I wanted to make a traditional corned beef (it’s corned, not corn beef, I hate it when people say corn beef) last year for St. Patrick’s Day. I am usually pretty good at planning ahead, but in this case I waited until the last minute. You need two things for corned beef: time and saltpeter, neither of which I had. Corned beef needs to brine for at least 5 or 6 days. Saltpeter is what gives it it’s characteristic pink color. Knowing I only had a day or two, I decided to skip the corned beef and go for a braise. In keeping with the Irish theme of St. Patricks Day, I chose to use Guinness for the braising liquid. The rich, silky sauce is addictive. The total time for this dish is about 3 1/2 hours and serves 4-6.
For a while now I’ve been trying to achieve perfect pancake status. I used to use Bisquick, but my pancakes were always too dry and heavy. I started to tinker with different additions and methods and now I can safely say that my pancakes are perfect. I’m writing this post so that I have this recipe to refer to forever!
Fluffy, flavorful, and dare I say, moist? I have a few tips to share: Don’t over-mix- lumps are a good thing, they create air pockets in the finished pancake. Flip gently once, and then leave them alone. Flipping too roughly or too many times takes the air out and they deflate. This recipe makes about ten four-inch pancakes.
2 C. all-purpose flour
4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. Kosher salt
4 T. sugar
1 1/2 C. milk
2 eggs, beaten with a fork
2 T. butter, melted
2 t. vanilla
Canola oil for coating the pan
Whisk together the flour, soda, salt, and sugar. Add the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir until combined and no streaks of flour remain. Leave it lumpy. Let the batter sit for ten minutes- it will start to bubble and thicken a bit as the baking soda is activated. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet to medium. Put a little of the canola oil in the pan, just to coat it. Use about 1/4 C. of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form around the edges, about two minutes, and flip gently. Cook on the other side for one to two minutes until cooked through. Keep warm in a low oven until all the pancakes are ready. Serve with butter and syrup. Double the recipe if you have teenagers…
Does it count as homemade if you use a cake mix? Yes.
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 C. canola oil
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
2 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 lb. very soft cream cheese
1 stick of very soft butter
3 1/2 to 4 C. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1- 3 t. milk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 24-cup cupcake tin with paper liners and spray it with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, pumpkin, 1 t. of the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the cloves. Mix for two minutes with a hand mixer until smooth. Spoon into the cupcake liners, dividing the batter equally among the 24 cups. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently with a finger. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully.
To make the buttercream, make sure the cream cheese and butter are truly soft- leave them out on the counter for several hours. Combine the cream cheese, butter, the remaining cinnamon, 3 cups of powdered sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix until smooth. If the frosting is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar- 1/4 C. at a time. If it’s too thick, add a t. of milk at a time. Mix well, until smooth and fluffy. Spread generously on top of your cooled cakes.
I like to use this gadget: Tupperware Squeeze It Decorator. This isn’t sponsored, I just like the ease and speed of it for decorating things like cupcakes.
This is the perfect end to a summer meal. The cake is buttery and not too sweet, the peaches add a tart, juicy tang. This makes one 9-inch round cake, but the recipe is easily doubled if you want to get more servings, just use two pans and split the batter between them. This is perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Serves 8
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter the cake pan generously and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it’s well mixed and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in the eggs and the extracts. Add the baking soda and salt. Add the flour a little at a time, and alternate with the milk until both the flour and milk are all incorporated. Beat until the batter is nice and smooth. The batter will be pretty thick. Scrape it into the prepared baking pan. Slice the peaches into about five or six slices each. Arrange the peaches however you like. Press the slices slightly into the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Some crumbs attached to the toothpick are ok, that means the cake will not be dry. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving. I don’t frost this cake because it’s just too pretty to cover it up. It’s awesome with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Sorry California, your strawberries will never produce this color on their own!
This went from whole berries to soft-serve in about 20 minutes. When the local Oregon strawberries come into town I always buy too many and then they sit in the fridge and after a couple of days begin to wrinkle. That is the perfect time to make this sorbet! The berries are cold out of the fridge and they are nice and soft. If you let them sit in the fridge for one more day they will be compost, so make this!
2 pints of cold, very ripe strawberries
1/4-1/2 C. sugar, depending on your taste and how sweet your berries are
1/4-1/2 C. cold water
Place the berries, 1/4 C. sugar and 1/4 C. water into the blender and puree. Some blenders are better than others, so you may need to add a bit more water to…
In a bowl combine the turkey, stuffing, eggs, salt and pepper, cheese, and peas. Use your hands to combine the mixture and form it into patties- if the mixture is too dry add a little chicken broth as needed to get it to hold together. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Working in batches, cook the croquettes in the hot oil until they are golden brown on each side, about three minutes per side. Keep them warm in a low oven on a paper towel- lined plate.
Graham cracker infused ice cream with mini-marshmallows and milk chocolate bits. The ice cream base recipe is loosely based on Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar recipe for graham ice cream. I love an ice cream recipe that doesn’t involve tempering eggs! The gelatin gives the ice cream smoothness and keeps it from crystalizing. Vegetarians could substitute agar powder (but follow package directions for dissolving). Makes 1 pint.
1 C. graham cracker crumbs
3/4 C. powdered milk, divided
1/2 C. sugar, divided
1/2 t. salt
1 C. milk
2 t. powdered gelatin (or agar)
3/4 C. heavy cream
2 T. light corn syrup
1/2 t. vanilla
1 C. mini-marshmallows
1/3-1/2 C. chopped milk chocolate, or mini milk chocolate chips
In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 C. of the powdered milk, 2 T. of the sugar, and a pinch of salt. Pour the milk over the crumbs and stir to combine. Let the crumbs steep in the milk for 20 minutes. Strain the steeped milk through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to release as much of the liquid as you can. Set aside.
Meanwhile, bloom the gelatin: Put two tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder over it. Let it sit for about three minutes. The gelatin powder will turn into a wiggly jelly. Now dissolve it into a liquid by stirring in 2 teaspoons of hot water.
In a medium bowl, combine the strained graham cracker milk, the heavy cream, the corn syrup, the rest of the sugar, salt, and the rest of the milk powder. Whisk in the dissolved gelatin and the vanilla. You can hand whisk this, or use a hand mixer or immersion blender to make quick work of it. You want the sugar to be completely dissolved. If the mixture is still fairly cold it’s ready to pour into the ice cream maker. If not, let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Pour it into an ice cream maker and churn for about 30 minutes. Add the marshmallows and chocolate and let the machine churn them in. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid, about three hours.
Easy as can be and just four ingredients! No cooking, and no eggs either!
What is sherbet? If it doesn’t have dairy it’s sorbet. If it has milk in it it’s sherbet. If it has cream, then it’s ice cream! I like to use half and half for this, but you could easily swap it out for milk. I haven’t tried this with a non-dairy milk, but I imagine it would be just as tasty.
24 oz. fresh raspberries, about four cups
1 1/2 C. half and half (you could use all milk, or all cream if you prefer)
3/4 C. sugar
2 t. fresh lemon juice
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Chill the mixture in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn for 25-35 minutes. Transfer the sherbet into an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 3 hours. Makes about 1 quart.
I thought that canned pineapple was the best way to make a pineapple upside down cake. That’s how everyone does it right? I guess I thought fresh pineapple would be too tough, or just too much work. It was so much better! The texture was perfect and the fresh pineapple flavor really came through. The recipe came from Martha Stewart, but I made a few changes to suit the ingredients I had on hand.
1 pineapple (I used about 3/4 of it)
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Vanilla ice cream
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel the pineapple and cut off one end to form a flat base. Cut down…
Winter blues are banished by this bright and cheery cocktail! Makes one, but it’s easy to double. I planted mint in my garden several years ago and it never completely dies down in the winter. The leaves are a bit tough at this time of year, but they are great for flavoring and scenting cocktails or for making simple syrup.
A few sprigs of fresh mint.
ice
1.5 oz. Vodka
1 oz. St-Germain elderflower liqueur
2 oz. pineapple juice
Club soda or seltzer, mine was orange flavored, but plain or any other citrus would work.
lime, cut into wedges
Place the mint leaves and about a cup of ice into a large glass. Muddle the leaves and ice until the leaves are broken up into bits. Pour in the vodka, the St-Germain, and the pineapple juice. Stir vigorously. Strain into a clean glass filled with ice. Top with a splash of club soda and a squeeze of fresh lime. Garnish with mint leaves and a lime wedge.
swellkid 