The Red Velvet Revolution

Sometimes when I hear people gushing over Red Velvet Cake, Crackers, Bars, etc,  and they say things like "Red Velvet! How decadent!" I can't help but think "You're lying to yourself! It's only yellow cake with a tablespoon of coco powder and red dye!"

There I said it.

Chocolate Cupcake Experiment 1

I've decided one of my life goals is to make a delicious, white sugar free chocolate cupcake. This happened about two weeks ago when I made some cupcakes with Josh, and they were delicious. And they were gluten free. Not only were they gluten free and delicious when they came straight out of the oven, they were just as good the day after. Then I went to one of my favorite restuarants, known for their desserts, and spent 3.75 on a chocolate cupcake. I had a bite, and I thought to myself that the frosting was amazing, but that I felt I had made something a week before that was very similar to this fancy cupcake.

And *Poof*! The idea was born. Why should I let the bakeries have all the fun? Why can't I make a really, really, really good cupcake at home? Why can't I make a gluten free cupcake that tastes good, and doesn't have white sugar? (I'll post maybe some health related links on sucrose and fructose, maybe...) So, here are the results from experiment numero uno!

This Recipe is adapted from the cookbook Chocolate Cakes by Elinor Klivans. 

1 CUP Gluten Free Pantry All-Purpose Flour (This is a good one so far)
1/4 CUP UNSWEETENED Hersey's Special Dark DUTCH-PROCESS COCOA POWDER
1/2 TSP BAKING SODA
1/8 TSP SALT
1/4 CUP SALTED BUTTER (ROOM TEMP) *Salted is just what we had, oh well*
1/2 CUP CORN SYRUP
2 TBSP XYLITOL
2 TBSP Honey
2 LARGE EGGS
1 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT (ESSENCE)
1 CUP BUTTERMILK

1 CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS
2 CUPS GANACHE, COOLED TO SPREADING CONSISTANCY

Preheat oven to 350.
1. Cream butter for a minute. Add Xylitol, cream.
2. Add corn syrup, and honey until smooth.
3. Add eggs one at a time, blend until smooth.
4. Add vanilla, blendn until smooth.
5. Put dry ingredients in a sifter.
6. Alternately add buttermilk and dry indredients. Start and end with buttermilk.
7. Add chocolate chips, stir in.
8. Pour into muffin pans, pour until each cup is 3/4 full.
9. Backe for 20-25 minutes based upon your oven. Cupcakes are done when insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

They look really good, don't they? Lies! Well, they were really good when they first came out.

I know what you're thinking, "Corn syrup?! That's not healthy!" Well, unless I'm mistaken, and I could be, Corn Syrup or Glucose Syrup is different than High Fructose Corn syrup. High Fructose Corn Syrup is the dangerous one, and it shares some similarities with white sugar. Regular Corn Syrup is very low on Fructose, and actually not all that sweet.

Now for the ganache, which I royally blundered:

2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 TBSP butter
A whole bunch of chopped chocolate
1 TSP vanilla

I don't know what I did wrong, but doesn't it look pretty? Lies!

You're supposed to slowly heat the cream with the butter, so that it doesn't form a skin, but that it melts the butter. Once it reaches about 175, and has tiny bubbles, you're supposed to take it off the oven, let it cool for half a minute, and then pour in the chocolate chips, and whisk it all together. Then whisk in the vanilla. Then let it to set for a half hour, and then frost the cupcakes.

I don't know what I did wrong, I only know that something seperated. So if it looks grainy in the pictures, that's probably because that's the seperation. I think we even tried to add cornstarch to fix what we had done, maybe that did it?

Special Note: I have been baking with Jacque Torres 60% chocolate, and it is very good chocolate. Pricey, but it's good. I'll post our chocolate contest later.

The verdict: It tasted great out of the oven.
Two days later: The frosting is chocolatey, the cupcake is a little dry, and it's time to go back to the drawing board.

A Song lyric comes to mind about the frosting, "Gotta Keep Em' Seperated"

Next experiment: Sour cream?

It doesn’t get much easier than a Homemade Honey baked Ham!

After feeling pretty tired all day (my norm these days) my sweet husband took the kids for a walk so I could take a nap. I woke up at 6:15 thinking if I don’t get dinner on the table soon we won’t be eating until midnight. So tonight’s dinner was ham and potatoes and the longest part of the process is the potatoes.

The potatoes I am cooking are your standard casserole potatoes (also known in my book as funeral potatoes)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

8oz Sour cream (~1/2 normal container) – I use reduced fat but use whatever works for you!

Green onion (however much you like)

~ 8 oz cheddar cheese

1 bad shredded frozen hash browns (~2lb)

***(Can you see I am really not much of an exact measurer!!!)***

Throw the first 3 ingredients  into a pot and heat until warm and bubbly at that point add  ¾ of your cheese and let heat until it is all melted and incorporated! Slowly add the hash browns and stir them until all mixed together. After it looks like a delicious mess dump into a large casserole dish and spread around till even. Top this wonderfulness with the rest of your cheese and place in a pre heated 375° oven for about 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly and you don’t want to wait anymore!

That was the hard part! On to the Honey Baked Ham!!!

My husband always asks when I cut up ham if it is precooked! As a general rule of ham, if it is pink and smells like you would want to eat it already it is precooked! We generally will buy small loafs of Ham in the meat section of the Grocery store they typically are NOT precut and are in about 2 lb packages!

For the Ham you will need a HAM cut into pieces no thin then ¼ inch and really not thicker then ½ inch. Really what you want is them cut as even as you can managed just so they cook (warm through) evenly! The only other thing you need is Brown sugar and Honey!
Cut the ham and put in a baking dish! (I ended up using ¾ of my ham because I used a tiny baking dish) It is ok if they over lap a little but you don’t want them completely covering one another! When all the ham is in there sprinkle on some brown sugar for my small baking dish I used 3 Tablespoons. Then take your honey and lightly squeeze a drizzle all over your ham and brown sugar! Remember this is a light flavoring not a main star so go light on the sweeter stuff, I always find it easier to add then take away!

Stick it in the same oven your potatoes are working in let them go! They will be down about the same time. If you have small children or a picky husband who like his veggies then you could make a veggie and if you are a bread lover like me feel free to add some rolls or what not (roll recipe to com e in the future) But it is all delicious so ENJOY!

(Dinner working away in the oven)

Apple Pie

Apple Pie – 1 pie

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

Thoroughly mix all that together in a bowl.  A fork works well. 

7 cups (about 6 apples) green Granny Smith apples

2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Butter

Peel, pare and thinly slice apples.  Sprinkle with lemon juice (keeps apples from turning brown).  Toss apples with sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Put mixture into pie crust shell and dot with a few pats of butter.  If you want to, put a couple of drops of almond extract flavoring.  That was always my mom's secret ingredient, besides the heaping helping of TLC. 

Dampen bottom pie crust edge.  Put top pie crust on, pressing edges together and fluting so the juices won’t bubble out during baking and cut a few vents into the top crust to allow steam to escape. 

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45-50 minutes.  (Use the rack that will position the pie in the middle of the oven – horizontally and vertically.)  This pie can get bubbly and juicy so I put a cookie sheet below it to catch any drips. 

Herb and the Gang, the Survival Band

This blog was never intended to be only recipes. I had hoped to include other activities that involve the home life. This blog should basically be anything DIY.

So then, let me tell you about a little band I put together, and it's called: Herb and the Gang. Herb and the gang is my continuous attempts at making a container herb garden.

The Story of the Original Herb and the Gang:
I bought the first band at Whole Foods, and this included:
Basil- who was named "Herb"
Oregano
Thyme
Lavender

For one reason or another, they died a horrible death. I think I have a black thumb. The funny thing was, that I tried to pull an exile on them, and left them out in the sun to starve and die (I'm a herbicidal maniac I know.) and they all withered and turned brown. I was very sad, until a few weeks later we noticed that Basil, or Herb, had somehow survived the herbicide. So, I created the "Revival Band."

The Story of Herb and the Gang, the Revival Band
I bought replacement herbs at a local nursery, with Herb as the original band member. The band included:
Basil- the Original Herb
Oregano
Thyme
Lavender


This time I think I was overly zealous, and over watered them. So then I would under water them to make up for it, and they started to die. I got desperate and believe that they needed more sunlight so I put them outside again, and then they contracted maggots.

So I gave up, for a period of time. Rob had mentioned that he would like a herb garden. I told him my stories of my garden woes, and he promised to help. So, here we are, with:

The Story of Herb and the Gang, The Survival Band.
It's going alright so far, I've posted the photos below. When do you think is the proper time to start harvesting? They grown quite a bit since we've first got them, but I'm a little nervous to start snipping away.

Here is Oregano and Rosemary

Rosemary is looking a little wonky. Any suggestions on how to straighten her up?

Here is Basil (Herb) and Thyme

I was holding up Basil for this photo as well, any ideas on how to set my herbs straight?

Refrigerator Crescent Rolls - Potato

Refrigerator Roll Dough – Potato Crescent Rolls

1 package active dry yeast

1½ cups warm water (105-115 degrees)

1 cup unseasoned lukewarm mashed potatoes

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup shortening

2 eggs

1½ teaspoons salt

6-7 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl with about a teaspoon of sugar.  Watch to make sure the yeast is active.  Stir together mashed potatoes, sugar, shortening, eggs, and salt.  Beat until smooth then combine with the yeast/water and beat well.  Beat in 3 cups of flour.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; lightly knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.  Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up.  Cover bowl tightly; refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 5 days.

Roll ¼ of dough into 12-inch circle on floured surface.  Spread with melted butter.  Cut into 16 wedges (they will be quite narrow – 12 is less narrow).  Roll up tightly, beginning at rounded edges, stretching dough as it is rolled both width-wise and lengthwise.  Place rolls with tip points underneath on greased cookie sheet; curve slightly.  Brush with melted butter.  Let rise 1 hour.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Introduction

Bienvenidos!

My name is Becky, and I wanted to start a blog. What this blog's main purpose is, is to spread good ideas that help make your home life better. I'm really starting this for selfish reasons. I'm surrounded by intelligent and talented cooks, and I want your recipes. I have friends who are into growing plants, making their own detergent, and their own cheese. I want to do that myself, without having to do all the heavy lifting in research that you've already done! But maybe I can benefit your lives too, add a little humor to your day, post a random recipe that you normally wouldn't think of. This should be a collaboration of intelligent minds, and me!

Please join me, and hopefully we'll all benefit from new ideas (insert gratuitous exclamation point here)!



Also, because the Internet doesn't have enough of this, here's my cat:

His name is Toby, but we call him "His Cuteness, the Toby" 

or "Toby Tobleson Earl of Fluffiness"

Be sure to check out my friend's blog:
Rick's Blog: Seasonal Baking

Our dinner tonight was Pomegranate Chicken Salad. (Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, Nov 2009)


Ingredients
Oil Olive
1 Pomegranate
Some Chicken, In whatever form you cook with (adapt for how many mouths ye feed)
1 Cup Pomegranate Juice
2 Tablespoons Citrus-y Juice (Orange, Lemon, or Lime) 
1 Red Onion 
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar 
A Whole Bunch of Oregano (Or Basil)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Spinach, or a Mediterranean Mix of Greens
Your choice of Nuts, chopped, (Walnuts or almonds suggested)

*Epilogue* Prep your pomegranate by taking out the seeds. Prepare to blunder your way through. My kitchen looked like a small CSI scene with bright maroon splatters everywhere.

1. Heat olive oil in skillet.
2. Put the chicken in the skillet.
3. I put a lot of pepper and some dried onions in about now. I really don't know why.
5. Cook chicken, cut chicken.
7. Add oregano.
6. Add reds onions, pomegranate juice, citrus-y juice choice, and  Red Wine Vinegar.
7. Let juices reduce in lower heat.
8. Toss in greens with pomegranate seeds, and nuts.

I'm thinking that feta cheese would taste good with this. What do you think?
I found that the pomegranate sauce had a subtle flavor. I believe the salt, and citrus-y juices will help bring out the sweetness and give it a more power packed flavor.

All this is missing is the greens, and possibly  Feta Cheese. 

Becky, bloginator, blunderer, and alliterator extraordinaire