lemon berry crumb cake

My mom gave me the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook for my birthday back in May and I've read it front to back. I love Christina Tosi's baking success story and mostly the fact that she isn't scared to share so many of her kitchen secrets in the cookbook. I won't give any of the secrets away but I will tell you that while the recipes can seem intimidating (example: one of her recipes calls for freeze dried corn), it always results in an incredible dessert. My mom and I made this lemon berry crumble cake that was inspired by Tosi and her layer cake techniques and absolutely loved it. This recipe is not in her cookbook, though I definitely felt more confident in my ability to assemble it after reading the cookbook. The bottom two vanilla cake layers are brushed with warm blueberry preserves, topped with homemade lemon curd, white chocolate berry milk crumbs and raspberry frosting (that tastes like real fruit!). To finish it off, the top cake layer is covered in raspberry frosting and sprinkled with lots of the white chocolate berry milk crumbs. Now go make this cake, it's worth all the work. Oh and the cake will keep in the freezer for up to two weeks, so it's the perfect dessert to make ahead of time for a special occasion.

Recipe here:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2012/06/27/lemon-berry-crunch-cake/

berry crumble bars

I'm backkk! I know you missed me or at least my treats. Honestly, these berry crumble bars were too good not to share. Berries are the one millionth reason I love summer. When I walked into the grocery store today, I had the choice of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or blackberries... all in one place! I'm like a pack rat when berry season comes around, I buy a ton and throw them in the freezer to find them a year later and make bars like these. Ha just kidding, I used fresh berries to make these but I will not think twice about making them again this fall with frozen berries. These bars have a buttery, shortbread crust, layered with sweet gooey berries, and a sprinkle of crumble on top... it doesn't get much easier. The hardest part of these bars is waiting for them to completely cool before cutting into them. I say that wait time is only necessary if these bars are going to make it out of your kitchen because I'm not sure mine will. I used blackberries and raspberries in these bars but strawberries or blueberries or any mix of them would work.

Berry Crumble Bars
makes 9x13 pan

for the berry layer:
5 c. berries (any mix of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or blueberries)

juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 c.)

1/4-1/2 c. sugar, depending on sweetness of berries

4 tsp of cornstarch (or 8 tbsp of all-purpose flour)

for the crumble:

1 c. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cold, unsalted butter -- grated
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
zest of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line or grease a 9x13 pan.


Stir together berries, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. Set aside. 


In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, baking powder, and flour. Using a pasty blender or your hands, mix the cold, grated butter and the egg into the flour mixture until it is crumbly. Spread half of this mixture in the 9x13 pan and pat down. Evenly spread the berry mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining flour/butter mixture on top of the berry layer. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until berries are bubbly and crust is slightly golden. Cool bars completely before cutting into squares.


And make sure to check out the crumble creations from the lovely bloggers listed below, we started a recipe club last month and will be picking a new recipe each month to each make our own way!

Parsley Sage at The Deep Dish: http://psdeepdish.blogspot.com/

Maureen at the Orgasmic Chef: http://www.orgasmicchef.com/

Matt at Grad School Chef: http://www.gradschoolchef.com/

Claire at Simply Sweet Justice: http://www.simplysweetjustice.com

Adapted recipe from: Erica's Sweet Tooth

italian cream cupcakes

Italian cream cake is what I ask my mom to make me for my birthday or really any special occasion. It's my absolute favorite. My mom always uses this Cooking Light Italian creme cake recipe but whenever I try to make it myself, it never turns out quite as good as hers. So I decided if I was going to make Italian cream cake myself, I wanted to try a different recipe to see how it compared. I found this Italian cream cupcakes recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen that uses cream of coconut in the cupcakes and the frosting. For the first 20 years of my life I hated coconut and now it seems like I'm trying to make up for lost time because I can't seem to get enough now, the more coconut the better. I'd never used cream of coconut before and was curious so I decided to go for it. These cupcakes were a completely different flavor than my mom's Italian cream cake because of all the added coconut but they still turned out amazing. But that might not be saying much because I would eat almost anything sprinkled with toasted coconut and pecans!

Italian Cream Cupcakes

makes 24 cupcakes

for the cupcakes: 

1 box French Vanilla cake mix

1 stick of butter, melted

4 eggs

1/2 c. cream of coconut (I found it in the Hispanic section of my grocery store)

1/2 c. water

3/4 c. pecans, finely chopped

1 1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut

for the frosting:

1 stick of butter, slightly softened

8 oz block cream cheese, softened

4 tbsp cream of coconut

3 c. powdered sugar

for the topping:

1 c. sweetened shredded coconut 

1/2 c. pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line or grease 24 muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, butter, eggs, cream of coconut and water. Beat on low speed for about a minute and then increase speed to medium high and beat for another minute. Fold in coconut and pecans. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool before frosting.

In a clean medium bowl, beat butter, sugar, cream cheese and cream cheese until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat on low until combined. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for a minute and a half until frosting is light and fluffy. 

For the toasted coconut and pecan topping -- place the coconut and the pecans in a pan and turn the stove on medium heat. Stir constantly for 10 minutes or until coconut is golden brown. Once topping is toasted, set aside and let cool. Once cool, sprinkle on cupcakes.

And make sure to check out the Italian cream cake creations from the lovely bloggers listed below, we just started a recipe club and will be picking a new recipe each month to each make our own way!

Parsley Sage at The Deep Dish: http://psdeepdish.blogspot.com/

Maureen at the Orgasmic Chef: http://www.orgasmicchef.com/

Matt at Grad School Chef: http://www.gradschoolchef.com/

Claire at Simply Sweet Justice: http://www.simplysweetjustice.com

chipotle shrimp kabobs

By throwing a Kabobs from Around the World party on Saturday night as part of June's Foodbuzz 24x24, I found a new go-to summer meal. I love anything I can throw on the grill, it makes life so much easier. These chipotle shrimp kabobs were my favorite from the party, the sweet mango and onion cuts some of the spiciness of the chipotle pepper. I decided to try brining the shrimp before marinating it because I read in Cook's Illustrated (best food magazine ever) that it improves the taste and texture of the shrimp. I used salt and sugar in the brine because the salt helps improve the texture and the sugar adds flavor and as Cook's Illustrated puts it "promotes better browning." I'm not sure the brining made a huge difference but the shrimp did turn out great so I'll give partial credit to the brining and partial credit to the delicious marinade.

Chipotle Shrimp Kabobs
makes 20-30 small kabobs, depending on size of shrimp


for the brine: 
1 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen but fresh works too)
1 cup of water
2 cups of ice
1/4 c. kosher salt
1/4 c. brown sugar

for the marinade:
1/8 cup packed brown sugar 
1 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped plus 1/8 cup adobo sauce 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1 tablespoons water 
1 tablespoons lime juice 
1/2 tablespoon olive oil 
1/8 teaspoon salt 

1 small sweet onion, cut into chunks
1  mango, cut into cubes 
skewers (soak in water for at least 30 minutes before assembling kabobs) 

 To make the brine:
Place thawed shrimp in water, sugar, salt mixture and refrigerate for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from brine and set aside.

To make the marinade:
In a small saucepan, bring brown sugar, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, water, lime juice, olive oil and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool completely. 


Transfer cooled marinade mixture to a large resealable plastic bag. Add the shrimp; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

To make the skewers:
Layer mango cube, onion chunk and shrimp on skewers. Repeat until you have about two inches free on each end of the skewer.Grill for 6 minutes, turning them once time or when the shrimp turn light pink. 


Recipe from: Taste of Home

foodbuzz 24x24: kabobs from around the world (and beer too!)

This month Foodbuzz chose to sponsor my Kabobs from Around the World party idea! I had so much fun hosting a Foodbuzz 24x24 party last August and couldn't wait to do it again. Foodbuzz 24x24 is where 24 food bloggers each host a dinner party or in this case a kabob party on the same day and share their parties on each of their blogs. I've always loved trying foods from around the world and by making bite- sized kabobs to represent flavors from different countries, you get a chance to taste travel to six different countries in one meal! To make the party a little more fun, I stocked up on beers from around the world to pair with each of the kabobs. If you decide to throw a similar party, I'd recommend having small drink glasses and arranging them into a beer flight so you can pair each mini kabob with the beer from that country. All the kabobs turned out great, but I'd say the favorite of the night was the Mexican kabob that layered chipotle shrimp with sweet onion and mango. Below is a list of all the kabobs I made for the party and I'll be sharing the recipes this week. 

Pictured--top left to right:

Mexico: chipotle shrimp with sweet onions and mango -- paired with Dos Equis

Greece: vegetable souvlaki served with homemade hummus -- paired with Aris beer

Thailand: mango chicken -- paired with Chang beer

USA: low country shrimp boil kabobs -- paired with Abita Golden beer

Jamaica: jerk chicken and pineapple -- served with Red Stripe beer

Lebanon: kafta beef kabobs served with tzatziki sauce

Here's a closer look at each kabob:

And can't forget the beer: 

 I'll be posting the recipes for these kabobs throughout the week, so check back!

oatmeal peanut butter cup carmelitas

From the moment I meet someone, I want to know what they do, what their favorite restaurant is, what they ate for lunch and the list goes on. I've realized I mostly post my favorite foods, tell you I love them (which I really do) and leave you with a recipe. So this time I'm leaving you with a recipe and a little extra.

My family moved around a lot when I was little. I was born in Nashville, TN, moved to Singapore for two years, then to Montreal, Canada and by the time I was 8 years old we settled in Raleigh, NC. Now I live and work in Charlotte, NC

I studied abroad in Melbourne, Australia during college and day dream from my desk at least once a week about the Whitsunday Islands

I wear a lot of black and grey, like a lot

I don't drink coffee

My all -time favorite desserts are oatmeal cookies (no raisins) and berry cobbler with ice cream

I talk to my mom every day, most likely multiple times a day

I can never have enough nail polish

I hate mayonnaise, olives and mushrooms

I sadly love Lifetime movies (especially True Movie Thursday's)

My favorite TV show is The Good Wife

My favorite restaurant is Mellow Mushroom

I play in Excel all day, everyday (except the weekends)

And as I'm typing these, all thoughts circle back to food...welcome to my life!

Ok now to these bars. I just bought an individual squares brownie pan and couldn't wait to use it. These peanut butter cup carmelitas are made with an oat crust base, topped with a gooey peanut butter caramel made with sweet condensed milk and crunchy peanut butter and then sprinkled with oat topping, peanut butter cups and chocolate chips. Served warm and slightly melty... it doesn't get much better! Also, this recipe is simple to double if you want to make a 9x13 pan instead of an 8x8.

Peanut Butter Cup Carmelitas
makes 8x8 pan

1/2 butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c. old fashioned or quick cooking oats (I used old fashioned)
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
4 peanut butter cups, chopped
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips (I used mini's)

Preheat oven to 350°F. 


Spray or line with parchment paper an 8x8 baking pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, baking soda, oatmeal, flour and salt until it's crumbly. Set 1 cup of this mixture aside. Pour remaining mixture in the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown.

In a separate small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk. Once the crust is done baking, evenly pour and spread this peanut butter/condensed milk mixture over the top of the warm crust. Evenly sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of crumbly oat mixture you set aside and sprinkle chopped candy and chocolate chips on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until it doesn't jiggle in the middle.