Monday, January 28, 2013

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!

Once upon a time, not too far from here, we used to be allowed to bring cupcakes to school on our birthday.  This was the most exciting time of year for me.  An excuse to eat cupcakes in the middle of the school day, and show off my mom's cupcake making abilities to the rest of the class.  I remember instead of regular old cupcakes, my mom would make cupcakes baked in Ice Cream Cones!!  How exciting is THAT?

I decided to recreate the Ice Cream Cone Cupcake this weekend.  We had a few friends over to celebrate Scott's new job, and to show off our house!  While I made a TON of food (and have TONS of leftovers), the most exciting thing I made for our company were these cupcakes. 


I have to admit, I did do these a little different than my mom used to.  In those days, we didn't get super fancy with the frosting - we just frosted the top with a knife....But I figured I would try and make these look like real soft serve ice cream, and I think it was a success!!

So here's what I did:

Ingredients
1 box of cake mix (I used Funfetti) and the required ingredients
24 flat bottomed wafer Ice Cream Cones
Buttercream Frosting (see recipe below)
Jimmies (or Sprinkles, whatever you call them!)

Buttercream frosting (from the King Arthur Flour Cookbook)
5 1/2 Tbsp Butter
1/3 cup Shortening
1/8 tsp Salt
4 - 5 cups confectioners sugar (I used 4 cups)
2 tsps Vanilla Extract
1/4 - 1/3 cup milk (I used 1/4 cup, plus a splash more)

Beat together the butter, shortening, and salt until fluffy.  Add 2 cups of the confectioners sugar and beat slowly until well blended.  Add the vanilla and half of the milk, and beat until fluffy.

Continue mixing in the sugar and milk alternately until everything is completely incorporated, and beat until light and fluffy

The Method
Mix the cake mix according to the box directions
Pour the cake mix into a pour-able measuring cup (it makes things a bit easier)

  
The cake batter, poured into a measuring cup, and all of the ice cream cones, ready to be filled!

Fill the ice cream cones about 2/3 of the way full with the cake mix (you don't want to over fill.  Overfilling won't cause the cake mix to bake upwards - it will just make a mess!)

Bake the cones by placing them into muffin tins at 350* for about 15-20 minutes (don't let them get too browned!)

 

Remove from the oven and cool

When cooled, frost and decorate!  I frosted my cupcakes by loading the frosting into a piping bag and swirling on top.  But you are the chef and this is your project, so have fun!!


Thursday, January 24, 2013

What do you think about Turkey?

Like many out there, I try to limit my intake of red-meat to just a couple of times per week.  I sometimes replace ground beef with ground turkey.  In some dishes, you just can't taste the difference.  

However.

The other night, I made Sausage and Potatoes.  There were multiple things wrong with the dish, one being that it stayed in the oven too long and the potatoes got dried out.  But aside from that fact, I think everything else that was wrong with this dish is that I decided to use Turkey Sausage.  I don't mind eating regular sausage, since we don't eat it very often, but for some reason, when I went to the market, I decided to get Turkey Sausage.  I don't know why.  I think, in my mind, it would be "healthier" than regular sausage (which - when comparing the nutrition facts, is really not that much healthier.  At all!).  

Well.  Never Again.  Seriously. 

The turkey sausage, even though it was "Italian Style" just didn't taste right.  I think that both the sweet and hot sausage had fennel seeds in it, and I am just not a fan of fennel.  Also, while I cooked the dish the same way I always cook it, I found some things that I did not like!  The casing kind of peeled off the sausage.  It was weird.  And looked gross. 

I don't think I would buy Turkey Sausage again.  Or at least not that brand.  My aunt made sausage and potatoes once with chicken sausage - and that was really good.  I just don't know where this went wrong!!!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Zuppa Inglese Cake!

Zuppa Inglese Cake.  Technically, it means "English Soup."  No, I don't know why.  But it's delicious.  Seriously.

"Zuppa Inglese Cake" - The delicious creation of cake, cream, fruit, chocolate, whipped cream, and Lady Fingers.  

I've eaten Zuppa Inglese Cake (my family actually pronounces it "zoop-englase") many times before, but this was my first attempt at making it.  And I would go with SUCCESS!!  I had a hard time with a few aspects of it (namely the white cream and chocolate cream), but it still came out delicious.  We celebrated my mom's 60th birthday this weekend, and this was a delicious dessert to the amazing dinner that my sister put together.

The essentials of this cake are:  Sponge cake (or Chiffon Cake), white cream, fruit, chocolate cream, whipped cream, and lady fingers.  

So let me walk you through the process:

I made the creams first, because you need to cook them on the stove and I wanted to give them ample time to cool down.  They are almost identical, and they both gave me the same problem.  They were too runny.  After a couple hours cooling in the fridge, they were still too runny, so I put them back in a sauce pan (I skipped the double boiler and went right to the main pan), added some more corn starch, and let them boil for about 5 minutes while stirring continuously.  And it worked out great.  I actually got them a little thicker than I needed and cut them with some whipped cream.  They came out perfect.

  
White cream, and chocolate cream, on the stove in the double boiler

Next, I made the cakes.  I used a recipe from The King Arthur Flour Cookbook and it came out A-Mazing!  So delicious.  I had to make two separate recipes, and each recipe made enough for 2 9-inch round pans.  The secret with Chiffon Cake is the cooling.  Just like when you make Angel Food Cake, you need to cool these upside down.  Even leaving them on the counter for 5 minutes will cause them to fall.  So you gotta do it right.  By cooling upside down, I mean propping the pans on something (I used cans of Pam and cans of Baking Powder).  The cake doesn't fall out of the pan because you don't grease the pan.  I divided each cake in half and used 5 layers all-together.  The other 3 layers were delicious to snack on!!

Next, the fruit.  I chose to use peaches (canned peaches in light syrup, and slice them thin), strawberries sliced thin, and instead of using jam, I used cherry pie filling.

Finally, the Whipped Cream.  I used a quart of Heavy Whipping Cream, and started beating it in a bowl and whisk attachment that I had left in the freezer for a while.  I then added about 6 Tablespoons of Confectioners Sugar and 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract and let it beat until it was the perfect consistency.

So your next question is probably, "But how?"  My answer would be, "However you want!!"  There is no real science to this cake.  Just layer it up, and go for it!  My method was:  Cake, Cream, Peaches, Cake, Cream, Strawberries, Cake, Chocolate Cream, Cake, Cherries, Cake, and then Whipped Cream on top and all around the sides.  The best part about frosting the sides is that you don't have to do a fancy job - you're going to cover the sides with the Lady Fingers, anyway!!!

One layer of Chiffon Cake with White Cream

Peaches!

Layer #2 of Cake and Cream, with Strawberries!

Layer #3 of Cake with Chocolate Cream

Layer #4 of Cake with the Cherry Pie Filling.  You can put white cream in this layer, too, but I didn't

Layer #5 of cake on top, and totally frosted in Whipped Cream!!
  
Get Decorating!!  The Lady Fingers I bought had a sugar layer on them, so I made sure to face the sugar outwards!

I also added some extra plops of whipped cream, and made sure my mom remembered how old she is ;-)

The final result, all cut up.  Pure Deliciousness.
Here are the recipes I used!!

White Cream Filling (Adapted from The Recipe Link)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold milk
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
3 eggs slightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Scald the 1 1/2 cups milk.  Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually add cold milk, stirring well - make sure you mix in the sugar mixture that gets stuck in the corners of the pan). Slowly stir in the scalded milk. Stirring gently and constantly, rapidly bring mixture to boiling over direct heat and cook 3 minutes. Pour into top of double boiler and place over simmering water. Cover and cook about 12 minutes, stirring 3 or 4 times. Vigorously stir about 3 Tablespoons hot mixture into the eggs. Immediately blend into mixture in double boiler. Cook over simmering water 3 to 5 minutes. Stir slowly so mixture cooks evenly. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in vanilla extract and chill.  ***I did everything up until this point.  I saw that the mixture seemed too runny for me, and I let it cool, anyway.  After about 2 hours, it was still too runny.  I added the cooled mixture back into a sauce pan, and mixed in another 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch.  I turned the heat on the stove, let the mixture come up to a boil, and stirred continuously (about 5-7 minutes) until it thickened up.  I then transferred the mixture back into a bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator.  
When I was ready to use the cream, I mixed it up, and then added in some whipped cream to make it fluffier.

Chocolate Cream Filling (Adapted from The Recipe Link)
1 1/2 ounces (1 1/2 squares) unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold milk
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add unsweetened chocolate to 1 1/2 cups of milk and scald. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually add cold milk, stirring well. Slowly stir in the scalded milk. Stirring gently and constantly, rapidly bring mixture to boiling over direct heat and cook 3 minutes. Pour into top of double boiler and place over simmering water. Cover and cook about 12 minutes, stirring 3 or 4 times. Vigorously stir about 3 Tablespoons hot mixture into eggs. Immediately blend into mixture in double boiler. Cook over simmering water 3 to 5 minutes. Stir slowly so mixture cooks evenly. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in vanilla extract. Chill.  ***I did everything up until this point.  Once again, I saw that the mixture seemed too runny for me, and I let it cool, anyway.  After about 2 hours, it was still too runny.  I added the cooled mixture back into a sauce pan, and mixed in another 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch.  I turned the heat on the stove, let the mixture come up to a boil, and stirred continuously (about 5-7 minutes) until it thickened up.  I then transferred the mixture back into a bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator.  When I was ready to use the cream, I mixed it up, and then added in some whipped cream to make it fluffier.

Chiffon Cake (From the King Arthur Flour Cookbook)
7 eggs, separated (make sure you do not get any of the yolks mixed into the whites!!)
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 cups KA AP Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil (I used Corn OIl, because that's what I had)
3/4 cup Milk (I used 2%)
2 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Almond Extract

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the Cream of Tartar until foamy.  Gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy.  Set Aside.

Whisk together the remaining 1 cup sugar with the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, beat the oil, milk, egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract until pale yellow.  Add the dry ingredients and beat until well blended (About 2 minutes on medium speed on a stand mixer).

Gently fold in the whipped egg whites.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so the batter is well-blended.  Pour the batter into an two 9-inch ungreased round pans .You can also use a 10-inch tube pan, if desired.

Bake in a preheated 325*F oven for 50 minutes if using 9-inch rounds, or for 1 hour if using a tube pan.  Don't open the oven during the baking process!!!  You know it's done when a finger gently pressed in the middle doesn't leave a print, and you can hear a crackling sound.

Cool the cake pan upside down for 1/2 hour before removing it from the pan.  

Whipped Cream
1 Quart Heavy Cream
6 Tbsp Confectioners Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla

Beat it!



After you have assembled the cake, store it in the refrigerator.  I made this cake Saturday afternoon, and we didn't serve it until Sunday.  This gave the cake plenty of time to settle and marry, and it turned out delicious.


Enjoy!!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Snacks Say What?

I had a hankering for a snack today at work and I made two choices. I thought they would be decent choices, without knowing the nutrition facts.


So lets see...

Quaker Popped Caramel Corn
Calories: 100
Total Fat: 0.5g
Total Carbs: 23g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 1g
WW Points Plus: 3
Overall assessment: Airy and un-fulfilling....But low points!

Lightly Salted Peanuts
Calories: 340
Total Fat: 29g
Total Carbs: 9g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 15g
WW Points Plus: 9!!!
Overall assessment: Good source of protein, but high points!!

I actually ate both snacks because a) I worked out today so I earned some activity points and b) I ate my lunch at 10:30 this morning and didn't bring in an afternoon snack and was STARVED!!

I think my choices were decent, considering I could have bought Oreo Cookies, or Cheetos, or something else deliciously sinful.

Once I calculated the points, I did ask myself, "Is this worth the points?"  And my answer is no and yes.  No on the Popped Caramel Corn, Yes on the Peanuts.  There were literally like 13 little rice cakes, which is like a big tease.  I mean, why bother?  The peanuts, however, were jam packed into the package, and afterwards, I actually felt full!

So lesson learned!

What's in the vending machines where you are?  And what do their nutrition facts say?? 



Thursday, January 3, 2013

Hot Cocoa!!!

Every year, I try to put a good amount of thought into the Christmas gifts that I give to our Niece and Nephews who live out in California.  I never get to see them open the gifts and I never get to see or hear their response to what I have picked out for them.  I do usually get a thank-you letter for the gifts within a month after Christmas, but it is always very anti-climactic.  This year, instead of going out and buying them new outfits, or books, or games, I decided to make a hot cocoa set for the whole family.  I was really excited to do this because I discovered a new way to decorate white ceramic mugs and not have the writing wipe off.  I was also really nervous because I was going to try to ship a gift basket containing ceramic mugs across the country.  As far as I know, only 1 mug broke, so I will have to send out a replacement for Emma, but other than that, everything else survived.


So how did I make said gift basket?  Well, it's a multi-step process...But here goes!

1.  The mugs.  I bought basic white porcelain mugs and a massive set of Sharpie Markers and set to work.  I emailed my brother-in-law to find out the kid's favorite colors, and while I designed the mugs the same, I made each of them with their respective favorite colors.  Once they were fully decorated, I put them on a cookie sheet (yes, really), and baked them for 30 minutes at 350*.  When they were all done, I let them sit on the counter to cool.  The baking process allows you to decorate them mug, but also allows you to wash the mugs without wiping the design off.  It's quite exciting!




2.  Next, I decided that if I was going to be sending mugs and hot cocoa, then I also needed to send marshmallows.  I bought a bag of small marshmallows, and these fun red and green stars and trees, but I also found a bag of "stacker-mallows" - which are marketed to be for S'Mores, but make cutting shapes out of marshmallows an easy task!  So to work I went cutting gingerbread men, snowmen, candy canes, snowflakes, and ornaments out of the marshmallows!!

 

  

3.  Next, I put a variety of the different kinds of marshmallows into bags for each of the mugs!


4.  So we're talking hot cocoa mix here....What about the hot cocoa??  Well, I made my own mixture!  (Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe)

1.5 cup of unsweetened cocoa
2 cups confectioners sugar
2.5 cups non-dairy powdered creamer or powdered low-fat milk
2 tsps corn starch
1 tsp salt
Milk Chocolate Chips
White Chocolate chips

5.  Gift box it up!!  I did a lot of searching for a basket that I liked, and settled on a pretty box that I found at Christmas Tree Shop.  I put stuffing in the bottom, and then arranged the mugs, hot cocoa mix, and then lots of candy into the box!!



6.  And since I made the hot cocoa mix, I decided I should try some for myself!!!  2-3 Tbsp of hot cocoa mix with 8-10oz of water, and you've got yourself a delicious cup of hot cocoa!!

I repeated this process for my sister and brother-in-law, but instead of writing their names on the mugs, I wrote "MR" and "MRS" and I also did a mug for my dad which said, "Wake up and smell the COFFEE"

All in all, I had so much fun making this gift.  I hope that the receivers enjoy the gift as much as I enjoyed making it!  It certainly had a delicious end-result!

Get Creative, and ENJOY!!