Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes with Chocolate Irish Cream Ganache filling

Irish Cream Cupcakes, filled with Chocolate Irish Cream Ganache

Duncan Hines Deluxe Butter Golden Cake mix,  Prepare as per directions except in lieu of 2/3 cup of water use 1/3 cup of water and 1/3 cup of Bailey’s Irish Cream.  Pour in to cupcake cups and bake as per directions on the box.

Make the Chocolate Irish Cream Ganache

8 oz dark chocolate chips                                                                                                                         2/3 cup heavy cream                                                                                                                                   2 tablespoons butter at room temperature                                                                                                     2 teaspoons of Bailey’s Irish Cream

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat cream until simmering. While heating the cream, Place the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl, micro wave for 15 seconds, stir, microwave 20 seconds, stir and microwave 20 seconds. 

Pour simmering cream over partially melted chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until smooth. 

Add butter and Bailey’s stir until smooth and combined.  Set aside until cool and thick enough to be piped, stirring occasionally. 

After the cupcakes are cooled core out the center with an apple corer or paring knife.  Trim the piece you cut out, save the top 

Fill the space cut out in the cupcakes with the thickened Ganache.  Top with the trimmed top of the cupcake center.  Plugging the hole with the original cupcake top piece.  

Frost with Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting

8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature                               

3-4 cups of powdered sugar                                                                                                                    4-8 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

Beat the butter on medium high until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.  Add Baileys a few tablespoons at a time until you reach your desired consistency.   Put in a frosting bag and decorate as your hearts desires. 

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!

Well Superbowl Sunday is just around the corner and it is time to start getting ready for the feast.  For me that is what it is all about.  A great excuse for chips and dip!  Oh yeah a game is on TV also.... for me the more people the merrier! After all it is just a game for entertainment and an excuse for DIP and a party. I read somewhere that some parties have two TV areas, one quiet zone for the people who want to hear every word (Mike) and one for those that are there for the DIP which is actually a great idea.  Currently I really don't have a plan for a party but we will see.   What am I going to make even if it is just for a small group?   Dessert, dip (most likely artichoke dip, onion dip and layered bean dip), possibly some chicken wings and some baked beans. I started this weekend with some dessert.  Cut out cookies in the shape of Footballs.   I made all the cookies, frosted a few and put a bunch in the freezer to frost for Sunday.

I have a good sugar cookie recipe which follows and they are frosted with canned frosting.  I bought 2 cans of frosting one vanilla and one chocolate.  I mixed some red and yellow food coloring in the vanilla to make it orange then added a little of the chocolate to get a brown orange, the base color of the footballs.  Then did the laces in the chocolate.   Here is the recipe.  They are good for any occasion that you want to make shaped/cookie cutter cookies.

Soft Sugar Cookies

            For cookie cutters

1 ½ c sugar

1 c shortening

2 eggs

1 c sour cream

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

4 c flour

Cream together all ingredients.  Use enough flour to handle (4 c). Refrigerate for a fe minutes so it is sticky. Divide dough into 3 balls.  Dip each ball in a small amount of flour so it won’t stick to board.  Roll out each ball on a floured board 3/8 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes.  Should be light in color.  Frost and decorate.

What do you do with an eggplant?

A beautiful eggplant came in our Full Circle Box this week and we are not really eggplant people.  I have never cooked one before so I got on my favorite recipe site and started looking.  Knowing that it was just going to be Chris and I eating it as Mike's limited palate  was not going like it or even want to try it.    I found this recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/rigatoni-with-eggplant-and-dried-tomatoes-139306/, and then started modifying it.   I had some cooked spaghetti noodles in the fridge from the night before so decided  they would be used in lieu of rigatoni, and I began.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a 13x9 inch glass baking dish, pour in approximately 2T olive oil.  Cut up one onion into wedges, break apart and mix in with the olive oil in the baking dish.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Cut  the eggplant in half after cutting off the stem.  Rub the inside of the eggplant with olive oil.   In the baking dish move the onion over and place the eggplant in the pan cut side down.  Roast with the onions for another 15-25 minutes until the onions are golden brown and eggplant is just tender.

Next work on the tomato pesto:
In a blender add
4 oz sun dried tomatoes in oil (mine Italian seasoned already)
1/4 c almonds (I used whole almonds)
3 cloves of garlic
6 kalamata olives (pitted)
Turn on the blender and mince up.
Add 2T olive oil
and about 1/4 cup of half and half.
Mix with the blender and puree to a thick chunky pesto.

Mix with the cooked pasta. 

I then microwaved the pasta and pesto for 4 minutes as I did not like the flavor of the raw garlic.  When the onion and the eggplant was done roasting take out the eggplant.  Put the pasta mixture in the baking dish with the onion. Cut the eggplant into bite size pieces and mix with the pasta and onions.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and stick it back in the oven with the oven turned off to melt the cheese, and keep it warm while finishing up the rest of the meal.  This could be the whole meal.  Of interest  I found a bag of seafood medley at Costco today for $5 something a pound with scallops, prawns and a variety of seafood in it.  Chris asked if I added the seafood to this.  I did not but you sure could and it would be great. So another idea.

Great little Christmas Cookies - Pastel Creams

Here is the recipe for everyone's favorite Christmas Cookie.  This is a very labor intensive cookie. 

1 cup soft butter
1/3 cup whipping cream (not whipped)
2 cups flour

Mix the butter, cream and flour thoroughly.  Cover and chill. (I make the dough the night before, wrap it in suran wrap and referigerate)   Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured board.

Keep remaining dough refrigerated.  Cut into 1-1.5 inch circles.  Transfer the rounds with a spatula to a piece of waxed paper that is heavily covered with granulated sugar (I use a  large flat bottom bowl).  Turn each round over so both sides are coated with sugar.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet.   Prick the rounds with a fork about 3 times.

Bake 5-7 minutes or just until set but not browned.   cool.  Put cookies together in pairs making sandwiches with creamy filling.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Find two halves that are similar shape as they sometimes loose their shape a little when you take them off the floured board, and while you are dredging them in the sugar. Put the icing in between and make a sandwich cookie.

Creamy filling-
Cream 1/4 cup soft butter, 3/4 cup confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and fluffy.  Tint with a few drop of food color.  (Add a few drops water if necessary for proper spreading consistency.)

Appetizer- blue cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon

Getting ready for holiday entertaining make blue cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon.
Buy soft Medula dates, and slice each one lengthwise.   Mix cream cheese with blue cheese about 1/3 blue cheese to 2/3 cream cheese.  Stuff the cream cheese mixture in the dates.  Cut uncooked bacon strips in half, wrap around each date and hold together with  tooth pick.  Then you can broil them, I use a broiling pan and watch them closely to cook the bacon, then pull them out and flip them over to broil the other side.  Or you can bake the at 400 degrees on a baking sheet or a broiling pan for 10-20 minutes, watching them to make sure not to burn the bacon.   I like to use the broiling pan to let the bacon fat run off.  Serve immediately.

Belgian Stew with Ale

With our frigid temperatures this week, it really felt like a good day for some hearty stew for dinner.  I have been making this same stew for many years. I originally got the recipe out of the newspaper most likely in the 1990's but have modified it over the years. It was originally called "Epicure's Belgian Beef Stew with Ale" adapted from Chef Bridget O'Connor, Epicure, but had leeks, and turnips in it which I don't keep on hand so have never have used either.  Luckily I usually have some dark beer on hand!  You can use any brand.  It can be made with venison or other game meat also.  Tonight I used some chuck steak I accidentally bought.

Here is my rendition of the original recipe:

4 T vegetable oil

2 medium onions thinly sliced

1 lb stew meat (beef or venison) cut into 1 inch cubes

½ t white pepper

½ t salt

1 T dried thyme

4 T flour

5 c beef stock, broth or bouillon

1  bottle of Samuel Adams dark ale

1 bay leaf

3 celery stalks sliced

5 potatoes- Yukon gold- scrubbed and cubed

5 carrots peeled and chunked

10 medium mushrooms sliced

In a large thick bottomed pot heat the oil over medium low heat, sauté the onions stirring occasionally until browned and caramelized, up to 45 minutes.  Add the meat, white pepper, salt and thyme, turn the heat up to medium  and continue to sauté until browned, 5-8 minutes.  Turn the heat down to low, sprinkle in the flour and cook stirring for 3 minutes.

Slowly stir in the stock followed by the ale and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the celery, carrots and mushrooms.  Simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.  Add the potatoes and simmer until they are soft and the stew is thick.  Remove the bay leaf and discard.   I sometimes thicken the sauce by adding a mixture of 2 T corn starch in 3T cold water.  I add it to non boiling soup, stir constantly while adding and while bring it back up to a boil.   This recipe makes about 4 servings.

 The news paper clipping notes this recipe is recommended for the beginning cook.

Salmon Chowder

When we grill salmon we always make more than we need for dinner to have some left over.  Then we put dibs on the amount we want for then next days plans.  Chris wanted some for a salmon salad sandwich, I love to make salmon dip but tonight it was for Salmon Chowder.   So I sent Chris to the store with a shopping list to get a few things we needed to make the Chowder for dinner.  He did not get what "1 qt 1/2 and 1/2" meant so didn't get any.  Luckily we had some whole milk in the fridge so used that instead tonight, but half and half really is much better and whole cream makes it even thicker.  This is an original recipe I came up with
Salmon Chowder Recipe

2-3 T olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1/3 of an onion

3 small carrots

3 ribs of celery

3 leaves of fresh basil

3 cups of water

3 large red potatoes

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 t dill weed, I just sprinkled it so am not sure of the exact measurement.

2 cups flaked cooked salmon (best if using high quality salmon, like left over grilled fish)

1 qt half and half

Pour the olive oil in a stock pot and add chopped garlic, onion, carrot, celery and basil.  I use the pampered chef chopper to chop all of the above fairly fine.  Cook in the olive oil until the onion and carrot are cooked and soft.  Add 3 cups of water , the bouillon cubes and diced potatoes.  Cook until the potatoes are done.  Add dill weed, salmon (be sure and take all the bones out of the salmon) and half and half.  Heat until warm then enjoy!

I served it with Parmesan garlic toast.  Normally I would serve it with a french bread baguette, but Chris had trouble finding that at the store also and came home with a loaf of sour dough bread which worked just fine also.