Canning Q&A: Gel Stage
March 21, 2013 | Print | E-mail | Filed under canning, food fanatic
I’m over at Food Fanatic again today – however, rather than sharing a recipe this time around, I’m starting a new series! It’s called Canning Q&A, and every so often, I’ll be geeking out about the science behind canning & preserving and answering your frequently asked canning questions. Today’s topic is all about the gel stage, and how to achieve it in your soft spreads without the use of commercial pectin. Head on over to check it out, and have a great Thursday!
Teacup Cupcakes
March 19, 2013 | Print | E-mail | Filed under cake, chocolate, cupcakes, fondant
Each year I try to bake up something a little something special for my sister’s birthday – previous year’s sweet treats include a puffle cake, a butterbeer cake, and nutella-filled lamingtons, all of which were fun to make (not to mention delicious!). This year, I was so overwhelmed with ideas that I was having trouble deciding on just one. While I was doing some research, I decided to check out my sister’s food board on Pinterest, and I saw that she had pinned these hot chocolate cupcakes. Since my sister loves tea, I decided to run with the cupcake mug idea, and these little teacup cupcakes are the result. They definitely take a bit of patience since there are so many steps, but each individual step isn’t so bad. I think it’d be fun to dye the fondant next time to make different colored mugs, or even use edible color markers to decorate them. Happy birthday, sister! Enjoy your special day!
Quinoa Breakfast Bars
March 13, 2013 | Print | E-mail | Filed under honey, quinoa
Ever just have one of those weeks? I had one last week, when my laptop battery died. With a background in software and computers, the matter of replacing an internal battery is normally a simple one – unless you happen to own a Macbook. Then, it apparently requires no less than 3 (each an hour long) trips to the Apple store, because they won’t allow you to replace the battery yourself. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to want to fix it for you either, unless you make an appointment six months in advance and sign over your firstborn child. Okay, I’m being a little dramatic with that last sentence…but the rest is true and caused a huge hassle over an issue that ended up taking them no more than ten minutes to actually fix. Ironically, the hubby and I were also eligible for phone upgrades over the weekend – suffice it to say that we did not go with iPhones!
Anyway, on to the recipe, which I’m excited to be able to share now that I have my laptop back! The nice folks over at Fair Trade USA sent me a bag of fair trade quinoa to try a while back, and since I normally gravitate toward quinoa salads, I decided to go in a different direction this time and make a portable breakfast bar. They make great snacks as well, although I recommend wrapping them individually since they get a little on the sticky side from the dates and honey. Enjoy!
Continue Reading >>
Blackberry and White Chocolate Scones
March 5, 2013 | Print | E-mail | Filed under blackberry, scones, white chocolate
If you’ve been reading for a while, I’m sure by now you’ve noticed that I have a slight obsession with making every possible type of scone on the planet. However, I can’t take credit for today’s version – this one came from my sister! When I asked her what type of scone I should try next, she immediately responded with raspberry and white chocolate. I thought it was a great idea, except that I didn’t have any raspberries on hand. I did have a handful of blackberries frozen from when I went blackberry picking with a friend last summer though, so I decided to use those instead – I simply chopped them up so that we wouldn’t end up crunching on a whole blackberry. I glazed half of the scones right away, and then asked on Instagram whether I should keep going – of course, all the votes were for glaze! The hubby nabbed one of the unglazed scones though, and declared that those were much better suited for breakfast, while the glazed ones are perfect for dessert. However you decide to make them, make them soon and enjoy!
Continue Reading >>
Green Mountain Coffee: Donut House Coffee
February 27, 2013 | Print | E-mail | Filed under Keurig
The first time I tried anything from the line of Donut House coffees, the hubby and I had just returned from packing up in the rain after a weekend camping trip with friends. Soaked and shivering from the long drive home after sitting in our wet clothes, even with the heat cranked up, I was in a lousy mood. The first thing I did when we got home (after changing into dry clothes, of course) was to fire up the Keurig. Before tackling the rest of our wet things, I thought we could use a little coffee break to brighten up our moods – and that’s how I got hooked on the Chocolate Glazed Donut coffee. Served with a splash of hazelnut creamer, now I simply call it my “nutella coffee,” and it’s my go-to cup of coffee when I’m craving comfort. Today, I get to share some of that delicious comfort with you!
Green Mountain Coffee is offering you the chance to try Donut House coffee for less – just use the code DONUTHOUSE8121 from now through March 19th for 15% off all Donut House collection K-Cup packs on GreenMountainCoffee.com. Enjoy…and, maybe whip up a batch of these to go with your coffee as well. Happy Wednesday!
Full disclosure: I am a paid Keurig K-Cup Ambassador, however the opinions expressed here are all my own.
