This Sunday marks the end of the great season we know as Football. Many of you might be awfully broken up about it. But this year I’m not for three reasons. 1. the Chargers failed so hard this year I want to pretend it never happened. 2. I just plain hate the Patriots and the NYGiants aren’t much better. Not-so-super-bowl in my book this year. and 3. UH baseball starts soon. Whoo!

But, regardless of how I wish both teams could just lose this year, I’m still going to watch and I’m still going to yell and shout and drink a bunch of beer and eat a bunch of food. We actually got invited to someone else’s house for the superbowl this year (which is kind of a big deal for us..), so I’m really excited to bring over some snacks. The first of which will be these pizza pockets.

Think Totinos Pizza Rolls..but better. And not loaded with stabilizers and preservatives. So healthier for you. Also funner to make (yeah, that’s right. funner.) And cuter. And also more explosive, which I’m sure if you were better at squeezing dough than me, perhaps yours wouldn’t have the cheese squirts quite as bad as mine. But these were fun to make and eat nonetheless. So if you’re looking for some football-spiration to make watching two teams you’re just not that into a little bit more bearable, I’m thinking these aren’t a bad way to go.

**Looking for more Superbowl snack ideas?? how about grown-up rice krispy treats,  whole wheat cheez-its, garlicky french fries or any number of cupcakes?

Pizza Pockets

Ingredients

1. Pizza dough (I used this recipe, but you could just as easily buy dough or use a recipe you know and love)
2. Pizza sauce (buy it if there’s one you like, but it’s just as easy to throw a can of crushed tomatoes on the stove with some basil, a splash of olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook it a few minutes and then let it cool. mmmm)
3. shredded mozzerella cheese. (you could use whatever cheese you like, but mozz is always our preference. also you can kind of put whatever you want in a pizza pocket, just chop it small.)

Steps:

Preheat your oven to about 400 (fail. I heated ours too hot thinking we were making normal pizza. 400 should work I think.) Roll out your pizza dough as thin as you can on a well floured  surface. Mark 4X4inch squares and then load each square with a scoop of sauce and a pinch of cheese. resist the urge to overstuff  or yours will explode like mine. Cut out squares, and then fold squares in half over filling and pinch edges very very tightly. poke holes in the top with a fork to vent. Bake for 12-15minutes or until golden and oozy.

*a note. We split our dough in half and rolled out each half and laid another piece of dough on top of our mounds of sauce and cheese. That’s why our pictures look the way they do. I don’t recommend this. I tried bigger squares and folding with the leftover dough and this worked much better, so that is what I recommend you do, they should explode less that way. Although I’ve never known someone to complain about cheese-splosions..

Do you like caramel? If you’re anything like me, you’ll forgo all other choices in the sees candy box and reach straight for the ones that are just a hunk of caramel covered in chocolate. (if you’re anything like me you know the shapes of every one of these..) I’m pretty much a caramel fiend. I’d choose it over hot fudge any day. And lately, I can’t escape seeing the words “salted caramel” and “salted butter caramel” everywhere I turn. There are recipes for it all over the internet, every ice cream company and candy place is taking advantage of its sudden popularity. Okay, it’s probably not that sudden but I’m usually behind the times, so it’s new to me. But I’m excited about it

So you can imagine how surprised I was to find out how easy it is to make. And how mind-blowingly delicious it is. I wish I had a better vocabulary to describe this to you. It takes less than 15 minutes to make, from start to in your mouth, and you’ll never want to eat another caramel again. Seriously. Please, do yourself a favor. Grab some heavy cream on your way home from work, and make this tonight.

*sneak peak: I used this caramel to fill macarons that I made last weekend… more to come!!

Salted Caramel Sauce (as found on smittenkitchen, who has several recipes, and you can find dozens more online. but I liked this one)

Ingredients (that you probably already have)

1. 1 cup sugar
2. 6 tbsp unsalted butter
3. 2/3 cup heavy cream
4. few pinches of sea salt (don’t be scared. go for it)

Procedure (that is ridiculously easy)

• In a fairly large (3 qt or so) saucepan, heat the sugar over medium-ish heat until it starts to melt. Stir it regularly but not too crazily, just keep it moving so that nothing burns. The sugar will start to melt, then turn light brown, then begin to turn a deep brown. Don’t stop even once it’s melted. Keep stirring until you have a super deep brown color and the caramel is beginning to smoke. As long as your heat isn’t too hot and you keep it moving, it shouldn’t burn. (if it does, which, really, I promise, it shouldn’t, toss it and start over. there is no salvaging it)
• Turn heat to low and add the butter and sea salt. It will bubble and hiss, but just whisk until butter is completely melted. (it may look like it’s separating a little, but it will come together when you add the cream)
• Once butter is melted, slowly add in cream while whisking caramel. Resist the urge to eat it now. It will burn your face off. Allow to cool slightly and then pour into glass jars for storage. Keep refrigerated for up to a week or so. To use as a sauce for ice cream, heat in microwave on 50% power in 15-20 second intervals to slowly heat back up.
• eat and enjoy. Seriously. You could just scoop it out with a spoon. I certainly wouldn’t judge you.

I must preface this post by letting you all know, I am not a professional spring roll -roller. Never have I made spring rolls before. Now, I have eaten plenty, that’s for sure. But never tried to make them myself. So I figured what better time to make Chinese Spring Rolls (also known as egg rolls) than Chinese New Year! And boy, do I sure wish I had made these sooner. 

Truth be told, they weren’t even hard to make. In fact, I might even call them downright easy. Well, sure some of mine looked like they had been squashed, or sat on, or just wilted, but I mean they tasted fine. And I think that Brett has found his calling, because his rolls were just so..rolly. Seriously all of the nice looking ones were ones he rolled. They do take a little bit of time to make, but not as much as I thought. We made Gyoza one time and those were much more difficult, so I was pleasantly surprised by these spring rolls. The best part is, the recipe makes a whole bunch and you can just freeze them up and then have spring rolls anytime you want! yessss..

So I got the recipe from SteamyKitchen. She is most definitely a professional spring-roll-roller. So I shall defer you to her for the recipe, as it comes with several rules you must follow.  I definitely recommend following them. I do, however, have a few notes, which might make the rolling process a bit easier, for those of us that are N00Bs.

1. I found the wrappers at a Japanese grocery here, and they only came in packs of 10. So I bought 4 thinking that would be not quite enough, but I only had enough filling for 25 egg rolls using her recipe. Perhaps mine were fatter than hers, but they met the 1.25inch criteria.

2. My wrappers weren’t perfectly square for some reason. This meant that the “folding” step was rather hard to do correctly. I think it just takes practice, but what helped was on the very first roll, being sure the filling is spread evenly and you roll very tightly:sushi style.

3. Don’t be afraid to fold too much. I do believe too much fold is better than not enough.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes (adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes)

For the Cake: I used this cake recipe, because it is delicious and easy and I only had to double what I was already making..(which means oh man I made this so long ago and haven’t told you about it until now! shame on me!

For the Frosting: 

• 5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 stick of butter at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

What are Sugar Crisps, you ask? Only the best and most delicious cookie you’ll ever eat. Unfortunately, you’ll only ever eat it on Christmas. I believe Angels actually partake in them around the holidays. And sadly for you, you’ve probably never had one (unless you are my family. or my friends) because this recipe has been closely guarded. Because Sugar Crisps are my grandma’s cookie. Did she invent them? For all intents and purposes, I’m going to say yes. Maybe it was her mother. Or maybe it was her grandmother. Or maybe it was an article in the paper or a recipe in a cookbook, I sure don’t know. All I know is we learned it from her, and that’s all you need to know.

Actually, it’s not. The other thing you need to know is that these are Christmas Cookies. Capitals C’s. Both times. Meaning they are to be made for Christmas. To eat and to share and to leave out for Santa. They are not Easter cookies. They are not Fourth of July Cookies or First Day of Fall cookies. They are for Christmas. Although, if you don’t celebrate Christmas you could just make them in celebration of the month of December because what I’m trying to say here is that it would be blasphemy to make these cookies any other month. This recipe has never been shared outside the family until now. But in the spirit of Christmas I share it now with you, because as my Dad said, “the more people that make sugar crisps, the better!” Just, try not to make them whenever you need a cookie fix. They’ll lose their magic that way.

So please, in the spirit of December, go make these cookies. And then curse silently that after this month you’ll have to wait a whole ‘nother year before you can have them again.

SUGAR CRISPS (this recipe is transcribed exactly from my Grandma’s recipe card. She wasn’t a fan of detail, so the parentheses are my additions, in the hopes of making it easier to understand.)

Ingredients
1 package yeast
¼ cup lukewarm water
3 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp salt
½ cup butter
½ cup Crisco
2 beaten eggs
½ cup sour cream (this year was my first making them alone, and I never buy sour cream because I’m forgetful, so in a pinch you can use plain yogurt. Greek is best because it’s thick)
1 tsp vanilla (use good vanilla; not imitation or it tastes funny)

2 tsp vanilla or almond extract (or half and half; but go easy on the almond as almond extract is extremely strong)
1 ½ cups sugar to roll in

Procedure

• Set yeast in cup with water—set aside
• In large bowl put flour and salt and cut in shortenings. (Like for pie crust)
• Stir in eggs, vanilla, sour cream and yeast. (We mix these in a separate bowl first and then combine with dry ingredients)
• Put in refrigerator for several hours (We divide it up into thirds or so and cover it in wax paper before putting it in the refrigerator, but you can put it all in as one whole ball)
• Take out about ¼ of the dough (or one of your dough balls if you already divided it) and roll on board that you have sprinkled sugar and vanilla mixture on, top too. (don’t be stingy here; go nuts with the sugar. there is no sugar in the dough so this is where the cookies get their sweetness. You roll the cookies in sugar as if it was flour; being extremely generous with the sugar)
• Roll to rectangle—flip top down and bottom up to form 3 layers. Slice into ribbons. Twist. Put on cookie sheet. If not full, put sheet in refrigerator until you roll more. Sugar should not start to get soft.

Bake 350 degrees 12-15 minutes

Sounds complicated but is not really. Worth the effort!

I don’t have much to say about these. They’re just so dang good, you really just have to make them. Like, right now. It’s a Hostess Cupcake. One million times better. It’s chocolate and marshmellowy-frosting-goodness and thick loads of more chocolate and oh man. I think I’ll go have another.

Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes (from bake! By Nick Malgieri)

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

seriously though, before you say the same thing she did, check this out: they’re made with 100% whole wheat flour. chyeah!! that’s right!! whole-effing-wheat! (Didn’t I mention I’m having a little tryst with whole wheat at the moment? It’s awesome. I hope I never stop.) Also, I’m sure this is not the case in, uh, any other state in the US, but it is true in Hawaii: packaged foods are ding-dang expensive and coupons are few and far between. Seriously, a box of cheerio-s is like 7 bucks. ridic. I dunno if making these were really any cheaper, but man. They were delicious. Seriously. go try them. pronto. 

Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers (adapted from smittenkitchen)

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, grated
2. 4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks.
3. 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
4. 1/4 teaspoon table salt

I know, I know, it’s annoying sounding and it’s one of those trendy food things that people are doing and blah blah blah. BUT WAIT, you promised you wouldn’t judge! Let me let you in on a little secret: it’s awesome. Look, let’s be honest here, one look around my recipes and you’ll know I’m not a health freak. However, I am in public health now and I feel that this field comes with certain responsibilities. I’m not about to give up cupcakes or ice cream or fried food (or  a sausage mcmuffin when I’m hung over..) but I do find myself trying to get in some of those “daily recommended amounts” or whatever they’re called. Turns out, it’s not really all that difficult to eat healthy things if you just trick yourself. All you have to do is hide the healthy in something so delicious it can handle. 

While we’re being honest, lord knows I don’t eat enough whole grains. And seriously, do you? (If you do, you impress me. You can stop reading now because clearly you are better than me. and I want to be like you.) Cmon.. white bread? Dosen’t count. White rice? Doesn’t count. Pasta? Doesn’t count. Sucks, doesn’t it? But white bread and pasta and rice is so…good. Yum. So I have decided to share with you some of my tricks. I have been very, very tricky lately. I’ve made whole wheat just-about-everything and let me tell you the best part: I can’t even tell!!

Wait!! I know that you’ve heard this before! I know that you don’t believe me! But have I ever lied to you before?? I promise you, people, I’m not a liar! And I take my baked goods very, very seriously. If it tastes like healthy I just plain won’t eat it. Unless it’s slathered in butter or cream cheese. So when I say “you won’t even notice the whole wheat flour” or “it’ll taste exactly the same as regular flour” please, trust me. I really mean it. 

So without further rambling, here’s attempt number one: Whole Wheat Mixed Berry SCONES. Best  scones ever. Really, ever. Plus, they’re effing healthy for you, people! Didn’t you hear?! whole. wheat.flour. go ahead! have two! have seven! ‘sall good! They count toward your daily allowance of whole grains. and fruit. double win.

The Best (And totally completely healthy if you ignore the butter and cream) Scones Ever (adapted from SmittenKitchen)

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (just do it. trust me)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp chilled, unsalted butter, cut into  cubes
• 1/2 cup (or more if you’re feeling crazy) mixed berries, fresh or frozen. Steer clear of strawberries though, as they would be weird I think.  (I used frozen since berries don’t grow in Hawaii)
• 1 cup heavy cream (pretend that it’s.. not.. bad for you.. you could probably use some combination of plain yogurt and milk.. but why would you want to?)

On a side note, can I just mention that fact that if you google “best chocolate chip cookies” or “ultimate chocolate chip cookies” you get over 5 million recipes claiming to be the greatest ever. How does that even work? Obviously, 4,999,999 of those recipes are lies. Right? Only one can actually be the best. And silly little naive Erin, with no baking experience whatsoever and no clue what it takes to make a chocolate chip cookie besides chocolate and sugar, decided to try her hand at it.

I don’t really think I ever succeeded. Well, I know that for awhile I thought I had. I developed my own recipe (yeah! that’s right! I made up my own recipe!) based on several  of those aforementioned recipes which called themselves The Best. But then, after a year or so, the cookies started not being the best anymore. They all started turning out flat and greasy and kind of bleh. Not that people didn’t enjoy eating them; every time I made them they practically dissapparated* off the table, but they certainly weren’t Ultimate.

So recently, I started the search again. I read other’s stories about their searches. I hoped that their copious testing, their trials and errors, could save me some trouble. And some butter, which by the way, is ridiculously expensive. I tried my old recipe again. Meh. I tried these Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Korena in the Kitchen, which were surprisingly good despite their healthy sounding ingredients. I would make those again. But still, not the ultimate. I had some that my cousin made which were the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chips bag–delish. But still not..something. So I tried again. And that’s when I found these: HOLY-COW-YUM chocolate chip cookies. They are the Shoebox Kitchen’s new favorite. And I think they’re mine too. 

My perfect chocolate chip cookie is not too thin, a tiny bit crispy on the outside and ooey and gooey and soft on the inside. It’s loaded with chocolate chips, and it’s not too big, because you have to be able to eat at least 3 without feeling bad about yourself.

Some of the things that I found that lead to chocolate chip cookie perfection:

1. Make sure your butter is not too soft. Don’t be like me and get impatient waiting for your butter to soften and microwave it. Melted butter means melted cookies, which means yucky greasy thin cookies. If you are ever in doubt, or if your kitchen runs hot, refrigerate your dough for a bit before scooping/slicing the cookies to bake them.
2. Extra brown sugar. The more the better. Brown sugar is what gives chocolate chip cookies a different flavor that sugar cookies (well, that and the chocolate..) and it is what makes them sooo extra delicious. So if you’re out of white sugar, pile on the brown. If  you’re out of brown sugar, make another kind of cookie, or go to the store pronto.
3. Chocolate chips vs Chocolate chunks. I think i prefer chips; unless you keep your chunks very chunky. They make extra-large size chips, which are probably the best. Nothing is better than a bite that is at least half chocolate.
4. If you’re feeling like you want a chocolate chip cookie with something extra: add some cinnamon. This was one of the things I did in my made-up recipe that made it really yummy. Just a dash, and you’ll taste it. Cinnamon and chocolate are a perfect combination. 

*in fact, that was not a spelling error. Dissapparated is a clear reference to HP.

Yep. That’s right. Our one-counter-5-cupboard kitchen just got a little more crowded. I bought a Kitchenaid. And she’s red. And she’s beautiful. And I named her Rosie. She lives on my counter; she kicked out the coffee, the coffee grinder, and several bottles of sunscreen that had previously been in her place. And I couldn’t be happier. 

After I broke our cheap-o hand mixer trying to make frosting, I knew I was going to have to upgrade somehow. So I started doing some intensive research, because that’s what I do best. I’ve been researching and ogling over stand mixers for years, but knew I could never get one, at least not until I was a real “grown-up” because a) they’re expensive, b) they are big and require an actual kitchen and c) they’re not exactly easy to ship. Now, I am not a real grown-up. But, I did enough research to convince my mom, Brett and my pocket book, that for me, it would be worth it. Why? Because it would mean I could bake. Even. More. yessss.

So I bought it. Her. Rosie. Best. Day. Ever. That was one-and-a-half months ago, and I’ve used her at least 6 times. I’m pretty sure she is one of the smartest purchases I’ve ever made. And I love her.

Ps. The first night I had Rosie, I made an angel food cake, whipped cream, and yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. These cupcakes that I made were ridiculously delicious, and the chocolate frosting was literally the best frosting I’ve ever had. Ever. And they’re easy enough to make that you don’t even have to have a Rosie of your own. But if you do, you should use her. Here’s the recipe from SmittenKitchen, I three-quartered it and made about 20 cupcakes.