Upcycling, Pumpkin Pancakes & Potato Pancakes Or PANCAKES!!

As we all prepare to hunker down for the holidays and our long winter naps, there's been something that I've been thinking about and want to share it with you. I have two specific recipes to post today, recipes that originally come from something else - this basic idea of upcycling that I tossed around a few weeks ago. But how did we get to the point of using a word like upcycling?

Our culture is obsessed with recycling. Everything needs to be recycled. EVERYTHING. That shampoo bottle I pulled out of the trash could become a young child's teething ring some day. Hey, don't shoot the messenger - these are facts. We hover over our office trash receptacles thinking things like, "I bet Gary doesn't even know what single stream means. Plus, I heard he's getting divorced." Just like all of the other things in life, we latch onto one important issue and we have to shove it in every one's face. "Look, I'm using a recycled nalgene bottle!" "I reused rain water to wash my car!"

Yeah, I'd Bake That's Not Favorite Things Because That Was Taken, But Things We Really Enjoy List! Part 2!

Wow, such a great response for Part 1 of Yeah, I'd Bake That's Not Favorite Things Because That Was Taken, But Things We Really Enjoy List! You guys had me all like

Seriously, I'm super flattered.

Guest Post! Hosting Your First Thanksgiving and Why It All Hinges on Fennel

Editor's Note: Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving! If you happened to read my last post you could probably feel my anxiety about hosting Thanksgiving this year at our house, but I'm happy to report that all went smoothly and aside from a minor grease fire we fed and spirited everyone until we had to roll them out the door.

Today's post is a little different. Because Kevin was in charge of the turkey, and because it tasted amazing, he's writing the post today. I know, I know - but sometimes we need to sit back and let others have all the glory. For an amazingly easy and delicious turkey recipe read on my friends!
**

Hello, Spouse here!  When Danielle started Yeah, I'd Bake That I figured that at most I'd get a few tasty treats (which I was already accustomed to) and that would be that.  What I didn't expect is that this blog was actually the start of a pattern in our house -- a pattern that led to a new word, "Pinteresty".  I come home from work and Danielle will say something like "Kevin, I need a pallet" or "Kevin, do we have a tomato cage in the shed, I want to make a Christmas tree." I happily say to her, "Ok, lets go steal a pallet, and yes I do believe there is a tomato cage back there."  I've quickly learned not to ask questions because the answers are never as good as her final project, and I am not skilled in her Pintresty ways.  So when she says to me "...find as many shoebox lids as possible and if you happen to see a window shutter somewhere pick it up." I do it, because I know the house is going to be better for it.

Mini Pumpkin Filo Pies

A while back we talked about spectacular failures. That feeling you get when you realize your house smells like a broken fire extinguisher factory. The moment when you look at the garbage can and think, "no one has to know I even attempted this". Websites like Pinterest and Brit & Co give us access to anything. We convince ourselves that we can turn large men's shirts into cute little dresses. We live in this crafty delusion where if we can just get our hands on 59878 buttons we could make a really, really awesome lamp.

And I fall for it every time.

Chocolate Creme Brulee

There are many occasions in life where we just have to sit back and say, "you know what, it's okay to put chocolate in that". Someone has to do it. The friends of the person who invented chocolate milk probably said that it was ridiculous, but that person (who I'm going to affectionately name, Mr. Chocolateberg) did it anyway and now more people want the brown stuff than the white.

That figure is from my own data sampling.

From a sample of me.

This is something I was thinking about when I was hunting around for a chocolate creme brulee recipe. It had to exist, it was just taking me a few days to find the right one. I really liked Paula Deen's recipe at first, but then I saw you needed 50708 eggs and a glass of chocolate liquor. I liked the one from the reliable recipes.com until I noticed you needed to practically grow your own cocoa beans (thanks Hershey tour) to make the creme brulee - not to mention the baking time was an average of 16+ hours and a promise to never leave the kitchen. I had pretty much given up on the whole search, the creme brulee, my baking future, my education, my future children...everything. I was pretty frustrated. 

But then I found Celiac Family.com, and I can officially say that not only did I find an amazing chocolate creme brulee recipe but it's gluten free. Did you hear that Kelly Clayton?! Gluten free! I did it!

Easter, Chocolate Bunnies & Cake

There are a lot of things happening in the next few weeks make life on this blog difficult. Starting school again today, finishing our taxes, moving to an entirely different part of PA (not like our 3 minute move from Manayunk to East Falls) and Easter. Easter's been at the bottom of my list these past few days, but I can't deny how much I actually enjoy the holiday. Besides the fact that it's always fallen right around my birthday, it's got some of the best looking candy filling up two aisles at Rite Aid. Two aisles!

Every year I just slink through the aisles looking at it. Marshmellow covered everything. This year I saw orange bunny peeps (I was shocked too). Chocolate in the shape of eggs, eggs made of creme, and carrots filled with reeses pieces. You could get a cavity just looking at all of the sugar, it's amazing. 

I think I love Easter because when I was little I used to occasionally bring home chocolate easter bunnies from winning drawing contests or guessing the right amount of jellybeans or something. I remember that they were always deceivingly hollow. When I'd bring them home, Allyson and I would size them up to see if we could open the box and eat a part of it before my parents got home. It never really worked, but when we were allowed to open it up I remember you could almost see a puff of smoke come out of the rabbit's head when you yanked an ear off. Like in Christmas Vacation when the turkey is too cooked and just explodes completely hollow, these rabbits looked like they were five solid pounds of chocolate but they were just a thin shell of a bunny. So disappointing. 

Happy Belated Valentines Day Rice Krispie Pops!

It's been quite some time since my Super Bowl post, I do apologize. I'd like to think that I was in some sort of food coma due to the loaded baked potato dip, or that I was just too distraught over the Giants win to carry on, but unfortunately the real reason is not that glamorous. Well it's a little glamorous - we did watch almost the full 5th season of The Wire in one week. I also caught whatever sinus or face infection that the whole world seems to have, so I've been a little out of it lately.

Before I came down with consumption I made these excellent rice krispie treat pops that were dipped in chocolate. Unlike my last foray into rice krispie pops, these were actually a success. I mean, a real success. I only got about 16 out of the batch, but they actually stayed on the stick, tasted delicious in the chocolate and were enjoyed by strangers! This photo to my left is proof, real proof. I didn't pay these people anything!

I found the initial idea for these pops on Pinterest, but the real recipe was a few layers in. Like rice krispie inception I finally found these on a blog called Korean American Mommy. If you know me, you know I fall squarely in this blog's demographic.

I mean hell, I am American.

Easy Crème Brulee

Ahhh, a new year. A new you? Why change, I like you the way you are.

I hope you all had a festive holiday season! Mine was amazing. I got to spend a whole week at home with my family (a week!) and got to eat as much sugar as I could stand. It was glorious. Plus, this year for Christmas Santa brought me a torch!

Yeah, a torch.

Happy New Year!

As 2011 draws to a close, I can't help but think about... all of the flour I've gone through this year.

Seriously, I've bought a lot of flour.

The other great things I've accomplished? I've created this kick ass blog where people actually come to find cool recipes. I've baked a lot, passed out a lot of Yeah, I'd Bake That business cards, and bribed people with sugary treats until they came to the blog and checked out all the good stuff that's happening here. I know I've said it before, but really, we've hit the big time. 2011 was a great year!

Now I know what a lot of you are thinking, how can we possibly get better in 2012? The answer is, we can't. But I'll make a promise to you now that we'll never plateau. I'll keep posting recipes and poorly taken photos until I have to give it all up. Why? The beginning period of a relationship is one of the best parts. We're learning new things about each other, getting excited to see the other person, staying up late talking on the phone. Why would we want to lose that? Over the next year we'll just prolong that feeling, unless you get sick of me. In which case, just let me down easy.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies Wrap Up

Well we did it! We survived 12 Days of Christmas Cookies - it was a success! Below I've put a link for each day's recipe, that way you can forward this post link to your Grandma and tell her to get back in the kitchen! Not in that awkward women belong in the kitchen sense..it's just that Grandmas are normally good at baking.

Phew, it's time for me to take a break.

So here they are! Thanks to everyone for tuning in and checking out my little blog! It really was fun, and I hope we can do it again soon. If I don't see any of you before the New Year, have a Happy Holiday and come back to Yeah, I'd Bake That soon! 2012 holds some great recipes and what I can (safely) assume is more sarcasm.

Day 12: Peanut Butter Toffee Turtle Cookies

Just like all great things in life, our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Rockette Winter Spectacular is coming to an end.

Right now I'm imagining us all sitting around the table as the man from the Chinese restaurant chops the head off the duck in A Christmas Story. "He's smiling at me". It certainly was a festive countdown, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as me.

Tonight's final recipe is a cookie I've been saving for last, because like all great Christmas movies, this cookie has a little something for everyone. [insert Jingle All the Way quote here].

Peanut Butter Toffee Turtle Cookies.
I'll give you a minute to think that over.

Day 11: Ricotta Cheese Cookies

I’m going to throw this out there for all of you non-believers and say I don’t like cheese. There, I said it! Now, like many of the greatest proclamations, there are a few caveats to that sentence. I like grilled cheese sandwiches (if there is only one slice of cheese). I now eat almost all of the cheese on a slice of pizza (although if the cheese to sauce or pepperoni proportions are way off, things change). I like sausage cups (which, even I can’t explain). And more importantly, and for the purposes of this post, I like Ricotta Cheese Cookies.

The one thing I’ve always had a problem with is why anyone in the their right mind would have combined cheese and cookie batter. Even in my dark twisted fantasy Kayne West mind, I cannot come up with a scenario where I would say “Wow, you know what would make this cookie better? Cheese.”

Day 10: Chocolate Caramel Chews

It's not something that I've ever done, but I've always wanted to learn how to make candy for Christmas time. I've messed around looking for recipes online, and every time I find one I never do it because the recipe calls for roughly half a day. Sadly, I just don't the patience.

What I do have is a quick google finger, so I'm on to the next recipe before I get too depressed thinking about my lack of candy making abilities.

Day 9: Chocolate Rice Cereal Rocking Horses

Today's thoughts on Christmas and cookie recipes are brought to you by Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman's Open Heart necklace. Because if you keep your heart open and wear a necklace shaped like a butt around your neck, love will always find a way in. 

Anyway, today's recipe is described in my recipe book as an old-fashioned favorite among "youngsters". I'm not sure how old fashion it is, but I know rice has been around for awhile so maybe they're right.

A different twist on the regular rice krispie treat, this recipe can definitely add a little chocolate color to your cookie tray.

Day 8: Eggnog Snickerdoodles

A couple years ago I made a joke that it's not Christmas unless the Wells household smells like Southern Comfort. Different people have different ways to spice up eggnog.
Some choose the Raspberry Vinaigrette of liquors - Brandy. Some go whiskey or kahlua. My mom uses Southern Comfort, and the fine spirit has since turned into her Major Award from A Christmas Story. It's not particularly fra-gee-lay, but it's a holiday staple.

Looks just like a snickerdoodle right? Wrong!

Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies is a recipe for Eggnog Snickerdoodles that the book kindly suggests you serve with real eggnog or chai lattes.

I say serve with a hearty helping of Southern Comfort!

Day 6: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I've been baking since 6:30. At least I think it was 6:30? I feel like I'm high from all of the cookie fumes, it could actually be midnight, who knows.

Wow. A picture of a picture. Classy.

One thing I do know is that it's National Cupcake Day! So let's celebrate by baking some chocolate peanut butter cup cookies! Today doesn't have to be all about cupcakes. You don't wear a diaper and shoot arrows at kids on Valentine's Day do you?

Don't answer that.

Day 5: Chocolate Chunk Brownie Cookies

Day 5 Chocolate Chunk Brownie Cookies are brought to you courtesy of my Aunt Karen (the muddy buddy master) whose a veritable wiz in the kitchen. I mean, this lady can make cookies with the best of them, and is always there with a package of Andy's mints when you need it.

Obviously I took this photo. I don't go anywhere without
my camera, orange spirals and carefree raisins.

The last few Christmas cookie posts have been a little time consuming, and involved in the ingredients department. This recipe, however, is built around a brownie mix and could not be more easy or freakin delicious.

If you're a fan of brownies and cookies, and are looking for something to shake up your Christmas cookie tray this year -- this recipe may be for you.

Day 4: Linzer Cookies

My sister and I are pretty bad ass, as evidenced by this photo:

In our shared history together we've attempted a few kitchen experiments. There was the time when we microwaved marshmallow peeps because we watched a bunch of videos of it on youtube and thought it was hilarious. We didn't actually let the peeps explode though, so it was pretty underwhelming for all involved.

Day 3: Chocolate Dipped Shortbread

I just borrowed this. You know the drill.

I'm a big fan of shortbread cookies, but I don't think I've ever actually made them around the holidays. If it's not covered in sprinkles or green icing, is it really even a Christmas cookie? These are tough questions. If a sugar cookie tree fell in the woods would it make a sound? I don't know, but my dog grabbed a sugar cookie tree from the table the other day and I didn't hear it, so maybe.

Whether or not they're Christmas staples, this recipe is a keeper and today is officially the third day of the 12 days of Christmas Cookies. So without any further ado, here is the recipe for Chocolate Dipped Shortbread cookies! 

Day 2: Spritz Christmas Trees

Living in our mini house in East Falls is difficult around Christmas time. Between moving out on our own, getting married and the occasional sidewalk shopping we do we have amassed a large number of  decorations. I think a normal couple would choose a few that mean the most and just display those, but we've crammed all of our decorations into this tiny place.

As was the case with yesterday's post, this picture is clearly just for demonstration purposes.
I just found it on google. Got it?

We even take out the back portions of the Christmas tree so it'll fit in the corner of the dining room. 

Because that's where Christmas trees go.

So while we're putting decorations on top of shelves that are packed with books, hanging hand made stockings and lighting cheap candles that smell like cinnamon - I'm also filling the house with Christmas cookies. It's what I'm best at.