Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar

Servings: 16
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup diced dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

Frosting:
4-ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

Drizzled Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Make cake by beating butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth.

Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand. Pour batter into a well-greased 9x13" baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Allow cake to cool.

3. Make frosting by combining softened cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake.

4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

5. Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and shortening. Drizzle icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a fine tip to drizzle frosting across the top of the cake.

6. Allow cake to sit for several hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices.

Fake a Starbucks Frappucino

A recipe I got from Glamour magazine, April 2002

Fake a Starbucks Frappucino

Glory hallelujah! Someone-specifically food investigaor Todd Wilbur -- had re-created the coffee chain's addictive formula. Here it is, from his new book "Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits, & Shakes" (Plume):

To make 2 "grande" drinks, blend 3/4 cup cold double-strength coffee (brewed with twice the beans your machine requires), 1 cup low-fat milk, 3 tbsp granulated sugar and 2 cups ice in a blender on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is silky smooth. Serve with a straw.

--------------------------------

(ingredients listed in a better way for the Jodi-method)

3/4 C cold strong coffee
1 C lowfat milk
3 T sugar
2 C ice