Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Butter Beer??

So I recently got home from vacation to Orlando and went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure... Needless to say ... I rode the Harry Potter ride! And it was Awesome!! That of course peeked my curiosity and I ended up buying the first movie and a butter beer. It was so yummy I searched for a decent recipe to try!

This one is the best I found....
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda
In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.
Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.
To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

BUT... I didn't serve it like this I had to be difficult! Instead I took the brown sugar mixture and mixed in the cream soda and put it in the icecream maker! Made it a slushy of sorts then topped with the whipped topping! Mmmmm so delicious! Please let me know if you try this one! It was such a good treat!
This picture doesn't do it justice. Must take pictures with my camera instead of cellphone. (Noted) haha

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Easy Summer Ratatouille

           I was looking for something to cook tonight for supper and rekindled an old flame with fresh garden veggies. Ok...ok... they were looking a little shabby and had to be used before they went too far past their prime so what better way to get rid of a whole bunch of picked vegetables than to saute them into a "casserole" of sorts. This dish can be dolled up by slicing the vegetables into thin disks by way of a mandolin, but I decided to skip the fancy fixins for tonight.

The end product was this.... 
(Gotta love "Shake and Bake" Pork chops to complete a SUPER fast supper)
Not to mention the fresh mint in my sweet tea.
Refreshing sweet treat after a long day!
So here is how I did it....
  •  1 eggplant
  • 3-4 yellow squash
  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 small onion 
    • Saute veggie mixture in olive oil until tender. 
    • Add salt and pepper to taste (I also threw in a bit of garlic salt and Italian seasoning)
  • 1/4 Cup of sun dried tomato vinaigrette 
  • 1 can basil garlic diced tomatoes (You can use plain diced tomatoes as well) 
    • Put everything into a casserole dish and placed into a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes until bubbly. At this point you have something that looks like this.... 


** You can leave out or add any veggies you like such as bell peppers red, green, or yellow to name a few.

  • That mix of veggies may not entice you, but then I sprinkled stuffing across the top which I had toasted with butter. Along with a bit of mozzarella cheese to complete the dish. I tossed it back into the oven just to met the cheese then served it. Mmmm mmmm good! 
  • Even the pickiest eater can't turn down this yummy combination!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Slackers Never Win! Taboo Zucchini Cake

So I haven't posted anything since I created this blog....besides the banana dessert. I have decided to fix that tonight with an amazing chocolate cake recipe. Who doesn't like chocolate cake??? Well I don't know about you but I am in love with this Chocolate Zucchini cake. Hey don't scruntch your nose in fear and disgust! This cake is delicious!! If you are trying to sneak a few veggies in to a picky eater's diet I promise you this is THE way to go!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 3/4 cups Sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 1% buttermilk
2 cups zucchini shredded
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans


And.... This is what it looks like! Maybe I'm crazy, but I just ate a piece and it is still 
just as yummy as the first time I made it!
Hope you try this! Let me know how it is for you!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Banana Dessert for one please

mmmmm... this dessert is so yummy. It also happens to be quick and easy!

  • I took one banana and sliced it at an angle about an inch thick. 
  • Melted a little butter in a skillet and sauteed the banana slices until they started to caramelize. 
  • Once the slices were browned I squeezed fresh orange juice over them and sprinkled with about a half tablespoon of sugar and a dash of salt. (This created a little glaze) 
  • I then let the bananas simmer in the glaze for about a minute or two. 
Then the best part... The tangy sauce

  • One tablespoon of sour cream (I used reduced fat)
  • Half tablespoon of brown sugar (I used dark brown light will work just as well) 
  • Dash of cinnamon 
  • Half teaspoon of fresh orange zest. 
I garnished the sauteed bananas with the tangy and refreshing cream to bring together all the flavors into a delicious dessert. 

< And this is the result! Pure Awesome! You can double or triple ...or more... the recipe! 

A Quick Hello

Starting a blog was... well... more difficult than I had imagined. Cooking has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember. I have a passion for creating interesting things that make people happy. This quality of mine also stretches into other areas of life in which I view myself slightly creative. I want to put my ideas and cooking adventures out there for anyone who may eventually find them helpful. Hope you enjoy!