Jul4

Onesie Sugar Cookies

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I’ve made royal icing twice before but all I did was spoon it onto regular round sugar cookies and put sprinkles on them.  I’ve been avoiding making royal icing decorated cookies like these.  Every time I would get ready to try them a little voice in my head would yell, “It’s too complicated! It’s too time consuming!”

Well, I finally did it!

And- they are time consuming but worth the effort.  Especially for a special event or occasion.  And what better occasion than to celebrate one of my dear friends, Sonya, and the impending arrival of her new baby girl? She and her husband Greg will soon welcome their second daughter into the world.  These cookies were for their baby sprinkle.

I still don’t know if I would have tried these if it weren’t for the inspiration provided by Annie, author of the amazing blog, Annie’s Eats.  She makes beautiful food and desserts and shares great tips on how to try them yourself.  Her blog is a must read. If you want to make cookies with royal icing, check out her detailed royal icing tutorial.  The only other tip I have is- get a squeeze bottle! I will never attempt to flood cookies with royal icing without one.

As much as I like to save time in the kitchen (and these do not, I repeat NOT, save time) I will definitely make these again because you have to keep practicing in order to get better at them.  I only wish I’d tried them sooner so that I could feel more confident in making them for the party.  But I am pretty happy with them, for my first attempt!  I have a few other shapes/designs in mind now so stay tuned! 🙂

White Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour

Directions:
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool. *Yields ~40 cookies.

*How many cookies you will get depends on their size and thickness. I made a double batch of this recipe expecting to have about 80 cookies but only ended up with 55.

From: Annie’s Eats

Royal Icing
Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. meringue powder
5 tbsp. water

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes).  Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container.  This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating.  Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated.  Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping.  (Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick.  Add a little more liquid and try again.)  Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie.  Let stand so the icing will set.  Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.

Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container.  Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl.  If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again.  Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie.  If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along.  *Allow to set.

Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired.  Gel icing color is best as it does not add a significant amount of liquid.  Liquid food coloring can be used as well – add powdered sugar as needed to compensate for any thinning that occurs.

From: Annie’s Eats

*I let the cookies set for 4 hours or so before adding details.  Then I let the final cookies set over night before packaging.

July 17, 2010 update!!!

I was asked to make some more onesie cookies for a boy baby shower.  The colors were blue, green, brown and white. Here’s the result!

Note: For the boy onesie cookies, I added vanilla extract to the icing to give it a little more flavor.  I will continue to test different variations of flavoring- like lemon to the cookie dough or almond to the icing.  Oh, the possibilities. 🙂

August 12, 2010 Update

Alright, after trying  this recipe several times with small changes each time, I’ve settled on my favorite version.  These slight changes resulted in cookies that were a huge hit at a recent birthday party:  I added half a cup of granulated sugar and used 1 teaspoon of almond extract and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.  I am basically in love these cookies. 🙂

Also, using lemon extract instead of almond to make lemon sugar cookies was delicious!! I didn’t have a  real lemon to use to add lemon zest but they still came out great just with the flavoring. Yum!!

Jul2

Spanish Rice

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Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with lime and cilantro
  • about 2 1/4 cups water or low sodium chicken broth

Directions

Add the olive oil to a medium sauce pan and heat. When the oil is hot, add the rice and cook stirring constantly until rice starts to brown. Add the salt, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder and mix well. Add the rotel tomatoes with enough water or broth (about 2 1/4 cups) to make 3 cups of liquid. Add the liquid and stir. Cover and let it come to a boil. Turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.

Jul2

Enchilada Lasagna

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This was so simple- a fun spin on traditional enchiladas.

Enchilada Lasagna

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 3 cups shredded Mexican blend chicken
  • 8 flour tortillas, cut in half

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Spread half of the meat sauce into greased 13×9 baking dish.  Top with half of the cheese blend, then half of the tortillas. Repeat layers.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

If you have extra enchilada sauce, cheese, or salsa, they would be great to add on top.

Modified from: Taste of Home

Jun30

Vietnamese-Spiced Pork Chops

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Ingredients

  • 4  (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
  • 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
  • 2  teaspoons  paprika
  • 2  teaspoons  ground coriander
  • 3/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
  • 1  tablespoon  bottled minced ginger
  • 2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic
  • Cooking spray (I sprayed the pork chops but put a little vegetable oil in the pan)

Preparation

Lightly score a diamond pattern on both sides of pork. Combine sugar and next 6 ingredients (sugar through garlic); rub evenly over pork.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done.

From: Cooking Light

May2

White Cupcakes with Buttercream

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I made these cupcakes for Austin’s 4th birthday and they turned out great.  The almond extract really gives them a nice flavor. I will probably try them again with just vanilla but these were delicious and very well received at the party. They were the exact texture that I was looking for. Easy recipe and they bake fast!

White Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
  • 6 large egg whites (¾ cup), at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (11.35 ounces)
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool

Directions

1. Set oven rack in middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.

3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.

4. Add all but ½ cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1½ minutes. Add remaining ½ cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.

5. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. (I used an ice cream scoop to keep them even.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-17 minutes.

Makes 24 cupcakes

From: That’s The Way the Cookie Crumbles

This is the buttercream recipe that I’ve used before but never posted. 🙂

Wilton’s Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
  • 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

instructions

(Medium Consistency)

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

From: Wilton

I also topped these cupcakes with Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate chocolate frosting and they turned out very well.


Feb20

Fruity Pebbles Cupcakes

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When I was a kid, I used to experiment and make marshmallow treats following the rice krispy treats recipe but with different types of cereal. It’s so much fun! These are good but VERY sweet. I recommend small portions! 🙂

Fruit Pebbles Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 package regular marshmallows
  • 5 cups Fruity Pebbles
  • frosting, if desired

Directions

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add marshmallows and cook until melted. Remove from heat and add cereal. Stir until well coated. Press firmly into cupcake tins and cool.  Top with frosting, if desired.

Feb20

Strawberry Cream Cheese Sandwich Cookies

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I just bought After School Snack Cookbook and it’s filled with kid friendly snacks and dishes, including ones that don’t require cooking at all. Shania made these.  In the book, they used ABC shortbread cookies which would have been so cute but I couldn’t find any.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces cream cheese (tub style)
  • 1 tablespoon strawberry preserves
  • red food coloring, if you like
  • 32 shortbread cookies, plain or chocolate

Directions

* Put the cream cheese and preserves in a small bowl.  Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add a drop of food coloring, if desired.  Spread cream cheese on cookies with a table knife to make sandwiches.

* We used T. Marzetti’s strawberry cream cheese so we didn’t have to do anything but spread it on the cookies.  It doesn’t get any easier to “make” a quick snack that is a fun and different from everything in the pantry.  Shania and Austin loved these!

From: After School Snack Cookbook, 2009, Meredith Corporation

Feb6

Spicy Sauteed Green Beans

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These were an attempt to do something different with my normal veggies while following a food plan during boot camp.  They turned out really well! It was a nice change from my traditional green beans. I normally make them with salt, sugar, and sometimes meat, so I was proud of these. 🙂

Spicy Sauteed Green Beans

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups frozen cut green beans

1/2 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning

1 teaspoon minced onions

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon Splenda

Directions

Heat oil on medium heat in a medium or large saucepan.  Add remaining ingredients and sautee for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Cover and cook on low until beans are cooked to your preference.

Feb6

Slow Cooker Caribbean Spiced Ribs

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This is a very non-intimidating way to make ribs. 🙂
Ingredients

3 lb pork loin back ribs
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

Directions

1. Spray inside of 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Remove inner skin from ribs if desired. In small bowl, mix dried minced onion, mustard, red pepper, allspice, cinnamon and garlic powder. Rub mixture into ribs. Cut ribs into 4-inch pieces. Layer ribs and sliced onion in slow cooker. Pour water over ribs.
3. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours.
4. Remove ribs from cooker; drain and discard liquid from cooker. Pour barbecue sauce into shallow bowl; dip ribs into sauce. Return ribs to cooker. Pour any remaining sauce over ribs.
5. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 1 hour longer.