Tickled Pink!

Perhaps you will recall my new favorite thing to make is cupcake bouquets. The supplies are expensive, the construction is time consuming, but the result is fantastic.

This was my favorite bouquet. I made this for my sister's baby shower. She is having a girl. A baby girl who has been wanted for quite sometime. The theme of the shower was appropriately called "Tickled Pink" because we truly are. I am so excited to share the joys of motherhood with my sister.

The cupcakes were Pink Lemonade Flavored

Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch salt
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1/3 c. thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate
1/4 c. buttermilk
2 or more drops red food coloring
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with liners.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.
Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full). Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.

Lemonade Buttercream:
3 c. + 3 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp. pink lemonade concentrate
Red food coloring
Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, and a few drops of food coloring and mix until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy and uniformly pink. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

I used extra large Smarties candy for the center of my flowers. I have no tips for frosting as that is a work in progress.

Can I tell you my favorite news of all?



I AM TICKLED PINK TOO! I cannot wait to have a little assistant in the kitchen come March. Stay tuned my lovely friends!

WInner of Apple Slicer!

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2010-11-14 00:50:56 UTC

Thanks to all for participating. Please come back for more tastiness and more prizes. If I could buy your friendship I truly would!

Congratulations to MaryBeth! I'm excited for you to enjoy more apple dishes this season with the help of this handy gadget.

Review and Giveaway

Am I the last person to own an apple slicer? I hope not, because I want you to have one too! As I mentioned before CSN stores as everything your shopping heart desires. I can't wait to own some of these dining chairs.

I love their little gadgets that are so nicely priced. I am craving apples these days and this apple slicer is perfect. The name, Easy Grip Apple Divider, says it all. It is durable, easy to hold and use. I love mine! It is made by Calphalon and I liked this product so much I purchased the vegetable peeler also made by Calphalon.

The best part is how easy it is to purchase from CSN stores online. It couldn't of been easier.

If apples are my favorite this season, please tell me what you are craving this season by leaving a comment.

Leaving a comment enters you in my giveaway for this lovely apple slicer of your own. Ready, set, go!

Apple Season Earns You A Giveaway

I don't know about you, but the Fall season makes me crave apples. The best condiment for apples is caramel. Here is an easy way to make the most delicious and creamy caramel. Along with my caramel recipe comes a lovely giveaway. It was difficult to choose from all the amazing options CSN stores has to offer. CSN stores offers everything from kitchen gadgets, furniture, toys, and so much more!I am currently perusing their selection of dining chairs. They have every kind of chair you could think of. They would look great at my table as I enjoy this dip.

Take one can of condensed milk. and turn it into the most amazing caramel!

Creamy Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

-One can of condensed milk
-Favorite apples for dipping

Directions:

First, remove label on can. Place it on a mason jar ring lid in a large deep pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 3 hours. Keep adding water to ensure can is always covered in water. Explosions (which are messy) can occur. Don't worry, I was scared too, but it worked out just fine adding about a cup of water an hour. When 3 hours are up, it is done! Simply open can and pour out to serve. You can also let it cool and just pour it directly into your mouth. That's what I would like to do!

Warning: I don't know what happens for sure, but I hear that it is a sticky mess if the can isn't continuously covered in water.

Here is the best part:
Thanks to www.csnstores.com I will be giving an apple slicer away.


Isn't it pretty?

Stay tuned for my review and giveaway of this fantastic apple slicer. In the meantime, Happy Halloween!

Lasagna

La-zag-na has been around for quite sometime, but proves to be a tasty treat whenever it is consumed. I am sure it is delicious everywhere, but I confess that I have never ordered it at a restaurant because I compare all lasagna to this recipe. It is cheesy, gooey, and just darn yummy! You too might have a family recipe floating around that raises the bar for all others. Here is mine!

Ingredients:
lasagna noodles ( I used whole wheat, about 16 noodles cooked as directed)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 cup whole milk
5 oz. can Parmesan cheese
4 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 can tomato paste
1 large can diced tomatoes
4 bay leaf
1 pkg Lowery's spaghetti sauce (I know I cheated, you could always use your favorite spaghetti sauce)

Directions for Meat sauce:
Cook onions and garlic with ground beef. Add Italian seasonings to taste once hamburger is browned. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Lowery's seasoning, bay leaf, and salt and pepper.

Cheese Sauce:
Melt butter, add flour and stir. Add evaporated milk and whole milk while stirring constantly. Sauce should thicken as it boils. This is to create a basic white sauce. Add Parmesan cheese. I use a lot for a really cheesy flavor.

Layer noodles first, then meat sauce, followed by cheese sauce. Continue for about 3 layers. Top with remaining meat sauce, and then cheese sauce. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through. I like my sauce to be boiling. Serve and enjoy!

Love and Heartache with Steak

My brother at rkadetokens usually does the restaurant reviews. He gets out much, I do not. However, I was able to go out on a hot date with my husband celebrating 5 years of marriage and I learned a few things I really wanted to share.

Since I don't get out much I really wanted to pick THE RESTAURANT. THE RESTAURANT had to be affordable for us poor folks, yet special. I spent a good part of the day going through all of the restaurant options on restaurant.com. It is a handy little site where, for example, you can purchase a 25 dollar gift certificate for the price of 3 dollars to their selection of local restaurants. It is a great way to save money on a nice restaurant. None of them grabbed me though. I wanted a really good steak.

Lo and behold it turns out it was restaurant week in Arizona. That means (check your city for the same thing) that once a year all of the high class restaurants offer a 3 course meal for 29 to 39 dollars a person. I was so excited to learn that our anniversary fell on such an event. There are about 140 restaurants offered. I researched their 3 course menus and locations. I found a steakhouse called Monti's. It is not a franchise. Their menu looked amazing: appetizer, steak, and then dessert. Then I came across The Keg restaurant. It seemed that they offered more sides and such with your main course than any other option. The frugal and hungry side of me thought that was the best option.

A quick glance at Yelp.com told me they had great reviews and were known for their prime rib. I ordered the Iceberg wedge for an appetizer. This is common for a steakhouse to offer, but funny since it probably costs about 50 cents to make. I always love me an iceberg lettuce wedge covered in bacon slices, tomatoes, and bleu cheese dressing (the good stuff). My husband ordered the garlic cheesy shrimp. I was grateful after 5 years of marriage we had learned to share.

The main course was much anticipated. I ordered the 12 oz new york strip steak. My husband who apparently grew up in a barn (the kind without cows) ordered the Prime Rib thinking it was just a fancy name for a steak. After laughing at his confusion when our plates arrived I dived into my steak. "Sigh"....it was just average. After all of my research I had landed us in an expensive Sizzlers. There was absolutely nothing special about my steak. In fact, my husband said I had made better at home which means it was REALLY not good to him. His prime rib was tender, pink, and offered with Au jus sauce just as it should. However, the poor thing was just average was well. They both came with twice baked potatoes which were good. Good was the word of the night. After 5 years of marriage I wanted to be blown away with this amazing expensive steak house. Sadly, I was not. We finished with our creme brulee dessert and contemplated where we went wrong.

Here is what I have decided you should get from my experience:

1. When given the choice between a local, native, "mom and pop" type restaurant vs a franchise, always always go with the local non-franchise choice. Therefore I should of picked Monti's.

2. I really need to stay away from medium- well, that will toughen up any steak, but the pink scares me a little.

3. I had my choice of a chipotle seasoned steak. If I thought my plain steak was boring I should stay away from plain steak! Duh right?

4. Expensive doesn't always mean tasty.

What tips do you have for avoiding the expensive "average" meal?

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

In the words of my mother, "these are the best enchiladas I have ever had!" I wish I had thought of the lime and honey combination myself. You have probably seen this recipe floating around. I adapted mine from Double Batch. Everyone adds their own special touch. My change was to cook the chicken in chicken broth for extra flavor, add black beans to the filling, and omit cumin powder (no thanks on cumin ever!) The sweetness of the honey with the twist of lime was the perfect marriage of flavors. I can never get enough of any chicken enchiladas, but this might have to be the only recipe I use from now on. Thanks for stopping by. Have a bite when you can!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
About 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 cup chicken broth (for cooking chicken)
1 can black beans
12 corn tortillas
2-3 cups cheese, grated (the Mexican blend is best)
28 oz. can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream

Directions:
Simmer chicken with 1 cup chicken broth until cooked and easy to shred. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together the honey, lime juice, chili powder, and minced garlic.

Place chicken in bowl with mixture and stir together. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, about thirty minutes in the refrigerator.

Heat the oven to 350. Heat tortillas in oil for about 20 seconds on each side. Be careful not to burn them. For a healthier version simply place tortillas in microwave for 20 seconds covered in paper towel.


In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 3/4 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.

Drain can of black beans. Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Add one spoonful of black beans on top of the line of chicken in each tortilla. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Pour enchilada sauce mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve and enjoy!