot more in the oven than I expected. A lot more. It tried to take the top oven rack with it when I took it out. So take out your top oven rack, just to be sure.

As for the taste, well, it was pretty good if I do say so myself. But you've got to wait and let it cool completely before eating it, maybe even let it sit for a bit. I know the temptation to eat warm bread fresh from the oven, I do, but if you eat this warm, it will just taste like any old bread. But if you're patient enough and let it cool, it tastes so much better. It's so soft and fluffy and slightly sweet, and I kind of ate half a loaf in the name of taste-testing.

I still don't know if it's authentic or not, but I let my mother try some, and now she's obsessed with it. So, authentic or not, it's still some good bread.

Even if you ain't no challah-back girl.
...
I can't help it.

Challah Bread
Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups very warm water (about 110-120 degrees F)
1/4 cup melted butter
4 tbsp. honey
1 packet active dry yeast
6-7 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. of water)
Sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)

Directions
Mix together the water, butter, and honey. Add the yeast and stir until dissolved. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook whisk together 2 cups of flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture and the eggs and mix on low until well combined. Add 2 more cups of flour and mix on low for about two minutes. Gradually add in 2 more cups of flour.

Knead in the mixer about 6-8 minutes, or by hand for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add the remaining cup of flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Shape your dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat completely. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours (or refrigerate and let rise overnight, 6-8 hours).

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut it in half and form two balls. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Working with one ball at a time, divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope. Pinch the tops of the ropes together and braid to form a loaf. Repeat with the second half of the dough. cover both loaves and let rise until doubled, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the loaves with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if using. Bake 35-45 minutes, until the loaves are well browned and sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Let cool before slicing.

Tip: I heat the water and butter together to save time. The butter doesn't have to be completely melted before adding the yeast-- it will continue to melt as it sits in the warm water.

If you don't feel comfortable doing a six-strand braid, you can always do a regular 3 strand braid instead.

Recipe by Kim

Salted Caramel Death Star Popcorn Balls

Tomorrow is Star Wars Day! YAAAAAAY! (For those of you that are new here, May 4th is Star Wars Day because May the fourth be with you. Get it?)

To celebrate, I made multiple Death Stars. Out of popcorn and caramel. And then I covered them in candy. I don't think that's what the actual Death Star was made out of, because then the rebels wouldn't have needed Luke's Force-guided missile aim to blow it up. They could have just sent a couple Wookiees in to eat it. I'm sure Chewie would volunteer.

I've never actually made popcorn balls before. I mean, I've done marshmallow popcorn treats (like krispie treats, but with popcorn), and while I suppose that you could make those into balls and call them popcorn balls, I wanted to try something a little closer to the old fashioned method.

Except that the old fashioned method uses sugar and corn syrup, and I was worried that dipping them in the melted candy would make them too sweet. So I found this recipe from Food Network for caramel popcorn balls that was basically the same but used honey and brown sugar instead.

For my part, I thought the honey flavor was a little too strong, so if I made them again, I'd probably try some maple syrup or maybe dark corn syrup, but other than that, they were delicious. And fairly simple to make, providing you have the time and patience required for boiling sugar. (Never take your eyes off the stove when cooking sugar. CONSTANT VIGILANCE). Bonus, I had some extra popcorn left because the caramel had hardened too much to make another popcorn ball, so I spread it on a lined baking sheet to cool, and it made the perfect caramel corn. It was like the stuff you get in the tins at Christmas, only better because you made it.

One thing I didn't love was that the caramel, by necessity, was still pretty warm when I was shaping the popcorn balls. You have a very small window of opportunity between cool enough to not burn and hardened caramel, and I have very sensitive hands. So if you have sensitive hands like I do, use a pair of rubber gloves for that part (just spray them with cooking spray so the candy doesn't stick).

Then, when they had set, I dipped them in a mix of melted black and white candy wafers to get a dark grey, and I used some black sparkle gel to do some very simple detailing. Easy peasy.

Salted Caramel Popcorn Balls
Yield: About 12 popcorn balls

Ingredients
Approx. 8 cups popped popcorn
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 tsp. salt*
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
To decorate: black and white candy melts, black decorating icing

Directions
Generously grease a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Pop your popcorn using your preferred method and place it in the bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, honey, and unsalted butter, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Allow it to boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until it reaches 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the salt and baking soda. Stir in the vanilla and pour over the popcorn, stirring until well coated. Let sit until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes (it will still be very warm).

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Dip your hands in water to prevent sticking and shape the popcorn into balls about 3 1/2 inches wide. Place on the prepared baking sheet and let them sit until the caramel has completely set, about 10 minutes.

Melt the black and white candy melts together. Coat each popcorn ball in the melted candy, letting the excess drip off, then place back on the lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the candy has hardened. Decorate with black decorating icing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

*Adjust this amount to suit your personal preference. If using prepackaged microwave popcorn, add only 1/4 tsp salt, since your popcorn will already be salted.

Recipe adapted slightly from Food Network

Things you may need (affiliate links):

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links*

Other Star Wars Day Treats:

Star Wars Cake Batter Truffles

"Darth" Chocolate Cupcakes

Wookiee Cookies

Banana Crunch Parfait

So, my interwebz has been on the fritz lately, which is why this wasn't posted last week. Sorry, lovelies.

Anywhozzle, did you know that September is National Whole Grain Month? It is. I'm not exactly the world's healthiest eater, but I usually try to incorporate a lot of whole grains in my diet. Why whole grains? As the name implies, they use the whole grain which means it has more nutritional value, rather than refined grains which have most of the nutrition processed out. Whole grains are good sources of fiber, which helps fill you up and keep you from over eating, but are also a good source of other nutrients like magnesium. For those of you that don't suffer from migraines, you might not know that migraines can sometimes be caused by a magnesium deficiency. So if a carb that's already better for me nutritionally might help prevent me from having migraines, you bet your booty that I'm going to try and eat that one more.

To celebrate National Whole Grain Month, I made these magnesium-rich Banana Crunch Parfaits (bananas and yogurt are also good sources of magnesium. Word) with Great Grains Banana Nut Crunch Cereal. I got a chance to try Great Grains cereal for the first time, and let me tell you-- holy crunch, Batman! The cereal was at like granola-levels of crunchiness, which was awesome. It wasn't quite sweet enough for me, but mixed with the sweet ingredients of the parfait, it worked great. I've been eating the Vanilla Graham flavor for breakfast, and I'm loving it.

As for the parfaits themselves, they're an awesome, quick breakfast. I even liked the honey drizzle on top as that extra sweet kick, even though I'm not usually a fan of honey. The only change I would make would be to use fresh strawberries instead of the canned pineapple, since I found the pineapple to be a little jarring, both in flavor and texture. I think the strawberries would just go better-- and who doesn't like strawberries and bananas together, amiright?

I used Stonyfield Farm Greek yogurt for extra protein, and got an eminently satisfying breakfast. You could make them as a healthy snack, or even a healthy alternative to dessert, if you're into that sort of thing. They do need to be eaten immediately, so the cereal doesn't get soggy. But trust me, you won't have a problem doing that. I didn't have parfait cups, so I made one giant parfait instead of 6 little ones and I may or may not have eaten the whole thing in one sitting. It's okay because it's healthy, right?

Banana Crunch Parfait
Yield: 6 parfaits

Ingredients
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1 medium banana, sliced
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1 cup Great Grains Banana Nut Crunch Cereal
1 cup honey

Directions
Spoon half of the yogurt into 6 parfait glasses. Layer with half of the banana slices, pineapple chunks, and cereal. Repeat the layers, and drizzle the honey on top.

*Disclaimer: I received free samples of Post Great Grains cereal in order to feature this recipe. I was under no obligation to review if I so chose, and I receive no further compensation from this post. All opinions are, as always, my own*

Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread

26 seconds.

I have been given 26 seconds of new Sherlock footage.

The Internet has been given 26 seconds of new Sherlock footage.

And the fandom has exploded.

(FANDOM (n.)- the fan community of a thing)

You know, I've been a part of a lot of fandoms in my time. I started with Buffy/Angel. That was my gateway fandom (my gateway to geekdom, too). Then there was Lord of the Rings, various animes, Harry Potter, Stargate. I dabbled a bit in the Anne Rice/Vampire Chronicles fandom. I was big into the Mercedes Lackey/Heralds of Valdemar fandom in the early days of fanfiction.net, before Tumblr or Pinterest existed, when it was a lot harder to be part of a fandom [HIPSTER GLASSES]. So I'm a little bit of a fandom expert. And let me tell you one thing: there has never been a fandom quite like the Sherlock fandom.

I couldn't say what it is that makes us unique. 3 episode seasons and an excessively long hiatus (a year and a half and counting...) are 2 of the culprits, for sure, but most other fandoms tend to go "dark" with no new content. But we watch. We rewatch. We voluntarily give ourselves Reichenfeels (n.- feels created by watching The Reichenbach Fall)(FEELS (n.)- the unwanted feelings inspired by fictional events. Example: I can't handle all my feels watching Bambi's mom die) in order to search for clues, anything we might have missed. We make note of the buttons on Mrs. Hudson's sleeve, of the earpiece in Watson's ear, of the tiniest of Sherlock's expressions during the epic showdown with Moriarty. We refer back to the canon (n.- the official, or original, storyline)-- the books-- to see if we can find some hint to what might happen next. We curse Moffat and Gatiss, and we study interviews with the actors to see if there's anything they might have let slip.

 

"And how many times have you watched the Series 3 promo?" "Oh, it's all a bit of a blur, Detective Inspector. I lost count." (30 geek points if you get that reference)

And then a 26 second promo is released. I watched it about 5 times in a row, not gonna lie. But I'm still not as bad as others who have scrutinized and analyzed every frame. Gif sets have been made. Theories have been adapted. New theories have been created. Watson's mustache has been named Harold, and Lestrade's hair has been mourned. The Sherlock fandom is one of the craziest and most obsessive that I've ever been a part of, and it's fantastic.

So with the new promo awakening some of my Reichenfeels (damn you Martin Freeman and your ability to break my heart into bitty pieces), I needed to do some carbo loading. I also needed some sandwich bread for another recipe, and since we don't really eat slice bread, it seemed a waste to go out and buy it when I had all the ingredients to make it already in my kitchen. It was fate.

I made a whole wheat bread recipe from Old Reliable, but I decided to make it honey wheat instead. The bread itself is perfect sandwich bread: sturdy, but soft, and the honey gives it a nice, subtle sweetness. There's a nice heartiness from the wheat flour, but it's balanced out by the all-purpose flour. The crust did get a little over-browned-- not burnt, but just a little too dark-- so I would suggest tenting it with foil the last 10 minutes or so. This recipe makes 2 loaves, so if you're not a big sandwich-bread-eater like me, you can freeze half the dough, then have fresh baked bread whenever the whim takes you. I double-wrapped it in plastic, then put it in a zip-top freezer bag, because I'm paranoid about freezer burn.

True story, I was making myself some chicken salad for lunch while the bread was cooling. It was on a rack right in front of my face, and I'm cracking some pepper over the chicken thinking, hmm, I wonder what we have that I can eat this on. And then I looked at the bread, and I thought, hmm, I wonder how I should style it for the pictures. And it took me about another 5 minutes to put those two things together, I'm not even kidding right now. I blame Sherlock.

Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients
4 cups whole wheat flour
3- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. salt
2 packages active dry yeast
2¼ cups milk
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup unsalted butter or margarine

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the sugar, salt, yeast, 2 cups whole wheat flour, and 1 cup all-purpose flour. In a saucepan over low heat, heat the milk, honey, and butter until warm, approximately 110-120 degrees F (the butter doesn't have to melt completely). With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Increase the speed to medium and beat about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add another half cup of whole wheat flour, and half cup of all-purpose flour. Beat another 2 minutes on medium speed.

Fold in 1 and a half cups each of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. If the dough is too sticky, add the extra 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed (or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface) about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat completely. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours.

Punch down the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured, and cut in half. Cover and let rest about 15 minutes. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Starting at the short side roll the dough up as tightly as possible and pinch the dough to seal. Seal the ends by pinching them down and folding them under. Place in a regular loaf pan that's been lightly greased and lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake about 25-35 minutes, until the tops are well-browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If the crust is browning too quickly, tent with foil after the first 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Note: If you only want to make one loaf, freeze half the dough. After letting it rest, wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag. To use, defrost completely in the refrigerator, then shape and let rise as directed before baking.

Recipe adapted from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook

Oatmeal Ice Cream- Breakfast for Dinner #SundaySupper

You guys, I've felt pretty uncool many different times in my life.

I voluntarily went to a summer camp that taught college level courses twice in high school (once for essay writing, once for etymologies). I used to read during recess. I was in the anime club. As I type this post, I can look up to my bookshelf and see a book on word origins tucked neatly in between a Phillip K. Dick novel and Douglas Adam's Starship Titanic. Cool is not something I've ever claimed to be.

But this weekend, I feel especially uncool. Because this weekend is San Diego Comic Con and the Food and Wine Conference. So as I sit here with my obscure Russian urban fantasy/horror novels (Sergei Lukyanenko's Watch series. Soooooooo good), almost everyone I follow on Twitter is at some kind of panel or meeting some kind of cool celebrity or Instagramming their swag.

And I'm just like, look at this great deal I got on a video game bundle during the Steam sale. No one cares, because there's Felicia Day doing a meet and greet, and there's Wil Wheaton playing Star Trek Catan with fans, and there's all the super yummy food, and there's a picture of John Barrowman hugging Misha Collins, and oh my god, I seriously just want to insert myself in the middle.

A friend and I decided that what we need is a food AND nerd con. Hey, nerds like food, too. And we would have it at Hershey Park, because it is an amusement park inspired by food. And we could feed all our favorite celebrities cookies. I know, it's a super awesome idea, but I have no clue how to make it happen, except by becoming a nerd celebrity so I would be able to meet all the people who could make it happen. And I have no clue how to become a nerd celebrity... except by, maybe, starting a nerd and food con. It's a total Kobayashi Maru; I can't win. In the meantime....

Hold up. Oh my glob, Wil Wheaton just tweeted that he FREAKING MET STEVEN MOFFAT AND TALKED SHERLOCK. Excessive fangirling commencing in 3...2...1...

...ahem, in the meantime, I wish my fellow nerds at SDCC, and my fellow #SundaySupper-ers at the Food and Wine Conference a wonderful weekend. And for all of us uncool enough to be stuck at home, drowning our sorrows in some digital retail therapy, I can provide the ultimate comfort food: Oatmeal Ice Cream.

This week's #SundaySupper is hosted by Conni from The Foodie Army Wife, and the theme is breakfast for dinner. I decided to bring the dessert, because, well, have you read this blog before? It's sort of what I do. And since the heat wave has yet to break, I decided to go for a breakfast-inspired ice cream. Specifically, an oatmeal-inspired ice cream. The base of this ice cream is a delicious honey and apple jelly combo with just a touch of cinnamon sugar. Then the ice cream is mixed with some plump raisins, some oatmeal cookie chunks, and some oats toasted with a little honey and brown sugar.

And you guys, it's a-frickin-mazing. It tastes so homey and wholesome, everything you'd want in a breakfast. But it's creamy, sweet, and decadent, the way that ice cream should be. It's the perfect thing to eat while playing video games and bemoaning your lack of coolness.

Oatmeal Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/3 cup raisins
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. honey, divided
1/4 cup cinnamon sugar*
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
Heaping 1/4 cup apple jelly
1/3 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2-3 large oatmeal cookies, broken into chunks (optional)

Directions
In a small bowl, add the water and raisins and let soak overnight. Drain well.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy. Add the honey and cinnamon sugar and whisk until well combined. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and the milk over medium-low heat until it just begins to simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Remove from heat. Add the milk mixture to the eggs 1 ladleful at a time, whisking constantly. When about half of the milk has been added, mix in the jelly, then finish with the remaining milk, mixing well until smooth. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan, and heat on low, stirring constantly, until it reaches 160°F on a food-grade thermometer. Do not let it boil. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, about 3 hours.

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the oats and toast until golden brown, stirring occasionally to cook evenly. Mix together the remaining honey and brown sugar, and add to the oats, stirring until they are completely coated. Remove from heat, and allow to cool completely.

Freeze the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is a few minutes from being done, add the raisins, toasted oats, and oatmeal cookie chunks. Freeze completely in an airtight container.

*I used a palm sugar/cinnamon blend, which is a bit sweeter than cane sugar. This amount may have to be adjusted if you are using regular white sugar. Taste the custard before freezing it to be sure.

Recipe adapted from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Check out all the other Breakfast for Dinner options #SundaySupper-ers are bringing to the table:

Tres Leches Pancakes from La Cocina de Leslie
French Toast Casserole with Sautéed Apples from The Foodie Army Wife
Gluten Free Breakfast Pizza from Blueberries And Blessings
Basic Vegan Waffles from Killer Bunnies, Inc
Kale, Bacon, Brown Rice Crustless Quiche from Shockingly Delicious
Bacon Egg and Potato Breakfast Tacos from Cookin’ Mimi
Steak and Egg Tostadas from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Breakfast Bowls from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Bacon and Egg Waffles from The Urban Mrs
Homemade Lox from Growing Up Gabel
Seattle Sandwiches (Lox, Shmear, & A Fried Egg) from Juanita’s Cocina
Bacon & Brie Potato Bread Strata with Roasted Pears from Eat, Move, Shine
Saucy Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sliders from Daily Dish Recipes
Greek Frittata from Casa de Crews
Elderberry Flower Pancakes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Rosemary Strata from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Italian Turkey Meatballs (With a Secret) from What Smells So Good?
Bacon, Spinach and Tomato Breakfast Pizza from Runner’s Tales
Red Pepper and Egg Galette from Healthy. Delicious.
Waffles – One Plate, Two Ways: Sweet & Savory from Foxes Love Lemons
Steak & Egg Bagel Sandwich from girlichef
Florentine Benedict from Supper for a Steal
Oatmeal Ice Cream from Treats & Trinkets
Banana Waffles with Peanut Butter Syrup from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Baked Berry French Toast from Table For Seven

But wait, there’s more!

Open Faced BTC Sandwich from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Crustless Spinach Quiche from The Hand That Rocks The Ladle
Bacon ‘n Eggs Bread Pudding from gotta get baked
Denver Breakfast Ring from Curious Cuisiniere
Copycat Japanese McDonald’s from Ninja Baking
One Pan Full English Fry-up from Food Lust People Love
Crumpets with Whipped Orange Honey from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
Leek, Mushroom and Gruyère Quiche from Hip Foodie Mom
Joe’s Special, the Original San Francisco Treat from Webicurean
Dark Chocolate, Orange & Pistachio Greek Yogurt Cups from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Gluten Free Tomato Basil Crepes form No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
Sour Cherry Crisp from Pies and Plots
Cream Dried Beef and Waffles from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Sausage breakfast casserole from My cute bride
Almond Rice Crepes Stuffed With Sweet Potatoes & Peas from  Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Zucchini Pancakes with Sautéed Tomatoes and Feta from Ruffles & Truffles
Apple, Bacon, and Dubliner Cheese Stuffed French Toast from Neighborfood
Dulce de Leche Stuffed French Toast from Basic N Delicious

Normally it would be very socially unacceptable to have wine with your breakfast, but seeing as this is closer to sunset than sunrise, we say go for it!!!

Hangtown Fry and Wine Pairings with Breakfast for Dinner from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.

Key Lime Honey Pie

My parentals went to Orlando a few weeks ago, and apparently they were thinking of me. They didn't know it when they originally booked the week, but they were there at the same time as Megacon. (My dad wanted to tease me by saying they met Wil Wheaton, but momma told him that would be cruel). Apparently they met a few Whovian cosplayers outside of the con, and my mom told them about my blog and that I was going to do a Doctor Who series, and gave them my url.

(So if you're the girl with a Tardis hat that a random lady with a Brooklyn accent talked to in a restaurant in Orlando, hi!)

Besides hawking my blog to fellow Whovians outside of conventions, my parents also bought me presents. I got an owl necklace, a rainbow Mickey key chain, and some key lime honey.

Yup. That was key lime honey. As in honey, but with key lime oil.

Now, I'm not the world's hugest fan of honey, but this isn't an ingredient one encounters often. I knew that I had to do something to really showcase the honey itself. But what?

Then this weekend, I was in a pie mood. I was looking at chocolate pie recipes, when all of a sudden I remembered my key lime honey. A honey pie!

I found a recipe for honey chess pie (okay, being from the northeast, I'm not completely sure what a chess pie is, other than it has cornmeal in it), and subbed in some lime juice for the lemon.

Like I said, I'm not the hugest fan of honey, and as it's the most prominent ingredient in this pie, I didn't expect to really like it. And you guys, I was totally wrong.

This pie, it tastes like a key lime pie, but with the earthier, warmer flavors of the honey and brown sugar. Key lime pie is bright and fresh and tropical, like sitting on a beach in the Bahamas; this pie is like a summer picnic beside a mountain stream. With the sun warmed water and the birdsong and the dappled sunlight coming in through the tree leaves and just a touch of cool mountain breeze.

It's not overly sweet, and the lime flavor is the most prominent. But you can definitely taste the honey, and it's got a great custard-y texture. (I also made a Bisquick crust, which is great for people like me that have pie crust issues, but a more traditional pastry crust would definitely be better.)

It's also a fairly ugly pie, but you just slice up some limes really thin, lay them on top, et voila! Ugly pie is made pretty. It's like one of those makeover shows. But with pie.

Key Lime Honey Pie {Printable Version}
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1 9-inch pie shell, partially baked
¾ cup packed brown sugar
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup key lime honey*
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. cornmeal (preferably white, but I used yellow)
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the honey, eggs, and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Add the cornmeal and flour and beat until fully incorporated. Add the lime juice, followed by the heavy cream, and beat on medium-high speed until well incorporated.

Place the prepared pie shell on a baking sheet. Pour the prepared filling into the shell, and bake 45-65 minutes, until the middle is set (tent the edges with tin foil to prevent over-browning). Allow to cool completely before serving. Best served at room temperature.

*If using regular wildflower honey, add 1-2 tsp. lime zest

Recipe adapted from Desserts From the Famous Loveless Cafe

Chocolate Peppermint Icebox Cake

Urgh, you guys. I should know better by now. Me and planning, we will never get along. Ever. We will be mortal enemies. One day there will be an epic battle, and only one of us will survive. With light sabers.

Can you tell I had a bout of insomnia last night?

I think planning is gunning for me. Loading the deck. Everyone tells me, try it out, it'll make things easier on you, you won't have to do everything last minute. But then I try. And it's not easier. It's never easier. It just screws me up and ends up taking more time, and now I'm frustrated because it didn't work and I hate myself and I just make another icebox cake. Because icebox cakes are cool. And next to impossible to screw up. I know. I've tried.

This isn't exactly the prettiest icebox cake I've ever made. And it's a bit...tilty. You see, I screwed up making the ganache, and I tried (read: planned) to do something funky with the graham crackers and it didn't work. No more planning for this girl, nuh-uh. So I came out with a cake that's a bit wonky because I had to manhandle it out of one container into another, and I didn't have enough whipped cream, because I screwed up the ganache. So it's not quite right, doesn't have that half-melted ice cream cake texture.

And while I was making it, I realized I totally screwed up when giving you the recipe for red velvet graham crackers. I never put down the cocoa powder. D'oh. So I fixed that up and tweaked it a little bit further for you. Because I never make a recipe the same way twice. That would be boring.

For some reason unknown to man, I had Reddi whip in my fridge, so I tried to distract you by doing a cute swirl on top, with a peppermint kiss and some Christmas-y sprinkles. But the Reddi whip started melting 30 seconds out of the can. The one time I actually want to use that fake stuff, and it completely lets me down. My life is this.

But, it's all Christmas-y and yummy and (if you do as I say and not as I did) pretty. So, I guess we can call it a success?

And don't forget to enter my giveaway! Only 2 days left to enter to win the cutest apron in the entirety of existence or a surprise box of awesome.

Planning, you better watch your back. Because I been training up my light saber skills. Zwong! (That's kind of like the noise it makes, right? Zwong, zwong. You can totally hear it, can't you? Maybe I should just stick to laser guns. Pew pew pew!)

Chocolate Peppermint Icebox Cake {Printable Version}
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream, divided
3 oz. white chocolate, chopped
½ tsp. peppermint extract
1 recipe Red Velvet Graham Crackers (or 1 box chocolate graham crackers/wafer cookies)

Directions
In a small saucepan over low heat, heat ½ cup heavy cream just until the edges start to bubble. Remove
from heat, add the chocolate, and stir until completely melted. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Add the remaining cream and the peppermint extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the whisk
attachment, beat the cream at high speed until soft peaks begin to form. Add in the chocolate mixture
and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread some of the whipped cream evenly in the bottom of the loaf
pan, about ¼ inch thick. Place a row of graham crackers over the whipped cream, filling as much space
as possible. Spread more of the whipped cream, and top with more graham crackers. Repeat until the
top of the loaf pan is reached, ending with the whipped cream. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

To serve: invert the loaf pan over a serving dish to release the cake (it should pop right out). Frost the
sides with the remaining whipped cream. Serve chilled.

Recipe by Kim

Zwong!

Sunday S'mores: S'mores Cupcakes

You know, I got a beef with the Cake Boss. You'd think I'd love him, right? Italian Jersey boy, disproving the stereotypes perpetuated by the Jersey Shore that Jerseyans are idiotic, untalented white trash. With cake. But I have a bone to pick with him. See, ever since that show started, people assume that when you say you're a baker, you also mean cake decorator. I'm not a decorator. I've worked with fondant a grand total of three times, one of which was an epic fail. I don't even make cakes that often, never mind decorate them. I prefer to stick with cupcakes, my 1M swirl, and some sprinkles, thankyouverymuch. It's simple and easy, while still looking pretty.

Sunday S'mores: S'mores Whoopie Pies

It's almost time for the August session of Camp NaNoWriMo! In case you've forgotten, I started Sunday S'mores as a way to celebrate Camp NaNo in June. And then real life turned into a total suckfest. To tell you the truth, I only got about 2000 words written in June (out of the 50,000 I was supposed to write).

It's tough, because I'm not as excited as I usually am for anything NaNoWriMo. You haven't really known me during a session of NaNo. I love it. There's nothing like it. Camp's a little more laid back than the regular session (which is probably why I've never won a Camp session), but you can still find me chanting, "Write or Die!" or spouting Baty-isms (my favorite goes something like, "For every word you delete, a NaNoWriMo angel plummets, screaming, to the ground where they will most likely require medical attention." We're a special breed).

But as August gets closer, I find myself feeling an unusual trepidation. Because I can't help thinking "if." If I hadn't fallen behind in my wordcount... If I had written 1,667 words on day 1 instead of procrastinating... If I'd plotted out the story beforehand... Logically, I know that it wouldn't have made any difference, but it still haunts me.

So, since it's the last weekend before Camp, I made whoopie pies, because whoopie pies make everything better, right? Whoopie pies are going to fix everything.

I made up the recipe for the cakes, and to my surprise, they really do taste like graham crackers, except fluffy and moist. Then I whipped up some of my no-fail marshmallow filling, and used the fudge sauce I had left over from last week.

I don't know why some people use whoopie pie pans and a pastry bag for the filling. I always thought that half of the charm of a whoopie pie is it's rustic look. But of course, that could be because the first time I had a whoopie pie was at an Amish farmer's market. There's a lot of beauty in imperfection.

S'mores Whoopie Pies {Printable Version}
Yield: 17 whoopie pies (34 individual cakes)
 
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup solid white vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. milk
1 recipe Marshmallow Whoopie Pie Filling
Approx ½ cup fudge sauce

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, shortening, and sugars at medium speed until
fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Add about half of the flour mixture to
the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined. Mix together the milk and honey and add to the
batter. Add in the rest of the flour mixture and beat on low until smooth.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Drop the batter by the tablespoonful on the
cookie sheet, leaving at least one inch between each. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the cakes spring
back when lightly pressed. Cool completely on wire racks.

Sandwich the fudge sauce and filling between two cakes and serve.

Recipe by Kim

This recipe is linked to Rate the Plate Utah's Food Holiday Linky Party