1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes
Allow to cool then frost
In a small bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.
A toy duck was once universal in a bathtub, and if babies had good memories, today’s baby boomers would fondly remember the cute toy ducks they played with as babies. Those days are gone now, and toy ducks, while still seen, are not universal. These days, a number of cute baby shower favors are available to make a baby shower more interesting.
One of the more interesting things to do in a baby shower is to get a number of baby foods and play the popular baby shower game of guessing what flavor the food has. There are tons of such harmless, flavor filled food stuff available that you can use to play with your baby during its shower time. It probably makes for some sensitivity to flavors too, though I am not sure if they don’t turn many a baby into gluttonous monsters!
You can also do a number of other things with your baby – your imagination and level of “maturity” is probably the limit here. You can get a sack full of pastel colored mints and tie them up with fancy ribbons, which you let the babies play around with. The gift of getting the ribbons untied will, of course, be the mint. You can also make cookies in the shape of pacifiers, or in other fancy shapes, and let the babies munch on them or whatever. You can make chocolates or cakes too, in whatever fancy shape you want, and as long as they are tasty and creamy, babies will love to have them during baby showers.
Planning a dinner party? Want to play the perfect host/hostess? Here is a great other-than-food idea for an incredible dinner party.
Beginning with cheese croutons and eggplant caviar appetizers, and building towards Beef stuffed peppers with brown gravy and mushrooms; you have planned all the small details of the menu to make your party perfect.
But have you really taken care of the comfort of the guests? In the teeth chattering cold weather, will your guests really enjoy the exclusive gourmet food?
To truly reflect the warmth of your heart, you need to make the environment warm and cozy for the guests. If you haven’t installed heated floors yet, this is the right time- before the elite dinner party.
Underfloor heating can be done for many types of floorings. You might be having a carpeted floor, or ceramic, laminate, marble or timber one- heating can keep your floors warm and the milieu happy.
Underfloor heating works in the same way as a radiator, except that the heat rises from the floor, and the rooms become much more comfortable than with traditional heating.
This heating is insulated and safe for use. You can walk barefoot on the floor, without feeling anything, but the warmth. Plus, when there are no wall-mounted emitters, you can place your furniture according to your choice.
So the next time you plan to dazzle your guests with your culinary arts by presenting Grilled Chicken Breast, and Char Siu Duck, make sure the environment is warm so that they can really appreciate your cooking.
It all started with cake and a snow storm and the gorgeous organic produce in my refrigerator.
Sometimes when I’m shopping I don’t have any particular recipe in mind. I simply pick up things that catch my eye, are in season, especially ripe, smell good or are just pretty.
So that is how I ended up with a coconut, that gorgeous ginger root and a million organic carrots!
What to do with carrots on a cold snowy day in the middle of winter? Soup, of course!
But to begin my day, baking a cake seemed to be the most natural thing in the world to do to get things rolling. Chocolate, raspberry and fresh whipped cream was beckoning.
Cake would be a nice treat at the end of a long day.
Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate (cool)
Method
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour baking pan, 13x9x2 inches, or two 9-inch or three 8-inch round layer pans.
Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly.
Beat 3 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.
Pour into pan(s). Bake oblong 40 to 45 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool.
Coconut Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients
About 20-30 carrots
5-6 cloves of garlic
A nice sized piece of fresh ginger root 5-6 inches long
2 tsp ginger powder
1 can organic coconut milk
One whole coconut ( use the water and flesh)
2-3 cups vegetarian stock
2-3 Tbsp coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro, for garnish
Avocado, for garnish
Method
Peel and chop the carrots then sauté with garlic and coconut oil.
Start grating the ginger and add to sautéing carrots.
Add the ginger powder.
Let things start to lightly caramelize then add the stock.
Allow to cool then transfer the mixture to the food processor and puree.
Add the coconut milk to the mixture and continue to puree.
Transfer to a soup pot and add the coconut water and flesh.
Add ginger powder if necessary.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm with fresh cilantro and avocado garnish.
Enjoy!
I added curry powder to the dough
Kale, yellow waxy potatoes, garlic, coconut oil, coconut milk, red curry paste, curry powder
Making empanada dough is not as hard as it sounds, especially if you have a food processor, and even if you don’t it is still pretty easy because the dough should not be overworked and requires minimal kneading. Also, these days it is very easy to find the empanada discs already made (frozen) in Latin grocery store, and even though I was skeptical at first they are actually quite good, but it also always fun to have them homemade and you can also customize the dough by adding spices, herbs, etc that will complement or contrast with the fillings.
Ingredients for 15 medium size or 25 small empanada discs:
3 cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cold and cut into 12 pieces
1 egg
4-5 tbs water
Mix the flour and salt in a food processor.
Add the butter, egg and water until a clumpy dough forms.
Form a ball and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer to use later.
This may not be true about other breeds of dogs, or even other dogs, period, but our Pomeranian likes to eat vegetable and meat salads. It happened quite coincidentally. We were in the food court of a mall here where they have a strange, but nice, dish. A nice Asian woman will hand you a list of sauces and spices you want to choose from, and a list of meat, seafood and cheese items available. There will be a large buffet lookalike table with a choice of pasta, noodles and chopsuey, and about 25 different kinds of extremely tasty, fresh, exotic vegetables. The usual vegetables – baby corn, lettuce, spring onions, jalapeno and mushroom – are all there, but there’s a bunch of Thai, Chinese, Mexican and other vegetables that I had never seen before.
So the recipe basically goes like this, you mix the things you want in your food, choose your condiments, sauces and spices, meat or seafood, and the chef fries that up in a wok and hands over. It’s simple, it’s delicious, and it’s just what my dog wants when I need him to take his daily petmeds.
Yes, I brought that stuff home once, and gave him the leftovers. He just loved it, and that’s the first time he when he did not quibble over his medication. So that gave me the idea; its bean a few years now, but I always do a daily dish of veggies and meat salad for him, and he takes his meds as nonchalantly as ever.
That’s something strange about a dog – or about a man, if you look at it the other way – a dog can eat the same good food for years on end without getting bored. But give a man something good, and he will eat it for 2 days; and start grumbling on the third. So, anyways, my dog still likes this stuff, and I have never had a problem feeding him his meds since.
I like to eat my veggies. I look forward to eating my veggies and usually crave them first thing in the morning.
And I don’t apologize for it anymore. If I want broccoli for breakfast then, that is what I eat.
But sometimes crunchy, cruciferous, crudités don’t sit well on an empty belly.
And besides, I am all about deconstructing these days. I am experimenting with texture and flavor.
I am trying new tricks with old favorites and trying to look at food in a new way, new presentations and combinations.
I am a vegan after years of examination. I like organic, basic, unprocessed food. But I am having fun “processing” the favorites in my diet.
I try to make every bite count; that means getting the most nutrition out of every bite.
This dish combines some of my favorite flavors; toasted pine nuts, roasted garlic, basil, broccoli, and olive oil.
As I am cooking more I am starting to realize that the method is just as important as the ingredients.
Toasting and roasting bring ingredients to peak flavor. Pureeing creates creaminess without adding fat and layering flavors and textures ensures well rounded nutrient rich, complete meals which are satisfying and nutritionally balanced.
I am calling this Broccoli Mousseline. It could substitute for mashed potatoes. Not that there is anything wrong with mashed potatoes but the nutritional bang is in the broccoli.
Olive oil and pine nuts add fat and protein. I also snuck in about a ½ of an avocado. Once again, adding fat and creaminess as well as depth of flavor. The flavors can range from buttery to almost bacon tasting.
Try this recipe to add tasty nutritious elements in place of carbohydrate filled empty calorie foods.
Ingredients:
10 oz broccoli
5-6 cloves roasted garlic
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 toasted pine nuts
½ ripe avocado
2 Tbsp Basil pesto
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Cook the broccoli until bright green and just tender.
Add all the ingredients into the food processor and puree until well blended and serve.
Garnish with pine nuts. I think that artichoke hearts would be a great garnish with this, also.
Serve it as a side or as a main dish with spinach pasta. This would also work well as a filling for ravioli, manicotti, or perhaps lasagna.
