Archive for the ‘Foodies and Chefs’ Category

Bites from other Blogs

• Bananas and sweet dulce de leche are a wonderful combination in just about any dessert, but the Dulce de Leche Banana Bars that Bakers Royal made recently take that combination over the top, in a good way. These bars start out with a layer of graham cracker crust that is topped with salted pecans, crushed up vanilla Oreo cookies and lots of sliced banana. A mixture of dulce de leche and sweetened condensed milk is poured over the top and the bars are baked until they’re set, much like Magic Bars. The vanilla cookies add a cookies n’ cream flavor without adding any chocolate, so the banana and caramel flavors in the rest of the bar stand out. Finally, the bars are topped with toasted marshmallows before they are served.
• A heart shaped cookie cutter is a nice tool to use when making cookies for a loved one, especially if those cookies happen to be made for a Valentine’s Day treat. The Little Epicurean‘s Honey Lemon Valentine’s Cookies are not only baked in a heart shape, but have an absolutely lovely (and easy to make) pink and white swirl of frosting topping them off. The cookies themselves are flavored with lemon and honey, both of which go well with the buttery cookie dough and make for a nice change of pace from plainer vanilla cookies. The icing technique is easy to reproduce and the swirled effect is one that you’ll want to reproduce with other recipes, too.
• I’ve been know to make Red Velvet Pancakes for breakfast around Valentine’s Day to infuse a little of the holiday spirit into my food, and the Red Velvet Crepes from Tidy Mom follow along the same lines of inspiration. The crepes have a dash of cocoa powder and just enough red food coloring to tint them a beautiful shade of red velvet. They’re stuffed with raspberry jam, a decadent cream cheese filling and – as if that weren’t enough – they’re drizzled with Nutella before serving. They’re easier to make than they look and certainly a delicious way to start any morning, but they’re especially good for celebrating Valentine’s Day.
• You may not be the biggest fan of gelatin desserts, but you have to admit that the Valentine’s Jello Hearts that are posted at The Hungry Housewife are simply stunning to look at, like pieces of stained glass with a Valentine’s Day theme to them. The jewel-like squares start out with a firm strawberry Jello that is cut into heart shapes and placed in a larger pan. Sweetened condensed milk is combined with unflavored gelatin and poured over the strawberry hearts. When the gelatin sets, you are left with bright red hearts set into a sweet, white backdrop. They can be cut into individual squares for serving. It is a simple dessert that packs a huge impact, and is sure to be a hit with adults and kids alike.
• Every once in a while, in a restaurant, I get served sugar cubes alongside my tea or coffee that are too cute to pass up, formed into the shape of hearts or other small designs. Princess Misia Recipes shows us how to DIY your own Love Sugar Cubes and make these treats at home. The cubes are simple to make: add water and some food coloring to a bit of sugar, then press them into a mold to set. You will need some small heart-shaped silicone molds for best results, but the results are so sweet that they’ll be impossible to resist.

Bites from other Blogs

• The Cheddar Peasant Boule that Lighter and Local baked is the kind of bread that will inspire you to do a little more baking at home because it is a simple recipe and yields a delicious result. The easy to make bread has a soft, light crumb and a little spiral of cheddar cheese baked into it for flavor. It makes great sandwiches, toast and is also tasty when served plain, or alongside a bowl of soup. Once you have the hang of the basics of this recipe, you’ll find yourself putting twists on it with different cheeses and fillings, and baking bread from scratch just a bit more often.
• Beantown Baker‘s Football Whoopie Pies are the perfect food for a Super Bowl party. These whoopie pies feature soft chocolate cookies packed with a delicious filling, and they’re garnished with a little football-inspired “lace” decoration on top. The filling consists of homemade marshmallow frosting – a nice contrast to the chocolate cake – and a generous drizzle of salted caramel sauce. The pies are sturdy and travel very well, so you can easily transport them to an off-site party if you’re going to be watching the Big Game with friends and family.
• I’ve seen waffle irons used for more than just making waffles before, but it is always good to see these appliances do a little multi-tasking. I’ve used them to make french toast, for instance, and Foodie with Family made Waffle Iron Han and Cheese Paninis. These sandwiches prove that you don’t need a special panini maker to make some delicious hot, toasted sandwiches. Start with soft, but sturdy, bread and load your sandwich up with the fillings of your choice. This sandwich uses ham, provolone cheese, arugula and sweet onion. Close the waffle iron firmly and in a few minutes you’ll be ready to eat.
• Gourmand in the Kitchen‘s Honey Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Sauce are more elegant than most of the coconut macaroons you’ll see offered for sale behind deli counters. These are small, truffle-like treats that are lightly sweet and have a good coconut flavor. They’re slightly crisp on the outside and manage to have a very light interior. The chocolate dipping sauce is also made with coconut milk and serves as a nice contrast to the light macarons

Bites from other Blogs

• There are so many desserts that you can make with ripe bananas that it can be difficult to narrow down your options when staring at a bunch that is ready to use. The Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes from Annie’s Eats are a good place to start. The cupcakes are a little time intensive compared to some other cupcake recipes, but they are worth every moment of effort. Vanilla bean cupcakes are filled with homemade pastry cream and slices of fresh bananas. The cupcakes are then topped with whipped cream, another banana slice and a piece of crispy pie crust that ensures you remember where the inspiration for these indulgent cakes came from.
• Pinch of Yum‘s Malted Double Chocolate Chip Cookies have a healthy dose of malted milk powder that works very well in these vanilla-laced chocolate chip cookies. These cookies do use shortening, and this recipe provides a good example of why vegetable shortening can be a great ingredient in cookies: the shortening doesn’t add any extra flavor itself and so the other flavors in the cookie (malt and vanilla) can really come through. These cookies are reminiscent of chocolate malted soda fountain drinks and have that great addictive quality that malty foods do. Be sure to serve these with a big glass of milk. If you want to take them over the top, consider using them to make ice cream sandwiches.
• Another malty recipe can be found at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody with her Malted Milk Marshmallows. These homemade marshmallows have malted milk powder incorporated right into them, giving them a nice malty flavor to go with the vanilla sweetness of the regular marshmallow. They’re perfect for melting into a big mug of hot chocolate. And be sure to choose a big mug, as homemade marshmallows tend to be a bit on the large side and you’re going to want to fit as many as you can into that hot chocolate!
• Homemade waffles definitely qualify as comfort food, and when you make the Waffles with Southern Comfort Praline Sauce that Confections’ of a Foodie Bride did, it is even moreso. The waffles themselves are light and fluffy, and can be made in either a regular or Belgian-style waffle maker. The syrup is made with maple syrup, brown sugar, butter and a good splash of Southern Comfort. Toasted pecans are added to the syrup to highlight its nuttiness and to add some crunch to the dish. It’s a great combination for breakfast, but it’s also worth noting that the elements of this recipe can also be used with other dishes and you might find yourself making plain waffles and Southern Comfort Praline ice cream sundaes in the future.
• The Almond Joy Cookies that Heather Christo Cooks recently baked are inspired by the elements that make up the popular almond joy candy bars: coconut, almond and chocolate. These are chocolate chip cookies that are densely packed with shredded coconut and studded generously with slivered almonds and chocolate chips. Chewy and buttery, these cookies are good for any coconut lover and are probably a lot more satisfying to make and eat than eating one of the candy bars of the same name.

Bites from other Blogs

Elvis will always be remembered for his music and for being a big fan of peanut butter and banana sandwiches served toasted, grilled or deep fried. The Type A Housewife churned out a batch of Fat Elvis Ice Cream to capture this sandwich combination in a frozen dessert. The banana ice cream is swirled with ribbons of chocolate fudge and peanut butter, and it is studded with chunks of chocolate peanut butter cups. It’s indulgent and it is comfort food – even if you’re not an Elvis fan (though you may be after this ice cream).

you don’t have to bake a dozen cupcakes when the mood strikes. With Sweet Revelation’s Small Batch Chocolate Vanilla Bean Latte Cupcakes you can bake you cupcakes just four at a time. The moist chocolate cupcake recipe is a great all purpose recipe that you can pair with just about any icing. The smooth Swiss meringue buttercream frosting is a nice, light pairing with the chocolate cake – but it makes a fairly large batch, so be generous when you frost or consider baking more cupcakes to share with friends to use it up.

Farmer cheese is a relatively plain cheese that is similar in texture to ricotta cheese. It has a great texture and makes a good filling for many desserts, but it also works in more savory applications, like the Farmer Cheese Pies at Food Republic. The small pies have a hint of honey and are flavored with fresh thyme in their fillings, and have a cornmeal crust. They’re portable and sturdy, perfect for lunch, appetizers or (when the weather is nice) taking on a picnic.

Citrus and Candy‘s Apple Honey and Frangipane Tart is a simple looking tart that packs in a lot of flavor. The tart starts out with buttery puff pastry and it is spread with a thin layer of rich frangipane, an easy-to-prepare almond paste that works well with many types of fruit. Apples are layered on top and topped with honey and brown sugar. The result is delicious, and you can easily make it with other types of fruit throughout the year.

Another ice cream recipe comes from thecattylife. It’s an easy to make Matcha Ice Cream. The ice cream base is made with milk, cream, sugar and matcha powder. The matcha powder gives the ice cream a strong flavor and a lovely green color. You will want an ice cream maker when preparing this ice cream to get the best results, but since it’s winter right now, it’s a good time to shop for one as they just might be on sale until summer!

Bites from other Blogs

• Milnot Cheesecake Cheesecake is a recipe for cheesecake lovers at Willow Bird Baking inspired by her grandmother’s favorite cheesecake recipe. This is a two-part dessert. The Milnot cheesecake is a light, fluffy, lemony no-bake cheesecake made with evaporated milk, lemon Jell-o and cream cheese. Instead of standing on its own, this no-bake cheesecake is layered on top of a baked, homemade cheesecake base that is rich, creamy and provides a very nice contrast to it. You can also find a few words – both true and touching – of wisdom from Julie’s grandmother alongside the recipe.
• Caramel apples and caramel popcorn are two classic caramel-covered treats that are just about irresistible. The only problem is choosing which to make when a caramel craving hits. Making Raspberri Cupcakes‘ Salted Caramel Apples with Popcorn solves the problem nicely. These treats start out with apples dipped in homemade salted caramel which are then rolled in crushed popcorn. Any kind of popcorn will work as long as it is buttery and salty, to add another savory element to the treats. Serve these at your next movie night or wrap them up and take them to a party.
• Pixie sticks are paper straws full of barely-flavored sugar that little kids just can’t seem to get enough of. I know that I was hooked when I was a kid and jumped at the opportunity to have one or three. At Shindig, you can learn how to make Homemade Pixie Sticks. These do-it-yourself snacks are healthier than the originals because they’re made with freeze dried fruit, which grinds into a pixie-like powder with more flavor and quite a bit less sugar. You can order paper straws from crafting stores and you’ll definitely be the hit of your next kid-friendly event, both with the kids and the parents, if you bring a bunch of these with you.
• Pancakes and bacon are both great breakfast items, but they’re even better when served together. You can do this by putting them on the same plate, making bacon pancakes, or by making Cooking with Mel‘s Bacon Pancake Sticks. This breakfast item starts out with crispy pieces of bacon and some pancake batter – homemade or from a mix. Pour the pancake batter into an oblong shape on your griddle, longer than the bacon pieces, and place a piece of bacon right on top. Cook the pancake as you normally would and you end up with one delicious looking breakfast dish with two of your favorite breakfast items.