#and she read 'mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl' with only half a second pause between each word

[beneathsilverstars]

my kid is getting so into the warrior cats it's so cute. she gets all dismayed whenever the cats do something mean or strict, she's always like "if i was there, i would let firepaw eat something, i would catch a mouse and give it to him." or "wow, yellowfang is SO mean, if i was a cat i would hiss and scratch her!" like yes queen go off!!! you would be the nicest warrior cat in the clan!

[mangohealth]

My 13 Favorite Low-Carb Foods (and 3 to Avoid)

Finding low-carb foods that actually taste good and aren’t chock full of fake, chemical-laden ingredients is a tough pursuit—one I’ve been on since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes nearly twenty years ago. But I never gave up! And now I’m going to share a few of my favorite products and recipes that will help you keep your carb intake low, keep your tastebuds happy, and fill your body with mostly whole, real delicious food!

Soft & Fluffy Bread Rolls from The Diet Doctor (recipe)

These are a staple in my house. I eat two or  to three small rolls every day and let me tell you, not only do I not need insulin for them (unless I melt some chocolate chips on top in the microwave), they also make your digestive tract sing thanks to all that fiber. While you may have to do a little shopping around to get the right ingredients (I highly recommend ordering Anthony’s almond flour and psyllium husk on Amazon for a good price), once you make them the first time, they become really easy. I make a double batch every few weeks and store them in the fridge and freezer so I can eat them every day!

Edamame Fettuccine Pasta from Seapoint Farms (product)

I’ve tried a lot of low-carb pastas. And there are a few good ones out there, but...this one is the best. First of all, you could eat half the box and only consume 22 grams of non-starchy carbs after subtracting the dietary fiber. The texture, the taste, the fact that you can’t over-cook it and accidentally turn it into mush—it’s just so good.  Even my stubborn father-in-law ate it and loved it! Honestly, I won’t bother buying any of my former low-carb pasta choices because this one is so exceptional.

Edible Cookie Dough from Lions Pack (product)

This peanut butter based “dough” is scary delicious. And sure, if you eat the whole jar, the carb count isn’t low anymore, but if you keep this tucked in the fridge for a spoonful (or two) after dinner each night as your “dessert,” the carb content is wonderfully low for something that tastes like a strawberry poptart or a s’more or a cinnamon roll or...Oreos!! Every flavor is gluten-free and vegan, and the flavor options are endless. It’s not cheap, but if it helps you stay on track and avoid the real Oreos, it might become a worthwhile staple in your home.

Bread, Bagels and More...from The Great Low-Carb Bread Company (product)

I love everything this company makes, but am especially impressed by the bagels -- which even my husband liked. Their breads are soft, fluffy, and look and taste like bread. Their low-carb recipe secrets focus primarily on a highly effective combination of oat fiber, almond flour, flax meal, and stevia. Did I mention many of their products are also gluten-free? Their hamburger buns and pastas won’t take away from enjoying those classic meals. They even have low-carb soft-pretzels. You’ve gotta check these out. Delicious, I promise!

Discover Chocolate from Discover Confectionery (product)

Oh, this stuff is good. Many of their flavors are deliciously unique (probably because this is a UK-based product), and it tastes and feels and looks like real chocolate! An entire bar will deliver about 13 grams of low-impact carbs, and is filled with real food ingredients--not chemicals and fake junk. The only flaw of this product is the price.

Flaxseed Muffin in a Mug from a variety of sources (recipe)

This muffin is one of my morning go-to recipes. It takes less than 5 minutes to make a single serving. It’s full of real ingredients, super healthy fats, lots of fiber, and sometimes...chocolate chips! Mix ingredients in a dry coffee mug. Microwave for 70 seconds. Pop it out onto a plate. Cut into 3 slices and add a little butter or...whatever! My favorite version of this includes a tablespoon of chocolate chips to get my chocolate fix without breaking the “carb bank.”

Quest Protein Bars from Quest Nutrition (product)

While I wouldn’t want to encourage using protein bars as a meal replacement (‘cause let’s be honest, they are definitely not made of “whole” food ingredients), these are a great go-to if you’re trying to avoid real desserts, or when you need on-the-go “Oh, my gosh, I’m starving” kind of food from the bottom of your bag. They come in a billion flavors, including birthday cake, cookies ‘n cream, and cinnamon roll. After subtracting the fiber, the remaining carbs are pretty low-impact, and they’re plenty satisfying.

Spiralized Veggies from a variety of sources (product)

Even if you don’t have the “as seen on TV” veggie spiralizer, you can buy pre-spiralized zucchini and carrots to make a your own low-carb “pasta.” (Yes, carrots contain some carbs, but hose carbs are coming from a source that’s a whole food, high in fiber, and packed with essential vitamins.) You can find them in the fresh produce aisle at your grocery store, or in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s, along with frozen cauliflower rice. Simply throw them in a large saute pan with a little oil, add some herbs or sauce, and you have a low-carb and super healthy “pasta” dish.

Really, Really Easy Breadsticks from Kirbies Cravings (recipe)

Ditch the starchy breadsticks and even the pizza crust and make this effortless zero-carb flatbread instead. Literally, you just toss eggs, cheese and herbs into a food processor. Zap zap zap. Pour that batter onto parchment paper in a cookie pan. Bake. Voila! 

Chia Seeds from a variety of sources (product)

Chia seeds are definitely trendy these days, but for a good reason: you can make delicious breakfast or dessert pudding with this little seed from Mexico. Soak in just a couple tablespoons overnight in your milk of choice (low-carb milks like coconut or almond would be ideal), and by morning you’ll find you have a thick cup full of chia seed pudding that only contains about 1 gram of carb after subtracting the fiber. You can make it sweeter with your preferred alternative sweetener, or jazz it up with a little peanut butter and a tablespoon of real chocolate chips. Checkout more easy recipe ideas from GnomGnom.

Zucchini Pizza Bites from LowCarbYum (recipe)

Honestly, you don’t even need to know how to read to make these. It’s so easy, and so customizable, too! Chop zucchini into medium-thickness slices and top with a little pasta sauce (check your label closely to avoid buying a high-sugar sauce), a little cheese and 1 slice of pepperoni per slice of zucchini. Pop them in the oven until the cheese is fully melted—delicious low-carb pizza night. Kids will like them. Picky husbands who don’t care about their carb intake will like them. I haven’t offered them to my father-in-law yet, but I bet he might even enjoy them, too!

Romaine Lettuce! No...seriously! Swap it for all bread....

The easiest way to cut the processed, starchy carbs from a sandwich or tacos or even a hamburger is to simply keep a giant stash of romaine lettuce in your fridge at all times. Lay strips of bacon with chopped tomatoes and mayo on romaine for a low-carb BLT. Ditch those corn-laden taco shells and turn Mexican night into a fresh crunchy salad by filling a bowl with fresh crunchy romaine lettuce. Add a little salsa, a little hot sauce, maybe a little more cheese...taco night never tasted so good! (And did you know, romaine lettuce is just as loaded with awesome nutrients as spinach and kale? )

3 “LOW CARB” FOODS TO AVOID

Shirataki Noodles

Okay, some people must love these, but I’m not one of those people. While they don’t contain carbs, these “noodles” are also  void of basically any nutrition whatsoever and come in smelly liquid with an unpleasant taste that takes a lot of rinsing and a lot of sauce to cover up. They also have a texture that makes me feel like I might be accidentally chewing on someone’s ear cartilage. If you’ve never tired, you should...at least once. But don’t surprised if you find yourself needing to make something else for dinner after the first bite.

Julian’s Bakery Breads from Julians Bakery (product)

These seem like a dream come true...before you’ve actually tasted them. I’m sorry to say that these extremely low-carb bread varieties are not only not tasty but even  hard to even swallow. I choked on the first bite, to be honest. They are dry, weirdly textured, and void of any real flavor (at least a flavor you’d enjoy eating). There must be diehard fans out there, because this company has been around for a while...but I’ve never met them.

Diet Soda

Many people will disagree with me on this one, but at least hear me out. A diet soda here and there--let’s say, once a week--is no big deal. But if diet soda has become your go-to source of hydration every day of the week, not only are you consuming a heck of a lot of chemicals, you’re also only going to make your sweet tooth crave more and more sweet things. When I finally quit drinking diet soda, things with no sugar in them at all started tasting deliciously sweet--like flavored seltzer with a dash of apple cider vinegar. There’s also a great deal of conflicting research on the safety of many artificial sweeteners, and on whether or not they may be increasing a person’s insulin resistance, because their bodies to need more insulin, not less.

About the author:

Ginger Vieira has lived with Type 1 diabetes and Celiac disease since 1999, and fibromyalgia since 2014. She is the author of Pregnancy with Type 1 Diabetes, Dealing with Diabetes Burnout, Emotional Eating with Diabetes, and Your Diabetes Science Experiment. Her background includes a B.S. in professional writing, certifications in cognitive coaching, Ashtanga yoga, and personal training, with several records in drug-free powerlifting. She lives in Vermont with her husband, their two daughters, and their dog, Pedro.

If you liked this post, you may also like:

• 5 Healthy Kitchen Shortcuts You Need to Know

• Diagnosis: New Diabetes Doctor Needed

• The Beginner’s Commercial Break Workout

The posts on this blog are for information only. They are neither intended to substitute for a relationship with your doctor or other healthcare provider, nor do they constitute medical or healthcare advice of any kind. Any information in these posts should not be acted upon without consideration of primary source material and professional input from one’s own healthcare providers.

[healthycookingnfitness]

How To Make Best Meat Stew Sauce With Gravy And Syrup

Introduction

The meat stew is the most loved food for many people because it tastes delicious and has thick gravy which is best matched with rice. This meat stew sauce with gravy and syrup can be prepared using beef or chicken meat.

It will certainly make your mouth water when you eat it. The cooking time is about an hour to two hours depending on how much meat that you are going to use.

Ingredients:

2 kilos of meat soup (beef or chicken)

3 tablespoon cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of butter. Potato starch to thicken the sauce.

All other ingredients are optional like carrot, cabbage, sour fruit, or any vegetable you like in making stew.

Now Prepare the Meat Stew Sauce with Gravy and Syrup

1. Put a pot on the stove and add water. You can add some salt to it.

2. When the water is boiling, put in the meat and let it boil for about 10-15 minutes.

3. After that you have to remove the remaining scum by using a skimmer or strainer spoon so that it will prevent your gravy from becoming bitter taste.

4. Cover with lid and set aside for further use to let the meat cool down completely before cutting into small pieces (about 2 inches). The more time you give it, the easier it will be for you to separate the meat from the bone easily.

5. Heat up another pot on the stove and place sliced onion in there then stir until they are soft enough. Stirring continuously will make sure that your sauce does not burn and stick to the bottom of the pot.

6. Put in salt, ground black pepper and tomato paste then mix well until everything is melted together

7. Stir continuously to make sure that your gravy does not stick on the bottom of the pot when cooking it.

8. Add beef stock cubes (or chicken cubes), water, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Maggi Sauce, or soup seasoning with starch powder and stir gently. Make sure that you do not add too much water because excess water will thicken your gravy making it grainy and thick which in turn will spoil its taste

9. Stir for about half an hour so that each ingredient melts completely into one mixture without forming lumps or grains after that you can turn off the heat.

10. Heat up another pot then pour in some vegetable oil and stir until it is hot enough then add chopped onions, leeks, garlic, and chili pepper to cook for about 5-8 minutes or until soft.

Place this mixture into a food processor or blender so that you can get a smoother texture for the sauce. Make sure that you do not put any water when blending it otherwise your meat stew will become oily instead of having gravy.

11 . After grinding all these ingredients together, mix them back with the remaining stock mixture in the pot and let it boil again for just about 5 minutes without covering the lid almost 3/4 time during the cooking process is usually good enough to evaporate excess moisture from vegetables.

12. Boil again for about 10 minutes and turn off the heat then set aside to allow it to cool down or store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.

13. Just before you are going to eat meat stew, bring another pot of water (enough to cover the entire amount) to the stove and cook the rice separately, adding some salt in it, and let it boil until done.

When your rice is almost cooked drain away any excess water from it so that it will not be mushy when served with gravy.

14. Place small portions of rice onto individual plates on top put some meat stew sauce with gravy over the rice and drizzle some syrup over the meat stew over this (optional). Serve immediately after this.

15. Enjoy with chips or some vegetables for a healthy meal!

16. Refrigerate any leftover meat stew after cooling it down then store in freezer up to two weeks.

Some Tips When You Are Cooking Meat Stew With Gravy and Syrup

Keep stirring while cooking so that your gravy does not stick to the bottom of the pot.  The more you stir, the better it will turn out.

Faqs

1-How do you make stew meat taste better?

You can add some beef stock or bouillon to it.

2-I did not have time to separate the meat from the bone of cuts so I just put all of them into one pot, will this affect my recipe?

Yes! you may need to cook less if your cuts are still attached together with their bones whereas if they are already separated then you can cook it longer for 10-15 minutes.

3 -What is the difference between marinating and soaking meat prior to cooking it?

Marinating meat refers to a process in which a piece of meat is mixed with ingredients like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, peri sauce, wine, or vinegar before cooking it while soaking means letting the meat rest in juice or water for an hour or even longer (overnight) in the fridge so that it will tenderize easier when cooking without drying up the meat.

4-How do I know if my gravy is thick enough?

Gravy should be thick like syrup and not runny. If you can easily make a line with your spoon down to the bottom of it, then it is surely lumps-free and ready to serve.

5-I cooked some stew without separating the meat from bones but I did cook them separately before putting them together all this while also stirring them frequently then after adding tomatoes, stock cubes, water, and seasoning powders I left everything to boil for about half an hour before turning off the heat now; even thou I tried serving it in a bowl, the meat is still all clumped up together with bones pls help!

It happens because you did not cook meat or bones separately before adding them into stock but if you do this then later separate them as much as possible before serving. (you can see Answer no 1 )

6 -What Is The Difference In Marinating And Soaking Meat Before Cooking It?

Marinating and soaking differ in the amount of time that the meat will be kept in water or marinade sauce.  Preservatives are mostly used to marinate while soaking requires additional ingredients like salt to tenderize it.

7-How Can I Make Gravy Without Adding Any Stock Cubes Or Tablets To It?

Clarify butter first in a pot by pouring it in while heating, stirring continuously until its color turns into light brown then set aside.

To cook meat stew with gravy and syrup, you will need to add about half of the clarified butter to your pot and let it heat up on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the grease comes out at the bottom (you can use oil instead if you are not comfortable using butter).

8-How Can I Prepare Meat When Cooking So That It Will Not Stick On The Bottom Of The Pot?

You can marinate them overnight in some red wine before cooking. Rub salt on them after marinating then put them on a high flame for few seconds on each side so that excess water gets evaporated.

Add butter and oil to the bottom of a pot and cook them on medium heat until they get browned then add chopped onions, garlic, peppers, and other seasonings.

9-What Can I Do If My Gravy Does Not Turn Out Right Or Is Sticky?

If your gravy looks sticky, take it off the heat immediately and pour about 1 cup of cold water into it; stir continuously until unclamp (if you do not want to use water then use some butter, half diluted).

Cook some meat separately without adding any water in a separate pot for 10 minutes on each side using a high flame. Add this cooked meat into your gravy after separating it as much as possible from bones.

Keep stirring while cooking so that nothing sticks on the bottom of your pot.  If you need your gravy to be thicker, leave it on the heat with medium fire for more time.

10-Why Is It Hard To Cook Gravy Without Any Lumps?

If you add ingredients like a stock cube, bouillon powder, or even if you used flour for thickening into a hot liquid while stir-frying it then lumps will occur in the end so better not to do that.

You can dissolve your meat and other ingredients in cold water before adding them into the hot liquid while stirring continuously or simply use a blender to mix everything together especially if your dish is already cooked (simmering stage)

Because adding cold water would only make things worse by creating some unwanted lumps in gravy but if you add cold water to a warm gravy, then it would only speed up the process of coagulation.

11-How Can I Make It Nice And Thick Without Using Flour Or Store-Bought Gravy Cubes?

Cook meat and bones in boiling water for 10 minutes on each side using a high flame. Remove all excess fat from cooked meat or bones with kitchen towels.

Use the same broth to cook carrots, potatoes (cut small ), onions, and seasoning spices. Add flour dissolved in a cold liquid (water, milk) while stirring on low heat and boil for 5-10 minutes or until it thickens.

You can thicken your gravy even more by adding corn starch dissolved in water but be careful not to overdo this as it will make your sauce too thick, resembling glue.

Read More About How to Cook Hot Dogs Complete Guide

Conclusion

I can say that the steps are easy to follow and it does not take too long time to prepare. Cooking is a passion for me and I always smile at the sight of a boiling pot or stove whether in my house up-close or from afar.

I have heard from some friends that preparing food tends to be hard especially when it comes to cooking ingredients like meat, chicken, lamb, etc. One thing that they are able to do is placing everything inside the freezer so that it will be easier since their focus is mainly on the preparation of other dishes and being able to cook them all at once would really save time.

Although there are several ways how you can make your meat tender including marinating and soaking, you still need to keep in mind that your meat has to be fresh (there are always those days when my mom would go to the market and she comes home empty-handed because a vendor was selling old meat ).

So these are just some recipes I came up with after reading different articles on the Internet but if you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask me then I will try to help you out.

Please make sure your comments are only related to the article topic so that we can avoid useless "arguments" here.

Thank You !: Thank you for taking time for reading this article (or at least scrolling down till here ) and I hope it helps you gain some knowledge about cooking which is also fun making it less burdensome.

[curutquit]

Oats banana tikki with pita bread. Oat Flour Banana Bread is made with Gluten-Free oats, butter, and Greek yogurt, you will love this Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe. Raw banana has lots of health benefit also. Today I am introducing a veg Kebab/Tikki using raw banana (Most popular veg starter). Пита Простой рецепт вкусной лепешки с полостью внутри

Heartier than normal banana bread, this Banana Oat Bread makes the perfect breakfast bread! Just sweet enough with great texture, this bread is the best way to start the day. Do you see a theme going here?

Hey everyone, it's Jim, welcome to my recipe page. Today, I will show you a way to prepare a distinctive dish, oats banana tikki with pita bread. It is one of my favorites. For mine, I will make it a little bit tasty. This is gonna smell and look delicious.

Oats banana tikki with pita bread is one of the most popular of current trending meals on earth. It's easy, it's fast, it tastes yummy. It's enjoyed by millions every day. They are nice and they look fantastic. Oats banana tikki with pita bread is something which I've loved my whole life.

Oat Flour Banana Bread is made with Gluten-Free oats, butter, and Greek yogurt, you will love this Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe. Raw banana has lots of health benefit also. Today I am introducing a veg Kebab/Tikki using raw banana (Most popular veg starter). Пита Простой рецепт вкусной лепешки с полостью внутри

To begin with this particular recipe, we have to prepare a few components. You can have oats banana tikki with pita bread using 18 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you can achieve it.

The ingredients needed to make Oats banana tikki with pita bread:

{Prepare 3 cups of whole wheat flour(atta).

{Prepare 1/4 cup of oats flour.

{Prepare 2 tsp of active dry yeast.

{Take 1 tbs of olive oil.

{Take 1 1/4 cups of warm water.

{Get 1 tsp of salt.

{Prepare 1/4 tsp of sugar.

{Make ready 1 cups of Oats.

{Make ready 4 of medium Raw banana boiled, peeled and mashed.

{Make ready 1/2 tsp of Salt.

{Make ready 1/2 tsp of Red chilli powder.

{Take 1 of Onion (chopped).

{Make ready 1 tsp of Garam masala powder.

{Prepare 1 tsp of Chaat masala.

{Take 1 tbs of coriander leaves (chopped).

{Make ready 1/2 cup of Carrot grated.

{Get 1/2 cup of milk for coating.

{Prepare as needed of Olive oil for greasing and cooking.

I mentioned last week that I was on a banana bread kick, and from the. I have been getting few requests for Snacks using Oats from my readers and hence I had come up with an Oats Tikki recipe which is an easy and healthy snack. I have included oats in my breakfast in many interesting options and now slowly started to include them in various varieties other than breakfast. See more ideas about banana oats, banana oat bread, greek yogurt muffins.

Instructions to make Oats banana tikki with pita bread:

Mix together yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water in a bowl, then let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes..

Mix whole wheat flour and oats flour in another bowl and salt, olive oil and yeast mixture and knead with the help of warm water till soft and smooth dough. Keep the dough into greased container with some olive oil applied all over the dough and close the container.Rest for 2 hours or until it doubled in bulk (about 2 hours)..

Punch down dough and cut into 8 pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Dust the working surface with flour and roll each ball into round like roti with rolling pin. Preheat oven/ electric tandoor (I used tadoor to make it) bake Pita bread till golden, about 2 minutes. Turn over with tongs and bake 1 minute more. Bake all pita bread in same way. Your pita bread is ready..

Mix boiled banana,salt, red chilli powder, onion, garam masala powder, chaat masala, coriander leaves, carrot and 4tablespoons oats in a bowl..

Divide mixture into 8 equal portions and shape into tikkis. Dip them in the milk and roll in oats and set aside. Heat a non-stick tawa and cook tikkis on medium heat, turning sides, till golden brown on both sides tikki is ready..

Cut pita bread from middle in half like packet and put tikki,onion,tomato, cucumber slice and lettuce leaf in the packet of pita bread and serve..

But she can have flour, oats, bananas, maple syrup, and Greek yogurt, which is exactly what's the kind of ingredients you'll find in this loaf of Greek What I did was take the recipe for my Greek yogurt banana bread and tweak it a little bit to allow for the addition of oats. Oh, and to make everything in. Health Benefits - Banana Oatmeal Fitness Cookies. Perfect for when you need an energy boost on the go. This banana bread not only the best way to use up old bananas, but this banana bread makes a great freezable dish, you can pull out when ever you're in a crunch for breakfast, need Unlike your average banana bread …my recipe features a lot less sugar, honey oats and my absolute favorite…walnuts!

So that's going to wrap this up with this special food oats banana tikki with pita bread recipe. Thank you very much for your time. I am confident you will make this at home. There is gonna be interesting food at home recipes coming up. Don't forget to save this page on your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!

[vcg73]

Hummel Holidays 2017: It’s a Date

Hummel Holidays Prompt #2: Baking

Rare Pair: Kurt and Elliott

~*~*~*~*~

“Oh m’Gaw! Dese’r amaving!  Wemom?”

 Kurt rolled his eyes and passed his friend the glass of cold milk he had been sipping from as he worked. Elliott had walked in and made a beeline for the array of fluffy golden cookies sitting on the cooling racks, promptly popping one into his mouth with no regard for the fact that it had come out of the oven only ten seconds earlier. He was currently attempting to chew the hot cookie without touching it to his tongue or the tender roof of his mouth, but still taste it and talk at the same time.

 “Lemon, yes, and you might want to give this next batch a minute to cool before you try one,” Kurt advised, placing a second pan full of generously chocolate chipped dough balls into the oven.

 Chugging the remainder of the milk down along with a second sample from the racks, Elliott licked his lips and grinned as he handed back the empty glass. “You didn’t tell me we were baking today.”

 He snorted. “We, huh? I’m pretty sure baking involves more than just scarfing down the end result. And stop eating all my cookies! I’m making these for the homeless shelter.”

 Elliott’s greedy fingers paused halfway to grabbing another, cheeks flushing a little. “Oh, yeah, sorry. Guess I should’ve figured that since One Three Hill is providing the entertainment for tonight’s party. Uh, well then, pass me an apron and point me toward the supplies. I’ll mix up a batch of snickerdoodles while you pour us some more milk.”

 Unable to resist the winsome smile that came along with this offer, Kurt nodded and rummaged through the plastic packing crate that held his glassware. Picking one with tiny flowers frosted into the glass that Rachel had picked up at a flea market, he opened the fridge to pour their drinks and said, “I didn’t even know you knew how to make snickerdoodles. I haven’t had those in years.”

 “Oh, man, they’re the best! They’re my mom’s specialty. She taught me the recipe when I turned ten. Her family has lived in New England since, like, the Mayflower and this recipe has been handed down through generations. Today only a handful of people in the entire world know it!”

 Kurt grinned, strongly suspecting that his leg was being pulled. “Well, then!” he said, handing over a fresh glass of milk. “Should I leave the room? Put on a blindfold? Pinch my nose shut so I don’t accidentally guess the secret ingredient?”

 “I think I can trust you. But just to make sure…”  Elliott’s face went solemn, but his eyes continued to sparkle with fun as he held up his right hand and offered Kurt’s recipe book with the other, waiting until Kurt obligingly placing his own right hand on the book and raised his left. “Kurt Hummel, do you solemnly swear upon pain of burnt cookies and fallen layer cakes never to divulge this secret to The Food Network, or any other for-profit entity?”

 Struggling not to laugh, Kurt forced his features into an equally solemn set and nodded. “I so swear.”

 “Great!  Okay then, we’ll need a cup of butter, a cup of sugar, half a cup of brown sugar, two eggs, three cups of flour, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and cinnamon. I’ll also need a saucepan and a couple of mixing bowls.”

 With a nod, Kurt gathered the requested items. Most were already on hand since he had been baking for the past hour. Since his favorite mixing bowl already had chocolate chip dough in it, he quickly washed up the bowl he’d used for the lemon cookies and dug out a large but slightly worn out spare one that he’d brought from Ohio. “Pan’s over the stove. What do you need it for?”

 “Because that is the secret ingredient,” he explained, wriggling out of his leather jacket, leaving himself clad in an artistically ragged gray sleeveless t-shirt, and throwing on Kurt’s borrowed apron, which bore the words ‘Sit back and relax.  You must be exhausted from watching me do everything!’ Glancing down at the words, he laughed. “Feeling a little passive aggressive, were we?”

 Kurt blushed. “Just a little. It made me feel better, but the others didn’t even get the joke.”

 “Figures,” he grunted. “Okay, so we start with the butter.”

He measured out a cup of butter and transferred it into the saucepan. While Kurt watched with interested eyes, he turned the stove on to medium heat and began whisking the butter with slow even strokes. He continued this patiently for three or four minutes until the butter was melted and slightly frothy, emitting a pleasant almost nutty aroma as it browned. Then he poured the butter into the larger bowl to cool and began mixing in the sugars, cream of tartar, and eggs together with it. In the second bowl, he blended his dry ingredients together, then gradually blended the two.

 “You’re good at that,” Kurt commented, not even bothering to pretend that he was not admiring the play of strong muscles in Elliott’s exposed shoulder as he beat the dough together with firm pressure, preferring to stir the ingredients by hand rather than borrow Kurt’s hand mixer.

 “Thanks.” Preening a little, he deliberately flexed his arm a little more. He and Kurt had never dated, but a little flirting between friends was always welcome. “Could you sprinkle some white sugar and cinnamon onto a sheet of waxed paper for me?”

 Kurt nodded, pausing a moment to take his baking batch out of the oven as the timer dinged and transferring them to the racks. He quickly shifted the lemon cookies into a waiting tin lined with a paper towel, leaving the lid off to allow them to finish cooling. Once that was done, he quickly cleared a space and laid out the requested waxed paper, covering it with a small amount of cinnamon sugar. While this was done, Elliott had been molding the cookie dough into little walnut sized globes. He took each dough ball and rolled it through the sugar, setting the finished ones in a neat row until they could be baked, since Kurt still had another two pans of chocolate chip ready to go and there would be no more baking sheets available until one of them had hands free to wash the newly emptied one.

 An hour later, the two-man baking team had finished their creations and sampled at least one of each variety of cookie, leaving dozens for the enjoyment of those attending tonight’s party.

 “Dani will be so sorry she decided to meet us at the shelter instead of coming by early,” Kurt said, dipping a snicker-doodle in his milk, frowning a bit at the resultant spice decorating his drink, then shrugging and simply belting back what was left to wash down the last of the treat.

 “I know, man. She missed out,” Elliott agreed, licking his lips happily.

 Kurt held out a hand for Elliott’s empty glass, taking them to the sink to finishing washing up the last of the dishes. Kurt was a ‘clean as you go’ baker and his kitchen was far from the disaster area Elliott’s would have been had they done this project at his place.  The application of a wet sponge and a little scrubbing, and the counters were also immaculately clean. Only the waiting tins of warm, neatly arranged cookies gave proof of the afternoon’s activity.

 Elliott shook his head, admiring the almost military precision of his friend’s baking style. “You know, we should do this again,” he said. “Maybe cook something next time. I mean, I don’t really know how to make anything except stews and curries, but I’ll bet you could teach me. If you were okay with that.”

 A big smile met this suggestion. Kurt looked like he’d just been given a wonderful present, clasping his hands and bouncing up on his toes with sudden excitement. “Of course! I have loads of cook books with recipes we could try. Some of them I’ve wanted to make for ages, but there never seemed much point in going to all that effort just for myself.”

 “What about your roommates?”

 He shrugged. “I’ve offered, but Santana isn’t a very adventurous eater, and I never know from week to week whether Rachel will be vegetarian, or vegan, or protein only, or all carbs. One week she decided out of the blue that she was going to do a liquid-only cleanse that she had read about in a magazine. It was supposed to last for a month, but three days into it, I was awakened in the middle of the night by the sounds of her going to town on leftover Chinese food, three different kinds of chips, and my newly purchased pint of strawberry-cheesecake ice cream.”

 Elliott laughed. He could picture that easily. For such a tiny woman, Rachel could really pack it away when she was in the mood. “Well, I’ll try anything once. Let’s make a pact to get together once a week and try out a brand new recipe. Something neither of us has tried before.”

 Kurt beamed. “How about Fridays?  Friday Night Dinner was a staple in my house growing up. We would always make the time to get together, no matter what, to have a sit down meal together on that night. I tried to bring the tradition back with my friends, but it only lasted a few meals before everyone started begging off for various reasons. Do you want to try it?”

 Pleased that Kurt was willing to share a special tradition with him, perhaps in return for sharing his own family recipe, Elliott said, “It’s a date.”

 Unexpectedly, Kurt blushed and turned away. “It’s getting late. Maybe we’d better get all these cookies packed up. I was planning to call for a ride instead of trying to get all these safely to the shelter on the subway.”

 “Good idea,” he said, wondering at that sudden mood shift. Kurt’s reaction to his flippant use of the word ‘date’ had given him pause. He considered just letting it go, but . . . somehow he did not want to let it go. “Kurt?”

 “Yeah?”

 Elliott took a deep breath, hoping he was not about to make a mistake and cause the rest of the night to become horribly awkward. “I had a really good time today.”

 “Me too,” he agreed with a smile.

 “Uh, yeah, so I was thinking. That is . . . I mean, I always have a good time when I’m with you.”

 Kurt’s expression softened, becoming almost wistful. “So do I.”

 “Right, so . . . do you think it’s weird for best friends to . . .”

 “To . . .” Kurt repeated, brows raising as he encouraged Elliott to finish the thought.

 Elliott paused. It was now or never. He wasn’t seeing anyone, and Kurt had been single for a decent enough span of time not to seem like he was pouncing on a vulnerable heart. He had always told himself that Kurt wasn’t his type, but Elliott knew that the sheer number of times he had given himself that reminder pretty much proved it a false claim.

 “Would you be willing to go out with me some time?” he blurted. “Not as friends. Or, I mean, of course we’re still friends, but . . . as more than friends?”

 Kurt blinked, looking as though he was not quite sure he was hearing correctly. Then he smiled a little shyly and said, “You mean, you and me; like a, go out together, do something fun, kiss at the end of the evening . . . type of thing?”

 Elliott grinned, liking the idea a lot now that he was hearing it out loud. “Exactly. Maybe not Friday, because I’m already having recipe night with my best bud on Friday, but how about Saturday?”

 Laughing at his words, but clearly touched that Elliott did not want to chance losing their friendship by throwing dating into the mix, Kurt ducked his head and said, “That sounds great. You told me you’d been wanting to visit the Museum of Modern Art, right? Maybe we could go together. Or, is that a dumb idea?”

 “I think it’s a great idea,” he said, already picturing the two of them strolling slowly hand in hand through the halls of the great structure. “And maybe get some coffee and take a snowy walk through Central Park afterward.”

 Kurt’s eyes shone at the mere mention of something so unabashedly romantic. “I’d love to.”

 “Then we definitely have a date.” Wondering how he was going to contain his sudden giddy joy all evening, Elliott reached out and took Kurt’s hand, giving it a little squeeze before letting go and returning to the task of packing up the goodies for tonight’s party.

 Stepping next to him, so that they stood side by side at the counter, Kurt accepted the cookie tin he was offered and settled it into a bag he’d brought out earlier for transporting. One by one, they packed the bag in this way, taking their time.  They did not say anything more about their sudden change in status from best friends to possibly-more-than-friends, but the silence that stretched between them felt comfortable. Every so often, their arms would bump and they would exchange a smile that somehow felt both feel warmer and closer than it ever had before.

 “I won’t do it until Saturday night,” Elliott remarked as the last tin was packed and the bag was closed up for travel. He pulled his jacket back on and accepted the warm blue scarf that Kurt held out with a scolding little cluck of his tongue, tucking it into place around his neck and down the front of his coat as he zipped the leather securely. He then lifted the strap of the cookie bag and settled it on his shoulder without asking, giving Kurt a chance to don his own coat and scarf and lock the door behind them.

 “Do what?” Kurt asked as they started down the stairs together. His building had an elevator, but it was a risky proposition at the best of times.

 Shifting the bag from one shoulder to the other, Elliott reached over and threaded his fingers through Kurt’s. “I was just thinking back there that I’d really like to kiss you, and that I felt kind of stupid for not realizing before today how much I wanted to do that.”

 Kurt smiled and ducked his head. “Oh, that.”

 “Yeah, that, and then I thought that I can’t do it. Not until Saturday night when I take you home. Or you take me home, whichever way it ends up. Because I’ve never been very good at the whole dating thing, but I want to do it right with you.”

 He tipped his head, looking up at Elliott’s face with a fond smile. “That’s really sweet. I don’t really have a lot of experience at dating either. I have a weird habit of pining, then sort of falling in love without thinking it through, then moving in with people.”

 Elliott laughed a little. “Sounds like we both have some catching up to do.”

 “Agreed. So no kisses until Saturday,” Kurt said, still smiling as he checked his phone for the status of the car service driver he’d called. “How do you feel about hugging?”

 “Friends hug,” he said, swinging an arm around Kurt’s shoulders in demonstration. “I could get into some serious post non-date hugging with you tonight. By Friday, we may be all the way up to snuggling.”

 He laughed and squeezed Elliott’s waist. “I could be okay with that.”

 Turning his head, Elliott looked down into Kurt’s eyes, noticing how pretty they looked in the light of the setting sun, shining blue with little flecks of green and gold.  Before he could be tempted to break his own promise to himself, he planted his lips on Kurt’s hairline, pressing the soft skin fondly.

 “Me too.”

 THE END

[eatvangelist]

Easy Orange Mint Salmon

My mom is one of the few people who reads this blog.  Upon seeing my repeated complaints about using the oven, she asked why I wasn’t using my little toaster oven.  I believe we got that toaster oven when I was in the first grade, and after well-over three decades and countless delicious goodness, it finally died earlier this spring.  Last week, my mom stopped by and gave me her Breville (and bought herself a brand new one), so I won’t have to fire up the huge monstrosity in my kitchen that heats up the whole house.  All week I have been using the Breville for toast, but today I got to finally make a meal with it - a low-maintenance but tastes like a heavy-effort recipe I just created - orange mint salmon.

I didn’t really search hard to see if anyone else has posted an orange mint salmon previously (so apologies if someone else already shared their orange mint salmon), but there are tons of different recipes for cooking salmon in the oven.  What makes them all unique in their own ways is what you choose to throw in with the salmon.  In my case, I have an orange tree in the backyard and I have a little mint plant I bought months ago from the grocery store.  (I am beyond shocked that I have not killed either one yet.)  Since they are readily available to me, that’s why I chose them.  I created a marinade of brown sugar, mint, orange zest, juice from one orange, garlic, olive oil and rice wine.  I poured that over the salmon and threw the whole thing in the oven for 18 minutes.

I also saved a few slices of orange to place on top of the salmon.  Some people prefer a more caramelized char on their fish, and for that I would recommend either replacing the brown sugar with honey and/or reducing the liquids.  I chose to go heavier with the liquids so that the salmon can poach a little to stay moist.  Plus I wanted to keep the juice that would come from this.

The salmon was 1.5 lbs, which was a bit too much for a single portion so I did slice the fish in half.  Placed that on top of a bed of fresh spinach, and then spooned the remaining juice on top for a delicious and healthy salmon salad.  I was particularly pleased because the Breville cooked the salmon to a perfect medium - I couldn’t have planned for this to have come out any better.  Here’s hoping the Breville will also last me three decades and that this orange mint salmon is the first of many wonderful meals.  

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins, Cook Time: 18 mins, Total time: 28 mins Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs salmon

salt 

2 small oranges (or 1 large orange) - halved crosswise

1 teaspoon orange zest

leaves from 2-3 sprigs of mint

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons cooking rice wine

Pre-directions: Rarely does anyone mention this since it’s not really prep work or part of the cooking directions, but the salmon should be at room temperature.  If you haven’t done so, add another 15-20 minutes to your total time.  Also I like to wash/rinse my fish first.  If you do the same, make sure you pat the fish dry with a paper towel.

Cooking Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

Cover your baking sheet or oven-safe cookware with foil and then place the salmon on top.  Salt the salmon to your taste preference.

In a bowl, add orange zest, brown sugar, olive oil and cooking wine.  Mix well to make sure there are no sugar lumps.

Optional: cut a few more slices of the orange to top the salmon.

Squeeze juice from 1/2 of 1 large orange (or use 1+1/2 small oranges) into the bowl.  The amount should be about 1/3 cup but no need to be strict on this measurement.

Roughly chop mint leaves and add to the bowl.

Make a few slits to the garlic to release the flavor and add to the bowl.  Some may find mincing or chopping the garlic to be more convenient, which is fine but then use only half a clove to avoid overpowering the orange and the mint flavors.

Mix everything in the bowl well and pour over the salmon.

Place orange slices on top of the salmon if you did step 4 above.

Fold in all sides of the salmon.  Top should be loosely covered with a small opening, not packed and sealed.

Cook in oven for 18 minutes.  

Remove salmon from the oven and check to make sure it is cooked through.  If not, return salmon to the oven for a couple minutes and then check again.  If it is done, carefully transfer salmon to serving plate.  Grab a spoon and drizzle the remaining sauce from the foiled tray on top of the salmon.  

[talesofmundanemagic]

Gertie gets her license

Gertie looked up at the entrance to the Skyline stadium. Normally, when she was in the sports arena of the magical city above the clouds, it was to see a game of basketball with virtually no limits on magic, or a gladiator battle (with safety spells implemented and a healer present), or a dragon presentation.

This time, all the bleachers had been pushed back into the walls, and the floor was lined with little sound-proof cubicles. Inside each was a mini kitchen set up via magic, and a proctor waiting for their examinee.

It was the day of the Enchantment Apprenticeship License Exam.

The exam was an international event, spanning across more than seventy locations throughout the twenty countries that recognized the exam as a fitting qualification for an apprenticeship. All over the world, hopefuls were taking the test that Gertie was about to embark on.

Gertie checked herself in for the afternoon test block she had signed up for. It was right after the lunch break in the test schedule - there was no way she was risking the license she’d been working towards for the last two years on a cranky proctor who was daydreaming of macaroni and cheese.

The man at the sign-in table took her cellphone and backpack to be locked away and gave her her assigned cubicle number. Gertie thanked him, took a deep breath, and descended the stairs to find her testing spot.

She had stored plenty of power in her keychain accessories, practiced her planned enchantment hundreds of times, and wore her lucky cloche hat. It wasn’t magical - that wasn’t allowed in exams - but Gertie always did well on tests when she wore it. She was ready, she told herself. She would be fine.

“Miss Mallon?” asked the woman standing in her assigned cubicle with a clipboard.

Gertie nodded.

“I’m going to scan you for magical objects.” She held up a wand to do so.

“I have my keychains, for power, since I’m not a witch,” Gertie said, pulling them out for the proctor to see. She had written this on her application, so it wasn’t a surprise.

“Set them down there.” The proctor nodded to the table where a whole slew of potion ingredients sat.

Gertie did so.

The proctor took her wand and did a quick scan from the floor, over Gertie’s left shoulder, head, right shoulder, and back to the ground.

She then waved the wand over Gertie’s keychains, testing them for any enchantments as well.

“Looks good. Let’s get started.”

Gertie picked up her keychains again and put them back into her pocket.

Her proctor read from a clipboard. “Your self-selected enchantment is the Floating Bag. We have provided you with everything you will need. You have an hour and a half to complete your enchantment. Begin.”

Gertie went straight to the stack of equipment in the corner. She chose a cast iron cauldron that was the same size she’d practiced with in her dorm room. She put it on the stove and cranked the heat to medium.

A bottle of cloud extract was sitting, tall and with a no-drip spout, on the back corner of the table laden with ingredients. Gertie picked it up and coated the bottom of her cauldron with the wispy white gel. Next, she measured out the moonflower pollen, according to the recipe she had memorized, and put it in the extract to sizzle.

While that was going, she started chopping, skinning, and grinding everything she needed. Gertie had found the electric mixer and was whipping up cream from winged cows when disaster struck.

The pollen in the cauldron started popping.

Gertie dropped the bowl of whipped cream onto the table and stared at the pollen that was jumping out of the cauldron. What was going on? She put a splatter screen over the top of the cauldron to keep the pollen from escaping, and picked up the jar she had measured from.

She felt her ears roaring as she stared at it blankly.

Moonflower pollen, aged ten years, the label read. Ten years.

She had been practicing with five.

The pollen popped so high the splatter guard jumped before settling back.

She glanced up. The proctor was taking notes, frowning.

Gertie grit her teeth until her head hurt. She could fix this. She didn’t know much about creating new spells, so she wouldn’t be able to change the actual incantation to suit this new recipe. But maybe she could add something that would counteract the effects of the extra aging.

The test had provided her with more ingredients than she needed, to throw her off in case she hadn’t memorized the right recipe. Maybe something they had given her would actually help.

Gertie glanced over the plethora of ingredients. Snake venom, no. Pie crust, what would that even-? Rice? Yes! Plain old rice! A common ingredient in underwater potions, it normally would do the exact opposite of what Gertie’s enchantment needed.

But normally, she would have used the right pollen.

Carefully, after triple-checking the label, Gertie measured out the proper amount of rice to counteract the aging of the pollen and poured it into the pot.

She turned up the heat and added the rest of the ingredients.

Gertie left her potion to boil and turned to chop up the last item - lavender.

After that was done, there was nothing to do but wait. Well, wait and clean up the space. That was what the provided sink was for, after all.

Once the chopping boards, bowls, knives, and peeler were all clean, the timer rang.

The next step was to soak the bag that she was enchanting in the potion.

But before she did that, Gertie sprinkled the lavender into the mix. The aroma of the herb filled the cubicle, chasing away the odd scent of burnt pollen and silkworm saliva. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but Gertie prefered the smell of her enchantments to not render the objects unusable.

Gertie killed the heat on the stove and dropped her bag in.

She stirred it into the potion with a wooden spoon, drawing power from her keychains as she spoke her spell clearly, since the proctor would grade on pronunciation.

The potion glowed a clear and brilliant green. Perfect.

Gertie used the spoon to fish the bag out of the potion.

There was one last step. Gertie took a deep breath. She used this specific spell every morning when she dried her hair after getting out of the shower. There was nothing to be nervous about, and yet her heart beat so rapidly she thought it would stall.

“Dry,” she commanded in the magical language of Gnaang, flicking the bag and sending the potion flying into the sink, coating it green.

Gertie quickly set the nozzle to rinse the basin, and then held out the dry cloth bag for the proctor to inspect.

The proctor looked at her watch.

“Twenty-six minutes early,” she said, taking note. “But you didn’t wait for it to dry naturally-”

“I’ve tried letting it, like the recipe says,” Gertie quickly said. “I can just barely do it under the time limit. But I had to try using the drying spell, just to see, and it works! The bag still works.”

The proctor looked over her glasses at Gertie. “And why does it work?”

Gertie took a deep breath to keep herself from rambling. “Because the spell imbues the power from the potion into the bag itself, in this case,” Gertie said. “If the potion coating the bag was necessary for peak performance, it would have to be air dried.”

“Correct.” The proctor wrote down some notes. “Now, let’s see if it works. I noticed your mistake with the pollen, but the rice was clever. It should have helped.”

The proctor took the bag and said, “Float,” in Gnaang, releasing the bag in midair. It hung there, as if it had been placed on a table.

The proctor took a step to the left and the bag followed. To the right, the same thing. She started walking away, and the bag floated after her.

The proctor nodded thoughtfully, taking down notes. “You still didn’t follow the recipe, I’m afraid,” she said.

Gertie’s heart fell. Surely her final score would be impacted for not following the exact steps in the approved recipe.

“We both normally get a fifteen minute break before the next part of the test. However, that would be at the end of the hour and a half, which there is still twenty minutes of. Would you like to wait a full thirty minutes or...?”

“I don’t think I can wait that long,” Gertie admitted, anxious to get on with the next part of the test.

The proctor smiled. “Fifteen minutes then.”

Gertie found the bathroom. Her hands shook as she washed them.

One down, one to go.

She returned to her cubicle and sipped water until the proctor returned.

“Alright. Your first enchantment you were able to practice. This one, you have not. We’ve given you all new ingredients.” The proctor gestured to the table. There was no over-aged pollen in sight. “Follow the instructions, use your intuition, and you will hopefully be fine. You have one hour. Good luck.”

She handed Gertie a piece of paper.

Glowing Orchid Encased in Glass, was the recipe title. Sure enough, a beautiful purple orchid sat in a pot in the corner of the mini kitchen’s counter.

Not a very creative recipe name, Gertie thought.

Then she glanced down at the three separate sections of the recipe.

“Balls,” Gertie muttered, and grabbed three separate cauldrons from the corner. All three went on the heat.

She only had an hour and a half to make three different potions? It was madness.

Even more ridiculous was that they didn’t give her the whole recipe. They gave her bits and pieces, and she needed to rely on her potion know-how to complete the recipe.

The first thing under the title was Step 1: Make a coolant, with a list of ingredients and their measurements.

Gertie remembered the word coolant. She had spent a lot of her time watching various potions videos online to try to prepare.

Coolants are the easiest potions in the world! an online potion maker had proclaimed. You just put all your ingredients in the pot, put the lid on, and boil it for thirty minutes until everything’s combined. Then you shove it in the fridge to cool it down and it’s ready!

Gertie measured out all of the coolant’s ingredients and threw them in the cauldron on the back burner of the stove and put the lid on. She set a timer for thirty minutes, and let it do its own thing.

Step 2: Combine the following ingredients to make the clear syrup base for the luminance potion.

This was the potion that would make the orchid glow. Gertie racked her brain - potions that emitted light could be tricky. There were lots of variations, but all needed to be done at a precise temperature to determine what color it would be. Since the recipe specified clear, it meant the lowest of the available temperatures.

Just remember the eight eights, she remembered her potions textbook saying on the subject of potion color. Eighty-eight for black, seventy-eight for purple, sixty-eight for blue, fifty-eight green, forty-eight for for yellow, thirty-eight for orange, twenty-eight for red, eighteen for clear.

Gertie took a deep breath and grinned in relief.

She measured tiny crystals of lightning salt into a cup to pour into the final cauldron and an equal amount of starfruit seeds. She added the required teaspoon of moonshade - a sticky golden syrup - and filled the rest of the cauldron with water.

She stirred it diligently, checking on the nearby coolant with eyes only. She had to keep the glowing potion constantly moving, while checking the temperature on a thermometer and adjusting the stove accordingly to keep it at eighteen degrees.

Finally, the potion for the glow started to thicken and form sparking bubbles.

“Yes!” Gertie fist pumped.

Step 3: When the syrup has begun to bubble, let it boil on the stove for fifteen minutes.

Gertie set a timer for fifteen minutes, and sat down for a moment to catch her breath and read ahead in the recipe.

The fourth step was about adding something to the luminance potion, so Gertie skipped over it.

Step 5: Choose the proper incantation to melt the glass.

Choose the proper…?

Gertie turned the recipe sheet over. On the opposite side was a list of spells. At least they were all in Laux, a language she knew. Of course, this was not a coincidence since she had provided the accredited board with a list of her capabilities when applying to take the test.

Gertie took a deep breath and began translating the spells to the best of her ability. Three she ruled out of being a part of this enchantment altogether - they mentioned eggs and things that weren’t on the ingredients table. One she discovered, upon translating, was for when she had finished brewing the luminance potion. She circled that one for later.

There were three that mentioned glass. One was clearly the end of the enchantment, as it meant the equivalent of “Halt.” The two others were trickier. They were very similar, longer spells, both dealing with the glass. One did have the word for “liquid” in it, so she put a star next to it in the hopes that she was right.

Both timers rang that their potions were ready and Gertie re-read step four.

Step 4: Once the syrup’s bubbles have begun to stack, add one fourth teaspoon of star spider venom and let the potion rest for four minutes.

Gertie stared at the instruction. Venoms were pesky things, very reactive. Usually recipes mentioned not moving the pot, putting on a lid, and using a timer to measure exactly the amount of time it needed to sit.

Gertie checked the clock to see how much time she had left. Twenty minutes. Great.

She returned to the luminance potion. It had boiled so much, it looked like an ambitious bubble bath.

“Bubbles stacking on themselves, check,” Gertie said.

She had no choice but to listen to her intuition, even if it was wrong. She added the final ingredient - the venom of a star spider - and clamped the cauldron’s lid down. She set a timer for four minutes exactly and one for three minutes and fifteen seconds to remind her to come back, and turned her attention to the shards of glass she had been provided with. She needed to magically melt them.

Gertie poured them into the last cauldron she had put to heat on the stove. She spoke the enchantment she had chosen over the glass, and watched as they melted instantly.

“Awesome!” Gertie triumphantly slipped on cauldron mitts, took the mix off the stove and set it next to the provided mold for the final sculpture.

The mold itself was a sphere with a flat bottom, so that the eventual decoration could stand upright. It was made of magically imbued silicone, so it was even more resistant to the heat its contents would bring.

Suddenly the smell of smoke filled the air. Gertie stopped and looked over at the stove.

No, Gertie thought. No no no no no.

The coolant.

She had completely forgotten to take it off the stove and put it in the freezer.

Gertie ran to the stove and looked in the pot. It was crusted black. Nothing was salvageable. She put the entire thing into the sink and ran cold water over it, trying to stop the smoke at the very least.

Gertie stared at the running water, trying to figure a way out. What was she going to do? There was no way she could make a whole new potion. It needed time, not only to combine but to cool. She felt like she had been turned to stone, her heart trying to beat out of her chest.

The three minute and fifteen second timer for the luminance potion rang, and Gertie took a deep breath. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

The proctor made a note, but Gertie didn’t have time to think about her opinion.

Step 6: Remove the luminance potion from the heat and cast the proper incantation that will stabilize it for use.

When the four minute timer rang, Gertie pulled the cauldron off the stove, opened the lid, and spoke the spell she’d circled from the list, the one she hoped would render it stable.

The potion started glowing a solid white color, like she had trapped a star in her cauldron.

Gertie let out a deep breath. That was a very good sign.

She assembled the leftovers of her prepared ingredients that she had made into the first coolant potion. There wasn’t enough to make a whole potion, so a third of the original recipe’s portion would have to do.

She stirred the ingredients together on the stove, trying to force everything to melt as quickly as possible in lieu of it boiling together. When it finally became a thin, watery potion, she took it off the heat and poured it into a metal bowl to suck the heat away. She put the bowl into the freezer, and turned back to deal with the rest of the recipe.

“Five minutes,” the proctor said, checking her timer, a nervous edge to her voice.

Gertie balled her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms. Fine.

She opened the freezer and put her hands on the bowl. She could still feel the heat emanating from the potion.

“Chill,” she said in Laux, feeling the power drain from her keychains and flow through her hands. The temperature in the bowl went down. But it wasn’t cool enough.

“Chill,” she said again, gritting her teeth as she started to feel dizzy from using magic so quickly twice in a row.

Not enough.

“Chill!” she shouted, and the heat vanished from under her hands, nearly numbing them.

She took the bowl out and placed it next to the luminance potion, trying not to lose her balance. The coolant didn’t even slosh, it had thickened so much from the cold.

Gertie pulled over the terracotta pot that the orchid was in. She snipped its stem so that it was short enough to fit inside the mold and, taking a deep breath, dipped the flower into the luminance potion.

As the instructions read, she immediately pulled it out and shoved it into the coolant, hissing as steam flew out from around her hand. Could that be a good thing?

She had to spin the stem around to coat the flower petals completely. Since she’d made only a third of the proper amount, what was left barely covered the bottom of the bowl.

Gertie lifted the orchid free. It glowed with the pure brilliance of a perfectly brewed luminance potion, shifting between the various purples, whites and yellows of the flower that were picked up by the potion.

The proctor smiled and wrote on her clipboard.

Gertie would have danced in place, but she didn’t have time.

She took the glass mixture, still melted and waiting thanks to the spell, and poured a bit of it into the mold, so the orchid would be floating in the middle. She placed the orchid delicately, and managed to pour the rest of the glass in around it. At the last minute, she remembered the final incantation she had singled out - this one mentioning “not wilting”. The heat from the glass seemed to dissipate, leaving the orchid beautifully fresh.

Gertie put down the heavy cauldron and took a moment to pant.

“And halt,” she said in Laux, completing the enchantment.

The glass hardened instantly.

And the proctor’s timer beeped.

Gertie heart caught in her throat. She hadn’t turned out the sculpture. It wasn’t done. She hadn’t finished.

“Take it out of the mold,” the proctor said.

Gertie looked over at her, dumbfounded.

“I’ll mark you off a point for not finishing it in the time. But turn it out. I’m going to grade it.”

Gertie took the quite heavy mold and turned it over. The glass held steady.

She pulled the mold free, peeling it away from the glass. And there it was. Her little “glowing orchid encased in glass.”

It was quite impressive, she had to say. Beautiful even. A good way to end her exam, even if she had failed.

The proctor took a deep breath, as if to calm herself from the excitement of Gertie’s scramble to finish. She hovered around the table, looking at the sculpture from every angle. She pulled a small camera out of her pocket, took a picture of the top of her clipboard and one of the sculpture.

Gertie waited, shifting awkwardly in place. Her head cleared a bit, despite how she had drained herself by spending so much magic.

The proctor checked over her clipboard, wrote some notes, and finally said, “Very good, Miss Mallon. If you just go back to the area you found the sign-in desk, there will also be a sign-out desk. There, they will take your picture and you will receive your license. Your sculpture will be mailed to your registered address in a week’s time. If you have any other questions or concerns-”

“I passed?” Gertie clarified, not believing her ears.

“Yes,” the proctor said. “Of course.”

Gertie thanked her and walked in a daze to the sign-out table. She managed a smile for the photo, and received a printed license within minutes.

Holding it in her hands, reading the words, Apprentice Enchanter, under her name, suddenly made it real.

She whooped, holding the license triumphantly in the air.

Upon receiving her backpack and cell phone, she immediately dialed Bridget. “I did it!” Gertie shouted. She heard different voices cheering from the other side.

“We’re all in your room,” Bridget said, a laugh in her voice. “We have cake and sodas. Get back down here!”

“Awesome!” Gertie said. “I’m on my way!”

She dialed one more number as she headed out of the stadium.

“Demetrius’ Enchanted Hat Emporium, Demetrius speaking,” came a bored voice from the other end.

“D?” Gertie said excitedly.

He paused. “Gertie, tell me you have good news.”

Gertie grinned so hard her face hurt. “I do.”

To her surprise, Demetrius laughed in relief. “I knew you could do it!” he said.

“Thanks,” Gertie said, flattered, but itching to ask a very important question. “So, when can I start as your apprentice? I’ve been looking up different hat enchantments. I was thinking an expandable hat might be a good place to start. I know that top hats are generally the favored model, but to me that just makes it less incredible that you can fit all that stuff in. My choice would definitely be porkpie, or a-”

“Uh, Gertie, I have a customer.”

“I don’t believe you,” Gertie said.

“Just go celebrate. We can talk about all this during your next shift.”

“My last shift stacking boxes,” Gertie shot back.

“Yeah.” The pride was unmistakable in his voice. Demetrius hung up before he could embarrass himself any further.

As Gertie got in the elevator back down to Wespire, her ID was required. Normally, her magical passport filled this purpose.

Not this time.

Gertie dramatically held out her enchanter’s license to the scanner.

Gertrude Mallon, Apprentice Enchanter.

[rollcough9-blog]

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers

Well, it should be an interesting next 24-48 hours. There’s a wide-spread outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease in the community and it has affected (thus far) more than half of Piper’s class. All was well until noon when I got the text that she needed to be picked up because it was suspected that she had contracted HFMD. No, no, no, no, nooooooo.

If you follow along, you may recall at this same time last year (September 2nd, to be exact) Piper experienced what I hope to be her only run-in with HFMD. It was HORRIBLE. Mostly for her, of course…but definitely for everyone else, too.

I’m not 100% convinced she has it – no fever and no actual sores on her hands, feet, or around her mouth. But she’s drooling like crazy and has a bit of a rash in her diapered area on her tush. SENDING UP ALL THE PRAYERS that we dodge it this time. And Shea too, of course. Sigh…it’s always something with little ones, isn’t it?

On a completely unrelated note, your comments from my last Family Friday post seriously filled my love tank. I feel like I officially have permission to ditch that notion of having to draft something way more creative and Pinterest-y than my life really is and rather, I can blab about HFMD and then show you some pretty pictures of food and think that maybe that’s okay?

I think you said it was okay? And that being authentic was a huge part of this here blog, right? AMEN, it is! We do some real life whining and hop right into food. My blog really does read like my life. WINE/WHINE. CHEESE. WINE/WHINE. CHEESE. Rinse, repeat.

Know what I did to tweak this awesome recipe? I opted to mix in most of the feta cheese so that it wasn’t at risk of all melting and sliding off these generously-stuffed bell peppers. I want ALL that feta cheese in my mouth and washed down with my wine (or whine). A great make-ahead meal with leftovers that reheat like a champ, these peppers are deceiving in their ultra-healthy presentation but serve up big, big flavor. In fact, these were gobbled up by our party of 4 and made for 4 very happy campers. Enjoy!

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers

Author: Nicole Morrissey

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 8 stuffed pepper halves

Ingredients

1 lb 93% lean ground beef

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)

1 small onion, finely diced

½ cup bulghur

1 (14½ oz) can low-sodium diced tomatoes

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 bell peppers, halved lengthwise, cores and ribs removed

⅓ cup + 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bulghur, tomatoes, egg, oregano, salt, pepper, and ⅓ cup feta; mix until thoroughly combined.

Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons feta cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the meat mixture is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 20 minutes longer.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 prepared pepper half Calories: 184 Fat: 4.8 Carbohydrates: 18.6 Sugar: 6.0 Sodium: 372 Fiber: 4.6 Protein: 16.1 Cholesterol: 57

3.5.3251

Be well,

Source: https://preventionrd.com/2018/08/greek-style-stuffed-peppers/

[basketnovel50-blog]

Meatloaf Recipe

Home > Recipes by Category > Main Dishes > Beef Recipes > Meatloaf Recipe

After trying dozens of others, I guarantee that this is the best meatloaf recipe you’ll find. It’s loaded with flavor, very easy to prepare, and the sauce totally makes it. Serve it alongside your favorite mashed potatoes and veggies; it will be an instant hit every time you make it.

I’ve talked a lot about Sunday dinners at my grandma’s house, where there was always an abundance of pasta and traditional Italian foods. However, we would often eat dinner at my grandma’s at random times throughout the week, as well. If she knew my parents were busy on a particular day, or happened to be making something she knew we’d like, she would call and tell us to come over. One of my favorite non-Italian meals that she made was meatloaf with mashed potatoes. It’s such a comfort food, and it reminds me of walking into her house on chilly fall and winter evenings, when it was already dark at dinnertime.

Not long after my husband and I began dating, I found out that meatloaf was one of his favorite meals. It took me awhile, but I finally found a meatloaf recipe that we both love and that’s incredibly easy to make.

How To Make Meatloaf

Meatloaf seems like it should be such a simple recipe that there wouldn’t be much variation in terms of ingredients or process, but there are a few tricks that take it from ordinary meatloaf to the absolute best ever.

Let’s go through them step-by-step:

The Meat

I’ve found that one of the biggest mistakes you can make with meatloaf is to use only ground beef. Your meatloaf will basically taste like a flavored, loaf-shaped hamburger. We want more depth of flavor and a more tender texture that doesn’t leave the meatloaf crumbly, so in addition to the ground beef, we use ground pork and ground veal.

You’ll often see packages of “meatloaf mix” in the meat case at the grocery store, which is a combination of the three meats. If you don’t see it, you can always ask the butcher to create it for you. (You can substitute 2 pounds of meatloaf mix for the trio of meats in the recipe.)

(Side note: I also use meatloaf mix for my meat sauce and meatballs – it works incredibly well in those dishes, too.)

The Rest of the Ingredients

Meatloaf obviously requires some extra ingredients to give it tons of flavor and to keep it moist and tender, as well. Let’s run through them:

The Aromatics – Onion and garlic is sautéed before being added to the meatloaf mixture to enhance its flavor (and no one wants to bite into a raw piece of onion!).

More Flavor – Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and parsley all give this meatloaf a massive oomph in the flavor department.

Eggs and Milk – Keep the meatloaf tender and bind it together. (You can substitute ½ cup plain yogurt for the milk.)

Crushed saltine crackers – Lighten the texture the meatloaf, add moisture, as well as bind it together. (You can substitute ⅔ cup quick oats or 1⅓ cups fresh bread crumbs).

The Glaze – This sauce is super simple but it packs tons of flavor and I would never make meatloaf without it! You only need three ingredients (ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar) for a perfect sweet and tangy glaze. Brush on half before baking, and the other half when it’s almost done in the oven.

The Process

Making this meatloaf recipe is super simple!

Once the onion and garlic are sauteed, you mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl, either with a fork or your hands, taking care not to overmix (this keeps the meatloaf moist and tender; overmixing can cause it to because tough or dry).

Then, either free form the loaf on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil (easy cleanup!) or you can put the mixture into a loaf pan with a perforated bottom).

Freezing Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a fabulous candidate for freezing, both before and after baking. It was one of my favorite freezer meals to have stashed away after each of my babies were born. How to do it:

Freeze Before Baking – Mix together the ingredients, shape the meatloaf, then wrap in plastic wrap, place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed. I recommend freezing it without the glaze and making it/brushing it on right before baking.

Freeze After Baking – After the meatloaf has been baked and cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap, then in a layer of aluminum foil, place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a 350-degree oven, covered with foil, for about 45 minutes, or until heated through. I do not recommend reheating directly from frozen, as it takes A LONG TIME and the outside can get dry while the inside remains frozen.

I think it has the best texture when it is frozen raw, thawed and baked. Since it’s only baked once, it maintains the best flavor and texture.

Without exception, I serve meatloaf with my favorite mashed potatoes; you can’t have meatloaf without the mashed potatoes as far as I’m concerned!

This meatloaf is husband-approved and making it always reminds me of cozy dinners at my grandma’s house, so it’s a definite win-win for me.

If You Like This Meatloaf Recipe, Try These:

Four years ago: German Beer Cheese Spread Five years ago: Frito Pie Six years ago: Potato Skins Nine years ago: Polenta Pizza

Meatloaf Recipe

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep:15 minutes

Cook:1 hour

Total:1 hour 45 minutes

This classic meatloaf recipe is the absolute best you’ll find. It’s loaded with flavor, very easy to prepare, and the sauce is delicious.

Ingredients:

For the Glaze:

½ cup (113 grams) ketchup

4 tablespoons light brown sugar

4 teaspoons cider vinegar

For the Meatloaf:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup (120 ml) whole milk

1 pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

½ pound ground veal

16 saltine crackers (45 grams), crushed

⅓ cup minced fresh parsley

Directions:

Make the Glaze: In a small saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar; set aside.

Make the Meatloaf: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing the remaining ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and milk. Add the ground meats, crackers, parsley and cooked onion mixture; mix with a fork until evenly blended.

With wet hands, pat the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on a foil-lined rimmed baking pan (you could also use a 9×5-inch loaf pan with a perforated bottom). Brush with half of the glaze.

Bake meatloaf until it is cooked through (it should register 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), about 1 hour, brushing with the remaining glaze when there is 15 minutes left. Cool at least 20 minutes, then slice the meatloaf and serve.

Recipe Notes:

The whole milk can be replaced by ½ cup plain yogurt.

The crushed saltines can be replaced by ⅔ cup quick oats or 1⅓ cups fresh bread crumbs.

Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in October 2014. It was updated in September 2018 with new photos and extensive recipe tips.

[photos by The Almond Eater]

Source: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/best-meatloaf-recipe/

[moonlightreal]

Alfea Library- Magically Relaxing Spa Recipes

If girls want potion recipes, letting them make their own enchanted beauty products is a good way to make sure nobody makes a potion with mushrooms and drinks it!  That may be the logic behind this book.  Or maybe this book just exists because many girls want to make beauty products, or because apparently the site admin knows her beauty!  I remember from being on the website Lauren was indeed the admin and she showed up in the chats and stuff.  Shepherding a bunch of magic-obsessed preteens must’ve been a challenge!

Magically Relaxing Spa Recipes

Hey Girlfriends! Everybody deserves a little pampering, especially you! So we are putting together a collection of delicious, inexpensive and eco-friendly ways to pamper yourself or your friends. These recipes are generally pretty easy to make, easy to do, and feel fantastic. So take a little time to treat yourself – you deserve it! Enjoy! Bloom

----------------------------------------------

Many spa treatments can be done at home for a fun and inexpensive way to let your inner beauty shine. Most require basic ingredients that can be found in a grocery or health food store. The recipes that follow are generally easy to make and use, so get some friends together and pamper yourselves silly. Just don't forget to get your parent's permission before creating your home spa, and remember to not use anything on your skin that you know you are allergic to! Lauren PS: I'm not only a message board admin, I'm also a professional esthetician.

-------------------------------------------

This is a fantastic and easy mask that feels, smells and tastes great! The special gentle acids that are in the fruit and the yogurt gently exfoliate your skin, leaving it looking fresh and healthy. You will need: 3 ripe strawberries 2 Tbsp yogurt What you do: 1) Mash the strawberries in a bowl with a fork, until they look a little juicy and jam like. 2) Add in the yogurt, and stir it well. 3) Put a light layer on a clean face avoiding the eye area, and let it sit for ten minutes. 4) Rinse off well with warm water and pat your skin dry. 5) If there is any left over, you can store it in the fridge, or eat it - it's delish!

-----------------------------------------------------

For a beautiful, gently scented toner or a quick moisture lift, try this decadent spray. You will need: - A small spray bottle - 1/4 cup distilled water - 1/4 cup pure rosewater* - 1/8 tsp vegetable glycerin* What you do: Put all ingredients into the spray bottle, shake it up, and spritz away. Don't forget to keep your eyes closed!. This can be used on your body or hair - any area that needs a little moisture. Sometimes it is easier to get the ingredients into the bottle if you use a funnel, or a measuring cup with a pouring spout. This can be made into a delightful gift when it is packaged in a lovely bottle. * Rosewater and glycerin can be found in health food stores, pharmacies or shops that sell Indian food.

--------------------------------------------------

This is a scrub that is gentle enough to use on both your face and your body. Just remember not to use too much pressure when using it on your face, as the skin there is a lot more delicate. You will need: ¼ cup of oatmeal (quick oats or regular) 1tbsp poppy seeds 1tbsp cornmeal a jar with a tight fitting lid for storage a blender (you may need parental supervision for this) Place all ingredients in the blender, and blend until the mixture is very fine and the oats are powdery. (This may take a couple of minutes – be patient!). When you are satisfied with the resulting mix, pour it into the jar to keep moisture out. When you are ready to use the cleanser, sprinkle 1tsp of the grains into your hand, and mix with warm water – a few drops at a time, until the cleanser is the consistency of toothpaste. Rub the paste gently into your skin, and wash it off with warm water, patting your skin dry when you are finished. If you have any particularly troublesome areas (spots) this cleanser can be left on the spots for half an hour, and then washed off.

--------------------------------------------

Flora’s Nail Oil Sometimes I want my nails to be healthy and shine, but I don’t want the hassle of polishing them (especially if I’m going to be in the garden – planting chips polish like mad!). Instead of traditional polish, I’ll use this nail oil recipe to help keep my nails and cuticles moisturized and lovin’ me. (Incidentally, this is a great recipe to use if your parents don’t want you to use nail polish yet!) You will need: A small bottle or jar to mix and keep your polish in (make sure it has a lid!) 1tsp castor oil 1tsp jojoba oil 1tsp sweet almond oil 3 drops of tangerine essential oil Blend all the oils together, and give them a little stir to make sure they are thoroughly mixed. Take a sniff of the mix – does it smell yummy enough? If not add another drop or two of the essential oil, and mix it up again. When you are ready to use the nail oil, take a q-tip and dip it into the oil, and then brush it lightly on your nails. Rub it in with your fingers if you need to. Don’t be shy – this nail oil mixture is great for your fingers (and toes). Then you can sit back and enjoy your healthy, natural shine!

---------------------------------------------------

This mask is something I like to use whenever my skin feels really dry or tight. You will need: -1 tablespoon plain yogurt -1 teaspoon liquid honey -1 teaspoon oil (you can use olive, grapeseed, rosehip seed, jojoba, or any natural oil you prefer. Don’t use baby oil!) -1 drop of your favorite essential oil (suggested oils are lavender, rose and chamomile) Place all the ingredients except the essential oils in a bowl. You don’t need to mix them at all. Put the bowl in the microwave and heat until it is gently warm. Times will differ depending on your microwave, but I recommend about 30 seconds at medium heat. Take the bowl out and test the temperature. You want it to be warm, but not hot. Remember, this is going to go on your face! Now add the essential oil. If you have a facial brush, you can use that to gently mix the ingredients together. Then apply the mask to your face and neck. Avoid the eye area! You only want to go as high as your cheekbone under the eye. Leave the mask on for 20 minutes, then gently rinse it off. Be careful, otherwise you'll find you've left sticky patches on your face. Your skin should feel hydrated, smooth and firm. On top of that, you’ll smell like your favorite essential oil. Heavenly. Just a work of warning: I fell asleep with this mask on and woke up to Kiko licking it off my face! It was totally funny and a little gross, too. Keep this in mind if you feel sleepy with the mask on. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

-------------------------------------------------------

How to Give Yourself a Marvelous Manicure Step 1: Remove any existing polish with nail polish remover. Wash hands. Determine what shape you would like your nails to be. Would you like them square, oval or a combo of both? File your nails in one direction only. The best method is to file your nails from the outside inwards, stopping at the center and repeating the motion on the other side. Avoid a seesaw movement, as it can lead to weakened nails, which are more prone to cracking and breaking. Step 2: Decide which hand you want to begin with and soak your fingers in a bowl of warm, soapy water for 10 minutes to soften cuticles. Step 3: Dry your hands and gently push back your cuticles. If you have any hangnails, snip them off very carefully using a pair of cuticle clippers. Avoid actually cutting your cuticles, as this can lead to infection if not left to the pros. Top Tip: To keep cuticles in great shape, brush them with a moisturizing cuticle oil before bed or after your morning shower. Let the oil absorb for a minute before rubbing it into your cuticles. Step 4: Massage your hands using a rich moisturizer. Step 5: Apply a clear base coat. Allow to dry. Step 6: Apply polish starting at the cuticle and moving outwards to the end of the nail. Avoid using too much product by tapping the applicator brush on the inside edge of the polish bottle to remove any excess. Fix any mistakes by dipping a pointed Q-tip into some nail polish remover and whisking away the polish. If you do not have pointed Q-tips at home, try the salon trick of wrapping a tiny piece of a cotton puff around the end of a toothpick for quick touch-ups in hard to reach spots. Step 7: Apply a second coat for a deeper, more rich-looking color. Allow to dry. Step 8: Apply a clear top coat to add glossy shine and keep your color protected. Allow to dry. Top Tip: As your polish wears, do not pick at it! Use a nail polish remover instead. Picking at old polish can damage the surface of your nail and lead to split, weakened nails.

----------------------------------------

How to Give Yourself a Pampering Pedicure If your feet look like they could use a little love, a pedicure is the perfect solution! We all know that you can go to the spa and get a great pedicure, but the price of maintaining perfect feet can be sky-high. Instead of breaking the bank to keep your toes twinkling, try giving yourself a pedicure at home! You’ll be surprised at what a great job you can do. To get foxy feet, all you need is a little time and a bit of know-how. Read the step-by-step instructions below on how get your feet ready to bare. Top Tip: For the ultimate at-home pedicure, begin by setting the mood. Dim the lights, and put on your favorite relaxing music to get you feeling like a pampered princess. Step 1: Begin by soaking your feet in a bathtub, foot tub, or large bowl for 10 minutes. As your feet are soaking in the warm water, use a toenail/foot brush to clean your toenails. If you do not have a foot brush, you can use an old toothbrush to clean under and around your toenails, and a soapy washcloth to clean your feet. If you would like to make your foot soak ultra luxurious, try adding a few drops of peppermint or lavender essential oil to the water. Peppermint essential oil will help revive tired feet, while lavender essential oil will soothe and relax you. Two teaspoons of bath salts will also work in place of essential oils to soften skin and have you feeling heavenly. Step 2: After the warm water has softened the skin on your feet, use a pumice stone, or pedicure file to buff away any calluses and slough off dry skin. Pay extra attention to areas where the skin is most tough, like the heels. Step 3: Dry your feet thoroughly, making sure to get between your toes. Massage a cuticle cream or moisturizing cream into the cuticle (the skin at the base of your toenails). If you don’t have a cuticle cream or moisturizer, olive oil or almond oil will work equally well. Gently push back your cuticle. Apply a drop of cuticle cream or oil onto each nail and then buff them smooth, eliminating any ridges. If you do not have a nail buffer at home (it is different from a nail file), don’t worry, buffing is optional. Step 4: Massage a moisturizer in your favorite scent into your feet. Take some extra time to give yourself a relaxing foot massage. Step 5: Trim your toenails to the length you desire using nail scissors or toenail clippers. Do not cut your toenails overly short or too round in shape, as it can result in ingrown toenails. Shape your toenails with a nail file. File your nails in one direction only; avoid a see-saw motion because it can weaken nails. Step 6: Prepare your nails for polish by cleaning the surface of each nail, ensuring that all traces of moisturizer and oil are wiped away. Use a toe separator to keep your toes apart. If you do not have a toe separator, twist a Kleenex until it is long and tubular in shape. Wind the Kleenex through your toes, making sure each toe is divided so that your polish application will not be smudged by toes rubbing together. Step 7: Apply a clear base coat. Allow to dry. Apply two coats of your favorite polish color and allow to dry. Finish by applying a clear top coat to add high shine and make your pedicure ultra-long lasting. Top Tip: Because nail polish takes time to dry, be sure to give yourself a pedicure when you can sit down and read a book or watch television afterward. Better yet, plunk down on your computer and see what’s new on the message board!!! To keep your polish perfect, it is best to leave 30 minutes before putting on socks and shoes.

------------------------------------------------------

How to Plan the Perfect Sleepover

------------------------------------------------------

Would you like to host a sleepover that your friends will love? Then plan ahead for a night of fantastic fun! Part of planning the perfect sleepover is selecting a night you know your friends will be available. Check with them first before officially setting a date. Invite your friends at least one week in advance, to give their parents enough notice to plan around dropping your best buds off in the evening, and picking them up the next morning after the slumber party. Let your friends know to bring a sleeping bag, pillow, and an overnight bag containing their PJ’s, toothbrush, and anything else they may want to make them feel extra comfortable. Be a Party Planner! Plan what you would like to do at your sleepover, and make sure you are ready when the day arrives. Below are some slumber party suggestions that may require a bit of preparation time. · If you would like to tell scary stories, be sure to stop by the library or a local bookstore in advance to pick up a book of short ghost stories or creepy tales. · If you want to do makeovers at your sleepover, and take glamour shots with a camera, be sure to tell your friends to bring some of their mom’s or sister’s old makeup to play with. Make sure you have film (unless it’s a digital camera) and batteries so your photo shoot won’t be a bust. · If you are planning to watch a video, ask your friends what they would like to watch, and rent something the majority can agree on. · Let your mom, dad, or guardian know what you and your friends would like to have some munchies before the night of your sleepover. By telling your parents in advance, they can plan to go to the store and pick up items that are not already in the house. Next time: Fun Things to Do at a Slumber Party

----------------------------------------------------------

Fun Things to Do at a Slumber Party Now that you know how to plan for the perfect slumber party, here are some awesome ideas to keep you entertained all evening. Choose from the list below of fun things to do, and you’ll be sure to have a great time! 1. Watch a video 2. Play Truth or Dare 3. Do makeovers and take pictures of the end result. Get expert tips on how to use makeup from the Winx Making Faces online makeup books! 4. Play makeup mayhem! Partner up in groups of two, and blindfold one person in each group. Have the blindfolded person select from an assortment of old makeup that you have put out on a table (to be safe, avoid mascara and eyeliner). Have the blindfolded person apply makeup the best they can on their partner with only their hands to guide them. Switch partners afterwards and enjoy the laughs. Be sure to have permission from your parents before playing this game, and be certain to have face wash handy for afterwards. 5. Play dress up. Put on outrageous outfits and do a fashion show. Be sure to strut your stuff with plenty of attitude. 6. Play board games, card games, or a game of charades. 7. Play True or False. One person has to tell a somewhat believable story that could be either true or false, and then each person has to guess if the story is real or make believe. Change the storyteller each time to allow everyone a chance to fool their friends with a tall tale. Be sure to tell whether if your story is real or not in the end – or else rumors could fly! 8. Put on a talent show. Lip sync to your favorite songs, play air guitar, dance or sing your heart out. Let the group be the judge of who’s the champion. 9. Do crafts. Do your friends like to make jewelry? Weave colorful bracelets or bead necklaces while catching up on the latest gossip. Check out the Creativity Corner in the Alfea library for some super ideas! 10. Test your psychic abilities. Use a deck of cards to see if you and your friends can communicate telepathically. Pick a card from the deck and concentrate on it without showing it to your friends. Use note paper to have your friends write down what color, suit, and number they believe the card to be. See who comes closest to guessing right! 11. Tell scary stories. Put your sleeping bags in a circle with your heads facing inward and read ghost stories or tell scary tales while using only a flashlight to keep the dark at bay. You’ll be sure to get chills up your spine. Before you opt for some scary entertainment, however, make sure none of your friends have nightmares, because a sleepless night isn’t fun for anyone. 12. Pamper yourselves with a spa night. Give each other manicures and pedicures. Check out the Winx spa recipes to find great ideas for scrubs and masks to keep your skin feeling soft and looking beautiful. While you wait for your nail polish to dry, exchange your favorite beauty tips with your best buds. Next Time: Super Healthy Snacks and Super Snazzy Sandal Crafts!!!

------------------------------------------------------------

Do Your Parents Hate it When You Eat Junk Food? Try Serving These Healthy Slumber Party Snacks! Fruit Smoothies Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits Veggies and Dip Pita Bread with Hummus and Tzatziki Frozen Seedless Grapes Trail Mix * Healthy Hint: Instead of pop, try mixing cranberry juice, orange juice, and a splash of soda water to make a yummy fizzy drink!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Craft Ideas that Will Make Your Sleepover the Best Ever! How to Create Fancy Flip Flops: With summer just around the corner, shoe stores are full of fancy sandals and flip flops that are ultra cool. Unfortunately, a new pair of flashy flip-flops may empty your piggy bank or have you begging for more allowance. Luckily, you can get the great look of fancy flip-flops without spending a fortune. Read below to discover how to make your own awesome summer sandals. Getting Started – Finding the Right Supplies The great thing about this craft is that the only thing you need to get started is a pair of plain flip-flops to decorate and some strong glue. It doesn’t matter what color your flip-flops are, or if they are old. In fact, old flips flops are super fun to decorate, because when you’re finished, you will feel like you have a brand new pair of shoes! Read below to get some great decorating ideas and get ready to have some fun! Items you can use for decorating are: 1. sea shells 2. old jewelry 3. sequins 4. buttons 5. sparkles or glitter spray 6. waterproof paints 7. fake flowers 8. beads 9. anything else you think would look great! Begin by deciding how you would like to decorate your flip-flops. Would you like to paint them first, or keep them plain? What objects, if any, would you like to decorate your flip-flops with? You may want to check out your local craft store to get some cool ideas and pick up any supplies you need. Remember to protect your floor or table with newspaper before you begin your craft! Have fun decorating, and enjoy your fashionable flip-flops! One option for decorating your flip flops in a feminine, fresh, versatile way, requires only glue, Velcro, and four fake flower blooms. Choose two identical flowers in your favorite color, and two identical flowers in another color and shape you adore. Don’t select fake flowers that are too big, as you will be using the flower to beautify the strap of your flip-flops. If your fake flowers have stems, ask for help from your parents or an older sibling to remove the stem from the blossom portion of the flowers. Cut out a circle of Velcro about the size of a dime and then glue it (rough side up) to the point on your flips flops where both straps meet above your big toe. Repeat the process on your other flip-flop. While the glue on your flip-flops dries, you can turn your attention to the flower blossoms. Glue a circular piece of Velcro about the size of a dime to the bottom of each fake flower blossom. Before you begin gluing, make sure the Velcro that you are using for the flowers will stick to the top of the Velcro on your flip-flops. Allow the glue to dry. When you are finished, you will have a fashionable pair of flip-flops that you can match to your favorite outfits by changing the color of the flower above your toe! Next Time: How to Make Super Luscious Lip Gloss

----------------------------------------------------------------

How to Make Your Own Luscious Lip Gloss: The lip-gloss recipe below has a honey-citrus flavor. To keep the yummy sweetness but change the flavor to something minty-fresh, try substituting the citrus component with a peppermint flavoring or essential oil. Ingredients: · 7 teaspoons sweet almond oil · 2 teaspoons beeswax · 2 Vitamin E capsules · 1 teaspoons honey · 5 drops citrus flavoring or essential oil (or you may like lime) · Microwave-safe container with lid · Cosmetic / balm container with lid Begin by melting the sweet almond oil and beeswax together in the microwave safe container for 1-2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the microwave and empty the contents of the Vitamin E capsules into the mixture. Hint – you may need to use a pin to puncture the Vitamin E capsules open. Use a whisk to combine the contents of the vitamin E capsules, honey, and flavoring, into the oil mixture. Whisk until the mixture sets. Transfer your new lip-gloss into a small balm or empty mint container with a tight lid, and enjoy your shiny new gloss!

[woundgrey39-blog]

Homemade Gluten-Free Oreos: Vanilla & Peppermint

These homemade gluten-free Oreos have a crisp and snappy chocolate cookie wafers. Sandwich them with traditional vanilla buttercream or make them festive with peppermint buttercream filling.

While shooting the video for these homemade gluten-free Oreos, I baked 2.5 batches of cookies with peppermint buttercream. That’s 200 chocolate wafers. 100 chocolate sandwich cookies. Almost three standard-sized boxes worth of Oreos. In other words: a LOT of cookies. So Alanna and I arranged them on plates and took Zoella to the local fire station to deliver holiday cookies.

Zoella asked questions a mile a minute the entire car ride and walk up to the station. She didn’t stop talking in the lobby of the fire house. “Where is the fire engine? Where do the fire fighters sleep? Is this the fire fighter’s house? When is the fire fighter coming?” She eagerly clutched the plate of cookies. Her excitement was brewing. 

Then, the first hunky fire fighter came out and she clammed up. The second fire fighter came out and that was it. She’d forgotten how to speak. She nearly dropped the cookie plate. She was so stoked to meet the fire fighters and so shy when it finally happened.

Things were quiet around the station that night. They’d just dispatched a battalion to Butte County to fight the Camp Fire that ignited just outside my hometown early that morning. We didn’t yet know just how horrific the fire was, but it now feels even more meaningful that we brought cookies to thank them for their work that evening.

After bouncing recipes back and forth with one of the gluten-free fire fighters (!!) for a few minutes, they offered to tour us through the station. They lifted Zoella up into the fire engine and showed off the hoses on the side of the truck before sending us on our way with stickers and fire hats. All the while, she was completely silent, clinging to me like velcro. But I knew. I mean, this girl dressed up as a fire engine for Halloween. This was core memory stuff and she was thrilled.

When we got back to the car, she requested, “I want the fire fighters to come for a play date at my house.”

Haha, me too, miss. (KIDDING, LUCAS!) 

This recipe for copycat homemade gluten-free Oreos is the final recipe in a year-long recipe and video partnership Alanna and I are working on with Rodelle. Here on Snixy Kitchen, I first made matcha cream tarts, then strawberry rhubarb pie a la mode popsicles, and now these gluten-free Oreos. With Alanna’s help, we turned these recipes into videos and together developed even more recipes that live exclusively on Rodelle’s website! Be sure to follow Rodelle’s social channels to see all the recipe videos we made this year. 

Tips for making homemade gluten-free Oreos

These gluten-free Oreos are incredibly easy to make. Roll the dough out and use a cutter to cut out the wafers just like you would for sugar cookies. Cut the cookies as close together, re-roll and cut out more. The goal is to cut most of the cookies out on the first and second roll. You can certainly roll the dough out a third or fourth time, but the cookies will get ever so slightly more dense.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use the bottom of a glass to press each cookie down ever so slightly on the baking sheet. This will smooth out the tops and help hold the cookies together so they won’t crumble as easily. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least five minutes before transferring to a wire rack. That little extra cool on the baking sheet will help the cookies firm up so they won’t fall apart when you try to move them.

After piping the frosting, pop the finished homemade Oreos in the fridge for 10 minutes to let the filling firm up before devouring. These homemade gluten-free Oreos will keep in the fridge for a week or on the counter for 2-3 days. You can eat them right out of the fridge, but I recommend bringing them to room temperature before serving.

Sturdy but delicate gluten-free chocolate wafers

Once set, these gluten-free chocolate wafer cookies are crisp and sturdy enough to hold a filling without crumbling, but delicate snd airy enough that they’ll snap without filling squeezing out the sides. The texture is similar to that of a graham cracker, only softening a bit after a couple of days sitting with buttercream sandwiched between.

To get that copycat dark cookie wafer akin to real Oreos, I use Rodelle’s organic dutch-processed baking cocoa, which lends color and a deep chocolate flavor (read more about my loyalty to this baking cocoa here). To emphasize the chocolate notes, I add a splash of Rodelle organic chocolate extract, which is my secret weapon for all chocolate desserts.

Homemade Oreo filling options

Sandwich the crispy gluten-free chocolate wafers with your choice of vanilla or peppermint buttercream. Once winter rolls around, I’m a peppermint fanatic. To get in the holiday spirit, I use peppermint and vanilla extracts to flavor the filling. The result is a cross between an Oreo and a Thin Mint. Start with a small splash of peppermint extract, taste, and adjust, being careful not to turn your filling into toothpaste territory. These chocolate peppermint sandwiches are a new staple on my holiday cookie plate. 

If you’re averse to peppermint, no problem! Just swap out the peppermint extract for extra Rodelle organic vanilla extract. You could even add a tablespoon of matcha to the filling!

When I tested these homemade Oreos, I tried out both buttercream and cream cheese frosting filling options. I was certain I’d love the cream cheese filling the most. While I loved the cream cheese filling equally as much, the flavor strayed quite a bit from the classic Oreo notes. The cocoa wafer was less prominent. For that reason, I’m sticking with buttercream. If you’re not an Oreo purist, feel free to swap out half the butter for cream cheese. The cream cheese frosting filling adds tangy notes that make the homemade Oreos taste a bit like a whoopie pie. 

Whichever choice you make, these homemade gluten-free Oreo copycats deserve a place on your holiday cookie plate!

Disclosure: Special thanks to Rodelle for sponsoring this post! Find more Rodelle inspiration on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. And thanks to you for supporting the brands that keep Snixy Kitchen cooking!

Yield: 40 cookie sandwiches

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

Additional Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 41 minutes

These homemade gluten-free Oreos have a crisp and snappy chocolate cookie wafers. Sandwich them with traditional vanilla buttercream or make them festive with peppermint buttercream filling.

Ingredients

Gluten-Free Chocolate Wafers

1 cup + 3½ tablespoons (144g) superfine blanched almond flour

1 cup + 3 tablespoons (144g) gluten-free oat flour

¼ cup + 2½ tablespoons (70g) sweet rice flour (such as mochiko)

¼ cup + 3½ tablespoons (70g) corn starch

¾ cup + 1½ tablespoons (90g) Rodelle Organic Baking Cocoa

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup + 5 tablespoons (300g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup + 1 tablespoon (189g) ultrafine baker’s sugar

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (189g) light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon Rodelle Organics Chocolate Extract

Vanilla or Peppermint Cream Filling

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

½ teaspoon Rodelle Organics Pure Vanilla Extract

¼ - ½ teaspoon peppermint extract (for vanilla version, replace with ½ teaspoon more vanilla extract)

Pinch kosher salt

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, corn starch, baking cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, baker’s sugar, and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the chocolate extract and mix until combined.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter beating until well incorporated but still crumbly.

Divide the dough in half and form into two discs. Roll out each disk between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness or a 12x11-inch oval. Chill on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Working with one half at a time, use a 2-inch round or fluted cutter to cut each round into cookies. Roll the scraps up and cut out cookies again – try to get the cookies as close together as possible, so you only had to roll out the scraps 2 times or else the cookies will get more dense. And tough.

Chill the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F. One sheet at a time, bake the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1.5-inches apart for 10-11 minutes. When the cookies come out of the oven, use the bottom of a glass cup to gently press them down so they’re flat and smooth on top. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before using a thin metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before filling. Repeat with remaining baking sheets.

While the cookies cool, make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter over medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and, if using, ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, and salt. Beat until combined. Taste and add more peppermint extract as desired. Fill a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round pastry tip with the frosting.

Pair the cookies by similar size. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto half the cookies, then gently make a sandwich with the paired cookies. Chill cookies for 20 minutes to set the frosting before eating (or the frosting will ooze out when you bite down!). 

Source: https://www.snixykitchen.com/homemade-gluten-free-oreos-vanilla-peppermint/

[blockzone06-blog]

Homemade Gluten-Free Oreos: Vanilla & Peppermint

These homemade gluten-free Oreos have a crisp and snappy chocolate cookie wafers. Sandwich them with traditional vanilla buttercream or make them festive with peppermint buttercream filling.

While shooting the video for these homemade gluten-free Oreos, I baked 2.5 batches of cookies with peppermint buttercream. That’s 200 chocolate wafers. 100 chocolate sandwich cookies. Almost three standard-sized boxes worth of Oreos. In other words: a LOT of cookies. So Alanna and I arranged them on plates and took Zoella to the local fire station to deliver holiday cookies.

Zoella asked questions a mile a minute the entire car ride and walk up to the station. She didn’t stop talking in the lobby of the fire house. “Where is the fire engine? Where do the fire fighters sleep? Is this the fire fighter’s house? When is the fire fighter coming?” She eagerly clutched the plate of cookies. Her excitement was brewing. 

Then, the first hunky fire fighter came out and she clammed up. The second fire fighter came out and that was it. She’d forgotten how to speak. She nearly dropped the cookie plate. She was so stoked to meet the fire fighters and so shy when it finally happened.

Things were quiet around the station that night. They’d just dispatched a battalion to Butte County to fight the Camp Fire that ignited just outside my hometown early that morning. We didn’t yet know just how horrific the fire was, but it now feels even more meaningful that we brought cookies to thank them for their work that evening.

After bouncing recipes back and forth with one of the gluten-free fire fighters (!!) for a few minutes, they offered to tour us through the station. They lifted Zoella up into the fire engine and showed off the hoses on the side of the truck before sending us on our way with stickers and fire hats. All the while, she was completely silent, clinging to me like velcro. But I knew. I mean, this girl dressed up as a fire engine for Halloween. This was core memory stuff and she was thrilled.

When we got back to the car, she requested, “I want the fire fighters to come for a play date at my house.”

Haha, me too, miss. (KIDDING, LUCAS!) 

This recipe for copycat homemade gluten-free Oreos is the final recipe in a year-long recipe and video partnership Alanna and I are working on with Rodelle. Here on Snixy Kitchen, I first made matcha cream tarts, then strawberry rhubarb pie a la mode popsicles, and now these gluten-free Oreos. With Alanna’s help, we turned these recipes into videos and together developed even more recipes that live exclusively on Rodelle’s website! Be sure to follow Rodelle’s social channels to see all the recipe videos we made this year. 

Tips for making homemade gluten-free Oreos

These gluten-free Oreos are incredibly easy to make. Roll the dough out and use a cutter to cut out the wafers just like you would for sugar cookies. Cut the cookies as close together, re-roll and cut out more. The goal is to cut most of the cookies out on the first and second roll. You can certainly roll the dough out a third or fourth time, but the cookies will get ever so slightly more dense.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use the bottom of a glass to press each cookie down ever so slightly on the baking sheet. This will smooth out the tops and help hold the cookies together so they won’t crumble as easily. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least five minutes before transferring to a wire rack. That little extra cool on the baking sheet will help the cookies firm up so they won’t fall apart when you try to move them.

After piping the frosting, pop the finished homemade Oreos in the fridge for 10 minutes to let the filling firm up before devouring. These homemade gluten-free Oreos will keep in the fridge for a week or on the counter for 2-3 days. You can eat them right out of the fridge, but I recommend bringing them to room temperature before serving.

Sturdy but delicate gluten-free chocolate wafers

Once set, these gluten-free chocolate wafer cookies are crisp and sturdy enough to hold a filling without crumbling, but delicate snd airy enough that they’ll snap without filling squeezing out the sides. The texture is similar to that of a graham cracker, only softening a bit after a couple of days sitting with buttercream sandwiched between.

To get that copycat dark cookie wafer akin to real Oreos, I use Rodelle’s organic dutch-processed baking cocoa, which lends color and a deep chocolate flavor (read more about my loyalty to this baking cocoa here). To emphasize the chocolate notes, I add a splash of Rodelle organic chocolate extract, which is my secret weapon for all chocolate desserts.

Homemade Oreo filling options

Sandwich the crispy gluten-free chocolate wafers with your choice of vanilla or peppermint buttercream. Once winter rolls around, I’m a peppermint fanatic. To get in the holiday spirit, I use peppermint and vanilla extracts to flavor the filling. The result is a cross between an Oreo and a Thin Mint. Start with a small splash of peppermint extract, taste, and adjust, being careful not to turn your filling into toothpaste territory. These chocolate peppermint sandwiches are a new staple on my holiday cookie plate. 

If you’re averse to peppermint, no problem! Just swap out the peppermint extract for extra Rodelle organic vanilla extract. You could even add a tablespoon of matcha to the filling!

When I tested these homemade Oreos, I tried out both buttercream and cream cheese frosting filling options. I was certain I’d love the cream cheese filling the most. While I loved the cream cheese filling equally as much, the flavor strayed quite a bit from the classic Oreo notes. The cocoa wafer was less prominent. For that reason, I’m sticking with buttercream. If you’re not an Oreo purist, feel free to swap out half the butter for cream cheese. The cream cheese frosting filling adds tangy notes that make the homemade Oreos taste a bit like a whoopie pie. 

Whichever choice you make, these homemade gluten-free Oreo copycats deserve a place on your holiday cookie plate!

Disclosure: Special thanks to Rodelle for sponsoring this post! Find more Rodelle inspiration on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. And thanks to you for supporting the brands that keep Snixy Kitchen cooking!

Yield: 40 cookie sandwiches

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

Additional Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 41 minutes

These homemade gluten-free Oreos have a crisp and snappy chocolate cookie wafers. Sandwich them with traditional vanilla buttercream or make them festive with peppermint buttercream filling.

Ingredients

Gluten-Free Chocolate Wafers

1 cup + 3½ tablespoons (144g) superfine blanched almond flour

1 cup + 3 tablespoons (144g) gluten-free oat flour

¼ cup + 2½ tablespoons (70g) sweet rice flour (such as mochiko)

¼ cup + 3½ tablespoons (70g) corn starch

¾ cup + 1½ tablespoons (90g) Rodelle Organic Baking Cocoa

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup + 5 tablespoons (300g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup + 1 tablespoon (189g) ultrafine baker’s sugar

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (189g) light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon Rodelle Organics Chocolate Extract

Vanilla or Peppermint Cream Filling

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

½ teaspoon Rodelle Organics Pure Vanilla Extract

¼ - ½ teaspoon peppermint extract (for vanilla version, replace with ½ teaspoon more vanilla extract)

Pinch kosher salt

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, corn starch, baking cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, baker’s sugar, and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the chocolate extract and mix until combined.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter beating until well incorporated but still crumbly.

Divide the dough in half and form into two discs. Roll out each disk between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness or a 12x11-inch oval. Chill on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Working with one half at a time, use a 2-inch round or fluted cutter to cut each round into cookies. Roll the scraps up and cut out cookies again – try to get the cookies as close together as possible, so you only had to roll out the scraps 2 times or else the cookies will get more dense. And tough.

Chill the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F. One sheet at a time, bake the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1.5-inches apart for 10-11 minutes. When the cookies come out of the oven, use the bottom of a glass cup to gently press them down so they’re flat and smooth on top. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before using a thin metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before filling. Repeat with remaining baking sheets.

While the cookies cool, make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter over medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and, if using, ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, and salt. Beat until combined. Taste and add more peppermint extract as desired. Fill a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round pastry tip with the frosting.

Pair the cookies by similar size. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto half the cookies, then gently make a sandwich with the paired cookies. Chill cookies for 20 minutes to set the frosting before eating (or the frosting will ooze out when you bite down!). 

Source: https://www.snixykitchen.com/homemade-gluten-free-oreos-vanilla-peppermint/

[tentbat8-blog]

Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf Cake with Turmeric Collagen Drizzle

Confession: this gluten-free lemon loaf cake didn’t last 24 hours in my kitchen.

If you’ve taken my wellness personality quiz (and if you haven’t, go do it!) then you know that I’ve often observed through my course clients that people approach health habits very differently.

I’m a Healthy Hedonist (duh), which means that restriction makes me feel anxious. I’m not an all or nothing kind of gal. Most of the time, I am pretty good at moderation. But the slippery slope of trying to swing both ways is that sometimes I end up sliding too far in one direction. And that is certainly the case whenever I bring baked goods into the house.

Moderation is easier said than done, especially when indulgences involve addictive substances like sugar that can fuel cravings.

I can handle one piece of chocolate a night after dinner without a problem. But if there is a lemon loaf cake sitting on the counter, I am not able to have just one slice. Or just one half. Or if there are multiple, just one whole thing.

Perhaps this is due to my gluten-free scarcity mindset. Maybe it’s the blood sugar rollercoaster. Either way, it’s not a good scene, especially when I’m trying to ease into doing a mini vice detox with you in a few days!

Since one of my tenets of healthy hedonism is to set yourself up for success at home so you can find more flexibility out in the world, that means I don’t bake very often. When I am eating sugar, I find my sweet fixes in other ways, like dark chocolate. Or I go out to a favorite bakery where I will have to spend $5 on a cookie, and therefore only purchase one.

But here’s the other thing: I love creating healthy gluten-free treats for you. Solution? When testing gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipes, I force the other half of my loaf upon my neighbor.

Force, you say? Who wouldn’t want the gift of a fresh, delicious baked good?

Well, a neighbor who has just told you that she is not eating carbs or sugar at the moment, and you insist that she accept the “gift” anyway. Sorry Christine!

You see, friends. Self-control can sometimes be selfish.

Luckily for us both though (because don’t you worry, I ate the other half by myself in one sitting), this lemon loaf cake is far less sinful than what I usually walk away with at my local bakery. It’s sweetened naturally with a modest amount of maple syrup and coconut sugar. It’s topped with a little anti-inflammatory turmeric coconut butter glaze–no powdered sugar here. And for a cake, it’s fairly high in protein thanks to the plentiful eggs, almond meal, and collagen powder, which boosts both the batter and the drizzle.

As I mentioned earlier this summer, I’ve been on a mission post-SIBO to get as much Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen as possible into my meals. Not only do my nails and hair feel stronger when I’m getting a regular dose, but it’s helping to rebuild my gut lining behind the scenes.

So in this case, I don’t feel so bad about having my lemon loaf cake, and making my neighbor eat half of it too.

Read on for the delicious, easy recipe for this gluten-free lemon cake. And if you lack both the will to moderate your portions and a neighbor to take some of them off your hands, rest assured that this loaf also freezes well!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

This lemon loaf cake recipe is made gluten-free with a mixture of AP gluten-free flour (I used Cup4Cup) and almond meal. The turmeric icing is adapted from the Sweet Laurel Cookbook from the donut chapter, with the addition of collagen for extra protein. You can omit if you’re vegetarian. One thing to note is that the collagen will make the batter extra giggly and dense – don’t sweat it. I promise it will turn out fluffy!

Instructions

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or line with two piece of parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, baking powder, xanthan gum and poppy seeds. Whisk with a fork until well mixed.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in two additions, mixing until just combined. Stir in the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let the bread cool completely in the pan, then transfer it to a rack.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: in a small saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut butter, lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, turmeric, water and Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate. Whisk until smooth and silky.

Drizzle the lemon loaf cake with the turmeric-lemon glaze and allow to set. Cut into slices and enjoy.

This gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipe is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Great Lakes Gelatin. All opinions are my own (obviously). Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site (and my gut healing) possible!

Source: https://feedmephoebe.com/gluten-free-lemon-loaf-cake-recipe/

[guideseeder67-blog]

Meatloaf Recipe

Home > Recipes by Category > Main Dishes > Beef Recipes > Meatloaf Recipe

After trying dozens of others, I guarantee that this is the best meatloaf recipe you’ll find. It’s loaded with flavor, very easy to prepare, and the sauce totally makes it. Serve it alongside your favorite mashed potatoes and veggies; it will be an instant hit every time you make it.

I’ve talked a lot about Sunday dinners at my grandma’s house, where there was always an abundance of pasta and traditional Italian foods. However, we would often eat dinner at my grandma’s at random times throughout the week, as well. If she knew my parents were busy on a particular day, or happened to be making something she knew we’d like, she would call and tell us to come over. One of my favorite non-Italian meals that she made was meatloaf with mashed potatoes. It’s such a comfort food, and it reminds me of walking into her house on chilly fall and winter evenings, when it was already dark at dinnertime.

Not long after my husband and I began dating, I found out that meatloaf was one of his favorite meals. It took me awhile, but I finally found a meatloaf recipe that we both love and that’s incredibly easy to make.

How To Make Meatloaf

Meatloaf seems like it should be such a simple recipe that there wouldn’t be much variation in terms of ingredients or process, but there are a few tricks that take it from ordinary meatloaf to the absolute best ever.

Let’s go through them step-by-step:

The Meat

I’ve found that one of the biggest mistakes you can make with meatloaf is to use only ground beef. Your meatloaf will basically taste like a flavored, loaf-shaped hamburger. We want more depth of flavor and a more tender texture that doesn’t leave the meatloaf crumbly, so in addition to the ground beef, we use ground pork and ground veal.

You’ll often see packages of “meatloaf mix” in the meat case at the grocery store, which is a combination of the three meats. If you don’t see it, you can always ask the butcher to create it for you. (You can substitute 2 pounds of meatloaf mix for the trio of meats in the recipe.)

(Side note: I also use meatloaf mix for my meat sauce and meatballs – it works incredibly well in those dishes, too.)

The Rest of the Ingredients

Meatloaf obviously requires some extra ingredients to give it tons of flavor and to keep it moist and tender, as well. Let’s run through them:

The Aromatics – Onion and garlic is sautéed before being added to the meatloaf mixture to enhance its flavor (and no one wants to bite into a raw piece of onion!).

More Flavor – Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and parsley all give this meatloaf a massive oomph in the flavor department.

Eggs and Milk – Keep the meatloaf tender and bind it together. (You can substitute ½ cup plain yogurt for the milk.)

Crushed saltine crackers – Lighten the texture the meatloaf, add moisture, as well as bind it together. (You can substitute ⅔ cup quick oats or 1⅓ cups fresh bread crumbs).

The Glaze – This sauce is super simple but it packs tons of flavor and I would never make meatloaf without it! You only need three ingredients (ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar) for a perfect sweet and tangy glaze. Brush on half before baking, and the other half when it’s almost done in the oven.

The Process

Making this meatloaf recipe is super simple!

Once the onion and garlic are sauteed, you mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl, either with a fork or your hands, taking care not to overmix (this keeps the meatloaf moist and tender; overmixing can cause it to because tough or dry).

Then, either free form the loaf on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil (easy cleanup!) or you can put the mixture into a loaf pan with a perforated bottom).

Freezing Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a fabulous candidate for freezing, both before and after baking. It was one of my favorite freezer meals to have stashed away after each of my babies were born. How to do it:

Freeze Before Baking – Mix together the ingredients, shape the meatloaf, then wrap in plastic wrap, place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed. I recommend freezing it without the glaze and making it/brushing it on right before baking.

Freeze After Baking – After the meatloaf has been baked and cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap, then in a layer of aluminum foil, place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a 350-degree oven, covered with foil, for about 45 minutes, or until heated through. I do not recommend reheating directly from frozen, as it takes A LONG TIME and the outside can get dry while the inside remains frozen.

I think it has the best texture when it is frozen raw, thawed and baked. Since it’s only baked once, it maintains the best flavor and texture.

Without exception, I serve meatloaf with my favorite mashed potatoes; you can’t have meatloaf without the mashed potatoes as far as I’m concerned!

This meatloaf is husband-approved and making it always reminds me of cozy dinners at my grandma’s house, so it’s a definite win-win for me.

If You Like This Meatloaf Recipe, Try These:

Four years ago: German Beer Cheese Spread Five years ago: Frito Pie Six years ago: Potato Skins Nine years ago: Polenta Pizza

Meatloaf Recipe

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep:15 minutes

Cook:1 hour

Total:1 hour 45 minutes

This classic meatloaf recipe is the absolute best you’ll find. It’s loaded with flavor, very easy to prepare, and the sauce is delicious.

Ingredients:

For the Glaze:

½ cup (113 grams) ketchup

4 tablespoons light brown sugar

4 teaspoons cider vinegar

For the Meatloaf:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup (120 ml) whole milk

1 pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

½ pound ground veal

16 saltine crackers (45 grams), crushed

⅓ cup minced fresh parsley

Directions:

Make the Glaze: In a small saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar; set aside.

Make the Meatloaf: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing the remaining ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and milk. Add the ground meats, crackers, parsley and cooked onion mixture; mix with a fork until evenly blended.

With wet hands, pat the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on a foil-lined rimmed baking pan (you could also use a 9×5-inch loaf pan with a perforated bottom). Brush with half of the glaze.

Bake meatloaf until it is cooked through (it should register 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), about 1 hour, brushing with the remaining glaze when there is 15 minutes left. Cool at least 20 minutes, then slice the meatloaf and serve.

Recipe Notes:

The whole milk can be replaced by ½ cup plain yogurt.

The crushed saltines can be replaced by ⅔ cup quick oats or 1⅓ cups fresh bread crumbs.

Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in October 2014. It was updated in September 2018 with new photos and extensive recipe tips.

[photos by The Almond Eater]

Source: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/best-meatloaf-recipe/

[ravencheck02-blog]

Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

These light and fluffy gluten-free lemon cupcakes topped with lemon cream cheese frosting burst with lemon flavor. This easy recipe has a moist crumb and will be the highlight of any party!

These aren’t just any gluten-free lemon cupcake. They’re the lemon cupcakes we served at our wedding. The same lemon cake recipe we used to make our mini cut cake (you know, the one we tried to eat out of the freezer on our first anniversary). These cupcakes are special.

Back when we got married – almost six years ago – I’d just started experimenting with cutting gluten out of my diet. I dramatically swore off gluten about a month and a half before the wedding. But what about the cake?!

My friend who’d just finished pastry school had agreed to make the cupcakes for our wedding. After spending a day several months before the wedding recipe testing cupcakes in her kitchen, we landed on the perfect lemon cupcake recipe. I think she also made pumpkin spice and red velvet cupcakes for the big day, but they clearly didn’t leave an imprint like the lemon cupcake. Just because I’d broken up with gluten, I wasn’t about to skip out on those lemon cupcakes. So she made the lemon cupcakes with a bag of all-purpose gluten-free flour. 

Now that I’m six years into baking gluten-free (with lots of tips and tricks shared by my friend Alanna), I can finally do these cupcakes more justice as a true made-from-scratch gluten-free lemon cupcake.

Also, I just re-read that diatribe against gluten and I’m still baking my way through the 1000 cupcake liners I ordered for our wedding…six years later. And not for lack of trying – I bake a lot of gluten-free cupcakes. 

How to make gluten-free lemon cake

This gluten-free lemon cake recipe starts with a vanilla cake base. Reduce the vanilla and add lemon zest and lemon juice.

To make the cake gluten-free, I use a trio of gluten-free flours: oat, millet, and sweet rice. These flours work blend together to behave much like an all-purpose flour in baked goods like cake. While you get a bit of warm whole grain notes, their flavors are subtle, which allows the lemon to shine. 

If you’re hesitant to buy three bags of gluten-free flour, check out my recipe page to filter recipes by flour to use up every last ounce.

Do I need xanthan gum for Gluten-Free Cake?

No. And yes. Ha – you like that?

NO, you don’t need xanthan gum in gluten-free cake. If your flour blend uses a high ratio of sweet rice flour, it acts much like xanthan, giving the cake the sticking power that lends to a beautifully chewy crumb. So if you can’t or choose not to eat xanthan gum, you can rest assured that leaving it out of any cake recipe on my site won’t ruin your cake!

And YES, you may want xanthan gum in your gluten-free cake. This gluten-free cake recipe calls for xanthan gum as optional. Cupcakes with xanthan gum will be a little fluffier and less dense, and will have a springy chew more like regular cupcakes. I prefer that.

If you’re just starting out with gluten-free baking, the hefty price tag on xanthan gum is enough to steer folks away from using their own flour blends that require it. That being said, I keep it in my fridge and a bag lasts me almost 2 years, so if you plan on getting more serious about gluten-free baking, 

How to convert cupcakes into a gluten-free lemon cake?

If you want to make these gluten-free lemon cupcakes as a lemon cake instead, use this conversion:

12 cupcakes = one 8-inch cake

24 cupcakes = three 6-inch cakes

24 cupcakes = one 9×13 cake

You’ll need to adjust the baking time for the cakes. Your cake is done when a finger lightly tapped in the center springs back and doesn’t leave an imprint. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few crumbs. I usually only set a timer to remind me I have cake in the oven, but bake based on the visual cues. 

Here’s how I’d set my timer for the above cakes: The 8-inch cake will take about 33-37 minutes, the 6-inch cakes will be thinner, so start checking for doneness around 25 minutes, and the 9×13 cake will take 40-50 minutes. 

Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting: How to make lemon frosting for cupcakes

The tanginess of lemon cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement for a sweet and tart lemon cupcake.

Adding lemon juice to the frosting can make it soft and hard to pipe. Instead, infuse lemon into the cream cheese frosting by adding plenty of lemon zest.

Here’s the closed star pastry tip I use for my cupcakes. To get bakery-style frosting, start piping in the center of the cupcake working outwards, then doubling up when you get to the edge and coming back to the center. 

More Gluten-Free Cupcake Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite gluten-free cake recipes. Get all my gluten-free cake recipes in my recipe index.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

Earl Grey Gluten-Free Bundt Cake

Gluten-Free Vanilla Raspberry Sheet Cake

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 24 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 46 minutes

These light and fluffy gluten-free lemon cupcakes topped with lemon cream cheese frosting burst with lemon flavor. This easy recipe has a moist crumb and will be the highlight of any party!

Ingredients

Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup (4oz) butter, softened

1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

1½ tablespoons lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, sift together the sweet rice flour, oat flour, millet flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

With the mixer on low-speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each one.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined.

Keeping the speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in two batches, adding the milk in between, mixing until just combined.

Divide the batter among 12 lined cupcake cups, until about 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake for about 22-26 minutes, or until the tops bounce back a little when tapped and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting

Prepare the frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed.

Add the cream cheese and beat until completely smooth.

Slowly add the powdered sugar, in thirds, mixing on low speed until combined.

Add the lemon zest, vanilla and salt, and beat on medium speed until smooth.

Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. For the pattern above, use a large closed-star pastry tip.

Notes

*I use homemade oat flour by grinding gluten-free rolled oats in my blender or food processor until fine.There is a small difference in cupcakes baked with store-bought gluten-free oat flour versus those baked with home-ground gluten-free oat flour, where the store-bought oat flour cupcakes rose just ever so slightly less, but still made a delicious cupcake.

**You can leave out the xanthan gum if needed, but the result is a slightly gummier more dense cupcake.

***You can use either milk or buttermilk and they'll both produce a delicious cupcake. I use whole milk usually because I always have it on hand, but if you happen to have some leftover buttermilk on hand, sub that in to enhance the tangy notes.

Source: https://www.snixykitchen.com/gluten-free-lemon-cupcakes/

[collegewriting2]

Birthday Cake for a 2 year old Toddler

by Ms. R

(Image of a pink birthday cake with strawberries at the base and unlit candles on top.) 

Spring semesters are weird for me, because they are really less about following the syllabus and lesson plans and more about keeping my “real” life from barreling into my work life. They begin, as they always do, with my oldest daughter’s birthday [AN: she will henceforth be referred to as “Beans”], in January. In the middle is tax season, which is a stressful time for us tax widows (I refer you to the following humorous post, but forgive me if I don’t laugh). At the end, in April, right before finals week, is the baby’s birthday [AN: for the duration of this post I will call her “Noodle”].  Except she’s not really a baby anymore, she’s about to be 2. But if you’ve met me in real life you’ve heard me talk about her, so you know that Noodle is actually a demon I summoned via my uterus who found herself in the body of a chubby toddler and sometimes the hellfire and rage seeps out. Usually in the middle of grocery shopping. 

I’m kidding. Noodle’s just a baby with a big personality and superhuman strength. And her second birthday is almost here, so I have to make her a cake. 

I have a weird thing where I don’t like chocolate cake (I know, I know), so I like to avoid making them. Maybe next year Noodle will request a chocolate cake in perfect English and I will absolutely make one for her, but right now her speech is mostly two or three word phrases strung together with enthusiastic babble. So I get to pick the flavors! I especially love citrus, and since Beans wanted a lemon and lavender cake for her birthday earlier this year, I decided to make lemon the theme for 2019. 

(Image of the ingredients for the cake sponge, clockwise from top left: baking soda, sugar, canola oil spray, flour, three eggs, buttermilk powder, a bowl of lemons, salt, a stick of butter, baking powder.) 

Rather than go with an unusual combination, I wanted to stick with traditional flavors. Last year I did a strawberry and mascarpone layer cake for Noodle’s first birthday which was very tasty, but the frosting fell flat. Since the cake had to be transported to my in-laws’ house, I wanted to make sure I used a frosting that would hold up without refrigeration. Before I could even look for one, Serious Eats tweeted an article by Stella Parks about fruity whipped cream flavored with freeze dried fruit that remains stable and firm. At the end of the article was a link to another one from Parks that had suggestions on adding the freeze dried fruit to traditional frostings. Her recommendation is to use the fruit in a powder added to swiss meringue buttercream. Well, I was sold. A few years ago I made my husband a guava and coconut cake (Puertorrican flavors, hell yeah!), and I added  powdered coconut milk to the swiss meringue buttercream frosting and it was AMAZING. It was my first time trying that frosting recipe, and it’s still the best one I’ve ever made. 

I decided to use the same recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen for the frosting that I used before, with the addition of freeze dried strawberry powder (to tie into the cake from last year). Since I was already on the Serious Eats site, I looked for a lemon cake recipe and found an article about an adaptation of Nathan Coulon’s lemon cake that was featured in Cooking Light, but instead of frosting there was lemon curd. I love lemon curd, but this is neither the time nor the place. I opted for a version closer to the original from Me, Myself, and Pie.

(Collage image, clockwise from top left: mixing bowl with measured dry ingredients, a rindless lemon next to a pile of rinds and a vegetable peeler, a mixing bowl with butter, sugar, and lemon rind creamed together, sugar and lemon rind in a small food processor.) 

I followed the directions as closely as possible, since I am kind of bad at making cakes. The only change I made was to process the sugar and the lemon rind together in a food processor before creaming, since I find the process of grating citrus rind to be annoying and tedious. I’m sure I read about this shortcut somewhere, but I can’t remember where. In any case, it is an easy hack that leads to a stronger citrus flavor.

(Collage image, clockwise from top left: greased cake pans with circles of parchment on the base, cake pans filled with batter, baked cakes cooling in the pans.) 

Nathan’s Lemon Cake

Link: http://me-myself-and-pie.blogspot.com/2010/05/lemon-cake.html

Ingredients for Cake

Cooking spray

2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour

2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

1  teaspoon  baking powder

½  teaspoon  baking soda

½  teaspoon  salt

1 ½  cups granulated sugar

½  cup unsalted butter, softened

3  large eggs

1  cup  nonfat buttermilk

2  tablespoons  finely grated lemon rind

2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray. Dust pans with 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.

Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place granulated sugar and ½ cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and nonfat buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon rind and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Pour batter into prepared pans; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack; remove wax paper from cake layers. 

(Collage image, clockwise from top left: 8 eggs separated into yolks and whites, egg whites in a bowl next to a pan of heating water and a bowl of sugar on a scale, a stand mixer with the meringue mix next to a bar of butter and a spatula, freeze dried strawberries in a bag next to a small food processor.)

(College image, clockwise from top left: completed swiss meringue buttercream with strawberry powder mixed in, trimmed cake rounds next to a bowl of frosting, half-frosted cake, cake base frosted next to a bowl of frosting and a bare cake round.)

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

Link: https://natashaskitchen.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/

Ingredients

7 large 210 grams or 7 oz egg whites

2 cups 400 grams granulated sugar

1 ½ cups 3 sticks or 340 grams unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

Instructions

In a medium pot, add at least 1-inch of water and bring to simmer.

Thoroughly wash and dry the stainless steel mixing bowl from your stand mixer* (you don’t want grease touching meringue). Add 7 egg whites and 2 cups sugar and whisk together. Place mixing bowl over pot of barely simmering water, creating a seal over the pot (bowl should be over the steam, not touching water). Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 160˚F (takes about 3 min). Sugar should be fully dissolved (you should not feel any sugar granules when rubbing mixture between finger tips). Mixture will feel hot to the touch.

Wipe water from bottom of mixing bowl and transfer bowl to stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form (about 15-20 min) and bottom of the bowl feels completely at room temp and not warm (important: warm meringue will melt the butter).

Once bowl is at room temp, switch to paddle attachment, reduce to medium speed and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time, adding it just as fast as it is absorbed by meringue. Once all butter is in, scrape down the bowl and continue beating until it reaches a thick whipped consistency (3 min on med-high speed). If it looks lumpy or liquidy at all, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped.

Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and ¼ tsp salt and mix on med-high until incorporated (about 1 min). **Ms. R’s additions to the recipe using recommendations from Stella Parks**

Measure out 2.5 ounces of freeze dried fruit (strawberries, in this case) and grind in a food processor until it becomes a fine powder.

Sift fruit powder before adding to buttercream, and mix thoroughly. Frosting can be used immediately, but setting it aside in the refrigerator leads to a stronger flavor and a smoother consistency.

Overall, I feel like this birthday cake was a success even though I wasn’t very happy with the sponge (I think overmixed AGAIN). The frosting took a little longer to come together than I expected, probably due to the doubling of the recipe. Next time I double I will use 10 egg whites and keep the other ratios the same. Despite the issues, the cake and buttercream held up well and sliced nicely (as seen in the image below), and the flavors or strawberry and lemon were INTENSE.

 10/10, would bake again.