Buckeyes

This blog is long past due. At the end of August, I flew to Washington/Idaho to see my good friend from high school get married. We both have family that lives in Ohio, and the buckeye candy is an Ohio classic. These chocolate covered peanut butter balls are to-die-for. When I learned I was going to her wedding, I knew I had to bring some buckeyes. I contacted my cousin and got my grandmother's buckeye recipe, so you know it's legit.

Ingredients:

1 small 12 oz. jar peanut butter

1 stick softened butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 lb. bag of powdered sugar

¼ cake paraffin wax

In the electric mixer, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate the dough until hardened, you can use the freezer to speed up the process; start with an hour and then check the consistency. If it is too soft, it will be more difficult for you in the end, so it is worth waiting for it to harden. I learned this the hard way, of course.

Then take two cookie sheets and line them with wax paper. Shape the dough into small balls. (Note: You want small balls! The smaller the balls, the more buckeyes you have. And no one ones a giant mouth full of peanut butter. I would recommend the size of a dime or penny. Mine were average quarter size, and that was too big. Especially the ones my boyfriend helped me roll were like freakin' peanut butter golf balls in your mouth! His balls were too big.) Once you fill the trays with small balls, refrigerate for 1-4 hours, or overnight.

When it comes to melting chocolate, if you're going to microwave it, buy extra chocolate, because you WILL burn it. If you use a double boiler (or a boiling pot of water and a glass bowl that just slightly smaller) would be the more traditional and effective way. You want to melt ¼ paraffin wax (you can find this next to the chocolate at the grocery store. It says you can use it for several things, including waxing your skis and snowboards. It is also makes chocolate harden.) If you don't use the wax, your chocolate will not solidify correctly.

Remove your ball trays from the freezer and using tooth picks, dip the balls in the melted chocolate, but not completely. Leave a small circle at the top so it looks like a buckeye. Then freeze again until chocolate is hard. These buckeye candies will last in the freezer for a very long time. Since they take a little bit of labor and process, I would recommend making a huge batch and having cookies in the freezer for a while. This recipe yields about 100 if you make your balls small enough!

Traveling with two huge Tupperware of buckeyes was hilarious. On the flight from Anchorage to Seattle to Spokane, I was accosted by at least a dozen flight attendants and passengers. “What are thoooose?”, “ohhhh”, “ahhhh”! I was expecting this reaction form the wedding guests, not the flight crew! But with out a doubt, Alisha was the most beautiful bride who by far out shined the goodness of the buckeyes. These small peanut butter chocolate balls will forever bring warm fuzzy memories of friends, family, love and happiness.  

Tie-Dye French Vanilla Pineapple Rum Cake

I saw this idea for a tie dye cake on several other blogs, and I gathered tips and tricks from them all and created my own! I’m a total hippy at heart, and thought a tie dye cake would be awesome! Most of the blogs I read just used plain white cake…boring! I got a plain white cake box, and a French vanilla instant pudding, and a bottle of Malibu Black, and created a Tie-Dye French Vanilla Pineapple Rum Cake. BOOM!

 This recipe did not include very many ingredients. Other than the cake box, I added  a French vanilla instant pudding packet, three eggs, a third cup of rum, a third cup of water, and a third cup of vegetable oil. I used a premade whit e frosting and skittles for  decoration (not the best decision for a 21^st birthday).

Preheat the oven to 350F. In the kitchen aid, I mixed together the ingredients to make the white batter. Once at the correct consistency, I separated about a half cup of batter into four separate bowls. I tinted each bowl with food coloring and created a red, blue, green, and yellow batter. 

I had two small 8” round pans the exact same size. I greased the pans with Crisco (or Pam, if you prefer) and placed half of the remaining white batter in each and spread it across the bottom of the pans.  I blobbed tablespoons of the tinted batter on top of the white, and used a butter knife to marble them together.

I baked the cakes on the center rack for about 20 minutes (follow the instructions on the box). Once cooked, I checked with a tooth pick. I removed from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. I removed one from the pan and faced the tie dye side up. I covered the bottom layer with white frosting, then placed the second round cake on top. Then, I covered the entire thing with white frosting. For professional appearance, this takes practice to not drag crumbs around the cake.

Once frosted, I lined skittles around the base of the cake like a chain link necklace. I also placed skittles on top of the cake. While they were colorful, they were not that tasty with the cake. And, they also made the cake look very juvenile, opposite of what the 21^st birthday stands for. In the end, it was still delicious, made and received with love.

Oreo Red Velvet Cupcake

This is not an original creation. I heard someone somewhere, on the food network or the internet I don’t know, had designed a red velvet Oreo cupcake! What a magnificent idea!

It was my cousin Leah’s 21^st birthday over the weekend, and I wanted to make her something really special and delicious. I was also baking a cake (see next blog) so I was in somewhat of a rush.  Usually, cakes from scratch are preferable, but I used a box cake for this recipe (and the next).  On the plus side, this recipe has five ingredients, well six if you count water (not listed in photo haha).

To start, I preheated the oven to 350F. Next, I placed 24 cupcake tins in the tray, with one single (double stuffed) Oreo in each.  Then I used a kitchen aid mixer to make the batter. Mixed the cake box, three eggs, a third cup of vegetable oil, and a third cup of water. Mix well, but do not over mix.

Pour the red (so red, will stain anything it touches red) batter over the Oreo until tin is about two thirds full. Place the tins in the middle of the rack in the oven and bake for 25 minutes (or whatever the box says). Poke with a tooth pick to check if fully cooked.

Remove from oven and let fully cool for several minutes before frosting. I used a premade frosting for time purposes, but you can also make a simple butter cream with a stick of butter, 8 oz of cream cheese and 3 cups of powdered sugar. Vary recipe for taste or thickness.

I used a piping bag with a flower tip to frost the cupcakes. I need to invest in a better bag, with bigger tips for a more professional appearance. (I forgot to take a solo picture of the finished cupcakes!)

The Verdict: The double stuff Oreo was very overwhelming, and the whole thing was ridiculously sweet. But, if you like sweet then these are right up your ally!

Indian Tikka Masala

Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be scary, but it can also be very rewarding. I love cooking, and I cook often. Lately, I’ve been trying to challenge myself with new and different recipes.  My Aunt Betty asked me if I had ever made Tikka Masala, and I had never even heard of it! I looked it up online and decided I wanted to make this. I looked up several recipes and blogs to get an idea of what I was getting myself into. I learned that Indian food uses a lot of spices you probably already have at home, just a lot of them. I mean tablespoons and tablespoons, probably a half cup of spices for a meal that serves 3-5 people. Indian food can also pack some heat, but if you prefer less spicy, modify to your desire. Oh, the joy of cooking!  

 Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 large russet potato
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (the grocery store was out, and I was really bummed)

Directions

1.      In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, and minced ginger. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

2.      In a large skillet, remove the chicken, leaving as much marinade in the bowl as possible. Cook the chicken and then remove from sauce. I used a spoon with holes to sift chicken into a separate bowl.

3.      Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with two teaspoons of cumin and paprika. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Stir well, then let simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

4.      Meanwhile, microwave your large russet potato for 5-10 minutes depending on size until soft. Peel the skin off of the potato, this should be fairly easy while hot, and chop into chunks.

5.       Add grilled chicken and potato, and simmer for 10 minutes.

6.      To cook rice, use a 1:1 ratio. One cup of rice to one cup of water. If you do not have a rice maker, boil one cup of water, then remove from heat and add one cup of rice. Cover with a lid until rice expands. Do not remove lid early, and do not stir rice, or it will turn to paste.

7.      Serve the spicy chicken tomato sauce over a bed of white rice and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

Banana Fosters Cupcakes

One of my secret dreams is has always been to grow up and open a baker with my cousin and best friend Leah. Before “Cupcake Cousins” could ever become a reality, we need some serious baking practice. Cupcakes are fun! Last night, with a large group of my friends and I (while watching Jersey Shore) made Banana Fosters Cupcakes. I found a recipe online and slightly modified it and they turned out amazing!

Here’s the recipe I started with.

For the Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (my batter was very wet, so I added flour until it reached the desired consistency)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon dark rum
Banana mixture already prepared (see directions)
3/4 cup sour cream

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I like extra)
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (modify for desired sweetness, I used less)
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon dark rum

Directions:

Bananas Foster:
In a sauté pan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until butter melts and sugar is dissolved (4 to 5 minutes). Add the banana slices (2-3 firm ripe bananas, cut in half and then length wise) and cook until tender, turning once for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Stir together rum and vanilla. Turn off the burner and add the rum to the pan.

Using a long match, light the alcohol by placing the flame just in the outer edge of the pan. Stand as far back as possible. The flame should extinguish in a few seconds. (I did not actually light them on fire for several reasons. A. electric stove, not gas…it ended up spontaneously combusting on its own anyways. B. you need a strong dark rum with a high alcohol content… we were working with Malibu Black 70 proof…delicious btw…and C. someone said the only reason they light it on fire is to quickly cook out the alcohol, and since we don’t mind getting drunk off cupcakes, we opted against.)

Gently shake the pan from side to side to coat the bananas with the sauce. Spoon the bananas into a bowl and set aside.

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl (preferably kitchen aid mixer if available), cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Then add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Next, add sour cream, eggs, vanilla, rum and the banana mixture. Mix well, but do not over mix.

Pour into prepared cupcake pans. (This is easier said than done. You want the tins about ½ to 2/3 full. If you spill batter on the pan, wipe it up before baking to make for an easier clean up.) Bake 16-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool completely before frosting. I found that it may be easier to refridgerate the frosting before frosting the completely cooled cupcakes. It allows the frosting to thicken and stiffen up, which looks prettier.

Frosting:
Beat together cream cheese, butter, cinnamon and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add about half the powdered sugar and beat until mixed well. Then gradually add the remaining powdered sugar until you reach a spreading consistency. You really don’t want a wet frosting, and it might spread easier if it were chilled.

I really wish that I could say we decorated them really cute! With a chocolate covered raisin and a banana chip, on top of our beautiful firm cool frosting. But the truth is that the frosting was too wet and the cupcakes were too warm. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a Ziploc and snip the corner.

All in all, these were a hit! I will definitely be making them again. They smelled amaaaazing. They were a little time consuming, but fancy cupcakes are worth it. It’s very satisfying to work hard for immediate delicious results.

Spicy Cajun Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo

Last night, I tried something new. I had never made my own Alfredo sauce from scratch, usually go for the cheap easy jar, but I wanted a challenge! So last night, I made spicy Cajun chicken Alfredo.

I started with some chicken breast filets, cut them in half (width wise), and then sliced them into small strips. If you prefer chunks or cubes, go for it. In a large frying pan, I cooked the chicken with about a half a stick of butter (yum)! I heavily seasoned the chicken with Cajun spice, black and red pepper, garlic powder, and sweet basil. Cayenne is a slow heat at the back of your tongue. If you prefer a more frontal spice attack, you could add some jalapeños.

After the chicken was cooked, I added about a cup and a half of heavy whipping cream. I would suggest using more for a creamier sauce. I wanted my sauce to be SPICY and red, so I added a dash of Frank’s red hot. But by far, the best last minute addition to this dish was a stroke of sheer genius. BACON. That’s right. I grabbed my Costco (yes, I buy in bulk) bag of bacon bits and poured in a few heaping handfuls. I covered the sauce with tin foil and let it simmer for a few minutes. Stir or whisk frequently to thicken sauce.

The best part about cooking and recipes is the cook’s freedom of flavor and adaptation. I saw several recipes that called for other things like white wine, sundried tomatoes, or green onions. But, I opted not to use those.

While my sauce was thickening, I boiled a pot of water with oil and salt. Once it came to a rolling boil, I cooked half a box of fettuccini noodles. They take about 10-15 minutes to cook. I’m not sure if I under cooked them or over cooked them, but they were not as soft as they could have been. I would babysit the noodles closely.

I garnished the dish with fresh parmesan, and it was pretty delicious! Definitely going in the cook book scrap book to be remade for future occasions. J

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast casserole (pizza, pie, whatever you want to call it) is definitely a people pleaser. This layered dish combines the best breakfast ingredients (in my opinion) into one awesome meal. This recipe is very adaptable to whatever you prefer.

My breakfast casserole included biscuits, cheese, eggs, bacon, tater tots and more cheese. You easily could add or substitute sausage, peppers/green chilies, spinach or whatever you prefer for breakfast. I used a small deep square casserole dish, and it only fed about six people. Next time, I know to use a larger dish. I’ve made this before, and learned to precook certain items, or they take forever to bake. Nobody wants to wait an hour for a casserole to bake.

First, I greased the pan and placed a layer of biscuits at the bottom. I used the Pillsbury brand canned dinner rolls, you could pick just about anything for a biscuit crust though. I prebaked the biscuits, by themselves, for about ten minutes at 375F. In hindsight, the biscuits took the longest to bake, so you might want to prebake them a little longer. (Still leave them a little uncooked because you will bake the whole thing together later). Also, a clear baking dish makes it easier to tell when the biscuits are done. Mine may or may not have come out a little crispy.

While the biscuits were precooking, I also put some tater tots in the oven to start crisping as well. Tater tots (if frozen) usually take about twenty minutes in the oven, and they taste better (in my opinion) crispier!

With the biscuits and tots prebaking in the oven, I started on the bacon. I used about a half a package of bacon. I cut the strips in half for convenience. I also precooked the bacon in the microwave, on a plate between two paper towels. I love bacon, but when cooking dishes like these, stove top bacon is unnecessary (and a hot mess), and the microwave works just fine.

In a small bowl, I mixed together about 5 eggs and some milk. I would use more eggs, maybe 8 or 9. A lot more eggs haha. And if you have a bigger dish, you may even need a dozen. Mix with milk and spices, and start to scramble in a pan. You don’t need to cook the eggs completely, but give them a head start, and they can finish baking.

Once all items are done prebaking, assemble the casserole. The bottom layer is biscuit, then I sprinkled some shredded cheese (probably unnecessary, but I love cheese). Then I placed the pre scrambled eggs on top of the biscuits and cheese. Next, I layered the bacon on top of the eggs. Then, I covered the bacon with tots. Finally, I smothered it in cheese!

Yes, this is the fat ass special. But, I am a firm believer that everything in moderation is acceptable. And like I said, this is really a people pleaser! Big hit! Everyone loved it! Wish I would have made more…

Soy Ginger Chili Citrus Salmon

My step brother Ian supplied me with some FRESH silver salmon (from the Kenai River, I believe). I honestly can’t remember the last time I cooked salmon in the oven. I’m so Alaskan, I just take it out of the river, wrap it in tin foil with a stick of butter, and throw it straight on the campfire. (uuuunnnnnnhhhh) I had two large filets that I cute into four pieces, which served about ten people. I marinated the salmon for about two hours before broiling it in the oven.

For the marinade, in a medium size bowl I mixed together: soy sauce, Worcestershire, olive oil, orange juice, honey, lime juice, minced garlic, minced ginger root, chili powder, black pepper, red pepper (cayenne), and lemon pepper. Quantities vary depending on the amount of fish you are marinating. I started with a third cup of soy sauce, orange juice and olive oil, and ended up needing to add more of each. Can’t mess up a marinade, so just throw whatever you want in there! Tip: I tried to remove as much air possible from the gallon Ziploc, and I also double bagged it in case of leakage.

I let the fish marinade for about two hours (in the refrigerator of course). I preheated the oven to broil. I placed tinfoil on a cookie sheet. In hindsight, I wish I would have used more foil and completely covered the cookie sheet, because the marinade leaked under and burned on the sheet, causing a more laborious clean up. I placed the filets skin side UP on the foiled cookie sheet. I broiled them for about three minutes and then removed from the oven. With a fork, tongs, or your fingers (whatever you prefer), remove the skin. It should peel away easily after being broiled for a few minutes. I poured some more marinade on the salmon after the skin was removed, and placed back in the oven for another three minutes. Remove the fish again, flip it, and broil for another five minutes. Babysit and watch closely, may not take as long depending on size of filets.

To round off this delicious meal, my friends made an amazing fruit salad with a lot of variety! Blackberries, pineapple, mandarins, strawberries, bananas, grapes, apples and more! Mixed with a tub of lite cool whip.

My other friend made an awesome green salad, too! Fresh spinach (from Costco, of course) and dark greens. Don’t forget the cucumbers, grape tomatoes, carrots and walnuts.

This meal turned out absolutely wonderful. A great time for friends to gather for a nice fresh Alaskan salmon feed. I really love cooking, but the time we spend together eating is my favorite part. (I’m a HUGE advocate for family dinners btw.)

Spicy Spaghetti

Spaghetti is one of my favorite foods. A meal that frequently ended in fierce competition between my father and I, spaghetti has been in my family since childhood. I made spaghetti tonight, extra hot. However, I was in a rush, and only spent about an hour cooking time total. (Normal competition spaghetti in the Burr household would start around 3pm and be eaten around 6pm. THREE hour process, no thank you tonight.) The process usually takes so long because the Italian sausages are cooked from raw completely in the sauce. I precooked the hot Italian sausages in a pan to speed up the process a little bit.

Note: Unfortunately, I dropped the ball and did not take any pictures of this meal. But, use your imagination to create the most delicious spicy spaghetti imagery imaginable.

First I grabbed the largest pot I owned and poured in two starter spaghetti sauces. I used Classico, because they sell 3 packs at Costco, but you can use whichever you prefer. Then I put in one can of stewed basil and oregano tomatoes and one can of diced tomatoes. (Had I the resources for tomato paste, sauce or red wine…I would have added those ingredients as well.) I threw in two whole fresh jalapeños as “floaters”, which not only serve as a heat booster, but also adds esthetic appeal. I kept the heat on very low and let them simmer under a lid.

Meanwhile, I cleaned and minced (very tiny) a third jalapeño to add to the sauce. Then I added a healthy portion (you can’t really measure spices…) of oregano, some minced garlic, cumin, black and red pepper (cayenne). Cayenne is a very slow burning heat, hits the back of your tongue after you’ve swallowed. Jalapeño hits you more quickly, in the front of your pallet. The jalapeño / cayenne combo qualified one hell of a kick! I kept the heat on low, stirring frequently to prevent the tomatoes from burning to the bottom of the pan, and continued to simmer.

I used a five pack of hot Italian sausages from Fred Meyers, which were still slightly frozen when I began cooking. Obviously, I would recommend thawing your meat if time allows you to do so. I put the sausages in a large frying pan with about ¼ cup water (to create steam) and a lid. I babysat the sausages and flipped them frequently to prevent burning. They cooked for several minutes until almost completely cooked. They finished cooking in the tomato sauce for about another 40 minutes.

I boiled a large pot of water with salt and oil. I was out of spaghetti noodles, so I used my next favorite, bowties. I let the noodles cook for about 15 minutes until soft, drained the water in a strainer, and put the noodles back in the warm pot with a big chunk of butter.

Voila! Butter bowties, spicy spaghetti sauce, and hot Italian sausage….Parmesan cheese of course. It was excellent!

Beware: Tomatoes are very acidic, and tomato sauces do not stay good in the refrigerator for more than about three or four days I would say. Do not eat questionable spaghetti leftovers. You have been warned.  

Dark Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Rum Cake

It’s Alex's birthday, and I wanted to make him a specialty birthday cake. I decided to make a *takes deep breath for long sentence*…dark chocolate cherry dr. pepper rum cake.  Mmmm!

I have made this cake once before, but this time I pretty much winged it. I got a box (yes, I don’t make eeeeeverything from scratch) of dark chocolate cake, and a box of INSTANT chocolate pudding. In my kitchen aid, I mixed both boxes, four eggs, about a cup of Bacardi torched cherry rum, a half a cup of dr. pepper, a quarter cup of oil, and a table spoon of cocoa powder. I mixed this until it was batter, but it still looked pretty thick. I took a jar of maraschino cherries, and poured about half of the cherry juice into the cake batter. I mixed until the batter looked about the right consistency, and then I added some whole cherries.

I greased the bundt pan and placed some extra cherries at the bottom (so they would be on top when I flip it out). I poured the cake mix over the cherries and into the bundt pan. I baked it in the oven at 350F for about an hour.

While it was baking, I tried to make a simple syrup reduction, but it never got very syrupy (probably because I used cherry rum instead of water). The “syrup” consisted of about a half cup of cherry rum, the rest of the cherry juice, and a few table spoons of sugar. Like I said, this never really thickened up, which is totally fine.

I let the bundt cake cook for ten minutes before I even attempted to remove it from the pan. Once cooled, I took a rubber spatula to loosen the sides (but careful to keep its shape intact). I lined a cookie sheet with foil, and placed it ON TOP of the bundt pan. Then, very carefully, I flipped the bundt pan over onto the cookie sheet, releasing the cake from the mold. It was beautiful!

Lastly, I used a plastic knife to poke a few slits in the top of the cake, and I poured the simple syrup all over the cake. The cake soaked it all up like a sponge! The bottom cherries are now on top and bright beautiful red! The cake is dark , chocolaty and moist! All in all, I would say the dark chocolate cherry dr. pepper rum cake was a great success!!

Halibut Tacos with Chipotle-Lime Dressing

The other night, I went over to have friends with my old roomies at their new place. My beautiful cousin Laura gets all the credit for this meal, but it was just so delicious, I had to blog about it.

I knew her family had just caught some fresh fish in the English Bay, but I was ecstatic to find out the menu: halibut tacos with pico de gallo and a chipotle-lime dressing!

(this is a modified recipe from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/grilled-fish-tacos-with-chipotle-lime-dressing/detail.aspx)

First, she made a marinade for the halibut to add some extra flavor: olive oil, white vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder and black pepper. She cut the halibut into chunks, placed in a bowl with the marinade, covered with plastic and kept refrigerated. (Quick Tip: I would also suggest gallon zip loc bags for marinades)

Next, (she actually had the salsa and dressing made before I even got there) is the chipotle lime dressing. This was so effing amazing, and simple! Just one 8oz container of sour cream, lime juice and zest, cumin, chili powder and chipotle. She also made a homemade pico de gallo salsa with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice ect…

After, she grilled the fish on the stove top, we warmed up some corn tortillas and assembled the tacos. Halibut, chipotle lime dressing, salsa and fresh jalapeños. So good.

Side note: I really like mango salsa with white fish. Just like a tomato salsa with onions, cilantro and lime, but chunks of jar or canned mangos in place of tomatoes. Carrs Safeway didn’t have any mangos, so I was going to improvise with a citrus salsa. Unfortunately, I spaced on making the salsa when I got there (because everything already looked so good), so we will never know the fate of the citrus salad.