Yikes! That's really all I have to say about that! Ok - so this came from a few different sources... It's one cup splenda and one teaspoon corn starch that is run through the blender or food processor. So very messy and I was a bit surprised with the results.
The powder sugar was very, very sweet. When you run it through the blender or the processor, you want to make sure you cover it with a towel because you will get sugar dust everywhere. It's best to make one batch at a time, keeping in mind one batch results to 1/2 cup of powder sugar. The sugar will last in an air tight container for two months.
So, I used the powdered sugar the same way I would substitue splenda for sugar (1/2 cup splenda to 1 cup sugar). I made chocolate coconut snowballs (chocolate cupcakes, remove the liner, frost the whole cupcake with a cream cheese frosting that has powder sugar, small amount of butter and vanilla, then roll in coconut) using the sugar in the frosting. It was very sweet but you couldn't tell it was not real powder sugar.
I don't have a picture -will try for another time.
Enjoy - Be well!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Red velvet cupcakes
As you know by now - I LOVE Paula Dean! She has these amazing looking red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that, well, look to die for. I've never had a good red velvet cake/cupcake - I should say Ms. Dean makes red velvet cake I made it as cup cakes.
The actual recipe I used was on the Food network - Grandma's red velvet cake (I believe is the name). I switched out the sugar for the Splenda/sugar blend but I did use real butter - I figure it would be better to use real butter than margarine, I'd rather the real fat versus processed.
Once the cupcakes were cool - I made cream cheese frosting; this recipe came from Splenda.com. I used the splenda/sugar blend with cream cheese and butter. It was so good.
As for a splurge, this was a good way to go. The cake and frosting was so rich and delicious that it really felt like I was being so very bad!!!
Enjoy - Be well!
The actual recipe I used was on the Food network - Grandma's red velvet cake (I believe is the name). I switched out the sugar for the Splenda/sugar blend but I did use real butter - I figure it would be better to use real butter than margarine, I'd rather the real fat versus processed.
Once the cupcakes were cool - I made cream cheese frosting; this recipe came from Splenda.com. I used the splenda/sugar blend with cream cheese and butter. It was so good.
As for a splurge, this was a good way to go. The cake and frosting was so rich and delicious that it really felt like I was being so very bad!!!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Potato salad with orange and gorganzola
This was a very easy side dish to make and very yummy though I'll start by saying it does not make good leftovers if made as per the recipe. I got this one from Giada on the foodnetwork.com.
Start by roasting baby potatoes that have been coated in olive oil - slice the potatoes in half, coat then put on a foil lined cookie sheet - sliced side down - that has been sprayed with cooking spray, roast for about 40 minutes on a 400 degree oven. While that's cooking, I opened a bag (tough work!) of mixed greens - though the veggies are already cleaned before they are bagged, I rinse them just a bit with cold water, helps them perk up. The dressing is a table spoon of orange zest, orange juice, champagne vinegar but I used rice vinegar, 2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste all whisked together. The orange juice is from the orange peel of the orange that was zested. The orange needed to be peeled using a knife then you squeeze the peels to get the juice. You want to get all the membrane off the orange and separate the wedges, put the wedges on the salad greens.
Ok - once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes, then add to the greens and oranges. Add 2 ounces of gorganzola cheese crumbled and top with dressing. Oh - I forgot, Giada uses toasted walnuts, I'm not a fan of walnuts, I used toasted pine nuts - adds crunch!
I served it with steak that I marinated with steak house marinade. It went well together - I was very happy!
Now - having said all that, I had the salad the next day for lunch and it felt soury to me, like the cheese went bad... I think if I were to make this again, I would hold the cheese to the side so the next day the cheese would be fresh.
Enjoy - Be well!
Start by roasting baby potatoes that have been coated in olive oil - slice the potatoes in half, coat then put on a foil lined cookie sheet - sliced side down - that has been sprayed with cooking spray, roast for about 40 minutes on a 400 degree oven. While that's cooking, I opened a bag (tough work!) of mixed greens - though the veggies are already cleaned before they are bagged, I rinse them just a bit with cold water, helps them perk up. The dressing is a table spoon of orange zest, orange juice, champagne vinegar but I used rice vinegar, 2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste all whisked together. The orange juice is from the orange peel of the orange that was zested. The orange needed to be peeled using a knife then you squeeze the peels to get the juice. You want to get all the membrane off the orange and separate the wedges, put the wedges on the salad greens.
Ok - once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes, then add to the greens and oranges. Add 2 ounces of gorganzola cheese crumbled and top with dressing. Oh - I forgot, Giada uses toasted walnuts, I'm not a fan of walnuts, I used toasted pine nuts - adds crunch!
I served it with steak that I marinated with steak house marinade. It went well together - I was very happy!
Now - having said all that, I had the salad the next day for lunch and it felt soury to me, like the cheese went bad... I think if I were to make this again, I would hold the cheese to the side so the next day the cheese would be fresh.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Feta cream cheese chicken
Oh so yummy and super easy!
I have made this recipe my own the second time I made it - it's really just a method.
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup feta mixed with 2 table spoons of cream cheese that you let sit out so it softens and mixes well. Make a small slice in a chicken breast to create a pocket, fill the pocket with the feta cream cheese mixture, close the pocket with tooth picks and cook in the frying pan. I have NEVER cooked this in a frying pan, I bake it!
As I said, I make this my own...I add garlic and onions to the mixture along with pepper - the feta adds a good amount of salt. I also add more feta and cream cheese - I don't measure it. Instead of making a pocket, I butterfly the chicken or I will use thin breasts (cutlets) and then roll the chicken and secure it with toothpicks. I have added cranberries and then served it with a spinach salad with cranberries, nuts and feta - ties it all together.
Today I cooked it with petite diced tomatoes on top and served it with homemade rice (secret recipe from the BFF) and green beans (steam fresh from the freezer that I added almonds to).
This is a family fav for sure!
Enjoy - Be well!
I have made this recipe my own the second time I made it - it's really just a method.
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup feta mixed with 2 table spoons of cream cheese that you let sit out so it softens and mixes well. Make a small slice in a chicken breast to create a pocket, fill the pocket with the feta cream cheese mixture, close the pocket with tooth picks and cook in the frying pan. I have NEVER cooked this in a frying pan, I bake it!
As I said, I make this my own...I add garlic and onions to the mixture along with pepper - the feta adds a good amount of salt. I also add more feta and cream cheese - I don't measure it. Instead of making a pocket, I butterfly the chicken or I will use thin breasts (cutlets) and then roll the chicken and secure it with toothpicks. I have added cranberries and then served it with a spinach salad with cranberries, nuts and feta - ties it all together.
Today I cooked it with petite diced tomatoes on top and served it with homemade rice (secret recipe from the BFF) and green beans (steam fresh from the freezer that I added almonds to).
This is a family fav for sure!
Cauliflower pasta
We have not had a lot of cauliflower in our house simply because I'm not a big fan but I saw Michael Simon cook with it on the Chew so I had to try it!
You start by cutting the cauliflower in to small pieces and saute in the frying pan with a small amount of butter. I think I added garlic - we like garlic - and some onions. I cooked up some Asian rice noodles in lieu of pasta -so difficult to eat pasta! Since this was a lot of food - our primary dish - we decided to cook up chicken and add it to the cauliflower then added the pasta. It was really quite delicious. I highly recommend you give it a whirl!
Enjoy - Be well!
You start by cutting the cauliflower in to small pieces and saute in the frying pan with a small amount of butter. I think I added garlic - we like garlic - and some onions. I cooked up some Asian rice noodles in lieu of pasta -so difficult to eat pasta! Since this was a lot of food - our primary dish - we decided to cook up chicken and add it to the cauliflower then added the pasta. It was really quite delicious. I highly recommend you give it a whirl!
Garlic Shrimp
A few years ago I had garlic shrimp at Legal Seafoods, it was really yummy and very easy to make my own. Essentially, it's pasta with garlic, shrimp and cherry tomatoes - couldn't be easier!
Every time I make it, I make it somewhat different. This go around, I traded out pasta for Asian rice noodles though in the past I have made it with ziti and cavitappi. I saute precooked shrimp in olive oil and butter, add two cloves of garlic and cherry tomatoes - this is the standard way I start, however, I decided to flavor it up a bit so I added about 1/4 cup of white wine. Once the pasta was finished, I added it to the shrimp mixture and topped with Parmesan cheese.
I will say one thing, it was really difficult to mix the shrimp into the pasta otherwise - YUM!
This was easy but it can be expensive to buy the shrimp so I made it with the leftovers from shrimp cocktail I had from Thanksgiving.
Enjoy - Be well!
Every time I make it, I make it somewhat different. This go around, I traded out pasta for Asian rice noodles though in the past I have made it with ziti and cavitappi. I saute precooked shrimp in olive oil and butter, add two cloves of garlic and cherry tomatoes - this is the standard way I start, however, I decided to flavor it up a bit so I added about 1/4 cup of white wine. Once the pasta was finished, I added it to the shrimp mixture and topped with Parmesan cheese.
I will say one thing, it was really difficult to mix the shrimp into the pasta otherwise - YUM!
This was easy but it can be expensive to buy the shrimp so I made it with the leftovers from shrimp cocktail I had from Thanksgiving.
Pasta - rice noodles
Due to my bypass surgery, easting pasta is well...not worth it! Pasta is very dense and sits like a lead brick in my belly. In an effort to have the occasional easy dinner, I swapped out pasta for Asian rice noodles. I have to say, it is sooo much better and I cannot tell the difference.
Hope it works for you as it has for me!
Enjoy - Be well!
Hope it works for you as it has for me!
Enjoy - Be well!
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