Fall, I Welcome You

A few months ago I was asked by Pillsbury® if I'd like to sample and review their new Spring/Summer flavors of Orange Creamsicle, Key Lime and Funfetti products. I wrote about them here and here, if you're interested. Well today, I'm enthusiastically sharing with you Pillsbury's new Fall line of Caramel Apple and Pumpkin cake and cookie mixes...and they are quite tasty! 

Vintage bakeware is the best!

Living in central Texas means that it feels like Summer for at least 8 months out of the year. It will more than likely be around 80 degrees until November and while it may not look or feel like Autumn outside, Fall is happening in my kitchen. When the season arrives, I like to start baking with apples and spices then I later progress to one of my favorite flavors, pumpkin!

My friend Ingrid from 3B's has made a cake with yellow cake mix called Cinnamon Roll Cake. This is a twist on that recipe using Pillsbury's Caramel Apple Premium Cake mix and frosting. I upped the apple flavor by adding cinnamon applesauce in place of some of the oil and used the caramel apple frosting to make the glaze. If Ingrid's cake tastes like a cinnamon roll, this tastes like a cinnamon apple fritter. The cake itself was very moist and apple-y (is that a word?) with a slightly crunchy caramelly sugar topping. The glaze is completely unnecessary, but it's so tasty you won't want to skip it. 

To learn more about these products, visit Pillsbury on Facebook, PillsburyBaking.com and Pillsbury on Pinterest. 

• Caramel Apple Premium Cake Mix
• Caramel Apple Premium Cookie Mix
• Creamy Supreme Caramel Apple Frosting
• Perfectly Pumpkin Premium Cake Mix
• Perfectly Pumpkin Premium Cookie Mix
• Pumpkin Creme Cake Mix with Vanilla Filling

Thank you Pillsbury® for all these great new products and for having me be a Pillsbury blog Ambassador :-)

Caramel Apple Fritter Cake from Lick The Bowl Good 

loosely adapted from 3B's and Jolts &Jollies

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Cake: 

• 1- 15.25 oz. box Pillsbury Caramel Apple Premium Cake Mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup cinnamon applesauce

Topping: 

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze: 

• 1/2 cup Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Caramel Apple Frosting
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch OR two 8x8-inch pans with non-stick baking spray with flour and set aside. 

In a large bowl combine the ingredients for the cake and mix until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set aside. 

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over the batter. Using a butter knife swirl the brown sugar mixture gently into the batter. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Once the cake is fully baked, place on a cooling rack and make the glaze. 

In a small bowl, whisk the frosting, milk and vanilla together until thin, free of lumps and is drizzle consistency. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cake and allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. 

I was provided with product samples and compensation by Pillsbury, though the opinions I express here are my own. 

©/® The J.M. Smucker Company. Pillsbury is a trademark of The Pillsbury Company, LLC, used under license. 

The S'mores Cookbook and The Novica Giveaway Winner!

I was recently sent a cookbook for review of The S'more Cookbook by fellow blogger Susan Whetzel of the blog Doughmesstic. I'm always thrilled when I see a blogger come out with a cookbook. I know some people think it's kind of overrated, but I know how hard bloggers work and how much time goes into running a website, cooking, baking, photographing, and recipe developing. If you're a blogger then you know it's hard work! 

I like s'mores. I don't love them because I think they can be a little too sweet at times, but I like them just fine. When I was sent this cookbook, I was intrigued, because I was hoping for s'more flavored/s'more inspired desserts and this book is filled with them. Granted, the first chapter of recipes is pretty basic. I wouldn't necessarily call them recipes, as much as they are s'more suggestions- using chocolate grahams with white chocolate instead of regular grahams and milk chocolate isn't that novel of an idea to me. Her recipe's include using different types of candy such as peanut butter cups or chocolate caramels in place of the milk chocolate. Tasty? yes. But I need more substance. Luckily, this book has several chapters of s'more goodness including Cakes and Pies, Cookies, Brownies and even s'mores for breakfast. If that's not you're thing, perhaps a S'mores milkshake will cure your cravings. 

I opted for oatmeal chocolate chip S'more cookies as the first recipe I made. I also wanted to make S'more Frappuccinos but was out of marshmallow cream- that was a sad day. These cookies made it better though. I made a couple minor changes, but it didn't not affect the taste or outcome of the recipe. I used regular sized morsels instead of mini chips and used Stacker marshmallows instead of cutting large marshmallows into thirds. I didn't want to change anything about the recipe so I left it as is and just made my notes in red below. I would definitely make these cookies again because my husband LOVED them. I packed a couple in his lunch box. He's on the road a lot, so he left his cookies on the dash board to warm them and he said they tasted like they had just come out of the oven. They were crispy yet chewy, sweet and gooey. If you like S'mores you'll love these slightly less messy cookies. 

Hayden loves stars so I cut out a few star shaped marshmallows for him. 

Other recipes from this book I'd like to try are Toasted Marshmallow S'more Ice Cream, S'more Frappuccino, S'more Danish and the Chocolate Graham Pancakes. There's even a section on Giftable S'mores and ideas on how to package them. Every recipe has a full size color photo and there are lots of options for the S'more lover. In fact I know someone who would love this book. Hey Heather! I'm talking to you :-)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip S'mores Cookies 

from The S'mores Cookbook  from Susan Whetzel

• 1 cup softened salted butter
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 1/2 cups quick oats
• 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used regular chocolate chips)
• 12 giant marshmallows, sliced into thirds (I used the small stacker marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 

Using a stand mixer fitted with a beater attachment, cream the butter and sugars at medium-low speed until well combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla; combine well. 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and graham cracker crumbs. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter. Mix on low until just combined. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips. 

Scoop rounded balls of batter onto the prepared sheets. (The directions don't say what size scoop to use to make the balls of dough. I used a medium ice cream scoop and got 40 cookies). The batter will spread, so be sure to leave ample space between. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned. 

Remove from the oven, and immediately top with a slice of marshmallow. Allow to cool on baking sheets. Before serving, place the pan under the oven broiler or use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows. (This step was a little strange to me because the recipe makes 36-40 cookies. And it doesn't make sense (to me) to put a pan of cookies under the broiler every time you want a cookie, unless you're serving them to a crowd all at once. It's easier to use your torch, but not everyone has a kitchen torch. So I went ahead and toasted all the marshmallows at once after they were done baking. When we wanted a cookie, I just popped it into the microwave for 10 seconds to warm the chocolate and make the marshmallow gooey, and since they were pre-toasted, they still had that slightly charred toasted flavor.) 

The winner of the $50 Novica Giveaway is commenter #118 The Mommy from Long Daze Short Years. Congratulations! Please email me to claim your prize!

Smucker's Ice Cream Toppings (Giveaway)

What better way to beat the heat than with homemade vanilla ice cream churned in an old-fashioned maker with ice and rock salt....and Smucker's ice cream toppings!

Smucker's sent me a care package of some fun summer stuff and 4 awesome new ice cream toppings. In my care package were 2 bottles of microwavable Hot Butterscotch and Hot Milk Chocolate toppings as well as 2 bottles of Magic Shell in Root Beer and Pink Lemonade flavors. We took some freshly churned vanilla ice cream and these toppings to my mom's house to enjoy for dessert after Sunday dinner. Everyone got to mix and match and create their own sundaes- such a fun idea to get everyone involved in the kitchen. I'm offering a giveaway below, but if you want to try them out, they're available in stores now from $2.29- $2.99. Check the FlavorFinder to find your favorite flavor. 

The Magic Shell toppings were the most fun to play with because as soon as you pour them over the cold ice cream it firms up and you can crack into it as you eat the ice cream. Adding colorful sprinkles and chocolate jimmies only made it better. My mom and Hayden liked the Pink Lemonade the best. It was refreshing and bright, but not sour in anyway. It was almost like eating lemon cake along with your ice cream. My brother, loved the Root Beer Magic shell and poured his over an ice cream cone. I'm generally not a big fan of root beer unless it's with ice cream. This tasted just like those hard root beer candies. If you are a root beer fan, you will LOVE this. Michelle from One Ordinary Day...I'm talking to you!

The Hot Butterscotch and Milk Chocolate were my favorites. I could eat these toppings by the spoonful! Their bottles are designed to be heated in the microwave and the new label will read "Hot" when it's heated up. I skipped this step and just poured them straight over my ice cream and topped with chopped almonds. It tasted like the best Butter Pecan Ice Cream ever....except that it was almonds :-)Sticky, gooey, buttery and with a great caramel flavor. Butterscotch has never been a favorite flavor but this topping changed my mind. And of course, there's the Milk Chocolate flavor that my hubby liked. Just like hot fudge, but milk chocolate flavor- a must try. 

GIVEAWAY: 

Smucker's is spreading the love and giving one reader an ice cream topping kit complete with these four ice cream toppings. The winner will receive 1 bottle of each Smucker's toppings: Hot Butterscotch and Hot Milk Chocolate, Magic Shell Root Beer and Magic Shell Pink Lemonade.

You have FOUR chances to enter and win: 

1. Leave a comment on this blog post telling me which of the four Smucker's ice cream toppings you're most excited to try (mandatory entry).

(Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.)

2. Like Lick The Bowl Good on Facebook

    

3. Share the link to this post on your blog or on your Facebook. Post a separate comment letting me know you've done so. 

4. Follow me at monica_h30 on Instagram. 

Winner will be selected at random using random.org. I will announce the winner by the end of the week. Good luck!

Disclosure: Though I was compensated from Smucker's the opinions here are my own.  

Zulka Pure Cane Sugar Review (Giveaway CLOSED)

I was contacted by Zulka a few weeks ago and they wanted me to try out their sugar. As I was doing my recipe testing for the cookbook, I was going through sugar like it was going out of style. It could not have been a better time to sample their sugar because I was testing recipes that I have made time and time again, which meant if something tasted different I would know. 

Before I tell you my thoughts on Zulka, let me provide you with a few facts about their product. First off, Zulka is real sugar. It is not an artificial sweetener and it is not a low calorie substitute for sugar- IT IS SUGAR. Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar is a Non-GMO, (genetically modified organism) minimally processed sugar made from freshly harvested sugar cane. The term Non-GMO means that the sugar canes have not been genetically altered and are more natural. Zulka also does NOT undergo the conventional refining process of most granulated sugars and maintains the the appearance and flavor of raw sugar cane. You can learn more about the Non-GMO project HERE.

When I first heard about Zulka sugar, I was think it would be more like Turbinado sugar than white granulated sugar, but it's not. It's somewhere in the middle, though closer to white granulated sugar. I did a side-by-side comparison of Imperial Granulated Sugar, Zulka Morena Sugar and Sugar In The Raw Turbinado Sugar. The granulated sugar was pure white and uniformly fine in texture and the Zulka had more of a natural hue to it and was a bit coarser in texture. The turbinado sugar was even more coarse and similar in size to sanding sugar and was unmistakably golden in color. Cup-for-cup, Zulka can be used in place of granulated sugar and because it's less processed, more of the natural sugar cane flavor is still there. 

I used it in my favorite cake recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake and could not tell a difference in flavor, though it was slightly coarser in granule size. I was sent a 4 pound bag to try out and used in several recipes as well as in our coffee. I would buy it again but I had issues with the packaging. Since it comes in a plastic bag, I would have preferred a zip top closure to seal the bag. If you typically store your sugar in a separate container it's not that big of an issue, I just would have like to seal it up and store it rather than having to find something to secure that bag shut. If you're looking for a more natural product to stock your pantry with, consider giving Zulka a try. 

If you're interested in trying out Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar for yourself, Zulka is offering Lick The Bowl Good readers two chances to win a 4 pound bag of your own. All you have to do is answer the two following questions. 

1). Tell me why you're interested in trying out Zulka sugar  and 

2). Visit Zulka.com and tell me what recipe you would like to make with it. 

I will select two winners at random and announce the winners on May 13th. Please be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. 

Thank you Zulka for the sugar!

"Whatever Happened To Sunday Dinner?" Cookbook Review & Giveaway

Two savory recipes in a row! No, I'm not sick and yes, I have more sweetness coming your way, but first I have a cookbook to share with you- Whatever Happened To Sunday Dinner? by Lisa Caponigri. This is such a clever book. The concept behind this book is bringing back Sunday dinner. "Fifty-two menus are presented in the Italian tradition: an antipasto (usually a crostini to pass at the table), a primo (first course: almost always a pasta), a secondo (call it the main course) served with a single contorno (side dish) and finally, dessert. Every menu is different; not a single repeated."

Sunday dinner according to Lisa is not just about eating. It's about getting the family together in the kitchen and dividing up the tasks so that everyone is involved and contributing to the family meal, whether it's by chopping, baking, stirring or setting the table. "Sunday dinner doesn't have to be elaborate, just delicious." There are 260 recipe in this book to choose from. Obviously you don't have to follow each menu as written; you can mix and match recipes from different menus to create your perfect meal. The idea is to get comfortable in the kitchen, eat, linger at the table, relax and share the highlights of your week. "Sunday dinner is irreplaceable, the meeting place of memories that will last a lifetime."

You can feel Lisa's passion for Sunday dinner through her family photos, words and menus. As I read about her love of food and family, I started planning my own Sunday dinners. We often have Sunday dinner at my mom's house, but that usually means my mom does most of the cooking and I provide dessert. We all sit down together, share stories and laughter and enjoy a great meal. But I realized after reading Lisa's stories that we could all help out a little more and make it more of a family activity.  

I flipped through page after page of this book. The recipes are enticing and the photos are gorgeous. This really is a handsome book, and hefty at that. And because there is so much variety, you could cook through it all throughout the week, not just on Sundays. I chose to make Pasta alla Carbonara and Pesto Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, only to simplify things I used store bought pesto because it's what I had on hand. I made the pasta recipe as written but I added my thoughts and notes below. Both were delicious and easy enough to make on a  busy weekday. To win a copy of "Whatever Happened To Sunday Dinner?" scroll down. 

Pasta Alla Carbonara- Pasta with Eggs and Bacon

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Recipe serves 8, but can easily be halved-

• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter* (see note)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound thick-sliced bacon or pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces
• head of garlic, separated into cloves and chopped
• 2 pounds of spaghetti
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups grated pecorino romano 
• freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the olive oil. Add the bacon and garlic and cook until the bacon is very crisp, taking care not to burn the garlic* (see note). Remove the bacon and garlic from the skillet, using a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. 

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, beat together the eggs, cheese, and pepper to taste. Stir in the bacon and garlic. 

Drain the pasta and add to the bowl. Toss until the pasta is well coated with the eggs and cheese mixture and serve immediately. 

NOTE: I didn't find that cooking the bacon and garlic in butter and olive oil was necessary. It just resulted in a lot of grease in a pan that had to be thrown away. The bacon yields a lot of fat on it it's own- next time, I'd crisp up the bacon then just before it's done, add the garlic. I found cooking the garlic along with the bacon just overcooked it.

Pomodorini Ripieni Di Pesto- Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Pesto

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• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 5 Tbsp. pine nuts
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano
• 1 pound cherry tomatoes

Place the basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, salt, olive oil, and Pecorino in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. If the pesto is too thick for your taste, add a little more olive oil. 

Cut the tops off the tomatoes. With a small spoon scoop out the seeds and pulp, taking care not to puncture the skin. Fill the tomatoes with the pesto and serve at room temperature. 

NOTE: Don't use grape tomatoes to make this- they won't stand upright and the filling will spill out.

To win a copy of "Whatever Happened To Sunday Dinner?" by Lisa Caponigri all you need to do is leave me a comment below telling me about your family meals. It doesn't have to be Italian, it can be anything. Do you have a tradition of getting the family together on a regular basis, cooking and eating? Tell me about it! 

Be sure to leave your contact info so if you win I know how to get a hold of you. I'll announce a winner next week and ship the book out. One comment per person, please. Giveaway open to US residents only. Good luck!

My little helper!

"Grace's Sweet Life" Review & A Berry Crumble

I received a cookbook for review from Ulysses Press of Grace's Sweet Life by Grace Massa Langlois. Come to find out, Grace is also a dessert blogger and blogs at La Mia Vita Dolce (My Sweet Life). I was initially intrigued by this book because it's filled with all kinds of authentic Italian desserts from Sicilian cannoli to soft amaretti cookies and panna cotta. I love a good tiramisu and gelato but this cookbook has so much more to offer.

I picked up my book, admired the cover then read the intro about how Grace got her start in blogging. She says, "I spent years coming to terms with an injury that prevented me from returning to my career in business. Then when my husband passed away suddenly, I directed all my energy to my children. I needed to help them deal with the tragedy of losing their father. I had to feel happy not only for my sake but also for theirs. So I turned to cooking, because making and sharing food provided me with so much comfort. The more I cooked, the happier I was." Her daughter encouraged her to do something with her love of food and that led to her blog. I love that something wonderful came from such a devastating loss. 

Click the picture to enlarge it to see recipe details

There are 60 recipes and coordinating color photos in this book. While Grace bakes all the desserts, it's her daughter, Liana, that takes the photos for her blog and her son, Matthew is the champion taste tester- it's a family effort :-). There are so many good looking sweets in this book that it was difficult to decide on what to make first. The recipes are divided up into chapters: Cakes and Cheesecakes, Mini Desserts, Cookies and Confections, Pies and Tarts, Pastries and Fried Desserts, Creams, Custards, Mousses and Souffles, and  lastly Frozen and Fruit Desserts. After reading page by page, I finally settled on a berry crumble. Did you know I don't have a single crumble or crisp recipe on this blog? It's about time I changed that!

One of the first things I noticed about this book is that it is very detailed. Several of the recipes are rather lengthy and go on for several pages which can seem intimidating, but Grace just wants you to succeed so the step-by-step instructions are quite thorough for your benefit. Some of the recipes that caught my eye were: Cannoli Cupcakes with Marsala-Chocolate Whipped Cream, Italian Cream-Filled Doughnuts, Vanilla Cream with Raspberry Coulis and Cheesecake with Brandy-Cherry Sauce. A nice feature of this book is that it has little tidbits of the Italian language in each recipe, so in a way I felt as if Grace was right there alongside me in my kitchen. My one complaint about this cookbook was the font choices, the multi-colored print and the use of italics in each recipe because it made it difficult to read at times. That's a minor issue though and obviously doesn't affect the overall taste of the dessert you're making. 

If you're looking for a cookbook with heart that is a little different than all the rest, then look no further than Grace's Sweet Life. And if  you're looking for a crumble recipe with a ton of flavor in the fruit as well as the nutty crumble, then here it is. It's also patriotic in color and would be a great dessert for any July 4th celebration. This recipe makes a lot of topping so I made a couple extra fruit crumbles. The fruit was perfectly softened and the topping was crunchy, sweet and delicious. Next time, I would decrease the amount of orange zest in the recipe since the orange flavor was more pronounced than I expected, otherwise they were prefect served warm or cold. 

Raspberry, Blueberry & Pistachio-Almond Crumble from Grace's Sweet Life

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Pistachio-Almond Crumble Topping: 

• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup raw pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

Raspberry and Blueberry Filling: 

• 2 cups raspberries
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
• grated zest of 1 orange
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

To Make the Pistachio-Almond Crumble Topping: In a small bowl, stir together the oats, pistachios, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. 

Rub the butter into the oat mixture with your fingertips until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

To Make The Raspberry-Blueberry Filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Butter 4 (6.5 ounce) oven proof dishes (I used 6- 5 ounce ramekins). Transfer to a baking sheet and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, gently combine the raspberries,blueberries, sugar, and vanilla extract until combined. Be careful not to crush the berries. 

Add the orange juice and zest, and the salt. Sift the flour over the mixture and gently stir to just combine. 

Assembly: Divide the filling evenly among the prepared dishes. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the filling, then evenly divide the pistachio-almond topping among the dishes. 

Bake until the juices start to bubble and the topping is crisp and golden brown, 25-35 minutes. 

Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the crumbles to cool until warm. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired. 

Order your copy of Grace's Sweet Life today!