Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted in Dessert, Pie by

I had a dinner party on Thursday with a “hurry up summer” themed menu.  BBQ salmon, strawberry and goat cheese spinach salad and… a homemade lemon meringue pie.  I’m not usually a huge fan of lemon meringue pie but I thought that maybe a homemade version would sway my opinion.  I just find that lemon meringue pie from a box tastes more like soap than pie.  This recipe did not disappoint! The fresh lemon was tart, fresh and the perfect kick off to summer BBQ season :)

Image

Ingredients:

  • 9 inch pie crust (baked) – you can use a pre-made crust here to save time

For the filling:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
  • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh is a must)
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 4 egg yolks (beaten)

For the meringue:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 6 Tbsp. sugar

Image

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make lemon filling:

  • In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest.
  • Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture.
  • Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

To make meringue:

  • In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form (do not over beat!). Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
  • Bake pie in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes, until meringue is browned.

Enjoy!

Source: Recipe adapted from Grandma’s Lemon Meringue Pie from All Recipes

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

Posted in Cupcakes by

I made these cupcakes a few weeks ago for my friend Jon’s birthday… he loves PB and J sandwiches so when I offered to make dessert for his birthday dinner I knew these would be PERFECT.  I just wanted to throw it out there though, am I the only one who thinks the new Kraft Peanut Butter bears are creepy?

Image

Anyways, creepy bears aside, you have to try these cupcakes.  They are pretty much a delicious lunch sandwich in cupcake form.  I took this recipe directly from the PB & J cupcake recipe from Annie’s Eats.  It was super delicious as is, no modifications needed! These treats are a little time consuming so be sure to give yourself plenty of time.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup buttermilk

For the filling and topping:

  • Grape and/or strawberry jam (I used strawberry)

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • Pinch of coarse salt
  • 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp. heavy cream

Image

Directions:

  • To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Blend in the peanut butter.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Blend in the sour cream.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.  Mix in the buttermilk and then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until combined.
  • Divide the batter between the prepared liners filling each about 2/3 full.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Let cool in the pans a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding.
  • To fill the cupcakes, use the cone method to hollow out the cupcakes.  (I took Annie’s advice and used a small paring knife to hollow out the cupcakes)  Cut the tip portion off of each cone and discard, reserving a disc from each to cover the filling.  Fill each cupcake with a small spoonful of grape or strawberry jam.  Replace the cake discs over the filling.
  • To make the frosting, combine the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar and salt. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the vanilla and cream just until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until light and very fluffy, about 4 minutes. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake.  Use the tip of a small offset spatula or a small spoon to scoop an indentation out of the center of the frosting.  Fill the indentation with a small spoonful of jam.

Enjoy!

Source: Recipe taken directly from Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes by Annie’s Eats

Cake Batter Funfetti Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Dessert by

I’ve seen several different recipes on Pinterest for these cookies and I couldn’t help but make them… the name in itself sounds like a party.  The nice thing about these cookies is that they are super easy to make and don’t require a whole lot of ingredients.  They also taste just like cake… in cookie form.  Amazing.

Image

Ingredients:

  • 1 box vanilla or white cake mix
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup coloured sprinkles

ImageDirections:

  • Preheat oven to 350°
  • In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir to combine.
  • Stir in the sprinkles. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms brown slightly.
  • Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

That is it… so easy :)

Enjoy!

Source: Recipe taken directly from the Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies by Cookin’ Cowgirl

Nutella Pretzel Brownies

Posted in Dessert, Gluten Free by

So I decided my blog needed a little face lift… I am loving this new theme! I will be playing around with layouts etc. over the next few days so you will have to let me know what you think.  To launch the new look, I figured we could celebrate with brownies! (I mean, any sort of celebration that involves brownies has to be simply fantastic).  I was very excited when I came across this recipe… I really love chocolate covered pretzels so I knew these treats would be awesome.  Oh man.  These were to die for.  You can also make these gluten free by substituting an all purpose gluten free flour mix and gluten free pretzels.  I made both versions and both turned out great!

Image

Ingredients for the Pretzel Crust:

  • 1/2 cup pretzels (gluten free if using this option)
  • 3 Tbsp. melted butter
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar

Ingredients for the Brownies:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/3 cup nutella (yes, nutella is gluten free if you buy the nutella brand)
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 2/3 cup flour (gluten free blend if using this option)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

PLUS: extra Nutella for frosting and extra pretzels for garnishing

Image

Directions:

  • To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
  • Place the pretzels in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken up into tiny pieces. Add the sugar and pulse until combined, then pour in the butter. Continue pulsing until combined.
  • Press the pretzel mixture firmly into the prepared pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are golden and the crust feels firm.
  • While the crust is baking, make the brownies batter:
  • Cream butter and sugar together.
  • Add eggs and blend well.
  • Add vanilla, salt, and nutella. Mix until combined.
  • Add cocoa and flour.  Make sure you don’t overbeat!
  • Pour into pan over pretzel crust and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Allow brownies to cool for at least 45 minutes before frosting with nutella spread and garnishing with pretzels.

Enjoy!

Source: Recipe adapted from Nutella Pretzel Brownies by Chef in Training

Chocolate Mini Eggs Waffles

Posted in Breakfast by

Recently my mom bought a waffle/omelet maker from Cuisinart to keep up at the cottage.  While I didn’t have all of the ingredients I needed to make waffles from scratch, the Bisquick version turned out pretty great! I jazzed these up a bit for Easter by adding some vanilla, cocoa and chopped up mini eggs.  I can’t wait to try all of the yummy waffle recipes I found on Pinterest next :)

Happy Easter Everyone!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Bisquick
  • 1 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
  • 4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 1/4 chopped Cadbury mini eggs

Image

Directions:

  • Heat waffle iron and brush with a little bit of vegetable oil to prevent sticking.
  • Stir ingredients until blended.
  • Follow waffle iron instructions and bake until lightly browned.
  • Serve topped with fresh fruit, maple syrup and whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Pupeye Spinach Doggie Treats

Posted in Doggie Treats by

I found this recipe a few months ago in one of my issues of Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine.  I’ve always been a fan of Rachael’s and I totally LOVE her magazine.  She includes a lot of recipes for pets and since I always feel like I’m spending a fortune on doggie treats for Darby (aka Mr. Velvet Stomach) I thought I’d give these a try.  He gobbled them up! I usually have most of these ingredients on hand so whipping up a batch is super quick.  I keep a few in the fridge and then throw the rest in the freezer for later use.

Image

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 2 Tbsp. grated cheese (any kind)
  • 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed by not drained
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
 Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
  • Using your hands or a small ice cream scoop, shape the mixture into golf-ball size treats (or smaller).
  • Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
  • Bake the spinach balls for 30 minutes.
  • Let cool, then refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Image

Enjoy pups!  Just remember to check with your vet first to make sure your furry friend doesn’t have any dietary restrictions.

Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes

Posted in Cupcakes, Dessert by

Since Easter is just around the corner I thought I would re-post this recipe for Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes.  I made these cupcakes two years ago and they were such a hit I made them again this year! The only change I made was that I topped the cupcakes with Cadbury Mini Eggs instead of jelly beans.  YUM.  I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend with family and friends, and of course… plenty of Easter treats!

Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes

DSC_0477

Image

Enjoy!