Cannoli (A Quest)

I LOVE Cannoli. Actually that statement really feels like an understatement. If I had to name my favorite desserts it would make it into the top three every single-time. Cheesecake (a good one, homemade or from a restaurant) and Ben and Jerry's Tonight Dough or Half-Baked are in the other favorite spots in case you were wondering. I first tried Cannoli when my husband and I were dating. There is a cute little Ma and Pa Italian Restaurant in downtown Provo called La Dolce Vita that we eat at whenever we go and they have very excellent Cannoli. Unfortunately for me the Cannoli is very popular with other guests as well so they sometimes run out. Cannoli that was even better could be found at an Italian Restaurant in Salt Lake named Biaggi's. My husband stumbled upon this discovery when he attended a work dinner there and brought me some Cannoli to go. It was heavenly! Biaggi's became the restaurant that I always wanted to go to when we were celebrating something because I could get my Cannoli fix. Of course there were a few unfortunate instances such as the time when we ordered our Cannoli to go after a meal and when the waiter boxed up our food and we mistook the bread box as the Cannoli. We got home and there was no Cannoli to be had and I was very sad, and very pregnant at the time. The other unfortunate instance is the fact that Biaggi's has since gone out of business and so I have no go-to place for Cannoli. I tried something about a year ago at a local bakery that they listed as "Cannoli." It was most definitely not Cannoli. It was good, but it was filled with whipped cream and not Ricotta! And the shell was made with crushed almonds. I realized at that point that I would have to make my own Cannoli until I can find another convenient source. I have made this recipe 4-5 times over the past year and while it is not perfect (you'll notice in the picture below that the Riccotta is a little bit runny) it is still delicious. Obviously I will be tweaking things as I continue my hunt for the perfect Cannoli, but in the meantime I still enjoy this. 

*I recently discovered that Whole Foods sells Cannoli shells. I will definitely be trying those the next time I go to Whole Foods.

Cannoli Shells Recipe

(Adapted from an old ward cookbook.)

2 egg whites

1/3 cup sugar

1 T canola oil

1 T melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup flour

1. Grease two baking sheets and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Whisk ingredients together until smooth and lump free.

3. Spacing each shell approximately 2 1/2 inches - 3 inches apart, use a Tablespoon to spoon batter onto the baking sheet.

4. Bake for 8 minutes (until the shells start to look crisp)

5. Immediately use a spatula to remove from the pan and shape into tubes. (They will be hot so be careful.) 

Cannoli Filling

(Adapted from an old ward cookbook.)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups Ricotta 

3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips

1. Beat heavy cream and powdered sugar until it starts to firm up.

2. Mix in 2 cups Ricotta and 1/2 tsp Vanilla.

3. Chill in fridge until you are ready to eat.

When you are ready to eat, fill each Cannoli shell with the filling and sprinkle chocolate chips on each end. Drizzle the Cannoli with chocolate and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if you feel so inclined. 

Number of times I used the word Cannoli was mentioned in this post, 22. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I have enjoyed Chicken Cordon Bleu for many years, and I learned how to make it in college as a dating strategy to impress boys. It worked by the way. The unfortunate thing about making Chicken Cordon Bleu, is that there are some unpleasant steps (if you're like me and hate touching raw meat) that are necessary to achieve the end result, which by the way is superb! Because I dislike pounding the raw meat so much, I don't make Chicken Cordon Bleu often and so when I do it is quite a treat.  

Chicken Cordon Bleu 

(Recipe slightly adapted from Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen cookbook) 

3 chicken breasts

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded provolone cheese (or six slices of provolone)
12 slices thinly sliced ham
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko breadcrumbs this time but I have also used regular breadcrumbs. Both taste great.) 
1 tsp parsley
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 glass dish.
2. Horizontally slice each chicken breast in half. Use a meat mallet to pound each piece until 1/2-inch thick.
3. Mix garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on one side of each chicken breast.
4.  Top each chicken breast with shredded cheese (or you could used sliced cheese.)
5.  Place two-pieces of ham on each chicken breast.
6. Using a toothpick to secure each chicken breast, roll them up.
7. Combine Parmesan cheese, parsley,  and bread crumbs and place in a shallow bowl.
8. Place beaten eggs in a shallow bowl.
9. Place flour in a shallow bowl.
10. Roll each chicken breast in flour, then egg, and then in the bread crumbs. Press the bread crumbs into the chicken breast to ensure that they stick.
11. Pour melted butter evenly over the chicken breasts.
12. Bake for 25-35 minutes. 

Richest Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

When it comes to chocolate chip cookies most people have strong preferences and opinions. Perhaps it is because chocolate chip cookies bring memories of home. Crunchy cookies versus soft and chewy cookies, bakery bought versus homemade, dark chocolate chips versus milk chocolate chips, a sprinkle of salt on top or not, and the list of varieties could go on and on. Personally I prefer a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie. My husband loves hard and crunchy cookies. We are at odds in our house when it comes to chocolate chip cookies but since I am the baker and my husband's mom lives relatively close and he can go to his parents house to get crunchy cookies, the soft and chewy cookies nearly always win. As a child I loved chocolate chip cookies so much that my mom taught me how to make them when I was seven so that I could be on cookie duty and not request that she make them a half-dozen times a week. :) This is the recipe I grew up making and it comes from an old cookbook that my mom has called With Singleness of Heart. I have tried recipes from other cookbooks and from numerous blogs and this is the recipe that I always prefer. This recipe makes enough to serve a very large crowd (about 80 large cookies) and since it is not often that I have to feed a large crowd, it is great that the dough freezes very well, as do the cookies if you have already baked them all. 

Richest Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 80 large cookies. 

2 cups butter

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar (packed)

1 tsp. vanilla

6 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Beat butter, eggs, sugars and vanilla until light and creamy. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda together and add to creamed mixture; blend thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips and nut. (Dough should be slightly crumbly.) Drop dough by large spoonfuls from a small ice cream scoop. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to ten minutes or until cookies are light and look not quite done. Don't over bake. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and cool on racks. Makes about 80 large cookies. Cookies are delicious warmed in the microwave oven for a few seconds.

Pretty pictures and random photography thoughts.

     Fall is such a fun time to wander around downtown and take pictures. It is not too hot and even though the sun sets earlier, it usually means there are less people to unintentionally photo-bomb. The weather allows for versatile attire, and I don't freeze to death.
     Here are a few photos I took a week ago downtown. It is hard not to post them all because my photo subject is so photogenic.

This is one of my favorite walls, it is a hidden treasure located between a parking garage and an alley. 

This is one of those instances where I honestly cannot decide which I like more, the color photo or the black and the white. 

Sometimes when I take pictures it is fun to try and recreate an inspiration photo. Things like determining the angle, pose, lighting, and lens can be pretty straightforward, but sometimes those factors can be tricky. Take for example the following series of photos. I made her toss her hair about fifty times before we finally got a few shots where her hair wasn't covering her face making her look like Cousin Itt from the Addams Family. When I got home and was editing the photos, my husband pointed out that perhaps the inspiration photo used a fan to make the hair blow... that didn't even dawn on me while we were out taking pictures. 

Also I really love it when stores have interesting facades. It is so fun to walk around any downtown street and find color, and light, and shapes. And it doesn't hurt when they sell delicious pastries either. This is the front of Eva's Bakery in Salt Lake City and I first went there upon the recommendation of Sunset Magazine. Sadly they were closed when we were taking photos, but that was ok because it meant we were able to stop for some pumpkin cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory! But back to the point, really wonderful photo backdrops can be found anywhere you go. Simply pay attention to the light, background distractions, and safety and you can find some amazing places.