Showing posts with label Sous Chef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sous Chef. Show all posts

Monday, October 6, 2014

No-Bake Cake Balls

Liam and I frequent Starbucks mostly due to his cake pop love.  I keep wanting to make him soemthing similar at home, so my mom found this recipe and sent it to me to play with.  They turned out VERY delicious.  Tasted a lot like cookie dough in chocolate.  In the future I would use a bit less flour since they were a tad bit crumbly and cut the white chocolate with cream or frosting.  It was a humongous sticky mess to coat the balls in JUST white chocolate.  Very yummy though.

Ingredients: (makes about 14-20 balls depending on how you roll them)
1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick, softened)
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Vanilla Cake Mix
1 1/2 Cup Flout (Start with just 1 Cup and add in as you need)
pinch of salt
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 Cup Milk
6-8 oz white chocolate (again you may want to add in some milk or cream or even some frosting (homemade or store bought) to keep it from being quite so sticky)
Sprinkles

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat a wire rack with non-stick spray.

Mix all ingredients except the chocolate and sprinkles and roll into balls that are about 1 inch in diameter.  Set the balls on the cookie sheer and chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate and stir until smooth.  Dip each ball into the chocolate, coating completely and set on rack.  Top with sprinkles and chill all balls in the fridge until set. 

Serve and enjoy!  They taste amazing with milk.

Soften the butter
Add in the sugar
Add in the flour
Add all ingredients except for the chocolate and sprinkles
Mix until starting to crumble
Roll into balls and set on cookie sheet to be chilled
Dip the balls into the chocolate
Top with sprinkles and set on drying rack to be chilled

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Cinnamon Roll Bake: April's Winning Dessert

I must apologize for the lateness of this post.  Due to my 30th birthday and having my grandparents here visiting, I was having a hard time making time to do the dough part.  I did not forget and here it is as promised.  Overall this dessert turned out well.  I don't feel like the person gave directions very well again and had to skip between recipes.  I would also add some cream cheese icing on the top as well if I were to make it again and change the dough recipe.  It is still very delicious though.

Ingredients:
Dough:
4 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Cup Half/Half (more if needed)
3 Tbsp Butter (Melted)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Yeast

Filling:
8 oz (1 pkg) Cream Cheese (Softened)
3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

Topping:
5 Tbsp Melted Butter (Separated in half)
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar (Separated in half)
Sprinkle of Ground Cinnamon



Directions:
Dough:
(If you have a bread machine, you can add the dough ingredients to it and set on dough cycle or you can do it the old fashioned way like I did)
Step One: Make the Dough
Use an electric mixer to beat a portion of the flour and the remaining ingredients together, making sure all of the flour and yeast are moistened.
Use a wooden spoon to stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can (using an electric mixer at this stage can strain the motor). Stir until the dough looks ropey and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Tip: Start by adding in the minimum amount of flour in the range. If you add too much flour during mixing and kneading, the bread can become heavy and dry.
Step 2: Knead the dough
Cinnamon rolls call for moderately soft dough, which is still slightly sticky and requires 3-5 minutes of kneading.
To knead place dough on a lightly floured surface (I use baking paper on the counter), fold dough over and push down with the heel of your hand. Turn, fold dough over, and push down again. Repeat this process over and over. You know the dough is ready when it is smooth and elastic. Shape it into a ball.
Tip: Kneading helps the gluten to form in the dough and creates the sturdy structure needed
Step 3: Let the dough rise (This took about an hour and a half for me)
Place the ball of dough into a greased bowl that is at least twice as big as the dough ball, and turn it once to grease the surface. This keeps the dough from drying out.
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Punch down the dough by pushing your fist into the center. Cover the dough and let it rest on a floured surface before shaping. This calms the dough and makes it easier to work with.


Once dough is complete split the dough into two equal pieces.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray/Grease an 8 in baking dish
Spread half of the dough on the bottom of the bakign dish
Spread with half of of the brown sugar mixture.
In a mixing bowl add the filling ingredients and beat until smooth.  Spread over the brown sugar mixture.
Cover well with the remaining dough and top with the remaining brown sugar mixture.
Cook for 18-20 minutes or until brown.  Cool 10-15 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy! 
Add the dough ingredients into a mixing bowl starting with half of the flour
Beat on low speed
Add the remaining flour to the dough and mix with a spoon

Sous Chef Liam showcasing the dough
Dough should be sticky

Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes
Chef selfie
Place dough in a large bowl and cover to allow to rise
Allow dough to rise to about twice the original size

Punch the dough in the middle
Place on lightly floured surface
Roll the dough out
Add half of the dough to the greased baking dish
Add half of the brown sugar mixture and top with the sour cream mixture
Fully cover with the remaining dough
Top with the remaining brown sugar mixture
Bake for 18-20 minutes
Serve & Enjoy!


If you would like to view the previous winning desserts, click here:



January's Winner: Black Forest Pavlova

December's Winner: Pumpkin Tiramisu

November's Winner: Caramelized Banana Pudding

October's Winner: Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

September's Winner: Apple Raspberry Crumble

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Ham & Potato Soup

I had the pleasure of cooking for a multitude of family members this evening.  Seven people in all which is a lot more than I usually get to try my food.  I am so luck to have my grandparents, aunt, cousin, sister and son all together this week.  The stars aligned and had us all in one place!  So we opted for a great comfort food recipe that could feed a lot of people, and what better option than ham & potato soup!  This recipe was fairly painless and easy and turned out very delicious!  I also still have leftovers!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp Butter
2 Garlic Cloves (Diced)
3 Carrots (Peeled & Sliced)
3 Celery Stalks (Sliced)
2.5 lbs Smoked Ham (Cubed)
1/4 Cup Flour
4 Cups Chicken Stock (32 oz Container)
2 Cups Water
2 tsp Alpine Touch (Salt & Pepper)
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
Green Onions to Garnish (optional)
Shredded Cheese to Garnish (optional)

Directions:
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat until golden brown. Stir in carrot, celery, ham, and garlic.  Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables soften. 
Stir in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, 1 cup at a time. Add water and stir to combine. Turn the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
Stir in potatoes; cook for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Skim fat if desired. 
Season with alpine touch to taste and add cream. Stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with fresh chives and/or shredded cheese.  Serve & Enjoy!

My sous chef excited to get started
Add the butter, veggies & ham to the pot
Add the flour
Add the chicken stock
Add the potatoes
Stir in the cream
Serve & Enjoy!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Red Velvet Cupcakes!

I know that this deviates from the norm of me cooking from scratch and that we just made these from a box, but it was still fun for Liam and I and very delicious and worth the photos!  Just wanted to share the fun that we had following someone else's directions for once!  I definitely recommend it though very delicious and lots of fun and a wee bit messy!  It is really hard to get out, so I recommend an apron or not wearing a white shirt like I was haha. 








Thursday, December 12, 2013

Citrus Chicken Recipe

A delicious and easy citrus twist to chicken.  

Ingredients:
6-7 Chicken Tenderloins
1 Tbsp Oil
Seasoning (Alpine Touch, Mango Lime Seasoning, Sweet & Smokey Rub)
2 Cuties, Small Oranges (Peel and Section)
1 Mango (Peel & Slice)
1 Tbsp Lime Juice

Directions:
Add the oil and Chicken to the pan and cook on med-high.  Season generously.  When thoroughly cooked add oranges, mango and lime juice.  Turn heat down to Simmer and Simmer for about 5 minutes until fruit is softened.  Serve with fruit and enjoy!


Add Chicken to the pan and season genrously
My sous chef and his tongs
Add the fruit and lime juice
Another impish grin from my boy
Serve & Enjoy

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Baking with Liam

Liam and I did quite some baking this weekend, making some Halloween cupcakes and Blueberry Streusel Cake.  Liam always has so much fun  as my sous chef, and I am so happy to have been able to capture so much of the experience with pictures and even a video from this morning :) Also Liam has some safety tips when mixing in his video ;)  Enjoy!

Excited to begin :)
 





















Mixing it together
Pouring ingredients























Placing muffin cups
Ready to go into the oven
Done cooking
Frosted!
Sprinkles added

Posing with the cupcakes



 


Excited to eat one
Mom is funny
Frosting kiss!
Mixing up the blueberry streusel
Stirring is fun :)