When Baking Goes Wrong… Distract Them

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I have been sitting on these pictures for months. I really liked the outfit. I really disliked the recipe I made that day. So, I was unsure what to do. Should I still show the outfit or scrap it?

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Well, with all of us baking this holiday season, there are bound to be some mishaps. If the same happens to you, just know at least you will probably be fully clothed when it happens. Winning.

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Although showing a bit of undergarments is a sure fire way to distract folks from bad food.

Or not.

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I have a chicken empanada recipe that is out of this world. It is my sister’s favorite thing that I make. And if memory serves me, my daughter’s too. Although I have never shared it here…yet. I am a bit slow on the draw.

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I decided to try making sweet empanadas. Sounded simple enough. Just fill pie crust dough with a filling (I originally typed “feeling” and that would probably have turned out better), crimp, sprinkle with sugar and bake. But the lemon curd filling oozed out everywhere and the Nutella ones I made dried out and it was all a big disappointment. My husband and my mom both liked them, but in my opinion, they were not worth making again.

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What are you baking this holiday season? I am making pie crust cookies. And chocolate chip cookies. And when I want something simple, I pick up the prebaked sugar cookie shapes at the grocery store (available at Albertson’s where I live) and dye vanilla frosting then let the kids take over. For dinner last night, I made Tyler Florence’s Pot Roast Tacos. The night before I made a very easy lasagna I will be sharing here next weekend. Tonight I am making Beef Enchiladas with the leftover taco meat. Tomorrow will be Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Potato Soup. Do you plan your weekly meals in advance? I love to cook. And I am trying not to fry my brain as I work out exactly how many more presents I still need to pick up. Smells like Christmas… And singed hair.

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I am oblivious to the future of these pastries as I happily wear Anthropologie’s Horizon Lines Maxi (sold out, similar here), Free People’s Shadow Hacci Top, and Cosabella’s Never Say Never Sweetie Bralette in this picture.

It’s The Little Things: Wondra

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I am about to share somethin’ kind of embarrassing.

I know.

Shocking.

And the thing I am going to say won’t be very shocking either.

I hoard food.

And when I find something new I like, well, I buy as much as I can of the stuff.

Just in case,

You never know.

They could stop making it.

Or, um, there could be a zombie apocalypse.

Just so you know, each of those sentences caused a tightness in my chest.

I first bought some Wondra to add to my Momma’s Goin’ Out Crockpot Chicken that I make for my family. Wondra is a special type of flour that does not clump when added to a recipe. It is very fine. This makes it perfect for gravies.

I had never heard of it before last year. And I really cannot remember how I first heard of it. But if I were to guess, I would guess my best friend t.v.

I found it, of all places, on Walmart.com. And I assumed since I had never heard of it, well, they must not carry it at any of my local grocery stores. Of course, I did not check. Because when you are online shopping, everything is justifiable.

Everything.

So, I bought five containers of it.

As one does.

When they are a hoarder.

Or watch too much “Walking Dead.” Because if there was a zombie apocalypse, the first thing one would seek out would be non-clumping flour.

I wanted free shipping with that order, so I added some snack items to the mix to make my food order come to $50.

And I waited.

And Walmart shipped my small food order in four different huge boxes.

And my husband thought I was crazy.

More than usual.

As my food. From. Walmart. Arrived. In several boxes at the door.

I do have a point, I swear.

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Anyhoo, the other day I was making chocolate chip cookies from this recipe. And I ran out of regular flour. I guess my hoarder side did not recognize that this was a possibility. The shame. I ran out of flour right as I needed it to add to my cookie recipe.

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So, I checked my pantry. And I saw my Wondra.

I added 1 1/3 cup of Wondra and 1 cup of regular flour (all that remained of my stash).

And I baked my cookies.

The cookies were good. I could not tell the difference.

Until…

The next day, when I pulled a cookie from the cookie platter I usually keep them in. And the cookie… It was still soft! My dears, this never happens! My cookies always get hard overnight.

The next day… Still soft!

I made the cookies again. And it was the same occurrence. By substituting a little over half of the real flour with Wondra, my cookies kept their original fresh-out-of-the-oven texture!

It is a miracle.

I had to share.

It’s The Little Things: Soft Cookies!

Have you heard of Wondra? Have you tried it? In cookies? Who knew?

My cookie recipe available in the link above uses 2 1/3 cups of flour. I tried the Wondra trick a few days later substituting 1 cup of Wondra and using 1 1/3 cup real flour. The cookies were still softer than usual, but you definitely need the first ratio of 1 1/3 cup Wondra and 1 cup regular flour. Although, if you like your cookies really flat, than the one cup of Wondra was a perfect amount. They just were not as soft the next day.

The cookies made using the Wondra flour also seem to take less time to bake. So make sure you watch them so they do not burn.

And just so you know, the other day my husband and I were shopping together at the grocery store. He nudged me and said, “Hey! Isn’t that Wondra? The Wondra that you said was only available online? And now we have a whole shelf filled with it?”

I ignored the question. I ignored the little blue containers staring accusingly at me from the shelf. I ignored the other accusing stare as well.

But…

Yea. You can probably find this in your grocery store. And you probably don’t need to hoard it.

Probably.

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* this post is not affiliated with or sponsored by Wondra. I just like to write about products that I enjoy using. As with any product I review, your experience with it might vary. : )

Lemon Sopapilla Cheesecake

Have you ever had sopapilla cheesecake? It is a recipe floating around using refrigerated crescent rolls for the dough. I have an obsession with all things sopapilla. And cheesecake. Who doesn’t love that? I say, “True love does exist!”

Ingredients:

2 cans of crescent rolls (I used Trader Joe’s)
2 8 oz. packages of softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon rind

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It is so easy. You just add a mixture of cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, butter and vanilla. It is basically just layer and bake, but I suggest you read the recipe. I am not posting the full directions, because I (unfortunately) am not the creator of this recipe. I just love to share things I have made with you guys.

It is delicious. I first tried the original version at bunco. I have since become obsessed.

And then, I spotted this guy on Barnes and Noodles: Lemon Sopapilla Cheesecake.

Um, hello, lover.

I made it when the kids were gone camping. I am selfish like that. If you don’t tell, I won’t either.

This was a cinch to whip up. Definitely something I would put together again. You can leave out the lemon zest for a more traditional flavor.

I cooked mine for 34 minutes.

I ate mine twenty minutes after taking it out of the oven. It was not as good refrigerated. Much better the first day!

Enjoy!

Cool Whip Cookies

When I first heard about these cookies, I was intrigued. Imagine… A box of cake mix and cool whip. Dreams do come true. But I was skeptical. I have been a victim of that whole soda pop cake. You know, you take a bottle of 7up and add it to cake mix. Ugh, it was so disgusting. No, it did not taste like cake. Not a little. Not a bit.

But this recipe made more sense. Afterall, cool whip is made from oil. And each box of cake mix calls for oil. I promptly tried it out. I always buy cake mixes when they are on sale for $1. The cool whip was also $1. These cool whip cookies ended up costing just a little over $2 after adding eggs.

I followed the directions from this website

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I added my cool whip to the cake mix. Then that spatula and I had a very intimate moment. I am ashamed to say the things I did to that poor spatula…

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Now, these cookies were not the best cookies I have eaten. But they were the easiest cookies I have ever made. Would I make them again? Well, yes. I never post any recipe I would not make again. Believe me, I have saved you from some doozies. I would try a Devil’s Food cake mix next time. The lemon was a little artificial tasting. But my son just came into my bedroom where I am writing this post. After a big dinner and one of these cookies, he just asked, “Can I have another lemon cookie?”. So, there you go. From the mouths of babes again… I tell ya, they always tell it like it is.