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Saturday 31 March 2012

Savory Sunday




















Here's how it will work:

1) Link up to the link below (link as many as you want but try to link something savory if you can)
2) Grab the Savory Sunday button and put it in the post you are sharing
3) Leave a comment after you post
4) I'd love for you to become a follower if you're not but it's not a requirement :)





Thursday 29 March 2012

Health Tip of the Week: Toxins in Makeup

All cosmetic products contain a certain amount of bacteria, prompting manufacturers to add preservatives. Parabens are toxic and allergenic synthetic chemicals used extensively as preservatives in cosmetic products. Aubrey Hampton, of Aubrey Organic Cosmetics, informs us that preservatives are not added to protect the consumer from bacteria, however, but to extend the shelf life of the product.



Toxic metals can be found in moisturizer, lotion, sun block, sunscreen, mascara, eye shadow, rouge, face powder, lipstick, and theatrical and clown makeup. Health effects may include nausea, cramps, vomiting, skin rash, joint and bone pain, mouth sores, cancer, stillbirths, genetic damage, immune dysfunction, brain and learning disorders, and impulsive and violent behaviour. The toxins in makeup are numerous and you’ll hear all about them in next week’s post. 


Information found at townsendletter.com

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Baking Goal: Herb & Garlic Focaccia Bread

Doesn't this look wonderful?! I told Marsha that it looks like the bread they serve you at the good Italian restaurants, while you wait for your food!
Check out Marsha's recipe at The Harried Cook

Friday 23 March 2012

Baking My Way: Salted Peanut Chews

 I started making this bar but then I realized I didn't quite have the right ingredients. I was a bit frustrated but then came up with a good alternative. Above is how they are supposed to look and below is the recipe I was supposed to follow...


INGREDIENTS
Base
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 bag (10 oz) peanut butter chips
2 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups salted peanuts

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F.

Mix sugar and butter together. Add all remaining base ingredients except marshmallows. In ungreased 13x9-inch pan, spread on base.

With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown

Remove partially baked crust from oven. Immediately sprinkle marshmallows evenly over crust.

 Return to oven; bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while making topping.

In large saucepan, heat corn syrup, butter, vanilla and peanut butter chips over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal and peanuts.

Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover.

Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.



....Here is what I ended up doing. It worked out really great, and tastes wonderful! I still count this as trying out the recipe because I know what it would have taste like and I was still pretty close right?


INGREDIENTS
Base
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping

1 1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups peanut butter
2 cups puff wheat cereal
2 cups honey roasted peanuts


DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F.

Mix sugar and butter together. Add all remaining base ingredients except marshmallows. In ungreased 13x9-inch pan, spread on base.

With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown

Remove partially baked crust from oven. Immediately sprinkle marshmallows evenly over crust.

 Return to oven; bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while making topping.

In large saucepan, heat corn syrup, butter, vanilla and peanut butter chips over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal and peanuts.

Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover.

Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.

Thursday 22 March 2012

Strawberry Sorbet

 I love this recipe. It's so tasty, and sweet (maybe a little too sweet, I think I would just put a cup of sugar in next time). It's great for a summer time treat or a little something to remind you of summer!

1 cup water
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 cups frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fruit liqueur (optional, I used a pomegranate one, it was super tasty!)


Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from heat, and stir in the sugar until it is completely dissolved. Set aside and let cool.

Place strawberries in a blender or food processor along with cooled syrup and process until pureed.  Add the lemon juice and liqueur (if using), cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled.

Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled place in your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once made, transfer to a chilled container and store in the freezer. When the sorbet becomes solid you may need to place it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes so it is soft enough to serve.

Adapted from here

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Baking My Way: Russian Sour Cream Tarts

This is an interesting cookie. I really wasn't too sure how it would turn out. It's got an interesting taste to it, for sure not a Canadian or American style cookie, it's got a European flavor to it. It was my first go at meringue (believe it or not! I can't believe it's taken me this long to do a meringue!) and it turned out alright, I know I can do better and I'm so excited to try it again and again!

Cookies:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

Filling:
1 1/4 cup ground blanched almonds
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons peach or apricot preserve
1 egg

Meringue:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar


Heat oven to 350.

Combine flour sugar and salt. Using a fork cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg yolk; knead until smooth dough forms, adding a few drops of ice water if needed.

On a floured surface roll out dough to 1/4inch thickness. Cut with round scalloped cutter.  Please on cookie sheet.

Combine all filling ingredients. Mix well. Spoon 1 teaspoon filling into each cookie and spread to edges.

Beat egg whites, gradually adding sugar. Beat until meringue forms soft peaks. Top each cookie with 1 teaspoon meringue.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until meringue is light golden brown.

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Baking My Way: Maple Nut Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies

Not a super exciting cookie but it's shortbread, sometimes they just are a little boring and it seems like this book has a lot of them! It tastes great with a little icing on them, but I mean what doesn't?


Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 1/2 cups All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
1/4 chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
Sugar


Directions
In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, maple extract and egg; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour until well blended.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. With bottle of glass dipped in sugar, flatten each cookie to about 1/4-inch thickness.

Bake at 375 for 6-9 minutes or until golden brown.

Monday 19 March 2012

Baking My Way: Chocolate Chip Orange Shortbread

These cookies are tasty and melt in your mouth. They would be perfect for afternoon tea or having friends over for coffee. They have a nice little tang to them with the orange which makes them stand out a little from the usual shortbread.

COOKIES:
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup butter - softened
1 tblspn grated orange peel
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

GLAZE:
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening

COOKIES:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
Sift or stir flour & cornstarch together - set aside
In a large bowl, beat icing sugar & butter until light & fluffy
Add orange peel & blend well
Stir in flour mixture - mix well
Stir in chocolate chips
Divide dough into 4 equal parts & shape each part into a smooth round ball
On ungreased cookie sheets, press or roll each ball of dough into a 6" circle 1/4" thick
With a long knife, score each circle into 8 wedges.
Leave in place on cookie sheet & prick each wedge about 3 times with a fork
Bake for about 127 - 20 mins til the edges are very lightly browned
Take care that they don't get dark on the bottoms
Cool on cookie sheets 5 mins
Prick again & cut into wedges
Place on wire racks to cool completely

GLAZE:
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips & shortening, stirring constantly
Dip rounded end of each rounded end of cooled shortbread wedges into chocolate
Place on cooling rack or wax paper. Let stand to set

Sunday 18 March 2012

Savory Sunday


I've been in a pretty sweet mood lately so I thought I'd just share with you those goodies I picked from this last week. I'm looking for some great veggie dishes, or salads, so if you have some please link them all up here! I'm gearing up for all the great garden freshness and I want to be prepped with some great recipes!

Have a great weekend!













Here's how it will work:

1) Link up to the link below (link as many as you want but try to link something savory if you can)
2) Grab the Savory Sunday button and put it in the post you are sharing
3) Leave a comment after you post
4) I'd love for you to become a follower if you're not but it's not a requirement :)





Saturday 17 March 2012

I found you Cream Wafers

Cream Wafers Recipe



I was looking for this recipe for so long and so I'm very excited to get to share it with you all! I had these all through elementary school because my best friends mom always made them. I never got the recipe from her and when I moved away and lost touch I thought hope was last to have them again. Now I found this link! They look very similar and I'm yet to make them but I've very hopeful! I'll keep you all posted.

Thursday 15 March 2012

Health Tip of the Week: Make ups secret


I’ve been looking into makeup and other skin care products a lot lately, and have found some pretty shocking stuff. Most of the time we don’t even look into a product other then the color and how it last on our skin, eye lashes or lips. I know that’s how far I usually go. But just like our food, but through our skin, these products (or at least parts of them) are going into our body and we owe it to ourselves and our health to be serious and look into what we are really using.
I’m going to do a series of health tips just about make-up and skin care products, hopefully revelling some things to you about the products you use, and opening your eyes to things you might not have known.
The 35 billion-dollar cosmetic industry is one of the nation's largest and most profitable enterprises, spending more money on television advertising than any other business. Contrary to what most consumers believe, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) neither tests nor determines the safety of cosmetics and toiletries. The cosmetic industry is self-regulating through an independent panel of experts whom it appoints.

"Skin Deep" is the title of an investigative report prepared in 2004 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The EWG examined 711 lipstick products and found that 28% contained ingredients associated with cancer risk from chemicals like butylated hydroxytoluene, Nylon 6, ferric oxide, polyethylene, and titanium dioxide.

Information found at townsendletter.com

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Baking Goal: Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake

Doesn't this look great? I posted about the Lilac Bakery a few weeks ago and this cake looks almost exactly the same and I just can't wait to try it! 

Check out the recipe at Our Best Bites

Monday 12 March 2012

Kiwi Sherbert


I saw kiwis on sale and decided now was the time to make kiwi sherbert. I got the fruit and started searching for a good recipe. I didn't find anything that I loved so I sort of combined a few and came up with this great recipe. I highly suggest using the egg whites; it keeps the sherbert softer and lighter. 

Ingredients
2 pounds kiwis
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 egg white (optional)

Directions
Peel and puree kiwis.

Put water and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil to make simple syrup. When all the sugar is dissolved take off of heat and let cool.

Mix together pureed kiwis, simple syrup and lemon juice. Put in fridge to cool (it could take up to 8 hours)

Put the mixture in the ice cream maker. Begin freezing according to manufacturer's instructions.

If you're using the egg white, whip the egg white until very frothy, but not yet at soft peak. Stop the ice cream maker briefly and fold in the egg white. Continue freezing until entirely frozen.

Keep in the freezer in an air tight container.

Sunday 11 March 2012

Savory Sunday



Some great recipes again this last week! (as usual!) Click on the photos to get to these great recipes! Have a great Sunday everyone!









Here's how it will work:

1) Link up to the link below (link as many as you want but try to link something savory if you can)
2) Grab the Savory Sunday button and put it in the post you are sharing
3) Leave a comment after you post
4) I'd love for you to become a follower if you're not but it's not a requirement :)





Saturday 10 March 2012

Cooking Goal: Quick and Easy BBQ Cups

Don't these look great? It's sort of like a hamburger in a cupcake and I don't think it gets much better then that! 
Check out the recipe at Talking Dollars & Cents

Friday 9 March 2012

Guest Writer: Alpana from Smart Snacks


Hi,
I am Alpana & I am new to the world of Blog. I have been cooking for a long long time & have always received compliments from family & friends. My Love for food & baking has grown even more as I moved "Saat Smundar Paar" from home to this "Land of Devilish foods" where the day breaks with the aroma of Dunkin Doughnuts & freshly brewed Coffee, where cookies ,cream, Chocolate ,candy are the order of the day . Even this diverse assortment of baked goodies available at every pattisserre & coffee shop could not satisfy my craving for "Baked Kulchas" & "Besan Nankhatai" ,baked fresh everyday at "'Lacchman's bakery" in my hometown. Having a lot of time at hand these days I decided to try baking them myself & guess what......they were awesome.

Hence I have delved deeper into the world of baking & sometimes I post pictures on FB just to satisfy myself with the compliments. The search for a broader horizon to share those recipes & pictures introduced me to the world of Blog. I have been posting recipes that have been tried & tested by myself and pictures taken by my Husband.


My space will be a feature to share my long time tried & tested recipes with the world as well as enjoy & savour the recipes from international cuisines shared by fellow bloggers.


What is your name:
Alpana Rana ( Photo attached)

Where do you live:
South Brunswick , New Jersey , USA

What's your favorite recipe:
Date Nut Spice Cake Loaf

What's your favorite kitchen tool:
My Big Oven ( I know it's a gadget but I love it & I can bake & bake & bake in it & something I did not have access to in India)

What do you live by in life? Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you

Thanks a lot Amanda for inviting me for a guest post. Here is the recipe that I would like to share & hope each one of our fellow bloggers will enjoy it.



Peanut Pesto Potato Salad:


I Love salad..........lol .......amazing haan , Yes my family laughs at me as well . But I must confess that after coming to the US I have gradually developed a taste for different cuisines, salad being a part
of it.

In my initial years I would not even try anything called Ghaas- phoos ( green Leaves) but sometimes while traveling I would have no option but to have a salad. As I started working being a vegetarian gave me very limited options for lunch & if I wasn't carrying my lunch I had to do with a salad. Sooo one fine day I really started relishing the variety of salads available at the cafeteria & now I churn out my versions of this beautiful ghaas phoos( Green Leaves) I am also doing this post as a guest blogger for Amanda from "The Sweet Details" ( Thanks Amanda - I feel honoured) & when she invited
me I started thinking of something that would have a universal appeal.

So finally I decided to do this salad with a twist. The salad has been inspired from 'Ellie Krieger' of Food Network & I have been making it for the last 3-4 years ( ofcourse I wasn't blogging at the
time) Generally Pesto has pine nuts & parmesan cheese as one of the main ingredients but I used peanuts instead , no cheese & some candied ginger for a little crunch .

Ingredients:
I pound red potatoes / boiled & cut with skin
1 cup of chopped red , yellow & green peppers.
4-5 slices of candied ginger/ chopped into small pieces.


For the Pesto:
I cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons of roasted peanuts ( unsalted, if using salted then
reduce the amount of salt in the pesto)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt & black pepper acc. to taste.


Preparing Pesto:
Add roasted peanuts & garlic to the shredder attachment & give it a good pulse . Add basil leaves , lemon juice , olive oil , salt & pepper & pulse it again for a minute or two . The pesto should be a
little chunky & not paste like.

Mix everything together in a bowl , potatoes, peppers, ginger & pesto & just give it a good stir with a
spatula.

Enjoy..............


Note: Mixing it with a spoon will break the potatoes & the salad looks messy . Refrigerate the salad for 2-3 hrs before serving as this helps the potatoes to absorb all the flavors & the salad even becomes
more crunchy.

Happy Cooking - from my kitchen to Yours........Keep blogging.

Alpana

Thursday 8 March 2012

No Bake Energy Balls

 We're gearing up for a trip to Victoria island with some friends and we plan to do some hiking. I wanted to find a few things to take on the hikes, I tried these at a baking exchange and quickly added them to my list of things to make and bring.

1 cup quick cooking oats
½ cup creamy peanut butter
⅓ cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
½ cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp. Cocoa

In a medium sized bowl mix together all of the ingredients until well combined. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll into balls. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Baking My Way: Fruit & Nut Biscotti

 Ok, there's no way of getting around this, I didn't like this recipe. If you like fruit cake you'll love this recipe! It's pretty much fruit cake biscotti. It's a great recipe, just not one that I like. On to another!


INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped assorted dried fruit

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In large bowl, combine sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add lemon peel, lemon juice, vanilla and eggs; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon; mix well. Add to sugar mixture; mix well. Stir in pecans and dried fruit.

On lightly floured surface, gently knead dough 5 or 6 times. Shape dough into two 10-inch tolls. Place rolls 4 inches apart on greased cookie sheet, flatten each to 2 inches width.

Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until set and golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet; place on wire racks. Cool 10 minutes. With serrated knife, cut rolls diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same cookie sheet. 4 Bake at 350° F. for 8 to 10 minutes or until bottoms are crisp. Turn cookies over; bake an additional 5 to 6 minutes or until crisp. Remove from cookie sheet; cool 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Store in tightly covered container.

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns


So I love cinnamon buns. My favorite place to get them is Tall Grass Prairie Bakery.  They have the best whole wheat cinnamon buns and they almost taste healthy and I have no idea how with all that sugar and cinnamon. In any case I love them and wanted to make them so I searched and searched to find some sort of recipe that got close.  I found this recipe which was actually inspired by the bakery and gave it a go. The first time around the buns were no good (I'm not even going to share photos) but last night I tried it again (after making a few changes to the recipe) and they turned out great. I'm going to keep trying, maybe do a couple of things different (I hear they only use spelt flour) and keep you posted. But if you want a whole wheat recipe this is a great one!


Ingredients
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, (approx)
1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pinch salt
2/3 cup butter, melted

Preparation
In bowl, dissolve 1 tsp of the granulated sugar in 1/3 cup warm water; sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, vanilla and remaining sugar; stir in yeast mixture.

In large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt, then stir in yeast mixture until ragged dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface and knead, adding up to 2 tbsp more all-purpose flour if needed, until soft, smooth but not sticky dough forms, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to greased bowl and turn to grease all over. Cover and let stand in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Filling: Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and set aside.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; roll out into 20- x 12-inch (50 x 30 cm) rectangle. Brush with all but 2 tbsp of the melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) border uncovered at 1 long side. Sprinkle with sugar mixture, leaving same 1/2-inch (1 cm) border uncovered.

Starting at long side opposite border, tightly roll up dough; pinch seam to seal. Brush all over with remaining butter.

With sharp knife, cut into 12 pieces; place, cut side up, in greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

(Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 12 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.)

Bake in 375ºF (190ºC) oven until tops are golden and buns sound hollow when gently tapped, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Adapted from here.

Monday 5 March 2012

Caramel Crispy Marshmallows


My mom used to always do this one with us over Christmas break when we were little, it was one of my favourites! I think I am going to do it with my husband this year when we have time off work over Christmas!

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. butter
1 bag (8 oz.) caramels
1 bag (10 1/2 oz.) large marshmallows
5 c. Rice Krispies
Melt caramels, butter and sweetened condensed milk in top of double boiler. Dip large marshmallows into mixture and roll in Rice Krispies.

Tip: Great frozen too!
Tip 2: Try mixing it all together to make a bar!

Have any good ideas, or substitutes for this....share them, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!!

Sunday 4 March 2012

Savory Sunday


Click on the photos to go to these great recipes and sites!!
Happy Sunday everyone!!











Here's how it will work:

1) Link up to the link below (link as many as you want but try to link something savory if you can)
2) Grab the Savory Sunday button and put it in the post you are sharing
3) Leave a comment after you post
4) I'd love for you to become a follower if you're not but it's not a requirement :)





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