Blog Archive

Recipes From Posts

I have decided to make a quick reference page for the recipes that I use in my posts.  Most of these will have a post to go with that I will try to included, but I might also just post some favorites. Feel free as this page gets longer to use the search bar for the recipes you need.

MM Fondant
This is the frosting that I used for my mom's 50th birthday cake that I told you about in Birthday Surprises

  • 16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)
  • 2 to 5 tablespoons water
  • 2 pounds icing sugar (please use C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)
  • 1/2 cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)
 NOTE:  Please be careful, this first stage can get hot.
Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 1/2 minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.
Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. (By the way, this recipe is also good for your hands. When I’m done, they are baby soft.)
Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. If you have children in the room they will either laugh at you or look at you with a questioning expression. You might even hear a muttered, “What are you doing?”  
Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.
It is best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.  
Prepare the fondant icing for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.    
MM Fondant icing will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make two (2) batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant icing can be prepared well in advance.

This is the basic recipe.  If you need further instruction like I did on how to use it click the link above and there are further instructions.  Thank you to Peggy Weaver for allowing me to share this with you.

Now that I had "mastered" :) the frosting, it was time for me to take on real cake from scratch. My sister in law had her birthday party this weekend and I used the same frosting but tried this great recipe for butter cake. It is a Wilton recipe found here.

Butter Cake


This cake has a firm, moist texture that makes it perfect for tiered designs. We've added almond flavor to give it a richer taste everyone will love.

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
* 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 5 eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 3/4 teaspoon No Color Almond Extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup milk

Makes: About 7 1/2 cups cake batter.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray pans with vegetable pan spray, or use Cake Release.

In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and almond flavor. Mix flour with baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, starting with the flour; mix well. Pour into prepared pans.

Depending on the size of cake you are making these can bake anywhere from 10-30 minutes. I baked two different sizes and used a bamboo skewer to check to see if it was finished.

Cool 10 minutes in pan. Loosen sides and remove. Cool completely before decorating.

As the food supplies in my cupboards dwindle I was forced to get creative with dinner instead of going to the store. :) I am a hunter with my family so I have deer meat nicely packaged in my freezer just waiting to be thrown into a great recipe. I made one up last night and it turned out wonderful. I figured I would share it.

Venison Pasta


1 lb Venison (I used backstrap, but anything would work)
1/2 package of frozen corn
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
4 cups of cooked spaghetti
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp olive oil

Start a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. I salt mine heavily to give the pasta some flavor. When it comes to boil, put your spaghetti in and cook to al dente. Make sure you leave them a little bit underdone. They will finish in the sauce. Heat olive oil in a saute pan on med hi heat. Slice venison in thin strips about two inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Toss them in the olive oil. I seasoned with seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook through. Add corn, basil, and chicken stock to saute pan. Lower heat and simmer until corn is thawed and warmed through. Add the can of tomatoes and heavy cream to the saute pan and let simmer until it has thickened just a bit. You can play with the amount of chicken stock here if you need a thicker or runnier sauce. Once the pasta is al dente add the sauce and simmer them together until the pasta is finished. Salt and pepper to taste and serve. It makes a nice big pot of pasta, I am finishing left overs today and it more than fed my family of three. Enjoy!!

These are the cookies I have made for both classes of second graders I volunteer with. I mentioned them in posting Recipes to Try. I have made them once with a mix of milk and white chocolate chips and once with dark chocolate and mint chips. Both ways were delicious and easy and the kids loved them, as well as the staff!

Meringue Cookies "Forgotten Kisses"

courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

* 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
* 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 2/3 cup superfine granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate
* 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not at all dry. (Be careful not to over beat.) Add the sugar gradually, about 3 tablespoons at a time. When 1/2 of the sugar has been added, add the vanilla extract. Continue beating and adding remaining sugar in batches, until all of the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very shiny and tight. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Working one teaspoon at a time, push a teaspoonful of meringue from the tip of 1 teaspoon with the back of another teaspoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving 1-inch of space between cookies. Place baking sheets in the preheated oven and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies (undisturbed) in the oven for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, or until cookies are crisp and dry.

These I made for my daughters class discussed in Recipes to Try. They were a little harder to cook but still turned out deliciously chocolate. They are super rich and I made them slightly smaller than the recipe says.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

courtesy of Paula Deen

Ingredients

* 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
* 1 stick butter, at room temperature
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.