Posts

Showing posts from November, 2015

Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Image
This is one of the most of delicious desserts .This Old Fashioned Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting and Sparkling Cranberries makes a perfect holiday dessert .If you can't find cranberries , try using blueberries and strawberries .          This recipe makes more than you need for the cake !The cake is soft spicy featuring all of the traditional ingredients such as molasses , ginger ,cinnamon and cloves .It topped with a vegan cream cheese frosting and garnished with sparkling sugared cranberries .         Cranberries are high in antioxidants, which help to flush out your system .This is turn improves your metabolism and digestive system ,so that you can begin to lose weight quicker.Cranberries are also very good for the heart in several different ways .They help to lower the bad cholesterol levels which can clog the arterial walls .       They also help to prevent plaque from forming on the arterial walls , which can lead to atherosclerosis .As a result , your chance o

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Image
This recipe is not only easy to make , it also brings the flavor of the tropics right into your home .I found this recipe and it has the unusual twist of adding lime for that an extra Carribean punch of flavor into the cake .And I love the addition pecan nuts .It is caramelized and flavored with pineapple , it's my favorite part of the cake . Pineapple upside down cake battles apple pie as my favorite  dessert. I love both desserts , hands down , more than any other dessert on the planet . Serve both with some vanilla ice cream and I'm in heaven . It goes without saying how much I am in love with this brown sugared , melt in your mouth , buttery old -fashioned cake!   Originally , pineapple upside down cakes were cooked in a frying pan .The butter and brown sugar were melted together .Pineapple rings artfully arranged all around .Once baked , the pan is flipped over and voila , a showcase of caramelized pineapple and gooey sauce on top or the cake . The recipe starts ou

Vanilla Cupcakes

Image
 These vanilla cupcakes are the perfect soft and fluffy vanilla cupcake and perfectly complimented with the vanilla buttercream and whipped cream filling . If we're being 100 % honest with each other ...I prefer a vanilla cupcake .A simple , rich vanilla frosting .I'll take of cupcake over chocolate , peanut butter ,or any other flavor. As crazy as I like to bake , as much as Iove to make rich food , there's something about the simple flavor of vanilla .I love it .And these perfect vanilla cupcakes totally deliver . These perfect vanilla cupcakes are just that - perfect normally I avoid homemade vanilla cupcakes because they're always to dry , tough, delicate, hard ,etc.Box mixes are just so easy - and they're always perfect .But since I don't have a vanilla cupcake recipe here , I wanted to try my hand at it .    Love cupcakes , but always run into some common problems?Don't let any of these happen to you . Mistakes to avoid when making cupcakes

Fresh Fruit Tart with Vanilla Custard Pastry Cream

Image
The dough for the pie crust and pastry cream filling can both be made ahead of time and refrigerator for up to 2 days , so all you have to do is bake and cool the pie crust , pour in your pastry cream filling , arrange the sliced fruit and add a finishing glaze if desired .Place it in the fridge until you are ready to serve and that's it ! Fruit tarts are impressive desserts that look complicated and time consuming , but you can definitely replicate them at  home . They 're not as difficult to prepare as you might think , as long as you streamline the process , which means you should start with making the tart crust, let it chill while you work on the pastry cream ,let that chill while you roll out the dough , bake the tart in the oven while you prepare the fruits ,and finally , assemble all those components . The greatest thing about this dessert , is that you can make the tart crust and the pastry cream up to two days in advance , and assemble them right before you

Braised Chicken Thighs with Caramelized Fennel

Image
Braising is a cooking technique that involves searing meat over high heat ,then adding liquid to the pan to finish the cooking process . This two step method allows any toughness to break down , leaving behind juicy , tender meat in a flavorful , rich sauce .While you can braise all year round , this homey comforting dish is especially warming this time of year .   This recipe is  particularly appealing because I  creatively uses the fennel fronds as well as the bulbs , and even calls for fennel seeds .It is simple and delicious . The hardest part is slicing your fennel thinly .Fortunately , the caramelized process is forgiving of imperfect technique . I recently shared a delicious chicken salad , and I think fennel is one of those vegetables that are underused and that help bring such a light and distinct flavor to any dish .Fennel bulb with its liquorice flavor , is not something common on most people's shopping list but it's nonetheless a really healthy choice ri

Orange & Polenta Cake

Image
Made with orange juice , this dense ,warm polenta cake provides vitamin C .This version is made with yogurt instead of syrup , so it's lower in sugar and that so good for your diet . This delicious moist orange and almond cake requires just simple ingredients .It contains no flour , but polenta instead , so it's gluten free .Serve up for a special afternoon or with creme fraiche as a dinner party dessert .    Ingredients 200 g unsalted butter at room temperature        plus extra for greasing 200 g castor sugar 3 large free range eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 200 g ground almonds 100 g coarse polenta 2 oranges , zest of 1 teaspoon baking powder plain yogurt , to serve for the syrup 250 ml orange juice (from about 3-4 oranges) 5 cardamon pods, crushed 125 g golden castor sugar method Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. Grease a 20 cm springform  tin ,line the bottom and sides with baking paper and grease again . Beat the butter and sugar in a large b

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Image
Twice baked sweet potatoes are the perfect thanksgiving side dish , featuring a smooth , creamy filling and a topping of either toasty marshmallow or crunchy pecan streusel .This is one of my favorite recipes for twice baked sweet potatoes .That's great news if you 're on a tight budget because they're quite inexpensive to buy and enjoy . These sweet roots are full of vitamins A , C , Potassium and calcium . They're quite the super food for their health benefits and they're hard to dislike with their rich sweetness . Ingredients 6 small dark orange sweet potatoes 2 tablespoon all purpose flour 2 tablespoon packed brown sugar 2 tablespoon butter or margarine , softened 1/4 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoon butter or margarine , softened 2 tablespoon half-and half 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice  1/4 teaspoon salt method Pierce each potato twice with point of sharp knife to vent steam .Place in single layer in microwave oven .Microwave on high 5 minutes .If