Clockwork Lemon

07/23/2015

Peanut Butter Yogurt Parfaits

These healthy parfaits are one of my favorite breakfasts. I take plain Greek yogurt, stir in peanut butter and a bit of vanilla, then toss in a handful of banana slices and blueberries. Sometimes I'll add honey to the yogurt or stir in some chopped peanuts for a little crunch.

I used to just pile it into a bowl until I realized it only take a minute or two to layer all the ingredients and suddenly my quick-and-easy breakfast looks like a fancy little treat. I'm sharing the recipe and step-by-step instructions over at I Love Peanut Butter's website today, so head over and take a look!

Posted at 07:04 PM in Brunch | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/13/2015

Apricot Cream Scones

It's been far too long since I've shared something from my kitchen on here. Bad blogger! Previously, I balanced freelance work and full time work with working on my blog. Right now I still have freelance work, full time work, but wedding planning is butting in right where I would normally devote time to blogging. Pesky wonderful wedding and all of it's demanding details.

Thankfully, the planning won't last forever and soon I'll be back to my regular schedule sharing with the internet how I ate frosting for lunch and leftover cake for dinner. *Dignity*

This doesn't mean that I've stopped baking, decorating, and photographing though! My freelance work is all recipe related so I still have an excuse for stashing mountains of butter, flour, and sugar in my fridge and pantry. It's not hoarding if you legitimately need it, right?

One of the freelance recipes I made recently are these apricot cream scones with vanilla glaze. They're super easy and bake up tall and flaky with chunks of fresh apricot nestled in between the layers. You can find the recipe here on Produce Made Simple's website. It was a lot of fun putting the recipe together, mostly because of my rigorous taste-testing protocol with myself as the head taster. I highly recommend giving them a try.

Posted at 06:44 AM in Brunch | Permalink | Comments (1)

04/05/2015

3D Printers & Ice Cream Cone Cookies

It's been a while since I've put up a post. I've been baking and shooting and working on new things.. but the part where I sit down and write about it hasn't happened in faaar too long. I started a new job and it's taken more time than I thought to re-set my routine and get everything fitting nicely into a schedule again. Previously, I was spoiled with flexible work hours and having to grocery shop on a Saturday was a shock to the system (what are we ALL doing here at once?? Just..No.)

Obviously I had to just get over it and join the crushing mass of humanity running errands on the weekends. But now that I've adjusted, I can focus on sharing the delicious things that have been happening in my life.

Delicious things like these ice cream cone cookies. My new job is at a tech start-up and these little buddies were made possible with the help of some of my new coworkers and their 3D printer.

I picked out the ice cream cone cookie cutter design from Thingiverse (a website where you can choose from various 3D printing projects). Next, I sent it over to my coworker because apparently it's not quite as simple as pressing "print". You need to take heat and time and the type of plastic into account (or something.. I had nothing to do with this part whatsoever. The printer runs on magic for all I know). An hour later, voila! A purple translucent cookie cutter in the shape of an ice cream cone. The future is now.

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Posted at 04:16 PM in Cookies | Permalink | Comments (4)

02/12/2015

5 Valentine's Day Treats for Butter Lovers

Valentine's day is fast approaching and it seems stores are sticking with the age-old assumption that chocolate and/or flowers and/or jewelry = Valentine's Day. I don't have anything against that - in fact I think any excuse to splurge on some gourmet truffles you've been eyeing on Instagram (I can't be the only one who does this) or whip up an extra decedent chocolate dessert is a good one.

But what about the other things that make life so wonderful and delicious? Chocolate is great, but what about butter? Most baked goods rely of the magical powers that only butter possesses. Think about it! Where would croissants or shortbread or Swiss meringue buttercream be without really good butter? Margarine sure isn't stepping up to the plate on those tasks (sorry margarine.. I'm sure someone, somewhere loves you).

This Valentine's day I say surprise your loved ones with treats made with best thing that's happened to baking since flour and sugar: butter!

1. Brown Butter Brioche

Brioche is made by enriching dough with eggs and lots of butter. By 'lots' I means LOTS! The butter is equal to half of the weight of the flour (and you can find recipes where the flour and butter are equal weights...whooaaa butter). This particular recipe calls for the butter to be heated until it's golden and nutty and delicious before using it in the dough. Its bread for people who are serious about their butter.

Get the recipe: Brown Butter Brioche

2. Hand Pies

Nothing says "Be My Valentine" like flaky, buttery pastry with a fresh strawberry filling. It doesn't hurt that these little guys are cuter than the average pie.

Get the recipe: Strawberry Hand Pies

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Posted at 09:09 PM in Adventures | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/02/2015

Braided Stuffed Breakfast Bread

As much as I enjoy a slice of cake, I harbor a secret (ok not so secret) love for savory baking, and this loaf is the perfect example. It's all soft, fluffy white bread stuffed with spicy jalapeno cream cheese, breakfast sausage and scrambled eggs. The braid gives it that 'wow factor' for a weekend brunch but it's even better as a super-duper-crazy-easy week-day breakfast. Each slice is it's own breakfast sandwich.. no assembly required! You can bake the loaf on the weekend, then wrap it in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge. The slices are sturdy enough to pack for breakfast on the go and they heat up within seconds in the microwave. Breakfast bread.. where have you been all my life?

The filling ingredients are totally flexible, feel free to change up the flavors according to your preference! I love stuffing it with scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, and a jalapeno cream cheese base. However, you can put bacon instead of sausage, throw some green and red peppers into the cream cheese, or add cheddar to your eggs as you cook them. As long as you spread a cream cheese base (of any flavor) and under-cook the eggs so they don't dry out in the oven, you can mix and match flavors with whatever you have on hand.

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Posted at 09:53 AM in Breads | Permalink | Comments (2)