Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Halloween Owl Cupakes and Swirl Cupcakes

Yum

Make Halloween extra fun with these cute Owl Cupcakes and Swirl Cupcakes. 

Halloween is on my my kids' favorite holidays because they love all the sweet treats that I let them enjoy to their heart's content.   I also go a little crazy buying decorations at our local dollar store and really give our Halloween table some ghoulish glamour!

I always try to look around and find cute ideas to make the holiday extra exciting and these two different cupcake directions did the trick... or treat!  





Owl Cupcakes
 1. Box cake mix (yellow or chocolate) baked in cupcake liners per box instructions
2. Chocolate Frosting-applied across cupcake as smooth as possible
3. Oreo cookies pulled apart
4. M&M or Skittle placed on cream side Oreo cookie
5. Candy corn placed as nose
6. Non-creamed Oreo broken in half placed above for eyebrows
(See further explanation below...)

Swirl Frosted Cupcakes
1. Box cake mix (yellow or chocolate) baked in cupcake liners per box instructions
2. Place one frosting on the right side of a pastry or icing tube. Carefully place 2nd frosting on left side.
3. Pipe frosting.  Each cupcake will have a different swirl pattern. 






Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Double Delight Chicken and Beef Stir Fry

Yum


A wonderful beef and chicken stir fry that pleases everyone.. because there is double the delight and double the deliciousness!   

My kids love to help me in the kitchen.  We all love stir fries because it's a one pan meal that can come together quickly.  I came up with this stir fry because my daughter wanted chicken and my son wanted beef to be the main ingredient in the stir fry.  So I decided to double the fun by making this stir fry a double delight using both beef and chicken.   

I prepped all the vegetables and meat and then the kids did all the measuring and stir frying.  This stir fry was done in less than 30 minutes and we had a healthy dinner for everyone to enjoy.  I hope my kids continue their love of cooking for the rest of their life. 




Ingredients:
11b of chicken breast sliced thin
1lb beef sliced thin
1 cup carrots
1 cup celery
2 cups broccoli
1 small can drained water chestnuts
1 bunch spring onions
1 can baby corn
1 medium onion
1-2Tbs of cornstarch
salt and pepper
2 Tbs of canola or peanut oil

Note:  You can add your favorite vegetables here instead of the ones I mentioned above.  Other choices are cabbage, zucchini, bell pepper etc...


The Stir Fry Sauce
1/4 cup of regular soy sauce
2-3 Tbs Hoisin sauce
1-2 Tbs Sambal Oelek
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup of chicken broth (or water/bullion equivalent)
2 inches of ginger grated or minced
3-4 cloves of garlic grated or minced
1-2 tsp brown sugar 
1 Tbs cornstarch (or arrowroot) mixed with 2 Tbs water


Directions:
Prep all vegetables.  Cut meat into slices or cubes and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cornstarch.  Then toss until meat is all coated.

Heat 2 Tbs canola oil in large wok.  Fry meat (in batches) until browned.  Then remove from pan onto a plate.  Once all meat is browned, add oil as needed and saute carrots, celery and onion.
 Grate ginger and garlic then mix all stir fry sauce ingredients.  Set sauce aside until later.  Also whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry.  Make sure to whisk before using this slurry because the cornstarch will settle.

 To the stir fry pan with the celery and carrots, add the softer and/or canned vegetables.    Then add the cooked meat and prepared stir fry sauce.

Cook stir fry in sauce for about 5 minutes.  Finally add the cornstarch slurry to stir fry.  Mix stir fry well and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Serve over cooked rice.




Cook Jasmine rice until fluffy.  Serve with ice cream scoop for perfect portions.  Enjoy.  
Now that my kids are getting all set with cooking... I need to teach them to clean up as well. :)





 

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Peanut Butter and Maple Apple Dip

Yum

 Creamy peanut butter, maple and cinnamon cheesecake dip is a perfect way to enjoy a bowl full of apple slices. 
 
I am trying to get my kids to love apples more because I think they are a wonderful after school snack. So I decided to make a tempting peanut butter dip to entice them into eating some. 

This dip only takes a few minutes to make and it's really yummy.  My daughter even ate it with some strawberries, so apples are not the only fruit you can dip in it.

My son then said that it would be a perfect topping for some waffles or pancakes.  I think I'll be making some pancakes tomorrow for sure to try this idea out.

Here is a Tuesday Tip on how to keep your apples from turning brown on you. I used my salt method to keep these apples looking picture perfect and they are still fine hours later in the fridge on the fruit platter when the kids came home after school to enjoy their snack. 

This dip would also make a fun party idea for Halloween.  So if you are planning on bobbing for apples this Halloween, make some of this dip to enjoy with them.




Peanut Butter and Maple Apple Dip

by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer
Ingredients
  • 1 (8oz) brick cream cheese soften
  • 5-6 Tbs maple syrup (or to taste for desired sweetness)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2-3 Tbs apple cider or apple juice (or as needed)
Garnish
  • chopped peanuts
Instructions
1. Keep cream cheese out for 30-60 minutes to soften.
2. Blend soften cream cheese with peanut butter, maple syrup and cinnamon powder.
3. Add apple cider or apple juice to make dip creamy to your desired texture and consistency.
4. Garnish with chopped nuts and serve with slices apples.
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Step by Step Directions in Pictures:
Maple syrup can be adjusted for sweetness and apple cider for the consistency of the dip.    Keep dip chilled. 



Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Bacon and Pimento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

Yum

 
Bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers stuffed with pimento cheese is a perfect fall treat to celebrate a football game, baseball game or even watching the political debates.
 
I have been meaning to make some jalapeno poppers for some time now.  I got the idea to stuff them with my favorite pimento cheese recipe and wrap them in bacon so now all I needed to do is figure out how to make it all work.  

Trial #1 Mistake
You would think it was really easy... cut the jalapeno, stuff it with the pimento cheese and wrap it with bacon then bake it up.  Well, the first trial was tasty but a bit of a disaster and Uuuugly!  I totally overstuffed the cut jalapeno peppers and I had pimento cheese oozing every where.  I tried to salvage them and even took some photos.. but really they were not blog worthy.

So I went back to the drawing board and decided I needed the biggest jalapenos I could get.  I went to my Asian market and found some really lovely big jalapenos.  The second thing I changed was not cutting them in half.  I decided to only cut a bit off the top to scrape out the seeds and membrane then stuff the pepper, top it with the cut piece of jalapeno and finally wrap it in bacon.  They came out much more appetizing and far less "oozy". 

I made an extra large batch of pimento cheese to make a batch of poppers for my husband while he watched his favorite team play a football game. The team did not win, but these were a winning snack to enjoy! :)  




Ingredients:
12-15 large jalapeno peppers
12-15 strips of bacon

Pimento Cheese recipe:
1 brick (8oz) soften cream cheese
8oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 small jar pimento peppers drained
1/4 tsp garlic powder
black pepper and salt to taste

Directions with Step by Step Photos:

 
1. Make the pimento cheese and allow it sit in the fridge 4 hours or up to overnight. 

 
 

2.  Wash jalapeno peppers and slice the top section of jalapeno then remove the seeds and membrane. Discard the seeds and membrane.

 

3.  Stuff with chilled pimento cheese (do not over stuff)

4.  Top with the slice of jalapeno pepper.

 

5.  Wrap stuffed jalapeno pepper with bacon.  Note: if you have small peppers, cut bacon strip into half and then wrap.

6.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bacon looks cooked. 

7.  Serve hot.  Enjoy.

 






Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Monday, October 3, 2016

Beef and Mushroom Bolognese over Spaghetti Pasta

Yum

A bowl of comfort food made with lean ground beef, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots and spaghetti pasta is a budget friendly meal that can feed your family this fall. 

Sometimes as a Mom, I have to get sneaky.  My kids say they hate some vegetables.  Mushrooms are at the top of a very long list.  So I got sneaky and put a pound of mushrooms into a bolognese sauce that they gobbled up and never were the wiser.  ** Patting myself on the back**!   


The fact is mushrooms can mimic ground beef if you prepare it at the right texture.  I used my trusty food processor to make the prep on this dish even easier by chopping all my vegetables in it so they were nice and small.   There were no big pieces of veggies to interrupt the beef and the sauce on the pasta.  All I heard was slurping and happy forks at the table.  If they only knew all the vegetables like mushroom, zucchini and carrot that I actually had going on in the dish... they may not have been very happy with me. 



It's also a great way to lighten up a pasta dish and save on the need to spend more money on ground beef.  I like to use very lean beef to make the dish even more figure friendly.    This pasta was perfect and it gave me a little giggle being so sneaky.






Beef and Mushroom Bolognese over Spaghetti Pasta

by Curry and Comfort
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 45
serves  (6-8)
Ingredients
  • 1lb lean ground beef
  • 1lb button mushrooms
  • 1medium carrot (finely diced)
  • 2-3 carrots finely minced
  • 3-4 cloves garlic finely minced or grated
  • 1 large zucchini grated
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • red chili flakes (to taste)
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 (28oz) can whole stewed tomatoes
  • 1 (15oz) tomato puree
  • 1 cup starchy pasta water
  • tsp sugar (or to taste)
  • 1 cup of cream, half and half or milk
  • 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
  • spaghetti pasta cooked al dente
Instructions
1. Prepare vegetables by placing mushrooms in a food processor and pulsing until it's a coarse mince. Then do the same for carrots,onion and zucchini.
2. Next brown beef in a hot pot with a little canola oil. Once beef is browned add the minced mushrooms and brown with beef.
3. Then add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes with some salt and black pepper.
4. Next add the carrot and saute for another minute. Then add the zucchini and saute for another minute.
5. Add the seasoning of oregano, basil and red chili flakes.
6. Then add the stewed tomatoes and crush with a potato masher. Next add the crushed tomatoes and starchy pasta water. Cook for 30 minutes.
7. Finish off with milk and Parmesan cheese. Taste for salt and seasoning. Add half of the bolognese to the drain pasta in in a pot. Serve remaining bolognese at the table for guests to top pasta off.
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 Step by Step Directions:
Prepare vegetables by placing mushrooms in a food processor and pulsing until it's a coarse mince.  Then do the same for carrots,onion and zucchini. Next brown beef in a hot pot with a little canola oil.   Once beef is browned add the minced mushrooms and brown with beef.

Then add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes with some salt and black pepper.   Next add the carrot and saute for another minute.

Then add the zucchini and saute for another minute.   Add the seasoning of oregano, basil and red chili flakes. 
 Then add the stewed tomatoes and crush with a potato masher.  Next add the crushed tomatoes and starchy pasta water.  Cook for 30 minutes.

Finish off with milk and Parmesan cheese.  Taste for salt and seasoning.  Add half of the bolognese to the drain pasta in in a pot.  Serve remaining bolognese at the table for guests to top pasta off.







Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.