Monday, August 30, 2010

Last weeks cooking venture...

Well last week I was perusing the Gourmet Sweets cookbook and I cheated a bit. I made the Chocolate Dipped Apricots.So use your imagination. Melt good quality chocolate and dip dried apricots in the chocolate. I had some nut topping from an event left over so I toasted the nut topping and sprinkled it on the apricots. Just lay the dipped apricots on waxed paper. Sprinkle with the nut topping if desired. Let rest on tray until the chocolate sets. If you live in a hot humid area you will have to put it in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Just a warning... These are addictive..

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Decision Has Been Made




So after much thought, I have decided to cook and blog my way through Gourment's Sweets Desserts for Every Occasion. I couldn't contain myself after perusing it last night. The pictures were calling me to bake, bake, bake... And the word bake kept getting louder.

So I made the Lemon Rspberry Wedding Cake on page 84. And I tweaked it a little. Raspberries are still available in our area and they taste ok. They aren't the same as Bear Lake in Utah. But they still taste good and are firm and uniform in shape and size. I made the single batch of Cake and Syrup and Buttercreme Frosting. I am definately out of practice but it turned out just fine.

So this is how I tweaked it...

I made the cake up according to directions. And baked it in three 9-inch cake pans. They turned out great. Just lightly tan on top. It was of even texture and dense in texture.

The syrup to soak the cake was sweet but not over the top sweet and the lemon juice didn't make it too tart.

So I took the buttercreme and made it without the added lemon curd. I reserved the lemon curd for the layers of the cake.

So each layer of the cake was soaked with the lemon syrup. I triple soaked the cake with the lemon syrup. I then piped a thin circle of buttercreme around the edge of each layer. In the center of the buttercreme, I placed lemon curd. Then place each layer on top of each other. Place a thin layer of buttercreme to the top and sides. Place a second layer of buttercreme over the entire cake. Place the raspberries on top. Pipe a decorative layer of buttercreme to the sides and top to finish the cake off.

So there are pictures to go with it. I can guarantee that you will have ooh's and aah's. My kids wanted to know if it was for us. And I said yes, so I am the best mom of all time!

Until next week...

Monday, August 2, 2010

Yummy Wraps



We love wrap sandwiches. I purchase burrito sized tortillas in 50 packs because they are simple and so versatile. My favorite is a Roasted Turkey Mango Wrap. I am sharing the recipe here. This recipe makes one ginormous wrap for one person. The best of all is the taste. I have this little obsession with Harry & David Chunky Mango Relish with Candied Peppers.

1 burrito sized flour tortilla
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Harry & David Mango Relish with Candied Peppers
4 thin slices oven roasted turkey
2 large pieces romaine lettuce
3 slices havarti cheese

Place dijon mustard and mango relish on the flour tortilla. Add the turkey and lettuce and cheese. Wrap up tightly and enjoy.

Baked Fish


My family loves fish. I love it baked. This is a recipe for one of our favorite recipes and usually there are no leftovers. It is the easiest recipe; we have no cleanup afterwards. Makes enough to serve 4 to 6.

Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
1 1/2 lbs cod fillets
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh lemon zest
2 tbsp chopped fresh orange zest
1/3 cup fresh chopped Italian Flat Leafed Parsley
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Place cod fillets in the center of a large piece of foil. Season cod fillets with salt and black pepper. Combine oil, lemon zest, orange zest, parsley, and scallions. Spread over cod fillets. Seal the foil over the fish. Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 17 minutes. Be careful when removing fish from foil as it is very hot and steam will rapidly escape. If you gently poke a hole in the aluminum foil and let it rest for a moment before opening foil.

PB & J for Breakfast?



One of my daughters favorite foods is Peanut Butter and Jelly. Grape jelly is their favorite. I love red raspberry but the great thing about this breakfast dish is the syrup is created from your favorite flavor jam of jelly. This is so simple and takes under 30 minutes to complete. This recipe makes enough pancakes and syrup to serve 6 people. ENJOY!

Peanut Butter Pancakes
2 1/2 cups pancake and waffle mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
Place milk and peanut butter in a large microwave proof bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add pancake and waffle mix to the peanut butter/milk mixture and stir until smooth. Add the two eggs. Stir until eggs are thoroughly incorporated. Cook as directed for pancake and waffle mix.

Jelly Syrup
1 cup favorite flavor jelly or jam
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp cornstarch
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add jelly and stir until smooth. Add cornstarch to water and stir into a slurry. Add to jelly in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes until jelly mixture cooks clear. Serve warm over pancakes.