Friday, June 20, 2014

Red River Ex steps up its food game, but no pizza topped with seasoned scorpions

Red River Ex steps up its food game, but no pizza topped with seasoned scorpions
Click the link above.

My daughter Jen steps out of her natural habitat of being an entertainment review girl, to being a food truck foodie review gal. I have no idea where my wee squirrel put all this but she sure is a blast to watch

Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Coconut Caramel Princess Cakes

Coconut Caramel Princess Cakes



These are my fave go to cupcakes for my father, he will say he doesn't eat sweets, then 3 of these sweethearts later, it is time for a nap! He makes no  mention of the cupcakes until he wakes up and says "those cupcakes look good, mind if I have one" So if anyone in your family "doesn't eat sweets" this is the way to go.
For the Cake:
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs separated carefully ( I know you are moaning but it is totally worth it )
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste I use Neilsen Massey always
1 tsp coconut extract
1 14 ounce tin Lopez coconut milk (not water) reserve 1/4 cup for frosting
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
36 drained maraschino cherries
Your oven needs to be at 350F This recipe makes 18 large (not jumbo) cupcakes using the liners found in my shoppe size 70 or 75 These are the spot on blue.
Sift your dry ingredients, set aside. In large mixer bowl using your KitchenAid paddle blade cream the butter until light and fluffy (approx 3-5minutes) Gradually add sugar in 3 parts until very light and fluffy (approx 5-7 mins) Add egg yolks one at a time beating well after you add each one.Mix in vanilla and coconut extract along with your coconut milk and flour in 3 additions. I put the extracts into the coconut milk. Remember to begin and end with flour mixture. Do not overbeat or you will get little tunnels in your cupcakes. Now in a clean dry bowl with the whisk attachment beat egg whites and cream of tartar until medium stiff peaks are formed (the whites will appear moist as opposed to dry and stiff) Fold 1/2 into your cake batter and then the other 1/2 until completely incorprated. *** Do not use mixer use a spatula
Use an Ice cream disher to fill you cupcake papers 3/4 full so they bake up with domed tops.
Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes until very very light golden on top.
Caramel Filling:
Use 1 tin of eagle brand condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
Heat on medium heat until a med thick caramel forms about 8-10 minutes
Using a spoon scoop out a tbsp of cake from the top center of your cooled cupcakes, drop a maraschino cherry into each hole. Then cover with warm caramel to top of cupcake edge. (reserve your crumbs in a freezer bag or toast to sprinkle on cupcakes with toasted coconut, your choice) I toast the cake crumbs, of course I do!


For the frosting:
6 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese (no substitute)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 pound of sifted confectioners sugar
1/4 cup reserved coconut milk
Cream your cheese and butter then beat in your sugar and coconut milk until creamy and smooth but not fluffy with air. I use the paddle attachment for this.
Toast your cake crumbs and coconut to sprinkle over your piped frosting in 350F oven for 3-5 minutes (watch carefully) Pipe on frosting with a tip of your choice, sprinkle with coconut crumb mix and top with another maraschino cherry. I also flag the tops with a wee bit of caramel so that guests know there is caramel in them.  Enjoy
~ Lyndsay Renée ~

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Smashed Cake Cheesecake Pie

 Raspberry Smashed Cake Cheesecake Pie

I see so many desserts it is amazing, all just a little different from the other, and so many, very yummy! I have quite a few go to recipes when I need something quick. I needed this real quick! It was my sons girlfriends' birthday and I found out after we ate dinner, YIKES!
I get in the kitchen and mix up a chocolate cake mix, crazy because I have a signature chocolate cake people are always asking me for. (there was no time to look for all my ingredients strewn about as we change things here) Then I see a tin of Solo raspberry filling, easy! All I had to do was warm that up a bit. Then the cool whip, cream cheese refrigerated cheesecake trick and voila a Smashed Cake Cheesecake Pie and an additional casserole dish filled with the scrummy treat for my daughter to take home in her new beloved hand me down casserole dish, love her Mumma
Half the cake mix, made to the box directions goes into a pie dish and the other half into a vintage casserole dish you want to stealthily give to your daughter.
I wanted it smashed down more so I used plastic
Then I quickly grabbed the rest of what was going on in my mind so I wouldn't forget because I have already been in the kitchen "cleaning up" for 45 minutes URRRGH! I'm sure she knew, how does  somebody not smell a chocolate cake?
Onward ... I used 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and one large tub of cool whip. I beat the cream cheese and butter with the powdered sugar until smooth. Then folded in the Cool Whip, whereupon, this magical transformation takes place. You are going to love that! PUT THE SPOON DOWN! Meanwhile I gently heated the pie filling. I really love this Solo brand and drag it back from the USA when I travel. You could mix pie filling with the same flavour of jam about 1/2 and 1/2 to get the same fresh taste or even add more berries to your pie filling.
Once the "cheese cake" set I put craters in it to get the pie filling down into the pie part as much as I could.
Then I heard her coming towards the kitchen to help make coffee so I didn't get the top as I wanted it, the filling had cooled too much. Not that big of a disaster ... right? You would eat it right?
So here is the end of the story ... I put sprinkles on it because she loves sprinkles otherwise I would have left them off and maybe used a bit of real whipped cream piped on. Everyone enjoyed their smashed in dessert and I was prouder than a peacock that I pulled it off in one hour and twelve minutes. Remember I was making one alongside in a casserole dish. You do not get to see that one *grinning* Let me just say it looked as pretty as the casserole dish my daughter inherited that was her grandmother's.

Have y'all ever had the desire to smash up a cake and run around like a fool in your kitchen? Try this, I promise it is all worth it.

P.S. She had no idea I was making her a smashed in pie cake with sprinkles and was delighted! Everyone thought I was downing a mocha Kahlua coffee from my Tassimo while I was cleaning the kitchen haha!







Monday, February 18, 2013

Monday, February 11, 2013

Buttermilk Pancakes

A funny thing happened the other day, I got very proud about making pancakes at 8 am. Yeah to both, pancakes, 8am!! The reason this was such a milestone is I was I'll for a long period of time and as I make the climb to good health again, I seem to forgotten how. Pancakes and proudness helped! So if you are feeling like you want to heal yourself a bit make pancakes! You can have add ins, even sprinkles! You can make shapes, various colour or just a stack of regular pancakes like I did. Okay I did make 2 giant pancakes at the end because I was getting tired haha

This is my Mum's basic recipe I am sharing with you, I use buttermilk and Mum used to use whole milk. both come out fluffy, the secret is mix by hand, not too much, and let batter stand 5 minutes. You can also pop this batter in the fridge the night before ut please bring to room temperature before you griddle them! For a non stick method a few things can occur, you can make a salt bad using cheesecloth and 1/2 cup of salt, tie into a Hobo pack and rub on pan, screw up the first pancake or use cooking spray. My method is the the first 2.

Buttermilk Pancakes (photo to come next time I make these, that took too much energy this time) its okay right?

Ingredients
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
21/4 cups buttermilk reserving 1/4 cup in case it is thin enough depending on your altitude I only use 2 cups.
4 large eggs
1/4 cup cooking oil (you can use melted cooled butter if you like, I've used both)
You can also mix all the dry ingredients together and put in ziplock bags for quick homemade pancake mix! Great for camping!
Mix all dry ingredients together and make a well for the wet ingredients. Mix wet ingredients together well, this is when I add 3 tsp vanilla! You can put your add ins here. Sprinkles work but I like non pariels better! Blueberries are another fave, I gently flour 1 cup with 1 tbsp of flour, you get the idea.
Combine the wet to the dry and mix by hand just until let mixed. Drop onto a prepared preheated to 350 degrees griddle or frypan. Cook until you see bubbles emerge over the entire surface of the pancake and flip to cook the other side to golden, serve with your fave toppings! Enjoy!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Red Velvet Cupcakes - Valentine's Day Cupcakes

By Julycupcakes! Follow the links to see more Enjoy

RED HOT LOVE!

This was one of our picks this week. I love the flowers on the heart

Hey, baby!

Hey, baby! by Daisy Loves Cake
Hey, baby!, a photo by Daisy Loves Cake on Flickr.

Love the colours!

Which santa beard is your favorite?

I am jumping the gun for next Christmas but these Santas show so many techniques that can be used for other decorating .... Say Bunny tails for Easter?

Valentine Cookies

Valentine Cookies by mint_lemonade
Valentine Cookies, a photo by mint_lemonade on Flickr.

These are adorbs!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

A little love note.

A little love note. by CheetahCookies
A little love note., a photo by CheetahCookies on Flickr.

Another sweet pick done by Tina! I love the tinyness of these cookies xxx

Valentine you're TONS of fun!

Tina again with my fave colour combo and Ohhh how I love these cookies!

I'm nuts and bolts about you.

Tina really captures the spirit of Valentines day with these awesome turquoise and red (my fave combo) robot loves!

Valentine Cookies 2013

I love the detailing on these cookies! Over the next few days we are on the look out for inspiring cookie decorators for our readers, there is so much talent out there!

Valentines Day House

qqr6 by sassybeautimus
qqr6, a photo by sassybeautimus on Flickr.

What a fantastic idea!

Donut Cookies ........

Today I came across these adorable donut cookies! I love these