Whole Wheat Carrot Crunchies

Whole Wheat Carrot Crunchies

*Great Dane tasted & approved

5 Cups Whole wheat flour

4 Cups Oatmeal

¾ Cups Egg whites

2 Cups Chicken broth

2 Cups Carrots (cooked til soft)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F

Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Mash the carrots and set aside to cool (I kept mine on the chunky side which was a big hit with Meadow)

In a large bowl combine the above ingredients, adding the carrots in last and mix well.  This combination will be soft, if too soft to handle add more flour.

Turn out mixture onto a floured surface, kneed a few times then roll out to ½ to ¾” thick.

Cut with cookie cutter and place in a greased cookie sheet.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 30 minutes then flip the bones and cook for another 30 minutes.

Turn off oven and let the bones remain in the oven for another 30-40 minutes or until hard.

Hawaiian Sweet roll Sliders

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Sliders

1 pkg of 12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

½ - 1 whole onion, minced or grated

1 stick of butter

2 Tbsp Dijon or spicy brown mustard

2-3 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tsp poppy seeds

½-3/4 pound shaved ham

8-9 slices of swiss cheese

---

Melt butter in small skillet and add onions. Combine mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and poppy seeds into onions and butter. Simmer for several minutes.

Slice rolls as a group length wise and place bottoms in an aluminum foil lined 13“ x 9” pan

Spread 3/4 of onion mixture on roll bottoms, followed by the ham and cheese slices

 Spread the remaining onion mixture over the top.

 Top with the roll tops.

 Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate till ready to bake

Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes on 350 degrees

Coconut Crazy Pie

Coconut Crazy Pie

                              a Bisquick recipe

2 Cups milk

¾ C Sugar

½ C Bisquick

½ Stick Butter

4 Eggs

1 ½ tesap. Vanilla

1 (heaping) Cup Coconut flakes

Mix ALL ingredients in the blender on high for 5 mintues.

Pour into greased pie plate (9 or 10”)

Bake @ 350Degrees F for 50-55 minutes

That’s it! Enjoy.

(pics soon, this pie went quick!)

Banana Bundt Cake

Banana Bundt Cake

½ Cup Butter (softened)
1 ½ Cups Sugar
1 ½ Cups Mashed Bananas (about 3)
2 Eggs
1 teasp. Vanilla
2 Cups Flour
1 teasp. Baking Soda
½ Cup Sour cream
½ teasp. Salt

Cream butter; add sugar.
Add in eggs and vanilla beat til fluffy then add in bananas.
In separate bowl mix flour, soda and salt then add slowly to the banana mixture. Mix until blended then add sour cream slowly and blend will –careful not to over mix.
Spread into a greased 8 cup Bundt pan.
Bake @ 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

Crispy, Chewy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

1 c. butter, room temperature
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1 c. walnut pieces
Handfull of Craisins if desired

Combine dry ingredients; set aside. Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in oats and walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees on greased or lined cookie sheets 10-12 minutes

*add more Oats for a thicker more dense cookie.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

.

2 sheets Frozen Puff Pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm brand) Thawed
1 egg, beaten
1 tblsp. water

2 cups cooked chicken, diced in to cubes
1/3 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup Flour
1 large carton Chicken broth
½ Cup Half & Half
1 small Onion, chopped fine
1 sm package Carrots (cooked and sliced)
1 Cup frozen peas (thawed and cooked)

While your pastry sheets are thawing you can make your filling:

In a medium sized saucepan make a roux with the flour and butter.
Add chicken broth a little at a time while stirring to make a thick gravy consistency then add in ½ cup of half and half to thin out the sauce a bit.
** Make sure you cook down the flour before adding the chicken broth or you will taste the flour in your sauce.

In a small pan sauté the onions til clear then add them to the roux. Add the remaining chicken, carrots & peas. This is now your sauce/gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place the sauce/gravy in a 2 quart casserole dish.
Take 1 sheet of the thawed puff pastry and place it horizontal on your dish then take the 2nd sheet and place that one vertical on your casserole. Trim off excess pastry and crimp edges with a fork.

Wisk 1 egg with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl then egg wash your puff pastry before placing it in the oven.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Madeleines

Madeleines

From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

15 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup cake flour ( not self-rising)
1 1/2 pinches table salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 grated lemons, zest of
1 1/2 to taste confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Butter and lightly flour madeleine pan.

In medium bowl, whisk both flours and salt together.

In bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar together.

Add vanilla and lemon zest, then flour mixture; beat until just combined.

On low speed, pour in melted butter in a steady stream; mix until incorporated.
Spoon rounded tablespoon batter into each form.

Bake 5 minutes; reduce oven to 350°; bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes more.

Let cool slightly; remove from pan.

Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve.

Chocolate Cupcakes, Joy of Cooking

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup boiling hot water

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing.

Orzo Fluff

½ lb. Orzo (pasta) Cooked according to directions & drained
2 Eggs, beaten
3 Tblsp. Flour
1 ½ Cups Sugar
20 oz. can of chunk Pineapple, drained with the liquid reserved
1 jar Maraschino cherries, drained-discard liquid
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained – discard liquid
16 oz tub of Cool whip

Mix sugar & flour together, add eggs & pineapple juice-stir well & cook over medium heat until thickened.
Add cooked Orzo & fruits to mixture.
Place in refrigerator overnight.
In the morning mix Cool Whip into mixture & enjoy!

Mom's Cheese Cake

Cheese Cake

Judy Giordano

*Excuse the cell phone picture, it was all I could do to get a shot before the cake was all gone!

2 Cups Ricotta Cheese
16 oz. Cream Cheese
4 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
2 Teasp. Vanilla


Beat all of the above together for 10 minutes or until smooth.
Pour into baked Graham Cracker shell.
Bake @ 350 Degrees F for 40 minutes, then turn oven off & leave in for another ½ hour to 45 minutes.
Then open oven door & leave in for another ½ hour.

Once cooled, top with Cherries or Blueberries.

Use a 9” or 10” Spring form pan.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 & 1/4 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/3 Cup Butter-melted
¼ Cup Sugar
Mix the above together and press into the bottom of a spring form pan.

Bake @ 375 degrees F for approx 8 minutes.

Thank you

Tonight I was looking around my blog and found a stats tab.......guess with new blogger they have added a few goodies that I never paid much attention to before. Well, I found that I actually have a following!!! Yes, me!! So thank you for sharing & linking up to me, I hope you have enjoyed making some recipes from my site.

Chicken Soup

Just like mom used to make!
1 Chicken (raw) most of you know this but trust me...not everyone does :)

3 med onions diced fine

5-6 stalks of celery

carrots-as many as you like (cut into small bit sized slices/chunks) I use approx 4 cups

3 - 32 oz boxes of chicken broth

pastina /alphabets or any other small pasta -approx 1 cup uncooked. You can add more as desired.


In one large pot add all of the above ingredients making sure you use enough chicken broth to completely cover the chicken (add more or use less-which ever works depending on the size of your chicken and pot.

On Medium High, cook this for approx 45 minutes or until chicken falls off the bones.

Remove Chicken from the pot, debone and place all of the chicken bits and pieces back into the pot with the onions, carrots and celery.

On medium heat add in your pasta.

Soup is done when pasta is soft.

Serve with warm French bread............. Comfort food at it's finest!

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding with Vanilla Rum Custard Sauce

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

4 Cups leftover Bread-torn in to bite sized pieces (pack bread to make a solid 4 cups)
2 Cups Milk (I used 1 cup milk & 1 cup cream)
4 Tablespoons Butter
½ Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Cup raisins
Scant handful Craisins

Preheat oven 350Degrees F
· Place bread in a buttered baking dish (1.5 quart) and set aside.
· Scald milk and butter.
· In large bowl combine the sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, raisins & craisins.
· Stir some of the scalded milk into the egg mixture then gradually add the entire milk mixture to the eggs, stirring constantly.
· Pour over the bread.

Bake in a water bath.
350 Degrees F for 45 minutes
or until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.

Serve warm with Vanilla-Rum Custard Sauce

Vanilla-Rum Custard Sauce

· 6 large Egg yolks
· 6 Tablespoons Sugar
· 1 Cup Heavy Cream
· 1 Cup Milk
· 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
· 3 Tablespoons Rum
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks & sugar for about 3 minutes.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat cream and milk over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge. Slowly whisk cream mixture into yolk mixture; pour back into saucepan. Heat over medium low, add in vanilla and Rum stirring constantly, until sauce coats the back of a spoon, 3-4 minutes or 170 degrees F.

Moussaka

Moussaka (My way)

2 tablespoons butter

2 onions, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 pounds ground lamb or ground beef

2 (16 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Colby Jack

4 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

· Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a large casserole dish.

· Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and parsley until onion is soft and translucent. Increase heat, add lamb, and cook until evenly brown. Drain excess fat, and set aside.

· In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Chop tomatoes, and mix well with seasonings. Set aside.

· In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Whisk together milk and egg, then gradually whisk into flour mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in grated cheese.

· In casserole dish, place 1/3 of potato slices on the bottom, covering as well as possible. Top with half of meat mixture followed by half of tomato mixture. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of potatoes. Spread cheese sauce evenly over the top.

· Cover, and bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover, and bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Peach Tart

This is a favorite around our house and it is quick to make.

Peach Tart

“Bill’s Mueller’s Mom’s”

2 Cups Peaches
1 Cup Sugar
2 Tblsp Flour
1/8 tesap. Salt
½ teasp Vanilla
1 Egg beaten
1 Cup Evaporated Milk
2 Tblsp. melted Butter

Blend peaches with dry ingredients.
Add egg, milk butter & vanilla. Mix together.
Pour into a large pie plate or quiche plate.
Bake @ 450 degrees F for 10 minutes
then 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold.

Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

Recipe courtesy Peter Sterk

Show: The Best Of Episode: All American Pie

Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min Yield: 1 (8-inch) pie

Ingredients

4 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries

1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 tablespoon almond extract (optional)

Your favorite pie crust or pie dough recipe for 2 crust pie

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, to dot

1 tablespoon granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Directions
Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


Use your favorite pie dough recipe. Here’s mine.


Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust.

Dot with butter.

Moisten edge of bottom crust.

Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape.

Sprinkle with sugar.


Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Buttle, just like Grammy used to make

The Italian version of a scone. This is a recipe I grew up on, my grandmother used to make it and even send it to me here in FL once we moved. Grammy has since passed but her Buttle is still a staple in my house.

Buttle

4 C. Flour
2 ½ teasp. Baking Powder

3 Tblsp. Sugar
3 Tblsp. Cornmeal

1 ½ teasp. Salt
½-3/4 C. Oil

2 Eggs
Raisins & Milk as needed

Mix all together, add enough milk to make dough workable for shaping. Can increase the sugar to your taste.

*Add all of the ingredients up thru the eggs, mix, then decide on how much milk you need to add to make it the consistency to roll into logs. You can also add in craisins if desired.

Sorry, I do not necessarily follow the measurements for this recipe but once you start adding in the milk you will get a dough like consistency.

Play with it to make it your own. Roll into 3” log shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown.

Still Cooking

..............just no time lately to post anything. Check back soon!

Vanilla Cupcakes w/Magnolia Frosting

Vanilla Cupcakes

Adapted from “Magnolia Bakery”

Makes 24- 32 cupcakes

2 cups Cake flour

¾ cup All purpose flour

2 teasp Baking powder

½ teasp. salt

1 cup salted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temp

1 cup milk

1 teasp vanilla extract

Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, add the flours & baking powder – mix well then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter til smooth then gradually add in the sugar. Beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs-1 at a time beating well after each egg.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts to the bowl containing the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the milk and vanilla.

Do not over mix.

Spoon batter into the cupcake tins, filling about ¾ of the way full.

Bake at 350 degree F for approx 17-22 minutes.

Allow cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the cupcake pans before removing them to a rack.

Vanilla Butter Cream

“Magnolia Bakery Frosting”

1 Cup salted Butter, softened

6-8 cups Confectioners’ sugar

½ cup Milk, cold

2 teasp Vanilla extract

Place butter in a large mixing bowl, beat for 3-4 minutes.

Add in confectioners’ sugar slowly, mixing in-between each addition.

Add in milk and extract slowly alternating with the confectioners’ sugar.

Continue mixing at a high speed for 8-10 minutes or until desired consistency.

*You may need more of less of the confectioners’ sugar as well as the milk-adjust to the consistency you desire.

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs

· ¼ Cup chopped onion (fine)

· 1 Tblsp. butter

· 1 lb. lean ground beef

· ¼ teasp. Nutmeg

· ¼ teasp Allspice

· 1 egg

· ¼ light cream (can substitute sour cream)

· ¾ Cup breadcrumbs

Cook onions in butter until soft.

Combine all ingredients including the onions with the beef and mix well.

Make little meatballs and brown in additional butter.

Remove meatballs, add more butter to pan, 2 Tblsp flour and brown.

Then add 2 Cups of water with 2 cubes of beef bouillon or 2 cans of beef broth instead of the water and bouillon.

Return meatballs to the pan, cover and simmer.

Just before serving add in ½ Cup sour cream if desired.

Serve over egg noodles.

Fondant

Fondant

1 cup of mini marshmallows, packed tightly
1 - 1.5 cups of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons of water
Half a teaspoon of cooking oil

Extra cooking oil to grease up your hands and work surface if needed
Extra powdered sugar for rolling out the fondant

Directions:

Mix the mini marshmallows with the water in a microwave safe bowl, coating them as evenly as possible.

**If you wish to make colored decorating fondant, add the food coloring at this point.

**If you want to flavor the fondant add now (use the flavoring in the 4 teasp of water measurements-do not add in more than 4 teasp of liquid)

Microwave the mixture for ten seconds.

Stir it to check for readiness - if all the lumps are gone once you stir it up, it is ready for the next step. If there are still lumps, microwave it again for another ten seconds. Stir until the lumps are gone.

Add more coloring if needed.

Add the cooking oil and stir it in thoroughly.

If you need to microwave it longer be very, very watchful and use very short increments of time as the mixture can easily be overcooked and become stringy.

Once you are able to stir out all the lumps add the powdered sugar in small batches to the hot marshmallow mixture stirring vigorously.

Once you've gotten all the powdered sugar stirred in allow the mixture to cool enough to be touched.

Grease your hands with a cooking oil and knead the mixture until it is smooth and somewhat similar in consistency to Play-Doh. If the fondant feels sticky instead of doughy, continue to add more powdered sugar until it feels doughy.

Now you can either use the fondant right away or store it for later use.

**If you want colored fondant add food coloring with the water before microwaving your marshmallows. Otherwise the coloring comes out streaky and uneven. Use liquid food coloring as part of your 4 teaspoons of water, not in addition to it. Same with flavorings.

Rolling Out Home Made Fondant: Step One

Lay down sheets of wax paper on your work surface and generously sprinkle them with powdered sugar to prevent the fondant from sticking. Use a tea strainer or a sifter to make a more-or-less even layer of powdered sugar.

An alternate method is to liberally grease the waxed paper with cooking oil. Don't combine the two methods.

Rolling Out Home Made Fondant: Step Two

Lay the fondant on top of the powdered or greased work surface.

Rolling Out Home Made Fondant: Step Three

Sprinkle fondant liberally with powdered sugar or, if using the oil method, liberally grease it with cooking oil.

Rolling Out Home Made Fondant: Step Four

Cover the fondant with another sheet of waxed paper.

Rolling Out Home Made Fondant: Step Five

Roll out the fondant with a rolling pin until it's as long as it needs to be to cover your cake.

Rolling Out Home Made Fondant: Step Six

Lift the top sheet of waxed paper and sprinkle powdered sugar onto the fondant. Then, flip the fondant over on the waxed paper and generously sprinkle it with more powdered sugar or rub with cooking oil if using the oil method.

Rolling Out Home Made Fondant: Step Seven

Re-cover the fondant with waxed paper and roll it out in the other direction until it is wide enough to cover your cake.

The fondant can now be applied to your cake!

What To Do When The Fondant Sticks

If the fondant sticks to the waxed paper, gently slide it up with a metal spatula. Then you can either powder it and flip it over, giving it a few gentle passes with a rolling pin to flatten it out or simply apply it with the "good" side up on the cake.

If all else fails you can wad it back up, spritz it with a little water and roll it out all over again.

I recommend using a traditional frosting in a light color to serve as an adhesive before applying the fondant. This recipe makes more than enough fondant to cover an 8-9" round cake or a similar surface area.

Once you have a big, flat sheet of fondant you can use it to carefully cover your cake.

You can either dust off the excess powdered sugar for a matte finish or give the fondant a light mist spray of water to melt the sugar in and give the fondant a shiny look.

To shape the fondant decorations you can either mold them with your hands as if out of clay, you can cut them out with cookie cutters, or use a knife to cut out custom shapes as I did for the tiger cake. An exacto knife coated with cooking oil or non-stick cooking spray on its cutting blade works very well to cut out designs in this fondant

Banana Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Butter Cream Frosting

Banana Cupcakes with

Dulce de Leche Butter Cream Frosting

Makes approx 28 cupcakes

· 3 cups cake flour

· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

· 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

· 3/4 teaspoon salt

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

· 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

· 3 large eggs

· 4-5 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)

· 3/4 cup Sour cream

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full (do not overfill).

Bake about 20 minutes.

Let cool in tins on wire racks.

Dulce de Leche Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

6-8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 Hershey’s Dulce de Leche Syrup

· Place the butter in a large mixing bowl, beat on med high for approx 3 minutes.

· Gradually add in 4-6 cups sugar & beat on high for approx 7-10 minutes (only add enough sugar to meet desired consistency).

· Gradually add in the Dulce de Leche syrup and mix until blended.

· Add in more sugar if a thicker consistency is desired.

Double Chocolate Malt Shop Cupcakes with Cherry-Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

This recipe won the Ultimate Recipe Showdown on the Foodnetwork

NOTE: I made some minor modifications, found in blue.

For cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar **Modifications: added an extra 1/3 cup of sugar making a total of 2/3 Cup of sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup whole milk **Modification: I used heavy whipping cream in place of the whole milk.
2/3 cup malted milk powder (recommended: Carnation brand)
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
2/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

For buttercream:
4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

**modifications: I also added 1 teasp of Almond extract
3 to 4 tablespoons whipping cream
2/3 cup tart cherry preserves **modifications: I used approx 1 cup of Cherry preserves.

**Modification: I added approx 3 tablespoons of Meringue powder to thicken frosting for piping.
Malted milk balls or maraschino cherries, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 regular 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners (makes 18 cupcakes)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well blended.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, malted milk powder, and espresso powder.

Add the canola oil and eggs; whisk to blend. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Stir in the miniature chocolate chips.
Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake tins, filling only halfway full.

Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.

Prepare the buttercream:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and the butter on medium-low speed until well blended. **Personally I beat the butter for approx 10 minutes before adding in the sugar then add in the sugar a little at a time and revving up my mixer for a few seconds between each add.

Add the vanilla and whipping cream and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light, spreadable and fluffy. Add in meringue powder at this point if needed (will make your frosting crust just a little bit).

Beat in the cherry preserves until well incorporated.

When the cupcakes have finished baking, let sit in the pans for 2 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes more.

While the cupcakes cool, transfer the buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.**I used a 1M tip & placed the filled pastry bag in the fridge for a few minutes before frosting.

Garnish the top of each cupcake with a malted milk ball or cherry and serve.

**I would say overall this is a good recipe, I love the cupcakes but need to tweak the butter cream a little more, still not able to get that Cherry topping taste without all that sugar flavor.

The next time I make these cupcakes I am going to try and bring up the flavor of the Malt a bit. Yummy!

Asparagus Risotto

Asparagus Parmesan Risotto

1 cup Arborio rice
1 bunch Asparagus or 1 pkg frozen (cooked as directed)cut into bite sized pieces
2 tsp butter
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat chicken stock in a small pot.
In a medium size heavy sauce pan, add butter on medium-low heat.
Add garlic & shallots, sauté about 1 minute, remove garlic pieces.
Add rice mixing well until well coated and transluscent, about 2 minutes.
Add wine, salt and pepper and mix well until it is absorbed into the rice.
Ladle 1 cup stock into rice and mix until all stock is absorbed, add another ladle, and continue adding and stirring until all broth is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.
Add parmesan cheese and asparagus, mix well and serve.

Nutella Cupcake

Nutella Cupcakes

yeilds 12 - 16 cupcakes

10 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Nutella, approx. 1/3 cup

Preheat oven to 325F.

Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
Cream together butter and sugar until light
Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated.
Add vanilla.
Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full, if you’re not using a scoop.
Top each cake with 1 1/2 tsp Nutella.
Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Do not remove cupcakes from the muffin tins until set, then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.

*Important step....do not remove from pan too soon - cupcake centers will fall,

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Kahlua Cupcakes and 2 kinds of Frosting

*Click on picture for larger view

Here are a few cupcakes I made this weekend. As you can see I am trying out new frosting recipes and designs. I think this Butter Cream Dream frosting has become my favorite for piping cupcakes and this Kahlua Chocolate Cupcake recipe is a keeper. The Kahlua Butter Cream frosting is good too. Below I have listed the recipes for you.

Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes

3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (salted)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed (I used dark brown sugar which works too)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup strong cold coffee
3/4 cup Kahlua

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy; then beat in sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with coffee and Kahlua; blend well. Fold egg whites into batter. Fill prepared cupcake cups to 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tins and cool on rack completely before frosting. Makes 2 dozen standard-sized cupcakes, or 52 mini cupakes.

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp butter
3/4 lb. powdered sugar (original recipe: 1 lb.)
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tbsp. Kahlua
3 Tbsp. hot coffee

In large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add cocoa powder, Kahlua and hot coffee. Beat until smooth. Frosts 2 dozen regular cupcakes, or 48 mini cupcakes (you can try to extend it to 52 minis).

Butter Cream Dream Icing

• 1 stick salted butter – room temperature


• 1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature


• 1 cup shortening


• 1 tablespoon Clear Vanilla extract


• 2 pounds confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)


• 4-6 tablespoons very cold milk

Make sure you check out the directions here before you make this frosting-there is a good tutorial.

Method

Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the clear vanilla extract and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency

The important thing is to work slowly when adding the milk. You can always add more… but you can’t take it away if you add too much and the icing is too thin. You want it to be thick enough to set up well… but you don’t want it so thick that you can’t pipe it out of a pastry bag or spread it with a spatula.
Yes, this recipe does make quite a bit but keep in mind you can refrigerate the icing in a covered bowl. I usually make a whole batch of it, transfer to a large mason-style jar and just leave it in the fridge. When I need to use it, I just take it out, bring it to room temperature and give it some mixing by hand.