it's not a vitamix, but i do have a testimony of it.

the other day, bestie jen gave me a frozen yogurt smoothie pack from yoplait - and then handed me another because she knew i'd fall quickly in love. 

which, i did.

but i was frustrated with my laaaaame blender. 

am i the only one who's never met a blender that worked?

i had to get violent with my blender, shaking it back and forth, side to side to get it to mix at all, rather than just spinning the blade at the bottom of the jar while the fruit at the top sat pleasantly, waiting its turn. i would've liked to see myself on spy came that day with the blender...

so the frozen berry smoothies were on my costco grocery list on saturday's epic shopping trip. but that also meant a new blender was on the list. it's time. i'm thirty... that's more than an appropriate age to get rid of all the crappy collegiate appliances that just got me by all these years.

so i googled. and i tried to remember what i read in consumer reports. but what it boiled down to was a sit-and-stare moment at target. i stood there. and stared. and waited for revelation. honestly. 

and in the end, i chose the ninja. 

i chose it because it was originally $99, but on sale for $79. it also got 5 stars on all the sites i googled while i sat-and-stared. the rest, save the $600 vita-mix and blend-tecs, got manically mixed reviews. 

and so far, i love it. i've made morning smoothies every morning since {um, twice now} and it's as quick as anything. never, ever, would i choose to sacrifice minutes from my morning routine to make breakfast in the kitchen, but this, i can do.

who knows, i might even throw a handful of green spinach in there and get extra healthy. they say that helps.

a successful day in the kitchen.

add marshmallows to my stove top repertoire...

and all glory goes to cousin dani for showing me the way.

you guys, they're so easy. so so easy and so so delicious and taste nothing like a jet puff marshmallow.

they're an ooey gooey sticky, powdery mess, despite your best effort. i tried so hard to keep it clean and under control.  but eventually, you give in to marshmallow creme all up in your business. 

things you need, like, can't live without:

a candy thermometer.

powdered sugar

a sifter

a silicone spatula

pam cooking spray.

stolen right from dani's blog:

Basic Marshmallows

Makes: 1 9x13 pan of marshmallows (20-30ish, depending on how small you cut them)
Note: You need a stand mixer and a candy thermometer.

3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1/2 c. cold water
2 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. light corn syrup
1/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1. Butter a 9x13" pan and sprinkle powdered sugar all over the inside (just like buttering/flouring a pan for a cake).  
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (You need a stand mixer, NOT  hand mixer.  It said it will most likely burn out your motor.), sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 c. cold water.  Let soak for 10 minutes.
3. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan.  Insert your candy thermometer into the pan before heating it.  Make sure the thermometer is submerged midway in the mixture without touching the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and continue until the temperature reaches 250°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, 250°F was a couple minutes after the mixture turned mostly clear and was boiling vigorously...but I take no responsibility if you choose to experiment on temperature. :) 
4. Pour the boiling syrup mixture into the gelatin and mix at high speed.  Add the salt and beat for 8-12 minutes, or until it looks like the volume is no longer increasing.  Beat the vanilla into the mixture.  If you need to scrape the sides, use an oiled spatula to prevent it from sticking.
5. Scrape the marshmallows into the pan, leveling out the mixture with an oiled spatula.
6. Let the marshmallows set for 3 or 4 hours, then if needed, loosen it up from the pan with a knife around the edges.  Flip it out onto a cutting board that has a bit of powdered sugar spread on it.
7. Slice it into squares.  The easiest way I found to do this was to cut it into strips with a wet pizza cutter.  Run the cutter under water and shake off most of the excess.  Then go fast to keep it from gumming up.  Rinse and shake it off between cuts.  Be careful, because the water can make the marshmallows sticky too.  {i found an easier way! give it one run through the marshmallows with a pizza cutter.... it will be sticky. but then roll your pizza cutter in powdered sugar. saves a lot of rinsing and yada.}
8. Coat the marshmallow squares individually in a bowl of powdered sugar to keep them from sticking, and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
9. {this is where i sifted them over the sink and threw them in a giant tupperware container - with a lid! tomorrow, i dip them in caramel!}

a sure sign of a success: a full sink.

friday-ness.

i never do.... but this morning i had a wild hair for a warm drink. so i hit starbucks for a caramel apple spice. as i pulled into my office, i caught myself in a very gen y moment: swiping the key card to the parking garage, pushing the clicker lock button on my key chain as i walked toward the elevator, grande in hand, along with the netflix that needed to go back in the mail.

i love gen y and i love the 21st century.

 

another "oh that looks easy" project i found through blog-dom... misleading as always.

why does everything look so simple on the internet?!

i saw this... was inspired to make something of the like for bestie jen's baby shower... then sat down and spun pipe cleaners and yarn. for four hours. 

do you think the shower guests will get it if i don't finish the other half? 

sweet.... baby? potato? cheeks? tarts? 

you get it. 

... i hope.

boss andy gave me a dozen peaches from his tree this week. i promptly went home and made the pioneer woman's recipe for cobbler.... the one i had just seen on the food network. she used berries... and just to be sure i wouldn't ruin it with another fruit {or that there wasn't a better recipe out there for the fruit on hand}, i asked her. with her blessing, i got to work in the kitchen.

it was gone by 9 a.m. thanks to a handful of ravenous engineers... followed by 15 cranky ones, upset i didn't make a bigger batch.

yesterday started out with bad news in a text message at 7:30 a.m. and two rocks in my windshield at 8 a.m. that spread like a spider web by 8:30 a.m.

the day was hopeless from there.

but today is a different day.

and tomorrow is florida day.

tomato soup cupcakes. i'm serious.

i'm guilty of the same crime every other food network fan is.... cupcake wars, to be exact. i see the off-beat recipe on tv... it looks good, sounds mysterious, and seems so tempting...

so i try it out for my self.  and two dozen of my most daring, brave souled friends.

tomato soup cupcakes

via daily candy

ingredients:

2 (10¾ oz.) cans condensed tomato soup, preferably low sodium
1 tsp. baking soda
3½ c. all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. cinnamon*
½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg*
½ tsp. ground allspice*
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs

directions:

preheat oven to 325°. 

line two twelve-cup cupcake pans with paper liners.

in a large bowl, sprinkle baking soda over the tomato soup and stir well. set aside.

in a medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt and baking powder.

beat butter and sugars together on medium speed until fluffy, three to four minutes. add eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for a few seconds. turn the mixer to low. add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with tomato soup, beginning and ending with flour mixture. scrape down the bowl again, and mix on low speed for a few more seconds.

fill the prepared cupcake pan about three-quarters full. 

bake the cupcakes 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

allow the cupcakes to cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

marscapone frosting:

ingredients:

¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
12 oz. mascarpone cheese, softened
4 c. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

directions:

mix butter until completely smooth.  add marscapone {for a substitute, click here... because my grocery store didn't carry marscapone.}

add sugar and vanilla and keep mixing until smooth.

.... or, use your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe. it's all the same in my mind.

they're delish, i promise.  and people tell me they like them.... so i have to trust their word, right?

or maybe they're all just being nice?

peachy peach cupcakes.

pin.

there's nothing more gratifying {or rebellious} than staying up late when there's no school work in the morning. throw in a slumber party with an old college roommate... it's like old times. watching movies, baking treats, talking about boys, throwing pillows.  stuff like that.

we had a handful of fresh peaches from andi's parents house. so, naturally, at 10 o' clock at night i whipped up these peachy cupcakes.

if there's one lesson to be learned out there, kids, it's invest in real butter. don't tell my grandma, but i baked with margarine this weekend... working with what we had in the fridge {that wasn't mine!} and it turned out exactly as i suspected.

boo.

peach cupcakes with peach cream cheese frosting

week of menus blog

makes 24

cake:

1 cup butter

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

peaches.  we used 4 fresh peaches.  the recipe calls for 1.75 oz freeze dried peaches... it looks like she got the archer farms frozen peaches from target. - blended in a food processor

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup fresh peach puree.  so, more peaches...

1 tsp vanilla

directions:

preheat the oven to 350.

mix flour, baking powder, and salt. set aside.

in another bowl, mix buttermilk, peach puree and vanilla extract. set aside.

in another bowl, or your kitchenaid, beat butter and sugar until pale... a couple minutes. add eggs, one at a time. mix in the frozen peaches. mix in flour mixture, a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk mixture.

scrape down bowl and scoop in to cupcake tins.

BAKING SECRET FROM AUBRY: when i scoop my cupcakes into the cups, i use an ice cream scoop - the kind with the lever. one scoop usually fills the cupcake cup half way, which is usually right on. if you don't have an ice cream scoop, you can also use a cookie scoop.  two to three scoops.

the recipe says to bake for 21 to 24 minutes.... but mine weren't ready for a few more minutes.  i think they came out right at about 27 minutes.

peach cream cheese frosting

1 cup butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

the same 1.75 oz bag of frozen peaches... or 4 fresh peaches... mushed in the food processor

1 tsp vanilla

3 -5 cups powdered sugar

directions:

mix butter until soft.  add cream cheese and beat together. add vanilla and mix. add peaches and mix. start with 3 cups of powdered sugar... add more if needed.

the batter was the most delicious thing. i could have eaten it by the spoonful.

chocolate chip cookies.

classic aubry-ism:

i wanted a chocolate chip cookie, so i dug a recipe out of the archives of my "must try someday" list, started in on them 15 seconds after getting home from work, whisked, folded, measured {but not really}, scooped, baked, cooled, transferred.  and then forgot to eat.

until this morning.

but the recipe was really great.  you should all try it. and enjoy it. for you and for me. since i always seem to forget that part.

in response to your blog comment:

jamie commented on a post yesteday asking what we were going to do when she's back in town {she's adventuring in tennessee this summer with her grad student husband + children}, not pregnant anymore {she's pretty pregnant}, and ready to buy non pregnant clothes {which she's already working on}...

hey jamie,

no matter what we do, we're going to eat well.  so i thought we'd start with this, which i noticed you pinned too...

while we make the main course

and we'll shop online and stalk fashion blogs and i might even clean out my closet for a little try-on sesh while this bakes + cools.

if we're feeling adventurous, you'll take me to d.i. and show me your ways.  and i'll take you to anthropologie and show you mine.

or..... the j.crew outlet in park city.  we'll take as many breaks as you need to feed, change, and diaper your baby boy...... because no matter what, we'll be happy that you're back in town, not pregnant any more, and ready to buy non pregnant clothes!

hurrrrrrry back!

love,

aubry.

july is ice cream month.

i heard on the radio the other day - july is national ice cream month.  ronald reagan said so. and said it should be celebrated with "appropriate ceremonies and activities." 

and as the after-sunday-dinner joke goes around here... there's always room for ice cream.

i've rounded up a few of my favorites... none of which are chocolate.

sorry, my friends.  i'm a disgrace to my gender, as well as my mother.

i'd like to try my hand at all of these recipes.

 success or fail, i hold myself personally responsible for making sure none of it goes to waste...

licking the bowl and all.

peach.

pistachio gelato.

a personal favorite... i have some in the freezer at all times, if we're being honest.

strawberry ice cream.

my favorite "real" ice cream flavor

the classic standby and always delicious vanilla.

sweet corn + raspberry.

i saw a recipe for this in martha's july mag and can't get it off the brain.

like, i might buy myself an ice cream maker tonight and get to work in the kitchen.

plus, a recipe for ice cream cones.

this is heaven.

rhubarb tart.

image.

i've never had rhubarb.  i automatically assumed i wasn't a rhubarb lover because it looks like celery and i'd rather eat dirt than a stalk of celery. even filled with peanut butter.

but, in proper aubry fashion, while planning for bristyl's baby shower last weekend, i made sure every.single.detail. matched.  which meant i only served red, pink, orange, and yellow food.  chocolate desserts not allowed.

ima crazy, i knowwwwww.

so when i came upon these rhubarb bars on pinterest, i threw them on the list.

i had no idea what they'd taste like, but they matched.

turns out, i'm love that stuff.

mixed with a half a cup of sugar, but still, i love it.

tangy tart sweet thang of a fruit?  root?  stalk?  what is it?

the original recipe came from new zealand, so i had to do some conversions and i think the "corn flour" she mentions is really corn starch.  that's what i used, anyway.  and it worked.  i may even experiment with a little more starch next time so it firms up a little bit more while baking in the oven.

you can find the recipe here.

p.s.  this is rhubarb.  they're rhizomes.

kitchen book wish list.

in my wildest dreams, i would own all of these cookbooks, schedule a kitchen stay-cation long enough to master everything inside of them, and load my house full of sweet-treat eating friends to enjoy the earnings with me.

jeni's splendid ice creams at home

because i want to taste every single genius flavors jeni's ever created, but not for $14/pint.

macarons

because the cover is the prettiest of all the maracon books i browsed and i've made it my life's mission to use the d@&% almond flour sitting pretty in my freezer.

paletas

because anyone who's ever been to mexico knows the popsicles are the best part of the whole gig.

sugar baby

because i see a fab baby shower dessert table in my near future

miette

because we're not going to san fracisco anymore so the store front is out of the picture, but i am redeemed knowing it can bring it all home.

they're all loaded in my amazon shopping cart.

don't tempt me.

probably the best cookies i've ever made.

knock offs of the sugar cookie from tulie bakery.  costmetically, at least.  i'm not sure i could create anything that could taste that good.

cookie:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3 cups flour

cream sugar, eggs, and butter. add milk and vanilla. mix some more. sift salt, soda, poweder, and flour. add to butter mixture. if you're patient enough, chill in the fridge for a half hour. it will be easier to roll out.

bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes.

frosting:
discovered on savory sweet life.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3-4 cups powdered

1/4 tsp table salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp milk

there are a few hard, fast rules about this frosting:

use unsalted butter.  don't cheat. 

and whatever you do, don't rush the process by softening the butter in the micro.  cardinal rule.

cream the butter for a few minutes.  add the powdered sugar. mix at low speed so it doesn't explode out of your mixing bowl. combining these two ingredients will take another couple minutes in the mixer.  add salt while it's mixing. add vanilla.  use clear vanilla if you're looking for the whitest-of-all-white frosting. after all the other ingredients are incorporated, add milk.  one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the consistency you're after.

seriously, the best sugar cookies i've ever made.

poppy. poppy. poppy.

 don't most girls have a favorite flower?

some girls are rose girls.... they're usually the romantic/sweep-me-off-my-feet-ish type.

and some are are wild flower girls.... kind of hippie-ish.

my mom buys herself fresh flowers every week.

rebecca is a flower girl.

i've never been a flower kind of girl, but if i have to pick, i choose poppies.

the kind that wilt and die 14 seconds after picking them. 

i think that might mean something on a deeper level...

phsycologist, anyone?

or maybe not.

maybe it's just the california in me.

{it's the state flower, donchyaknow?}

martha's may issue is dedicated to poppies.... with all sorts of poppy creations. 

i drooled over every page.

i think these cupcakes are the sweetest of the bunch.

forget the recipe..... i've never liked martha's over complicated, unsalted butter recipes anyway.

but i dig the BRIGHT RED frosting + the real, live poppy seed sprinkles inside.

i'd make them this weekend, but i already have a back log of recipes

*cough*creamcheesepoundcake*cough

and some easter eggs to dye.

{am i 7?  i neeeed to dye easter eggs this year. and fill them with sparkles?}

oooh.... is it also strange that i think POPPY is a cute name for a girl baby?

now that i say it, i'll never use it, of course.

my arsenal of baby names is locked tight in a vault ... or under my rolodex at work

who has a rolodex anymore?

i need to go to the grocery store. right now.

i need to make this.

i'm heading out of town in the morning, but i think i could probably take care of it all tonight... i mean... if needs be.

cream cheese pound cake.

whyyyyyy is it that cream cheese makes thebest desserts?

i think i'll make these this weekend.

cinnamon cream cheese breakfast bars.

except, i probably won't wait until breakfast.

i think i'll make them tonight.... with holly.

thanksgiving dinner.

i'm mentally preparing myself for thanksgiving dinner - the pinnacle of all bennion family food gatherings.

no pressure or anything, but i haven't been specifically assigned a task {like bringing the unwhipped whipping cream} so i'm on my own to prove myself and bring it.

i discovered this recipe in college when a wooing suitor tried to impress the house of girls to win the heart of a roommate.  we were smitten with the meal.  not so impressed with the well pressed, but untucked button down over the tucked white fruit of the loom tee combo.  especially paired with the square-toed kenneth cole slip ons. 

just too much. 

bacon wrapped green beans:

1 lb. fresh green beans

5 strips of bacon

3 tbsp melted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 clove garlic - pressed/finely chopped

1/8 tsp soy sauce

directions:

boil green beans in large pot till tender. meanwhile, fry the bacon in a skillet over med-low heat. you want the bacon to cook ‘soft’. do not ‘crisp’ the bacon. place aside on paper towels to cool and reduce grease. then cut the strips into halves.

after beans have been drained, i like to put a little butter in the post to melt on the beans (this is optional and not included in the ingredients above). in a 13x9 pan lay one of the ‘half’ pieces of bacon and place several beans (about 6-7) then wrap the bacon around the bundle of beans and secure with a toothpick. continue doing this till the beans are gone.

melt the 3 tsp of butter in small sauce pan. add brown sugar, garlic salt and soy sauce and mix continuously over med-high heat. once completely blended, brush over the bundles with a ‘cooking’ brush until mixture is gone.

bake at 400 degrees in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

i'll also come with a pie in hand.  bennion's don't celebrate holidays without a my-pie-is-better-than-your-pie party... which can get ugly... since there are at least 37 of us... and we're all better than everyone else.

contributor.

you're looking at the newest contributor to the just cook already website.

{by request of the kitchen queen herself - jenna.}

my inagural post?  pumpkin pie oatmeal. 

check back, yo.  there's more to come.

fall baking.

 if you're looking for me, i'll be in the kitchen.  with some pumpkin and apple and all sorts of fall spice flavors.

first:  pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

come spring time, i'll be making the meyer lemon cinnamon rolls, yes i will.

and i've been dyyyying to experiment with apple cider donuts all year long.

'tis the season!

of course, there's the company chili cook off and salsa contest just around the corner.

award winner, right here.

gotta keep the title.

best bread of your life.

every time someone posts a recipe for banana bread online, in a blog, cookbook, etc. i turn my nose at it.

i won't give it a second thought because i know that my banana bread is the end all be all recipe.

this is the bread the chefs serve in heaven.

i mean, i guess i'd tryyy your bread if you baked it for me {and forced it down my throat or paid me for it} but there's really no sense in experimenting with another recipe when i know this is the best bread recipe in the world.

here's the secret:  almond extract and buttermilk.

i've never seen another recipe like it.

convinced?
if anyone would like to vouch for it, go ahead.  i have a feeling my baking arrogance confidence will turn people away... and they won't experience the perfection that is this bread.

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cup mashed banana... or more.

bake at 350 for about an hour.

makes two loaves.

pssss:  don't mess it up with walnuts or chocolate chips.  that'll ruin the purity of it all.  just bake it like i told you to!

 

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the aftermath.

this is what a kitchen looks like after a day of baking cake... cleaning as i go, even.

the tackle box of piping bag supplies

tips and couplers and food coloring, oh my

parchment paper

fondant

apron

hot pads

pans

cooling racks

cake scraps

the kitchenaid

mixing bowls

mixing bowls

mixing bowls

oh, and the cake

clean up is the worst.

but the two-year old clawing at the cake with pure delight makes it worth it in the end, i suppose.

i'm a sucker for citrus.

i happened upon j.r. watkins lemon citrus hand soap this week at target.  i swear, they have it all.  it was right next to the caldrea soap and the mrs. meyers soap that i used to hoard from off boutiques and online shops to pay too much for. 

what can i say?  i love me a good sweet citrus smell.

i also love a good sweet citrus taste.  and, as if i need another reason to be in the kitchen this week, i'm going to stop everything to make these lemon sugar cookies.

thanks, design*sponge, for the good ideas, good leads, good recipes... all.the.time.