Project Birthday Cake: 2009 Edition

The party was last night and the confection is done and dusted. As in eaten. It was thoroughly destroyed. But in glorious fashion as I'm sure it was completely nom-able.

I didn't take any pictures of assembly or make-age for several reasons: first, I was terrified it wasn't going to turn out. This was my first foray into actually fondanting a whole cake. With fondant that I made. But it was glorious and so much easier than anticipated! Second, it was a lot of busy work. I spent nearly a week crafting roses before I finally got into a groove the night before, sitting on my couch, modeling them under the mood-lighting of the Christmas tree while watching ghost hunting shows at 1 in the morning.

In between those times, I made fresh lime cake (which was a tweak of last year's Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with fresh lime zest and a little bit of lime juice in the batter...let me know if you want the exact recipe) for the top tier and then two giant chocolate cakes for the bottom tier. I killed two hand mixers in the process.

In the end I used 4 bags of marshmallows, 6 pounds of powdered sugar, 3 pounds of butter, 1 pound of chocolate, half a bottle of lemon extract and nearly 2 vials of luster dust. Here are all the recipes you could ever want for crafting your very own cake. I suggest you send your children away for the duration unless you want to go insane. :)

Chocolate Butter Cake
a.k.a. Mix Master Murderer

This cake is deep, dark, moist and chocolatey. With a hint of cinnamon in the background, it's decidedly sexy and actually very easy to make.

A word of warning, though...the batter for this cake is mixed in a curious way, dry ingredients and butter are beaten together and then you add the wet ingredients last. For this reason you will absolutely need a stand mixer, a heavy duty hand mixer, or a very sturdy mixing arm on your person. You will also need to scrape down your bowl and mix through it to make sure there are no random flour deposits hiding out in your batter, because they will be hiding in there. Trust me. Now onto the recipe!


3 cups cake flour
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
3 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
3/4 cups freshly brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature (alternately, you can use decaffeinated coffee or room temperature water, but the coffee adds a dimension that makes the chocolate more chocolatey. If you opt out of using the coffee, add an extra teaspoon of vanilla to the water.)
3/4 cup room temperature water mixed with 1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch square cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the electric mixer on low speed, blend for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and buttermilk and blend on low until moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Whisk the eggs,coffee and water together, and add to the batter in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating only until blended after each addition. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans; each pan will take about 3 1/4 cups of batter.

4. Bake for 38 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Carefully turn them out onto wire racks and allow to cool completely. Remove the paper liners only when they are cool.

Marshmallow Fondant

This tastes miles better than anything you could ever drop a pile of cash on pre-made ~seriously, go price that stuff, it's ridiculously expensive~ and will taste a million times better. That Wilton stuff? Yeeech!

It covers cakes beautifully and once you get a feel for how to make it, it's really easy.

16 ounces mini marshmallows (check the weight on your bag, most of them are 10.5 ounces, so you will need one and a half bags if this is the case)
2-5 tablespoons water
2 pounds C&H powdered sugar
Crisco

1. Put the marshmallows and 2 tablespoons water in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring until the marshmallows are completely melted.
3. Once the marshmallows are melted, put 3/4 of the powdered sugar on top of the melted marshmallows.
4. Heavily grease the counter where you will be working with Crisco. Then heavily grease your hands as well. Make sure you get them well coated. Keep the crisco nearby so you can dig into it if needed.
5. Mix the marshmallows and sugar together as well as you can, then dump out onto your greased counter.
6. Start to knead the mixture like bread dough. You will immediately see why have greased your hands. The fondant is incredibly sticky and messy at this stage, but keep kneading. Re-grease your hands and the counter as needed.
7. It will take you about 5-10 minutes of kneading to get a smooth, elastic ball. Add the rest of the powdered sugar a little at a time until it is no longer sticky. If the fondant is too dry, add a 1/2 tablespoon of water at a time and knead it in.
8. When you are done, you can roll it out and use it right away if there are no bits of powdered sugar in it. Otherwise, coat the fondant with a layer of crisco, wrap it in plastic wrap and put the ball in a zippered plastic bag, making sure to squeeze all the air out.

Modeling Chocolate

I use this for roses, but you can make anything out of it for decorations. Let it air dry and it can be stored in a cool dry place for weeks. Just don't try to dye it unless you get coloring for chocolate or it will sieze up. I learned this the hard way. Buy the pre-colored candy melts and save yourself a lot of headaches.

9 ounces chocolate candy melts*
1/4 cup corn syrup

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler.
2. Add the corn syrup and stir until completely mixed. It will get harder almost immediately. Also be aware that the corn syrup will darken the color of your chocolate slightly once you add it.
3. Spread out the mixture onto a piece of foil or waxed paper and let it cool.
4. Once cool, knead the mixture slightly and wrap in a piece of plastic wrap and then put it in a zipper bag. Knead the mixture again to warm it up before rolling or modeling into shapes.

*This recipe is for vanilla candy melts, not milk or dark chocolate. The corn syrup ratio is different for those but I'm too tired to look it up right now...

Bread Makin' Weather

It's a snow day! These are my favorite days to bake bread. The house can get all steamy hot and it won't matter, the smell of bread baking is completely cozy, and then you get to eat it!

I used to make this recipe for Butter Crescent Rolls all the time when I first got married, and then it got shoved away in the cookbook pile and mostly forgotten until Thanksgiving this year. I made two kinds of rolls and these got eaten first. Some people going back for fourths and fifths!

They are light, buttery and deceptively easy to make. You should probably make extra. :)

Butter Crescent Rolls

1 tablespoon yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 and 1/4 cups flour
butter, softened

~Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it sit until frothy. (About 10 minutes.)
~Microwave the milk until warm, but not hot.
~Stir in the salt, sugar and egg.
~Add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture.
~Stir in enough flour for a soft dough. The dough will be sticky.
~Cover bowl with plastic wrap and raise until doubled.
~Flour your cutting board/counter. Divide dough in half, put one half on the floured surface, flour the top as well and roll out dough into a circle.
~Brush the circle generously with soft butter.
~Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the circle into 8 wedges. Roll each wedge from the wide edge at the top down to the point.
~Place the rolls on a baking sheet forming a crescent shape with the point underneath (this keeps it from unrolling while it rises). Space them about an inch apart.
~Repeat the rolling and cutting steps with the second half of the dough. You will have 16 rolls.
~Cover rolls with plastic wrap and let raise until double.
~In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
~When rolls have doubled, bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Tasty Omega 3

I was just checking the ole blog-a-teria, as it were, and realized I didn't post ANYTHING for September! And it's not that I haven't been cooking or baking, it's just that I've been so worn out from my crazy life...I'm flat out exhausted. Find me a place to sit and I will be asleep in 5 minutes. Sleep is my favorite and my best.

In an effort to be healthier eaters at our house we've been eating a whole lot of chicken and fishy. This is my go-to recipe for salmon. Even the kids love it! And it's awesome the next day cold on a sandwich. Get your Omega 3 on!

Baked Salmon

2-4 6 ounce salmon filets
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or any kind of citrus juice)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)

~In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley.
~Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade.
~Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
~Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
~Make sure the fish is skin side down in the pan and cover tightly with foil.
~Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Tip: I buy my salmon in a big frozen filet at Wal-Mart for around $6-7. I can't remember the brand, but it's in a long, blue bag. It comes sectioned into smaller filets that you can take apart after thawing...easy peasy!

One Zucchini, Two Zucchini, Three Zucchini, Four...

It's time to think about ways to use that fabulous overabundance of zucchini~or courgette, depending on where you live. My Dad has some growing in his garden so he gave me three...including one mutant zucchini that was hiding out until it was nearly 2 feet long!

I liked the idea of chocolate zucchini bread, so I made this recipe on Sunday for our after dinner dessert.

My husband, who was wary of the idea of zucchini in bread (he's Scottish, what can I say?) ate a slice and then had a few more. The baby was bedecked from head to toe in joyous chocolate crumbs. It is like a wonderful cross between chocolate cake and brownies.

We decided to give the second loaf away before things got out of hand. Hopefully our neighbors enjoyed it as much as we did!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 heaping cups peeled and grated zucchini (about 1 medium)
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

~Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
~Grease and flour two 8x4x3 loaf pans. (I also line the bottom of mine with parchment paper to make sure they come out in one piece.)
~In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla.
~Stir in the zucchini.
~Combine the dry ingredients and stir into the zucchini mixture. Mix until just combined.
~Fold in chocolate chips if using.
~Pour into prepared pans.
~Bake for 1 hour or until bread tests done. Let bread sit in pans to cool for 5 minutes, run a knife around the edges and carefully turn out the loaves onto a cooling rack.
~If you used parchment paper, peel it off gently (but do it while they're hot)
~Let loaves cool completely before wrapping or slicing.

Makes 2 loaves

Oh So Sexy Lemons...

Here is the recipe for my ho-made (hee hee...that's for you RCH) lemon curd that came out so amazingly tasty that I kept sneaking tastes of it and finally had to hide it from myself in the back of the fridge.

You can use it for a lemon meringue pie, spoon it over ice cream or cake, fill cupcakes with it, pour it into tiny tart shells, pair it with berries and cream. So many possibilities. And if you don't like lemon you can switch it up with lime, orange or even grapefruit.

The recipe is a bit intense, and you're going to need a bit of prep to make it, but it's SO worth it.

Master Lemon Curd
adapted from Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard

2/3 c. sugar
2 T. finely chopped, grated or rasped lemon zest
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
(you can also use all lemon juice...3/4 cup. Using part lime adds an extra citrus dimension.)
6 T. unsalted butter, cut into half inch cubes and chilled

-Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse for about 1 minute, until the sugar is yellow and fragrant. Alternately, use a mortar and pestle or a small bowl and a fork. Clean and dry your food processor (if using) for later in the recipe.
-Fill a medium saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
-Combine the lemon sugar, eggs and egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl and whisk for 30 seconds.
-Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk continuously for 15 seconds or until the sugar is completely dissolved- to check for this, stick your finger in, if you feel granules, the sugar isn't dissolved~keep whisking until it is.
-Once the sugar is dissolved, add the lemon and lime juice. Whisk continuously for about 5 minutes, scrape down sides of bowl a couple of times with a rubber spatula.
-Insert a candy thermometer and keep whisking ~ the curd is done when it has a temperature of 160*F, and a consistency similar to sour cream. Go by temperature, not time. (Mine took about 10 minutes to reach it...time will vary wildly.)
-Transfer the curd into your food processor and pulse while you add the butter one piece at a time. Alternately, transfer the curd to a clean large bowl, and whisk the butter in by hand one piece at a time. (Yeah! More whisking!!) Once all the butter has been added, pulse or whisk for an additional 10 seconds. You're looking for a homogeneous texture.
-Strain the curd through a fine mesh strainer into a clean glass bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Stir the curd occasionally until it has cooled completely.
-At this point you can use it or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple weeks. You can also freeze it for several months without quality changes when thawed. Put it in the fridge and let it come up to temp for 24 hours before using.

Makes about 2 cups

* I made a few changes to recipe from it's original form, and I'm posting the differences here so you know what and why.

The original recipe calls for an ice bath, which is really just a bowl of ice cubes that you can sit the heatproof bowl in to help cool down the curd when you're finished whisking. I noticed (as did several other people who have made it) that this step wasn't really necessary. Especially if you are whisking it by hand. The chilled butter and the whisking seemed to bring the temperature down considerably, so by the time I put it in the ice bath it was just barely warm. However, you can keep this step if you need to cool it down in a hurry or if you are a big fan of ice baths. :)

Also, this curd is just on the edge of quite tart, so if you would like the curd a little sweeter I would suggest upping the sugar to 3/4 cup.

You can also whisk in an extra 2 tablespoons of cubed and chilled butter if you'd like richer curd. I upped it from the original 4 tablespoons to 6, but felt like 6 was plenty...plus all that whisking! For cubing, take your butter out of the package, put it on a piece of waxed paper, cut into cubes, wrap it up in the waxed paper and put it back in the fridge until you're ready to use it in the recipe.

We Don' Need No Stinking Mixes!

I have been a bit of a slacker lately, but it's mostly due to exhaustion and health issues...so, there you go. I've been a lot stressed out, so I'm required to cut back the baking to manageable levels. I'm also trying to spend more time with my adorable kiddos! So I thought in between the other recipes I haven't had a chance to post yet, and until I'm feeling better, I will try to post a What I Made Today recipe.

Today I made pancakes. It's my favorite basic pancake recipe from a super old-timey Betty Crocker cookbook that my sister picked up at the local second hand shop. It's made from soured milk, which is just milk that you add a little vinegar to...I suspect this is a brilliant fix from back in the depression era or some such when you couldn't always get buttermilk. (Put 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup and add enough milk to make one cup. Let stand for 5 minutes.) But if you have buttermilk, that works too.

These are mostly the instructions it came with. I've swapped out the shortening for canola oil. It's a one bowl recipe, so I whisk mine together in a big (4 cup size) glass measuring cup with a spout so I can just pour them on the griddle.

Favorite Pancakes

Beat:
1 egg

Add and Beat Well:
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/4 cups soured milk or buttermilk

Add and Beat Until
mostly smooth:
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

~Cook on a hot griddle (350-375).
~Turn the pancakes when they are puffed and full of bubbles.
~Cook the other side until golden brown.

Congrats and Finger Wagging

So...I only had one entry. ONE! (My mom's entry doesn't count because she said she was quite happy with the cookies I gave her at the Scottish Festival, even though her story was funny.) Congratulations to Tamee for submitting her awesome weather story and for not running into more trouble than she did in the storm and/or the elusive Bear Lake Monster, who I can only guess is long lost cousins with Nessie or some such. (Although it's quite adorable in this painting by Nathan Stapley...)

So let me know what treat you'd like and I'll deliver it to your cute little house sometime this week! Hurrah!

The rest of you are on notice. I'm so disappointed! :( Something has to have happened to you in the weather! Like the time I was carpooling with my friend to SLCC (back in the day) and it was so cold that her car door was frozen and wouldn't shut, so I had to hold the handle the entire trip down I-215 to keep it from flying open. Or the magical time that me and my BFF RCH walked home from the local dollar movie theater when we were teenagers. It was late at night, the snow was falling lightly and the world was so quiet and the sky was pink-orange. It was amazing. Or the time when I had just left all the world I knew behind to move to Scotland and I got stranded with all my luggage (containing all my worldly possessions, which wasn't much) at the Greenock train station in the pouring rain...reminds me a lot of last saturday, actually. :)

Contest II...Not For the Weak!

I am completely and utterly exhausted. More specifically the Highland Games/Scottish Festival completely wore me out. It rained and rained and rained. Sideways rain. Pounding rain. Thundery rain. Squishy shoes rain. Rain that sorted out the real men (and women!). And it was no surprise that real men DO wear kilts. Guess who wimped out first once the rainstorms hit? No lie...the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. The pipe bands? They kept right on piping. They even played Star Wars. Pure dead brilliant.

So as a salute to the Scots and others who are not afraid of a little rain, I am offering up another contest~tasty British Isles treats from my kitchen!

Here's your choices:
Butter Shortbread Fingers
Chocolate Shortbread Fingers
Strawberry Coconut Shortbread Cookies
Double Gingered Molasses Cookies (hands down favorite of everyone at the festival)
Lemon or Lime Curd
Scottish Tablet
English Toffee (with or without chocolate and/or almonds)
Gingerbread Caramel Corn

And I might even throw in a wee Scottish trinket...

So how do you win? Share your favorite rain or weather or Scottish related story with us in the comments and then we'll vote for the winner in a poll. You have from now until midnight on Friday, June 19th. I also would be quite excited if you'd sign up to be a follower if you're not one already...I'm a total narcisist like that. :)

Small Print Type Stuff: Obviously if you live far enough away that I have to mail you your prize, I'm gonna have to say no to sending you things like lemon or lime curd or the strawberry shortbread...probably not safe to eat and too messy! I apologize in advance!

Too Busy Drooling to Think of a Title....

This is a recipe for turkey burgers with hidden veggies. Now don't go running away screaming! They're so good that if I tell my 5 year old we're having hamburgers, she'll eat most of a huge one and enjoy it to death. And she generally refuses to eat turkey, carrots or onions. She has no clue that there's anything going on in that burger but unbridled tastiness. I jones for these burgers like nothing else in my repertoire!

If you don't have a grill, now is a good time to become friends with your broiler. Just think of it as an upside down grill! I became fast friends with mine one rainy, rainy winter in Scotland and we've been friends ever since. You can do them in a frying pan, too, but trust me, they're the best on the grill. I'm stamping this recipe with the "So good you won't even need condiments!" seal of approval. But they're extra good with some tomato, pickle and lettuce. Oh man...guess what I'm gonna go have for lunch right now?

Moist Turkey Burgers for the Grill

2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot (do not squeeze out any moisture from the carrots! Just grate them straight into the mixing bowl)
1 small onion finely chopped (or grated...hides it better from little eyes) ;)
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic, or 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup barbecue sauce (I love Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy)
1/2-1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

~In a large bowl, mix together the ground turkey with all the ingredients, mixing well to combine.
~If you love garlic, increase fresh garlic to 2 tablespoons.
~Shape mixture into 8 patties (if it's too wet, add more breadcrumbs, too dry, add more barbecue sauce) cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Patties will be easier to handle if they're seperated by a layer of waxed paper.
~You can freeze the patties at the point, too.
~Chill for at least 4 hours to let the flavors blend, up to 24 hours.
~Grill for 4 minutes per side, or until done. Alternately, they can be broiled on a rack or cooked in a frying pan.
~Serve on toasted buns. Enjoy!

Top Five

I don't know how many of you are on Facebook, but they have this particular feature where you can list your favorite top 5 of just about anything. Movie Stars, childhood toys, soda, things you would blow your money on if you won the lottery...so many time wasters.

So I thought I would post my Top 5 Things I Can't Live Without in the Kitchen...things you should run right out and buy if you want to be as awesome as me! ;)

1 ~ Stainless Steel Ice Cream & Cookie Scoops

I use these more than probably anything in my kitchen when I bake. The ice cream scoop I use for scooping up cupcake batter in perfect portions, and it keeps batter from dripping everywhere. The cookie scoop I use for cookies (natch) and for portioning out frosting. They make my life so much easier! Sometimes I'd like another one of each though, because it seems like they're always in the dishwasher when I need them.

I'm not sure of the manufacturers. The ice cream scoop was a gift and the cookie scoop I bought at Wal-Mart about 4 years ago. I want to say it was Oneida? But I can't remember, and the scoop doesn't say. These are also sometimes called "dishers" in the food industry. You'll want to make sure there are NO plastic parts on the scoops. I bought a Wilton one that had a plastic gear on the handle and it broke the third time I used it.

On the bottom of the handle you'll see the disher size. My ice cream scoop is 18/10 (about 2 and 1/4 inches across) and the cookie scoop is 18/8 (about 1 and 1/4 inches across).

2 ~ Morton's Kosher Salt

I keep the big blue box of Morton's kosher salt in my pantry and I have a mug full of it on the back of my stove. (One day I will get a nifty little salt cellar just like Alton Brown has...) Because a pinch of salt is a pinch of salt! It's handy to have it right there for the measuring and pinching. Kosher salt has a milder flavor than regular table salt, which makes it perfect for baking. Plus you can use it for a topping on breads and you can see it when you sprinkle it on meat. Did you know that if your recipe contains vanilla and you don't add any salt you won't be able to taste it? Salt makes flavors taste brighter and is absolutely necessary in baking. Especially desserts!

3 ~ Wilton White Cupcake papers

I don't know about you, but I love me some cupcakes. A perfectly tiny, single serving cake all for you! What could be better? I have bought fancy papers in the past, but it seems like once you bake them, you can't see the design very well anymore because of the cake or the oil or what have you. And sometimes the colors stain the cupcake pans~I still have a pan that has hot pink hearts all over it from Valentine's day several years ago. That's why I'm all about white papers. And Wilton makes the best. I also buy the tiny ones for my mini cupcake pan. So adorable! And who in their right mind wants to grease a cupcake pan? I buy mine in the wedding/cake/craft section at Wal-Mart, around $1.30 for 75 papers.

4 ~ C&H Brown Sugar/Powdered Sugar

Oh sure, they cost 10-20 cents more than your knock off brand, but they taste SO much better. Their brown sugar is not refined sugar that's been sprayed with molasses like the other stuff. It's not sticky and gross. In my opinion, spending a little more on superior ingredients like real vanilla, unbleached flour and well made sugar is where the payoff is when your stuff tastes hands down better than everything else.

5 ~ Kirkland Pure Vanilla

I refuse to use fakey vanilla. You can't taste it. However, I know that real vanilla is notoriously expensive. There was a while we went without a Costco membership and If I ran out of vanilla, I'd have my Dad buy it for me. Their pure vanilla is wonderful and worth every penny. It runs about $8 for a 16 ounce/1 pint bottle. If you've ever bought those tiny vials of the real stuff anywhere, you'll know what a fantastic deal this is! And you can stop using that flavored alcohol stuff you've got in your pantry once and for all. I go through a bottle in about 6-9 months, so I know that a bottle will probably last you forever. :) Once you use the real stuff, you'll never go back!

Fru-Its of the Deh-Vil

Dear Wilton,

You make great cake pans. You make good piping equipment. Your cupcake papers rock my world (although the selection of cute as opposed to cheesy designs is somewhat lacking, but I'm mostly a white paper girl anyhow...)

However, you need to take a giant step back and taste your fondant. It is the most unholy, festering pile of nastiness that I have ever had the displeasure of putting in my mouth. The texture was like chewing gum. The flavor was sugar and several unprounounceable chemicals. My brother knew immediately by the grimace on my face that I had, indeed, as a favor to the people I was making a cake for, tasted the fondant. Because he had been brave and tasted it first...because I had heard, but not believed that Wilton fondant is NOT TO BE EATEN.

Your gum paste is only slightly better, in that you should not really eat gum paste.

In the future I will share the burden of warning people to steer clear of your actual edibles. The real shame is that you're a big company and you're partially responsible for people's big, fat celebrations all over the world! FAIL!

That is all.

Cakes and Spring Cleaning

I'm gonna be kind of busy this week, because I'm working on a graduation cake for one of my awesome friends who is soon to get her Masters Degree. And then onto the planning for my niece's graduation cake as she finishes up her public High School education! Gosh, I remember seeing her tiny, pink and screaming at the hospital when she was born. I feel creaky...

Anyway, good things shall come of this! Namely I will be posting pictures and how to's and what I screwed up and how I possibly fixed it...you know, the usual. I have a feeling these are going to be some of my first exciting masterworks, as I'm branching out into the wild world of fondant.

Plus, I'm making some spectacular lemon curd.

So as soon as all that's done I shall be back to the posting. In the meantime, I'm trying to go back through my old recipes and clean them up. Post pictures that never got posted either due to not having a camera or the period after camera death. Also, back when I started this blog they didn't have the nifty tag feature so you could find things easily, so I'll be going back to tag the old recipes.

Here's a classic one I fixed up over the weekend to enjoy while I'm off in cakery land:

Lunch Lady's Peanut Butter Fingers

AND, since I haven't posted it yet, one of my favorite cake blogs that makes me feel like even more of a professional...and I'm not!

Cake Wrecks

To Booze or Not To Booze?

Today I am making mini margarita cupcakes in honor of the Cinco De Mayo celebration, which I'm guessing is about as popular to Mexicans here as St. Patricks Day is to actual Irish people. Americans just love a reason to throw a party and/or get drunk.

These can be made virgin or boozy, your choice. For regular sized cupcakes, this recipe makes 2 dozen. Otherwise it makes about 4 dozen minis...feel free to half the recipe if you don't want to be friendly to your neighbors.

Margarita Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 and 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 extra large eggs (or 6 large eggs) brought to room temperature*
1/4 cup grated lime zest
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Tequila (optional)

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
-Line cupcake pans with papers.
-Zest the limes and then juice them. Set the zest and juice aside.
-Cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
-Add the eggs one at a time, beating in well, scraping down the bowl between each. Then add the lime zest and mix until combined.
-In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
-In another combine 1/4 cup of the lime juice, the buttermilk and the vanilla.
-Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the butter mixture beginning and ending with the flour.
-Scoop the batter into the cupcake pans, almost to the top. A regular size ice cream scoop works well for this.
-Bake for about 20 minutes for regular sized cupcakes. 12 minutes for minis (you will need to check them, because these times will vary depending on your oven...) They are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
-While the cupcakes are baking, make the lime syrup: combine the remaning 1/2 cup lime juice and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Keep the syrup warm until ready to use. (It soaks into the cake better if the syrup is warm.)
-When the cupcakes are done, let them cool for 2 minutes.
-Brush the hot cupcakes generously with the lime syrup or Tequila...or a mix of tequila and lime syrup. This works best if you leave the cupcakes in the pans so you don't have syrup dripping everywhere.
*Editors note: I made these again today regular size and find that the syrup soaks in even better if you poke them a few times with a fork before brushing the syrup on.*
-When the cupcakes are completely cool, ice with a swirl of lime frosting (recipe follows). Roll edges ~or sprinkle~ frosting with sugar or a sugar/salt combo. Decorate with a little bit of lime zest or a thin wedge of lime.

Lime Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
4-5 cups confectioners' sugar

-Cream together the butter and cream cheese.
-Mix in the lime juice and zest.
-Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until desired consistency.

*To bring your eggs to room temperature quickly, fill a bowl with hot (but not boiling) water and submerge the cold eggs for 5 minutes.

Cookie Du Jour

This is my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe. Hands down. They are like little bites of heaven! I've even replaced half the butter with applesauce and they were still fantastic. Just look at that face...would she lie to you? :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature*
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy.
~Blend in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract.
~In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
~Mix flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
~Drop tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
~Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges.
~Remove warm cookies and transfer to racks.

*To make the cookies a little more healthy, replace 1/2 cup of the butter with 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce and follow the rest of the directions.

If Life Gives You Lemons...Bake.

Last week I was out in Bountiful and ended up at Cutlers drive through for a quick sandwich on my way home. The second to the last cookie on the menu was a lemon meltaway and I just couldn't resist. It was a lovely, melty shortbread cookie covered in lemon icing. It was a good cookie, but it was seriously lacking in the lemon pucker department.

Lemons were on sale at Sunflower Market and I was still jonesing for a good lemon meltaway, so I found this recipe and made some for my husband to take to his work potluck. They are tasty and tart little things, with a fabulous tangy, buttery, lemon infused frosting. Definitely lemon enough!

The original recipe is from Land O' Lakes butter, but after making them, I thought the recipe needed some tweaking... I felt the shortbread needed to be a little bit sweeter and with their instructions I ended up with big chunks of cornstarch in the dough that left crunchy spots in my cookies and made them stick to the cookie sheets. The purpose of the cornstarch in this recipe is to add an extra crumbly/melty ratio to the cookie, so it should be mixed in thoroughly. So I've added a little extra sugar and cut back the cornstarch just a little, and added an extra sifting/whisking step to help get the cornstarch lumps out before you start mixing.

Also, the recipe didn't make enough of the fabulous frosting for all the darling little cookies. The frosting is what sets these apart from your normal little powdered sugar meltaways, so I suggest making an extra half batch to frost all your cookies. And don't be afraid to try swapping out the lemon for lime or orange!

Lemon Meltaways

1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel

~Sift together the flour, cornstarch and powdered sugar (I just run mine through a fine sieve), whisk together completely with a wire whisk.
~Put the butter, lemon juice and lemon peel in a mixing bowl.
~Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until well mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. The mixture should come together into a dough.
~Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 8x1 inch log. Roll the log into a piece of waxed paper to wrap. Put the logs in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
~Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
~Cut each log into 1/4 inch slices using a sharp knife. Put the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart.
~Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies are set. (They will not brown.)
~Cool cookies completely, then frost with Lemon Butter Frosting.

Lemon Butter Frosting

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice

~Mix all ingredients together on medium speed until fluffy. (I added a little more powdered sugar to make my icing thicker.)
~You may want to make an extra half batch, since this wasn't quite enough for all the cookies.

Makes about 4 Dozen

Friday Tips

One of my adorable readers suggested that I post a weekly feature on handy kitchen tips. Her suggestion also included the idea of substituting orange juice for buttermilk. I'm pretty sure she was kidding...but seriously, don't do that! However, if you ARE out of buttermilk, here's how to make some "faux buttermilk" aka "sour milk" that will work in your recipe without having to run to the store.

Also more on our old friend baking soda!

I've Run Out of....
Buttermilk

Substitute:
Sour Milk. Stir 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
into 1 cup milk. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Measure
and use as for buttermilk.

Kitchen Item of the Week...Baking Soda:
Sadly, there is no substitute for baking soda! You will have to go to the store and buy some more. :( However, it's cheap and handy to have on hand.

Baking soda has lots of other uses:

Medicinal: Baking soda can be used as an antacid, and according to one of my friends is the best thing to have around for pregnancy related heartburn. (However, don't use it if you're on a sodium restricted diet.)

Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to 1/2 cup water, dissolve completely and drink. Can be repeated in 2 hours if necessary.

Household: A baking soda paste will remove tarnish from silver.
Added to toothpaste, it's a mild abrasive that helps clean your teeth.
It's better than vinegar, salt or hot water alone in removing pesticides from vegetables.
Can help remove musty odors from books (although I kind of like that musty smell...)
Cleans tiles and and porcelain.
Can help maintain PH in water (like pools and ponds)

More information can be found at http://www.armhammer.com

Here are the instructions to make sure your baking soda & baking powder are still working.

To test baking soda's effectiveness: mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons of vinegar and the mixture should bubble immediately.

To test baking powder's effectiveness: mix 1 teaspoon baking powder with ½ cup hot water and the mixture should bubble immediately. Store in a cool dry place. Baking powder should be replaced every 6-12 months.

For Janette

We were in charge of dessert for our family Easter picnic, and it was a completely gorgeous day out, so I thought something cool and easy was in order. I settled comfortably on Jell-O pretzel salad. I know it sounds like an odd combo if you've never had it before, but my husband (who was wary at first) was fighting my Mom last night for the leftovers! I think it's the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

I have a friend who is completely crazy for all things Jell-O, and I think my inspiration for dessert might be partly to blame because of the awesome Jelly article she had up on her blog. So this one's for you Janette! *MWAH!*

Strawberry Jell-O Pretzel Salad

2 cups crushed pretzels (crush them up to wee chunky bits, and measure them after crushing)
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 (8 ounce) tub whipped topping (aka cool whip) thawed**
1 (6 ounce) package of strawberry Jell-O*
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen strawberries, or 16 ounces fresh sliced strawberries
1 small can crushed pineapple (optional)

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
~Mix together the pretzels, sugar and melted butter. Pour into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
~Bake for 7 minutes.
~Remove from oven and let cool completely.
~Once the pretzel crust has cooled, mix the cream cheese and sugar together, then fold in the whipped topping until completely combined.
~Spread this mixture over the pretzel crust. Cover the pan and put in the fridge.
~In a bowl, mix together 2 cups boiling water with the Jell-O until completely dissolved (about 2 minutes).
~Chop the frozen strawberries (I put mine in the blender until they're coarse chunks) or slice fresh strawberries. Put them in the Jell-O. Add pineapple if desired.
~Put the Jell-O Mixture in the fridge until thickened, but not set. Pour the Jell-O mixture over the cream cheese layer.
~Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Top with additional whipped topping if desired.

Serves 12.

*Feel free to change Jell-O flavors to your liking. I think that lime with pineapple would be tasty. Or orange with mandarins! BigScottishJerk.com also brought up the fact that a chocolate pudding type topping might be completely awesome. I think he might be very right.
**I know I have friends who can't do the cool-whip. I'm sure you could substitute 2 cups of heavy whipped cream in lieu of this.

A Lovely Sunday Out & About...Without My Brain

I finished up the cake for our winner, Anna Jo, in record time. It was done around 9:30 am, and I didn't need to deliver it until 12:30pm. WIN! I must be getting faster...although ,apparently, not any smarter...my smooth day of cakery was only about to get more interesting.

I carried the cake oh-so-carefully out to my car ~ I even remembered to bring my camera! ~ and once I got there, realized my keys were not in my purse. The car happened to be unlocked, but it was lovely, sunny, 70 degree weather outside, so I could not leave the cream cheese icing out in the heat. I carried the cake all the way back to the house, only to find my stalwart husband had locked me out. I had the 5 year old with me (who desperately needed to get out of the house) so we were outside yelling "Daddy! Daddy!" and banging on the door. It took a few minutes to locate my dumb keys, which for some inexplicable reason I left on the kitchen counter. Derrr hey!

Road construction made me miss the exit to her house because I didn't see it until it was far too late to turn off, so I had to drive to the next exit and figure out my way down to her house through suburbia. Suburbia which was full of crazy speed bumps (!!!) and a very scary/intriguing dog fight. Did I also mention that once I got to her street I totally missed her house and had to turn around? Yeah...

The good news is, the cake survived! I apologize for my crappy photography skills...I'm not great with a camera and the pictures came out all shadowy. It was so darn sunny, I couldn't really see my screen. *sigh* Oh well!



Lovely Anna Jo
with her cake

Anna Jo and her adorable husband were thrilled. Especially her husband who is a big fan of the red velvet cake she picked out. He was even sneaking the extra "in case of damage" chocolate robin eggs I brought along while we were taking these pictures. Next time I will bring more chocolate eggs. :)

Anna's Red Velvet Easter Cake
complete with tiny robin's nest for spring!

Stay tuned...there may be more contests in the future!

Easter DIY

I was up until 3 in the morning making peanut butter, coconut cream and buttercream eggs. They came out beautiful, but I am so...very...tired...

The eggs are not hard to make at all, but they are time consuming. (Especially if you're like me and think you're oh-so-smart by using white chocolate for piping, which I had to keep re-heating, because it doesn't pipe so good when it gets cold.) So plan to spend at least 3 hours or so on one flavor. If your kids are old enough they could help, if not, send them somewhere that is not your kitchen. Also, investing in some disposable vinyl gloves is not a bad idea. :)

Each recipe makes about 20-30 eggs, depending on the size you make them.

Peanut Butter Eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups peanut butter
2 bags chocolate chips

~In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese.
~Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until all is mixed in. (It's easiest if you use your ultra clean hands and just squish it together...again, get some gloves!)
~Add the vanilla, salt and peanut butter and mix well. (Hands are easiest.)
~Put the dough in the freezer for about a half hour, or until firm.
~Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Shape the dough into egg shapes, cover with plastic wrap and return them to the freezer until firm.
~Melt chocolate in a double boiler (aka a glass bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water).
~Quickly dip the bottoms of the eggs and set on wax paper set on a cookie sheet. Use a metal spatula or knife to spread chocolate over the tops and sides of the eggs.
~Put eggs in fridge until chocolate is set. Carefully pull the hard eggs off the wax paper. Put each egg in a paper baking cup.
~Pipe names on top if desired.

Coconut Cream Eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) bag shredded coconut
2 bags chocolate chips

~Cream butter and cream cheese in a large bowl.
~Add in powdered sugar.
~Mix in vanilla and salt.
~Mix in coconut.
~Follow remaining instructions as above.

Buttercream Eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
2 bags chocolate chips

~Same as coconut cream instructions, minus the coconut.

We Have A Winner!

I just picked the winner for the cake contest out of a hat and the winner is...*drum, drum, drum...CYMBAL!*

Anna Jo!

Congratulations! I shall send you an e-mail to arrange a delivery time. :)

Thanks to all of you who signed up, including mystery person follower...whoever you are. How mysterious!

Snow, Snow, Go Away!

It's supposed to be spring vacation where I live in Salt Lake. It's snowing. We're wayyyy past that six week mark that the groundhog was teasing us with. Me and my daughter even went to the Holi Festival of Colors over the weekend to bring in spring. It was 60 degrees and sunny! And yet...outside looks like a blizzard. At least where I'm sitting it does. UGH. I'm going to close the blinds and pretend this is all an April Fool's Day joke along with the current forecast for the week ahead. :(

Today seems like a good day for something cozy from the oven. I'm posting the recipe for my Mom's Apple Crisp, full of lovely cinnamony apples and covered in a crumbly, crispy, oaty topping.

Apple Crisp

12 peeled, sliced apples
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
~ Put all ingredients in a large bowl, toss together to coat the apples, and pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

Topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
about 1 cup of apple juice

~ Put the butter, oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla in a bowl, and cut ingredients together with a fork or pastry cutter.
~ Spread the mixture over the apples.
~ Put the tablespoon of lemon juice in a 1 cup measuring cup, add apple juice to make 1 full cup.
~ Sprinkle the juice mixture evenly over the top of the crisp.
~ Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until crisp is golden brown.

And Now For My Next Trick

What could be better than hot, homemade cobbler straight out of the oven, scooped into bowls and topped with a giant scoop of vanilla bean ice cream? The only thing better than that is when it takes about 5 minutes to make. The hard part is waiting for it to bake! No one will need to know...powder your face with flour, tell them it took positively AGES, and bask in the buttery, sugary glow!

Don't be distracted by the directions or how this looks when you put it in the oven. Follow them. Seriously...it's magic!

~*Magical Peach Cobbler*~

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup milk
1 quart peaches in juice/syrup*

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~Put the butter in a 9x13 baking dish and put it in the preheated oven until it melts.
~In the meantime, mix together the the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
~Stir in the milk and blend until smooth.
~When the butter has melted in the baking dish, remove from oven and pour the batter evenly over the butter in the hot pan.
~Pour all the peaches and juice evenly over the butter & batter.
~Put the cobbler back into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Makes 8 servings.

* You can use any kind of fruit you like that comes canned or bottled in juice.

Contest!

See how I've added that cute little "follower" feature on the side? Now you can follow my blog. People rarely leave me comments, which makes me wonder if anyone out there is reading besides my Mom...

So, I've decided to have a follower contest! It's fairly simple to enter...1) join my follower's list and then 2)send me a comment.

Easy Peasy! :)

Now, I suppose you're wondering what you can win?

If you live in Utah, I will personally deliver a handmade easter cake to you sometime around the Easter holiday (we can work out a day and time) so you can take it to celebrations. Or you can just get out a fork and eat it all yourself...

I will let you choose from a Coconut Layer Cake, Southern Red Velvet (both with cream cheese frosting) or a Lemon Bunny Cake with or without raspberry filling.

If you don't live in Utah, I will send you something delicious that I can mail. Like caramel corn, ginger cookies, or divinity. I'll let you choose from an assortment.

This is all just for fun, but mostly so I can see who is out there. I'd love to know more about my audience. Invite your family and friends to come visit me too!

The contest runs from today, March 26th, to Sunday April 5th at midnight. Go forth and follow!

Mix Master

I guess I'm spoiled. Cake mix, on it's own, is so many shades of wrong after you've eaten from-scratch cakes. But cake mix is easy. And there are a few ways to make cake mix completely righteous if you're willing to play around with it.

The following is a cake mix recipe froofed up to taste like something from a very good bakery. It has a tighter crumb than regular cake, so that makes it ideal for decorating. It doesn't fall in the middle. It doesn't rise up crazy and ooze all over your cupcake pans making them hard to get out. And it's not dry or bland. It tastes amazing. Plus you can doctor it up several ways!

The following is the recipe for my favorite version~Lemon~which I made into cupcakes for St. Patricks day, complete with a swirl of vanilla buttercream icing and a See's chocolate shamrock on top.

It's a bright tasting lemon, slightly-tart-but-with-a-good-balance of sweet. And the texture is like a cross between angel food and pound cake. Trust me, you will not be dissapointed. Included at the bottom is another variation to make an equally delicious White Almond Cake.


White Lemon Sour Cream Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large lemons
Water (measurements will vary)
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs

1-Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2-Grease and flour cake pans or line 2 - 12 cup cupcake tins with cupcake papers.
3-In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Mix together with a whisk.
4-Zest both lemons with the smallest holes on your grater. Put the zest into the dry ingredients.
5-Juice both lemons, pour the juice into a liquid measuring cup. Now add enough water to the lemon juice to make 1 and 1/3 cups of liquid. Add to the dry ingredients.
6-Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture.
7-Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
8-Pour evenly into prepared pans, about 2/3 full, or use an ice cream scoop to fill cupcake papers 3/4 full*. Bake until cake tests done. (Around 30-35 minutes for cupcakes, depending on your oven...use that as a starting point. Cakes will take a little longer.)
9-Cool completely and decorate as desired. (Because the lemon cake is a bit on the tart side, I'd suggest a vanilla buttercream frosting to balance the flavors.)

*If making cupcakes, you will have more than enough batter for 24 cupcakes. You can either pour this leftover batter into a small pan to make a little cake, or make a few more cupcakes after the first few batches are done. I usually get about 28 cupcakes.

White Almond Sour Cream Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/3 cups water
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup sour cream
4 egg whites

-Follow directions as above, omitting "lemon steps" 4 and 5.
-Fill cake pans to about 2/3 full.
-This cake is wonderful with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut.

Editor's Interesting Trivia Side Note: I made the White Almond version into a birthday cake for one of my friends two years ago, and it was this very cake that I was trying to photograph when our haunted camera died! So, while I can show you the ghost that made our camera wonky, there are no pictures of the cake.

Also, no pictures of the cupcakes, since they were whisked out the door about 30 seconds after I got done frosting them. Maybe it's for the best...we can't afford any new cameras!

Win!

Imagine my complete surprise when this recipe for Butter Chicken came out not only completely lovely ~with 7 whole steps and ingredients you're likely to have on hand~ but actually tasted like something you could get at a restaurant! Serve with some rice and naan or flatbread. Bonus points are that this really isn't a really "curry" flavored chicken dish and isn't at all spicy, so even people who don't generally like Indian (ie: my daughter) will eat it.


Butter Chicken

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon *
1 teaspoon salt
1 ounce butter
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup half & half *
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)

1. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
2. Combine spices and salt, sprinkle over chicken pieces and toss to coat.
3. Saute onion and garlic in the butter.
4. Saute the chicken pieces until they just start to brown.
5. Stir in the cream and the tomato paste.
6. Cover the pan and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
7.Sprinkle with the garam masala and chopped cilantro or parsley.

*The original recipe called for 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, but I felt like that much cinnamon overpowered the other flavors. Feel free to adjust this to your liking.
The original also called for cream, but half and half cuts down on the fat/calorie content without sacrificing anything in the way of taste.