The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

Last week, Peony shared some tips with us on how to have a lovely, low-pressure Valentine’s Day. As part of the Valentine’s Day fanfare, most of us are looking for a dessert that’s impressive, but won’t find us spending hours in the kitchen. This, my friends, is just the thing — cute little two-bite brownies, filled with cream cheese and topped with a maraschino cherry.  They’re perfect for sharing and, for those of you with a significant other in your life, how sexy would it be to feed these to each other?

Even better, you can whip these cuties up in no time flat. If you don’t feel like making the brownies from scratch, you can substitute brownie mix (look for a fudgy variety). No matter which way you decide to go with these, you’ll end up with an amazing little treat that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day or any other occasion. Enjoy, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tuxedo Brownies
(adapted from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert
and The Pampered Chef Celebrate! cookbook)
Brownies:
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (1.2 ounces) all-purpose flour

Position oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350˚F. Spray two mini muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Place chocolate and butter in heatproof bowl and set over a pan of almost-simmering water. Stir frequently until mixture is melted and smooth and warm. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla with a hand-held mixer on high speed until the eggs are thick and light colored, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm chocolate. Fold in the flour.

Using small scoop, place a level scoop of batter in each cup, filling 2/3 full. Bake 12-14 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and edges are set (do not overbake). Remove from oven and immediately press tops of brownies with a mini tart shaper to make indentions (if you don’t have a tart shaper, you can use the back of a measuring spoon or your thumb to gently press down the center of the brownie). Cool in pan briefly and then loosen edges and gently remove brownies from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack while making the filling.

Filling and toppings:
4 squares white chocolate for baking — 1 oz each
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
48 maraschino cherries
melted semi-sweet chocolate for drizzling(optional)

Microwave white chocolate and milk uncovered on medium power in 20-30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Gradually beat in white chocolate mixture until smooth.

Fill a decorator bag fitted with rosette tip with cream cheese mixture. Pipe mixture into cooled brownie cups. Place cherries on top. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Place in airtight container and refrigerate for 1-3 hours before serving.

Yield: 4 dozen

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

Many of us have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. We here at FGG are thrilled to have the opportunity to get to know our community of new friends, and we hope you’re having as much fun as we are! As the year comes to a close and we take stock of our good fortune, it’s also important to remember that there are many people in our communities who are struggling through difficult times and need a little help. That’s why this year I chose to get involved with a great non-profit called Drop In & Decorate (more on my party tomorrow over at Culinography).

Drop In & Decorate was founded by a fellow food blogger, Lydia Walshin. Their mission is to help people build bridges of caring and respect between groups within their own communities . . . with cookies! Set aside a little time, gather a few co-workers, kids, friends or family, and before you know it, you’re ready to donate cookies to a nonprofit agency serving basic human needs in your community. What a great way to send a little good out into the world–during the holidays or any other time of year!

This experience has given me something I’d been missing out on until this year: the joy of decorating sugar cookies. I’m amazed at the fun I was missing. Not only are sugar cookies easy to whip up (and using things most of us have in our kitchens), but you can also let your creativity run wild with the shapes, icing colors, and decorations. Each one can truly be an original work of art.

Why not spend a little time this weekend decorating cookies? And, if you’re so inclined, consider making someone’s day a little brighter by donating some or all of your creations as part of the Drop In & Decorate initiative. And have fun making, savoring, and sharing your goodies!

Sugar Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl/bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fully combined. Add the flour mixture in three parts and beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl occasionally.

Roll out dough on a floured surface to approximately 1/4 inch and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on size

Royal Icing
(courtesy of Lydia @ The Perfect Pantry)
1 lb + scant 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
5 Tbsp meringue powder
1/2 cup cool water (add more, a teaspoon at a time, if needed for desired consistency)
A few drops of paste food coloring

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine first three ingredients and mix on low speed until glossy and fluffy, 7-8 minutes. To color, place some icing in a small bowl or plastic cup, and stir in a few drops of food coloring until desired shade is reached. Royal Icing hardens quickly when exposed to air, so use immediately, or transfer to an airtight container; it will keep overnight at room temperature. Beat well before using.

Yield: 2-1/2 cups, enough for one batch of large cookies.

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

Mini muffins. They’re fun, they’re bite-size, and they’re portion controlled… what’s not to love here? I recently dug up this recipe to bring to work for a friend’s birthday after remembering that she loved a similar version from one of the large coffee shop chains. The upside of doing them homemade vs. store-bought is you know exactly what’s in them and exactly how fresh they are.

These little gems aren’t overly-sweet. Instead they’re light and citrusy with little bursts of tart cranberry, and a slightly crunchy, sugary top…mini perfection! You can certainly make them in a regular-sized muffin tin but I like them better as minis – not only because they’re adorable, but also because their small size allows you to eat two or three of them instead of just one. Seems a little more decadent that way, don’t you think?

Orange-Cranberry Muffins
(recipe modified slightly from Food Network)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
zest of one orange
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus some for topping the muffins
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup skim milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove berries from the heat, and set aside to cool and plump. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.

Line a 24-mini muffin tin (or regular size 12-muffin tin) with paper liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, orange zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the cranberries until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes for minis and 25 minutes for regular-size muffins. Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before removing from pan.

Yield: 12 regular-sized muffins or 24 mini-muffins

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

Candy Apples by markus941

From the moment Halloween candy first appears on grocery store shelves, something else wicked this way comes: “holiday survival guides” related to food and dieting lurk around every magazine, newspaper, and web page. Thus begins an entire season of treat avoidance centered around the sensible goal of preventing annual holiday weight gain.

I’d like to propose a different way of viewing the holiday season: sensible indulgence. After all, we’re here to thrive, not just survive, right? This philosophy can be easily adopted no matter where you are on the fat girl spectrum, from “large and in charge” and rockin’ the fat acceptance thing to the most emotionally-scarred chronic dieter.

FGG already advocates the mindful decadence approach via our delectable weekly Foodie Friday column (where Michelle is doing a fabulous job crafting recipes I actually use). I’d like to explain this philosophy a bit more as it applies to holidays where over-indulgence is an annual theme.

The idea is simple: life is short and food is delicious, so why not choose one or two things we truly enjoy and savor them instead of buying into the idea that deprivation is the only path to a balanced life or healthy body?

Have one or two really delicious seasonal treats and let the rest go. Trust yourself. Love pumpkin pie? Order a slice of the good stuff at a bakery instead of picking up a generic pie at the grocery store, enjoy the heck out of that slice, and look forward to having some more next year. I love caramel apples, but I don’t treat myself to those most of the year. Halloween is a great time to indulge in one or two, especially from a specialty shop like Amy’s Gourmet Apples.

Honestly, we’ve all broken into the Halloween candy meant for the neighborhood kids, or picked at our kids’ goodie bags when they’ve gone to bed for the night. But that way of eating isn’t any healthier emotionally or physically at any size, and I think the need to dig in comes as much from feeling deprived as it does from real hunger or craving. Making the conscious choice to treat ourselves allows us to appreciate some of the tastier things in life while also discouraging mindless eating.

What about you? How do you handle the succession of food-oriented holidays this time of year? If you’re looking for some ideas for mindful indulgence, check out this brilliant – if labor-intensive – idea for bite-sized hazelnut creme brulee. Or how about a box of four adorable Halloween truffles?

Share your own ideas by leaving a comment!