Chocolate cupcakes with hazelnut frosting-recipe

Posted on August 21, 2010 by heidiannie

I probably should have just said, "NUTELLA", anyone?

We have a recipe in our family for crazy cake. Crazy because it doesn’t use any eggs, I think. It is a moist, dense chocolate cake that goes well for cupcakes, because it doesn’t crumble or leave half of the cake behind in the paper.

Ingredients;

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2sugar

4 1/2 TBS cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

9 TBS. vegetable oil

1 1/2 TBS vinegar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups water

Mix dry ingredients together with whisk= this uses the most basic of ingredients plain flour, granulated sugar, baking cocoa, white vinegar, etc. If you have fancier ingredients and want to use them- go ahead- the cake will turn out great whatever you substitute.

Add wet ingredients and stir until batter is relatively smooth.

This will make a 9×13 inch cake or 24 cupcakes or 1- 8 inch double layer cake .

Grease pan of choice and bake at 350 degrees F for about30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and/or cake bounces back a tiny bit when poked- however you check doneness in cakes.

The icing is a basic buttercream with Nutella as main ingredient.

1 stick butter,soft

3 cups icing sugar (10x)

1/2 cup nuttela

2 TBS milk, cream or half and half

Beat butter until smooth, add sugar one cup at a time, add milk until you get a creamy and easy spreading texture, then add nutella and beat until it is completely incorporated.

Cool cakes, then spread a thin layer of nutella on top of each.( you could eliminate this step, but why? If you decided to make these it is because you love nutella and this is just another opportunity to add it and perhaps to lick your fingers!)

Put icing in pastry/icing bag and add large star tip.

Ice cupcakes starting at outer edge and work your way around to the center- flourish the tip at the top to end with a star.

Add roasted chopped hazelnuts or not- you already have the nutella- right!?

Enjoy!

Between recipes- knitting around the edges…

Posted on August 20, 2010 by heidiannie

I am taking a small break from cooking-

not really- I am taking a small break from writing about cooking.

I’ve been cooking/baking by day and knitting by night.

Knitting within my small capacity to understand directions.

I think my disability comes from my inability to count.

I could never do counted cross stitch because I would get lost and muddle about the cloth- making random crosses here and there- looking more like chicken scratches than anything else. The same is true for knitting a pattern- I certainly start well, but then I lose count.

Then I lose patience.

Then I lose heart.

And I stop.

But, I did manage to knit an entire pair of socks.

And I can knit a hat and scarf-

And I knitted a purse, which I felted and now need to knit the handle and embellish the purse with wool.

I knit a lot like I bake- following a form but fitting it to my style and interests and tastes.

I am a woman of small and humble talents. But sometimes that is enough to make one contented. And armed with a camera and a small way with words and access to the internet , those talents almost look impressive.

Before I dazzle you anymore with my many accomplishments, I am going to stop- mainly because I’ve run out of pictures. ( I have rarely run out of words.)

I’ll be back tomorrow with more recipes to share.

Oatmeal and Babies

Posted on August 17, 2010 by heidiannie

My son and daughter in law are expecting another son in October.

I love being a grandmother- it is one joy after another- without most of the hard work and decisions that come into play as a parent.

I am here to engage in play and enjoyment. I get to receive lots of hugs and kisses and happy to see you smiles. And I have the distinct joy of spending time in the lives of my children and the next generation just through babysitting and skyping.

And I have Allyson’s foster children to love as well. Aiden is headed to becoming her son. And now, she has another foster baby to love. And that means I get to hold the baby and enjoy. And believe me- I AM enjoying!

So is Cynthia!

So, I am getting in some serious practice for October!

And now onto the oatmeal portion of this post.

I like oatmeal.

As a cereal, certainly, but even more as an ingredient.

Today I made oatmeal cookies and granola.

They both turned out great- and not a slice of bacon in the recipes!

Here’s the approximate recipe for the granola.

Ingredients:

6-8 cups of old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup pecans

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup cashews

1 cup walnuts

1cup raw sunflower seeds

1 cup coconut

1 pinch sea salt

1 cup honey

1 cup canola oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 250 F degrees.

Stir together dry ingredients.

Stir together wet ingredients.

Stir together ALL ingredients, place in oven and stir every 30 minutes for about

2 1/2 hours or until golden brown.

Take out of oven and continue to stir until cooled down.

Place in air tight container.

I ended up with about 5 1/2 quarts of granola.

You can use your favorite nuts in this mix- add a little more of this – a little less of that and make the kind of granola you like the best. I like mine really nutty and not too sweet.

And yet another bacon adventure-

Posted on August 16, 2010 by heidiannie

Bacon toffee, anyone?

Ingredients
1/2 lb bacon
1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
salt
Instructions
Cook the bacon in a skillet. Let it cool on paper towels to remove the excess grease, then chop it into bits. The pieces should be about the size of a fingertip. Set aside.
Put the water, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the water has boiled off (the mixture will get very bubbly/frothy first) and the mixture turns a deep golden tan color.
Remove from heat, stir in bacon bits, and quickly spread toffee on a silpat or well-oiled baking sheet or piece of marble.
Let cool, then break toffee into pieces by covering it with plastic wrap and pounding it with a knife handle or toffee hammer.
Toffee stores in refrigerator indefinitely.

Ingredients

pound bacon

stick butter

cup water

cup sugar

one pinch salt

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the bacon in a skillet or in the microwave on paper towels.

Step 2

Let it cool on paper towels to remove the excess grease, then chop it into bits. The pieces should be about the size of a fingertip. Set aside.

Step 3

Put the water, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the water has boiled off (the mixture will get very bubbly/frothy first) and the mixture turns a deep golden tan color.

Step 4

Remove from heat, stir in bacon bits, and quickly spread toffee on a silpan or well-oiled baking sheet or a piece of marble.

Step 5

Let cool, then break toffee into pieces by covering it with plastic wrapand pounding it with a knife handle or toffee hammer.

Step 6

Toffee keeps in refrigerator indefinitely.

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I have been moved to another site, some people couldn’t comment on my last one. So no pictures yet- this is mainly a test post.

Would you please comment so I can tell if it is working correctly?

Thanks!

A Psalm for Robin

Posted on August 14, 2010 by heidiannie

Last week we went peach picking and our two little ones,

Aiden and Aidan got together again.

These two, only a year apart, are like night and day- yet they have wonderful moments that are staggeringly beautiful.

They seem to meet in their own place- not by design or happenstance-

they meet and respect each other without adult interference.

They call each other- “other Aidan/en.”

Luke sent me a picture today that reminded me of this relationship- and it brought to mind Robin and I as children. We, also, were night and day. Respectful and respecting our differences- we became much more than sisters- we became a team. Working and playing, talking and laughing, and sometimes, fighting- it was always an act of togetherness and growth.

One of these boys is her grandson, the other mine- now both of them, mine,

I thought it would be appropriate to share Luke’s picture and a psalm I wrote for Robin right before she died (with thoughts of David and Jonathan and their love for each other in mind.) . Some how these all fit together for me- they bring God into relationships of love- and it makes the writing of psalms a practical expression of love and praise.

Aidan and Aiden.

A Psalm for Robin

You,God, giver of all gifts,

into your hands I place my heart,

wrenched from my body this day.

A bosom companion, friend of the heart,

tall and majestic, shining,

she walked through my life;

Stopping to love me and gift me with goodness,

Pausing to encourage me to all good works,

Lifting up my heart, she defended and protected me.

I see your love, my LORD,

when I look at my friend.

Surely I will see her again-

only a brief time and you will give us respite.

Oh God of all comfort,

protect and deliver your servant,

my soul,

my sister,

my friend.

Peanut butter and bacon cookies- a recipe “taylor”-made.

Posted on August 14, 2010 by heidiannie

Sorry Luke, I couldn’t help myself. I love these cookies and wanted to share the recipe.

Some of my family has a bacon obsession. We think any recipe would be better if you only add some bacon. My great nephew Taylor probably is most afflicted of us all- his facebook posts have a common bacon theme when he posts about food. After he posted a picture about carmelized bacon on top of his ice cream, I decided to make a peanut butter and bacon cookie.

There were already a couple of recipes on the cooking blogs- so I kind of used bits and pieces from them and added them to my own tried and true peanut butter cookie recipe and using an entire pound of bacon made them up last week.

It was hard putting all that bacon into one recipe- Jordan snatched a piece before I got it all chopped up- but I wanted to try the cookies so minus one piece the pound of bacon went into the bowl.

The cookies are delicious. The bacon is empowering rather than over powering and they are substantial and filling. This is not a cookie for the faint of heart or vegetarians, admittedly– but if you like bacon and peanut butter- you might want to give this recipe a try.

( I didn’t tell my husband about the bacon and he raved about how good the cookies were… I gave a sample to my knitting group and they really liked them, but couldn’t identify the bacon immediately. So- not sure if I want to take out some PB or add some more bacon. I think I like them just the way they are.)

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Recipe

Ingredients:
1 lb bacon- fried, drained, crumbled ( reserve the fat)
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 tsp each of baking powder and soda
1 stick of butter- room temp.
8 TBS of cool bacon fat
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup peanut morsels
turbinado sugar for garnish
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix together dry ingredients and whisk. In a separate bowl cream butter, bacon fat and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add bacon and peanut butter and again mix well.
Add dry mixture, 1/3 at a time and stir until it is all incorporated. Add peanut morsels and chopped peanuts.
Drop by tablespoon or make into walnut sized balls and place on cookie tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 8-12 minutes. If you like your cookies a little browner go for the 12 minutes, otherwise keep an eye on them after about 8 minutes.
I wasn’t sure about adding the bacon fat, but I used apple wood and sugar cured bacon and it added a depth of flavor that is really good. Let me know what you think when you try them!

-keep an eye on them while in the oven- they brown up quickly

The ultimate cookie for those with a bacon obsession!

If you make them, let me know what you think. If you think I’m a little nuts-

share that, too.

If you are embarrassed by my strange obsession- again, I’m sorry, Luke.

Folding and Braiding bread dough

Posted on August 12, 2010 by heidiannie

What I like most about bread is…

eating it, of course!
But what I like most about making bread is the versatility of design and pattern that you can incorporate into your loaf or bun/roll.

Yesterday I made two different doughs-

~rye with caraway seeds~

~sourdough peasant ~

I had different purposes for each bread- the rye for sausage rolls and the sourdough for a picnic sandwich loaf. They worked out perfectly – I folded the rye and sliced it (as Celia showed in one of her posts , entitled school rolls.)

It was so easy and fun and they rolls were a perfect complement for the Italian sausage I fixed for supper.

This dough was made with Ohio grown and milled rye and wheat, and topped off with caraway seeds I grew in my herb garden. Freshly harvested caraway seeds are magnificent in fragrance and flavor- and very easy to grow and harvest. If you love caraway seed at all, I suggest you try growing your own. It is very rewarding!

I braided the sourdough peasant bread.

It is called peasant bread because of the addition of a handful or so of the freshly milled rye flour in with the high gluten bread flour. This dough was so pliable and fun to work with- it begged to be braided !

Sorry these pictures are so dark- it was stormy looking all day yesterday, and I didn’t realize how dark it was until I looked at these pictures this morning.

Dividing the dough into pieces I rolled them into long snakes and then started braiding in the center- leaving the ends loose, I then turned the entire braid over and finished braiding backwards.

Braid loosely so there is room for the bread to raise!

I used a pizza pan to shape the wreath, and connected the ends to each other by pinching and cajoling (hah- a little bread humor!). Then brushed on an egg white wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Allow to raise about 1 1/2 hours and then bake for about 25 minutes at 375 F.

Isn’t it beautiful?

I’m going to slice through it and make it into a giant picnic sandwich !

And look how the rye rolls turned out-

They tasted even better than they look!

Yesterday was a very good bread day!

There will always be bread…

Posted on August 11, 2010 by heidiannie

My new motto.

Once, long ago, someone asked me what was my philosophy of bread.

It was not an innocent or friendly question.

This person was not my friend and by the way she asked the question I realized she was not interested in becoming my friend.

I shouldn’t have answered her question.

Now I would look at her and lift my left eyebrow as I looked over my glasses quizzically at her and smile slightly.

Then, I felt obligated to be sociable, if not nice, to such inquiries.

So I stammered ” Philosophy of bread? I like to make it and I love to eat it.”

Major fail – in her opinion- she smirked and walked away.

So, I found a working philosophy to hand out to my students when I was teaching bread baking and shaping classes-

And it still works for me. But it was just a safe substitute because I was still in the – make it- eat it- phase of my life.

Then, we went on a family vacation where we rented a home with a fully stocked kitchen. The island we were staying on had two choices for bread, soft-unflavored white loaf and dry and heavy wheat bread.

The first day there I made bread. Two glorious high rising chewy and crunchy loaves that smelled like a bit of heaven. My family thanked me and I responded to them my real philosophy of bread.

Wherever I am – there will always be bread.

Today, I am making bread with flour I ground-

and sourdough starter I’ve been keeping-

and caraway seeds I’ve grown and harvested.

( I left the seeds too long in the garden- because I wanted them to self seed some plants for next year and it has been too hot to check everyday.

I left them over long- which has brought me to come to another philosophy-

Anything that crawls away should be allowed to depart in peace.

eww. )

Any way, I’m off to make bread- which I still like to do-

and later, we will eat it- which I still LOVE to do.

Because, where ever I am , there will always be bread.

At least, that is my philosophy.

Palacsinta (Hungarian Dessert Pancakes or Crepes)

Posted on August 9, 2010 by heidiannie

It doesn’t really matter what language you use, these thin and flexible pancakes are always welcomed with a smile and ready appetite!

They take a while to make, because you cook each one individually- usually, by the time I’m doing the last pancakes, the rest have been gobbled down. I try to save the last two for me, but sometimes, I only get the messed up one ( hah- purposely done!).

The recipe I’m sharing is so easy- it uses club soda for leavening and leaves out butter altogether. Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial has a wonderful recipe for Lemonade Scones using the same principle- in Australia, Lemonade= lemon/lime soda- like Seven-Up or Sprite. Try her scones- only3 ingredients and they are great.

Here is the recipe for the palacsinta (pal- ah-sheen-ka )

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour

1 egg

1 cup milk

pinch sea salt

1/2 cup club soda or seltzer water

Vegetable oil for griddle

fresh fruit or preserves

confectioner’s sugar or cinnamon sugar for garnish

Method:

Stir flour into a bowl. Add egg, milk and salt. Beat gently until smooth. Add seltzer or club soda. Beat batter with wooden spoon until smooth. Put batter in cool place and allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour some oil into skillet and allow it to get very hot, but not smoking. Pour in a small amount of batter, thinly covering bottom of pan. Cook in hot oil until crisp. Turn pancake over and fry on other side. Add oil as necessary. If batter begins to thicken, thin it with a small amount of club soda.

Spread pancakes with your favorite preserves, or you can use fresh fruit- I used sugared peaches on ours. They may be rolled up or folded in half. Sprinkle pancakes with icing/powered sugar or cinnamon sugar and enjoy!

This recipe should make 12 very thin pancakes- Palacsinta!

Psalm 127-commentary in pictures

Posted on August 7, 2010 by heidiannie

Psalm 127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

¹ Unless the LORD builds the house,
       its builders labor in vain.
       Unless the LORD watches over the city,
       the watchmen stand guard in vain.

² In vain you rise early
       and stay up late,
       toiling for food to eat—
       for he grants sleep to those he loves.

³ Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.

⁵ Blessed is the man
       whose quiver is full of them.
       They will not be put to shame
       when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

I spent the day picking peaches with my family.

I am feeling very blessed, very content, and think my night will be one of blissful sleep. God has surrounded me with love, given us sons for our heritage.