My neighbor gave me some fresh figs from her tree so I did what anyone else would do.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb crisco

5 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

6 eggs

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon nutmeg

1/2 tablespoon ground clove

1 cup walnuts

6-8 figs chopped in bite-sized pieces

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, cut in crisco until blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, vanilla, and orange juice. Fold in figs and nuts. Form football shaped loaves (should make about 6-8 loaves).  Bake on cookie sheet for approx 20 minutes (test with toothpick).  Take out and slice on the diagonal.  Place cookies down on baking sheet and toast for approx. 10 minutes, flip and toast other side for another 7-10 minutes making sure not to burn.

Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Nina calls it my “O Cake”. Oranges and Almonds in a skillet never tasted so damn good.

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• orange zest, from one whole orange + 2 tablespoons of fresh juice
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more to grease the pan (1 stick)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• Candied Orange slices from 1 orange (Made in advance-see recipe below) (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sanding sugar, or demerara sugar
• powdered sugar, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Candied Orange Slices (Made in Advance)

Vic wanted Milanos so I made him “Palumbos.”

Cookies:

12 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 egg whites
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Ganache:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

You heard me.

Pumpkin and Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wax and parchment paper

1 tablespoon coarse sugar

1/2 cup marshmallow crème (see recipe below)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 3/4 cup powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add pumpkin until incorporated then stir in 2 tsp. vanilla.
2. Stir together flour and next 6 ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
3. Divide dough in half; flatten each into a disk. Roll each disk to 1/4-inch thickness between 2 sheets of wax paper. Transfer dough, in wax paper, to a baking sheet; chill 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Working with 1 portion of dough at a time, remove top wax paper; cut with a 2-inch round cutter, rerolling dough scraps once. Place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets; sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
5. Bake at 350° for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.
6. Place a tablespoon of marshmallow creme between two cookies.

Marshmallow Creme Filling for cookies

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

• Stir together the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 240°F on a candy/fat thermometer.
• Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Start whipping the egg whites to soft peaks on medium speed. (The goal is to have the egg whites whipped and ready, waiting for your syrup to be drizzled in. If they’re whipping faster than your syrup is coming to temperature, just stop the mixer until the syrup is ready.)
• When the syrup reaches 240°F, reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly drizzle about 2 tablespoons of syrup into the egg whites to warm them. (If you add too much syrup at once, the whites will scramble.) Slowly drizzle in the rest of the syrup. Increase the speed to medium high and whip until the marshmallow crème is stiff and glossy, about 7 minutes. Add in the vanilla and whip 2 minutes more. Use immediately or refrigerate stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

I altered this recipe.

This one goes out to all my girlfriends that got knocked up.

BUNS

1(1/4 ounce) package dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

1⁄2 cup  granulated sugar

1⁄3 cup  butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

4 cups flour

FILLING

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 1⁄2tablespoons cinnamon

1/3 cup butter softened

ICING

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
2. Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.
3. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.
4. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide.
6. It should be approx 1/4 thick.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
8. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
9. Spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
10. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
11. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.
12. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.
13. While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.
14. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
15. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

I altered this recipe.

I used up what I bought this weekend for this recipe. Make the dip before you go to bed.  As soon as you wake up you’ll jump out of bed to make the scone chips.  After all,  what else are you going to do with the dip if you don’t make chips?

Key Lime Dip

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated key-lime zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed key-lime juice (approx. 6 limes)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS

Combine sugar, eggs, lime zest, and juice in a medium nonreactive saucepan, and set over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to thicken and holds the mark of the whisk, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, and whisk in butter, a piece at a time, until well combined. Strain mixture through a sieve into a glass bowl. Lay plastic directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill 3 hours or overnight to set the curd.

Grape Scone Chips

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup grapes cut into pieces

grated zest and juice of 2 lemons, divided

1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks

3/4 cup of cream

1 large egg

extra milk or cream, for brushing

coarse or turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

1/2 cup icing sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425F.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the lemon zest and butter and pulse or blend with a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.

Squeeze the juice of one of the lemons into a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 3/4 cup. Add the egg and stir with a fork.

Add to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until the dough comes together. Gather it into a ball and pat it out into a square or rectangle about an inch thick on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut into squares or rounds, gathering up any scraps and rerolling them gently (if you have any).

If you cut them, pull the scones apart so that there’s space for the heat to move around them. If you like, brush the tops with a little cream and/or sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.

Slice scones in half and dunk them in the key lime dip.

I pretty much made this up.

Some things are not meant to be shared, like my dough recipe.  I has taken me years to perfect.  I linked to an awesome recipe below.  It is the best jumping off point for bread, pizza, focaccia…you name it.

INGREDIENTS

Dough

4 cups grapes

fennel seeds to taste

olive oil for drizzling

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Place dough in cookie sheet.  Brush with olive oil and leave covered overnight.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to cook, Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place grapes on top of dough pushing some of them into the dough but not all the way through to the bottom.

Sprinkle sugar and salt over the top.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown on the top.

Slice and serve hot or cold.

Bananas, Chocolate, and Peanut Butter. Enough said.
INGREDIENTS

3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas

1/2 cup (115 grams) butter, melted

3/4 cup (145 grams) brown sugar (I use dark here; either light or dark work)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional; I skip it)

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 cut peanut butter

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

 DIRECTIONS

Heat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or spray it with a nonstick baking spray.

Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. (You’ll have a little over 1 cup mashed banana total.) Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Place baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using), flour and cocoa powder in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and sift over wet ingredients. (My cocoa is almost always lumpy, so this is essential for me.) Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks or chips. Spoon in peanut butter 1/4 tsp. at a time and fold in gently.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack.

I altered this recipe.