Tuesday's Twist: Cupcake Project

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Instead of testing out recipes this weekend, I baked and decorated around 250 mini cupcakes.  These bite-sized desserts weren't blogging related, they were requested for a private party.  I decided to snap a few pictures to share with you before I delivered the order.

There were 4 kinds of cupcakes: 

Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate sprinkles.

Almond-flavored white cake with an almond buttercream and decorating sugar crystals.

Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate curls.

Lemon cake with a lemon cream cheese frosting and yellow decorating sugar.

The lemon was my favorite, but I must admit I had fun using my vegetable peeler to make the chocolate curls for the red velvet cupcakes.

The whole process went fairly smoothly.  I made the frosting earlier in the week, then baked the cupcakes the night before the event.  The original order was for 10 dozen, but I didn't realize one batch made 5 dozen of the mini size.  With 4 flavors I ended up with 20 dozen cupcakes spread across my table and counter.  Umm yeah, only double what I needed.  But now I know for next time.  The next morning I frosted and finished each cupcake.  Of course I doubted myself and freaked out that I wouldn't have enough frosting.  After all, I had prepped for 10 dozen not 20.

So I hastily made one more batch of frosting and then rewhipped each previous batch, adding just a little more butter and powdered sugar to stretch it.  My brain, however, was still in frosting conservation mode and I went light on the frosting while decorating.  I ended up with way too much leftover.  Oops, guess I should have stuck with the original plan and gone with my instinct, not the doubt of the last minute rush.   Hmmm, I've never said that before.  Oh and by last minute rush, I actually mean cram everything into half the time and  have it done several hours early.  I had a little too much fun using that extra time to play with my camera.

Food for Thought: "Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice reduces the imperfection." -Toba Beta

Tuesday's Twist: Rhubarb

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

I made two strawberry-rhubarb pies this weekend for my brother's birthday.  It reminded me of the Rhubarb Festival my mom and I went to last year at this time.  I've been looking forward all year to going again, but some family commitments will prevent me from going this weekend.  If you're free this Saturday and in the area be sure to check out the Rhubarb Festival (more info here).

For those of you who can't make it you can check out my posts from last year.  I had so much to tell you it took 3 posts to get it all out.

This post is about the festival itself.

Then I told you all about the pie-making contest I was in.

And we can't forget the wooden spoon shop.

It was pretty much a perfect day loaded with fun memories.  I can hardly believe it's been a whole year since then.  I'll have to get some more rhubarb and pretend I'm there next Saturday.  If your schedule allows, I highly recommend it.

Food for Thought: "The quieter you become, the more you can hear." -Ram Dass

Tuesday's Twist: Twisted Cinnamon Bread

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Triple twist cinnamon rolls.  Okay, the triple aspect is debatable, but it started with a T.  This twisted ring is one of those concepts I've been wanting to try for a long time but didn't use a recipe for.  Step by step pictures would have been nice, but that sounded messy.  Basically you make cinnamon rolls, but slice the log in half lengthwise and then twist the two ropes together into a ring.  Say what?  Just check out these pictures over at Just Love Cookin for an idea of how to slice and twist your dough.

I didn't get the ends tucked in quite right, which means I had better try this again soon.  You know, to practice.  Practice makes perfect, but imperfect pieces call for slicing off a sample to hide the evidence.

I made an orange flavored dough then spread the inside with orange marmalade (remember these?) and sprinkled it with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and probably a few other things I didn't keep track of.  Oh, I think I threw in some cardamom.  Sorry, sometimes you just have to freestyle it and see how it turns out.

Food for Thought: "A healthful hunger for a great idea is the beauty and blessedness of life." -Jean Ingelow

Tuesday's Twist: Popcorn Cornbread

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

This is a good example of what I was talking about yesterday.  Making cornbread once is realistic, but to make it twice in one day just for the purposes of the blog is unrealistic.  Unless you all want to show up at my door and help me eat both pans?  Hmm, that's what I thought.  

Rather than make a second pan I'll use this as an opportunity to share a little bit about my recipe development process.  Let's see, what's the best way to do this? How about bullet points:

- First an idea pops into my head- "hey, you should make bread with ground up popcorn in place of some of the flour...okay... hmmm... how about cornbread so it's a popcorn cornbread with double or triple corn? ....yes, let's go with that for now."

- Once I settle on a basic idea I compare multiple recipes for the base (unless I already have a tried and true base).  In this case I looked at various cornbread recipes, took bits and pieces of what I liked from each one, then wrote out a final recipe in my notebook.  I write everything out in a notebook to keep track of what works and what doesn't.  It's filled with notes and scribbles of chicken scratch (or rather, kitchen scratch) on ideas, improvements and results.

Tuesday's Twist: Easier Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Stuffing and rolling something like a tortilla is one thing, but the extra step of boiling an entire head of cabbage just to get the outer leaves doesn't rate very high on my to-do list.  In fact, it rates so low that I've never actually made cabbage rolls by this method.  Instead of boiling a huge pot of water I tried a hassle-free freezer method.  Freezing and then thawing the leaves makes them soft enough for rolling.  (Please note I'm resisting the urge to explain the science principles at work here. You're welcome.)

You can pop the entire head of cabbage into the freezer, or if this weather keeps up just leave the grocery bag in your car.  (Kidding, but ugh I am so ready for spring...)  If you want to use the center of the head in another recipe then just freeze the outer leaves.  Allow a longer freezing and thawing time if using the entire head.

Tuesday's Twist: Eggless Banana Bread

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Let's say you've made, I don't know, 4 or 5 batches of muffins over the past few weeks but still find yourself in a 'let's bake with bananas' mood.  Because, obviously, 'let's bake with bananas' is a mood.  If that happens to be the case then banana bread is what you get.  This version is unintentionally eggless, vegan and fat-free...and may or may not have been baked alongside insanely fudgey brownies that were everything but fat-free, vegan and eggless.

Tuesday's Twist: Pickled Grapes

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Pickled grapes?  Yep, that's right.  Pickled grapes.  Stop giving me those strange looks.  Why would a girl who doesn't even like pickles make pickled grapes?  Oh wait, now I get why you're giving me those odd looks.  

Actually, I think I'm starting to like pickles.  Well, sort of.  So far I like some things that are pickled, but I'm not huge on pickles themselves.  I know, weird.  But since this new pickling trend has popped up I've tried pickled asparagus and pickled carrots.  I was quite surprised at how much I like them.  So surprised in fact, that I decided to try a few kinds of "pickle" pickles again as wells as pickled beets.  Nope, still don't like either of those.  At least not yet.  But what about grapes?

Tuesday's Twist: Easter Leftovers

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

I have countless recipes to share with you, but every last inch of our fridge is packed with Easter leftovers.  It would be slightly ridiculous for me to make more food for you today.  I mean, I like you and all, but you're going to get leftovers.  Actually, sharing leftovers means you're practically family.  I'm not even going disguise these leftovers by turning them into something new.  We're just going to reheat and eat.  Or maybe we'll just eat them cold.  I don't know, what do you feel like?  I'm kind of thinking cold, but I suppose you can pick since I've already had them a few times.

While these leftovers taste great, they look a little, well, leftover.  I didn't bother with pictures on Easter so I'll just give you a recap of the recipes and events of the day.

* This Lemon Orzo with Asparagus is the only thing that looks, what shall we say, not-quite-as-leftoverish?  What's not to love about a dish that's flavorful, simple and comes together quickly?  I guess I can dig out the camera, but only for this one or we'll never empty out that fridge.

* These hot cross buns were one of the first things I ever made with candied ginger.  Needless to say I've been hooked (and slightly obsessed) with it ever since.  Candied ginger, golden raisins and dried cranberries are kneaded into a whole wheat dough flavored with spices and orange and lemon zest.  But you should have some of the leftover plain white rolls, I don't really want to share these.

*Save room for red potatoes roasted with rosemary and a touch of honey.  Sorry, no recipe here, I just chopped, tossed and roasted.

* The same goes for the salad, minus the roasting of course.  Chopped romaine layered with sweet peas, crunchy celery, radish slivers, green onion and a sprinkle of cashews, lightly dressed with a dill vinaigrette.

* I also threw together a quick fruit platter with strawberries, red and green grape clusters, fresh pineapple and oranges.

* Oh yeah, I almost forgot, ham.  Just help yourself.

* I'll even get you a clean plate for dessert, Grasshopper (mint) pie.  Well, sort of.  The crust was too hard and the filling didn't really set up, not a recipe I'd use again.  But if you throw the leftovers in the freezer it's just about right.  Actually, forget the plate, let's just eat it right out of the pan.

My mom's coworker brought us this fresh herb pot, ahhh so fragrant.  Rosemary and oregano have poked through so far, but the label has quite a few others listed.  Let's hope I can keep it alive long enough to see what else comes up.

After dinner we spent the afternoon viewing old family slides from the 60's and 70's.  My aunt and uncle have been diligently sorting boxes and boxes of slides from my grandma's house.  It was fun to see pictures of my dad's side of the family and hear the stories that went along with them.  After a few hours of that we got out the munchies like this Cranberry Orange Party Mix.

Food for Thought: "If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come." -C.S. Lewis

Tuesday's Twist: Cranberry-Orange Party Mix

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

You should probably know that I'm the annoying type of party mix eater who picks out all the corn Chex and leaves the wheat ones behind.  My handfuls just happen to be more strategic, especially if honey roasted peanuts and dried cranberries are involved.  I really did put wheat Chex in this batch, I promise.  I didn't even notice until afterwords that my subconscious selected mostly corn and rice cereal for the bowl above.  I'm also guilty of snitching the pretzels, but let's not start on that.

Tuesday's Twist: Whipped Honey and Lemon-Rosemary Honey

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

I performed an operation yesterday with my dad.  It turns out my vintage mixer isn't quite as spry as it appeared to be two months ago.  I think it has arthritis.  Instead of its effortless whir, the gears and joints started to sound like nails on a chalk board.  I suppose it was to be expected seeing as she was built between 1944 and 1953.  Invasive surgery was our only option.

We prodded and pried then whacked and wiggled.  Much to my horror I have now seen her greasy, grimy guts.  And let me tell you, there's a lot of grease.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but certainly not a good 1/4 cupful of ancient grease with far too much resemblance in both color and consistency to earwax.  But hey, it was better than blood.  At first I thought it was old Crisco and was ready to wipe out every last glob.  Thankfully my dad reminded me that grease keeps the gears working.  It was intentionally placed lubrication, not rancid Crisco or cookie dough. We (ummm, he) spread the grease back around and we eventually got everything sealed back up.   I'm happy to report our patient is back to moving with soundless ease.  With no complaints of pain or grinding joints she even felt up for a little something new, whipped honey.

Tuesday's Twist: Orange-Ginger Caramel Corn

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

I found a new way to predict winter storms and snow days.  When Melissa has the urge to make popcorn, a winter storm is coming.  Even though I'd just made these popcorn balls during last week's snow day, I had the urge to make caramel corn.  Not long afterword a winter storm blew in another snow day.  While it's not much in the way of a weather pattern it does warrant a winter storm warning: imminent danger if stranded inside with a bowl of this crunchy orange-ginger caramel corn with cranberries and peanuts.  Proceed at your own risk.

While my popcorn impulses don't necessarily indicate winter storms, they are often times a result of the ever churning storm in my brain.  This recipe randomly jumped out of my brain around Christmas, right after I made gingerbread popcorn.  It came without warning and with such intensity that before I knew it, there was a batch of popcorn at my finger tips.  A friend asked me where I got the idea, and I said  "umm...I don't know?...my head?"  In the aftermath of said storm I happened to scribble down the measurements I used.

Tuesday's Twist: Microwave Sweet Potato Chips

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Some of you know about my microwave experiments driven by curiosity.  Last week I set out to make potato chips.  You can imagine my surprise when the microwave produced crispier results than the oven.  Since it worked so well with regular potatoes I decided to give sweet potatoes a try as well.

Sweet potato fries usually fall on the softer side, so I expected limp, soggy slices instead of chips.  Once again the microwave produced crunchy chips, even without oil.  All you need are sweet potatoes, a microwave with a turntable and parchment paper.  Oh, and the time and patience to watch the microwave action carefully.  If you don't babysit these little guys, they can go from a crispy crunch to carbon rather quickly.

Tuesday's Twist: Sweet Potato and Squash Soup with Citrus and Sage

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

The great debate over creamy vs. crunchy peanut butter is a cousin to the soup conundrum.  Generally I prefer a chunky soup with a variety of textures, but one sip of this silky smooth soup and had me swooning for another spoonful.  Now that I've mentioned peanut butter and used far too much alliteration let's begin.  I'll start by warning you that I was in a terribly indecisive mood while planning this pot of winter warmth.  You know, the kind of mood where I just want to add everything instead of keeping it simple.  Yeah, too many options and I get carried away.

A spoonful of creamy velvet was the one thing I was sure about here.  But our soup must be silky soft without using heavy cream.  Enter two secret ingredients, cauliflower and Greek yogurt.  After making a version of this cream-free cream of mushroom soup, I was sold on using cauliflower and Greek yogurt for a thick and creamy, ultra-smooth soup with extra protein but without the fat.  Lately there's been multiple versions of baked potato soup using the cauliflower trick for low-carb creaminess.  If it works with potato soup, why not sweet potato?

Tuesday's Twist: Saltine Scotcheroos

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

For those of you unfamiliar with scotcheroos, they're basically a Rice Krispie bar addicted to peanut butter and chocolate.  As if that's not enough, our chocolate-peanut butter addiction is intensely magnified by the addition of butterscotch.  The history of the name scotcheroo is quite elusive, so you'll have to settle for my tale of how today's saltine twist came to be.  Chewy, gooey peanut butter bars kissed with chocolate and butterscotch need no improvements, but then again a little salty with all that sweet can't hurt either.

Tuesday's Twist: Lemon-Ginger Quinoa Soup

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

 My hands are always cold, always.  Whenever I shake hands with someone there is an 85% chance they will comment on how cold my hands are.  This is followed by a 15% chance that they will continue to hold my hands for an awkwardly long time attempting to warm them up.  Not my thing.  Clearly you're telling me I must make hot bowls of soup more often to warm up those chilly hands.  I like the way you think.

Tuesday's Twist: Lemon-Basil Lentil Soup

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Chilly winter days call for soup.  Fun bowls and spoons definitely help chase away the winter blues.  The bowl was a Christmas gift from my mom.  It was handmade for the Empty Bowls project to help fight hunger.  After a simple meal of bread and soup participants take home an empty, handcrafted bowl as a reminder of the all the hunger and empty bowls around the world.  The hand-carved wooden spoon stands up on its own and is nothing short of amazing.

Tuesday's Twist: English Muffins

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

If you're ready for a little adventure and a lot of learning then keep reading.  I've never made my own English muffins, probably because I don't eat them all that often.  Every once in a while I'll get a craving for the chewy toasted rounds loaded with nooks and crannies.  These characteristic craters are ideal for holding melted peanut butter.  Trust me.  I decided it was about time to try my hand at English muffins, and I learned quite a bit in the process.

Tuesday's Twist: A Twist From Time

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

I tried really hard to make something for today that wasn't a dessert, really I did. But it just didn't turn out.  Then these cookies sort of happened.  It's like I can't help but make cookies.  You see, there are 1,000's of flavors floating around in my head, ideas to try, combinations to experience.  But I can't eat just cookies, and cookie dough doesn't count for as much variety as I'd like.  Try as I might to bring you something else, cookies just, well, happen.

I can turn just about anything into an excuse to whip up a batch.  My mom found my grandma's old Kitchen Aid mixer and I knew I had to test it out.  It hasn't been used since before I was born.  Would it still work?  I don't have a stand mixer and I've been drooling over a Kitchen Aid of my own for a long time.  Our current mixer is almost worthless, with beater bars that fall out if you don't hold it just right.  Speed and power are not strong points here either.  Last time I attempted to make marshmallows it was a complete disaster ending in an overheated motor and a severed attachment stuck in an unfinished puddle of disappointing marshmallow goo.  That was fun (read sticky, frustrating mess).

Though I've wanted to try this cookie recipe for quite some time, I vowed not to try it with our sorry excuse for a mixer.  I envisioned whipping up these cookies on a brand new mixer, but then this old mixer appeared and I needed to umm, test it out.  Look at that attachment, it's like a combination of a whip and a beater bar.  Or at least I think it is.  It should work to whip egg whites, right?  Only one way to find out.

Tuesday's Twist: Caraway Rye Bread

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Several summers ago I temporarily became a morning person.  Well, sort of.  It turns out the aromas of freshly baked bread wake me up even more than coffee.  Waking up before the sun to work at the bakery wasn't hard once I got used to it.  Of course it helps that everything about making bread just makes me come to life.  You know it has to be fun if it puts a smile on my face before I'm awake enough to even think of coffee. 

Along with the enticing aromas of freshly baked bread we handed out thick, generous sample slices to potential customers.  My favorite sample to hand out was the rye bread.  One bite and the loaf was sold. Try as I might I could not keep the twinkle out of my eyes as I watched the customers enjoy their slices.  Only then would I tell them the 'secret' ingredient, sauerkraut.  

 Yes, sauerkraut.  It adds just the right amount of tang to the loaf to make the flavors pop.  I see you raising that eyebrow, but trust me I watched enough customers to know it converts even the skeptics.  Think of it like sourdough if you must.   I could not get enough of the version they made with caraway, delicious. 

Tuesday's Twist: Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Eating black-eyed peas is a long-standing tradition for New Year's Day.  Some trace the good luck tradition all the way back to 500 A.D. and the Jewish New Year.  Others attribute the tradition to the Civil War era. (source)  I wasn't alive for either, so I guess I missed the memo.  I picked up a can at the store, imagining this might be the year I might participate in the tradition.  A new year and new foods.  How have I never eaten black-eyed peas?

 Well, that can of black-spotted beans sat in the pantry, paying no regard to my good intentions.  Apparently those little black eyes couldn't see that the calender read January 1st.  Probably because the new calendar wasn't up yet, details, details.  Anyway, a week later I got around to using these lucky beans.  I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with them, but eventually decided to stir up some salsa to munch on.