Homemade Hostess Cupcakes (I haven't tried this yet, but when I do I'll post the pix)

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes
(adapted from Lovestoeat, adapted from Food Network magazine)




For the Cupcakes
1& 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme

For the Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla


For the Icing
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon milk (I used 1 & 1/2 to 2)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

French Toast

1 to 2 eggs per 2 slices of bread aproximately 1/4 cup milk per 2 eggs aproximately bread slices Optional in any combination or single 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp grated orange rind 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamin 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp orange juice concentrate Mix the eggs with the milk and beat until well mixed. Add any of the optional ingredients to your flavor preference. Dip one slice of bread at a time into the egg mixture coating both sides lightly and place into hot frying pan. Cook on both sides until lightly browned. Serve warm with syrup, jams, or powdered sugar.

Poppy Seed Bread

Bread
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp butter flavor
1 1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp almond flavor
1 1/2 tsp vanilla flavor

Beat all together for 1 to 3 minutes and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min to 1 hour.
While still hot pour glaze over all outer surface of bread and allow to cool.

Glaze

1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp butter flavor
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond flavor

Cook until the sugar dissolves, cool slightly before putting on bread.

Monster Cupcakes

24 cupcakes
1 tub white frosting (1/3 colored pink, 1/3 colored a dark color, 1/3 left plain)
Cake Mate decorating gel 1 red 1 black (found by cake decorating supplies)
Oreo cookies
licorice (colored makes it more variable)

Make cupcakes and cool
frost 1/2 with pink rounding up the sides smoothly
frost other 1/2 with the darker color roughly for texture or pipe it on w/ the star
outline the pink with the red gel
cut oreo in half and take off top cookie and place in darker color
squeeze a circle in the bottom center of the oreo cookie
cut licorice to 1 to 1/2 inch strips poke in behind cookie
Pipe white frosting for teeth on the pink inside the gel lines

Pasta Salad w/ green onions and cilantro

1 pkg curly pasta (cooked, drained, rinsed, cooled)
3/4 cup Italian dressing
2 green onion stalks chopped
1 roma tomato chopped
1 can black olives diced
3 Tbsp cilantro chopped

Combine and chill before serving. The longer the ingredients have to blend the better the flavor.

Homemade Rootbeer

5 lbs sugar
5 gallons water
1 rootbeer extract
5 lbs dry ice

combine all except dry ice and stir well letting most of the sugar dissolve. Add the dry ice and cover to allow the gasses to compress and carbinte the rootbeer.

7-up cake (with variations)

1 yellow cake mix (or your choice I used chocolate)
make cake as package directs and add to it:

1 box lemon or vanilla pudding (or any flavor I used chocolate)
3/4 can 7-up (or pop of your choice I used Mountain Dew)

mix for 2 minutes on high and pour into greased bundt pan and bake as directions on box suggest. Test with cake tester before removing.

Topping:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 can pop
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

use less or more of the powdered sugar or pop to your preference and drizzle over the cake once it has cooled.

Tapioca Pudding

5 Tbsp sugar
2 cups milk
3 Tbsp tapioca
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg white whipped folded in after thickened

Mix tapioca, sugar, salt, milk and egg yolk. Cook in microwave stirring ever 2/3 minutes until thickened to your preference. Stir in vanilla and stiff egg whites until blended. This takes aprox. 15 min depending on your microwave.

Tyler's Wonderful White Bread / Cinnamin Swirl Bread

Courtesy of Nummy Kitchen

Tyler's Wonderful White Bread / Tyler's Wonderful Cinnamin Swirl Bread

1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 package (1 tablespoon) rapid-rising dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 egg whites, divided and slightly beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (Omit if you are doing the cinnamon swirl)
or
cinnamin sugar (directions for cinnamin swirl version same variation on bottom)

Makes 1 loaf

In a small saucepan or glass microwave dish, heat the milk with butter over low heat just until the butter melts. Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of your mixer fitted with a dough hook. Proof the yeast by adding it to the warm milk and butter. Add the sugar and stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. This indicates the yeast is active. Turn mixer on low and gradually add the flour. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium and add the salt and 1 egg white. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.

Put the dough onto a lightly floured/greased work surface and knead for a minute or so by hand. Knead by folding the dough over itself and pushing out with the heel of your hands, not down. Rotate the dough and repeat. The dough is properly kneaded when you can pull it and it stretches without breaking. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or in another warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Test the dough by pressing 2 fingers into it. If indents remain, the dough is adequately risen.

Once the dough is doubled, turn it out onto the counter. The act of turning out the dough naturally deflates the gas, so there is no need to aggressively punch it down. Handle the dough gently, overworking the gluten at this point will produce a dense loaf that is difficult to shape. *To form a loaf, pat the dough into a rectangle, fold the long sides to the middle then fold under the ends. Pinch the seams closed and place in a greased 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, seam side down. Make sure the dough touches all sides of the pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise a second time for 20 minutes or until the top of the dough is nearly level with the top of the loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, place a large pan on the bottom rack of the oven.


If you like a crisper crust:

Bring 3 cups water to a boil on the stove. Pour the hot water into the preheated pan to create a steam bath for the bread.

Slash dough down the middle of the loaf with a sharp knife to allow the steam to escape during baking. Brush the top with remaining beaten egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds(If not doing the cinnamin swirl). Bake the bread for 30 to 40 minutes until crust is golden and internal temperature reads 195 degrees F when checked with an instant read thermometer. The bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Immediately remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on a rack.

Cinnamin Swirl variation -

Once dough has risen the first time roll it out flat to a large rectancle and sprinkle cinnamin sugar coating to your preference. For a more defined swirl add more thickly the cinnamin sugar. Once surface is covered roll up the dough as if making cinnamin rolls. Note roll the dough out thinner and roll tightly to avoid the result in the picture. Tuck ends under the roll and place seam side down in a greased loaf pan and let rise another 20 minutes. Bake as directed.

Butterscotch Syrup

2 cups butter
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
4 tsp vanilla

Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and then add vanilla. The tbsp butter on the picture is just for the picture there is enough in the syrup don't add more on your waffle that is overkill.

Hershey's Chocolate Frosting

Courtesy of The Hungry Huntley's

1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine and beat with mixer until smooth. May need to thin out with more milk.

Hersheys Perfect Chocolate Cake

Courtesy of Hungry Huntley's
Combine dry ingredients into a bowl:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add wet ingredients:
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water
Pour into prepared 9 inch pans lined with parchment paper/wax paper and cooking spray. Bake in pre-heated oven 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Hersey's Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup Hersheys cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Add additional milk to thin out to your preference. Lining the pans with the wax paper on the bottom helps as you turn out the cake to cool. This is a very moist cake and tends to stick to the bottom of the cake pans.