Homemade RockStar Gummies!

With Spring on its way it's time to whip up something fresh & creative! These homemade RockStar Gummies are a lot of fun to make! Depending on preference of taste you may want to mix different flavors of fruit & juice before you find the perfect combo. The Strawberry Orange flavor used in this recipe was great, but very healthy tasting so please keep that in mind while making. Enjoy!

-1/4 cup Lemon Juice (or freshly squeezed)

-1/4 cup Lime Juice (or freshly squeezed)

- 3 oranges 

- 2 cups strawberries

-5 packets of Original Gelatin (Unflavored) 

-1 tablespoon honey

-Squeeze as much juice from the orange as a possible (should equal 1/2 cup)

-Measure 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of lime juice

-Combine: lemon juice, lime juice and orange juice.(citrus juice) If you do not want to waste the orange, add the remainder (pulp) into the juice. 

-Dice two cups of strawberries.

-Add: strawberries and citrus juice to a boiling pot.

-Remove mixture from stove and add to a blender or food processor. Add 1 tbsp of honey

-Blend until smooth.

-Let the hot mixture cool 5-7 minutes

-Let the mixture simmer on medium until fruit is extra soft.

-After the mixture has slightly cooled, add five packets of gelatin to the blender. 

-Blend until there are no clumps.

-Add to a flat baking sheet or tin.

(the thickness of your pan should be determined on how thick you prefer your gummy bears to be)

-Add to refrigerator for one hour to firm. 

-After your gummy mixture has cooled and firmed, remove it from refrigerator. 

-Cut out gummy stars with a extra small cutter. Feel free to use any shape you’d like. 

(I bought mine at Hobby Lobby)

Strawberry Orange Flavor Makes: 18 Servings

-Per Serving: 20 Gummy Bears

14 Calories, 0g Fat, 4g Sodium, 38g Potassium, 2g Carbs, .05g Fiber, 1.5g Sugar, 2g protein

This recipe maybe found on Taralynn Mcnitt's blog below:
http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com

Applesauce Cinnamon Oat Muffins

Ready to whip up a batch of something healthy and hearty? These Applesauce Cinnamon Oat muffins  will fill you up without filling out the waistline. Great for on the go and to snack on they make the perfect portable addition to your meals. Check out the recipe below!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 egg white
• TOPPING:
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the applesauce, milk, oil and egg white. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill muffin cups coated with cooking spray three-fourths full.
• Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400° for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Yield: 10 muffins.

Nutritional Analysis:

One muffin equals 222 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 3 mg cholesterol, 265 mg sodium, 37 g 

carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat, 1/2 fruit.

This recipe can be found on www.tasteofhome.com, enjoy!

Mocha Cake

Ready to kick your next chocolate cake up a notch? Look no further than this Mocha Cake, a delicate blend of coffee and chocolate to satisfy that sweet tooth.

"Mocha Cake"

1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar
1 cup flour
6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter melted
1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioner's sugar
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 8-inch square baking pan, line with parchment, then grease parchment. In bowl, whisk brown sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Make a well in center. Whisk eggs & vanilla into the well to blend. Gradually whisk in coffee and butter, then whisk in surrounding dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips; transfer batter to a pan. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into 16 squares; serve with whipped cream. Serves 16.

This recipe can be found in the Jan/Feb 2013 Rachael Ray Mag.

Enjoy! :)

Friends over for dinner

One of my favorite things to do is to entertain! For this event I invited two friends over for dinner. I really wanted to make something down-home and hardy. . .  I mean after all it is wintertime. For this meal I pulled out Rachael Ray's My Year of Meals. I made her Chicken Potpie Casserole with her simple piecrust and for dessert I mad Chocolate Cookie Stacks with Lemon Cream. Sadly, I will not publish the recipe for the casserole due to its length. If you find yourself pulling out her cookbook to make this amazing dish be mindful of the wine you use. A sweet wine will leave a lasting impact that you can taste in the dish. I made this mistake and it really made the casserole have a sweet taste, I tend to enjoy my foods to be a little saltier. But, the meal still received positive reviews and the gust really enjoyed it. Also, when making this dish be mindful of time. This casserole will take you at least 3 hours to make. 

To make the Chocolate Cookies Stacks with Lemon Cream you will need: 1cup heavy cream, chilled. 1/2 cup lemon curd. 16 chocolate wafer cookies, such as Nabisco Famous.  4 tsp. finely chopped store-bought candied lemon peel.  

In a large bowl, using mixer, whip cream until stiff but not dry, about 5 minutes. Gently fold lemon curd into cream. Line 4 large custard cups or ramekins with jumbo muffin-cup liners. Place 1 cookie in bottom of each. Top each with about 21/2 tbsp. lemon cream. Continue layering cookies and cream, using 3 more cookies per stack and ending with 1tsp candied lemon peel. Refrigerate until cookies are soft and cream is set. At least 6 hours, or overnight. Makes 4 tip: the longer the cookies have to set the softer and fuller they will be! 

  

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bowl

For my client holiday party I wanted to make a yummy fun treat. For this event I decided to make a recipe that can be found in this months Rachel Ray magazine. The Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bowl is a visually stunning treat that the whole room with stop and talk about.

To make this you will need:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 bag (10oz.) marshmallows
11/3 cups smooth peanut butter
3/4 tsp. salt
5 cups crisped rice cereal
Cooking Spray
1 Cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (packed light brown sugar
2 Cups heavy cream
1 tbsp. granulated suger
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped.




1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows, stir until melted, 5 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup peanut butter and 1/2 tsp. salt. Remove from the heat; stir in the cereal.

 

2. Cover the inside of a medium (3qt.) bowl with plastic wrap, leaving a few inches of overhang. Coat the plastic and your fingers with cooking spray. Press the cereal mixture into the bowl cooking spray. Press the cereal mixture into the bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. In a double boiler, stir in chocolate over medium-high heat until melted, 5 minutes.

4. Pour the chocolate in to the cereal bowl; spread with a rubber spatula to coat the inside. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. In a bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup peanut butter, the brown sugar and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Whisk in 1/2 cup cream.

6. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 11/2 cups cream on medium speed until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly add the granulated sugar and vanilla; beat to soft peaks, 2 minute. Fold into the peanut butter mixture in 3 additions.

7. Pull up the plastic to transfer the cereal bowl to a platter; discard the plastic. spoon in the peanuts. have guests spoon cream onto plates and break off pieces of the bow. 

Tuxedo Olive Penguins!

These Tuxedo clad olive filled appetizers are a fun way to kick your holiday party up a notch! Versatile and trendy, you can accessorize them with pimento's, carrot bits and halved red grape tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 can (5-3/4 ounces) jumbo pitted ripe olives, drained
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Dash garlic powder
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch slices
12 small pitted ripe olives
12 toothpicks with cellophane frilled tops
1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimientos

Directions
Cut a slit from the top to bottom of 12 jumbo olives; set aside. In a bowl, combine the next six ingredients; mix well. Fill a small heavy-duty plastic bag with cream cheese mixture. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag; carefully pipe mixture into jumbo olives. Set aside. Cut a small triangle out of each carrot slice; press triangles into small olives for a beak. On a each notched carrot slice, position a jumbo olive so the white chest is lined up with the notch. Place the small olive, hole side down, over the jumbo olive so the beak, chest and feet are aligned. Carefully insert a toothpick through the top of head into body and carrot base. Wrap a pimiento around neck for a scarf. Yield: 1 dozen. Enjoy!

You can find this recipe on www.tasteofhome.com

The Importance of a Cooking Idol

Every person should have a cooking idol. This person should be someone you can relate to, seek  inspiration and guidance from, and feel comfortable with trying new foods with.  Rachael Ray was that cook for me. I enjoy her energy, cooking style, food knowledge, and products. Since my discovery of Rachael I have truly grow as a cook and expanded my willingness to try and experiment with foods. 

Over the past few months I have collected her products and really connected with the chef she is. I enjoy the complexity of her meals and the challenge of trying new things.  I must admit that Rachael has an amazing product line that I have really come to LOVE! Her products look young, work well, and come in great colors. Rachael is not the only cook I enjoy! Martha has great ideas and knows her shit. I have to say that her show Martha Stewart's Cooking School is a great program that allows a person to learn and feel comfortable with cooking.  I have also come to respect Lidia Bastianich, her cooking show has great recipes and provides wonderful step-by-step directions for her meals. 

The photo above is Green Pastitsio from Rachael Ray's new cook book My Year in Meals. This cookbook is an outline of foods that Rachael made over the course of a year. I know... I called bullshit to! But, she did a great job faking it. Her cookbook has over 500 recipes and is a smart book, so the reader can read, watch, listen, and learn. But the book really hits everyday of the week and supplies recipes for each of them. 

To make Rachael's Green Pastitsio: 

Salt & Pepper

1 pound ziti or long, hollow pasta tubes 

1/4 cup Evoo

6 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped

1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped 

1 large or 2 medium bunches swiss chard, stemmed, leaves chopped 

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill  

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves 

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

3 cups milk

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup shredded Kasseri cheese 

1 cup crumbled Greek feta

1 cup freshly shredded or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

Preheat the oven to 375 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Sat the water and undercook the pasta by about 2 minutes

While the water is coming to a boil, in a large skillet, heat the Evoo (4 turns of the pan). Over medium-high heat . Add the garlic and onions, soften a few minutes, then stir in the card to wilt. Add the scallions, dill mint, parsley, and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep the greens warm. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the butter over medium to medium-high heat. As soon as the butter melts, add the four and stir 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Cook until the sauce is thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the cooking pot. Add the cooked greens, kasseri, feta, and Parm and toss to combine; taste and adjust seasoning. Place half of the pasta mixture and the remming sauce. Bake until deeply golden up on the top and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let cool and serve.