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Showing posts from April, 2017

Lemon Semifreddo Cakes with Raspberry Curd

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These were good. They get a 9. I used the following as an inspiration for making up my own recipe:   http://leitesculinaria.com/17612/recipes-lemon-semifreddo.html#ut2mgP3bifHqY6tI.32     CAKE I used the lemon cupcake recipe for the cake, and put it in (2) 9-inch pans and then the rest in large cupcakes. You can find the recipe on the blog. Then, I used the 3 inch ring mold to cut them to the right shape   LEMON SEMIFREDDO   Then, I made a lemon semifreddo by modifying a recipe from the lemon mascarpone tart recipe (also on the blog)   You put 1- 1/4 cup of unwhipped cream into the KitchenAid, and whip it until it is almost thick. You slowly beat in 8 oz. of mascarpone cheese. Then, you fold in 2 cups of lemon curd, and that is your filling. I probably used more than 2 cups, by the way. I would say it was closer to 2 1/2 cups. Anyway, you make it and then put it in 8 3-inch ring molds (I bought mine on amazing, super expensive, but fun). Freeze...

Chocolate Éclairs

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These were oh so good. I would give them a 9. SO, I combined a few of my own recipes to make these. Emma and I made a double batch of the dough for the shells using this recipe:   SHELLS   http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/eclair-pastry-shells.aspx   We piped them on to parchment, which was a major pain. I might use the smaller version with the tip suggested in the article instead of the big french tip we used. Anyway, bake those, take out the middles, and then fill with the following:   FILLING Pasty Cream recipe, courtesy of Dad   3/4 cup sugar I cut this down to 1/2 cup 1/2 cup flour 1/4 tsp. salt 3 cups milk use a high fat milk 4 egg yolks 3 Tbs. butter for the chocolate version, use 2 Tbs. 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla Combine dry ingredients and stir. Add milk and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, bring nearly to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour 1/3 into bowl of egg yolks, then pour back into pan and cook for two minutes. once it comes to a fu...

Mashed Potatoes via the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

I have no picture, and if you can’t imagine what mashed potatoes look like, please tell me so I can make you some and bring you out of your sad ignorance. Anyway, the inspiration for this recipe came from the following:   https://www.melskitchencafe.com/life-changing-instant-pot-mashed-potatoes/   You might think life changing is a bit extreme for the title, but I agree. You can make these hours in advance, put them on keep warm, and they are totally fresh. I LOVE this method.  Here is the recipe ratios that came from melskitchencafe.com:   4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (see note above about type of potatoes) 2 teaspoons coarse, kosher salt 1 cup milk, preferably not skim 4 tablespoons butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 cup sour cream   I was making these for Shepherd’s Pie, so I totally changed it, but I would absolutely try this version. What you essentially do is cut potatoes into medium ...

Chili Lime Chicken Skewers with Mango Sauce

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This tasted really good with the mango sauce, and it was a nice and light meal. It gets a 7 and the recipe came from sweetpeasandsaffron.com. Ingredients 2 chicken breast, cubed 1 tablespoon olive oil juice of half a lime 2 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoon brown sugar  1 teaspoon salt 2 bell peppers, cut into cubes 1 red onion, cut into large chunks Mango Sauce: 1 mango juice ½ lime ¼ cup water 3 tablespoons brown sugar I used 1 TBS Here's the link:  http://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/2016/07/chili-lime-chicken-skewers-mango-sauce.html

Black Bean Salad

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I have to ask Brit for this recipe every time I make it, so I figured I could cut out the middlewoman and just blog it already. This is a really good healthy and light summer salad. It's also very pretty when it's all assembled. Its gets a 7 and I don't remember where it originally came from. 2 cans black beans, rinsed 20 oz. frozen corn chopped cilantro 3 limes, juiced 4 tomatoes, chopped 1 large jalapeño, diced 1 green pepper 2 bunches green onions Combined rinsed beans and frozen corn in salad bowl. Add other vegetables. Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, and lime juice in a Pyrex cup. Drizzle over salad.

Asparagus-Potato Chowder

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Between the butter, cream, and mascarpone cheese, this made for a very tasty soup. You could definitely use milk instead of cream and it would still taste really good. It gets a 7.5 and the recipe came from Fine Cooking. 1-1/2 lb. medium-thick asparagus 2 large sweet onions, 1 quartered and 1 finely chopped Kosher salt 1/2 cup heavy cream I used half and half  1 Tbs. cornstarch 3 Tbs. unsalted butter 1 medium clove garlic, minced 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, preferably grainy country-style 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 -inch dice (about 3 cups) 6 oz. (3/4 cup) mascarpone, at room temperature 1 Tbs. chopped fresh dill, plus fronds for garnish I used 1/2 tsp. dried Freshly ground black pepper Hot sauce (optional) Here's the link:  http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/asparagus-potato-chowder.aspx

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These were fine and get a 6.5. They tasted really good right out of the oven, but weren't as good the next day (which can be said for many cookies). Anyway, the recipe came from melskitchencafe.com. 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter, softened to room temperature 1 cup (7 ounces) packed light brown sugar I used 1/2 C.  1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 1/4 cups (6.25 ounces) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (2 ounces) natural unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup (3.5 ounces) old-fashioned oats 1 cup (3.5 ounces) quick oats 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips Here's the link to the instructions:  https://www.melskitchencafe.com/double-chocolate-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/