Tuesday, January 25, 2011

10 Things I can't live without in my kitchen!

10 best ingredients in my kitchen
There is always some products that you use every time you cook and bake in your kitchen. Some gadgets that you cannot live without, some essential things that you absolutely adore.
Here are the best 10 ingredients, products that I use all the time and almost everyday. Without them, I would be nothing in a kitchen.

1. Sea salt. This is the only salt
that i use for cooking. Coarse and fine, both
2. Cinnamon.It goes well with almost every sweet treat.
3. Herbes de Provence. A french dried mix of herbs that is amazingly fragrant and versatile.
4. Extra virgin olive oil. That is the only oil that i use all the time.
5. Heavy cream. For finishing the soups, the sauces, the pastas, the salads.
6. Cheeses. All kinds. I use the leftover scraps of cheeses in soups, on a pizza. I never throw away cheese.
7. Vanilla Sugar.I make this by adding vanilly beans to granulated suger.
8. Parmesan cheese. As a garnish on salads, pastas, soups, as well as in cubes for an easy tapas.
9. Ice cream. It is always an indispensable to make a last minute dessert.
10. Butter.Butter.Butter! Do i have to say more ...

Monday, January 24, 2011

My Awesome Fettucine Alfredo

Here is the recipe for the Fettucine Alfredo. This is the reicipe that I have used without an "official" written recipe. I pretty much "dump it in and stir" but I will break it down for you and post it in basic recipe form.
Enjoy!!!
1 lb of Fettucine Noodles
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, baked in the oven, chopped
1 stick of butter (not margerine)
2 C Half and Half
1 1/2 c or so of Parmesan cheese,(not dried from a can) fresh shaved from the deli
salt and fresh ground white pepper

Boil noodles with a pinch of salt as directed on plackage.While noodles are cooking.
Melt butter in sauce pan till bubbly. If you want to add minced garlic, add to the butter now and let cook for about one min. Wisk in half and half till it is warm then add in cheese slowly whisking till all of the cheese is combined. At first the cheese will be lumpy, keep whisking till the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Taste your sauce, then add salt and white pepper. Regular black pepper is ok too.
Add the chopped roasted chicken to the sauce till it is combined and hot.Drain noodles,place onto serving platter and top with sauce and chicken.sprinkle with more cheese and parsley.
Serve.

I made this last week at Cadace's birthday party and took a couple pictures before it was eaten by my hungry family.I hope you enjoy and let me know how you like it. Renea W.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Happy Birthday Candace!!!

I was so excited to be asked by my brother, Curt, to make his Girlfriend,Candace a cake for her birthday.I was so excited to
make something a little different but very pretty. I searched the
internet for pictures for some insperation.I found a few and sent one to Curt.He asked if i could make it and I replied,"Sure can"! After a busy day of running around gathering supplies for the cake and dinner, I got started on the cake. I had so much fun making the cake and I was so glad it turned out so well.Dinner that night was Fettuccine Alfredo with roasted chicken, grilled asparagus with sea salt and garlic bread. We all had a great time and the cake was really yummy!! Everyone enjoyed it.


I enjoyed working with fondant. I used Wilton pre-made fondant in white and Duff Goldman products from "CHarm City Cakes" for the black. The wilton fondant was good, it had a mild marshmellow flavor which went really well with the chocolate cake and Marionberry filling.The black fondant from Duff, had a slightly sweet but really good flavor too. I would recommend both.The cake itself was Duncan Hines chocolate.I choose to use a box cake because of the time crunch but I recommend Duncan Hines if I ever have to use box mix.
The fettucini alfredo was my own recipe. I will post the recipe on a later post.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Criss Cross Apple Crowns.

Prep time: 25 minutes. Bake time: 25-30 minutes.


These treats are delicious any time of day. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream for a great at home dessert, serve for a light breakfast and send the kids off to school with one of these.

Ingredients:
4 Small Granny Smith Apples
1/2 Cup walnut halves, chopped
1/2 Cup raisins
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Package (17.3 oz.) Grand-size flaky or buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)
1 Package (10.2 oz.) Grand-size flaky or buttermilk biscuits (5 biscuits)
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
Ice cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel, core and slice apples using Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer; cut apple slices into wedges using Apple Wedger. Chop walnuts using Food Chopper. Place apples, walnuts, raisins, flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well. Microwave apple mixture on High 3 minutes or until hot; mix well.
2. Separate 12 biscuits. (Discard remaining biscuit or set aside for another use.) Using lightly floured Bakers Roller, roll each biscuit into a 5-inch circle. Combine remaining sugar and remaining cinnamon in Small Batter Bowl. Place 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture in Flour/Sugar Shaker; sprinkle evenly over biscuits. Using Medium Scoop, divide apple mixture evenly onto center of each biscuit.
3. Gather up edges over filling, pinching lightly to seal. Place butter in Small Micro-Cooker; microwave on High 20 seconds or until melted. Holding filled biscuits at the sealed end, dip each biscuit into butter, then into remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture in batter bowl.
4. Place biscuits, seam side down, into Stoneware Muffin Pan. Cut an "X" pattern through the top of each biscuit. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan. Serve with ice cream if desired. Yield: 12 servings. To make mini crisscross apple crowns, use the Small Scoop instead of the Medium Scoop and fill half with the apple filling. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Amazing Wedding Cakes!!


April is just around the corner and I am so excited to make the wedding cake for my little brother, Justin and Melissa! I have been searching the internet for ideas and insperation. I do have the picture of the cake they want but I will not reveal it till the big day!I did find some really beautiful cakes make by some really talented bakers. Enjoy!!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Baked Potato Soup!

Now that we are at the start of Winter and a new year, I thought I would post a warm and cozy soup recipe to warm up those winter nights. The ingrenience may be in your pantry right now and you can make this tonight!
ENJOY!!




Ingredients
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups skim milk
6 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup sour cream
Directions
1.Microwave potatoes until done.
2.While potatoes are cooking make a roux over low to medium heat. Mix butter, margarine, or light olive oil, and flour. DO NOT BURN THE ROUX. When roux is thickened a bit, gradually blend in milk. Continue cooking over low to medium heat while preparing potatoes.
3.Peel and cut up potatoes. You may want to mash some of the potatoes also. Add potatoes to the milk mixture. Blend in sour cream. Soup is ready to be served.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

10 Things I can't live without in my kitchen!

10 best ingredients in my kitchen
There is always some products that you use every time you cook and bake in your kitchen. Some gadgets that you cannot live without, some essential things that you absolutely adore.
Here are the best 10 ingredients, products that I use all the time and almost everyday. Without them, I would be nothing in a kitchen.

1. Sea salt. This is the only salt
that i use for cooking. Coarse and fine, both
2. Cinnamon.It goes well with almost every sweet treat.
3. Herbes de Provence. A french dried mix of herbs that is amazingly fragrant and versatile.
4. Extra virgin olive oil. That is the only oil that i use all the time.
5. Heavy cream. For finishing the soups, the sauces, the pastas, the salads.
6. Cheeses. All kinds. I use the leftover scraps of cheeses in soups, on a pizza. I never throw away cheese.
7. Vanilla Sugar.I make this by adding vanilly beans to granulated suger.
8. Parmesan cheese. As a garnish on salads, pastas, soups, as well as in cubes for an easy tapas.
9. Ice cream. It is always an indispensable to make a last minute dessert.
10. Butter.Butter.Butter! Do i have to say more ...

Monday, January 24, 2011

My Awesome Fettucine Alfredo

Here is the recipe for the Fettucine Alfredo. This is the reicipe that I have used without an "official" written recipe. I pretty much "dump it in and stir" but I will break it down for you and post it in basic recipe form.
Enjoy!!!
1 lb of Fettucine Noodles
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, baked in the oven, chopped
1 stick of butter (not margerine)
2 C Half and Half
1 1/2 c or so of Parmesan cheese,(not dried from a can) fresh shaved from the deli
salt and fresh ground white pepper

Boil noodles with a pinch of salt as directed on plackage.While noodles are cooking.
Melt butter in sauce pan till bubbly. If you want to add minced garlic, add to the butter now and let cook for about one min. Wisk in half and half till it is warm then add in cheese slowly whisking till all of the cheese is combined. At first the cheese will be lumpy, keep whisking till the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Taste your sauce, then add salt and white pepper. Regular black pepper is ok too.
Add the chopped roasted chicken to the sauce till it is combined and hot.Drain noodles,place onto serving platter and top with sauce and chicken.sprinkle with more cheese and parsley.
Serve.

I made this last week at Cadace's birthday party and took a couple pictures before it was eaten by my hungry family.I hope you enjoy and let me know how you like it. Renea W.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Happy Birthday Candace!!!

I was so excited to be asked by my brother, Curt, to make his Girlfriend,Candace a cake for her birthday.I was so excited to
make something a little different but very pretty. I searched the
internet for pictures for some insperation.I found a few and sent one to Curt.He asked if i could make it and I replied,"Sure can"! After a busy day of running around gathering supplies for the cake and dinner, I got started on the cake. I had so much fun making the cake and I was so glad it turned out so well.Dinner that night was Fettuccine Alfredo with roasted chicken, grilled asparagus with sea salt and garlic bread. We all had a great time and the cake was really yummy!! Everyone enjoyed it.


I enjoyed working with fondant. I used Wilton pre-made fondant in white and Duff Goldman products from "CHarm City Cakes" for the black. The wilton fondant was good, it had a mild marshmellow flavor which went really well with the chocolate cake and Marionberry filling.The black fondant from Duff, had a slightly sweet but really good flavor too. I would recommend both.The cake itself was Duncan Hines chocolate.I choose to use a box cake because of the time crunch but I recommend Duncan Hines if I ever have to use box mix.
The fettucini alfredo was my own recipe. I will post the recipe on a later post.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Criss Cross Apple Crowns.

Prep time: 25 minutes. Bake time: 25-30 minutes.


These treats are delicious any time of day. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream for a great at home dessert, serve for a light breakfast and send the kids off to school with one of these.

Ingredients:
4 Small Granny Smith Apples
1/2 Cup walnut halves, chopped
1/2 Cup raisins
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Package (17.3 oz.) Grand-size flaky or buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)
1 Package (10.2 oz.) Grand-size flaky or buttermilk biscuits (5 biscuits)
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
Ice cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel, core and slice apples using Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer; cut apple slices into wedges using Apple Wedger. Chop walnuts using Food Chopper. Place apples, walnuts, raisins, flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well. Microwave apple mixture on High 3 minutes or until hot; mix well.
2. Separate 12 biscuits. (Discard remaining biscuit or set aside for another use.) Using lightly floured Bakers Roller, roll each biscuit into a 5-inch circle. Combine remaining sugar and remaining cinnamon in Small Batter Bowl. Place 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture in Flour/Sugar Shaker; sprinkle evenly over biscuits. Using Medium Scoop, divide apple mixture evenly onto center of each biscuit.
3. Gather up edges over filling, pinching lightly to seal. Place butter in Small Micro-Cooker; microwave on High 20 seconds or until melted. Holding filled biscuits at the sealed end, dip each biscuit into butter, then into remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture in batter bowl.
4. Place biscuits, seam side down, into Stoneware Muffin Pan. Cut an "X" pattern through the top of each biscuit. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan. Serve with ice cream if desired. Yield: 12 servings. To make mini crisscross apple crowns, use the Small Scoop instead of the Medium Scoop and fill half with the apple filling. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Amazing Wedding Cakes!!


April is just around the corner and I am so excited to make the wedding cake for my little brother, Justin and Melissa! I have been searching the internet for ideas and insperation. I do have the picture of the cake they want but I will not reveal it till the big day!I did find some really beautiful cakes make by some really talented bakers. Enjoy!!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Baked Potato Soup!

Now that we are at the start of Winter and a new year, I thought I would post a warm and cozy soup recipe to warm up those winter nights. The ingrenience may be in your pantry right now and you can make this tonight!
ENJOY!!




Ingredients
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups skim milk
6 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup sour cream
Directions
1.Microwave potatoes until done.
2.While potatoes are cooking make a roux over low to medium heat. Mix butter, margarine, or light olive oil, and flour. DO NOT BURN THE ROUX. When roux is thickened a bit, gradually blend in milk. Continue cooking over low to medium heat while preparing potatoes.
3.Peel and cut up potatoes. You may want to mash some of the potatoes also. Add potatoes to the milk mixture. Blend in sour cream. Soup is ready to be served.

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