Strawberry Cake

This easy strawberry cake will have your guest licking their plates.  It is very moist and has great strawberry flavor!  The pipeable cream cheese frosting is delicious also.

I love making strawberry desserts in the summertime!  Don't you?

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), room temp
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 pkg. (3oz) strawberry gelatin
• 4 eggs
• 2 3/4 cup sifted cake flour*
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup whole milk, room temp
• 1 tbsp vanilla 
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree**
• fresh strawberries for decorating, optional

 Directions:

1. Place eggs, butter and milk on counter at least two hours before baking.  It takes awhile for them to reach proper room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease, flour and line two 9 inch round cake pans.  I like to spray nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper, spray again and flour.  Shake off excess flour.  If you take the time to do this extra step, your cakes will always come out of your pans.
3. Cream butter, sugar and gelatin in mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time until just mixed.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.  Add to batter alternating with milk.  Always begin and end with flour.  This helps from a flour cloud in your kitchen.  Don't over mix! Over mixing makes for tough cakes.
5. Stir in vanilla and strawberry puree.
6. Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 or until toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pans over cooling rack for 10 minutes before inverting.  Let cakes cool completely before frosting.  I used this pipeable cream cheese frosting.  Strawberry buttercream would also be great.

* sifted cake flour means sift before measuring.  It makes a difference
** for strawberry puree: add a bag of frozen strawberries and sugar to blender and puree.  Omit sugar if buying sweetened berries.  Add a little sugar and taste as you go.  I think I added 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar.

Sorry the cake is so messy in this picture.  I was too full on cake to clean it up.

Out Of This World Breakfast Potatoes

These potatoes right here will be the best thing to happen to you all day.  So do yourself a favor and whip these suckers up for breakfast this week.  It's super easy and delicious.

     I've been away for a bit.  I haven't been too impressed with my photography lately and it's making me uninterested in blogging.

     So, back to the potatoes; What do you make when you buy a 20lb bag of potatoes on sale?  Start off with these breakfast potatoes.  More than likely you have all these ingredients on hand.  The great thing about this dish is you can make it your own; Don't like jalapenos - leave them out, replace the bacon with ham, you can even throw in some mushrooms. 

I use an cast iron skillet.  It really gives the potatoes a good char flavor.  Throw in your potatoes, seasoning, bell pepper and onion.  Let that cook for a good 10 minutes so the potatoes can brown.

Next, throw in your sliced bacon and jalapenos.  Want to know a trick to slicing bacon?  Put it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes.  It will make the job much easier.  Let that cook for about 5 minutes.  That rendered bacon fat will give these taters lots of flavor!

Your in the home stretch!  Are you drooling cause I am!  Throw in the garlic, parsley and green onions or chives.  Stir for a couple minutes and top with cheddar.  Once the cheese is added, I store the potatoes in the oven while I fry up an egg.  This will keep the potatoes nice and hot.

Now that's what I call breakfast!  Eat and enjoy!


Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 russet potato, diced
• 2 slice bacon, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, red or green;chopped
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• seasoning(salt, black pepper & red pepper)
• 1 Tbsp each of chopped parsley and green onions

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in 10" or 12" cast iron skillet.  Add potatoes, seasoning, onion and bell pepper.  Cook for 10 minutes or until the edges start to get crispy.  Med-High heat works for me.
2. Add bacon and jalapeno to pot and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Lower heat and add garlic, parsley and green onions (chives work too).  Cook for another minute.  
4. Turn off heat and add cheese.  Store in oven to keep warm while cooking eggs.  I like to adorn my potatoes with an over easy egg.

*serving size: 2-3 people

Peanut Butter Cookies

All you need is this classic peanut butter cookie and a glass of milk.  You will not be disappointed.  These cookies are easy to make and eat.  They will disappear in the blink of an eye! 

Once shaped into balls, I like to roll them in regular granulated sugar.  It gives the cookies a sparkle and a nice crunch.  Give the cookies the classic criss-cross  pattern with a fork.  This is optional but if you want the traditional look, go the extra mile.

Look how scrumptious!  Time to get these babies in the oven and in my belly!!!

Eat these bad boys as is or dipped in chocolate.  You can also use chunky peanut butter in place of smooth.  I wouldn't use natural peanut butter. It's too oily.  In these cookies, I use Peter Pan.  I would also suggest Jif or Skippy.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temp (1 cup)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 packed brown sugar (light or dark)
• 2 large eggs (room temp)
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups & 2 tbsp AP flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (optional)

Directions:

1.  Cream butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined.
3. Add peanut butter and vanilla and mix on high until combined.  Scrape down bowl as needed.
4. In a separate bowl, Whisk flour, baking soda & powder and salt together.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined.  
5. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for 3-24 hours.  This will insure that the dough doesn't spead all over pan while baking.
6. Preheat oven to 350°.  Line baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.  You don't want these babies sticking to the pan.
7. Roll the dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Make a criss-cross pattern on top of dough with a fork.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light brown,  The cookies will look raw but leave them in pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.  They will set up, I promise.  

Makes approx. 2 1/2- 3 dozen cookies, depending on size.  Store in an air-tight container for one week.  It makes a lot of cookies, so share with your friends and family.

Eat and enjoy!

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

This sugar cookie recipe is my fav.  The cookies come out soft yet crispy and they do not spread.  I get a lot of inspiration from lifeloveandsugar.com.  Lindsay has some delicious recipes and they are easy to follow.

So, tell me what you think?  Not bad for my first time eh???

The key to a good sugar cookie is to have all your ingredients at room temperature.  Another good thing about this recipe, you don't have to refrigerate the dough for hours.  When it's time to move your cookies onto the sheet pan, you may have to use a spatula.  Some of my cutouts were stuck to my counter. 

Place your cookies on parchment paper or a silpat.  You don't won't these babies sticking to the pan.

Once cooled, let your creativity blossom!  I used this royal icing recipe.  It dries hard but not enough to chip a tooth like some others. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• decorations: royal icing, sprinkles, pink and red tinting gel, icing bags, Wilton tips ( i used sizes 2 and 3)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Line your pan with parchment or these babies might stick to your pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  It takes a few minutes.
3. Once fluffy, add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk all dry ingredients.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.  You may have to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice.
5. On a clean, floured surface, roll out about 1/3 of the dough to 1/4 inch thick.  You will have to flour the rolling pin also.
6. Now's the fun part, cut out your cookies shapes with whatever floats your boat.  I use a simple heart.  Move cookies to your baking sheet.  You may have to wiggle a metal spatula under the cookie to get it loose.
7. Bake for 7-9 minutes.  They won't look done but will finish cooking out of the oven.  Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Move to cooling rack to completely cool.
8. While cooling, you can make the icing.

Eat and enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a gem and would be a perfect St Paddy's Day dessert.

Ingredients:

    Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

       Mint Ganache Filling:

• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp mint extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

        Mint Frosting:

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 3 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp heavy cream
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp mint extract
• green food coloring
• Andes mints for garnish

Directions:

1. To make the cupcakes, Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, add cocoa.  Heat milk until hot but not boiling.  Pour milk over cocoa and whisk until smooth.  Let cool.  Once cooled, add sugar, oil, egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth.  Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until combine.  Don't over mix the batter!
2. Pour into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to rack to cool completely.
3. While cupcakes are baking, go ahead and make the filling.  Melt chocolate chips and cream in the microwave on 30 second intervals until melted.   Stir in mint extract and powdered sugar.  You can taste it at this point and add more mint if you'd like.  When cupcakes come out the oven, Add ganache to a squeeze bottle and fill cupcakes.
4. Mint Frosting:  Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add powdered sugar, mint extract and heavy cream.  Add green food coloring and stir.  A small amount will give you a nice pale green.  Taste it.  If you want a more stronger minty flavor, add more.  Be careful! You can go from perfect to overpowering real fast!  Once cupcakes have cooled, frost cupcakes and decorate with left over ganache and Andes mints.

Eat and enjoy!


 Adapted from: http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/05/andes-mint-cupcakes.html

* makes 12 cupcakes

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• splash of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp raw sugar, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  In a bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, oil and egg.  Beat together and add to dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined; do not over mix.
3. Fold in blueberries and vanilla.  
4. Fill your muffin tin and sprinkle with raw sugar.  You can also use regular white sugar.  The raw sugar gives the muffins a nice crunch.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden.  Remove and let cool on a baking rack.

Eat and enjoy.

** makes approx. 10-12 muffins

White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnap Cookies

Gingersnap cookies is my husband's all time fav!  I just hope he leaves enough for our friends and family to enjoy... and Santa too.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar, optional
• 12oz bag white chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp vegetable shortening
• garnishes: sprinkles, colored sugars, etc.

Directions:

1. Cream together butter, shortening and both sugars
2. Add egg, vanilla and molasses.
3. In another bowl whisk flour, spices, salt and baking soda. Then gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.  Mix until just combined.  Cover dough and chill for 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350°.  Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.  Scoop out small balls of dough and roll them in the turbinado sugar.  This is optional but it gives the cookies a nice crunch.
5. Place dough onto baking sheet and gently smash a little.  Space out cookies 2 inches apart.  They will spread.
6. Bake for 12 minutes.  The cookies will be soft to the touch.  Let them sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
7. Once cookies have cooled, melt the chocolate and shortening in microwave on 30 second intervals until melted.
8. Dip the cookies in the melted chocolate and place on a wax paper.  Decorate as desired.  Let the chocolate set up before stacking the cookies in an air tight container.

Eat and enjoy!