Epicurean Style

Quick Tip #98

To sour sweet milk, add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to 1 cup of sweet milk and presto!  sour milk or "buttermilk" for that recipe you need it for.  Needing a great recipe for a chocolate cake and you want to try this tip use it here.

Fortune Cookies

One night we were watching the Food Network on t.v. and saw some fancy fortune cookie shop that was featured. The cookies looked so fun, so instead of paying the big bucks to buy fancy shmancy ones we thought it would be fun to make our own. So we did! 

Step 1: dip in chocolate

 

Step 2: roll in toppings of your choice (we recommend crushed butterfingers, oreos, sprinkles, nuts, etc.)  

Step 3: eat... or just take pictures of them because they are fun to look at 

 

 We tested them out last weekend and they were so fun to make that we decided to make some this weekend to give to Rachael and Jonathan. They looked much better the second time around. The fun thing with those was that we took out the fortunes that came in them and replaced them with our own messages for R & J, wrapped them up, and sent them off with them on their honeymoon!

 

 Enjoy,

Brittney. 

 

Cooking Tip #78

Vegetable odors vanish if you place an open dish of vinegar on the stove or nearby on the counter while cooking them.

 

 

Quick Tip #53

No fry pan explosions! 

Simply sprinkle a little salt  in the pan before you start to fry food. 

(I had my shirts or aprons stained too many times because of oil splashing up on me)

 

Quick Tip #48

Strawberry Tip: Wash freshly picked strawberries, then take a wide plastic straw and insert it at the bottom of a strawberry, pushing the stem out. 

 

 

Bennett's Monkey Party

****Don't forget about the Cranberries and Capers Giveaway! (Below)****

I share this because I think you are all going to want to try this Banana Cake recipe!  It is Delicious!  We celebrated Bennett's first birthday a few days ago with a Monkey themed party.  Not that he will remember it, but we will. ha.    

I decided to make a monkey cake for his party and thought a banana cake would be fun, since it is a monkey party and all.  :)  I got the recipe from Martha Stewart--what a kitchen genius. 

 

  

Banana Cupcakes 

(I used to make Banana Cake)

Makes 28

• 3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups), plus sliced bananas for garnish
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Baking Directions
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
  2. Reduce speed to low. Mix any remaining wet ingredients in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
  3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days, unless otherwise noted

 I covered with a Basic Vanilla frosting, but you could use a variety of frosting types.

To make the Monkey shaped head for the cake....

I used a pyrex bowl to cook the cake it and then cut layers into the cake and put frosting in.  I used a cupcake cut in half to make ears.  It was actually very simple, but turned out looking pretty cute. 

I also made a delicious banana slush for the party that was a huge hit.  I'll share that recipe another time. :) 

I'll share a few more fun pictures from the party.....just because I can.  

  

Cooking Tip: Ground Beef

This week I am bringing you a cooking tip.  I know it is usually a recipe, but this is something that has made my cooking world, well, a millions times awesome-ER!  

This might not be new idea to some of you, but a few years ago I noticed my Mom doing this and thought, um, that would be nice...so I tried it and guess what I love it!  So, one of my secrets to happiness in the kitchen?  ...frozen browned ground beef.

  

(This picture shows sandwich sized ziploc bags (just because I was out of quart sized bags) filled not quite halfway full and then laid flat so they could be frozen and stacked more easily)

No you can't buy it already frozen and ready to go, although that might be a good idea for someone to figure out how to do that, this is a self done project.  When I need ground beef, I will buy about 4-5 lbs of it at a time.  I will brown it, just adding a little salt, pepper, and onion powder.  

Once it is browned and cooled and the excess fatty/oily yuck is dumped off.  I stick it into small freezer quart sized bags (I only fill each bag about 1/4 of the way full).  I write the date on all of the bags and put them into a gallon sized freezer bag (just to keep them all on one place).  

Now why is this so wonderful...okay so you are making any meal that calls for ground beef and you already have it ready.  The day you are preparing them meal, open your freezer and pull out one of your bags and you are good to go.  It cuts down on the meal prep the day of.  

When I see I am getting low, on ground beef, I will plan to have hamburgers or tacos and make more.  Or if I just know I have extra time some day make more that day.  

Seriously though, Shepherd's pie, lasagna, tacos (just pull it out and add taco seasoning), soups what ever recipe is that calls for browned ground beef, this is a huge time saver the day of.  

Just my little FYI.

Eggs

I know, I know...its Monday and you should be getting a recipe, but today you are getting a little different tidbit.  I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but recently I bought medium size eggs instead of large eggs (most recipes out there have been tested or done using large eggs).  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my medium sized eggs, so I did a little research and found some egg size equivalents and I thought I would share.  Just in case this ever happens to you. 

Egg Size..............Substitution

1 Large Egg.........1 jumbo egg, 1 extra-large,
                            or 1 medium egg

2 Large Eggs........2 jumbo eggs, 2 extra-large eggs,
                             2 medium eggs, or 3 small eggs

3 Large Eggs........2 jumbo eggs, 3 extra-large eggs,
                             3 medium eggs, or 4 small eggs

4 Large Eggs........3 jumbo eggs, 4 extra-large eggs,
                             5 medium eggs, or 5 small eggs

5 Large Eggs........4 jumbo eggs, 4 extra-large eggs,
                             6 medium eggs, or 7 small eggs

6 Large Eggs........5 jumbo eggs, 5 extra-large eggs,
                             7 medium eggs, or 8 small eggs

Maybe you guys already knew this, but seriously this was a huge find for me.  Hope it helps someone else out there too!  :)