Crispy Buttercream Icing

 

 

I decided to try my hand at the beautiful 'rose' cake that is all over the internet and on numerous baking blogs out there. There are a number of tutorials on You Tube as well. The secret apparently is in the icing. You definately do not want a regular buttercream made with strictly butter as it will melt and slide. (this is what people are saying) i have no experience here since I played it safe and went with Lard! Yep that's right good ol' fattening crisco shortening. P.S. I'm on a diet! Making this was just plain silliness. ;) Well not really because I was baking this cake for a lovely friend who just had a baby boy. This is the cake I made for her shower. This is what I came up with after reading a few different takes frosting using shortening. Apparently icing made with shortening is the cake decorators icing and is more for appearance than taste. By the way shortening is the way to go if you want that bright white frosting. Anyways I've rambled on here is what I came up with for a recipe.

 

 

Crispy Buttercream Icing

(this decorated a 3 layer 8" cake)

 

3/4 cup of shortening

1/4 cup of butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (use clear if you want the icing to stay white)

1/4 teaspoon of almond extract

6-8 cups of icing sugar

1/2 - 3/4 cups of milk or cream

 

Blend shortening, butter, vanilla and almond extracts together. Add icing sugar a cup at a time incorporating each addition well. Add milk/cream gradually if you find the icing is getting stiff. Taste it. If it is too sweet add less sugar! Add enough liquid (milk) to reach desired consistancy.

 

 

Buttermilk Strawberry Bundt Cake

SO the other day I was on a mission, going through boxes in my basement and I stumbled across a nice little bundt pan (still in it's box). It belonged to my Grandmother (in law). I'll say in law because technically that is what she is but she is sooo MY Grandma. I just think she is a wonderful and loving person and I am so thankful to know her. She is everything a Grandmother should be. So anyways I thought to myself that I probably wouldn't ever use it and tucked it on a shelf.

 

 

 

 

 

And then here in the still very  much dead of Winter (winter lasts from October to April) I was shopping and saw some yummy looking giant strawberries. Said "what the heck" and bought them even though my littlest guy and me are the only ones going to eat them. Long story short I ended up with a bunch of strawberries and decided I should probably bake something so they weren't wasted. Googled a few recipes and the rest is history. Strawberries used .check. Bundt cake used .check. check! Awesome deliciousness that I need to pawn off on friends so that I don't devour the entire cake.

Done!

Buttermilk Strawberry Bundt Cake
Recipe adapted from this blog  Week of Menus

3 Cups of Spelt Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup of softened butter
1 3/4 Cups Sugar
4 eggs
1/2 Cup of Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cup of diced fresh Strawberries (I'm sure you could use any berry! )






Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the middle. In one bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl cream butter until smooth and then gradually mix in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. In a third bowl combine buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla.










Add flour mixture to butter mixture in increments alternating with sour cream mixture.

 

Once combined fold in the strawberries. Prepare the bundt pan by lightly greasing and flouring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pour mixture into pan and bake for about 60min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes in pan and then invert onto a wire rack to fully cool. Once cooled the skys the limit. You can dust with icing sugar, make a simple glaze, serve with fresh whipped cream and some cut up strawberries. It is delicious on it's own. Enjoy!

Crispy Chicken Fingers

So yummy! So kid friendly, and so easy.  This recipe made about  12-15 small pieces of chicken. Feel free to double it!

Crispy Chicken Fingers
Adapted from Martha Stewart recipe

2 cups brown rice crispie cereal
1 tbs olive oil
1/3 cup spelt flour
1 egg
Salt and pepper
Chicken breasts cut into strips

Mix in food processor cereal and olive oil until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
In one bowl place flour and season with salt in pepper.
In another bowl lightly beat egg and season with salt and pepper.
In a third bowl put cereal mixture in.
Hint: I like to have a 4th bowl with water to rinse fingers after dipping.















Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

 

Dip in flour and shake off excess.

 

 

 

Next dip in egg and let excess drip off.

 

Lastly roll into cereal mixture coating each side by pressing into mixture.

 

  Place on baking sheet and cook in preheated oven for approximately 10 min per side or until chicken is cooked through.

 

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and some carrot and celery sticks with ranch dip. Delicious and so simple!

Buttermilk Spelt Pancakes

This is what's for dinner tonight! I walked into my local health food store today to continue a conversation I started to have another time with the very knowledgable owner. I wanted to make some of my baking a little "healthier" but didn't like what whole wheat flour does to recipes. Dense, and the taste is just off. So we talked a bit about different flours and I settled on trying out spelt flour.

Tonight instead of reaching for that box of Aunt Gemima in my pantry, I looked on the internet for a buttermilk recipe and decided I'd tweak it a bit and try out the spelt flour. Here is what I came up with. This recipe made about 10 med/smallish pancakes, which was perfect for me and my two boys. Feel free to double or triple it to feed a bigger crowd. These are good out of the fridge the next day or freeze em and pull em out for an easy breakfrast or snack.

Buttermilk Spelt Pancakes

1 1/2 Tbsp Butter or Margerine
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/8 cup sugar (i used half white, half coconut)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of buttermilk ( if you don't have buttermilk don't worry! put a Tbsp of white vinegar in a measuring cup and fill the rest with milk up to the 1 cup mark, let stand for a few minutes)
1 large egg

1. Melt butter in a small dish and set aside.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a seperate bowl whisk buttermilk and egg.
4. Gently mix the wet into the dry ingredients until almost incorparated. Add the cooled butter and mix until just combined. (the batter will have some lumps)

Let your batter rest while you heat a pan over medium heat until drops of water just bubble and evaporate on the surface. Oil the pan. Again because I'm trying to be "healthier" I used coconut oil to grease my pan. Pour batter in the pan by the ladel full or however big or small you want your cakes. ;) Let them cook undisturbed unitl bubbles rise to the surface and the underside is lightly browned. Flip and cook until other side is browned. About 1 min per side! These guys cook quickly.

Drench in Maple syrup and Enjoy!! ;) the drenching part is also part of my health kick!

So there you have it. The most amazing part to me is that these are the first pancakes that I have actually cooked perfectly! No raw batter. Oh and my boys both ate them!  Now don't get me wrong if you are looking for that super high and fluffy pancake these are not them. They turned out on the thinner side but the taste was great! Next time I will try them with full spelt and forget about the white! and maybe if I'm feeling daring I'll even go full coconut sugar. ;) 

And while I'm at it since it is my birthday tomorrow maybe I'll bake a cake or brownies using Spelt.....hahaha ok maybe not. But in the near future I will most definatley try it.

Snickerdoodles

 

 

So I think I may have a small baking addiction. Maybe it comes from the fact that I love eating it! I have a major sweet tooth. And maybe the fact that when it comes to cooking, I can't cook worth a darn! However I have had good luck when it comes to tasty sweets that are super unhealthy yet super delicious. Here is a snickerdoodle recipe adapted from a cookbook.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter (I used half butter half margarine)
1 1/4 cups sugar ( i used 1 cup white, 1/4 coconut ;) just because I didn't have enough white)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 Tbsp water
3 cups flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Makes 15-20 cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mix sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

 

 

 

Add vanilla, water and eggs and mix until combined.

 

Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together and add to sugar mixture gradually until blended.

Roll into balls. 

 

Mix 1/3cup white sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl, and roll each ball in mixture until well coated.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 min to until cracking and bottom is lightly browned. (my oven took longer, you just need to keep an eye on them)

And there you have it a super fluffy and soft snickerdoodle. Perfect with a cup of tea. Enjoy!!

 



pLaY cLaY

For a long time I avoided the dreadful playdough just thinking of the mess. Not to mention the demands from my young man "make me a worm", "make me an ice cream cone", "make me a ball or a car or a snowman!" It was never ending and the the pressure to build was just too much! Well not really but I just wasn't a fan of the squishy dough and everything that came with it.

So in comes Grandma with her dough and her fisherprice playdough accessories from the 1980's and my son was IN Love! Play, play, play. I set out to find an easy homemade recipe that didn't involve cooking. Because really who wants to stand over the stove and stir a pot if there isn't chocolate or some other deliciousness inside it? That is when I discovered Kool- Aid Playdough. Easy, simple, and smells Amazing! When I say simple I mean if you know how to boil a kettle you can make this! Give it a try, you might even find yourself squishing it, cutting out cookies, rolling worms, and building elaborate sculptures. And of course smelling it!! It really smells great, almost good enough  to eat. I stress the "almost" but super safe even if your kiddo's decide they'd like a bite.

Kool - Aid Playdough

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2pkg koolaid
2 cups boiling water
3 tbs oil ( I used olive)

In a bowl mix flour, salt and kool aid together.
Add boiling water, and oil.
Stir until well combined and let cool enough to knead.
Knead dough until you get a nice smooth texture adding flour if it is too sticky.
Store in an airtight container.
PLAY!!

Hello Ginger!

So I have to say that I love a good Ginger......ginger what? You ask. Well just to clarify I prefer my ginger without the snap. I love a nice soft chewy cookie and ginger "snaps" are no exception. These gingers are my go to recipe. They are perfect for Christmas baking, or if you are just craving a sweet treat.

I hosted a little Valentine's Day playdate today for my toddler and preschooler, and these cookies were on the menu, among other tastey treats whose recipes will come later. I tried to give away my leftovers to my good friend today to no avail! :( Having these in my fridge and some in my freezer right now is killing me! However I did discover over the Christmas holidays that frozen treats are just as tastey if not sometimes better than fresh. And not to mention totally worth the risk of a broken tooth or messy chocolate face from trying to knaw through that crazy frozen bar in every direction. Also with that discovery came the discovery that I can no longer eat a treat a day everyday( 1, 10 what's the difference) consequence free. I think my scale must be off by 10 or 30 pounds. Anyways enough about that here is very yummy and chewy cookie recipe. They do freeze very nicely too btw ;)

Ginger Spice Cookies

Recipe from Chatelaine 

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling dough in

1. Lightly grease baking sheet. Or use parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F. Use a fork to stir flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt together. In another larger bowl lightly beat egg with a fork then beat in oil and molasses. Next use a wooden spoon to mix in brown sugar until smooth. Add flour mixture gradually until well mixed.

2. Place granulated sugar n a small bowl. Roll dough not small balls and roll in sugar until evenly coated. Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.

3. Bake in preheated oven until cookies begin to crack and set around the edges, about 7 to 10 minutes. 

Cool on rack and store in  an airtight container or freeze.