Welcome to my blog! My name is Stephanie and I was born, raised, and still live just outside of Boston. I’m the mother of two children and I own a very small antique business. I love and appreciate all things old, whether antiques or architecture, and love to give items new life by repurposing.
I love food, too much, and I get immense joy from how my food can make others happy. One of the best compliments I have ever received was my daughter telling me that my cooking has ruined everything else for her. I’ll take that!
I’m much more of a baker than I am a cook. Not that I don’t like cooking, I just wish I didn’t have to do it every day. I’d much rather cook when I feel like it. But, since I don’t have a personal chef and my family is picky about eating every day, here I am. Part of the motivation behind this blog is not only to give me someone to talk to during the day other than my dogs, but to be able to share some of the recipes I’ve tried and really enjoy.
I also love to take pictures of every day things that just make me smile. So this blog is just going to be about “my slice of life” and I hope you’ll enjoy some of it!
If you aren’t familiar with a cocoa bomb, they are a hollow chocolate shell filled with marshmallows and hot cocoa mix. These bombs of chocolate yumminess make a fun gift for anyone. All you have to do is put them in a mug of hot milk and violá, hot chocolate!
They definitely took a couple of tries before I was able to get the hang of them though. I had read a few tips on-line, but it took some trial and error until I figured out what worked best. Now that I have worked out the kinks it should be easier for you.
To make cocoa bombs you need:
Silicone mold
Pastry brush
Melting chocolate
Hot cocoa mix
Mini marshmallows
Melt the chocolate as directed on the package. I chose to use chocolate melting wafers, but you could also use other kinds of chocolate.
Once the chocolate is melted, spoon a little of the chocolate into each mold and spread with the pastry brush. Be sure to cover the entire mold. You may need to dip the brush into the chocolate a few times to make sure the mold is evenly covered.
Refrigerate for 5 minutes, then add another coat of chocolate to the mold. Refrigerate for another 5 minutes.
Once set the chocolate can be removed from the molds. Be careful as the chocolate can crack.
Now it’s time to fill them with the marshmallows and cocoa, and you are probably thinking how might one do that?
I had read a few different ways to get the molds to stick together, but they didn’t really work. You might come up with a better way than mine.
I chose to get some water boiling in a small saucepan and cover with a small plate.
I took one half and rubbed it on the warm plate just for a few seconds so the edge started to melt.
I then filled that half with some marshmallows and 1 tbsp of cocoa mix. I did the same with the top half and placed the two sides together. Hold them together for a few seconds until they stick.
I chose to drizzle some melted white chocolate and top with Jimmies and Holiday sprinkles. You can be as creative as you want with these as there are so many options for variations with flavors and chocolates. Have fun with them!
Once they are done they are ready to make into hot cocoa. All you need to do is heat up about 8 oz. of milk, pour it into a mug, add the cocoa bomb and stir.
Nothing screams vintage cookbook like flambe right? In keeping with my “Steph and Betty” goal of trying as many recipes as I can from my mother’s old Betty Crocker cookbook, I decided to light some peaches on fire today. It took a few tries as Betty didn’t really explain how to get the brandy to actually light. But that is what I am here for!
I’ll be honest, the idea of sticking a flame into a pan with the goal of starting a fire, scared me. A lot. But, I went ahead and did it anyway.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup apricot jam
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
4 large peaches, peeled and sliced, or 1 large 29 oz. can of sliced peaches, drained
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brandy
Combine the jam, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat about 5 minutes or until syrupy. I couldn’t find jam so had to settle on preserves which I think may have been the reason it did not get very syrupy.
Add the peaches to the pan and heat for about 3 minutes for fresh peaches until almost tender, and less for canned peaches. Add lemon juice and stir.
In order for the brandy to light it needs to be hot. The original recipe just said to heat the brandy but did not explain that the brandy needs to heat until it starts to bubble. It will not light if not hot enough.
Once this happens turn off the heat under the peaches, make sure to do this.
Pour the hot brandy over the peaches and light.
Once it burns out, stir and serve over vanilla ice cream. It was actually quite yummy!
Combine jam, sugar, and water in a saucepan for about 5 minutes until syrupy. Add peaches and cook 3 minutes for fresh peaches, or less for canned peaches until heated. Stir in lemon juice.
Heat brandy in small saucepan until it starts to bubble.
Remove both from heat. Pour hot brandy over peaches and light.
I had never heard of Indian Pudding until I flipped through the pages of my mother’s Betty Crocker cookbook. I was in the pudding section as I was making Rice Pudding, and happened upon this. It was intriguing and even as it was in the oven, for 3 hours I must add, I still had no idea what to expect. Cornmeal and molasses, hmmm. Come to find out it tasted like brown bread, which was interesting.
I’m not entirely sure this recipe actually worked, but since I am determined to make as many recipes as I can from my mom’s old cookbook I decided to write the blog anyway. Steph and Betty!
As I mentioned the recipe called for a 3 hour baking time. However, it did not mention how to know if the pudding was done. After the 3 hours I thought how could it not be done, right? Well, I’m not really sure it actually was done as it was not set in the center even after sitting for an hour. If I ever am to make this again I would let it cook longer until the pudding seemed set. It did set in the refrigerator and was much better the next day. The only I picture I took was the night of, however, and you can see how loose it was.
Ingredients:
4 cups of milk
2/3 cup molasses
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
In a saucepan combine 3 cups of the milk and molasses and heat over low/medium heat.
In a small mixing bowl combine cornmeal, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Gradually stir into hot milk mixture. Add butter.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes until thickened.
It didn’t seem like it was going to thicken, but it did.
Pour into the casserole.
Pour the remaining 1 cup of milk on top of pudding; do not stir. Bake for 3 hours or until set.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Today as I was flipping through the pages of my mother’s Betty Crocker cookbook, I came upon an easy no bake recipe for Chocolate Clusters. Since I happened to have the ingredients in the house, I gave it a try. Delicious! They are little clusters of fudgy yummy. These will definitely be making it into my Holiday baking this year.
Ingredients:
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter
16 large marshmallows
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups oats
In a large saucepan combine the chocolate, butter, and marshmallows.
Cook over low heat while stirring frequently until the mixture is melted and smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Add the coconut and oats and combine well.
Drop by teasponfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. I used a cookie scoop.
In a large saucepan combine chocolate, butter, and marshmallows. Cook over low heat until everything is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Add coconut and oats and combine well.
Drop by teasponfuls onto wax paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until set.
Rice pudding brings back so many childhood memories for me. My mother used Betty Crocker’s recipe and years ago when I was searching on-line for that recipe I thought I had found it, but I was wrong. When my mom passed away and I got her Betty Crocker cookbook I realized it was not the same.
I decided to try the recipe in my mom’s cookbook and see which I preferred. While they are both delicious, they are actually quite different. This recipe creates a thick custard on top of the pudding and since I happen to love custard, I think I might prefer this version. This recipe is from the book my mother received as a wedding gift in 1969.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice
1 cup water (or less if using instant rice)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups scalded milk (see below)
1/2 cup raisins
Cinnamon
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook rice as instructed. The original recipe calls for instant rice, but I cooked regular rice.
Slightly beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Gradually add scalded milk to egg mixture.
** How to scald milk – heat milk in a pan until it reaches 170 degrees. You do not want the milk to boil, it should just get to the point where a film forms on the top. Remove milk from heat and let it cool to 110 degrees before continuing recipe.
Stir in rice and raisins.
Pour into an ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole, sprinkle with cinnamon.
Place the casserole in a pan and pour in very hot water until about 1 1/4 inches deep.
Bake about 70 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Remove the casserole from the pan of water.
Serve either warm or cool, personally I prefer it cool. Keep refrigerated.
Look at that yummy custard and creamy pudding. So good!
One of the best things about quiche is its versatility. Not only with the endless varieties that can be created, but it is perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner. I decided to use broccoli, spinach, and tomatoes in this quiche, but you can use just about anything you want. While the egg mixture remains the same, the vegetables or meat can vary.
The other great thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t have to be crustless. You can add any pie crust to this recipe if you would like, or bake without the crust for a lower calorie healthier alternative as I did with this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup brocolli florets
1 -2 cups fresh spinach
1/3 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1-2 tsp. of minced garlic
6 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup half and half
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup feta cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pie plate with cooking spray.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the broccoli and saute for a minute or two before adding the spinach, tomatoes, and garlic. Saute until the spinach is cooked.
Spread the vegetables evenly in the prepared pie plate. Top with cheeses. You can use whatever kind of cheese you prefer. I was hoping for cheddar and feta, but only had a shredded Mexican blend and feta in the house so I used those.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, half and half, salt, and pepper. Ladle evenly over the vegetable and cheese.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until set. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
A Hummingbird Cake isn’t one that many people have heard of, myself included until a few years ago. While I knew that a friend of mine always requests this on her birthday, I had never tried it and wasn’t even really sure what type of cake it was. I was thinking about baking something new and decided to give this cake a try, and I’m so glad I did!
After looking on-line at different recipes I realized the base of the cake seemed very similar to the base of my favorite carrot cake recipe, so I decided to work off of that. The other main ingredients of a Hummingbird Cake are bananas, pineapple, and walnuts. My family has nut allergies so the walnuts were instantly eliminated from the ingredients. However, if you are not allergic I would imagine some chopped walnuts would make a delicious addition to the cake.
Cake Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
3 extra large eggs (room temperature)
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (plus 1 tbsp)
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
2 ripe bananas, mashed
Grease and flour two round cake pans. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat the sugar, eggs, and oil on medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine well with an electric mixer on low speed. The batter will be thick.
In a third bowl mash together the bananas and pineapple. Stir in to the batter.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool on wire racks before removing from pans.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
With an electric mixer on low speed cream the butter and cream cheese together.
Add vanilla and combine.
Add confectioners sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth.
Start frosting!
Once the cake is frosted keep refrigerated. Enjoy!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour two round cake pans.
In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, eggs, and oil and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture while beating on low speed with the electric mixer. The batter will be thick.
In a third bowl mash together the bananas and pineapple. Stir in to the batter.
Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and reduce heat to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 20 – 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool in pans on wire racks before frosting.
For frosting, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat the butter and cream cheese until well mixed and smooth. Add the vanilla and beat just until combined. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.
There are so many flavors that go hand in hand with chocolate, mint being one of them. My family loves that flavor combination and my son especially loves Andes Mints so of course I needed to make him an Andes Mint inspired cupcake. You could also make this into a sheet or layer cake if you so choose.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, this is the only chocolate cake recipe I ever use and it is the only one you will ever need. Trust me. Super easy to make and it comes out moist every time.
Cake Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. You could just grease the pan but liners are so much easier.
Sift all of the dry ingredients together. As I always say, it is really important to sift the ingredients and not just mix, especially when using cocoa.
Add the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes while scraping the sides constantly.
Add the water into the batter and mix well with a spoon or spatula, the batter will be very loose. The water must actually be boiling or the cake will not turn out properly. Fill each cupcake about 3/4 full and bake for approximately 18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool cupcakes on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Now for the Mint Buttercream Frosting!
Ingredients:
1 cup of butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tsp. mint extract
3-4 tbsp. milk
In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
Gradually add the confectioners sugar until well combined. It most likely won’t be smooth at this point.
Add the mint extract and beat until combined.
Add the milk and beat for 3-4 minutes. It is better to start with less milk and judge the consistency before adding more.
I added some green food coloring as well and continued beating until well combined.
You can spread or pipe your frosting on to the cupcakes. I added a sprinkle of Jimmies and an Andes Mint as well.
Who doesn’t love sitting by a fire and toasting marshmallows until they are just right to make the perfect s’more. Chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers are such a perfect combination. Well, if you don’t have the fire or you just feel like having that amazing flavor combination how about a s’mores cupcake? I’ve also made a S’mores Pie and you can find that recipe in my Blog as well.
I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe, as I always do, and added a marshmallow buttercream frosting. I used Fluff because that’s what we use in my house to make Fluffernutters. Fun fact, Fluff was actually created in Somerville, Ma.
Anyway, let’s make some S’mores cupcakes!
Cake Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. You could just grease the pan but liners are so much easier.
Sift all of the dry ingredients together. As I always say, it is really important to sift the ingredients and not just mix, especially when using cocoa.
Add the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes while scraping the sides constantly.
Add the water into the batter and mix well with a spoon or spatula, the batter will be very loose. The water must actually be boiling or the cake will not turn out properly. Fill each cupcake about 3/4 full and bake for approximately 18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
This frosting is very sweet so if you aren’t a huge fan of really sweet things, you may want to play around with using less confectioner’s sugar.
Marshmallow Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
7 oz. marshmallow fluff
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
With an electric mixer beat the butter and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in the confectioners sugar on high until well combined.
Add the fluff and mix on high speed until it is completely incorporated with the buttercream frosting.
I used a piping bag to frost the cupcakes and the recipe only frosts 9-10 cupcakes. It will frost more if you are spreading the frosting. This recipe can also be doubled.
Once the cupcakes were frosted I crushed some graham crackers and sprinkled them on top. The final touch was a small Hershey bar.
I was trying to think of a nice summery dessert to serve to friends coming over and remembered I still had some of the beautiful strawberries left from when I went strawberry picking. While strawberry shortcake would have been delicious, I wanted a little bar type of dessert. Fruit bars with an oat streusel topping sounded perfect, and they were!
The strawberries I was using were very juicy and I was concerned the bars wouldn’t set properly, and when I first cut into them they were quite mushy. I ran out and bought a back up dessert just in case, but I put them in the refrigerator for an hour or so before serving and it did the trick. They were a huge hit! So good!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup, plus 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups strawberries, chopped
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. cornstarch
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8″ baking pan with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. I only had a glass dish with me in Maine so I reduced the heat to 325 degrees.
For the bottom layer combine the melted butter, flour, oats, 1/2 cup sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. It will be crumbly.
Set 1 cup of the mixture aside. With your hands or a spatula firmly press the remaining crumble in the bottom of the baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, I used the same one, combine the strawberries, lemon juice, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch.
Spread the strawberry mixture evenly over the layer of crust.
Using your hands, crumble the remaining cup of streusel evenly over the strawberry layer.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until the bars are set and the juices are bubblying on the edges.
Let cool for a few hours before trying to cut. As I mentioned previously, they are quite messy when first cut so you may want to put them in the refrigerator before serving so they set fully.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8" square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
Combine the melted butter, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Set aside 1 cup of mixture. Mixture will be crumbly.
Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Combine strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a mixing bowl.
Spread strawberry mixture over crust. Top with remaining cup of crumble.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until bars seem set and juices on the sides are bubbling. Let cool for at least an hour before cutting. Best refrigerated for a few hours to fully set before serving.
