Now, this doesn’t mean I’m going to be making my own butter all the time. I’m still planning on using the sticks for baking and such because this is one instance where homemade is not actually cheaper. For me to buy 2 sticks of butter (1 cup) is cheaper than buying a pint of heavy cream (which makes 1 cup of butter), plus the bars are awfully handy for measuring. But, for those times when you’re wanting to use butter as a spread, I definitely think it’s worth it to make your own. The fresh taste and satisfaction of making your own butter just can’t be beat. Add herbs, spices, or citrus zest to jazz it up and give it some diversity. Just think what a star you’ll be when you whip some up for brunch to serve with scones or french toast.

Please, please do yourself a favour and don’t wait as long as I did, to make your own butter. You will not be disappointed.

Homemade Butter

• 1 pint heavy cream (2 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)

Beat cream in a stand mixer* with the whisk attachment until solids form (butter) and separate from the liquid (buttermilk). Pour into a fine mesh sieve to strain buttermilk. Rinse with cold water. Press with a spatula (or squeeze with hands) to make it into a cohesive mass and to remove excess water. Mix in salt, if desired.

*According to other sources this can also be made in a food processor or blender but it was too thick for my cheap blender so I switched to the mixer. Also you could use hand beaters.

Makes approximately: 1 cup butter

From the post:

“If you’re anything like me you like to find as many recipes as possible to help use up that last half a cup (or less) of pumpkin purée. I wanted to compile a list of recipes and ideas for doing just that and I thought I would share it with you. Make sure to tuck these ideas away for reference later. If you save them for that little extra, you’ll have something to look forward to and no reason to get bored of eating pumpkin the same way over and over.”

Read more and get the 23 recipes on Simple Bites.

First things first.

Tips on Making a Stacked Cake

To make this cake you’ll need to make a two-tiered, stacked cake. Here are some general tips on stacking cakes.

1. Start with a Sturdy Cake Base.

   If you’re making a stacked cake you want the cake to be fluffy (so it’s not too heavy) but also sturdy (so it can hold up to the pressure) and of course delicious (so it can be eaten :)). You’ll also want it to bake up nice and tall because it makes for a more impressive cake and will trim more easily without falling apart. I would be happy to share the Chocolate Cake recipe I use for stacked cakes, if there’s interest.

2. Trim it Flat.

   You want to make sure that your cakes are level for proper stacking and icing. You can either trim them flat with a sharp serrated knife or use a cake leveler.

3. Ice it as Smooth as Possible.

   I used a Whipped Vanilla Buttercream (again, I’d be happy to share the recipe if anyone’s interested) that is smooth, light, not overly sweet and can sit at room temperature for long periods of time. I used these methods  to crumb coat and smooth my buttercream.

4. Stack it Properly.

   Since the top tier is so small with this cake, you don’t need much in added support. I inserted straws into the 10 inch cake to help support the 6 inch, which was built on a cardboard base slightly smaller than it’s size. You can find more about properly stacking cakes here.

Now you can move on to the decorating.

How to Make a Cars Themed Cake

Note: I used marzipan to decorate this cake but you could also use fondant.

1. For this cake you want the tiers to be at least 4 inches different in diameter. I used 2-10 inch cakes for the base and 2-6 inch cakes for the top tier. If you’re wanting to have a road encircling your cake you need at least a two-inch perimeter all around the cake.
2. For the road. Before stacking the tiers, I rolled out a large piece of black marzipan and used the bottom of my 10 inch cake pan as a guide to trim it to a 10 inch circle with a paring knife. With the help of my hubby, I carefully transferred it to the top of the cake, placing it in the centre as much as possible. Then, I put straws in for support and stacked the 6 inch on top. For the white centre lines, I rolled out some white marzipan and cut it into small rectangles, brushed the backs with a bit of water and lined them up along the centre of the “road”.
3. To make the checkered bottom. I cut out 1 inch black squares and gently pressed them into the buttercream all around the cake. I started on the bottom with one black square, then placed a square in the row above by matching it with the corner of the bottom one, then continued up the cake before heading back down. This way there’s no measuring. If you match all the corners together each square with be 1 inch apart and create a checkered pattern.
4. To make the landscape top tier. I iced the top tier in light blue buttercream to look like the sky. After stacking, I rolled out some brown marzipan, cut it straight on one edge and then used a paring knife to cut out a large swoop to make a hill. I carefully pressed that onto the buttercream and made additional hills, overlapping them slightly until I encircled the entire cake. For the clouds I rolled out white marzipan, cut it into large and small cloud shapes, with a paring knife. I brushed the small clouds with a bit of water and stuck them onto the larger clouds. I then pressed those gently into the buttercream. I created a cactus by rolling green marzipan into a log, trimming and molding it into shape, using water to help the pieces stick together. I then used a toothpick to mark the spines onto the cactus before placing it on the cake. The sign is pretty self-explanatory; cut out the shapes, stick them on the cake. I also made some blades of grass to add some extra dimension. I rolled small pieced of green marzipan between two fingers until a thin cone shape was formed. Then I cut of the tip, dipped it gently into a bit of water and placed it onto a cake using a paint brush (that I only use for cakes) to help me get it where I wanted it to go.
5. For the cars. I used toy cars and secured toothpicks into the bottom and stuck them onto the cake. This way there was no fear of them rolling off during transportation.
6. For the lettering. I used alphabet shaped cutters for the smaller letters and stuck toothpicks into the bottom of each to secure them onto the cake. For the larger letters, I cut them out by hand with a  paring knife (to match the smaller letters) and used two toothpicks, per letter, to secure.

So that’s how I did it. Hopefully it makes sense and helps anyone that’s interested in making their own Cars themed birthday cake. :)

Inspired by this cake from CakeCentral.com.

When making these I think the key to getting that Calzone-y taste is to use homemade pita pockets. They have way better flavour then the prepackaged ones from a store and when you serve them warm, stuffed with pizza toppings, they taste an awful lot like pizza dough.. just not gooey (bonus!). You can make a bunch of pita pockets on a rainy day and store them in the freezer. They’re great for picnics too!

Get creative and stuff these with your favourite Calzone fillings. These ones were made with my Deluxe Pizza Pop filling because those were the ingredients I had on hand at the time. There are so many more variations that I would like to try.

While making homemade Calzones from scratch is a lot of fun – in the summer we’re on the lookout for quick, simple meals that don’t heat up the house. And, this one certainly fits the bill.

What recipes do you like to convert to the stove top for summer?

It was out of this frustration that I came up with this idea. No sliding and slipping around. No sneaking out the side while you’re not looking. These little piggy’s stay in their place.

I always cook my bacon in the oven. It bakes up just as crisp but is much harder to burn and each piece has room to breath and stretch out making for much more even browning. Plus, it’s less mess. Bonus points all around!

Below are step by step photo for how to assemble and bake these little squares of love. Click on the photos to view the slide show and instructions.

Now you’ll get a piece of bacon with every bite!

Do you have trouble keeping your bacon on your burgers?

One of those foods that seems to always go bad before it’s eaten in our house is bread. One of my largest hinderances to baking fresh bread is knowing that it will probably go stale before we are even halfway through it. And, since I don’t like anything to be a hinderance to me in the kitchen, I got to work figuring out ways to use it up without having to gag on the dryness.

Two of my favourite ways to use up those bread scraps are to make homemade croutons and breadcrumbs. Not only does it save us money, but since they are things that we use on a regular basis, it’s nice to know that they are much healthier being made at home. Not to mention extremely easy.

Below are instruction on how to make both croutons and breadcrumbs as well as recipes for Parmesan Garlic Croutons and Italian Breadcrumbs. Here are a few tips on how to go about it.

• Do not use already stale bread. If you don’t like to eat stale sandwiches you won’t want to eat stale croutons either.
• If  you find yourself with lot’s of little scraps that don’t seem worth the effort to turn into something else, freeze them. Once you have a larger collection, pull them out and get to work.
• If you do freeze your bread, this will probably mean you have a variety of breads stored away. The combination of breads will add a more complex flavour as well as some pizzaz to both the croutons and the breadcrumbs.
• If there is any moisture in either the breadcrumbs or the croutons, they will not be able to store at room temperature without going mouldy. If you would like, you can store them in the freezer. If they regain any moisture, simply give them a short toast to perk them up.

Making Croutons

The Process

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Parmesan Garlic Croutons

• 4 cups bread cubed
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. parsley
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese

1. Toss the bread cubes in oil until well coated. Sprinkle on spices and cheese. Toss until evenly distributed.
2. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 375ºF for 15-20 min. until browned and dry, stirring halfway through cooking time.
3. Allow to cool completely before storing in a plastic container (or bag) in the freezer.

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Making Breadcrumbs

The Process

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Italian Breadcrumbs

adapted from cdkitchen

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. oregano

1. Mix all ingredients together and store in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.

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Do you make homemade croutons or breadcrumbs? If so do you have any tips to share? What’s are your favourite flavours?

Bread isn’t a nutritional requirement when planning my evening meals so it’s often left out of the equation. Not, that I don’t love it. It’s just that when the clock strikes five I want to be done with my day and only  do the work that is required of me.

That ‘s the great thing about this mix. You whip it up one day, keep it in the fridge and any time you want fresh biscuits you take a couple cups out, add some milk and bake it up. You can also use this mix for any recipe that calls for a bisquick/baking mix. No need to go to the store when you have this stashed away in your freezer.

Since we are a small family this recipe is enough to last us a while. But, it can be easily doubled or tripled depending on the amount  your family will go through.

What are you favorite uses for Bisquick Mix?

Want a healthier alternative? Try out my Whole Wheat Baking Mix.

Homemade Baking Mix

adapted from allrecipes

• 5 cups flour
• 1/4 cup baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
2. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks or in the freezer for longer storage.

Makes approx: 6 cups

To make Biscuits

Mix together 1/3 cup of milk for every 1 cup of mix. Drop onto un-greased cookie sheets and bake @ 450ºF for 10-12 min.

*Add any additional ingredients you wish such as cheese or herbs before adding the milk.

* 1 cup of mix will yield about 6 biscuits.

To make Pancakes:

Mix 2 cups of mix with 1 cup milk and 2 eggs. Cook on hot griddle.

*I have not made the pancakes myself but have heard rave reviews about using this mix for them.

*As with the biscuits you can add any flavouring or other ingredient you would like, such as chocolate chips or blueberries.

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Update: I whipped up these pancakes over the weekend and they truly are delicious. My husband usually does not get overly excited about pancakes and he flipped (ha) over these. The taste and consistency is a cross between pancakes and french toast. Eggy, buttery and delicious! He has now requested that this be my pancake recipe from now on. I won’t complain about that. :)

More Recipes Using this Mix:

• Quick & Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
• Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
• Jumbo Cashew Cookies
• Apple Fritters
• Jalapeño-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

]]> http://kitchensimplicity.com/homemade-bisquick-mix/feed/ 97 http://kitchensimplicity.com/tortilla-salad-bowls/ http://kitchensimplicity.com/tortilla-salad-bowls/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:07:20 +0000 Cheri http://kitchensimplicity.com/?p=3232 My son is already beginning to chase me around the house. He giggles and giggles as he runs after me with some sort of object that he believes is scaring me. I have a feeling this mother is going to have her fair share of running away from little boys who are chasing her with weird and disgusting things. The older they get, the worse the things will become and the more I will actually be running for my life. Perhaps I should not be encouraging this action at such a young age? But, it’s hard not to when it’s just so darn cute!

These Tortilla Salad Bowls are so much fun. They dress up the everyday main dish salad and turn it into something special. What child would not want to dig into a salad when it is being hosted in such a cute little package? I know it sure makes me a lot more eager to dig in. They could not be easier to make and are still uber healthy, because there are no oils used to crisp them up. The restaurant version is usually a deep fried corn tortilla, virtually turning into a gigantic chip. And, although they are yummy, it kind of defeats the purpose of eating a salad in the first place. This is a much healthier alternative and equal the amount of fun.

Speaking of salads. I am kind of in a side-dish salad rut. Anybody have some quick and tasty side-dish salads they would like to share?

P.S. I took part in a Virtual Jam Swap hosted by Amy of Under the High Chair. You should really head over and take a look at the roundup. There are sooo many yummy jams to be found!

Tortilla Salad Bowls

1. Take large sheets of aluminum foil and scrunch them up into balls approximately 3 inches in diameter. (You can make them larger or smaller depending on the look you are going for.)
2. Wet each tortilla (8-9 inch) by running through tap water or giving it a quick dip in a pan filled with water. The point is to moisten it enough that it is flexible, not to make it sopping wet.
3. Drape the tortillas over the foil balls, pleating them into the shape that you want. They will naturally drape over the ball as they bake, but I like to give them a bit of help with the shape so that I get the look I want.
4. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400ºF for about 5 min. until starting to crisp up. Remove from oven, flip over, take out the foil balls and bake for another 2 min, until lightly browned and crisp.
5. Let cool. Fill with salad fixing and enjoy! :)

* For added flavour, sprinkle the tortilla bowls with spices that match your salad, just before baking. I sprinkled mine with homemade Cajun Seasoning and served it with a Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad.

*  The foil balls can be easily used over as many times as you like, so there is no need for waste. Why not make two foil balls and bake them 2 at a time?

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Some helpful tips when making these wonton wrappers:

Wonton Wrappers

adapted from About.com

• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 -1/2 cup water

1. Sift flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk together egg, salt and 1/4 cup water. Pour into flour well. Mix together, adding additional water until the mixture will stay together in a ball. (You may need more or less then 1/2 cup, use your discretion. Keep in mind that you do not want it to be sticky.)
2. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and pliable.
3. Let rest for 30-60 min. (This is so the gluten can relax. The longer it sits the easier it will be to roll out)
4. Divide dough in half. Keep one half covered while you roll out the other one on a surface lightly coated with cornstarch (if you use flour it may toughen it up). Roll out as thin as you possibly can.
5. Cut into 3.5 inch squares (You should be able to get approx. 12 wonton wrappers out of each half).

Makes: 24 wonton wrappers

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What are you favourite uses for wonton wrappers?

#1) I only have a very small food processor so I had to make the dough by hand and ended up making it quite dry which made it a little harder to roll out.

#2) When I was rolling the dough out for the first time my butter broke through. A very large 4 inch gap was showing and I thought for sure it was done for. But, I decided to persist and rolled it out as long as I could, which ended up being 16 inches rather then the 24 inches that is was supposed to be. I slapped on a whole bunch of flour, folded it up and popped it in the fridge.

#3) I had trouble with the butter breaking through right up until the 5th turn, so I just coated it all with tons of flour. It all ended up quite dry but it got easier to roll out every time and it wasn’t so dry that it was cracking.

#4) Because of my difficulties I refrigerated it after every turn rather then every other turn.

#5) As you can see in the picture above my dough was so dry that the layers after folding did not stick together. This didn’t seem to be a problem though once I rolled it out.

Hopefully that will give you a little encouragement if not everything goes right the first time you try this. I am planning on making it again, since puff pastry is not readily available in the grocery stores here. I am expecting that each time it should get easier and turn out better. Don’t be scared to give this a try, if I can pull it off with all of my mess ups you can too!

Puff Pastry

adapted from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

One recipe makes approximately the same amount as 3 (397g) packages of store bought puff pastry.

• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups cake flour (or 1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour + 2 Tbsp cornstarch)
• 1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
• 1-1/4 cups  ice water
• 1 pound very cold unsalted butter

1. Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.
2. Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)
3. Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that’s about 1″ thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.
5. Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10″ square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with “ears,” or flaps.
6. Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don’t just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8″ square.
7. To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.
8. Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24″ (don’t worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24″, everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).
9. With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.
10. Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24″ and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.
11. If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you’ve completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
12. The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

*While this is not included in the original recipe, many puff pastry recipes use a teaspoon or two of white vinegar or lemon juice, added to the ice water, in the détrempe dough. This adds acidity, which relaxes the gluten in the dough by breaking down the proteins, making rolling easier.

*Keep things cool by using the refrigerator as your friend! If you see any butter starting to leak through the dough during the turning process, rub a little flour on the exposed dough and chill straight away. Although you should certainly chill the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns, if you feel the dough getting to soft or hard to work with at any point, pop in the fridge for a rest.

*Not to sound contradictory, but if you chill the paton longer than the recommended time between turns, the butter can firm up too much. If this seems to be the case, I advise letting it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to give it a chance to soften before proceeding to roll. You don’t want the hard butter to separate into chunks or break through the dough…you want it to roll evenly, in a continuous layer.

*Roll the puff pastry gently but firmly, and don’t roll your pin over the edges, which will prevent them from rising properly. Don’t roll your puff thinner than about about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, or you will not get the rise you are looking for.

*Try to keep “neat” edges and corners during the rolling and turning process, so the layers are properly aligned. Give the edges of the paton a scooch with your rolling pin or a bench scraper to keep straight edges and 90-degree corners.

*Brush off excess flour before turning dough and after rolling.

*Make clean cuts. Don’t drag your knife through the puff or twist your cutters too much, which can inhibit rise.

*When egg washing puff pastry, try not to let extra egg wash drip down the cut edges, which can also inhibit rise.

*Extra puff pastry dough freezes beautifully. It’s best to roll it into a sheet about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick (similar to store-bought puff) and freeze firm on a lined baking sheet. Then you can easily wrap the sheet in plastic, then foil (and if you have a sealable plastic bag big enough, place the wrapped dough inside) and return to the freezer for up to a few months. Defrost in the refrigerator when ready to use.

*You can also freeze well-wrapped, unbaked cut and shaped puff pastry (i.e., unbaked vols-au-vent shells). Bake from frozen, without thawing first.

*Homemade puff pastry is precious stuff, so save any clean scraps. Stack or overlap them, rather than balling them up, to help keep the integrity of the layers. Then give them a singe “turn” and gently re-roll. Scrap puff can be used for applications where a super-high rise is not necessary (such as palmiers, cheese straws, napoleons, or even the bottom bases for your vols-au-vent).

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