Candy Apple Whip

You’ve probably seen this “salad” around the web. . .I think it’s known as “snickers salad.”  I love the concept of a dense whipped cream base loaded with crisp apples and chewy bits of candy, but I can’t in good conscience call it a salad – it’s a dessert!

No matter what you choose to call it, it’s delish, and it’s the perfect time to make it with all those leftover Halloween candy bars.

Candy Apple Whip

4 ounces cream cheese (full-fat)

1/2 cup powdered sugar (dip and scoop method)

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

1 granny smith apple, peeled and sliced into chunks

4 small snickers, baby ruth, milky way, and/or 3 musketeers bars – chopped

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth.  Slowly add the heavy whipping cream and beat until nice and fluffy.  Taste to make sure you’ve added enough powdered sugar, and adjust as needed.

Add the apple and chopped candy bars.  Stir together and serve, or refrigerate until serving time.  Enjoy!

Macarons

I love macarons – not to be confused with coconut macaroons.  These cookies are soft, dense, and chewy with great almond flavor, and they’re addicting!  If you interested in a challege, then this recipe is for you.

If you know me personally, then you know that I like things streamlined.  Why include unnecessary steps which inevitably lead to more work?

With that said, this recipe is not foolproof – if you don’t whip the egg whites to the right consistency, grind the almond flour and confectioners sugar together, or if you over/under mix the batter, they will fail.

By the way, those beautiful “ruffles” in the middle are referred to as the “feet,” or “foot” (if you referring to one cookie).  And you can’t really see the filling (because my husband doesn’t like a lot of it), but they’re filled with ganache.

Still interested in giving them a whirl?  Lets get to it!

Macarons Adapted from here

3 egg whites

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups almond flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

food coloring gel

Line an extra-large baking sheet, or two baking sheets (if you are lucky enough to have two ovens) with parchment.  Set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grind the powdered sugar (be sure to add this first) and almond flour in the food processor for about 3 minutes.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar just until foamy.  Slowly add the granulated sugar (a little at a time) while continuously beating.

Next, add in gel food coloring (I like to do this so I can tell when all of my flour has been incorporated into the meringue).  Beat until soft peaks form and the meringue is shiny.  It should look a lot like shaving cream.

Dump the almond flour/powdered sugar mixture on top of the meringue and fold until the flour is incorporated, and just until the batter that falls from your rubber scraper almost ”melts” back into the rest of the batter.

Pour all of the batter into a piping bag and snip off the tip (about an inch) and pipe circles – I do this by piping straight down and releasing pressure when the circle is big enough.

Once all of the batter has been piped, rap the cookie sheet on the counter and place it in the oven for 15 minutes.*

When done, take the cookie sheet out and leave cookies on to cool completely.  This will make removing the cookies easier.

When you’re cookies are cool, simply lift one corner of the parchment (and hold the top of your cookie in your other hand) and peel the paper from it – carefully.  It kind of reminds me of removing a sticker from its backing.

Fill with your favorite frosting or ganache.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before eating (my preference), or eat cold straight from the frig – like my husband does.

*All of the cookies need to go in the oven immediately once piped, otherwise they’ll crack on the tops during baking.

See – ganache in the center!  This is what (I think) a macaron should look like in the center - soft and cake-like.  Yum!

Colorado Green Chili with Pork

This was dinner the other night, and I thought it was nothing short of a miracle.  Because honestly, I was sick and didn’t want to cook, but I didn’t want to order take-out either.  You have those nights, right?

So the green chili ended up being the meal, along with some tortillas, refried beans, shredded cheese, and sour cream.  The kids loved it too – it was full of flavor (without being spicy) and they got to put together their own burritos.

Colorado Green Chili Adapted from From An Adobe Oven to a Microwave Range

1 pound of pork shoulder, fat trimmed and cut into cubes

2 Tablespoons salted butter

1 – 28 ounce can Original Rotel

1 teaspoon garlic

Pinch of salt

2-3 Tablespoons dried minced onions

1 heaping teaspoon chicken base, or 1 (or 2) bouillon cube(s)

2 cups water

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

½ cup cold water

Heat the butter in a large skillet, add the pork and gently brown.  Add the can of Rotel, water, garlic, salt, onions, and chicken base.  Turn to a simmer and let cook – stirring occasionally for about 2 hours.  Adding more water as necessary – it cooks down quite a bit.

Before serving, mix ½ cup of cold water with the cornstarch.  Slowly add a little at a time to the simmering pork mixture and stir.  Continue adding until you have the desired consistency.  I prefer mine to thicken to the consistency of gravy.

Serve over rice, bean, eggs, burritos, or tamales.

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake

This is what happened to the rest of my fresh strawberries – Angel Food Cake!  Love it, love it, love it.

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake Adapted from The Gluten-Free Kitchen

1/2 cup cornstarch*

1/3 cup potato starch*

3/4 teaspoon guar gum

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients above together in a medium bowl; whisk, and set aside.

1 1/4 cup egg whites

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a really large bowl, add the egg whites, water, cream of tartar, and vanilla - beat until really foamy.  Slowly add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff.

Then fold the flour mixture into the stiff egg whites.  Continue to fold until there are no lumps – this takes awhile!  Scoop batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan (with removable bottom), smooth the top and place in the oven for about 35 minutes.

When the cake is done, carefully turn it upside-down with the tube resting on a glass bottle (I used an old Starbuck’s Frappuccino bottle - the tube fit perfectly inside the bottle opening) on top of a cooling rack.  Let cool until the cake falls out of the pan!  Mine only took about 8 minutes.

Serve with sweetened whip cream and strawberries!

*Just a note about measuring.  I put my measuring cup right into the bag (or box) and scoop and level - some people call this the “scoop and swoop” method.

Ranch Chicken Strips

I know this is a lame photo, but in my defense my husband ate my post!  Or more specifically, he ate the dish I set aside with the chicken for my photo.  So, it wasn’t entirely his fault – I know better than trying to take a photo of dinner.

So this piece of chicken was what was left of the entire meal I cooked – which is a good thing.  This is one of those meals that the kids really like – and I love that it only has three ingredients!  Whoopie!

Ranch Chicken Strips Adapted from Chicken Soup for the Soul Recipes for Busy Moms

3/4 of a large bag of potato chips (I use Ruffles)*, crushed

1 cup of ranch dressing (my kids prefer Marzetti’s)

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (trimmed and sliced into inch strips)

Pour the crushed chips into a large (shallow) bowl, and the ranch dressing into another bowl.

Simply dip each chicken strip into the ranch dressing, then coat it in the potato chips and place in an ungreased (glass) 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Place in the oven (uncovered) at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.  They should be nicely browned and the juices should be clear.

Serve with a salad, mashed potatoes, fresh rolls, and fruit!  Yum!

*I’ve tried this recipe with baked potato chips and it doesn’t turn out well.

Linking to: Tidy Mom, I Heart Nap Time

Whipped Cheesecake Strawberry Fool

I really like whip cream, especially when it’s mixed with cream cheese.  It kind of reminds me of cheesecake – another dessert I adore.  And there’s nothing I like better on cheesecake than strawberry topping.

This would be the perfect dessert to serve on Valentine’s Day!

Whipped Cheesecake Cream

8 ounces cream cheese, full fat

1 – 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups heavy cream

Whip the cream cheese and the powdered sugar on low in a medium mixing bowl.  When it’s creamed together, slowly add the cream while continuing to beat to loosen the consistency of the cream cheese.  Continue to beat until fluffy and thick.

I sample the whipped cream at this point and determine if it’s sweet enough for me, if not, add more sugar until desired sweetness.

Strawberry Topping Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

dash of salt

1/3 cup water

4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries

Place the sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan and whisk together to break up any lumps.  Then add the water and stir well.  Add in the strawberries.

Over medium heat, cook and stir until the sauce is thick and just starting to boil.  Stir for 1 to 2 minutes more, then take off the heat and let cool.  Store in the refrigerator.

To Assemble: Simply scoop whipped cheesecake into serving dishes, top with strawberry topping, and continue layering!

I was able to make the “heart”* with the strawberry topping by first layering in the whipped cheesecake, then spooning two small teaspoons of topping next to each other against the glass.  I then added another layer of whipped cheesecake.  I took a skewer (flush against the glass) and pushed it through the middle of the two teaspoons of topping inside of the glass and pulled the skewer back through the middle of the dessert to take it out.  This only worked for me once!  So it’s a bit tricky, but makes for a stunning presentation.  Good luck if you try it!

*I saw this technique in Woman’s Day magazine in 2006.  They used pudding and seedless jam (for the hearts).  I may have to try that next time and see if I get better results.

Linking to Tidy Mom, Chef In Training, Something Swanky, Thirty Handmade Days, Crumbs and Chaos, Inside BruCrew Life

Gluten Free Chocolate Speckled Cake

I have always loved to bake – fresh bread is the best!  But about 10 years ago I found out that I was allergic to gluten.  For awhile I stopped baking completely since I couldn’t enjoy  any of the things that I loved to make.  But after being left out of so many celebrations, since I couldn’t eat the usual treats, I decided it was time to do some recipe searching.

For any of you out there that have friends, or relatives, that are on restricted diets because of food allergies – you know how difficult it is to find recipes that taste good!  Plus, a lot of gluten free recipes tend to have different flour combinations, which can be expensive and time-consuming to mix.   Luckily, I found Glutenfreeda and all of their recipes use the same gluten free mix that you can buy, and they taste great. . .woohoo!

Chocolate Speckled Cake Adapted from Glutenfreeda.com

8 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups gluten free flour (Gluten Free Pantry French Bread & Pizza Mix)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

½ cup sour cream

½ cup canola oil

2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 1-2 minutes – until almost completely melted.  Continue stirring until completely melted.  Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.  Set aside.

In a large (4-cup liquid measuring cup), measure the milk and oil.  Add in the ½ cup sour cream, and then beat in the 2 large eggs. Stir in the chocolate.  Add some of the chocolate while it’s still quite warm (whisk quickly!)– the chocolate will harden into shards – thus the speckled part of the cake.

Slowly add more melted chocolate to the batter and whisk quickly until combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined well.

Pour into two 9-inch cake pans lined with parchment, and coated with nonstick spray.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Frost the cake with your choice of frosting, or sweetened whip cream and chocolate ganache (like the picture).

Linking to I Heart Nap Time