Showing posts with label my. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my. Show all posts
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Red Velvet Cupcakes and My Big Moment on Just Desserts
I’ve gotten so many requests for cupcakes and red velvet cakes that I figured I’d kill two food wishes with one video. They came out really well, and as I tasted, I actually caught myself daydreaming about being on Top Chef Just Desserts.
I imagined I’d furiously finished frosting these red velvet cupcakes just as time expired (I think the faux-hawked prima donna with the Jacques Torres tattoo next to me hid the cream cheese to screw me over). I bring them up to the judge’s table, and watch as the lovely Gail Simmons takes a big bite. She swallows, smiles, and then says, “Really not that bad for a food blogger.” Okay, so she’s too classy to ever say that, but still, it would be pretty cool.
Party season is upon us, and what holiday dessert table wouldn’t benefit from a plate of these classic cupcakes? It would be like Johnny Iuzzinis face without the side burns. In other words, just not as good. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 Red Velvet Cupcakes:
Dry:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Wet:
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
Bake at 350 for about 22 minutes
Sunday, January 26, 2014
My favorite Lasagna
I love lasagna - especially good lasagna. When I met Jeremy he said that was his favorite food and I see why. This recipe comes from his mom and it is delicious! Ive made a couple of little changes, but other than that, its the same. Homemade lasagna is so much better than frozen (in my opinion) and its really not that hard. Its a little time consuming to simmer the sauce, but just make it on a day that you can be home for awhile. I usually assemble the lasagna in the morning and then just keep it in the refrigerator until Im ready to bake it. Ive also cut this recipe in half many times and it works great (in an 8x8). Sometimes Ill do the whole thing and freeze half for later and that works great too! Just double the baking time if its frozen.This makes a big, 4-layer, meaty, cheesy lasagna. Great for feeding a crowd! Serves 10-12. Delicious with these breadsticks.
Lasagna
14 oz. ground beef
8 oz. mild ground Italian sausage
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
3 T. parsley flakes, divided
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 8 oz. package lasagna noodles
5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 c. small-curd cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (I usually do half & half or 2:1 ricotta:cottage)
Saute ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic until meat is cooked. Drain off fat. Add canned tomatoes and break with a fork. Stir in tomato sauce, 2 T. parsley, sugar, 1 tsp. salt and basil. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered 1 hour or until mixture is the consistency of spaghetti sauce. Prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. If using oven-ready lasagna noodles, no preparation is necessary (I recommend this; it makes it way easier - Barilla brand is my favorite).
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix cottage/ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1 T. parsley, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and the oregano.
In ungreased 9x13 pan, layer 1/4 of the noodles, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, 1/4 of the meat sauce, and 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat 2 times. Put the last layer of noodles on top. Top with remaining meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. (It will be noodles-cheese mixture-sauce-mozzarella-noodles-cheese-sauce-mozzarella-noodles-cheese-sauce-mozzarella-noodles-sauce-mozzarella). Got it? :) If using oven-ready noodles, make sure they are completely covered in sauce, otherwise they wont cook right in the oven - theyll be crispy. Yuck.
Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes (10-15 minutes more if its been in the refrigerator. Let stand 15 minutes after removing from oven before serving.
Source: Adapted from Debbie Nowland
(Hard to get a nice clean picture of lasagna. Trust me. Its delicious).Friday, December 27, 2013
The Crazy Basil Peach Black Pepper Parmigiano Reggiano Cobbler that Captured My Heart
This unusual basil, peach, black pepper, Parmesan cobbler recipe started out as an innocent experiment making individual-sized cobblers, but somehow spun out of control into weird and wonderful new directions.
I was thinking about a cheese Danish, so I grated some Parmigiano-Reggiano into the batter. I was thinking about Gougères, so I added some freshly ground black pepper as well. I was thinking about a peach and basil sorbet I had one time, and decided that some of the sweet aromatic herb seemed perfectly appropriate.
The result was one of the more interesting and delicious desserts I’ve eaten in a long time. The flavors are subtle, but identifiable. I love, love, loved it. It may sound a little savory, but it was plenty sweet enough, and would make a memorable end to any late summer meal. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Note Regarding Self-Rising Flour: As we said in the regular peach cobbler post, it is recommended you go out and get some self-rising flour. You can make it yourself, by adding baking powder and salt to all-purpose flour, but for whatever reason, it just doesnt seem work as well.
Note Regarding Self-Rising Flour: As we said in the regular peach cobbler post, it is recommended you go out and get some self-rising flour. You can make it yourself, by adding baking powder and salt to all-purpose flour, but for whatever reason, it just doesnt seem work as well.
Ingredients:
Two 10-oz ramekins with 2 tsp melted butter in each
For the batter:
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup self-rising flour
2/3 cup milk
1 tbsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
pinch of black pepper
For the peaches:
1 large peach, peeled, pitted, sliced into 10-12 slices
2 tbsp sugar
2-3 torn or sliced basil leaves
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp water
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