Simple Substitutions

SUBSTITUTIONS: 1 tablespoon cornstarch? = 2 tablespoons flour. 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cake flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. 1 cup whole milk = 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water. 1 cup sour milk = 1 cup? milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice added or use 1 cup ???? buttermilk. 1 cup sour cream,commercial? = 1/3 cup butter and 2/3 cup milk in any recipe calling for ? ?? sour milk. ??? 1 cup honey = 1 cup molasses. ?FOR ONE CUP OF: Broken graham crackers , you will need? 9 crackers. Graham cracker crumbs, you will need? 11 crackers. Broken saltine crackers , you will need? 7 crackers. Broken vanilla wafers , you will need? 22 wafers. Vanilla wafer crumbs , you will need? 26 wafers. FOR BAKING CAKES: If using a glass baking dish or a dark coated pan, lower the oven temperature by 25º. Don’t open the oven door to peek at your cake baking.? You will lose heat and could alter the baking time or the quality of the cake. To test when cake is done, poke a toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean, cake ???? is done; or lightly touch with finger and if it springs back, cake is done, or the cake starts ???? to pull away from the sides of the pan, it is done. ??? Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to coo completely. ?? Loosen around the edges before turning onto rack. Cool completely before frosting, unless otherwise stated in recipe. A pastry brush is a wonderful tool to lightly brush away all crumbs before frosting. You can ??? also just lightly brush crumbs with your hands.

The rest is here:
Simple Substitutions

Lots of berries? Make Shortcake!

Florida is having a tough time of it strawberry wise this year.? Somehow the market has dropped and the farmers are selling berries at ridiculously low prices to just get rid of them.? Last weekend there was even a UPick in Plant City that was GIVING them away!!! Needless to say we have lots of berries right now.? And that, my friends, is a very, very good thing… ???? Strawberry Shortcake ( Better Homes & Gardens ) Ingredients: 1-1/2 ? cups all-purpose flour 1/4 ? cup sugar 1 ? teaspoon baking powder 1/4 ? teaspoon salt 1/4 ? teaspoon baking soda 1/3 ? cup cold butter 1 ? egg, slightly beaten 1/2 ? cup dairy sour cream 2 ? tablespoons milk 5 ? cups sliced strawberries 3 ? tablespoons sugar 1 ? recipe Whipped Cream Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet; set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl combine egg, sour cream, and milk. Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until moistened. 2. Drop dough into 8 mounds onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. 3. Meanwhile, combine 4 cups of the strawberries and the 3 tablespoons sugar. Using a potato masher, mash berries slightly; set aside. To serve, split shortcakes in

Read the rest here:
Lots of berries? Make Shortcake!

Happy Pancake Day!

What you didn’t know it was Pancake Day today?? Funny isn’t it when you grow up with a tradition and then almost 30, ummmm, maybe more years later you realize that not everyone even knows what it is???? That’s what happened to me this morning with Pancake Day.? I was on twitter (follow me at www.twitter.com/nofearentertain ) and I mentioned that I was making pancakes for the girl’s for Pancake Day.? That’s when I was forced to realize that not everyone celebrated the way we always had.? Here is a good link to some history behind “Pancake Day” and all of the other traditions and names that? this one day has!!!? Shrove Tuesday 2010 (Pancake Day) I grew up in Canada and my Mom is from England so that explains why we call it Pancake Day!? What do you call it??? Here is our favorite “Breakfast For Dinner” recipe that would

Read the rest here:
Happy Pancake Day!

The Daring Bakers do Nanaimo Bars

And lucky me…I grew up eating these!!! The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen . Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca . I almost missed making these.? Something about them having to be posted on the 27th of the month just messes me up bad but with bold determination and severely lacking eyesight I forged ahead and got these done!!! I knew I had to make the graham crackers first.? I had already decided that as interesting as it would be to do them gluten free I really didn’t have the time or the money to be hunting down ingredients I would only be using once so I cheated and made them with Whole Wheat Graham Flour and they really are delicious!!!? I made these this morning and it went off without a hitch.? Had them out of the oven and I was on my way to the eye doctor.? Well. by the time I got home I couldn’t see a thing.? He had tricked me a dilated my eyes.? I was virtually blind, but the DB Challenge must go on!!!? I cut the recipe and copied it and then made it REALLY, REALLY BIG so that I could at least make out the measures.? The whole time I am kicking myself for leaving it til the very last minute…:-( Anyway…these turned out beautifully despite all of my self inflicted challenges and it brought back a lot of great childhood memories for me!!! ? These were taken after my eyes were dilated by the stupid eye doctor.? I was lucky to find the camera!!! Graham Cracker Recipe (that I used) by Cupcake Project Ingredients: 4 T (1/2 stick) butter, softened 1 egg 6 T sugar 4 T honey (Some graham crackers use half honey and half molasses. You might consider trying that as a variation.) 1/2 t baking soda 2 t water 3/4 t salt 1 1/2 C graham flour (If you can’t get a hold of graham flour, there are plenty of graham cracker recipes that use regular whole wheat flour such as this graham cracker recipe from Baking Bites . You may also be able to directly substitute whole wheat flour in this recipe, but I haven’t tested it and I make no promises.) 3/4 C all-purpose flour Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the butter, egg and sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in the honey and blend. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and add to the butter mixture. Add the salt, graham flour, and all-purpose flour to the mixture and blend thoroughly. The dough should hold together and be manageable. If it is too “tacky” add a little more graham flour. Liberally dust a surface with graham flour and roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. For convenience in handling, cut the rolled dough into three or four sections that will fit on your cookie sheet. (I am not good at rolling things out. It doesn’t come up too…

Continue reading here:
The Daring Bakers do Nanaimo Bars

Tart Shells

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 pkg (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup butter, softened Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until blended. Shape into 24 balls. Chill. Place balls in ungreased miniature muffin pans. Shape each ball into a shell in the muffin cups. These are so simple to make. The butter and cream cheese give them a rich butter flavor. They are great filled with meats or sweets. If you are making a tart that requires a precooked shell, after shaping them, bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool and fill.

Read more here:
Tart Shells

Chili Verde for the Crockpot

It was cold yesterday.? At least by Southwest Florida standards.? I think we reached a high of about 60F for the whole day.? I’m not complaining.? I live for the cooler weather but I knew that I needed something to warm us up for dinner.? Knowing that we would

The rest is here:
Chili Verde for the Crockpot

Apple Pancakes for dinner…

We are still in our crazy, running all the time, trying to find some sense of balance in our lives mode.? So I am making dinners in the crockpot or else finding things that I can make ahead of time and just reheat for a quick meal between activities (BMX racing, ice skating, and karate).? I made a really good white chicken chili but ate it all without a single photo.? So will post when I make it again and you can bet I will be making it again, it was just that good. Anyway, these pancakes came about because I had some fruit that badly needed to be used up or tossed out tomorrow.? There were 6 apples, 4 bananas and 2 pears.? 3 of the bananas went into banana chocolate chip muffins (1 had to be tossed), and 3 apples went into the pancakes.? I am going to make apple/pear sauce with the remaining fruit to use as topping for the pancakes!? These pancakes are delicious and a perfect way to use up some of that fruit.? They can be made ahead and just warmed up (for dinner) but of course they are way better hot off the griddle! Apple Pancakes (adapted from Smitten Kitchen ) Ingredients: 2 eggs, well beaten 1 1/2 cups of milk 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp cinnamon 14 tsp nutmeg 3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated (I used macintosh and a honey crisp apple.? You could use any) Directions: 1. Mix the eggs with the milk and vanilla extract in a large bowl. 2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together. 3. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients and stir in the apples. 4. Heat a thin layer of oil in an electric skillet on medium heat. Drop large spoonful of batter into the pan and flatten it out a little (otherwise, you might have trouble getting them to cook in the center) and cook until golden brown underneath. Flip the pancakes and cook them for an additional two or three minutes. I sprinkled these with cinnamon sugar and topped them with maple syrup

See the original post:
Apple Pancakes for dinner…

Pecan Pie Bars

? These are soooooo good!? I would never lie to you about something so wonderfully ooey, gooey and somewhat in some places chewy! My friend Marye Audet very generously sent me a copy of her new cookbook “The Everything Cookies and Brownies Cookbook”.? This book is part of the “The Everything” series of books.? And what a great addition to the series it is! I love baking cookies and brownies so this one is right up my alley…it has frosted cookies, filled cookies (with ideas for fillings), brownies, bar cookies, drop cookies and get this…even some that are good for shipping. If you are looking for a comprehensive, all in one spot cookie and brownie book this one is it.? This book even has a section for special needs, as in gluten free and egg/dairy free. Love the book Marye and congrats on a job well done!? I can’t wait to try out the rest of the delicious recipes!!! ? Pecan Pie Bars (from The Everything Cookies & Brownies Cookbook – recipe reprinted with Marye Audet’s permission) Ingredients: Crust: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter Topping: 1-1/2 cups light corn syrup 4 eggs 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla 3 cups chopped pecans 1 cup chocolate chips, optional (I used 1/2 cup scattered on the crust of half of the jelly roll pan) Directions: Preheat oven to 350F.? Line 10” x 15” jelly roll pan with parchment, allowing it to overhang sides and ends slightly. Stir together flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt.? Cut in 1 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press firmly into the pan. Bake 20 minutes. Mix together corn syrup, eggs, remaining sugars, 3 tablespoons of butter, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Stir in pecans, pour over hot crust. If using the chocolate chips add them before you pour the topping on the crust. Bake 25 minutes or until set.?

Here is the original post:
Pecan Pie Bars

Daring Baker’s do Puff Pastry and Vols-au-Vents

The September 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon . She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan. ? Wow, was this month’s challenge ever a “challenge” .? Our temps here in Southwest Florida are still in the mid 90’s every single day and if I turn my A/C to more than 80F I end up with an electric bill that is $350+!!!? Anyone who has ever worked with puff pastry knows that these are not ideal circumstances for making the dough…But I DID IT!!!!? And look how pretty and puffy these turned out!!! There was a lot of refrigerating going on though and I had butter popping through and melting all over my counter so I was shocked at how nicely these turned out.? Unfortunately they took me a whole day to make and then I let them chill over night.? After all of that I just ran out of time for making the wonderful lemon mousse that I had planned to fill them with.? Whatever, the girls loved them filled with fresh blueberries and drizzled with chocolate.? Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway??? For this challenge we had to make puff pastry (Michel Richard’s recipe) and form at least part of it into vols-au-vent… The recipe and directions: Equipment: -food processor (will make mixing dough easy, but I imagine this can be done by hand as well) -rolling pin -pastry brush -metal bench scraper (optional, but recommended) -plastic wrap -baking sheet -parchment paper -silicone baking mat (optional, but recommended) -set of round cutters (optional, but recommended) -sharp chef’s knife -fork -oven -cooling rack Prep Times: -about 4-5 hours to prepare the puff pastry dough (much of this time is inactive, while you wait for the dough to chill between turns…it can be stretched out over an even longer period of time if that better suits your schedule) -about 1.5 hours to shape, chill and bake the vols-au-vent after your puff pastry dough is complete Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.) Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the…

Continued here:
Daring Baker’s do Puff Pastry and Vols-au-Vents

Chocolate and Key Lime Cupcakes

I’ve been having a bit of a block lately.? I can’t write.? I’m still cooking and baking but nothing seems to be inspiring me to write (or “right” about it. LOL!!!).? I keep putting it down to the season.? I know it sounds weird to all of you northerners but here in Southwest Florida in the months of August and September we are a virtual dead zone of fresh produce!? It is just too stinking hot outside for anything to grow let alone thrive…I will be planting my garden this month so hopefully that will help give me a badly needed boost!? Until then I offer you some delicious chocolate and key lime cupcakes… Chocolate and Key Lime Cupcakes Ingredients: Cupcakes: 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1 c. sugar 1/4 c. baking cocoa 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. water 1/3 c. vegetable oil 1 Tbs. white vinegar 1 tsp. vanilla Filling: 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1/3 c. sugar 1 egg 1/8 tsp. salt 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed key lime juice zest of one key lime Directions: In a bowl, beat cream cheese. Add key lime juice, zest, sugar, egg, salt. Mix well. Set aside. For cupcakes, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix well. Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full with batter. Top each with 2 Tbs. of cream cheese mixture and then top with more chocolate batter to cover the cream cheese. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. This makes 12 These were truly delicious.? I tossed around whether it should be a white cupcake or chocolate but my helpers decided it HAD to be chocolate.? Glad I listened to them.? Some of them caved in but that’s because I was a little over zealous in my filling!!!

See the original post:
Chocolate and Key Lime Cupcakes

Next Page »