Sugar Cookies and royal icing

Chel's Sweets

 Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (170 grams) - 1 1/2 sticks
1/2 cup full fat cream cheese, room temperature (113 grams) - 4 oz.
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
1 large egg, room temperature (56 grams)
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (6 grams)
1 tsp almond extract (3 grams)
3 cups all-purpose flour (390 grams)
1 Tbsp cornstarch (8 grams)
1/2 tsp baking powder (2 grams)
1/2 tsp salt (3 grams)


Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

1. Mix together 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese at a medium speed with a whisk attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
2. Next, mix in 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at a medium-high speed for a couple minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
3. Add in 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and 1 tsp almond extract. Mix on a low speed until incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together 3 cups flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.
5. Gradually mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture on a low speed, until it is JUST incorporated. I like to do this in a couple additions and scrape the sides of the bowl between additions.
6. At this point the dough will still be pretty sticky. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece of dough in a piece of plastic wrap.
7. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F at this point in the process about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough.
9. Generously dust the surface you plan to roll the cookies out on with additional flour.
10. Take one ball of dough out of the fridge or freezer, leaving the other to continue to chill.
11. Sprinkle some more flour on top of your dough ball and on your rolling pin. Roll the chilled dough to be 1/3 inch thick and cut out your shapes with a flour dusted cookie cutter.
12. Use a kitchen brush to gently brush off any excess flour and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet or silicone mat.
13. Chill the cut out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes to help them keep their shape better.
14. Bake for 9-11 minutes on the top wrack of your oven (time varies based on the size and shape of the cookies). Keep a close eye on these and be sure to pull them out before the edges start to brown.
15. Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
16. While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps, and rewrap them in plastic wrap. Pop them back in the fridge to chill.
17. Pull out your 2nd chilled ball of dough, and repeat steps 9-15. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Royal icing

4 cups powdered sugar (500 grams)
1/4 cup meringue powder (36 grams)
1/3 cup water, room temp (80 grams)
2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (8 grams)
additional water to bring to flooding consistency (I used 4 Tbsp but this can vary!)

1. Whisk together 4 cups of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup meringue powder in the large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Add in 1/3 cup water and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix on a medium speed until stiff peaks form (takes about 5 minutes).
3. Next, add in water 1 Tbsp at a time until flooding consistency is reached. I used about 4 Tbsp of water, but it can vary batch to batch.
4. To test the consistency, use the Figure 8 test! Lift up your spoon or spatula, and create a figure 8 with the runoff frosting. If the figure 8 disappears in exactly 8 seconds, the icing is ready to use as a cookie glaze. If it melts away faster, thicken by adding a spoonful of powdered sugar. Or if it takes longer than 8 seconds to disappear, thin by adding a few drops of cream.
5. Repeat this test, making adjustments as you go, until the frosting passes the figure 8 test.
6. To prevent crusting, place saran wrap directly on top of the royal icing. If you leave the frosting exposed to air for too long, it will crust and form a chunky top layer! Be sure keep frosting covered until right before you plan to use it.
7. Once you're ready to decorate the cooled cookies, color 1/2 cup of the royal icing a color of your choice with gel food coloring and place into a small piping bag.
8. Color another 1/2 of frosting a complimentary color and place in a separate piping bag.
9. Cut the tips of both piping bags to create a small opening (1/4 of an inch).

Sallys Baking Addiction

1. Flavors: I love flavoring this cookie dough with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract as listed in the ingredients above. For lighter flavor, use 1/4 teaspoon. Instead of the almond extract, try using 1 teaspoon of maple extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or peppermint extract. Or add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon. Along with lemon extract, you can also add 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
2. Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 3, divide in half, flatten both halves into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap each in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill rolled out dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes – 1 hour before cutting into shapes and baking.

Youth recreation programs

North Ogden 1-2nd grade basketball registration 1/1, begins in september                                                      Flag football- $250 Next Level Sports, season march-may                                                       kickball/Tball- $31, registration     mar 1-15, season begins april                                                        baseball $49 (1,2nd grade) registation mar 1, season may-june

Pleasant view sports- basketball, flag football, baseball, tball                                                                       Tball registration- mar 1

Ogden youth Golf- $55 for 7-17 years (4 weeks, once a week)

PDF information page

1. 18min drive, Plain city   feb-Mar        Baseball, softball, 

Teeball registation 2/15-3/30 , baseball, track   https://plaincity.sportsiteslabs.com/Player

2. 12min drive, Farr West   Mar            Youth t-ball/baseball/softball   http://farrwestcity.net/recreation.html

3. 20min drive, West Weber

4. 27min drive, Clearfield    (Apr-July) Basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, tennis  https://park.clearfieldcity.org/CourseActivities.aspx?id=16&cat=2

5.  16 min drive, Marriott-Slatterville

6. 24 min drive, West Haven      Mar        Baseball, TBall                          https://westhaven.sportsites.com/player

7.  Ogden EVERYTHING- kayak, boxing wrestling, swim tennis, volleyball, fishing, football, boxing, chef

https://www.ogdencity.com/332/Youth-Programs

YOUTH COMPETITIVE BASKETBALL- Weber county https://www.webercountyutah.gov/County_Recreation/Basketball/

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Mels Kitchen Cafe

CAKE:

•  1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter, softened to room temperature
•  1 3/4 cups (13 ounces) granulated sugar
•  1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
•  4 large eggs (7 ounces), room temperature
•  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•  2 1/2 cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
•  2 teaspoons baking powder
•  1/4 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1 cup buttermilk (storebought or homemade)
•  1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
•  2 cups (12 ounces) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw if frozen)
•  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

WHIPPED LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

•  12 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
•  1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter, softened to room temperature
•  4 1/2 cups (18 ounces) powdered sugar
•  1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
•  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
•  2 tablespoons heavy cream

GARNISH:

•  Fresh lemon slices
•  Fresh blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans with at least 2-inch sides with parchment paper and coat with nonstick cooking spray (see note above for pan variations). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer (or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes (don't cut down the time on this step).
3. Add the eggs and vanilla until well-combined, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined and a few dry streaks remain.
5. Add the buttermilk and lemon juice to the batter, and stir by hand, folding the batter until just combined.
6. In another bowl, toss the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons flour (see note above). Add the blueberries and remnants of flour to the batter and fold in by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon until just-combined. Overmixing may result in a tough, dry cake.
7. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes until just baked through. The top will spring back lightly to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs but not wet batter.
8. Let the cakes cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. For the frosting, whip the cream cheese and butter together with a handheld electric mixer or with an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix on low speed (so the powdered sugar doesn't fly everywhere) until combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and whip the frosting until very light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
10. When the cake has cooled completely, place one round on a platter or plate and spread the top evenly with frosting. Place the other cake round upside down on the frosting and press just lightly. Continue frosting with a thin spatula or offset spatula until the top and sides of the cake are evenly frosted. Garnish with blueberries and lemon slices, if desired.
11. This cake, once frosted, lasts very well in the refrigerator for several days (I've made it up to two days in advance before serving). Take it out an hour or two before serving or serve chilled, your choice!

NOTES

Lemons: zest the lemon(s) before juicing them (it will cut down on the number of lemons you need to use). Speaking of number of lemons, you'll need about 4-5 lemons for this recipe, plus more if you want to garnish the cake with lemon slices.

Blueberries: as stated in the ingredients list, frozen blueberries work well in this cake. The baked cake is slightly wetter around where the blueberries bake into the cake but it's not too noticeable, in my opinion. Remember not to thaw them first. I've actually noticed that the blueberries don't sink to the bottom of the cake as often with frozen blueberries - I think it's because the flour adheres to the blueberries better, helping them cling to the batter. I've never tried it but I suppose you could try just barely misting fresh blueberries with a bit of water (maybe 1/2 teaspoon max!) before tossing with the flour to help prevent sinkage. To be honest, it doesn't really bother me if the blueberries tend to gravitate toward the bottom of the cake but if you are more particular, there's an idea for you.

Frosting: Also, the frosting makes for thick layers of frosting in between the cake layers and on the top and sides. If you like a little less frosting-to-cake ratio, you could probably cut down the frosting ingredient amounts or just use less and save the rest of the frosting to spread on other goodies.

Pans: I've often spread the batter into 3 8-inch pans (with at least 2-inch sides) but find more often, I simplify and bake it in 2 9-inch layers.

Alli's Baked French Toast with lemon curd

Baked French Toast 

serves 8

For the French Toast: 
Butter, for greasing
1 loaf crusty sourdough or French bread
8  whole eggs
2 c. whole milk

1/2 c.  heavy cream

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp.  vanilla extract

1/2t salt ( I added, it was not from original recipe)

For the Topping:
1/2 c.  flour
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp.  cinnamon
1/4 tsp.  salt
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1  stick cold butter, cut into pieces
Warm syrup, for serving
Butter, for serving
1 c. 
fresh blueberries, for serving

You assemble it the night before and let it sit and get even more luscious in the fridge overnight

1. For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed (overnight preferably). Or you can make it and bake it right away---delicious no matter what!
2. For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
3. When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour-plus or more for a firmer, crisper texture.
4. Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter, drizzle with warm pancake syrup, and sprinkle with blueberries.

Some comments from readers-

Caramelized some bananas and brown sugar

doubled the cinnamon

generally double the topping because people always ask for more of it

fried apples

12/22/21 made it in the morning and didn't have it soak overnight. Turned out delicious. I had 3 different types of leftover breads and they all tasted and worked out well together. I mixed half plain yogurt and half whipped topping for one of the toppings and frozen blue berries

Can add Lemon curd (pudding) to the top of the cooked French toast- makes one cup

Lemon Curd

Dbl    Original Recipe
1c        1/2 c. 

granulated sugar

1/2c    5 tbsp. 

unsalted butter, diced

1/2c     1/4 c. 

fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

6          3 

large eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/2t      1/4 tsp. 

kosher salt

Combine the sugar, butter and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook just until the butter melts. Whisk in the eggs. Cook, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 6-8 minutes. Do not let the mixture bubble. Pour then press through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Press plastic wrap over top and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Katie's Beignets

 Ingredients for this recipe:

• 1 cup warm water (105° to 110°) • 2 teaspoons active yeast • 1/3 cups of sugar + 1 tablespoon • 2/3 cup whole milk • 1 large egg + 1 yolk • 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter • 1 teaspoon sea salt • 4 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Flour • neutral oil for frying • powdered sugar Makes 24 Prep Time: 15 minutes Resting time: 90 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Procedures: 1. Add the warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to a standing mixer bowl and whisk until combined. Let sit for 7-10 minutes until it forms a raft on top. 2. Next, pour in the remaining sugar, milk, eggs, and melted butter and whisk until combined. 3. Attach the bowl the stand mixer with the hook attachment and add in the salt and flour and mix on medium speed until smooth and the dough has pulled away from the inside of the bowl, about 2-3 minutes. 4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel and let sit at room temperature until it has doubled in size, about 90 minutes. 5. Transfer the dough to a large clean surface dusted with flour and roll out until it is ½” to ¾” thick and cut into 1 ½” to 2” squares or rectangles. 6. Add 5-6 of the beignets to a pot with hot oil or a deep fryer set to 350° and cook for 1 1 1/2-2 minutes per side or until golden brown. 7. Cook in batches until the beignets have all been fried and set on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or paper towels and drain. 8. Coat heavily in powdered sugar and serve. CHEF NOTES: • Café Du Monde is the most traditional place in the United States to eat a beignet at. • You can absolutely make the dough by hand in a large bowl, just be prepared to knead it with your hands until it is smooth. • You can cover with plastic wrap or a light towel, which is what I did. • I used canola oil, but the most traditional oil used is cottonseed oil. Make sure to use a neutral flavored oil.

Bobbly Flay's chicken Parmesan

 4 servings

Youtube

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, smashed with some kosher salt to make a paste Two 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes and their juices, pureed in a blender One 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 small can tomato paste 1 bay leaf 1 small bunch Italian parsley 1 Cubano chile pepper, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 4 large eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water and seasoned with salt and pepper 2 cups panko bread crumbs 1 cup vegetable oil or pure olive oil Tomato Sauce, recipe follows 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Fresh basil or parsley leaves, for garnish

FOR THE SAUCE-

Begin booking sauce first, simmer on stove top

FOR THE CHICKEN-

Between saran wrap flatten the chicken. Salt and pepper chicken. Then, Assemble the chicken dipping station- 3 different bowls or plates.

1. flour, salt and pepper.

2. egg with salt and pepper

3. panko

Saute and brown both sides of chicken on stove top.

It will be finished cooking in the oven.

350 for 20 min. 5 min before serving pour red sauce on top and sliced mozzarella