Saturday, April 17, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Boiled Chocolate Frosting
6 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 dash vanilla extract
Directions
Combine the milk, butter, and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil; allow to cook at a rolling boil for 30 seconds and immediately remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla to the milk mixture and stir until the chips are completely melted. Pour immediately over warm brownies.
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 dash vanilla extract
Directions
Combine the milk, butter, and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil; allow to cook at a rolling boil for 30 seconds and immediately remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla to the milk mixture and stir until the chips are completely melted. Pour immediately over warm brownies.
Irish Soda Bread
Thank you Camille for finding, testing, and sharing this recipe with me!
Authentic Irish Soda Bread Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit so that it is ready for your bread straight away. You will need the following ingredients to make authentic
Irish Soda Bread
4 1/2 cups of flour
1 egg
¼ cup of sugar
3 teaspoons of baking powder
½ a teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 stick of softened butter (about ¼ of a pound)
2 cups of buttermilk
1 cup or so of raisins (you can use regular or golden raisins)
* Butter a cookie sheet (or some flat pan) and lightly flour it.
* Mix together in a large mixing bowl the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder.
* Cut in softened butter into the flour mixture.
* Stir in raisins.
* In a separate bowl lightly beat the egg into the buttermilk.
* Add the egg and butter milk mixture into the flour mixture by hand, mixing in a little at a time and being careful to avoid over mixing.
* Turn out on a lightly floured board and briefly knead to form a smooth dough.
* Shape into a high, round ball.
* Place onto a baking pan.
* Slash a cross or x shape across the top of the dough.
* Bake at 350F 50 to 60 minutes.
* It is done when it is nicely browned. Tap to see if it sounds hollow if so it is done.
*** The only thing I really changed on here was the flour. It was SO sticky it clearly needed more. So it was 4 cups. I'm guessing I added about 1/2 cup more. I just did it until I could actually get a "smooth" ball.
Authentic Irish Soda Bread Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit so that it is ready for your bread straight away. You will need the following ingredients to make authentic
Irish Soda Bread
4 1/2 cups of flour
1 egg
¼ cup of sugar
3 teaspoons of baking powder
½ a teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 stick of softened butter (about ¼ of a pound)
2 cups of buttermilk
1 cup or so of raisins (you can use regular or golden raisins)
* Butter a cookie sheet (or some flat pan) and lightly flour it.
* Mix together in a large mixing bowl the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder.
* Cut in softened butter into the flour mixture.
* Stir in raisins.
* In a separate bowl lightly beat the egg into the buttermilk.
* Add the egg and butter milk mixture into the flour mixture by hand, mixing in a little at a time and being careful to avoid over mixing.
* Turn out on a lightly floured board and briefly knead to form a smooth dough.
* Shape into a high, round ball.
* Place onto a baking pan.
* Slash a cross or x shape across the top of the dough.
* Bake at 350F 50 to 60 minutes.
* It is done when it is nicely browned. Tap to see if it sounds hollow if so it is done.
*** The only thing I really changed on here was the flour. It was SO sticky it clearly needed more. So it was 4 cups. I'm guessing I added about 1/2 cup more. I just did it until I could actually get a "smooth" ball.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Molten Lava Cake
I stole this right from my friend Camille's blog (with her permission :D ) It is soooooo yummy! It will cure any chocolate craving you have!
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins
3 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted ( 1 1/3 full cups of chips)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Whipped Heavy Whipping Cream (to top with when you eat. you could do ice cream or something of course)
Preheat to 400 degrees.
Take a 6 cup muffin tin (or use a 12, just do this to 6 and put a little water in the other 6 to avoid scorching during baking), coat them in the extra butter, then liberally coat each cup in sugar. (Don’t skip this part. It gives a delightful outer crust to the cake!)
Now mix until fluffy the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs – one at at time and blend thoroughly after each egg. On low, add the flour and salt until blended. Now slowly added the melted chocolate (do this by hand) and just folded it in until combined.
Split the batter between the 6 cups, bake for 8-10 minutes.
*Note – if you cook these too long they will not be ruined. They won’t be lava cakes anymore. They will be rich dense cupcakes.
Turn them upside down, dust with powdered sugar, and top with a dollop of whipped cream.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins
3 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted ( 1 1/3 full cups of chips)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Whipped Heavy Whipping Cream (to top with when you eat. you could do ice cream or something of course)
Preheat to 400 degrees.
Take a 6 cup muffin tin (or use a 12, just do this to 6 and put a little water in the other 6 to avoid scorching during baking), coat them in the extra butter, then liberally coat each cup in sugar. (Don’t skip this part. It gives a delightful outer crust to the cake!)
Now mix until fluffy the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs – one at at time and blend thoroughly after each egg. On low, add the flour and salt until blended. Now slowly added the melted chocolate (do this by hand) and just folded it in until combined.
Split the batter between the 6 cups, bake for 8-10 minutes.
*Note – if you cook these too long they will not be ruined. They won’t be lava cakes anymore. They will be rich dense cupcakes.
Turn them upside down, dust with powdered sugar, and top with a dollop of whipped cream.
Eye Balled Kung Po Chicken
Thanks Becky!!
cut the chicken into bite pieces, stir fry until brown, add peanuts (unsalted) do the same, add 4 green onions (thinly sliced) do the same
add the sauce and let reduce/thinken
Sauce...
soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, chili pepper to taste, brown sugar and water: (2 tbsps soy sauce, not quite a cup of water, and around a tbsp of brown sugar)
cut the chicken into bite pieces, stir fry until brown, add peanuts (unsalted) do the same, add 4 green onions (thinly sliced) do the same
add the sauce and let reduce/thinken
Sauce...
soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, chili pepper to taste, brown sugar and water: (2 tbsps soy sauce, not quite a cup of water, and around a tbsp of brown sugar)
Monday, February 8, 2010
"wings"
I've tried making hot wings a variety of times and have never come even remotely close to anything good. They always "looked" easy to me, but I could never turn out easy.
After researching, or latching mostly onto to my friend Camille's research (she is a the google queen and I was reading as fast as she was finding AND reading) I found what to me was the most perfect "way" to make them!
First of all, I like boneless. All those bones make an already messy eating experience just so much work. So, I took a 2lb bag of chicken strips and put them on a cookie sheet and blotted them. Then I mixed this:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
(I'm an eyeballer with spices, so these are approximate)
in a gallon sized plastic bag and add chicken pieces. Seal and toss to coat.
THEN the big secret here is to do this:
Pour the chicken pieces and excess flour onto a baking sheet and spread evenly. Allow the chicken to sit on the floured baking sheet to dry out for about 1 hour. This step is crucial!
Preheat fryer or a large stockpot filled halfway with vegetable oil to 350 degrees F.
Add chicken to hot oil and fry until cooked through and crispy, about 10 to 13 minutes.
Then the sauce, here is what I used. So many sauces seem to just focus on "hot". I like a little kick to be sure, but I really like is layers of flavor. This one did it for me, I do think next time I will decrease the worchestershire sauce and increase everything else....but really, it was good and pretty darn close to perfect. Thanks Camille!!
STICKY FINGERS LIKE WINGER'S
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. hot sauce (more or less as desired)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
In a saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients. Warm sauce, stirring occasionally
Unfortunately I took no pictures. I tend to forget to do this, the 3 year old on my leg saying, "MOM, are they done NOW!" may have had something to do with this. We're going to go with that.
After researching, or latching mostly onto to my friend Camille's research (she is a the google queen and I was reading as fast as she was finding AND reading) I found what to me was the most perfect "way" to make them!
First of all, I like boneless. All those bones make an already messy eating experience just so much work. So, I took a 2lb bag of chicken strips and put them on a cookie sheet and blotted them. Then I mixed this:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
(I'm an eyeballer with spices, so these are approximate)
in a gallon sized plastic bag and add chicken pieces. Seal and toss to coat.
THEN the big secret here is to do this:
Pour the chicken pieces and excess flour onto a baking sheet and spread evenly. Allow the chicken to sit on the floured baking sheet to dry out for about 1 hour. This step is crucial!
Preheat fryer or a large stockpot filled halfway with vegetable oil to 350 degrees F.
Add chicken to hot oil and fry until cooked through and crispy, about 10 to 13 minutes.
Then the sauce, here is what I used. So many sauces seem to just focus on "hot". I like a little kick to be sure, but I really like is layers of flavor. This one did it for me, I do think next time I will decrease the worchestershire sauce and increase everything else....but really, it was good and pretty darn close to perfect. Thanks Camille!!
STICKY FINGERS LIKE WINGER'S
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. hot sauce (more or less as desired)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
In a saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients. Warm sauce, stirring occasionally
Unfortunately I took no pictures. I tend to forget to do this, the 3 year old on my leg saying, "MOM, are they done NOW!" may have had something to do with this. We're going to go with that.
Coffee Cake
Coffee Cake
from Kitty
1c butter
1 3/4 c sugar
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t almond extract
3 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 can pie filling
Cream butter and sugar, add beaten eggs and flavorings, beat well. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Spread 2/3 dough in jelly roll pan, spread pie filling over dough. Top with remaining dough. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Drizzle frosting over top
Frosting
3 T milk
1 1/2 - 2 c powdered sugar
1 T melted butter
1 T vanilla (Kitty used almond)
from Kitty
1c butter
1 3/4 c sugar
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t almond extract
3 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 can pie filling
Cream butter and sugar, add beaten eggs and flavorings, beat well. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Spread 2/3 dough in jelly roll pan, spread pie filling over dough. Top with remaining dough. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Drizzle frosting over top
Frosting
3 T milk
1 1/2 - 2 c powdered sugar
1 T melted butter
1 T vanilla (Kitty used almond)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Bacon Chicken Dumpling
(the ultimate in comfort food....PLUS it had a 6/6 rating, well, one didn't like the dumplings, but thats just crazy so we pretend not to notice)
3 slices bacon
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
3 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups biscuit mix
1 cup milk
Directions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside; reserve bacon drippings in skillet.
Add potatoes, onion and chicken to bacon drippings and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in chicken broth; season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir in corn, and simmer all together for 15 minutes.
Pour in half-and-half and bring to a boil; add crumbled bacon. In a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix with milk and mix well (dough should be thick). Drop tablespoon sizes of dough into boiling mixture; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, then another 10 minutes covered. (Note: Do not stir while simmering, or dumplings will break apart). Serve hot.
3 slices bacon
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
3 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups biscuit mix
1 cup milk
Directions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside; reserve bacon drippings in skillet.
Add potatoes, onion and chicken to bacon drippings and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in chicken broth; season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir in corn, and simmer all together for 15 minutes.
Pour in half-and-half and bring to a boil; add crumbled bacon. In a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix with milk and mix well (dough should be thick). Drop tablespoon sizes of dough into boiling mixture; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, then another 10 minutes covered. (Note: Do not stir while simmering, or dumplings will break apart). Serve hot.
Baked Potato Soup
2 potatoes
3 tablespoons margarine
2 cups chopped white onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 ounces bacon - cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake potatoes for 1 hour, or until done. Set aside to cool.
Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, and cook 5 minutes to make a roux. Pour in chicken stock and water. Add cornstarch and mashed potato flakes. Season with salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the skin from the cooled potatoes, and discard. Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, and stir into soup, along with the half-and-half. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick. Spoon into bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, bacon and chopped green onion.
I admit that when I make soup, the specific amts on the ingrediant list is more of a suggestion. And I omit at will. Like the potato flakes. I find these to be gross.....so I just added more potatos....I also used 2% milk, and it had to keep warm on the stove for a good while as practice ran 45 minutes long (such is life) this allowed the potato to cook down even more, making a thicker soup. Regardless, most of the crew here ate it. Well, 4 out of 6 and 3 of those LOVED it. Not bad for this house.
3 tablespoons margarine
2 cups chopped white onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 ounces bacon - cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake potatoes for 1 hour, or until done. Set aside to cool.
Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, and cook 5 minutes to make a roux. Pour in chicken stock and water. Add cornstarch and mashed potato flakes. Season with salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the skin from the cooled potatoes, and discard. Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, and stir into soup, along with the half-and-half. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick. Spoon into bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, bacon and chopped green onion.
I admit that when I make soup, the specific amts on the ingrediant list is more of a suggestion. And I omit at will. Like the potato flakes. I find these to be gross.....so I just added more potatos....I also used 2% milk, and it had to keep warm on the stove for a good while as practice ran 45 minutes long (such is life) this allowed the potato to cook down even more, making a thicker soup. Regardless, most of the crew here ate it. Well, 4 out of 6 and 3 of those LOVED it. Not bad for this house.
Spaghetti Pie
Spaghetti Pie
12 oz. spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
4 T butter
1 c. Parmesan cheese
4 eggs, beaten well
1 c. cottage cheese
Stir butter into cooked noodles. Then stir in Parmesan cheese and eggs. Divide this mixture into 2 pie plates that have been sprayed with cooking spray and form into crust shape. Top each pie with 1 cup cottage cheese.
Filling:
1 lb. hamburger
1 sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
1 (26 oz.) jar of spaghetti sauce
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Brown hamburger and onion. Drain and add spaghetti sauce. Divide and spread evenly on top of the two pasta crusts. Top each with 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Remove foil and bake additional 5 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. This dish can be frozen before baking. When ready to use, thaw first, or allow longer baking time.
12 oz. spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
4 T butter
1 c. Parmesan cheese
4 eggs, beaten well
1 c. cottage cheese
Stir butter into cooked noodles. Then stir in Parmesan cheese and eggs. Divide this mixture into 2 pie plates that have been sprayed with cooking spray and form into crust shape. Top each pie with 1 cup cottage cheese.
Filling:
1 lb. hamburger
1 sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
1 (26 oz.) jar of spaghetti sauce
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Brown hamburger and onion. Drain and add spaghetti sauce. Divide and spread evenly on top of the two pasta crusts. Top each with 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Remove foil and bake additional 5 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. This dish can be frozen before baking. When ready to use, thaw first, or allow longer baking time.
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