Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

I'm not really sure why I picked this recipe because I don't even like lemon meringue pie. I think it was because they looked so pretty in the book and I had everything for them.If you like lemon meringue pie or know someone who does I would recommend these. They are good, just not for me. The only thing that I did differently was put them under the broiler for a few second because I don't have a kitchen torch.



For cupcakes:
3 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons(about 3 tbsp), plus 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tray with liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

With electric mixer on med-high speed, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire wracks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For Lemon Curd:
2 whole eggs plus 8 egg yolks
1 c sugar
2/3 c fresh lemon juice(about 6 lemons)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

Combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing in directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and fir, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).

1 1/2 c plus 2 tbsp sugar
2/3 c water
2 tbsp light corn syrup
6 large eggs

Combine 1 1/4 c sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan: clip a candy thermometer to the side. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk, whisk egg whites on med-high until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tbsp of sugar, beating to combine

As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230, remove from heat. With mixer on med-low, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to med-high and whisk until mixture is completely cool(test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

To assemble:
Spread 1 tbsp lemon curd onto middle of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with large open star tip(wilton#8B or Ateco#828) with frosting. Pipe with frosting. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 t 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Source: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Book

Baked Oatmeal

I made this twice last week. It's easy to throw together and both my kids liked it. We topped it with some fresh fruit and milk. You can also add the fruit into the batter before it cooks. I have tried it both ways, but I prefer the fruit added after its cooked.I made a half batch because I didn't need a 9X13 inch pan of oatmeal for the three of us.
3 c oatmeal, either quick or old-fashioned
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c oil
1/4 c apple sauce
1 c milk2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 8X8-inch pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with milk and fresh fruit.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Sweet Pepper and Butternut Squash Soup

This soup was good and healthy. It made my house smell great.  I think next time though Id add red pepper as well as the 2 orange peppers to make it not so sweet. Would have been good with sour cream on top.

Preheat oven to 450. Cut a peeled large butternut squash into 1/2 inch squares. Quarter 2 orange peppers and spread veggies out over 2 baking sheets. Toss with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and a pich of cayenne. Roast in oven until tender. About 1/2 hour. Saute onion and and garlic in sauce pan about 5 mins. Add box of chicken stalk. Add cooked veg. Purree until smooth. Thin with water or stock if needed. Salt to taste. I had to add quite abit of salt at this stage. Keeps in fridge 3 days or freezer up to 2 months.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

I have made these muffins many times and they always turn out great.You don't even need to use blueberries and lemon. You could use any kind of citrus and fruit combination that your heart desires. Pineapple orange and strawberry lime are also tasty.


1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 lemon zested and juiced
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 packed brown sugar
1 c blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or grease a muffin pan. Whisk together the oil, milk, egg, and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, mix lemon zest, flours, salt, baking powder and sugars. Mix berries into the flour mixture. Stir in the oil mixture just until moist. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake about 25 minutes.

Hamburger Buns

These are very similar to your brioche bun recipe. You were right, they are maybe a tiny bit better.  Maybe a little easier to make/less rising time. Instead of separating the dough into 9, I would do 8. Mine came out a little small.

1 tbsp. sugar
2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
3 to 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. cold water
sesame, poppy or caraway seeds, or coarse salt, for topping

In a bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water. Add the milk, oil, salt and 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Gradually add flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook and knead until you have a smooth and elastic dough, about 7-9 minutes.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough in oil. Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Working with oiled hands, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, and flatten into 3 ½ -inch disks. For soft-sided buns, place them on a well-seasoned baking sheet a half-inch apart so they will grow together when they rise. For crisper bun, place them three inches apart.

Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

15 minutes before you want to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 400°. Just before baking, brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with any desired toppings.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°. When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

Rocky Mountain Cookies

This was my second time making these cookies.The first time I made them the dough was to dry, so I added a bit of milk. This time I used 1/2 cup less oats and they turned out perfect.


1 c sugar
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 c butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 tsp
baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 c old-fashioned oats(I used 1 1/2 cups)
2 c rice Krispies
2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder to butter mixture. Mix. Fold in oats, cereal and chips. Drop tablespoons of thee dough onto lightly greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden.

Soure: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Taco Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

For the dressing:
1/4 c honey
juice of 3 limes
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c olive oil

Put everything except olive oil in a bowl and whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly pour in olive oil. Whisk until smooth.


For salad:
1 head of Romaine, shredded
3 gr onions, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
half of a red onion, sliced thin
grilled corn or a bag of thawed frozen corn( I forgot the corn)
half of a bunch of cilantro
tomatoes
grilled chicken(I marinated it in some of the dressing)
1/2 shredded cheese
tortilla chips, crushed
*1 can kidney or black beans(see recipe below)

Put everything except for the chips and beans in a large bowl. Toss it. Add some dressing. Top with chips and beans.

* Take a can of beans and rinse well. Put them in a pan with about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 2-3 cloves of garlic, about 1 tablespoon oregano and salt and pepper. Heat the beans through and they are done.

Source: Baked Bree

Caesar Salad Dressing

2 tbsp Mayo or 1 egg
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, plus a drop or two more, to taste
1 oil-packed anchovy fillet, finely chopped(optional)
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk all ingredients except olive oil together. Gradually whisk in olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper.

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Pink Lemonade Ice Cream Cake

Mix softened vanilla ice cream with partially thawed pink lemonade concentrate. I just let them both sit on the counter for 10 minutes while I mashed Arrowroot cookies and mixed them with melted butter until moist. With a little bit of brown sugar too. The recipe called for graham crackers but the arrowroot was nice and calm.

Push into wax paper lined casserole dish and put in freezer while you mash and mix ice cream and lemonade. Once just combined smooth onto crust, cover loosely with plastic wrap. Freeze for 6-8 hours. Cut with a large pizza cutter or cookie cutter. Run cutter under warm water before slicing.

Source: Chatelaine

Neapolitan Layer Cake

This would be a perfect cake for Valentine's day. My plan was to make it then, but I got to excited and make it last weekend instead. I used this recipe from Annie's Eats and didn't change a thing. Even if you don't make the cake I really recommend that you make this icing. You could just eat it out of the bowl or put it on some cupcakes.


Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Sweetapolita

Honey bran Muffins

I have been looking for a bran muffin recipe for a long time. This recipe was good, but I think it would be better with fresh fruit instead of the dried. Next time I will try adding some berries or banana.


ingredients:
Makes 12

2 eggs
1 1/3 c buttermilk
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/4 c honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c 100% bran or all-bran cereal
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c raisins( I used dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil, honey and vanilla; stir in cereal. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon ans salt. Pour bran mixture over dry ingredients; sprinkle with raisins. Stir just until moistened. Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling to top.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden and tops are firm to touch. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack.

Source: The complete Canadian Living Cookbook

BAKING STATION!!!

This is my new baking station. Its kinda like my office. I sit here whenever I have a spare minute and create magnificent breads and buns and muffins and cakes. Who would think not pulling out flour, sugar, soda and oats and putting them all away again would save me so much time. If you have a corner, you should make one. It will change your life.

Cilantro Turkey Burger

On our way back from the farmers market today I almost got hit by car. It was an SUV and it honked really loud right in my ear. Im super emotional and pregnant today and so I started to cry. I cried all the way home. When we got home Lainey was asleep so I had to take the oppurtunity to mix the turkey I just bought for dinner, but I was still crying.  So I cried while I mixed the meat.  Its an emotional recipe but it was sooooooo good.

I mixed chopped cilantro, green pepper, onion, garlic, salt, pepper. And the secret emotional ingredient...one tablespoon of brown sugar. I served it on your bun recipe. Which by the way is SUPERB!!

Maybe their IS something to freshly ground meat. As gross at it might seem. Cuz this burger was amazing. Or maybe it was the tears and the brown sugar. In any case you should make it. A hit girlfriend!

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Remember when I made these.  Well this is better.  Way better.  I think your mom actually used to make these for us when we were little.  This recipe is adapted from Chef At Home. These pancakes are the best I've ever eaten. And im not a pancake person, but these were super quick to make and Lainey loved them.  You gotta try them.

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 egg
1/2 cup blueberries

Directions
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk all the wet ingredients together in another bowl then add them to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spoon until all the ingredients are combined but not smooth, the mix should be a tiny bit lumpy. Fold in berries.
Preheat a cast iron skillet or sauté pan. Heat until a drop of water dances on the surface. If the water instantly evaporates the surface is to hot, if it just lies still, too cold. Use lots of butter to cook the pancakes in whatever size you like. Enjoy!