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Big Black Dog: March 2010

March 31, 2010

Welcome to the 8th HBinFive Bread Braid





Spring is such an interesting time of the year. One day it can be 70 degrees with everyone in short sleeves and the next day we could have snow! But Mother Nature has finally turned over and we're heading into Spring! The Garlic that I planted last October is coming up and so is my Rhubarb, Egyptian Onion and Parsley! And my Bluebirds have been busy checking out the Bluebird houses and deciding which one to claim as their own. I have five Bluebird houses and I'm hoping this year all are filled with little blue eggs. The below picture is from my 2008 Bluebird Nesting Census.


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For our Spring Celebration HBinFive Bread Braid we made Carrot Bread and Olive Spelt Bread and both were unique and delicious, with our favorite being the Olive Spelt Bread. Mr. Tastebuds thoroughly enjoyed the Olive Spelt Bread and almost ate the entire loaf by himself!

The Carrot Bread was wonderful toasted served with some of my homemade Carrot Cake Jam. And the Olive Spelt Focaccia turned a simple Drunken Red Wine Pasta into a very special meal. If you would like to read more about these recipes, please click on the below titles for more information.


Carrot Bread with Carrot Cake Jam

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Drunken Pasta and Olive Spelt Focaccia

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If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address.

Please leave a comment. Every once a while Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge in your Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. Or you can mention HBinFive but your blog post must be identified with HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up to the Bread Braid Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.


Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!








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March 29, 2010

Drunken Pasta and Olive Spelt Focaccia


I was on Ju's blog, Little Teochew, about a month or so ago and she posted Drunk'n Pasta and it looked so interesting and I immediately added it to my ToDo List and there it sat until today!

The Drunken Pasta is super easy to make and it's basically a pasta cooked in red wine until it becomes a gorgeous red color or al Dente which ever comes first. And then the pasta is mixed with an Aglio E Olio sauce which is so silly easy one does not even need a recipe! And I so enjoyed this pasta! Not only it is a gorgeous color red but you can taste a bit of the sweetness of the wine! I think the Drunken Pasta would be a wonderful side dish for any special dinner. Or you could make it like I did for our Sunday snack while watching the basketball tournaments. :)


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Also this week for HBinFive we made Olive Spelt Bread and I made a loaf of focaccia which was totally and absolutely outstanding! What makes this bread so good is the chopped green olives and I did add the pimentos to add a bit of color and luscious Greek-style Yogurt! This is a gorgeous dough and I will most definitely be making this recipe again. I think so far this is absolute favorite bread!


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Drunken Spaghetti
Recipe adapted from David Rocco

1 lb. spaghetti
3 to 4 anchovy fillets, chopped (I used 2 tsp anchovy paste)
3-4 cups of red wine (I used Merlot)
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
Small bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I used 3 cloves of garlic)
3 dried chili peppers, crushed (optional) (I skipped)
Salt to season

My Additions: Toasted Pine Nuts and Freshly ground Black Pepper

Bring salted water to boil in a large pot. Add spaghetti and cook until just par boiled about 2-3 minutes. Drain.

In a second large pasta pot, put your wine on to boil.

When the wine is boiling add the partially cooked pasta and cook until pasta has completely absorbed the wine and turned a gorgeous red color about 7-8 minutes. Be careful to not over cook the pasta. Drain and discard wine.

In a saucepan, heat extra virgin olive oil. Add minced garlic, anchovy fillets and chili peppers, pepper, nuts and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add cooked pasta to the oil/garlic sauce, heat through and toss well.

To serve top pasta with freshly chopped parsley and grated pecorino cheese.


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March 26, 2010

Shrimp and Grits


"If there is one dish that makes me want to march down Fifth Avenue waving the American flag, it's shrimp and grits." Bobby Flay

A few weeks ago my husband, Mr. Tastebuds, requested Shrimp and Grits for dinner. It's unusual for him to request anything but when he does I go out of my way to make it.

There are so many recipes for Shrimp and Grits; North Carolina Shrimp and Grits, Louisiana Shrimp and Grits, Charleston Shrimp and Grits, Uptown, Cajun and I even found a Michigan Shrimp and Grits. And then of course there's variations with cheese, bacon and tomatoes and the list goes on and on. But for our first experience with Shrimp and Grits I thought it best to try something as simple as possible and not heavy with cheese. From the first bite to the last, we thoroughly enjoyed this dish and I will definitely be making it again.



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Shrimp and Grits
Recipe adapted from Uncle Bubba

Grits:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups quick grits

Gravy:
1/4 cup chopped bacon (I skipped)
1/2 cup diced onion (I used 6 green onions, minced)
2 tablespoons each, diced red and green bell peppers
1/4 cup diced leek
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
36 medium shrimp, peeled, tails removed, and deveined
3/4 cup flour (I used 2 TBL flour)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 quart heavy cream (I used 1/2 c of light cream)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I used 1 clove of garlic, minced)

In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, bring 6 cups water, the butter, and salt to a boil. Slowly whisk in the grits. Continue whisking occasionally for about 5 minutes, until the grits are thick and tender. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

For the gravy, saute the bacon in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until the fat is rendered. Stir in the onion, peppers, leek, and garlic and cook until soft. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir, making sure all of the flour is well incorporated. Add the wine and cream, stirring well until the sauce has thickened. In a small bottle or bowl, mix the salt, pepper, and garlic powder and season the gravy to taste. Serve the shrimp gravy over grits.

Tip: For creamier grits, add a small amount of heavy cream.



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March 24, 2010

Savory Cheddar and Pepper Jelly Cookies


My goodness my blog has been orange lately! In fact I've posted three orange-colored recipes in the last few weeks, Carrot Cake Jam, Basil Banana Pepper Jelly and Pickled Carrots! And since I had several people ask me what I do with my Hot Pepper Jellies, I am posting another orange recipe today but this time it's cookies!

I have to admit that I think the Savory Cheddar and Pepper Jelly Cookies are about the best cookie I have ever tasted and I remember exactly the day I tasted my first one. I was at a friend's house for a long weekend and she loves to cook and bake. So you can imagine how much food there was plus at least six or seven different varieties of cookies. I remember looking at the platter of cookies and picking out a few to try. Well, when I bit into the Cheddar cookie with the delicious tangy, spicy filling, I immediately returned to the platter and took a few more cheddar cookies and then a few more. No one else could get near the cookie platter...LOL!

The Cheddar Cookies are very easy to make and only have four ingredients, butter, Cheddar Cheese, flour and Pepper Jelly. But don't let the limited ingredients fool you, these cookies pack a punch, an excellent tasting punch too! Also, it is a small recipe and I always double it but still the cookies are gone within 24 hours. I use my home-canned Pepper Jellies and for this recipe I used the last of my Habanero Gold Jelly. But you can use any store brand of Pepper Jelly as long as it's made with some variety of hot pepper. You do need the spicy, hot pepper flavor to balance the Cheddar Cheese so make sure to read the label carefully.


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Savory Cheddar and Pepper Jelly Cookies
Recipe adapted from "Thanksgiving 101" by Rick Rodgers

8 oz (2 cups) Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
6 TBL (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup flour
1/3 cup hot pepper jelly

Place cheese and butter in a food processor (could be creamed by hand or mixer); add flour and process until the mixture forms a soft dough. Gather up the dough and divide into two flat disks. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until chilled, about 45 minutes. (You really don't need to chill the dough)

Position two racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 400°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or use nonstick sheets.

Using 1 teaspoon dough for each, roll the dough into small balls and place 1 inch apart on the sheets. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or 1/2-inch-thick dowel, poke an indentation in each cookie. I use the handle of my dough whisk to form the indentation for the jelly. Place a dollop of the jelly into the indentations.

Return to the oven and bake, switching the positions of the sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking, until the tops are very lightly browned, about 10 minutes. (Cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.) Transfer to racks and cool completely. Recipe makes about 20 cookies.

Can be baked up to two days ahead. Store at room temperature in an airtight container and separate layers with wax paper.



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March 22, 2010

Buttermilk Pudding with Fresh Raspberries


We've had the most glorious spring weather for a week. But Mother Nature is teasing us because we had a blizzard on Saturday and it was a very sloppy, cold, miserable day. It could be depressing to some but I knew exactly what was needed to remind us of warm days ahead.

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I truly love raspberries and at our last home, one of the first things I did was plant ten Red Raspberry bushes. It was so nice to pick my own raspberries every morning for breakfast, even though I had to fight the mosquitoes! However, we moved and I've never planted a new patch of berry bushes! But this year we already have the new bed prepared and it's all ready for at least ten more Red Raspberry plants and I'm planning on a few Black Raspberries too.

Any kind of pudding is favorite snack or dessert in my home. And since my husband is diabetic I can use a sugar substitute in pudding with no difference in taste or texture what so ever! When I heard about Buttermilk Pudding I was definitely interested! Buttermilk is a staple in my refrigerator and I use it in place of milk in most of my baked goods and sometimes in place of water in bread recipes.


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Buttermilk Pudding
Recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine, May 2009

1 tsp unflavored gelatin (I used 2 TBL Minute Tapioca)
1 cup whole milk (I used 2% milk)
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 Tbsp sugar (I used Splenda Sugar Substitute)
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl, allow to soften

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a small heavy saucepan and add pod. Add remaining 3/4 cup milk and sugar, bring just to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture to hot milk mixture, stirring until dissolved.

Quick-chill in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold but not thickened, about 5 min.

Stir in buttermilk, then strain through a sieve into a large glass measure, discarding solids. Pour into bowls and chill until set (at least 8 hrs).

If you are using Tapioca instead of Gelatin:

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a small heavy saucepan and add pod. Add milk, sugar and tapioca, bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Remove from heat and discard the vanilla bean. Gently blend in Buttermilk and make sure the tapioca is evenly mixed. Cool and refrigerate. To serve top with fresh berries.


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March 18, 2010

Carrot Bread with Carrot Cake Jam


We've had such gorgeous weather the last few days, I'm almost ready to put my flannel-lined bluejeans away for another season! Today I was outside for the better part of the day in a long-sleeved t-shirt and I loved every minute of it! Spring is such a fun time of the year! And I am anxious to get into spring cooking which always means lots of vegetables, big salads and grilled beef!

One of my favorite vegetables is carrot so I was happy to see that Carrot Bread was on the agenda for HBinFive. Besides the usual Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Salt and Yeast, the recipe calls for Coconut, Carrots, Walnuts and Dried Fruit. After much indecision, I decided to use dried apples and cherries for the fruit.

Then I took a look at my somewhat long ToDo List which is always lurking in the back of my mind and decided to make some Carrot Cake Jam which I thought would pair nicely with the Carrot Bread. But the jam recipe called for Powdered Pectin and I've never worked with it before. I have no problem with Liquid Pectin but the Powdered can be tricky. My fears were unfounded because my jam came out just fine but don't you think I need more practice? One success could have been a fluke, right? Just to be on the safe side, I think I should make more jam!


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See that gorgeous blue sky..spring is finally here!



Carrot Cake Jam
Recipe adapted from The Complete Book of Home Preserving

1 1/2 cups grated, peeled carrots
1 1/2 cups cored, peeled pears
1 3/4 cups canned pineapple, including juice
3 TBL lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 package of powdered pectin
6 1/2 cups sugar

In a large saucepan, combine carrots, pears, pineapple with juice, lemon juice, and spices. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in pectin until dissolved. Bring back to a full boil, add sugar all at once, bring back to another boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, skim off foam. Ladle into sterilized jars with 1/4 inch head space. Process jars in a BWB for 5 minutes.

Makes 6 half pints.



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March 14, 2010

Welcome to the 7th HBinFive Bread Braid




This week for our HBinFive Bread Braid Challenge we made two very unique recipes, Avocado-Gaucamole Bread and Pesto Pine Nut Bread. Originally when I was planning the baking schedule, I thought these breads would be slightly green colored for St. Patrick's Day but as you see they are not green at all! But we enjoyed each of the breads although I do think the Pesto Pine Nut Bread was our favorite!

For the Avocado-Gaucamole Challenge I made Pulled Pork Sandwiches and All-American Cheese Burgers. And then with the Pesto Pine Nut Bread I made a Fried Egg Sandwich Deluxe with Bacon and by clicking on the below titles you can visit the posts for more information.



Pulled Pork Sammie


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All-American Cheese Burger


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Fried Egg Sandwich Deluxe with Bacon


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If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address.

Please leave a comment. Every once a while Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge in your Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. Or you can mention HBinFive but your blog post must be identified with HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up to the Bread Braid Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.


Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!








All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

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March 12, 2010

Fried Egg Sandwich Deluxe with Bacon on Pesto Pine Nut Bread


This week for HBinFive we made Pesto Pine Nut Bread and I made two baguettes and 6 hamburger buns. The Pesto Pine Nut Bread not only tasted wonderful but the aroma while it was baking was fabulous!

Originally I thought I would make meatballs for a delicious meatball sandwich. So I made the meatballs and my special Red Sauce. Although the meatball sandwich was wonderful, my photos were horrible and very out of focus. Yes, I had my camera on the wrong setting! And by the time I discovered my photos were not the best, the meatballs were long gone. On to plan "B"....

Then I remembered a dip that I had been meaning to try and I could serve it with Pesto Bread Crostini. So I sliced up the baguettes into thin 1/4" slices to make some crostini. But once the bread was toasted, I really was not in the mood for a cheesy, rich dip. Scratch the dip....

Finally, I just decided to make a Fried Egg Sandwich Deluxe with Bacon and it was delicious!


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Fried Egg Sandwich Deluxe

1 egg
Butter
Lettuce
2-3 slices of fresh tomato
3-4 pieces of fried bacon
Salt and Pepper
2 slices of bread or a bun

1. In a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

2. Put the slices of bread or the bun in the toaster to lightly toast. When the bread is toasted spread the mayonnaise on one slice of bread or the bun, then top with the bacon, tomato and lettuce.

3. At the same time as you put the bread in the toaster, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat melt the butter. Carefully add the egg and fry for 45 seconds and then flip it over to fry the opposite side, careful to not break the yolk. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slide the egg onto the sandwich.


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March 11, 2010

Banana Plantain Crisp


Plantain; Musa x paradisiaca, the plantain (pronounced plăn'tən, is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana (which is sometimes called the dessert banana).

The population of North America was first introduced to the banana plantain, and in the United States and Europe "banana" generally refers to that variety. Plantains tend to be firmer and lower in sugar content than dessert bananas. Bananas are most often eaten raw, while plantains usually require cooking or other processing, and are used either when green or under-ripe (and therefore starchy) or overripe (and therefore sweet). Plantains are a staple food in the tropical regions of the world, treated in much the same way as potatoes and with a similar neutral flavour and texture when the unripe fruit is cooked by steaming, boiling or frying.



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I was surfing around the food blogs a few weeks ago and landed on Lynn's blog, Queen of the Castle Recipes and Lynn had just posted a wonderful step-by-step recipe for Sauteed Bananas. Of course this reminded me of my culinary adventures in Florida and Plantains! I then contacted Lynn and since she had never tasted Plantains we decided to have a recipe swap...so fun!

Lynn and I decided to not reveal our recipes until the last minute. So you'll have to visit Lynn at Queen of the Castle Recipes to find out what recipe she made but the below picture is a sneak peek! I do know that she tried several recipes both sweet and savory, just click on the link Versatile, Delicious Plantains to read about Lynn's Plantain adventure!


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When living in Florida, as a side dish I sauteed Plantains in butter and sometimes added a TBL of brown sugar and they were delicious. But I wanted to make a dessert and found a wonderful recipe for Broiled Banana Crisp that would be perfect for substituting Plantains. But the recipe was for 1 serving which would never work in my house, so I improvised and came up with an outstanding dessert. The Plantains baked to almost a pudding-like consistency but yet held their shape and with the crispy brown sugar/cinnamon topping it was delicious. This is going on my list as one of my go to desserts!


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Banana Plantain Crisp
Recipe adapted from Recipe Zaar

3 Plantains, cut into crosswise slices **See Note
2 TBL lemon juice
1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c quick-cooking oats, UNcooked
1/2 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
6 TBL butter, cold but not firm

Makes 4 servings, in individual oven proof ramekins. If your using Bananas,I would use at least 5 medium bananas.

Peel Plantains, cut into crosswise slices about 1/4" thick, drizzle with lemon juice and stir gently to distribute lemon juice evenly.

Divide sliced plantains into 4 greased ramekins.

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, uncooked oats, flour and cinnamon

Cut butter into the mixture until it resembles crumbs and then spread the crumbs equally over Plantains.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

**NOTE: The blacker the Plantain the sweeter it is! The above Plantain photo is not quite ripe yet, but I prefer plantains and bananas at about the not-quite-ripe stage. But if you want your Plantain at it's sweetest, let it ripen until it is totally black and the fruit flies are starting to hover!


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March 10, 2010

And we have a WINNER for the Nesco/American Harvest Food Dehydrator


Okay the time has finally arrived.


I found my largest bowl, 18" long by 16" wide by 7" deep, and filled it with ALL the entries.



My goodness so many entries, well over 350!


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And the winner is.........




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Mama Peck of Bread That's Good for You!


Congratulations Mama! Please send me your full name and address so I can forward it to CSN and then they can get your brand spanking new Nesco/American Harvest Food Dehydrator in the mail!



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March 8, 2010

Caramel Pecan Cupcakes


Guess what!

I finally found some photography classes and I couldn't be happier! I signed up for 6-2 hour classes which are held on Saturdays from 10:00-12:00 pm, beginning March 13th. I am so excited! The classes are Digital Photography I and II, Introduction to DSLR Photography, Studio Lighting, Exterior/Interior Lighting and Filter Factor. I spoke to the instructor for at least an hour and she has so much knowledge and answered all my questions. AND if I need to brush up my skills, I can repeat a class for free..NO CHARGE!

And I bought a new lens for my camera...YES! I've been looking at lenses for a while now and after some trial and error I finally decided on the Nikon 60mm f/2.8G and I should have it by my birthday! Yippee! Now all I need is another set of Softbox Continuous Lights and a Tripod and I'll be all set as far as photography equipment. Mr. Tastebuds is very hopeful that I'll be set for a long time!

But I have to get to my newest Cupcakes which were over the top delicious! I had some of the Browned-Butter Caramel Frosting leftover from my last Cupcake Adventure, Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes, and it was so good I just had to use it again! So I made my favorite Vanilla Cupcakes and filled them with caramel cream which is always fun. Then topped with the Browned-Butter Caramel Frosting, drizzled with caramel cream and finally topped with Candied Pecan! And don't you just love ooey gooey!


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Just Plain Good Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from "Small Batch Baking" by Debby Maugans Nakos

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c flour
1/4 c buttermilk
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 c plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 5 muffin cups with baking cups and set aside.

Combine the buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add egg yolk and vanilla and again whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix. Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture. Beat with a hand-held mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is slightly increased in volume, about 45 seconds, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended, 20 seconds. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl

Spoon the batter evenly into the 5 baking cups. Put a little bit of water in the rest of the empty cups in your Cupcake Tin to prevent the cupcakes from scorching. Bake the cupcakes until a tester comes out clean, about 20 to 23 minutes.

Remove from the oven and as soon as you can remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them thoroughly cool on a cooling rack.


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Caramel Cream

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for “stopping” the caramelization process)
2 TBL heavy cream, room temperature

In a small stainless steel saucepan mix 1/2 c. water and sugar. Turn on heat to medium high. Cook until sugar melts and turns an amber color.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump, sputter and spit so be careful and you may want to wear long sleeves and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly. Remove from heat.

Cool until you can touch the caramel with your finger without burning.

Add 2 TBL heavy cream and whisk well. Caramel should freely drizzle so you may need to add a tsp or so more of the heavy cream.


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Browned-Butter Caramel Frosting
Recipe adapted from MyRecipes

1/4 c brown sugar
4 TBL Butter
6 TBL butter, cold but not firm
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese, cold and firm
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of salt
3 c powdered sugar

Place brown sugar and 4 TBL butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. As soon as it comes to boil remove from heat and whisk in cream, blending well. Pour into a small bowl and cool, stirring occasionally to incorporate butter.

Place remaining 6 TBL butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer until smooth. Since the butter and cream cheese is cold, it can take some time to blend so make sure to hold onto the edge of the bowl as you beat. Beat in vanilla and salt. With the mixer running, slowly pour in cooled brown sugar mixture and beat until smooth. Continue beating and add 1/2 c. powdered sugar at a time, beating well after each addition until completely smooth. Chill for 20 minutes.

NOTE: I used a small tip in my pastry bag and although the cupcakes look loaded with frosting, I was surprised to discover that I used about half the amount of frosting I would have with one of the larger tips. So I had quite a bit of leftover frosting. But Cream Cheese Frosting will keep in the refrigerator or I've had very good luck with freezing it. When needed, just thaw, whip it with a fork and it's good to go.


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To Assemble

Bake the cupcakes. When the cupcakes are cool, carve a hole in the top but not completely to the bottom. Save the "cork".

Fill the cupcake with a tsp or so of the Caramel Filling. And place the "cork" back in place.

Dip whole pecans, 1 per cupcake, in the Caramel Cream. Lay pecan on a piece of parchment to dry.

Frost the cupcakes. Drizzle with Caramel Cream. Top with a Whole Candied Pecan.



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March 4, 2010

Braised Pulled Pork, All-American Cheese Burger and Avocado-Gaucamole Bread


Tonight if the Season Finale for The Real Housewives of Orange County. I know you are probably surprised that I watch it. Yep I.am.addicted and can't help myself. I watch it every week and never miss an episode. I am totally and without a doubt amazed by the behavior, dress and overall attitudes of some of the major players. I know they call each other friend but geesh, my friends don't act like that! Mr. Tastebuds thinks it's a waste of time, so I watch it in my office and I love it! And sometimes I watch an episode twice, just to make sure I did not miss anything...LOL!

Thursday nights are reserved for me and the Housewives and dinner is usually something quick and tasty with little clean up so I can enjoy my TV viewing with limited interruptions. I decided to braise a Pork Loin in the afternoon for Pulled Pork Sammies which Mr. Tastebuds would enjoy. And being I still have to be careful with spicy food, I had a Cheeseburger Deluxe. Both served on Avocado-Gaucamole Buns which is our assignment for this weeks HBinFive Bread.

I was a little hesitant to make this bread being that Avocados are not a favorite of mine, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and try it out anyhow. The dough was fabulous to work with, very smooth and elastic and I had the hamburger buns formed in no time and they were delicious.


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Oven Braised Pork Shoulder With Apple Juice
Recipe adapted from Southern Food

1 bone-in pork shoulder roast, about 6 pounds
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced or coarsely chopped
2 1/2 tsp of a seasoning blend for pork or chicken or salt and pepper
1 c apple juice
1 to 1 1/2 c barbecue sauce

Lightly grease a large covered Dutch oven or casserole.
Heat oven to 300°.

Put onions in the casserole. Rub the pork with the seasoning blend or sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the roast on the onions and add apple juice. Cover and bake for 5 hours, basting occasionally.

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Remove the roast to a large platter and shred or chop the meat. Discard bones and fat.

Strain the juices and put the solids back into the casserole or Dutch oven. Discard the liquids. Add the shredded or chopped pork. Add barbecue sauce and stir to blend ingredients. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.


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March 2, 2010

Nesco/American Harvest Dehydrator Giveaway


Giveaway is CLOSED.

Do you remember summer?

Feeling the warm sun and sipping cool, freshly squeezed lemonade on your patio? Well, I sure do. And planning my vegetable garden and trying to decide if I should buy some new bar stools for our pergola sure helps me cope during the last weeks of a very brutal winter.


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Although we had a pitiful crop of tomatoes last year, I did manage to dehydrate several dozen and grind them into a powder. The tomato powder has an intense tomato flavor and I use it in place of tomato paste in recipes and it works beautifully. I have an older Ronco Food Dehydrator which is okay except I do have to rotate the trays because my model does not have a fan to regulate the drying process. Consequently, when I was contacted by CSN to host a giveaway on my blog, and having summer on my mind, I knew exactly what I wanted to offer my readers!


Nesco/American Harvest Food Dehydrator


•Includes 5 trays
•Expandable to 7 trays
•4" fan, 425 Watts
•Top mounted fan & heater keeps dripping out
•Easy clean-up
•No tray rotation
•Strong impact resistant trays
•Vita Save Exterior blocks harmful light
•52" power cord

This food dehydrator features Nesco/American Harvest's innovative Top Mounted Powerhead that dries food quickly and evenly. Detaches to make dehydrator dishwasher safe for easy clean up. Fan-Flow Technology means faster, more even drying with no tray rotation necessary. Perfect for the beginner!


Giveaway:

If you would like to win the Nesco/American Harvest Food Dehydrator, leave a comment on this post. Please include your email in your comment or make sure it is visible in your blog profile.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following and leave a comment letting me know what you did to earn the extra entries:

-follow my blog RSS Feed (3 extra entries)

-tweet about this giveaway including a link to this post (you can retweet once a day with 1 extra entry per tweet)

-stumble this post

-follow my blog with Google Friend Connect (2 extra entries)

-blog about this giveaway or post it on your sidebar with a link back to my blog (4 extra entries)

-follow my Facebook Fan Page (2 extra entries)

-follow my Blog with Networked Blogs (2 extra entries)



This giveaway is open to US and Canada and will end on March 9, 2010 at midnight. Feel free to leave your entries in separate comments or all together. My husband, Mr. Tastebuds, is in charge of the Giveaways and he will add up all the entries and draw the lucky winner from a hat. Prize will be sent directly from CSN to the winner.

*I did not receive a product nor any other form of compensation for writing this post.



All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

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