Meyer Lemon Pudding

One of my newest obsessions is Pinterest! By far the best addition to the internet ever!!! I actually wondered the other day what I did before it existed. Not only is it a rich source of inspiration for recipes but I've built and decorated about 5 dream homes and I have the most amazing virtual wardrobe, plus an organised home-school lesson plan ideas. 

Anyhow I digress! While doing my daily trip to Pinterest land I saw this beautiful picture of a Meyer lemon pudding. So I just had to make it. With my new found desire to make everything from scratch pudding just seemed like a sure thing. Plus my sweet little hens have been lying well so using eggs didn't seem like a waste.

I have to say that it was wonderful and my sweet boys were addicted. They actually couldn't wait for it cool and we had to taste while it was still warm and it was delicious. To please my picky 5 year old is not easy!!!

So Meyer lemons. I'll be honest I've learnt a lot about them this past weekend. They are a species that originates in China and is supposed to be a cross between a lemon and an orange, strange feeling there's a joke in there somewhere!!!! Anyhow I know that they are a winter harvested fruit and we're kinda in that spring season now. I honestly didn't go looking for them and just did the half lemon/half orange switch which worked well.

One of the things that amazed me when I moved to Louisiana was the ability to grow 'tropical' type fruit. Lets face it Northern Ireland is far from tropical. So I'm thinking a Meyer lemon tree maybe moving into my back yard.

Meyer Lemon Pudding

Ingredients:

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

2 ½ cups whole milk

3 extra large egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 T finely grated Meyer lemon zest (or 1 T lemon zest & 1 T orange zest)

¼ tsp kosher salt

½ cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (or ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice & ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice)

2 T unsalted butter at room temperature

Directions:

1.    In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.

2.    Add the milk, egg yolks, zest and salt and whisk until smooth.

3.    Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently at first and constantly toward the end, until thickened.

4.    Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the citrus juice and butter.

5.    Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and pour the mixture through the strainer.

6.    Divide the mixture into 6 serving dishes and let cool at room temperature.

7.    Refrigerate, loosely covered (tightly covered will trap too much moisture, making a watery pudding) for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.

8.    Serve chilled by itself or with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Source recipe

Happy Home Cooking!

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it!!!!

I have a friend that I have the hugest amount of respect for because she has done something that I am not capable of doing. She has converted to a completely carb and sugar free life for her health. Not only has she lost weight but she looks so fabulous now. 

Well after her conversion I had a dilemma, I love to make birthday cakes or cupcakes or something for a friends birthday and well cake and cupcakes are no longer an option for her. So last year I got the idea to make a fruit cake, not your Granny's fruit cake that is dry and soaked in ten million gallons of alcohol. It's a cake made from fruit and nothing else. Now if sugar had been option then something with cream cheese and sugar could have been added but we're sticking with straight fruit.

Anyhow it isn't the best looking cake but it's definitely better than no cake.

I made the base of the cake from seedless watermelon. This was messy as the melon was juicy. A little freezer time would make it easier to carve.

I used wooden skewers and placed a round slice of kiwi on the watermelon then added green grapes with a strawberry on the top. To add a little decoration to the bottom I sliced green grapes and placed them around the bottom edge.

I really don't recommend that this cake travels too far and like I said I'm sure some sort of glaze or frosting would have help secure everything but if you want just fruit.

I will have to revisit this idea later and maybe be more adventurous. 

Happy Home Cooking! 

Victoria Sponge Cake and God Save The Queen!

I was feeling very home sick and British this weekend. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth celebrates her Diamond Jubilee this weekend. And Britain has been encouraged to become a huge street party as in the old days.

I have a huge nostalgic pull to the early to middle 20th century. It seemed a simpler more elegant time. From the sixties on I lose interest and find that things became more out of control. I do feel that I was fortunate that I grew up in rural Northern Ireland in the 80s. Somehow it hadn't been completely tarnished by modern life and technology. There was still a really sense of community and not the modern Facebook community. One where you actually knew your neighbour.

Living in the city, I now live closer to my neighbours than ever and I'm sad to say I don't really know much about them. I remember as a child our neighbours making the afternoon walk up the hill and coming over for tea and to catch up on the 'news'.

I went to a little country Primary School with mainly farmers kids. Most of us are scattered all over now doing all sorts of things but it was a wonderful community to belong to. That was back when school dinners were real food and they still served dessert!!! Oh and full fat milk was ok then too!

I love life in America and have found a deep pride for my new home country. I value the principles it was founded on! I also feel a strong attachment to where I come from and the history that it represents. To me the Royal family are living history. I must give the Queen credit for her long 60 year reign and the grace she has faced all the challenges that the last six decades have thrown at her and her country. When you think about it Churchill was Prime Minister when she became Queen.

Like I said I wish I could have been home to join in the festivities. If she makes it to her Platinum Jubilee I'm going!!!!

So to honour Her Majesty and ease my home sickness I made a Victoria Sponge Cake. Nothing screams summer to me than a Victoria Sponge Cake with fresh whipped cream and strawberries! The cake got it's name from Queen Victoria who is said to have favoured it. Most add a layer of jam or curd as well but I like mine a simple cream version. Although just for a change the next one I make I will do so with jam!

I first made this cake when I was in school and it's the standard beginner cake to learn in Home Economics class as it teaches some great techniques like creaming butter and sugar and folding in flour. A quick note, sometimes the batter can start to curdle when you add the eggs to the butter and sugar. Do this stage slowly and if it looks likes it's starting add a little flour. That was drummed into me and probably one of the few things I remember the most from those days!

I have put the ingredients list in cups and measurements. Baking is so precise and a 'cup' isn't the most accurate measurement. I highly recommend if you bake a lot to get a set of kitchen scales and weigh out your ingredients. An interesting note on this particular cake, the traditional method on weighing the ingredients was to place the eggs on one side of a balance scale and then measure the other ingredients against them. Although this can lead to a drier cake so I recommend just individually measuring the ingredients.

You can even freeze this cake for up to 6 months, minus the cream and filling! Just let it cool completely and wrap in cling wrap, then put it in a freezer bag. You'll have it on hand for a quick dessert or afternoon treat!

I hope you enjoy making this yummy cake, I know I enjoyed my slice. So to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, congratulations of your anniversary and may God bless you! To everyone back home, hope you are having a wonderful time!

Victoria Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

8oz (2 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature

8oz (1 cup) sugar

4 medium eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

8oz (1 1/4 cups) self raising flour

Dash of milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4

2. Grease and line two 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper.

3. Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.

4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.

5. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if needed, the batter should be a soft dropping consistency.

6. Divide the batter between the cake pans and gently spread out with a spatula.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

8. Remove from the oven and set aside in pan for 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

9. This stage is completely up to you and your preferences. Place one layer on a serving plate and spread with jam, lemon curd or whipping cream. You can also add some chopped up berries. Place the other layer on top. You can either top with more whippig cream and berries (my favourite) or dust with some powdered sugar.

Happy Home Cooking and God Save The Queen!

Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

Everywhere you look right now, everything seems to be served in mini form and dessert seems to be the favorite thing to shrink. From cake pops to mini parfaits. I guess we are all so conscious about over indulgence and portion control but still want to be able to have that little something to round out a wonderful meal.

Personally I love the idea of mini dessert because I love dessert and I'm really bad at one or two bites and stopping, especially with cheesecake! I think they actually say that the pleasure sensors in your brain stop having as high a reaction after the second bite. I'm not sure my brain is wired that way, I enjoy every bite!!!

Anyhow for the shower the practicality of making a strawberry cheesecake wasn't there. However mini parfaits worked out perfect.

The first time I made them my friend Nancy came over for lunch and I asked if she minded if I used her as a guinea pig. (Have a mentioned that I have a wonderful bunch of friends that let me experiment on them?). I used some small glasses I had so they were larger than the mini cubes.

I was going to make them with regular graham crackers but those things don't last long around here as they are a favorite with my husband and boys. They had finished off the large FAMILY SIZE box of them the day before. All I had was chocolate graham cracker teddies! It was teddy carnage when I took the rolling pin to the ziploc filled with them but they had to be sacrificed for the greater good of dessert exploration. Well that was the end of plain graham crackers. You can use plain if you prefer but the addition of the chocolate just makes this delicious! I used actual chocolate graham crackers for the one pictured; no more chocolate Teddies were harmed!

You can make these up to a day a head but they are better served right after you make them. I just covered them with cling wrap and put them in the fridge.

I now have a bug for wanting to make more mini desserts and I think I will have to get one of those glass mini dessertware sets. I think they are a great indulgence without the guilt of eating a huge dessert. And perfect for any dessert buffet table!

Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

Makes 40 mini 3inch cube parfaits

Ingredients:

1 lb of strawberries

3 T sugar, divided

2 packs of chocolate graham crackers crushed

16 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup of sour cream

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup whipping cream

Directions:

1. Slice the strawberries and place in a bowl.

2. Add 1 Tbsp of sugar. Stir to evenly coat and set aside.

3. In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.

4. Add the sour cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue to beat until combined.

5. In a separate bowl mix the whipping cream and 1 Tbsp of sugar (the sugar will help make it whip quicker) until stiff peaks form. Do not be tempted to us Redi Whip, it won't take long to make it fresh and you may even burn a few extra calories.

6. Gently fold the whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture.

To assemble:

7. Place a Tbsp of the graham crackers in the bottom of each dish.

8. Add a Tbsp of the cream cheese mixture.

9. Add a tsp of the strawberries.

10. Add one last layer of the cream cheese mixture.

11. Place a strawberry on top for garnish.

12. Cover a refrigerate until ready to serve.

Happy Home Cooking!

Strawberry Bruschetta

When we were deciding the menu for the shower, Gabby mentioned bruschetta. When we set it for dessert only we figured we had to be able to do a dessert version with strawberries. There are a lot of versions online ranging from adding Brie to cream cheese.

Well no one recipe screamed out to us, so we decided to get some French bread and a few ingredients and experiment. It was a hard job for us, he he he!!! I think we may have to make a regular date of this!

We tried nutella but it seemed to over power it but man was that good. While we were making the chocolate covered strawberries, we thought the melted Lindt milk chocolate might be a good alternative. But we will have to try that another day! What you find below is the end result of our initial experiment. It works well as a wonderful treat and a great brunch or afternoon tea dish.

Strawberry Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 French baguette

1 pkg cream cheese

1 pint strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Chop strawberries into small bite pieces. Put in a small bowl and add sugar. Stir to evenly combine. Set aside.

2. Slice the baguette into thin 1/4 inch slices. Place on a baking sheet and place under a broiler just long enough to brown. Be really careful and stand watch, do not be tempted to walk away they will burn in a second!

3. Remove the toasted bread to a cooling rack and cool completely.

4. Spread each slice of toast with cream cheese.

5. Top each slice with the strawberry mixture and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

6. Serve immediately.

Makes about 2 dozen

Happy Home Cooking!

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

With the shower theme being strawberries automatically Strawberry Shortcake comes to mind. However it didn't seem like it would work with the other desserts so I was going to skip it, until I saw this idea all over Pinterest. Strawberry Shortcake Cookies! I keep saying this but another genius idea!!!

I found this recipe on Bakergirl's blog.

It is so delicious right out of the oven but after a few hours isn't as good. They are simple enough that they would be wonderful for an afternoon tea treat or after school snack.

I have halved the original recipe due to the fact it doesn't keep well.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Ingredients

6 oz strawberries, hulled & cut into 1/4 inch pieces (2 cups)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar

1/8 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup heavy cream

Coarse sugar, for sprinkling over the cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the strawberries, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and remaining sugar. Run the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until moist and fragrant.

4. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the zest/sugar mixture and whisk to combine.

5. Using a pastry cutter or your finger tips, cut or rub the butter into the flour mixture until you have coarse crumbs.

6. Add the cream to the bowl and stir untilthe dough starts to come together, then gently fold in the strawberry mixture.

7. Using a small cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.

8. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

9. Bake for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown.

10. Transfer the pans to wire racks to cool.

Makes about a dozen.

Happy Home Cooking!

Source: Baker's Girl Blog

Mini Apple Pies

When we set the menu for dessert only I figured it would be a good idea to find out what the bride's favorite dessert was. Secretly I was hoping we already had it on our list but we didn't we only had her no. 2 choice chocolate covered strawberries. So I had to quickly figure out how to make mini apple pies.

Now if you ask my husband he will tell you that I don't have a good history with apple pies, so to say he was unsure how this would go was an understatement. I have to say I thought I had set myself a challenge that might not work out and should have settled for the chocolate covered strawberries. But this was about the bride.

So I went online and looked at about 20 different recipes for the filling and finally settled on the recipe below. I'm not a big cinnamon fan at all and actually I really liked it in these. It wasn't too much to give them that overpowering flavor. I love Granny Smith apples, my mother craved them when she was pregnant with me so I don't know if that has had some lasting effect. I love their tart taste and I find they make the best pies.

If you have been reading the blog for a while you will know that I'm very much a make it from scratch kinda girl. I don't really like store bought pie crust and since I was a little girl I was taught how to rub the butter into the flour. I find it kinda of stress relieving in a weird way and enjoy doing it. Actually there may be some sanity to this because you have pressure points in your fingertips and rubbing them can relieve stress. I know you can use a pastry cutter but to be honest I never have and really don't know what to say about them.

I'm looking forward to supersizing this recipe and making a regular pie. I'll post another recipe when I figure it out. Maybe finally I have tamed the apple pie challenge. That's the thing about cooking, if at first you don't succeed try try try again!!! It takes time and with practice and tweaking recipes to your preference it's as easy as apple pie! Which really is an insane saying but once you have mastered it it really is!

Mini Apple Pies

Ingredients:

Crust

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

10 T unsalted butter, cold and cubed

5 T water

Filling

2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cored

1 1/2 T flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Pie

1 egg

Raw sugar

Directions:

Crust:

1. Mix the dry ingredients.

2. Add half the butter to the flour mix and place the other half in the freezer. Bear with me! Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your finger tips, until it is the size of breadcrumbs. You can use a pastry cutter.

3. Add the remaining butter and continue to rub it in until it is the size of small peas. Try to make sure that the butter stays cold.

4.Sprinkle the water into the flour, one tablespoon at a time, stirring with a fork. It should stick together but still look dry.

5. Form into a disk and wrap with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour but ideally overnight.

Filling:

1. Cut the apples into tiny cubes.

2. In a bowl mix the dry ingredients with a whisk.

3. Add the apples and mix until all the apples are evenly coated.

Pies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Roll out the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Using a round 2.5 inch cookie cutter, cut out 24 rounds. Then with a 3 inch cookie cutter cut out another 24 rounds.

3. Place the smaller pie crusts on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

4. Add between 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon of the apple mixture to the center of each crust. 

5. Make an egg wash with the egg and a little water.

6. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash around the edge of each pie crust to help seal it.

7. Add the larger pie crust to each pie and press down the seams to seal. Using a fork crimp the edges.

8. Brush the top of each pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.

9. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the pies are a golden brown.

Happy Home Cooking!

Butterflies and Strawberries Bridal Shower

We had such a wonderful time on Saturday at the Bridal Shower for my niece. I really enjoyed working with her best friend Gabby, it's wonderful when you work with like minded people and she came up with some awesome games that were fun, sentimental and a little educational!!! But more about that later.

It's strawberry season here in Louisiana so we decided to take advantage of that and incorporate them in the menu. We also decided because the shower was at 3pm to do a dessert buffet, who doesn't like dessert. 

The budget was tight but I still wanted to make it extremely special for Ashley, it's amazing what you can do with a little thought. My big example is the cupcake stand, it's from Martha Stewarts collection at Joann Fabrics, which opened up a store in March here in Baton Rouge. They were offering a $10 gift card to the first 100 customers during their opening weekend and a 50% off coupon. The stand was $12.99 so with the coupon and gift card it was free. 

As for the food with strawberries in season that made it alot cheaper to buy and I was surprised how quickly you can use a whole flat! I also had stocked up on cream cheese when it was on sale recently and grapped a few 5lb bags of sugar that were on clearance.

Anyhow so let me tell you about it all. Firstly we made the invitation ourselves. I had seen the dress shaped invite online and loved it. I purchased some clipart from Etsy (highly recommend they are beautiful!) and using my photo editing software Corel Paint Shop I did the layout of the wording and pictures. Then printed on some cardstock I had and cut it in the shape of the dress. We then tied a red ribbon around the waistline and attached the dress to some red cardstock with foam stickers to give it a bit more of a 3D effect. Total cost for the invitations excluding postage was around $5. 

My desire for the shower wasn't simply to have a party and Ashley get showered with gifts. I wanted her to be blessed with guidance for her new role as a wife. So I thought it would be nice if all the guests shared a recipe from their personal collection with her. This to me was the hardest part because I wanted something special that would be a wonderful keepsake for her as well as a practical recipe folder. I looked high and low. Photo albums didn't work because of the way the pockets are made to hold the recipe cards. One day after searching my beloved Amazon.com I found the perfect folder and LOVE it, Gabby and I both want one for ourselves! So I created the recipe cards to match the invitations and the recipe sheets that came with the binder. 

I always love to see those diaper bouquets at Baby Showers, so practical but yet so much fun. I saw a great idea for a tea towel bouquet and as I have a little tradition with a rolling pin I will share in a minute I thought this would be perfect. When I got married we bought our house the same week, it was a busy one to say the least. We moved in after our honeymoon and the lovely lady we bought the house from had left me a gift of a rolling pin on the counter with a note attached, it said "Every new bride needs a rolling pin for two reasons, one to make lots of yummy cookies and pies but secondly to keep those new husbands in line!". Needless to say mine has been used A LOT!!! I thought it was such a lovely idea that I like to pass on the tradition. 

Tea Towel Bouquet

So now for the food. I will share all the recipes with you in other posts. Again everything was dessert and another way to cut costs is making it all yourself. I did cheat with the brownies and use box mix but hey everyone is allowed one easy one right!

I found the table cloth in the clearance section of Bed Bath and Beyond for $7 and it's wonderful. I'm tired of buying disposable ones and this will be great for Christmas time. My friend let me borrow some mason jars and her white serving dish. The cupcake stand is from Martha Stewart and I found the white plates and bowls at Target. 

I put some red tulips and white daisies in mason jars to finish the table off.

Mini Apple Pies

While we were working on the menu I though we better ask the bride what her favorite dessert was, fingers were crossed it was something on the menu, and she said apple pie. Not on the menu! Sanity said to go with her second favorite chocolate covered strawberries but again the whole point of the event was to make a fuss of the bride. So I though I'd see if I could make some mini pies. My husband was skeptical because me and apple pie don't have a great history. I had found a new crust recipe that is delicious and after searching the internet created the filling. They really are delicious and they got a huge thumbs up from my husband!

Mini Apple Pie Recipe

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

 Of course if you are having a strawberry theme you can't skip the chocolate covered strawberries. What a genius combination. Strawberries and chocolate. We made them ourselves and enjoyed that process. The bride really wanted to come over and help!!! We did text her a few pictures and she did threaten to stop talking to us!!!! But we were extremely nice and had a whole tray of them for her to take home to enjoy!!! 

Rice Krispie Treats

 I love these guys and because I could make them the day before it helped with the work load. To make them more lady like I cut them into 1-inch squares and drizzled white chocolate over them. 

Coconut Ice

I love coconut ice not just because they are pretty but they are wonderful for anyone with a sweet tooth. I used a little more red food coloring to make them redder and go better with the color scheme. We thought they would be a nice break from the strawberries and chocolate. 

Coconut Ice Recipe

DIY Fruit Pizza

If you a Pinterest person then you will see fruit pizza ideas EVERYWHERE. I think it's a wonderful idea. So I made some round sugar cookies and made up a batch of the Tastefully Simple Lemonade Fruit Dip for the 'sauce' and then chopped up strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and blackberries. The DIY station was a fun way of serving it as I was afraid the cookies would get soggy and the fruit loose it's freshness.
Sugar Cookie Recipe

Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

I love the idea of mini desserts and found these cute mini cubes and mini spoons at the party store. They were simple to put together and delicious.
Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait

Strawberry Bruschetta

From the very start Gabby had mentioned Bruschetta for the menu. Normally this is a savory dish but we decided to try and create a dessert themed version with strawberries. To say we had so much fun working this one out is an understatement.
Strawberry Bruschetta Recipe

Sugar cookies

 I love sugar cookies and they are so fun to decorate. I found a strawberry shaped cookie cutter and then decorated them with royal icing. 

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies & Mason Jars

I used mason jars as serveware to add a little variety to the table. The bride loves Twizzlers and we filled one with those as well as some butterfly suckers. The last jar in the picture is filled with Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. These are an interesting twist on Strawberry shortcake and extremely delicious. Their only down fall is that they don't do to well after a few hours. We filled the little bowls with red M&Ms, strawberry cheesecake jelly beans and strawberry fruit snacks from Target.
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies Recipe

Water, Ice Tea and Strawberry Lemonade.

 For drinks we served water, sweet and unsweet ice tea and strawberry lemonade. I found these beautiful bottles for the tea at Tuesday Morning. They are glass and the top closes tight, the bottom says it's made in Italy, nice change from China! The Strawberry Lemonade was made from scratch and was yummy. The tablecloth I used on this table was one that had been given to me from a stash of vintage fabric. It is a tablecloth from the 1940/50s and never used. Worked perfectly!!!
Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Cupcakes

 Instead of serving cake I made cupcakes. I'm a big cupcake fan because they are perfect portions, you don't have to worry about cutting them and serving. With these ones I went all out and found these butterflies for the top which are edible. 

The party games were so much fun. We played four in total. The first was the clothes peg game where everyone gets a clothes peg and if you said the word 'wedding' then whoever heard you got to take your clothes peg. The second game was awesome, Gabby had a cute spice rack from Target where the spices are in test tube style bottles. She put a numbered sticker over each lid to cover the name of the spice and through sight and smell everyone had to guess all 18 spices. I think the winner got 12, some were hard even when you knew the name!!!! It was a little educational when there was a dispute over the Garam Marsala, which is an Indian spice blend that one of the ingredients is Nutmeg. It was argued that if they guessed nutmeg they should get it.  I don't know what the solution was!!! But we all know that Garam Marsala is the Indian Tony's Cajun Seasoning!!!

The next game was wonderful because it put the focus squarely on Ashley. Gabby got everyone to write down a memory they had with her on a piece of paper and then she read it out and everyone had to guess who the memory was from. It was a wonderful time with lots of stories about Ashley and lots of giggles!!! I highly recommend this game as it does make it more Bride focused.

The last game by far was the funniest. Toilet paper wedding dresses!!!! In teams of two they got to make a wedding dress out of toilet paper. It was so funny and entertaining and interesting seeing what you can do with roll of toilet roll!

Toilet Paper Wedding Dresses

 As favors we found these pretty little glass bottles with corks and filled them with strawberry cheesecake jelly beans. I printed out a little label with a butterfly on it and the date of the event and tied a red ribbon around the top. All together they were under $1 for each one. We also got small bottles of water and printed out a label saying Thank You and added a picture of the happy couple. Some curled ribbon finished it off.

It was a wonderful afternoon and the bride enjoyed herself. Ashley was one of my bridesmaids at my wedding so I'm looking forward to watching her get married at the end of the month. 

Happy Home Cooking Bridal style!!!

Suppliers:

Clipart - The Digital Chick Etsy Shop

Martha Stewart Cupcake Stand - Joann Fabrics

Recipe Folder - Amazon.com

Edible Butterflies - Sugar Robot Etsy Shop

Mini Dessert Cube - Party City

Lemonade Fruit Dip - Tastefully Simple

Glass Favor Bottles - Beau-coup.com

Gingerbread Trifle

I hope you all had a very joyful and tasty Christmas.

Today I'm going to do a recipe review. I got a notion, this happens frequently and even though the question "are you pregnant?" follows, the answer is always no. I just get these notions!. Anyhow back to the notion. I wanted to make Trifle as one of my Christmas desserts. Call it a little nostalgia for something British but I really didn't want the traditional British Trifle of Lady Fingers, Custard, Jelly, Fruit and Cream. So to the internet I went. 

Gingerbread Trifle

I found a recipe for Gingerbread Trifle on Familyfun.go.com, which looked amazing. The link is here:

Family Fun Gingerbread Trifle

All the layers sounded delicious and were home made: gingerbread, custard, raspberries and whipped cream.

I was so impressed with the custard recipe and especially proud of myself after I made custard from scratch for the first time and it was so yummy! I feel an Apple and Blackberry Crumble will have to be made this weekend to go with the custard.

The gingerbread was wonderful and could very well stand alone as a bread, it was the perfect density for a trifle and didn't get soggy. 

My only complaint was the raspberry layer, I think pureeing the raspberries and straining to remove any seeds and adding the right amount of sugar to remove the tart taste would be an improvement. It seemed to bring the whole dessert down.

With the improvements to the raspberry layer this is a delicious, impressive dessert. And you really do need to use a trifle bowl to make it, which mine was purchased last minute from Walmart for $6.47 plus tax and it really doesn't look that cheap either. You can also get some mini trifle dishes and make individual servings, perfect for afternoon teas or to help when you serve the trifle, a little less messy option!

Not a bad ending to my first Trifle, I'm thinking something with strawberries for my next attempt!

Coconut Ice Squares & Snowballs.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!!!

It's no secret I LOVE Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour. The world becomes more magical and festivities are abounding, with home cooking taking center stage. And yummy goodies are a special treat.

So I have officially begun my Christmas baking, and I'm going to try and post as many of the recipes as possible to help inspire you!!!!

So get us started I'm turning to a real British tradition, Coconut Ice Squares. I'm also including a variation of it, due to the fact I messed up the first batch, Coconut Ice Snowballs. These are really quick and easy treats to make and your kids might really enjoy getting involved. The best part is that if you store them in an airtight container the will keep for up to a month. You don't need to stick to the traditional white and pink colour for the coconut ice squares, you can go festive crazy and use red and green, or whatever colour works for you.

COCONUT ICE SQUARES

Makes about 32 pieces

Ingredients:

1/2 cup / 100g sweetened condensed milk

2 1/2 cups / 250g powdered sugar, sifted

1 1/2 cups / 200g coconut flakes

No taste red food coloring, optional

Directions:

1. Mix together the condensed milk and powdered sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. The mix will get very stiff but make sure its all combined. (Just think all those calories you are burning stirring it will mean you can have a few extra pieces!!!)

2. Add the coconut to the mix and make sure it's well combined. I usually get my hands into the mix at this point, it's a little easier.

3. Split the mix into two and set one half aside. Leave the remaining half in the bowl and add a few drops of the food coloring and knead until combined.

4. Dust a board with powdered sugar, then shape each half into a smooth rectangle shape, placing one on top of the other.

5. Roll the mix until you have a rectangle about 1 - 1 1/4 inches thick. You will want to reshape it with your hands as you roll to ensure it keeps the rectangle shape.

6. Leave uncovered for at least 3 hours or ideally overnight to set.

7. Cut into squares with a sharp night. I usually put each square in a small cupcake wrapper.

COCONUT ICE SNOWBALLS

Makes about 24 snowballs

Ingredients:

3/4 cup / 150g sweetened condensed milk

2 1/2 cups / 250g powdered sugar, sifted, plus 1/4 cup / 25g for coating

1 1/2 cups / 200g coconut flakes, 1/2 cup / 70g for coating

Directions:

1. Mix together the condensed milk and 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. The mix will get very stiff but make sure its all combined. (Just think all those calories you are burning stirring it will mean you can have a few extra pieces!!!)

2. Add the 1 1/2 cups coconut to the mix and make sure it's well combined. I usually get my hands into the mix at this point, it's a little easier.

3. In a small bowl mix the remaining 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and coconut.

4. Take a tablespoonful of the mix and roll it into a ball, roll the ball in the coconut/sugar mix. If the coating isn't sticking use wet hands to roll the balls.

5. Place the balls in a cupcake wrapper or container and allow to sit uncovered for 3 hours or overnight. Store in airtight contaner

Chocolate Cupcakes

I love cupcakes! They are the perfect little cake all to yourself. Plus I love chocolate!!!! So here is the perfect combination of two of my favorite things.

I think the trick to these is that you use melted chocolate not cocoa powder. My son who will not eat any sort of cake ate 3 in one sitting without frosting!

I've included my vanilla buttercream recipe, which is so wonderful, it really reminds me of ice cream. The recipe makes about 36 - 40 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups cake flour (this is really important because cake flour is lighter than all-purpose flour. It's easily found in most grocery stores, I use the Swann Cake flour)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature (it's really important you let if cool before you putting in the mix)

4 extra-large eggs

1 T (tablespoon) plus 1 tsp (teaspoon) pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Line 36 standard muffin cups with cupcake liners.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Quick tip if you toss it all in the bowl and use a hand whisk you don't need to worry about sieving the flour, you break up the lumps with the whisk.

4. Using your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the chocolate, again let the chocolate cool to room temperature, and beat on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.

6. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.

7. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.

8. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with 1 cup of water and beginning and ending with flour, beating until just combined.

9. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.

10. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the muffin pan and bake for a further 10 minutes, make sure that a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

11. Allow to cool before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream

This recipe makes enough for about 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 - 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy about 3 minutes.

2. Turn the mixer to low speed and add 6 cups of sugar, milk and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy.

3. Continue to add the remaining sugar until you reach the desired consistency.