Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

The cupcake queen (my nine year old daughter) of our home made these cupcakes recently.  The raspberry frosting was so good that I had to post the recipe.  I ate spoonfuls of the icing because I was thrilled with the intense taste of raspberry.

Raspberry Buttercream Icing

(printable recipe)

1 - 12 ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

In medium sized sauce pan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and raspberries.  Over medium heat, stir mixture frequently until boiling.  Remove from heat.  Strain the mixture through a sieve, pressing down with spatula or spoon, to remove the seeds.  Cool.

In large mixer, beat butter until fluffy.  Add sugar and strained raspberries.  Mix until incorporated. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Banana Egg Rolls

 

My Filipino friends, Aida and Juana, brought me something wonderful this week.  They called them "Banana Egg Rolls".  However, they were actually made with plantains.  I am sure you could use bananas or plantains in the recipe.   I loved them and asked how they made them.  It is an extremely simple recipe and takes very little effort.  

Banana Egg Rolls

(printable recipe)

bananas or plantains

brown sugar

egg roll wrappers

oil for frying

Slice plantains lengthwise in thirds.  Cut into pieces that will fit the egg rolls, leaving at least one inch on each end for folding.  Place brown sugar on a plate.  Roll plantain in brown sugar.  Place in middle of egg roll wrapper.  Follow egg roll wrapper directions to fold and wrap.  You can find directions here also.

Pour enough oil in skillet to cover egg rolls.  Heat oil until it ripples.  Reduce heat and cook egg rolls until golden on each side.  Remove and cool.

Note:  My friends told me they wrap them and keep them in the refrigerator for several days.  They fry them when they are read to eat them.

Brownie Caramel Walnut Pie

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes.  It is easy, has chocolate and mass appeal.  I can't believe I haven't posted it yet.


Brownie Caramel Walnut Pie
(printable recipe)

1 - 9 inch unbaked pastry shell
½ c. chopped walnuts
20 caramels, unwrapped
1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted


Preheat oven to 325 F.  Sprinkle nuts in pastry shell.  


In small saucepan, over low heat, melt caramels with 2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk.  Spoon over walnuts.


In mixing bowl, combine egg, margarine and remaining milk; mix well.  Stir in chips.  Pour chocolate mixture over caramel layer.  


Bake 35 minutes or until center is set.  Cool.  

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Garden season usually means zucchini piled around the kitchen.  I decided to try a new recipe with some of my zucchini.  This bread turned out great and I like the fact that it uses whole wheat flour and applesauce.


Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Eating Well
(printable recipe)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup Earth Balance natural buttery spread
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 325 F.  Coat 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.*  Spread walnuts on cookie sheet and bake 5 minutes until fragrant.  Set aside.


In mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, applesauce, buttery spread, oil, vanilla and chocolate.  Stir until blended.  Mix in zucchini.  In separate bowl, combine flours, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add to zucchini mixture and combine well.  Stir in nuts.  


Pour batter into bread pans.  Bake 40 minutes for mini loaf pans and 55 minutes for large loaf pans.


*Note:  the recipe called for 2 large loaf pans.  I used 1 large loaf pan and 1 mini loaf pan.

Nutella Lovers Cheesecake

If you are a regular reader of this blog (thanks guys!) you probably know that all three of us love love love Nutella. If this is your first time to the blog, you may want to peruse our selection of Nutella recipes that we can't get enough of!

I actually made this cheesecake for the Full Nester's birthday. So what do I imagine would go into a cheesecake bearing the name "Nutella Lovers"? I envision the following: a hazelnut graham cracker crust, a nice layer of classic cheesecake (I didn't want to go overboard here), a Nutella ganache and a sprinkling of hazelnuts. 

Nutella Lovers Cheesecake

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted

5 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

3 (8 ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup Nutella

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, for garnish

In a food processor, pulse together the graham crackers, powdered sugar and hazelnuts. Add the butter and pulse a couple more times to incorporate. Press into a 9 inch springform pan. Chill in the fridge until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the vanilla extract. Blend in the eggs, one at a time and mix until full incorporated before adding the next. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool at room temperature and then chill at least 6 hours. To make the ganache, stir together the Nutella and cream over low heat until completely blended together. Cool 30 minutes. Spread on top of cheesecake and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Chill until firm. Cut and serve.

Tomato Basil Pizza

I love fresh tasting food.  This simple recipe tastes fresh, uses the abundance of tomatoes and basil in my garden, and is easy to make.  Happy Weekend!

Tomato Basil Pizza

(printable recipe)

5- minute pizza dough

olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

tomatoes

basil leaves

fresh mozzarella, sliced

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 475 F.  Make pizza dough.  Drizzle olive oil on dough spreading evenly across dough.  Arrange sliced tomatoes in one layer across the dough.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese across tomatoes. Snip basil leaves and distribute evenly across tomatoes (use as much as you like).  Slice mozzarella into 1/4" thick slices.  Place mozzarella slices on top of the tomato layer until evenly covered.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Cornbread reminds me of my great grandmother, "Ma".  She whipped up a batch everyday for lunch or "dinner" as she called the midday meal.  I liked eating dinner when she had fried okra, fried potatoes and a speckled bean to eat with your cornsticks.  I made one of my favorite cornbread recipes the other day.  

Buttermilk Cornbread

(printable recipe)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk 

1 large egg

Heat oil in an 8" cast iron skillet in a 450 F oven 5 minutes.

Combine cornmeal and next four ingredients in a medium bowl; make a well in the center of the cornmeal mixture.  

Stir together the buttermilk and egg.  Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.  Pour into hot skillet.

Bake at 450 F for 20 minutes or until golden.  

Big! Chocolate Chip Cookies

I decided to bake some cookies to give to the family for the 4th of July.  To please the grandchildren, I thought I would make them three times bigger than normal, so when their parents say "now just one cookie" they will have a cookie they can feast upon!  These cookies are so good that I had to freeze them ahead so Grandpa and Grandma would not eat them all up before the 4th. These make great ice cream sandwich cookies!

Big! Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Printable Recipe)
2-1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 cup of unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1-12 ounce package  Hershey's milk chocolate chips
1 cup  chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together butter, sugars and  vanilla till smooth and creamy.  Gradually add flour beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Using a large ice cream scoop and  drop on to a ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until sligthy brown around the edges.
Cool on wire rack.