Baby Shower Punch

I chose a new recipe from Pinterest to use for some baby showers I was doing this week and totally loved it!  I added my own little twists as well.  My favorite "personal touch" was the addition of the floating rubber ducks!

The recipe is from:
http://natashaskitchen.com/2015/02/11/raspberry-sherbet-party-punch/#_a5y_p=3359636 -- and Natasha, the author of that blog, deserves the credit!

The ingredient below are straight from Natasha's blog, my tidbits are in parentheses:
 -2 Liter Bottle Sierra Mist Sprite or 7-up, chilled
 -2 Liter Bottle Club Soda, chilled (I used Ginger Ale)
 -1 Fruit punch can, or pink lemonade, thawed in the fridge
   (I used pink lemonade)
 -1 Pineapple juice can, thawed in the fridge
 -6-8 scoops Raspberry Sherbet Ice cream, or any flavor you have available

 Garnish:
 -Fresh or frozen raspberries (I used fresh)
 -Pineapplie slices (I used fresh)

For the first baby shower, I used Raspberry Sherbet:

For the second shower, I used Rainbow Sherbet.  This seemed to "bubble" a little more and made the punch truly look like a little baby bubble bath!

This was a simple just "throw-it-all-together-in-one-big-bowl" recipe.  Highly recommend!!!

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I have been staring at the blueberries sitting in my freezer for the past several months, and finally decided today that I needed to stop just munching on them and actually put them to good use!  For our high school girls tonight, I made Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake!  They absolutely loved it and immediately were running back to the kitchen when I asked who wanted seconds!  I used this recipe coupled with ice cream for dessert, but I am sure it would also satisfy anybody for a tasty breakfast as well!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-½ cup butter, room temperature
-2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon (oops I didn't have lemon juice or anything, so I used 2 T lemonade . . . probably not ideal but no one seemed to notice)
-7/8 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar (3/4 cup + 2 T = 7/8 cup) 
-1 egg
-1 tsp. vanilla
-2 cups flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. kosher salt
-2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen)
-½ cup buttermilk (homemade buttermilk: 1 T vinegar or lemon juice combined with 1 cup milk, let sit for five minute) 

Instructions:
-Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
-Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
-Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
-Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. 
-Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

I served the cobbler/cake with Umpqua Vanilla ice cream.  Needless to say, there were no leftovers :)

*Recipe was retrieved from http://www.alexandracooks.com/2011/06/29/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake/

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Peach Cupcakes with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting

For my second tea party, my favorite new recipe was none other than Peach Cupakes!  Not only were they tasty, but they turned out pretty cute!  Of course, this was another Pinterest-inspired recipe.

Cupcake Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½  teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1.75 oz (49 grams) freeze dried peaches, pulverized in a mini food processor (I used dried mangoes because I couldn't find dried peaches )
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup pureed fresh peach
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup of butter, softened
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
1.75 oz (49grams) freeze dried peaches, pulverized in a mini food processor (Again, I used dried mangoes) 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-5 cups of confectioners sugar

Makes 24 cupcakes

Instructions:
"Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with liners.

Mix together flour,  baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together buttermilk, peach puree and vanilla extract.  Set aside until needed.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl until pale, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in pulverized peaches.

Mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two batches of buttermilk mixture. Mix until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed. (I like to mix the last bit by hand using a spatula to make sure I get all the stuff at the bottom.) Scoop batter into cupcake tins.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 21 to 24 minutes.  Allow cupcakes to cool in tins for 10 minutes, and then remove cupcakes and place them on a cooling rack."

Frosting Instructions:
"In a large mixing bowl, mix butter until it is softened and uniform. Add cream cheese and beat together until it is uniform. Add vanilla extract and mix.  Add pulverized peaches and mix.   Add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture and mix. Add more sugar if necessary.  Mix again until mixture is creamy and spreadable. Add more sugar if necessary, otherwise prepare to frost cake."

Side note: DON'T make the rookie mistake I made by accidentally using granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar!!! 

Recipe taken from:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Peach-Cupcakes-with-Peach-Cream-Cheese-Frosting/?ALLSTEPS

Stackiups "Snow on the Mountain"

I made dinner this week for a 30-ish-sized group of people at my church for a meeting.  I put together a little assembly line of quite strange items (per the recipe) that for some reason when all thrown together, taste quite good!  I got the idea from my mom and sister.  Ideally, you can do this with your small group and have each person bring one item.  However, for the purpose of this dinner, I didn't do that.  The fun part of Stackiups was making the little note cards in front of each topping instructing how much they should take of each item. :)  

      

1: Rice – heaps   
2: Chicken – glob (I did one mixture with mushrooms and one without) 
3: Chow mein noodles – pile 
4: Onion (I did green onions) – as you dare 
5: Celery – a little bit 
6: Crushed pineapple – large glob 
7: Chopped tomato – little
8: Cooked peas -- morsel
9: Cooked carrots -- a drop
10: Green peppers -- a pinch 
11: Cheddar cheese – a sprinkle
12: Slivered almonds -- a smidgen 
13: Coconut – cover all over

Chicken Mixture

2 c. cooked chicken (1-3 lb)
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 cup light cream (half/half)
4 cups chicken broth

Melt butter; sauté mushrooms.  Gradually add seasonings and flour.  Add cream and chicken broth.  Don’t allow to boil.  Add chicken.

I also had sourdough bread to go along with the meal and whoopie pies for dessert.  I'll definitely do stackiups again sometime!!! 

Tea Party Take-Off

I hosted my first ever official tea party this past week.  I was a little nervous with even just the set-up, flow, etc., let alone all of the baking!  This was the official menu I decided on:

1st course- Savory: curry chicken sandwiches, deviled eggs, spinach and artichoke phyllo cups

2nd course- Scones: lemon poppyseed and cinnamon chip with lemon curd and clotted cream

3rd course- Sweet: lemon squares, chocolate-covered strawberries, mint brownie truffles

Curry Chicken Sandwiches
I used my sourdough starter to make mini sandwiches then stuffed them with this tasty recipe:

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 medium unpeeled red apple

¾ cup dried cranberries

½ cup sliced celery

¼ cup chopped pecans

Sliced green onion or powder, to taste

Dressing:

¾ cup mayo

2 tsp. lime juice

½- ¼ tsp. curry powder

Deviled Eggs

These are my mom's fool-proof instructions for perfect deviled eggs: 

Start the eggs in COLD water. 

Place them in saucepan, cover with water, no lid, and turn burner to HIGH.  Once they start boiling, time them for 10 minutes.  You may need to turn the burner down a tiny bit so that they don't get rolled around too much and the water flies out.  When the 10 minutes is up, drain the water and immediately run cold water over them.  I keep the water running in the pan until it stays cold (the eggs heat it up if you just fill it up once). 

Peel carefully, carefully cut in half lengthwise, I use the tip of the knife to get the yolk out.  Crush yolks with a fork or pastry blender until very fine.  Add real mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and a little pepper.  If you add the mayonnaise before they are crushed very fine, they will be quite lumpy.  

I sometimes sprinkle a little paprika on top!

Spinach and Artichoke Phyllo Cups
I found this recipe in Tea Time magazine and loved it!

1 tsp. olive oil
1 (6-oz.) bag fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup finely chopped canned artichoke hearts
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sour cream
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
30 mini phyllo cups

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large nonstick saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add spinach, stirring until wilted and tender, 1 or 2 minutes.  Transfer spinach to a small bowl, and cut into small pieces, using kitchen scissors.  Drain any remaining liquid.  Add artichokes, mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to spinach, stirring to combine.  Evenly divide spinach mixture among phyllo cups.  Place phyllo cups on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until filling is hot and cheese is melted, 10-12 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Lemon Poppyseed Scones
I combined a couple recipes to get these scones all together.  

I found this recipe for the scones themselves.  They turned out very soft, moist, and tasty!
(taken from http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/02/lemon-poppy-seed-scones/) 

 2 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt (decrease or omit if using salted butter)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (if using salted butter, cut down on salt)
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
1 large egg
Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400.  Place baking rack in the middle-low position.  Spray baking sheet with Pam.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Add the lemon zest and whisk together again. Grate the frozen butter.  Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture and combine it with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and egg. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and then toss the mixture together with a fork until everything appears moistened. Gently press the dough into a ball–it will take some time and some parts of the dough will be more moist than other parts, but continue pressing together until it forms a ball.  Lightly flour a surface (you can use the lined baking sheet if you want) and place the dough on top of the floured surface. Press into an 8″ disc and cut into equal wedges with a butter knife. Separate the wedges and place them evenly on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

I then used this recipe for the glaze: (from http://www.onceuponacuttingboard.com/2012/05/mini-lemon-poppy-seed-scones.html)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Cinnamon Chip Scones

My sister shared this wonderful recipe with me.  Cinnamon chips were a little hard to find, but Roth's came through for me. 

 

3 ¼ cups flour

⅓ cup sugar

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¾ cup cold butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup cinnamon chips

Topping:

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 tablespoons coarse sugar (may use fine)

1.   Preheat oven to 425.

2.   In large bowl, combine the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cut in butter until it forms coarse crumbs.  Stir in buttermilk and vanilla just until moistened.  Fold in cinnamon chips.

3.   Turn onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead gently 10-12 times or until dough is no longer sticky.  Divide in half; gently pat or roll each portion into a 7-in. circle.  Brush with butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

4.   Cut each circle into 8 wedges.  Separate wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm.

Yield: 16 scones

  
Lemon Curd:
I made lemon curd as a nice topping for the lemon poppyseed scones, but people actually added it to the cinnamon chip as well as seemed to enjoy!  

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel

In a heavy saucepan or top of a double broiler, beat eggs and sugar.  Stir in the butter, lemon juice, and peel.  Cook and stir over low heat or simmer water for 15 minutes or until mixture reaches 160 degrees and is thickened.  Cover and refrigerate until chilled (may be stored in refrigerate fur up to 1 week).

Clotted Cream:
Okay, so I cheated on the clotted cream.  I looked at doing the real thing, but I just didn't have the patience. . . but I must admit, whether cheating or not, the recipe I used was pretty tasty!

1 cup heavy cream (I just used whipping cream)
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. confectioner's sugar (I am pretty sure I used a little more than this . . . )

Using a whisk attachment on the mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove from mixer, and hand whisk in the sour cream and confectioners' sugar until just combined. Store in refrigerator.

"Luscious" Lemon Bars:
So last minute I realized that I had never chosen a lemon bar recipe.  I typed in google "classic lemon bars," and clicked on one of the first recipes.  I guess you can't really go wrong with lemon bars because these turned out great!  I got this recipe from http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/luscious-lemon-bars-10000001966749/

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided 
1/2 cup powdered sugar 
1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces  
4 large eggs  
2 cups granulated sugar  
1 teaspoon lemon zest 
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
Powdered sugar
  
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of a 13- x 9-inch pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil. 

2. Stir together 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. 

3. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. 

4. Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a large bowl until smooth; whisk in granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir together baking powder and remaining 1/4 cup flour; whisk into egg mixture. Pour mixture over hot baked crust. 

5. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until filling is set. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Lift from pan, using foil sides as handles. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes). Remove foil, and cut into bars; sprinkle with powdered sugar

Mini Mint Truffle Brownie Bites
While most people were pretty full once we got to the actual "dessert" portion of the tea party, I took these to work the next day, and they were gone in a flash!  Thanks to http://www.laurenslatest.com/mini-mint-truffle-brownie-bites/ for the recipe!!!

For the brownies:
1 cup butter
6 oz. Scharffen Berger bittersweet dark chocolate
5 tablespoons Scharffen Berger cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
4 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
48 Mint Truffle Hershey Kisses, plus more for garnish if desired (I used Andes Mints instead)

For the frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
splash of milk, if needed
green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 48 mini muffin tins with paper liners and set side.

Melt butter and chocolate together in microwave.  Stir in sugar and cocoa. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Stir in all dry ingredients. Spoon into prepared pan to fill 2/3 way. Unwrap Mint Truffle kisses and press 1 into each brownie bite. Bake 10-12 minutes or until brownie is thoroughly cooked. Cool completely.
For the frosting, whip all ingredients together in a large stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Frost the tops of each brownie bite and add a piece of mint truffle kiss to each one as decoration. Serve.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 
While I was sort of dreading how to successfully complete this task, as I seem to ALWAYS burn chocolate when trying to melt it, these turned out great!  Thanks to my sister who told me about . . . drum roll . . . 

 This Baker's Dipping Chocolate made it so much easier!!!  Just heat it up in the microwave and away you go!  I did also melt some white chocolate to mix it up a bit, as well as rolling the some dipped-strawberries in mini-chocolate chips.  Something about chocolate-covered strawberries is just delightful to look at . . . and even more delightful to eat!!!

 

It was also exciting to be able to use my new Pampered Chef Shimmering Glass Adjustable Tiered Tower for the first time!!!

The table was fun to decorate.  Looked even better once I actually added the food!

  Can't wait to plan another tea party!!!