Happy 2015

 

Happy New Year everyone! May we all have a blessed healthy happy 2015.

 I know it has been quite a few months since I have even written or thought about my blog; 7 months to be exact. What with the new year and all I thought this would be a good time as any to restart writing, sharing... whatever it is we do on our blogs.

 I have been blessed this past year as far as cake and catering orders. Just enough clients to keep me happy baking and out of trouble. I did a few birthday cakes as well as anniversary, graduation, bridal shower and everything else in between. Soooooooooo instead to make a long story endless I just figured I would post a few of the pictures and leave it at that. One of my new year resolutions was to pay attention to my blog to look here for future posts on anything and everything food.

 

 

 

These are just a few of my favorites look for more from me in 2015.

Until then eat well live well.

 

The Minion Cake

Just wanting to share a cake I made for my niece's birthday. She is such a fan of the minions and Despicable Me that all she wanted was a cake of Tim or Kevin her two favorite characters.

Loving a challenge I jumped right in and volunteered to make this for her, even though I had never made a character cake. I shy away from them as you need to get them spot on as everyone knows that the character looks like. Having said that I decided to give it a go.

I baked 3 layers of 6" cake then in a stainless steel bowl placed some batter in, that would be the top of his head. Good stacked and buttercream coated we were off and running. I will mention that I stuck a skewer right in the middle of the cake being sure to go all the way to the bottom; this would give stability to the cake and make sure that even if it swayed a bit it would not topple over.

Now it was time for the hard or more difficult task. Covering and decorating this cake. I had watched tutorial after tutorial on making a minion cake and felt ready to tackle the task. I rolled, covered, stuck down and glittered everything I was supposed to and after 6 1/2 hours we I had a minion cake I was proud of. See if you do not agree.

I took pictures and keep looking at it. He is just so darned cute. I am hoping my niece is happy with her cake. (I trust she will be). It was truly made out of blood sweat and love.

So here he is my Minion Cake.

Hope you like him . Feel free to leave a comment below

Until tomorrow eat well. Live well

Home made Granola

Ok I'm in. Home made granola a deliciously delightful treat, snack, meal .......
I had seen this  recipe via Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) and thought wow that looks delicious and really easy to make. So when I was asked to include some granola in a wedding breakfast basket I thought here is my chance to use the recipe.

It is easy, a one pot wonder as we say because all the ingredients go into one bowl then you bake it in 1 pan and 45 minutes later you have this great granola that you can put in your cereal mix into your yogurt or just put in a baggie and you have an instant snack.

Thank you Ina Garten you have done it again.

Please note that the add ins can be suited to your particular tastes. Add or subtract the fruit, nuts as you wish.

Here is how it all comes together

Ingredients

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

2 cups sliced almonds

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup good honey

1 1/2 cups small diced dried apricots

1 cup small diced dried figs

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even, golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the apricots, figs, cherries, cranberries, and cashews. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container

Delicious! Enjoy! if you make this please leave me a comment saying how much you enjoyed it and if you changed any of the ingredients.

Until tomorrow eat well, live well

Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes

Still on the hunt for new and different vegetable side dishes. Something that does not include roasting or steaming (not that there is anything wrong with either method).

Looking through my refrigerator full of veggie choices I picked up a Butternut Squash and thought mashed potatoes, that's different. Something I hardly ever make since I am not a big potato fan (I much prefer rice as a starch). I believe I'm on to something so lets get started.
 
Here is what you will need:

1 butternut squash peeled deseeded and diced
1 diced red onion
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 apple (I used a pink lady but any firm cooking apple will do) peeled and diced
salt -pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. poultry seasoning
4oz. Colby jack cheese shredded
1/2 cup chicken broth

Start by sautéing the onion and garlic in a small bit of oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft and translucent. Set aside to cool. In the meantime place butternut squash in a pot of water and boil until soft (about 10 minutes). At about the 8 minute mark toss in the diced apple and continue cooking. I wanted the apple to cook but still retain just a bit of its crunch. Drain the butternut squash apple mixture then return to the pot.

Add the onion garlic mixture, ginger and poultry seasoning.

With a emersion blender puree the mixture. Add up to 1/2 cup of chicken broth if the squash is too thick. I did not puree the mixture smooth I like a bit of texture to my "mashed potatoes" but that is entirely up to you. Make it as smooth or as chunky as you like.

Now fold in most of the cheese (leave a bit for topping.) until it is melted. Place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and if you like add a little bit of bread crumbs to the topping as well.

Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes just until the cheese melts and get a bit golden.

Now I did not get a picture of the finished product as my family dug in before I could snap one but you get the idea.

It turned out to be a hit. Soft and creamy yet still with a bit of texture as the apples were a little crisp and there were some chunks of squash.  I was pleased as I attained a delicious healthy dish without adding a bit of butter or cream. Score one for me. Oh and I was pretty pleased with myself because I had found yet another new use for Butternut Squash.

Hope you give this one a try. If you do please leave me a comment saying that you did and if you enjoyed it as much as my family did.

Until tomorrow eat well, live well

Pizza de Broccoli Rabe and Prisutto

Today's post is all about America's favorite food. Yes, I am talking pizza. Personally, (I know you are all going to think me crazy) but I do not really like pizza. Never eat it order it or even think about it.
I am not sure when this hate-hate relationship with pizza began but it has been with me for at least 45 years or so.

Don't get me wrong, I love pizza dough, sauce, cheese and any or all the topping one might put onto a pizza, just not all together. There is something about the combination that leaves me, well with a bad stomach. I don't care who makes it I just don't like it.

Having said that I was in Italy for quite a few years and while I was there I must admit I did have pizza a few times. Over there the pizza crust is paper thin the toppings are sparse and the Italians eat their pizza with a fork and knife. I was swayed a bit but not to the degree where I could say I had found a new love in eating pizza.

But I digress as we are talking about the love of pizza. Here is a pizza I came up with filled with all my favorite things. Broccoli Rabe, prisutto and cheese. How could you go wrong. Its basically a broccoli rabe sandwich so whats not to love.

Here's what you need:
1 store bought pizza dough (or your favorite home made recipe)
5 oz. Philadelphia Italian cheese & Herb cooking cream
1 small head sauted broccoli rabe
1 tbs olive oil (for broccoli rabe sauté)
2 cloves garlic chopped (for broccoli rabe sauté)
Salt –pepper (for broccoli rabe sauté)
4 oz. Italian prosciutto
4 oz. pignoli nuts
1-2 tbs olive oil (for drizzle on pizza)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees
In a skillet saute broccoli rabe with 1tbsp olive oil & 2 cloves chopped garlic salt and pepper until wilted. Set aside to cool.
Spread pizza dough out to fit a 12 pizza pan.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Layer (frost) 5 -6 oz. cooking cream onto pizza crust
Top with broccoli rabe, prosciutto and pignoli nuts.
Place in 500° oven 10 min cooking until dough is crisp and browned.

What you will have is the crispiest most delicious pizza that will convert any pizza hating critic.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

 

Leave me a comment letting me know if you tried this,

 

Until tomorrow eat well, live well.

 

 

 

 

 

Sausage Egg Pie

Todays recipe "Sausage Egg Pie" is a sure hit, soon to be favorite with family, friends, just about anyone you serve it to. I have found from personal experience that it is especially a  favorite among the men. Maybe because it is so hearty yet light (If that makes any sense)

 I even shared the recipe with my sister who has 5 growing boys and they repeatedly asked her to make it. To this day it is still one of their favorite breakfasts.

A while back I owned and operated a small café where I developed this recipe to put on my Brunch Menu. From the first time I served it to the last, customers raved about it and recommended it to other customers.  It is versatile in that it can be served hot or room temperature, I'm told it is good even right out of the fridge. You can eat it sitting down or out of  hand for an on the go breakfast.
It even freezes well.(But I bet you wont have any leftovers). Just cut it up place a square in an airtight freezer bag. When you are ready to serve microwave it for a minute or two on defrost, and you are good to go

Having sung all it's praises (Did I mention it makes a great appetizer, just cut it up into smaller squares) lets get to the recipe.

To make Sausage Egg Pie you will need:

1 lb Italian sausage removed from casing (you can use turkey sausage)
1 cup biscuit mix
8 oz mix cheddar and Swiss cheese
2 cups milk
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
½ tsp dried sage
½ tsp garlic powder
6 eggs, slightly beaten
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°.

Grease 2 qt casserole dish

Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain

In large bowl mix sausage & remaining ingredients

Pour into casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for 45-50 min

 

Remove from the oven and let cool just a bit before slicing. Then cut into squares.

I used to serve the Sausage Egg goodness with either a side salad or fresh fruit. Either way it is quite and enjoyable meal.

 

Hope you give this a go. It's so fast and easy to put together it could be what's for breakfast tomorrow morning. You can make it  tonight refrigerate then bake it off in the morning. See it's versatility goes on and on.

 

 Please leave me a comment if you do try it and tell me how much your family loved it!

 

 

Until tomorrow eat well, live well.

 

.

 

 

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Today's post is about trying to take a not so exciting (yet good for you) vegetable and giving it a bit of a kick. I like zucchini don't get me wrong but I do tire so of just sautéing or baking it. I thought I would stuff it but with what.
I began to search my cupboards for inspiration and came upon a jar of Pumpkin Butter that I had never given a second look. Great I would use this with the zucchini and began to build the rest of the
dish around it. Would it work, or better yet taste good? Well I was about to find out.

Here is a list of the ingredients
2 med sized zucchini sliced in half lengthwise
small red onion diced
stalk of celery diced
1/4 red pepper diced
3 cloves garlic (I like garlic)
2-3 tablespoons pumpkin butter
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

 

Start by sautéing your onions, celery, red pepper and garlic in a saute pan with olive oil.Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the veggies begin to soften.

 

Hollow out your cut zucchini boats chop the flesh up and add to the rest of the veggies in the sautee pan. Cook until tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to the touch.

 

Once the mixture is cooled a bit transfer it to a bowl and add your pumpkin butter and nutmeg. Mix all the ingredients well and stuff into each zucchini boat.

 

Next prepare your breadcrumb topping by mixing 1/2 cup shredded Colby jack cheddar and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs together. Sprinkle over each zucchini boat.

Place in a 350 degree oven and bake covered with tin foil for 20 min. Remove the tin foil and return to the oven for another 10 min to finish cooking and melt the cheese topping a bit.

Plate and enjoy! I was pleasantly surprised at how well this dish turned out. The pumpkin butter added a bit of sweetness while the nutmeg was just a hint of hmmmmmm what is that. The crunchy topping was just the ticket as the cheese gave the zucchini the sharpness it needed.

All in all I would say success, as I accomplished what I set out  to do. Take a familiar vegetable and give it a surprising new taste.

 

 

 

The zucchini boats were accompanied by a simple salad and a turkey meatloaf. Yummy.

Please feel free to leave your comments. Let me know what you think of the recipe if you give it a try.

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Until tomorrow eat well live well.

 







Gabriella's Bridal Shower Cake

Today's post is a bit of a toot my own horn post. I was asked (by my best friend in the whole wide world) to make a wedding shower cake for her daughter (who is like my own).I was both flattered and scared at the same time. I wanted this cake to be special and something that would make her happy.

My girlfriend is the easiest client in the world. I was told I could do what ever I wanted she only requested two things
1.The cake be chocolate.
2. It had to have a shoe on it.

A while back I posted about the shoe cake I created in December for a 70th Birthday Party.
My girlfriend so loved the shoe topper she wanted me to make one for her cake.

Ok we are good to go.

I got the invite for the shower and low and behold there was a pair of black high heeled shoes with a red sole. My wheels began to turn. Since the cake had to be chocolate I could make the shoe out of black chocolate and line the sole in red modeling chocolate. Done! Now onto the cake design.

The Bride to be is a bit traditional loves pearls, lace, ruffles so I needed to incorporate all that into her cake; while still keeping it clean and simple. I had seen so many cakes with draping and have always found it to be  beautiful and elegant so that's what I decided my cake would have on it. Now draping is usually made out of fondant, but since she (the bride to be) is not so fond of fondant I chose to make the draping and flowers out of modeling chocolate. This is my decorating medium of choice, personally I think it tastes better (it's chocolate right!) As for the cake, well of course it was dark chocolate fudge with chocolate ganache filling and frosting.

Time to put it all together. Here is what I came up with.

2-tier dark chocolate fudge cake
Black chocolate ganache filling and frosting.
Red Modeling chocolate flowers, draping embellished with pearls.
All chocolate high heeled shoe.

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. My girlfriend was thrilled and the bride to be had everything she wanted in a cake.

Here is a picture of The Wedding Shower Cake.

 

Please feel free to leave a comment.

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Until tomorrow eat well live well.