Sunday, June 29, 2014

DIY Wedding Ornament

Are you attending a wedding this summer and looking for a unique and fun gift?  When I pinned this idea last year, it was one I wish I'd thought of!!  There's lots of  ideas out there, where I say Why didn't I think of that??!!!

I wish I had taken better pictures while assembling this but I didn't.  Here's my finished ornament and a link to the original post.



Such a unique idea, you could also do this with graduation announcements, baby shower invitations or announcements!!  Cute and it's easy to do!!


Sunday, June 22, 2014

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars

I am not a fan of Rice Krispie Bars, at least not the original, they're just too sweet for my taste.  There's no shortage of Rice Krispie bar recipes that are variation of the original.  I've tried several, these using everyone's favorite biscoff, these using red hots or these from cake batter. 

When I'm in the mood to bake, I check the pantry for that ingredient I bought and didn't use.  This time, it was a bag of caramels.  Not sure why I bought them but unwrapping each one sure is a pain!  How about Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars?  Just so happens there was a partial box of rice krispies in the pantry.  I found a recipe I liked and decided to step it up a notch and brown the butter.  Caramel, brown butter and sea salt make an amazing combination of flavors.  The nuttiness of the brown butter, sweetness of the caramel combined with the salt make for an oh so good treat!  Fortunately, I was taking these to a party or I could have eaten the whole pan. 




 Brown Butter Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars
Recipe Adapted from Redbook
Caramel:
  • 1 bag(s) (14-ounce) caramels (about 50), unwrapped
  • 1 can(s) (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/4 cup(s) unsalted butter
Squares:
  • 1/4 cup(s) unsalted butter, browned
  • 1 bag(s) (10 1/2-ounce) miniature marshmallows
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
  • 3 teaspoon(s) sea salt flakes (such as Maldon)
  • 8 cup(s) toasted rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)

Directions
  1. Prepare caramel: Stir ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
  2. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick foil, extending foil 2 inches beyond the edges.
  3. In a 6-quart pot, brown the butter.  (You could easily skip this and just melt the butter.)
  4.  Add marshmallows and stir with a rubber spatula until almost melted.
  5. Stir in vanilla, 1 tsp of the sea salt, and 1 cup of the caramel mixture. Continue to stir until mixture is blended and smooth.
  6. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal until it’s evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.
  7. Press mixture into pan in an even layer and cool completely.
  8. Spread the remaining 1 cup of the caramel mixture over cooled cereal. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tsp of the sea salt.
  9. Remove from pan and peel off foil. Cut into 24 squares. Store in an airtight container.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Roasted Onions and Radishes

Have you ever roasted radishes?  As with most vegetables, roasting brings out their sweetness.   It's CSA time and we had radishes from our own garden.  I wanted to do something else besides just serve them on salads.  These were sweet with just a little bit of crunch and a nice tang from the balsamic.


 Roasted Radishes and Onions
  • 3-4 bunches of radishes- trimmed, topped and tailed (about 20 radishes depending on the size, allow 2-3 per person)
  • 4-6 onions (I used large green onions) peeled, cut onion into 4 or 6 wedges (like a wedge of lemon)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (approx.) to sprinkle over
  • salt to sprinkle (Kosher, Madon)
  • Drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze

Method

Toss the radishes and onion wedges in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in a hot oven (400) for approximately 35-40 minutes, stirring a couple of times until the onions are crispy and the radishes fairly tender when tested with a sharp knife tip.
Sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar.   Serve as a side dish or as a vegetable dish along side roast meat.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes - SRC

In search of something to make for a co workers birthday, I began browsing, Hun What's for Dinner,   my assigned SRC blog for the month of June.  What's SRC you ask?  Secret Recipe Club is a fun monthly cooking group.  You can learn more about it here.

Cindy of Hun What's for Dinner says she married a chef dreaming of 5 star dinners.  Only to become an accomplish cook and baker herself.  She's won several awards and cooking competitions. Her blog had so many great recipes to choose from.  I've bookmarked several, including this yummy recipe for Bananas Foster French Toast.    I was intrigued by the recipe for Pink Lemonade Cupcakes.  Who doesn't love pink lemonade?  Seems likely it would help make a delicious, moist cupcake.   The frosting was my favorite part of this recipe, it's tart and delicious. These would be fun cupcakes for a little girl's birthday party. 



Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

1 box Funfetti Cake mix
3 eggs
1/4 C oil
1 C pink lemonade concentrate
1/3 C butter
5-6 C powdered sugar
3 Tbs pink lemonade concentrate
rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. In a bowl mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil, and 1 C of pink lemonade concentrate. Mix until well combined; then beat for 2 minutes. Fill each paper cup 2/3 full and bake for 12-15 minutes; until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, before removing to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature. In your mixers bowl, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. On the lowest setting, slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 C at a time, beating well after each addition. Once all powdered sugar has been added, increase to highest speed and slowly add in 3 Tbs of pink lemonade concentrate. Beat until very fluffy; about 5 minutes. Place a pipping bag, or large zip top bag, into a deep glass; folding over the top edge. Fill the bag with the frosting. Snip a fairly large hole in the tip of the bag. Using a circular motion, pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles immediately.