Cara's Cupcakes (and other yummy treats!): 2010

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Banana Bread Cream Nut Roll

Title says it all! Roll in powdered sugar!

Stuffed Pancakes (Ebelskievers)

Chocolate ganache filled pancakes. I've also made them with Apricot and Raspberry fillings. They are quite time-consuming, but as are most things that contain chocolate, well worth the effort. By the time I finished making them, it was practically lunch time!

Breakfast Casserole

This is a sausage and egg casserole/bread pudding. it was an easy recipe to make the night before and then pop in the oven in the morning. it also kept well and we sliced it to take to work. It is pretty firm and can hold well in tin foil.

Easter Chick Cupcakes

Vanilla Chick Cupcakes Rolled in Toasted Coconut. I had to frost the entire cupcake to get the coconut to stick. We brought these over to our friend's Jen and Tim's house for an early Easter dinner. Served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is the only way to eat anythign with Coconut!

The Yummy

The Yummy! No really, that is what it's called. An old family friend owns jerry's Famous Deli in South Beach and this is on the menu. It's sort of like a mix between a monte cristo and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but either way, it's delicious. The toast is made the same way french toast is and then you assemble a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with it. Fry it all together in some butter and coat with powdered sugar. I know, I have no idea how you are expected to function after a breakfast like this.

Owl Cupcakes!

Owl Cupcakes with Oreo Eyes! Chocolate Cupcakes with a creamy chocolate buttercream. The oreo's were hard to separate and keep white, but from this distance you cant really see all the crumbs in the eyes. The orange eyes look a bit possessed but I ran out of brown M'nM's. Oh well!

Berry-Delicious Pie with Pound Cake Crumb Crust

Look how colorful this pie is! That's what I love about a crumb crust! it allows you to see all the delicious colors and ingredients inside the pie. Perfect for tempting you. The pie was a mixed berry pie that included all of my favorites: Blackberries, Raspberries, and Strawberries. I started with a simple pie crust dough and then made the crumb crust with oats, flour, sugar, and pound cake. When I baked it in the oven, the pound cake turned a golden brown and really added to the appeal. It also added an even sweeter element to the pie that paired really well with the berries. My secret ingredient to this pie was not the pound cake though, it was a poppy seed filling that I added the the berry/sugar mixture. Delicious! And of course, served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

More Halloween Festivities!

Who doesn't love Halloween? It could be quite possibly my favorite Holiday to cook for. These are little hand sandwiches of ham and cheese. The "RIP" was written with a food coloring pen and I cut the crust off the edges to get the perfect tombstone shape.

" Spider Cider" with Dry Ice

A festive cooler for beverages carved out of the largest flattest pumpkin I could find.

Potato Croquettes

First, I made mashed potatoes and put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes so they stiffened up. Once cold, they were much easier to form into little ovals. You have to work quickly because the heat from your hands will soften the potatoes and they become difficult to form. Once formed, you can dip them in egg wash and then into Italian breadcrumbs. Saute them until lightly browned and then baked in the oven until they are hot all the way through. These are fussy little things, but taste great.

Dried Fruit and Nut Stuffed Pork Loin

Dried Fruit and Nut Stuffed Pork Loin. This was surprisingly easy to make. I bought a nice thick pork loin and sliced it down the middle (lengthwise) so it could be filled. It's best not to cut it all the way through so you form more of a pocket, less like a sandwich. I added brown sugar, dried fruits and nuts and baked until cooked through. When I sliced it, it was so pretty and you could really see all the layers of filling. Serve with Apple Sauce and enjoy.

Lamb and Ricotta Ragu

Lamb and Ricotta Cheese Ragu over Bow Tie Pasta

Cornish Hens and Champagne

Cornish Hens and roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions. Drizzle with Olive Oil and a few spices, toss it all together and bake! Serve with Champagne....serve everything with Champagne!

Brie in Puff Pastry

Puff pastry with Brie Cheese inside. I used my leaf pie crust cutters to add a nice touch to the topping. Sometimes I fill it with a mixture of cooked brandy, brown sugar, dried fruit and walnuts or pecans. Any flavor jam or nuts would do jsut fine too. As if Brie was fattening enough, I had to wrap it in carbs and butter! But this way, you can omit the crackers.

Sausage Pie

Sausage and Mashed Potato Pie. This is my Aunt Pam's recipe that she makes every Thanksgiving. It's such an unexpected treat, filled with creamy mashed potatoes and pork sausage, Rosemary, and a flaky crust. Makes really great left overs too!

Slider Bar

We decided to make a Slider Bar so we could pick and choose all the toppings we like. It was fun!

Clams Casino

Clams Casino baekd with Italian breadcrumbs and thickly sliced bacon. The clams can be really hard to shuck, so it helps if you put them in the freezer for about 5 minutes, so they will open up a bit. A trick that my brother, Will, taught me!

Bruschetta

Bruschetta with diced Plum Tomatoes (remove the pulp, juices, and seeds), Red Onion, fresh Basil, and Parmesan cheese.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Antipasto

Assorted meats, olives and cheeses

Tomato and Mozzarella Bites

Simple little appetizers make by hollowing out the inside of a firm Plum tomato and filling it with mini mozzarella balls, olive oil, and fresh basil.

Mint Chocolate and Vanilla Cookies

Not entirely home made, these Mint Chocolate and Vanilla Cookies are made with Vanilla Wafer cookies. I used vanilla buttercream frosting with a few drops of peppermint extract (also cna be dyed green). Then sandwiched it between two vanilla wafer cookies and dipped half in milk and dark chocoalte. This is so easy!

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

These are surprisingly delicious. They satisfy a sweet and salty craving and of course, they are super easy to make. I used Ruffles potato chips with the large ridges. They hold the chocolate the best. You can use either dark, milk, or white chocolate, or even dip each side in a difference kind of chocolate! On the bottom plate, there are dark chocolate Haystacks, white chocolate covered green grapes, and milk chocolate peanut clusters.