Tortilla 'Smores

I was really wanting 'Smores yesterday and was told we have to do something with the tortillas before they go bad. I realized we also have Chocolate Lava Sauce and marshmallows. Well, I really can't be left unsupervised or I do things like this.

For the chips:
Tortillas (Flour or corn)
Butter (as needed, depending on how many you make)
Sugar
Cinnamon

To make:
Preheat oven to 375° and line a cookie sheet with foil.

1. Melt the butter and mix in the cinnamon and sugar.
2. Brush the butter mixture onto both sides of the tortilla and cute into 8 pieces.
3. Arrange pieces on pan and bake in the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Flip them oven and bake an additional 3-4 more minutes (Make sure they don't burn).
4. Place the chips on a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes.
Serve as is, with chocolate dip or make 'Smores.

 To make 'Smores:
1. Place mini marshmallows on chips and pop under the broiler for a few minutes or in the microwave for a few seconds. Sandwich them together and set aside.
2. Heat up chocolate sauce and drizzle some over the chips or dip 'Smores into them.
Serve and enjoy.
(You can also just use regular chocolate).

You can also use a cookie cutter to make fun shapes life Fall leaves

Hello Kitty Carrot Cake

Recently it was my friend Chelsi's birthday so I had to make her something. Her request was a vegan carrot cake and I decided on a vanilla bean frosting, delicious. Since it was for her it needle some sparkle and fun, so it became a Hello Kitty cake.

I can't remember the recipe I used, I sort of threw this together. I reduced the sugar in the cake itself because I wanted the carrot flavor to really come through, but the frosting (Made with Earth Balance) was very sweet, a good balance. Apparently it went over well.

Hope it was a great birthday Chelsi!

Beignet's - Café du Monde

A short while back my mom bought me a beignet mix from Café du Monde, finally yesterday I decided to use it. I mostly avoided it because I don't like working with hot oil, but once I got started I was actually having fun.

I mean in all reality what isn't fun about fried dough cover in sugar. I didn't like them much but that's just because I'm not a fan of things with powdered sugar on them. The dough itself isn't sweet so next time I will either sweeten the dough or even make it savory.

Sadly no one would let me attack them with powdered sugar haha.

Baked Mushroom Rice

(Sorry for the terrible picture)

Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (See note below)
2 cups broth (Chicken, veggie, beef, ect)
1 cup uncooked rice
Chopped onion (Yellow or white), to taste
Chopped Garlic, to taste
Green onion, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil (or oil of choice)
Salt, pepper
Hot sauce (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°

1. Sauté onion, garlic, and green onion in oil in a heavy bottom sauce pan until onion is translucent.
Turn off heat.
2. Add can of condensed soup to the Sautéed mix.
3. In a separate sauce pan bring broth to a boil then simmer, add salt and pepper to taste.
(You could add any hot sauce here, or just while serving)
4. Slowly pour broth into soup and onions, stir together.
5. Pour uncooked rice in a 7x11 (Or 8x8) pan.
6. Pour the soup and broth mixture over the rice and stir. Cover pan with foil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, stir and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before uncovering.

Enjoy.

Note:
Don't like mushrooms? Need this to be vegan? Use any condensed soup you'd like or regular soup
and reduce the amount of broth used.

I served mine with cornbread (Bob's Red Mill) and it was a delicious dinner.

Mini Vanilla Cheesecake w/ Easy Salted Caramel Sauce

I wanted to make my mom a mini cheesecake with what we had on hand, this was the result.
I know the caramel sauce isn't really one but I had an open can of sweetened condensed I wanted to use.


Crust:
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup crushed graham cracker

Filling
1 8oz package creamcheese, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons sourcream
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 vanilla bean, scraped (Optional)
(I get mine in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs)

Easy salted caramel:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Soy sauce (To taste)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
(Line a small 5 inch pan with foil if you don't have a spring form that small)

Crust:
1. Melt the butter and combine it with the crushed graham cracker.
2. Press mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 5 minutes.
3. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Filling:
1. In a small bowl mix the sour cream, milk, lemon, vanilla extract and vanilla bean.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat creamcheese and sugar until smooth.
3. Add in the sourcream mixture and beat to combine.
4. Add eggs and beat untiil just combined.
5. Pour mixture into cooled crust lined pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes (Until the filling is just set)*
7. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes then transfer to the fridge for four hours.

Salted Caramel Sauce:
1. Combine the sweetened condensed milk and soy sauce into the top of double boiler; place over boiling water.
Over low heat, simmer 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until thick and caramel-colored, stirring occasionally.

Notes:
*To test the doneness of your cheesecake, gently shake pan.
The center should appear nearly set and slightly jiggle, it will firm up when cooled.

Serve with sauce or topping of choice, enjoy.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

I was requested to make something for my mom's work, evil things happened.

Brownie Batter:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (Or chopped)
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup (or more/less, your discretion) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheesecake Batter:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin
2 tablespoons flour
Cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice to taste (optional but I wanted a "pumpkin spice" taste)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9-inch or 8-inch square pan with foil.

2. Beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars and vanilla, beat for an additional few minutes

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

4. When slightly cooled add the butter/chocolate mixture to the egg mixture.

5. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a separate bowl and add to the wet ingredients.

6. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, pumpkin, the yolk, 5 tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Stir in the flour and spice.

7. Pour the brownie mixture into your prepared pan.
Distribute the cream cheese mixture in spoonfulls across the top of the brownie mixture, swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.
(Normally looks prettier than mine)

8. Bake for 40 minutes (Mine were done, I wouldn't bake it past 40).
Allow to cool on a cooling rack.
(I like my brownies fudgier so I cool on a rack for 30 minutes then transfer to the fridge)

German Chocolate Cake

Cake Ingredients:
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lukewarm coffee
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups granulated white sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° & prepare 2 round cake pans
1. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate over a double boiler then set aside to cool to room temp.
2. In a medium bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl combine the coffee, water and buttermilk*
4. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until like and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs on at a time, mixing well. Add in vanilla.
6. Add the coffee/buttermilk mixture and flour mixtures in alternating additions. Mix until just combined.
7. Divide the batter into the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes on a cooling rake then place in the freezer for 40 minutes.
(this makes the cake really moist).
Note: I made mine a few days a head of time to so took each layer and wrapped it in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge.

Coconut Pecan Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup pecans
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup evaporated milk (can also use light or heavy cream)
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut**
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coconut Pecan Frosting Directions:
1. Toast the pecans at 350° for 8-10 minutes, cool and finely chop
(I reserved some for decoration)
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, milk, egg yolks, butter, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly.
3. Once the mixture starts to boil and thicken remove it from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Mix in the chopped pecans, coconut and vanilla.***
4. Cool until spreadable (30-50 minutes)
5. Assemble and serve or place in the fridge until ready to serve.


* I tend to make my own buttermilk:
Combine 1 cup whole milk and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
Let it sit for 5 minutes.
** If using sweetened you can reduce your sugar if you want
*** I added the coconut during the cooking process so it would be softer.