Bunny Candy Holder

Aren't these just the cutest bunnies?  My friend Katie made these for her nieces and nephews.

She got the idea from Rockabye Butterfly

Caramel Croissant Bread Pudding

I am so happy BREAD PUDDING is "Have The Cake,"  monthly challenge for March.  

 I thought about cheating and just posting a recipe I made months ago.

  But I thought this would be a good reason to try something new.  Sometimes I top my bread pudding with caramel ice cream topping,  so I thought I would create a recipe with caramel topping in the recipe.  I thought it tasted really good, my younger son couldn't even tell caramel was in the recipe.

 Click here to see all the recipes I have tried.

Ingredients

14 croissants (medium size)

6 large eggs

1 cup sugar

4 cups half&half
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
1 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping (optional)
1/3 Cup sour cream
2 teaspoons sugar
caramel ice cream topping

 

 Directions:

1. Slice croissants in half lengthwise; tear bottom halves of croissants into bite size pieces.
2. Layer croissant pieces in a large baking bowl. I have also used cast iron pans and 9x13 baking pans. Place croissant tops, crust sides up, over mixture.
3. Beat together with an electric beater eggs, caramel ice cream topping, half&half, cinnamon vanilla and sugar.  Slowly pour mixture over croissant tops; press bread to absorb liquid. Cover; chill for1 to 2 hours.
4. Place baking bowl into a large jelly pan. Pour hot water into jelly pan, filling half full. I skip this step when I use the cast iron pan.  Because~I don't have anything that fit my cast iron pan.

1. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until set. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake 15 more minutes. Remove from oven, and remove dish from water pan.
2. I wanted to topped the pudding with Cool Whip but I didn't have any so I decided to use sour cream instead.  I love sour cream in breakfast crepes and on top of cheesecake so I thought I should give it a try.  I put 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/3 cup sour cream in a bowl and mixed together.  I topped the bread pudding with the sour cream mixture and drizzled with caramel ice cream topping.  I really liked this and can't wait to let my family try it.  

 I topped another bowl with a little blueberry syrup and it was good...not as good as fresh berries would have been.

Martha Stewart's Marshmallows

recipe  from Martha Stewart

 I am so glad homemade marshmallows is the
February Challenge for "Have the Cake."

I have always wanted to make homemade marshmallows but never could muster up the courage.  I just knew it would be one big sticky mess.  It wasn't bad at all, although it is a lot of work and powdered sugar gets all over.  It was worth it because these marshmallows are so delicious.    I had to dipped them in chocolate because chocolate makes everything taste better...and it did. 

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for brushing
4 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with oil.   Line with parchment, making sure you have a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Brush parchment with oil; set aside.

1. Put sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook, without stirring, until mixture registers 238 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 9 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer; sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften 5 minutes.
3. Using the whisk attachment  in the bowl with gelatin mix on low speed, beat hot syrup into gelatin mixture. Gradually raise speed to high; beat until mixture is very stiff, about 12 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Set aside, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours.
4. Sift 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar onto a work surface. Unmold marshmallow onto confectioners' sugar; remove parchment. Lightly brush a sharp knife with oil, then cut marshmallow into 2-inch squares.

Marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.

I dipped graham crackers into milk chocolate, then topped them with a marshmallow. I put them into the oven on broil until the marshmallows melted and turned golden brown.

Mini Dessert pizza's

Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef

All the recipes I have found call for making a big pizza not the individual size.  I like the mini pizza's because they don't get soggy in the middle...and it is nice to have your own pizza.  I had left over cream cheese frosting so I used that instead of yogurt.  The Pampered Chef recipe calls for yogurt... I like the cream cheese frosting better.

Ingredients

1 pkg of Pillsbury sugar cookies

1 to 2 banana's

10 to 12 strawberries

Ceam cheese frosting

Garnish with:

Reddi whip

Chocolate syrup

Cherries

Nuts

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
4 ounces room-temperature bar cream cheese
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.

Papa's Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

MEAT SAUCE

 

            INGREDIENTS:

2-12 oz. cans of tomato paste

1 or 2 package[s] of dried porcini mushrooms

4 cups of warm water

2 cups red wine

2 medium yellow onions diced fairly small

5 or 6 good size cloves of garlic

½ to ¾ of a bell pepper – green is best, red OK – diced same size as the onion

½ bunch of Italian parsley, chopped fine

4 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. mixed Italian seasonings

2 Tbs. dried basil (or ½ cup fresh chopped fine)

1 Tbs. dried oregano (or ¼ cut fresh chopped fine)

¼ tsp black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

Salt as needed (there is quite a bit in the tomato paste)

Ground beef – use 1 – 1.5 lbs if you are not adding meatballs and/or sausage, about ¾ to 1 lb. if you are.

5 or 6 Italian sausages if desired

 

Utensil:

Use a pretty good size pot – you probably need a 32-cup (2 gallon) pot if you are going to add meatballs and sausage. 

Preparation:

      Place tomato paste, 3 cups of the water and the wine in the pot and stir it up to dissolve the paste. Add all the dry ingredients except salt. Add the chopped parsley too. Put garlic through a press or dice it finely and add to pot. 

      Soak the mushrooms in the other cup of water until soft, then chop them up a little and add them and the water to the pot. 

      Sautee the onions in the olive oil in a large skillet until translucent. It’s O.K. to brown them slightly, but not too much, because they get bitter. Add the bell pepper to the onions after the onions have sautéed for a couple of minutes. 

      Add onion/pepper mix to pot and brown the ground beef in the skillet breaking it up as it cooks. The beef should be browned, not just cooked through. Add to pot with a slotted spoon so you do not get excess grease in the sauce. 

      Brown the meatballs in the same skillet. Get them pretty brown, as that will add flavor to the sauce. Add to sauce. 

      Cut sausage in half, so not too long, and brown them in same skillet. Add to sauce.

      Drain fat from skillet and deglaze with a little water or wine – add to sauce. 

The sauce should simmer over as low a heat as you can make it and still get it to simmer. It should simmer for at least 2 hours, preferably 4. Check it periodically to make sure it is not too thick – add water if necessary. 

MEATBALLS:

Ingredients: 

    1 ½ to 2 lbs. lean ground beef

2 or3 Tbs. dried chopped onions or 1 small yellow onion chopped fine.

1 Tbs. mixed Italian seasoning

1/8 to ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

2 eggs

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs as needed

Preparation:     

      Mix everything but the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl. Use your hands. If you are squeamish, use latex gloves, but you will not get it mixed up right with a spoon. After the mixture is uniform add breadcrumbs and mix with your hands adding more until consistency is OK for rolling into balls. Make balls about 1½ inchs in diameter, again using your hands.

Baked Buffalo Wings

Recipe from Alton Brown

Sorry that I don't have a better picture but I didn't get to the Buffalo Wings in time for a good picture.  I took this picture after 20 people had already had at least 2 servings of wings. 

I have to share this recipe because they are the BEST Buffalo wings I have ever had!!!  They are baked but do have  a lot of butter.  I am going to try this recipe and substitute the butter for margarine and see what happens.

Ingredients

12 whole chicken wings (about 3 pounds)

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup hot sauce

Kosher salt

Directions

Place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.
Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl with the garlic. Pour this along with the hot sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm