Hawaiian Burger

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a little while, I was busy last week taking some classes to learn how to ride a motorcycle! I didn't fall over or run into anyone, so I think I did pretty well. Anyway, I'm back with a not dessert food like I promised!

The Hawaiian Burger makes a great summer time meal for the grill.When I came across the recipe for this sauce, I thought that it looked interesting. I pretty much want to try anything that incorporates fruit into a meal, so I decided to give it a go. I'll be honest though, while I thought it looked interesting, I didn't think I would I would like it as much as I did. This burger was fantastic. It easily shot up the ranks to be one of my favorites. The combination of all the parts of the burger, the pineapple, the cheese, the beef, and the teriyaki sauce melded together so well to create just the right amounts of sweet, salty, and savory.

Here's how you make it:

Ingredients:
Teriyaki sauce:
- 1/2 cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/4 cup White Sugar
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- Juice of 1/4 Fresh Orange
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch; dissolved in 1 Tbsp Water
- Dash of Ground Ginger

Burger:
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 can Pineapple; Sliced and Drained
- Havarti Cheese
- Sesame Buns
- Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions:
1. Season ground beef with salt and pepper.
2. Shape ground beef into thick patties and set aside at room temp.
3. In a medium saucepan, whisk together all ingredients for teriyaki sauce.
4. Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, until it just starts to boil.
5. Remove sauce from the heat and set aside.
6. Grill the beef patties.
7. When the patties are almost done, grill the pineapple slices until nice grill marks appear.
8. Assemble the burger. Be sure to use enough sauce, it's what makes this burger great!

Angel Food French Toast

One word to describe this dish: Heavenly! ... I'm sorry, that was bad... Angel Food French Toast is pretty tasty though. You're probably thinking, "how do you make the french toast taste like angel food cake?" This is accomplished by using angel food cake. That's right, this is made by using actual angel food cake instead of bread slices! Now you're probably asking, "do you eat this for breakfast or dessert?" The answer that I'm hoping all of you are looking for is: BOTH! This dish works well for both meals. It brings the best of both worlds together.

It's not too complicated, but here's how you make it:

Ingredients:
Angel Food Cake, Sliced (You can make it yourself or use store bought loaves)
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Milk
2 tsp Vanilla
Strawberry Syrup (You can use whatever kind of syrup you like, I just prefer strawberry)
Whipped Cream
Strawberries (or any other fruit)

Directions:
1. Preheat a nonstick skillet or a nonstick griddle over medium heat.
2. Slice the angel food cake into 1-inch thick wedges.
3. In a shallow dish combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla.
4. Dredge the cake wedges in the egg mixture making sure to rotate and soak all sides of the cake.
5. Spray pan with cooking spray and cook wedges 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
6. Drizzle with syrup, add whipped cream and fruit. Serve immediately.


I've posted several sweet dessert related dishes now (it's my weakness), but I will be bringing you different meal time foods soon! I promise!

Flour-less Peanut Butter Cookies

When I came across this recipe, it was introduced as a Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie. That intrigued me quite a bit. I didn't quite understand how Peanut Butter, Sugar, and an Egg would make a cookie. It was getting pretty good reviews from quite a few people, so right then I decided I needed to try it for myself. There were a couple variations that other people had posted and claimed to be better than the original. I'm always up for a fun and tasty experiment, so I made a half batch of all of them to see for myself which was best! All cookies may enter, but only one will have the possibility of being made again!


The First Contender:
The first cookie recipe was the original (the cookie in the front of the picture). I didn't think it would hold up at all. I thought the peanut butter would melt and you'd just have a runny gooey mess. I was wrong though, they held their form very well. They will be a little mushy when you first pull them out of the oven, so let them cool down a bit first before moving them to a cooling rack.


Ingredients:
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 Egg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Spoon the dough out onto a cookie sheet and flatten the dough with a fork to make the cross-hatches. (How else would any know that it's a peanut butter cookie?)
4. Bake for 8 minutes.
5. Let cool and serve.

Judgement:
The cookie looked like any other peanut butter cookie you would make, I was impressed. The texture of the cookie was a bit crumbly, not exactly like a regular cookie, but not a deal breaker. The flavor felt like it was missing something. Not that it was bad, just that it could have been better.


The Second Contender:
The second cookie was the first variation that was suggested (the darker cookies on the right side of the picture). There was only one small change with the second cookie, and that was with the kind of sugar you use.

Ingredients:
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg

Directions:
Same as The First Contender.

Judgement:
This second cookie turned out darker than the first batch because of the brown sugar. The texture was essentially the same as the first cookie in that it was a bit crumbly. The flavor though was an improvement over the first. The brown sugar added that missing element that the white sugar couldn't bring to the table.


The Third Contender:
The third cookie isn't a 3-Ingredient cookie like the other two, but it is still flour-less (the far back cookies in the picture). Unlike the first two cookies, this one did exactly what I was expecting of them and just melted. I don't know why, I can only think that I potentially miss-measured something. I'll have to try making these at a later time to double check.

Ingredient:
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Same as The First Contender.

Judgement:
The third cookie came out extremely flat. It didn't hold it's shape at all. The texture was very different from the first two (probably because of the melting) in that it was chewy. The flavor was once again an improvement over the previous cookies. It just added more of that cookie flavor that people expect when you bit into a cookie.


Verdict:
With everything taken into consideration, I declare The Third Contender as the winner of the Flour-less Peanut Butter Cookie Battle Royale! I didn't care for how crumbly the first two cookies were and surprisingly, the chewiness of the third cookie was very pleasant. The flavor beat out the first two by a long shot as well. It tasted like a cookie should taste. Even though I don't think the cookie turned out the way it was supposed to, it ended up to be the best. That just goes to show you that even if you make mistakes, they can still be delicious!


If you decide to make these, make sure you let me know which one is your winner!

Chocolate Cake Batter Milkshake

My favorite part about making a cake is licking the bowl clean. If you are one of my cake batter craving comrades, then I have one of the greatest treats to grace your taste buds! I give you the Chocolate Cake Batter Milkshake!

When I found this idea, there was no hesitation in deciding that I needed to make this. I couldn't wait to get off of work and go to the store to pick up the ingredients so I could make this great dessert. I won't lie to you; I was slightly afraid that this beverage wouldn't live up to the expectations of how delicious I thought it was going to be, but my fears were unfounded. This has become my new favorite dessert drink. It's everything you'd expect from it's namesake.

Here's how to do it:

Ingredients
- 1 cup Milk (I used 2%)
- 1 large scoop Ice Cream (You can use whatever flavor you'd like. I used chocolate chip cookie dough.)
- 1/2 cup Boxed Devil's Food Cake Mix
- 2 Tbsp Chocolate Syrup
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Whipped Topping (Optional)
- Chocolate Sprinkles for garnish (Optional)

Directions
Combine milk, ice cream, cake mix, chocolate syrup, and vanilla in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Optionally, before serving, garnish the milkshake with whipped topping, sprinkles, a drizzle of chocolate syrup or peanut butter as desired. Serve immediately.

Back and Better

I'm back with a new name and a new look!

I haven't posted in a while, but that is about to change. I have compiled a list of new dishes that I am going to be making and posting, and that list is only growing larger. There will be lots of tasty appetizers, savory meals, delicious sides, sweet desserts, and refreshing drinks to come in the times ahead. So stay tuned!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

First I would like to say thank you to So, How's it taste? for posting this amazing recipe! She also posts lots of other amazing recipes, so if you don't know about her blog, check it out!

I saw this recipe posted on Facebook and thought to myself "I must make these!" So, when a friends birthday happened to be a week away, I decided that they would be the perfect thing for me to bring. They combine all of the ingredients of the traditional Irish Car Bomb Shot (Guinness, Whiskey, and Bailey's) into an awesome dessert.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness
16 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Salt
2 Large Eggs
2/3 cup Sour Cream

Ganache Filling:
8oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup Heavy Cream
2 tbsp. Butter, at room temperature
1-2 tsp. Whiskey (traditionally Jameson Whiskey. You can also substitute Bailey's if you don't care for whiskey)

Bailey's Buttercream Frosting:
2 sticks (1cup) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
3-4 cups Confectioners' Sugar
3-4 tbsp. Bailey's Irish Cream

*Note: the Guinness gets mostly baked out of the cupcakes. but if you're serving these for people who don't drink, you'll want to leave out the whiskey or Bailey's from the ganache and frosting. You can use milk for the frosting instead.


Directions:
1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flower, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine eggs and sour cream until smooth. Add the Guinness-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full. bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. to make the ganache filling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place in the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Whiskey (or Bailey's) and stir until combined.

4. Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped (or you can spoon the mixture into the cupcakes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or apple corer, cut the centers our of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom - aim for 2/3 of the way. Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe into the cupcakes.

5. To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is incorporated. Mix in the Bailey's until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.


These cupcakes are amazing. They have a nice rich chocolate taste and the Bailey's frosting compliments it very well. I personally didn't care for the ganache filling, but everyone else that tried them liked it.

I also wanted to experiment with different flavors of frosting. So I split up the butter and sugar mixture into several different bowls first and then added in different flavors. In the front of the picture you see the Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting. In the back on the left, there is the Cherry and Mint Buttercream Frostings. And then in the back on the right, there is the Bailey's Buttercream frosting. This was also my first time piping any sort of frosting onto anything, so be nice about how it looks. :P


Once again, thanks to So, How's it taste? for the recipe!

Venison Shish Kabobs

I recently acquired a good amount of venison and had been looking for a fun way to use it. So when the opportunity of a pot luck with some friends came up, this is what I decided to bring. It was a fun dish to make, but you should never underestimate how long it will take you to put all of the pieces on those skewers, :D. I ended up making 15 kabobs total.

The recipe is in two parts: the food pieces and the marinade.

The Food Pieces:
2lbs of Cubed Venison
1 Onion
1 Green Pepper
1 Can of Pineapple (I used the canned stuff because I didn't want to spend the money or the time cutting up a real one, but if you want to, go for it.)
Several Cherry Tomatoes

The Marinade:
1/2 cup of Soy Sauce
1/2 cup of Cooking Oil
1 tbsp of Sugar
1 tsp of Ground Ginger
1 tsp of Dry Mustard
1 tbsp of Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp of Cayenne Pepper

The preparation is pretty simple.
Start of by mixing all of the marinade ingredients into a bowl large enough to hold the venison. After the marinade is mixed together, add in the venison and let it sit in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. After that time period, take it out and start putting your kabobs together. (Reminder, if you are using wooded/bamboo skewers, remember to soak them in water for roughly half an hour before putting the food on them so they don't catch fire while on the grill.) After you have all of your skewers full, it's time to throw them on the grill. It only takes 10-15 minutes while turning them every 3-4 minutes.

I enjoyed the kabobs a lot (and so did everyone else). They are fairly simple to make and taste great. Feel free to add in any other vegetables or fruits that you think would be tasty, but I enjoyed this combination.