Week 22 - Apple Almond Pudding Cake with Nutmeg Sauce and Whipped Cream

The picture does not do this dessert justice.

From the New Canaan Ward Cookbook --

Pudding Cake:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds (if desired)
4 cups grated apples (peel skins and grate or chop)

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Add eggs and combine well; set aside. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, salt and flour; add butter mixture. Fold in apples. Bake in 9x13 inch pan for 1 hour. To serve, crumble pudding cake and top with warm nutmeg sauce.

Nutmeg Sauce
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Stir sugar, butter and cream over low heat until butter melts and sauce is hot. Add vanilla and nutmeg.

Top it all with fresh whipped cream.

A delicious dessert for the fall!

Week 19 - BYU Mint Brownies -- kind of

 

I had to take a dessert to an activity and had printed a recipe for BYU mint brownies a while ago -- however the prep time, cook time combo was 90 minutes -- and I did not have 90 minutes -- I had 45 and then I had to run out the door to soccer, then I would have only 5 minutes before leaving for the event. So I mixed and matched favorite recipes to create my own mint brownies.

They were AMAZING. I don't think I have ever gotten more compliments about something I have made as I did with these.

First, make the brownies. This is a very yummy, very easy chocolate brownies recipe. Once I discovered this recipe (in the Katy Third Ward cookbook -- calleed Cindy's Brownies and submitted by Wendy Peterson) I have never bought a brownie mix.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Melt butter. Add 2 cups sugar, beat well. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour, cocoa, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips if you want. (Sometimes I put them straight into the batter, sometimes I sprinkle them on top). Spray a 9x13 pan. Pour in batter and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

While the brownies are cooking, you must make 2 frostings. The first one is the green mint frosting (and this is the exact recipe from the "official" BYU mint brownie recipe). The second is for the chocolate frosting (and this one is from a family cookbook -- as the "official" BYU mint brownie recipe ends with the line "Then frost with chocolate frosting" and doesn't even include a recipe.

The Mint Frosting

5 Tbs margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbs milk
1 Tbs light corn syrup
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp mint extract
2-4 drops of green food coloring

Soften the margarine, Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.


The Chocolate Frosting

4 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup boiling water
1 tsp vanilla

Beat with mixer, beat at medium speed. Let cool.


Once the brownies come out of the oven, let them cool a little -- put on the mint frosting and spread. Put pan into the freezer. The mint frosting must be frozen firm to be able to spread the chocolate frosting on top -- so you have to leave the pan in the freezer for at least an hour or so and then do the chocolate frosting. Cut and Serve. Sit back and graciously recieve the compliments!

Week 14 - Marshmallow Fondant

Never liked fondant!

Never liked cakes made with fondant!

Until I tried this recipe for marshmallow fondant.  Now I am a believer.  I always figured why go to the effort to make a cake that tastes gross . . .  but not anymore!

1 regular bag of marshmallows (small or large -- it doesn't matter)
a 2 pound bag of powdered sugar
food coloring
a little water

Decide what colors you want a head of time and how much you might need of them. 

Put the marshmallows in a microwaveable bowl.  Melt them (30 second intervals for about 2 minutes). 

Once melted, you can easily add the food coloring to the marshmallows (but you can always color it later if you want to)

Put the powdered sugar onto a clean counter and make a mound out of it and then depress the center to make a bowl (like mashed potatoes waiting for gravy or like how you make homemade pasta).

Start mixing the 2 together.  (Yes, it will be messy)  As it starts to come together you can add a tiny bit of water to help it all congeal.  Keep kneading.  And then keep kneading! 

When you have a nice ball of fondant dough, use immediatly OR spread some shortening around the outside and put it in a ziplock bag.  Store (I put mine in the fridge, but I don't think you have to)  It will keep a LONG time.  (Unless you let your kids have a taste -- then it will start to disappear!!!)

Week 13 - Imitation Vanilla Scones

So on pioneerwomancooks.com I saw these Petite Vanilla Bean Scones.  I don't know exactly why . . .but I had to make them.  They looked so good and yet they seemed so different from my "traditional" understanding of scones (think fried bread - more like a doughnut bread). 

So I went to the store and looked for vanilla beans.  HOLY EXPENSIVE STUFF!  Since the recipe called for 2 of them this would have cost me $32.  At my store they were $15.99 each.  OUCH!

So I made them without, using my vanilla extract (subbing 1 1/2 tsp for each bean).  It was not as vanilla-ey as I wanted so next time I would use 2 tsp.  (but there will probably not be a next time)

They were so very cookie like.  Just thicker.  Not the doughnut bread I thought of when I thought of scones. 

They were very good with Hot chocolate (and I am sure that is why they sell them at Starbucks because they are probably good with coffe -- but I wouldn't know as I am not a coffee drinker). 

SCONES


3 cups All-purpose Flour
⅔ cups Sugar
5 teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled
1 whole Large Egg
¾ cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or more if you'd like

GLAZE
3 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
½ cups Whole Milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add vanilla to cream. 
Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VANILLA GLAZE

Add vanilla to milk. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Week 10 - Cornstarch Pudding

My mother made this pudding for us whenever we were sick (it is supposed to calm an ailing stomach) -- it really is quite delicious though.  I like to eat it warm, but it is really good cold also.  Serve with fruit or plain. 

1 1/2 TBS cornstarch
2 TBS sugar
1 cup milk

Mix continuously with a wire whisk over medium high heat until it boils and thickens.  Turn off the heat and add

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Pour into molds or bowls to cool. 

Place plastic wrap right on top of the pudding itself to prevent a skin from forming. 

Week 7 - Texas Sheet Cake

I grew up having lots of Texas sheet cake and always liked it but never remember thinking I had to have it. Right before we moved away from Texas to Connecticut my mom's friend Linda T. brought this Texas sheet cake to a get together. I could not keep away from it. I probably ate 4 squares of it. I immediately asked for the recipe and wrote it down. I stuck it in my binder. I moved. I forgot all about it. I found it a while ago and realized I could not actually make Texas sheet cake as I did not own a jelly roll pan.

But, now I own 4 of them. I also found powdered buttermilk at the store so I have buttermilk whenever I want (like for this recipe) although both my Mom and my sister said they just add vinegar to milk -- I guess I missed learning that substitution.

It did not disappoint. It was delicious. The frosting especially. I had to lick the spoon and bowl.

In a saucepan bring to a boil
1. 1 cup water
2. 1/4 cup cocoa
3. 2 sticks margarine (I used butter as sticks of margarine are tricky to find here in the greater NYC area -- I can get them at Stop N Shop, but not costco, trader joe's, or stew leonards which are the 3 stores I shopped at this week).

Remove from heat and add
1. 2 cups sugar
2. 2 cups flour

Stir well, then add
1. 1/2 cup buttermilk
2. 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3. 1 tsp vanilla
4. 1 tsp baking soda

Pour into a jelly roll pan (I sprayed mine with Pam although I don't know if it is necessary) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

While it is baking make the frosting.
Boil together
1. 1/4 cup cocoa
2. 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs buttermilk
3. 1 stick margarine (again, I used butter)
4. 1 tsp vanilla

Remove from heat (it looks really creamy and like you want to taste it, so I did and it is awful at this point -- only bitter chocolate!!!)

Now stir in 1 pound of powdered sugar and 1 cup of nuts if you so desire.

When the cake is done, let it stand 5 minutes then pour the frosting on top. Don't forget to leave some in the bowl because now it tastes really good!

Baptism Cookies - week 2

These are the cookies that we have handed out as "favors" after both our daughter's baptisms. I use these cookies because they have white chocolate chips (since white is meaningful for a baptism) -- But trust me, they are good anytime. In fact they are so good that I don't have a photo (they were all eaten).

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups of oats
1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well.

Note: This dough is thick. Spoon drop them onto a cookie sheet. (I use a cookie dough ball maker and you can also roll them into balls).

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Because there are so many oats, the cookies do not really flatten while cooking, so as soon as they are out of the oven give them a good smash with your spatula. Then move them to foil to cool down.

Also -- this makes a large batch of dough . . . so large that if I double the recipe it doesn't fit into my kitchen aid mixer.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

 

My friend brought me a grasshopper cupcake from Crumbs the other day. It was good. It had everything I like in desssert, chocolate, chocolate, and mint. So I decided to try my hand at making them myself. The result was even better than the original! And not hard to do at all!

First, make a batch of chocolate cupcakes. Just follow the directions on the box. Any chocolate mix will work.

Next, make a bowl of instant chocolate pudding. Again, just follow the directions on the box. Let it set for about ten minutes and the put the frosting into a piping bag with a small tip (I use the little star tip)

Then, make some homemade frosting. (this is definately worth the effort)

1 1/2 cups of Crisco vegetable shortening (this is the one thing that I have noticed a taste difference between the brand name -- Crisco and the generic ones, so go ahead and splurge on the Crisco -- it will matter)
2 pounds of powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 - 2/3 cup of milk
1 tsp vanilla

That is the basic recipe -- for this specific cupcake, lower the vanilla to 1/2 tsp and then add 2 tsp of peppermint extract. (I always taste it -- you may decide you like it mintier and add more -- or you may decide that 1 1/2 tsp of peppermint is enough)

Now -- after you have added the vanilla -- but before you add the peppermint, get a quart freezer ziplock bag and put in 2 heaping spoonfuls of the white frosting.

Then add the peppermint and several drops of green food coloring to the big batch.

I then load the green mint frosting into a piping bag with a plain tip -- although for this cupcake you could just put it on with a knife.

Last, gather or prepare the chocolate shavings -- I used hershey's bar that I chopped. You could use mini chocolate chips (that is what crumbs uses) or really any chocolate. How can you go wrong???

Now you are ready for the assembly.

1. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool.
2. Using the piping bag filled with chocolate pudding, shove the tip into the middle of the cupcake about 3/4 of the way down the metal tip. Then squeeze about 1 1/2 Tbs of pudding into the middle of the cupcake. You will see the cupcake get kind of fuller and when it is "full" the pudding will be at the top of the hole. Do this to all the cupcakes.
3. Now frost them nice and green. Important, go all the way to the sides -- so that when you roll them in chocolate there is something for the chocolate to stick to.
4. Take your freezer ziplock of white frosting and snip the corner and add the little dollap of white in the middle.
5. Roll the edges in the chocolate.

6. This step is not necessary, but I think it makes them better. Refrigerate them for an hour or two. It gives the pudding a chance to set up even firmer and gives the cake a chance to absorb all the moisture from the pudding and be so yummy and moist.

7. Eat and Enjoy.

Really amazing Milkshakes -- you'll have to try it to believe!

Anytime anyone mentions that they made something out of their "food storage" I become a skeptic. (For any of you non-mormon readers -- let me explain -- our church has counciled its members to establish food storage to prepare against a time of need -- it is not a doomsday thing -- it is a principle of personal responsibility and self reliance if times ever got bad. For practical reasons like cost, storage issues, and the variability to make many things most people purchase and store the very basics, -- wheat, oats, rice, sugar, oil, salt, powdered milk. This has spawned a whole slew of well meaning, but lousy recipes that I suppose I would use if I ever were starving, but am grateful to not use the rest of the time)

Today, I was emailed 2 sites about frugal living and one of them (specifically one recipe on one of them) caught my eye.

First, it is for a milkshake. I LOVE icecream.

Second, it uses all items from your food storage.

Third, it uses some pretty cool science.

So we tried it and IT IS AMAZING. If we are ever starving, I will make these milkshakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner --

Here is the link to the original post http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/magicmilkshakes.htm

And here it is


1-1/2 to 2 cups ice water (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare (I added a bunch and then added more as it was blending to make it as thick as I wanted it)
2 tablespoons corn oil (I used canola as that was all I had)
plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purposes

Place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and the non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and more water for shakes that are easy on your blender motor. The blender should be about 3/4's full. Place the lid on. Process for a full 2 minutes. Pour into cups and serve. This made 5 big milkshakes for my family and EVERYONE loved them!

In short -- the cool science is that this essentially makes icecream in your blender while replacing the the dairy fats with vegetable oil and the non-stick spray provides the stabilizer so that the water and oil don't separate.

You will really have to try it to believe it -- It tastes just like the smoothies from Wendy's. You will want to click on the link and read all the why's and hows and the rant about following the recipe exactly. (like if you don't do the cooking spray -- the water and oil will separate and instead of creamy you will get greasy!)

So call the kids, conduct your own science experiment and enjoy the nice cool milkshake today!

Fondant cake decorating class

I love the look of fondant, but I hate the taste. I took a class at church this week to learn how to do it. It was fun I don't think it is very hard -- It is just time consuming. That is probably why the class was so fun. Someone bought all the supplies, made all the cakes, fillings, frostings, and fondants -- colored them all, placed them in decorating bags with the right tips -- all we had to do was decorate.

This is the "inspiration" photo.

Here is my version. Now the biggest difference is obviously the cake size -- the inspiration looks to be like 3 layers of 6 in cake rounds and mine was 2 layers of 10 inch. Also we did not have the little white dots on the roses, but all in all I thought it was pretty close. . . too bad it still tastes like fondant.

Apple Pie

My sister was here a couple weekends ago and we got very ambitious one Sunday afternoon and baked the following

• 8 pie crusts
• 3 apple pies
• 20 english muffins
• 24 rolls
• a whole sunday dinner -- roast, mashed potatoes -- the works

Here is the pie stuff -- other recipes to follow!

Pate Brise (I have no idea why Martha Stewart call the pie crust this???)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 sticks cold butter (cut into small cubes and keep in fridge until needed)
1/4 cup ice water (maybe a little more or less)

In a food processor combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.

With the machine running add in the water just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more that 30 seconds.

Divide in half and place on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into disks and refridgerate (at least 1 hr) (or you can freeze it for a month)

Apple Pie

1 recipe of the pate brise (1 disk for the crust, the other for the top)

Roll out the crust and place into a glass pie plate, Trim the overhang to about 1/2 inch.

In a large bowl toss together the filling
3 pounds peeled cored, sliced apples (1/4 in thick)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tbs flour

Arrange in the chilled pie shell -- take 1 1Tbs of butter, cut into small pieces and place dots throughout the top of the apple filling.

Roll out the second pie crust and place on top. Push together the edges. Cut 3 slits in the top for venting. Brush the top of the crust with

1 large egg yolk and 1 Tbs heavy cream mixed together

Dust with sanding sugar.

Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes (up to a year probably)

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes then at 350 for 40 more.

Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing

Sugar Cookies
4 sticks butter
3 cups sugar

Cream together for a while

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix in well

5 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Add half the flour first and when it is all mixed well add the other half (I don't know why -- that is what the directions said, but be prepared for all that flour to fly at you!)

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (but check often-- as soon as the edges are slightly gold take them out! )

Royal Icing
2 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar

Blend until stiff peaked

Add 1 cup powdered sugar

Mix for 10 minutes (use an electric mixer or go crazy)

Add 1 cup powdered sugar

Mix for another 10 minutes (see what I mean)

Use water to thin to the right consistency (a ribbon of it will absorb into the other in 5-7 seconds)

Divide and color. Put into FREEZER ziplocks (the storage ones just don't hold up.) When ready to decorate, snip the corner and use like a piping bag.

I did these over a couple of days lest I go nuts trying to help all the kids. When done, just put the ziplocks in the fridge and tackle the project again when your patience with small children has returned. (or do the rest later all by yourself and find that it is really fun)

Apples

We got this idea from a suggestion my Aunt Kellie left on facebook. We used a melon baller to make little mini apple balls and then dipped those in chocolate, caramel and sprinkles. They were just the right size for the kids -- and you really don't waste much apple!

For dinner we had Chicken salad.
1 can chicken breast
1 TBS mayo
1/2 a large apple
2 ribs of celery

We served it over a bed of lettuce and on english muffins. It was delicious.

Angel Food Cup Cakes!

I wanted to see if Angel Food cake would still be spongy and airy if I made them into cupcakes. And the result . . . YES, they are and they peel out of the cupcake paper shells easily, and they are perfect for making mini strawberry shortcakes.

Note, I made them out of a box and the batter easily made 24 cupcakes and then I had batter left over -- so it is a larger batch than a regular cake mix. Also I baked them for about 15 minutes.