Tip Time

Picture this, you are standing in the kitchen baking a ton of Christmas goodies. You have sheet upon sheet of cookies waiting to cool before you take them off the pan when *BAM* you realize you have no free cooling racks.. What do you do? Well not to worry, I have a few ideas...

Use and empty egg carton.
Close the carton and turn it upside down, ta-da, instant cooling rack. A lovely trick I stumbled upon when I had 4 cakes cooling and no empty rack for the next one.

An empty toilet paper tube cut in half.
Yes, I know it sounds kinda strange. However, I have done it and it works just fine. And besides, its not like we all don't have a ton of these that we toss on a daily basis, right?
Don't have and empty toilet paper tube? Use a paper towel tube, or a wrapping paper tube. Yes, there will be more cutting involved, but it will still get the job done.

Dish towels.
Roll 2 dish towels into a tight log, and put one at each end of the pan.

Got a toaster oven?
Take the rack out of it and place it on top of a heat resistant dish of some sort (like a frying pan or sauce pan).

Soup cans.
Ok, so it doesn't have to be soup, but grab 4 cans of whatever and place one at each corner.

If you're not cooking on the stove top, remove the burner grates and sit them on the counter. Put a Hot pan holder on it for more grip.

Hope these tips help you on your baking endeavors. Happy cooking! 

Tip Time

Lets face it, we all hate the smell onions or garlic (or other pungent foods) leave behind on our hands.. But not all of us have the spiffy little stainless steel soap "thingy" that is supposed to remove said odor, or if you are like me (scary thought) it might not work well for you. So here are some other tips or tricks if you will to help you get rid of the not so friendly scent that onions leave behind. 

Stainless steel- I know I mentioned the soap above, but you don't have to spend your cash on a little soap shaped chunk of steel when you have a drawer full of it. Grab a spoon (easier to rub) and rub it along your fingers and anywhere the smell happens to linger. Just make sure it is actually steel, or it won't work.

Salt- Wet your hands and get some dish soap lathered up, then add a nice palm full of salt and scrub. Not only does it leave your hands feeling smooth from exfoliation, the salt scrubs away the strong odor as well. 

Lemon- Citrus is a good choice as well. The acid cuts through (or its supposed to) and leaves your hands smelling fresh and fruity. Cut a fresh lemon in half and squeeze the juice into your hands and rub it in like a lotion, then give your hands a good rinse. Don't want to waste a fresh and tasty lemon just for scents sake? The bottled stuff works as well or use some plain ole vinegar and it will get the job done too.. I hope that helps you fix your onion odor issues. If you have any questions you would like me to answer, or if you have tips to share please let me know. Thanks for reading!

Caramel Filled Cookies

So, a few nights ago I was in the mood for something sweet and delicious.. (Go figure, right?) So I go into the kitchen and start grabbing things out of my pantry and decide I want chocolate chip cookies with caramel filling... One problem, no eggs. So, against my usual taste I grab a few tubs of cookie dough (I am not a fan of the already made junk). Now, you may ask why I have pre made cookie dough if I dislike it so much, well its simple. I got it free, so why not!? Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the package mixes when you are in a pinch, because you can always "spiff" them up, but its hard to improve on the taste of the stuff that's ready to bake.. Anyhow.. Off to the good stuff. I had 2 tubs of chocolate chip cookie dough, and a bag of caramel nubs to work with so I jumped right in by greasing up a few cookie sheets and preheating the oven to the package *ick* directions. I spaced the blobs of cookie dough about 2 inches apart and then smashed them with the back of a well greased spoon.

Once you get this far place your caramel "nubs" in the center of each flattened cookie.

Then form the dough into a ball around the caramels.

Bake as directed. I always under bake my cookies just a bit because we like em a bit gooey, but if you prefer yours more crisp have at it. :) Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes to let them set up then place them on a cooling rack til cooled and then you can store them in your cookie jar (if they last that long that is)

The center is so tasty and gooey, you will be fighting over the last cookie!

I did it!! My Marshmallow Fondant was a success, and to tell the truth it wasn't as hard as I expected, plus it was fun to play with (and tasty to snack on too...SUGAR HIGH!)

Here is the recipe:

Marshmallow Fondant
   
Ingredients
- 16-20 oz mini marshmallows
- 4 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp flavoring or extract (I used Watkins Clear vanilla)
- 4 c powdered sugar Sifted
- 1 c cornstarch for dusting
- shortening for kneading
- 1 gallon size bag or plastic wrap
- gel food color (to color fondant)

http://www.jrwatkins.com/jrwatkins/

Directions

1.   Put marshmallows, water and flavoring in a large microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 2minutes stopping every 30 seconds to stir (very important to make sure and stir at the 30 second mark so you don't over cook it)

2.   Once all marshmallows are melted add sifted powdered sugar stirring constantly

3.   Once powdered sugar is mixed it, turn fondant dough out on a greased counter top. Grease your hands up real well and knead the dough until it is all smooth.

4.   Place dough in a gallon sized baggie dusted with cornstarch or some plastic wrap dusted with cornstarch and let rest for at least 2 hours or overnight for best results (I played it safe and left it over night)

5.   To soften the dough, work it with your hands. To prevent sticking use either shortening or corn starch to prepare working space. (I used corn starch for this part because I noticed the shortening made it too greasy)

6.   To tint the dough, knead in gel food color. Remaining dough can be kept well sealed in plastic in the freezer for up to a month.  (Don't use liquid coloring to color the fondant, it will make it too thin and sticky. I used the Wilton gels. Also, you might want to wear rubber gloves so you don't get coloring on your fingers.)
 

Trust me, when you first take it out of the refrigerator it looks and feels like a brick, but as you knead it, it will soften.  To make my life easier, I made all the colors I needed for my project before I began playing...Er, I mean working...

As you can see, it's a mermaid cake.. And it's easy to tell this was my first attempt at any kind of shaping anything (aside from playing with play dough as a kid, so needless to say this took me back.)

 The sand is just crushed up graham crackers, and for the happy birthday sign I just rolled out some of the fondant and cut it into a square, then used some frosting in a piping bag to write with and added the pink sugar over it while it was still wet to jazz it up a bit.

When I frosted the cake I left this corner unfrosted and added the cracker crumbs to the white part then frosted the rest blue, pushing the blue up onto the "sand" to make it look like waves. (Also, a happy lil fondant fishy peeking out to say hello).. I added sugars on the mermaid fin and in the water to make it pop a bit, did I ever mention I LOVE the colored sugars??

And here is my finished cake! Hope you all enjoy the pics and now have the courage to make your own fondant.. And, by the way... Happy Birthday Morgan!! <3

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am about to go into some uncharted territory here.. I'm going to make Marshmallow Fondant!! Fondant is something that has had me intimidated for years now, and with the best of wishes from everyone, I am about to kick some fondant booty!!

P.S- I will post pics of my adventure for all to enjoy when all is said and done.  <3

Long time no blog, eh? It has been a bit crazy around here the past week. Plus I had a little cake AND cookie mishap.. I baked a cake that I was going to share with you, and it was devoured before I could even decorate it (at least that means it was tasty, right?). And the cookies, well, pretty much the same dilemma. I promise you I will get to cooking and baking so I can share some ideas soon! Don't forget to send me any questions or recipe suggestions you may have.

Oh, I will be dedicating a post to a dear friend (shout out to my Cwissy) for her birthday soon. She has requested I make her some of my home made marshmallows! I will so be posting the drool worthy pictures as soon as they are made.

So, until next time... Keep it Deliciously Simple!!

You ever have those nights where you have no idea what to make for dinner? Well, tonight was one of those nights for me. I wanted to make something easy, but had zero inspiration, so I looked in the fridge and realized I had leftovers that would make a perfect pizza! Who doesn't love pizza? Amazingly enough I had some of the meatballs and marinara left over, so I gathered the ingredients and got the party started.

• Leftover meatballs and marinara
• 1 cup of shredded cheese (I had some of the Italian left but use your favorite) 
• 1 package of pizza crust mix
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 450 or whatever the crust mix needs. Mix the crust according to the package directions, but add the italian seasoning and garlic powder. Prep your pizza pan with non stick cooking spray and spread the crust evenly and top with marinara, chopped meatballs and cheese and bake according to the crust directions.

Here is my beauty. As you can see, we like our pizza extra crispy. Enjoy this simple recipe and I hope I have inspired you to check your refrigerator and make your leftovers a tasty new meal. Till next time, keep it fun and delicious. Oh, and don't forget to let me know if there is anything you would like me to show on here.

Alright, as much as I would like my first food post to be some amazing cake, or fancy recipe I think its best to do the name of the blog justice and share something well... Deliciously Simple. So, here we go.. I made this for dinner yesterday, Meatball marinara subs, with garlic and cheese french fries. Lets break it down, shall we?

Meatballs

• 12oz Chorizo
• 2lbs ground beef (80/20 is what I used)
• 1 1/2 cups Bread crumbs (depends on how moist the mixture is)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• 2 Tblsp Italian seasoning
• Tsp of salt 

Ok, before you start mixing these tasty bad boys let's start with prep work. First off, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Next, to keep clean up easy line a baking dish with foil (trust me, its worth the extra step). Now, with clean hands mix all of the above together by hand.. Yes, you have to get a bit messy, but trust me it is a lot easier than trying to use a spoon. Plus, you can feel when the ingredients are well mixed.  Once all is mixed form into 2 inch balls, and place in the baking dish. Now scrub those hands nice and clean pop the meatballs in the oven. You will let them cook for 1 hour, turning them half way through.

While the meatballs are cooking lets start the Marinara. I made mine using some cans of tomato sauce and some other random ingredients I had in the cabinets, but to avoid throwing too many tasks at you with my first meal, Ill just recommend you use your favorite jar of marinara and Ill leave the homemade version for another day. Just pop the sauce in a pan and heat it just before serving.

Onward to the french fries! I used a large bag, because if you didn't notice with the amount of meat I used, I cook for a bunch.

 French Fries:

• Large bag of frozen fries
• 2 cloves of grated garlic
• Garlic salt to taste
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese

 I prefer to cook my fries in the oven for a bit longer than the package tells you to, because this gives you the crunch we love with less of the oil. Just take a cookie sheet (I had to use 2) and spray with non stick cooking spray, scatter the fries on the pan and spray the fries with the cooking spray and pop em in the oven AFTER you have turned the meatballs. Now, while you have a minute, take a large mixing bowl and grate the garlic in to it and using a basting brush or your fingers rub the garlic around the bowl. After the fries have cooked for 15 minutes put them in the garlic bowl and toss well to coat, and put them back on the pan and in the oven for another 15 minutes or until desired crispy perfection. Once crispy, place back in bowl and toss with cheese.

On to buns! I used plain ol' hotdog buns, but I jazzed them up. This step is not necessary but so worth it. Depending on how many you will be feeding, just buy the buns accordingly. Here is what I used..

• 1 package hotdog buns
• 1/4 stick of butter
• small clove grated garlic
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese

In a microwave safe dish grate the garlic and add the butter and melt. Split the buns and place split side up and brush with butter/garlic mixture. Toast the buns for 5 minutes, remove and sprinkle each with cheese and place back in oven for 2 more minutes or till cheese is melted.

If you can't tell by now, I looooove garlic. And in grated form, its hard to go wrong. When you grate the garlic you won't run into those big, over powering pieces and it gets the flavor even through the entire dish. Plus, in grated form, the garlic spreads or coats things much easier.

Alrighty guys and gals, by now we should have the meatballs out and resting, the french fries should be good and crunchy-fied, the marinara heated, and the buns toasted and ready to assemble. I cut the meatballs in half to better fit the buns, but its totally up to you on that one. Take a bun, and line 3 meatballs (or half's), spoon marinara over meatballs and sprinkle with more italian cheese, grab yourself some fries and devour!

Here is my finished product, I hope you enjoyed yourself. Thanks for reading.

       

Hooray for my first post!! Here's to what I hope will be a fun journey filled with tips and helpful tricks for anybody out there who is either scared of the kitchen (and all that it brings) or to those of you who just don't know where to start and anyone in between. I plan to post random meal ideas, tips to show that difficult recipe who's boss and of course desserts. So jump right in and enjoy the ride, and don't be shy to send me any questions, requests, and recipes that you need help with.