We had a little break from our #WCW last week because of my travel schedule, but I hope you enjoyed the recap. There has been lots of lovin’ and crushin’ goin’ on hasn’t there?  Well guess what?  Today you are in for a treat my friends.  We are throwing our female foodie infatuation country style to none other than the Pioneer Woman!  This beautiful red head embodies all that is great about America.  She loves her family, her country and her kitchen.  And we get to benefit from it. Whooo hoooo!  Since Thanksgiving happens to be tomorrow, HELLO, and she is the go-to for all things turkey day, who better than to show us how to make the most incredible dessert to finish on a (sugar) high note!

Y’ all know I have a massive sweet tooth, and I am uber fond of pumpkin, and not just this time of year!  So while this tasty treat will be devoured today and tomorrow, I betcha I’ll be baking this baby all of the other 11 months of the calendar too.  The great thing is you can use canned/tinned pumpkin puree.  Sure you can roast a whole pumpkin and pop the flesh into a food processor. Totally fun DIY action!  But let’s be real, when you have a sweet tooth raging you need it asap, and that’s why this recipe is da bomb!

I’ve been following Ree Drummond for quite some time.  With a fabulous blog/website she covers a lot of ground folks. She is not only a fab cook for her family, but also the cowboys on her family’s Oklahoma cattle ranch.  Pretty impressive for anyone, but especially Ree who was a total city girl wearing high heeled pumps and all before falling in love with her chaps wearing Marlboro Man.  She also home schools her four kids, is an avid photographer, and a best selling writer.  And not just cookbooks, which are awesome, but she writes children’s books too.  Like I get tired just seeing all she gets done in half a day.  But her unabashed and unapologetic love for butter might be a hint as to her secret superpower.

In a world of glitz and gloss it is refreshing to witness someone so naturally gorgeous and genuine ascend into the galaxy of fame.  She now has a popular Food Network show and her Thanksgiving Day special is visually delicious!  While not super famous on this side of the pond, yet, I think her ginger hair will give her a leg up in my soul home Ireland!  Her approachable recipes will endear her to the English and her wit and humor will give Europe the lift they need.  I’m totally rooting for her!  One of the things I love about her most is her strong faith.  Nowadays people in the media have to keep it under wraps for fear of offending anyone.  But like me, her faith is who she is, so it wouldn’t be authentic not to share it!  God bless her!

So without further ado, here is The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond’s perfectly autumnal feeling, but good the whole year long, Pumpkin Sheet Cake.  I’m sharing the tutorial on snapchat (username:  blissbakery) if you want to check it out before it vanishes in 24 hours. But the great thing about The Pioneer Woman’s blog is that Ree does a step by step photo description to accompany her written recipe.  Seriously I think she has eight arms but just hides them in her apron!

Ingredients:

2 sticks Salted Butter (8 oz or 229 g)
2 cups Pumpkin Puree (not Pumpkin Pie Filling!) 450 g
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (if not available just mix cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves
3/4 cups Boiling Water (6 oz or175 ml)
2 cups Flour (340 g)
2 cups Sugar (416 g)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Buttermilk (4 oz or 112 ml)
2 whole Eggs
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Maple Extract (optional)
FROSTING
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Softened
1 stick Butter, Softened (4 oz or 114 g)
1 pound (16 oz)Powdered Sugar (called Icing sugar over this side of the pond), Sifted
Dash Of Salt
1 Tablespoon Half-and-half Or Milk (more If Needed For Thinning)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a sheet pan with baking spray and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 sticks butter. Whisk in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice until it’s totally combined. Whisk in boiling water until mixture is smooth and combined. Set aside.

In a measuring pitcher, combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and maple extract. Whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pour in the pumpkin mixture and stir until halfway combined. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir until combined. Pour into the pan and bake the cake for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

To make the frosting, mix together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth. Add half and half and check the consistency. It should be somewhat thick but thin enough to spread in a thin layer.

Spread the frosting all over the surface of the cake. Cut into squares and serve. Keep leftovers in the fridge, as frosting will get soft.

NOTE: You may double the frosting amounts if you like a very thick layer of frosting!

Since there are only two of us here at the moment, I actually cut the recipe in half. And since they don’t sell Half and Half here in the U.K. I substituted single cream.  It turned out amazing and am so thrilled to have a new pumpkin recipe in my arsenal.  Mostly, I am over the moon to have The Pioneer Woman as our Woman Crush Wednesday, I just wish it was more than one day.  Maybe I should start a Woman Crush Week and do a recipe everyday! Thanks Ree for all that you do and all that you are. You are such an inspiration to me and so many others.  Keep up the good work and keep the Faith!  Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Love and God bless,

YDP

Woman Crush Wednesday!  Yipee!  And yes if you couldn’t tell today is and forever shall be my favorite day of the week.  It’s because of the famous foodie infatuation that happens when we honor our favorite women chefs.  However since I am on my way to see my favorite peeps (aka family) than I guess we shall forgo the usual craic in the kitchen accompanied by  bad singing and bad dancing (but always good recipes) if that is okay… just this once.

I thought it might be a good idea to take a little walk back in time over these last two months and see just how much love we have been throwing around the kitchen.  We have met seven beautiful and talented chefs, whom we have learned about and have learned from, on this journey.  Just to make it a bit easier (as I know my blog has yet to flesh itself out organizationally speaking) I will include links to all my previous posts in the recap of each of the recipients.

Our first three women hailed from my soul home the Emerald Isle!  We started off with the super sweet (minus the refined sugar) Susan Jane White.  And what an inaugural #WCW!  We sure had fun making her delicious and nutritious treats.  Here is the link if you want to take a gander at the gorgeousness (hers and the megawatt breakfast bars)!  Just be forewarned, you WILL fall in love with her dimples!  And you wouldn’t meet a nicer person!  She’s a keeper!  So is her latest book The Virtuous Tart which is on the short list at this year’s Irish Book Awards.

Next we stepped into the shoes of Rachel Allen, one of my beloved former Ballymaloe Cookery School teachers. She elegantly guided us through the most stunning Broccoli Soup, and one look at her flawless face and you too will be stunned!  Wowza!  Here is the link and I guarantee you, besides drooling over her photos, you will want to give the soup a go!  Especially with all these cold storms blowing in these days! Yet she braved stormy seas for her new book, Coast,  also recently announced as a nominee at the Irish Book Awards.

Our third honoree was none other than the lovely Trish Deseine.  A legend in the culinary world, Trish’s return to her homeland after many years living in Paris has come with more than open arms. The good news she was back on Irish soil was fortified by the “Land of a Thousand Welcomes” with a nomination for her book Home.  Here is the link to our epistle on her ethereal self, which also includes her most amazing apple cake recipe that we made on the day.

YDP flew over the Irish Sea to the UK for the next #WCW star.  Or shall I say, stars!  Yes we honored the Hemsley Sisters and discovered the secret to their smarts, stamina and striking looks!  They do indulge in great food, but with a conscience.  So we followed their lead and made some of their nom nom Black Bean Brownies!  Check out this link if you want to be amazed at their ascent into the posh pages of Brit magazines and give their recipe a whirl. You won’t regret it!  One thing I will never regret is meeting the sisters at the Feastival this past summer. Doubly delicious!

The next Brit who got some lovin’ was the most adorable and approachable Sabrina Ghayour. Quite honestly I can’t say enough good things about her as she continually bowls me over with her kindness…and her kick-A food!  This girl can cook!  I was lucky enough to attend one of her cooking demonstrations.  Trust me all her recipes are da bomb!  Open her book Persiana with your eyes closed and choose anything.  You will love it.  But I like to think just cuz it’s cold outside doesn’t mean we can’t have a salad!  So for our lovefest with Sabrina we made a sexy fig and green bean number that would knock your winter wooly socks off!  Here is the link if you are in the mood.

Our last English Rose was the positively upbeat powerhouse that is Lorraine Pascale.  Her series of books, all with “made easy” in the title, is quite a feat.  Especially since life hasn’t been easy for her.  But you would never know it.  Her smile would light the world if ever there were a global power outage.  And her food is freaking fantastic.  We crushed all over her delectable banana and rum loaf.  Here is the link because you will want to make this and get to know her as well!  Get ready for some great inspo!

Finally we headed stateside for our first American chef.  But here is the twist, Laura Vitale was actually born in Italy and moved to the U.S. at twelve years of age.  So she is a dual citizen like I am!  It is great to get to know someone else who is extremely patriotic about both halves.  She is a real go-getter and racks up recipes like nobody’s business!  We made her cauliflower cheese gratin, which is a real winner just like she is.  Check out the link for yourself and enjoy this comfort food recipe in the comfort of your own home.

While I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in person three of our honorees (which actually is four because of the Hemsley’s) I want to introduce you to someone who deserves a #WCW honor all to herself.  I briefly mentioned something about her in the #WCW post featuring Lorraine Pascale.  Dr. Stacy Smith, a most incredible human being and dear friend of mine, is making her own mark in the world.  However, not in the culinary sphere but in communication.  She is the foremost authority on media analysis studies.  She began her career doing groundbreaking work on violence on television and its affects on children.  Next she focused her research on over sexualization in children’s programing (yeah, Disney, you had your day under Stacy’s microscope).  The last several years have seen the most eye opening data coming out of Dr. Smith’s Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California.  And the most specific area she is working on at the moment has to do with gender equality in Hollywood.  She and her team painstakingly comb through the top 100 films each year and track the number of roles for women.  Not only the roles we see on screen but also the writers, directors and other “below the line” folks on the credits.  Her reports are quoted by any number of news outlets everyday.  When she speaks, the world takes notice!  By brining to light the struggles of women trying to climb the ladder of success in Hollywood (and let’s face it who doesn’t like a bit of news from tinsel town) this call to action could help bridge the gender employment and compensation disparity.

I pointed out to her that it isn’t just the film industry that deals with this issue.  The culinary world has been dominated by men for as long as anyone can remember.  Which is ironic considering that cooking in the home was traditionally the woman’s domain.  The women who have climbed up the soup ladles (my term for the proverbial ladder in a professional kitchen) know all too well the challenges.  However, in this fab article by L.A. chef Suzanne Goin, sometimes you gotta just get stuck in and deal with it!  Have a read here for yourself.

By the way, for the record, though I am feminine, I am not a feminist.  I am a humanist (if that is what you call it).  I believe in equality not just for gender, but for race and religion too. However, because at present it isn’t so, some people are doing their part to bring attention to the situation.  Stacy is not out walking a picket line.  But she is in the lab objectively analyzing the facts, about which no one can argue.  Likewise, I am not out on a picket line.  But I try to bring a little sparkle to our special gourmet girls.  Nothing against the men in the foodie world.  They are ‘totes amazo’ and they do get loads of attention from all over the place.  And I love them too.  But the only man you will see me crush on is my hubby!  And because he crushes on me too, he asked if I would share something with you.

I wasn’t sure I would actually post a proper link to these videos even though I might have causally mentioned it.  Hubby rarely asks for anything, and he specifically asked me to do this.  Not just because he filmed and edited them did he want me to share them, but because he is my #1 fan!  Even though he spends hours upon hours (in his spare time) filming and editing these, he still laughs at my quirky bits.  I guess it is a good sign when your Hubby still likes your dorky dance moves.  So without further ado, below are the direct links to two cooking demos from yours truly, Yankee Doodle Paddy.  But I’m giving you fair warning…be prepared for bad singing, bad dancing, but some darn good recipes!  For those of you who follow me on snapchat (username: blissbakery) this is nothing new.  You have to deal with these wacky food installments on a regular basis!  Especially on Woman Crush Wednesday. Too bad the snapchat video stories disappear within 24 hours.  It’s a total “Love-apolooza”!  LOL!  And with a few more demos in the can (aka already filmed ready to be edited) you will be seeing more very soon!  Enjoy!

Posh Nosh: Bacon Wrapped Dates

Weekend Wonder:  Pumpkin Pancakes

Crushed up love,

YDP

P.S. By the way, since three of our amazing ladies are up for awards for their books, here is a link if you would be so kind as to place a vote. The deadline is this Friday the 20th of November. The awards will be announced at a gala event on the 25th. Thanks in advance for your support of the Irish contingent of our Woman Crush Wednesday recipients.  Best of luck to them too!

Folks we are right in the middle of LOVEfest (a week long competition of finding hearts and love images all around us) shared on instagram and snapchat.  So today’s choice for Woman Crush Wednesday couldn’t be any more perfect!  The absolutely stunning Laura Vitale is all about the LOVE, which she shares through her recipes and her warm and inviting personal style.  Originally from Italy (hello, that partly explains the Amore) she moved to America at the age of twelve.  A self taught cook who worked in her father’s restaurant before starting her famous Youtube Channel, this woman can pretty much cook anything!  And she does.  Yet, you will also find recipes for simple things such as an egg salad sandwich.  Why? Because she is so interactive with her followers that she encourages requests.  And if some people want to know how to make the perfect egg sambo, then she will do a tutorial.  She’s not a foodie snob.  She loves all food!  That fondness spills over onto her followers, whom she affectionately refers to as “my loves”.  At this juncture, her “loves” amount to over 2 million on her youtube channel alone (count me one of them).

Laura recently launched her long awaited and successful cookbook Laura In the Kitchen.  Though I haven’t found it in a store here in the U.K. I plan to pick one up when I travel to the U.S. soon.  I really have this burning desire to support her as she is a massive inspiration to me.  Before mid August, I have to admit, I hadn’t ever heard of Laura Vitale.  As you know if you’ve been following me, I am very late to the social media world.  And working three jobs in the food business while living in Dublin the last seven years gave me little time to peruse anything foodie outside of my world.  However, all that changed when I was flying back from the U.S. and picked up a copy of the August 10th issue of People Magazine.  In it there was a photo of Laura and one of her recipes.  Though I was in People Magazine once, I never had the honor of having one of my recipes in there.  Wow!  So awesome!  I started to explore a bit about her as I finally had more time for those things since moving to London.  I instantly felt a kinship with her in terms of how she used cooking to lift her spirits, how she shared a deep gratitude for her husband as I do mine, and her silly and quirky ways.  Like, duh, I’m a total goof ball too!  The Vitales even have a sense of humor in their themed Halloween costume choice (50 Shades of Grey). Okay, well Hubby and I haven’t done that yet!

I started to watch her Youtube channel and was amazed at the amount of content she has, over 1,000 videos!  Those are just the cooking ones.  She also has many on style (she is very girly girly and loves to dress up and wear makeup) and she and her hubby Joe have a vlog that gives viewers a glimpse into their personal world.  My favorites are the ones where they are traveling to Italy to visit her family.  I happen to love Italy, but also love them because it is very heartwarming to see her with her granny (Nonna) and all her relatives.  Plus it’s always impressive to hear her speak Italian!

Laura Vitale has a purpose built kitchen in the basement of her home just for filming her cooking show.  In fact, even with a recent move of house, they recreated the kitchen (which her viewers have become attached to) in their new home.  This has allowed her to film at any time of day or night (with the help of proper lighting etc) without disrupting the rest of the house.  The good news is that she never runs out of ideas for tasty treats!  The Cooking Channel has also been featuring her in a show title, Simply Laura,  so you can get your daily dose of LV!

When thinking about which recipe of hers to make it was a tough decision.  However, with Thanksgiving coming up, I was liking the idea of making one of her side dishes.  And also, one that could be used throughout the entire year, not just during the festive season.  Her Cauliflower Gratin looked so good that I couldn’t resist.  It is a very straight forward recipe as well, since I am doing a demo for my snapchat (username: blissbakery) it helps to have one that won’t take too long.  As well, the ingredients are easy enough to find at any local grocery store.  Living in Ireland for so long, I know how much they appreciate a warm comfort food recipe.  Ireland has the best cheese too so they like to incorporate it into many dishes.  This cheesy cauliflower is so moreish that it could be eaten as a main course for a meatless meal (just add a mixed leaf salad on the side).  Or it can be served as a side dish along with a lovely roasted chicken that I already shared on here.

Serves 6 to 8

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1/3 cup of Unsalted Butter (76 g)
1/3 cup of All Purpose Flour (51 g)
2-1/2 cups of Whole Milk (568 ml/1 pint)
1 Tbsp of Ground Mustard
Pinch of Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of Freshly Grated Parmiggiano (28 g)
2 Cup of Shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar (204 g)

Additional Ingredients:
1 Whole Head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 cup of Freshly Grated Parmiggiano
1 cup of Fresh Breadcrumbs (2 slices of bread blitzed into crumbs)
1 tsp of Dried Parsley
2 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, melted

Process,

1) Preheat the oven to 400 F/200C degrees, grease a baking dish with some butter and set aside.

2) Fill a large pot with water, add a pinch of salt bring to a boil, add the cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, add the butter, allow it to melt, whisk in the flour and allow it to cook for 30 seconds, add the milk and cook the sauce until the milk thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes, season with the dry mustard, nutmeg, shredded cheddar, parm, and salt and pepper and set aside.

4) Drain the cauliflower, place it back in the same pot, add in the sauce and stir it all together to coat, add the mixture in your prepared baking dish.

5) Sprinkle the remaining parm and cheddar evenly over the top of the cauliflower mixture, then quickly mix together the bread crumbs, dry parsley and butter and scatter that evenly over the top as well.

6) Bake in your preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on top

For those of you who haven’t met Laura before, I am happy to make the introduction.  For those of you who have been with her since the beginning, how fortuitous!  Laura, you are a most worthy Woman Crush Wednesday!  Our first three ladies were from Ireland (my soul home).  Our last three were from here in the U.K. (my current home).  Now that Yankee Doodle Paddy has skipped across the pond to choose the seventh #womancrushwednesday (the first one from America, my birth home), I hope that 7 is your lucky number!  Because you have certainly hit the jackpot with this recipe!  LOVE it and LOVE you!  Keep up the amazing work you and Joe are doing!

Con Affetto,

YDP

As I have shared on this blog before, my Hubby calls me The Giving Tree.  It seems lately I’ve seen lots of quotes that have to do with happiness being related to doing for others.  For instance this was on a recent blog post from Richard Branson:  “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

We have opportunities at every corner to help don’t we?  On Tuesday I was at a midday mass and the priest put out a request that someone needed some home cooked food.  He didn’t ask people to officially sign up for it, just to drop it in the rectory and they would sort it.  So yesterday morning I decided to go ahead make a meal (steak, potatoes and green beans).  I also added to the helping hamper, as I coined it,  some of my famous Lemon-Aid and goodies (Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies and the banana loaf I had made from the Women’s Crush Wednesday).  I realized I hadn’t shared my recipe for the Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies so decided today I would share that and an interesting encounter I had after I dropped off the food.

First of all I have to say that when we feel called to help others it doesn’t come with a guarantee of a grateful response.  Or if the help is refused, it doesn’t necessarily come with a gracious decline.  So the story goes that I dropped off the food at the rectory before going into mass.  Then I had to pop over to the post office for an errand before I went back home.  On my way a young Asian man approached me asking for money so he could buy something to eat.  I took that request in and stood there with him for a moment.  How could I say no when I had just done a favor for someone else I don’t know because a priest asked?  But I don’t always feel right just handing over money to someone that may or may not be hungry (and it’s not always a hunger for food my friends, it can be for other unsavory things).   I responded to him by saying, “I’m sorry you are hungry, let me go get you something to eat.”  Now I wasn’t going to go home and prepare another dinner given the fact that I would have needed to go grocery shopping again, and I sensed from his anxious body language that he was in a bit of a time crunch.  So I popped into the nearest food shop called Greggs (I’d never been there before) and bought a sambo and crisps (that’s chips for my American friends).  When I went back out, the guy was literally just getting an older woman to give him a 5 pound note/bill.  As I handed him the food he said, “I’ll take the chips, I don’t want the sandwich” and turned around and walked away.  The lady and I stood there watching the guy and we shook our heads.  Okay then.  So maybe he was a coeliac who didn’t eat bread?  But the point I am making is that sometimes these interactions are really just a test for us, a sort of teachable moment.  And one thing I learned, after I went home and had that sambo for lunch, is that Greggs isn’t that bad!

While I was finishing the last bite, I got a phone call from the priest.  While we are so new to the parish, I surely didn’t expect him to call or even know me.  He has greeted Hubby and I after we’ve attended Sunday mass.  But he does that with loads of people.  However, he got a glimpse of the foodie hamper I delivered and he just wanted me to know how much he (and the person who would be receiving it) appreciated the gesture.  He was effusive in his thanks! I felt compelled to tell him the story of the man I met on the street.  And he agreed that we need to give to others, even if we don’t know what to do with the responses.  Who knows what that Asian guy is going through.  Maybe just showing him a little care, stopping what I was doing and going into a shop to get him food (whether or not he only took half of it), might leave an impact.  Who knows.

Hubby told me of a time back when we lived in L.A. that he was approached by a homeless person asking for money.  He gave the money with the caveat that the person buy food not alcohol.  Sadly, Hubby saw the man shortly thereafter going into the store to buy, what else, alcohol.  I used to think that local communities should have a voucher system whereby citizens that want to help could donate to a “group-on”  like place and get coupons to hand out to people in need.  Participating businesses would redeem the coupons/vouchers from the needy folks whether it be for a meal, a coffee, a hotel room, whatever.  I might have another look at my idea especially in light of the European refugee migrant crisis.  Some people need help. Other people want to help.  But how to combine the two in a dignified way?  Often times people are very generous to charities donating money or buying raffle tickets for fundraisers etc, yet still feel guilty when approached by someone on the street.  If they have in their wallets and purses these vouchers, which they have received from making a donation, then they know it is going to help in a positive and productive way.  They won’t worry that any cash they hand out is  going into the purchase of a liquid, pill or herb that will just go down the hatch perpetuating the problem.

It is hard to just walk by someone on the streets who is looking desperate and not do anything for them.  The awkwardness of avoiding them, not making eye contact, ignoring them as if they don’t exist.  Or else passing a look of disgust at what they have let themselves become.  As I said in my story about my mom, sometimes I think, what if she is one of them?  There is a saying, “There but for the grace of God go I” credited to an Englishman named John Bradford.  I don’t know about you, but I think about these things.  It makes me grateful for what I have and also strive to help others.  Cooking and baking are two things I know I can do to help others.  It won’t solve the world’s problems, but it gives me a bit of peace knowing I can put my love into my food and then share that with them.  A package of cookies purchased at the store that was made in a factory just doesn’t have that love in them.  Sure they may taste good, but you could eat a whole pack and not feel satisfied.  In my opinion, only things made with love and care in them make you feel truly satisfied. That is why so many people reminisce about their mom or grandma’s cooking!  It is the love that feeds our soul!  So into the kitchen I go!

These peanut butter cookies are not only delish on their own, but I add a little “sumpin, sumpin” to them by drizzling them with melted chocolate and sprinkling them with crushed pretzels.  Then you get the perfect combo of sweet and salty!  Or you could just put chocolate chips in them if you want . And if you are really adventurous like I am, you can make them into ice cream sandwiches by putting a scoop of your fav or homemade  ice-cream in between two cookies.  Bam!  Now we are talking!  Not that you need any prodding, but if you read this post here, you will see why I LOVE to cook and bake with the pretty paste I like to put on a pedestal !  And in this post you will see how I try to incorporate peanut butter into my daily life even lending a hand with my morning porridge ! Ha ha!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

240 g crunchy peanut butter

340 g Plain Flour (sifted)

200 g Caster Sugar

200 g Soft Brown Sugar

225 g Unsalted Butter (if using regular butter just omit the salt)

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Large free range eggs

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

2 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Optional: chocolate chips and/or melted chocolate and crushed pretzels

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 170 C/325 F

Combine the sifted flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugars in a mixer until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs one at a time stopping in between to scrape down. Then add the vanilla and peanut butter and mix well.

Add to the mixer the flour/salt/bicarb soda combo in stages and scrape sides of the bowl in between.  It is done when well combined and a nice dough has formed.  Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (or on a silicone baking pad) in balls. Then using a fork press down on the balls. Only bake about 6-9 cookies per tray so they don’t spread into each other.

Bake for approx 10 minutes.  Let them sit on the baking tray for a few minutes after you remove them from the oven before you transfer them to a wire rack. When fully cooled drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with broken pretzel pieces. You can place in the refrigerator if you want to harden the chocolate quicker, otherwise let the chocolate cool at room temp.

And if you are the adventurous type then you can make up your ice cream sandwich!  No one will refuse these sambos that is for sure!  A helpful hack is to slice up your ice cream carton and then you have the perfect portion to go in between each cookie.

Guaranteed you will love these Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies so much you’d eat them in one bite if you could. Just be careful that you don’t bite the hand that is feeding you!

Sweet and Salty Love!

YDP

If you have been following along on this Woman Crush Wednesday journey you know that it is truly my favorite aspect of this blog.  The news/media is burning up at the moment on the topic of gender imbalance in the work place.  In fact a dear friend of mine actually runs a media research center on this topic.  So that is why I adore giving the lady chefs their deserved limelight.  And today’s recipient will blow you and your baking pans away!  She is beyond an amazing chef, this renaissance woman is straight up an amazing human being!  I could actually write an entire week’s worth of blog posts about her!  I mean look at that HAPPY face of hers!!! I love it!

Former Sport’s Illustrated Swimsuit Supermodel Lorraine Pascale  has this magnetic megawatt smile and at first glance one might think, aw lucky her she’s had a charmed life.  But when you delve into her past, which she has openly shared, you will see that it hasn’t been a bed of fondant roses.  Given up for adoption as a baby, she spent years in foster care, but has somehow maintained an upbeat outlook on life.  One peek at her social media such as Instagram and you’ll find all sorts of positive quotes and inspirational messages for her followers.  To top that off, she is always thanking them for their support.  That doesn’t go unnoticed on the internet world where many famous folks don’t like to engage at all with their audience.

With fabulous sales of her cookery books and successful television shows that followed, she is now on to American television.  Lorraine is one of the judges on Holiday Baking Championship for the Food Network.  Though she sits along side Ace of Cakes’ Duff Goldman she is on a throne all to herself in my mind.  She emanates love and forgiveness and positivity.  She has gone beyond the modeling and the foodie world and worked hard to bring awareness to the issues involved with adoption and fostering in a BBC documentary.

Not only are Lorraine and I both single moms who were born in November (though I might be a bit older than she, haha) she also spent some time in Santa Monica, my former hometown. But the biggest aspect that draws me to her is this;  she, like me, found solace from her chaotic world through cooking and baking. We also share a great appetite for food, therefore a necessity to work out!  Hey, I think it’s great to get a good sweat, then you can have a good sweet!  No guilt treat!  However, Lorraine is a super motivator and has blog posts detailing ways to maintain “stick- to -it-tiveness” for a healthy routine.

Speaking of healthy, I decided of all her recipes to give her banana bread recipe a go.  I know that there are three times as many banana bread recipes out there in the foodie world as there are ovens to bake them.  But I really love this recipe as Lorraine incorporates a surprise element not seen in other versions.  Maybe it is a nod to her birth mother who is of Jamaican roots.  I for one am glad that her mum decided to give birth to this angel Lorraine.  I would imagine it must be hard on these moms to give their children up for adoption.  But like Steve Jobs and John Lennon who were both adopted, the world is a better place because of their existence!

Ingredients:

A rectangular baking tin and Vegetable oil for greasing the baking tin
Handful of pecans (toasted in a pan or the oven), plus more to decorate

100g (3 1/2 oz) butter

150g (5 oz) soft light brown sugar

2 drops vanilla extract

3 medium eggs

150g (5 oz) plain flour

1 heaped tsp baking powder

Generous pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

2 overripe bananas, mashed

Rum Sugar syrup: 100 ml (4 fl oz) dark rum plus 100 g (3 /12 oz) soft brown sugar
Method:-

Preheat oven to 170C/325 F/Gas mark 3. Line a 22 x 10cm loaf tin with baking paper making sure to overlap top of tin and brush with oil then set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale. Add the vanilla extract and one egg and beat well.

Add  the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and rest of the eggs and beat well, then stir in the bananas and pecans.

Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 55- 60 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile make the Rum Sugar Syrup by mixing the rum and sugar in a pan over high heat. Boil furiously until it begins to get thicker (about 5 mins) then set aside. Once the cake has cooked, remove from the oven and pour lots of rum sugar syrup over the top. Sprinkle with a some of the extra toasted pecans.

This moist banana loaf is beyond delicious!!  That Rum Sugar Syrup on top is a lovely surprise that takes this to a whole other level.  What’s not a surprise is that I am bananas about Lorraine!  She is a cool and chic chef, a magnificent mom, a terrific tv presenter, and an awesome and inspiring individual!  Your day will seriously get sunnier if you bake one of her treats, follow her on instagram or simply read her story.  And her Youtube channel is choc o block with video tutorials.  I love this one on making crusted avocado nibbles!

With massive love and tons of props to you Lovely Lorraine!

YDP

P.S. the 24 hour love fest on snapchat (user name;  blissbakery) may be temporary, but the adulation will continue a lifetime for this awesome lady!