Author: longdistancebaking

Apple Pie Bars

Apple Pie Bars

Everyone has those family friends who are like your second set of parents or grandparents. My early childhood has memories of making seashell necklaces, going on extreme scavenger hunts and getting chocolate kisses from the older neighbors across the street. We never lived close to 

4th Of July Popcorn Party Mix

4th Of July Popcorn Party Mix

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all  men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” -The Declaration of Independence I love the 4th of July. 

Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad

Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad

If I could live on pasta salad, I would. I practically do in the summer. There are weeks when I eat it for lunch, dinner and all the snacks in between. Sometimes even without a bowl, just straight from the fridge with a  fork. It’s ok, my roommate doesn’t judge because she does the same thing with hers. There is a pasta salad obsession in this house.

Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad | longdistancebaking.com

The fun thing about pasta salad is that everyone has their own variation. Oddly enough I didn’t used to like pasta salad because I don’t like salad dressings. My parents spoiled me though, and they would go very light on the dressing so I could enjoy it too and would add more dressing to their own bowls. Thanks parentals 🙂 I still won’t eat macaroni or potato salad though…too much mayo and mustard and pickles…yuck.

Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad | longdistancebaking.com

My version of pasta salad is a Mediterranean style, with fresh basil and tomatoes, Kalamata olives and feta cheese. I like to use either tri-color rotini pasta or whole wheat rotini…those kinds have more flavor than the normal white pastas. But of course, any kind will do. As for the dressing I usually go with Zesty Italian, fat free because I can eat an entire bowl of this in under 48 hours.

Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad | longdistancebaking.com

This is perfect for BBQs this summer and is quick to whip up. It’s my go-to for potlucks and I know it will be making an appearance for the 4th of July. How do you all make your pasta salad? Happy Friday!

~Stephanie

Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad | longdistancebaking.com

 

Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad

  • 16 oz rotini (whole wheat or tri-color preferably)
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 1/3 cup pitted and halved Kalamata olives
  • 1 can (14 oz) chick peas, rinsed
  • 5 leaves fresh basil
  • 4 oz feta cheese
  • 1 cup Zesty Italian dressing
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Chop vegetables while pasta cooks.
  2. Once pasta is al dente, drain and do not rinse. Add dressing into pasta while it is still hot.
  3. Carefully mix vegetables, basil and cheese into pasta.
  4. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
  5. Add more dressing to taste.
Monthly Musing: Hiking Yosemite Falls

Monthly Musing: Hiking Yosemite Falls

Well, it’s official. I have finally visited Yosemite and it’s only taken me 24 years. It’s about time! See, I live in California. Born in Sacramento, raised in Elk Grove, went to school in Davis and Los Angeles, and now back in Elk Grove. I’ve traveled 

American Flag No-Bake Cheesecake Bars

American Flag No-Bake Cheesecake Bars

How is June almost over?! I’m in denial that the 4th of July is next week. Although I must not be in too much denial, considering I tested out holiday recipes before the holiday for once. It really is a miracle.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Loaded

Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Loaded

Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Loaded | longdistancebaking.com

It’s no secret that I am on a quest for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe there is. (You can read about my two previous posts regarding the subject here and here.) For a quick recap, I’ve made it one of my life’s missions to perfect the chocolate chip cookie and I have been on a quest for the perfect recipe since high school. Although my quest is ongoing (I think I will always be on the hunt for the next best version), this recipe is my favorite so far!
Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Loaded | longdistancebaking.com

As I mentioned in my last post, Cinnamon Ice Cream, my family had a celebration for my brother’s confirmation and I was in charge of dessert. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. And what better place to find a new recipe to try than Pinterest!

The caption for these cookies read “The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies” so obviously I had to try them. Plus, the recipe is from Williams-Sonoma. Meaning, they are definitely going to be winners because because everything from Williams-Sonoma is amazing! Seriously, I could spend gobs of money and hours in that store!
Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Loaded | longdistancebaking.com

I am referring to these chocolate chip cookies as the loaded because I added more chocolate chips than I normally use. See, my family and I (mainly my mom, sister and I) are fans of chocolate chip cookies without an overwhelmingly amount of chocolate chips. I even occasionally make chocolate chip cookies sans chocolate chips which, if you haven’t tried this, you’re missing out and most definitely should soon! However, I think what makes this recipe so good is that it is loaded with chocolate chips… and I love it!
Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Loaded | longdistancebaking.com

Being on this quest, I’ve tried recipes that are great, decent/ok, and flat out just not good. This recipe, though, this recipe is a keeper! These might become my new staple, go-to chocolate chip cookies! What’s your go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe? Help me on my quest to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie! Enjoy 🙂

-Kelly

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter (softened)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 6 tbls granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  •  1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Sift flour and baking soda into a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In mixer, beat butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
  4. Add half the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Repeat with the second half of the flour mixture.
  5. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough into small balls on cookie sheet.
  6. Bake 8-10 min. Enjoy straight from the oven!

 

 

Confetti Cookies

Confetti Cookies

Happy hump day! Know what your Wednesday needs? A little sparkle. A little confetti. Maybe a few sprinkles. These cookies came about when I was brainstorming babysitting activities. There’s a little cutie in my life and I was going to be watching her one night and 

Cinnamon Ice Cream

Cinnamon Ice Cream

Last Saturday we celebrated my brother’s confirmation with a Mexican dinner at home with family. My Aunt Paula made her famous beef enchiladas, my Aunt Teri made one of her amazingly delicious green salads and we had rice and beans. It was delicious, easy and 

Angel Food Cake

Angel Food Cake

A few weeks ago I told you about my strawberry obsession, remember? And how I was making strawberry compote for almost every meal? Well I am proud to tell you I finally made the angel food cake to go along with it! And it did not disappoint.

Angel Food Cake | longdistancebaking.comI won’t lie, I was a little intimidated by angel food cake. I’d heard horror stories. That a cake with this heavenly of name actually induced a lot of choice words and frustration. I was nervous. Which is why I was surprised to see the recipe seemed so. easy. Ok, what was I missing? I gathered my ingredients, bought an angel food cake pan (because obviously I have room for more essential kitchen gadgets) and got started.

First thing I noticed: so many egg whites!!! Really?! It seemed a little wasteful to not use the yolks. Putting it in comparison though, eggs are considerably cheaper than butter, and how many recipes do you end up using sticks and sticks of butter? That made me feel a little better. Although ideally, you would just make another recipe that required only egg yolks. Lucky for you, I found an extremely detailed list here from Food and Family. Bookmarked this post for sure!

Angel Food Cake | longdistancebaking.comBack to my tentative baking. I’ll be the first to admit sometimes I’m a little spacey when I bake. Baking is therapeutic for me, I kind of just get in the zone and go. But I found myself reading and re-reading the recipe as I went along. First tip: crack each egg individually in a separate bowl before adding to the mixing bowl. You don’t want any yolk or shell in there and you can bet on my very last egg I punctured the yolk. I panicked and just dropped the whole thing on the counter instead. No way was I going to let that yolk ruin my cake!

While the recipe itself is not very difficult, it is somewhat technical. I kept seeing over and over again DO NOT OVER BEAT YOUR EGG WHITES. No pressure though. You want to beat until firm peaks form, NOT stiff peaks. The Kitchn has a great visual guide for showing you the difference here.

Classic Angel Food Cake | longdistancebaking.com The next moment of terror came when the recipe said to cool the cake inverted. Umm…what?? I’ve made it this far without screwing anything up and you want me to just…turn it upside down?! I even googled “how to cool angel food cake” to make sure this recipe wasn’t crazy. Ok, here goes nothing! No need to worry, it didn’t fall out and crush my hopes and dreams like I thought it would. I put mine over a bottle of wine, but you could also just turn the pan upside down over a few ramekins, or anything high enough to allow air flow between the cake and the table.

Classic Angel Food Cake | longdistancebaking.comThen came the moment of truth: taste test time. I’m proud to say it passed with flying colors! Perfectly fluffy and airy and moist. Maybe I was so nervous I expected the worst, but I will definitely be making this cake again. It wasn’t nearly as time-consuming or troublesome as I had thought.

Angel Food Cake | longdistancebaking.comIf you’ve ever wanted to try making angel food cake but were intimidated, I highly recommend this recipe. It’s perfect for summer with all those fresh berries we’ve been seeing! You could also add a little lemon or almond extract if you want to get creative and experiment with other flavors. Have a great weekend!

~Stephanie

Angel Food Cake (recipe from Food & Wine)

  • 1 c cake flour
  • 3/4 c powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 10 egg whites (room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 3/4 c granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  1. In mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, powdered sugar and salt. Set aside.
  2. Beat egg whites in electric mixer until frothy, then add cream of tartar. Continue to beat on medium-high until firm (not stiff) peaks form.
  3. Slowly mix in the granulated sugar, a little at a time, combining completely between each addition.
  4. Add the vanilla and beat on high until all is combined.
  5. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture by hand, gently, until incorporated.
  6. Pour into ungreased angel food cake pan.
  7. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until outer layer is golden brown.
  8. Turn cake pan upside down over a bottle neck until cool.
  9. To remove cake from pan, gently use a butter knife to scrape along all sides to loosen. Invert and remove cake.
  10. Top with desired frosting or a fresh berry compote
Lemon Pound Cake w/Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Lemon Pound Cake w/Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Happy summer! Well, kind of. I guess it’s not technically summer yet but it sure feels like it and if I was still in college, I’d be on summer vacation right now so in my book it’s summer. And speaking of summer vacation, I wish adults