I promised myself I would not let this blog go by the way-side.
No, I didn't promise to write everyday, but I have been neglecting my food fetish.
So let's start with two weeks ago.
I made cupcakes for my big trip to NC. This was a big trip because I was going just for me, just because I wanted to go, and because Meghan's brother was turning 21.
He wanted a drinking theme, go figure, so I suggested a few things that didn't go over well, because he's allergic to nut and doesn't care fore a few other stand up ingredients so I went with Margaritas.
1 box Lemon Cake mix, roughly adjusted
3 eggs
Zest and Juice of 3 limes
1/2 cup sprite
1/3 cup oil
The cake came out dense, yet light, which I needed for it to stand up to the frosting.
When I got to Greensboro, where my frosting assistant lives, I have her soak each cupcake with a tequila mixture
3 shots tequila
3 tbsp sugar
juice of 2 limes
There was syrup left over so I added it to the icing
1 stick butter
1 8 oz brick of cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 2 limes
2 boxes of confectioners sugar
tequila-lime syrup
Unfortunately the ratio of liquid to sugar was a bit off. I probably needed another box of sugar or another package of cream cheese. But non-the-less the concoction was tasty. I piped on the frosting, which ended up looking like overly-thick poured fondant, and let that set before adding another swirl on top. I dyed some sugar crystals green for the top and the whole thing was complete.
At the party the cupcakes went over well, I ended up taking an entire tray back to Greensboro because there weren't enough guests to eat them all, but I left them in the care of someone who knew how to get rid of them.
The second batch of cupcakes came to me in a dream... a day dream, but still a dream. I was sitting at my desk (or was it NTB?) and had this epiphany. Chocolate and Raspberry, if I could get a rich chocolate cake, stuff it with raspberries and cover it with butter cream, all would be right in the world.
1 box dark chocolate cake mix, baked to the directions (when I get a stand mixer I'll bake these things from scratch, PROMISE) yields 26 cupcakes
1 bottle Special Dark Chocolate Syrup
3 shots Chambord Liquor
1 bag frozen whole raspberries, unless fresh are available.
frosting:
2 sticks butter
2 boxes confectioners sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
4 drops raspberry candy flavor
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Mix till you can't mix anymore.
I ended up with the richest butter cream and the softest, lightest chocolate cake EVER!
Jen says these should be my signature cupcakes, but I think that will come later. These are very glamorous looking though, with sugar pearls and hand piped icing.
And wouldn't you know I forgot to take pictures!!!! I could kick myself in the head for that, but I'll make them again.
In non-sweet cooking, I made the best Tilapia that week.
Get the freshest fish you can, this does work with frozen fish, but fresh is better. Any white fish will do but Tilapia is readily available to me.
Take 3 tbsp butter, real butter, and melt over medium heat in a frying pan.
Season whole tilapia fillet with salt, and pepper.
Add 1 clove chopped garlic to butter just before you add the fish.
Add fish, with 1/4 cup white wine, relatively dry.
Squeeze the juice of one lemon in the pan, or wait an juice it over the finished fish.
Let fish cook until brown around the edges then flip and brown on the opposite side.
Do not over cook the fish! If need be, turn down the heat and cook it slower but resist the urge to rush the fish. Baste in melted butter until finished. You should have a crisp outer fish with a flaky, creaming flesh.
Serve with sauteed spinach and whipped potato mash.
When I make this again, I'll post a picture of my best plating.
The weeks in between then and now I made spaghetti and Ramon noodles to save money. Most, if not all of you have a recipe for spaghetti, so I won't write it here.
This week I made a Macaroni Carbonara.
I found these Macaroni noodles, long linguine length of hollowed pasta, at the Asian market, in the Hispanic isle.
2 packets Macaroni noodles
1 package frozen peas
1 packaged of bacon, cubed or diced
1 medium onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
5 eggs
1/2 pink cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese, you can use the grated stuff in the bottle, but it's not the same
salt and pepper to taste
Optional, grape tomatoes-halved, spinach leaves, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers
Boil the pasta and drain
Add peas to water to defrost if frozen, or blanch if fresh
Mix together the eggs, cheese, milk, salt and pepper, set aside
Fry bacon in pan until crispy. drain on a towel, leaving bacon grease in pan (i didn't say this was figure friendly)
Saute Onions until translucent
Add Garlic
Add noodles and toss in pan (you're going to need a relatively large pan)
Turn off heat and add egg mixture. Toss liberally.
Add Peas and bacon and pasta water to loosen the mixture as needed.
Serve Hot.
Now the only down side to using the macaroni is that they don't stand up to the tossing of the pasta, but I do like that if holds onto the sauce. This recipe make 6 dinner sized portions, with 2 or three lunches thrown in, I did this so I wouldn't have a lot of cooking to do this week.
I'm working on a tomatillo-chicken soup this week. I'll let you know if it's a bust.
No, I didn't promise to write everyday, but I have been neglecting my food fetish.
So let's start with two weeks ago.
I made cupcakes for my big trip to NC. This was a big trip because I was going just for me, just because I wanted to go, and because Meghan's brother was turning 21.
He wanted a drinking theme, go figure, so I suggested a few things that didn't go over well, because he's allergic to nut and doesn't care fore a few other stand up ingredients so I went with Margaritas.
1 box Lemon Cake mix, roughly adjusted
3 eggs
Zest and Juice of 3 limes
1/2 cup sprite
1/3 cup oil
The cake came out dense, yet light, which I needed for it to stand up to the frosting.
When I got to Greensboro, where my frosting assistant lives, I have her soak each cupcake with a tequila mixture
3 shots tequila
3 tbsp sugar
juice of 2 limes
There was syrup left over so I added it to the icing
1 stick butter
1 8 oz brick of cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 2 limes
2 boxes of confectioners sugar
tequila-lime syrup
Unfortunately the ratio of liquid to sugar was a bit off. I probably needed another box of sugar or another package of cream cheese. But non-the-less the concoction was tasty. I piped on the frosting, which ended up looking like overly-thick poured fondant, and let that set before adding another swirl on top. I dyed some sugar crystals green for the top and the whole thing was complete.
At the party the cupcakes went over well, I ended up taking an entire tray back to Greensboro because there weren't enough guests to eat them all, but I left them in the care of someone who knew how to get rid of them.
The second batch of cupcakes came to me in a dream... a day dream, but still a dream. I was sitting at my desk (or was it NTB?) and had this epiphany. Chocolate and Raspberry, if I could get a rich chocolate cake, stuff it with raspberries and cover it with butter cream, all would be right in the world.
1 box dark chocolate cake mix, baked to the directions (when I get a stand mixer I'll bake these things from scratch, PROMISE) yields 26 cupcakes
1 bottle Special Dark Chocolate Syrup
3 shots Chambord Liquor
1 bag frozen whole raspberries, unless fresh are available.
frosting:
2 sticks butter
2 boxes confectioners sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
4 drops raspberry candy flavor
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Mix till you can't mix anymore.
I ended up with the richest butter cream and the softest, lightest chocolate cake EVER!
Jen says these should be my signature cupcakes, but I think that will come later. These are very glamorous looking though, with sugar pearls and hand piped icing.
And wouldn't you know I forgot to take pictures!!!! I could kick myself in the head for that, but I'll make them again.
In non-sweet cooking, I made the best Tilapia that week.
Get the freshest fish you can, this does work with frozen fish, but fresh is better. Any white fish will do but Tilapia is readily available to me.
Take 3 tbsp butter, real butter, and melt over medium heat in a frying pan.
Season whole tilapia fillet with salt, and pepper.
Add 1 clove chopped garlic to butter just before you add the fish.
Add fish, with 1/4 cup white wine, relatively dry.
Squeeze the juice of one lemon in the pan, or wait an juice it over the finished fish.
Let fish cook until brown around the edges then flip and brown on the opposite side.
Do not over cook the fish! If need be, turn down the heat and cook it slower but resist the urge to rush the fish. Baste in melted butter until finished. You should have a crisp outer fish with a flaky, creaming flesh.
Serve with sauteed spinach and whipped potato mash.
When I make this again, I'll post a picture of my best plating.
The weeks in between then and now I made spaghetti and Ramon noodles to save money. Most, if not all of you have a recipe for spaghetti, so I won't write it here.
This week I made a Macaroni Carbonara.
I found these Macaroni noodles, long linguine length of hollowed pasta, at the Asian market, in the Hispanic isle.
2 packets Macaroni noodles
1 package frozen peas
1 packaged of bacon, cubed or diced
1 medium onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
5 eggs
1/2 pink cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese, you can use the grated stuff in the bottle, but it's not the same
salt and pepper to taste
Optional, grape tomatoes-halved, spinach leaves, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers
Boil the pasta and drain
Add peas to water to defrost if frozen, or blanch if fresh
Mix together the eggs, cheese, milk, salt and pepper, set aside
Fry bacon in pan until crispy. drain on a towel, leaving bacon grease in pan (i didn't say this was figure friendly)
Saute Onions until translucent
Add Garlic
Add noodles and toss in pan (you're going to need a relatively large pan)
Turn off heat and add egg mixture. Toss liberally.
Add Peas and bacon and pasta water to loosen the mixture as needed.
Serve Hot.
Now the only down side to using the macaroni is that they don't stand up to the tossing of the pasta, but I do like that if holds onto the sauce. This recipe make 6 dinner sized portions, with 2 or three lunches thrown in, I did this so I wouldn't have a lot of cooking to do this week.
I'm working on a tomatillo-chicken soup this week. I'll let you know if it's a bust.
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