Cook the Book: Fried Stuffed Olives [Photograph: Caroline Russock] After frying up a batch of these Fried Stuffed Olives from David Leite's The New Portuguese Table, I hereby nominate them for a place in the bar snack hall of fame. Olives, cheese, cured pork, and roasted almonds make appearances at the cocktail hour spread, but not enough like this. Leite gives many options for stuffing your olives. As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The New Portuguese Table to give away this week.
Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes Well these naughty little treats are well….naughty but oh so necessary. There are a bit like my Brownie Covered Oreo’s from last Christmas but enhanced with layers of peanut butter and a double decker stack of Oreos in each little brownie cake. They are simply prepared in cupcake liners. Hope you enjoy this ultra sweet little cake Ok, I have to brag about this brownie mix from Trader Joes for a second. Break out 24 Oreo Cookies. Some of your favorite peanut butter. Spread a teaspoon of peanut butter over Oreo #1. Press a second Oreo right on top One more teaspoon right on top. Place the little stack right into a cupcake lined muffin cup. Like so Take your brownie mix…. …and spoon a couple tablespoons right over top, letting it run around the edges of the cookies. Mmmm! Ahhhh, wait until you cut them in half. Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes 1 box brownie mix, 8×8 inch size 24 Oreo Cookies 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1. 2. Makes 12 servings Enjoy! Other recipes you may enjoy...
Ingredients of a 20something: Cookie dough cupcakes, peanut butter chocolate cookies and cake pops It seems like the farther I get away from college (and the more free time I have...there's a connection), the more I get into movies. Which is why Oscar season is exciting. I saw The Artist a couple days after the Best Picture nominees were announced, and I have to say, it's totally great. For a silent film, it uses sound masterfully. Another favorite so far is Midnight in Paris. I've been really into basic cookies lately. A few friends who will remain nameless (but who LOVE cake pops) requested these a couple weekends ago, and for the first time I enlisted my dad and stepmom's help making them. And with another classic, I made these chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes from Annie's Eats.
How to Make Caramel Apple Shots | Food Republic - StumbleUpon Photo: Michelle Oddis Once in a while, a party trick comes along that grabs our attention. Food blogger Michelle Oddis of That's So Michelle loves making caramel apple shots we can't imagine anyone would turn down. Using, wait for it, real fruit and time-tested formulas for tasty, jiggly shots that stay put in their edible "shotglasses," Michelle's gotten Food Republic on the gimmicky Halloween bandwagon we've been resisting so fiercely. Try out these irresistible boozy apple treats (and don't hold your breath for a candy corn cocktail on our end). Here's what you'll need: 10 small granny smith apples 1 envelope knox gelatin 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup coconut milk 2 drops yellow food coloring 1 envelope Land 'o Lakes caramel hot chocolate (regular would do just fine if you can't find caramel) 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup butterscotch schnapps lemon juice Halve and hollow out apples, cutting them from the stem down using a melon baller or spoon. Cut halves in quarters and those quarters in half again.
Very Vanilla Valentine's Cheesecake | Independent Watkins Assoc #393833 - Jan Couto Love at first bite. SUCH an overworked expression, but still… when you’re talking cheesecake, the tiniest bite is capable of sending you into paroxysms of ardor. The richness of the cream cheese! The delightful interplay of tangy and sweet; the barely crunchy crust cradling its ultra-smooth filling… Be still, my heart! There’s one problem with a traditional cheesecake, though; it’s REALLY hard to serve it in really small pieces. Take that same luscious cheesecake, though, bake it in a square pan, and all of a sudden it’s easy to have, literally, “just a tiny bite.” A 1” x 1” cube of cheesecake? Before you start: you’ll want to have 16 ounces (two large packages) of cream cheese at room temperature; so give yourself a couple of hours for this to happen. Preheat the oven to 375°F. First, the crust. 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, about 8 whole crackers 4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 5 tablespoons melted butter Can you use a 9” square pan?
Happy (Official) St. Patrick’s Day! | Milk & Honey As I was making these Guinness Cupcakes, I couldn’t help but think of St. Patrick’s Days gone by. See, I never think of March 17 as the day for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The parties, the shamrocks, the green beer – all that happened well before the actual day on a charming little holiday known as Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day. One word. It all started back in the 90s when a tavern owner in the University town of Champaign, IL decided his establishments were missing out on a lot revenue when the drinking holiday to end all drinking holidays fell over spring break when the students were away from campus and spending their beer money in tropical paradises instead (or if you’re like me, you didn’t have any beer money, let alone tropical paradise money, so you likely spent your St. Needless to say, the students liked this idea. Where do I sign up? Junior year, I had a particularly difficult exam scheduled that day. My green beer days have been replaced by days of cleaning and cupcakes.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries Call me easily amused, but these little torch-topped cupcakes delight me. Besides being a cute novelty item for a party, I think they would add a little drama to the end of a romantic meal. I've been looking for something different to serve for Valentine's dessert, and this is definitely different. The strawberries are hollowed out and filled with a bit of liquor, then ignited with a match. For the cake portion, I chose a One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe because 1. it's quick 2. it is easy, and 3. it fits my prerequisite for a light ending on date night. I should say, a light ending provided you don't eat too many. The cakes are just sweet enough, and have a light, fluffy crumb - the perfect vehicle for rich chocolate buttercream. Notes for flaming strawberries:Any alcohol below 80 proof will not ignite well. Shaina made a margarita version of this on Babble Food. Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries Yield: About 20 cupcakes [click to print]Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
homemade pop tarts I never had a Pop-Tart until college. I realize that for some people this may cause a shocked reaction on par with my husband’s the time I told him I’ve never watched Goonies before (or Jacob’s, upon discovering the internet). Obviously I grew up under a rock, right? Thus, given my proximity to concrete-like materials you’d think I have been better prepared for the texture of the one I purchased from the vending machine in the basement of my freshman dorm (not at 4 a.m. or anything, either, nope, not this angel!). But I was not. It was like particle board, but even particle board has a fresher aroma. I understand that if I had toasted it, my experience might have been better. I can’t believe I waited so long to make these. Most recipes I have come across use a pie dough for the pastry but I was really stuck on getting a crust that was a little more sturdy — one with an egg. One year ago: Black Bread Homemade Pop Tarts Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Cookies and Cream Cheesecake My husband has always been a big fan of cookies and cream ice cream and cheesecake, and I’ve always been a big fan of making him food that he loves. It’s only taken me nine years of marriage to come up with the idea of combining his favorite ice cream with his favorite dessert. I was both pleasantly surprised and quite dismayed to realize that cookies and cream cheesecake is quite possibly the best dessert out there. Pleasantly surprised because I’m normally not a fan of cookies and cream unless it’s just a plain ol’ Oreo and dismayed because I couldn’t stop sneaking into the kitchen to take just one more bite. This cheesecake is dangerous. The crust is made out of Oreo crumbs and melted butter. The cheesecake whips up quickly and then you just crumble up some more Oreos and stir them in. And let’s face it, I need the extra points after making him search high and low for a missing Christmas gift the other night. He deserves the cheesecake, okay? This piece is for me. 1. 2. 3.
Purple Ombre Sprinkles Cake Tomorrow is my birthday, and though I've reached the stage where birthdays don't excite me anymore I thought I would do a fun cake for this week since I didn't have anything else planned. I wanted to do a crazy cake that was 100% just for me, just all the things I loved and have wanted to put into a birthday cake. And that means sprinkles and lots and lots of purple. I've had a really bad week. I used Wilton colouring gel and it worked absolute wonders. I decided to use the leftover blackcurrant jam from my Ribena Cupcakes from last week. Purple Ombré Sprinkles Birthday Cake(makes one round 18cm 5-layer cake, yellow cake recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Step-by-Step)Note: Sorry US readers, I didn't have time to measure the ingredients in cups so I could convert the measurements for you, you'll have to convert it yourself or use some kitchen scales for this one! Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until blended.
Death By Oreo Cupcakes They are probably the best Oreo cakes I have ever tried. A lot of cake's that I have experimented with before are like a vanilla cake with bits of Oreo in them, which didn't really give them enough Oreo flavor. But these were a lot better. Ingredients 1 package Oreo Cookies, regular size 1 package Mini Oreo Cookies, for decoration (optional) 1 package chocolate cake mix (mix according to directions on box) 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract cupcake liners Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and cream cheese. foodsnots.com
The Brownie That Will Change Your Life - StumbleUpon Let me start off by saying that viewer discretion is advised for today’s post. OK now with the story that preludes possibly the greatest brownie I have ever sunk my teeth in thus far in my life. Last Saturday Mrs. Zesty had a baby shower to attend and she was designated for a dessert/sweet treat for the girls. I knew time was tight and I didn’t want to spend all night Friday night to prep a dessert. This recipe, I cannot take any credit for and nor will I try as it is compliments of Nestle Toll House and as you can see from the reviews…. Ingredients 1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix1 cup chopped nuts ( Optional )1 cup Evaporated Milk1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted35 (10-oz. pkg.) caramels, unwrapped2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Method Preheat oven to 350° F.Combine cake mix and nuts in large bowl. Bake for 15 minutes.Heat caramels and remaining evaporated milk in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted. Thanks zesty