The Deutsch Girl

My New Move(s)

2010-07-19T08:00:00.001-07:00

Folks, as promised, I said I was working on something big that was hindering my blogging. I guess I am finally ready to make my big announcement. Are you ready???? It's kind of a 3-part deal from a cause and effect standpoint.

If you read my last post and were gracious enough to make a comment, you now know that Captain America is heading to Afghanistan in a month or so. This drastically altered our plan of moving back east, since he won't be there for the next 10 months. I had the chance to move back there anyways, but after a lot of soul searching I decided to stay in Arizona for a few more months for the following reason...
I'm headed to grad school! When I found out that the Captain would be leaving, I did a lot of thinking, and I mean A LOT of thinking, and realized that I was ready to make a change to my life. The direction my life was headed professionally was't what I wanted and it was causing a lot of anxiety and unhappiness. I had toyed with the idea before, to the point where I'd applied to one school and hadn't been accepted, but now I'm ready to commit to the change. I'm going for journalism and specifically magazine writing. I've already applied to one program and will most likely be applying to at least six. This new journey has led me to realize I have to spend a lot of time on my writing and get myself out there, which has lead me to...
I now have my own website! This blog is moving to it's own website. Please continue to follow me at http://www.thedeutschgirl.com/. Everything will stay the same, even the look is the same. I just needed to move to an easier to use program that would allow me to make myself and this blog better. Everything that was on here is on there now too, and I've already started posting over there. I'd really appreciate any publicity you'd like to give me, and that's my only plug about that!

So I think that covers everything for now. Please favorite http://www.thedeutschgirl.com/ and come on over! I'll keep this blog over for a while but any recipe is already over there waiting for you to use it. I should be posting 3 days a week, so keep checking back for new and exciting stuff!

What I've been up to

2010-07-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been a bad blogger, yet again. But I have some really good excuses. Here's one of my reasons...I took a little trip to California where I had these gorgeous photos taken. So while I'm recuperating and planning something big that I will share by the end of the week, please go to the bottom of this page and leave a comment. I'm begging you! I get some free stuff if I get enough comments and who can't use some free stuff these days :) I love you all and stay tuned!

The Dollar Store Surprises

2010-06-23T08:00:00.002-07:00

I am an equal opportunity shopper. Sure I have my favorite locations (Sprouts, Trader Joes, Fry's), but I also love grocery shopping at somewhat obscure locations. Some of these include Marshalls and duh duh duh....the dollar store. I will say that I am partial to a certain dollar store, one called 99 Cents Only. It's one of the cleanest and has the biggest variety of any chain I've visited so far. They have a huge variety of food items, which always makes me happy.

I was visiting a few weeks ago, and picked up a snack size brownie mix. I figured the box would come in handy, and it did this weekend. Because I was going to be out of town for Father's Day, I wanted to make my dad something special for Sunday. We celebrated Saturday, but I wanted to leave him with something for the actual day. Before I left Saturday night, and while he was at a reunion, I made brownies using the mix and a Reeses candy bar. I loved the mix because it was for an 8x8 pan, perfect for a treat for my father.

I highly suggest heading to the dollar store just to look around and see what they have. Feel free to buy anything you'd like...the price is definitely right!

New Product Alert

2010-06-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how many new products are released each year. But then again, it seems that just as many are discontinued each year. Does anyone remember Kellogg's cinnamon bun cereal, Jell-o pudding pops or Planters Cheese Balls? Oh how I miss each and every one of those items.

And apparently I'm learning more and more every day that Wal-mart is the place to go for new or hard to find items. While I was there a few weeks ago picking up the always hard to find bag of Mini M&Ms (the big baking size bag, not the little snack capsule) I noticed these.

That's right, these are Pretzel M&Ms! I was quite intrigued and had to buy the bag. A somewhat large bag. They made it through a few days unscathed, but then my curiosity got the best of me and I had to dig in. I can honestly say that these are just about everything you could hope for. After deciding they would be a nice treat for any blondie recipe, I whipped up some blondie bars that included creating a pretzel flour of sorts. I failed to take any photos since they were consumed rather quickly, but I highly suggest making a batch of your own.

I've noticed that these are becoming more readily available, so if you are one who tries to avoid Wal-Mart at all cost, you can probably try your local grocery store. No matter where you find them, please try them. They are that perfect mix of sweet and salty!

All Dads Love Pizza

2010-06-18T08:00:00.002-07:00

Being that it's almost Father's Day, I think that a pizza recipe is only fitting. In my mind there's not a dad out there who doesn't love pizza. I'm sure there is some dad somewhere in the good ole U.S.A. who has an aversion to the American staple, but that person lives a sad life I'm sure!

One of the things I enjoy making the most is homemade pizza. I've been making it for over 3 years now, ever since Captain America and I decided it was easier and more fun to make pizza at home than get takeout. One of the biggest advantages to this? You can have your own pizza! The Captain and I have different tastes and he's a big eater, so it was just as easy to make our own. I am anti-sauce, while he prefers lots of the stuff. This situation leads me to my recipe today. Just about the only pizza recipe Captain America and I both eat is my buffalo chicken pizza. And yes you are correct if you are thinking..."that picture above is the oddest buffalo chicken pizza I've ever seen". That is in fact NOT the buffalo chicken pizza, but I couldn't for the life of me find those photos.

The pizza dough crust I use is straight from The Pioneer Woman. I don't make a single edit to the recipe, it's that good. For years I used a plain bread dough recipe for my breadmaker and add italian herbs, but this is so much better.  And you don't need a bread machine. For the pizza dough recipe, click here. This actually gives you the recipe for the pizza that I demonstrate above, if you're interested. You can use any pan you'd like, but I prefer one of those specialty pizza pans with the holes in it. If you'd like to make my buffalo chicken pizza, follow the directions for the dough, and then see below.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese (as much as you like!)
fully cooked chicken (about 2 cups)
Frank's Red Hot Sauce (yes, this is THE buffalo sauce)
crumbed bleu cheese
finely chopped celery

To make the pizza:
Before you pat out the dough, put the mozzarella in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This makes it a thousand times easier to cut. Once the dough is patted out, mix the chicken and buffalo sauce in a bowl. Be careful, because this sauce can be quite spicy, but add as much as you'd like.  Slice the mozzarella and place on the dough. Sometimes I brush some extra hot sauce on the dough before, and sometimes not. Then spread the chicken over the cheese and top with crumbled bleu cheese.

Place in the oven until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. One thing I highly suggest is lining the bottom of your oven with foil. For some reason this pizza tends to leak over the sides, depending on the pan you choose to use. Once you remove the pizza from the oven, sprinkle the celery over the top. Wait a few minutes before slicing.

***********************
And there you have it folks. Maybe make this for your dad this Father's Day. Unfortunately I have to go out of town for Father's Day, so I am celebrating on Saturday with my dad. Happy Father's Day dad, I love you!

Happy Strawberry Shortcake Day

2010-06-14T08:00:00.003-07:00

It seems there has been a long time debate regarding Strawberry Shortcake. Biscuit or Cake. That is the question. Not so much for me though, I know that I am a biscuit lover. I am a cake lover too, just not when it comes to strawberry shortcake.

This weekend, coincidentally, was full of strawberries. We went to our cabin in Strawberry and attended the annual Strawberry Festival. Now usually when we are in town for the festival, I require stopping at the Strawberry Lodge, one of three restaurants in our little town, for Strawberry Pie. However last year, pie was such a hot commodity for the festival, that I decided to make dessert at the house and avoid all the fuss. And with National Strawberry Shortcake day, I decided it would be the obvious choice.

I chose a recipe for Southern Living Magazine's May 2006 edition. Since it was such a simple recipe, I only made a few changes. I actually made the shortcakes before we left, since altitude is not my baking friend, and I halved the recipe. I got 5 biscuits using the 1/3 measuring cup. I also substituted Cool Whip for fresh whipped cream. I know, sue me. But you try making fresh whipped cream in a cabin that doesn't quite play with a full deck. Example...two waffle makers but no sea salt.

Since I don't have any actual recipe changes, click here for the link to the recipe. Enjoy folks!

Pop-Tarts ala Homemade

2010-06-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

Here's that recipe I promised you a long time ago. Sorry about that. When it comes to breakfast food, I like it all. I could actually live solely on breakfast items if I wanted to. When I was younger, pop-tarts were considered a treat. My dad liked the frosted brown sugar cinnamon ones, so that's what we usually had. Either that, frosted strawberry or frosted cherry. Back then, I'm not sure there were many more flavors.

I still like pop-tarts just as much as ever, the only difference is I can eat a lot more of them in one sitting that I used to. Let's just say that there may have been at least once instance where I ate an entire box. Please don't judge...yes I realize that was a poor dietary decision, and no, I don't care.

At some point in the past few weeks, I had this bubble of thought enter my head that I needed to make pop-tarts from scratch. My mom had some extra pie dough, and since brown sugar cinnamon were always my favorite, I decided to start with those. This was my first shot, but stay tuned, because I'd like to try again with a different crust. The issue with pie crust is the puffing and rising factor. The filling was almost dead-on, and let's get real, you cannot create the pop-tart frosting in a home kitchen, at least not without chemicals. Everyone that ate them (mom, dad, grandpa, and aunt) loved them. Please make them soon, if nothing else it's fun to say you made homemade pop-tarts.

Crust:
Any homemade or refrigerated dough will do.

Brown-Sugar Cinnamon Filling:
1 Egg White at room temp
3/4 C. Powdered Sugar
1/4 C. Almond slivers or slices
1/4 C. Brown sugar
1 T. Cinnamon
In food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until well combined.

Assembly:
Roll the dough into a rough square, dusting with flour, until 1/8" thick. Cut dough into 4"x6" rectangles. Pair the rectangles for tops and bottoms. Brush the edges of your bottom with a whisked egg. Place a large dollop of filling on inside the egg wash, then spread it evenly. The amount of filling is up to you, but you can see in the pic below how much I did. Place the top sheet of dough on top and press firmly but gently onto the bottom sheet. Bake at 450F for about 7-8 minutes or until slightly brown.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well folks, it appears that this week didn't quite live up to my expectations as far as productivity. But don't worry, I'll be back after the holiday weekend in full force. I'm going "home" to hang out with my best friend and relax and unwind. I already have some great new ideas and recipes, so please stay tuned!

You didn't think I could leave you without a taste of what's to come did you??? I hope this picture gets you hungry for more. Enjoy the holiday weekend, stay safe, unwind, and I look forward to catching up with you next week.

"Magic" Monster Cookies

2010-05-21T08:00:00.003-07:00

Yes, I’m still alive, and no, aliens haven’t kidnapped me. I could say that I’d won the lottery and was plotting how to spend my winnings, but I’ll be honest. The past month or so has been super stressful and busy. I know you probably don’t care about my personal strife, and all you really want is good stories, recipes, and photos, so I’ll spare you the downing details. I’m trying instead to focus on rainbows and puppies and cupcakes.

No fear, I am trying my best to get back to entertaining my two readers full-time. I know that I promised a fun breakfast food recipe, but you’ll have to wait another week or so. I do have a fun recipe today though, and it’s one of my all-time favorites.

There’s a funny and timely story to go along with these cookies however, so let’s start with that. I first made this recipe, courtesy of Bake or Break, when Captain America was training with the Marine Corps. I wanted to send him and his roommates something that would hold up well in the mail. Needless to say the recipe was so good I couldn’t stop eating them and was literally removing more from the package as I was sealing it up. Let the addiction begin.

One day since I moved back home, my mom was looking for a recipe to make to bring to her clinic. She’s a nurse and the doctors (and nurses) love sweets. I suggested these same cookies b/c we had most of the ingredients. They were a hit, but since they make so many she kept some at home for us. One day she had one before she went for her swim workout, she was training for a triathlon, and she said that she had the best swim to date. And it was all because of that cookie! We laughed but agreed that they held some sort of special power. She froze some and would eat them occasionally before a workout.

This brings us to Sunday, when my mom and her friend Heather raced in their first triathlon, and of course she made monster cookies the day before so she could fuel up. I am so proud of her! She finished, even though she had a slight issue on the swim. So if you are training for a big race, or just looking for an amazing cookie, I highly suggest these. The recipe makes quite a few, so be prepared to be baking for a while. Or, simply freeze the dough to make more later. Enjoy, and congratulations again Mom!

Monster Cookies
3 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 & 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter (I use creamy since I don’t like crunchy)
4 & 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup mini M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/spray/line baking sheets. Combine eggs, both sugars, vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add melted butter. Next add peanut butter, oats, and flour and mix thoroughly. Stir in the chips and M&Ms. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes to allow the oats to absorb the butter.
Drop the dough onto baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Note: I’ve made these cookies in all different sizes. If you choose to make a larger size, hence the word “monster”, I suggest flattening the dough slightly before putting the cookies in the oven. These cookies do not spread much!

I Eat On My Vacations

2010-05-07T08:00:00.001-07:00

After our trip to Disneyland, I had three days of work, and then we were off again to the cabin. The cabin is owned by my grandparents, but they are incredibly gracious with it, and everyone has a key, and everyone can use it. It’s also one of Captain America’s favorite places as well, and he was the one who had initially requested the visit. My favorite thing about going to the mountains is I don’t have to do anything. Except the dishes. Our cabin is minus a dishwasher. But it does have avocado green appliances. I bet you thought those were just for movies.

I had planned a pretty simple, and extremely unhealthy menu for the trip. Going to the cabin requires some strategic planning on my part. You want your meals to be simple, and not require a lot of fancy cookware. Because we just don’t have it. The cabin is where the family’s kitchen things go to die. Or really, it’s more like an old folks home. I use it as my excuse to eat the food I wouldn’t normally eat. I mean pasta or baked potatoes are much easier to cook than say pan grilled chicken with mango salsa. Let’s just say the fewer ingredients needed, the better.

First thing Thursday morning, I headed to the grocery store while Captain America finished up some work he had to do before we left the internet possessing world. I really should not be allowed to grocery shop by myself. Especially on an empty stomach. Among other things, here are some of my purchases:

1 lb. yogurt covered pretzels
12 pack of beer
sharp cheddar cheese
hot pepper cheese
cinnamon toast crunch
frosted flakes
lil smokies
cinnamon rolls (2 packages!)
crescent rolls
frozen chicken tenders
peanut butter cookie dough
chocolate chip cookie dough

See where this is going? After a mini lunch of our Cheesecake Factory leftovers (friend mac and cheese bites for me, chicken parm sandwich for Captain America) we headed north for the mountains. Of course, at the one and only descent sized town between us and the cabin, I needed Wendy’s. A frosty, fries, and a jr. bacon cheeseburger kind of need. It was delicious. The dog thought so too. He ate a few fries. No frosty though. He’s already had one bout with chocolate and we don’t need to go through that again.

When we were about 15 minutes to our destination, it started snowing. I love snow. A LOT. I took it as an omen to eat whatever I wanted the next 4 days. And I did. That pound of yogurt pretzels…completely gone. Cinnamon rolls, both packages…gone. Cinnamon toast crunch…pretty much ate the entire box alone. Cookie dough…both raw and cooked. Ritz Crackers…at least two sleeves.

I do admit that I overbought and we didn’t eat everything, so at least there’s that. Other than eating we watched a ton of movies, mostly bad, and watched some sports and of course the Derby. Stupid Captain America picked the winning horse, while my choice came in somewhere around 10th. While the cabin doesn’t have internet, we do have cable, so we aren’t complete shut-ins. We went for a walk with the dog, and went to a goat farm that makes cheese and fudge and stuff. I must say that I was pretty sad to leave Sunday morning, but I am glad to be back in a house with a dishwasher.

I wish I could have used the time away from my day job to bake for you guys, but the altitude doesn’t do any favors to baked goods, so stay tuned next Monday for something new. I’ll give you a hint…it’s for breakfast!

Eating My Way Through Disneyland

2010-05-05T08:00:00.002-07:00

Sorry for my extended absence…I thought that I could vacation and write, but being lazy and watching movies and eating my weight in yogurt covered pretzels managed to consume me the last 10 days. Oh and that pesky other half that was here managed to do a pretty good job of preventing me from blogging. Well, him and a lack of internet.

As for my other half, I've made the executive decision that he needs a good code name. If you are a fan of the Pioneer Woman like I am, you know she refers to her hubby as Marlboro Man, or MM for short. I’m not against calling him by his first name, but really, every good boyfriend needs a nickname. I think I will go with Captain America, or CA for short. Yup, it’s perfect. It goes with my Old Navy shirt that reads "My boyfriend is a super hero" with Captain America in the middle. Yes, I own that, and yes I am that cool. And yes, he only likes to take self portraits, anything else he considers torture.

Almost 2 weeks ago now, I drove to California to pick up Captain America and head to Disneyland. Other than his flight getting cancelled, getting another one, having to pick him up at LA instead of Orange County, missing dinner plans with one of my dear friends, and his luggage being lost for 3 days, it went off without a hitch.

At least the actual Disneyland portion was fun. I had high hopes of documenting my mega-consumption of their many delectable treats, but alas, photography was lacking on our adventure. So instead I thought I would give you a little rundown. Please feel free to criticize, but I’m sure it’s only because you are jealous.

A Pre-Mouse Breakfast
Breakfast was served at the hotel for free, which was one of the reasons that I picked it, so we started off on the right foot. Well, I’m not sure right is the correct thing to say. I started with half a crumb donut and some generic cheerios. That and a handful of yogurt covered pretzels. Captain America managed to eat the other half of my donut, two more donuts, a waffle, juice, milk and an English muffin.

Morning Snack Time
After a ride on Winnie the Pooh, I insisted to stopping into the candy shop behind Splash Mountain. I really wanted some fudge, but got distracted by the giant Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie, so I went with it. Captain America got an oreo brownie the size of my hand. In our minds, 10am is the perfect time to eat sweets. Morning snack of champions.

Lunch
Captain America let me be the tour guide since he was a Disney virgin, so I chose a burger place in Critter Country. He got the bacon cheeseburger and fries, while I decided to be healthy and skip the bacon. And hey, I got Coke Zero, that’s healthy right? I swear the highlight of his day was seeing two cats when we were eating. He’s a huge cat person. I ate my entire burger, which was pretty darn good, and should have been for the price, and most of the fries. What can I say, I can eat.

Afternoon Churro Session
My favorite food at Disneyland hands down is the churro. For some reason they are so much better there than any place else. All day I wanted one, and finally I caved and went for it. Of course Captain America joined me for a tasty afternoon snack. I really wanted to go back from seconds, but decided I shouldn’t completely bust the buttons on my jeans. Oh, but before the churros and after the burgers, I did eat a candy bar.

Dinner Time
Captain America wanted to change into pants around dinnertime, so we headed back to the hotel. He suggested we order pizza to be delivered to our room via the restaurant advertising on the back of the hotel key. This was a huge risk for me. Besides the fact that we had no menu to go off of, just a phone number and three specials, I am kind of fussy about pizza. I went with it though, and we ordered a pepperoni and sausage pizza and two orders of garlic bread. Turned out I was pleasantly surprised. The pizza was pretty darn good, and we ate a lot. Please don’t be surprised at this point, you really should know me by now. Like that song…If you don’t know my by now…yeah don’t know any more of the words. But by the end of dinner, there was no garlic bread in sight, and not a lot of pizza left either.

The Night Cap
Now for the letdown of the evening. After we went back, watched the fireworks, and rode the remaining rides on our list, I really wanted ice cream. As we were walking back through Main Street, we walked into the ice cream parlor and it smelled like heaven. Freshly made waffle cone heaven. But the line was long, and Captain America was cold since he had no sweatshirt since he had no luggage, and I didn’t want to make him wait 30 minutes for a scoop of ice cream. So I figured we’d just stop at one of the little convenience stores that were between Disneyland and the hotel and I’d get a pre-packaged ice cream sandwich or something. But then when we got there, Captain America said he didn’t want anything, and then I started to feel guilty and so I didn’t get anything either. BIG MISTAKE. So instead I went back to the hotel and ate Cheez-its and more yogurt covered pretzels. So there.

* * * * * * * *

And that pretty much covers our day. I could tell you about all the wonderful things I ate on the way there, and on the drive back, but I will choose to avoid that embarrassment. I will say that I did get my ice cream cookie sandwich on the way home though. I think it had over 30 grams of fat. And it was the best ice cream sandwich cookie I’ve ever had.

On another note, please stay tuned on Friday for installment number two…The Cabin. Affectionately know as “How I ate my way out of the snow and into a diet”.

A Mini Disneyland Vacay

2010-04-24T08:00:00.001-07:00

Today the other half and I are spending the day at Disneyland. He flew across the country yesterday and I drove over to California to meet up with him. Then we will be driving back to Arizona for another week of fun and relaxation. Please stay tuned for a detailed post on our adventure at the Happiest Place on Earth. We have a first timer on our hands folks and I'm not talking about this cowgirl. So in my absense, leave me a note with your favorite Disneyland treat. Mine is churros. I plan on eating at least 3. I'll let you know how I do.

And please do leave a comment. I need some lovin' these days.

Cupcakes Fit For A Princess

2010-04-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

The other day while I was laying out in the backyard, I was thumbing through a Real Simple magazine when I came across a cereal ad. Now, as most people who know me well can tell you, I am a big cereal fan. In fact, there have been multiple occasions when I have received cereal as a gift. I love getting cereal as a present. No, seriously. It doesn't matter what kind, I love me some cereal. So when I came across a certain ad for Cupcake Pebbles, I was quite intrigued. Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles rarely make it in my cereal bowl, but I couldn't help but wonder if the ad was true. Could this cereal really taste like cupcakes?

I realized that the ad also contained a recipe for cupcake pebble treats, essentially rice krispy treats with frosting, and I was convinced I needed to try these. But finding the actual cereal was a bit of a challenge. I tried two of our major grocery stores in town, Fry's and Safeway, but couldn't track them down. But then I had an epiphany...Wal-Mart. This is for sure a cereal for Wally World. And guess what? They had it.

I decided to give the recipe a try, and my overall opinion of these is as follows: While they look cute, you certainly don't need Cupcake Pebbles to make these. The cereal alone does taste like cake batter, but once you add the marshmallows, they just taste like an extra sweet rice krispy treat. And of course once I added the frosting, that's pretty much all I tasted. I could have gone all fancy with a homemade buttercream, but let's be real. Something like this called for canned frosting. I used rainbow chip. I'm a little bit obsessed with rainbow chip frosting. I could really use a support group. I don't think I'll be making these again, but I'm glad I tried them once. And hey, now I can say that I've tried Cupcake Pebbles for the first, and probably the last time.

Since they weren't a winner, and I copied the recipe exactly from the ad, I've decided not to post it here. If you're curious, feel free to click here to find it.

Pantry Granola

2010-04-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

So this is the deal with granola. Me likey. Here's something I don't like about granola. The content. See, that commercially processed stuff comes a little heavy on the sugars and fats and calories. I mean, if you are one of those "I can eat anything because no matter how many calories I consume I stay a perfect size 2" well then about 98% of the world hates you right now. Me included. But there IS a way to make granola that's just as tasty but much healthier. And the best thing? Just use whatever is in the pantry. Hence the title! I chose to make it using almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried figs, pears, apricots, and raisins.

See the ingredients? Doesn't it look gooooood?

Pantry Granola

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup sliced or chopped nuts
1/4 cup seeds (salted or unsalted)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (preferably unsweetened)
1/2 cup pure maple sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (omit salt if seeds are salted)
1 cup dried fruit

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and seeds with the maple syrup, oil and salt if using. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake, tossing twice, until golden and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Be careful not to burn.
Add the dried fruit and toss to combine. Let cool.

See how easy that was. Be fancy like me and store your creation in a glass jar, or any airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Make some soon and enjoy a little granola for breakfast either with milk or on top of some yogurt with fruit.

The Deutsch Girl's Wishlist

2010-04-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

I am slightly addicted to baking pans. Ok, not slightly addicted, really addicted. I'm not sure what it is about them, but it's like they call to me. I can remember my first one like it was yesterday. My best friend gave me a rosette cupcake pan from Williams-Sonoma for Christmas. I think this gift jumpstarted my love for speciality cake and cupcake pans, designs that don't even need frosting, just a quick sprinkle of powdered sugar to complete the look. I'm going to blame her. Because it's easy. And because I know she'll read this and laugh. And know that I'm probably right.

Because I frequently get gently reprimanded for buying things for the kitchen that I don't really need, I haven't fed my addiction lately. Oh that and the fact that I don't have a kitchen of my own at the moment in which to store these masterpieces. But when I do have a kitchen again, I'm buying my pie safe so I can store all my baking belongings in one place. Trust me, it will make everyone a lot happier. I know that not everyone knows what a pie safe is, so here goes...the encyclopedia bills it is a cupboard with perforated tin doors that kept mice and insects away from freshly baked goods. I call it heaven.

So besides my hefty arsenal of sprinkles, baking chips, cake stands, glass pans and loaf pans of various sizes, this new piece of furniture will be housing my specialty baking pans. I feel like I've seen a few lately that have really made me want to bring out that little piece of plastic and hit the order button. BUT...until the above-mentioned piece of furniture arrives in my house, I'll have to stick to a strict look but don't touch policy. I think everyone involved will appreciate it. Except me. I don't appreciate it one bit. So for now I'll just have to keep making these wish lists. Here are four at the top of my list:

Buttercup Cakelet Pan - Williams Sonoma - $36.00

Cakewich Sandwich Cake Pan - Wee Can Shop - $24.99

Cupcake Pan - Wilton - $12.99

Edge Brownie Pan - Amazon - $36.00

Coming To You Live

2010-04-12T08:00:00.005-07:00

For you newbie readers...here's the deal. My life is complicated. It wasn't always, but it took a crazy swerve-so-you-don't-hit-that-deer kind of turn in October 2008 when my boyfriend joined the United States Marine Corp as a Reserve Officer. Let's just say the military causes your life to feel very out of your control. Now it's not a bad thing, and I try to not complain too much, but it just means you have a bigger roller coaster to ride.

The latest swerve had to do with our house. I hate to bore you with the long drawn out version, so I'll make it really simple. If you want to ask questions later, feel free, but this is the bare bones of what you need to know...

We rented out the house we he owns and while he searches for a job back east near his base,

I am living with my parents.

There. I've admitted it. Although I kind of wish they had a basement. They I could introduce myself as "Hi, My name is Deutsch Girl and I live in my parent's basement." It's not nearly as fun as what I should say. "Hi, my name is Deutsch Girl and I live in the spare room at my parent's house with french doors to the backyard, a walk-in closet and a beautiful one-of-a-kind bed frame."

See? I really don't have it all that bad. And to show you that in fact, I have it pretty darn good, here's a glimpse of my 11ft x 12ft space and beyond.

Here she is. The house my parents bought when they moved back to Arizona in the spring of 2002. Originally built in 1958, it's been completely remodeled. Most recently? The kitchen. She's gorgeous.

Speaking of. Beautiful cabinetry, built-in oven (that barely holds a cookie sheet), deep sink and bright paint.

The view from the door. Isn't it cute? Maybe a little cramped looking due to adding some furniture, but I still love it.

The bedframe came from a store in Las Vegas. My mom bought it on a whim my senior year of high school. In fact, it was my first bed that was bigger than a twin. The painted window came with it. I use the words "came with it" loosely. I think that was just her excuse.

I picked out this desk back in 2002. It came from a European furniture dealer and it's 100% european antique. Better than that Ikea stuff any day. Oh, and yes, that is in fact a bottle of champagne on my desk. You never know when you might need a bottle of champagne, so I keep one there for good measure.

Those doors I mentioned earlier. Perfect. They even have screens so you can open them without letting the flies, or in our case turtles, into the room.

Speaking of those pesky turtles.

My mom bought these vases at some point, and I am pretty sure she added the flowers herself. And if she didn't, I'm still giving her credit for it. She's definitely capable, so mom, if you are reading this, don't tell anyone if you didn't really make these. Your secret is safe with you.

The bathroom. This could have been the ugliest room in the whole house when my parents moved it. Sorry parents, but in my mind peach and old lady blue flowered wallpaper, blue cabinets and antique colored fixtures constitute ugly in my book. They were gracious enough to fix it up, and now I love it.

There's a photo on the wall with the door. That's my mom on the left and one of her sisters on the right. They were in a home builder's campaign back when they were kids. They are having a tea party in the closet, because the builder's closets were that big...or at least that was they were trying to say.

So that pretty much sums up my space. Now you can see where all my magificant brainstorming, or more like random thought vomit, comes from. Ta Ta for now!

I'm Famous!

2010-04-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm not Famous, per se, but I am officially published on another blog! This blog happens to be pretty much amazing. Have you ever checked out Cakespy? If not, I highly suggest you do, and soon. The writer, Jessie Oleson, is an illustrator from NYC who moved to Seattle. Not only does she do the most adorable cupcake illustrations, but her recipes are amazing, and she always has the cutest reviews.

Her reviews lead to me to the whole reason I made it on her blog. I recently wrote a review about bakeries here in the Phoenix area and sent it for submission. And the best part was she agreed to publish it! So click here to see the article in all it's glory. Please, pretty please with a cherry on top, take a moment to read this, and maybe write a comment if you are so inclined. I would greatly appreciate it! Stay tuned here for a behind the scenes glimpse of the writing of this article.

Easter Recap

2010-04-07T08:00:00.002-07:00

We used to go all out for Easter. I'm talking all-you-can-eat buffet brunch with crab legs, all the cheese you could eat and those lovely blueberry blintzes. I LOVE Easter buffets. You might not be able to tell by looking at me, but I can really eat when I want to. On more than one occasion I have been told by a waiter that there is no way I can finish what I order, and have returned a clean plate. What can I say...I like to eat!

The past few years my family has switched things up and done Easter at home. As the price of Easter brunches got more and more expensive, and the quality went down and down, we decided to make it easier and just do everything at home. That by no means lowers the amount of quality of the meeal we have. This was Sunday's menu. And mind you, we had 8 people attending:

Honey Baked Ham
Cabbage Rolls
Fruit (kiwi, strawberries, cantalope, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, etc.)
Fingerling Potatoes with Artichoke Hearts
Hot Cross Buns
Asparagus and Morel Mushroom Quiche
Carrot Cake
Shrimp
Smoked Salmon deviled eggs

The meal was divine to say the least. I didn't take many photos due to the fact that I couldn't stop eating. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter as well. And let me know if you made Friday's carrot cake recipe...I'd love to hear how everyone's turned out!

Celebrate Easter With Kitchen Sink Carrot Cake

2010-04-02T08:00:00.001-07:00

In my world, Easter means Whopper's Robin Eggs and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Eggs, both of which are only available this time of year. I've been known to stock up so I can enjoy both of these scrumptous treats into the summer season. In fact, I think I still have some Robin Eggs from last year. I wonder if there's a name for my craziness. One of my other favorite Easter related treats is carrot cake. I guess it's because bunnies eat carrots, and Easter's unoffical mascot is a bunny, so it sort of works. And who can resist a moist cake filled with goodies and topped with cream cheese frosting. I usually can't resist anything with cream cheese frosting.

Carrot cake isn't without controversy. Nope, it's not that innocent. There's those who think that carrot cake should be eaten pure, free from pathogens such as raisins or nuts. Then there's the group that only wants nuts, or preach raisins only. I say to heck with all of them. It's Easter and all carrot cake rules are meant to be broken. I came across this recipe a few weeks ago, and had a burning desire to try it my way. My way consists of the following:

*toasted pecans
*toasted sweetened coconut
*candied ginger bites
*rum soaked raisins

Please feel free to add or subtract anything you like from my list. My responsible side will note that rum soaked raisins should be saved for a twenty-one and over crowd. There, that's my legalese for these recipe, so don't say I didn't warn ya. Now go out, get creative, and create the carrot cake masterpiece of your dreams. And have a Happy Easter everyone. Enjoy the time with family, loved ones, and your new best friend, the carrot cake.

"Kitcken Sink" Carrot Cake
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Cake
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspace
3 1/2 cups (1lb) grated carrots (fine or course depending on preference)
1 cup chopped nuts, toasted
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted
1/2 candied ginger bites
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup Myers Dark Rum (adult cake eaters only)

Frosting
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk, or enough to make frosting spreadable

Pour 1 cup Myers Dark Rum into a small bowl. Add raisins and allow to soak for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease (I recommend Pam Baking Spray with flour) a 9" x 13" pan if making a cake, or line your muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Toast nuts and coconut either in a skillet, or in the oven. Do not leave these items alone while toasting, they will go from toasted to burnt in a few seconds. Let each one cool. Grate carrots and put aside.
Beat the eggs, sugars and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until smooth, about two minutes at medium speed.
Mix the melted butter with the oil. With the beater running, add the oil mixture in a stream, beating until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, leaveners (baking soda and powder), salt, and spices. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring to make a smooth batter.
Stir in your add-ins, in this case the carrots, nuts, coconut, ginger and drained raisins.
Spoon the batter into the cake pan or cupcake liners.
Bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes until the cake is golden brown. For cupcakes, 20 to 25 minutes. Or in either case - until a cake tester (toothpick in my case) comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool completely. Take out butter and cream cheese for the frosting from the refrigerator.
After the cake or cupcakes has cooled, make the frosting.
Combine the butter, creamcheese, vanilla and salt in a medium sized bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating well. Add the milk a little at a time, until the frosting is a spreadable consistancy. If you get it a little too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar.
Spread frosting. Garnish with toasted coconut, sprinkles, or whatever you like!

More Mint...Less Chocolate

2010-03-31T08:00:00.003-07:00

I love my dad, but his dislike for mint and chocolate on the same plate really blows my mind. I for one, love love love mint chocolate chip ice cream, Andes mints and mint oreo blizzards from Dairy Queen. I swear I am not his child. Mom...am I really his? I realize we have matching blue eyes, super thick hair, and an incredible love for cheese, but really? I'm quite concerned by this. It's not that he doesn't like chocolate. Give him fudge, chocolate chip cookies, or chocolate cake, and he'll clean his plate. But somehow he hasn't managed to acquire a palatte for mint and chocolate together in his 50+ years on this planet.

This really put me to the test when I was going through the items I brought over to my parent's house from my pantry. While most of the food items went with my other half to New Jersey a few weeks ago, I kept my baking stash, knowing that he wasn't going to be baking anything that doesn't involve slice and bake. One of the items I bought a while ago was Guittard Mint Chips. I remember buying them only because they were on sale at Cost Plus, and let's face it. Guittard. Ain't. Cheap.

Not knowing what I was going to do with them after I realized that the only recipe on the bag included a whole bunch of chocolate, I decided to create something on my own. Something without chocolate, but with plenty of mint. I ended up taking a recipe from Sunset Magazine, and changing a few things to make it work for me. These would be great for Easter, since they end up looking like the perfect spring cookie.

Spring Mint Chip Delights

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Guittard mint chips

Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer if you don't possess a stand mixer) beat butter, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and vanilla until smooth.
Beat in egg whites until blended. Then beat in flour, salt and mint chips.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so, until dough is firm, but easily scoopable.
Using a cookie scoop of your choice, or a spoon, roll into balls and place on cookie sheet.
Now here's the part where your personal preference comes in. You can either take a glass, dip it in colored or white sugar, and slightly press the cookies down OR you can simply leave them. I found that either way, they will flatten out.
Bake in a 300 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are barely brown and the middles look set. Let them cool on a cookie sheet for 5 or so minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Searching for Answers

2010-03-29T08:00:00.003-07:00

This is something I've struggled with for at least the past 2 years and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm desperately searching for some answers. No, it's not my addiction to sweets. Trust me, that's something that I will never be able to cure. Unless they come up with a show called "Intervention - I Can't Curb the Urge to Bake". Not sure it would get many viewers though.

My real struggle comes with my food photography. Here in the desert, houses are not made to accomodate natural light. In fact, it's quite the opposite. We like to hole up in our dark houses in all hope to avoid those 115+ summer temps. We don't have huge windows. Most of the windows have shade screens anyway, limiting the light that comes in to almost zilch. And about 95% of the time we like it that way.

At my house (and I use my very loosely considering nothing about it is mine) the kitchen is right in the middle of the house. This gives little if any access to natural light for photography purposes. I have the Lowel table lights, which are great for finished products. Wait. At this point I have to admit that while I was given these lights for christmas, I've only used one of them once. I blame life...and a broken lightbulb. So assuming that I have used them, this light issue still makes it extremely difficult to do step-by-step shots in a kitchen filled with artificial light.

So here's my question to you all...

How do I possibly improve my step-by-step or even finished product photography using little to no natural light?

Please post any ideas you have to the comments section. Any ideas at all. Please. Pretty please with a cherry on top. Danke!

Introducing "Me"

2010-03-26T08:00:00.003-07:00

Welcome Freuden! In order to get better acquainted before we start on this journey we all call obsessive blog reading...oh wait, the obsessive part is just me, carry on my liebes... I thought I would introduce myself.

Oh but wait, I've already used two German words that most people who didn't live in Germany, because let's be honest German is not a commonly used language in the Americas, might not know. First came freuden which means friends. Second came liebes which means loves, as in darling or sweetheart. Remember that word. I plan on using it a lot. In fact, if that's the only German word you ever learn from my antics, remember it. It's a good one.

Before we continue, I have to show everyone this photo. This is me, at 3 months old, eating pudding with my dad. Apparently you aren't supposed to give 3 month old babies puddies these days. But I think this gives you pretty good glimpse into my life. Don't worry, I plan on discussing the topic in detail later.

***I take this opportunity to write this little disclaimer...I am not a master of the German language...far from it. If my grammer is wrong, and it often will be, don't bother to correct me. I'm not saying this to be mean, but I'm lucky I can remember the vocabulary. I mean who puts all the verbs at the end of the sentence? And really, grammer is overrated. Sorry grammer nazis, but when you are learning your third language, it all starts to run together. There. I've said my piece.***

Instead of doing a nice long boring paragraph (and I'm being honest when I say I can write a mean run-on paragraph. I mean really...have you read the above two yet?) a 50 item list will have to suffice. Don't want to read all 50 things about me? Honestly I don't really blame you...but I might surprise you. You might find me incredibly charming, talented and intriguing. On the other hand you might find me crazy, detestable and boorish. Please just don't tell me if it's the latter. I'd really rather not know my readers think ill of me. So with that drum roll please...............

Am an only child.
Won a poetry contest in 4th grade.
Brussell sprouts are not my friend.
Dad was a rodeo clown.
Can recite all 50 states in alphabetical order.
Incredibly accurate with a .22.
Spent sophomore year of college in Germany.
Speaks a touch of German, but speaking it out loud makes me very nervous.
Hate and refuse to eat rice.
Unless it's in sushi.
Was on the university dance team.
Years 10-18 were spent living in Las Vegas.
Weighs approximately 15 lbs. less than I did in high school.
Lost 30 pounds since leaving Germany.
Can and will eat an entire tube of Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls in one sitting.
Trys to find the best pancakes in every city.
Worrys about the next meal while or before eating the current one on every vacation.
Took 7 years of Spanish and still turn red when I speak it out loud.
Been to Hawaii 3 times but never the Caribbean.
Can fall asleep anywhere.
Is buying an antique pie safe as my next piece of furniture.
Can't live without Tivo
Played Wendy in my high school's version of Peter Pan
Got to fly with wires.
Won a baking contest in high school.
Believes my great aunt's potato casserole could solve the world's problems.
~~Has never made cinnamon rolls from scratch, but it dying to try.~~ Did this last week :)
Loves surfing but is deathly afraid of sharks.
Drives a very practical sedan.
Is the proud mother of one very spoiled, very loving chihuahua / italian greyhound mix.
He might have more clothes than I do.
My closet is color coded.
Was in a sorority and loved it.
Jumped in a pool backwards, hit my chin, and now have a 24 year old scar to prove it.
Thinks one can never have enough baking pans.
Can't figure out how to bake a whole chicken and like it.
Doesn't like ketchup except on hashed browns.
Thinks family events are the best.
Have never been able to touch my toes.
Think running and crossfit are the best things since sliced bread.
Could ride a horse by myself at age 2.
Thinks you can save the drama for yo mama
Cannot throw away food if it's still good.
Want to own a bakery/pizza parlor/antique shop/winery/cheese shop one day.
Rarely uses measuring spoons...I just wing it.
Have two cats with military names.
Live with my parents, but just temporarily.
Have a stigma that wearing my hair up is unacceptable.
Loves the beach but hates sand.
Could spend my life savings on cheese.