Culinary Goods

Stupid title, good frosting. I made this up, although there are a million similar versions out there. This is just what I did, and I declare it the best version I have found. I jokingly told my friend who came over to help me frost cupcakes that it better be the best chocolate frosting recipe ever, and she agreed (although I doubt I left her much choice). Then my sister Stef said it really was super awesome, so I figured I better blog it. First, here is what we did with it. First we piped it on cupcakes for an enrichment activity. The cupcakes were then enhanced by these glorious little pigs that another friend made (I picked up the cute little eyes at Orson Gygi—well worth the 50 cents). Super cute! Chocolate Frosting 1 8 oz. brick cream cheese, softened 2 cubes butter, softened 2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup cocoa powder 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate, melted (this is about 6 ounces) pinch salt 1 tsp. vanilla Combine the butter and powdered sugar and whip until it is smoot...

I've had this recipe forever and really like it. I hadn't made them in a while, so modified the recipe a bit to see if I would like the changes. I cut down the sugar and didn't notice too much of a difference. These get a 7. Applesauce Cookies 1/2 C. olive oil 1/2 C. butter 1 C. brown sugar I used 3/4 C. 1 C. white sugar I used 1/2 C.  2 eggs 2 C. applesauce I used unsweetened 4 C. flour 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 2 C. chocolate chips I used 1 2/3 C. 1/2 tsp. cloves 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon I used 2 tsp. 2 tsp. baking soda Preheat oven to 400. Cream together oil, butter, sugar, and eggs. Add applesauce, spices and baking soda; mix well. Add flour and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes.

This is a comfort food I remember from my childhood, so I decided to try it out as an adult. I actually quite liked it. I will make this again—it gets a 7.8. I looked at quite a few different recipes, but mainly used one from melskitchencafe.com as the main recipe. It is very similar to one from Alton Brown on the food network, as well. I have included the basis for what I did, and then added my changes in bold. Don’t forget to bake this long enough to brown the potatoes, which I did not do. I got in a rush because I had my cousin coming to dinner, so it was hot, but it was much better on the edges where the potatoes browned. Shepherd’s Pie Yield: Serves 8 Ingredients Potato Layer: 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4-5 cups) I did about 5 potatoes 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 - 1 cup milk I used 1/2 cup 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese it needs more 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese next time, I will add parmesan to the top as well. Salt and pepper 1 teaspoon garlic p...

This was blah. It has potential, but this version didn't have much flavor. I would give it a 5 or 6. I got the recipe from cookinglcassy.com  Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry with Asparagus Ingredients 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into 1-inch pieces 4 1/2 tsp canola oil, divided 1 lb asparagus, end portions trimmed and remainder diced into 1 1/2-inch pieces I added broccoli instead 1 small yellow onion, sliced into thin strips 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced* I didn't add these 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, then more for garnish if desired 1 Tbsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger  4 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup honey 2 Tbsp cornstarch Salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions In a 12-inch non-stick wok (or large and deep non-stick skillet), heat 1 1/2 tsp canola oil over moderately high heat. Once oil is hot, add diced chicken and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sa...

This recipe was pure awesome, like 9.5 awesome (note: the recipe category of 9+ has been a pain to retrieve for some reason, so it is getting changed to rating of nine or more. Additionally, for those recipes that will go in our permanent files, there is a new category of Mel’s permanent Recipe box and Stef’s permanent Recipe box). It came from melskitchencafe.com. Anyway, this was well worth the work. I cooked my bottom cake layer for 32.5 minutes, and mine was runny-ish in the center and set on the edges for the cake part, so it was like a molten lava cake. The original recipe from epicruious.com, says 35 minutes, so I might increase the time a slight bit. I don’t know if I would change it next time. It was super awesome. T his is pretty thick, at least as thick as pie, so I encourage you to click the link at the bottom to see the picture from melskitchencafe.com. I have noted my changes below in bold. Double Chocolate Mousse Torte Yield: Serves 8-10   Note: The chocolate...

  These were pretty good—they get an 8. The recipe came from annies-eats.com. They were a lot of work, as I realized when I started them on Saturday night and couldn’t finish them until Sunday morning, but they are kind of fun. They are much too good for children i.e. Grey wanted a lime popsicle and didn’t appreciate the awesomeness of ganache. One thing to note is that the popsicles have to sit for about 15 minutes before they come out of the mold, so plan ahead. Also, I did 1/3 less ganache, and it was perfect for the 8 popsicles I got out of the recipe. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Popsicles Yield: about 8-10 popsicles Ingredients For the peanut butter center: 1/3 cup sugar I decreased this by a couple of Tbs. 5 tsp. cornstarch Pinch of coarse salt 1¾ cups low-fat milk (I used 2%) I used all whole milk and skipped the cream ½ cup heavy cream ½ cup creamy peanut butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract For the chocolate coating: 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopp...

I got this recipe from annies-eats.com, and it was good. It gets an 8. First, these are more poppy seed than lemon. I will note my changes in bold, as well as what I will do differently next time. Overall, these were quite good. That being said, the lemon blueberry muffins that are part of my stand-by recipes are much better. However, we love poppy seeds, so this was a good addition. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Yield: about 12 muffins I got 24 smaller muffins Ingredients For the muffins: 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. poppy seeds 1¼ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature I used half oil and half butter 1 cup sugar I used 3/4 cup 2 large eggs Zest of 1 lemon I also added the juice of the lemon, a MUST. It could also use more zest and more juice 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla) I used vanilla For the glaze (optional): ½ cup confectioners’ sugar 1-2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice Directions Prehe...