Potato Soup... Mmmm... Perfect for Winter

My husband and I get fruit and vegetables from a coop called Bountiful Baskets.  The fun thing about it is that every week (that you choose to order) you get a basket of fruit and a basket of vegetables and you have no idea what will be in those baskets.  Some weeks you get kiwis.  Some weeks you get potatoes.  Some weeks you get spinach.  Some weeks pineapple.  You have no idea and the challenge is to try to use as much of the stuff that you get as possible.  For a couple of weeks we kept getting potatoes and I scoured the internet for the perfect potato soup recipe.  I used a Paula Dean recipe at this link:  http://www.smithfield.com/recipes/recipe/baked-potato-soup


Changes:  Instead of baking the potatoes, I boiled them.  For me that is just easier.  Also, instead of making my own bacon, I used bacon bits.  Way easier :-)

Dad's Birthday Cake

In September, my sister and I decided that we wanted to put my newly found passion for baking to practice by making a cake for our father's birthday.  We decided to try a cake mix that we hadn't tried before and were able to get at our local Michael's.  It was the red velvet cake by the Ace of Cakes and we really liked the flavor of that cake.  Anyhow, this cake was made by stacking two different sized square cakes on top of each other and tinting a cream cheese icing blue.  We then made shapes out of fondant using my new Cricut cake machine.  I have to admit, that was not an easy process and one that I need to know a lot more about fondant about before I ever try to do it again.  Anyhow... you can see our end product below.

Back to School Themed Cookies

I have posted about my sugar cookies before but this is a quick update to show a school themed cookie that I made for a small gathering at my house recently.  I'm just sharing b/c I kinda think they are cute (although really really really basic).

I used the Alton Brown sugar cookie recipe as usual.  For the icing, I just bought black icing in a tube this time and used red and blue fondant to make the books.  For the books, I took a pasta roller thingy (whatever those are called) and crimped the edges to look like binding.  For the lettering, I used a basic royal icing recipe.  Nothing too fancy.


Cookie baking info:

Posted from a previous blog post... here is how I made the cookies:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sugar-cookies-recipe/index.html  If you follow these directions, the dough is a little dry so I add in one extra tablespoon of milk.  For the icing recipe, I use this website: http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe288.powdered-sugar-icing-i.html    For this recipe, I put just a little more water and a little more vanilla extract (I actually use the french vanilla flavor). I do that just so I can spread it easier.

Hands Off Ladies- This One's Mine

To be honest, I don't really have much of an affinity or talent for any craft involving fabric.  My husband on the other hand is a completely different story.  Yes ladies, in addition to cooking and cleaning, this man sews and makes bows.  Recently we got a bowdabra (using our trusty mega Joann's coupons) and my husband has begun making bows for our daughter.  Since Ellie's bow collection is growing quite substantially (Ellie also has an Aunt that makes bows into actual shapes of things), I requested that Mark make a hangar for the bows.  Witness his work below.

The High Rise Pancake

Every once in a while, my husband treats me with a homemade breakfast of a high rise pancake.  He found the recipe in the December 2010 issue of the GQ.  GQ of course doesn't have this recipe online but others do in various forms.  It is also called the Dutch Baby and I know that food network has a recipe or two online.  Anyhow, here are a few pics of this delicious (very unhealthy) breakfast option.

Updated Cakeball Instructions

Below are the instructions that I typed out for friends in an email with my own little tips thrown in :-)

Bake a cake according to instructions (I just buy the boxed variety).  After baking the cake, put on a cooling rack.  I usually cut the cake into four to help it cool down a little faster.  Let cool for 10 minutes or so.

Place a can of frosting in a stand mixer along with the cake and mix until the frosting is evenly distributed.

Spoon out the mixture and roll into balls (I use a small cookie scoop to keep them even... this also allows me to make about 50 cakeballs per cake). 

Freeze the balls for at least 12 hours.  Anything less and they'll come apart when you dip them.


To coat the cake balls...
Melt chocolate (I use a Wilton Chocolate Pro... keeps the chocolate melted so I don't have to keep remelting).  If the chocolate seems thick, use vegetable oil to thin (try a teaspoon at a time until you get the right consistency).  Here is the tricky part... some people use sticks to dip the balls into the chocolate.  I use a cheap plastic dipping fork and spoon to coat the balls.  Lay the balls on wax paper or foil to harden. 

When finished, I like to put them in small baking cups to serve.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 



Variations....
When I make them I coat them in either white chocolate or semisweet chocolate.  I use the Ghiradelli chocolate chips.  Some people use the baking chips that you can get places but I think it has a richer flavor if it is actual chocolate or white chocolate.

Flavors I've tried that are a hit... red velvet, strawberry, and orange cake (white cake with orange food flavoring)

Velvety Mocha Tart... Mmmmm

So a little while back, my husband and I were shopping at our local Borders (which is no longer open) and we found this cookbook in the bargain area.  The cookbook is called 1001 Recipes by Martha Day.  We've made a few things out of the book and have definitely gotten our money's worth so far.  This last week though I was inspired by something I saw on either Martha Stewart or Paula Dean... I know so hard to keep those two apart.  Anyhow, I decided I wanted to make a tart.  Of course, I didn't know what kind of tart I wanted to make but I know that my husband likes any dessert with chocolate in it.  The recipe I chose is called Velvety Mocha Tart and it was insanely easy to make.

Here is the recipe with the measurements that I understood :-

For the filling:
2 tsp instant espresso coffee
2 tbsp hot water
6 oz semisweet chocolate
1 oz bitter chocolate
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, slightly warmed
1/2 cup whipped cream, to decorate
chocolate-coated coffee beans, to decorate

For the base:
2 1/2 cups crushed chocolate wafers
2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
5 tbsp butter, melted


1.  To make the base, combine the crushed chocolate wafers with the sugar and butter in a bowl.

2.  Press the mixture over the base and sides of a 9in pie dish.  Chill.

3.  Dissolve the coffee in the water.  Set aside to cool.

4.  Melt the plain and bitter chocolates in the top of a double boiler and set the base of the pan in cold water to cool.

5.  Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the double boiler and set the base of the pan in cold water to cool.

6.  Whip the cream until light and fluflly.  Add the coffee and whip until the cream just holds its shape.

7.  When the chocolate is at room temperature, fold it gently into the cream.

8.  Pour into the cookie base and chill until firm.  Decorate with piped whipped cream and chocolate-coated coffee beans just before serving.

I can bake with yeast!!!

So I heard about this website from my sister in law and I absolutely love it!  It is called Our Best Bites and it is a pretty good little website.  While perusing the different stuff on their website I found a recipe for  World's Best Dinner Rolls.  I'm not gonna lie.  This is a great recipe!  The only problem that I had with the recipe was that I ended up needing more flour than the recipe called for.  Otherwise, it was perfect.  My only other suggestion would be to make sure that you have guests coming over for dinner before you make these otherwise you'll end up eating them all!  Below is the picture of the ones that I made.

A Bird Themed Baby Shower

Today my friend Michelle and I threw a shower for our friend Tiffany.  My friend Tiffany is having a baby girl next month and has chosen a bird theme for the nursery.  In keeping with that theme, I made decorations to match.

 Above is a picture of the cakeball tower that I made (thoughts on how I would do things better with that will be at the bottom of this post).  Below, are birds that represent the different members of Tiffany's family.  To make the birds, I used the Winter Wonderland Cricut cartridge.  On that cartridge, the birds actually wear a hat but I cut off that part of the bird because it didn't really match with the theme.  Because it is a baby shower, I put a carriage on top of the tower.  I was able to purchase the carriage at Party City.  It is actually a favor holder but I thought it would make a good topper.

Here is what I would have done to do the cakeball tower better... while at the shower, I was talking to a woman who also makes cakeballs.  She said that what she does is still a toothpick in the cakeball and then stick the toothpick end into a styrofoam tree shape.  This absolutely sounds like a great idea and is something I will look into.  I have been perfecting my cakeball technique of late and really need good ways to show off my advancement.  I recently purchase a Wilton Chocolate Pro and it has saved me so much time!!!  It has made melting chocolate really easy and has kept me from having to use vegetable oil in the chocolate (for smoothness).  I will say however that I do have to use the vegetable oil for the white chocolate (for whatever reason it ended up being really chunky).

On my next post, I will put up a picture of the invites and the party favors that I made.

Best Chicken Salad Ever

I recently decided to try my hand at chicken salad.  I had been buying the cranberry chicken salad at Celebrity Bakery and figured that it might be cheaper if I made my own.  I combed the internet for recipes and finally had looked at a enough recipes that I adapted various ones into my own rendition.  Honestly, I think it is the best chicken salad ever and you can feel free to disagree.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans
1 golden delicious apple
3/4 cup mayonnaise
A dash of sugar
Olive oil for cooking

I like to start by doing all of my cutting.  I begin by finely chopping the pecans and putting them into a large bowl for mixing.  I then take the cranberries and give them a rough chop (so that I am taking the original cranberries and cutting them approximately in half).  Then I cut the golden delicious apple into tiny matchstick shapes.  I recently found a tool at Williams Sonoma that did it for me a lot easier (although I can't remember what it is called but it works like a cheese slicer or a zester).  Next I cook the chicken in a pan on the stove until done on the inside.  After the chicken has had a moment to cool, I cut it into tiny pieces (and I mean I spend a lot of time to cut it into tiny pieces).  I think roll those tiny pieces between my hands as I drop them into the mixing bowl.  Next I add the mayonnaise and the dash of sugar (you can use more mayo to get the right consistency).

I think this recipe made a nice, sweet, tasty meal and is best served with crackers.