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Homemade Sugar Cubes

cindylouh — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:00:58 +0000

I love making shaped sugar cubes. They are super easy to make and add such a nice detail to a party or just make daily tea drinking extra special! These homemade shaped sugar cubes would also make a nice homemade gift.

All you need is a mold, granulated sugar, water and paste food coloring (optional).

Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon water and tiny (pin drop) bit of paste food coloring. Mix well. It will feel like damp sand.

Firmly press the sugar into the heart mold.

Carefully flip mold over and remove the hearts. It is a bit tricky during the flip but, I found it easiest to fill mold and immediately remove so I could keep making the sugar cubes. Wipe mold between fillings.

Allow sugar cubes to dry and harden. It doesn’t take long to have beautiful homemade sugar cubes!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

cindylouh — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:13:51 +0000

I love warm muffins fresh from the oven!

You will love these yummy banana muffins with chocolate chips!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, vanilla and milk in medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended, do not over-mix. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 25 minutes.

I baked them in these cute yellow polka dot portion cups.

I loved how they kept their color and the muffins came out beautifully! They didn’t even need to be sprayed with cooking spray.

Soup recipes for a cold winter day

cindylouh — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:54 +0000

Winter hit hard today and boy is it cold! To warm your tummy and your soul, stir up one of these steamy soups – the ultimate winter comfort food!

Onion soup is amazing! If you have never made it, try out this great recipe from Smitten Kitten.

Zoom Yummy’s Cauliflower Soup is billed as “the most yummilicious soup ever!” If you love cauliflower soup, you must give this a go!

To “wrap you in a blanket of cozy,” stir up this Chicken Bacon Wild Rice Soup from Pinch of Yum!

Do you crave vegetable soup on cold days? One Tribe Gourmet shares a recipe for a wonderful Tuscan Style Vegetable Soup that is sure to chase the winter chill!

A soup round-up would not be complete without chili! White Chicken Chili is always a family favorite and here is a quick-to-fix recipe from The Family Kitchen.

Stay warm and enjoy!

Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake {Recipe}

cindylouh — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:52:48 +0000

This cheesecake is the perfect make ahead dessert and it is so delicious!

Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake

2 cups Oreo type sandwich cookies (entire cookie crushed into fine crumbs)(about 18 cookies)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 cup finely crushed peppermint candies (about 20 mints)

2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Chocolate fudge spoonable ice cream topping (found in a jar by the ice cream toppings at the grocery store)

Spray a 9-inch round spring-form pan with cooking spray. Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter in medium bowl, mix well. Press 2 cups crumbs firmly partway up sides and onto bottom of prepared pan. Pressing crumbs on sides of pan first, then on the bottom keep the crust from being too thick in the corners. Place crust into the freezer while filling is made.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in peppermint extract and peppermint candies, mix well. Fold in whipped cream . Pour filling into pan.

Cover and freeze at least 6 hours or until firm. Garnish with fudge topping and crushed peppermint candies.

Peppermint Meringue Cookies {Recipe}

cindylouh — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:29:00 +0000

Peppermint meringue cookies make a beautiful {and yummy} addition to your holiday parties or wrap them up pretty for a much loved homemade gift! They are crunchy, minty and sweet!

Peppermint Meringue Cookies

Fit a pastry bag (12″ or 18″) with a 1/2″ large open star pastry tip. With a small paint brush paint stripes on the inside of the bag with a gel food coloring paste.

Ingredients

3 large egg whites (room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (peppermint oil will not work)
dash of salt
3/4 cup sugar
parchment paper

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In metal mixing bowl beat egg whites, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter, a dash of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract to soft peaks. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating until very stiff peaks form.

Fill pastry bag with meringue and pipe one inch stars onto the parchment paper.

Bake for 90 minutes, but do not let them brown. Allow to cool completely. Meringues will be crunchy. Store in an air tight container. The meringues should keep for a couple of weeks.

If you are looking for more homemade gift ideas, from edible gifts to sewn gifts you might enjoy browsing my Handmade Gift Guide!

Rudolph Cookies

cindylouh — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:49:31 +0000

Here is a fun way to decorate a sugar cookie as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer!

How to Decorate Reindeer Sugar Cookies

I used this sugar cookie recipe. It does spread a bit, but I love a soft sugar cookie. My bests tricks for rolling out sugar cookie dough are to use rolling pin rings and to roll the dough between wax paper. The wax paper keeps you from having to use flour when rolling out the dough, which can make the dough tough. Just keep lifting up the wax paper and replacing down on the dough to keep the dough spreading.

I used a candy corn cookie cutter to cut out the reindeer heads.

Place shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, this helps keep the dough from spreading too much when baking.

Bake cookies according to recipe directions.

I used a royal icing to frost these cookies. Here is a download for the Royal Icing recipe. Mix the icing into two consistencies; a thick to pipe and a thin to flood.

With a pastry bag fitted with a number 2 or 3 round tip, pipe all the way around the outside edge of the cookie.

Next, place the thin frosting in a squeeze bottle and flood the area inside the piping.

Use a toothpick or a sucker stick to work the frosting to the edges and fill in areas.

The frosting will settle and become very smooth.

While frosting is still wet add pretzel antlers, a nose and eyes. If you like a large nose, use a red gumball.

Or if you prefer a smaller nose a red sixlet works great!

If you are looking for homemade gift ideas, from edible gifts to sewn gifts you might enjoy browsing my Handmade Gift Guide!

Homemade Peppermint Bark

cindylouh — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Peppermint Bark is a super simple and delicious holiday treat! It makes a quick and easy homemade gift that everyone will love!

Peppermint Bark Recipe

All you need is 1 pound of white candy coating and 1/2 cup peppermint pieces (or finely crushed starlight mints or candy canes).

Melt the candy coating very slowly in the microwave. If the candy is melted too fast and it gets it too hot it will harden and not become liquid. Start with 30 seconds and then stir. Continue heating at 15 second intervals, stirring each time until melted. Add in 1/2 cup peppermint pieces.

Stir until completely combined.

Spread candy thinly out on wax paper and allow to cool. (About an 11″ X 17″ area)

Once hard, break candy into pieces. This is the perfect treat to keep on hand for unexpected guests and it makes a wonderful hostess or neighbor gift when wrapped in a pretty container.

Believe me, your friends will eat this up! Enjoy!

If you are looking for more homemade gift ideas you might enjoy browsing my Handmade Gift Guide!

Made by you Monday {wrap up}

cindylouh — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:00:12 +0000

So many sweet treats!

Blogginess shared these chunky cookies and cream brownies and they look delicious.

I want to try this Pralines and cream fudge from Something Swanky!

The Farm girl hits the spot with these Peppermint Bon Bon Cookies.

Swamp Hollow designs shared this sweet and salty cashew brittle , Yum!

I hope to see you all tomorrow posting on another Made by You Monday, and make sure to come back next week and check I just might be featuring {you}!

Homemade Edible gifts

cindylouh — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:22:57 +0000

Everyone loves a homemade gift – especially when it’s edible! There is plenty of time before the holidays to package up one of these tasty treats. Your friends and family will love you!

Red Velvet Cake in a jar – are you kidding?! Wow, who would not love this treat from My Cakies? So pretty too.

Wouldn’t everyone on your list love to receive a jar of Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce this holiday? The Nap Time Chef has the recipe it will leave you

drooling.

For the chocolate lover on your list, here is a great little cocoa mix from MyRecipes.com.

Real Simple shares a BBQ Rub. It’s a perfect idea for your favorite grill-master.

Look at this beautiful Chocolate/Orange Shortbread Cookie to share. Oprah.com has easy directions for this fun gift.

If you need more inspiration take a look at some of my favorite edible gifts or check out my handmade gift guide below….

No Knead Bread

cindylouh — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:30:38 +0000

Happy National Homemade Bread Day!

My niece made this lovely bread from Jim Lahey, the man who started the no-knead bread craze.

She said it was so awesome! No kneading, little time hands on, but lots of waiting….

No-Knead Bread

adapted from Jim Lahey, NY Times 2006
Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

She said it was chewy, airy, and had a crispy crust. Very good.

Thanks Megan for sharing your yummy and beautiful bread with me!