Matcha (Green Tea) Ice Cream

Matcha ice cream was our first foray into homemade frozen treats, but it shall not be our last!  We try not to go out to eat too often, but when we do, we almost always find ourselves ending the night at a bubble tea shop in Chinatown.  It is there that I first had matcha ice cream (and matcha bubble tea), and there is no way we could afford to fund my matcha habit going out every week.  Therefore, I had to bring this addiction home with me.

To fuel your own matcha addiction, you will need:


1 cup milk (skim or 1% fine)
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp matcha powder

1. If you have an ice cream maker, don't forget to freeze the bowl 24 hours in advance!

2. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and heat (stirring slowly with a whisk) until combined into a smooth green mixture.  I would recommend adding 2 Tbsp of the matcha powder first and tasting as you add more.  How delicate or how strong you want the matcha flavor is a matter of taste I suspect.

3. Once cooled, add mixture to your ice cream maker or a freezer safe bowl/storage to finish.

Note: If you do not have an ice cream maker, make sure you stir it often as it freezes to break up the ice crystals.

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Chinese Chicken Bacon Roll-ups

I rarely post any appetizers, so I thought I'd share a recipe that is a take-off of the bacon pinwheels that my mom made for Christmas last year.  

You will need:
Toothpicks
3 medium check breasts
18 strips of uncooked crispy american-style bacon
9 water chestnuts
Approx 1/2 cup Teriyaki, General Tso's, or Orange Chicken sauce
   (really most sweet and savory marinades will suffice!)

1. Cut chicken into thin strips.  Place in a sealable plastic bag.  Add teriyaki sauce and seal.

2. Allow to marinate 30 minutes, flip the bag over, and leave for another 30 minutes.

3. Once chicken is done marinating, wrap each strip around half of a water chestnut (do not worry if it does not go all the way around), and wrap a piece of bacon around that. 

4. Secure it with a toothpick.

5. Place under the grill (on a low setting to allow even cooking) until bacon is brown and check that the chicken is heated.  When the top starts to brown, flip each over.  Raw bacon is a no-no.

6. Serve!

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Five Minute Express Preparation General Tso's Chicken

I absolutely adore Americanized Chinese food.  Things like General Tso's or Orange chicken are two of my favorite foods ever.  However, they can be quite time consuming to make at home.  Breading and frying little bits of chicken while juggling a multi-ingredient sauce on another burner may not be practical if you've just come home from work and are hungry!  If you are not looking to wow any guests and are just craving Chinese, I suggest my express/shortcut General Tso's Chicken.  The actual time it takes to prepare is about 5 minutes, as there is very little work involved.  The hardest part is waiting for the chicken to finish cooking in the oven!

Note: Can be easily made vegetarian by preparing with veggie-friendly chicken style pieces.

All you need is:
1 bottle General Tso's Sauce (or any other bottled sauce you prefer, ex. teriyaki or orange sauce)
1 package 90 second microwave rice
1 serving of frozen popcorn chicken

1. Bake popcorn chicken.

2. When there is about three minutes left on that timer, heat your microwave rice.

3. When popcorn chicken is done, remove from oven and place in a small bowl.

4. Add desired amount of General Tso's sauce in the bowl and coat evenly.

5. Empty rice into a serving bowl and top with sauce-covered chicken.

Simple!

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Butter Chicken Curry

Gordon Ramsay's Butter Chicken as cooked by my manfriend Ajay for Valentines dinner.  So complicated, but so good!  He even took the time to strain the sauce for me so I wouldn't eat a chunk of veg by mistake ;)

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Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes EXTREME

I made an EXTREME version of the Quadruple Chocolate Cupcake as requested by my manfriend, and as per his instructions.

The whole cupcake was dipped in chocolate, oreo tops affixed to the sides, and an intense amount of whipped cream.  Voila!

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Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes

Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes are inspired by chocolate sandwich cookies like these:

Where does the quadruple come in?  Devil's Food chocolate cake, chocolate biscuits, the biscuit's chocolate cream filling, and a hard chocolate shell on top.  All topped off with a bit of whipped cream to cut through the intensity of the multiple layers of chocolate.

You will need:
12 chocolate cream sandwich cookies
1 recipe yielding 24 Devil's Food cake batter, prepared
300g Dark Baking Chocolate
500ml heavy whipping cream
5 Tbsp granulated sugar

1. Crush sandwich cookies into medium-large pieces

2. Prepare cake recipe according to instructions.  Before spooning into cupcake holders, fold in crushed oreos.

3. Fill cupcake liners and bake according to the cake recipe's directions.

4. Once baked, allow cupcakes to cool and then place in refridgerator.

5. Prepare the topping by mixing the heavy whipping cream and sugar, beat on high until stiff.  Set aside or place in piping bag.

6. Once cupcakes are cold to the touch, it is time to melt the chocolate.  This can be done in a double boiler or in a small microwave-safe bowl.  Break chocolate into small pieces and heat, careful not to overheat or the chocolate will seize.

7.  Once chocolate has melted, remove cupcakes from refrigerated and dip the tops into the chocolate until completely covered.  Allow chocolate to set at room temperature.  However, once chocolate is semi-hardened, cupcakes can be refrigerated if your kitchen is too warm.

8. Top with whipped cream before serving.

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Buffalo Chicken Soft Tacos

Inspired by buffalo wings.  And by the fact that I don't actually like chicken wings.

But I do enjoy chicken and the sauces wings are often smothered in.  There are plenty of cooling elements in this recipe to take the bite out of the buffalo sauce, the amounts below are simply a guide.  This recipe is quick, simple, and tastes like something you could get at an American sports bar of sorts.

You will need:
1 bottle (or 150 ml/5 oz) Franks Redhot Buffalo Wings Sauce
6 medium chicken breasts
250 g (~9 oz) Mozzarella cheese
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) Sour Cream
10 soft taco shells
Lettuce (if desired)

1. Bake chicken breasts until cooked.  Sprinkle with a few teaspoons of the redhot sauce if you wish.

2. Allow chicken to cool slightly, then pull it apart (a bit like pulled pork) into small strips using a fork.

3. In a skillet, add the chicken and the bottle of Buffalo sauce.  Heat.

4. Assemble your taco with the mozzarella, chicken, sour cream, and lettuce in the shell.  You may wish to zap it for few seconds in the microwave to heat the shell.  I'd advise leaving the lettuce out until you've done that.

Simple. So. Simple.

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Denny's Grand Slamwich

I ate this.  It took me two separate meals to finish, but I actually ate this.  For those who are unfamiliar with this particular sandwich, the Denny's Grand Slamwich contains sausage, bacon, ham, cheese, mayo, egg, and some sort of maple flavoring.  Perhaps I should have opted for the pumpkin pancakes or the red velvet pancake puppies. 

It is difficult to articulate my feelings on Denny's.  Their more interesting food choices are often quite disturbingly high in fat and calories that it makes it difficult to properly enjoy the food, as you feel extremely guilty and maybe a little sick after all you have consumed.  But I love every second of the actual meal time!  Mmm diner chains.

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Whimsical Cookery!

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Holiday Sugar Cookies w/ Egg-Free (faux) Royal Icing

I adore spending far too long decorating each individual cookie.  Luckily, this year I had some help from my mom!  The beautiful boot and left Christmas tree are her handiwork.

Here is my simple recipe for sugar cookies and frosting, so you can spend less time baking and more time decorating!

You will need:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (solid stick) margarine or 3/4 cup butter

2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Cream margarine and sugar until completely combined.

2. Add eggs and vanilla to mixture and combine.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Slowly add and mix dry ingredients to the wet mixture.

5. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until stiff.

6. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface.  About 1/4 inch thick (or slightly thicker, your preference).

7. Bake at 400F/200C (or at a slightly lower temperature in a fan assisted/convection oven).  I'm adding this note, as sugar cookies burn easily, in my opinion.

8. Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Less for smaller/thinner cookies.  

9. Allow to cool before frosting!

Egg-Free (Faux) Royal Icing Recipe:

3 cups icing sugar/powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

2-3 Tbsp light corn syrup (add more if too dry)

1 tsp clear vanilla extract

Assorted food dyes and sprinkles/toppings for decoration

1. Combine all ingredients by whisking gently.

2. Separate frosting into separate bowls to create different colors (by adding food dye).  The higher quality food dye you have, the more brilliant your colors will be.  I have been burned by store brand food dye before.

3.  Add frosting to piping bags with thin tips or plastic bags with a corner cut off (be sure not to cut too large of a hole o you will have a mess).

Note: To get the whimsical pulled-colors look to your frosting, simply flood your cookie with frosting and pipe lines of contrasting frosting over.  Then drag a toothpick in the direction you want your frosting to be pulled.

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Hot Orange Spice Mocha Drink

Hot Orange Spice Mocha drinks are a nice way to keep warm when the temperatures are below freezing!  Last night it was snowing so hard and so beautifully, it looked like a snow globe outside.  What choice did I have but to make some sort of seasonal hot drink?  This recipe is quite easy to make, though cleanup is a bit of hassle if you do not have a dish washer.

You will need:
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1 orange
1/2 tsp whole cloves
1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 cup hot chocolate mix
1-2 Tbsp instant coffee granules (to taste)

1. In a saucepan, combine water, milk, cloves, cinnamon stick, hot chocolate mix, and coffee granules.

2. Grate the zest of 1 orange into the pan and then squeeze the juice from the orange into the mixture.

3. Bring to a gentle boil for 5-8 minutes and stir constantly on a low heat to prevent scorching.

4. Serve by pouring drink through a sieve.

5. Remove any milk skin that forms as it cools, as I would imagine most people don't enjoy drinking globby milk.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have cheesecloth, you may find it easier to put the cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange zest in the cheese cloth and make a little baggy out of it for easy removal (instead of serving it through a sieve).

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Mint Chocolate Snowball Cookies (Egg-free and Original Nestle recipe)

This is officially my favorite cookie recipe of all time.  And I am in no way exaggerating.  My mom and I have made these cookies every year since I was very very young, I can't actually remember when we first started making them.  I was just that young.  Each year we have to make a double or even triple batch, as everyone snaps them up so greedily! 

This year, in addition to making the original recipe with my mom while on vacation in America, I perfected an egg-free recipe about 2 weeks ago while still in the UK so that I could share them with my boyfriend's family.  I also omitted the vanilla extract from the recipe, as it contains a tiny amount of alcohol.  However, there is the option of leaving it in if you prefer, OR substituting the extract for real vanilla.  Since vanilla pods are so expensive, that option was not an option for me.  For the record, the cookies are nearly identical in taste and texture as the original recipe.

Egg-Free Mint Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies

You will need:

2.5 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk (add an additional 1 Tbsp milk at a time before Step 8 if necessary until dough is not crumbly  
      and is able to hold a sphere/ball shape)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 10oz package Mint Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and vegetale oil.  Mix.

4. Beat in milk and (optional) vanilla extract.

5. Gradually add flour mixture.

6. Stir in mint chocolate chips.

7. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

8. Roll drops into balls and roll balls in a small bowl of remaining sugar.

9. Place sugar-covered dough balls back on the cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Yield 5 1/2 dozen (small) cookies


Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookie Drops (Original Recipe)

You will need:
2.5 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 10oz package Mint Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and vegetale oil.  Mix.

4. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract.

5. Gradually add flour mixture.

6. Stir in mint chocolate chips.

7. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

8. Roll drops into balls and roll balls in a small bowl of remaining sugar.

9. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Yield 5 1/2 dozen (small) cookies

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Tips for Picky Eaters: Your Favorites

 Courgette/Zucchini fries at Byron by su-lin (flickr)

It may be useful to think about or list all of the healthier things you do eat in order to expand upon or combine them.
For example, I do eat apples.
Apples can be eaten many different ways in order to keep some variety in your routine while not becoming sick and tired of the same damn food.
Apple-related ideas:

• Whole, peeled or unpeeled
• Chopped into quarters or very thin slices, peeled or unpeeled
• Covered in cinnamon
• Dipped in peanut butter
• Or dipped in caramel or a candied apple if you're feeling a bit more sinful
• Others may like baked or apple pies, though I'm not a fan

Combinations:
I'll use potatoes because it's really simple to incorporate potatoes into things.  Though the health benefits of a potato are somewhat limited.
This site uses potatoes in:
Fries on a burger
As a soup thickener
Loaded twice-baked potatoes
(Again, some of these options are more sinful than others).

I've also made mashed potato sandwiches with leftovers as well as a with a variety of other dishes to bulk out the meal.
But you may also consider making your own healthy baked french fries, mashed potatoes, or any other way you can imagine creatively preparing this (or any other) vegetable.

My favourite new creative vegetable creation:
The courgette/zucchini fries, which I first tried at my favorite burger place in London, Byron.

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Creamy Lemon Pasta With Chicken (or Chicken-Style Pieces)

This dish is a perfect subtle creamy lemon pasta with chicken (or chicken-style pieces for a veggie-friendly version).  Despite the dark/grim background of the photo (it was dark by the time dinner was finished), creamy lemon pasta with chicken is actually a perfect spring or summer dish.  Feel free to omit the chicken, and make it as a side dish for your main.  Lemon goes well with fish right?  Does pasta go with fish?  So many questions.

Questions aside, this dish has become a household favorite, and has been made many times since that photo was taken.

Note: Plan ahead, as chicken needs to be cooked and have time to soak up the lemon juice.

You will need:
250 grams of Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
3 medium chicken breasts fully cooked (preferably baked) and thinly sliced
2 tsp garlic powder (divided in half)
1 tsp ground black pepper
12 oz. (350ml) hot water
  with two dissolved chicken stock cubes
1 cup (approx 235ml) heavy cream
2 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
A further 1/2 cup lemon juice for marinading
1 large sealed plastic bag
Parsley or lemon for garnish if desired

1. In a plastic bag, add COOKED chicken, 1 tsp garlic powder, pepper, and 1/2 cup lemon juice.  Press as much air out of the bag as possible, and seal.  Store in fridge for 2 hours.

2. Prepare pasta either before/after/simultaneously, depending on whether you wish to reheat sauce.

3. In a large saucepan, heat oil and stir flour into oil to create a roux.

4. Add in hot water/chicken stock and stir until thickened and smooth.

5. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice followed by the heavy cream.

6. Stir in remaining 1 tsp garlic powder.

7. Remove from heat and add chicken.  Do this by cutting a small hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze out the juice. Add chicken to the pan.

8. Heat thoroughly, stirring constantly so cream does not scorch.

9. Either add pasta and stir, or pour over prepared pasta and serve.

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Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

I threw this recipe together SO quickly for a (Christmas) family get-together a while ago.  These are quite quick to make and use easily found ingredients.  They taste amazing, making it hard to just eat one even though you know that amount of cheesecake cannot be good for you!

You will need:
18 cupcake wrappers
18 oreos (peanut butter, mint, double stuffed, chocolate any flavor is amazing)
+6 oreos for crushing (24 total oreos)
16 oz. (approx 450g) of cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs


1. Line cupcake tray and place 1 oreo at the bottom of each.

2. Place 6 oreos in a food processor and crush (or do so by hand in a large plastic bag).

3. Beat room-temperature cream cheese until smooth.

4. Beat in sugar, vanilla, and eggs.







5. Fold in oreo crumbs.

6. Divide mixture amongst the 18 holders.

7. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 18-22 minutes.

8. Chill cheesecakes before serving.

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Pumpkin Spice Milkshakes

This is my attempt at re-creating Culver's pumpkin concrete shakes that I used to get on vacation with my family at this time of year in Wisconsin.  Pretty much the only difference was the more drinkable consistency.  But if I'm honest, I always found fighting with 'concreteness' of a concrete shake to be a bit frustrating anyways.  If you prefer a ridiculously thick shake, all you need to do is reduce the amount of milk to your preference.  Simples!

You will need:
1/2 cup milk (fat-free is fine)
2 cups vanilla ice cream
Approximately 1/3 cup pumpkin
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
 *Go easy on the nutmeg and cloves, as unless you are working with very very finely ground high quality spices or it will affect the texture

Yield: 2 small or 1 large milkshake

There are two options for mixing this.  Either throw all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Or, combine in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.  This method works fine, and is the way I went since I do not currently have access to a blender.

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Spicy Sausage and Tomato Penne

Spicy sausage and tomato penne is the perfect dish when you are in need of some easy comfort food!  It honestly took me longer to do the dishes than to make the food.  I can only imagine how easy this would be if I had a dish washer...  A girl can dream!

220g/≈8oz penne pasta
250g/≈9oz white mushrooms
570g/ 20oz tomato spaghetti/bolognese sauce (spicy, if possible/to taste)
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of salt
8 thick-cut pork sausages
  *I feel like 6 brats may be a good substitute
You will need a large pot or deep frying pan

1. Cook penne according to package instructions.  This can be done on another burner while working on the sauce to save time,

2. In a large pot or deep frying pan, brown and thoroughly cook sausages.

3. Remove sausages from pan, but retain the fat/juices.  Allow sausages to cool slightly.

4. In the mean time, prepare and cut mushrooms into medium-large slices.

5. Fry mushrooms in the sausage fat/juices.  Remove mushrooms from the pan and set aside in a container to keep warm.  Discard any extra fat.

6. Slice sausages into coins when they are no longer too hot to touch.  This may be done while mushrooms are frying if you can multi-task.

7. Once the mushrooms have been removed from the pan, return the sausage coins to the pan and heat until you hear sizzling.

8. Add the tomato sauce to the pan over the sausages.  If you dislike bits in your sauce, you may wish to run in through a strainer like I did.

9. Add a pinch of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

10. Stir and allow sauce to simmer on a very low heat, with the aim of the sausage juices and flavors mixing into the tomato sauce.

11. Serve sauce over penne.  Top with mushrooms.  Ta da!

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Dark Chocolate Cupcakes topped with Salted Caramel & Cream Cheese Frosting

You will need:
1 recipe dark chocolate cake batter yielding 24 cupcakes, prepared

8oz./225g FULL FAT cream cheese/soft cheese room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick/approx 115g)
4-5 cups icing sugar (until desired consistency)
1 tsp clear vanilla extract

Pre-made wrapped caramels (unwrapped) Estimate 1/2 Carmel per cupcake
Course-ground sea salt

1. Prepare cupcakes according to recipe instructions.  Allow to cool.

2. Trim out very shallow circles from tops of cupcakes, remembering that large amounts of caramel will be overwhelming to chew!

3. Melt caramels with 1-2 Tbsps of milk (to soften caramel slightly)

4. Pour small amounts of caramel to create small disks on top of the cupcakes. Caramel will be a chewy contrast to the cake, so be sure that it is in a thin layer.

5. Sprinkle with sea salt while still warm.

If I'm honest, the cupcakes are awesome this way.  However, for those who prefer their cupcakes frosted:

6.Prepare frosting by creaming butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer/whisk.

7. Beat in vanilla extract.

8. Mix in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until desired consistency.

9. Add frosting to pastry bag and frost circles around the caramel center.

Serve the same day for best taste/consistency!

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General Tso's Beef Burger

You know that thing that happens when your mouth is really happy and spasms at the back to let you know it's overwhelmed by the food you just nommed?  That totally happened when I ate this burger.  Then I made 3 more, one everyday til the buns went bad.  SO good.  This burger is a take-off of my Orange Beef Burgers.
I fear this intro is written in a way that while adequately expressing my burger experience, demeans my intellectual capabilities.  Yet I shall defend my right to use the word NOM til the end of my days! 

Nom.

You will need:
1 burger (room temperature or fridge cold and cooked, preferably grilled)
1 burger bun
1/2 cup sticky rice (or rice that is still steamy enough to hold shape)
1 bottle General Tso's cooking sauce
An icecream scoop

1. Prepare rice and set aside, keeping warm. 

2. In a frying pan, add a burger-sized circle of General Tso's sauce

3. Add burger to pan and heat, making sure the burger is coated with the sauce (add more if necessary).

4. Cook until sauce caramelizes and burger becomes sticky (and hot).

5. Serve on a toasted bun.

6. Top with an icecream scoop of rice.

7. Serve with a small bowl of sauce for dipping, you may wish to water down the sauce and heat in the microwave.

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Crispy Chili-Lime Chicken Breasts (healthy oven-baked)

Finally, a healthy meal suggestion that isn't incredibly dull or buried under green veggies.  I decided to try making my own flavored chicken using chili and lime flavors after I saw a pre-packaged version that was out of my budget.
Might I recommend you attempt Crispy Chili-Lime Chicken Breasts?  As long as you remember to soak the chicken in lime juice in the morning, the actual recipe is not complicated and takes only around 10 minutes to prep. 

You will need:
4 small chicken breasts
3 tsps medium chili powder
1 1/2 tsps garlic salt
3/4-1 cup lime juice
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 large zipable bag

1. Poke chicken with fork.

2. Marinade chicken breasts by placing them in the bag and adding the lime juice.  Close bag in a way that very little air remains, allowing the lime juice to cover as much of the chicken's surface as possible.  Leave for 2-3 hours.

3. In a flat bowl, mix the bread crumbs, chili powder, and garlic salt.

4. Prepare the chicken for baking by first dipping each breast into the egg and then into the bread crumb mixture, assuring all sides are covered.

5. Place chicken on greased baking sheet, and spray with low-cal cooking spray oil.

6. Bake at 400F/200C for 20-25 minutes (depending on exact size of breasts).

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The Devil's Pumpkin Buttercream Cupcakes

It is that time of year!  Orange and black!  Halloween!  Pumpkins!  And let's be honest, these cupcakes are all about the pumpkin frosting.  The cake itself is merely a vehicle for its pumpkiny goodness (not unlike a red velvet cake/cream cheese frosting situation).  These cupcakes are perfect for that autumnal feeling you get the moment the air starts getting cooler.  They're perfect for Halloween parties. They're perfect for extra tins of pumpkin pie filling after Thanksgiving.  They're perfect for the middle of summer when you miss eating pumpkin.  I'm not really sure what they're not perfect for...?  Maybe February.  Don't eat these in February.

Note: This frosting would also be stellar on a spice cake.

You will need:
1 recipe Devil's Food cake batter yielding 24 cupcakes, prepared
Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks/approx 225g) unsalted butter
4-5 cups icing/powdered sugar (until desired consistency)
1/2 cup pumpkin purree
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Tiny pinch of salt

1. Prepare cupcakes according to recipe instructions.  Allow to cool.

2. Create frosting by first creaming the butter using an electric mixer/whisk.

3. Add pumpkin, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and salt and mix.

4. On a low setting, mix in icing sugar 1 cup at a time.

5. Frost!

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Apple Pie Muffins

Apple pies and apple crumbles are the obvious inspiration for these muffins. They are good without the crumble, if you want to save time. But if you want that lovely crunchy bit on top, I suggest taking the extra 5-10 minutes!

I have also realised that some of my recipes, while feasible to make using ingredients commonly found in England, are often very american.  For more recipes from an american expat in England, visit Orion's Lounge!  Also good if you enjoy a bit of humour with your recipes.

You will need:

2 3/4 cup (approx 360g) flour
1 1/3 cup (300g) caster/fine sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup (approx 350 ml)  buttermilk
1 large egg
1/3 cup (approx 75g) butter 

Filling:
1 cup (approx 270g) bramley apple sauce
½ tsp cinnamon

Topping:
2/3 cup packed (approx 150g) brown sugar
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoon butter, room temperature

Yield: 16 large muffins


1. Prepare the topping by combining all four ingredients using a fork or a pastry blender. Set aside.

2. Prepare the filling by simply mixing the apple sauce with the cinnamon. Set aside.

3. Next , prepare the muffin mixture. In a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg.

5. Slowly stir the buttermilk/egg mixture into the dry ingredients.

6. Melt the butter for the muffin mix in the microwave.

7. Add butter to muffin mixture and stir until smooth. Use an electric mixer if necessary, but do not overbeat.

8. Fill muffin cups 1/3 full. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the filling for bakery size muffins (or a bit less if using standard baking cup size).

9. Fill the muffin cup until just over 2/3 full.

10. Sprinkle topping.

11. Bake for around 20 minutes for bakery size muffins. Reduce time if using smaller muffin cups.

12. Serve warm.


If you prefer a more pie-like muffin, you can try putting the filling right at the bottom, but I can't promise you it won't scorch :/

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Garlic & Sun-Dried Tomato Flatbread Pizza

I'll admit that I sometimes get jealous of people eating their 'artisinal' pizzas, but the truth is I do not want a pizza topped with baby arugula/rocket, cherry tomatoes, and goats cheese.  Anyways, I sought to mimic the bubbling flatbread experience by picking some up in my weekly shop and adding things I do enjoy on top!
I am hesitant to give exact measurements of ingredients, but I've put some measurements down as a shopping guide.

For two pizzas, you will need:
2 fresh flatbreads
Margarine or butter
Garlic powder
Dried oregano
Jar of sundried tomatoes
1 small jar pizza sauce
Parmesan cheese
4 pieces smoked back bacon (fat removed)
1 cup chestnut mushrooms (already fried/cooked in olive oil)
Shredded mozzarella
60g thin-sliced chorizo

1. Drain oil from sundried tomatoes, add to a small saucepan and heat.

2. Add small container of pizza sauce and stir until warm.

3. Empty contents into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

4. (optional) Press sauce through sieve to remove bits.  Set aside.

5. Butter the flatbread base and dust with garlic powder and oregano.

6. Paint over that with the sundried tomato sauce.

7. Assemble the pizza as you normally would.

8. Bake at 175 for 8-10 minutes, or until meats have crisped.

Apologies for the crap photography on this recipe, I just wanted to eat!!!

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Peanut-Ginger Stir Fry Sauce

Another stir fry recipe, this time it's a sauce made from scratch!  As I mentioned in the last stir fry post, stir frys are so great for picky eaters, as they can be built up with whatever ingredients suit your tastes.

100 ml dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp fresh crushed ginger
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp corn flour/starch dissolved in 4 Tbsp water (to be kept separate)
2 servings of udon noodles (recommended)
2 large chicken breasts, cubed (recommended)

NOTE: If frying any vegetables/meat for your stir fry, use the oil amounts listed above, and omit oil from recipe below.

1. In a small pan, combine soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and peanut oil (if not already used in frying), peanut butter, crushed ginger, dark brown sugar, and honey.

2. Bring to a simmer.  Once all ingredients have combined into a smooth sauce, add the water/corn flour mixture and bring to a low boil.  Stir constantly until desired thickness.

3. Pour over other items in your stir fry, mine is simply chicken and udon noodles as that is all we had on hand!

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Mint Dark Chocolate Truffles

I made truffles as a birthday gift last week for the lovely Renu.  These truffles would also make an excellent addition to a holiday party. They turned out really well, but the leftovers took a bit of a dodgy turn in the fridge a few days later.  However, this is my own fault for putting them in the fridge and allowing them to soak up fridge flavors, including (but not limited to) leftover birthday Pizza Hut!  I would advise against this. 
Here's my recipe for dark chocolate mint truffles....

Basic truffle recipe:
12 oz (335g) dark chocolate
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp peppermint extract
---
12 oz (335g) chocolate(s) of choice
Food coloring if desired

1. Place a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water.

2. Add dark chocolate to the bowl, and melt.  Add peppermint extract as you stir.

3. Once melted, add the cream and stir until glossy.

4. Refrigerate until cooled.

5. Scoop out rounded balls of desired size (or use your hands to shape into balls) OR press truffle mix into chocolate molds (silicon ice cube trays in fun shapes work as well).

6. Allow to re-harden in fridge.

7. For the coating I melted an additional 12 oz (335g) worth of chocolate and white chocolate.  Some of this was a green-tinted white chocolate for decoration.  If you wish to add coloring, I recommend doing so before you heat the chocolate fully, as the chocolate may (or may not) seize up. If you are an amateur like me and do have problems with your chocolate seizing every now and then, as a cheat I would recommend adding a bit of vegetable oil to bring it back to the desired texture.

8. Allow to cool at room temperature.

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Meatballs

Simple simple meatballs!

You will need:
1 lb (450g) beef, pork, or turkey mince
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp parsley
1 egg

Combine turkey mince, onion powder, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, parsley, and beaten egg.

Roll into 1 inch balls.

Fry in olive oil until thoroughly cooked.

Serve with heated spaghetti sauce (or whatever strikes your fancy really).  

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Milestones

HUZZAH!!! 

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The Day I Fried Gravy

Turkey burger, fried gravy patty, turkey burger

I did not invent a fried gravy burger.  I did, however, attempt to recreate it at home.  For the record, I do not actually eat quite as terribly as this blog may indicate... it's just sometimes my taste buds have a rather creative mind of their own.  And I must obey.

Steps I took:
1. Make the gravy of your choice and pour it 1/2 inch thick in a wide freezer-safe container.

2. Allow to cool, and place in freezer until partially frozen and congealed.

3. Use a cookie cutter/anything else round to cut out the desired size disc.

4. Place back in freezer til frozen.

5. To batter them, I dipped them first in egg and then in flour, then egg again, and back into the flour.  HOWEVER I feel creating a regular frying batter (or a tempura batter?!) and dipping the gravy disc in that would have been a better way to go.

6. I shallow-fried the gravy, which became a bit messy.  I'd suggest deep-frying it in just over 1/2 inch of oil. 

7. Be simultaneously proud and ashamed that you fried gravy.

To be honest, it tasted pretty great.  But probably not great enough for how unhealthy it is!

 Pan-fried Gravy

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