Apricot Pineapple Jam with Lion House Rolls

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Apricot season has ended.

I'm glad we had several friends willing to share their harvest. And now, I would like to share with you our family's absolute favorite jam recipe, apricot pineapple. It used to be printed with the MCP pectin instructions, but for some reason, it's not there anymore. It would be a true shame if this recipe were lost, so feel free to make this jam and share the recipe with your friends and family.

We made quite a few batches this year. I pitted and pureed, and Katie did the rest. We ended up with about 30 jars of jam. One would think that many jars would last us until next summer. However, an opened jar doesn't last very long in our house, especially with our growing kids. I think I need to initiate a rationing program.

Or, better yet—a reward program.
"Yes, you may have some toast with apricot pineapple jam...as soon as you clean your room."

After we finished making the jam, I was in the mood to bake something to go with it. I immediately thought of my favorite rolls from the historical Lion House Pantry in downtown Salt Lake City. These rolls are incredible. They are light, airy, and buttery. And, what I love most is the shape. They sort of remind me of those of those round bales of hay. I'd post a photo of them, but I couldn't find a good one online, not even on the Lion House Pantry website. But, just try to imagine a roll looking like this.

This past year, the Lion House started selling a box mix of their rolls. Even though homemade is always better than a mix, I considered buying a box. But then it occurred to me, the recipe might be online. It was! I also found this video where a Lion House pastry chef, demonstrates the rolling technique to achieve the signature shape.

The rolls I made tasted just like what you would buy at the restaurant. However, I need a little more practice to achieve the signature shape. As rolls go, mine look perfectly fine, but they did have these little ends sticking out. I also ended up covered in the flour and butter. Once we spread on the apricot pineapple jam, we couldn't control ourselves, and the rolls were scarfed up in no time. I think I might volunteer to make the rolls at the annual family gathering at Thanksgiving.

Yep, I don't think it will be too long before we run out of jam.

Seriously, these rolls are heaven. Just looking at the picture
makes me want to make more.

Cherry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

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Through our local food co-op, we purchased a preselected variety of products from the Nutty Guys. I'm a big fan of the Nutty Guys, but one of the items included was a very large bag of dried cherries. It's not that I dislike cherries, but they've never been my favorite dried fruit. So, the bag sat for a couple months on the shelf until our health conscious friends from Canada came to stay. It was a good opportunity to unload on them all the healthy stuff that just sits around our place. With our Canadian house guests, we mainly ate the cherries straight out of the bag and on salads.

However, when the Canucks returned to the North Pole, we still had a half a bag of cherries left. Now that the bag was opened, we needed to use them up. I first tried them in a scone recipe we like. I substituted the cherries for the dried cranberries. These turned out exceptionally well, and I even like them better with the cherries. I started to brainstorm other ways to use the cherries in baking.

I decided to take a really good oatmeal cookie recipe and throw in some cherries and white chocolate chips. The result? Simply amazing. Katie expressed a little displeasure, however, because she knew she wouldn't be able to resist them. To help her out, I brought a bunch of them into work where they were a big hit (and not because I work with a bunch of starving college students).

These oatmeal cookies are so good and so easy to make. The dried cherries and white chocolate really add pizazz. Give 'em a try. And also, don't forget to check out the Nutty Guys. They've got lots of other great products, and they ship all over the US.

After photographing, I practically ate this

stack myself—the breakfast of champions.

Oatmeal and dried cherries? Yes, I'm sure they're healthy!

Apricot Raspberry Tart

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It's apricot season in Utah!

Apricots are part of the culture in these parts. We even have a children's song about apricot trees. It seems like every yard except ours has an apricot tree. This, of course, is perfectly fine by me because neighbors are usually happy to share, and I don't have to clean up any rotted fruit off the ground.

A friend posted on Facebook they had a tree full of ripe apricots free for picking. So, I went over and picked enough to make apricot pineapple jam* and this recipe for apricot raspberry tart. I wanted to make this tart for three reasons:

1. I'm not sure I have ever used the tart pan that's been in our cupboard for I don't know how long. It's finally time.
2. I also picked up some great looking raspberries at the farmer's market.
3. This tart reminds me of the apricot desserts I sampled last year in Austria. An area just outside Vienna is famous for its apricots. One word—amazing.

As long as you have a food processor, this recipe is easy. If you don't have one, use canned almond filling instead.

And as an added bonus, here is some music to motivate you to try this tart. The first song is the song mentioned above, "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," followed by two variations. Enjoy and happy baking! (If the widget doesn't appear, I apologize. Grooveshark has been having problems lately.)

*This is one of our family's favorites, and I'll post the recipe soon.

This dessert makes summer sweet!

Cool Van Gogh plate, don't you agree?

Teddy Bars (Happy Birthday to Me)

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Twenty years ago, Katie and I were both in college and working in the university's library. During our breaks, we would often dash next door to the campus bookstore for a quick treat. This is when we made an amazing, fantastic discovery. There they were right in the middle of the ice cream freezer—the Teddy Bars, frozen slices of cheesecake on popsicle sticks dipped in chocolate.

Oh... My... Goodness.  Now, that's my kind of popsicle—perfect for a hot summer day!

This was back in the days when I could eat practically anything and not gain a pound, so I enjoyed, relished, savored, and devoured many a Teddy Bar.

After that summer, they quit selling Teddy Bars in the bookstore, and I haven't seen them anywhere since.* Over the years, I've often thought longingly of my favorite college days treat. 

Well, if you've read much of this blog, you know that I quite often bring treats for birthdays at work. Yesterday was a birthday I wasn't going to miss. Mine.

Now, I can hear many of you thinking, "What! Make your own birthday cake?" And I say, "You betcha." Baking for me is fun, and this way I assure I get what I want.

I wanted to bring something that would completely astound the crowd so that they would fall over backward in their chairs. What could induce such a reaction? The Teddy Bars! But, could I recreate them? Why not!

I made what I consider to be the ultimate New York style cheese cake leaving off the topping. And, Cheesecake Karma must have been with me because the cheesecake turned out absolutely beautiful without a single crack.** And, assembly wasn't too difficult.

The reaction at work? Well, no one fell out of their chairs because they were all standing. However, it was total shock and ooh aah.

 Perfect. Just say no to crack.

I would venture to say these are even better than the original.

*After doing a little Internet research, I found a company in Texas, Lawler Foods, makes the Teddy Bar. I'll have to ask my sister in Texas if she's ever heard of them. But, I think I will still put a note in the comment box at the bookstore asking to please bring them back.


**Helpful hints for making a crack-free cheesecake:

1. Have ingredients at room temperature.
2. Do not over beat the batter. Mix well, but slow and steady does the trick.
3. Don't over-bake your cheesecake. The cake should be firm with the middle slightly wobbly.
4. Grease your springform pan well. The cheesecake will shrink as it cools.
5. If your cheesecake does develop a crack. Cover it with a topping, or tell your guests it's a true sign the cheesecake is homemade with love.

P.S. Speaking (or writing) of cracks, here is a video that totally cracked me up. It was produced by the BYU Library where Katie and I worked. It's based on the popular Old Spice commercial. Makes me proud to be an alumnus. Go Cougars!

Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream

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I've heard it said many times that Utah consumes more ice cream per capita than any other state. I have been unable to find who did the research, but I like to believe it's true. And, I am proudly doing my part to make sure Utah stays number one.

Recently, my mom passed on to me an old ice cream recipe book I remember from my childhood. I think our family only ever made a couple of the recipes. However, I have now read the book cover to cover and want to have a little ice cream fun. I plan on trying a bunch of the recipes and experimenting this summer.

My mom had left a post-it note on a page with this recipe for Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream—my guess is because she liked it or had plans to try it. I figure it's a good place to start.

The ice cream turned out rich, creamy, and with a strong chocolate flavor. It got great reviews from my two boys who want me to make it again very soon (like now). The taste and texture reminded me of one of my all time favorite treats, a Longboard Popsicle*. I think this chocolate pudding ice cream would make great gourmet popsicles. I think I'll have to start investigating popsicle making methods, molds, and flavors. Any suggestions?

 If Utah's going to be number one at something, ice cream 

consumption isn't bad, especially with a flavor like this.

*If you haven't tried a Longboard, I highly recommend you do. In my area of the country, they can be purchased at Maceys and Costco.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Muffins

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When it comes to Independence Day celebrations, Provo really goes all out. It's been a few years since we've been to the parade, but when the high temperature was only supposed to be in the mid-eighties, we decided to go. We joined up with some friends for a potluck breakfast while waiting for the parade to begin.

We brought a favorite from our innkeeper days. If you read the chewy ginger cookies post, you know our three criteria for a great bed and breakfast recipe. For us, this muffin recipe was a winner.

1. The recipe makes a lot—3 dozen, in fact. Plus, they freeze well.
2. They're easy to make. In a B&B kitchen, you're often by yourself and multitasking. Easy recipes are essential.
3. They taste great. Our guests loved these hearty muffins served warm. They're moist, and the melted butterscotch chips are a tasty surprise. And, with all that oatmeal, they must be healthy. Right?

Speaking of the bed and breakfast, one of the things Katie and I take pride in is that once we had a guest stay with us for a month. We served him a different gourmet breakfast each day never repeating a single recipe. Now that was no easy task.

So that means I've got quite a few breakfast recipes to share. Stay tuned, and I'll get busy. In the meantime, enjoy these muffins.

Ginger Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Take one scoop of this.

 Peach Ice Cream

Smash it between two of these cookies.

 Chewy Ginger Cookies

And what have you got?

Darn near the most incredible ice cream sandwiches* ever, and I ain't lyin'.


*After assembly, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. If you can be patient, they're even better a day or two later.