All posts by Ruth Wendel

About Ruth Wendel

I'm a musician, Registered Dietitian, cook, and baker. I love food, and want to share my delight for it with the world. I hope you enjoy my recipes and, if you haven't developed a love for baking already, I hope you will!

Homage to the Kingochowdah

Miscellaneous

I’m back again! Today’s post is a tribute to my friend’s late husband. He was a fabulous cook, and the self-proclaimed “Kingochowdah”. He used to cook for numerous church events, and his food always was superb. I decided, in his honor, to make his award-winning “Potato, Corn, Sausage and Cheese Chowder”. It’s absolutely delicious, and I was actually able to make it have slightly (but seriously, only slightly) fewer calories. Here’s his recipe:

Potato, Corn, Sausage and Cheese Chowder

  • 2-3 cups unpeeled and diced potatoes (red or white)
  • ~1 cup sliced carrots
  • ~1 cup sliced celery
  • 2 medium finely diced onions (I used scallions because of an onion intolerance, and it still tasted great!)
  • ~4 cloves minced garlic
  • ~1 tsp olive oil (his recipe says “a little” but this is about how much I used)
  • 1 cup diced red bell pepper (optional)
  • 1 cup diced green pepper (optional)
  • ~1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
  • 1-2 cups corn (if frozen, thaw first)
  • 15 oz. creamed corn (I omitted this to save on sodium and calories)
  • 2 cans chicken broth (I used low-sodium)
  • 1 lb cooked sliced sausage
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp salt (I didn’t use that much salt, maybe more like 2 tsp)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 12 oz. evaporated milk

Sautee the carrots, celery, scallions, and garlic together in the olive oil until they are wilted but not browned. To do this, you’ll need to cook the carrots and celery for a few minutes before adding the garlic and onions, because they’re much harder veggies. Then, cook the sausage if needed. Add all the ingredients except the cheese and evaporated milk into a large crock pot.

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Cook it on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Then, add the cheese and evaporated milk and cook further until the cheese is melted.

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Then, ladle and enjoy!

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The way I made this chowder, it’s lower sodium and has fewer calories. It’s also less thick than the original recipe because I didn’t add the creamed corn. That didn’t make it any less delicious, though! I promise you’ll love it.

The Kingochowdah was dedicated to community and making sure everyone was well-fed. He is well-deserving of his culinary accolades, and certainly left a delicious legacy behind! For more of his recipes, feel free to visit www.kingochowdah.com and order his cookbook. You won’t be disappointed! Happy eating!

 

Too Busy to Eat?

Lunch and Dinner

Hello, all! It feels like forever since my last post- life gets busy at the end of a semester! This post will be fairly short, because I should be working on a project as I type! In the spirit of having no time and needing to eat on the go, I thought I would post some of my favorite sandwich recipes. They’re healthy, delicious, and easy to eat anywhere! In fact, you can prepare some of the ingredients over the weekend, and then have sandwich ingredients on hand all week!

Here are the sandwiches of the day:

Grilled basil chicken salad with shredded cheese, apple slices, dried cranberries, and shredded lettuce in a pita pocket. 

1. Grill boneless chicken tenders, sprinkling with salt, pepper, and dried basil on both sides of the chicken. When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the heat and let it cool fully before touching it again. (Tip- do this before hand and refrigerate it to save time!)IMG_0972IMG_0975

2. When the chicken is fully cooled, cut it into small squares and mix it with a dollop of mayonnaise. Then, add the dried cranberries to the mixture.IMG_0980

3. Assembly time! Take a half-circle pita pocket and put shredded lettuce and shredded cheese on the bottom of the pita. This will prevent the bottom of the pita from getting soggy, and also adds great crunch. Then, load the chicken salad into the pocket. Finally, thinly slice a green apple and layer the slices on top of the salad for more crunch and tartness. Wrap the sandwich in foil and you’re ready to go!IMG_0982

 

Tuna salad with sliced tomato and lettuce in a pita pocket.

1. Open and drain a can of tuna, and then mix the tuna in a small bowl with a dollop of mayonnaise and a dollop of pickle relish (you can leave the relish out if you don’t like it). IMG_0973

2. Open the pita pocket and put the lettuce leaves on the bottom, to prevent sogginess. (TIP: if you don’t like soggy bread, always put your dry and crunchy ingredients on the bottom of the sandwich. It really does work!) Then, put tomato slices on the lettuce leaves, and then the tuna on top of the tomato. This way, the tomato (the wettest item) is in the middle so there’s the least chance of it leaking all over the bread).

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Italian Sub on a Grinder Roll

This sandwich really is all about the assembly. The ingredients are simple: roast beef, salami, ham, sliced cheese, lettuce/tomato, and Italian dressing. But in order to make this sandwich last until lunch without getting soggy (can you tell I hate soggy bread?), you have to really think about the layers of the sandwich. Here’s the assembly process:

Cut the roll in half length-wise. Then, on the bottom piece of bread, layer American cheese all the way across. Then, the salami. Next comes the ham, and then the roast beef. Now comes the tomato- once again, it goes in the middle to prevent soggy bread! And then the lettuce goes over the tomato. Since an Italian sub includes Italian dressing, put that in a little separate container and either pour it on the sandwich right before eating, or dip the sandwich into it as you’re eating. Here’s the assembly process in pictures:

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You can obviously make your own variations on these sandwiches, too. For example, you can use canola mayo or low-fat mayo, and you can just use plain grilled chicken or tuna instead of making a salad with it. You can also simplify the ingredients, or add your own zip to them! That’s the beauty of sandwiches- they’re so individualized and can be as easy or complex as you desire!

I hope these recipes help make the eating process a little simpler. Never skip a meal because you’re too busy- eating is WAY too satisfying, and also keeps you going throughout the day! Enjoy!

 

Feed Those Kids!

Miscellaneous

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”- James 1:27

Hello, all! Today’s post discusses something I’m incredibly passionate about. Yes, it’s still about food, but from a very different perspective. Let’s talk about world hunger.

Friends, we have so much food in America, yet 20 thousand children die daily, many from starvation. I’m sitting here choosing between dinner options in my dining hall, and kids all around the world are wondering when and if their next meal will ever come. This really bothers me, and it also bothers the people of VisionTrust International, a fantastic international nonprofit organization.

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But what can we do about world hunger, you might ask? Well, VisionTrust has formed a daughter organization called Latte Losers. It’s a national collegiate organization that raises money to feed children in danger of starvation, other health risks, and sex trafficking. The idea of this is “Lose a latte, save a life.” For only $5 a month (the approximate cost of a latte or some other small luxury), you can feed a child for the entire month. The entire month. This money feeds the children, and also helps them get an education. For these children, food and education means that they don’t have to sell themselves as prostitutes, become involved in the drug trade, or steal food. This is big. And even bigger is the fact that these children hear the Gospel while they are being fed. Could this get any better?

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At my school, my co-leader and I formed a chapter of Latte Losers, and held an event today to raise support and awareness for Latte Losers, and particularly for the children of Liberia, where this semester’s funds are being sent. We were hugely blessed by many people from my church, as well as by Panera Bread and Aroma Joe’s (a local coffee shop). I had so many donations that I actually couldn’t fit more than one passenger in my car. Now that’s what I call a blessing.

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So much food!!
So much food!!

All told, we raised $282.98 in just cash donations today. That’s amazing! We also got many one-time donations online, which is super. What our most exciting news is, though, is that we got 5 new monthly sponsors who signed up to give $5 each month to feed a starving child. This is absolutely incredible!

So what can we do to end world hunger? It’s simple: go to www.lattelosers.com and sign up to give $5 a month. Give up your coffee, or snacks,  or whatever it is, just for one day a month and give a child a better life.

My co-leader and I have been donating $5 a month for almost a year, and I can personally say that my checking account information is secure on their website, and I get monthly receipts in my checking account, as well as an email confirmation at the time of signing up. It’s so easy; you sign up once, and then they take the $5 out of your checking account regularly, and you don’t have to remember to donate. All you need is a debit or credit card at the time of signing up. You can also do a one-time donation online at www.visiontrust.org, and specify that you want the money to go towards Latte Losers.

Thanks for listening, everyone. As you can tell, this is near and dear to me. If we have enough food to feed everyone, why not give it? This blog is all about inspiring community; why not strive for a global community? Go for it! For more information, check out www.lattelosers.com and www.visiontrust.org.

Liberia projects

On behalf of my coworker and I, we say thank you for your support!
On behalf of my coworker and I, we say thank you for your support!

Grandma’s Cardamom Bread

Breads

Well, it’s snowing outside again. It seems like every time I make a post, I get another few inches of snow. But a little snow can’t stop me from baking! This time, I decided to make an old family favorite from my Grandma’s kitchen: cardamom bread. It’s a beautiful braided bread with sugar sprinkled on the top, and really soft, spiced insides. My family makes this bread for special breakfasts, ski trips, and sometimes just for the heck of it.

This recipe takes a little while, but a lot of it involves the bread just rising. Trust me, though, it’s worth every second! This recipe makes such a soft, moist bread, and the sweet crust on the top is the perfect complement to the warm and spicy cardamom. I’m going to write the recipe exactly how Grandma wrote it (with a few tips added in), because I figure if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Here are the ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk (to make this recipe lower-fat, use 1% milk)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 packages dry yeast
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 egg (plus 1 more for top)

“Heat milk and butter to lukewarm (115-125°F). Put into a mixing bowl, warm milk and butter, yeast, sugar, salt, egg (room temp.), and enough flour to make a gruel-like mixture. Add cardamom.” The gruel-like mixture should be pretty liquid with a few lumps in it.IMG_0912

“Keep adding flour, and when dough becomes quite stiff, knead it in bowl till it doesn’t stick to sides. Shape into ball and pat melted butter on top. Place transparent wrap over dough loosely. Cover bowl with towel. Set in warm place- let it rise to 3 times its size.”IMG_0914

“Cut into 6 sections- 3 for each braid. Form each section into long strip and bread them together.” Here’s a play-by-play of braiding the bread. It’s not hard!

First, cut the bread dough into 6 sections and stretch the section out into long strips.
First, cut the bread dough into 6 sections and stretch the section out into long strips.
Lay the strips next to each other. Start braiding either from one end, or from the middle. It's easier to start from the end, but looks prettier if you start from the middle.
Lay the strips next to each other. Start braiding either from one end, or from the middle. It’s easier to start from the end, but looks prettier if you start from the middle.
Braid the sections together, trying not to tear the dough. When you come to the end of the sections, tuck the ends under the braid.
Braid the sections together, trying not to tear the dough. When you come to the end of the sections, tuck the ends under the braid.
Once one half of the braid is done, turn it around and braid the other half and tuck those ends under.
Once one half of the braid is done, turn it around and braid the other half and tuck those ends under.

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Here's the finished braid!
Here’s the finished braid!

“Place on greased baking sheet and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and then sprinkle with sugar (or sugar and cinnamon).” I use Sugar in the Raw, but you can use white sugar too! The beaten egg on top not only acts as a glue for the sugar, it also creates the beautiful golden brown color on the bread.

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“Bake 350°F oven for 25 minutes (I cook 15 minutes on low or high shelf, then switch for the last 10 minutes). Cover with towel to cool, after removing from baking sheet and placing on cooling rack.”

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And that’s all there is to it! Be warned, though, this bread gets eaten very quickly, so make sure to snag a few slices for yourself before putting it out! Sometimes, it’s best not to change an old recipe, but just appreciate it for what it is, and for the memories it brings us. Yay for Grandmas!

O-o-o-oklahoma!

Miscellaneous

Occasionally, my wanderings take me to Oklahoma to visit my boyfriend at college. This past winter break, I went out to visit him and came back with quite a few new food experiences (and some old favorites, too!). Although I must admit I did no baking on this trip, I wanted to share some of the foods I tried and loved.

First, let me preface this by saying my boyfriend’s aunt is a foodie like me, and deserves credit because she was the one who showed me all sorts of new foods this winter. What would I do without her?

To start the list, let’s talk about The Hideaway. This in itself is a good enough reason to buy a ticket to Oklahoma. Their pizza is so good. Normally I’m not a fan of anything but cheese pizza, but when you go to Hideaway, it’s meat lovers, hands down. The crust was perfectly crisp and chewy at the same time, the cheese isn’t overpowering, and they put a lot of the meats under the cheese, so they’re not falling off when you’re eating! Here’s a picture of the “Big Country”, aka the meat lovers pizza. Seriously, their pizza is to die for.

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Next on the list is a huge hit in Stillwater, Oklahoma: Eskimo Joe’s. This place has everything you can think of for a fun place to eat. It has great food, great waitstaff, TV’s everywhere for the big games, and fantastic merchandise. They have their own store attached to the restaurant! But before I get into that, I’ll talk about one thing in particular: sweet pepper bacon. I’ll say that again… sweet. pepper. bacon.

They put that heavenly stuff on top of just about anything, including cheese fries, cheeseburgers, and BLT’s. I personally had the BLT, and loved every bite. The bacon is so unexpected to my taste buds, because where I come from, bacon is smoky and salty and that’s it. This bacon is sugary and molasses-y, a little spicy from the pepper, and gave me a completely new perspective on the world of bacon. Who knew?

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And you can’t forget about the Joe’s merchandise! With every drink you buy, you get a Joe’s cup to take home with you (a perfect opportunity to order sweet tea, which I tried and now love!). This isn’t an ordinary to-go cup. These cups come in all different colors, some change colors, some are sparkly, and I actually have one that glows in the dark. Joe’s isn’t just a restaurant, it’s an attraction. And it rocks.

Next stop, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. This could be considered an ordinary chocolate shop if it weren’t for the fact that you can sit there and watch them make the chocolate fresh behind the counter for you! They even have chocolate covered wine bottles for weddings. I’m telling you, this place is awesome. I’ve been there a couple of times now, and tried a lot of chocolates, and my favorite is still the M&M bark. Their homemade peanut butter cups are a close second, though. Or their Mint Oreo bark. Or their Chocolate Caramel Pretzel bark. Or really any chocolate.

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And finally, a little something that we made on our own! My boyfriend’s aunt took me to Whole Foods (where I tried the salad bar and ate tons of veggies I had never heard of), and a more local grocery store called Sprouts. During our explorations, we came across bison burger patties. We definitely don’t have those in our grocery stores up where I’m from, so we got some and grilled them. They were so incredibly tender and juicy and flavorful! After I had one, though, I was so full I could hardly move!

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It’s always so much fun to go to Oklahoma and visit everyone. They’re welcoming and warm, and feel like family. And of course, when your boyfriend’s aunt loves food too, there’s always a few food adventures  together! I can’t wait for my next trip out there, and to see what my next Joe’s cup is!

Chocolate PB Rice Krispie Treats

Miscellaneous
“All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.”- Leo Tolstoy

Happy Valentine’s Day, one day late! I had to wait to post about these treats until my boyfriend received them in the mail, because otherwise he’d know what his present was! After two weeks of waiting, he finally got the package, and I can finally spill the beans on this yummy dessert. It’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispie Treats!

This recipe is super simple, and is gluten free (if you make sure the peanut butter is gluten free). It can also be dairy free, if you exclude the Reese’s cups. It’s also a very light dessert, so you can enjoy it completely guilt-free! And it’s OH so good.

Here are the ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp margarine
  • 6 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal
  • 4 cups marshmallows (or 10 oz., which is usually a whole bag)
  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • Reese’s miniature cups to taste

Here’s how you make them!

First, unwrap as many Reese’s cups as you want to include in the treats. This is definitely the most tedious part of the recipe- it feels like you unwrapped about 4,000 candies. It’s totally worth it! Then, using a butter knife, cut the Reese’s into small bits on a cutting board.

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Now get all your other ingredients prepped, because this recipe goes pretty fast. Grease a 9×13″ pan to put the treats in. Have your marshmallow bag already cut open, and have your 6 cups of Cocoa Krispies all set. Mix the Reese’s cups with the Cocoa Krispies, so that you can stir it all in together. Also, have your peanut butter out and a wooden spoon or spatula ready.

In a medium saucepan, melt the margarine. Then, add the marshmallows and stir until the marshmallows are fully melted. Add the peanut butter and mix until it’s all fully incorporated. You can add more or less peanut butter depending on how much you like it. I just went for a good healthy dollop.

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After the marshmallow peanut butter mixture is done, turn off the heat. Quickly add all of the Cocoa Krispies and Reese’s and fold the cereal and marshmallow mixture together. It’ll be pretty stiff and sticky, so make sure that you really scoop the mixture from bottom to top, or else all the marshmallow goo will stay at the bottom of the saucepan (never a good thing).

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Scrape all the yummy gooey goodness into your greased pan, and press it down with wax paper to create a flat, even layer of Cocoa Krispie treats.

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When the treats are set, cut them using a dull knife in short, sawing motions. Then, if you’re like me, wrap them in a plastic bag and a cardboard box and ship them off to your loved ones! Or, you can eat them all and be one happy camper.

I know Valentine’s Day isn’t everyone’s favorite holiday (it’s not even my favorite holiday!), but there are ways to make any holiday, no matter how you celebrate it, special. Even from across the country, I’m happy that I was able to help my boyfriend have a great day. These treats are a great way to show a loved one that you’re thinking about them on any day, not just Valentine’s Day. Enjoy!

 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudgesicles

Chocolates

Well, I’m stuck inside during a snowstorm again, and not very excited about it. Since it’s so cold out, I was craving hot chocolate…but I’m also wishing for summer, so I decided to make a fudgesicle (aka a chocolate popsicle). Then I figured, why not combine the two?

This recipe is super simple- it’s based on Mexican hot chocolate, which is just good old hot chocolate with a little flair of cinnamon. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare. It also is gluten free, and can be made dairy free with a few modifications.

Here are the ingredients:

  • Hot chocolate powder (I used Hershey’s powder, but you can use any mix. You could also buy a dairy free hot chocolate mix.)
  • Boiling water
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon per mug of hot chocolate (optional, you can just make plain hot chocolate)
  • Tall, thin plastic container (I have a little popsicle holder, but any tall thin container will work)
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Milk and whipped cream (optional, and you can use dairy free varieties)

Here’s how you make it:

Boil hot water in a kettle or however you usually boil water. While the water is boiling, put about 4 tbsp of hot chocolate mix and 1/8 tsp cinnamon in your favorite mug. It’s a lot of mix, but it’ll be super yummy and chocolatey. Then, pour the boiling water into the mug and stir until the mix and cinnamon are fully dissolved. Pour a little bit of low-fat milk into the mug. Finally, top it with whipped cream and stir the cream in to make the hot chocolate wonderful and smooth.

Pour the hot chocolate from the mug into your popsicle containers (do this over the sink- mine spilled a bit!). For me, each mug’s worth made about 6 fudgesicles. Put a popsicle stick in the middle of each plastic container. My popsicle holder has these little plastic sticks that fit right in, but popsicle sticks work just fine too!

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Next, carefully put the containers in the freezer for about 6 hours. I know it’s a long time, but it’s definitely worth the wait! When they’re done, hold the plastic container sideways under warm water. Make sure the warm water is only hitting the plastic and not the popsicle, or else it’ll melt too much. After about 30 seconds, the popsicle should slide out of the container with a little bit of pulling.

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Now enjoy! This recipe is so simple, but SO yummy. Its the perfect blend of creamy chocolate and a refreshing cool fudgesicle.

Possible Variations:

1. You can skip the popsicle sticks and just pour the hot chocolate into a regular glass pan. Then, put it in the freezer for 6 hours; but every 45 minutes or so, take the pan out and shave the ice with a fork. This will create a fantastic granular texture, more like an Italian ice or a granita. It’s also easier than trying to balance popsicle sticks! It’ll come out looking like this:

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2. Leave out the cinnamon, and make it regular American hot chocolate. That’s equally delicious!

Pumpkin Pie on a Cookie

Cookies and Brownies

Every other week, my parents have a Bible study with some couples from our church. More often than not, I make their desserts, and the following dessert was a result of that!

This is a pretty simple recipe, with a fairly specific decoration process. It’s a “Pumpkin Pie Cookie”, which is really just a sugar cookie that has been slightly flavored to taste like the pie, and frosted to look like it. I made my cookies taste like pumpkin pie, but you can flavor it anyway you want. For example, if you want lemon meringue pie cookies, flavor it with 1/4 tsp lemon zest instead of the pumpkin pie spice.

Here’s the pumpkin cookie recipe:

  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp. or softened)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/8 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp cinnamon)

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until dough is absolutely delicious and it’s tempting to just eat the dough (but really until everything is thoroughly incorporated). Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge or freezer until it’s nice and cold, which will make it easier to work with.

Roll it out on a floured pastry board or flat surface until it’s about 1/4 inch thick.

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Then, if you’re lucky enough to have a triangular pie-piece-shaped cookie cutter, cut out a bunch of little triangles and lay them on a cookie sheet.  For the rest of us who lack a cookie cutter like that, just free-hand the triangles. They’ll be slightly different sizes, but I figure they all taste great and look cute!

Put the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, and put in them in the oven at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes, switching racks after 5 minutes to ensure even baking. Some recipes call for a parchment-lined baking sheet, but if you take the cookies off the sheet right after they’ve come out of the oven you should be fine.

When the cookies come out of the oven, let them cool and work on the frosting. Here’s the frosting recipe:

  • 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Put the ingredients into a mixing bowl, and being mixing it on LOW speed or else you’ll get powdered sugar everywhere. Once the sugar is incorporated, turn up the speed and whip it for several minutes until it begins to stiffen. Adjust the sugar and milk amount based on how it comes out; it differs depending on weather, humidity, etc.

Divide the frosting into three bowls, one with about half of the frosting and the other two with the remaining quarters of the frosting. Now it’s time for food coloring!

The bowl with half of the frosting should be colored like the “pie” that you’re going for. For example, for pumpkin pie cookies you would make orangey-tan colored frosting. For lemon meringue pie cookies, make it vibrant yellow. The coloring of this will take a little time and patience, because there’s no set guideline for how many drops of which color you need. Just keep mixing until you like the color!

One bowl with a quarter of the frosting will stay white for the “whipped cream” on the pie. The other bowl will be colored to look like pie “crust”. This is a pretty simple color to make. The goal is to make it yellow-tan, so add a little bit of yellow, a little red, and a little blue (but of course you can decide what shade looks the best).

After you’ve colored the frosting to your liking, put the crust color and whipped cream color into separate pastry bags. If you don’t have a pastry bag, just cut off the corner of a Ziploc bag and put the frosting in that.

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Now for decorating! Using a knife or a frosting spreader, take the “pie filling” colored frosting and spread it over the top of the cookies. Then, using your “crust” colored frosting, make a thick line across the short end of the triangle to look like the crust. If you want to get really fancy, you can make the crust frosting wavy so that it looks like a scalloped edge. Finally, finish it with a dollop of “whipped cream” frosting. When you’re finished decorating them, let them dry on a wire rack to let the frosting harden.

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Then, put them on a plate and eat them all!

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Having the Bible study group over is always fun because they’re great people and fun to have around, and they’re great guinea pigs for my desserts! It’s so fun sharing my ideas with them and seeing what works and what doesn’t. Give these cookies a try, because I got good reviews on them from the group!

 

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Cakes and Cupcakes

Snowy days are pretty typical in my area of the US. Make that really typical. Snowmen and snow angels and snowball fights are great and all, but sometimes it just gets too cold for that! On those days when all I want is warmth, I love baking. I don’t have to leave my house, and the oven makes the kitchen nice and warm.

On one of our recent freezing-cold-can’t-leave-the-house days, I decided that I was craving a peppermint hot chocolate. Sadly, Starbucks is not in my house (and thus unattainable), so it turned into a peppermint hot chocolate cupcake. It was definitely every bit as good as a peppermint hot chocolate.

This cupcake is a delicious soft chocolate cake, coated with a cocoa peppermint glaze, and then frosted with yummy vanilla icing and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies. Here’s the recipe for 12 cupcakes.

Chocolate Cake:

Peppermint Chocolate Glaze:

  • 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract

Add all the ingredients except peppermint together and blend until completely smooth with a hand mixer on medium speed, about 2 minutes. Then add the peppermint extract and mix until fully blended. Adjust the powdered sugar and milk content until your desired consistency is reached. It will be fairly runny.

Vanilla Frosting:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp salted butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Add all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix on low speed with a hand mixer until blended, and then high speed until the frosting is fairly thick and holds its shape completely.

Assembly:

  • Bake cupcakes, and cool them on separate cooling sheet until fully cooled
  • Put peppermint glaze on top- this is pretty runny, so I used a little storage bag that I cut the corner off of, and used that to funnel the glaze right into the middle of each cupcake. Then spread the glaze around using a spoon or knife. Let it harden- it should form a little shell and be fairly firm to the touch. If you want to speed up the process, you can put them in the fridge for a little while.
  • Put on vanilla frosting. You can either use a pastry bag, or a knife to just glob the frosting on. The glaze will probably break and combine with the frosting- that’s ok! The white frosting and chocolate glaze look swirly and beautiful together.
  • Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies on top

Here’s the final result:

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcake

These cupcakes are so decadent and rich, and totally irresistible. Sharing them with others was such a treat, because they were a huge hit. It is so satisfying when people love your food!

The Cookies That Were Worth It

Cookies and Brownies

So I know it’s a bit late to be posting about New Year’s Eve parties, being January 14th and all. But I figure, better late than never, plus these cookies were too yummy not to share!

Now before I start this, I’ll preface by saying I hate making roll-out cookies. That shouldn’t be a problem, because I could just avoid making them. Sadly, I apparently suffer memory loss when it comes to making roll-out cookies, because I always forget how much I hate making them until I’m past the point of no return. However, since I made the cookies, I figured I might as well make them look great as well as taste great.

For the New Year’s Eve party, I made sugar cookies and decorated them to look like different New Year’s themes. I’m proud to say they came out looking great, even though the process was a little messy!

For the cookie recipe itself, you can use any sugar cookie recipe you have. I personally used a vanilla cookie recipe because I don’t like citrus-y sugar cookies.

Here’s my sugar cookie recipe:

  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp. or softened)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside in a separate bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl (or by hand), and then add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Then gradually add the flour mixture until the dough is well mixed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for a couple hours to chill, or the freezer for a little while. Either way, make sure the dough is nice and cold, so that it’s easier to roll out.

When the dough is chilled, lightly flour a pastry board- or some large flat surface- and roll the dough out on it until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick.

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Then, pick your favorite cookie cutters and cut out shapes, putting them on a baking sheet. Some recipes call for the sheet to be lined with parchment paper, but if you take the cookies off when they’re right out of the oven, it should be fine to leave it ungreased/unlined.

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When all your shapes are cut out, make the dough scraps into a ball, and roll it out again. Andddd repeat. Over and over again. Until all the dough is used. This is the part I hate, because I’m not exactly the most patient person!

When all the cookies are rolled and put on the baking sheet, put them in the oven at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes. If you’re not using a convection oven, switch the cookie sheets to a different oven rack after 5 minutes so that they bake evenly.

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Now comes the fun part- decorating!

I used royal icing to decorate my cookies, because it hardens nicely so you can stack the cookies without getting frosting everywhere, and they’re easy to hold. Here’s the recipe:

  • 1 box confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 large egg whites (if you’re making this recipe for anyone who can’t handle raw egg whites, use 5 tbsp meringue powder instead)
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (this is a back-up if your frosting isn’t getting stiff enough, it’s not entirely necessary otherwise)

Combine all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Start mixing on LOW speed, or else you’ll get powdered sugar all over you. After the sugar and eggs are combined, turn the mixer up to higher speeds and whip the heck out of it until it’s shiny and beginning to stiffen (not quite forming stiff peaks, but almost there). Then it’s ready to be put into pastry bags! If you don’t have one, you can just cut the corner off a Ziploc bag and use that as a decorating bag! And if you don’t have decorating tips, just make the hole in the bag teeny so that the frosting is controlled. I made blue, yellow, and white frosting, so I divided the batch of frosting into three bowls and colored them accordingly.

You can obviously decorate the cookies however you want, but I made some New Year’s balls, stars, and fireworks. I think they came out pretty well! Ps, the shimmer on the white balls is from “pearl dust”. I bought it at our local craft store, and it gives a nice sparkle to the frosting. Then I used blue sprinkles on the blue frosting to enhance the color.

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The party was a huge success, and I’m proud to say the cookies were all gone by the end of the night! Roll-out cookies are tedious, but so yummy and worth it if you’re planning to share!